Binder for feb 20

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

66 THINGS TO DU AS A DUHAWK One senior’s reflection on what to “du” as a Duhawk

Team clinches share of conference title

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February 20, 2013 — Vol. 92, Issue 8 From the student body president

Make it a semester of purple and gold

by JERRY HUGUELET

| for the Lorian

As any Duhawk should know, Loras’ colors are purple and gold. However, these symbolize far more than just consistent colors for marketing. Purple and gold represent our college and the passion we have as an institution to make a lasting impact on the world.

Therefore, I’m calling on each of you to make this semester one of purple and gold!

Our campus has already been blessed with a strong sense of community, but I want us to build an even stronger one. A way to do this is to support one another, seeing as we have many opportunities

throughout the semester to do so. Therefore, I am challenging you to attend one of our fantastic sporting events, go to the spring musical, become a dancer or volunteer at Dance Marathon, attend Jerry Salsa Night and the Spring Huguelet Formal, or participate in one of CAB’s weekend activities. However, our community does not just consist of all the students, faculty, and staff on campus, but all of the former Duhawks around the world as well as our Dubuque community. So, reach out

even beyond our campus. Volunteer at the Multicultural Family Center or with the Circles Initiative. Let’s really show Dubuque the good that Duhawks are capable of doing.

We, as Loras Students, are always engaged in the process of becoming active learners, reflective thinkers, ethical decision-makers, and responsible contributors. With the four cornerstones in mind, let us continue to leave a lasting positive impact on the world. This process as we know never stops, and Loras offers us the ability to live out these dispositions on a daily basis. We are at our best when we are truly living as Duhawks, as one

community that supports and challenges one another to grow and be even better.

We are about to enter a season of growth; the sun will come out, the snow will melt, and our campus will once again have a chance to shine even brighter than we already do. So let’s get out there and live up the spirit of the purple and gold. Let’s be at every basketball game, support the choir and band at their spring concert, and continue to be the great Duhawks that we are.

I know it has been a long snowy winter, and I’m sure that we are all looking forward to Spring, but let’s not hibernate any longer.

Instead, let’s paint our school, Dubuque, and the whole world purple and gold.

More students than ever go out and serve

by CASSANDRA BUSCH | news editor

This year Campus Ministry had a problem, but it was a good problem to have. There was so much interest from students wanting to go on a service trip this year that a large number of spots needed to be created in order to accommodate students.

The two ways that Campus Ministry dealt with this problem was by adding a new trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., and by allowing more students to go on each of the existing trips.

“It was a good problem to have,” said service-trip co-coordinator and junior Hannah Way. “In North Carolina, we worked with students and staff at the Newman Center at UNC-Chapel Hill to engage in an Urban Immersion experience along with local food pantries. We experienced drug-recovery facilities, food pantries, and homeless shelters which gave us the opportunity to learn about the injustices that this community struggles with and how different organizations are working to both alleviate the problems and work toward systemic “It was a good problem change.”

First-year Jesse Anto have. derson also traveled to Hannah Way Chapel Hill. junior service-trip “Giving up a week co-coordinator, of my time to fully referring to the dedicate myself to decision to add others was an experianother service trip ence that allowed me to gain a new insight on people and their hardships in cities other than Dubuque,” said Anderson. “On the trip we served people who were truly in need of help, and they were truly grateful. Serving the needy also put my life into a certain perspective. I realized on the trip how lucky and fortunate I am to have such an easy life compared to many people in the world, which is when I remembered God’s teachings to use our talents and gifts as much as we can.”

Additional groups that ventured out during J-term break were the New Orleans,

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In Morton, MS, the Loras contingent worked on outreach efforts with schools and after-school programs. photo CONTRIBUTED

During spring break this year, Campus Ministry will be sending three more groups to Honduras, Louisiana, and Kentucky.

photo CONTRIBUTED

Students traveled to New Orleans to work with the St. Bernard Project to help rebuild damaged homes.

Louisiana group, the Morton, Mississippi group and the Chicago, Illinois group. In New Orleans, the students worked with the St. Bernard Project to help rebuild houses that were damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina or Isaac. Senior Dan Duffy was among the students who were able to make the long drive down to New Orleans.

“The service brought us closer,” said Duffy. “It brought us closer to each other, the people of New Orleans, and to our ultimate concerns. My Loras experience would be incomplete without this experience.”

In Morton, the student team helped the Sisters of St. Francis with outreach in local high schools and after-school tutoring programs. They also were able to learn about the rich history and culture of the Mississippi area. Junior Amy Trapani sacrificed her J-term break in order to be a part of this

group.

“My favorite part about the Mississippi service trip was tutoring high school students and listening to their stories,” said Trapani.

“I learned the importance of just being present to others. That made me look at service with a different perspective, and it was humbling because I often get so caught up in my own busy schedule that I fail to be present.

By focusing on listening, I was really able to see God’s presence in each of them; hopefully, I was able to share God’s love with them.”

Students that traveled to Chicago worked with the Brother David Darst Center. The center provides an experience in urban immersion that is concentrated on the subjects of justice, peace, spirituality and education.

The participants of this trip worked at soup kitchens and in shelters, and discussed social and economic changes relating to urban pov-

erty and homelessness.

“Going on the Chicago service trip was a very humbling but invigorating experience,” said sophomore Sammy Eckrich. “I felt extremely blessed to have the privileged life I lead while many people here in the Midwest are far from having the adequate education, social environment, and basic resources that all humans need. It was heartbreaking to see the many social justice issues present in Chicago, but I know we all came away feeling energized to serve others and become better human beings in general.”

Back during Thanksgiving Break, students also ventured out to McKee, Kentucky, to work at St. Paul’s Parish. There students worked on home improvement projects, learned about the Appalachian people, and visited with the elderly. A Thanksgiving dinner is also organized by the students for the local residents. Among those who spent their Thanksgiving away from family in order to serve was junior Becca Draus.

“Going to McKee changed my year and gave me a whole new perspective,” said Draus. “I made many new friends from both Loras and McKee, and the memories I made with them will last my whole lifetime. Next year, I hope to do another trip. And who knows, maybe I’ll head back to McKee to see old friends.”

During spring break this year, Campus Ministry will be sending three more groups to Honduras, Louisiana, and Kentucky. The Service Trip team will also be putting on The St. Pat’s Auction in March. Students interested in finding out more about any of these trips can visit the Loras Spiritual Life web page, or talk to service trip coordinators Emily Steepleton and Hannah Way.

Over Thanksgiving break students traveled to McKee, KY, and had the opportunity to learn about the Appalachian people, and they also organized a dinner for local residents. photo CONTRIBUTED

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News

The Lorian Feb. 20, 2014

Judo sensei receives honor

by CLINT CARTON| for the lorian

On January 25, 2014, the Wisconsin Judo Hall of Fame inducted an out-of-state nominee for the first time in Wisconsin judo history. Sensei Terry Smith of the Loras College Judo Club, along with Charlie Hooks of Illinois, was granted the award. Smith, a fifth degree black belt, has been part of the Loras College Judo Club since it was founded in 1961, distinguishing it as the oldest continuously operating judo club in Iowa.

Smith, a fifth Although Smith no longer comdegree black petes, he now actively coaches Loras Judo competitors for tournaments all belt, has been across the nation, including Hawaii part of the Loras and the East coast. In the past year, College Judo Smith sent competitors from Loras to the Iowa games, Iowa State Judo Club since it was Tournament, and the National Colfounded in 1961, legiate Judo Tournament as well as distinguishing several local tournaments.

Judo was created in Japan in 1882, it as the oldest and later become an Olympic sport in continuously 1964. The objective of the sport is to operating judo throw an opponent to his/her back, subdue them with a pin, or use a subclub in Iowa. mission technique (adult competitors only). Since Judo stresses the art of maximum efficiency, men, women, and children of all ages and sizes can participate in the sport.

The Loras Judo Club is open to the public. Interested applicants ages six and above are welcome-whether they are new to the sport or are an experienced competitor. Participants have the option to compete in tournaments. Under the direction of Sensei

by SEABELO MONTWEDI | staff writer

photo by CHELSEA MCCARRAHER

Sensei Terry Smith was inducted into the Wisconsin Judo Hall of Fame on Jan. 25.

Smith and three black-belt instructors, the Loras club offers both a youth program and an adult program. The youth program trains every Tuesday night from 6:30-7:30, and the adult program is Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7:15-9:00. All practices are held at the Graber Sports Center. Both the youth and the adult programs require a fee of $50 for four months.

For more information, call Sensei Terry Smith at 563/556-2352 or follow the Loras Judo Club on Facebook.

KLCR back on air after 2 years

by STEPHANIE LAGRANT | staff writer

During a week when the world saw the Olympic flame ignite in Sochi, Russia, another light was rekindled in the second floor hallway of Hoffmann Hall. After two years off the air, KLCR made its anticipated return last week, signifying the end of the countdown to the light.

Station manager, Nick Utter, who is currently studying abroad in Spain, is ecstatic about KLCR’s progress despite his current lack of proximity.

“It has been a long process with a lot of hoops we had to jump through and things we had to figure out on our own, but we have accomplished something huge and I couldn’t be any happier,” said Utter. “Real radio stations have emailed us to commend us on our work and pretty much offer us jobs.”

The dedicated executive board is happy for the exposure and has been working tirelessly to get the word out. So far, they have been successful in their short time back on the air. The outpouring of support for KLCR has come from several sources, including staff, faculty, and students at Loras to the news team at KWWL. At the moment, KLCR hopes to have more contests and giveaways for fans and listeners to keep interest steady.

“I’m excited to start implementing new contest ideas and giveaways. I enjoy working with the KLCR executive team and it’s a lot of fun,” said PR/communications director, Leah Galleger.

The biggest part of the reboot has been the technological aspect. Outdated equipment was part of the reason KLCR fell off the map in the first place, and the team (especially technology director, Josh Feldhaus) has worked long hours with Loras alum Zack Jakaitis to introduce an Internet streaming service. The executive board is becoming more comfortable with the technology behind KLCR every day and is already smoothing out the initial kinks from the first week.

