The Lorian for March 7, 2013

Wrestling James Buss is off to the national wrestling meet

MOVIE RANKings Paul Deeter and Andy Miller break down their top 10 movies from the past year

Page 12

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March 7, 2013 — Vol. 91, Issue 11

College student Loras Confessions: ‘This is not who we are’ gambling: ‘Perfect storm’ T

by MARY AGNOLI news editor

he week of Feb. 18 brought with it the birth as well as the swift end to a controversial Facebook page: “Loras College Confessions.”

News of this student-started page in which Duhawks could anonymously post about their wrong-doings around campus spread quickly through this social media site. So quickly, in fact, that by Wednesday Feb. 20, the administration was wellinformed about “Loras College Confessions.”

“I was made aware of (the page) sporadically throughout the day by students, faculty, and staff,” said Art Sunleaf, dean of students and vice president for student development. “I went to the page in the morning and didn’t think too much of it … (but) as the day wore on, I was continuously informed about it.”

Simple humorous comments about “stealing keys” had quickly turned to issues of illegal activity and baseless claims against Loras staff.

“Posts became more personal and meanspirited, and that’s when we started talking with marketing,” said Sunleaf. “This became an issue for intellectual property; they were using Loras’ name.”

This was not only a potential legal issue however; it ultimately boiled down to “character.”

When speaking with President Jim Collins, he emphasized the often-quoted concept that “character isn’t so much defined as how you’re portrayed but how you live when no one is looking.”

However, many students view sites such as “Confession” pages as shields no one can see past and therefore, may not be concerned about how they appear to their peers.

“This is one of the curses of social media,” said Collins. “It gives them this be-

by NICK JOOS

executive editor

illustration by AYUSH SUBEDI

lief that it’s all anonymous, but it’s actually very well-known … I know that kids will be kids. I understand social media, and I understand (Confession pages) are a nationwide movement among colleges and universities, but I expected more from Loras students.”

This national “Confessions” page phenomenon has affected institutions across the nation during the past few months. Reports about disturbing confessions from Boise State University, the University of Arizona, Binghamton University, Seattle University, New York University and more have surfaced across news reports.

However, word spread within the intellectual community of Loras’ success with handling the issue.

“We’ve had numerous calls from other colleges and universities asking how we (got the page down),” said Collins.

Although no one from the administration had the power to remove the page

illustration by KELSEY BERGAN

from Facebook, they did not need it. Between Loras students directly reporting the page as “inappropriate” and President Collin’s personal involvement, the site was quickly taken down, presumably by the same student who started it.

“I think the President had a lot to do with (the page being taken down so swiftly),” said Sunleaf.

President Collins later confirmed this statement.

“I went to the site and was able to see names associated,” said Collins. “I posted a few of my own comments and the number of likes started to go down.”

The students involved realized that President Collins had taken notice.

“Within minutes of me being on the site, it was quickly shut down,” said Collins. “It may have been good old-fashioned fear, or it may have been a goodconscience moment. It’s hard to say.”

However, both Sunleaf and Collins took time to recognize those who were the true heroes in their eyes.

“In the end, it was a handful of students at best who were involved … and the majority of the Duhawks said that ‘this is not who we are,’” said Sunleaf. “We can be better than this.”

In essence, the conflict was resolved in part due to numerous Loras students being willing to stand up for their school’s integrity and inform the administration. “(The page) may have seemed a good idea at the time,” said Sunleaf. “But good thinking, maturity, and who we are as a Loras community won out. And that’s important to know.”

March Madness is just around the corner, and with the amount of “upsets,” so far in college basketball, it might be difficult to put money on one team. However, some will do it anyway.

Statistics show nearly 70 percent of college students gamble on sports. Courtney Runde, an addiction counselor in Dubuque, says it’s also a pertinent issue in Dubuque.

“College is kind of like a perfect storm in dealing with gambling issues,” she said. At that age, students are engaging in risky behaviors, including alcohol and drugs. With laptops, there is a freedom with Internet gambling. Males, especially, are into March Madness pools and fantasy sports.”

It’s no wonder, then, why this week was designated National Gambling Awareness Week. And in Dubuque, gambling and its addictive tendencies are relevant.

“Dubuque is unique and has a lot of college students, as well as casinos.” Runde said. “We want people to understand the issues.

“Obviously, the majority (of gamblers) are able going to gamble responsibly and don’t have issues, but some get in over their heads.”

And there’s a reason for it. Runde says it’s important to be aware of surroundings, because casinos are good at hooking a gambler in for the long haul.

“They have entertainment, bowling, dinner, etc,” Runde said. “That attracts the college students. I think it attracts a lot of outof-towners as well, maybe those who have not experienced the gambling environment.”

Runde said there are several ways to be cautious when gambling. She suggested that limiting the time spent inside the casino, and designate a certain amount of spending money. Then, when it’s gone, leave.

“You can play for a long time on 20 dollars,” she said.

It’s also good to not be optimistic. Go to have fun, but don’t expect to win the packpot.

“It’s good to expect to loose,” Runde said.

“It makes you cautious.

“If you feel the need to bet more money, for higher amounts, to feel the same excitement, you need to stop,” Runde said.

The vast majority of those gambling do not have issues with addiction, Runde said.

However, she added that if people win initially, especially large amounts of money early, they tend to want more.

“Those are the urges that we want to control,” Runde said.

Cox Street renovations at a stand-still

by NICK JOOS

executive editor

Several years have passed since Loras purchased Cox Street from the City of Dubuque. In the Fall, the first phase of the Loras Parkway project was completed. While greenery and vegetation have yet to go up, Loras already is looking toward the next phase of the project.

The sticking point, like with any project, is funding. As of now, there is not enough to continue the project. John McDermott, the director of the physical

plant, said there is “no timetable” as to when new construction will begin.

The Iowa Department of Transportation funded phase one, which included the laying of various utilities under the street. Loras is searching various venues for funding to begin the next phase of the project.

With the future in mind, Loras made sure that underneath the street are all the correct hook-ups, including geothermal heating and sewer lines, to eventually create a provisions area in the current Phys-

ical Plant, and a cascading water feature next to it.

The goal is to create a central area for students to spend time, study and congregate.

Campus Dining has a relationship with Einstein Bagels, which serves freshly baked bagels, coffee, various breakfast and lunch sandwiches and pastries. Initial talks are ongoing about the space and amenities Einstein might require once their location on Cox Street has been finalized.

An artist’s rendering of the proposed Loras Parkway renovation.The viewpoint in the above image is from the corner of Loras Parkway and Loras Boulevard.

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The Lorian

News

March 7 , 2013

Loras Knights plan fundraiser for Family Health Clinic

by COLIN HALBMAIER features editor

On April 1st, six Knights of Columbus members will offer up their hairstyles to raise money for the Vitae Family Health Clinic in Des Moines, IA. The group, which consists of Lucas Evett, Chuck Warren, J.P. Sevcik, Joel Pohland, Colin Priest and Anthony “Bear” Gates, will be accepting donations throughout the month of March, which will be counted as votes toward a variety of hairstyles. The winning choice at the end of the month will be adopted by the group at Capri College in downtown Dubuque.

“I got the inspiration last semester right before No-Shave November,” said Priest, a seminarian involved in the event. “I saw that people sometimes shave their head for Dance Marathon to help raise awareness, and I thought maybe we could do something like that to help other people and that it would be fun to let our friends choose our style for us.”

The Vitae Family Health Clinic helps

support pregnant women who do not have enough money to afford checkups, a project the Knights support wholeheartedly. The fund, which would provide four families with the resources they need for a year, is estimated to be $5,000. With this event, the Knights hope to put a solid dent in that goal and support a healthy culture in the Des Moines area for expecting mothers and their children.

“I’ve heard of people shaving their heads for a cause, but never for anything like what the Knights are going to do,” Priest said. “If this is successful, then I’m going to try and submit this fundraiser as an option to all the Knights of Columbus councils throughout the nation. Loras could be involved in the start of a monumental project that could span across the entire United States.”

Fundraising for the project goes throughout March, and the haircuts will take place on April 1st.

Sustainability Spotlight

Spring Formal photos by MARK Fuentebella

LEFT: Senior Alicia Soppe and junior Lucus Evett showed off their moves as the official dance instructors for the evening.

BELOW: Sophomore Vanessa Wismeier and her date practice their newly learned steps.

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS ABOVE: Seniors Hannah Kauffold and Patrick O’Grady strike a pose between songs.

RIGHT: Sophomore Josh Link sings along to the music at the Spring Formal.

Jim Anderson and the Tech Center

This “spotlight” article begins a weekly column from Loras College Peace & Justice. Each issue will feature a new in-depth story about an individual, organization, or program at Loras making conscious efforts to be more sustainable. Think you know someone who should be recognized for his/her efforts? Contact Kalli Miner (kalli.miner@loras.edu).

by KALLI MINER

student co-coordinator of peace and justice

Jim Anderson has two passions in life: technology and sustainability. Anderson leads the technology team here at Loras and is a mover and shaker in sustainability efforts on campus. His ability to bring his passions together is what landed him and the technology center team in the green spotlight this week.

“Sustainability is a passion of mine, so I’m always looking for ways to bring that to the college, especially through technology,” said Anderson. “Anything that saves the college money and reduces our footprint on the environment is a win for everybody.”

For instance, the tech. center recently upgraded the land line phones on campus to a greener option. With the phones having to be on all of the time to take both calls during the day, and messages in the evenings, the ‘vampire power’ being used was really starting to add up.

So, the team found phones that use literally half as much power. That’s 50% less power being sucked from the grid, and money in Loras’ pocket.

Jim also implemented the use of duplex printers that print double sided pages. With 35-40% of all print jobs being duplexed, the savings are incredible. To save even more paper, some of the college’s 1000+ paperwork forms are being put on the portal. Though this is a bit inconvenient and confusing at times, it reduces the paper usages tremendously.

“It is all about trying to find a balance between keeping the workflow going and being environmentally responsible,” said Anderson.

