March 26-April 2

Engineering College controversy continues

See News, page 2

Sustainablility office announces ‘Green Warrior Challenge’ See Features, page 5

WSU fencing competes in national championship See Sports, page 7

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR US? STUDENTS ADDRESS BOG AT TOWN HALL STUDENTS ADDRESS BOG AT TOWN HALL SEE NEWS, PAGE 3

JON ADAMS/THE SOUTH END

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Disco, accusations mark semester’s last BOG meeting PAT ANDRZEJCZYK The South End

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The Board of Governors met Friday, March 21 in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

The BOG approved an increase in student housing rates and viewed two Wayne State television advertisements and two promotional videos. The board also fielded public comment from one speaker, Robert Kakos, a former employee of the WSU College of Engineering.

The planned increase will raise the cost of a typical resident freshman room by 5.19 percent, meaning the average student will pay an additional $462 in room and board charges to live in the residence halls. Campus apartment rates were hiked by 3 percent, or about $23 to $45 more per month depending on the type of apartment.

Freshmen will also see their mandatory 15-week meal plan

WSU-produced videos bring laughs and applause The BOG watched two television ads promoting the university and the city of Detroit. Two other promotional videos were also shown to the board; one was a parody of the viral YouTube video “What Does the Fox Say?” called “What Does the W Say?” which featured the university’s mascot W being serenaded by curious students.

The other video, “Student Center Fever” was a spoof on the aged, ‘70s-era look of the soon-to-be renovated Student Center. Rick Nork, the vice president of Finance and Business Operations, walked the halls of the Student Center to the sounds of disco music in black and white gator shoes, a crimson red leisure suit and a robin’s egg blue open neck shirt with a giant bolo tie.

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In his comment to the board, former Engineering College employee Robert Kakos said he was concerned the governors were not aware of what he called “a toxic environment at the university.”

“There needs to be further review regarding the ethics and integrity of administrators on campus,” Kakos said.

“Although my experience goes directly to (Dean of the College of Engineering Farshad Fotouhi’s) lack of integrity and ethics, this problem is not limited to engineering.”

Kakos went on to levy a series of allegations against Dean Fotouhi, claiming the dean compelled him to reassign staff in violation of union contracts, to create hardships for specific faculty members and alleged the dean acted in an irrational, intimidating manner towards staff in an effort to induce them to act unethically.

In response to Kakos’ allegations, WSU Communications Director Matt Lockwood shared a statement with The South End: “The university has thoroughly looked into these claims against Dean Fotouhi on two separate occasions and no issues were found. Dean Fotouhi is doing a good job, as evidenced by the College of Engineering’s increases in research productivity and enrollment. While we do not ordinarily discuss the details of employee terminations, in Mr. Kako’s case, they were specific to him and had nothing to do with the larger issues involving the College of Engineering or Dean Fotouhi.”

Robert Kakos is not the first faculty member in the Engineering College to make such allegations against Dean Fotouhi. Former assistant professor James Woodyard resigned in protest at a BOG meeting in February. He too accused the dean of professional misconduct and unethical behavior.

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‘Heart of Art’ fundraiser to support Children’s Hospital program EVAN SOTNIK Contributing Writer Wayne State students will host a fundraiser in support of Children’s Hospital of Michigan’s Healing Arts Program Friday, March 28, at Harry’s Bar in Detroit. The “Heart of Art” fundraiser organizers are Jessica Sader, Kristin Shaw and Desiree Jennings, stemming from a class project for the public relations’ program capstone course.

While admission is free, attendees are encouraged to participate in a Detroit-themed raffle and silent auction. Poster sets created for the Sauvé Art Foundation’s “Man in the City” project will be up for auction. Detroit

poster artists Gary Grimshaw and Carl Lundgren created the posters for the foundation, whih supports children’s art programming in the city.

