Oct. 17, 2013, edition of The Lorian

CONCUSSIONS ON THE MIND

DIVING INTO THE QURAN

How these injuries are affecting athletes everywhere Page 10

Exploring Islam’s oldest religious text Page 6 October 17, 2013 — Vol. 92, Issue 4

Mock Trial opens season

Students pound the FT5K: pavement ‘for the kids’ Dance Marathon holds a 5K race to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network

Loras students travel to North Carolina to compete against 20 larger schools, most being state universities

by CASSANDRA BUSCH | news editor

For the second time this year, Loras students and Dubuque community members pounded the pavement Sunday to raise money “for the kids.”

The first For the Kids 5K (FT5K) took place in May. The race is a 5K run/walk put on by the Loras Dance Marathon (also called Duhawk DM) and Moms of Miracles to raise additional funds for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital.

May’s event drew 75 runners who helped raise about $1,400. This time, about 160 runners pre-registered for the event, with even more people waiting until race day to register for the event. The fundraising tally for this event was not yet available as of Tuesday.

The race originated from a group that was inspired by Duhawk DM: the Moms of Miracles. These are some mothers — and one father — from the Dubuque area who wanted to join the effort to support and raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

The FT5K began Sunday at the Medline parking lot on Dubuque’s west side. Loras students, “miracle families” and community members came together to run or walk the 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) course.

The president of the Loras Dance Marathon chapter this year is senior Alyssa Schroeder. She said the FT5K is the first of many events that Duhawk DM will organize this year as part of its overall mission.

“This year, I have the privilege of being the president of one of the most successful Dance Marathons in the nation,” said Schroeder. “I am blessed to work with an amazing team and inspiring families to help give support both emotionally and financially to children who benefit from University of Iowa Children’s Hospitals.”

Schroeder said she leads an enthusiastic group of Loras students in Dance Marathon who work tirelessly throughout the year to raise money, encourage participation, raise awareness of charity efforts and to plan the actual dance.

“I love this organization because I have been given the opportunities to get to work with some of the most driven and passionate individuals I have ever met,” Schroeder said. “I am so lucky to have been given the opportunity to watch each one of these miracle families grow through everything they have been through. They have truly been my inspiration to make each day even better than the one it follows.”

Kim Walsh is the faculty adviser to these hard-working students.

She also has a personal connection to the Miracle Network.

“I have been the DM adviser ever since the group was formed nine years ago,” Walsh said. “I originally began the organization to help students to understand the importance of philanthropy. However, it became a personal passion of mine in 2010 when my niece,

by JESSIE DONELS

photos by ELIZABETH EVERSOLE

Junior Nick Coleman carries a child during the For the Kids 5K (FT5K) walk/run on Sunday.

‘‘

D uring her battle with cancer, she loved Dance Marathon and all of the things it funded at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital I saw firsthand the impact the organization had on our miracle kids and their families.

Kim Walsh

,,

director of student life and faculty adviser to Duhawk DM, explaining her passion for Dance Marathon

Anna, was diagnosed with cancer and became one of our ‘miracle kids.’

“During her battle with cancer, she loved Dance Marathon and all of the things it funded at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital,” Walsh continued. “I saw firsthand the impact the organization had on

our miracle kids and their families.”

Dance Marathon holds numerous events throughout the year in its efforts to get more people involved in supporting ailing children and the Children’s Miracle Network. Keep an eye out on campus for more of their fundraising activities.

Loras students ran or walked alongside the kids that took part, which provided each other with the motivation to finish.

A group of Dance Marathon supporters keep their spirits up during the 5K walk/run.

|

staff writer

Last weekend, the Loras College Mock Trial Team opened the season with a tournament on the East Coast at the Carolina Classic Invitational, hosted by Elon University in North Carolina.

The mockers faced challenging competition from 20 schools, and the Duhawks were competing primarily against teams from large state universities. Some of universities that were represented were the universities of Virginia, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Richmond, Duke, George Washington, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Although Loras’ team did not place, it recorded four close rounds against excellent competition. The Duhawks take pride in matching wits with the top programs in the country.

Unlike athletic competition, there usually are no divisions that make a distinction between state universities from small colleges.

Participants said the tournament served as a learning opportunity for all of the teams involved, as the Carolina Classic was one of the very first mock-trial invitationals of the season. The Loras team travels all over the country for competitions against the best competition — nationally and internationally — that it can find.

“Although we didn’t place at the tournament, I’m really happy with our performance, said team co-captain Julian Valdes.

“I’m really looking forward to working with our new members this year.”

Mock trial is a trial-like competition based on affidavits, evidence and laws provided by the American Mock Trial Association. Students act as witnesses and attorneys. This year’s scenario involved a theft and a double-robbery case against a defendant who potentially might have been framed by the owner of the amusement park he allegedly robbed.

“We’ve got a lot of new members this year with great potential,” said Valdes. “We do have a lot to work on, both for attorneys and witnesses, but for being two months into the season, I couldn’t be happier with where we are at.”

Any questions regarding Mock Trial can go to captains Jessie Donels and Julian Valdes, or to coach Deone Merkel.

2

News

The Lorian Oct. 17, 2013

Next play at Loras?

‘Lend Me a Tenor’

Students and staff pose for a photo with Iowa state Rep. Tyler Olson, who is running for Iowa governor. photos by BENJY MILLER

Democrat running for Iowa governor ‘‘

Iowa state Rep. Tyler Olson speaks at Loras as he begins his bid to unseat Gov. Terry Branstad

by KALLI MINER | staff writer Iowa state Rep. Tyler Olson met with the Loras College Democrats and other students, staff and members of the community last Wednesday while campaigning for the Democratic nomination for Iowa governor.

Olson, who lives in Cedar Rapids, has served in the Iowa state House of Representatives since 2007 and recently stepped down chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. A University of Iowa law-school graduate, the 37-year- old Olson said that “15 years is enough,” referring to current Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s non-consecutive years of service at the helm.

“He (Branstad) is stuck in the past and is doing business with 40-year-old policies,” Olson said.

“Iowa has moved on from that.”

Olson said his extensive experience in appropriation and finance committees makes him a champion of budgeting and money management.

“We have a major surplus in the Iowa budget; it’s time to start using a little bit of that to fully fund our preschools again,” said Olson, who noted that he was inspired

He (Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad) is stuck in the past and is doing business with 40-yearold policies. Iowa has moved on from that.”

Iowa state Rep. Tyler Olson

,,

a Democrat running for governor

Iowa state Rep. Tyler Olson, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, spoke to Loras College Democrats and other students, staff and members of the community last Wednesday. to pursue this particular policy because of his own two small children. “Eighty-five percent of learning occurs before the age of 5, so we need to give all Iowa children a chance to go to preschool.”

Olson touched on other hot-button issues as well. Though he did not go in to detail, he said that he does support immigration reform on a federal level and encourages voters to see the issues as a “human one,” reinforcing the humanhood of migrant workers

who are often employees on Iowa farms. He said the protection of these workers and the protection of small farmers from corporate farm takeovers are two major factors impacting agriculture in the Hawkeye state.

Olson explained that a significant percentage of farmland is owned by people older than 60 and that a tax incentive has been developed to encourage farmers to sell to the next generation.

A former employee at his own

family’s small electric company, Olson insists that keeping things local is key.

“Pushing consumers to want to make that personal connection between their food and where it comes from is really important,” he said. “I think people are wanting to make that connection more and more.”

Iowa state Rep. Chuck Isenhart, who is a 1981 Loras graduate, was in attendance and spoke at the end on behalf of his colleague’s session to endorse him as a prospective Democratic nominee for governor.

“He’ll make a great governor,” said Isenhart after chuckling over what was, perhaps, the students’ most favorite discussion point.

He was referring to the part in which Olson said somewhat excitedly, “Hey, I make my own tweets — that’s not hired staff. So tweet me!”

On Nov. 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. in St. Joseph Auditorium in Hoffmann Hall, “Lend Me a Tenor” will make its debut.

The production is free for Loras students and staff, while general admission is $12, and admission for seniors and students of other schools that bring their IDs are charged $8.

“Lend Me A Tenor” is set in September 1934. Henry Saunders, the general manager of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, is primed to welcome world-famous Tito Morelli, or “Il Stupendo,” the greatest tenor of his generation, to appear for one night only as Otello.

The star arrives late and, through a hilarious series of mishaps, is given a double dose of tranquilizers and passes out.

His pulse is so low that Saunders and his assistant, Max, believe he’s dead. In a frantic attempt to salvage the evening, Saunders persuades Max to get into Morelli’s Otello costume and fool the audience into thinking he’s Il Stupendo.

Max performs admirably, but Morelli comes to and gets into his costume ready to perform.

Now two Otellos are running around in costume and two women are ru nning around in lingerie, each thinking she is with Il Stupendo.

A sensation on Broadway and in London’s West End, this Tony Award- winning comedy is guaranteed to leave audiences teary-eyed with laughter.

News

The Lorian

Oct. 17, 2013

3

Channel the Panel: A glimpse of the future

by SEABELO MONTWEDI | staff writer

Homecoming week held a lot of exciting on-campus activities. Amidst the fun, current Duhawks had the opportunity to learn from alumni through panel discussions. There were different alumni panels going on at the same time for different education disciplines.

Amongst those who served on the general panel, which was hosted and directed by the CEL office, were Liz Elsbernd Kruse (’08), Rachel Gunderson (’09), Tommy Giovingo (’06), Ben Layer (’03) and Carolyn Windberg (’12).

In talking about their personal experiences, the panelists, though they had different experiences, all shared the common view that their time here at Loras was memorable and presented them with great opportunities that are helping them succeed in life.

Layer said that he made connections with President Jim Collins and other people here at Loras and that those connections came in handy for him when he was in graduate school.

“It was cool to have that 30-minute connection with someone because of my Loras College connection,” he said. “Jim is a very personal person. Once you make that connection, don’t just make it, but use it.”

Adding to that, Elsbernd Kruse said that for her, the most enjoyable and helpful experience was studying abroad in Spain. She encouraged everyone who can to study abroad because “it helps you discover who you are and learn to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds than yours.”

