themaneater The student voice of MU since 1955
Columbia, Missouri • Friday, October 23, 2009
Vol. 76, No. 17
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Carnahan speaks at MU about senatorial campaign WILL GULDIN News Editor Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan made an appearance Wednesday night at the MU School of Law where she spoke to students about her upcoming senatorial campaign and political issues. Carnahan is the sole Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Kit Bond, R-
Mo. U.S. House Rep. Roy Blunt, RMo., is the prospective Republican opponent for the seat, and polling numbers show both candidates have virtually equal support. The event, which was organized by the MU College Democrats and the newly formed MU Law Democrats, was in the planning stages for months. Carnahan delivered a short speech to about 30 see RACE, page 6
Res hall security camera program to expand JOE BUZZELLI Staff Writer
MIKE ZIEGLER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Curators Warren Erdman and David Bradley exit the UM system Board of Curators meeting Thursday at the Clinton Club located in Mizzou Arena. During the meeting, topics discussed included an amendment to allow employees to use sick leave time in less than eight-hour increments.
Curators discuss new degree programs, finances ALEX SILVERMAN Reporter The UM system Board of Curators met Thursday in the Clinton Club at Mizzou Arena to discuss proposals for two new degree programs and sick leave for employees, in addition to other business. The board, which is the governing body of the four-campus university system, met in different committees throughout the day to listen to various reports and confer about the proposals presented.
Each proposal will come to a vote Friday morning when the curators reconvene. The board discussed the potential for two new degree programs at MU during the Academic, Student and External Affairs Committee meeting. One of these programs is a Bachelor of Arts in film studies. “(A film program) is in very high demand,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Graham said. “This proposal has gotten good reviews all the way around.” According to the written prosee BOARD, page 6
CURATORS’ MAIN SPEAKING POINTS The UM system Board of Curators convened at Mizzou Arena on Thursday. Main points of discussion for the curators included...
see HALL, page 6
• Bachelor of Arts in film studies program • Masters and Doctorate programs in clinical and transitional science • Amendments to employee sick leave policy • Fiscal year for UM system • Technology's effect on learning Source: UM system Board of Curators KATIE PRINCE/GRAPHICS ASSISTANT
Freshmen could have room preference The new policy would take freshmen into account before returners. The Department of Residential Life is considering giving freshmen, rather than seniors, preference when choosing rooms in residence halls this spring. Over the past two years, MU has seen a major influx in the size of
Table of Contents
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the freshman class and is already beginning to address the problem of additional housing. Last year, Residential Life added Mizzou Quads and Tiger Diggs as student housing. These sites, located off campus at Campus Lodge and Campus View apartment complexes, helped to house an unexpectedly large freshman class for the 2008-2009 school year and continue to serve students this semester. “We, based on past trends, can
When the keycard kiosks were vandalized in Center and College Avenue residence halls, instead of integrating those costs into the next semester’s room rates as in past years, the Department of Residential Life was able to find the culprits thanks to the new security camera pilot program. “We luckily were able to track down the students responsible and we didn’t have to charge that expense upon innocent students,” Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said. “That was about $2,000 cost for each kiosk.” The security camera program in residence halls began last year and is currently in place in 15 of the 24 residence halls, Minor said. Because the program is
KAYLEN RALPH Staff Writer
project to some degree of accuracy about how many of the students, both new students and returning students, want to live on campus,” Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said. The university houses approximately 85 to 88 percent of freshmen, Minor said. Although the campus has ample room for student room transfers and small additions, another larger-than-prosee ROAR, page 6
see MSA, page 6
Listen to The Maneater's Politics Watch podcast for more a discussion on the ethics of campaign financing. Visit themaneater.com for additional stories and online-exclusive content.
CASEY BATEZEL/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A video security program on campus began last year, placing surveillance cameras in 15 of the 24 residential halls. The Department of Residential Life plans to have security cameras in place in all of the residential halls by 2017.
Wood nominated for MSA chairman position After about three weeks of deliberation, Missouri Students Association Senate Speaker Amanda Shelton announced sophomore Evan Wood as her nomination for the Operations Committee chairman. The Operations Committee approved Shelton’s nomination of Wood, and the full MSA Senate will vote on Wood assuming the position at the Oct. 28 Senate meeting. Oct. 28 is also operations chairman Josh Travis’s last day in MSA
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going extremely well, Residential Life plans to continue to install cameras in the residence halls as they are renovated, he said. Minor said he has yet to hear any negative response from students about the security cameras. “When we first brought this up, we wanted to get student input and they all seemed very interested,” Minor said. “We now have students coming to us asking if there are security cameras in certain locations.” The cameras are placed on the exterior of the residence halls, as well as in the main common
Budget issues The Fall General Faculty Meeting on Wednesday addressed budget issues and a possible tuition increase as a solution. News, page 3
BECOME A CHAIRPERSON
To become an MSA chairperson, follow these steps: Fill out application at appropriate time Applications are reviewed extensively by MSA senate speaker Interviews are conducted by the speaker with all applicants Speaker makes pick or nomination Nominee is approved by prospective/intended committee Nominee is presented to the Operations Committee for approval Nominee is confirmed by the full MSA Senate
Source: MSA Bylaws SPENCER PEARSON/GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Homecoming game Compared to last year, points at Saturday's football game against Texas will be harder to come by. Sports, page 17
etc.
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CORRECTION:
In Tuesday’s issue, the photo captions for “Tigers drop Big 12 match” on page 15 and “Missouri offense struggles to find rhythm” on page 17 were switched. The Maneater regrets the error.
OutTakes
Top Stories
No. 1 — Freshman collapses, dies Monday No. 2 — Blog: Autopsy reveals blood clot as cause of death for freshman No. 3 — Web Update: Carnahan speaks with students about senatorial campaign No. 4 — MSA proposes new student tailgating tradition No. 5 — Column: ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ brings back childhood
Weather Forecast
MIKE ZIEGLER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Freshmen William Price and Marcus Ferguson dance Wednesday night during the Homecoming barbecue outside College Avenue residence hall on Dairy Lawn.
Friday:
High 47, low 37; cloudy with a 20 percent chance of precipitation.
Saturday:
High 55, low 43; partly cloudy with a 10 percent chance of precipitation.
Sunday:
High 58, low 43; partly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of precipitation.
Monday:
High 54, low 43; few showers with a 30 percent chance of precipitation.
Friday, October 23, 2009 themaneater
371 McReynolds Hall • Columbia, MO 65211 573.882.5500 (phone) • 573.882.5550 (fax) maneater@themaneater.com www.themaneater.com The Maneater is the official student publication of the University of Missouri-Columbia and operates independently of the university, student government, the School of Journalism and any other campus entity. All text, photos, graphics and other content are property of The Maneater and may not be reproduced without permission. The views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the University of Missouri or the MU Student Publications Board. The first copy of The Maneater is free, each additional copy is 25¢. Happy "birthday," Josh!
Josh Barone, Editor-in-Chief Mary Daly, Managing Editor Zach Toombs, Krissy Tripp, Will Guldin, Lyndsie Manusos, News Editors Megan Stroup, Projects Editor Amanda Wysocki, Forum Editor Andrea Kszystyniak, Chase Koeneke, MOVE Editors Sean Leahy, Sports Editor James Vestal, Online Development Katie Currid, Photo Editor LeeAnn Elias, Production Manager Katie Moritz, Assistant Editor Theresa Berens, Production Assistant Katie Prince, Graphics Assistant Laura Swan, Copy Chief Lauryn Stallings, Theresa Berens, Amelia Bock, Gabs Roman, Copy Editors Shaina Cavazos, Jessica Schuster, Carter Parker, Spencer Pearson, Jeneen Garchow, Maura Howard, Eric Rees, Carolyn Love, Gabrielle Lipton Designers Ami Albert, Business Manager Kirstin Shew, Sales Manager Mike Razim, National Accounts Krista Meany, Promotions Manager Kristin Hogan, Graphic Designer Molly Paskal, Premiere Accounts Sarah Callen, Miranda Eikermann, Alex Witt, Carl Smith, Advertising Account Representatives Becky Diehl, Adviser
Friday, October 23, 2009
news
Reach Zach Toombs, U-news editor, at ztoombs@themaneater.com, Krissy Tripp, Organizations editor, at ktripp@themaneater.com
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Seven journalists receive distinguished service awards HANNAH SPAAR Reporter
a dream that Pakistan will have a free media.”
Journalists from around the world gathered at the Reynolds Alumni Center for the School of Journalism’s presentation of seven Missouri Honor Medals for Distinguished Service in Journalism on Tuesday. The medals have been awarded every year since 1930, with more than 425 honorees. The event included a reception and dinner. After dinner each honoree was presented and given the opportunity for a brief speech.
Rance Crain In recognition of international leadership, Rance Crain was awarded one of the seven medals. Crain leads many trade publications focusing on advertising and media occupations. “A Missouri medal is a symbol that you’re doing a good job,” said Crain, a graduate of Northwestern University.
Mazhar Abbas The J school honored Mazhar Abbas for his devotion to journalism at great personal risk. Abbas lives in Pakistan where he has written more than 2,000 front-page stories. During his speech Abbas recalled Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream for the future. “I have a dream to see Pakistan as a strong democratic country,” Abbas said. “I have
Bill Eppridge The J school awarded a medal to Bill Eppridge in recognition of his more than 45 years as a photojournalist. Eppridge also publishes photo essays. “There’s a club of us out there,” Eppridge said. “We’ve graduated from the University of Missouri and we all feel the same way about the school. Fact is, you made us.”
Doug Crews In recognition of his defense of the public’s right of access to public information and decades of work to support community journalism, the J school honored Doug Crews. Crews is the executive director of the Missouri Press Association and has served in various roles with the Newspaper Association Managers and the National Newspaper Association. “I’m grateful to the newspaper publishers and editors of the state of Missouri, as they cover communities, not demographics,” Crews said.
Rod Gelatt Rod Gellatt was honored for his work both teaching and practicing journalism. Gelatt is a former professor of the J school. He served as director at KOMU/ Channel 8 and KBIA/91.3 FM, as well as serving as chairman of the Broadcast News Department from 1986 to 1992. “In the contemporary parlance, it’s awesome,” Gelatt said upon receiving the award. Deborah Howell In recognition of a life career of practicing journalism and leading others to practice it, the J school awarded Deborah Howell
MARIAH HIBBARD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Dean Mills, dean of the School of Journalism, and Provost Brian Foster present journalist Mazhar Abbas the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism on Tuesday at the Reynolds Alumni Center. The award is presented each year to honor exceptional achievement in journalism. a medal. Howell has worked with many newspapers and spoke of preserving the quality and content of journalism. Slate Magazine Slate Magazine, a daily online magazine, was honored for practicing
journalism traditions in an innovative format. David Plotz, who has been an employee of Slate since it was founded in 1996, accepted the award. “I have to confess that I am accepting this award on behalf of others who are unable to be here,” Plotz said.
