The Review T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f D e l a w a r e ’s i n d e p e n d e n t s t u d e n t n e w s p a p e r s i n c e 1 8 8 2
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 VOLUME 141, ISSUE 19
UDance goes to infinity and beyond, smashing previous record ALLISON WINTERS Staff Reporter For the first time, UDance’s fundraising total surpassed $1 million, sending the university community into a state of celebration Sunday. The daylong, student-run event shattered expectations in raising $1,282,103.30 for The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, a Delawarebased pediatric cancer charity. Crushing last year’s total of $850,376.75, the 12-hour dance marathon has become bigger than ever with almost double the number of dancers and moralers of the past two years. UDance is now the sixth largest collegiate marathon in the nation, according to entertainment chair Ashley Bernstein. Co-executive director Julia Denhoff described Sunday as “the best day of her life.” She said she was shocked to see how many people from not only the university community, but also the Newark community, came out to join in the fight against childhood cancer. It was incredible to see the growth of the program, particularly in the number
of dancers and moralers, she said. “Our goal this year was to get the entire campus involved in UDance, not just Greek life or clubs, and I truly believe that we did that,” Denhoff said. “We always strive to raise more money than the previous year, but this year, with the overwhelming support, we beyond surpassed this goal.” Bernstein said the $430,000 difference between this year and last has been the largest monetary increase from a previous UDance. For the first time this year the marathon was also given a theme,“Kicking Cancer to Infinity and Beyond,” which resulted in plenty of outer space items and apparel seen in the Bob Carpenter Center. Co-executive director Kelsey McWilliams agreed with Denhoff that this was a pivotal year for the marathon. “This is the year where all of UDance’s year-long events become traditions and become a part of the culture for everyone at UD for years to come,” McWilliams said. “It solidifies the hard work of this year until we are dancing in celebration of the best UDance: the year we celebrate a cure.”
Like many others, freshman Ellen McAlpine donated eight inches of her hair while at the event to make wigs for children with cancer. Initially McAlpine was not planning to donate, but she said she experienced
“You make me so proud to be a Blue Hen.” -Joe McDonough, B+ founder
a change of heart after hearing guest speaker Tara Schneider tell her story of her cancer diagnosis at age 18. “I’ve had long hair all my life,” McAlpine said. “It is part of my identity, and I want every little girl to be able to feel as beautiful as she really is. Donating my hair is just one small thing I could do to help.” Performers throughout the day included students, local bands and 2012 X-Factor runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar as a special guest. For her second song, “Fighters,” Sonenclar invited the B+ Heroes to the stage. The B+ Heroes are local children with cancer who are paired with university student groups that fundraise for UDance, and many performed later in their talent show. B+ Hero Dane Johnson, 5, danced to “Gangnam Style” with his affiliated sorority, Alpha Phi, and was beaming with happiness afterward. “I wasn’t scared. I like seeing all the people at UDance,” he said. “I like seeing everyone have fun.” He later reported he chose to dance to this particular song because
he likes when it says “sexy lady.” Joe McDonough created The B+ Foundation after his 14-year-old son, Andrew, died of cancer in 2007. Although the foundation is named in Andrew’s honor, UDance was created in order to help fund research and support families dealing with similar issues. McDonough said he feels pride in knowing that without the community’s efforts, the organization would not be able to help families in over 240 hospitals nationwide or help fund research in hopes of finding a cure. In addition to the $1.28 million raised Sunday, the 12-hour marathon has raised over $2 million dollars since it was founded 8 years ago. To those who participated for their last time as students, McDonough thanked them for their tremendous assistance. “I always feel proud knowing that you put smiles on the faces of our B+ Heroes and their families,” McDonough said. “You make me so proud to be a Blue Hen.”
WHAT’S INSIDE
ANDREW KUCZMARSKI/THE REVIEW Students involved with UDance as executive board members, committee members, dancers and moralers celebrate their fundraising achievements with the B+ Heroes.
Women in leadership, page 3
Criticism flies over Gen Ed changes, page 4
Groff: Title IX office short staffed, page 5
udreview.com
TUESDAY, MARCH 24
PENCIL IT IN
-Novelist Qiu Xialong: “Inspector Chen in the Global Age,” 5 - 7 p.m., Trabant Theater -Networking with Delaware’s Jewish Leaders, 6 - 8 p.m., Hillel Student Center -USC Quizzo: Star Wars, 7 - 8 p.m., Perkins Student Center, West Lounge
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25
THURSDAY, MARCH 26
-Fempowerment: Co-Creating Women Leaders, 6:30 - 8 p.m., Perkins Gallery -Healthy Hens Kiosk, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Trabant University Center -SCPAB presents: Nicole Byer, Chris DiStefano and Andrew Schulz, 8 - 10 p.m.
-University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra’s annual Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert, 8 p.m., Mitchell Hall
FRIDAY, MARCH 27
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
-Free Lunch Friday Entrepreneurial Speaker Series, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Venture Development Center -Environmental Engineering Guest Speaker Seminar, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., 350 Du Pont Hall -International Coffee Hour, 4 - 6 p.m., 44 Kent Way
SPRING BREAK!
SUNDAY, MARCH 29
MONDAY, MARCH 30
SPRING BREAK!
SPRING BREAK!
#TBT
TL;DR UDance breaks $1 million fundraising goal
Burrito madness
UDance’s grand total: $1,282,103.30. The 12hour philanthropic dance marathon concluded Sunday night with the announcement of the record-breaking fundraising total. The $1.2 million will go to the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, a Delaware-based nonprofit that supports families of children with pediatric cancer. Check back tonight for a story on UDance’s landmark achievement.
Chipotle vs. El Diablo: the question on everyone’s mind. A line of patrons curled around Main Street’s newest burrito shop during Friday night’s grand opening. Based in Wilmington, El Diablo will offer up some tough competition for likeminded Tex Mex restaurants California Tortilla and Chipotle.
Nancy Brickhouse to leave UD
After 27 years at the university, deputy provost Nancy Brickhouse will be heading to Saint Louis University, where she will serve as provost. Provost Domenico Grasso will lead the search to find Brickhouse’s replacement.
Ted Cruz to run for president
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) announced his candidacy for president early Monday. Besides Florida’s Jeb Bush, Cruz is the first major candidate to announce an intent to run.
“Too long; didn’t read” gives you weekly news summaries in 200 words or less.
B
IDEN BEAT EMERY COOPERSMITH/THE REVIEW
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March 24, 2015
Now that UDance broke $1 million, maybe our favorite alum VP Biden will show us some moves next year.
Wednesday, March 11, 1992 In the Delaware Field House, 2,864 fans packed in to watch the men’s basketball team play against Drexel University in the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Title game. Even more fans watched live all over campus and beyond when it was broadcast on ESPN. The Blue Hens crushed the Drexel Dragons 9268 to win the NAC Title and earn their first ever NCAA Tournament berth. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work by “a great bunch of guys,” said coach Steve Steinwedel. NAC Tournament MVP Alex Cole scored 22 points and garnered six rebounds to help the Hens extend to a 20-game winning streak, then the second longest streak in the nation.
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KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW Rita’s Water Ice gives away free water ice to celebrate the first day of spring in the snow last Friday.
March 24, 2015 udreview.com
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A BRICK THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING
Outgoing deputy provost talks female leadership CADY ZUVICH Executive Editor
KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW Targett, who has moved through the ranks of the administration over the years, said she will strengthen communication and transparency at the university.
Q&A with Interim President Nancy Targett JAY PANANDIKER Managing News Editor Earlier this month, Nancy Targett was announced as the interim president of the university. She will replace Patrick Harker beginning July 1. The Review talked to Dean Targett last week about her plans for the university and her tenure as president. JP: What do you see as the role of the interim president position? NT: The role of interim president is to smooth the transition between President Harker and the incoming president, who is president number 27. What you want to do is not lose momentum in that time. You want to keep the forward progress of the university, keep people focused on the vision and moving the institution forward, and you want to use it as a time to bring people together in brainstorming sessions to think about how do we best position ourselves for the best president. JP: How has your past experience as a dean and a faculty member prepared you for this new role? NT: I have been a graduate student, a faculty member, I’ve risen through the ranks of a faculty member here. I think I have a deep sense and try never to forget what it’s like to be a faculty member and what it feels like to be a student. I have also been sitting in some administrative positions, so I know some of the issues and constraints from that seat as
well. Having the breadth of that experience allows you to think about things from different perspectives and allows you to not always view things from the administrative seat. I understand how to collaborate with the faculty to get the change done. JP: What kind of specific ideas do you have to ensure a smooth transition? NT: Right now, President Harker has set this up so he and I will be working closely together for the next couple of months. I will be attending many of the meetings in Hullihen Hall so that I get up to speed on what’s happening at the institution. When the new person comes on board, I can transfer the knowledge about the institution to them. JP: What do you think is the biggest strength of the university? NT: I believe the biggest strength of the university lies in its faculty and students. It’s how we work together to achieve things—that’s the biggest strength. When you work together on something, you can achieve almost anything. JP: Last week at a meeting on sexual assault, a good number of faculty and students said they didn’t trust the administration. What do you think of that? How do we build administrative trust? NT: I think trust is really important, and the best way to build it is communication and transparency. We should work to do that.
JP: What’s the biggest national issue that faces higher education right now? How does the University of Delaware take on those issues? NT: I don’t think it’s a single issue, it’s all the issues. The academic landscape we exist in is changing dramatically. It’s about how we are going to respond to those changes. President Harker has positioned us quite well to respond to those changes. There are all these issues, and its the combination of all of them that are putting pressure on higher education. I think the university is well positioned to take those issues on. We have started talking about those issues already. We have to continue to have the dialogues and not be afraid to have the hard discussions— to disagree in a civil and respectful way. JP: How do you bridge disagreements between faculty, students and administrators? NT: I think you have to listen to people and find the common ground. You try and find places where people come together, and you can move an agenda forward. Everyone isn’t going to agree on every issue. There’s a lot of divisiveness. If we could come together and find the common ground and build trust on that common ground, you can build an agenda—even if you don’t agree on every issue. That’s what I hope we can do together as a university.
Local police departments explain undercover operations
MARGARET McNAMARA Senior Reporter
After November’s police raids of day-drinking parties, some students were wary of undercover tactics used by local police departments over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The raids last semester were a result of a joint effort between Newark and university police. One incident resulted in the arrest of three university students, who were charged with 145 counts of providing alcohol to minors, and the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity was subsequently suspended from campus in connection with the raids. Rumors circulated campus that local police had other undercover operations planned for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. University of Delaware Police Department (UDPD) confirmed that undercover tactics were not used St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Cpl. James Spadola of Newark Police Department (NPD) was also unaware of Newark Police using any undercover tactics on St. Patrick’s Day weekend but said that information doesn’t always reach him. “It’s not hard to find a
party,” said Spadola. “We don’t need some crazy sneaky method when there’s 250 kids hanging out in the window.” UDPD Police Chief Patrick Ogden said police will debrief students to find out where they bought illegal substances, but UDPD never uses students in an undercover capacity. He has no objection to another agency using undercover informants— it is an effective police tactic. Ogden said the NPD also uses debriefing techniques, but it is primarily for businesses and not a typical approach to off-campus parties. Police will relieve underage drinking charges if the individual works as a police informant by purchasing alcohol from the liquor store or bar that served them as evidence that the establishment provides alcohol to minors. Spadola confirmed that this has been done before. Open parties leave tenants and partygoers vulnerable. “Not only could you be susceptible to being a victim of crime, but you could also be susceptible to an undercover operation,” Ogden said. Ogden said several tips came in anonymously from students through the LiveSafe
App identifying the location of parties. Senior Public Safety Supervisor Erika Romanowski said public safety aids are not involved in busting off-campus parties. Public Safety’s responsibilities involve circling campus grounds to catch hazards that may not be seen by an officer in a vehicle, transporting students to and from the hospital, making rounds with resident staff and making medical calls. “Anything off campus is handled by Newark Police Department,” she said. Spadola said he is not opposed to using undercover tactics. He said there aren’t plans for raids like last semester’s, however, they are not normally planned anyway. Newark Police Department’s statistics from last year’s St. Patrick Day weekend show a decline in arrests for underage consumption and possession of alcohol, charges of disorderly premise, alcohol referrals and transports. Most charges were issued to non-students. “I think our students are starting to realize where the line is drawn,” Ogden said.