Efforts to further reduce power were successful when the technology center switched over from using 50 server boxes to 3 virtual ones. That means that

6 electrical cords can be used to power the servers instead 100. And, with every box requiring high levels of air conditioning year round, the simplification cut down on that usage as well.

These are only a few of the many exciting green efforts being made at the campus tech. center, most of which have been successful. Anderson admits though, that things haven’t been easy. There was a time when Anderson moved to use Eco Font as the laptop default font on campus. Using Eco Font saves up to about 20% of ink on every print job, resulting in yet another huge savings. Though it did work for a short time, the push back on the effort put it to a stop.

“Many were concerned with the inconvenience, others pointed out problems occurring with the changing of font size,” explains Anderson, “We just weren’t ready for it yet.”

But, with creators of Eco Font making some improvements to the program, Anderson is eager to attempt the initiation again. Students are urged to contact the technology help desk with questions on how to install the font and help lead the way down the path to a greener Loras.

Please contact the following people with any more suggestions on how we can enhance sustainability efforts: Jim Anderson (Jim.Anderson@loras.edu) Stacia McDermott (Anastacia.McDermott@loras.edu) Matt Sanford (Matthew.Sanford@loras.edu) Kalli Miner (Kalli.Miner@loras.edu)

LEFT: The crowd of 150 students starts to dwindle as the night came to a close.

The Daughters of Isabella raised over $650 for their work with the Hope House and other charitable organizations.

News

The Pulse loras launches ‘end the r-word campaign’

Loras Students for Inclusive Experiences and DuBuddies are partnering together to help raise awareness about ending the use of the word “retard(ed)” in conversations around campus. Events are ongoing this week with a DuTalk game session tonight at 5:30 p.m. and a Du-Buddies talent show on March 9 at 6 p.m. in the Ballrooms.

faculty reads original creative works

Friday, March 8, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Arizona Room of the ACC, Dr. Jablonsky, Dr. Koch, and Dr. Pollock will hold a reading of their own works. Loras’ creative writing faculty have published four books in the past three years.

wind ensemble presents annual concert

Saturday, March 9, the Loras College Wind Ensemble will present their annual mid-winter concert. The band from Western Dubuque High School will be joining Loras under the direction of Mr. Mike Omarzu. This is the fourth year that Loras has invited a local band to perform with them.

dubuque awarded at analytics symposium

The City of Dubuque was awarded the first Data into Action Innovation Award for demonstrating excellence in the use of business analytics through its Smarter Sustainable Dubuque initiative.

The Lorian

March 7, 2013

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Sequester: ‘Something that affects all of us’

by NINO ERBA staff writer

Last Friday, the sequester (otherwise known as the across-the-board spending cuts) took effect. Although many questions have arisen as a result of the sequester, generally all these questions can be boiled down to two: what’s going to happen to the economy? How badly will the individuals be harmed?

There has been such furor about the sequester that the Obama administration put out a state-by-state dissection of what is estimated to happen to each individual state if the sequester were to take effect.

According to a link in the Washington Post, “Iowa will lose approximately $6.4 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting about 90 teacher and aide jobs at risk.

In addition about 7,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 50 fewer schools would be served.” That sounds like a fairly big hit for the state.

In light of these cuts, there is much concern over how this could affect students at Loras.

“The cuts will be phased over seven months. There may be some hardships, but they would take a while to develop,” said David Eisinger, vice president of finance and administrative services at Loras. He also noted that the sequester could hurt family incomes, but it wouldn’t affect students right now.

“Nothing will change in the year of 2013/2014,” said Julie Dunn of Loras financial aid. “The things that would most likely get affected are the SEOG and work study programs.”

She also noted that Loras wouldn’t be as affected through the state budget because

‘‘

Nothing will change in the year of 2013/2014. The things that would most likely get affected are the SEOG and Work Study programs.

Julie Dunn

,,

Loras Financial Aid

unlike public Iowa colleges like UNI, Loras doesn’t receive much state funding.

“As a college, I would say we are better equipped against a financial crisis,” said Dunn.

However, students should not think they are completely out of the woods yet. While the college may not be as affected as other schools, the effects of the sequester may still greatly impact students outside of Loras and potential students as well.

“The sequester will be something that affects all of us,” said Omar Correa, Vice President of enrollment management. He noted that the state education system would be affected, as well as programs like Trio and Gear Up, which could result in lower graduation rates in high school. Without graduating high school, students can’t enroll here, which could mean a dip in the number of future students enrolling at Loras.

The full effects and results of the sequester are yet to be seen, and although Loras will not be the hardest institution hit, it’s not invincible against these government spending cuts.

4 The Lorian March 7, 2013

opinion

A little etiquette goes a long way I

was in class last week listening to my professor and students discuss an assigned reading when an issue related to homosexuality emerged in the analysis.

The readings we did involved two gay men in a relationship and some issues that arose between them as a result of their rett obbins sexuality. A student was discussing why they thought the trouble between these gay men was occurring, and proceeded to describe being gay as a “culture someone chooses to be in,” to paraphrase. The student was referring to the gay men’s sexuality and relationship.

Now, I don’t believe this student is a bigot by any means, but it is essential that we establish what logical and appropriate

Rockin’ RObbins

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language is when discussing sexual orientation. A little etiquette can go a long way and keep others from wanting to smack you in the back of the head.

So what was wrong with this “gay is a chosen culture” statement? Well, essentially everything. To reiterate what every psychological organization has confirmed, being gay is NOT A CHOICE. Sexuality is not a “culture” but a biological part of a person’s being. True, gay culture is real, that culture being the values and shared ideas within the gay community, but gay sexuality is biologically defined, not consciously.

I understand that from a heterosexual standpoint, it gets confusing on what is appropriate to say when dealing with sexual orientation. So, just for your personal reference, here are a few mistakes I’ve encountered that you can be sure to avoid.

1. Don’t ever imply that being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender is a “choice.” Just as you didn’t buy your

Editorial Staff executive editor: Nick JOOs managing editor/sports editor JACK METZ news editor MARY AGNOLI features editor COLIN HALBMAIER graphic illustrators AYUSH SUBEDI

photo editor KeLSEY BERGAN advertising manager Kevin Harlander assistant sports editor Danny Zeets copy editors K.T. Heidorn hannah way moderator: TIM MANNING

FREAKY FAST! FREAKY GOOD!

FREAKY FAST

DELIVERY! ©2011 JIMMY JOHN’S FRANCHISE, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Sexuality is not a “culture” but a biological part of a person’s being. True, gay culture is real, that culture being the values and shared ideas within the gay community, but gay sexuality is biologically defined, not consciously. sexuality off of eBay, neither did LGBT people.

2. When referring to gay people, use the term “gay people!” Calling gay people “homosexuals” has, at least in my opinion, a cold and clinical sound to it. True, it’s accurate, but just as I wouldn’t call you “the heterosexual” in a creepy 1950s documentary voice, try not to do the same to gay people. Gay is a freaking fabulous

word, so never fear to use it!

3. Don’t invoke stereotypes. Perez Hilton may be a girly, radioactive queen, but that doesn’t make every gay man the same thing. Not all lesbians are butch. If you ever are discussing gay people, don’t make assumptions based on stereotypes. And also don’t discredit gay people if they do fit stereotypes. Feminine, girly gay guys are just as awesome as butch, weight-lifting gay guys. Treat gay people like you treat straight people, as individuals.

4. Finally, don’t act awkward and uncomfortable if you happen to uncover a “homosexual” (scary 1950s-era voice) in your class or life in general. Despite what the insanely religious might say and believe, we are not going to invade your villages, kidnap your women and rape your cattle. Rather, we just want the same things you do: To get through this semester in one piece and to not fall on our asses when treading uphill from Hoffmann.

Senior student takes issue with ‘War on Women’ column Dear Ms. Mantyh, As I read the inflammatory article in last week’s Lorian, I struggle to find a place to begin my response. Shall I start with the illogical flow of your argument? Your gross misunderstanding of contraception? Your complete lack of knowledge about Chinese culture, government and society? Instead, I think I’ll start by giving you a short lesson about “the War on Women.”

The “War on Women” is an incendiary phrase coined and flung around during the latest set of elections; it speaks to a number of issues faced by women today, including but not limited to: women’s involvement in politics, the pervasive culture of sexism, unequal compensation for equal work, unfair treatment of sexual abuse survivors, and the constant attack on women’s health-care rights under the guise of religious superiority.

It was a popular phrase on all news networks — supported by some, disputed by others but perhaps the reason you didn’t hear it was that you were too busy fabricating current importations of Chinese women. While the phrase “War on Women” is polarizing and intentionally provocative, the issues that it brings to light are important ones to address especially in a time when “feminism” is considered a bad word and internalized sexism prevents women all over America from demanding the rights and treatment that we deserve.

You criticize this “tunnel vision” of Ms. Magazine, yet make wild assertions about a wide range of topics. Rather than getting into the classic ‘When does life begin?’ discussion that is so important to understanding a person’s position on abortion, I’d like to explain to you why, for so many, access to contraception is so critical to the women’s rights movement.

The connection between birth control and women’s rights is important throughout history, but I’ll call your attention specifically to the past 50 years, when in your mind men were erroneously experimenting with contraception of their own. In the turbulence of the 1960s, when other minority groups were seeking rights, women began to look at their own lives. Why is it that a woman would go to a four-year college and have a career, but have to leave that career once she was married? Why is it that women were blamed for rape when they were the victims? Why, in a union of two consenting adults, was housework automatically consigned to women and considered beneath men?

Many of the answers to these questions were rooted in the construct that the climax of a woman’s life was her place in reproduction.

What you’ll find repeated throughout history is that economic equality is the first step to achieving equal rights for any group. When the expectation is that you will quit your job as soon as John Jr. comes along, your career options are limited. The types of jobs that will hire you in the first place aren’t as prestigious or highly paid, and the opportunities for advancement are slim. When birth control became available, women had more options. They could better regulate if and when they had children, thus allowing more stability in their work environment and taking the first step towards economic equality. So when recent debates push for the prohibition of birth control, it’s not only women’s healthcare that is threatened. Like I mentioned before, the foundation of pursuing equal rights begins with a more level economic playing field. Pull away this piece and all the other accomplishments of the women’s rights movement will fall like Jenga blocks.