Budget issues, possible tuition raise RHA positions open addressed at faculty meeting RACHEL ALLRED Staff Writer Faculty members gathered Wednesday to discuss budget issues and electronic ballots in Wrench Auditorium for the Fall General Faculty Meeting. Unlike Faculty Council meetings, which occur several times throughout the year and are attended by only council members, the general faculty meeting was open to all faculty members and occurs at least once every semester. About 30 faculty members attended the meeting, which was led by Chancellor Brady Deaton. Faculty Council Chairwoman Leona Rubin said general faculty meetings help facilitate communication and interaction among staff members. Budget Director Tim Rooney discussed the university’s budget for this fiscal year and the prospective budget for next fiscal year. Rooney said state appropriations haven’t kept up with inflation or enrollment growth and that a 3 to 5 percent increase in the cost of tuition is being considered. “In 2001, our general state appropriations were $193 million,” Rooney said in his presentation. “If we had gotten inflation adjusted increases from the state it would be at $245 million right now. If the state appropriations had kept pace with enrollment growth and inflation we might have expected $319 million to be our appropriation this year. In fact, our appropriation is $189 million.” Rooney said since 2001 the total MU hasn’t received from
LUKE UDSTUEN Staff Writer
the state due to inflation and enrollment growth totaled $728 million. Because of that cutback Rooney said certain methods were used to keep the university running. “The question is how in the world did we get by without that?” Rooney said. “We had enrollment growth, tuition increase, deferring maintenance and salaries have dropped.” For the 2011 fiscal year, Rooney said a change in state funding isn’t very likely. They are expecting an increase in enrollment next year, which will increase the tuition revenue. Last fiscal year, a pool of funds equaling about $9 million was gathered in case the state chose to withhold funds. “We have that $9 million available in case a withholding comes along,” Rooney said. “We cold have a withholding this year. We’ve been told it’s not likely, but it’s possible.” Rooney said though the money is there if it’s needed, it would be better to avoid using it next year. Deaton said even though hard economic times might be ahead, he is hopeful for MU. “In no way will we back away from talking about the success we’re having as a university,” Deaton said. “At the same time, we will in no way fail to recognize the difficulties and the obstacles we’re facing because of the budget challenge in front of us.” Faculty Council uses paper ballots when voting takes place, but Rubin proposed a change. Rubin said switching to electronic ballots would save on waste and money.
TRAVIS CORNEJO/THE MANEATER
Chancellor Brady Deaton speaks at the General Faculty Meeting on Wednesday afternoon in Jesse Wrench Auditorium. Deaton, along with others, discussed budgetary issues at MU.
“We think there are several good reasons to change this,” Rubin said. “It would be less expensive. We also hope that by going through an electronic ballot it will increase compliance.” Rubin said paper ballots are not environmentally friendly, as 1,200 ballots and 2,400 envelopes are used during the process. In the last vote, Rubin said only 300 ballots were returned out of the 1,200 that were sent. Faculty members will continue to review the change and will be able to vote on whether or not to make the change. “We will be putting this together over the next month or two, getting it through different groups and hopefully sending it out,” Rubin said.
Multiple leadership positions in the Residence Halls Association remain unfilled, and have been since the beginning of the academic year. Those positions include director of technology in training, director of communications in training and the naming sub-committee chairperson. Two positions have been filled. RHA President Rachel Feuerborn said Paul Reeves would be the national communications coordinator in training. Speaker of Congress Blake Lawrence said Roman Shmulevich has been appointed MUTV/ Channel 23 liaison. “Anyone who is interested can pursue leadership positions in some ways, they just have to approach the exec board with an idea and we can take it from there,” RHA Vice President Lauren Thomas said. Thomas stressed the accessibility of the organization and said for that reason, not much recruitment is necessary. Some students have heard of RHA but don’t understand who they are. “I think the average student would know just about as much as I do about RHA,” sophomore Justin Salisbury said. “I have definitely heard of it, and have heard their name attached to some issues, but I’m still not clear on what exactly RHA is.” Freshman Natasha Gunkel is also unfamiliar with RHA. “I am unfamiliar with the purpose of the RHA, though I have heard the term used
before,” Gunkel said. Thomas said RHA meetings are open to all students. “Any resident is allowed and invited to our meetings to speak their mind and present ideas, although not all of them can vote,” Thomas said. “Once the semester is underway, not much recruitment is needed because we have assigned representatives that come every week and they keep communication between RHA and their respective hall governments.” Thomas said there are no barriers for freshmen looking to hold a leadership position within RHA. The community service chairperson and sustainability chairperson are freshman, she said. “I think that there are reps this year that are confident enough to pursue these leadership positions,” Thomas said “Especially because we’ve already seen this happen with the two positions filled by freshmen already.” National Communications Coordinator Mike Madden was in charge of choosing Reeves for the next national communications coordinator in training. “I’m trying to be a bigger, better NCC, and I want my NCC IT to be better than me next year,” Madden said. “The way I’m doing it this year is that, for one thing, I’m trying to look into their personality. I want to see if they’re enthusiastic about what they’re doing, rather than just doing it for a resume.” Thomas said in the beginning all it takes is initiative. “I believe the freshmen that have the qualifications to hold a leadership position are the ones who pursue them and show the most interest,” Thomas said.
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the maneater
POLICE
DEPT.
the BLOTTER The following investigations are in progress, and the following people were arrested or issued summons, according to police reports.
COLUMBIA POLICE
MONDAY, OCT.19 Jesus G. Perez, 25, of Clinkscales Road, on suspicion of peeping Torrance T. Shepherd, 32, of 4213 Twin Oak Court, on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license Matthew J. Cassidy, 21, of 3903 Buttonwood Drive, on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle with a revoked driver’s license and operating a motor vehicle in a careless manner Jason R. Cochran, 31, of 1338 Ashland Road, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident Alexander H. Wells, 17, of 2400 N. Ballenger Lane, on suspicion of second-degree robbery and theft TUESDAY, OCT.20 Freddie M. Clark, 27, of 307 Dean St., on suspicion of third-degree assault and first-degree trespassing
NEWS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
Narcotic drug violations frequent
WEDNESDAY, OCT.21 Darien T. Gatewood, 18, of 205 Mountain View Court, on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle with a revoked driver’s license and operating a motor vehicle in a careless manner Rachel M. Foster, 19, of 501 W. Mauller Road, on suspicion of firstdegree trespassing Dustin R. Hall, 27, of 415 Brewer Drive, on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license Kirk P. Hamby, 23, of 2511 Lynnwood Drive, on suspicion of theft Patrick I. Hart, 20, of 7701 N. Wade School Road, on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle with a revoked driver’s license James A. Johnson, 26, of 208 Unity Drive, on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license Cortinez L. Logan, 26, of 1515 E. Walnut St., on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance Danielle R. Martinson, 21, of 188 W. Old Plank Road, on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license Torrell L. Melton, 21, of 28 Allen St., on suspicion of operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license — Travis Cornejo, staff writer
The number of arrests continues to increase annually. RACHEL ALLRED Staff Writer Narcotic drug violations have resulted in nearly 100 MU arrests annually the past two years, and they have frequently appeared in the MU Police Department daily activity summary. MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said the term narcotic drug violation encompasses various illegal activities. “There are several crimes that use that definition,” Weimer said. Narcotic drug violations are categorized differently by Uniform Crime Reporting guidelines and the Jeanne Clery Act guidelines. MUPD Capt. Scott Richardson said UCR is more specific on violations that occur. “When we report narcotic drugs to the UCR, we break them down into the possession of or the sale and manufacturing of drugs,” Richardson said. “The Clery lumps it all together.” MUPD adheres to the definitions set forth by UCR in the daily activity summary, which is posted on its official Web site and reports crimes that happen everyday. Narcotic drug violations are divided into eight
If you have information on these crimes, you may contact Crime Stoppers at 875-TIPS. All calls are confidential. If a court authority later proves innocence of a charge stated in the Blotter, contact The Maneater to request an updated entry.
categories by UCR. Richardson said those categories are possession of marijuana, possession of opium or crack cocaine, possession of synthetic drugs and possession of any other drug. The remaining four categories are the sale of the same drugs. Driving while intoxicated cases are also reported in the daily activity summary as narcotic drug violations that are not alcohol-related. Clery guidelines apply to the Campus Safety Report, which is released each year and provides a summary and statistics on crime that happened the previous year. Richard said unlike the daily activity summary, the Campus Safety Report does not differentiate between violations, but gives the number of total drug violations. The Clery report does not include druginduced DWIs. According to the Campus Safety Report, there were 76 campus arrests made due to narcotic drug violations in 2006. In 2007, the number increased to 97, and last year 98 arrests were made. Richardson said he doesn’t have an explanation for the increase in recent years and Weimer said there is not a specific area on campus that has more drug violations. Nearly 20 narcotic drug violations have been reported on the daily activity summary since the beginning of the month. Recent incidents
include possession of solvents, possession of inhalants and distribution of marijuana. Richardson said the most common drug violation on the MU campus is possession of marijuana. Marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy are the most prevalent drugs in the Columbia area, according to the Columbia Police Department’s official Web site. CPD Spokeswoman Jessie Haden said drug usage varies between age groups. “Among the younger demographic, the drugs of choice continue to be alcohol and marijuana,” Haden said. “However, we do see young people abusing prescription medication. Prescription drugs are abused more regularly by the adult population.” CPD has a Narcotics Unit dedicated to investigating the selling, buying and possession of illegal drugs. According to CPD’s Web site, narcotic detectives use undercover buys and surveillance in their investigations. Haden said the unit was established to address an arrangement of drug problems. “They are involved in a variety of investigative and enforcement activities,” Haden said. “We receive a substantial amount of complaints from the community regarding narcotics violations and the community expects us to address these complaints.”
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
NEWS
the maneater 5
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREL FISHER
Tracy Fisher collapsed and died Monday from a blood clot, which traveled from her leg to her lungs. Friends and fellow students gathered in Hillel for a memorial service for the pre-journalism freshman Tuesday.