The biggest long-term goal for the students involved with KLCR is to keep it running even after all have graduated.

They hope to keep KLCR sustainable and not allow it to fall off the air as previous students have. Part of this plan involves fundraising to create a larger budget to secure the future of the station.

“Everyone involved with KLCR has worked hard to get the on-air light back on,” said music director Stephanie LaGrant. “We don’t ever want it to go out again.”

Another objective for KLCR is to increase the number of students involved in the organization. KLCR encourages interested students to get involved, offering both large and small jobs that

First True Beauty Week kicks off Feb. 24 “We are beautiful because we are sons and daughters of God, not because we look a certain way.”

These words from Kate Wicker’s book, Weightless: Making Peace With Your Body set the stage for a week-long event at Loras.

After taking a NAMI Mental Health First Aid class awareness class, Cara O’Keeffe, along with friends Alexandria Settanni and Margaret Strahl came together to create the True Beauty Campaign.

“The focus of this movement is to work toward changing the message we as a society send from a negative, self-hating message – you’re not good enough – to a positive, loving message – you ARE good enough and you deserve to be loved,” said sophomore Cara O’Keeffe.

The campaign, which is aimed at spreading awareness of eating disorders and promote positive self-image, will kick-start on February 24 and run for the entire week.

“I am more focused on spreading awareness of eating disorders because, at my high school, there were a lot of students who suffered from eating disorders,” said O’Keeffe.

In addition, O’Keeffe said she is using eating disorders as the main focus of the campaign for three other reasons. Firstly, eatThe focus of this ing disorders are caused by negative movement is to self-image which work towards stems from socichanging the ety’s conception of beauty. Secondly, message we as an eating disorder a society send is a mental health from a negative, issue because it is caused by how self-hating we perceive our message — bodies and what you’re not good they mean. Lastly, there are many enough – to a myths surroundpositive, loving ing eating dismessage ­— orders. Perhaps the most popular you ARE good one is that “only enough and people who are you deserve overweight or underweight have an to be loved. eating disorder.”

Cara O’Keeffe The campaign is Organizer of True therefore hoping Beauty Week to dispel these myths.

Although this is the first True Beauty Campaign, O’Keeffe hopes that the campaign will create a domino effect by getting others to spread the message. In the future, she hopes they can raise awareness on other aspects of beauty. However, eating disorders will remain the focus of the campaign simply because a negative self-image leads to all sorts of eating disorders. Some eat for comfort; others eat to be supermodel skinny.

During the week of February 24 to February 28, there will be different events on each day aimed at promoting positive self-image. To start off the campaign there will be a Progressive Trail Mix in the Residence Halls. This will be followed by a showing of the movie Killing Us Softly 4, Yoga with Dr. Hopper, guest speaker Candice Chaloupka, and Genes Day on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday respectively.

“On Genes Day, we urge everyone to wear jeans and be happy in their own jeans,” said O’Keeffe.

Everyone is encouraged to be part of the campaign so they can become more knowledgeable and thus make better, informed decisions. In Cara’s words, “True Beauty is a week when we are good enough.”

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photo CONTRIBUTED

The executive board of KLCR (Stephanie Benick, Leah Galleger, Nick Utter, Josh Kessenich and Emily Halder) eagerly await the illumination of the on-air light after a two-year hiatus for KLCR. Their wait was finally over as of last Monday. work well around busy schedules. Regardless of age, major, or interests, KLCR offers something for everybody.

“I’m hoping that we can get more students involved in KLCR since I feel we have so much to offer to Loras students,” said assistant station manager, Stephanie Benick. “I’m feeling very proud and accomplished that our little team has done all this work to get KLCR back on the map.”

KLCR features different weekly segments each day of the school week.

Man Crush Monday, Top 10 Tuesday, Woman Crush Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and Fun Day Friday are separate playlists that the KLCR staff puts

together each week. Additionally, head DJ Josh Kessenich hosts weekly show “What’s in the Mug?” every Friday afternoon. Also look for a number of new shows from student DJs to debut in the upcoming weeks.

Executive board members have office hours every day and can often be found in KLCR outside of those scheduled hours. Prospective CD reviewers, DJs, and other who want to be involved are encouraged to stop by and learn what KLCR has to offer.

KLCR streams music and its weekly segments 24/7. Tune in online at loras.edu/klcr and head to the Listen Live page.

News

The Lorian

‘Stop the Hate Week’ focuses on education

LORAS LEGACY SYMPOSIUM PRESENTATIONS OF RESEARCH, CREATIVITY & SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

by ANDREA BERNS | staff writer

In celebration of 175 years, Loras College is asking students of every major and of every class to showcase their academic achievements at the Loras Legacy Symposium on Wednesday, April 30. Classes will be canceled that day so that the Loras community may attend. The event is also open to the public. President Jim Collins and co-chairs Dr. Erin VanLaningham, Dr. Kate Cooper, Dr. Lisa Garoutte, and Dr. Aditi Sinha are the dedicated faculty making this day a possibility. “[We] realized there are amazing accomplishments and research being done by students but no real central venue for people to learn about everyone else’s work,” said Dr. VanLaningham, professor of English.

“So the committee put together a proposal

to have [a symposium] on campus.”

Students may give presentations either solo or in a group by any method such as posters, oral presentations, and creative readings covering a work they have completed in any class. These works may range from senior capstones, MOI projects, honors research, or service trip presentations across any disciplines including the sciences, English, art, history, education, social work, and many others.

“It builds on the string of Common Time events that have happened in the past,” said VanLaningham. “We would have art exhibits, poetry readings, and senior capstone speeches … but there wasn’t a lot of interdisciplinary connection. So we saw this as a way to bring people together and celebrate the academic and creative work of the college.”

Feb. 20, 2014

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by SEABELO MONTWEDI | staff writer

“

We hope that everybody walks away feeling impressed with the kind of research that’s being done, that we learn about other disciplines, that there are great conversations across campus, and that there is a higher profile for a higher level of student work that we do at the college.

Dr. VanLaningham

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professor of English Literature

The day will consist of concurrent poster sessions and oral presentations followed by a session of musical performances, creative readings, and art showcases, a student awards luncheon, two more sessions of posters and oral presentations, and a session for faculty presentations. The day will end with a film festival at 7 p.m. showcasing films produced by the students and faculty at Loras.

“We hope that everybody walks away feeling impressed with the kind of research that’s being done, that we learn about other disciplines, that there are great conversations across campus, and that there is a higher profile for a higher level of student work that we do at the college,” said VanLaningham.

She encourages students to attend areas in their academic field as well as other fields in order to get a sense of the liberal arts tradition and interdisciplinary thought that we celebrate in our classes.

Students may submit their abstract by the deadline, February 28, at loras.edu/ Legacy Symposium. “(We wish to) affirm Loras students and faculty to showcase their research, scholarship, and creative works—most of which the community does not usually get to see,” said Provost Cheryl Jacobsen. “It’s a great way to celebrate a long heritage — and point toward the future.”

Stop the Hate Week, which has been an annual event since 2010, is back again this year. The event is aimed toward bringing together diverse organizations from Loras and Dubuque as a way to start a dialogue that brings awareness to various issues and controversies of discrimination, injustice, and prejudice. This year’s event began on Monday, Feb. 17, and will conclude tomorrow evening.

With this year’s theme, “Stop the Hate: Educate,” the sponsors hope to educate the community.

“The theme this year is education because we truly believe a lot of hate stems from misinformation or plain ignorance of diverse issues,” said Est Mungai, President of the Black Student Union. “We hope that by clarifying the information about these issues a lot of misunderstandings and conflicts can be avoided.”

Through its involvement, BSU also hopes to shed light on some issues that aren’t as well-known as well as instigate dialogue that will educate the community.

Mungai also hopes that other students can realize that Stop the Hate Week is more than just a black and white event.

“Hate is a multi-color, multi-cultural, multi-faceted issue and everyone can play a role in addressing some facet of the hate by learning,” said Mungai.

Campus Ministry, which is also sponsoring the event, aims at combating hate by building compassion and understanding in the community.

Other organizations sponsoring the event include Better Together, Peace and Justice, the Intercultural Programs Office and Loras Intercultural Student Association.

“We know that education is the key to end cycles of hatred,” said Stacia McDermott, Peace and Justice Coordinator says. “Hopefully through participation in the events offered, people will grow in compassion and understanding.”

Through the various events this week, these organizations will strive to encourage the prevention of hate on college campuses and foster community development through education.

If interested, contact Michael Rovansek at Michael.Rovansek@loras.edu

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The Lorian

Opinion

Feb. 20, 2014

Can you tell the difference between ‘friends’ and ‘frakes’?

by SEABELO MONTWEDI | staff writer

W

hile sitting at my workstation, trying hard not to look bored, a group of my colleagues were huddled in a corner discussing the latest “weirdo.” Only this time, I knew this weirdo. More than that, I had come to respect him.

“He is so gross! Like, I just hate him,” said one dark-haired girl. Though I wasn’t looking at her, I could hear the hate and disgust in her voice.

“Like, he thinks he’s cool and all that.

Really?! His family does not have money,” was something else uttered by one of the “group members.” There were murmurs of agreement and nodding heads from the group.

Picking up the ball, one girl said, “Maybe he thinks acting rich will make him rich. Poor thing, doesn’t even know you have to be a real actor to be rich.” This sent the group of girls into an uproar.

“I actually like him,” I said.

Everyone turns to stare at me. By the looks on their faces, I could’ve sworn I had just kicked a puppy.

“You what?!” ”What do you mean you like him?”

“Like, is there anything to like about him?”

The questions, one rolling after the other, came flying at me. “Weirdo” walked into the room, saving me from the onslaught.

“Hey Troy!” said the dark-haired girl.

“I’m so glad you are here. You know I love working with you!”

Personally, I’ll take a cold shoulder over automatic kindness. And no matter how much loneliness hurts, I’ll take that over fake friendship.

The conversation went on around me and the group of girls soon forgot about me. Or maybe I was too stunned to join the conversation.