Explaining how internships helped them while they were students here at Loras College, Giovingo said, “It is very beneficial to try something new, especially in an environment like Loras College where it is OK to fail or make a mistake.”

To add to that, Gunderson offered an example as to how trying something new can be helpful in the long run.

“I was a deejay at this radio station and I knew no one listened to the radio station, but

photo by ELIZABETH EVERSOLE

A group of former Education members presented as one of the many panels during the Homecoming weekend.

I kept at it. The manager at the time had to go away for some time and left me in charge. It was a great learning curve for me. Trying new things helps you know what you like and don’t like, and gives you a clue of the direction you want to take in life.”

A lot of us wonder why we have to take classes such as the infamous Democracy and Global Diversity (Democ) and other liberal arts classes. Windberg said that students who are taking the course may not see it now, but the classes actually do pay off in the end.

“I think ‘Democ’ helps in the sense that you have to know what you want and be able to put that into words, to think critically… and ‘Democ’ really helps you learn how to counter arguments,” Windberg said.

Gunderson added that in her workplace,

Meet the vice chancellor: Msgr. James Barta

by LAUREN PETERMAN | staff writer

Msgr. James Barta is the former president of Loras College and former vicar general for the Archdiocese of Dubuque.

He retired from these positions, and he now acts as the Vice Chancellor for the Board of Regents, in addition to other community positions.

When Msgr. Barta attended Loras College, he was the editor of The Lorian, editor of the Purgold Yearbook, choir member, speaking club member and involved with intramurals. Msgr.

Barta said Loras prepared him for life after college in two ways: “First of all, Loras is a liberal arts college. That meant that it taught me to think, and helped me to be a logical person. I have found that logic is a very good tool to have at your side in speaking for yourself and evaluating what you hear from others. It taught me how to think in an organized fashion, and gave me outlooks and experiences that kept me from being narrow (-minded). The second way was that I was thinking about being a priest, and my Loras experience confirmed that notion. It continued preparation for the priesthood and provided important background [learning] for priesthood.”

Msgr. Barta says his duties as a board member entail, “Seeing that the college continues to fulfill its mission. In doing that, it supervises several things: the budget, faculty tenure and hires the president, in addition to making a great financial contribution to college. [The Board] does whatever is necessary for Loras to see to it that the college follows its mission and purpose.”

where she has to meet and talk with people who work in different projects than hers, she has to be able to “understand their point of argument and to see things from their perspective,” and she believes another required class, MOI, helped her with that.

Before receiving questions from the audience, the panelists were asked to share the “greatest lesson” they learned as Duhawks and their “greatest regret.”

While most of them spoke about wishing they had studied abroad, Layer said, “I think I am a great example that it is never too late to change. For my few years of college, Art Sunleaf (dean of student life) had a file on me because I was a nuisance, but that changed, and he too was surprised when I made a complete turnaround. My biggest regret was worrying so

much about what I was going to do. I changed my major about three times before I settled on psychology, but somehow I managed to graduate in four years.”

Layer continued to say that students shouldn’t worry much about what they are going to do after college and to focus more on enjoying the experience and trying different things. He said the campus has created a platform for students to learn and discover themselves. He also talked about why he takes so much pride in being a Duhawk.

“People here make meaningful connections,” he said. “They care about where you are in life and where you are going, but most importantly they remember you. You meet them 10 years later and they remember you. Not just a polite kind of ‘I-remember-you,’ but they sincerely care and remember the time they had with you.”

Most questions from the audience were focused on soliciting advice from members of the panel. However, one member of the audience wanted to know why each one of the panelists either went off to graduate school or to work for some company instead of starting their own business.

Three of the panelists said the jobs they have at the moment are the right fit for the career paths they want to pursue. On the other hand, Layer and Giovingo said they had interest in entrepreneurship, but have other responsibilities now — families — that made a reliable source of money a key concern. Layer advised those who are interested in taking the entrepreneurial path to start now while they don’t have other responsibilities and obligations.

In closing, Faye Finnegan from the CEL office thanked everyone for coming and extended her appreciation to the panelists for coming to Dubuque to share their experiences with students. She further encouraged students to step by the CEL office to take advantage of the many services they offer.

Carnegie Hall invitation shows choir making a name for itself

by SEABELO MONTWEDI | staff writer

During its Homecoming, Loras carried the theme of the 175th anniversary throughout the week. With the college looking back at its greatest achievements and surging forward towards new one, the Loras College choir is not to be left behind.

The choir recently has made a name for itself and has been invited to perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York next summer. Dr. Bruce Kotowich, director of choral and vocal studies, an associate professor of music and the choir conductor here at Loras, talked about how the choir is preparing for its biggest accomplishment in years.

Kotowich said the choir has “worked very hard over the years to earn the invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall next summer.”

During International Peace Day, the choir, in conjunction with Clarke University and University of Dubuque, performed at a recent Dubuque celebration at Clarke University. The choir, not afraid to explore new things, performed at the first-ever songfest hosted by the Dubuque Chorale.

“The Dubuque Chorale did this as some sort of community-based event that aimed at carrying forward the peace theme from the International Peace Day celebration … and it was the first time we did something of this sort,” said Kotowich.

During Homecoming week, the choir had the opportunity to perform at the Holy Family Concert which was hosted by Loras. The annual concert began over a decade ago, and its purpose is “to bring representatives from the Catholic school system together to show the elementary students that music is an activity and area of study that they can carry along to middle school high school, and college, too.”

“I saw this as an opportunity for Loras College to give to the Holy Family system and we provided the elementary students with space to rehearse and to house all their families and room to play educational games,” Kotowich said. “It’s wonderful for the choir to realize that our audience isn’t just adults and the Loras community, but that our audience also extends to the young children out there … and most people started singing in elementary school.”

Kotowich said the choir has “worked very hard over the years to earn the invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall next summer.”

The choir also performed at the kickoff for the Loras College Capital Campaign that was held Thursday of Homecoming week. Dr. Kotowich is very proud to be part of the choir. He believes that “the choir members are the college’s ambassadors in a special way.”

“It was an honor for us to be part of the kickoff … for the benefactors, the board of regents and the present alumni to see us perform live. Some of them only get to hear our recordings, and it was great for them to see us sing live.”

President Jim Collins, who attended the kickoff, urged the Loras community to support the choir in New York next summer.

“The choir has just proven why they got invited to sing at the Carnegie Hall in New York,” said President Collins.

Loras College choir wrapped up Homecoming week by singing at Homecoming Mass.

One student commented that the choir often sings in a foreign language, and he also suggested that the songs are usually “slow,” thus making it difficult for the audience to connect.

When responding to this, Kotowich said songs like “The Ground,” which is in Latin, touch people regardless of whether they understand the words or not. He said music and art in general is much more than the words or a catchy tune.

“It is about the emotions portrayed through art,” he said. “You know you have experienced true music when you did not understand a word sung, but you felt the meaning of the song. We have people with tears in their eyes every time we sing because they feel the emotion of the song.”

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Opinion

The Lorian Oct. 17, 2013

Reflection on income inequality I

f there is one thing that every American can agree on it is that a fundamental part of our nation’s culture is money. The accumulation of wealth is the heart of the “American Dream,” and many like to think of our capitalist economy as the perfect vehicle to achieve Brett Robbins that dream. Well, what if our economic system isn’t as perfect as so many think it is?

There has been a lot of debate in the last few years about the distribution of wealth in the United States and if our current economic system truly is equitable in offering opportunities and incentives to all Americans. I was confronted with a video documentary that showed the current distribution of wealth in the United States, and it got me thinking about just how substantially unequal our society has become. It’s understandable

ROCKIN’ ROBBINS

to argue that having a class system offers studying the values within socialism. No, incentive for the lower classes to work this does not mean you have to become a hard and elevate themselves to the upper Marxist revolutionary, but the idea within classes. Indeed, our culture has reinforced Socialist thinking that people should be the idea that hard work only comes offered even playing fields and the same from the desire opportunities as to make more one another seems money. However, rather logical to me.

If the poor are not given when you look at If I am a professor adequate means of the disadvantages at Loras and I attaining good schooling, leveled upon the decide to start 80 healthy lifestyles, and job poor in America, percent of my class or even the middle at zero points, give opportunity, they become class, in comparison 15 percent of my locked into their social class. to the opportunities students 25 extra granted to the credit points, hand wealthy, you start to 50 extra credit realize just how far ahead the upper class points to 4 percent of my students, and is, as well as how far behind the lower leave a whopping 500 extra credit points classes are. to the remaining 1 percent, I doubt I’d be Socialism has been manufactured into employed for very long. a word of tyranny by the conservative The reason for my termination would right, but like feminism, gay rights, black be that I was ignoring the intelligence, civil rights, immigration reform, and work ethic and abilities of my students everything else radical conservatives and simply giving a small percentage the have demonized, there are benefits in ability to do substantially better than

everyone else, regardless of whether they earned it or not.

The immediate retaliatory response for this argument is that those who are rich worked hard and made their way to the top. Although this might be true in some cases, I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of millionaires and billionaires did not start off in poverty. Being born into a rich or even middle-class family puts an individual on a playing field far above those born into poor households.

This is the problem of income inequality.

If the poor are not given adequate means of attaining good schooling, healthy lifestyles and job opportunity, they become locked into their social class.

The same could be said for the middle class. The absence of social mobility is the primary reason we need to re-analyze how we want wealth to be distributed in our country.

Visit http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM and watch this video for a better idea of just how skewed our wealth distribution has become.

Looking into the big-city fishbowl: An outsider’s view of New York City I

boarded a plane to New York last weekend with some friends for a conference regarding human rights and other charitable issues. And, as I scanned my overpriced paper boarding pass, I remember thinking first that catching a plane at 4-something in the is just insane, Kalli Miner morning and second that I had never felt more unattractive in the entirety of my life.

No, not really, I was much too tired to think about the way I looked. But I did think about what the city would look like with its people fast-walking down the city sidewalks in fashion. A tune of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” Frank Sanatra’s “New York, New York,” and whatever Alicia Keys’ “Streets of New York” tune played over in my head and I dozed off to sleep.