ZACH TOOMBS News Editor On Tracy Fisher’s 19th birthday, there was no cake or ice cream. But there were candles — 19 of them — lit by Miss Fisher’s friends and fellow students Tuesday at Hillel in remembrance of the freshman who died Monday. About 100 people attended the service to share memories of Miss Fisher, who collapsed Monday morning while crossing the intersection of College Avenue and Rollins Street and was taken to University Hospital where she died. An autopsy performed by the Boone County Medical Examiner’s office later revealed a blood clot traveling from Miss Fisher’s leg to her lungs as the cause of death. Junior Rachel Levin helped lead the service at Hillel, where MU counselors were on hand. Levin said she would remember Miss Fisher for the joy she brought into the lives of her friends. “She just knew how to make everything that seemed so serious and wrong seem happy,” Levin said. “She just brought so much happiness into my life and I will miss her.” Miss Fisher was active in Hillel, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish sorority, and the Jewish Student Organization and was a reporter and designer for The Maneater. Laurel Fisher, Miss Fisher’s mother, said her daughter had numerous other plans for getting involved on MU’s campus. “She wanted to be a Summer Welcome leader, a tour guide on campus, a lifeguard at the Rec
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREL FISHER
Center and talked about getting involved in the theatre department, choir and club volleyball,” Laurel Fisher said. “I told her to take things slow when she first got to college, but that just wasn’t her style.” Miss Fisher served as the editor for her high school’s newspaper at Richardson High School, near Dallas, and stayed active in her temple’s youth group, as well as in the theater magnet and school choir. Laurel Fisher said her daughter had planned to go into magazine journalism after graduating college. Mark Fisher, Miss Fisher’s father, said his daughter’s ambitions went beyond what she planned to study in college. “She obviously planned to graduate with a degree in journalism, but she also always said she wanted to work with children as a youth group adviser as well,” Mark Fisher said. Miss Fisher is survived by her older brother, Jacob, and younger brother, Ethan, as well as by her father and mother. Her funeral took place 10 a.m. Thursday in Dallas. Laurel Fisher said the family has a network of family and friends that has helped them through the last few days. “We have a close-knit, strong community and family that have been helpful,” Laurel Fisher said. “Also, I’ve been reading posts on Facebook that Tracy’s friends have been putting up, looking at pictures and just thinking about the kind of person she was.”
the
Pre-journalism student Tracy Fisher died Oct. 19.
maneater
Freshman inspired joy in family and friends
The Maneater expresses its deepest condolences to Tracy Fisher's family and friends.
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the maneater
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
NEWS
BOARD: Film major RACE: Q&A addressed health care could exist in the future Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1 posal, the program would be beneficial in both the recruitment and retention of students. In addition, the proposal calls the lack of a film program a glaring gap in MU’s curriculum. Graham said he’s confident the resources necessary for the degree program are already in place because many film courses are already offered at MU. He also said the new film program is tailored to MU’s academic identity. “It fits in very well with MU’s strategic plan,” he said. “There’s a growing focus on new media.” The curators also discussed the addition of both master’s and doctorate programs in clinical and translational science. According to the proposal, this new program will bring together educators and researchers from a wide array of fields, including medicine, engineering, nursing, veterinary medicine, agriculture, education, journalism, law and business. “This program will quickly take scientific discovery into practice,” Graham said. “It will bridge the gap between basic sciences and clinical practices.” In regard to employees, the board proposed several amendments that, if finalized by a vote on Friday, will alter the UM system’s policy on sick leave. One of the new amendments would lift the previously instated sick leave limit of 12 days for university
employees for the year. “As you all know, in certain flu situations, we are actually encouraging people to stay home and not come to work,” Human Resources Committee Vice President Betsy Rodriguez said. “This is only for this year, as we evaluate the impact of this change, we’re recommending a temporary lift of that limit.” Another one of the new amendments would allow for employees to use their sick leave time in less than eight-hour increments. The amendment will also require faculty to use personal leave for their first three days of any injury-related leave of absence. On the fiscal front, the curators discussed the reallocation of the school’s investments to match benchmarks for future investment returns. Taking the instability of the market into account, the curators looked at how the school has met its benchmarks from last year. “Essentially, counting state appropriations, we did better than break even,” Finance and Administration Vice President Nikki Krawitz said. The Board of Curators also discussed the way learning is changing with technology. After Graham screened a student-made video entitled “A Vision of the Student Today,” Student Representative Laura Confer shared her own thoughts on a new era in learning. “It’s a different way of learning today,” Confer said. “E-learning is the future.”
MSA: Nomination to be voted on Oct. 28 Continued from page 1 before his indefinite retirement from leadership within the organization. Travis announced his resignation Sept. 30, and applications to take over his position were made available shortly after. “We had three applications at the end,” Shelton said. “I heavily reviewed them, conducted interviews and spent a great deal of time thinking about this. This was one of the hardest selection processes I’ve ever had in my tenure as Speaker.” Shelton is still conducting the process of selecting a new Academic Affairs chairperson, a position vacated by Erica Zucco shortly after Travis resigned, as well as a chairperson position for the new Campus Dining Issues Ad Hoc Committee. Wood is the Operations Committee vice chairman and served on the committee last year. “When I first joined the operations committee late in the fall semester of last year, I was really intimidated all the time,” Wood said. “This committee is frequented by the speaker, president and vice president so it’s a hot room to sit in. Eventually I started coming out of my shell and expressing my thoughts on issues.” Travis and Wood are both sophomores who met in Operations last year. Travis said Wood is ready to take over his position and fulfill the duties it will entail. “He’s an objective thinker, he’s
open minded, a forward thinker,” Travis said. “All of those attributes are very important for the operations chair, and the leadership qualities that I’ve strived to provide.” Wood said he views the role of Operations chairman as being more of a facilitator position. “All of us who have been to full Senate know that Josh Travis is the most gifted orator of our generation,” Wood said. “I don’t have all of his rhetoric tricks and techniques, but I am good at facilitating discussion and keeping discussion and debate in-time.” Blake Lawrence, Operations Committee member and Residence Hall Association Speaker of Congress, agreed with Wood’s opinion of Travis’s speaking skills. “Josh is definitely more a rhetorically oriented chair and Evan will be more procedurally oriented,” Lawrence said. “Those are both strong styles to have.” One thing operations has become known for in the past is the tendency to run meetings long due to extensive discussion on issues MSA deals with. Wood said he hopes to cut down on the length of meetings but at the same time keep in mind that operations deals with some of the most important issues coming through MSA. “My ultimate goal as operations committee chair would be to come out with a victory every Tuesday night,” Wood said.
students and answered questions afterward both from the audience and one-on-one. “The campaign right now is about getting out there and raising money and getting people fired up, which is what she is trying to do,” MU College Democrats President Brian Roach said. Speaking about her campaign, Carnahan said college students are important to her because they have energy and enthusiasm. “They know the future is in our hands, and we’ve got to change the way we do things in Washington and students are going to be a big part of that,” she said. Carnahan said the last nine months have shown change does not happen quickly in Washington, and it would take more than one election to get things done. “The forces of the status quo continue to use fear to try and stop change, so the challenge before us in this next election is really going to be a test of our will as a country,” she said. The questions for Carnahan dealt mainly with specific policy points, which Carnahan has yet to place on her campaign Web site.
In regard to whether she would support a public option as part of health care reform, Carnahan said something, regardless of its name, should be done. “That phrase is a distraction because I don’t care what we call it, what we know we have to have is greater access, more affordability and security in health care,” she said. Gay and lesbian rights also came up during the question period when one student asked about Carnahan’s position on the Defense of Marriage Act. She said individual states should control the issue of same-sex marriage. When pressed further, she elaborated on her moral stance on the issue. “I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman, but civil unions are something we should consider,” Carnahan said. Students in attendance had mixed feelings about her speech. Junior Joe Huneke said he was not satisfied with Carnahan’s answer to his question about why Missouri voted the way it did in last year’s presidential election. “I sensed a certain level of insincerity,” Huneke said. “I felt that her answers were weighted as it would
WILL GULDIN/ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan speaks before students about her 2010 campaign for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday in Hulston Hall. Carnahan answered questions from the crowd and met one-onone with students after her speech. for any politician who is running for election.” Sophomore Kam Phillips, executive director of Dream Outside the Box, an organization which tries to introduce minority children to new hobbies and activities, said Carnahan was able to help her figure out how to reserve the name of her organization for much less than Phillips originally thought. “She was really helpful, and I don’t have any experience talking to politicians but definitely not what I thought, really approachable and willing to help,” Phillips said.
HALL: Cameras part of Master Plan Continued from page 1 areas of the first floors. Minor said there are no plans to add cameras throughout the rest of the buildings because Residential Life still wants to allow students a sense of privacy on their floors. One of the reasons students don’t seem to have any problems with the security cameras is nobody is actively monitoring the motion censors, Minor said. They are strictly for reviewing when an incident occurs. “I honestly don’t mind at all,” said Amanda Eder, Hatch residence hall resident and freshman. “I know that I’m not going to be vandalizing anything, so what’s the big deal if I’m on camera when I’m walking out the building or going to the vending machine?” Minor also said students of this generation don’t question this kind of technology, even if it might seem intrusive. “These students grew up with nanny cams, web cams and all sorts of security cameras,” Minor said. “They are so used to being followed around and having that
CAMERAS IN RES HALLS Department of Residential Life Director Frankie Minor said Residential Life is expanding the security camera pilot program in residence halls. • Fifteen of 24 residence halls have security cameras installed already. • Residential Life plans to install cameras in all residence halls by 2017. • Installing cameras in the rest of the residence halls will cost about $20,000. Source: Residential Life Director Frankie Minor KATIE PRINCE/GRAPHICS ASSISTANT
information collected.” Based on the plans for renovation of residence halls, all halls will have cameras installed in them by 2017, Minor said. But Missouri Students Association President Jordan Paul said Residential Life has suggested a program in which any student organization can speed up the process of installing cameras in residence halls, and Residential Life will match the funds they put up. “The match program is some-
thing we’ve considered, but there’s nothing officially set,” Minor said. “The problem is we might end up redoing a lot of work when we do renovate them if we were to install cameras in the un-renovated halls now.” Putting cameras in each residence hall costs about $20,000 to wire, which includes 16 cameras to place around and inside buildings. Residential Life is also piloting new ideas within the program. With the renovation of Hudson Residence Hall, they will be placing a camera in an elevator for the first time. MSA is also suggesting installing security cameras in the parking garages around campus, Paul said. “We certainly think this is a very important concept and hope to next put cameras in the parking garages,” Paul said. Minor said Residential Life’s main goal is to keep students safe. “We want students to study hard and make lasting friendships,” he said. “But if we can’t do anything else, we want to create an environment where they feel safe to live.”