“The ‘Man in the City’ art project inspired us to implement this fundraiser,” Sader said. “When we had to choose a client to work with for our campaign’s class, we turned to John Sauvé, who encouraged us to work with the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Healing Arts Program.”

Other organizations donating gifts for the raffle include The Detroit Shoppe, Brooklyn Street Bakery, Canine to Five and Boll Family YMCA. The Healing Arts Program began at the hospital in 2004 and is now a

part of the Global Alliance for Arts & Health. In 2008, the Healing Arts Program was recognized by the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions for “Best Practices in Evidence Based Design.”

Heading the program is Grace Serra, a Detroit artist and WSU graduate, who has worked as a public arts coordinator and arts educator for almost thirty years. Serra is supportive of community involvement, saying that, “through donations of works of art and art-making activities for our patients that produce work for the hospital, we achieve our goal of creating a healing environment for our patients and their families.”

Based in research that suggests that the physical environment patients are cared for in influences the quality of care given, Children’s Hospital’s Healing Arts Program aims to create a comfortable atmosphere for its patients and staff.

Activities in the Healing Arts Program include the family-centered, photography-based Imagine Photo Club that uses photographs to document a patient’s story both in and out of treatment.

Harry’s Bar is located at 2482 Clifford in Detroit. Admission is free. If you are unable to attend but still wish to support this program, visit http:// www.chmfoundation.org.

Student Senate hosts town hall meeting with Board of Governors PAT ANDRZEJCZYK The South End The Student Senate and members of the Board of Governors held a town hall meeting March 20 in the Bernath Auditorium.

Moderated by Senate President Adham Aljahmi, a panel consisting of Govs. Eugene Driker and Paul Massaron and WSU President M. Roy Wilson answered questions from a student audience from throughout the Wayne State campus community.

Robert Kohrman, the vice-president of the budget, was also in attendance.

The first student in the audience to address the board was Samantha Mannino, a sophmore industrial design student who described the supposedly ramshackle condition of the art building where she spends her time as “janky.”

“There are a lot of issues – heating issues, there isn’t an elevator, there are squirrels in our building – I see a lot of issues and I don’t see anything happening,” she said.

Referencing a video about upcoming renovations to the Student Center, Mannino said the dilapidated art building is in even greater need of a facelift.

“I know (WSU has said) ‘the 70s called and wants its Student Center back,’ well, I think the 50s called, and it wants its art building back,” Mannino said.

President Wilson addressed Mannino’s concerns about the art building’s upkeep, saying, “I live in that building, so I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

Gov. Driker spoke next, bringing up the fact that like other colleges around the U.S., the university has limited resources to deal with building maintenance issues as they arise. But he agreed with Mannino that squirrels roaming the halls of the Art Building is unacceptable.

“I draw a line where the question of squirrels is concerned,” Driker said.

Sergio Rodriguez, a wrestling and martial arts enthusiast, asked the board why the university hasn’t allowed students to start a wrestling club. He described his disappointment at finding out that not only did WSU lack a wrestling/grappling team or club, but said he has also been told that students aren’t allowed to participate in full-contactstyle sports on campus property.

David Strauss, the dean of students, said the campus-wide moratorium against such activities came about because of a lack of facitilties and resources, as well as the possibility for legal liabilities and higher insurance costs for the university.

“It comes down to facilit(ies) … and liabilities,” Strauss said. He said the safety of students must also be taken into account.

“When we have students teaching other students martial arts, it becomes problematic from a safety perspective,” he said.

Just as important as these other considerations, Strauss said, is the fact that there just isn’t a place for students to practice their grapples and body throws.

“Where are we going to do (this)?”

Strauss said. “Where are we going to roll out a giant wrestling mat?

It’s not from a lack of wanting … like other questions about facilities, there’s this much demand for resources, and you’ve only got this much resources.”

Gov. Driker pointed out that the tennis and racquetball courts on campus – which he said cost several million dollars to build – have recently fallen into disuse. Driker suggested to the dean that he look into the possibility of procuring those facilities for martial arts and wrestling club members.