When I opened my eyes, reality hit. We stepped off of the subway at 103rd and Broadway to see rats running along the arsenic-infested rail tracks and homeless people shuffling about, most barely able to walk. The fast-walking people were more like zombies in a self-absorbed comas, and

‘MINER’ DOUBLE TAKE

the clothes they were wearing looked less like fashion and more like something from the Capitol out of the “Hunger Games” series. Or, better, a very sexualized circus.

This I found particularly ironic, as back in Duhawk Nation, poultry young and old were celebrating the Hunger Games-themed Homecoming. Miles away, though, we were seeing the real deal, what that series really represents: a material-torn country and world. A place where we see the system breaking down everywhere and the damnable class struggle that consequently governs our lives, but are too petrified of finishing last to take a time-out from climbing over each other in the socio-economic ladder to actually stop this twisted transistor (wait, isn’t that a Korn album? I don’t know).

As a friend explained it to me, “I was looking into the fish bowl; those people have never been out of the fishbowl,” she said. “They are totally desensitized; they don’t even know it’s happening all around them.”

So for this reason, I hope that my observations don’t come from a place of judgment on people, but rather what their behavior represents: a commodified sense of success in which owning expensive plastics and textiles signify that we’ve ‘made it’ somehow.

For instance, I met a girl whose mother of the Big Apple itself. But don’t get me was a Palestinian woman who barely wrong, I stand on no moral high ground. made it out of Palestine alive. My new After all, I like to shop as much as the next friend was explaining this to me in one person. But, there was no way that I could breath, and in the next was showing me look that man in the face and pretend her Dolce & Gabbana glasses, Gucci purse that he was a mere statistic, move on and and Coach blazer; holding buy a sixth pair of shoes them up proudly as when he had none. And, trophies as if to show that even if he hadn’t used it ‘I was looking into her family had moved to buy shoes (as many of the fishbowl; those on. She hadn’t said it, my friends suggested, he people have never but I knew, and I didn’t was probably just looking know which part of our for drug money), didn’t been out of the conversation made me he at least represent a real fishbowl. They are more sad. person living in poverty in totally desensitized; the world?

Or, after talking to a lady on the subway about Certainly shoeless they don’t even how much I missed grass, people may strip away know it’s happening their dignity for drugs or then seeing a shoeless, all around them.’ clearly very poor, black alcohol, but the poor do man saying ‘God bless you exist. And, as Jesus says, all, I need shoes, please in giving to the poor, we help,’ over and over are not participating in again. Then, in the next minute, trying to any noble act of favor; we are giving to maintain my footing as the crowd pushed them what is already theirs, but was taken out of the train into the stores of Time away by injustice.

Square, where they would spend hundreds So, before boarding my plane back of dollars on shoes they’d nearly trampled I looked around at some ‘I heart NY’ each other for. souvenirs, and decided that I did not People looked around at me as if saying need to buy a T-shirt to remember my ‘shop or get the hell of my way, kid,’ but experience in the city that never sleeps; I I couldn’t do anything, or say anything, had already received more than I had paid because I had a lump in my throat the size for.

EDITORIAL

R-E-S-P-E-C-T ... find out what it means, Duhawks We’ve got a problem, Duhawks.

And it’s not registration, housing or weather-related. For some of us, it’s our attitudes.

We all find ourselves, at times, complaining about one thing or another on campus. Let’s face it, that’s human nature … or maybe boredom.

But the following examples are things that we, the editorial staff, have actually heard around this campus.

And frankly, it’s upsetting.

Don’t say that the “(fill in the blank with whatever sport team) “sucks ... and doesn’t try” if you’re not getting up for 6 a.m. weightlifting and/ or conditioning, giving up your weekends to compete or travel to games, and practicing every day on top of a normal class load.

Don’t say that “music majors just sing” or “elementary ed. majors just color”

or “business majors just defaulted to the easiest’ major” if you’ve never even taken a class in that field.

Don’t say that “CAB puts on lame events” if you’re not attending them or if you have never tried to satisfy 1,600 students’ interests at once.

Don’t say that “(fill in the blank with a professor’s name here) is lazy and unreachable” if you’re not teaching all day only to have to grade and “lesson plan” more once you get home.

And on a personal note …

For those who say “The Lorian is awful ... and I could do a better job,” we say: Prove it! Nobody is stopping you.

Show us how to write all the articles, take all the pictures, sell advertising, organize all the moving parts, design and build a compelling newspaper in a few hours time each week. Dazzle us with your brilliance!

In a way, it comes down to one simple thing: Respect.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But seriously, watch what you’re yelling across the campus, posting on Facebook or tweeting your rude, misguided remarks.

If you’re not involved in the organization you constantly find yourself complaining about, perhaps you should “walk the walk” and get involved. Talk to people from other majors and learn more out what they do. Thank your professors every once in awhile because they put in far more than the traditional 40 hours per week.

A common saying for our school is “Duhawks supporting Duhawks.” Let’s not throw that away with uneducated and unwarranted bashing of one another.

— 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

Opinion

The Lorian

Oct. 17, 2013

5

Debate over Obamacare is over, has been over A

s we enter the third week of shutdown, old questions about the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as Obamacare, ascend from the murky depths of political doublethink and make their way into the public debate.

I want to start this Jessie Donels debate by stating that this debate is, in all possible ways, OVER. Congress passed the bill. The president approved the bill. And when the ACA found its way before the Supreme Court, it passed muster. Finally, polls consistently show that, although Americans are against

DONELS DEBATES

“Obamacare” when they hear the nickname, they are for the elements: companies providing health care to fulltime employees, people 26 and younger remaining on their parents’ insurance if they don’t have their own, and charging those who don’t have health care a tax in case they do fall ill and society is required to cover the cost of their treatment.

Moving on to the real issue, why is the ACA a sticking point in the budget debate?

Well, regardless of the fact that every government body has passed this bill and the American public in general approves of it, the Republicans still refuse to agree to any kind of vote on any kind of budget

Ongoing debate about health care reform: Wake me up when it’s over

H

ealth care Party, on the other hand, has yet to reform? It’s offer m(any) viable alternatives. background Everyone agrees that American noise at this point, as health care is operating in a failing far as I’m concerned. system, particularly as costs continue To echo the feelings of to rise disproportionately with the late, great English income or general living costs. Still, journalist Christopher deliberation between the only two Hitchens on the parties with a substantive, national matter, as imparted voice is glued into two immovable to me via Reddit.com soundboards. (a high-brow forum The American so-called “left” for objective debate, insists that this is a necessary step Dale Elenteny or something like towards modernity, considering every that): Wake me up European and developed Asian, African when it’s over. Yet another discussion and Latin American country has some point has fallen victim to partisan form of national health coverage. The stratifying, with the dialogue inevitably “right” will occasionally mumble some devolving into two predictable pools sort of market-driven alternative, of buzzwords. Whether it’s a Democrat but the Republican Party’s focus is bemoaning your lack of “compassion, unapologetically centered on Barack bro,” or a Republican informing you Obama’s political downfall, not repairs of the steadily churning conspiracy of a broken model. The back-and-forth to destroy America one unfunded never changes, and gridlock sets in. mandate at a time, the only thing Absent from this debate, as with that seems to be perpetually absent most American political discussions from the discussion with wide-ranging are opinions which are relevance and impact, structured on anything are alternative Everyone agrees other than stale, perspectives. that American regurgitated talking Rather than offer healthcare is points. improved alternatives, Language is a conservative political operating in a powerful force in elites have aligned failing system, politics. Just take a look all energy on doomy particularly at the sensationalized or forecasts for the near faux-emotional names future. The party as costs of most bills which which is so eager continue to rise pass through Congress to grandstand for disproportionately (“____’s Law”; the free markets makes with income or Violence Against Women little effort to assert Act; the Reducing Barack those beliefs in the general living Obama’s Unsustainable reform discussion. costs. Still, Deficits Act, etc.).

Expectedly, these deliberation The health care bill representatives also in question here is tend to be receiving between the only officially known as the the most generous two parties with Patient Protection and donations from a substantive, Affordable Care Act, “health maintenance but detractors and the organizations,” more national voice brevity-minded prefer familiarly known as is glued into “Obamacare.” Both insurance companies. two immovable reflect political tactics HMO’s were federally that place an obvious mandated upon soundboards. emphasis on poking the businesses with 25 or opposition over pursuing more employees in productive aims. The 1973, and costs began formal title advertises the ambitions to swell soon after. and supposed outcomes of the bill, while On this, along with other consumer“Obamacare” tries to demonize the empowering market-based options, executive who signed it into law (and both sides are largely silent. Last year, ignores the other two branches of the Maine enacted a statewide health care federal government that also approved reform stressing limited intervention, the bill). market forces and consumer choice.

Meanwhile, most Democrats (and This opens up bigger questions of why the general public, including myself) the Republican Party is so reluctant have only a superficial understanding to stress a deregulation of the health of it. Nancy Pelosi herself said no one insurance market — the answer is in would know its full extent until the bill the wallets of campaign contributors, already had passed. The Republican particularly HMOs.

A DALE-Y DOSE

unless the president agrees to delay funding for the ACA. That, obviously, is not going to happen. This kind of strategy eliminates any chance for fixing the impending financial crisis. The U.S. is expected to hit the debt ceiling — the total limit for the amount of debt we are allowed to have before we go into default, currently just over $15 billion — today (Oct. 17). This would spell economic trouble — that’s an understatement—for the United States and for the countries with which we are economically tied. By the way, that’s all of them.

So what do we do? We could raise the debt ceiling again. It’s been raised 77 times since 1962, it shouldn’t be difficult to raise again. But will

that solve our problems? Likely not.

If our government does raise the debt ceiling, the only result will be continued squabbling over minuscule changes in the budget while the total debt keeps growing. This leaves two options: Default on our debts or reduce spending and/ or increasing taxation until our budget is under control. This brings us directly to the Obamacare problem. Partisanship is never going to fix our budget issue. It is time to forget about Democrats and Republicans (and Libertarians) and to come up with a solution that doesn’t cut the essentials (the ACA), doesn’t destroy the economy (defaulting), and doesn’t perpetuate the cycle (raising the debt ceiling). We can’t call ourselves the best country in the world if we can’t get something done.