So now I wonder, what really is a friend? Is it someone who says “Hi” to you every day? Or that person who compliments you on your dress? Maybe the person who buys you coffee one blue morning? But can you go to this person when your life is falling apart, or when you just need to talk?

Here at Loras College, I’ve noticed that there is a lot of kindness going around.

Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong to be kind.

With each one of us facing a struggle, God knows we can never have enough kindness. While I appreciate the kindness around campus, I think it’s time we really thought about why we are kind to those we meet every day. Is it because we are in a Catholic school and therefore it is expected of us? Have we taken kindness so literal that it has actually numbed our sensitivity towards humankind?

What happened at work made me evaluate the people I call friends. Most importantly, it inspired me to evaluate

myself as a friend. In so many instances, we have asked someone how they are not because we truly care about how they are doing, but because it is the proper thing to do. One day, I had someone ask me how my day was. My response was, I was having a bad day.

“Cool.” was their response.

If you are going to be kind, mean it.

When you refer to someone as a friend, be sure not to turn your back against them when they need you the most. Don’t call someone a friend because they buy you alcohol every weekend.

Personally, I’ll take a cold shoulder over automatic kindness. And no matter how much loneliness hurts, I’ll take that over fake friendship. So to all the frakes (fake friends) out there, take time to be real. This is not an attack against anyone.

Ideally, it’s a wakeup call for each one of us to evaluate why we do things. Do we make up lies about others just so we can have more people like us? Then, what does that say about us?

If you don’t like something about someone just let them know. Meaningful relationships have developed over such confessions. Next time you compliment someone, let it be because you really mean it, not because you’ve been conditioned to be kind. By all means, get to know people and keep in contact with them. Just don’t pretend to like them if you don’t. You can respect someone without necessarily liking everything about them. Just like a fake silver bracelet will tarnish to reveal its true color over time, so will you.

EDITORIAL

The opportunity to thrive Well, Duhawks, we’re only three weeks into the semester, and already members of the Loras community are beginning to feel frazzled. Just yesterday, a member of our editorial staff noticed a fellow student staring at the F’real machine for five minutes, only to walk away defeated. Never before had such a sad sight been witnessed.

But this got us thinking. Even though the cold winter is beating up on us, our homework is already weighing heavily on our backs, and Spring Break seems an eternity away, we Duhawks are surviving.

However, we are not just surviving; we are thriving. This semester is packed with speakers and events that go beyond the typical small-liberal-arts school calender. Everywhere you turn is another opportunity to be a true Duhawk.

On Feb. 25, Loras is hosting George Weigel, renowned American author, perhaps best known for his best-selling biography of Pope John Paul II. He will offer a free lecture and book-signing.

Early in March, Campus Ministry and the Service Trip team will be hosting The St. Pat’s Auction, a Loras tradition for over 55 years. With all the money raised going towards the service trip funds, this event draws Duhawks of all ages for an evening of lighthearted goodwill.

Later in the month, Loras is playing host to a free series of presentations and discussions examining the contemporary Irish-Catholic Church.

This event is bringing Eamon Maher and John Littleton, two of Ireland’s best-known and influential commentators on Irish Catholicism, to campus, as well as a handful of other speakers from around North America.

Finally, as most Duhawks are aware, April will bring us the Loras Legacy Symposium — an opportunity to showcase academic achievements from students in every field.

It may be cliche, but we are primed this semester to Be More. Be Loras.

Limestone Review Accepting Submissions!

— The Lorian staff

Editorial staff co-executive editor: MARY AGNOLI co-executive editor/ features editor: COLIN HALBMAIER news editor: CASSANDRA BUSCH sports editor: RYAN GRAHAM advertising manager: MICHAEL ROVANSEK

executive copy editor: HANNAH WAY copy editors: KELSEY CALLAHAN MAGGIE DeGRAND ELLIE HORST STEPHANIE LaGRANT ABBY LANTSKY MARGARET SENTOVICH SAMANTHA VATH KAITLIN YAHR moderator: TIM MANNING

The Loras College literary/scholarly magazine, The Limestone Review, is now taking fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and scholarly essay submissions for the 2014 issue. Please send entries by e-mail to Dr. Kevin Koch by Friday, March 7.

Student readers are also needed for the Reading and Selection Committees.

Contact Kevin Koch by e-mail if interested.

More abuses of social media

by HANNAH WAY| executive copy editor

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his month, we celebrate Facebook’s 10th anniversary. In his commemorative post for the day, founder Mark Zuckerberg wrote, “Today, social networks are mostly about sharing moments. In the next decade, they’ll also help you answer questions and solve complex problems.”

But with every good that social media allows for, it also creates a ripe opportunity for abuse and harm.

Just this past week, two photos posted on Instagram by a member of the National Guard have caused uproar. In one of the pictures, a group of soldiers are shown taking a “funny photo” in front of an empty coffin draped with the U.S. flag.

As with anything on the Internet, the picture can be found with the click of the mouse. One man is pointing off into the distance; a woman sits in the front flashing a peace sign; another man takes the position of “The Thinker.” It is far from shocking —until you remember the coffin sitting in the center of the picture.

It may seem like we are becoming immune to these abuses to social media.

This entire situation offers just one more example of how social media can cause great harm, not only to those individuals in the picture (and the individual who posted the photo) but to military families who have lost a loved one.

This is a far cry from the Internet that Zuckerberg seems to be talking about, an Internet which provides the “tools to build a real community.”

It is even a further cry from the Internet that Pope Francis recently called an opportunity “for encounter and solidarity.

This is something truly good, a gift from God.” Is there any way to reconcile Zuckerberg’s and Pope Francis’ views with the reality that we witness online each day?

Perhaps it is only by looking to another example of social media use that we can tease out a potential answer to these questions. The backlash against the two National Guardsman’s Instagram pictures occurred (get ready for this) primarily on social media. Those who took great offense at the actions of these soldiers took to Facebook to voice their disappointment, their frustration, and their disgust.

Some spoke with eloquent sorrow, powerful testimony, poignant reflection.

These are the moments that perhaps Zuckerberg and Pope Francis are pointing to when they see some good in the Internet.

On the other hand, some responded and sounded like idiots.

Letters to the editor are welcomed Do you have an opinion on something and want to write a “letter to the editor?”

Do you have more questions about an article you read?

Corrections or clarifications? A differing opinion about an issue brought up that you want to be heard?

We want your input.

It’s not just the writers for the Lorian that have printworthy material; you do, too.

To submit a “letter to the editor,” please e-mail lorian@loras.edu.

Opinion

The Lorian

Feb. 20, 2014

5

Faces of traveling: Tales from ‘across the pond’ H

appy second semester from across the pond.

This term, I am excited to be bringing you my column from Lisbon, and with the new writing venue, a new brand of writing of sorts. Instead of inducing some socialthought comas per usual, will be writing about Kalli Miner Ipeople.

And, instead of trying to inspire some trail-blazing conquests, I will be telling about some of the already-triumphant people I’ve met since leaving my Duhawk motherland.

This term you can expect to hear the stories of brilliant characters from across the globe, who have proven to me already that on this trip I won’t learn half as much from the “experience” as I will from the people.

Some of these “faces of traveling”’ as you might care to call them, will include people who have overcome ridiculous odds in their own personal lives. But, for this week, we’ll stick to a seemingly simpler story of a pair of roommates who overcame the bounds of culture and religion to become a modernday Timon and Pumba, and the moral of the story seems to speak true on the inspiration for the “Children of Abraham” sessions held in Dubuque. COA, in real life, may then look a little something like this: I first met Ezgi and Susana on a spontaneous boat trip to see the Cristo Rei statue in the Lisbon harbor. They were bickering back and forth over shoe color, prices of goods in Lisbon compared to home and finishing each other’s sentences, followed by the occasional eye roll. Their

‘MINER’ DOUBLE TAKE

relationship reminded me so much of mine with my best friend from home, and I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head at them. “Oh how fun it would be to study abroad with one’s best friend,” I remember thinking.

I spent the rest of the day with these girls, my new friends and chance traveling companions. I watched them cook together, take photos, talk about the other’s family like they knew them well, etc. I told them it was like they functioned as sisters.

So I was utterly surprised at when they told me they had only known each other for a couple of weeks and were just roommates back at “The Residencia” where we all live.

The Residencia is a place where people are roomed together based on “like countries” so to avoid cultural conflict.

So, I was so blown away to find out that these girls were from two seemingly very different worlds. We spent 4+ hours that night on the floor talking about their lives and why/how they had gotten so close so quickly. This was an achievement maybe not so surprising to some, but considering their backgrounds I was nearly brought to tears by the phenomenon.

Ezgi, from Istanbul, Turkey, is a 25-yearold master student studying advertising and who formerly worked as a graphic designer. Her family is of Muslim faith, though less traditional than other families of the same faith. Ezgi passionately told me stories about the “new traditionally driven government” and the clash with the modern country, and about the religious and political challenges it has brought the people of Turkey. She went on to tell me about the many young people she saw die in the tear gas-lined streets as she ran from a clash between police and protesters during a nonviolent Occupy-like demonstration. Her

By definition, Olympics are not a place for politics A lthough I’ve faithfully watched the figure-skating and skiing competitions each night before I go to bed, the most fascinating part of the Olympics is the way that countries use them to express their political beliefs.

Technically, the Jessie Donels Olympics is not a place for politics.

Olympic Charter 6 states that any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.

The goal of the Olympics is to bring members of the five peopled continents together to celebrate sports and human achievement (they don’t include Antarctica, discrimination against penguins is totes OK). Yet historically, the Olympics have been used to highlight our political differences rather than to bring us together.

There are plenty of famous examples of this, in spite of rule 50.3 (yes, I read the Olympic Charter), which forbids political, religious, or racial propaganda in Olympic sites and venues, in addition to regarding the event itself.

Adolf Hitler attempted to use the events of the 1938 Olympics as a way to prove his theory of Aryan superiority. Although he was embarrassed when Jesse Owens won four gold medals, Owen’s success didn’t stop him from touting his discriminatory politics at and around the events. In spite of his leader’s open hatred of Owens, German long-jumper Luz Long befriended Owens.