Deputy Provost Nancy Brickhouse sits in her office surrounded by framed photographs of memories that have accumulated during her 27 years at the university. Her wall is accented with art by her son, who grew up in Newark and is now a student. Underneath on a table sit newly-bloomed daffodils. Brickhouse grew up professionally at the university, living and working in Newark. But after rising through the ranks from assistant professor to deputy provost at the university, she is moving on to become provost at Saint Louis University, her tenure at Delaware ending July 1. Her rise to deputy provost is the exception, not the rule. “It’s unusual for people to be promoted through the ranks at one single institution,” Brickhouse said. “This is a step up for me. A lot of time, to get to the next step requires changing institutions.” Brickhouse came to the university in 1988 from Purdue University, beginning as an assistant professor in the School of Education. She soon became associate director, then director, of the education school. She was the deputy dean and interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development before making the leap to Hullihen Hall as an administrator in 2011. The outgoing deputy provost is no novice to the duties of a university provost. Before Provost Domenico Grasso replaced former Provost Tom Apple, Brickhouse was asked to be interim provost, feeling out what lies ahead in St. Louis. She said she feels better prepared for the provost title. “It gave me an understanding for what the job is,” Brickhouse said. “It’s a big picture job, looking at the institution as a whole.” Saint Louis University will be a change from Delaware. Moving from a suburban to city setting, Brickhouse will be at a Jesuit college with significantly fewer students—just under 9,000 undergraduates. But growing up in Texas, Brickhouse will find St. Louis to be somewhat of a return to her roots. “There’s an of southerness Brickhouse said.
element to it,” “It’s a
gateway to the West, and quite frankly gets me a little closer to home.” Incoming Interim President Nancy Targett, who has worked closely with Brickhouse, said Provost Grasso will define the search for Brickhouse’s replacement, whether that entails an interim to fill her position. “I think its wonderful she’s been recognized for the leadership capabilities that she has and that she will be assuming the role of provost at Saint Louis University,” Targett said. “I’m excited for her.” Brickhouse’s roots are in chemistry. She was one of three women to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Baylor University. Her interest in science developed from her father, who started a lab business measuring nutritional value in feed stocks—right in their kitchen. She grew up working in a lab and watching her dad conduct experiments in their Texas home. “Chemistry was very much a part of the milieu I grew up in,” Brickhouse said. “I just enjoyed it.” Being a woman in a maledominated field, Brickhouse said it was easy to feel a lack of belonging. She credits her support system—and invested professors—for her success in a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) field. Later she went on to study the absence of girls in STEM. In a 2000 study, she found women are excluded from science early on, which contrasts her early exposure to science from her father. “Girls are alienated by science,” Brickhouse, with colleagues, writes in the study. “Science is masculine, competitive, objective, impersonal—qualities that are at odds with our images of what girls are.” This same female underrepresentation is found in university administration, which sees a male majority. According to the 2014 annual report by the university’s Women’s Caucus, 37 percent of administrative leaders are women. A pay gap also exists between males and females at the university. According to an IRS 990 form filed in 2013, 10 out of the 33 highest-paid employees were female. Most women on this list have reported compensation that sits in the bottom half of this list. See BRICKHOUSE pg. 4
EMILY MOORE/THE REVIEW Brickhouse will assume the position of provost at Saint Louis University. She was the only female candidate considered for the job.
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March 24, 2015 udreview.com
Criticism flies over Gen Ed changes
BRIAN MCMANUS Staff Reporter For future freshmen, ENGL110 could be replaced. The multicultural requirement may no longer be offered, capstones may be required for every major and leadership positions may be eligible for credit. A draft plan to reform the university’s general education program was introduced at Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting. The proposed plan comes after private meeting in the fall and a sequence of retreats in Winter Session 2015. This plan would make significant changes to the university’s current breadth requirements while leaving college breadth requirements untouched. The general education reforms comes with the hope that all university students––regardless of major––walk away from the university with similar characteristics and knowledge. Some of the biggest changes would be the dismissal or rebranding of English 110, FYE/FYS, the Discovery Learning Experience requirement and the multicultural requirement. Math professor John Pelesko chairs the Gen Ed Task Force. At Monday’s meeting, English professor Gabrielle Foreman voiced concerns over the absence of ENGL110 from the new plan. “I think our students need to be taught by people who have been trained well in these areas and I have yet to understand the ramifications of how that staffing will happen across such a broad spectrum,” Foreman said. The new implementation plan will preserve FYE/ FYS, but it will not solely rely on these seminars to achieve the university’s goals and standards of general education. The CORE courses will consist of a writing intensive course and two courses on past and future “debates, challenges and big ideas” –– wording borrowed from the Delaware Will Shine
strategic plan. At Monday’s crowded Faculty Senate meeting, several members of the university committee expressed concerns about the new draft, some questioning the lack of student involvement in the drafting process. In the scope of diversity, students and professors alike expressed concerns that revoking the multicultural requirement would make diversity an even more scarce topic. Vice President of Student Life Dawn Thompson voiced support of the Engagement and Encounters requirements, which could be satisfied by a combination of coursework and co-curricular activities. EE credits could be earned through campus leadership roles, study abroad or service learning. “We are here to endorse the Engagement and Encounters requirement and assist it in any way we can,” Thompson said. The proposal of this implementation was met with plenty of criticism. John Ernest, English professor and department chair, acknowledged that the English department has worked hard to create a well-rounded E110 curriculum that meets the university’s standards. Ernest said the department has been entirely shaped by this class, and the sudden change will create serious problems. Faculty members and students provided many other questions to the conversation: where will we hire the necessary staff? How will this plan be funded? Where does diversity fit into all of this? What is the student input in general education changes? Some attendees felt none of these topics were given enough time in this short proposal meeting, so several people proposed a second open hearing in a larger room, with a larger audience and a more in-depth conversation. The task force did not state whether or not a second hearing will take place.
KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW The task force’s proposal to revise the university general education requirements was met with some criticism, especially involving cutting English 110.
Gen Ed defined Core 110: writing intensive course to replace ENGL110. It will prepare “engaged citizens involved in world around them. Core 120: Second core which will look at challenges, debates and big ideas facing modern society. Core 220: Third core which will look at challenges, debates and big ideas presented to previous generations. Capstone experience: Would be required in every major and could include thesis, research and senior seminar course. Engagement and encounters requirements: Courses or experiences, counting for credit, that would take students beyond the classroom. All students would be required to have EE plans after 60 credits and Faculty Senate would maintain list of EE courses. Research and internships could fulfill EE requirements.
KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW Georgina Class-Peters was selected to be the student representative on the Presidential Search Committee.
“IT BUILDS CHARACTER”
CPAB rep to assist in presidential search ALISON WILSON Associate Editor Her resume is endless. She’s president of Cultural Programming Advisory Board, involved with Center for Black Culture, is a resident assistant, has filmed her own documentary and was recently appointed to the Presidential Search Committee assembled to replace President Patrick T. Harker. Junior political science and criminal justice double major Georgina ClassPeters leads a busy life on campus, but she is not the ordinary mega-involved student. She was contacted by administrators in Hullihen Hall and asked to join the Presidential Search Committee to function as the student voice. At this point, she said she does not know exactly what the job entails, but the committee goal is to pick a president who will embody the morals and attitude that represent the university best. She is ambitious, driven and outspoken—traits that align with the traditional leader’s makeup—and sees lessons in both failure and success. “She’ll just make opportunities where there are no opportunities,” junior Gerti Wilson said of her best friend. She seeks opportunity on campus—Class-Peters is also a Blue Hen Ambassador Coordinator, member of Blue Hen Leadership Program and in the process of founding a new Registered Student Organization (RSO)—and outside of the university. Spur-of-the-moment, she will call Wilson and convince her to catch the next Megabus or get a Zipcar to New York City or Philadelphia. And while Wilson, as the more reserved of the two, said she needs to have a schedule, Class-Peters prefers to get up and go. She sees everything as a chance to build character, Wilson said, which is a phrase she lives by. “If it’s a fun experience, if it’s a crazy experience,
if it’s a good or bad experience,” Wilson said of Class-Peters’ outlook, “it builds character.” Typically, they end up in sticky situations, wondering how they got to where they are. Class-Peters said it is usually her fault, but said there is value in learning to deal with something new or see things from a different perspective. Which is why she directed and filmed an hour-long documentary last summer titled “Through the Eyes of the Builder: Perceptions of Beauty.” The film covers the university as it relates to African-American women and how attitudes shape their views of beauty. It will be presented on campus April 9 in the Perkins Lounge.
“I love all of my traits because they make me me.” -Georgina Class-Peters
While the film functions to educate and raise questions, the RSO ClassPeters is spearheading–– Sisters on the Move––will give people the chance to act. It should be registered with the university next fall. “This is the action part of it,” Class-Peters said. “I don’t believe you should mention problems or issues without being solution oriented, and so for me it would be best to create a space where students could get together on a constant basis.”
All in all, Class-Peters is bold. She calls things like she sees them, and is vocal with her opinions with both her peers and administrators. Wilson said this aspect of her personality never turns on or off. This trait, attractive to some, can be negatively misconstrued as cockiness or overconfidence, said junior and friend Cameron Brown. He said he admires this in her, as it is something he himself could improve. “I love all of my traits because they make me me,” Class-Peters said confidently, but she said she knows there are areas where she could grow. Wilson said Class-Peters has the biggest heart. As Class-Peters seeks personal success she also wants to see everyone she is close to succeed with her, Brown said, recalling a time she went out of her way to secure a job for a friend on campus. Family is one of the core tenets of her life. Making her parents proud is her biggest accomplishment, she said. She is also a spiritual person who thanks God for all the opportunities she has been given. Her involvement and leadership roles on campus are a reflection of who she is as a person. Class-Peters likes to be above, not below, Brown said. According to Wilson, Class-Peters is meant to be a supervisor, not to be supervised. “Sometimes I even tell her, ‘Gina what if you were president one day,’” Brown said. While this may or may not have crossed ClassPeters’ mind, at the moment she plans to go to law school and become an immigration lawyer. As a first-generation Ghana West African, she believes in equality and wants to actively help immigrants. But for now, she will balance each responsibility she has on campus with one thing in mind. It builds character.
BRICKHOUSE: ‘I LEARNED A LOT OF GOOD LESSONS ALONG THE WAY.’ Continued from pg. 3 Brickhouse, who was the only female provost candidate at Saint Louis University, said this lack of representation is a characteristic held across the board in higher education. From Brickhouse’s perspective, it’s about putting women in leadership positions early on—for example in departments— thus strengthening the pipeline. A lot of universities, Brickhouse said, need to work on grooming leaders. There is not much
intentionality in supporting diverse leaders early on. “If you believe as I do that the best decisions are made when you have people from diverse perspectives sitting around a table hashing it out, you see the diversity of that pipeline as important,” Brickhouse said. She looks back at her accomplishments, most proud of a focus on internationalization and general education. She just hopes her initiatives will be sustainable, outliving her Delaware tenure. Leaving
Delaware, Brickhouse said, will not be an easy farewell. She watched Newark grow into a budding town and “practically raised her family” at Ali Baba, where the owners know her by name. “This will always be the place where I grew up professionally—the place where I raised my kids,” Brickhouse said. “I learned a lot of good lessons along the way.”