So couple that impact with the fact that birth-control medications aren’t as wicked as some make them out to be and no wonder all those feminists get riled up and ready to torch a Victoria’s Secret store. “The Pill” has been known to help prevent certain types of cancer and alleviate a number of other serious issues connected to women’s reproductive systems. The correlations between birth control and breast cancer aren’t to the exaggerated rate that your article states.

Certainly there are risks associated with contraceptives, but there are issues with all medications. Why is it that people aren’t outside doctors’ offices nationwide protesting cholesterol medications when they pose serious risks to the people taking them, and most cholesterol issues can be solved in a healthier manner through diet and exercise? From a secular perspective, it appears to many that the crusade against contraceptives is unfairly targeting the women’s rights movement.

There are many other issues that I find with your argument and article. However, given the brevity required for my rebuttal, I will have to leave many points untouched. If you wish to continue this discourse, please feel free to contact me on campus or via Loras e-mail.

Yours in sisterhood,

Eileen Torpy (senior)

Opinion

The Lorian March 7, 2013

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First couple Obama’s behavior is ‘beneath a president’ connects L with America ast week, NPR’s Alan Greenblatt confirmed what American conservatives have thought for the past two years: Media is suffering from an abundance of Obama.

Ever since the president rocketed onto the national stage with atrick rady his 2008 Democratic National Convention Speech in Denver, complete with Roman colonnades, President Obama has been an international icon, a symbol of how America is perceived both at home and abroad.

The act is getting annoying.

Like a socially inept high school sophomore, President Obama will do whatever it takes to be cool. Whether grooving with Ellen Degeneres on daytime TV, or chatting it up with the ladies of “The View,” the president never seems to pass up a less-than-prestigious interview.

The president also frequents late-night television. Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon

Read and Right

“Bout to hop on a plane to Berlin! #teardownthiswall” -@ therealreagan “Jackie bought ANOTHER pillbox hat!

How many does she need?! #CamelotProbs #FLOTUS” - @ JFKennedy If only Twitter had been around when and Kennedy obby auch Reagan were in office. We might have been even more in touch with and connected to two of the most ubiquitous and popular presidents this country has ever seen. Kennedy was in the tabloids all the time, and rubbed shoulders with Hollywood elite often. Reagan was a movie star. He was as exposed as it was possible for a president to be in the 1980s. The president of the United States is the most powerful person in the world. It would logically follow that he would then be the most seen and well-known person in the world. That’s why it is so very confusing to me that President and Mrs. Obama are getting so much flack for their media appearances.

It’s, of course, been this way since Obama was elected, in 2009, when he and his wife were first criticized for their media appearances. The president is the subject of many conservative pundit and politician’s complaints because of his multiple appearances on TV shows like “The View.” These sorts of appearances are seen as detracting from the president’s job and his message.

President Obama is the first POTUS to have his presidency set entirely within this modern age of Twitter, Facebook and ever-expanding television. There is no reason to blame Mr. Obama for taking full advantage of these technologies to talk to and connect with the American people. The irony being that if he does the opposite, remains in the White House or hangs out with Jay-Z and Beyoncé, he receives the same amount of flack. Only, this time, it’s because he is snobbish and disconnected.

In recent weeks, the criticism has been heaped even more on the shoulders of the first lady. Michelle has appeared on Sesame Street, “Good Morning America” and Jimmy Fallon in the space of about two weeks. Conservative commentators like Jennifer Rubin say: “There is a sense of going too far and too much and becoming so ubiquitous that people don’t consider you something special.”

But Mrs. Obama, like Nancy Reagan in the war against drugs or Laura Bush and her push for literacy, is just taking up a cause. All of those appearances were in some way linked to her “Let’s Move” campaign. Much like her husband, I don’t think there is any blame to be laid on Mrs. Obama for taking advantage of the modern media and communication to help spread a message to make this country a healthier, happier place.

Perhaps the most infuriating criticisms to me, though, are those for what they do in their leisure time. For Mr. Obama it’s his attendance at sporting events; for Mrs. Obama, her appearance on the Oscars. For both of these, I applaud the first couple. They’re still doing their jobs while simultaneously connecting to the American people. Instead of criticizing the Obamas for their media appearances, I say conservative pundits like Jennifer Rubin stop taking up valuable media space and start writing on real news.

Bauch to the Future

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frequently host the president and first lady.

He is no stranger to “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart either.”

Naturally, governing during the 24-hour news cycle demands changes as to how a president addresses the media. The president now has more avenues than ever by which to reach American citizens. However, President Obama frequently walks the fine line between statesman and celebrity.

Obama’s media strategy shows the American tendency to settle for the lowest common denominator when looking for political coverage. Modern Americans look towards panels that include the likes of Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg for political commentary before anyone with even a shred of journalistic integrity. America’s youth must be entertained during their news, and so find solace in the relativistic and utilitarian approaches of Jon Stewart and Bill Maher.

President Obama is the first president to tap into modern media, and he has done so very effectively. Globally, President Obama is universally recognizable as a figure of American progressivism. As head of state, he should certainly be visible to the

American people. However, must we hear his prediction every Super Bowl? Do we have to suffer through his consistently inept Final Four picks? Worse still was the awkward tag-team “Best Picture” presentation at the Oscars between Jack Nicholson and Michelle Obama via satellite. These displays create politics where they are neither welcome, nor appropriate, and are ultimately divisive.

The most destructive element of President Obama’s behavior is the erosion of gravitas within the presidency itself. Would JFK appear on a beige couch with Whoopi? Would Ronald Reagan subject himself to an AMA on Reddit? Such media encounters, while charming and novel at first, eventually are seen for what they are: painfully beneath a president.

Columnist William Murchison once wrote “There’s more to life than politics.” But with President Obama permeating all levels of media, it is hard to see merit in those words anymore.

— A little over the top — housing slots

We wasted our ‘outcry’ on snow

by DANNY READY

special to the lorian

Today, Loras College students showed the largest waste of power that I can remember.

“‘REPLY’, NOT ‘REPLY ALL!’” “Mother of [expletive] God, STOP!!!!”

No, this article is not about the string of e-mails that flooded the college’s in-boxes heard distinctly and clearly across campus. today. This article is about something larger I reiterate: This article is not about the than that. string of e-mails today. Rather, it’s about Brittany Seyller, a senior, is in charge how today, Loras College students showed of a group called Overcoming Violence the largest waste of power that I can and Empowering Positive Relationships (OVE+R) on campus. OVE+R is a group on remember. The clear voice of the students was heard, and the resounding question was, campus that have given themselves the task “Why is there school today? Think of the of raising awareness about sexual violence commuters.” and other harmful relationships on campus.

Students fought for the rights of The group meets regularly and has a small commuters and their teachers who faced following on campus. Brittany is always potentially dangerous situations on the drive looking for ways to raise awareness and to campus. It’s funny to me. Students have does anything she can to help make Loras never particularly “fought” for a safer campus when it comes The Lorian apologizes for the “rights” of commuters to to sexual violence. Loras, like inflammatory e-mail/ the school before. Why was this any college, has reports of Page 8 time different? Vested interests. sexual violence every year.

It was convenient to use an adversely Many students seem unaware, or minimally effected group for the purpose of pushing an apathetic towards this cause. issue forward that would mutually “benefit” What was the topic of every student’s those both in and outside said group. conversation today? The age-old debate of: What else on campus has invoked this will they or won’t they cancel school? The level of awareness? The first thing that hot topic was ignited by a question sent comes to mind is the “Maria’s keys” by the Lorian that erupted into an e-mail incident that everyone knows so well. Apart string across the campus. The outpouring of from that, nothing on campus has been so Facebook statuses, Tweets and comments universally understood and talked about. made in casual conversation could not be Why is it that Brittany’s group only attracts ignored. Everyone on campus was talking a small percentage of Loras students each about it today. Not only were all the students week? With so much commotion about made aware, but every staff and faculty something as simple as snow or lost keys, member was forced to be made aware of the why is there no such outcry for those affected issue. The fire could not be stopped. by sexual violence? What about the groups Today, the voice from the student body was

that travel to Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, and other places around the globe? Why don’t all students cry out for the rights of the poor and oppressed in other countries?

Instead, our outcry to the administration is, “Why are you making me walk through snow today?”

As a student body, we have the power to come together and form one voice that cannot be ignored. We can instill change on campus. We can cry out and raise awareness about social issues. We can discuss and debate what we believe is the best course of action for our national government.

We wasted our outcry on snow.

It’s shocking to think that we shrug off crippling poverty in other nations, ignore what our national government is doing, and remain stagnant and complacent in an everychanging world around us. However, if it involves a mutual benefit for ourselves, how quick we are to change our tune and cry out in a universal voice about the injustice to our commuters.

Not everyone was complaining today, nor were they upset about having to walk through a few inches of snow to class. Some of us actually called others out about the error of their complaints. But our collective voice certainly had one single statement.

My point here is to try and provide a little perspective. The issues that we face compared to our collective awareness and outrage are wildly out of proportion.

We are the student body. We outnumber the faculty 12 to 1. We have tremendous power.

When are we going to stop being outraged by snow, and fight for what really matters?

6

The Lorian

Features

March 7, 2013

Features

Andy and Paul’s Big Screen Top Ten

In the aftermath of this year’s Grammy’s, movie lovers everywhere are in hot debate about what should and shouldn’t have won an award. Ben Afflec’s “Argo” took home the most coveted prize on Oscar Sunday winning Best Picture, but where does it stack up on Andy Miller and Paul Deeter’s Best of 2012 list?

