Crescent Magazine November 2014

crescent MAGAZINE

BUILDING BRAINS From toddlers to teenagers to adults, everyone loves LEGO®.

But there’s more to just playing with the colorful blocks. | 24

ALL ABOUT WINNING Men’s basketball’s talented playmaker, guard D.J. Balentine, pushes himself to be the best. | 34

IN LIVING COLOR

Graffiti is often thought of as a crime, but it is also a form of expression. This free-form art has evolved from vandalism to street art and is worth admiring. | 20

November 2014 | University of Evansville | College Culture Upfront | issuu.com/uecrescent | $2.50

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Contents

EDITORIAL Writing Directors

THIS MONTH

CHRIS NORRIS ANNA SHEFFER

Reporting Assistant CHELSEA MODGLIN

8

Senior Writer MARISA PATWA

Writers HALEY ALBERS GRAHAM CHATTIN MCKENZIE ELLIS IAN HESLINGER SARAH JOEST DEJA JOHNSON ASHLEY MATTHEWS RACHAEL MCGILL RYAN MURPHY PAULA NOWACZYK ANDREW SHERMAN

17

20

24

EMILY KRIEBLE PAIGE WATTS

CREATIVE Creative Director

DEPARTMENTS

QUITE A PAIR | Anna Sheffer

3 OUR VIEWPOINT

For seniors Emily Daly and Aaron Johnson, a shared love for performing and all things funny make their friendship the real deal.

4 THE POSTSCRIPT

COVER | Deja Johnson & Marissa Patwa

FEATURE | Haley Albers ®

LEGO s are some of the most popular toys in the world. From education to entertainment, there are many ways to build with the bricks.

26

Editing Director Copy Editors

The Bass Fishing Club knows how to drop a line. This team may seem like fun and games, but members are actually looking for the big catch.

Graffiti comes in many forms, from tagging buildings to doodling on bathroom stalls. Regardless of the style, graffiti is a method of self-expression for those who are usually voiceless.

EDITING ASHLEY MATTHEWS

FASCINATING PEOPLE | Andrew Sherman

28

10 WITHIN FAITH 12 FIRST TIME 14 KNOW YOUR RIGHTS 18 BRAIN BOMB 27 WHO KNEW? 30 SEXUAL TENSION

NEWS | Marisa Patwa

31 Q&A

Jenna Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush look to improve global healthcare by mobilizing young leaders and building a movement for health equity.

32 FULL-COURT PRESS

FEATURE | Chris Norris & Anna Sheffer Being reminded of how to prevent STIs cannot happen enough, especially for those who never received any information about them to start.

34

6 INNOVATION

33 THROUGH THE LENS 36 CAMPUS CRIME 37 A CLOSER LOOK

OVERTIME | Ryan Murphy

38 OFF THE WALL

Basketball’s D.J. Balentine is driven to succeed. As the MVC’s top scorer last season, he brings his fiery passion for winning to all he does.

40 MOTLEY CREW

TRAVIS HASENOUR

Photo Editor KATE SARBER

Photographer MAKAYLA SEIFERT

Designers TROY BURGER KAYLA SEIFERT CORINNE WERNER

MARKETING & SALES Circulation Assistant PATRICK ROQUE

2

facebook.com/uecrescent | twitter.com/uestudpub | issuu.com/uecrescent | crescentmagazine@evansville.edu

Find out what’s happening with Student Congress each Friday on the magazine’s Facebook page.

HOW TO CONTACT US Ridgway University Center, University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, Ind. 47722 Editorial e-mail: crescentmagazine@evansville.edu • Phone: (812) 488–2846 • FAX: (812) 488–2224 Marketing & Sales: (812) 488–2221 & 488–2223 • crescentadvertising@evansville.edu

Crescent Magazine is the University of Evansville’s student magazine. It is written, edited and designed by and for UE students and published six times during the academic year. Circulation is 1,700, and it is distributed to 18 campus locations and housed online at www.issuu.com. It is funded through advertising sales and a subscription fee paid on behalf of students by the UE Student Government Association. Printed by Mar-Kel Printing, Newburgh, Ind. © 2014 Student Publications, University of Evansville. z editorial policy: Commentary expressed in unsigned editorials represents a consensus opinion of the magazine’s Editorial Board. Other columns, reviews, essays, articles and advertising are not necessarily the opinion of the CMEB or other members of staff. z letter submissions: Crescent Magazine welcomes letters from UE students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni, but material the CMEB regards as libelous, malicious and/or obscene will not be published. Letters should not exceed 250 words. For verification, letters must include the author’s name, class standing or title and email address. Crescent Magazine does not print anonymous letters or those that cannot be verified. Letters will be edited as needed. Email letters to crescentmagazine@evansville.edu, with “letter” written in the subject line.

November 2014 • Crescent Magazine

Crescent Magazine • November 2014

erty of downloading the album directly to customers’ accounts without their consent.

After customers protested, Apple released instructions on how to remove the album.