“All that space seems to me to be a fine place for students to practice martial arts,” Driker said.

After Rodriguez’s question was answered, another student, Evan Foster, rose to ask the dean and the board why existing facilities aren’t being made use of.

Introducing himself as “president of the non-existent WSU Brazilian Jiu-Jistu Club,” Foster relayed his efforts to document the empty, unused spaces on campus he said would be suitable for martial arts practice.

“I started a year ago, going at least once a month to take pictures of all the open spaces on campus,” he said.

“One of the main places we thought would be a premier spot for wrestling or jiu-jitsu is the underground squash court (in the Matthaei Physical Education Center).”

Foster went on to say most people he knows aren’t aware the squash court even exists, and that he often goes down to the court to see the space empty. “I think that (this issue) should be looked at more,” he said.

One of the last speakers to address

the board was Kevin Replinger, a theatre management and production student. Replinger was concerned about the lack of resources being devoted to arts and entertainment.

He suggested adding a new $10 fee onto the existing $25 Mort Harris Student Fitness Center fee students pay every semester.

“My proposal is a drasticallyexpanded arts engagement initiative for Wayne State students,” he said.

“The idea is called ‘Limitless Arts,’ which would add a $10 fee on top of the $25 fee we all pay to most of the time not go to the (Mort Harris Recreation and Fitness Center), would make a $35 fee per semester.”

Replinger also said the fee would make every single performing arts activity on campus available to all students, and would provide funding to drastically expand the performances put on by the arts department. He spoke specifically of a planned cabaret and comedy hour, which would be held early in the evenings before students hit the roads to make their way back home.

“Events like a cabaret comedy hour, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m … would let students hang out and watch a comedy show or cabaret performance before driving back to the suburbs,” he said.

Other students spoke with Driker, Massaron and President Wilson – almost until the Student Senate convened their meeting, which was shorter than usual. Judging by the nearly two hours of participation by students and administrators, the first Board of Governors-Student Senate town hall meeting isn’t likely to be the last.

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Cass Cafe charms stomachs, wallets DEBANINA SEATON Contributing Writer Note: This was based on my own personal opinion, not the opinion of The South End. I rated the food and customer service to get an overall average on a scale that begins at a “C” grade at 2.0 points and continues to increase and decrease by .5 points. The highest score is 5.0, or A+.

There is a place on Cass Avenue that departs from the Wayne State area and moves closer to Midtown. Those who spend most of their time at Old Main or the Physics and Chemistry buildings may know something about it, but others may as well. Positioned across from a Unitarian church and sitting next door to a mosque stands a little treasure in off-campus dining.

Cass Café is probably one of the best kept secrets of Midtown. Solely based on food, I am utterly surprised that it has not expanded or attempted to move to a location that will allow for a higher in-customer capacity. But considering its attachment to the name of its birth, I doubt there will

soon be moving arrangements.

If one uses Google, the caption under Cass Café says “it’s a bar… it’s a restaurant… it’s a gallery!” Opening the steelgray door, one walks in to see a dimly lit café with art to one’s left and right. Beautiful paintings can be found on the walls and elaborate sculptures on the bar and condiment shelves.

This makes sense, as their logo is a dinner plate with a fork and knife on one side and a pencil and paintbrush on the other.

Seating is arranged in groups of two, four and six from what I could see, and stools along a long counter like a diner. On the right was the condiment shelf full of tubs and jars of different flavors for sandwiches and sauces. There were brands I’ve never heard of but looked better than what I am used to. To my left was the bar ornamented with enough booze to make a sailor happy and any nondrinker cringe (I’m the latter).

The customers had an intellectual and cultured appearance – readers of long novels and The New York Times, professors and business people who may have Xamount of classes with umpteen degrees.

I felt like I was in one of those old films or in one of those towns where if you were

a certain way you went to certain places.