By ANDY MILLER and PAUL DEETER special to the lorian

Andy’s Top 10 1. Silver Linings Playbook 2. Beasts of the Southern Wild 3. Argo 4. Django Unchained 5. Moonrise Kingdom 6. Flight 7. Safety Not Guaranteed 8. Looper 9. Dark Knight Rises 10. Wreck-it Ralph 2012 was a great year for movies, so it was hard to come up with this list. For me, Silver Linings Playbook was the most well-rounded movie; the plot was fantastic, Jennifer Lawrence’s performance was nothing short of superb, and in any other year, Robert DeNiro would be walking away with an Oscar for his supporting role, and Jackie Weaver would have a solid shot as well.

Beasts of the Southern Wild takes second because it made me feel all the feels for an hour and a half. Nine-year-old actress Quvenzhané Wallis absolutely earned her Oscar nom, and no one will be surprised when she gets her Oscar—in the next 16 years before she gets to be “too old for Clooney” as Oscar host Seth McFarlene put it.

I know Paul’s going to have Django coming in at his top spot—and I can understand why. Tarantino has followed his recipe for success once again. He wrote a very interesting plot and dialogue that rivals any other movie from this list. Christoph Waltz once again blew me away with how he delivered that Tarantinian dialogue cementing a solid marriage between actor/ director. The fact that

Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t get nominated for his incredible performance was flat out wrong. Here’s why it doesn’t make my number one spot—it wasn’t original.

This is a Tarantino film; fantastic dialogue that precedes an uncomfortable amount of gore, humor under un-humorous circumstances, and a killing spree that takes up a quarter of the movie. If this was Tarantino’s first movie, it would have been a groundbreaking film that would have won the Oscar, and would have taken my number one spot as well. But it wasn’t. It was Kill Bill meets Inglorious Basterds set in the South during the pre-Civil War era. Good movie, but not the best.

Worth Noting: Safety Not Guaranteed was an overlooked movie by most. It was a small budget, independent movie. However, Aubrey Plaza’s (known for her portrayal of April Ludgate on NBC’s Parks and Recreation) first leading role in a film shows us that she can step out of her typical role and can be a lead actress. The screenplay is nothing short of innovative and is why it nabbed the Indie Spirit award for Best First Screenplay for the writing of Derek Connolly.

The Dark Knight Rises and Wreck-It Ralph break my top ten—for the time being.

I’m very confident that after seeing Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty that these two would fall off the top ten. However, Dark Knight Rises makes my top ten because it was a fitting conclusion to the best superhero franchise of all time, while Wreck-It Ralph breaks in because it was my favorite animated movie of 2012, and it was nice to see someone other than Pixar produce a heartfelt, well-produced animated film (albeit, this was still made by a division of Disney).

Paul’s Top 10 1. Django Unchained 2. Lincoln 3. Argo 4. Silver Linings Playbook 5. Killer Joe 6. Life of Pi 7. Moonrise Kingdom 8. Skyfall 9. Zero Dark Thirty 10. Cabin in the Woods Andy is right about one thing, Django Unchained was my favorite movie of 2012. While I agree with some of what he said, I also love to disagree with Andy.

Django is a self-indulgent bloodbath of a movie with an exploitative twist, but when isn’t a Tarantino movie?

Quentin Tarantino is easily one of the best filmmakers currently working and arguably one of the best screenwriters too, and he’s never been afraid to make a movie that will test audiences everywhere.

Luckily for him, Django proved to be both a critically successful film and also a moneymaker, which has earned Christoph Waltz an Oscar for Supporting Actor and Tarantino best original screenplay. Which is funny, because Andy doesn’t consider it original. The originality of the movie does not sink in through the style, but instead the humorous and insane characters, the exciting western action mixed with a modernized soundtrack, and the feel-good nature of the core joy of the film: revenge.

2012 offered plenty of other films to digest too, Lincoln comfortably fits in as my second favorite film of the year for the fantastic ensemble cast and the historical story which manages to stay gripping until the conclusion everyone already knows.

Argo was given the gold rightfully so, because it’s easily the underdog achiever of the year. After the Academy’s initial snub from nominating Ben Affleck as Best Director, Affleck won about every other show’s awards for Picture and Director, and ended up with a shout-out from his producer and a chance to speak when accepting Best Picture. Ben Affleck rose from his acting career to that of a seasoned director within only a few years, and his Oscar is coming, I can feel it.

Worth Noting: Andy already did the honor of covering the two best Independent films of the year: Safety not Guaranteed and Moonrise Kingdom, so I’d like to mention a dark little film called Killer Joe. Killer Joe stars Matthew McCounaghey as the title role, a hitman hired to kill a redneck’s mother to earn her inheritance. The kid who hires Joe is played by Emile Hirsch, who’s joined by his father, mother-in-law, and sister in the scheme, and the innocent teenage sister is put on collateral to Joe, who falls sinisterly in love with her.

This movie is hard to recommend because of its dark storyline and some extremely intense scenes, some of which earned it an initial NC-17 rating on release. Now that it’s out on DVD and Blu-Ray it’s easier to appreciate, (with squinted eyes). The movie is very darkly funny in places, and also gripping with a great lead performance, and it’s my overlooked recommendation of 2012.

The Lorian

March 7, 2013

7

T he

Prophecy of the

Popes A prophecy four centuries in the making is about to be addressed

By COLIN HALBMAIER features editor

In 1595, a Benedictine monk by the name of Arnold de Wyon allegedly published a document known only as the “Prophetia Dancte Malachiae Archiepiscopi,” known today as the “Prophecy of the Popes.”

The document, attributed to Saint Malachy of the 12th-century, is made up of a series of 112 short phrases written in Latin and claim to list the line of succession of the Popes.

On Thursday, February 28th, Pope Benedict XVI officially stepped down as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. If the listing of the prophesied popes is matched on a one-to-one basis, his reign as Pope is the second-to-last. The final successor to the throne, according to Saint Malachy, is known only as “Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills (Rome) will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people.”

Whether you believe in “Peter the Roman” or not, there is no denying that the world has seen its fair share of apocalypse prophecies as of late. Last year’s rapture and 12/21 rumors were a topic of debate between people of all religions and backgrounds. Some were not so easily convinced while others were certain that the end was nigh.

Still others silently wondered if such an ending was possible. Indeed, many of the stories told about the end of the world sound like something from a dark fairy tale, but some are more grounded than others.

In the case of the Prophecy of the

Pope, there have been attempts to make connections between the popes listed by Saint Malachy and the historical facts. For example, the prophecy for Pope John Paul II translated reads “From the labour of the sun / Of the eclipse of the sun.” In parts of the world, both on the day of his birth and death, an eclipse occurred.

Others have less chilling connections, typically connecting their prophecy to a symbol on their coat of arms or similar attribute.

The obvious parallels tend to make a strong argument for the prophecy in people’s minds, but it’s important to remember the inconsistencies as well.

The Roman Catholic Church itself dismisses the document as a forgery, and the Bible is often quoted as saying that no man knows the day of judgement. If the document is to be believed, as it is by some, then there is a great deal of pressure as we approach the appointment of a new Pope.

Will we see Peter the Roman, or is this another one for the list of misguided prophecies? As of yet, the answer is uncertain. It may be worth noting that the current frontrunner for the position is Peter Turkson of Ghana. Could this have any significance in the events to come? Only time will tell, but there’s no doubt that all eyes will be on Rome in the days to come.

Lament for My Heels, Blistered

By Ankle Socks

By ANDREA BERNS

I bought myself a package of golden-toed socks from the magical land of golden-toothed men and women with rolls of skin cascading down their bellies.

The socks were soft and thick.

I was walking on warm, cozy clouds with every step in them.

Like a gentle cushion, reaching just above the cleft of my ankle.

But I slipped on my boots to trudge across the

staff writer

frost-coated campus, and my beloved foot-pads slide off my heels, bunching disloyally at the balls of my feet.

My heels were rubbed and scuffed by the time I reached my destination.

And by the end of the day, they pinched and bled and peeled and tore, raw as a cantaloupe.

I was overcome with devastation.

Betrayed by the very socks which caused me so much bliss and comfort in the footwear aisle in the middle of Walmart.

Fieldhouse Legacy hystERICal

Good Ol’ Ben Affleck at the Grammy’s

By ERIC OSBORN Editor’s note: hystERICal is our weekly like Hollywood!” Did I say underhanded, I meant staff writer satirical column written by Eric Osborn. The backhanded. Unfortunately, bad mouth Ben wasn’t information presented here is written for comedic effect and done. “Better luck next year! Peace out. Haha! Do you remember should not be taken as fact. when you said that on live TV? You’re one of the good ones TarantBen Affleck has been having great success with his a-can’t beat me at the Oscars!” Quentin didn’t respond back to Ben’s film “Argo.” Out of the kindness of his heart he decided, texting, but I’ve been told that Quentin has already written Ben into during the Oscar’s after parties, that he’d send a few text his next script, as the first fatality. messages to fellow winners. Several celebrities pretended Ben decided that his “conversation” with Quentin went well, so he to be getting important texts from Ben so they could avoid started texting “Life of Pi” director, Ang Lee. “Lee filled with glee, the very real, boring conversations with their spouses. congrats! How did it feel directing Castaway 2?! I’m kidding, but “Sorry hunny, Ben wants to talk about his next movie. Yes, I seriously are you worried that Tom Hanks might come after you? If know I told you that time off would be good for us and the kids, he does, I got your back. I mean, from far away. It’ll be more of a but let’s be honest with ourselves, my awesomeness deserves to motivational thing really. On second thought, don’t mention me. You be seen!” don’t know me. Our conversation will be like the first rule of fight Man, Daniel Day-Lewis sure is a down to earth, modest guy. club.” The case of “Hanks vs. Lee” is currently working its way to What was I talking about? Oh yeah, Benny Boy. Ben decided the Supreme Court. Lee gets to keep his Oscar though, so yay! to send out a few texts to fellow Oscar nominees.

Floating on a cloud of insight, Ben sent Anne Hathaway a Texting unfortunately doesn’t convey humility message. “Hey there, Annie Frannie and not the least bit tan-ie! very well, or emotion, damn robots.