March 24, 2015 udreview.com
Pedestrians face heavy fines for jaywalking on city streets PATRICK WITTERSCHEIN Senior Reporter
Why did the Blue Hen cross the road? To get to the other side. The punchline is how much it will cost: $80 for a jaywalking ticket. Walking to class may seem like a race against the clock for some students, but crossing the street at the wrong time or place could earn them citations from the Newark Police Department (NPD). Heavy fines for jaywalking and a strong W police presence have made city streets much safer for pedestrians and motorists alike, NPD spokesperson James Spadola said. Last year, 23 tickets were written for jaywalking violations. “Jaywalking is a major inconvenience for vehicular traffic, but most importantly a safety concern for both vehicles and pedestrians,” Spadola said in an email message. He also noted that the town has seen fatalities due to jaywalking incidents. Recent events in Newark have raised awareness of the dangers of city streets. Earlier this month university graduate Amanda Hagelstein was struck in a fatal hit-andrun on Delaware Avenue. Over St. Patrick’s day weekend, a woman was struck by a car on Cleveland Avenue after stepping into
the street from between two parked cars. In Newark, the pedestrian infrastructure of walk signals and crosswalks is meant to keep pedestrians safe while still allowing traffic to flow. When writing tickets, Spadola said officers look for blatant violations of municipal code. According to the municipal code of Newark, pedestrians are prohibited from crossing the street between two adjacent intersections with traffic lights, and also prohibited from crossing intersections diagonally. Also included in city code are ordinances for obeying pedestrian crossing signals, walking on the sidewalk, and walking on the right side of crosswalks. With so many opportunities to step out of line, many students are beginning to wonder why the city feels jaywalking is such an important issue. Junior Ross Santos said that sometimes he cuts across North College Avenue adjacent to the overpass simply because it is a faster route. While he has never gotten a ticket before, Santos was surprised at the heavy fines associated with jaywalking. “I didn’t know it was that much,” Santos said. “It definitely should be lower.”
After court fees, the fine for a jaywalking ticket can be as high as $80, Spadola said. In 2014 the 23 tickets written for jaywalking accounted for more than $1,700 in city revenue. In the city, the most common locations for jaywalking tickets are areas where students tend to gather during the day and at night. According to Spadola, Main Street, East Delaware Avenue and Cleveland Avenue are all jaywalking “hotspots.” While NPD has had initiatives in the past to deter incidents, ordinances against jaywalking have been on the books for some time, Spadola said. NPD will continue to enforce jaywalking laws in the city, and town citizens and university students will continue to be wary of crossing except at marked locations. That orange hand at busy intersections may be doing more than keeping students from arriving to class on time. In fact, it may be saving them from the most expensive street crossing of their life. Santos’ feelings on jaywalking tickets are clear. Before the officer pulls out his pen and citation pad, he has just one request: “Well, I’d like to have a warning first.”
KRISTA ADAMS/THE REVIEW Newark police identified Main Street, East Delaware Avenue and Cleveland Avenue as jaywalking “hotspots.”
Title IX coordinator: Office is short staffed MEGHAN JUSCZAK Managing News Editor
When asked about her goals for the next five or 10 years, Title IX coordinator Susan Groff said she would likely be too “burnt out” to stay in the position long enough to make those plans. “Gone and out of here,” she said, then proceeded to discuss the issues within the Title IX office with the Student Government Association (SGA) Senate. In her first year in the position, Groff has undertaken additional responsibilities as the university experiences a federal Title IX investigation w as well as heightened d attention from the university r community, particularly surrounding issues like mandatory reporting and educational policies. Despite the support she receives from various e committees, Groff is the ” only administrator focused purely on Title IX policies and investigations at the moment, she said. The university is working to rectify this by hiring two full-time Title IX investigators, but the first
round of the search in the fall did not go well. After naming the first round a failure, a second has begun. It is of particular importance that these new positions are filled, Groff said, because the deputy Title IX coordinator recently resigned to take another position. “I really just want to hire people to help me,” Groff said. A Title IX investigator would be charged with investigating claims. Other universities have hired or are hiring investigators. For now, she said she wants to focus on the two-year plan. Her office is “behind the eight ball” when it comes to communication about policies with students, she said, and for the fall the university’s judicial process will be adjusted. A new policy also involves her reviewing every case with identifying information with a case advisory board before any decision is made. Compared to other universities, she thinks UD is in a good spot, she said. “Everyone around the [case advisory board] table is passionate, and cares and wants to do the right thing,”
Groff said. After Groff spoke, SGA President Ben Page-Gil updated the Senate on his work with the Faculty Senate Commission on Sexual Assault and called last week’s undergraduate open forum a success. He said the commission is looking to adjust sexual misconduct policies and trauma counseling practices for international students, which has been a concern voiced at many of the forums. Two proposals were also passed during the Senate meeting—the first added more printers to Perkins Student Center and Trabant University Center, and the second, after an open floor debate, announced SGA support for the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act. The act, which will be voted on in Congress, would eliminate tax laws that do not allow not-for-profit, nonuniversity student housing to receive untaxed donations. This mainly affects fraternity and sorority houses and allows them to receive donations from their national organizations for upkeep.
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FILE PHOTO Eric Ziady helps up a former player after last year’s CAA championship victory. 2014’s tournament run remains the peak of Ziady’s tenure.
A.D. still confident in athletics overhaul
MATT BUTLER Managing News Editor
The university athletics program is going through a period of flux. Despite recent success in smaller-drawing sports such as lacrosse and women’s basketball, students and fans alike sense an air of uncertainty surrounding the university’s teams. This is true regarding the university’s top two athletic programs, men’s basketball and football, one of which may be losing its most successful coach in recent memory, and the other that has produced mediocre onfield results since 2011. This has all occurred under the watchful eye of Eric Ziady, the university’s athletic director. He opened with a bang after his hiring in October 2012, making his first major move by parting ways with head football coach K.C. Keeler, who had been to three national championships in 11 years with the team. He brought in Dave Brock, who has led the team to a 13-11 record in his first two years. But Ziady said there was more to the switch then met the public eye, and Brock’s uneven record in his first two years betrays the work he has done to reverse the troubling trends Ziady saw when he first came to the school. “They won a national championship, there’s no taking that away, but there were a lot more valleys than there were peaks,” Ziady said. “The way we evaluate a program is academically, athletically and socially. We are now trending in the absolute direction that I want us to be trending in.” One of the hallmarks of Keeler’s regime at Delaware was an abnormally high number of transfers, a characteristic Ziady said he felt needed to be addressed. When he arrived, onethird of the scholarship on the football team were transfer players, while next year around 44 of the 63 scholarship players on the team will be freshmen or sophomores. Ziady wants to avoid the peaks and valleys that
were especially evident in the football program during Keeler’s reign. He said he wants players dedicated to Delaware football as a whole, not a group of one or two year mercenaries. “If we are going to build a program with sustainable success, I want guys developing as football players, as students and as young men here at Delaware,” Ziady said. “A lot of those [transfers] were good guys, but they were never freshmen or sophomores here. They never lived in a dorm.” There are hidden benefits to bringing in players for a full four years to the program, especially when it comes to Ziady’s mission to re-engage the university’s fanbase, which has come into focus due to dwindling attendance at the oncecrowded football games in particular. If fans can watch a player grow, not just play, before their eyes, Ziady said, the experience becomes much more enriching. On a separate front, the athletics department is now embroiled in a very public situation with head coach Monte Ross, with media across the country decrying his lack of a new contract. Recruit Eli Cain, who reportedly declined to sign with Delaware until he knew more about Ross’ contract, decided to commit to DePaul University earlier this month. Ross’ contract limbo has not sat well with fans, including junior Evan Budischak, who has been one of many students holding signs supporting Ross during the home stretch of the season. Budischak said he thinks Ziady is doing a good job with the athletic programs overall, but that his actions with Ross send a mixed message. Ziady declined to comment on Ross’ situation. “To me, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Budischak said. “In a way, it’s disrespectful to Monte. Usually in sports, it’s pretty objective, you win and you’re in. So what has he been doing wrong?”
The educational birthplace of Biden, Christie and more? MATT BUTLER Managing News Editor The university can add a new term to its list of attraction tactics for new students—maker of political kings. New York Times columnist and author Frank Bruni named the school as such during a segment called “Is your dream college overrated?” on “CBS This Morning,” which dealt with the admissions mania that many families face during this time of year. He said the gap between Ivy League schools and other colleges has closed to the point that the pressure on getting into a “top-tier” college is unwarranted. “We’ve created this
culture right now where we have all of these kids and their parents who think that their entire life trajectory is going to be set by a few days in March,” Bruni said. “And it’s not true, it’s a destructive narrative to tell them.” As an example, Bruni used the success of Delaware graduates Joe Biden, Chris Christie, David Plouffe and Steve Schmidt, who were both integral in the 2008 election campaigns, as proof that the traditional top colleges are not the only path to success anymore. “Why aren’t we talking about this maker of political kings, University of Delaware?” Bruni said. “Because we prefer the other narrative, which is not an accurate one.”
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March 24, 2015 udreview.com
Ecology major being combined with wildlife ecology MEGHAN KEATING Staff Reporter
COURTESY OF CESAR CARO Kate Norris, Kerry Snyder, Becky Bronstein and Cesar Caro representing DENIN at Ag Day. Bronstein and Caro spearheaded the campaign for an Office of Sustainability.
New office to coordinate campus-wide sustainability work
ELIZABETH QUARTARARO Editor-in-chief More than two years ago, senior Becky Bronstein and alum Grace Relf (’14) began investigating who was accountable for sustainability at the university. Though the university had the Sustainability Task Force, the duo felt that more coordination was needed between efforts. Relf and Bronstein decided to write a proposal for the Office of Sustainability during summer 2013, and after semesters of meetings with high-level administrators and revised proposals, a posting for a manager of the Office of Sustainability went up on UD Jobs late last month. The manager is to lead campus-wide sustainability education and implementation, including through student organizations, academic departments and community organizations, according to the job description. During the proposal process, Bronstein and Relf reached out to Ph.D. student Cesar Caro because of his involvement with Graduate Student Government. It was these students who presented their case for an office to Alan Brangman, who was a university architect at that point in 2013, and is now vice president for facilities, real estate and auxiliary services. Once in the vice president position, the white paper drafted by the students made its way to Brangman’s hands. The initial white paper was “quite aggressive,” he said, because it involved multiple hires.
At the time, Brangman said the university had already made a number of commitments, so the proposal did not immediately move forward. Eventually though, Brangman took the white paper and examined its recommendations, then compared it to six or seven universities similar in size to Delaware, to see what they were doing on the sustainability front. “I came back, literally sat down one evening, and started drafting up the position descriptions from the six offices at other universities and the white paper,” Brangman said. He had it vetted by his direct reports, shared it with Executive Vice President Scott Douglas and from there the position was in existence. “The impetus really came from that white paper and my meeting with those three students, which was a little over a year ago,” Brangman said. Locally, Pennsylvania State University, University of Maryland, Towson University and Rutgers University have offices of sustainability. The role falls under paygrade 32E, with minimum pay of $57,936, maximum $110,058 and midpoint $85,048. There are a number of positions that have gone vacant in facilities for next year, and the funds saved for those vacancies will be used to fund this position, Brangman said. These posts were already vacant at the time that this position was created; no jobs were eliminated in order to make way for the position. Savings from energy initiatives were a key aspect of the students’ proposal to fund the position, and Brangman
said it is possible to see direct savings from the manager’s work. He mentioned the savings created from switching the light bulbs used at the university as a case-in-point, and said the trick is to ensure the university is capturing the saved dollars. The posting is “very much in line” with the original proposal for an office, Caro said. “The creation of this position is a strong indicator of institutional commitment to real and lasting impact through facilities’ best practices, educational reform and engagement of on and off campus communities,” Caro stated in an email message. Caro said he had “no idea” the job would be posted when it was, and said he was very pleased to see real progress toward coordinated sustainability efforts at the university. “It’s only one step on the long road ahead, but it’s a momentous and significant one,” he said. The creation of the manager of an Office of Sustainability comes at a time when the university’s planning includes an emphasis on sustainability. “The president had already signed up for the president’s council on sustainability; it was already one of the priorities in terms of the types of things he wanted on campus,” Brangman said. “It is also bubbling up through the strategic plan process that we’re going through now.” Brangman said there are thus far “a lot” of applicants. A selection committee is slated to convene in April and members hope to have the spot filled by July 1, Brangman said.