But it wasn’t a bad atmosphere full of the uptight, I believe it was full people of a different crowd wanting a different setting.

I ordered the Asian Sriracha Wings for $7.50 and the Café Lentil Burger for $6.50. The menu describes the wings as “deep-fried chicken wings, glazed with Sriracha and honey…” but forgot to mention they were topped with sesame seeds.

No matter, they were delicious. They were a tasty, sweet and spicy meat party in my mouth. The burger, described as a “house specialty” is mixed with walnuts, parmesan and “other ingredients.” What I could taste red peppers, possibly carrots, and bread crumbs to hold it together. Tomato, spinach and honey mustard topped the sandwich. I fear there may be garlic in one of these dishes but it is too light to know for sure. There truly isn’t much else to say except it was wonderful.

Though I didn’t stay, customer service was nice but a little overwhelmed as there were only three of them during lunch time.

Prices range from $2.50 for a cup of soup up to $15 for certain entrees. Most of the prices are very reasonable but for those dining in, bring a tip.

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Novak makes literary debut with book of short stories KIRAN SANI Contributing Writer B.J. Novak is known for being an actor, writer, director and executive producer on the Emmy award-winning television program, “The Office.” Now Novak has made his fiction debut with his new book “One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories.”

This is a book composed of short stories, some of which left me in tears of laughter and others that had me scratching my head in confusion.

Some of the plots include a boy who wins $100,000 as a Kellogg’s cereal prize, a man who discovers the meaning of dark matter, a young woman who goes on a date with a warlord, the secret to being Kate Moss and a surprisingly detailed story about the man who translated “Don Quixote.”

Now, as an avid watcher of “The Office,” I was already familiar with Novak’s work, which prepared me for the book I was about to delve into.

These stories are of varying lengths; some of them took up one page, and while I appreciated them, they were probably the most confusing. Generally, these onepagers were filled with extremely absurd comedy, even more absurd than what I was used to seeing on “The Office.”

My favorite stories, however, were the

longer, better thought-out ones. These stories were filled with an amazingly accurate depiction of the human thought process.

Novak seemed to completely understand where people’s minds can go in certain situations.

Another great quality to his collection was the amount of depth he brought to some of his stories. Some were so thoughtful I found myself thinking about them days after I read them.

What I admired most about Novak’s writing was his ability to completely catch the reader off guard; I did not expect to read some of the things I did, which is a testament to his creativity.

However creative it is, I think this book targets a specific audience in terms of the quality of its humor. I don’t think Novak can be ranked with the likes of famed short story writers just yet, but I do think he will be once he gets a bit more practice.

Overall, the book was hit and miss.

Some of the stories really stuck with me, and others were just plain confusing. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good laugh; because some of the content is just so weird you can’t help but laugh.

The novel is also available as an audiobook, with the stories read by the likes of Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, Lena Dunham, Emma Thompson, Katy Perry and many others.

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Warriors go green, help conserve energy LEXI TRIMPE Contributing Writer Greener days are ahead for Wayne State. The Office of Campus Sustainability, which is responsible for WSU’s recycling and sustainability activities on campus and in the greater Detroit area, recently announced their Green Warriors Challenge, as well as some of their planned events happening this spring.

The Green Warriors Challenge runs through April 11, and focuses on getting the campus community involved in green activities and events. It’s the main campus versus the medical campus in this 30-day competition. The initiative takes a digital approach to get students, faculty and staff to help reduce waste and conserve energy.

Students can earn points for logging into a smartphone app called “Intelen”, which provides tips for green living and quizzes on sustainability. Points can also be earned by participating in Green Warriors activities and reporting issues in their buildings. Weekly point leaders will be posted on livinggreen.wayne.

edu, and the top 50 participants on each team will be awarded prizes. The winning campus team will be named Green Warriors Campus Champion of Sustainability.

Simple actions suggested by the initiative, like unplugging electronics when not in use, can really make a difference, according to Daryl Pierson, coordinator at the campus sustainability office, which was established in 2011.