Nice work, not on the Oscar but more importantly how you got Ol’ Benny with beards a plenty an award for being on screen for like, 20 minutes! How did you sent Quentin Tarantino a nice, work that one out? Seriously, you could’ve made a TV show cameo well written, underhanded instead. I would’ve, and you could’ve skipped out on the world’s compliment. “Good script most traumatizing haircut. That’s just me though.” In all honesty, he Tarantula! You might’ve makes a valid point, she could use a tan. even received best picture Regardless of his misjudgments, Affleck has done one thing right. if you had a true hero in He has an awesome beard. That thing probably has a mind of its your movie, you know, own; it could probably use a smartphone.

A campus mainstay for almost a century, the Loras Fieldhouse has been home to many sports teams throughout the years, and in its time, was one of the most intimidating athletic venues in the state.

Built in 1924, it is the only field house in the state of Iowa, still standing, being used for sports. The previous two were demolished in 2007 and were not on college campuses.

The Fieldhouse has Romanesque style architecture, with an “Armony style” design, because before and during WWII, Loras (Columbia College at the time) offered military training, and the Fieldhouse looked similar to other military training facilities of the time. To this day, these architectural features are still intact.

Upon the construction of the AWC in 2008, the teams that called the Fieldhouse home since its opening moved across campus into the new, state-of-the-art facility in which they now play. The AWC holds more spectators and had more amenities, but the Fieldhouse has something the AWC will take decades to acquire: charm.

“It had all the amenities of a storage shed,” remembers Telegraph Herald sports writer Clete Campbell (‘97). “But it had the charm and ambiance of larger field houses, like Phog Allen at the (University of) Kansas.”

Going to games, Campbell said, was unparalleled in the Iowa Conference, and many teams feared the location. The Fieldhouse was cramped, and many players say that it felt like the crowd was on top of them throughout the game.

There’s a reason it was nicknamed “The Pit.” The Fieldhouse offered a combination of variables that no other venue on the IIAC schedule supplied: low-hanging rafters; spotty lights that would struggle to light the Beckman Hall lobby; a balcony positioned just above the court, aligned with the out-of-bounds line around the circumference of the building; and the old, rickety windows that seemed to magnify the sun. Understandably, teams dreaded the days Loras was on the schedule.

“When the Duhawks were really good, there wasn’t a

By NICK JOOS

executive editor

tougher, louder place to play in the (Iowa Conference),” Campbell said.

The Fieldhouse was built to hold 1,600 fans, but when they piled in onto the balcony, that number sniffed 2,500.

Throughout its stories history, The Fieldhouse’s basement

photo by KYLE SCHAFFER

has home to parking areas for cars; the second floor has been dressing rooms, showers, lockers, a handball court and a bowling alle; the third floor has always been the gym; the fourth floor a balcony, running track, boxing and wrestling rooms and offices. It was a multi-faceted building, but clearly, “The Pit” was where the magic happened.

The Duhawk basketball tradition culminated in the Fieldhouse in 2007, in a game on Feb. 24 of that year. Loras needed a win to achieve its first-ever Iowa Conference championship in men’s basketball, and welcomed Buena Vista to town. Of course, the Beavers wished they’d never gotten off the bus, as Loras smoked them 77-62, earning the

school’s first conference chsmpionship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament. And so it was, the Fieldhouse was put to sleep with a Duhawk victory, and a bright future of more basketball memories lay ahead in the new gym.

Iowa representative and Loras graduate Chuck Isenhart (’81), attended many games as a child at St. Joseph the Worker, a high school student at Dubuque Wahlert and a college student at Loras. In a column on Offenburger.com, Isenhart wrote about his fondest Fieldhouse memories. “(The Fieldhouse) was where you could find me, with a lot of other students and kids, directly over the visiting team bench, trying to intimidate the opponents with our taunting and perhaps the ‘accidentally’-dropped kernels of popcorn.

Not much of a welcoming or inviting environment, I must say. Between the stands and the floor, there was very little elbow room. Coaches could have become rich collecting tolls from fans passing in front of them with their concessions.

And when the stands behind the east basket were packed with purple and gold face-painted students, cacophony raged.

You may wonder why, to this day, there are always two sheriff’s deputies on hand at every game. I never remember them being needed, but they are a remnant of the day when the school’s identity was more closely wrapped up with the fortunes of its sports teams.”

Even though the Fieldhouse no longer hosts major athletic events, the school has devoted money to upkeep and general preservation. And, to Isenhart’s happiness, the Fieldhouse is still open to the public.

“I understand that the college’s facilities are for the students first. (Try) to find ways to remain open to the local community, especially to young people like the greasy-haired junior high kid I once was. If you build it, they might come.

If they feel like they already belong there, they will come.”

Buena Vista came. Simpson Came. Wartburg Came. And more often than not, they did not, under any circumstances, conquer the Fieldhouse.

8

The Lorian

Community

March 7, 2013

This week at L o r a s • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Thursday, March 7 Yoga (AWC Hospitality Area), 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Operation Andrew (Ballrooms), 3 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Study Abroad Drop-In Session (Center for Experietial Learning), 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Open Rec (Fieldhouse), 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Mass (Christ the King Chapel), 5:15 p.m.

Friday, March 8 Intramurals - 25 Free Throws (Graber Center), 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Breitbach School Supply Drive (ACC), 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Mass (Christ the King Chapel), 5:15 p.m.

Creative Writing Faculty Reading (Arizona Room), 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 9 3rd Annual Irish Hooley (Ballrooms) 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Spring Wind Ensemble Concert (Fieldhouse), 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

CAB Laser Tag Event (Graber Center), 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Sunday, March 10 Mass (Christ the King Chapel), 8 p.m.

Monday, March 11 Andrew Connolly Make A Difference Day (Center for Experiential Learning), All Day Fitness Class (Fieldhouse), 7 a.m. - 8 a.m.

Open Rec (Fieldhouse), 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Mass (Christ the King Chapel), 5:15 p.m.

Poverty Simulation (Ballroom), 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Tuesday, March 12 Breitbach School Supply Drive (ACC), 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Yoga (AWC Hospitality Room), 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Open Rec (Fieldhouse), 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Mass (Christ the King Chapel), 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday, March 13 Fitness Class (Fieldhouse), 7 a.m. - 8 a.m.

Breitbach School Supply Drive (ACC), 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Open Rec (Fieldhouse), 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Quran Studies (ARC 202), 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Women of Culture: Los Bompleneras (Ballroom), 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

ASA Social (Mary Alexis Room), 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday Night Talks (Hoffmann 134), 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Mass (Christ the King Chapel), 9 p.m.

If you or your organization would like to see your community events featured on this calendar, please send an email to lorian@loras.edu.

What You (Don’t) Need To Know Gives Me the Chills - When we listen to music we have an emotional attachment to, our body releases dopamine, which leads to the development of goosebumps. The stronger the attachment to the song, the more dopamine that is produced.

What a Pill - Smarties were originally not allowed to be white for fear that children would associate medicinal tablets with the candies.

Groovyville - Louisville, Kentucky produces 90 percent of the world’s discoballs.

Well, he was God - Morgan Freeman has been nominated for or has won more awards than the number of movies he has starred in.

Need a Job? - In 2011, the average salary for an oil rig worker is almost $100,000.

Snail - There is a snail named for Steve Irwin called the Crikey Steveirwini.

You’re (not) fired -­In 1953, 200 limited edition copies of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 were bound in asbestos so that they wouldn’t burn.

More important meal of the day - Daft Punk negotiated the TRON Legacy soundtrack over a pancake breakfast where they wore their trademark robot helmets.

Don’t die while you fly - The odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 5000. The odds of dying in a plane crash are 1 in 11,000,000. In the event that you are involved in a plane crash, you statistically have a 76 percent chance of survival.

Sources: Wikipedia, The Guardian, IMDB, Discovery, Reddit

Thought for the Week Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.

-Benjamin Franklin

P i ct u re Pe r f e ct

#DuChat Confessions from The Lorian

On Tuesday morning, Lorian staff sent an e-mail to all students as part of this “DuChat” feature that solicits opinions from students on a variety of topics. Usually we are happy to get a few responses. On Tuesday, the response was both instant and overwhelming. In hindsight, we realize that the question was inflammatory in that it suggests that the college is not inherently concerned about students’ safety. It’s not the Lorian’s mission to launch a mostly one-sided debate — although some folks supported the college’s decision — nor should we get into the business of second-guessing complicated decisions that must be made in real time.

The Lorian staff always CRAVES the desire to woo more students to weigh in on timely issues. Unfortunately, we delved into an issue that should be left to those who necessarily and unenviably are tasked with making those types of decisions on behalf of the college. The wording of the question also was unfortunate.

We want to give folks the chance to voice their opinions, but this was not the right forum, the right topic or the right question. We apologize to the Loras community for our misguided ambition.

CORRECTION: The Feb. 21 article about the Student Union petition wrongly referenced the Easter Monday decision as being the administration’s.

Further, no one in the administration was asked to comment on or offer response to the petition or was quoted in the article. The Lorian regrets these errors and oversights.

The spring semester is in full swing yet again, and its been an exciting one. Snow continues to fall over Dubuque, Papa Johns comes to Loras, and students dance the night away at the Spring Formal. Every day, things are happening on campus — it’s a good time to be a Duhawk!

photo by KELSEY BERGAN

Hey, Duhawks!

Looking to make a little extra money this semester?

The Lorian is always looking to add on to its staff. If you have a story to tell, send us an e-mail (lorian@loras.edu) or join us at our weekly meetings at 5:30 p.m. on certain Mondays. We’re always looking for the latest news on campus.

photo by MARK FUENTEBELLA

photo by KELSEY BERGAN

mind and soul

Boydology The Lorian is continuing a column by Dr. Mike Boyd, our campus counselor.

He is the director of the Counseling Center. Here he will answer student questions concerning anything that relates to keeping it together while doing this crazy thing called college. Send questions or comments to Dr. Mike, Loras Box 100 or to the e-mail address michael.boyd@loras.edu. All names of those sending questions will be kept confidential.