Shut down Obamacare, not the government I n yet the latest chapter in the everevolving Affordable Care Act saga, the federal government has shut down.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats would refute that health care is a complicated issue nor that there is no straightforward solution. There is no Nate Kapraun easy way to solve it in a way that makes everyone happy. Admittedly, I have not had the time to read the entire 11,588,500 word Affordable Care Act (and I would be willing to bet that our own congressman, Bruce Braley, still hasn’t even read the whole thing even after his debate with then Republican nominee Ben Lange), but I don’t think that places me in the minority of American citizens. My overall opinion of the Affordable Care Act, according to the Huffington Post, places me in the majority of American citizens.

In a recent poll done

by Huffington Post, 29 percent of those polled were in favor of “Obamacare,” 46 percent were against, and 12 percent were unaware of what that was. On the flip side, when asked about the “Affordable Care Act,” 22 percent supported the initiative, 37 percent were opposed to it, and 30 percent were unaware of what that was. To clarify any confusion, Obamacare and the Affordable Health Care Act are indeed the exact same thing.

Regardless of the terminology used, the poll made it very evident that the majority of Americans are not in favor of this bill, myself included.

In the midst of recent political tensions, many people are left asking the same question as before: “What is the big stink about Obamacare?” Even though the bill promises to decrease the number of uninsured Americans and reduce the total cost of health care, there are many unintended consequences that come as a result of the poorly constructed bill. Instead of helping Americans, it will harm them in the grand scheme of things. Millions of Americans, primarily young people like you and me, will see exponential increases in their monthly premiums due to the exorbitant costs that the bill will incur. Among other things, the bill also discourages growth

READ AND RIGHT

of business by penalizing companies who employ over 50 workers through excessive health insurance fees. The list of negatives is not just limited to these reasons, but goes on and on endlessly.

Ted Cruz (R-TX), a freshman senator, had this to say about the shutdown and Obamacare as a whole: “The American people expect their government to function — and we can ensure that right now. We can fund our essential priorities and commit to paying our debt first, even while opposing Obamacare. The people want jobs and strong economic growth back, and Obamacare is a major impediment to both. As long as we keep listening to the people and fighting for jobs and prosperity.”

I would agree with the senator in saying that we have a huge looming national debt that is currently out of control, and I believe that getting the debt under control should be priority number one. Even Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), when he campaigned on campus last year, said that “we need to quit kicking the can down the road and fix this immediately.”

Essentially my opinion is that we as a nation need to worry about controlling the national debt and let the topic of health care remain a state issue.

Recently, Obamacare added another victim — the U.S. government.

Much of the blame for the shutdown can be attributed to the debate over Obamacare. Budgets have been passed in the House of Representatives that excluded Obamacare, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) refuses to allow any such bill to make its way to the Senate floor to be voted on.

When the House reached out to negotiate with the Senate, they were stiff armed and told that no budget will be passed without the inclusion of Obamacare. The shutdown can be attributed due to the lack of negotiation over a bill that more Americans oppose than support.

It is no secret as to why the government shut down, and it is no secret as to what will bring it back.

It’s your choice to believe me or not — as I’m just another frantic member of the conservative movement who wants the government to go back to work. The current trajectory that the Affordable Care Act has our nation on is unsustainable. It is unimaginable what will happen when it fully goes into action. #DefundObamacare

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

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The Lorian

Features

Oct. 17, 2013

Features

The Lorian

Oct. 17, 2013

7

A Let ter of Love and Loss Mysteries of the Mind; The Magic of Jim Wand

by SEABELO MONTWEDI

I hope this letter somehow finds its way to you: that somehow the gods will be in my favor just this one time and you will know the letter is meant for you. You see, I’ve tried so many times to explain this to you but I never make any sense, not even to myself. I sound crazy to my own ears and I can’t imagine what that makes you think of me. But whatever you may think of me, let me assure you that I am not crazy. I’ve sat with this for a very long time now and I feel I can’t go on. I have this need to express what I feel because the emotions are weighing heavily on my heart and there is this sick, dreary feeling in the pit of my stomach. The more I try to focus on the positive as I’ve been advised, the more the feeling grows.

You may think it cowardly of me to choose this form of communicating with you but you must understand that it is the best way I know how to

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staff writer

communicate for it is through this form that I can bare my soul without being interrupted or without me feeling the need to justify my feelings, even to myself.

I love you. I have questioned that over and over, turned it this way and that way, tried to rationalize what I was feeling, but every time I analyzed my emotions, they all came down to one thing: I love you. By now you have to know just how much you mean to me. No matter how much I try to hide or limit it, it always comes through and it seems I am powerless to do anything about it. I know a lot may term my feelings ‘novel-like’ and unreal and some may say I am infatuated. But believe me when I say this, I have been infatuated and this is nothing like it. There is that warm feeling in your heart that touches every deep part of my heart and lost soul in a way no one has ever done before. I won’t spend much of this letter on how much I love you because I can go on and on and it still wouldn’t be enough.

You see, I’ve never loved or been loved before.

Even the woman who carried me and brought me into this world doesn’t have a trace of love for me.

Not that it’s an excuse, but I don’t know how to open myself to love or how to deal with what I’m feeling. But you, you just walked into my life and disregarded all my protests. It seems the door was already open even though I try to close it time and again. Remember the scheme I devised to push you away? What I’m trying to say is I’m scared and insecure. I’m scared of how I feel because although I’ve been feeling this way for a while now, it’s somehow still new to me. It scares me that your simple

touch can chase away my fears and doubts. It scares me that you can make the world right with just a simple word; that you can soothe simply by holding me or touching your lips to mine.

And maybe because my mind cannot rationalize my feelings for you, it turns those feelings into something I fear. I’m afraid that if I let myself fall there’ll be nothing to catch me and I would have lost myself for nothing.

I guess you already know why I am so insecure.

Remember all the secrets I told you? Sometimes I think I’m damaged for good, more like there is nothing anyone can do to save me, and Lord knows you never tire of saving me. I think of what we have and I’m scared I might lose it. I can’t help but think you might wake up one day and not feel the same way about me. In my world, people stick around you because you are beneficial to them.

I get sick of worrying thinking that one day you may not find me as compelling or as useful to keep around.

This may sound insulting to you but I feel I must be honest with you and lay everything on the table.

I love you but I am so scared of falling and just letting myself be. Every time we fight I want to hide because in my world, when people get mad at you it’s because they don’t like you. You are entitled to get pissed off and I really would be surprised if you didn’t, given how stubborn we both are. I probably still sound crazy but I’m sick of feeling this way.

I’m tired of not knowing what to do or how to deal with things. I really want to let go and enjoy the ride but there’s something in me that won’t let me.

Do you understand any of this, or have I got you swimming in a pool of confusion again?

Delving Into the Quran Exploring Islam’s oldest religious text

The word of the day is: Islam. Now what comes to mind? If you’re anything like the general public then the most common words would be Allah, Middle East and sadly terrorism. We are all of different backgrounds. Each of us has taken a different route, provided by our parents or our inherent instincts, to discover more about the people and the world surrounding us.

I had the opportunity to be a part of an incredibly insightful and uplifting gathering where I found that some faiths share history. I decided to involve myself in something that I had no prior in-depth knowledge of because, as a human being and Loras College student, I yearn to discover. Going to school, I grew up around all faiths but learned of only one, Catholicism. That kept my sight fixated forward and leaving blind spots, creating an ignorance of what I did not know but could only allude to thanks to the “trustworthy” internet and news broadcasts.

Dr. Adib Kassas isn’t just a Psychiatrist off-campus, but the leading role in the Quran readings that take place every Wednesday from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

I attended one afternoon and was daunted by the number of people who attended. It was a small group of adults. I even saw my former Algebra professor.

Regardless of the number of people, there was a presence of positive energy and open mindedness.

Every Abrahamic faith was in attendance and even an animist, which was me, and together we manifested splendid discussion. Knowing that provided me with the understanding that even those desire to know the similarities and differences of one another’s beliefs.

But really - Christians, Jews and Muslims have more commonalities than differences.

At the beginning of the meeting we were given our own Koran, which is provided by the Library if you’re interested in taking a look. Dr. Kassas played a recording of a Surah, which is described as an enclosure or more simply a chapter. It’s entitled Al’Anam (Cattle), and it’s read in a singing fashion, very melodic and lyrical. Even though I don’t speak Arabic, I still enjoyed it. Dr. Kassas noted that the

by MYCHOLE PRICE | staff writer

prayers are done in this fashion and that Surah are divided into thirty chapters, but that’s by modern man not the prophets who wrote it or God’s decree.

The Surah we read for the class was entitled Ali Imran (The Amramites), which focused on the story of Mariam (Mary), Mother of Jesus.

That story alone brought up interesting discussion about the Muslim viewpoint of Jesus. I had only heard they didn’t believe he was the son of God in the form that most Christians believe him to be. Islam views him as another prophet, just like Muhammad.

The way Dr. Kassas explained, “Jesus is important in Islam. He was meant to help upgrade the Jewish religion. He was an important step to being the bridge between the people and God. Jesus was the only prophet with the power to make the Jewish people believe.”

Another question was the basis of the Trinity. Dr.

Kassas made it clear that Christianity holds of lot beauty within its belief, but the Trinity is so complex that the Christians might not be able to even grasp it. And though the concept of the Trinity is spoken of in Islam, they don’t believe in it. There is no God but God. That’s where the commonality lies in the Abrahamic faiths. The topic of the crucifixion was brought up and he stated that Christ wasn’t crucified but lifted to God, despite what the accounts said. It may have appeared that way but in actuality they did what God had planned.

Dr. Kassas said, “God is the best plotter, people think they can scheme but God can play better than you in your trickery.” When he stated that, I smiled because that was the similarity between our faiths.

The discussions were long and endless, there was talk about not overvaluing your religion, spouting lies about God, and the true origin of the word Messiah.

The major message was that everyone, regardless of faith, who believes in God, is the same. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all titles, but your submission to God makes you equal to the next person. The meeting held a lot of in-depth discussion and thought.

It was an extremely peaceful atmosphere, where opposing views of understanding were not attacked but greeted with curiosity.