Was this a passive political response, or a sign that the Olympic sports help athletes bond in spite of their differences?

China withdrew from the Olympics for a period of 24 years because the Olympic Commission recognized Taiwan as a country. South Africa was excluded for 32 years because the commission was against their racist apartheid regime. Sixty

DONELS DEBATES

countries boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan, and four years later, the Communist Bloc boycotted the games in Los Angeles.

This year, of course, the main political issue surrounding the Olympics is Russia’s recent passage of a law that bans the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to minors. This raises a number of issues, such as it is, at the very least, a restriction on free speech, which is theoretically guaranteed by the Russian constitution. More importantly, from a human rights standpoint, the law is indicative of a fear and hatred of homosexual relations, and represents a threat to homosexual adults and minors in Russia. Without the right to protest or spread information, groups that support gay rights are robbed of their chance to appeal to the public for an end to discrimination. Without access to information, guidance and supportive counseling, homosexual minors are at risk for bullying, depression or suicide. The passage of the law reportedly correlates with a rise in hate speech on Russian TV. Naturally, the human rights issues inherent in this law have made even hosting the events in Russia a hot topic of political debate.

Thankfully, from an entertainment standpoint, the countries with strong opinions about gay rights have taken a passive-aggressive stance rather than boycotting. Instead of following tradition and sending family members, Obama filled his Olympic delegation with openly gay athletes. Gay and straight athletes alike have released videos, tweets, and open letters to Putin, implying that they are for equal rights or have even openly calling out the law as homophobic and discriminatory.

Let’s not forget the members of the audience: the most popular gear for fans this year is rainbow-colored.

Propaganda is not technically allowed at the Olympics, but this Olympics, to borrow the title of CNN writer Sally Kohn’s article, is one of the most fabulous events yet.

photo by KALLI MINER

Susana and Ezgi enjoy the view from the Cristo Rei statue on the day Kalli met them. knowledge on politics and passion for loving justice was incredible.

Susana, on the other hand, grew up in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where her parents work as lawyers for the government and tax departments of the wealthy southern state.

From a practicing Catholic family, Susana admits that religion is among the few things people from her state can identify with the rest of her country. She explained that the state has tried a few times to separate themselves from Brazil, but the political climate is mostly stable overall. The people protest and lobby for themselves and do so successfully. An avid reader, her knowledge about her state’s politics match Ezgi’s. In fact, that’s what the girls say they focus most on.

“We don’t avoid the tough conversations with each other,” said Susana. Ezgi echoed

that as she explained that most of these kinds of conversations happen over “picnics” they have in their room. They sort out their cultural differences over food they ‘make up together’ so to fit the taste of both cultural pallets, and focus more on what they have in common. “ We’ve talked so much about everything, and what we always end up realizing is that we have way more in common than we do differences,” said Susana. “We both value education, we both like to follow the news, we both are close with our extended family,” she went on to say.

“And, most importantly, we’re both just people,” commented Ezgi. An extreme triumph for such a young pair, in a world where global citizenship is a very blurred line.

Olympics seem to serve only as a distraction T

o begin this character around the world. semester’s The Olympics historically have political grown to be a time of peacemaking; dialogue, why not today however, the Olympics might do so in considering serve as an international distraction. an event designed A distraction entailing an artificial to bring the world peace — a peace that ignores the closer? Throughout plight of the downtrodden and makes history, the Olympic a world complacent in greed. games have stood My distaste for governments as an affirmation and their spending, especially in to the human the international context, is rooted Jack Mescher condition and as in what we can observe with the a foundation of Olympics. They are a gesture of hope for diplomacy, competition “peace” that completely misses the and sustained peace. In appreciating ball, failing to remotely address the skill and tact underlying these real issues such as the poverty and sports, we appreciate the very best of sectarian discord observed around the human capacity to move beyond the world. Rather than focus resources unattainable. on horrible conflicts such as those in The Winter Olympics of 2014 are Africa or perhaps on education, the of a certain political significance, in Games are an example of distracting that they are set in the masses from what Russia. The Olympics matters. were last in Russia My comments here My comments during the height are not to devalue the here are not to of the Soviet Union beauty that is athletic devalue the beauty and the valley of U.S. competition; rather, that is athletic relations — the U.S. my hope is to display team boycotted the the problem of where competition; Games in 1980. The our priorities are rather, my hope U.S. now participating and how they are is to display the in the 2014 Sochi further removed Olympics serves as from humanity problem of where a very real reminder when at the hands of our priorities are that so much progress governments. I am and how they are has been made toward not trying to end the the maxim of global Olympics; no, but further removed peace. might we consider from humanity The extent of what ought to be when at the hands retaining and growing conducive to real this global peace is peace? And can that of governments. questioned readily peace be promulgated however in considering through governments the more nitty-gritty or does the potential details of these particular Olympic reside only in human hearts? games. At an all time high, the cost of In the future, let us hope the 2014 Winter Games will top $50 governments use these games as a billion. This amount of money spent celebration of the whole word and not for the glory of sports ought to invoke merely those with financial privilege a disturbance in persons of ethical — but can government do that?

READ AND RIGHT

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The Lorian

Feb 20, 2014

66

Features

by MYCHOLE PRICE | staff writer

by HENRY SONG | guest writer

1. Be a dancer in the Dance Marathon 2. Attend Unicef Salsa Night 3. Be an executive member of any organization 4. Complete the Miracle Mile 5. Complete the Green Mile 6. Have a class with Dr. Kohl 7. Get 20 free t-shirts 8. Study abroad for a semester 9. Do an internship 10. Spend J-Term abroad 11. Take more than two J-Terms 12. Win something really cool from CAB bingo 13. Take a random class that is not related to your major or required classes 14. Scream in the library during finals week 15. Go to Salsa’s on a Wednesday 16. Get free coffee in the Library on Thursday mornings 17. Attend at least seven different speakers in a year 18. Participate in the Library lock-in 19. Go on a social justice service trip 20. Post a cool picture on Duhawks around the world page 21. Post something nice on Du-It Forward 22. Eat a grilled chicken wrap in the Pub 23. Take an 8 a.m. class 24. Go to Gin Rickey’s on a Thursday night 25. Take a class in every building on the Loras campus 26. Attend the International Dinner 27. Attend at least seven different organizations’ meetings in four years.

28. Eat Michelle’s eggs for breakfast in the Café 29. Live on-campus and off-campus 30. Visit Pickett St. after 11 p.m.

31. Attend punch card events 32. Play Humans vs. Zombies 33. Eat gyros at Zoro’s 34. Road trip with Duhawks 35. Send a mass e-mail to everyone on the campus* 36. Take an afternoon class 37. Take 12 credits during senior year 38. Go to Fat Tuesday’s on a Tuesday night 39. Meet up with a Duhawk at the most random places around the world.

40. Room with a foreign exchange student 41. Go on a service trip 42. Attend Mass at least once in CTK 43. Drive a U-Car-Share 44. Date a Duhawk 45. Go to a Homecoming game 46. Contribute to the Senior Gift 47. Go to the soccer playoff games 48. Dress up like Dewey 49. Network with at least with 10 alumni 50. Vote during the presidential election 51. Challenge your faith 52. Slide on the Beckman hill when it snows 53. Take a gym class 54. Leave your mark in the Rock Bowl or Faber-Clark Field after a snowstorm.

55. Be an Intramural champion 56. Get no drinking tickets 57. Have breakfast with the President 58. Be a leader 59. Find Maria’s keys 60. Take a nap in the Library 61. Go to Buzz Sutherland’s comedy show 62. Go to the hypnotist 63. Work in the Cafeteria 64. Be More 65. Be Loras 66. Duhawks supporting Duhawks *Not actually recommended

The Lorian

Feb 20, 2014

7

The Internet Feels Good

Things to Do as a Duhawk

Welcome back Duhawks! I hope you guys had a wonderful J-Term break. Last year as I was stuck in the Madrid Airport, I had nothing to do for five hours, so I decided to write a to-do list for Duhawks. Surprisingly, I had positive feedback from my fellow Duhawks and was asked to post it again in the Lorian. Well, if you are a senior, I hope you have completed the majority of these things from this list. First years, this list will be an excellent guide during your four years. Here is the list:

Features

As the income gap between the rich and the poor grows, what can be done to stop it?

by NINO ERBA | staff writer

Note: “Inequality for All” will be shown in the ballrooms on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. It’s a campus-wide event, so if you’re looking for something to do at that time, please consider this event!

To quote “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, “All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Inequality for All shows us why that truth hurts even more after the global recession started several years ago. This documentary helps us understand where the U.S. lost the plot, and why it’s critical that we move in the right direction again.

The film focuses heavily on Robert Reich, who is an economist and was Labor Secretary for Bill Clinton’s first term when he was in office. He now teaches at the University of California-Berkeley, and part of the film captures footage from one of his classes. Reich is a charismatic narrator and presence, and his vast knowledge of the economic history of the U.S. is one of the major threads in a film that also explores first-hand accounts from people who are economically strapped, as well as the owner of a major pillow economy and former senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming.

What this film makes all too clear is that the U.S. had a great economic situation at one time, and then things slowly started falling apart. Wages started stagnating, jobs were lost, and the income divide grew wider. One particularly maddening moment is when the film goes through a series of presidents and showing the different top marginal tax rates through their presidencies. That tax rate was above 70 percent for decades until Reagan cut those taxes to a dramatic extent. The top marginal

tax rate hasn’t come close to 70 percent since. Combine that with the deregulation of Wall Street, and the farce that was the housing boom, and you wonder how we got into this mess.

Politics aside, this film should make you angry.

It’s like that saying from the Joni Mitchell song “Big Yellow Taxi”: don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone? How could we as a country let this happen to ourselves?

There’s a reason that this has become a major issue: the American people are fed up with this kind of inequality and treatment. The best hope we’ve got is that someone in Washington can successfully stand up to this madness and stop our ship from sinking.