ROAR: RHA working on proposal Continued from page 1 jected freshman class might disrupt the department’s ideas about meeting student demand. “We’ve had significant increase in freshman enrollment, but also we’ve had a dramatic increase in the number of returning students who have wanted to come back,” Minor said. “It’s kind of the perfect storm of situations.” Minor said the quality of residence halls is the main factor drawing upperclassmen back. “I’ve got to believe that’s because were providing better programs, services and facilities that students find much more
meaningful and helpful,” Minor said. “We want our students to feel like they have full access to the campus’s services. What we’re concerned about is whether or not we’re getting the best bang for their buck in extended campus.” In an effort to address the problem from all perspectives, Minor and Residential Life are working with the Residence Halls Association. This past week Minor met with RHA to discuss the issue. RHA is working on a proposal for the future of extended campus and the relevance of upperclassman preference.
“We’re trying to balance two ideas,” RHA Speaker of Congress Blake Lawrence said. “One is that freshman should have the best on campus experience possible in the residence halls. But also that returners should be able to contribute to that community and reap its benefits.” Lawrence said the proposal could cause real results. “It’s a real problem, and they’re looking for real solutions,” Lawrence said. “I really have a lot of confidence that they’ll take our proposal seriously.” — Zach Murdock, reporter
Friday, October 23, 2009
outlook
Reach Will Guldin, city, state and nation editor, at wguldin@themaneater.com and Lyndsie Manusos, crime editor, at lmanusos@themaneater.com
The Right Stuff
Eric Hobbs Politics Columnist
Public option unhealthy On Tuesday, readers of The Maneater were presented with a column defending the public option as part of the health care debate. Today, I’m here to explain why the public option is a disaster waiting to blow up in our faces. If a public option were to be introduced into the world of health care, it would, in theory, drive down costs of other companies by lowering rates. There is a fatal flaw to this argument though. The people who would run this public option would have a lower price and would continue to lower prices to get customers. They would be able to lower prices much lower than companies could because as a government option funded by taxpayers, they don’t need to make a profit. How can profit-based companies compete with a public option that doesn’t need to make a profit? As the public option kept lowering prices, private companies would not be able to lower their prices as much, and eventually, the process would drive these private companies out of business. This is where we discover the dirty little secret of President Barack Obama’s claim we can keep our health plans if we like it. At first, yes, we could keep our plan if we liked it. But what happens when companies go out of business when the government drives prices down to the point they can’t offer a competitive rate? Simple economics proves that companies couldn’t sustain themselves in such a situation. If the public option is introduced, it is only a matter of time before the government will have a monopoly on health care. Consider the problems we would then face. Obama compared the health care system and a public option to the U.S. Postal Service competing against FedEx, DHL or UPS. Keep in mind just after making this comparison, the U.S. Postal Service was requesting bailouts from the government. Despite the fallacies in the public option concept, some are still promoting the idea. Tuesday’s article mentioned Chris Dodd. Perhaps his support of this unwanted plan helps explain why he is trailing in polls and why the wife of WWE Chief Executive Vince McMahon has tossed her hat in the ring for Dodd’s Senate seat. Dodd and other hard-line liberals are simply missing the point that Americans simply don’t want a public option. A recent Rasmussen poll showed just 42 percent support the reform proposed while 54 percent oppose it. Only 36 percent of seniors support the plan. According to the article on the Rasmussen Web site, “Support is highest among voters under 30, the age group least likely to use the nation’s health care system.” The older you get, the more likely you are to require treatment, but this polls shows that the older you are, the less Americans like the public option. If the extremists in Washington pushing this failure of a plan really will shove it down our throats, they will do it knowing it is without the approval of their constituents. Here’s hoping they come to their sense and legislate, as the American people would have them, by coming up with a new plan.
Eric Hobbs is a senior at MU and is the vice chairman of the MU College Republicans. He can be reached at emhn75@mail.missouri.edu.
The Maneater 7
Students use homeowners tax credit RACHEL ALLRED Staff Writer As December draws near, so does the deadline on a tax break for people who purchase a new home. The incentive, which began in 2008, provides an $8,000 tax credit for any new homebuyer. The program was originally implemented under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act and continued this year through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. John Patty, political science professor at Washington University in St. Louis, said the tax credit is available until Dec. 1. “The new home-buyer tax credit was originally a $7,500 tax credit for people who were buying a home for the principal residence in 2008,” Patty said. “The credit had to be repaid over 15 years. In 2009, Congress extended the time period during which the credit could be claimed.” Patty said the credit is essentially an interest free loan. New homebuyers who purchase a house this year won’t have to repay the loan if they live in the house for at least three years. Graduate student Nicole Barkley used the tax credit when she purchased a house earlier this year. Barkley said she began looking for houses before the tax break was announced but was excited to be able to take advantage of the incentive. “I thought it was awesome,” Barkley said. “It was perfect timing and allowed me to actually buy the home. The $8,000 paid for a good chunk of my down payment.” As the deadline for a new homeowner to purchase a house and receive tax credit approaches, Congress is taking steps to continue the program, and several bills are in committee. “It seems reasonably likely, as both Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid are both
KAYLA HUETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Graduate student Nicole Barkley plays with her pets while trying to get work done Monday at her house. As a new homeowner, Barkley has the possibility of getting a tax credit provided by the government. on the record as supporting it,” Patty said. In a weekly-recorded conference call obtained by The Maneater, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said she does not support extending the tax credit. She said it would harm the economy and delay recovery from the recession. “I think we’ve got to pivot and begin looking very carefully at how we’re spending money,” McCaskill said. “The markets and our financial sector and our economy will react very negatively if we do not start showing some discipline about the deficit because that’s just as dangerous to our economic health as a recession.” Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, D-Mo., is still pondering the situation as well. “Congressman Luetkemeyer is carefully reviewing the pros and cons of extending the first time homebuyers tax credit,” spokesman Keith Beardslee said. An extension of the tax credit would be both beneficial and detrimental, Patty said.
“A tax credit would increase the budget deficit, which is larger now as a share of the economy than at any time since the end of World War II,” Patty said. “It would presumably lead to some additional real estate sales.” Barkley said the tax credit is great because it helps people buy and sell houses, but it may be a problem in the future because of the debt to taxpayers. “It’s a mixed bag,” Barkley said. “It would be nice to know the numbers of how many people it helped compared to how much money we’re going to have to pay out in the future.” College students are only positively affected by the tax credit in certain circumstances, Patty said. “For college students, the extension will help only if they plan to buy a home, their parents are trying to sell a home, or they or their parents are to some degree involved in the real estate market,” Patty said. “Otherwise the tax credit will probably not directly affect a college student in any positive way, but will add to the deficit.”
AIG executive speaks to students He talked about the economy from a personal standpoint. PIERCE COURCHAINE Staff Writer The MU School of Business hosted David Herzog, chief financial officer of the American International Group on Thursday as part of the Distinguished Alumni Lecture series. Herzog spoke about the nation’s economy and the bailout of AIG. “There was no one single cause for the financial crisis,” Herzog said. “The world is connected and when it works, it works well. When it doesn’t work, it really slows down in a hurry. That’s what we saw last year, a severe and rapid decline.” Herzog received a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from MU in 1982. AIG, one the world’s largest insurers, received $85 billion in bailout money in September 2008. Herzog was appointed CFO in October 2008. “The Federal Reserve is extraordinary diligent in overseeing of cash flow in the company,” Herzog said.
“They are an 80 percent owner and I treat them like an 80 percent owner.” Hours before the lecture Thursday, the Federal Reserve announced severe pay cuts to 136 executives at several of the largest bailed out companies, including AIG, and put forth a plan to limit executive pay in the future. “Compensation practices at some banking organizations have led to misaligned incentives and excessive risk-taking, contributing to bank losses and financial instability,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in a news release. Herzog said AIG received funds because if the company were not bailed out, the public would be hurt even more. Not everyone agrees with the bailout of AIG, but some feel it was necessary,” freshman Sam Morrison said. “I don’t think there are any companies that are too big to fail. At the same time, I think that the welfare of the people needs to be protected.” Freshman Connor Downes, an international business major, said he doesn’t agree with what AIG did with the bailout money. “The economy sucks,” Downes said. “The recession seems to be on the tail
end, but the jobs are still not there. Hopefully, four years from now, it will be fixed. But, I’m a little worried I won’t get a job.” Herzog said despite the bailout he did not regret the road AIG took. “I am not someone that looks in the mirror and ponders ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda,’ “ Herzog said. “We think we have made what are the best business decisions under the circumstances.” Remaining optimistic about the future, he said AIG would prove its worth. “I’ve always been a glass half full kind of guy,” Herzog said. “I love what I do. I get the privilege, the benefit and the honor to work with a great company. It’s had some issues and we are dealing with those issues. We were granted a great deal of financial support and trust from the government and we are working hard to be worthy of that trust and that investment.” The future looks bright for students as well, Morrison said. “I’m cautiously optimistic, now that the economy is so low, it has made the environment more competitive,” he said. “There is money to be made, there has got to be someone to make it.”