To wonder about the world is what creates unity within us all. Taking part in the discussion was not only an eye opener but it was like I was actually in class learning something and in essence I was. I think it’s time for people to start taking an interest in others beliefs and differences in order to know and understand the unknown. This creates an awakening within ourselves to better realize that we do not have all the answers and we stay ignorant when we don’t question or look for answers. So before you judge a book by its cover, read it. And if you’re interested in going I suggest stopping by the ARC 323 in order to see what I mean.

In the words of William Shakespeare, “Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.”

On Wednesday, October 9th, Loras was graced by the veteran awoke her, she forgot her name and a smile never left her face. And hypnotist Jim Wand. This is the 26th consecutive year of with a snap of his fingers, she remembered her name. I didn’t know

by MYCHOLE PRICE | staff writer dazzling the mind. I had never been to one of his shows during how a large group would be hypnotized, I always thought one on my entire career at Loras College and I’ve always wanted to one would be much easier, but he proved that the mind is complex see a hypnotist in action. And this time I managed to make it to a gut wrenching as well as weak. In under 7 minutes almost the entire stage was under the glamor. experience that was hypnotism on stage. First let’s get this straight, everything And I too was almost under the influence of his control but something broke my he does is legit. He is not a magician, he hasn’t sold his soul for the mystical concentration and I got to see the entire show. powers of mind manipulation, and he definitely isn’t trying to replicate the CIA’s Twerking has never been so funny until you see it performed by people who Monarch Programming. I managed to get an interview with him before the show don’t know what’s happening. Seeing other Loras students singing tunes by and honestly I can say he probably put me under as we were talking because he Whitney Houston, Miley Cyrus, Meek Mill and various other artist in their best was down to earth, forthcoming with his information, and definitely not vocal tone was absolutely hilarious. One girl took the mic just to perform as if the typical Loras Graduate of ’72. Yes, he is an alumnus of Loras who she were Mariah Carey, and one girl rapped a verse by Macklemore. Now I actually took on hypnotism for the very problem that most freshmen don’t know if she knew how to do that normally or her subconscious did, but go through during their first year of college. He was overweight and she was spitting bars like it was nothing. Give her a record deal, please. To hypnosis actually exposed him to the power of the human mind, truly understand what took place, you have to see it for yourself and I’m which can be altered to better your life. He had managed to lose extremely happy I was able to. The antics of yelling “Who’s my daddy?” and sixty pounds and that changed his mind about what he was doing someone else responding “I am” is something I have only seen in movies. with his life. He was a Computer Science major but transitioned to What happened that night, I can’t explain, but I guarantee you, anyone Psychology. That alone is enough to constitute a lifestyle change. who went on stage probably doesn’t know either.

And a little fun fact is that he was actually the Hall Director of Now understanding how it all works is complicated. I’ve interviewed Beckman and Binz Hall. I asked him about me being hypnotized two people who have been hypnotized, one remembers nothing and the and what it takes to be put in the trance, and he said “you have other remembers being in control, but somehow not able to to want to be hypnotized” because if you don’t believe in quite control herself. Envy can’t explain how I felt that they something, it has no power. I admit I was nervous to get got to experience this level of suspended control. But one hypnotized; not having control over your body is one benefit that came with being hypnotized is that any command thing I fear, but he clearly stated “you don’t do anything you you’re given will interact with your subconscious, making you don’t want to” which put me more at ease. However, I was still perform the action. Having a sharper memory, insomnia confused over the entire fundamentals of hypnotism. control, even removing memories and ridding yourself of It was show time and he called up many students onto bad habits can be attained all through the mind. the stage and began his mantra. But before he took his If you have ever never witnessed a show like this, I audience into the realm of the unknown, he showed his suggest you go the next time he is in town, because he powers of mental manipulation by shaking a girls hand and will be again. And better yet, the CAB events will be placing his hand on her neck, in a matter of seconds she was doing raffles for a few students to actually attend one hunched over and out. The shock on the girl sitting next of his shows for free. Those seats are worth $200, so I to her proved that she didn’t know what she was signing suggest going to CAB events to get a chance to be a part up for, and honestly I was scared. He told his tranced of a large show that is only slightly different from what subject what she was going to forget and do and when he he does at Loras.

Lorian Leven

E l e ve n I de as t hat Sound Go od...

by LOUSIA PAVLIK | staff writer

Upon being visited by a friend this weekend, I came across a few items that when proposed sound great but in actuality are the worst. Here are a few.

1. Distressed jeans — “Oh,” you think as you stare at your backside in a fitting room at Abercrombie and Fitch because it’s acceptable to shop here as an 18 year old adult and not a sixth grade boy in 2005. “This isn’t how I thought this whole scruffy, well-worn pair of pants thing would go. Why don’t I look like that hot guy from Vampire Diaries who rides the motorcycle?”

Sorry, friend. Fashion ideas are often better than fashion realities.

2. Speaking of motorcycles … They’re widely known as the most dangerous vehicle on the road, second only to those pesky bikers who insist on shoving their wide, spandexed rump into your lane.

3. Socialism — Equality for all and a mass garden filled with juicy fruit for all to pick in harmony

sounds, well, amazing. However, we all know how that turns out, but some countries just won’t give up.

4. Being a night owl — No matter how often I tell myself that I’m most functional at night and therefore should wait until midnight to open my knapsack, I still don’t think that’s actually the case. Lack of sleep leads to a hoard of issues involving weight gain, dark circles, mood swings, and four hour naps during the day in which I have intensely vivid dreams that would scare Freud himself.

5. Selfies — Buy a tripod or something because I can’t be the only person who’s sick of seeing your choppers giggling into the lens with arms extended.

6. Vests of any kind- Apparently the only aspect of humanity I’m critical of is fashion.

7. Smart Cars, or Prii (plural of Prius) — Is it really worth the ridicule? I’m obviously kidding. The environment is far more important than your selfesteem.

8. Sister-wives — Hey, who wouldn’t want a built in best friend to help you out with the kids who you can

Looking Back Celebrating 175 Years of History

A New York artist by the name of Vincenzo Miserendino was commissioned by the college to cast a bronze statue of Bishop Mathias Loras in 1939. The statue, weighing 3,000 lbs., was unveiled on May 28, 1939, as some 3,000 people gathered for the occasion.

Archbishop Beckman participated in the ceremony as did several other dignitaries including the Governor of Iowa, the Mayor of Dubuque, the French Consul General from Chicago, and several Bishops. This was also the time that the college became known as Loras College. It had formerly been Columbia College, the name of about twenty other colleges in the country, and so the administration desired a more unique name.

Since Bishop Mathias Loras was the first Bishop of the Dubuque Diocese and the founding father of the college, it seemed only appropriate to name the institution in his honor. (Photos courtesy of the Loras College Archives)

complain about your no-good lousy hubby to? Well, I guess most of the American population doesn’t, presumably because polygamy is an incredibly difficult way of life.

9. Eating Contests — I’m not saying that I ate a full tube of Pringles on a whim this weekend. I’m also not saying I didn’t. All right, the cat’s out of the bag. I don’t recommend eating until the point of implosion.

10. E-mail — I am 99 percent sure that the majority of my anxiety is caused by the ding that interrupts the streaming of my study playlist on Spotify.

11. Waking up after wearing your retainer for the first time in weeks — Your expected reaction would consist of getting out of bed, peering in the mirror and being blinded by your pearly whites. The actual reaction is rolling out of bed after sleeping on a Pringle-filled stomach and choking back a sob to avoid waking your roommate up while ripping out the saliva-filled plastic tray.

There you have it, folks. Another insightful piece on the most current news in America.

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The Lorian Oct. 17, 2013

Finding Your Level of Fitness

by CASSANDRA BUSCH | news editor

Your level of fitness is affected by far more than the food you put in your body and the exercises that you do. One of the more important factors is sleep.

A lot of people underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep in physical fitness, but it does, in fact, make a huge difference in maintaining a healthy weight.

Most people need an average of 8-10 hours of sleep a night to be at optimum energy levels the next day. If you don’t get this many hours, your body wants to compensate with other sources of energy. This is what causes us to crave starchy or sugary foods, which provide our bodies with quick bursts of energy. However, these foods do more harm than good in the long run and are usually lacking in vitamins and minerals and are chocked full of calories and sugar. These simple carbohydrates can be broken down by your body very quickly and release the glucose that your body is craving for the energy.

Metabolism is also thrown out of whack when you get less than seven hours of sleep. Two hormones are produced during sleep called leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends signals to your body when you are full and ghrelin stimulates your appetite. Leptin levels go down and ghrelin goes up when you get less than seven hours of sleep. Because of this process, it makes sense that is has been shown in research that people that get the least amount of sleep have the highest percentage of body fat.

It is also easy to make the connection between lack of sleep and the desire, or rather deference, to do exercise. If you’re tired, you most likely will not be in the mood to work out. You will want to lounge around in your PJs for half the day and eat a pint of ice cream. Trust me, I’ve been there. Without proper amounts of sleep, our motivation also goes down in making good decisions as a whole. Healthy habits fall to the wayside when we are tired and cranky.

I don’t know about you guys, but sleep is a good time! I love my nightly snoozes, and I don’t know many people who disagree. However, the problem for most of us (especially as college students) is finding the time to fit in the recommended dose of sleep. To remedy this, take simple steps to open up your schedule. Don’t procrastinate, avoid long naps during the day if possible, don’t exercise or drink caffeine within a few hours of wanting to fall asleep, etc. Try soothing activities like reading under a soft lamp light, drinking tea, knitting or journaling to prepare yourself for counting sheep.

Put sleep as a priority. It is just as important (or maybe even more so!) than exercise and good eating habits. These things all contribute to a person’s good health and happiness in day to day life. Don’t let yourself get run down on lack of Z’s, make time for a long enough nightly snooze!

lifestyle

Sudoku Write number s in the spaces so that each r ow, column and 3x3 box contain the number s one thr ough nine.

College Cooking

Homecoming Snapshots

by KATHERINE EDWARDS | photographer

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls Photo from www.cozydelicious.wordpress.com/

Ingredients

by COLIN HALBMAIER | co-executive editor

The holiday season is fast approaching, and there are few treats better than the infamous Chocolate-covered Peanut Butter Ball. This delicious recipe requires a tad more effort than others, but what better time to prepare it than Fall Free Days?

Spend some time in the kitchen this weekend and reap the results!