Accessing our accounts and adding music without our permission is a breach of privacy. No one should be able to add or take away from the media we have stored online, regardless of whether it is music or naked photos.

Everyone has a right to privacy, even online. People have a right to do what they want with their own bodies and their own information. When an outside party steals property and puts it on the Internet, that person is committing a crime. And when companies take advantage of the information we give them so that they can market to us, they are betraying our trust.

That’s not to say we should not take the appropriate measures to ensure the security of our information. But there is only so much that we can do.

And while we can take defensive measures to protect our data, nobody has the right to tell us what we should and should not have on our devices. Saying Jennifer Lawrence or anyone else should know better than to take naked pictures of themselves because their phones could get hacked is like saying someone should not have a savings account because the bank could get robbed.

Just because there is a risk does not make someone stupid if something happens, and it does not mean it is our job to anticipate everything that might compromise our security. We should protect our private media with good passwords, but beyond that, we should be able to use technology how we want, without fear.

And security concerns are one thing, but having to worry we will be blamed for a crime committed against us is ridiculous.

CNN reported that the FBI began its investigation into the photo leak in early September. But who knows if or when those responsible will be caught and how they will be punished.

Technology is a big part of our lives.

And even if we do take the most reasonable precautions to protect ourselves, security breaches might happen. We need — and rightfully expect — our data to remain safe. We can do our part to protect it. Maybe the companies in charge should too.

Our Viewpoint

H

ackers have been leaking nude photos. Since Labor Day, shots of celebrities including Kate Upton and Nick Hogan have circulated on 4chan and Reddit, leaked by anonymous users. And it’s not just celebrities. Thousands of photos and videos from Snapchat were leaked Oct. 12.

The Internet buzzed with cries of, “They should have seen this coming,” and, “Why did they have nude pictures of themselves on iCloud anyway?” But criticism of the victims ignores the real problem: someone, somewhere was able to obtain access to their private accounts.

That breach of privacy is something no one should have to worry about. But sadly, as technology advances at a breakneck pace with little time to work out bugs, security breaches are a real concern for users.

It does not stop at iCloud or other cloudbased storage, either.

If you buy books on the Internet, your address is stored online. If you have an online banking account, your sensitive information is out there in cyberspace. It is no wonder people are worried.

And soon, more personal data than ever will be stored in technology. Apple launched its new Apple Pay in October, meaning customers will be able to pay for products via their phones. The company said Apple Pay will easily replace one’s wallet, but when credit card and bank account information is stored on a phone, how secure will it really be?

According to Apple, users will pay using Touch ID rather than entering their credit card numbers. Each device will be assigned an account ID, meaning information will not be stored on any server. But Passbook, the app that previously stored tickets and boarding passes, will now be able to store credit and debit cards.

There’s no denying our data is less secure than we would like it to be. And while users can take steps to make their information more secure — creating more complex passwords and requiring two-factor identification to log in to the cloud — those who experience the theft of their private pictures should not be chastised.

Apple also announced in September that every iTunes user would receive the newest U2 album for free. While this may seem harmless, the company took the lib-

PRIVATE,

PERSONAL,

PROTECTED? The data we store online is ours alone to access, regardless of what it is. But does the cloud adequately protect our valuable information?

3

The Postscript

GRAHAM CHATTIN

STAYING

GROUNDED

Security concerns are important online, and people can still keep their data safe.

I

nnovations in information storage and sharing are developing daily, but security methods are struggling to keep up. Social media and online storage allow people to share information with anyone and access it anywhere, but the things they share are reaching people they are not meant for.

Businesses like Home Depot and Target have been hacked, compromising credit card information and the trust of millions of customers. Celebrities’ photos were leaked in September. Even everyday citizens are being hacked. And the confusion about how to protect data only adds to the problem.

One confusing term is the “cloud.” People may know it as a way to store files online, but what is it really?

“It’s kind of a buzzword,” said Don Roberts, associate professor of computer science. “You can replace the word ‘cloud’ with ‘somebody else’s computer.’”

By uploading files to services like Dropbox, iCloud or Google Drive, consumers store their data on servers that are owned by the company. Not only does this allow consumers to store information cheaply, it also allows them to access it anywhere. It saves people the trouble of maintaining their own storage as well, since the data is stored elsewhere.

People are probably more familiar with the cloud than they think. Mike Smith, Technology Services director, said UE uses services, such as Outlook, Blackboard and Turnitin, that work with cloud-based storage. He said the ability to retrieve data from anywhere is one of the service’s biggest draws.

“We live in a world in which we don’t want to be tied to a location,” he said.

Although it is convenient, cloud storage has its drawbacks.

Sensitive information is stored on the cloud, and hackers want to get ahold of that data. In the case of the September leak, hackers reportedly used a flaw in the Find My iPhone app.

It was reported on thenextweb.com that hackers used a program that ran a “brute-force” attack — using a software script to try random passwords against email addresses until one works. From there, hackers were able to find photos and other sensive information. Apple reports it has corrected the problem and now restricts the number of password attempts a user can make from the app.