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OUTLOOK
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COURTESY OF THE BOONE COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
The Boone County Fire Protection District is part of the National Wildland Fire Program and is the only program of its kind in Missouri. Wildland team members have been sent to help local fire departments around the country, including Florida, California, Virginia, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Wildland Fire one of a kind The team members undergo special training to battle wildland fires. ALICIA STICE Staff Writer
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The Boone County Fire Protection District is home to a select group of volunteers trained to battle wildland fires around the United States. Boone County’s National Wildland Fire Program, created in 1988, is the only program of its kind in the state of Missouri, said Boone County Fire Protection District Division Chief Gale Blomenkamp. In recent years, Wildland team members have been sent to help local fire departments in Florida, California, Virginia, Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota. Because fighting wildfires requires additional skills than urban firefighting, Wildland Fire team members must undergo special training and meet the National Forest Service’s red card requirements every year, the Fire Protection District’s Web site stated. In order to be red carded, firefighters must pass training standards and physical benchmarks, Blomenkamp said. Given the diverse group of volunteers for the Fire Protection District, it is no surprise Boone County has a number of people willing to take on the extra training and join the Wildland Fire team. The wildland fires in central Missouri are mostly grass fires. Some volunteers are eager to gain different kinds of wildland fire fighting experience. “We have people from all trades and walks of life — lawyers, doctors and people from out in rural farmland,”
Blomenkamp said. “Some of them like to fight fires in the mountains.” He said the wildland fire season is in February and March. “The state of Missouri doesn’t have wildland fires throughout the season. And even then, it’s mostly grass fires,” Blomenkamp said. Twelve volunteers make up the Wildland Fire Program out of about 220 in the Fire Protection District. Volunteers give their availability during the wildland fire season and are entered into the National Interagency Coordination Center data system. They are then deployed based on the needs of fire departments around the country during the season. Once members are deployed, they are added to the federal payroll. Deployments last for two weeks and usually begin six to eight hours after the Coordination Center notifies the Fire Protection District of the need, the Web site stated. Blomenkamp said his first experience with the Boone County Wildland Fire team was when he was working for the Castle Rock Fire Protection District in Colorado during the 2002 Hayman fire. Four wildland team members from Boone County helped staff the fire engines in Castle Rock. The Hayman fire burned more than 130,000 square acres of land in Colorado and occurred during some of the worst fire conditions in state history, a U.S. Forest Service news release stated. According to the Web site, Wildland allows Boone County Protection District personnel to broaden their experience and gain knowledge in western wildland fire environments that is applicable in Boone County.
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10 The Maneater
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Friday, October 23, 2009
themaneater The Student Voice of the University of Missouri Founded in 1955 by Joel Gold and Jim Willard
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Our Opinion EDITORIALS REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OPINION OF THE MANEATER EDITORIAL BOARD.
Tuition increase could help faculty salaries The budget was on everyone’s mind at this week’s Fall General Faculty Council Meeting. Looking at the budget for next year, one of the proposed solutions to raise more money was a 3 to 5 percent tuition increase. For this academic year, the average Missouri resident pays $8,500 for both semesters. This figure does not include room and board. The average out of state resident pays $18,850 for the year. With a 3 to 5 percent increase, this would go anywhere between $8,755 and $8,925 for Missouri residents. Out of state students could end up paying between $19,415.50 and $19,792.50. There are a lot of reasons for this potential tuition hike. There are repairs that need to be made to various buildings on campus. Enrollment has skyrocketed in the past few years. But one of the biggest reasons for a rise in tuition is certainly faculty salaries. In a study done by the American Association of University Professors last year, MU was ranked 33 out of 34 in average faculty salaries. Needless to say, that is not good. If faculty salaries are raised, we can attract higher quality faculty and keep them at MU for a longer period of time, leading to a better education for all students. We have to look at this in perspective, though. A 3 to 5 percent increase would not be a big deal for a majority of students on campus. Some schools in California are facing a 12 percent tuition increase. In terms of the Big 12, MU has the third highest in-state tuition, behind only Baylor and the University of Texas. We have the fifth highest out-of-state tuition. State appropriations were not as high as we had expected them to be. We were supposed to have received $728 million more than we did over the last eight years. Everyone is stretched thin with the recession, but students have to make sacrifices if they want the university to stay competitive. A more competitive university leads to a better education for all students. Last year, Gov. Jay Nixon promised he would not lower higher education funding if the university did not raise tuition. We stuck to that, but for the next academic year, we might have no other option than to raise tuition. No one really wants to pay more, but the increase would not be terribly drastic. Students need to keep an open mind and remember it will benefit them in the long run to graduate from a more prominent, competitive university.
Freshmen should get rooming preference When ROAR opens next spring, things could be a little different for returning students. The Department of Residential Life and the Residence Halls Association are discussing the possibility of giving freshmen first preference in choosing rooms on campus. With the increase in enrollment and the number of upperclassmen staying on campus, spaces are running out in the residence halls. It makes sense for freshmen to have first preference. They are the only class required to live in residence halls. To make this a requirement and then give them last pick is inherently unfair, with MU running out of space to put its students. Some freshmen end up living at Tiger Diggs or Campus Quads, which is not the best situation for them. Sometimes, freshmen end up in the same apartment as seniors, which is usually not ideal. Also, freshmen are less likely than upperclassmen to have their own cars. Thus, living off campus can be inconvenient. The whole point of making freshmen live in the residence halls is to add to their college experience. Freshmen living at Tiger Diggs or Campus Quads are living in a very different environment than in a residence hall and are being robbed of the experience of living in a residence hall as a freshman. In an ideal world, the university would be providing enough places for everyone who wants to live on campus. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to do that. Obviously, if a returning student wants to stay in their same room as the year before, he or she should be allowed to. But that is where the preference should end until the incoming freshmen have picked their rooms. It is unfair of the university to require freshmen to live in residence halls and then give them the scraps of what is left over after upperclassmen have picked over everything.
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Guest Column
A message from Tracy Fisher's roommate My friend and roommate Tracy Fisher passed away Monday. Passed away — it seems like such a small, harmless phrase. Like she was just here for a visit, and has since moved on. It is not a big enough bundle of words to carry all that it is, all that it means. Tuesday would have been her 19th birthday. There is an autographed picture of Paul Rudd waiting at the bottom of my closet. I was going to wake her up at 12:01 to give it to her. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it now. I don’t know much of anything. All I know for sure is that there is one less wonderful, sunny, intelligent human being to help make our own time here a little easier. That’s the kind of person she was. She was always a happy girl, there’s just no other way to put it. She made everyone laugh all the time, even during something as monotonous as studying for a midterm. A part of me thinks she would have been rather irritated that she did all that studying for nothing. That was one of the curious things about her -- even when she was angry or sad, there was always just a little silver lining, and she found it. When I first met her, I had two immediate impressions: the first was that we were going to be friends for a very long time, and the second was that she had a lot to learn from me. I am convinced that we would have been friends long after college, but I was wrong about the second. I know now that we had everything to learn from each other. I wish she could have known how much more I had to gain from being her friend than the other way around. It took me about two hours to be jealous of Tracy. She came to this school already with dozens of friends (all via Facebook, of course) who all vied for her attention every hour of the day. To this I can attest, seeing as I was
the one who woke up to her phone getting a text at all hours of the night. She was one of those people who had that certain something that draws people to them. I don’t think I’ve ever drawn people to me in that way. I never begrudged her this innate ability, but I did wish that some of it would rub off on me. She always told me that all I needed to do was give up my Facebook boycott. She was probably right. Sorry Tracy, I’m still not getting one. She left behind a great number of shocked and heartbroken people. To her the members of her Freshman Interest Group, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi sisters, the Hatch Batch, even all of her professors: She never had a bad word to say against any of you — she appreciated all of you for the incredible individuals you are. To her best friend, and my Dallas twin: She missed you more than she could articulate, and she was planning a surprise trip to visit you for your birthday. To her family, I honestly don’t know what to say. I feel as though I’ve stolen her from you when she needed you most. Logically, this is not the case, but I still feel it is, and I’m sorry. It was raining when I started writing this, but it has since stopped. The sun is shining through the clouds, just enough to make itself known. I am not a religious person and have no thoughts on the afterlife one way or the other, but I’d like to think that Tracy is reading this, somehow, and making her presence known. I pray with all my heart that she is somewhere where she can watch “Gossip Girl” and where “Arrested Development” isn’t canceled and she and Paul Rudd can have at least a dozen beautiful children together. If you know her, you’ll know I can wish her nothing better than that. —Catie Lau, freshman
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
the maneater 11
FORUM
The opinions expressed by The Maneater columnists do not represent the opinions of The Maneater editorial board.
Coming together to remember Tracy Fisher Lindsay Eanet lrebn7@mizzou.edu
There’s this great short story by Kurt Vonnegut called “The Manned Missiles” in which two fathers — one American, one Soviet — correspond and comfort one another after both of their sons are killed in a failed space mission. Despite their conventional wisdom/Cold War-era position as each other’s enemies, the two find empathy from experience and are able to be a source of comfort for one another. There is a refrain Vonnegut uses several times in the story, the phrase “I grasp your hand,” used at the beginning as a broken English greeting, but taking on a far different meaning at the end of the story. Tuesday night, as I watched members of my community come together to honor the memory of freshman Tracy Fisher, I think I finally began to understand what Vonnegut meant. This isn’t the column I thought I would be writing this week. I was reluctant to write it for a number of reasons, most notably the gravity of the situation and fears of my inability
to properly pay tribute in this space to such a vibrant and wonderful spirit who meant so much to so many people. But honestly, I’ve had difficulty focusing on anything else, so writing about something else when my heart and mind is somewhere completely different would have felt trite and disingenuous. It’s easy to use this space, these 550odd words we are given every week, to point out differences among people, for political attacks or pontifications over power or privilege or who is screwing over whom. It’s a lot easier to be divisive than to seek opportunities to unify, to remind ourselves of the fundamental things that make us human, the things we all feel and respond to in very much the same way, to recognize our standing as part of one giant community, one family. At the memorial service, I was completely blown away by what I saw. Toward the end, when people were invited up to say a few words, the girl sitting next to me, a Hillel regular, an often quiet presence, approached the pulpit and spoke unwaveringly from the heart with aching sympathy for someone she only knew peripherally, but for whom she still felt the gravity of the loss. As she returned to her
seat, face bright red and streaked with tears, she was greeted with comforting embraces and offers of thanks for speaking from the heart. I know Tracy, a young woman I will remember as being warm and outgoing and greeting everyone with an open heart, would have done the same thing. I am floored by our ability to exhibit compassion and empathy, even to those we barely know, though I wish this conclusion would have come from far brighter circumstances. But in the wake of something so unthinkably awful, I saw examples of humanity in its most honest and painfully beautiful form. We could all learn to live a little bit more like Tracy, even those who did not know her well. To live and to treat people with warmth and compassion, to greet others with genuine exuberance, these are principles we can incorporate into every fiber of our existence. Vonnegut was on to something. Even in the face of the direst aspects of the human condition, it is incredible what is accomplished when we break down barriers and kick divisions to the curb, to live as one community, one family, to heal and be re-lifted.