In a bowl, hand-mix the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar to create the dough. Shape into small balls, place on a pan and refridgerate.

Over a pan of simmering water, melt the shortening and chocolate together. Stir occasionally until smooth.

Retrieve the peanut butter balls and dip them into your melted chocolate. Using a toothpick is recommended, but the choice is yours. Leave them on a sheet of wax paper to dry, then place them in the freezer.

Serve as desired, and enjoy!

• • • • • •

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 Tbsp shortening

What You’ll Need • • • • • •

Access to a stovetop A refridgerator and/or freezer A mixing bowl Pans for boiling water and melting chocolate Wax paper (recommended) Toothpicks (recommended)

Check out MyRecipes.com for more holiday recipes, including snacks and meals for any occasion.

Happy Fall Free Days!

Mind & Soul

The Lorian

Cold Hands/Warm Heart Hey Mike: Sometimes my boyfriend says my hands are so cold that he won’t hold them. I get mad at him, but the truth is that sometimes they hurt me. Is this something to worry about?

— Iceberg

Mike says: What a schmuck! He is giving up a great excuse to hold hands. He should be saying, “Oh my dear love, your hands are so cold. Let me warm them up.” I do not know about guys these days.

OK, I do not do diagnosis. I just give suggestions. But what you describe could be related to a condition called Raynaud’s Syndrome. It is not well understood, but seems to involve spasms, or tightening of the arterioles in the fingers and hands. In a young person it is uncomfortable. With age it can cause other problems associated with circulation problems.

There are some treatments being developed, but in general the best approaches are to avoid incidents. Protect your hands from the cold, don’t smoke (nicotine adds to blood vessel constriction) and practice relaxation exercises to warm your hands.

Many people can learn to warm their hands very quickly using these exercises. Oh yes, when your hands do get cold, warm them up, like by having your boyfriend hold them.

If they continue to be uncomfortable, see your health professional for more information to make sure nothing else is causing this.

Home Cooking, Umm ...

Hey Mike:

When I came to college I was really overweight, but with a lot of hard work at diet and exercise I was able to lose a lot of weight and keep it off. The trouble is that everyone in my whole family is a big eater, and my mom is the best cook I know. When I go home she makes my favorite foods and really gets hurt if I do not eat them. I love her dearly and don’t want to hurt her. What to do? Especially with the holidays coming.

— Finally Slim

Mike says:

Good cook, huh? And your Mom’s address is what?

Oh well. Slim, it is very common for a Mom to want to take care of her children as she has always done even after they are children no more. For many that means feeding them big helpings of meat and potatoes. Often this is a part of the process of individuation for the offspring and for the parent. Your task is to become independent in emotions as you have in mind. Your mother’s role as caretaker may seem to her to be in jeopardy and this can lead to her trying to keep you wrapped in the families usual pattern of meal behavior.

To make a change, do not avoid going home. Rather, go often, but adopt a clear eating style there of taking small portions and eating slowly. Simply ignore comments and encouragement to eat more. Try to spend time alone with your Mom talking about both your interests and her life. Go out once in a while with just her, for a healthy meal and allow that her cooking is better. This involvement will pay off as you develop a new relationship and help her realize the benefits of not keeping you a child.

Animal Kingdom

by TYLER RAYMOND

St. Pius X Seminary

L

ast weekend I was lucky enough to go to a farm which is owned by one of our Loras families. It was a great time of food, hay, bonfires, and corn throwing. Despite getting a great tour of the farm through a hay ride, I am still not exactly sure what is mainly grown there, whether it’s corn, cows, or cats.

Cats everywhere. Watch where you sit or stand because there is likely a cat hidden in the bale of hay. One particular cat, Mufasa, wasn’t found on our hay ride until about halfway through. I had an unexplainable urge to dangle him over the side of the cart by his front paws above a stampede of cows, but I restrained myself.

The cats were friendly of course, and aloof. But being there made me think about our relationship with animals.

Here at the seminary it has been noted that having a pet can go against the spirit of celibacy, because oftentimes a pet receives an inordinate amount of emotional attachment from their owners.

For example, the type who treats their little terrier as if it were a child. We all know people like that.

Now of course that is inappropriate for anyone to do. People are people and animals are animals and there needs to be an understanding that people are the only creatures who can be loved. But what should our relationships look like with our fellow creatures? Our friendly neighborhood Trappist would say that animals are for “use” by people (though he insisted on cuddling a little kitten

by FR. GROSS

|

for the Lorian

W

by COLIN PRIEST | for the Lorian

Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12).

Another type of candle that is in common use today in the Church is the votive candle. These are the candles that we see behind the altar in our Grotto.

Votive candles differ in meaning and symbolism than vigil candles. Think about what a candle does: it gives light, warmth and is constantly burning. It is living. All of these provide meaning for burning a votive candle in prayer. In prayer, the candle represents the light that we seek from God; we ask Him to light our way. The warmth from the candle is the consolation that we feel knowing that God is going to provide for us. Finally, the fire is living, it consumes fuel to keep going and it moves around on the wick. This symbolizes that our prayer is constantly before God’s face. It shows that even though we may forget that we’ve asked God for something, He does not forget. When we light a candle in front of a favorite saint or ask for their intercession the constant burning light is symbolic of their constant prayers for us before God, interceding for us and asking for God’s grace. It symbolizes their dedication and love towards Earth.

If you want to get a candle and light it in the grotto, contact Craig Swatt. God bless.

on the farm for a considerable amount of time). Perhaps he is right. I eat meat and cheese, I had a leather jacket and I’ve cleaned fish. But maybe there is a different way to think about this.

Recently Fr. Gross reminded me that the sort dog-eat-dog world that we live in is not the ideal. In the Kingdom of God even cats and dogs will be friends. Eating meat wasn’t explicitly allowed until the covenant with Noah after the flood, and we may return to a meat-free diet. One of my favorite books, Perelandra by C.S. Lewis, is a science fiction story where a man is sent to the planet Perelandra (what we call Venus), to prevent the fall of the Adam and Eve of Venus. Because Perelandra is a world before the fall, it is without sin and the estrangement that sin causes, particularly the separation of man from the rest of creation. In this world all animals dote on man because they know man’s place above them, and man treats the animals as creatures, to teach and cultivate.

That man may participate in raising up lesser creatures (a mirroring of what God has done for us?).

Our world is no longer Eden, though we are trying to build the City of God. Eating meat is not immoral certainly, and we need to be aware of the hierarchy of man over animals. But perhaps this could be a moment to realize the brokenness of the natural world we live in and the beauty that awaits us when the true order will be restored. Next time you see one of the thousands of squirrels on campus, remember that you aren’t just looking at a weird rodent, but a creature that may have been friendly to you rather than scared if it weren’t for sin. But don’t be sad because one day man will not only be united with God, and perfectly integrated with himself, he will also be reunified with the world.

However, cats will probably remain aloof.

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

Knights explain symbolism of votive candles e have a beautiful Grotto dedicated to Mary on our campus. Inside the grotto we see the altar used for Mass and on the back wall we have a row of candles that light the inside. You may walk past this place and never really take the time to admire its beauty or to stop and pray. The purpose of the grotto is to give students the chance to take a moment to pray while they live their busy lives. Another thing you may not know is the purpose of the candles in the grotto. Those are votive candles and they have been a part of our Church’s tradition since the earliest of days. You might know that Catholics light candles and then say a prayer, but do you know the meaning and symbolism behind this act?

Candles were used in the days of the early Church at the tombs of those who had been martyred during the time of persecution.

The early Christians burned the candles at the tomb to show their solidarity with those who had been killed. Lighting a candle showed that the light still remained here on earth. It was symbolic for a message of hope, that the light had not gone out just because of death. These types of candles came to be known as “vigil candles.” Vigil comes from a Latin root which means “waiting” or “watching.” The early Christians were ‘waiting’ for the day of their redemption.

The words of Christ come to mind, ‘I am the

9

FROM THE SEMINARY

Boydology The Lorian is continuing a column by Dr. Mike Boyd, director of the Counseling Center. 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.

Oct. 17, 2013

G

reetings Duhawks! I hope everyone enjoyed Homecoming! We had wonderful weather and great times with students and alumni coming back to campus.

Let me ask you a question. If your job was to pray for the world do you think you could be specific and creative enough to have a prayer intention for the whole world during the calendar year that would embrace the needs and desires of everybody in the world?

I bet many of you could but there is one person whose job is exactly that!

Yep, I am talking about the Pope! Each year the Pope puts together a series of prayer intentions for the whole

year and asks the Church to join him in praying for those intentions.

This past June, Pope Francis had a unique prayer intention. He prayed: “That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples.” The Pope was inviting the world to consider the first step of loving.

The first step of loving is to give our neighbor the benefit of the doubt and sometimes this very point is missing when it comes to debates about issues that people feel so deeply about. Giving the benefit of the doubt to a person is to also live the great virtue of empathy.

Empathy is the ability to see life through another’s eyes. This is also another aspect of the virtue of love and charity that Christ calls us to live.

So when we engage the debates of our time which sometimes can be heated and tense, let us also remember the advice of St. Paul who said to, “Preach the truth with love.” Each conversation we have on campus, each person we encounter is an opportunity to encounter Christ. In some it might be hard to see Christ for whatever reason, for others it might be easy to see Christ but let us always reverence the person who we encounter and we will then be on the first step of truly living the second great commandment to love our neighbor.

Have a great Fall Free Days!

MASS TIMES

ADORATION

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

at St. Joseph’s Chapel 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday at Christ the King 9 p.m. Thursday

10

The Lorian

Sports

Oct. 17, 2013

From the NFL to Loras: How concussions affect athletes

by NINO ERBA

| staff writer

Nausea. Fatigue. Memory problems.

Vomiting. Epilepsy.

Those are just some of the symptoms of a concussion, according to the Mayo Clinic website. As the Mayo Clinic describes it, “A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions.”

Concussions are a common injury, particularly in sports. However, with some sports like football, they are frighteningly prevalent. So much so, that PBS’ Frontline aired a documentary called “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis,”which explored the issue of the NFL and its complicated history with concussions and player injuries.

Some glaring examples are former Patriots and Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, whose suicide in 2012 and concurrent autopsy examination helped bring the issue to the forefront.