After struggling to reach enrollment targets since its proposal in 2010, the ecology major will be combined with the wildlife ecology major with a number of crossover courses. Current ecology majors will not be affected by the drop and no professors will be terminated. The review process, called “sun-setting,” is more of a phasing out than a sudden cut, Mark Rieger, dean and director of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said. This process is standard for every single major offered at the university and it happens often.
“A lack of student interest in the major was a factor in our decision.” -JACOB BOWMAN,
professor of entomology and wildlife ecology, department chairperson Rieger said with every major, a five-year probationary period occurs to measure the popularity of the major. Rieger said after this five-year period the faculty can choose whether or not to support it. In the case of the ecology major, faculty ultimately decided upon the former, due largely in part to the fact that wildlife ecology— another major offered by the College of Agriculture—has crossover with ecology and has a higher enrollment rate. “A lack of student
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interest in the major was a factor in our decision,” said Jacob Bowman, professor of entomology and wildlife ecology and department chairperson. Students will frequently start out at the university as an ecology major and then switch to wildlife ecology after being introduced to the field and discovering they like learning about animals, Rieger said. Faculty expertise is a huge reason why so many students end up going down the wildlife track, Rieger said. “I think the kids just naturally gravitate toward that,” Rieger said. “That’s our strength.” Strong faculty connections is something freshman wildlife ecology major Billy Kaselow can especially relate to. “My attention was brought to the program at UD when I met [professor Greg] Shriver to talk about research projects at the university during my junior year of high school,” Kaselow said. Bowman notified his Freshman Year Experience class about the change. Rieger said, due to the overlap, no faculty members will be affected or lose their jobs. The same goes for current ecology majors and any incoming freshman that may have selected the major. “Since we had advertised this year that [ecology] was a major, we are committed to all the students in the major now and the students that we’re accepting,” Rieger said. With only six people currently in the major, the dean says it will be a matter of only a couple of years before it is completely phased out. Interests change over time, so sometimes majors have to be left behind to move forward with new ones.
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March 24, 2015 udreview.com
EDITORIAL
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EDITORIAL: UD FOIA
Despite its status as a a land-grant institution, the rUniversity of Delaware is not required to meet the of Delaware’s tdemands Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The purpose sof the FOIA law is to make nthe records of public bodies and publicly-funded entities eavailable to the public upon yrequest. It is the primary tool used by citizens and journalists to obtain information on actions taken by government agencies or their affiliates. State Rep. John Kowalko r is fighting to put the power of that tool in the hands of the citizens he represents. sWe support him in that fight. University spokesperson yAndrea Boyle said to the Wilmington News Journal recently that the university is held to the same standards as other state agencies, and sthat it does release records trelating to the expenditure of public funds. What she fails to mention is that e
it nearly impossible to determine what areas of the university’s budget are publicly supported. Without this information, taxpayers don’t know what questions they are legally entitled to ask. The impact of our murky understanding of how taxpayer funds are spent at the university was perfectly illustrated during last year’s battle over building a power plant on the STAR campus. Newark residents were denied FOIA requests made to the state, and The Review faced denial on claims that STAR is privately funded. Boyle also cited the desired anonymity of philanthropic donors as a reason for keeping the university’s records out of public hands. She says that Rep. Kowalko’s bill would therefore hurt the university’s ability to fundraise. This assertion is curious given that Delaware and Pennsylvania are the only states where universities are
not bound by the same statelevel FOIA rules as other public bodies. Other state flagship universities, like the University of WisconsinMadison which recently received its largest ever donation, have found ways to overcome this supposed burden. As the legislation stands today, Delaware’s taxpayers have little idea what their 100 million dollar annual investment actually buys. It’s like buying a box of stuff from Amazon, but being prevented by law from unwrapping the package. In that realm, customers would stop sending their money to that merchant. Delaware’s taxpayers deserve the level of access that FOIA guarantees. As students, we hope they soon receive it because we know that trust is unattainable without transparency and without trust, taxpayers’ wallets may soon stop opening.
Opinion: How to stand up for what you believe in
e
. dHARRY LEWIS Guest Contributor d e On Dec. 23, 2012, I was sexually assaulted. He rwas tall, blond, blue-eyed, muscular; the typical allAmerican boy. I thought I was in love with him. Instead he violated me. e After it was over, I curled up on my bed and laid there ,for a few hours. I didn’t want eto move. I wanted to sink into the bed and never get up again. I spent Christmas morning crying. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I thought it was my fault, that I had done something I shouldn’t have. The next two years were difficult. I had to see him in the hallways every day, bragging to his friends about me. It got to the point where, even after he graduated, I didn’t want to come to school. I would get physically ill every morning, begging my parents not to make me go. And then, something clicked. I put two and two together: I was assaulted. What happened was not my fault. I did nothing wrong. But something happens when you’re faced with a situation where you feel helpless: you make sure you never feel helpless again. So here I am, almost two and a half years later, fighting hard. I’ve seen my story repeated over and over
again here on campus. I’ve heard of the men and women who have also been violated and broken. I’ve seen them come back ready to fight too. We survivors cannot do this alone. We need your help. And I’ve been asked so many times “What can I do? How can I be an effective ally?” Here are five easy ways: 1. Understand that activism is not glamorous or easy. Activism is not pretty. You don’t chant for five minutes and then find the problem is solved. It’s long, hard work. And while it may be uncomfortable, and sometimes not fun, it is worth it. Just don’t expect it to be over anytime soon. 2. Speak up. If you want to be an ally, passivity is not enough. You cannot expect change to happen by sitting on your hands (or your computer). We want your help. Take the hand that’s reaching out to you, and don’t be afraid to say what needs to be said. 3. Listen. Being a vocal ally doesn’t mean talking everyone’s ears off. Sometimes it’s a nervous habit, and that’s okay. Just pace yourself. Let a few
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people ask questions before you ask yours. It may inspire you to think more critically. And remind us that it’s our responsibility to respectfully tell you if we need you to take a different role in the conversation. 4. Ask stupid questions. You have them. We all do, although some people are offended when an ally comes in not knowing everything from the outset. But this is all about learning. We want you to participate, and that involves asking questions. Just make sure they’re respectful and genuine, not aggressive or incendiary. 5. Don’t just participate when it’s convenient. Activism doesn’t just happen when it’s time to get your Greek cap points or when something big hits the news. These issues don’t go away with the headlines. The issue of sexual assault on campuses will hopefully improve over time. But it will always sit heavy on my heart, and I will never stop fighting until it is no longer a problem. We need your help. But activism requires action. So jump on board! It’s going to be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life, trust me.
DYLAN GALLIMORE
POLITICS STRAIGHT: NO CHASER
Wanted: Icons Leaderless movements have become the norm World War II was navigated by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. The civil rights movement produced Martin Luther King Jr., an American titan. Abraham Lincoln, now almost more myth than man, stood tall against American slavery, while across oceans, slavery was eroding with every passing year. The human race has always been able to boast that no matter what struggles plague us, iconic leaders rise to the occasion to inspire, unite and invigorate millions to join them in protest and revolution. Until now, it seems. Few would contest the notion that, today, we are living in at least somewhat dark times. ISIS is increasing its grotesque sphere of influence, Putin’s Russia seems intent on redrawing the Iron Curtain, while the U.S. is troubled at home by issues of race, gender and class—as well as abroad by frail alliances and shifting global power dynamics. These issues spiral and expand every single day. The difference between our contemporary challenges and those of the past, though, is the absolute vacuum of leadership our world seems to be experiencing. Today, those who fear ISIS and see a need to exterminate its horrific ideology are left yearning for their Churchill. Those who wait with bated breath for a Supreme Court ruling affirming their right to marry have clamored for rights without their own Martin Luther King, Jr. And those who see racial injustice in the United States and abroad have been offered unpopular and uninfluential leaders in Al Sharpton and Eric Holder. Where are the icons? This absence isn’t without irony. While it’s clear that there is a leadership deficit on the world stage, there seem to be so many leaders who appear to fit the bill, though they have either failed to rise to the occasion or cowered from the opportunity to do so. The Barack Obama of 2008, then auditioning for the role of “nation-healer” following two terms of a historically unpopular president and a nearly-unprecedented financial collapse—seems to be a ghost of the unaccomplished man in the Oval Office today. How sadly ironic that, during times of racial upheaval in
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the United States, an African American who was raised by white grandparents occupies the presidency, and has been thoroughly unable to heal our racial woes? While Putin terrorizes Ukraine and subjects LGBT Russians to abuse and secondclass citizenry, nearby Germany has elected and reelected Angela Merkel, the longest serving female head of state in Europe’s history. While she has snubbed Putin and spoken out against Russia’s aggression, it would be a farce to call her leadership bold, and Europe continues to shirk any responsibility to handle its growing Putin problem. While Neil Patrick Harris and Ellen DeGeneres have made fantastic role models and have helped put a human face on homosexuality, their contributions to the causes of the LGBT equality movement seem to end there. No massive marches, no giant rallies, no significant, bold leadership. And even more qualified to become the LGBT Civil Rights icon is the first openly gay U.S. Senator, Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), whose leadership track record on LGBT issues is largely indistinguishable from any other Democrat on Capitol Hill. When scouring the international political landscape, only two individuals come to mind as modern icons, contemporary titans of whom history books should someday read: Pope Francis and Malala Yousafzai. These two fit the mold—Malala, the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history, has dedicated her efforts to championing girls’ rights to education, while Pope Francis has become a warrior against corruption and an international symbol of hope, love and acceptance for millions—Catholic and nonCatholic. Though, as far as I can tell, these are the only two international leaders giving the world and the movements they lead hope and light, and without more like them, I fear that we may be entering the midst of a contemporary dark age. —Dylan Gallimore Columnist The views reflected in this column do not necessarily represent the views of The Review.
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March 24, 2015 l udreview.com
‘STOOP KIDS’ EXCITED TO LEAVE THEIR STOOP New Orleans-based band playing at Home Grown on April 4
PAGE 11 COURTESY OF STOOP KIDS
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK/ How one course is redefining classwork.
QUANNY CARR Staff Reporter
W
ithin 10 minutes of opening its doors to the public for the first time Friday, a line wrapped around the building at Newark’s new El Diablo Burritos, a Mexican food franchise born and bred in Delaware. Some patrons waited over 45 minutes for the chance to customize their own burritos. Roger Andrews, the executive chef, says the establishment served between 2,000 and 2,500 customers over the course of opening weekend. “It was good that we were stocked,” Andrews says. “We
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MOSAIC The Review
KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW After opening Friday on Main Street, El Diablo served between 2,000 and 2,500 customers over the weekend.
Move over Chipotle, there’s a new sheriff in town
KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW weren’t expecting that big of a turnout. We had 12 people on the line and eight in the kitchen.” Owners Dean Vilone and Andrews sat down together five years ago and composed a menu for the store from scratch once the plans were in motion to open. The firstever store was established in Trolley Square Shopping Center, Wilmington in 2010. “We started with a 983-square-foot place in Trolley Square [...] and we wanted to cook food from the heart,” Andrew says. “We feel forever grateful that people are willing to come in and give us a shot.” The burritos were a hit, and two years later, the company added a second store at Branmar Plaza in North Wilmington. Junior Juliana Panzera
says she’s been enjoying El Diablo for years and is not surprised the chain opened up by campus. “I think it’s going to be very popular with the college students because it offers high quality food,” Panzera says. “The ingredients are so fresh and unique [...] The variety of ingredients is what sets them apart. There’s really something for everyone and it’s always delicious.” El Diablo offers a full menu of Mexican dishes, including quesadillas and salads, though made-toorder burritos are a popular order. Of course, guacamole and queso are available no matter the order. After waiting about 15 minutes in line on opening night, sophomore Meghan Murray had her first taste of El Diablo. This franchise has an advantage over other Main Street Mexican offerings, Murray says. “The taste was richer than most Mexican foods I’ve had on Main Street,” she says. “You got a lot more food for how much you paid compared to Chipotle and the atmosphere was welcoming and upbeat.” With El Diablo’s opening, there are now a total of seven Mexican-style eateries near campus. Chipotle, California Tortilla, Del Pez, Santa Fe, Café Ole, Del Sol and now El Diablo are all within walking distance for students. Despite the competition, Delaware natives such as senior Anna Brady have a loyalty to the brand. “El Diablo has been a Delaware favorite for years and I am so excited that there is finally a Newark location,” Brady says. “Trust me, it’s worth the out-the-door line.”