The Lorian March 7, 2013

From the Seminary

‘God is talking to us in all we do’

by BLAKE NEEBEL

St. Pius X Seminary

Long-Distance Lover

Hey Mike, Me and my boyfriend have been together for almost three years. He is a sophomore at another college and I am a freshman here at Loras.

The long-distance thing has been going very well but these past two weeks I have been debating the idea of breaking up with him because he told me that he wasn’t coming home this summer due to an internship he will be working on at his school. I will probably be doing the same thing next year or the year after. I love him soooooooo much. We have a great relationship, lots of trust, loyalty and commitment, and we are very supportive of each other, and there isn’t a thing I feel I couldn’t tell him. I don’t want to throw something like this away but at the same time I don’t know if this is a sign to move on. There is no one else in my life that I would want to date, and if I were in a relationship, a longdistance relationship would probably be the one for me. It would be less distraction for me, and it would be easier to focus on my career goals.

He feels the same way, and he says that he is perfectly happy with our relationship, and doesn’t see his not coming home for the summer a problem. I am a person that overreacts A LOT. I worry about everything too much. I would like to stop. I want to stay with him more than I want to leave him. I am still worried though, and I don’t know what to do?

— Confused and Scared Mike says: Oh dear! C&S, you make me glad that I am gray. Young love is so hard and all the decisions seem so vital. OK C&S, here is how I see it. You are thinking of dumping what you describe as a really good relationship because the idea of being apart for the summer hurts too much. That does not make sense. You are trading the possible pain you might feel in a few months for immediate pain. Not a good trade.

One of the dangers and the fears about long distance love is that if we are not close we might fall out of love. If you have been burned in the past you are sensitive and want to avoid it in the future. The sense of control you get by ending the relationship now makes you feel you might be able to control the pain. It will not work. You just guarantee that you will hurt for the near future instead of maybe having problems this summer.

Here is what to do. Plan to meet and talk about it before summer.

Spring break sounds good; spend time together and figure out how you both can feel more secure over the summer.

9

For many, hearing God speak in today’s world is incredibly difficult.

I chalk part of the difficulty up to all the images and sounds that are being constantly blasted everywhere.

Silence is a rare thing in today’s society, but silence is most likely what we are seeking when we are filling our day with sound. Listening for God is very difficult if the only time you do it is in Church on Sundays. The time at Mass has some silence, but for the most part is filled with sound as well. Hymns, readings, intercessions and prayers from the priest fill most of that time.

Matthew Kelly, an inspirational Australian Catholic, speaks about what he calls “the classroom of silence.” What he is talking about takes only fifteen to twenty minutes.

Entering into the classroom of silence consists of putting away all electronics, removing all distractions from images and sounds and just existing for a short time.

There is no thinking about work, no talking, just sitting and listening for that voice of God. I think this is a great start to understanding that God is talking to us in all we do. Take the time to do a quick reflection on your day.

Here are five simple steps I use to listen for God in the silence of my day: 1. Give thanks. All the gifts and talents you

have come from God, so let him know that you appreciate it.

2. Ask for the God’s grace to know what he desires for you in your life.

3. Reflect on your day, the previous day or on everything from the last time you did this exercise. Look at every moment you can remember. Try to determine why you perform certain actions. Look for times you were challenged and how you responded. Think about where you succeeded and where you failed.

4. Realizing that we fail as humans, ask for forgiveness and resolve to go to the sacrament of Reconciliation.

5. Resolve to do better and work towards forming yourself in accord with the plan God has for you with His help.

Then pray an Our Father. (Adapted from “Consciousness Examen” by George Aschenbrenner, SJ) This spiritual exercise, while adapted from St. Ignatius, is one that I use to determine what areas God is asking me to grow in. God desires us to become holier every day, and He isn’t going to do all the work for us either. Just like eating cereal, you have to put some effort in, no matter how minimal. Let’s work toward that better relationship with God by beginning a conversation with the one who will never let go. We are lucky at Loras because we have two beautiful chapels which we can do this in. But if you can’t make it there, close the door of your room, go for a walk at Mines of Spain or even take a drive with the car radio off. Do what you can this Lent to enter into that classroom of silence as best you can.

Hungover

Hey Mike, I go out on weekends and party, but sometimes I’m still paying for it all day Sunday. I think I’m gonna die. What can I do?

— Hurting Mike says: Great times all night; so much pain the next day that you swear off forever. Funny though how we forget when the next weekend rolls around.

The best way to reduce the risk of a hangover ruining your next day is to plan to not have the hangover by changing how you drink. Hangovers increase in likelihood and severity if the alcohol enters your system quickly, the more you drink, and if you dehydrate. So, if you play drinking games you are more likely to have a hangover because you drink more. If you drink shots instead of diluting the drink, or if you drink on an empty stomach, the alcohol enters your system faster, increasing the chance of getting a hangover.

So to avoid a hangover: drinking slowly (sip, don’t gulp), dilute the alcohol with mixers or avoid strong spirits, drink water before, during and after the party, and eat before and while you drink.

Doesn’t sound like it is as much fun? Well, “Hurting,” go balls to the wall if you must, but remember the next day.

D U B U Q U E’S GOT

*OIN US FOR AN INSIDE LOOK AT RELIGIOUS LIFEÏ Are you interested in checking out religious life?

Then join us for a 24-hour tour of four tri-state area convents to share life through praying, dining, and storytelling.

Local transportation will be provided, and there is no fee to attend.

Mass Times

Adoration

Christ the King 5:15 p.m. M, Tu, Th, F 9 p.m. W 8 p.m. Su

St. Joseph’s Chapel 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-F Christ the King 9 p.m. Th

Friday, April 5 at 5 pm to Saturday, April 6 at 6 pm To register or for more details, contact Sr. Jeri Cashman, OP at jericashman@gmail.com or call 612-581-9291.

Sponsored by Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubuque Franciscan Sisters, and Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.

10

The Lorian

Sports

March 7, 2012

Softball

Women’s Track & Field

Duhawks go 1-3 at opening tournament in Michigan

Davis just misses berth at NCAA meet Following a 4th-place finish at the IIAC indoor meet, the focus turns to outdoor season

By Claire Murphy staff writer

By Kayleigh McDaniel staff writer

At the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point “Last Chance Invitational” this past weekend, it truly was the last chance for any of the individual athletes to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships.

There will be 16 women from the Iowa Conference making the trip to the national meet, but unfortunately no Duhawks will make the trip this year.

First-year Abby Davis earned a second-place finish in the 60-meter dash with an impressive time of 7.84 seconds, but even that was not quick enough to get her a spot into the NCAA meet.

With no female athletes headed to North Central College for the national meet, it marks the end of indoor season for the Duhawks, but the women still can take some positives from their fourthplace finish at the Iowa Conference Indoor Championships.

Bouncing back from a successful basketball season, junior Katie Langmeier placed first in the high jump, while senior Caitlin Groeper placed third in the high jump, earning both of them AllConference honors.

Earning the Iowa Conference title in the pole vault was senior Rachel Kolbeck, who vaulted over 11 feet to win the event. Also earning All-C onference honors were first-year Alexxe Richer, who finished third, and junior Emily Roth, who placed fourth.

Sophomore Morgan Steere earned AllConference honors in the shot put, placing third with a throw just short of 40 feet. Steere also placed fifth in the weight throw.

Sophomores Shay Coleman and Mercedez Kennedy scored for the Duhawks in the triple jump, placing sixth and seventh, respectively. Junior Laura Wondra earned All-Conference honors in the long jump with her 17-foot effort, which was good for second place Wondra also participated in the pentathlon, where she finished fourth overall. She placed first in the 55-meter hurdles and in the long jump, and she was second in the 800-meter run.

To add to her impressive first season, first-year Abby Davis placed third in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.33 seconds. Davis also ran the 200-meter dash, placing sixth with a time of 26.53 seconds.

Also scoring in the 200 was first-year Bre Powers, who placed eighth. Sophomore Bri Richardson finished sixth in the 400-meter dash.

Davis, Richardson, Powers and Wondra placed fourth in the 4x200 meter relay. The 4x800 meter relay, made up of Katie Flogel, Kellie Wagner, Becky Hilby and Amanda Runde, placed fifth with a time of 10:07.73 seconds.

Flogel, Wagner and Hilby, joined by first-year Melissa Kroll combined to finish third in the distance medley relay.

Coach Bob Schultz noted that there also were many personal records turned in at the Iowa Conference Championships.

“Except for one or two events, we met or exceeded our goals, so we couldn’t have done much more than that,” Schultz said. “The men and women’s teams have close to a month before outdoor season begins. Initially a little rest, then work hard, with some weekends off.”

The Duhawks open their outdoor season with the Alumni Meet at the Rock Bowl on March 16.

photo by JIM NAPRSTEK

Junior Josh Goerdt improved on his winning time at the IIAC Indoor Championships to qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships.

Goerdt qualifies for national indoor meet

By DANNY ZEETS

assistant sports editor

At the “Last Chance Invitational” at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point this past weekend, junior Josh Goerdt took his last chance to heart as he qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships this weekend at North Central College.

Goerdt qualified in the 400-meter dash.

His blazing time of 49.41 gave Loras its lone qualifier of the indoor season.

However, Goerdt was quick to say that he would not be where he is without his teammates.

“I would say my teammates are my biggest influence. Everyday we show up at the same time and practice as a team, whether it be on the track, in the weight room, or running up Kirkwood Street,” said Goerdt. “We push each other and enjoy the benefits of our hard work together. As much as it is an individual race, its definitely a team sport. I wouldn’t have been successful this indoor season without them.”

Goerdt now has this to add to his already impressive resume, which includes two of the fastest runs in Loras history.

Goerdt has the fourth-best run in Loras history in the 200-meter dash, and the third-best run in Loras history in the 400meter dash.