The autopsy of Mike Webster of the Steelers (featured in Frontline), changed the NFL forever by jump-starting the conversation over a decade ago.

Last weekend, Loras held its homecoming game against Coe. Forget for a moment that they lost 56-0. Every week, Loras football players still have something that keeps them going, even when the odds are against them. Still, there remains the threat of concussions and other injuries to our athletes.

“I think (the players) are safe. Loras follows the NCAA guidelines, which are quite stringent,” noted Tammi Martin, Registered Nurse at the Health Center at Loras. “With the Health Center, however, we look beyond the sports component and look at their whole health.”

She also added that the Health Center checks on injured athletes as often as needed, in person or through email to see if they’re improving.

Our top sports people at Loras are also on hand to deal with injuries like concussions. Head Loras football coach Paul Mierkiewicz stated, “The differences between then [the 1980s] and now is night and day. Now, we teach our athletes about things like hydration, and our equipment is much better than it was at the time. Also, our athletes are stronger than they were back then.”

Mierkiewicz also mentioned how Loras educates trainers and athletes of concus-

sions, and emphasizes things like proper technique and monitoring and protecting our athletes.

As far as concussions, he said that there are tests that athletes take once they’ve had a concussion to see if they’re fit to go back in the game. However, there have been some scary attempts by previous athletes to avoid these tests.

Loras Director of Athletics Bob Quinn had high regards for Loras’ performance on dealing with injuries.

“We’re at the top end on dealing with injuries, and we have a state of the art program,” said Quinn. “We’re extremely well-prepared if an injury happens because

we have a fully qualified and outstanding group, and we have good connections with the city emergency services.”

On a bleaker note, Quinn did emphasize the seriousness of concussions and mentioned that injuries can end the athletic careers of some students.

Loras Head Athletic Trainer Chris Kamm shared some of his thoughts as well.

“With athletes suffering a concussion, they have to go through a concussion protocol. And to be released, they have to be approved by a doctor and get a physician’s clearance,” said Kamm.

For extremely serious injuries, Kamm noted the NCAA does cover medical bills.

One such event occurred when Kamm treated a football player at a previous college who suffered a fractured cervical spine during a game.

To give us a sense of the students’ per-

spectives, a couple of Loras athletes gave their experiences and views on the matter.

Sophomore Keontae Neely, football player and track and field team member, shared his experience of suffering a concussion.

“I was pole vaulting, I was coming down and I hit myself in the face,” he said. “I got a headache (that) felt like a migraine. But I think the black eye lasted longer than the concussion did.”

Neely’s concussion was minor, and he says he’s not aware of any long-term effects, but it did have an effect on his performance afterwards.

“It has made me more cautious,” said Neely. “Though there aren’t really concussions in track, with football, I take more precautionary actions.”

Neely’s account provides a look at the real-life implications of suffering a concussion.

Frank Pehlke, #53 on the football team, offered some contrasting views on the matter.

“Concussions in football are part of the game, and every sport has its own injuries,” he said.

Pehlke suffered a concussion as a senior in high school, and had to wait four days before returning to action. However, he expressed concern about the shift in focus to the player’s heads, which has left the lower bodies of players more susceptible. He also feels that worrying too much about getting injured while playing takes away from the love that you have for the game. He did, though, have praise for Loras’ treatment of their athlete.

“They do a fantastic job, a good job of taking care of us. I feel very comfortable playing for Loras.”

Some of the interviewees handed out advice to athletes. Kamm said, “You have one body and one brain, so make smart choices.”

Pehlke added, “When you’re playing, you should play to play.”

Neely offered one amusing quip, “Don’t pole vault.”

Whatever advice there is to offer, the concussion situation remains very serious, and while the NFL is struggling to find peace with it, Loras offers enough assurance that it is doing a good job with the matter.

Men’s soccer team bounces back No. 17 Duhawks win 2 straight

by KATIE TRUESDALE | sportswriter

Coming off their 2-1 conference loss against Wartburg, the Loras men were determined to get back on track against their next two opponents, St. Mary’s and Buena Vista. After a four hour trek up to Winona MN, the men had an early evening game against the St. Mary’s Cardinals. The Duhawks prevailed 5-0.

After their first loss in the IIAC Conference, the men needed to turn things around to stay in the mix for a conference title and the opportunity to host the post season conference tournament. It was a boring drive down to Storm Lake, where the Duhawks would face their fourth Iowa Conference team of the season, the Buena Vista Beavers.

The men did not take any mercy on the offensive end as junior Tom Fluegel netted the first goal in the 10th minute of the match. With their swarm tactic in full effect, the Duhawks had complete possession of the game, giving the Beavers little scoring opportunities. As the second half unfolded, the Duhawks scored two more times. Sophomore “Big” Ben Avery drove a shot past the

‘‘

O verall this season, we are always trying to prove we are the best D III program.

Dan Figura,

,,

senior team captain

BV goalkeeper, and first-year Jonah Jacke tallied his first goal as a Duhawk shortly after, leaving the score 3-0 at half.

Fluegel talked about his team’s performance.

“I thought we played well against BV,” said Fluegel. “It was good to have a multiple goal game and be able to get everyone minutes. We have a tough week ahead with two very solid teams so we have to make sure we come out fast and play at our level and not down to theirs.”

Loras wasn’t going to let the three goal lead stand, as they continued to put pressure on the Beavers back line. The men got creative on a free kick play that resulted in a goal from senior Tim Van Den Bergh, and the assist would go to both Fluegel and

senior Kevin Cavers. The Duhawks were then allowed another free kick outside of the 18 yard line that senior Pat Langan sent in with a beautiful shot past the wall of Beaver defenders.

With little time remaining, the Beavers were able to net a goal off a corner kick to make it 5-1. The Duhawks bounced back in conference play, improving their IIAC record to 3-1 and overall record to 12-1-2.

Senior captain Dan Figura also commented on the Duhawks’ win.

“BV was a good test of focus for us,” said Figura. “We came out hard like we would against a top-25 team. Overall this season, we are always trying to prove we are the best D III program. One thing we are trying to work on though is our consistency, especially playing on the road a lot this year.”

Loras will return to non-conference play on Wednesday, as they travel to UW-Whitewater to take on the Warhawks for the Hawk Cup, a tradition that the two teams came up with a few years back. The winner of the match gets to take home the cup until the next matchup. The Duhawks have defeated Whitewater the past two seasons and hope to keep the cup in Dubuque for a third consecutive year.

Women’s soccer team shuts out Buena Vista No. 15 Loras is on 5-game win streak

by KATIE TRUESDALE | sportswriter

As all the Homecoming festivities began, the women’s soccer team wasn’t focused on the football game or the activities surrounding it. Rather, the Duhawks were preparing for Saturday’s conference matchup on the road against Buena Vista University.

As it turned out, Buena Vista did not put up much of a fight against the Duhawks.

The Beavers tried their best to put up a good battle, but they could not keep up with the Duhawks’ quick play and swarm mentality.

By the end of the first half, the score was 3-0 with goals coming from senior Lynn DeVriese, sophomore Katie Truesdale and junior Danielle Vujovic. Leading into the second half, four more goals were scored by the Duhawk offense as the tough back line prevented any counter attacks from the Beavers. When the final whistle blew the women walked off the field with a 7-0 win for their fourth conference win of the season.

The Duhawks also traveled to Winona, MN, earlier in the week to face St. Mary’s University and came out with a 6-3 win.

After last week’s games, Loras is on a five game winning streak, with a record of 12-2-1 and 4-0-0 in the IIAC Conference.

“We wanted the women to focus on putting together a full 90 minutes of intense, active, and composed play,” said assistant coach Kelly Murphy. “We wanted them to concentrate on moving the ball quickly around the field and creating and finishing opportunities while limiting counter attacks.”

Murphy also touched on what the team needs to do to continue their strong season.

“For our success to continue, individual players need to stay healthy and fit and make sure that they are focused, ready, and competitive at practice and then transfer that into games as the season progresses,” said Murphy. “As a team, for our success to continue, we need to increase communication and intensity on the field along with knowing our strengths and playing to them…and of course finishing our opportunities and limiting the opposing team.”

The next two games for the women aren’t going to be as easy. The women face the UW-Whitewater Warhawks and the Luther Norse. Both games will be tough 90 minute battles for the Duhawks.

“This week is a big week for us against two good teams. The women should go into these games with intensity, composure, and confidence,” said Murphy. “They need to be on their toes defensively and offensively from start to finish. If we stay intense and composed as a team, we should come out with some wins.”

Although Whitewater is not a conference matchup, the rivalry still remains as the two teams battle for the Hawk Cup. The winning team will take home the cup until the next time the Duhawks and Warhawks meet.

Junior Claire Murphy talked about what the Hawk Cup means to her fellow teammates.

“The Hawk Cup is a good game every year; last year we won it in overtime,” she said. “We take pride in trying to win it every year because it gives us motivation every time we face Whitewater.”

Luther will be the women’s fifth Iowa Conference match of the season and also Alumni Day for the program that will take place at 5 p.m. in the Rock Bowl.

Sports

The Lorian

Oct. 17, 2013

11

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS

First-year Tara Blake winds up for a spike during a match with Iowa Conference leading Coe. Although Loras lost the match, head coach Jenna Ness likes the Duhawks’ chances of qualifying for the postseason tournament.

Duhawks gear up for this weekend’s Loras College Invitational

by RYAN GRAHAM | sports editor

Coming off a tough loss at home against conference leading Coe, the Duhawks will look to improve on their 8-11 record this weekend.

With a conference record of 2-2, Loras is currently ranked fifth in the IIAC. After the team’s aforementioned loss to Coe, head coach Jenna Ness spoke about why she thought her team struggled.

“I think that Coe is a very good team,” she said. “With the matchups they had, they were able to capitalize on areas where we were weak. I think the loss was good for us because it helped us identify those areas that we need to work on and we’ve been able to work them during this last week of practice.”

Over the weekend, the Duhawks will compete in the Loras College Invitational. Coach Ness discussed what her team hopes to get out of the tournament.