HOW DOES THE REVIEW STAFF FEEL ABOUT EL DIABLO? “‘El Diablo is one of the few places that can satisfy my blinding, ravenous food cravings at an affordable price. It’s the burrito store we deserve, and the one we need right now.” “I hope it blasts Panera back to the pseudo-healthy salad and soup hell from whence it came.” “El Diablo is going to offer up some tough competition to Cal Tor and Chipotle. I’m a huge fan of the Chipotle BBQ sauce and the spicy pico de gallo.” “I found El Diablo to have a nice ambiance to it, plus the prices are reasonable. I absolutely loved the burrito I had with pork in it and the staff walked me through what I should get. My father and I both enjoyed the experience, and we will be going back soon.” “Without the line, my experience would have been out of this world.” “There are a lot of unexpected flavor combinations and options. Really good.”
“I WORKED LIKE A DOG.” MIMI SULLIVAN / PAGE 13
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/COLUMNS it’s all in your head
Walking a Thin Line
“There’s a certain stereotypical Greek life culture and, as you see in movies, people try to live up to that…But it’s just satire… Nobody’s sitting there like, ‘Oh…how are we going to victimize these people?’” This was the message of an anonymous member of Penn State Kappa Delta Rho following the uncovering of a Facebook group in which the fraternity members shared pictures of naked, unconscious women. Somehow this sort of mindset has managed to plant itself into the brains of many young college men, and even our society at large. Apparently if you do not mean to hurt someone, you must not really be hurting them. So, why do we still see so many of these stories about men harassing and assaulting women? What accounts for this power struggle? The entire concept can be broken down to two simple facets––biology and society. From the biological standpoint, men tend to overpower women and exploit them simply because they can. Physically, they’re bigger and stronger. Evolutionarily speaking, the need to procreate was far more dominant than anything else once upon a time, including any possible feelings of guilt or empathy for a victimized woman. And so, the stage was set quite a
long time ago for violence to mingle with sex. Even today, an extremely thin, yet vital line exists between sex and violence. At the risk of being too explicit, these two can be extremely similar to one another, à la “50 Shades of Grey.” Of course, a little bit of “50 Shades” is perfectly fine and healthy, if that’s what you’re into and all is consensual. However, we’ve obviously evolved far beyond the days when men and women would interact only for the sake of procreation. A man knows fully well now that he’s crossing the line when he moves into the territory of exploitation and taking advantage of another human being without her permission. He knows because society tells him that it’s wrong. As human beings of the 21st century, we want people to like us, and we want to be around people and enjoy one another’s company. There is simply no denying that we are social creatures. There’s something kind of scary about being social creatures though. It means a pretty sizeable chunk of our daily interactions with one another are literally dictated by our conscious minds, not just our biological predispositions. We can make or break any social relationship, in any way we choose. So, it might be time to
Last year, 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn, born Joshua Alcorn, committed suicide by stepping in front of an oncoming tractor-trailer. In a Tumblr post, she wrote, “The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights [...] My death needs to mean something.” For many years, transgender rights were eclipsed by other struggles in the L.G.B.T. community, but we are starting to witness a small but significant shift in terms of the movement’s visibility. This shining beacon takes the form of Laverne Cox, who plays Sophia Burset in the Netflix original “Orange is the New Black.” She is the first self-identified transgender person to grace the cover of Time magazine and a spear-header of the transgender movement. Most importantly, she is a role model to trans people across the world, struggling to assert their identity in a society not always receptive to diversity. These next few weeks, we will honor some of the first groundbreaking films that helped to pave the road to understanding and acceptance in our community.
Ma Vie En Rose (1997)
The title literally translates to “My Life in Pink,” an apt description for the beautiful, dream-like state of a film that borders on a modern-day fairytale. The film is told from the perspective of 7-year-old Ludovic Fabre (Georges Du
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ALLIE STRICKLER ajaye@udel.edu
The views reflected in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Review. of youth and corrupting it. What is so wrong about a little boy wanting to be a little girl? What are we so afraid of?
filmaholic
take a step back and ask a really, really important question. What are we choosing to do with those social relationships that we have so much control over? Are we treating each other fairly? Are things, in some real sense, getting out of control? The solution to all of these problems can be found by taking a really deep, critical look into the language in these stories, particularly in the Penn State incident. “There’s misdemeanors every day, thousands and thousands of little misdemeanors in every single community in the United States, and this is no different,” said an anonymous KDR brother to Philadelphia Magazine. “This is a few select individuals who did a few select…possibly or probably inappropriate things [...] it should be reported no differently, if at all.” As socially evolved creatures, we know the repercussions of our actions, even if we would prefer to play dumb to avoid criminal charges. No one wants to take blame for something that the public perceives to be so horrible. Of course everyone would rather chalk it up to “Well, everyone does it, I’m just unlucky because I got caught. But everyone’s still going to do it.” But there needs to be accountability. There needs to be responsibility. Without that, we may as well just be a bunch of socially inept, developmentally-stunted animals.
Gender Benders Fresne) who loves to dress up like a girl and dreams of marrying the son of his father’s boss, Jerome. Ludo often retreats into the world of fantasy where his pseudo fairy godmother Pam (a TV star), who is a beautiful princess, whisks him away, flying over the rooftops of his “Leave it to Beaver”esque neighborhood. At first his eccentric behavior earns him a little laugh and a pat on the head, but when he stages a pretend wedding with Jerome, his parents quickly realize this phase may be more serious than they thought, so they send him to a child psychologist. Ludo explains with all sincerity that he is supposed to be a girl, but his X chromosome fell into the garbage, and he got stuck with an XY. Though the film maintains a light whimsical tone, the underpinnings point to the serious ramifications of our dichotomous system for gender. Director Alain Berliner recalls her own youth as a tomboy and screenwriter Chris vander Stappen cites her struggle as a lesbian. Throughout the film, we watch as Ludo’s loving parents forsake him. His father Pierre’s (Jean-Philippe Écoffey) homophobic boss Albert (Daniel Hanssens) grows weary of his son’s proximity to Ludovic, treating the boy like a diseased rat. Pierre loses his job, his relationship with his wife becomes strained, the family is exiled. By the end of the film, Ludovic stops wearing dresses; he no longer dances or wears makeup or talks about boys. He is terrified of his desires. As an audience, we see the effects of fear and taboo in the adult world permeating the innocent, simple reality
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Kendrick Lamar’s latest album’s title in itself is ambitious. Stylized after Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird, “To Pimp a Butterfly” is a chaotic record that seems emblazoned with anger and fear––but most importantly––hope. Where “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City” scratched the surface when speaking on issues of alcoholism and gang violence, “To Pimp a Butterfly” peers deeper inside the systemic issues facing young adult minorities of all creed in our society. The “pimp” Kendrick refers to is not shrouded in metaphor by any means. He’s upfront about it: Kendrick is referring to the entertainment industry. The first two tracks, “Wesley’s Theory” and “For Free?” tell stories of the misguided success so many young African Americans have faced when being pushed into the spotlight, as experienced by both Wesley Snipes and Kendrick. In “Wesley’s Theory” Kendrick raps that when he gets signed he’s going to buy assault rifles and pass them out in the hood, criticizing the retroactive practices of many successful and wealthy artists that have led to increased malevolence in the disenfranchised communities of the modern American ghetto. “King Kunta” describes the dichotomy of being a famous and sought after “king,” while still being labeled inferior as an African American man in the eyes of many people and institutions in the United States. “King Kunta” and “i” are two uplifting ballads of self-love, and more importantly, self-confidence amongst the misguided youth in America. The overloaded jazz heavy beats backed by noted bassist Thundercat give the record a live feeling that isn’t interrupted until the abstract musical antics on “u.” The jazz makes the beats feel more organic, and there is a lot less sampling than on “Good
AMBER JOHNSON anjohns@udel.edu
The views reflected in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Review.
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Kid, M.A.A.D. City.” This is a success relative to “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City,” in that the live presentation of this album will be more engaging and natural. The free form style that the half-jazz band provides allows for Kendrick to more easily employ his variety of flows and characters, nearly scat singing his flow at times. Halfway through the sixth track, “u,” the album hits a musical peak. Kendrick sobs into the mic while waves of white noise sweep over cacophonous instrumentation, dissociating the listener, and ushering in a dreamlike state. This state is accompanied by a frantic Kendrick, spewing desperate raps over a DJ Screw/Houston chopped slow, nodding beat. This small movement is some of the most emotive music that not only Kendrick, but hip-hop has produced in recent years. The album finishes with the 12-minute “Mortal Man,” a summation of the issues facing minority youth culture. He calls on past heroes of black power, such as Nelson Mandela, with whom he grew close on a recent trip to South Africa, as well as an edited interview with deceased rap demigod Tupac Shakur. Kendrick’s encapsulation of black history, the future of black culture and its nefarious association with hip-hop culture act as a final thesis for change. Kendrick has outlined what has been done, what must be done and what could be. Now, it’s all about unity. Not strictly between those crippled by the societal issues proscribed in “To Pimp a Butterfly,” but amongst all people who seek progression.
STEPHEN VEITH sveith@udel.edu
The views reflected in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Review.
unfiltered commentary A ‘Happy Birthday’ to those forgotten faces
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
I have mixed feelings about the execution of this film. Based on the true story of transgender male Brandon Teena’s (born Teena Brandon) tragic murder, the director took a lot of creative liberties with the illustration of those involved. Set in the real town of Falls City, Neb., the camera captures the desperation of the drunk and destitute finding solace in the bottom of bottles and dangerous rounds of bumper surfing. The people are going nowhere and know it. The true inhabitants found the film to be derogatory and inaccurate. Brandon’s mother says the director Kimberly Peirce and co-writer Andy Bienen never interviewed her or Brandon’s friends to provide an accurate portrayal of the characters and plot. In fact, they left out a lot, like Brandon’s history of sexual abuse when he was a child, as well as the additional death of Phillip DeVine, 19, the boyfriend of Lana Tisdel’s sister, Brandon’s then-girlfriend. Despite the factual inaccuracies, Hilary Swank, the actress who portrays Brandon, is phenomenal. Shifting quickly from feminine body language to a practiced masculinity, she reveals the vulnerability of the protagonist with a subtle ease. You can see the bright spark of love flickering in her eyes, the shy smile, her genuine way of listening to love-interest Lana Tisdel (Chloë Sevigny). She is deserving of all her accolades. “Boys Don’t Cry” is not the story of the vicious rape and later murder of Brandon Teena by John Lotter (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom Nissen (Brendan Sexton III) but a love story between two people searching for a safe haven in one another.