If there is one weakness, it’s that the film doesn’t delve deeply enough into what other countries have done to have great economies. Germany is one such example. Not only are they one of the few countries that has stood out as doing well in the European Union after the recession, but they have both a college system and an apprenticeship program that helps prepare young people for jobs and futures later in life. That’s the kind of system the U.S. should think about adopting to regain our economic footing.

Inequality for All does a great job of communicating what is going on with our economy. Documentaries can tell stories better than fiction because hearing from real people and projecting real events are what are needed sometimes for the message to get across. Democrat or Republican, man or woman, white or non-white, young or old, this film demands to be seen if we are going to get some idea of what to do if we want our lives to get better.

Case Closed — For Now Loras’ Mock Trial team shows off at regional competition

by JESSIE DONELS | staff writer

On February 8th and 9th. Loras College’s mock trial teams competed in the Regional Tournament in Cedar Rapids. The hard work and dedication of the Loras College Mock Trial teams put in the week before — daily practices until 11 p.m. — clearly paid off.

Loras College B, led by Sophomore Elaine Wasylko, faced the top two teams in the tournament and kept the 2nd place team, Northwestern B, from having a perfect record. The B team contained a record number of five first-years this season. Loras College A, led by myself and Julian Valdes, scored 6th overall, with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses, securing a place at the Opening Round of National Championships (ORCS) competition, or the national qualifier.

Both teams will continue to practice heavily in preparation for ORCS, with the goal of placing in the top six teams and securing a bid to nationals in Orlando, Florida. Students Jessie Donels (senior), Matt Resnick (junior), Julian Valdes (junior), Cody Arnold (junior), Blake Gibney (sophomore), Amanda Sharkey (sophomore), Elaine Wasylko (sophomore), Emily Decker (first-year), Lucas Tully (first-year), and Brandy Ruben (first-year) will represent Loras in St. Louis, March 1416. For more information about the team or to help us in our fundraising efforts, contact Coach Deone Merkel (deone.merkel@loras.edu) or captains Julian Valdes and myself (julian.valdes@loras.edu, jessica.donels@ loras.edu).

The Internet released an album called ‘Feel Good’! And no, it’s not the actual World Wide Web that most teens dibble and dabble in or look up Sparknotes for the books they didn’t read.

The Trip-hop band is called ‘The Internet’ which features Odd Future members Syd the Kyd and Matt Martian. You might recognize Syd the Kyd’s name due to her being affiliated with Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, and also as the producer of Mac Millers’ latest album “Live in Space”.

This is their second album out and they leave much to be desired. Syd is really the main vocalist but she also features Mac Miller, Tay Walker, Jesse Boykins III and more. The album consists of 13 tracks, and personally I listened straight through which is a rarity for me. I didn’t know what I was expecting with this band. I had never heard of them before until I heard “Dontcha” which is a very funkadelic jam reminiscent of the group Groove Theory and Jamiroquai. This theme plays throughout the entirety of the album because that’s what Neo-Soul is all about.

“Tell’em” was the intro to the album, which had Syd the Kyd skit skating very harmonically over the chill bass line until you hear her trail over the beat repeating ‘tell ’em that I love you babe,’ a perfect opening for an album about love and surrender. Then the song falls into “Sunset” featuring Yuna Zaraai, who is a new artist just signed by Pharrell and is from Malaysia but of Bugis descent, which is a great step into the diversity in the music scene of mainstream America. Her haunting yet pleasant voice is much like Nora Jones and makes the very uptown song extremely easy to listen to, but it was my least favorite because it was too happy for me. ‘Dontcha’ is very sensual and has hidden sexual undertones once you listen to; again the bass line is the killer.

“You Don’t Even Know” featuring Tay Walker, is another sensual track with Syd doing her classic arias, repeating the

title of the song after explaining all that she wants to do to her partner and how she makes her feel. Tay reaches high notes with ease; his vocals were similar to Tyrese on the first listen. “Pupil/Patience” is a quicker-paced track with snares and cymbals that permeate through the ear canal. It’s very otherworldly, something created for a PSOne video game.

After her exclaiming “hop up on me” repeatedly we go into the instrumental half and are met with a steady drum beat and ethereal synths, sounding like a classic 80’s movie, for 6 minutes.

“Cloud of Our Own” is a hot track about escaping with the one you care about, regardless of the cost. The lyrics here are very well done and deep to the point you reflect on that past love you let get away. This track has a house jazz feel and then it changes into a darker electronic beat until it leads you into the next track called “Runnin” which is more of a deep house summer jam or stepping song for a family barbeque. This song alone brought the energy with an eternal clamoring of “run run run, don’t stop now”; this would definitely be remixed and placed on the House music Bargroove albums of the past. Tay Walker makes the track very Chicago house.

“Matt’s Apartment” is one of my favorites because of the utter feeling of chill ambiance. The beat is simple and yet easily calming. There is a hymn in the background that reminded me of a Final Fantasy video game which gets bonus points.

But later in the track you hear the bass and acoustic coming and you realize why you really like it. I’ll definitely be spitting a

freestyle to this. And then later in the track you have repeated lyrics with a haunting triangle repeatedly being hit. This track offers everything for ambiance lovers.

Now there are tracks that are simply for listening pleasure.

“Shadow Dance” is erotic and moving, another favorite.

“Wanders of the Mind” featuring Mac Miller is classic sound of Mac because he likes to show his oddly entrancing vocal ability. He definitely proves that he has an easy listening voice (nothing fantastic) and his lyrics have reached a new feat, no longer is he a freshman in College but a graduate in his lyrical game. “Higher Times” is the last song and it’s definitely worthy of being the last track. It’s 10 minutes of hymns.

Overall I’m very proud of this purchase because I grew up on Soul, R&B and House so this made me feel like I was back in my childhood listening to my mother’s CDs. This is an album to look at if you’re into very experimental sounds and soulful lyrics. This surpasses their first album “Naked Purple Ladies.”

Syd represents herself as she truly is.

It’s also important to note that she is a lesbian and is very open with it in her lyrics and she isn’t using it as a gimmick, much like the self-proclaimed bisexuals of the music industry today. I won’t name any names…but that’s beside the point. If you don’t know groups such as Groove Theory, Jamiroquai, Jazz Liberators, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and Raheem DeVaughn, then this might not be up your alley. But for someone who enjoys NeoSoul, instrumental and experimental sounds then you should definitely pick it up.

Eleven Lies We Tell Ourselves Every Semester

by LOUISA PAVLIK | staff writer

With the third week of the semester well under way, I thought I would take some time to reflect upon the promises we may or may not have made to ourselves in order to become better functioning college students not worthy of a feature on Collegefessions’ Twitter page.

1. No More Netflix ­— If your total study time is equivalent to one episode of Orange is the New Black, but your time spent in the darkness of your loft with a Cup O Noodles and your laptop streaming Portlandia equates to the total time necessary to watch Blackfish ten times over, then you probably

need to set a more realistic goal. Maybe limit yourself to one documentary a week so that you can continue to stay informed.

2. No more Cafe ice cream - I myself struggle openly with this battle. Milk shake or chicken nuggets on Monday? How many minutes on the treadmill will get rid of the accompanying guilt that goes with locking eyes with your crush who saw you putting an obscene amount of effort into pumping the fudge?

3. I will not spend all of my Duhawk Dollars before Spring Break.

4. No more avoiding eye contact during weekend brunch - Not to name names, but I see the occasional outfit unchanged from

the night before in line for the sausage links, staring in self-loathing at their reflection in the sneeze guards.

5. No more eating of the sausage in the Cafe, as its contents are questionable and each link = one hour of recuperation time for digestion, usually in bed.

6. No more “doing it tomorrow.” — Sit down, stop complaining, and open your Catholic Traditions textbooks.

7. I will wear pants with buttons to class You can only dress leggings and yoga pants up so much.

8. Hit the AWC every day! - Maybe not every day, unless you commit the daily act referenced in #2. This is just too much;

Insert Coin to Continue

you have to get naps and homework in.

Personally, I advocate for online Zumba.

9. I will not get the majority of my sleep through napping between classes.

10. No more hating - I am a hater about three things: BuzzFeed, onion breath, and awful John Hughes movies. Am I really going to accept lists as a form of news, not yell at my roommate for her vegetable consumption, and let my friend pretend she was the Roger Ebert of the ’80s? Probably not.

11. I will not eat family size bags of popcorn by myself - I just don’t see the point of sharing or the harm of a practically calorie-free snack. I’m pretty sure I burn calories with how vigorously I chew.​

Looking Back

Celebrating 175 Years

In an industry filled with downloadable content and microtransactions, gamers are finding their entertainment in another castle

I’ve called myself a gamer “next-generation” console in

by COLIN HALBMAIER | staff writer since my earliest days, and it’s the past year, putting them on all thanks to Nintendo. Before PlayStation and after the the same level as Nintendo’s Wii U. Both companies days of Atari, Nintendo led the charge into the world of offer paid subscriptions, which allow players to access video games as home entertainment. Household names special content and play online with their friends—a like Mario and Donkey Kong came directly from the service Nintendo offers for free. Nintendo has always minds of the company’s greatest minds, such as Shigeru prided itself on offering family-friendly content (which Miyamoto. That being said, when I heard that Nintendo means gamers looking for Halo or Battlefield are out was struggling financially, I had to pause. How had the of luck). The other companies thrive on such content, gaming giant, known for some of the most recognizable which reaches sensational status. There’s a reason characters of our generation, reached this point? It’s games like Call of Duty see a new addition every year true that there have been some poor decisions made in or two—it’s because there will always be people willing the last few years, but there’s also been a seismic shift in to step up and buy them. Nintendo’s approach is much what people consider “entertainment” these days—and slower, but the results don’t like. The Super Smash it’s not good.

Brothers series will release a Have you ever paid for extra new game for the first time in content in a game, even on your six years. The next Mario Kart cell phone? How many of your game will come three years after Facebook games require you its predecessor. Nintendo takes to “like” or “share” something their time with such games, but to progress? From the big if the past is any indication, their companies like Sony or Microsoft patience shines through the to the little guys like Farmville or superb quality of their content.