“I think it’ll be fun,” said Ness. “We’ll have eight really good teams here. We play four solid teams. It’ll be great competition for us. We play three Wisconsin teams from the WIAC as well as William Penn from the NAIA. I think it’ll be a good weekend of competition for us that will help prepare us for conferphoto by KATHERINE EDWARDS ence matches and our conference tourThe Duhawks’ leading setter, junior nament.”

The Duhawks have three conference Shawn Rielly, goes airborne to set games remaining on their schedule. a ball to a teammate during a match Coach Ness addressed whether or not against Coe. Rielly currently ranks her team will prepare any differently sixth in assists the Iowa Conference. for these crucial conference matchups.

“We scout every “We’re 2-2 right team we play,” said now in the conNess. “But with ference. We’ve alI do believe we will make it (to conference games, ready played the we have more time the conference tournament). best two teams in to prepare as far as We’re 2-2 right now in the our conference. going over scouting I think Coe and conference. We’ve already reports with our Wartburg will finplayers. In pracplayed the best two teams in ish one and two, tice, we prepare a our conference. I think Coe and and I think we’ll little differently for Wartburg will finish one and two be in a fight for these conference third. So, hopefulgames. But I think, and I think we’ll be in a fight ly, we’ll be able to mentally, we prefor third. So hopefully we’ll host a game in the pare the same for be able to host a game in the first round of the every match we postseason.” play.” first round of the postseason.

In the Loras ColIn order to qualJenna Ness lege Invitational ify for the conferhead volleyball coach this weekend, the ence tournament, Duhawks will face the Duhawks will off against Univerneed to finish in the top six in the IIAC. When asked sity of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at 2 p.m. about her team’s chances of making the and UW-River Falls at 6 p.m. on Friday.

On Saturday, Loras will take on UW-Ostournament, Ness sounded optimistic.

“I do believe we will make it (to the hkosh at 10 a.m. and William Penn Uniconference tournament),” said Ness. versity at 2 p.m.

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,,

12

The Lorian

Sports

Oct. 17, 2013

COACH’S CORNER

Keep religion out of sports T GRAHAM SLAM

here’s a big problem in sports.

No, I’m not referring to steroids, concussions or Joakim Noah’s finger-guns. I’m talking about athletes who feel the need to beat us over the head with religion every time they find themselves in front of a microphone.

Most players are respectful and keep their religion to themselves. Others Ryan Graham couldn’t be more eager to cram their sports editor beliefs down our throats. Ray Lewis was one of the worst. Don’t get me wrong, he was the best middle linebacker to play the game, in my opinion. But come on, dude. Have you ever gone back and listened to one of your pre-game speeches? You sound like a damn lunatic. Even Joe Flacco admitted that he had no idea what the hell Lewis was talking about half the time.

Don’t even get me started on Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow is the worst type of person on the Earth: an evangelist. Look, if you believe in religion, great. Honestly, I’m happy for you.

But please keep it to yourself. Tebow, on the other hand, relishes every opportunity he gets to remind you how great and holy he is. Every interview comes with a sermon. Every tweet is a Bible verse. Hey, at least I can entertain myself by trolling him on Twitter:

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS

Head coach Paul Mierkiewicz looks on during the Duhawks’ Homecoming loss to Coe.

Duhawks fall to No. 18 Coe

by BEN SAVORY | sportswriter

The Duhawks suffered their fourth loss over Homecoming weekend by a score of 56-0 to Coe College, which came into the game ranked No. 18 in NCAA Division III. Coe is now ranked No. 16.

This is the first time the Duhawks have been shut out all season.

Despite the loss, the Duhawks were pleased by the support they received from the fans. Senior captain and defensive back Dave Pirkle talked about the atmosphere in the Rock Bowl last weekend.

“The Rock Bowl was truly amazing on Homecoming weekend,” he said. “It was awesome to feel the energy of the crowd and play in front of all the fans.”

After suffering the disappointing loss, head coach Paul Mierkiewicz still remained optimistic and hopeful for the remainder of the season.

He felt proud of his team and realizes that wins and losses do not represent the character of his squad.

“I believe that the character of a man is truly tested when he is suffering and is dealing with hard times,” Mierkiewicz said. “This team has been dedicated and has worked extremely hard; their record does not show that, however. But this team will remain a tight-knit family and will continue to work hard.”

Pirkle relayed a similar message in regards to his team. He is frustrated with the outcome of the games because he knows the dedi-

cation and perseverance that have been put forth by himself and his teammates.

“We came together in the offseason and welcomed the incoming freshman into our family and we have gotten extremely close this season,” he said. “We never let anyone get down on themselves, no matter how bleak the situation may be.”

The Duhawks will take the field against Simpson College over the weekend, a team that is very aggressive, athletic, and experienced on both sides of the ball, according to Mierkiewicz. In order for the team

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS

Sophomore running back Nate Carrier attempts a spin move against a Coe defender.

to be successful, a few changes need to be made: the offense needs to find an identity, the defense needs to execute their schemes, and the special teams need to be perfect.

Offensive line coach Steve Helminiak spoke about the state of the team.

“We are going to have to make some changes if we want to be successful,” he said. “We need to get the ball into the hands of some of the guys we believe are ‘playmakers.’

We need guys to step up on every down.”

The Duhawks will continue to tweak their offensive and defensive schemes in order to find that perfect combination. As for now, the team will continue to work hard during practice, in the weight room, and in the film room to fix their mistakes and string some wins together.

Freshman linebacker Mark Tilkes remains hopeful that this season is beginning to turn around.

“We have the talent, we have the passion, and we have the guys to get the job done,” he said. “Right now we just need to win every down, win every little battle and stop worrying about the big picture. If we are determined to do our best on every single play, then the big picture will take care of itself.”.

The Duhawks will face off against Iowa Conference opponent Simpson College at 1 pm in the Rock Bowl this Saturday, Oct. 19.

Swim teams get back in the water

by RYAN GRAHAM | sports editor

After a long off-season, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams got back in the water this past Saturday. The Duhawks participated in the eighth annual Alumni meet at the San Jose Pool. At the meet, current Duhawks faced off against former Duhawks in a friendly competition that celebrated the swim program. While this meet doesn’t count towards the Duhawks’ overall record, head coach Doug Colin believes that the meet was still beneficial to his team.

“It went really well,” he said. “We were actually really happy with the turnout with the alumni. We had over 20 back for the meet and a couple others who came late to spectate.

It was good to get this year’s team up on the blocks and do a little bit of racing. They don’t take it too seriously since it’s an alumni meet, but it was still good to get them back off the blocks and into the water.”

When asked about how his teams are shaping up this year, coach Colin sounded optimistic.

“I think we’ll be pretty solid this year,” he said. “We only have three incoming freshmen on both sides.

Our freshman men are all really solid. They’re definitely going to be relay contributors towards the end of the year. On the women’s side, our three incoming freshman are not as strong as our guys but they’re definitely going to help us add some depth and we’ll plug them into our lineup here and there. We also have a junior (Mary Maher) that transferred on the girls’ side who will definitely give us some help.”

In talking about his overall goals and expectations for the coming season, Colin emphasized the importance of working all year to improve for the postseason.

“Our expectation is that we want to swim great at the end of the year,” he said. “We train our butts off all season with a focus on the Liberal

Arts and Iowa Conference championships at the end of the year. That’s where we want to be our fastest. As far as team goals, we want to be in the top three in both of those meets every year on both the men’s and women’s side and I think that we’ve got the talent to get there.”

Colin was also asked whether or not he believed his team came back in shape after the long off-season.

“It’s tough every year with not being able to train them myself,” he said. “Some people actually came in and were in better shape and that’s what we asked them to do: to come in each season better than you came in the year before. Some of them took me seriously on that and then we had a few that didn’t. So it could be a long season for those who didn’t take their off-season summer training seriously. But we’ll do our best to get them in shape by the first of February.”

The Duhawks next meet will take place at home on Saturday, Oct. 26, against Ripon College.

Good thing he’s out of the league. Hopefully, it’s for good.

Since I want this article to appeal to my audience, and this is a Catholic college, let’s go ahead and say for the sake of argument that God exists, shall we?

OK, so there’s this all-powerful being up in the clouds that watches over us. Answer me this: what makes you think that he would he give a rat’s a-- about sports? Forget about all those starving children in Africa or those annoying victims of senseless violence. God’s too busy making sure that the Miami Heat cover the spread. “Come on, Chris Bosh! Stop taking jump shots! You’re not Brent Berry, you big idiot!”

Let’s think about this logically for a second. Christians believe that all people are God’s children. So when an athlete asks God to help them win a game, he is essentially asking a parent to choose one of their children over another. So God plays favorites, does he? Or does he take the side of whoever prays to him the hardest? Of course! That must be it!

After a team loses a game, their coach chews them out in the locker room: “Damn it, men! That pregame prayer was NOT up to standards! How do you expect to make the playoffs with that kind of annunciation? I want to see you all at 6 a.m. tomorrow for conditioning. You’re all going to give me 50 wind-sprints followed by 10 Our Father’s and 20 Hail Mary’s!” [Team groans] The problem I have with athletes thanking God after wins is that the whole thing becomes more of a spectacle than an honest expression of faith. “Oooh, look at me! Look how humble I am! Aren’t I such a great role model?” Athletes use religion to further their own brand, to make themselves seem relatable to regular people. Look what it did for Tim Tebow. He can barely throw a football and had no business being in the NFL, yet ESPN gave him 24/7 comprehensive coverage. He’s not even in the league anymore and companies are still offering him endorsement deals.

Are the Catholics in the audience still not convinced?

Well, how about we take a look at a certain passage from your favorite 2,500-year-old book?

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.

For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” [Matthew 6:5-6] Did you forget about that little nugget?

So, in reality, not only is it completely illogical for athletes to publicly thank God for their success; the Bible itself tells them not to.

So next time that microphone is crammed into your face, how about giving a shout out to someone a little more deserving? Maybe your parents that, you know, spent all of their hard-earned money to feed you and keep a roof over your head for 18 years. Or maybe your coaches, who spend hundreds of hours pouring over film and preparing game plans — time that they could have spent with their families.

Or maybe you could thank your teammates. I mean, they’re the ones who have to put up with the majority of your unwarranted religious advice.

It doesn’t matter who you thank — just keep your religion out of it.