To Pimp a Butterfly
Remember those people you once called “my”? For example, “My Hannah.” That’s what I’m always calling my little sorority sister these days. I hope we will always be close enough that she will always be just that: mine. Then there are those people you have lost touch with. Those ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, those forgotten, far away friends that live in different time zones with lives of their own. One day you realize how time has pulled you apart. You catch up with them when their pictures are featured on your Facebook news feed—their faces change as they age and you wonder if their personalities did too. You like their posts anyway and feel that somehow media has gifted you, for the next forty seconds, a sense of placement. You wonder if they think the same about you. But the reality is that sometimes, it just sucks. Our beautifully crafted technology keeps us “close” to those we have lost, but it also makes us feel most distant. You watch old forgotten friends live on without you. They look happy, so in turn you hope they are truly that—happy. In college we romanticize the idea of celebration. We celebrate half birthdays, bad test grades, failed flings. Heck, we celebrate anything where it is even fractionally acceptable to drink. We get Facebook invites to parties titled: “We’re having a party because why the hell not,” and everyone knows those are the absolute best invites. But then then come the tragic reminders. “So and so’s birthday” on my newsfeed. Would you like to wish them a happy birthday? Timehop says you should because you spent the last few birthdays with them… Would you like to send them a Starbucks gift card? Let me think… Yes! I would love to send a Starbucks gift card. That seems like a good way to say:
“Hi! Remember me?!” to the ex I don’t talk to. $5? Perfect. But really, there is that thing inside of you screaming to send them that Starbucks gift card. Make them notice you. Do they know how you wish some part of you could call and say, “Happy birthday, I mean it—you really do deserve a great day.” Somehow everything I say sounds sarcastic, but this is not one of those things. Yes. Time has passed, but there were times when milestones such as these were ones shared between us. And maybe sometimes, just sometimes, I wish there could be more than your virtually filtered life picked up by scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed. This is what I wish I could say after being so desperately reminded by media to wish you a happy birthday: If a Starbucks online gift card could replace the gifts I’d usually send to you, I’d do it, but unfortunately, iced lattes can’t bring our past into a new friendship. Since I can’t be there at the stroke of midnight anymore, please promise me you have that goofy smile on, cup in hand, hand in the air, surrounded by those cheering hooligans you call your friends. Promise me that you will sing in the bar, because I know you know all the words to those “girly” songs. Promise me you won’t over do it, but definitely over do it. And if somehow you happen to look at the moon, know that I’ll be looking at it too (like always), and there is no sarcasm when I say this: have the happiest of birthdays, you deserve it. Truly yours, A forgotten face ALEXANDRA STRAUSMAN astraus@udel.edu
The views reflected in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Review.
March 24, 2015 udreview.com
THE BIG FOUR OH:
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Main Street boutique reaches milestone
TIM COLOTTA/THE REVIEW Grassroots owner Marilyn Dickey opened the shop in 1975. There will be a public reception April 4 in honor of her retirement and the store’s 40th anniversary. LISA RYAN Senior Reporter Joanna Staib cannot remember life without Grassroots. “It’s so intertwined with my entire childhood,” Staib says. “[…] Even when I was a little kid riding my bike around town, like, ‘Oh, let me pop in and see what mom’s doing.’” Staib’s mother, Marilyn Dickey, opened the store with a partner in 1975, selling handcrafted goods made in the United States. With the store’s 40th anniversary fast approaching, the staff at Grassroots is celebrating the past and looking toward the future. When Dickey retired in 2014, her daughters, Staib and her sister, Kristen Short, took over the store that is not only a family business,
but a part of their family’s personal history. Grassroots’ 40-year presence in Newark will be celebrated. Short says the annual sale recognizing the anniversary will go on this year as it always does, but there will also be a reception in the store on Saturday, April 4. Beginning at 7 p.m., the event will honor not only the anniversary but Dickey’s retirement as well. The reception is open to the public. Lizz Vernon, a manager at Grassroots, says the store is known as a fixture on
Main Street to its customers. She and Short both say Grassroots will continue to sell the handmade items they are known for, along with fair trade products and gift items.
plan to honor and stick to their businesses’ roots, Grassroots’ presence in the community is expanding beyond Main Street. Staib says their mobile boutique (the brightly painted truck often parked behind the building) will also make the rounds at various music f e s t i v a l s , i n c l u d i n g Delaware’s Firefly and Big Barrel, and Bonnaroo in Tennessee. The truck allows the Grassroots staff to implement different business strategies than they use in the store. “The great thing about it is that we do go to other
“It’s so intertwined with my entire childhood.” JOANNA STAIB
“That’s always been the focus—unique items that people aren’t finding elsewhere,” Short says. Although the store owners
events, like the Wilmington Flower Market is more geared toward families…” Staib says. “We do have the brick and mortar store [so] we can actually swap out inventory based on where we’re going.” Staib and Vernon say they hope to broaden the audience for Grassroots’ website and online store to have another way to bring the products sold in-store to people throughout the country. Vernon says working in a small business allows employees to get to know their bosses better and work more closely with them than is possible in larger companies. “They’re people, it’s not like a big company that has like a huge bottom line to me,” Vernon says.
“A LOVE LETTER TO DOO-WOP AND HIP-HOP.” /PIGEONS AND PLANES “WILL BE AN ESSENTIAL UPCOMING ALBUM FOR 2015.” /AXS
“STOOP KIDS ARE THE RAT PACK OF THE RAP GAME.” /SITE OF SOUND (LA) “STOOP KIDS IS ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS WE’VE SEEN IN 2014.” /CAT5 MAGAZINE (TX) “THEIR GROOVES FROM THE BIG EASY ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT.” /PANCAKES & WHISKEY (NYC) COURTESY OF STOOP KIDS The New Orleans-based band is not currently seeking a record deal, preferring to handle their own affairs including booking tours and creating merchandise.
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC Stoop Kids to play Home Grown LEAH RODRIGUEZ Senior Reporter Psychedelic, hip-hop, doowop, jazz and everything in between—these are the traits that define New Orleans-based band Stoop Kids. Following the release of its new album, “Already Out of Time,” the fivepiece band of college seniors is slated to perform at Home Grown Cafe on Saturday, April 4 as part of its Northeast tour. The band took roots four years ago in frontman Griffin Dean’s dorm room during his first year at Loyola University New Orleans. While writing and recording his own music, Dean began searching for musicians to perform with him in venues around the culturally rich city. That spring, he was joined by four other freshmen: baritone sax player Thomas Eisenhood, keys and guitar player David Paternostro, drummer Joe Tontillo and bassist Patrick DeHoyos. “The city has a great music
scene, and Loyola has a great music program,” Dean says. “We definitely incorporate the New Orleans sound into our music. Of course jazz is a big part of it, but we also have New York hiphop, indie surf rock and a lot of other influences.” While Dean points to the Beach Boys and Talking Heads as collective influences, he says each band member also brings an eclectic range of inspirations. “We’re sort of all over the place when it comes to musical influences,” Dean says. “We tend not to agree on bands.” These idiosyncrasies come together to weave a patchwork blanket of sound that aims to “reimagine the last 75 years of popular music,” according to the band’s website. Dean is still the band’s primary composer and lyricist, but he says each member’s contributions have become increasingly cohesive over the past three years. “We’re really starting to flesh out the sound as a full
band, writing more and more together,” Dean says. Although the band is welltraveled throughout the South, Dean and DeHoyos recognize New Orleans’ distinctive atmosphere. The band has played crowds as large as 500 at the Howlin’ Wolf, and cites One Eyed Jacks as one of its favorite venues. “New Orleans is separate from the South—it’s its own city,” Dean says. “But we’ve found that other audiences in the South have been warm and receptive to our music. People just want to be entertained.” After all five members of Stoop Kids graduate this May, they plan to remain based in New Orleans for at least a year, working on their music and touring regularly. Dean and DeHoyos say they are currently not seeking a record deal, as they prefer to handle the band’s affairs on their own terms. “The Internet has made it possible for bands to do everything on their own, so we’re
booking tours, putting our music out there, creating merchandise on our own—basically working every facet of the music industry on our own,” Dean says. Dean intends to keep the band’s pop aesthetic alive while maintaining a professional and functional image. “It’s a slower road to take,
but it’s more fulfilling in the long term,” DeHoyos says. Dean and DeHoyos express excitement about their upcoming performance at Home Grown. “Expect some chaos at certain points,” Dean says. “We like to get weird. Right when you think you’ve got us pinned, we change it up.”
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‘Already Out of Time’!
COURTESY OF STOOP KIDS
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March 24, 2015 udreview.com
Happy Nowruz! 400 celebrate Persian New Year
LEAH RODRIGUEZ Senior Reporter
March 21 marked the celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebration hosted annually by the Persian Student Society. Since 2008, the event has brought together family and friends of students and also drawn attendees from the surrounding Persian community in Wilmington. “The Persian Student Society started the New Year celebration so that UD students could contribute to Persian culture and share what being Persian is all about,” says Ariana Shakory, vice president of the society. An estimated 400 people attended this year’s celebration, which was advertised through online platforms and word of mouth. “The [Persian] New Year is a time for us to be together with our own community,” Nasim Taheri of Wilmington says. “At the end of the day, we want to be with other Persians for a celebration like this.”
RANDI HOMOLA/THE REVIEW
Not your average internship: Student brand ambassador programs on the rise MATT MOORE Staff Reporter Melissa Fols lives and breathes Bobble. Working as a student brand ambassador for the company, Fols is constantly promoting their reusable bottles that filter the water while you drink. “You’re really just a walking Bobble,” says Fols, a junior mass communications major. “You can never stray away from the mission.” Now more than ever, those looking to build their resumes and gain work experience are becoming student brand ambassadors.These students work closely with a specific company throughout the semester to promote a brand by engaging the student body in every possible way. Matthew Brink, director of the Career Services Center, says the role of a brand ambassador is a combined effort of virtual social media-based outreach strategies, along with being on campus, speaking in classes occasionally as well as hosting and sponsoring different events that help build their brand on campus. “Being a student ambassador, we have one goal: to promote the ideals, goals and purchasing of the brand,” says Judith Wanderer, a junior visual communications major. Wanderer says she has been working this semester with Serengetee, a clothing company that allows consumers to design articles of clothing featuring a specific type of fabric that
is partnered with a certain cause. W a n d e r e r ’ s responsibilities as a brand ambassador for Serengetee involve a full representation of their products that places an emphasis on the brand’s presence physically and virtually. When she is not on campus wearing Serengetee apparel or handing out stickers, koozies and discount codes, she is networking across various forms of social media. For some students, becoming a brand ambassador actually pays. For Fols, a former ambassador of Serengetee, working for Bobble as a paid employee is more demanding. In addition to promoting the brand heavily through social media, Fols also spends time attending events and handing out the product. She gave out free Bobble water bottles to the university women’s club basketball team and then catalogued the moment with photographs posted to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. While most responsibilities of brand ambassadors focus solely on promotional plans of action, some brands require even more involvement. Risa Lederberg, a sophomore psychology major, has been working this semester with Flashnotes— an online platform where college students can buy and sell their notes. She promotes the brand’s online presence on social media, hangs up fliers and hands out business
cards to students outside of classes while also working closely with the company to ensure the usefulness of the notes submitted. “I specifically try and get students that are in the classes on my target course list to post and be a note taker for their class,” Lederberg says. “The target course list is a list of classes I have created with the help of some of the Flashnotes team. I target students in big classes with exams that are based off notes taken in class.” Brink emphasized the valuable skills students harbor as a brand ambassador. “The idea that you know enough about a brand and its value and communicate that on behalf of the organization you work for is a very desirable skill,” Brink says. When discussing her time with Bobble this semester, Fols says there are many advantages of working for a company that focuses on benefiting others, referencing the different campaigns, or “activations,” that Bobble implements for students looking to make healthier choices at the start of the new year or to stay hydrated throughout spring break. Lederberg says her time with Flashnotes has pushed her to sharpen her talents and develop new skills. “It has encouraged me to go outside my comfort zone, by forcing me to pitch the company to any student that is walking into a classroom,” she says.
COURTESY OF MELISSA FOLS Student brand ambassadors promote the ideals, goals and purchasing of the companies they represent.
KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW The Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car runs using two 5-kilogram hydrogen tanks. The car’s name comes from the Japanese word for “future.”