He said that the office has remained largely unknown to the campus community.

“One of things that we really started to discuss as we started to do this great work was no one really knows about it,” Pierson said. “We have an energy curtailment committee. Basically, it’s a committee of engineers and directors within facilities and people that are on the ground. Basically, we meet and discuss what’s happening around campus, in terms of the physical plan, like the energy systems, the boilers (and) the electrical systems. Basically, we are trying to pinpoint ways we can be more efficient in our energy consumption.”

Pierson said the idea for the Green

Warriors events was to make students aware of the Office of Campus Sustainability.

“We thought it would be good to start to brand our initiatives,” Pierson said. “The office looked at a variety of colleges and universities with successful sustainability initiatives, including Stanford and the University of Michigan, and came up with the “Green Warriors Behavior Change initiative.”

“It’s not just behavior, it’s also an awareness initiative, Pierson said.

“We could take everything the energy curtailment (committee) was doing and brand it under Green Warriors, and people will start to understand that there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes that help the university be more sustainable, and show that the university is a good environmental steward.”

Pierson said student involvement in the Green Warriors Challenge is crucial, and volunteers are always wanted to work at information tables or hand out flyers. “Those sorts of activities would be greatly enhanced if we were able to cover more ground,” he said.

Pierson went on to say that even if an individual could only volunteer for 15 or 20 minutes, “it would make a world of difference.”

The Green Warriors Challenge is just one of many ways the campus community can become involved with sustainability efforts. Soon, students will be able to submit their information on the office’s website, on livinggreen. wayne.edu, and be directed towards a volunteer opportunity tailored to their interests.

“We can channel them into volunteer opportunities that fit their interests,” Pierson said.

The Office of Campus Sustainability has events and activities planned throughout spring, including an Electronic Waste recycling drive on April 22 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. in Parking Lot 11, near Cass Avenue. Events are also planned leading up to Earth Day, April 22.

More information on the Office of Campus Sustainability, the Green Warriors Challenge, and volunteer opportunities can be found on the office’s webpage: livinggreen.wayne.edu.

a toasted onion roll with tomato, spinach and side of honey mustard is $6.50. Cass Café’s general manager Sandy Mush said the lentil burger is the restaurant’s most popular vegetarian option.

“Our clam chowder is also very popular on Fridays during lent,” Mush said.

The restaurant, located at 4620 Cass Ave., exhibits art work from local and nationally known artists.

A wide variety of sushi can be found at 4710 Cass Ave. Shangri-La sushi prices range from $3.75 to $16.95. It even has a “Detroit roll” with grilled salmon, spicy mayonnaise, jalapeno and scallion on the inside and cream cheese and diced grilled jalapenos on the outside.

WSU student Charbel Barrak gives up eating meat for all 40 days of lent.

“I usually bring a lunch from home,” Barrak said. “If I do decide to go out, I go to La Pita and get a hummus sandwich with french fries and tabbouli in it. It is sort of a custom made sandwich that I just ask for.

The almond rice salad is good as well.”

Both La Pita (5056 Cass Ave.) and Byblos Café (4830 Cass Ave.) carry authentic Middle Eastern food. Many dishes traditionally don’t contain meat. Grape leaves, fattoush, lentil soup, falafel and spinach pies are among the many vegetarian options to choose from. Prices range from $3.69 to $10.95 at La Pita and $2.25 to $10.50 at Byblos depending on the dish.

Overall, mixing it up at lunch time isn’t hard to do. You don’t have to wait until dinner to enjoy a meal — the variety found in this one section of Cass alone proves it.

Lent me some lunch money JESSICA SADER Contributing Writer It’s about three weeks into the Season of Lent. This means the Friday fish fry is back, catering to those participating in the Christian tradition or who just want a good meal.

Lent is a forty-day period of sacrifice leading up to Easter Sunday. Christians of many denominations pray, fast and refrain from eating meat on Fridays during this time.