“I ran my qualifying time last weekend, but (the Iowa Conference Indoor Championships) this year would probably be my best performance just because

photo by JIM NAPRSTEK

Goerdt will race in the NCAA Indoor Championships this weekend.

photo by JIM NAPRSTEK

Goerdt credits his teammates for propelling him to the national meet.

its multiple races over the course of two days,” said Goerdt. “My teammates and I were able to do a few great things during Indoor Conference this year.”

Considering Goerdt is only a junior, he has a chance to get go the NCAA Championships and garner some valuable experience as he heads into his senior campaign. The top eight runners out of the 13 qualifiers make it to finals, so that remains Goerdt’s main goal this weekend.

Coach Bob Schultz has some pretty high expectations for Goerdt as he heads into the national meet.

“We are hopeful that Josh can make finals and earn All-American. If he puts himself in the race early, I have no doubt he will be on the podium,” Schultz said.

The Duhawks had a strong indoor season, but injuries held the Duhawks back.

On Feb. 23, the Duhawks placed fourth in the IIAC Championships where all eight teams in the conference competed to be crowned the best.

Goerdt also ran a sub-50-second 400 to win the Iowa Conference indoor title.

Goerdt bested that performance by fivetenths of a second, 49.41, UW-Stevens.

Loras also set a new school record in the 4x200 relay race. First-year Nick Ball started the run and handed the baton off to Goerdt, who would be followed up by sophomores Zac Gassman and Kyle Ward. Ward crossed the finish line at 1:30.18, nipping Simpson’s team by 0.04 seconds.

Schultz mentioned that the Duhawks have no early goals for the outdoor season other than to get a good start and just to be prepared and be healthy.

The rest of the Duhawks will continue competition when the outdoors season begins. The outdoor season will kick off March 23 at Washington University.

It has been a cold start to the beginning of the women’s softball season, which officially started on Feb. 1 with their first practice.

The Duhawks have been stuck practicing in Graber in a crunched space with less than ideal practice times to work with.

This past week, they were practicing from 4:45 to 7:45 a.m.

But even with the space and practice times, the women have been making the best of it and working hard, according to Coach Ashley Winter. However, she said the players are itching to get outside.

The roster has gained much more depth due to the large influx of incoming freshmen and it has heated up the competition at various positions.

The team opened up the season on Feb. 23 at the Super Dome in Marquette, MI, for a two-day indoor tournament. The Duhawks were able to play a total of four games.

They kicked off the tournament with their first game against Carthage, of Kenosha, WI, which is ranked No. 16 in the nation in Division III. “Michigan was a great opportunity to see our team compete early in the year.

We learned a lot about our team by playing strong competition — very similar to what we will see during conference play,” said Coach Winter.

Carthage showed that it is worthy of its ranking. It capitalized on a couple of Loras errors en route to an 11-3 victory.

“We learned a lot about our team by playing strong competition — very similar to what we will see during conference play,” said Winter.

Though the game ended in a loss, they took some positives from the game.

“We went into the game with a blank slate,” said Nora Zorante, a sophomore catcher on the team. “Coach (Winter) worked with positioning to see what worked and what didn’t, so we could make some changes. It’s an eye-opening weekend.”

In the next game, Loras played Finlandia, of Hancock, MI, which was hosting the tournament. Finlandia won the game, 167, despite the hitting heroics of senior Kellie Klein, who was named First Team AllConference in 2012. Klein hit a home run and drove in four RBIs to keep the game close early.

“After our first game, we learned what we needed to improve upon in our next game and in the rest of the tournament,” said Holly Klein, a sophomore pitcher.

The Duhawks played their third game against the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which defeated Loras, 6-1.

“We left too many runners on base. Defensively, we were up and down. We had some great innings with diving plays and quality pitch execution,” said Winter.

“Then we had innings where one mistake would turn into two, allowing our opponents too many extra opportunities at the plate.

The last game was played against the Edgewood Eagles, of Madison, WI, and the Duhawks put it all together during a 10-0 victory.

“Our offense was a strength, scoring 21 runs on the weekend. I was pleased with our offensive production and sign execution, yet we can still improve on getting the clutch hits to score our teammates.” said Winter.

The Duhawks are scheduled to travel to Beloit (WI) College on March 16. They are scheduled to return home to play their first home games on March 17.

Sports

The Lorian

Lacrosse

Men’s Tennis

Lacrosse kicks off 1st season on Saturday

Victory in sight after close finishes

Loras’ newest addition begins its first competition in the Rock Bowl and looks to start building program

Tough losses to IIAC foes opens up early schedule

By Katie Truesdale staff writer

By ryan graham staff writer

On Saturday, March 9, Loras will officially welcome a new sport into its fold as a group of student-athletes will stand in the Rock Bowl and prepare for the battles that come with the game of Lacrosse.

The Duhawks will face off at home against Augustana College in what will be the first test for the young team. Coach Emily Goetz is ready for the unique challenges that are in store for the team as she begins building the program at Loras.

“The biggest challenge is really getting kids interested in a sport they’ve never heard of or never been a part of,” she said.

“We’re sitting at 16 kids so we can’t even scrimmage a full field since there are normally 24 kids going at a time.”

Coach Goetz also talked about the challenge of establishing team chemistry.

“Typically, kids are coming onto a team that’s already been established. With us, everyone’s still trying to figure out their roles, how to communicate with each other and how to learn the ropes.”

Of the 16 Duhawks on the roster, only four have previous experience playing lacrosse. Coach Goetz talked about how she plans to balance teaching the players the game with preparing for opponents.

“We’re going to do both,” she said.

“This year we’re focusing on stick skills a lot and then on concepts here and there.

We will prepare for some games like Beloit and UD who are both in similar situations as us. When I get game film, we will practice for those games specifically because they’re definitely going to be more in our reach as far as competitiveness goes. We’re really going to focus on stick skills because we need to make transitions.

We need to catch the ball. That’s going to help our entire flow of the game.”

Coach Goetz outlined a few goals she had for her team in its first year.

“My goals are really to teach the sport and make sure all the kids are having fun. I want to win games,” she said. “Every game is winnable and the girls need to know that and they do. We’re definitely going to go out every single game and look to win it.

I want the girls to pick up the sport and I want them to learn the rules. That way when we get into next year when we have recruits coming in, we’re ready to hit the ground and go.”

The women’s lacrosse team is still in need of players. Coach Goetz wants to encourage anyone who might be interested in playing to get in contact with her.

“I would like a roster of about 25 to 30; that would be ideal,” she said. “Even though we’re a full month into our season, if kids want to come out who have just finished winter sports, they can still contact me and we’ll get them in. Just because we’ve already started doesn’t mean they can’t still play. If there’s still interest out there, definitely let me know. I’m not closing my door to anybody.”

2013 Lacrosse Outlook 2013 Schedule

n March 9 at 2 p.m. vs. Augustana College n March 13 at 6 p.m. at Beloit College n March 17 at 2 p.m. vs. Midland University n March 23 at 2 p.m. vs. Robert Morris College

11

March 7, 2013

photo by JIM NAPRSTEK

Sophomore Adam Schwoebel went 3-1 with a 2.96 ERA in nine games last season.

Baseball team goes 3-3 on Florida trip

By RYAN GRAHAM staff writer

Baseball season is back. After a long offseason, the Duhawks got back on the diamond last weekend in the RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, FL. Loras went 33 overall in the tournament. The Duhawks won their first double-header against Alma College by the scores of 11-2 and 5-0.

They then lost two in a row to 24th ranked Aurora University, 6-5 and 1-0.

Both games went into extra innings. The Duhawks then beat Beloit College 124 and finished up with a 6-1 loss against Thomas More College. The offense played solid, scoring 5.7 runs per game. Their defense also excelled with Loras pitchers posting a combined ERA of 3.00 over the six-game tournament.

Senior Ben Cottrell was named IIAC athlete of the week for throwing a complete-game 3-hitter in Loras’ 1-0 seasonopening win over Alma on March 1. He walked one and struck out seven.

Heading into the tournament, coach Carl Tebon had one main focus when it came to expectations for the season.

“I think our big thing this year is all about scoring runs,” he said. “I think if we can score enough runs we should be alright. A team goal of ours is to score four or five runs and hopefully our pitching staff will be able to hold up.”

The Duhawks are looking to improve on their offense which struggled at times last year. Of the nine teams in the IIAC, the Duhawks finished 6th in runs scored and 8th in batting average.

“We lost some pretty good players from last year’s team but it’s going to be a lineup where we’re going to have to mix and match,” Tebon said. “Some of our leaders are going to have to be Mike Canevello, Mike Pudlo, Nick Battalini and Jordan Ries. Those types of guys are going to have to be the guys that really stand up and swing the bat well for us.”

Defensively, the Duhawks are looking to build on their success of last season. Loras finished 2nd in ERA and 4th in opponent’s batting average.

“I think our pitching is probably the strongest part of our team right now,” Tebon said. You look at Ben Cottrell, Will Petrosky, and Jeremy Gerardy. These guys have a lot of experience for us and need to pitch well. We also have guys like Adam Schwoebel, Patrick Walsh, Connor Schreck, Jake Norton and Donny Baran out of the bullpen. There’s a group of guys there (who) can really pitch and there’s going to be a lot of innings for them, that’s

As the 2013 season starts, the men’s tennis team is struggling to find an early season stride. They have yet to post a win, are 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the IIAC Conference.

All three of those conference matches were close but in the end the Duhawks fell short by one point in each. With the snow still on the ground, the men were recently sent to play at the indoor facility in St. Ambrose against UW Eau-Claire for the first time.

A very solid line-up from Eau-Claire resulted in a disappointing outcome for the Duhawks as they lost every single match, going home with a 9-0 loss. In the same weekend, the men also played St. Ambrose and fell to another 5-4 loss.

During some of those matches, the men were ahead and thought they had it in the bag but got a little ahead of themselves and started missing shots that normally they make.

With the way their season is going, the men can only hope things get better from here.

Sophomore and number two singles player Brian Falvey feels very optimistic about the season.

“I am not normally one to make excuses, but we have a very young team. We only have two upperclassmen. The rest of the team consists of sophomores, and freshness.