Revolutionary car visits campus JACK COBOURN Managing Sports Editor Students and faculty got a glimpse of the future of automotive technology last Monday as Toyota presented its new Mirai fuel-cell car outside the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Lab. The Mirai came to the university as part of Toyota’s city-to-city tour of the car— but the fact that the university is looking into fuel-cell experiments was also a factor in the car’s Newark stop, Ajay Prasad, a mechanical engineering professor, says. The car, which is built on Corolla’s platform, features two 5-kilogram hydrogen tanks, which take about five minutes to fill up, according to Toyota’s website. The car then sucks in air through the front radiator to the fuel cells, where the air meets the hydrogen and creates electricity to power the 157-horsepower motor. This process moves the car, making water its only emission. The designers crafted the car to have its own look, Robert Wimmer, director of Toyota’s Energy and Environmental Research Group, says. “It really is unique,” Wimmer says. “‘Mirai’ means ‘future,’ so [the designers] wanted something futuristic.” Wimmer says the car has undergone extensive testing in environments like the Mojave Desert and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada to showcase its strength in extreme cold and heat. The car is quiet, with only a slight hum from the motor, Wimmer says. Toyota has added artificial sound so pedestrians will hear the car coming. Wimmer says Toyota is not only furthering its own technology but also working to build the systems of rival brands’ vehicles required to make this new technology viable. Toyota has also partnered with Air Liquide, a company with offices in Delaware, to help create the infrastructure needed to run
the car, Wimmer says. Toyota also brought a second Mirai for providing a few test rides. The Review had an opportunity to take a spin in the car, which proved to have impressive qualities. Despite its Corolla underpinnings, the quality of the Mirai’s interior matches that of a Lexus or any other luxury brand. A large “infotainment” screen sits dead-center in the car’s dashboard, with heating and air conditioning controls below it. There is a small joystick with which to activate the gearbox, and when the car turns off, the seat and steering wheel move back to ensure easy exit. The Mirai’s 157-horsepower motor has the acceleration of a car with twice its power. On the road, the car quickly sped up to 35 mph, though the sound of the motor never changed. Wimmer says the Mirai is currently only on sale in Japan, where 1,500 orders were placed for the car within a month of its December release. It will arrive in the U.S.—first in California, then in the Northeast—later this year, priced at $57,500 with a $5,000 government tax break. The Mirai has a 300-mile range and, during testing, regularly gets 60 miles per kilogram of hydrogen, Prasad says. Prasad says the car will be hindered by a lack of infrastructure at first. He calls it a “chicken and egg issue”— while cars like the Mirai need to sell to create demand for the infrastructure in the U.S., Americans will want to see a finished infrastructure system before they buy the car. But he also says the car’s technology has the potential to change the minds of many who have known gasoline power all their lives. “Internal combustion engines have been around for 100 years, and they’re as popular today as ever,” he says. “So when fuel cells come in, which are much cleaner, which have much cooler technology within—why not?”
March 24, 2015 udreview.com NICOLE SULLIVAN Senior Reporter On lunch breaks from her job designing for a children’s clothing line, Mimi Sullivan often soaked in the sights and sounds of Main Street. Enamored with its quaint yet lively atmosphere, she envisioned someday owning her own space along the strip. Sullivan took a leap of faith in January 2004, quitting her job to make 92 E. Main St. her new home. She spent just four months gutting the space— previously a retail shoe store— and revamping what would become her boutique, Bloom. “I worked like a dog,” Sullivan says. Sullivan began her college career studying painting at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, but after working for jewelry designer Sunny Chapman her freshman and sophomore years, she transferred to the nearby Moore College of Art & Design to study fashion design. Working with Chapman, Sullivan learned the ins and outs of the fashion industry firsthand, helping at trade shows and even buying stones and pieces for Chapman’s collections in New York City. During her junior and senior years, Sullivan also commuted to New York City twice a week to work part-time for Kay Unger. Sullivan’s passion for fashion design led to several jobs in New York, California and Delaware over the past 20 years. She also opened a Bloom boutique in Philadelphia in November 2010. “Ever since I was 18, I wanted my own business,” Sullivan says. “But I have to say, those 20 years were not wasted. You learn a lot working for other people who
are way more knowledgeable than you are in many different subjects, and you just absorb it like a sponge.” Named for its inspiration from nature, the eclectic speciality boutique incorporates “flora and fauna” designs in its jewelry, clothing and accessories. The earth-colored walls, pops of turquoise and overflowing shelves make Bloom a whimsical wonderland. “I just wanted it to be really bright, colorful and fun,” Sullivan says. “A little California in the brightness, and a little New York in the things that we carry.” Sullivan says she strives to promote small companies, hard-to-find labels and neverbefore-seen artists. Bloom features brands from all over the United States, London, Paris and even Copenhagen. Although she mostly promotes her store via wordof-mouth advertising, Sullivan says she also distributes Bloom postcards through direct mail to customers. She hires shoppers she meets in her store to model items for the ads. “I will not hire professional models, because look at my customers—look at how fascinating they are,” Sullivan says. Since the store offers thousands of choices, Sullivan says the top sellers are everchanging, although the monogrammed necklaces, stacking rings and state of Delaware necklaces have done consistently well since Bloom’s opening. Prices for all items in stock range from $5 to $125. “It’s definitely very quirky, eclectic and colorful,” Sullivan says. “There’s definitely something here for everybody, whether you’re 15 or 60.”
REEL CRITICISM
‘HOUSE OF CARDS’ SEASON 3
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RANDI HOMOLA/THE REVIEW Bloom owner Mimi Sullivan prefers to hire shoppers she meets in the store to model items instead of professionals because she finds her customers “fascinating.”
Newark resident injects color into Bloom SAM RICHTER Film Columnist The most powerful man in the world has resigned from office in disgrace, and America now finds itself with a new president. Frank Underwood (D) from South Carolina has arrived at last. Ruthlessly pragmatic he was never elected to the office he holds and is as brutally authoritarian to his allies as he is to his enemies. For those of you who are concerned, no spoilers lie ahead. After careful reflection on this third outing of “House of Cards,” the emotion that best captures the essence of this season became clear–– disappointment. The creative peaks of season one and two seem to have passed and been replaced by an even more melodramatic and self-indulgent replica. What is more, the show at times has moved along at a glacier-like pace this season. And must we continue to explore dull side plots of minor characters that are routinely inconsequential to the overarching plot? Luckily, at least one of these side plots came to an end this season and while some may gasp with surprise, your correspondent must report feeling nothing but a wave of relief that this
minor character would be forever banished from the “House of Cards” screen. To be sure, the worst season of “House of Cards” is better than the best season of any show currently on television (a controversial claim for many a “Game of Thrones” fan to accept). “House of Cards” is still incredible fun. Your correspondent personally binge-watched this season in two days time and this season is no less addictive than the previous one, despite its flaws. Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, who play Frank and Claire Underwood, make this show what it is. Like Walter White of “Breaking Bad,” the audience is drawn to these anti-heros and almost against one’s will one begins actively rooting for them in spite of the fact that these characters bribe, murder and commit all manner of other acts of moral turpitude. What makes “House of Cards” special is that Frank speaks to us directly when he breaks the fourth wall, often plotting with us and laughing at other people’s credulity. The audience thus becomes complicit in everything that he does, and the feeling that results is a mix between moral disgust and outright thrill. Fans of the series will rejoice with this outing, even
if they feel unease about the ending. Your correspondent’s roommate summed up this feeling when he asked at the end of the season in a despondent tone: “Was that it?” There are great episodes and new characters along the way. The performance of the very Putin-like president of Russia, Viktor Petrov, is particularly laudable. Petrov is a menacing nemesis for the Underwoods (an improvement from last season’s Raymond Tusk) and he manages to steal nearly every scene he is in. Episode 7 also stands out for its nonlinear storytelling, character development and the symbolism involved in a group of Tibetan monks’ monthlong creation of a beautiful mandela, only to purposefully destroy it no sooner than it is finished. Perhaps this symbolizes the impermanence of all things that seem so pure and perfect, even Frank’s power. But it also could just as easily have represented “House of Cards” itself. The greatest political drama of all time is in decline and one must now hope that it is not lost entirely.
The views reflected in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Review.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS “The greatest political drama of all time is in decline, one must now hope that it is not lost entirely.” COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Fresh air, fresh vegetables offered in new course
COURTESY OF MARK RIEGER Professor Mark Rieger teaches his students how to organically and conventionally grow crops to show the benefits and drawbacks of each. LISA RYAN Senior Reporter Spending their Fridays in an unheated greenhouse, students tend to broccoli, cauliflower
and other crops to apply what they learned about organic and conventional farming in the classroom on Wednesday. Taught by Mark Rieger, dean of the College of Agriculture
and Natural Sciences, the class, called “Organic and Sustainable Farming,” aims to teach students about the benefits and drawbacks of both organic and conventional farming. In addition to being held outdoors, the class is hands on. Rieger’s students are broken into six teams of four to grow their own crops by the semester’s end. The students work with their crops every Friday and team members take on different roles like conducting research on pestilence or tending to the crops, Rieger says. Each crop is grown in its own row, 40 feet long. Although Rieger does not expect that the class will produce a large harvest, that outcome better suits the purpose of the class.
“Had we expanded the production, I don’t know that it would take more time to tend to that,” Rieger says, “but it probably wouldn’t teach [the students] more and so we’re on a very, very small scale.” Half of each team’s crops are grown organically and the other half are grown conventionally. The organic and conventional crops are planted separately, but placed side by side for comparison. Rieger says it is important to him that students be able to analyze the pros and cons of the two ways of farming. Junior Nicholas Villari recently changed his major to plant sciences. As a student in the class, he has learned from the hands-on curriculum. “We’ve been growing conventional crops versus
organic and already you can see the differences between them,” Villari says. The biggest difference he has noticed between the two sets of crops is the faster growth of the conventional plants. The class will be enjoyable for anyone with an interest in plants, gardening and working outside, Villari says. He also says Rieger’s students, whether they have a background in agriculture or not, will learn enough about the subject to work in the greenhouse. “This is one of many courses that I’d love to see students from other colleges take,” Rieger says. “[...] There’s a lot of different things that might be interesting to students if they gave a look at types of introductory offerings that we have.”
March 24, 2015 l udreview.com
SPORTS The Review
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runs scored by baseball team in 11-10 victory over Lehigh. It was a season high for the Blue Hens.
goals scored by women’s lacrosse star Caitlin McCartney, most in the CAA.
minutes it took senior lacrosse player Beau Jones to score 4 goals in the Hens’ 12-5 victory over Manhattan.
JACK RODGERS/THE REVIEW The women’s rowing team carries their practice boats from the Wilmington boathouse to the Christina River each morning at 5 a.m. for early morning practices.
WOMEN’S ROWING
A morning on the water: Rigorous preparations for the Blue Hens JACK RODGERS Sports Features Editor The University of Delaware women’s crew team poured through their boathouse doors sharply at 5 a.m. Without instruction, the team immediately finessed massive, eight-person boats out of barnlike doors and down to the water. Within five minutes, the armada of nine disappeared into the cold March morning. Women’s crew is an NCAA Division I sport at the university. While this status allows the team to compete in all championships available to women’s rowing, the team still faces typical NCAA restrictions. These limitations
inspire the team to squeeze as much out of its daily practice as possible. Head coach Kevin Gruber is inventive with his practice styles to maximize individual attention and foster a communal mentality within the team. Splitting the entire roster between himself and assistant coaches Ryan Hurley and Courtney Levering, Gruber is able to focus on specific boats on the water. This style enables Gruber to intertwine time in practice to focus on rowing fundamentals while on the water, instructing his group from a metal launch boat through a megaphone. Gruber also carries a small
MARCH MADNESS
The Price of Winning: A breakdown of March Madness money MEGHAN O’DONNELL Managing Sports Editor After 11 long months it’s finally time to go dancin’! Fill out your brackets, enter your office or school pool, pretend like you’ve actually watched Wofford play this season and get ready for the craziest three weeks in sports. Though our beloved Blue Hens failed to replicate the magic of last season, we’re still excited for the 2015 NCAA Tournament. With the unbelievable upsets, unmatched drama and unheralded Cinderellas, it’s no wonder March Madness is one of the most profitable events in sports. The $1.1 billion of ad revenue generated by the 2014 tournament was second only to the NFL playoffs (which made $1.2 billion). Last year, the NCAA’s TV contract alone brought in $700
million. Of that, $498 million went to Division I schools. So how does the NCAA divvy up all the money that its signature event brings in? To start, the money is broken down into units. A team earns one unit for making it to the tournament and an additional unit for each win. For example, if Kentucky makes it to the Final Four, the school will have earned five units. Each of these units has a monetary value that varies from year to year. This year a single unit is worth an estimated $1.6 million. Sounds like a lot, right? Not so fast. That money does not go directly to the school that earned it. Instead, the NCAA awards the money to the team’s conference. It also strongly recommends that the pot be divided amongst all of the teams within that conference. On top of that, the money is doled out over six years.