The classic fried cod and French fry platter is a favorite to most at dinner time, but what about diverse Friday lunch options in Midtown? Look no further than Cass Avenue.

La Feria, located at 4130 Cass Ave., has a wide variety of vegetarian as well as vegan dishes. They specialize in Spanish tapas, which are small plates of authentic Spanish food that are meant to be shared. Champiñones en salsa verde — a hot tapas dish consisting of grilled portabella in parsley, lemon and garlic sauce — costs $5. La Feria is open on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lenten lunchers Located at 5470 Cass Ave., Campus Diner has sandwiches rolled with lettuce and tomatoes in a cholesterol free lawash flatbread. The tuna salad roll-up is $6.25 and is served with your choice of soup, salad or fries.

Cass Café’s house specialty happens to be the café lentil burger. The patty made with lentils, walnuts and parmesan, served on

CONTACT DESIGN/MULTIMEDIA EDITOR, JON ADAMS, FOR MORE INFORMATION!

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Midtown banishes the Nain Rouge once again

JON ADAMS/THE SOUTH END

EVAN SOTNIK Contributing Writer At first glance, the Marche du Nain Rouge looks like a New Orleans-esque funeral, with brass bands playing loudly and many attendees sporting skeleton face paint. However, the Marche du Nain Rouge is an anti-funeral in a way. Instead of mourning the passing of something held dear to their hearts, revelers chant away the Nain Rouge, or red dwarf, banishing the spirit believed to be responsible for some of Detroit’s darkest moments for the last three hundred years.

In the 1884 book “Legends of Le Détroit” by Marie Caroline Watson Hamlin and James Valentine Campbell, the Nain Rouge is said to have been in Detroit since the time of the city’s founding by Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac in 1701. Legend says that while at a dinner party in Quebec mere months before the official founding of Detroit, Cadillac was partying in a castle with other French officers when a fortune teller demanded to

6 I MARCH 26 - APRIL 2, 2014 I

speak to them.

When it was his turn, Cadillac asked the sibyl, who had a black cat perched on her shoulder, to tell him his future. To this, she prophesized he would “found a great city which one day will have more inhabitants than New France now possesses.” Almost in the same breath, she warned him to beware of the Nain Rouge and to not offend him, otherwise he would fall victim to the curse and lose his life’s riches.

It came to no one’s surprise, expect maybe Cadillac’s, that in 1707 while on a walk with his wife near what is now Jefferson and Griswold, the Nain Rouge appeared on the path in front of them. Instead of showing restraint and appeasing the dwarf like the fortune teller suggested, Cadillac struck the Nain Rouge with his cane, yelling, “Get out of my way, you red imp!”

Shortly afterward, Cadillac was arrested in Montreal and had to sell his Detroit property to pay for the trial. When he died in France in 1730, his children were never able to inherit the lands or riches he’d accumulated.

The Nain Rouge is said to have appeared

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at other times in the city’s past, including before the Battle of Bloody Run in 1763 and the Great Fire of 1805 that forced the city to entirely rebuild.

On Sunday, nearly three hundred years after Cadillac’s unfortunate encounter, as parade-goers waited for the ceremony to begin, the voice of the red dwarf taunted parade-goers over speakers set up across the street from Traffic Jam & Snug. The taunts were mostly in the form of inside jokes only Detroiters would understand, and some lines that garnered the best response from the crowd included “I give Kevin his Orr-ders” and “Not only did I steal the battery, but I cut the wires too.”

A woman named the Spirit of Detroit’s Future took the stage, speaking about the importance of gathering to banish the Nain Rouge and how we all have responsibility to improve the city. “We can work together … Detroiters of all ages, races and creeds will forge a new beautiful city together,” she said.

Next was the first appearance of the Nain Rouge. Climbing on top of a bus-sized, firespewing metal dragon on Second Street,

the Nain continued to taunt the crowd, saying that he would be the one to prevail and Detroit is not worth saving.