Candy Crush, gaming has become Liking Nintendo may have less of a quality experience and fallen out of favor in some circles, more of a scheme to milk you for but for those patient enough to your time and money. Games like Angry Birds become wait for their blockbuster games, the pros outweigh the more difficult to encourage players to give up and pay cons almost every time. There’s a reason this company a little more to take a shortcut. Nintendo has never is a household name. The Nintendo Entertainment taken this route, but the recent financial obstacles they System set the standard for early gamers. The Wii face may push them in that direction if things don’t revolutionized the way we play games. They’re the ones turn around soon. who are willing to break free of the norm in order to If Nintendo’s games are so great, then why are they define it. The company may be struggling now, but with struggling? The company’s main competitors are the slew of new games coming out this year, the future is Microsoft and Sony, both of which have released a new bright for everyone’s favorite gaming company.

ON THE AIR! Last semester, KLCR went on the air for the first time after a two-year absence. The first campus radio station (W9 BHO) was created in the early 1930s as part of the Science Department under the guidance of chemistry professor Msgr. George Schulte who was also a licensed radio operator. This station operated for a few years before a new radio station was established on campus in 1963. The sophomore class raised $1,500 through various fund raising activities and in May 1963, KLOR Radio went on the air. This photo shows sophomore class president, Bob Hajek, at the controls.

Studios were on the fourth floor of St. Joseph Hall (Hoffmann Hall) and the signal was beamed to the campus via satellite transmitters in each of the dorms. About 50 radio club members took turns keeping the station on the air. In 1970, a new production studio was constructed and further equipment improvements were made. Of course, today the technology has advanced even further, allowing KLOR, now KLCR, to provide a much needed service to the Loras College Duhawks. (Courtesy of the Loras College Archives)

8

The Lorian Feb. 20, 2014

Going for the Gold

by CASSANDRA BUSCH | news editor

Watching the Olympics never fails to amaze me. Watching the athletes that are competing do thrilling and insane things on the track, hills, beams, ice, court, etc. is enough to make any normal person’s jaw drop in admiration. There is a reason that most of us are not able to perform the way that these athletes can. For one, it does take some, or a lot, of natural talent and ability to be able to become Olympian. But even more than that, the training and discipline that goes into preparing for the Olympics takes years and years. Not only are the Olympians at their physical peaks, but they have to be prepared mentally as well.

Now, it’s not the intention for most of us to become Olympic athletes. However, we can look to these people for great inspiration in our daily lives, and we can take some good notes about how to treat our bodies well and push ourselves to the limit, in everything we do. To do this, we need to pay close attention to our diet and exercise routines, and make sure they are well balanced.

There are some simple ways that you can start to feel like an Olympian in your daily routine. The first step is to make sure that you eat a healthy breakfast. Dr. Dan Benardot works with Olympic distance runners and is in charge of the nutrition program for U.S. Figure Skating, and he says, “One of the biggest mistakes athletes make is heading out for a run in the morning without eating anything first.” Many people believe that working out on an empty stomach will save you calories and help you burn fat, but actually eating breakfast will help you burn more in the long run, because you have more energy to work out harder and longer.

Another important step to feeling like a top notch athlete is to make sure that you drink plenty of water. If you are an active person and working out regularly you should drink approximately one ounce of water for every pound that you weigh. Most of us are not drinking nearly that much, and we can become dehydrated without even noticing. It is important to be taking in fluids all day long, not just before and after you do a workout.

Along with these two important tips, others include making sure you are taking enough iron in (especially the ladies), incorporate lots of colorful fruits and veggies into your daily diet, and also think about what you are doing post-workout. Make sure to recover with plenty of fluids, and eat a mix of carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes after finishing your sweat session. This helps your body recover and build muscle, and prevents next day soreness.

So we can’t all be Olympic athletes. That doesn’t mean we can’t take a note from them about how to train and eat! We can find a source of inspiration in their amount of dedication, and use it to transform ourselves as well into fit, healthy people.

College Cooking Cooking-in-a-Mug

Photo and recipe from www.number-2-pencil.com

by COLIN HALBMAIER | co-executive editor

What You’ll Need • • • • • • • • • • •

1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 drops of vanilla extract A small pinch of salt 1 egg yolk 1/4 cup of flower 2 tablespoon (or more) semi-sweet chocolate chips A microwave A spoon A mug

Let’s face it: we’ve all had those days where we just want a cookie, but don’t have the time or patience to make a whole batch. That’s where the microwavable cookie in mug comes in!

Melt your butter in a mug in the microwave. Add sugars, vanilla, and salt. Separate your yolk from the egg and add the yolk to the cup. Stir. Add a little less than 1/4 cup of flour. Stir again. Add chocolate chips, and stir one last time. Cook for 40 seconds and check for doneness. Do not microwave for longer than a minute.

What’s in the mug? A cookie! Grab a spoon and enjoy.

lifestyle

Sudoku

Write numbers in the spaces so that each row, column, and 3x3 box contain the numbers 1 through 9.

Mind & Soul The Lorian is continuing a column by Dr. Mike Boyd, director of the Counseling Center. Here he will answer student questions concerning anything that relates to keeping it together while going through this crazy thing called college. Send questions or comments to Dr. Mike, Loras Box 100, or to the e-mail address michael.boyd@loras.edu.

All names of those sending questions will be kept confidential.

Finishing Last?

Hey Mike:

Bo

Well nice guy, you really are a mess. Here is the deal, we are Social Animals. We need others around us to feel complete. So feeling that something is “wrong” is natural.

But I suspect that you feel more than just “wrong”. You may feel desperate. That may be showing through when you go out with someone. People like to be around others who are self-confident. When you are worried that the date you are on may be your last, you are not paying attention to the present. When you worry about a second date during the first date, you are wasting time that could be spent enjoying yourself. You are also much, much less fun to be with.

So, get over the worries. You are not worth more or less based on how many dates you get. Enjoy the dates you get - but more importantly, develop a circle of friends based on common interests, not on romance or lust.

There are other issues to examine. For instance, you might be picking out people to date who are never going to have a second date with anyone. But start by staying focused on the person you are with and don’t worry. Then, if you cannot get over the worries by yourself, see someone. Don’t just worry. Do something about it.

FROM THE SEMINARY

New evangelization

by JACOB ROUSE

St. Pius X Seminary

“

Catholic traditionalism is also an implausible, indeed impossible, model for living Catholicism. It denies the reality of the conditions under which the Gospel must be proclaimed in the twenty-first century and thus renders itself evangelically sterile, sounding the retreat into bunkers and catacombs rather than issuing a call for witness and mission.”

Challenging yet needed words from Catholic author and authority George Weigel.

Upon learning about his visit to Loras coming up on Tuesday, February 25, I decided to read his new book called Evangelical Catholicism. He raises some excellent points about our new pope, the modern Church, and what we can do as lay people in this day and age.

The topic of The New Evangelization is largely talked about in Catholic culture today. Pope Francis, the US Bishops, and Catholics all over the world are taking a new approach on how to bring the Gospel to the World . But what is this New Evangelization and how does it apply to us?

To quote Mr. Weigel again: “…

Evangelical Catholicism, born from the

Old and New Testaments, proclaims that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… finally and definitively revealed himself in Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph and Mary.” His ministry of healing, teaching, dying and rising was all started by the “Incarnation” (or, his arrival on earth, into our time and physical reality). This human life of Jesus is what we must focus on.

In human and Christian evangelization history, the idea has always been to convert the non-believers and make them Christian. However, the New Evangelization acknowledges that the “workers in the field” (the Catholics who are supposed to be evangelizing) are not always prepared or devoted. This perspective draws out a new and loving way to share the Gospel. Instead of converting non-Christians with propaganda, pamphlets, and mass outreach, we must strive to refocus ourselves and those around us; our families, our friends, and communities; to live as Christ would have.

Mr. Weigle suggests that Evangelical Catholicism “insists that no one is born a Catholic and that “becoming a Catholic” is a lifelong process.” The idea of meeting people where they are has always been a familiar phrase, and one we see in Jesus’ example in the Gospels. He continually reaches out to the poor, the sick, the imprisoned…the ones that society would call “unlovable.” In the future, this is the way we can most effectively preach the Gospel and evangelize to the world: with our lives.

9

Go Directly to Heaven!

Do Not Pass Go ...

Hey Mike: I know this is an odd question, but I do not want to ask anyone else. I am not a Catholic. I was raised in an Evangelical Church. When I was a kid I was taught that the Bible is all true. In college I am questioning many of those beliefs. When I try to talk to my parents they flip out and have even said they might want me to leave college. What do I do?

o l o d y

Mike says:

Feb. 20, 2014

— Heaven Bound?

Mike says:

Well I can’t guarantee that I am the right person to ask spiritual advice from. If that is what you want there are plenty of people here who can give it, so I’ll address the problem between you and your parents. You should ask yourself what you are trying to do with your parents. If you are trying to make them flip out, you are succeeding. If you are looking for validation of your new beliefs and understandings, you are probably out of luck.

You are supposed to ask questions in college. Keep it up. Take courses that are challenging, and ask questions from the best instructors you can find.

You may find that you move beyond the beliefs you had as a child. That is because you are no longer a child. There is a line in the Bible about having the faith of a child.

It does not say have a childish understanding of faith. As you learn and deepen in your questions you will find that faith can also deepen.

However, your parents may be afraid that you are growing away from them as you develop new ideas about many things, including faith. Help them understand that you are still you, and still part of them. Try to not let this issue get between you and them by focusing on other areas of your connection to them that are still good. If things get too tense because of this it may be helpful to talk to someone about how to repair relationships with parents.

gy

I am a sophomore. I’m reasonably good looking, but I have trouble with getting and keeping dates. I treat women nice and when I go out with someone we have a good time, I think, but then I get the brush-off. I have tried to figure out what is wrong, but don’t know what I am doing wrong. Help!!!

— Nice Guy

The Lorian

What are you looking for? the life that is true life:

by FR. GROSS | for the Lorian

H

ey Duhawks! Welcome back to campus! I hope you had many wonderful experiences between our semesters. It feels like an eternity since December!