Gender identity impacts the workplace Erica Zucco
ericazucco@gmail.com I’ve never thought of myself as someone who purposefully performs gender. I act, talk, dress and behave, for the most part, like a woman is expected to — but I’ve never really specifically identified as a woman. I guess other statuses have always been more important to me. Journalist. Friend. Student. There was never really time or necessity to think about the female part, and even when I did, I rarely had to try to play the part. I just was. For one of my classes I read an article about how a transgender woman puts on her make-up every morning and does her best to consciously perform characteristics Western culture expects out of the female gender: crossing her legs, taking up as little space as possible, not speaking up over a room full of “men.” After I’d finished my homework, I went to get ready for a shift at the TV news station where I report. I applied the standard two coats of foundation, powder, copious blush, two shades of eye shadow, eyeliner, lipstick and lip gloss, and it hit me — I perform gender for a living. Well, I don’t get paid yet, so it’s not exactly a living. And when I do get paid, I plan to report for a living, not perform gender. But that performance is still a part of my job. Make-up itself represents roots in gender — blush and lipstick were in some cultures originally meant to simulate arousal, making the women who wear them desirable. For me, this isn’t problematic. If I have to identify my gender, I’d identify as female and I don’t think anyone would argue. But for other people, it isn’t so easy. This isn’t a big tirade against the
ILLUSTRATION BY CHELSEA MYERS evils of cosmetics or TV news. I like TV news and cosmetics are fine. But even if you choose not to perform conventional gender when at home our out with friends, there are some workplaces where it’s almost necessary. How often do you see a gender-neutral television reporter or anchor? Sometimes, but here’s the thing: Business casual clothing or even more so, suits, are made to either make a “man” look bigger, more imposing and masculine, or to make a woman look classy and powerful, but still soft and feminine. I won’t be the 1,000th person to discuss the patriarchal structure of the American workplace, but I will bring up a piece of advice a woman at a women’s leadership conference imparted a couple weeks ago. “Don’t always take the notes, and if they ask you to go get coffee for a meeting, say no.”
What she meant was as the only woman in a meeting full of men, you’ll be expected to perform secretarial duties and you should set a standard of not doing that. A lot of the workage women in the conference echoed her advice. There’s a group of students and faculty members working to make gender identity and expression part of MU’s non-discrimination policy. If the proposals are approved, it could be a step forward for the freedom to express ourselves the way we want to, whether we’re accidentally (or purposefully) performing expected genders. We might not have complete security in our first workplaces, but this is a step in the right direction — if a large and influential university reminds us our gender status is significant in terms of identity but non-discriminatory of a person’s worth, maybe companies with a business casual dress code will be next.
Phil Klopfenstein pkyt7@mail.missouri.edu
Oppression deserves outcry I think many of us have heard of the “Free Tibet” movement. The Dalai Lama has become a world icon, and Tibet, a region of western China hoping for independence, is even better known than many sovereign nations. A few years ago I had a friend who received membership to some sort of “Free Tibet” organization for a birthday present. His enthusiasm for the gift was significantly less than that of the gift-giver. Tibet is not the only western region of China seeking independence. There is also East Turkestan. Haven’t heard of it? How about under the name Xinjiang province of China? What if I say Uyghurs? Now some people are starting to recognize names. Uyghurs are a Turkic people, related to their Turkic neighbors in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, but not related to the Han Chinese who govern and oppress them. The Han Chinese refer to East Turkestan as “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.” “Xinjiang” translates into “New Dominion” — a bit of an insult to this former sovereign state. And the designation of “autonomous” (which China also grants to Tibet) is also misleading, reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s token “autonomous republics.” In this “autonomous region,” the indigenous Uyghurs suffer Han Chinese incursions. The Chinese government has begun the Western Big Development Project, which at first glance appears to be an effort to improve economic output and development of East Turkestan and other regions containing significant non-Han populations. But upon closer inspection, this program reveals itself as efforts to aggressively diffuse Han populations, values and economic domination into these regions in efforts to complicate efforts at self-determinism and separatism. The incoming Han also enjoy their exploitations of East Turkestan’s mineral-rich landscape. As a result of this program, Uyghurs now face discrimination in education and employment, living as second-class citizens in what was once their own country. And some might have heard of The People’s Republic of China’s aversion to religion within its borders. The religious repression that has become common in China has caused outcry in the case of Tibet, sending the Dalai Lama into exile. East Turkestan is not so fortunate as to have a charismatic world-renowned leader make its case known. The Uyghurs, a Muslim people, have had to face violent crackdowns restricting public gatherings, religious ceremonies and even private prayers. Religious leaders have been forced to undergo “re-education trainings” administered by the Chinese government. All of these are characterized as human rights abuses of an authoritarian state against an indigenous minority population. And did I mention East Turkestan also serves as China’s atomic bomb testing site? Fall-out from these tests has resulted in wide-scale water contamination as well as cancer and birth defects among the Uyghur population. And the Chinese policy of a one-child-to-one-family ratio applies even in the far west of East Turkestan, where population density is considerably lower than among the Han of the east, in China Proper. Certainly these are not the characteristics of an autonomous region, quite an insulting term considering the oppressive conditions the Chinese government enforces on the Uyghurs of East Turkestan. This kind of treatment deserves a world-wide outcry, and the Uyghur people deserve to have their culture, autonomy and basic human rights defended.
The Maneater's weekly arts and entertainment section Music: meet journalism John Lennon Educational Tour bus brings together the two fields | page 14
Back to beginnings Ludo's tour promotes the band's early days | page 15 Friday, October 23, 2009
MOVE 13
Reach Andrea Kszystyniak and Chase Koeneke, MOVE editors, at akszystyniak@themaneater.com and zkoeneke@themaneater.com
s e m u t s o c o t e d i u g a in columbia
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Having an impressive Halloween costume isn’t hard, even if you’re tightening the belt on your budget by eating copious amounts of Ramen noodles and stealing food from dining halls. Sorry, there are no costumes at the University Bookstore you can student charge, but there are bunches of inexpensive options right here in Columbia.
Nick Schnelle/Staff Photographer
>>justifiable
Katie Currid and Andrea Kszystyniak | Associate Editors
>>thrifty
LEO’S OLD CLOTHES
Range: $5 to $30 To rent or to buy: Both Costumes: Decade clothing, medieval wear, vintage items
WET SEAL
Although Wet Seal might be a tacky “trendy” store with an abundance of sequined tops, cheap fabrics and pleather leggings, they do have cheap Halloween costume options. Although some of its costumes reflect its regular retail line (only emphasized by the excessive amount of animal ears, tails and leotards), women should be able to find an easy and definitely slutty costume within the disorganized Halloween end cap.
BAD
GOOD
Range: $7.50 to $40 To rent or to buy: Buyable Costumes: Police officer, devil, fairy, sailor
We’ve given you all of the places to look for costumes. Now comes the hardest part — figuring out what costume you’ll sport on Halloween night. We've got suggestions for some good ones and some ugly ones to avoid.
>>splurge
GETCHA/GOTCHA
Leo’s Old Clothes is squeezed between Dryers Shoe Shop and Coffee Zone. If you are lucky enough to spot the camouflaged sign, go up the glittery staircase to the Mecca of tacky floral patterns, dusty prom dresses and holiday ties. Leo’s also has a store cat, which meows incessantly, but adorably. Within the store, one can purchase or rent. Many of the rentable options are more elaborate, such as jester costumes and pop culture figures. There is old military ware to dig through among the boxes of ABBA and Roy Orbison records and enough tacky ‘80s dresses to fit a variety of costume ideas. Leo’s Old Clothes is recommended for those who have a lot of time to dig for the perfect costume and don’t want to spend a lot.
costume ideas
A large array of vintage apparel covers the register of Leo’s Old Clothes on Thursday afternoon on Ninth Street. For more than 70 years the store has been selling used and vintage clothing.
This costume conglomerate is known for its wacky, but personal year-round rental service. Its policy changes for Halloween, making it both cheap and convenient to get a costume for the entirety of October for the price of an ordinary two-day rental. Looking for standard costume stuff? Check out Gotcha. Need novelty items and fun things to accompany it? Walk two doors over to Getcha. The staff is super helpful and there are a whole lot of ‘em, many dressed in costumes themselves. “Anybody that comes in and works with any one of our brats will be very happy with what they get,” employee Angela Gallup said. Range: $5.99 to $16.29 To rent or to buy: Both Costumes: Pin up girls and all matter of hairy beasts and moving mouth masks
MAUDE VINTAGE
If you’re looking for a complete costume, Maude is definitely your best choice. They offer everything necessary to construct a costume (jewelry, shoes, hats, wigs etc.), all for rent for $35 a week. Obviously, it’s not necessary to rent a whole costume but we really appreciate that Maude provides us with the option. “I like that we deal mostly in vintage for costumes, generally everything in the costume room is vintage,” shift manager Nikki Pryatt said. This means if you want to dress as Amelia Earhart, you can wear clothes from the same era. How cool is that? Range: Rent by the week or for two days. Weeklong rates range between $8 to $35 To rent or to buy: Rentable Costumes: David Bowie, Mad Hatter, Wizard of Oz and a variety of ‘80s attire
HOT TOPIC
If you can brave it through the screaming metal and shitty emo music, Hot Topic has an interesting selection of pop culture character costumes, especially if you are looking for something especially dark. Hot Topic has a wide selection of video game characters such as Mario and Princess Peach and an excessive amount of comic book personalities like Wonder Woman and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. They also have a decent assortment of make-up, tights (plenty of fishnets) and gothic apparel. Although some of the outfits are pricey, most of them are worth the hefty tag. Range: $29 to $98 To rent or to buy: Buyable Costumes: Alice in Wonderland characters, Freddie Kruger, pirates
PARTY AMERICA
With the largest selection in town, Party America is probably your best bet for accessories, wigs, makeup and costumes, but expect to spend an arm and a leg unless you wait until the day before Halloween for the late-minute-shopper 50 percent discount. Party America has a great selection of costumes for men and women, from the traditional witch or doctor to the more contemporary television and movie characters like Stormtroopers or the Pink Ladies. Range: $19.99 to $199.99 To rent or to buy: Buyable Costumes: Batman, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball
Kanye West Optional: Shutter shades, funky scarf, crop-circle hair. Required: Saturn-sized ego.
Beast from ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ The perfect combo of cuddly and scary. It’s as easy as getting a hair cat and gluing the leftovers to a sweater.
Octomom The options are endless. Just make sure you take your birth control.
Lady Gaga You can be frightening without even putting on a mask. We’re particularly fond of the Kermit suit or the VMA “Slim Jim” costume.
Swine Flu It’s all of the fun of a pandemic with none of the contagiousness. Plus the idea of a pig with a thermometer peeking out of its mouth is sorta fun.
Sarah Palin She lost the election, donchaknow. Dress up as the Bill of Rights or something.
The Joker If we see one more bad Joker impression, shit’s gonna get serious.
Capt. Jack Sparrow This is really cliché and they’ve got a costume designed for five year olds, available at Target. Get creative.