silver digital camera, which he uses to video select boats. Emailing these clips to the members of the recorded boat, Gruber points out mechanical mistakes to his team in attempts to make adjustments to the boat without being at practice. Another way Gruber tunes his team is talking with rowers when practice concludes. After talking to his team as a whole outside of the boathouse, Gruber makes sure he is around for at least 10 minutes to answer questions on technique from individual rowers. This style of coaching helps the team slowly propel itself toward its championship goals. The team’s main goal is
to claim a championship at the annual Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia arguably the largest collegiate rowing event of the spring season. While in 2014 the varsity boat placed 16th, coach Gruber said the team is working hard to change that. “The standing team goal is a team championship at Dad Vail,” Gruber said. “We’re not there yet. That’s not to say we don’t put any less energy, passion and effort into being the fastest team we can be, but we’re just not there. Yet.” Although the team struggles with its placement at regattas, as a whole, members are supportive and encouraging
This puts the emphasis on conference performance rather than individual teams, so less weight is placed on wins and losses. That leaves many smaller conferences at a disadvantage though. The traditional powerhouses—the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC—account for 20 percent of the Division I men’s basketball teams. However, those six conferences will receive roughly 60 percent of the payout from March Madness. Still, the NCAA Tournament is such a lucrative event that there’s got to be enough money to go around, right? Let’s look at our own Fightin’ Blue Hens. Delaware danced its way into our hearts and our brackets last year thanks to an outstanding core of seasoned veterans and just the right blend of youth. While the team fell to Michigan State in the opening round, it earned a unit just for being there. Though Delaware represented the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in the tournament and was responsible for all of the money the conference made (as no other CAA team earned a bid), the Blue Hens only took home a tenth of that.
While this works in their favor this year, as an inexperienced Blue Hens team fell short of the NCAA Tournament, it seems unfair that last season’s impressive run only netted the team 10 percent of what they earned the CAA. That’s the problem facing many of the top teams in college basketball. From 1991 to 2015, the University of Kansas, a team that made six Final Four appearances during that span, earned 95 units and made roughly $66 million for the Big 12. Their payout during that time was approximately $24 million. Meanwhile, former conference foe Colorado has earned three units worth roughly $2 million during that time. How much did they receive back? Close to $16 million, eight times what the team brought in. Back to our initial example: if Kentucky reaches the Final Four, earning five units and roughly $8 million for the SEC, it only gets 1/14 of that after it’s split between the other SEC teams. Fair? Probably not, but that’s the business of college athletics.
Weekly Roundup
of each other. Coach Gruber recalls a previous year when a group of novice rowers made the final event at Dad Vail. That, in essence, personifies the idea of community and family within the team. “Everyone else was out of the race at that point,” Gruber said. “And when the novice were launching for their race, the team gave them a very spirited send off. Seeing the rest of the squad behind the novices in the biggest race of their lives made me see I had a special group of young ladies.” The team started its spring season with a loss last Saturday against Lehigh and Temple in Philadelphia.
50 MILLION Americans participate in office bracket pools
$200 MILLION worth of legal bets places
$2.5 BILLION worth of illegal bets
$1.1 BILLION amount of TV ad revenue generated by 2014 tournament *(2nd only to NFL playoffs which made $1.2 billion)
$1.2 BILLION estimated lost work productivity during March Madness
GAME RESULTS
UPCOMING GAMES
SOFTBALL (DH) Delaware 4, Drexel 3 Drexel 6, Delaware 4
BASEBALL La Salle today, 3 p.m.
MEN’S LACROSSE St. Joe’s 14, Delaware 6 MEN’S TENNIS Mount St. Mary’s 5, Delaware 2
MEN’S LACROSSE Hofstra Saturday, 1 p.m. SOFTBALL Lehigh (DH) Wednesday, 3 p.m.
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March 24, 2015 udreview.com WOMEN’S LACROSSE
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High-scoring Blue Hens top Colonials
KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW
Senior midfielder Caitlin McCartney prepares to make a pass. McCartney tallied two goals in Saturday’s win. “I think today was about a minute apart from one another. ERIN BOLAND team effort, and we know we George Washington got Senior Sports Reporter have multiple threats,” Linville on the board after goals from With goals from seven said. “We can show that we work seniors Rachel Mia and Jamie different players, the Delaware together to create good scoring Bumgardner. The Blue Hens had a 6-2 women’s lacrosse team was opportunities. We have strong able to record a 15-4 win over dodgers, and I thought we did a advantage going into halftime but George Washington University at great job off-ball working some came out even more energized of our assisted options.” for the final 30 minutes of play. Delaware Stadium. Delaware was relentless Junior Shannon Hawley said After coming off an impressive 6-5 win over Towson, in the first 15 minutes of play, the team kept their energy from their big win over Towson and their first CAA victory of the earning a comfortable 5-0 lead. Freshman midfielder Becky are hoping to continue to have a season, the Blue Hens kept that Gohsler scored on a pass from winning season. momentum in Saturday’s game. “We came ready to play, and Of the fifteen goals scored, junior midfielder Kara Dattellas. nine of them were assisted to This was followed by three we have to keep going strong,” head coach Kateri Linville’s goals from junior attacker Casey she said. “We have to keep the Lyons, who scored all three just a momentum going through delight.
non-conference play and as we continue CAA action.” Hawley finished the afternoon with a career-high six points off of four assists and two goals. With so many different contributions, the Blue Hens were able to show that they have numerous players that are threats. “Usually I don’t feed, I’m more of a dodger, but today everyone was open,” Hawley said. “I have confidence in our team and we all have really good finishers so I had no problem getting the ball to them.” Other goal scorers for the Blue Hens included junior attacker McKenzie Rafferty who recorded a hat trick and senior captain Caitlin McCartney who tallied two. Sophomore attacker Jamie Schwartz also had an impressive afternoon by adding five points on four assists and a goal. Gohsler contributed to the victory as well and is having a standout rookie season. Her two goals, two ground balls and three draw controls helped the Blue Hens secure the win. Coach Linville loves what
she’s seeing so far. “Becky is playing like she’s not a freshman,” she said. “She is confident, she’s composed, she just takes it one play at a time.” The Colonials continued to fight for the entire 60 minutes, but they came up short. Sophomore Michaela Lynch led the team with three points, and senior Rachel Mia followed with two. This was in part to the Delaware defense that limited George Washington to four goals. Junior midfielder Ali Karwoski totaled three ground balls, a draw control and caused three turnovers. She was able to capitalize on the mistakes of the Colonials and then transition up field and find her open teammates. “I wanted to use my speed to get down,” she said. “We scouted them and knew there would be pockets to get through, so I just took advantage of those and looked for the attackers cutting back.” The Blue Hens will be on the road for their next two games as they take on Canisius and then Princeton.
sports commentary The most important day for sports is just around the corner
OPENING DAY MEANS THAT THE TEASE IS OVER
RANDI HOMOLA/THE REVIEW
Senior catcher Ty Warrington gets ready for play. Warrington had three RBIs in Sunday’s 14-1 win over Hofstra.
MEN”S BASEBALL
Requiem for a catcher JACK COBOURN Managing Sports Editor In the second inning of Sunday’s baseball game against Hofstra, redshirt freshman pitcher Ron Marinaccio looked to get out the Pride’s David Leiderman to close out the inning. In front of the backstop, senior catcher Ty Warrington hunkered down, looming like a silent guardian. He flashed a signal, and Marinaccio went into his wind up. A split second later, the ball flew past Leiderman and into Warrington’s glove. The umpire called the out, and Warrington hurled the ball down to third base. It was a somewhat strange event, considering the inning was over. “I actually was going to throw the ball back to Ron,” Warrington said. “But it was a strike three, and I messed up a little bit. Just thought it was a ball.” Standing by the dugout after the game in his warmup jacket, Warrington doesn’t fit the profile of a catcher. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Warrington looks thin and rangy compared to other catchers on the team. Warrington, who has brown
hair and just a hint of a five o’clock shadow, began playing baseball in the eighth grade for A.I. DuPont High School in Wilmington. “When I was a little kid, it was just, ‘hey nobody else wants to catch, so you’re catching,’” he said. This season, the native of Hockessin, Del. has a .256 batting average with 11 hits and eight RBIs. One of those RBIs came in the bottom of the seventh during Sunday’s game. With a ball and two strikes on him, and having gone 0-2 in his previous at-bats, the dull ping of a ball flying off a bat signaled Warrington’s single to right field to bring in Tyler Powell. That brought the score to 9-1 in the Blue Hens’ favor. “I was just thinking ‘have a good at-bat, swing away,’” he said. “A real breaking pitch that was out there, you know, but it was up, it was nice to hit it toward that wall over there.” A catcher’s job is not just to call pitches, but to help lead the team on the field by making sure the team knows what it is doing on certain plays. This was best demonstrated in the top of the seventh as Hofstra’s Mat Annunziata fouled a ball down the third-base line. Warrington
called for the third baseman to run back and get the ball, resulting in an out. “You are a captain when you’re the catcher,” head coach Jim Sherman said. “There’s no doubt whether you’re a freshman starting or a senior starting, you’re a captain automatically. He’s one of a group of seniors that basically may not have a captain title, but he is a captain.” In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the score at 12-1 after a wild day on the mound for the Pride’s three pitchers, Warrington stepped up to the plate again. He fired one out toward center and looked about to be thrown out at first when the first baseman made an error. Two runs scored, putting the score at 14-1. Despite having to catch again in the top of the ninth, Warrington gave his best effort in the eighth having improved his swing to be the best it could be. “You go back and you think about what happened, the way that they pitched to you,” he said. “From there, you take it, then you leave it, whatever you get out of it, then you’re on to the next atbat.”
The first few minutes after the Super Bowl are always the hardest. For fans of 31 teams there’s a sense of incompleteness. Another year passed without their team winning. The only cure for this melancholy is baseball’s Opening Day. It means the long dark winter of discontent is over and fans have a reason to look up again. Yes, there’s basketball, but nothing really helps the postfootball blues like baseball— the smell of the freshly cut diamond, the fireworks after a home team win, the taste of a way overpriced hot dog and the sign that summer is just around the corner. Unlike football, which has so few games you could miss them all in a blink, the 162 ensures a long season filled with soaring highs, crushing lows, cheers, tears and yelling at the television, of course. Opening Day means the start of all of it. The day comes with a sense of tradition and pageantry. Presidents and celebrities throw the first pitch, fans skip work or school and every bar of every baseball city in the country is filled to the brim. In Cincinnati, home to MLB’s first team, there is a celebratory parade before the hometown Reds have even had their first at-bat of the season. Teams start their best pitchers, introduce their wunderkind rookies and the gates of baseball stadiums open for fans from far and wide. While we’d never complain about an opportunity to watch baseball, and though the start of spring training is still a beautiful thing, Opening Day means that the tease is over. Now you finally get to watch your team in perfect form. No
more professional baseball at semi-professional levels. No more having the starting pitcher pulled after two perfect innings. No more seeing players platooning, duking it out for that extra roster spot. No more watching your team’s star replaced in the fifth inning by some 21-year-old noname who will be back in Triple A in a couple of weeks—that is, if your team’s star even started at all. But perhaps the best part about Opening Day is that it represents a new beginning—a clean slate. Opening Day is a state of mind. Every team is just as close to winning it all as the next. Every team is undefeated. It’s a reason for renewed optimism. It’s the only time when your team’s previous performance goes out the window. It gives the fans of each and every team the opportunity to believe this year is their team’s year, despite having 200-to1 World Series odds. And perhaps this is because the belief isn’t so irrational; despite winning the World Series in 2013, the Red Sox were one of baseball’s worst clubs the year before and the year after. So don’t sweat it, Rangers fans. Just because they finished 31 games out of first place last year doesn’t mean a World Series isn’t reachable. (At least not yet.) CORI ILARDI Copy Desk Chief JAY PANANDIKER Managing News Editor
The views reflected in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Review.
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