Last year at this time we were living in a moment of major papal transition.

On February 11, 2013 Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation. This was the first time a Pope resigned in a million years, or something like that. This March we will see the first anniversary of our new Pope Francis. Recently, he released his Apostolic Exhortation, Evagnelii Gaudium which is his reflections on how we should promote and live the New Evangelization. I think one of the paragraphs was written just for our Loras laptop, iPhone, Android, and headphones

on campus. I offer it for our reflection as a community. May we always remember that to encounter a person should always be preferable to looking at a screen.

Enjoy our Pope’s words, and see you around town!

He says in paragraph #88: “The Christian ideal will always be a summons to overcome suspicion, habitual mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, all the defensive attitudes which today’s world imposes on us. Many try to escape from others and take refuge in the comfort of their privacy or in a small circle of close friends, renouncing the realism of the social aspect of the Gospel. For just as some people want a purely spiritual Christ, without flesh and without the cross, they also want their interpersonal relationships provided by sophisticated equipment, by screens and systems which can be turned on and off on command. Meanwhile, the Gospel tells us constantly to run the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, with their physical presence which challenges us, with their pain and their pleas, with their joy which infects us in our close and continuous interaction. True faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others. The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.”

‘You are More,’ a message of God’s unconditional love

T

by COLIN PRIEST| for the Lorian

here’s a song by Tenth Avenue North called “You Are More.” It’s a song about someone who is trying to change their life but they continue to struggle with the same sins and pains that they’ve been dealing with for their whole life. The song is a message of hope, however, because it’s a song about God’s mercy and unconditional

love for the person struggling. “You are more” is repeated over and over: “You are more than the choices that you’ve made. You are more than the sum of your past mistakes. You are more than the problems you create. You’ve been remade.” What the song is trying to make us see is that God’s love for you is not based on what you’ve done but because of who you are. God is not going to stop loving you because you made a mistake;

everyone makes mistakes. It’s called being human. God knows your flaws but He looks beyond them. He looks to you, to who you really are, a child of God. You are loved by God. He knows how you try to make a change but somehow fall back into the same thing over and over again and He loves you still.

One of my favorite lines from the song is “You are more than the sum of your past mistakes”. How many times in your

life do you evaluate whether you’re a good person or not based on the faults you’ve made? Stop doing that. Pray to God and see that he loves you regardless of what you’ve done in the past. Listen to what He is saying to you in your heart: “You are MORE”. You are worth so much more to Him than what you think. You are precious in the eyes of God. You have been remade.

10

The Lorian

Sports

Feb. 20, 2014

Swimming team ends season with a splash Duhawks place 4th in the Liberal Arts Championship and finish 2nd in conference

by RYAN GRAHAM | sports editor photo by MARK TILKES

Sophomore Mitchell Johnson takes down an opponent during last Saturday’s University of Dubuque Open.

Loras wrestles its way to a perfect month of February The Duhawks gear up for Regionals on the heels of a 4-match winning streak

off against St. John’s University and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the AWC. The Duhawks beat St. Johns (MN) by a score of 25-14. Shortly after, they squared off against UW-Platteville, who they took down by a score of 36-3 to end a great Senior Day. The seniors who were honored that day included Cody Flynn,

Decorah to challenge 12th-ranked Luther College for the IIAC third-place dual.

“We have a team full of men who love to fight and seriously believe they’re the best in the nation,” said senior Bilby BOO WOOD | sportswriter ly Wood. “Other team’s rankings don’t On Feb 7, in front of an enormous mean squat to us. We don’t wrestle a cheering section, the Duhawks knocked number — though the number excites off rival Universius, we leave it all on ty of Dubuque by a the mat.” score of 29-15. LorThe Duhawks as wrestlers won six came out excited, out of 10 matches to winning its first sevdefeat the Spartans. en matches. After First-year Wilsurrendering the son Mettelus led the next two matches to way at 133 pounds, Luther, the Duhawks followed by sewent on to capture nior Matt Holmes third place in the who is ranked No. conference defeating 4 nationally at 141 Luther by the score pounds. At 157 of 27-12. pounds, junior SteWins came from ven DeWitt (No. 3 Metellus; first-year nationally) won by Rudy Johnson; setechnical fall. niors Holmes, Joe Senior Boo Wood Wood and Billy beat his opponent Wood; DeWitt and by pin in just 54 secJoe Butler; and Buss. onds at 165 pounds.

The Duhawks At 174 pounds, Joe are gearing up for photo by MARK TILKES Re gionals , whi ch Butler pinned his N o . 6 n a t i o n a l l y Sophomore Colin Griffin approaches his opponent during last Saturday’s will be held March ranked opponent. meet.

1 at the Five Flags The Duhawks endCenter in Dubuque ed the night with a win by No. 4-ranked Russ Gossen, Kyle Henry, Matt Holmes, Iowa. With a 4-0 record in February and heavyweight, James Buss by the score Griffin Weihe, Joe Wood and Billy Wood. a strong healthy line-up, the Duhawks of 15-5.

With a 3-0 record to start the month are wrestling at very high level and are On Sunday Feb 9, The Duhawks faced of February, The Duhawks traveled to looking to peak come Regionals.

Men’s and women’s track and field teams off to a promising start ‘‘

by RYAN GRAHAM | sports editor

The men’s and women’s track-andfield season is well underway.

Looking back to early January, the men’s team placed third in four of their first five meets. The men also won the Cornell Invitational in early February.

On the women’s side, in their first five meets, the Duhawks placed third, fifth, third, first and fourth.

In their most recent meet, the UW-Platteville Invitational, the Duhawks made a strong showing. Several Loras athletes turned in top-3 finishes.

On the men’s side, sophomore Zach Frey won the 800-meter run and senior Josh Goerdt placed third in the 200-meter dash. The relay team of Goerdt, senior Sean Lewis and sophomores Nick Ball and Stedman Foster placed second in the 4x200-meter relay. The Duhawk’s 4x400 relay team of Foster, Lewis, Goerdt and sophomore Zach Frey also turned in a second-place finish.

On the women’s side, first-year Eliz-

abeth Bradenburg placed first in both the 60-meter hurdles and the pole vault.

Junior Morgan Steere placed second in both the shot put and weight throw, senior Kellie Wagner placed second in the 1-mile run and first-year Bridget Hall placed third in the 5,000-meter run. Additionally, the relay team of seniors Laura Wondra and Donna Johnson, junior Emily Sotelo and sophomore Brittany Powers placed first in the 4x400 meter relay.

“Our coaches have been telling us to come in and train hard everyday,” said Steere. “If we don’t get the results we want in a meet, we can’t dwell on it. We just have to come back and work hard the next day on what we need to improve on.

Every meet is a new meet and we can’t dwell on any mistakes we’ve made in the past.”

Steere, one of the Duhawks’ top female throwers, talked about how she and her fellow throwers have faired throughout the first half of the season.

“We have been doing really well so

“If we don’t get the results we want in a meet, we can’t dwell on it. We just have to come back and work hard the next day on what we need to improve on.”

Morgan Steere,

,,

junior thrower

far,” she said. “The start of the season was a little slow, but now many of us are getting personal records every meet. We hope we can continue to improve and that many of us will place high in conference in two weeks.”

The Duhawks’ next meet will take place tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 21) at North Central College in Naperville, IL. This will be Loras’ last meet before the IIAC Championships at Luther College the following Saturday.

The swimming season came to a close last Saturday afternoon, as both the men’s and women’s teams each placed fourth in the 2014 Liberal Arts Championship in Elsah, IL. On the men’s side, the Duhawks were helped by a several top-three finishes. The best finish of the weekend for Loras was turned in by first-year Ike Casey, who placed second in the 100-yard freestyle. Sophomore John Maevski finished third in the 3-meter dive, Junior Matt Bogen placed third in the 1,650-yard freestyle and the relay team of Casey, sopho“I’m really more Zach Benson, seimpressed with nior Michael O’Toole, how much this and first-year Lance Scallon contributed senior class has with a third-place finmatured. Not ish in the 400-yard even just in freestyle relay. the pool, but On the women’s how they’ve side, junior Lexie Mollohan chipped in with matured as a third-place finish in individuals. the 200-yard backThey went stroke and senior Katie from clueless Callaghan also collected the bronze in the 18-year200-yard butterfly. olds, to very “I was happy, except functioning for the fact that we had members of too many mistakes,” head coach Doug Colsociety leaving in said in regards to his as 22-yearteam’s performance in olds.

They’re last weekend’s chamgoing to be pionship. “We had five disqualifications solid citizens that really hurt us. We and great threw away about 70 members of points through disthe business qualifications.”

Despite their misworld when takes, the Duhawks they leave were still able to finish here.” second among their Doug Colin IIAC opponents behead swimming hind perennial powcoach erhouse Luther. Coach Colin talked about why his team was unable to top their biggest conference rival.

“Their depth made a difference there,” said Colin. “We still beat them in quite a few events on the top end. But with them scoring four to six guys between our top finisher and our nextbest finisher, they were able to outscore us in the end.”

Last Saturday, eight seniors exited the pool for the final time as Duhawks. When asked about his seniors, Colin was impressed with their development both in and out of the water.

“I’m really impressed with how much this senior class has matured,” he said. “Not even just in the pool, but how they’ve matured as individuals. They went from clueless 18-yearolds, to very functioning members of society leaving as 22-year-olds. They’re going to be solid citizens and great members of the business world when they leave here.”

Looking to next season, Colin sounded optimistic.

“I’m looking for everyone to improve,” he said. “Hopefully our returners do a good job on their offseason training with getting stronger and staying fit. That way starting off, we’ll be close to where we finished this year instead of having to start all over again. I think we’re looking at a decent recruiting class, especially on the girl’s side. We got some holes to fill with the graduations, but I think the future is looking bright.”