Billy Mays or Michael Jackson Seriously guys, way too soon. Hold your memorial costume till next year.
Jon and Kate No need to bring this domestic mess to your home front.
14 the maneater
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009
MOVE
John Lennon Educational Tour Bus brings harmony to campus MARIAH HIBBARD Reporter
MARIAH HIBBARD/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Engineer Kevin Hoy watches a music video created by students Tuesday on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, which was parked on Lowry Mall. The bus travels across the country providing a high-tech production experience for students of all ages.
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus rolled its way onto campus Oct. 19 to combine the talents of several students from the School of Music and the School of Journalism. Since 1998, this non-profit outreach program has sought to fulfill a simple mission of “providing students with increased access to music, audio, video and broadcast technologies.” Keith Politte, manager of the Technology Testing Center at the Reynolds Journalism Institute, represented the School of Journalism at the event. “This is a rare opportunity for students to get hands-on experience with cutting edge equipment,” he said. “It brings the schools together.” The program was originally affiliated with the John Lennon Song Writing Contest, founded by Brian Rothschild and Yoko Ono Lennon. It has since evolved into its own entity, but it has maintained the original vision of encouraging the next generation of musicians and songwriters. “The bus teaches kids how these things work,” senior Chelsea Secktnan said of the recording and production equipment. “It gives the
opportunity to come together and create something.” Students have one day to complete all aspects of the production process. Within nine hours, those involved have written, recorded and mixed their own original song or have produced and shot an accompanying video. Kevin Hoy and the other engineers on board spend up to 10 months of the year living on the bus, traveling nationwide for the cause. “We’re trying to expose students to a recording experience they wouldn’t otherwise have, we’re not looking for the next big band,” he said. “Our goal is to foster a sense of creative self-expression.” There is no talent prerequisite or previous experience required to take advantage of this program. “We’re interested in showing them how to create anything they can come up with in their minds, regardless of talent or money,” project engineer Doug Larson said. The bus mobilizes an impressive arsenal of audio and visual weaponry divided into two studios, including Godin guitars, PA technology by Mackie and high definition monitors by Apple. Also on board is what Hoy playfully describes as “the only Imagine Peace Tower replica-
refrigerator combo in the world,” which is actually just a refrigerator with a model tower on it. The traveling studio brings this state-of-the-art technology to students across the country. Although the program focuses on high schools, it delivers its creative energy to all ages, from kindergarten to college, with the help of 36 corporate sponsors, such as Sony and Apple, and some celebrity support. Famous names such as Will.i.Am, John Legend and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead have found themselves on board, both recording and working with students. Students were selected from the jazz studies program within the School of Music. In addition, two students from the J school worked alongside in the video production aspect. The combined talents came to be known as “Tiger Lizzy and the Mizzou-Keepers.” Their production “Peace and Harmony” can be found on the Tour Bus Web site, www.lennonbus.org. From Columbia, the bus is headed to Case Western Reserve University in Ohio and beyond, continuing its ongoing mission of carrying the message of creativity and free expression from coast to coast.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009 The Scarlet Review
Katy Wagner Movie Columnist
Get submersed in new thriller If you have opened any entertainment-related magazine or browsed the Internet for any length of time, you have probably heard of the new horror film “Paranormal Activity.” Coming from a first-time director, an unheard of cast consisting of only four people and a meager $11,000 budget, “Paranormal” has whipped horror fans into an unprecedented frenzy. Riding a wave of overwhelming hype, the film crashed into theatres everywhere last week, delivering on the hype and solidifying itself in history as one of the best horror movies of all time. The plot is relatively simplistic: A young couple decides to record possible supernatural happenings at their house by setting a camera in their room. What ensues is a grippingly suspenseful tale that focuses more on the emotional strain of a haunting than the fireworks and hoopla of the supernatural presence itself. To have a true appreciation for “Paranormal Activity,” a brief history is involved. For starters, “Paranormal” was actually filmed and released in 2007. Director and writer Oren Peli concocted the idea after experiencing a few supernatural happenings in his house. After research into the paranormal and renovating his own home to use as the set, Peli cast Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat as the lead characters. Carrying on without a script or a camera crew, the trio shot the movie in a staggering seven days. Immediately after completion, “Paranormal” hit a few low-key horror festiMovie: ‘Paranormal vals where Peli handActivity’ Director: Oren Peli ed out DVDs of the Featuring: Katie film for free. It wasn’t Featherson and Micah until 2008, when a Sloat copy of “Paranormal” Rating: PG-13 landed onto the desk Running Time: 1 hour, 26 minutes of Steven Spielberg that the ball really got 4.5 out of 5 rolling for Peli. In mid-September of this year, “Paranormal” was released in a limited number of towns, packing theatres and gaining momentum until it landed at number four at the box office. The very next week, “Paranormal” was catapulted into a nationwide release, proving there is no better advertising tactic than positive word of mouth. But the real question remains: Is “Paranormal Activity” deserving of this spotlight? The answer is a booming yes. With the absence of a script, a good amount of credit must go to the actors, who do not seem like they are acting much at all. Featherston and Sloat glided throughout the film, tempering their strong characters with a steady amount of subtlety. With their undeniable chemistry, the duo is simply entertaining to watch. Filmed exclusively with a handheld camera, Peli utilized a home video feel to transport the audience straight into the film. The camera never leaves the couple’s home and is often stationary as the action intensifies, creating a sense of maddening claustrophobia for the viewer to deal with. Not to mention, the anxiety that sets in every night as Katie and Micah tuck into bed. Honestly, nothing I can write in this small space can do the film justice. “Paranormal Activity” is slow burn horror at it’s best. Peli is not bombarding the screen with cheap scares, hoping one will stick. He’s forcing you to notice every footstep and every shadow. Never before has a slamming door been so mind-numbingly scary. Watching the grainy scenes of a defenseless sleeping couple being stalked by an unstoppable malevolent force will change the way you think about horror films and leave you with one question: Do you know what’s watching you while you sleep?
MO V I E REVIEW
the maneater 15
MOVE
Tour allows fans a taste of Ludo's early days The band continues to amass a growing fan base. MAURA HOWARD Staff Writer Combining smart and witty lyrics with impressive pop styling and electro elements, four-piece Ludo is a band to look out for. Comprised of Andrew Volpe, Tim Ferrell, Tim Convy and Matt Palermo, the alternative-rock band has been together for six and half years and originally hails from St. Louis. The band said it did not really get its start until they decided to get serious and make the move to Tulsa, Okla. “It worked really well,” Convy said. “We all came down to Tulsa and we didn’t really have any friends, we didn’t know anyone so we didn’t do anything except play music, book shows and work on the band. I think it made a difference just to get ourselves out of St. Louis and make our lives, well, just the band.” After playing together for about three weeks, the band released its self-titled album Ludo . Two years later, the band released the EP Broken Bride . Ludo is promoting these earlier albums on tour, giving fans a taste of how the band started out. “Basically we have more fans now,” Convy said. “It’s cool because a lot of people didn’t buy these albums until a while after we put them out, so this is the first time they are ever hearing these songs live.” One of the major changes
PHOTO COURTESY OF ISLAND RECORDS
Ludo practices making the best human staircase. The St. Louis geek rock group will be at The Blue Note on Saturday, performing their second album Broken Bride in its entirety. Ludo has made in past couple years is signing with the major record label Island Records, which Convy said definitely helped the band. “We spent a lot more time making the record that we wanted to make,” Convy said. “We had all the best equipment available to us and we weren’t in the studio in our own time counting pennies and counting the hours, trying to get it all done.” This luxury made quite the difference as their latest album titled, You’re Awful, I Love You , released in February 2008, put the band on the map in the alternative world. This album included radio hits like “Love Me Dead” and
“Go-Getter Greg.” Besides intricate guitar sequences and use of electronic sounds, the album is known for it’s original and witty lyrics, which leave fans wondering where these ideas come from. “Sometimes it’s just kind of an idea or an emotion and you just kind of fill in all the blanks,” Convy said. “Or take a story and just take it to the extreme. We try to base as much of it on as reality as possible. The emotions are real but the characters or events may not be.” It is this newest album that landed Ludo at major music festivals, such as Lollapalooza, Warped Tour and South by Southwest.
With three records and multiple major tours behind them, Ludo is continuing to build its fan base. “We’re feeling pretty good about things right now,” Convy said. “We’ve been able to pay some bills and play just about everywhere in the country. We really just want to keep going. We’ve chosen a time when music is tough and we have chosen a tough profession, but we feel pretty good about what we’re doing.” Convy also said the band plans to head back into the studio in January to create another record. The group will be performing Saturday at The Blue Note.
Reverb spurs sustainability in music TRACY FISHER Reporter Guster, Kelly Clarkson, Jack Johnson and Avril Lavigne have all toured with Reverb. But it isn’t a band. It’s an organization trying to make a difference. According to the Reverb Web site, Reverb is a nonprofit organization Guster guitarist and vocalist Adam Gardner started with his wife to help “green up” musician’s tours. With a few alterations to the touring routine, Reverb has done a lot to contribute to environmental sustainability. Since its beginning in 2004, Reverb has turned at least 70 tours and more than 1,000 shows green and reached out to 7.9 million fans The organization has sold
eco-friendly merchandise, given the bands reusable bottles instead of plastic and reduced the carbon dioxide emissions by 53,000, to name a few of their services. In the past five years performers, such as John Legend, The Fray, Beastie Boys, Sheryl Crow, Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more have gone on “green tours” and informed their audiences of the importance of taking action toward a more sustainable future. Bands aren’t the only ones doing things to help save the planet. The on-campus group Sustain Mizzou promotes awareness and scatters recycling bins all across campus. “There are a variety of ways to make any type of endeavor more environmentally sustainable, and I’m glad that someone is work-
ing to improve the impact of the music industry,” former Sustain Mizzou President Ben Datema said. He said sustainability can benefit people in cost savings and overall health and fosters other beneficial effects. “The business world, and undoubtedly the music industry, have yet to realize the full benefits that increased environmental sustainability can provide, although this type of program is certainly a step in the right direction,” Datema said. Reverb has also started the Campus Consciousness Tour, in which bands tour university campuses across the United States informing college students of the urgency of this issue and telling them ways to help. MU was left off the Campus Consciousness Tour, said Elliot
May, the Development and Tour Support coordinator for Team Reverb. May said though they would love to come to the campus, the bands’ booking dictates which schools the tour hits.They will be starting the booking process at the end of this year or beginning of next year.