This was a cue for parade-goers, most clad in red, to begin the march behind the Nain around Midtown and down Cass Avenue. They allowed no obstacles to get in the way, including parked cars that were physically shuffled out of the path of the dragon float.

After the parade ended at the Masonic Temple, many parade-goers stuck around downtown and Midtown, taking part in Detroit’s own wonderful and twisted Mardi Gras.

Sure, this celebration is not really about banishing a little red dwarf from wreaking havoc in our city. The problems the city faces will exist days and weeks after the Marche du Nain Rouge ends this year.

However, the organizers of this event probably know that no matter how silly or seemingly outdated an event like this is, the real goal is to bring the community together to have a good time and hopefully begin a new tradition future Detroiters can enjoy, too.

SPORTS

Men’s tennis team finds victory on the road MICHAEL LEWIS Sports Correspondent The WSU’s men’s tennis team used a successful road trip to get their season back on track. After starting the year with a 1-5 record, the Warriors used victories at Findlay and top-ranked Tiffin to improve to 3-5 (2-0 GLIAC).

Wayne State used multiple victories in both singles and doubles to produce a 6-3 win over the Tiffin Dragons the afternoon of March 21. Going into the match, the Dragons stood at 10-6 (3-0 GLIAC) and were the No. 4 ranked team in the Midwest region. The Warriors were able to hand them their first league loss.

WSU began the match with two victories in doubles to go up 2-1 before singles play. Senior Melvin Johnson and redshirt junior Trey Keating dominated yet another top flight in doubles winning 8-4 and improving to 3-1 on the year. In the third flight of doubles, freshman Stephane Robineau and Mohamed Fazyl Kechai followed up with an 8-5 victory.

After starting singles, WSU won four out of six to clinch the tough road win.

Freshman Clement Charriere highlighted

singles play earning a three-set victory at No. 2 singles. Charriere lost a second-set tiebreaker in the process, but he bounced back with a 6-2, 6-7, 6-0 win over Tiffin’s Robbie Ball. Charriere improved to 5-2 at No. 2 singles on the season.

The Warriors continued their weekend road trip Saturday afternoon to face the Findlay Oilers. WSU mounted a crucial comeback to win their second straight match and remain undefeated in GLIAC play. The Warriors won four of six matches in singles, including the final match, to steal a 5-4 win.

WSU opened the match finding themselves in a 2-1 hole after Findlay seized two out of the three doubles matches.

The Warriors were then lifted by a lone doubles victory in the second flight by senior Michael Fitzgerald and sophomore Charriere. The duo attained a vital 9-8 victory.

Keating began the match by dropping the first set, but saved the day on a crucial tiebreak win in the second set. Keating then put it away by earning a service break in the third set to win the match.

He overcame Findlay’s Connor Majdalani, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 to seal the 5-4 match win for the Warriors.

COURTESY ADAM BOUTON

WSU fencing finishes 17th at NCAA National Championships

COURTESY ADAM BOUTON

FUAD SHALHOUT The South End The Wayne State fencing team finished 17th out of 25 teams overall at the NCAA Fencing National Championships, earning 25 victories over the four-day competition, which was held at French Field House on the campus of Ohio State University. Penn State won the team title, finishing ahead of runner-up Princeton University.

WSU men’s fencer Quentin Schneider

finished 14th out of 24 foilists at the national finals.

Schneider, who was also 14th after the first three rounds of competition Saturday, March 22, earned three more bout wins during Sunday’s final two rounds.

Schneider posted a 4-3 win over Ohio State’s Zain Shaito and 5-2 wins over Sacred Heart’s Andrew Holmes and St. John’s Max Blitzer.

His finish was the best WSU men’s individual finish at the national finals since Slava Zingerman placed seventh in 2010

in the epee.