‘‘

,,

Sports

The Lorian

Feb. 20, 2014

11

Duhawks clinch share of IIAC title Strong rebounding leaves Loras poised for a postseason push

by KATIE TRUESDALE | sportswriter

After an exciting 10-game winning streak, the Duhawks fell last Wednesday night to crosstown rival University of Dubuque 51-57. That loss would stand as the women’s first in IIAC play this season.

But the Duhawks would get back on track on Senior Day last Saturday against Buena Vista University. Three seniors, Katie Wheeler, Katie Langmeier and Lauren Byrne, were recognized for their significant contributions to the program before taking the court.

The Duhawks took over the game early, thanks in big part to sophomore Kaitlin Phillips. Phillips scored 20 of her 24 points for the game in the first half. When the women walked off the court at halftime, they had a 46-39 lead.

Using time to their advantage the Duhawks worked the ball around well against Buena Vista during the second half. BV, the top-scoring team in the conference, began to panic as the Duhawks started to shut down their offense.

Buena Vista did its best they could to whittle away at the Duhawk lead but it wouldn’t be enough, as the scoreboard read 77-67 in favor of Loras at the final buzzer.

Along with her 24 points, Phillips finished the game with eight rebounds and four assists.

Senior Katie Langmeier recorded a double-double, with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Katie Wheeler and junior Victoria May chipped in with nine and eight points, respectively.

First-year Lori Obendorf added a presence on the boards by collecting seven rebounds off the bench.

With the win, Loras is now 16-7, 11-1 in IIAC play, giving it a share of the IIAC title.

The Duhawks will finish up the regular season Saturday on the road against conference foe Coe College.

After their game against Coe, the Duhawks will look to their strong defense to carry them in the postseason. Loras is currently ranked third in the IIAC in scoring defense and first in rebounding margin. Nationally, the Duhawks rank 41st in rebounding margin out of the 431 teams in Division III women’s basketball.

photo by KAT EDWARDS

Katie Langmeier (pictured), along with fellow seniors Lauren Byrne and Katie Wheeler, were honored last Saturday on Senior Day.

photo by KAT EDWARDS

photo by KAT EDWARDS

Junior forward Victoria May drives to the basket during an 80-72 win over conference opponent Luther College earlier this month.

Sophomore point guard Kaitlin Phillips drives to the basket on her way to a 20-point first half against Buena Vista on Saturday night.

12

The Lorian

Sports

Feb. 20, 2014

COACH’S CORNER

‘Distractions’ are stupid GRAHAM SLAM

photo by KAT EDWARDS

Junior guard Luke Barry drives to the basket as sophomore Justin Schneider awaits the rebound against conference opponent Wartburg earlier this month.

Duhawks move into 4th place in conference Loras ends their 11-game drought against Buena Vista

Junior forward Nathaniel Smith was named to the D3hoops.com “Team of the Week” for his performances last week.

by KATIE TRUESDALE | sportswriter

Following a nail-biting 71-70 win over cross-town rival Dubuque, the Duhawks hosted conference opponent Buena Vista University last Saturday.

It was Senior Night for three Duhawks: Alex Kline, Josh Bruns and Ryan Coon.

Buena Vista had beaten Loras in their last 11 matchups, with the Duhawk’s last win coming in the 2006-07 season.

The Duhawks found themselves behind by three after a fast-paced first half in which both teams combined for a total of 81 points.

When the second half began, the Duhawks quickly began to take over the game. When the final buzzer rang, the scoreboard read 106-100 in favor of the Duhawks. This marked the highest scoring game for the men this season.

With the win over BV, the men now are 13-10 overall and 6-6 in IIAC play.

Five Duhawks had record-scoring games. Junior Nathaniel Smith led the team with 29 points, and he also contributed eight assists and seven rebounds.

Juniors Aaron Schueller and Luke Barry chipped in with 20 and 14 points, respectively. Sophomore guard Mirko Grcic added 12 points off the bench and senior Alex Cline rounded out the scoring with 12 points. Finally notching a win over BV after 11 straight losses was a good way for the three seniors to celebrate their Senior Night as Duhawks.

“We had not exerted the defensive intensity we knew were capable of,” said senior Ryan Coon. “In the past couple weeks of practice, we really focused on being in the correct places and talking to each other on defense. So far, our work ethic has proven to be successful.”

“These past four years at Loras College have been great,” Coon continued. “I

thoroughly enjoyed my time here and the people I have been around, but (the years) have gone way too fast. Our goal as a team is to win the conference tournament and to take it one game at a time. In order to achieve this goal, we will have to continue our defensive intensity but also make sure that our offense is crisp. I am not as worried about our offense. We have a few guys on the team who are playing fantastic and shooting the ball at an elite level.”

“We have been playing really cohesive basketball these past few games, especially on the offensive end” said junior Bobby Harmening. “Guys like Smitty, Shoe and Cline have been playing with a lot of confidence. Coon has been relentless on the glass and Luke and Mirko have been major contributors as well. When playing against our cross-town rival, there is always a little more motivation. Cline, Coon and Bruns are huge assets to our team and difficult to replace, but we have some eager and talented younger guys that will step up and fill their shoes.”

The men are currently the No. 4 seed for the IIAC Tournament that is set to begin next Tuesday. The Duhawks will finish out their regular season at Coe on Saturday.

Men’s tennis team looks to rebound

by RYAN GRAHAM | sports editor

The men’s tennis season got off to a slow start last Saturday at Luther College, where the Duhawks dropped their first two matches of the year to No. 14 Luther and Grand View University.

“We played two tough teams this weekend,” said head coach Daniel Kurt. “Luther is always the top one or two in the conference and Grandview is an NAIA school that can offer scholarships. We had a tough go the first weekend against the two tough teams, but hopefully over the next couple weeks we’ll face teams that we match up with a little better and we can continue to play hard and squeak out some wins.”

Despite his team’s slow start, Kurt saw some positives.

“The person who really stood out last Saturday was Sam Steingraeber,” he said. “He’s a freshman, but he played really well considering it was his first matches. So we’ll really need him to continue to step up and have some other guys step up along the way.”

The Duhawks are looking to improve off their disappointing 1-12 record last season. Unfortunately, they’ll have to do with-

out one of their stand-out players from last season.

“We’re going to miss John Moore,” Kurt said. “He was our No. 1 (singles player) last year and he was All-Conference as a sophomore. He’s studying abroad this year, so we’re really missing him at the top of the line-up.”

Kurt went on to talk about his goals and expectations for his team this season.

“Something I always look for from my team is that we’re getting better from the beginning to the end,” Kurt said. “Usually, it’s hard to improve when we’re inside Graber. Once we get outside we’ll start putting everything together. The unfortunate thing is the weather — it’s going to make it hard for us to get outside early this year. As far as goals, I think it’s our goal every year to make it into the top six and get into the conference tournament. After that, we obviously want to beat UD. That’s always a match we have circled on our calendar.”

The Duhawks’ next two matches will take place this Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where they will take on the Blugolds of Eau Claire, followed by a match against the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

F

ormer Missouri defensive end Michael Sam will soon play in the NFL. After leading his conference in sacks and tackles for a loss, Sam was named defensive player of the year in the SEC, the Ryan Graham best conference in college sports editor football.

Despite these accolades, Sam is only projected to be taken somewhere between the third and fifth rounds in this April’s NFL draft. At 6-3, 255 pounds, many NFL scouts are classifying Sam as a “tweener,” in that he may be too small to play defensive end yet not athletic enough to play outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He’s more of a project-type player, who probably won’t make an impact until his third or fourth year in the league. But this isn’t why Sam has been dropping down on people’s draft boards.

Michael Sam’s draft stock is dropping for a very different reason – he’s gay.

If Sam gets drafted in April, he will become the NFL’s first openly gay player. This is a big deal, not just for the NFL and professional sports but for the homosexual community as a whole.

The reaction to this news has gone as expected. Many people have supported Sam, applauding him for his courageousness. And yes, unfortunately, others have criticized Sam’s decision to come out. Analyst Herm Edwards on SportsCenter called Sam a “player with off-the-field issues,” and said that “he’s bringing baggage into your locker room.”

In an interview with CNN, New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma painted us this beautiful picture: “Imagine if he’s the guy next to me — and I get undressed, naked, and I’m taking a shower — and it just so happens he looks at me. How am I supposed to respond?”

Respond to what exactly? Are you telling me that every glance from a gay person ought to be interpreted as a sexual advance.

And don’t even start with this “distraction” nonsense, either. “Distractions” do not exist on their own — they are created, usually by the media. When a reporter asks the question, “Will (insert abnormal circumstances) be a distraction for your team?” I’m sure most coaches are thinking, “Well, now it is, thanks to you, A-hole.”

Think about it, in the grand scheme of things, is being gay really that big of a distraction when you compare it to some of the other wonderful things NFL players have done in the past? “The Daily Show’s” John Stewart drove this point home flawlessly.

“No team wants the type of controversy that having a gay player is going to cause! You know, if he had just been convicted of DUI vehicular manslaughter (picture of Donte Stallworth) … Or obstruction of justice in connection with a murder (picture of Ray Lewis) … Or had been accused of sexual assault (picture of Ben Rothlisburger) … Or screamed the N-word at a concert (picture of Riley Cooper) … Or killed a bunch of dogs and buried them in his (expletive) yard (picture of Michael Vick) … You know, then he’d be NFL material.”

Do we really need to create a media frenzy over one player’s sexual preferences. Last time I checked, sexuality has no correlation to physical ability. If that were the case, hey, I’m straight! So why am I not slated to be drafted this April? Is it because I’m 160 pounds and unathletic? Is it because I haven’t exercised in three years? No, can’t be! I just need to work on becoming straighter! Crack me open a beer, toss me that “Hustler” and fire up “Top Gun” on the flat screen— it’s about to get hetero up in here!

I can tell you a few facts about Michael Sam. He will never miss a tackle because he’s gay.

He will never drop an interception because he’s gay. He will never forget the play call and blow his assignment because he’s gay. He’ll never get a penalty flag for being gay. He’ll never get fined or suspended for being gay (though, Roger Goodell is looking into it).

Despite all this, there are still people out there who insist on labeling him a “distraction.”

Michael Sam isn’t the distraction.

You are.