Editor’s note: This article was held from a previous issue, and we had it slated to run this Friday before learning of Tracy Fisher’s death. There is no reason why Tracy’s story shouldn’t be published. We hope by running the story, it gives her family and friends one more look at Tracy’s accomplishments. Our condolences go out to those who knew her. — Mary Daly, managing editor
the maneater makes me smile on rainy days
sports Friday, October23, 2009
MU SPORTS SCOREBOARD Volleyball
Soccer
Football
Overall record: 12-9 (conference 4-6) Last game: 0-3 loss at Texas Next game: at Kansas 7:30 p.m. Saturday Key player: Paola Ampudia has led the team in kills over the past five matches and has 82 in those games. She had 16 kills against Texas.
Overall record: 10-4-3 (conference 5-0-2) Last game: 1-0 win at Oklahoma Next game: vs. Iowa State 6:30 p.m. Friday Key player: Senior forward Michelle Collins leads the team with six goals on the season.
Overall record: 4-2 (conference 0-2) Last game: 33-17 loss at Oklahoma State Next game: vs. Texas 7 p.m. Saturday Key player: Sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert has had a completion percentage of 44.8 in the Tigers’ last two games (both losses).
The Maneater 17
Reach Sean Leahy, sports editor, at sleahy@themaneater.com
Hunt's Hunches
John Hunt Sports Columnist
Give me a score, not a judge I generally consider myself a fairly easy-toplease sports fan. Whether it takes place on ice, in the pool, on the hardwood or on a field, as long as there are not more worthwhile and productive things to be done, chances are, I’ll be tuned in and interested. Now, there are exceptions to every rule. I confess, even I have a difficult time spending a Tuesday afternoon watching televised bass fishing, but there is something I find absolutely hypnotizing about most athletic events. If there are multiple people trying their absolute hardest toward a common sports-related goal, sacrificing hours of practice and dedicating money, time and effort toward this goal, I’ll be incredibly captivated. More likely than not, I’ll enjoy anything along that vein immensely. This being said, the same can’t be admitted for all aspects of sports. I am not particularly fond of the aspect of many sports where the outcome solely hinges on the views of a human judge. Abhor? Despise? Passionately loathe? Someone’s opinion should simply never be a clear deciding factor in determining the winner. Let’s take any sport for example, say rugby. The object of the game, as is the case with many sports, is to simply score more points than the other team, shooting for nothing short of overt humiliation of your opponent. Sure, there are referees, but they are present merely to guide the game toward its natural conclusion, stepping in and enforcing the rules when someone attempts to give their team an unfair edge outside boundaries of the rulebook. With sports such as diving, figure skating and gymnastics, the athlete who delivers the best performance might not always win. It is largely up to the views of the judges to deem a winner based on their standards. Being human, mistakes happen. The unfortunate part of this is I can’t really see how this could be avoided. It is an integral part of many sports. Reassuringly, there are a number of factors that make me feel a little better. They help steer away from the mistake that would be an athlete’s performance being based solely on another’s opinion of that performance. First, the scoring “rubrics” are incredibly formalized and a number of minute details are considered when being evaluated. Although this certainly allows for less room for error for the athlete it, at the same time, separates the great from the good regarding similar routines. It should also be understood these judges are professionals and know the sport like the back of their hand. They have, more than likely, been around the sport since their conception and were hired for a reason. Finally, the score doesn’t merely come down to just one of these professionals’ decisions, but rather a host of generally like-minded people. The final mark is based on a consensus of the judges, meaning that if one of the judge’s perceptions of the athletic performance is different than that of his or her colleagues, the score will still be averaged and will greater reflect the opinion of the majority. Despite all these measures being taken, there is still a certain level of subjectivity that can’t be ignored and that irks me. If basketball ever came down to how well the shot was made instead of if the shot was made or not, I guarantee a certain red-headed fan in Columbia would watch something else.
Missouri welcomes Texas for Homecoming showdown SEAN LEAHY Sports Editor Last year’s Homecoming game featured Missouri smacking Colorado with a 58-0 loss. On this Homecoming weekend, points might be harder to come by. The Tigers (4-2, 0-2 Big 12) welcome No. 3 Texas (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) Saturday to Faurot Field for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Longhorns feature the nation’s best rushing defense (35.83 yards per game) and sixth-best total defense (246 yards per game). “You’re aware of who you are playing,” coach Gary Pinkel said. “You’re playing one of the best defenses in the nation and that’s the challenge.” Texas can also put points on the board as its 42 points per game is tops in the country. Leading that offensive charge is senior quarterback Colt McCoy. Although the 2008 Heisman Trophy runner-up has thrown seven interceptions, McCoy still leads the Big 12 in pass completion percentage. “He is the key,” senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. “We know that it all starts with him. If you don’t get to him, then he’s going to be accurate. Those are
TEXAS BIG STEP The Longhorns are No. 1 in the country in scoring offense and have outscored their opponents by 164 points. Here is how Texas has fared so far this season: 9/5 W 59-20 over Louisiana-Monroe 9/12 W 41-10 over Wyoning 9/19 W 34-24 over Texas Tech 9/26 W 64-7 over UTEP 10/10 W 38-14 over Colorado 10/17 W 16-13 over Oklahoma SPENCER PEARSON/GRAPHIC DESIGNER
just how the great quarterbacks are.” Pinkel mentioned McCoy’s experience in big game situations and his high completion percentage. “He threw about 78 percent completion last year,” Pinkel said. “He’s got all the experience. It’s a great challenge, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country.” One of the main weapons at McCoy’s disposal is senior wide receiver and kick returner Jordan Shipley. Shipley leads Texas in receiving yards and leads the Big 12 in punt return average with 16.4 yards a return. He and redshirt freshman running back D.J. Monroe are part of the reason why Texas is second in the nation in kickoff return average (32.11). With those offensive assets and more, the Longhorns have scored more than 40 points in half of their games. “They pass the ball extremely well,” Tiger junior linebacker Andrew Gachkar said. “That’s
MANEATER FILE PHOTO
The Tigers defeated the Colorado Buffaloes last October in a shutout Homecoming game with a final score of 58-0. This year, Missouri is not expected to perform as well against its Homecoming opponent, the Texas Longhorns. our top concern as the defense. You got to watch what they do and how well they pass the ball to Shipley.” Texas is the only team in the Big 12 with an unblemished overall record and sits atop the Big 12 South Division. The Longhorns are coming off a 16-13 triumph over then-No. 18 Oklahoma last weekend. Although Texas’ fortunes are looking up, Missouri is working to get back in the win column after two straight losses. The Tigers fell 33-17 last week at the hands of thenNo. 16 Oklahoma State. “We weren’t doing the little things right the last two weeks,” Gachkar said. “Getting little penalties and
stuff like that. We’re definitely going to try to put those away for this week and put all our things together.” Missouri is looking to overcome its recent troubles and score its first victory over Texas since the 1997 Homecoming game. “You look at yourself and focus on yourself trying to get better,” Pinkel said. “That’s my frustration a bit. I don’t think we are improving like I’d like to improve. That’s my job.” Pinkel has faith the Tigers are taking the steps to improve. “We’re working hard and I think we are working with the right people,” he said. “I think we have the making of a good football team.”
Analysis: Missouri volleyball strengths, weaknesses ALEX KECKEISEN Staff Writer The Hearnes Center has provided the Missouri volleyball team with an atmosphere that has propelled them to an 8-1 home record. Outside the hallowed halls of the Hearnes Center, the Tigers have shown inconsistency that amounts to a 12-9 overall record. The team has been without junior outside hitter Julianna Klein for the past two matches, but preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Paola Ampudia has stepped up to fill her shoes. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they have not been able to collectively generate enough offense to keep up with their opponents. Throughout the season, coach Wayne Kreklow has looked to his quartet of junior outside hitters to generate the bulk of the Tiger’s offense. With experienced senior setter Lei Wang-Francisco in the mix, outside hitters Klein,
Ampudia, Rosa Medrano and Catie Wilson have gotten good looks and contributed 76 percent of the total team kills. Klein’s absence has been a problem for the Tigers in their past two matches considering the workload that Wang-Francisco places to the right outside hitter position. On long rallies, WangFrancisco has often dished the attack to Klein up to six times on a single point. Her presence is never underestimated with blockers often staying in front of Klein to prevent the kill. Kreklow has preached consistency to his team throughout the season, especially early on when junior college transfers Ampudia and Medrano saw their hitting percentages drop dramatically due to their errors. Both have drastically reduced their attack errors and hold hitting percentages of .196 and .148, respectively. Wilson has had no problem with her consistency through-
FUTURE SCHEDULE
Missouri volleyball is about to enter its final month of the season. Here is how the rest of the team’s schedule looks: Oct. 24 at Kansas Oct. 28 vs. Kansas State Oct. 31 vs. SIU Edwardsville Nov. 4 at Nebraska
Nov. 7 vs. Texas Nov. 11 vs. Oklahoma Nov. 14 at Colorado Nov. 18 at Texas Tech Nov. 21 vs. Iowa State Nov. 25 at Texas A&M
SPENCER PEARSON/GRAPHIC DESIGNER
out the season, notching a .319 hitting percentage with 153 kills. When not playing on the outside, Wilson makes the Tiger attack incredibly lethal at the middle blocker position. Wang-Francisco is often supplied with a third option for attack, making the opponents ability to block that much harder. Wilson also leads the team with 58 total blocks, including 10 solo blocks. Junior libero Caitlyn Vann has continued her steady play in 2009 with 329 digs in 74 sets, an average of 4.45 per set. Vann has shown her ability to create an effective counter-
attack with her feeds to the setter and is often used to set for the four outside hitters. Sophomore defensive specialist Priscilla Armendariz has also become a staple of the Missouri backline with 181 digs, second on the team behind Vann. The rest of the schedule looks daunting for the Tigers, as 11 of their next 12 matches will be against conference foes. Kansas State (Oct. 28), Texas (Nov. 7), Iowa State (Nov. 21) and Baylor (Nov. 25) will test the Tigers’ strength at the Hearnes Center and the trip to Lincoln, Neb., to take on Nebraska (Nov. 4) looks to be the toughest game on the road. Once Klein recovers from the flu, the Tigers will need to step up to the challenges ahead in their Big 12 schedule. They will need to be able to beat the teams they are expected to beat as well as pull off a few upsets in order to find their way into the NCAA Tournament.
18 The Maneater
games
Friday, October 23, 2009
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009 OUT IN LEFT FIELD
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