He also finished his Warrior career with a record of 26-42 during his three NCAA Championship appearances and qualified for the national finals in all three years at WSU. Schneider finished the season with a record of 53-22 and posted a mark of 228-96 over his three-year WSU fencing career.

Freshman foilist Zuzanna Sobczak finished 14th during the women’s competition for WSU, while senior Kaja Klodaws-

ka also placed 22nd in the sabre for the Warriors in her second-straight NCAA Championship appearance.

Sobczak’s finish was just two spots out of earning All-American honors and is WSU’s highest women’s finish since Olivia Dobbs placed eighth in the foil in 2010.

Klodawska finished her Warrior career as the all-time leader in sabre victories with 281. She also completed her fouryear career with the fourth-most bout wins of any women’s fencer, regardless of weapon, in WSU history.

THESOUTHEND.WAYNE.EDU I MARCH 26 - APRIL 2, 2014 I 7

SPORTS

WSU baseball opens conference season to mixed results AARON STALLINGS Contributing Writer With snow finally doing more melting than falling, the Wayne State baseball team took the field last week to begin conference play with road contests at Ashland and Grand Valley State. As plentiful as runs were in a pair of wins (12-5 and 8-5) in Ohio over Ashland, they were just as rare in a trio of losses (0-3, 1-4, 0-3) in Grand Rapids.

The first game against Ashland started quiet, as the first two innings ended with zero hits and zero walks. The Warriors broke the seal on the scoring in a major way, coming up with six runs in the third.

With one out, sophomore Dennis Olszewski and junior Nathan Manis hit backto-back doubles to open the scoring. After a single and a hit batter to load the bases, senior Eric Cunningham belted a two RBI single and advanced to second base. A fly ball recorded the second out just before senior Cameron Walker hit the third double of the inning for the Warriors to drive in two more runs. Freshman Stephan Church connected with a single to score Walker, but Church was caught taking second to end the inning.

David Frederick held the Ashland batter quiet for as long as he could in 4.1 innings.

After fanning five batters earlier in the contest, the senior hit two batters in the bottom of the fifth inning to help the Eagles mount a comeback. Ashland trimmed their deficit and trialed 4-6 when Frederick was pulled and handed the ball to Jimmy Jackson, who finished out the game. One more unearned run crossed for Ashland before the inning ended. Jackson allowed just one hit as he notched the save.

Game two was a back-and-forth affair

as the teams traded the lead a few times.

The first inning ended in a 1-1 tie until the third where Ashland tacked on two runs. WSU responded by sending three men around the bases over the fourth and fifth innings to take a 4-3 lead. Warriors pitcher Brandyn Hall took a no-decision after 5.1 innings pitched before giving way to Alex Kirch and Clayton Ruch. A sixthinning double plated two more for Ashland to momentarily regain the lead before a seventh-inning RBI single from Cunningham tied the score and sent the game into extra innings.

Both squads were kept off the base path in the eighth inning. Walker broke the tie with a two RBI single to give the Warriors the lead and eventually the win.

In a three-game set against the 12th ranked Grand Valley State Lakers, the Warriors offense was completely stymied by the Lakers pitching staff. The first game was a pitchers duel as both teams were held scoreless through five innings. The Lakers finally got to Warriors starter Kyle Zimmerman in the sixth for the game’s only three runs. WSU struck first in the second game, taking a 1-0 at the end of the first inning. And once again, it was off the bat of Cunningham, giving him six RBIs in five GLIAC games thus far. But the Warriors were shut out for not only the rest of that game resulting in a 1-4, but they were also shut out the rest of the weekend as the third game ended 0-3.

As conference play continues this week, WSU will play Ashland in its season home opener on March 26 at 3 p.m. The Warriors will then host Saginaw Valley for a triplet of games. A doubleheader against the Cardinals begins March 28 at 1 p.m., while first pitch for the third game is scheduled for noon the following day.

COURTESY WSU ATHLETICS

COURTESY ADAM BOUTON

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