We are always up against people with more experience than us, which is unfortunate,” said Falvey.

“Even though we Even though had a rough weekour record end, we will pick isn’t great our heads up and work even harder to yet, we are reach success.” getting With a tough better, and schedule ahead of them, the men have learning. a break before their Brian next match against Wartburg on March Falvey 20. This gives them sophomore plenty of time to practice and work on the aspects they have been struggling with throughout the season, given the pesky snow melts.

“On another note, we have played some tough teams thus far, which although we lost, will help us learn and improve,” said Falvey.

“So even though our record isn’t great yet, we are getting better, and learning.”

“Obviously this isn’t how we wanted our season to start,” said Sophomore Jon Moore, Falvey’s doubles partner. “We have lost a couple of close matches to UD, Buena Vista, and St. Ambrose. I think the biggest thing we need to work on is practicing like we would play in a match so we are ready to go when it comes to the actual meets. We can’t just take it easy in practice and expect to be ready to go when the meet comes. Individually I think everyone just needs to get more consistent when it comes to match play, including myself, and that comes with working hard in practice so we can execute what we want to do in the meets.”

‘‘

photo by JIM NAPRSTEK

Junior Jake Norton threw a complete game in the second game in Florida.

for sure.”

The Duhawks begin conference play on March 22 at Central College. Coach Tebon has had a good amount of success in the conference throughout his tenure at Loras. Under Tebon, the Duhawks have finished in the top four in the conference seven times and won their first conference championship since 1952 in 2009.

He talked about what his team has to focus on for them to win this year’s conference title.

“We’re going to have to pitch well in all situations and score some runs,” Tebon said. “Last year, I think we were in 14 two run or one run games and something like seven or eight one run games.

It’s very competitive. We have to be prepared, come up with the big hit, we can’t have that crucial error or mistake at certain times. I think that being prepared is going to be the biggest thing for us right now.”

2013 Baseball Outlook overall record 3-3 Next Game n March 22-23 at 1 p.m. at Central College (4-game series) n March 26 at 1 p.m. at Knox College n March 27 at 2 p.m.

Monmouth College (@ Petrakis Field)

,,

2013 Men’s tennis outlook overall record 0-6 (0-3 IIAC) Next Game

n March 9 at 8 a.m. vs. Western Illinois (@ Loras) n March 20 at 4:30 p.m. at Wartburg College

12

The Lorian

Sports

March 7, 2013

On the Sideline

Changes coming to NHL teams

Some rivalries in the NHL will end while new ones grow with proposal to shake up conferences

T

Jack’s Smack

he Miami Heat’s winning streak is more impressive than the Chicago Blackhawks unbeaten streak? Are you serious Stephen A. Smith?

Smith made the comments last Saturday and said that the Blackhawks really only had an eight game winning streak since they had lost in a shootout against the Anaheim Ducks early in February, clearly not understanding the context of “unbeaten streak”.

Smith mentioned along with his comments that he did not even know Columbus had a NHL team, well in that case, Stephen A. Smith, shut up.

Where do you even begin comparing the two streaks?

The Heat has LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, a streak like theirs should be expected and is solely because of those players. The Blackhawks have four different lines that have contributed to the streak.

And let’s remember no one had beaten the Hawks in real-time action during the streak, it always happens in the shootout, which is cool and all, but some games you wish there was just continuous overtime to really let the teams claim victory.

There have been high points for the Hawks all season, but not many beat last Sunday’s game against the hated Red Wings. The Red Wings are an original six team like the Hawks, in the same division, have been dominant for over the past decade and have the moniker of being “Hockeytown, USA”.

There is reason behind the hate of the Red Wings many Hawks fans have, but it is not the prominent rivalry for the Hawks currently, even ask the players, they will say it is the Canucks.

As fun as the secondary rivalry is with the Wings, some people cannot come to grips with the recent news that Detroit and Chicago may soon be in different conferences, possibly starting next season.

Talk of a shake-up of the current teams in each of the conferences of the National Hockey League is nothing new.

The current format is a six-division, two conference system for the 30 NHL teams. The new system would switch to four divisions, two in the Western Conference and two in the Eastern Conference.

More importantly, the question that stems from this is how the changes affect the best team in the NHL, the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks would be part of the Midwest division in the Western Conference.

The Detroit Red Wings would be part of the Central division in the Eastern Conference.

Insert wide-spread panic and anger from many who see this as a sign that the one of the fiercest rivalries for the Hawks will be coming to an end.

It is coming to an end, but it is not necessarily a bad thing.

The teams will play two times each season at each other’s stadium, keeping the series fresh and not so watered-down.

The Red Wings are on the decline anyway, and it will take them a few years to load up on talent again, but think about the opportunity of the Blackhawks and the Red Wings meeting in the Stanley Cup, just like they did in 1961 when the Hawks won, I do not, however, remember that game.

You want a rivalry? It does not get any better than two Original Six teams going at it for the best trophy in sports.

Speaking of the Original Six, that topic might be the only thing that ticks me off about the new proposal.

With the Red Wings moving to the Eastern Conference, it puts five of the Original Six not only in the same conference, but in the same division.

Let’s just scrap this proposal and make one with a division with just the Original Six teams, which would make for some of the best hockey fans have ever seen. Maybe put the games on the weekend too, then the NHL would have fans making travel plans.

Alas, those in favor cannot have their way when it comes to the Original Six, so back to the current proposal at hand.

The Blackhawks would play 21 games against the other division in their conference, the Pacific division and with the west coast time difference fans can expect many more nine o’clock starts for the Indian Head.

The Hawks would play another 29 games against their own division meaning that new rivalries could start to form with the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche, while re-kindling a rivalry with the Wild in Minnesota could be on the horizon.

Until then, just remember that the Hawks rivalry with the Canucks started in 2009 and has continued until now because of intense playoff battles that involve current players on the team rather than the historic rivalry with the Red Wings that dates back since the inception.

Jack Metz

photo by JIM NAPRSTEK

First-year James Buss rides out Ryan Fank, of Wartburg, in the 285-pound weight class at the 2013 NCAA Division III Wrestling Central Region Championship.

All aboard the Buss to Nationals A few other young wrestlers come agonizingly close to qualifying for the NCAA tournament

By RYAN Binsfield staff writer

On Saturday, Dubuque’s Five Flags Center played host to the 2013 NCAA Division III Wrestling Central Region Championship to kick off the postseason and send 30 wrestlers to Nationals.

Among the teams competing were all eight Iowa Conference Schools, Augustana, Knox, and former Iowa Conference member, Cornell.

At the end of the day, the IIAC conference crowned champion at 9 of the 10 weight classes and secured 27 of the possible 30 national qualifying positions. Of those 9 champions, Loras heavyweight James Buss punched his ticket to nationals going 3-0 with two decisions and one major decision.

Heading into the regional tournament, 7th-ranked Buss had high expectations.

“My expectations were to take on my first opponent, win that match, and go from there,” said Buss. “Of course I thought I was going to win it all, but I had to take it one match at a time.”

Buss took care of business in his first match with a decisive 9-1 victory over Knox’s Stephen Bora. His following match in the semifinals was much tighter as he needed an overtime period to beat Luther’s Nick Pearch. With a 5-5 tie after the three periods, Buss was able to hit a quick take-down to move on to the finals with a 7-5 win.

In the finals of the heavyweight division, Buss squared off against Ryan Fank, of Wartburg.

In December, Buss beat Fank 3-1, but in their most recent meeting Fank was able to steal away a 3-2 victory over Buss, setting up the final match many expected and hoped to see at regionals.

After an early escape in the second period, Buss added a riding point and then sealed the victory with a late take-down in the third period to beat Fank 4-2.

“Once I got that riding point, I put

photo by JIM NAPRSTEK

Buss applies a strong cross-face to Stephen Bora of Knox College. Buss would score a major decision, winning 9-1. the pressure on him to take me down, which I was not going to let happen,” said Buss. “Overall, the biggest thing about all the matches I wrestled came down to heart and the fact that I wanted it more than anyone else.”

Buss has had a successful first season and doesn’t plan on it ending anytime soon as he looks forward to Nationals on the 15th in Cedar Rapids.

“I don’t look at myself as a first-year athlete,” said Buss. “I have to look at myself as a senior, wrestling every match as if it was my last. I have to go out there and believe that I am going to be on top and no one will stop me from reaching the goals I have set.”

As a team, Loras finished fifth overall in the 11-team field with 74.5 points.

At 133-pounds, first-year Nick Steger lost 7-1 in the 3rd place match that would have sent him to finals.

First-year Evan Weaver also took 4th place, losing to the top seed from Wartburg in the third place match.

At 149-pounds first-year Greg Vance was able to rally for a late pin to take 5th place away from Ryan Davis of Central in the final ten seconds.

First-year Malcom Watson took 5th place at 197-pounds with a 4-2 decision over Dubuque’s Cory Ortmann.

“The expectations were to qualify as many kids as possible. That being said, many people have commented that we have a young team and while I get that, I have preached to them for

the last month that they were no longer (first-years) and they had an opportunity to go make a statement,” said coach Randy Steward. “While I am certainly not disappointed in the kids, I am disappointed in the results.”

Steward mentioned the coaches will work hard to make sure Buss is ready to make an impact in the NCAA’s, but at the same time wished he saw more out of his other wrestlers.

Steward understands that he is in a good position with this team, but also knows how valuable the experience at the final tournament.

“People say you have everybody coming back you should be excited. While I am excited with that fact.

What people do not understand is that I wanted to get these ‘young’ kids to make it through the regionals so that they could gain “NCAA tournament” experience as early as possible in their careers,” said Steward. “That way they come back next year with national competition experience under their belts. What that does is help our program progress to a high level much quicker. With all that being said, we do have a great foundation for the future.”

As bright as the future may be, the first act of business is to have Buss reign supreme at the top of his weight class and results from all the hard work will show itself in Cedar Rapids on March 15-16 for the Duhawks.