Roberts said hacking is usually used against a group of

4

people, like a college’s email list, not a single target. Normally the goal is not to find a certain password but to find any password. Hackers also use more low-tech approaches to get information. One method is called “social engineering.” The approach is simple; hackers call companies, pretending they have forgotten their password, and an employee on the other end of the line gives it to them.

“Rarely do you see the very sophisticated hacker,” Roberts said. “It’s usually just a con man.”

Another issue for cloud users is the location where the data is stored. These data centers can be anywhere in the world, so users are unable to monitor their data closely.

“You don’t know when it’s compromised because they won’t tell you where it is,” said Nelson Alvarez, owner of NJA Computers and Services.

The alternative to the cloud is a local network — storing information on a nearby server that can be accessed by any device directly connected to the server. Smith said a local network like the one UE uses has this advantage. If anything goes wrong, a user can communicate with it directly and quickly. But one advantage of cloud storage is that it allows for backup. If something happens to your devices, the information still exists on someone else’s computer.

If you want to get the most out of the cloud, make sure to have a hack-proof password. Smith said UE passwords are required to be a minimum of eight characters, including numbers and both upper and lowercase letters.

Smith also recommended using a word combination that would be nonsense to everyone else. Security questions can also be guessed — especially if the target is famous — and password-retrieval emails can be intercepted.

Two-step verification is an improvement over normal passwords. With this, users provide a password as well as another one entered from a trusted device, like a cell phone. Roberts said Google and iCloud offer this, but users do not usually have it turned on, such as in the case of the September leak.

Technologies like the cloud have made access to data more convenient, but they have come with some risks. Fortunately, there are simple steps people can take to help ensure security.

— Chris Norris

November 2014 • Crescent Magazine

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Crescent Magazine • November 2014

5

Innovation & Science

PUTTING DOWN photo by Kate Sarber

THE SHAKER CHELSEA MODGLIN

T

he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt per day. Yet the average American consumes at least 1,000 milligrams more than the daily recommendation. Aside from increasing the risk for high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke, eating excessive levels of salt may affect other things as well.

“For one thing, sodium influences blood pressure and exercise does too,” junior Kirsten Perrey said. “I wanted to see if [exercise would] elevate [blood pressure] on a chronic level.

And you mentally fatigue faster than you physically fatigue, and I wanted to know, if people knew they were eating more salt, if they’d feel tired sooner.”

With the guidance of Kathy Liu, assistant professor of exercise and sport science, Perrey, an exercise science major, collected data last fall from about 30 students on how high sodium diets affected their aerobic exercise routines and overall well-being. She is now in the process of analyzing her findings.

“Mostly [the students] were like, ‘It was really hard to eat all that salt,’ because I gave them more than they thought,” she said. “A

“

lot of people said they were craving sweet things, which I didn’t expect.”

Perrey said one student reported struggling with finding foods to put salt on, adding that the student said some days she would just put it in a glass of water and chug it.

Before recruiting students, Perrey wrote grant and institutional review board proposals to get funding and permission for her research. She next turned to the task of convincing students to participate. Liu offered extra credit to students in one of her classes in exchange for their participation. “[That] was a huge help because I don’t think anybody would have done the study,” Perrey said. “I don’t know anybody who is like, ‘Yes! Salt!’”

Students were selected based on their level of physical activity and family history of heart disease and high blood pressure to make sure they were already active and participation would not put them at risk. During the study, Perrey met her participants at Jazzman’s Cafe every two or three days to give them either 5,000 milligrams of salt or a placebo that looked and tasted like salt.

“I was out there measuring out white stuff

on a scale,” she said. “The Jazzman’s [workers] were always making jokes: ‘Oh, dealing drugs again?’”

Perrey then sent the students questionnaires three to five times a week asking them not only how the increased salt affected how often and how long they exercised, but how it changed their sleep habits and attention spans. Perrey collected even more information at the end of the two-week study during each student’s exit interview.

Conducting this research has helped Perrey feel better prepared for the rigors of graduate school, where she hopes to earn a degree dealing with diet and nutrition.

“I think there are a lot of studies out there trying to link the pros of exercise and healthy diet,” she said. “Hopefully, this will add to those studies. It is important to remember that balance is key. Too much of a good thing is bad because the body has multiple needs nutritionally.”

And while one of those needs is salt, it is good to remember that too much salt can cause more than just blood pressure to increase. Reaching for that shaker might affect you as early as tomorrow.

A lot of people said they were craving sweet things, which I didn’t expect.

6

”

November 2014 • Crescent Magazine

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Crescent Magazine • November 2014

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7

Fascinating People

While their sport does not feature a ball or playbook, members of the Bass Fishing Club are serious competitors.

A REEL EXPERT

CAN CATCH

ANYTHING ANDREW SHERMAN

F

ishing. It is easy to picture old men sitting in small boats whiling away their days, each holding a pole, slowly reeling in a lure and hoping the fish are biting.

But this is not the case for the Bass Fishing Club, whose members fish competitively against other fishing clubs in the region as they try to qualify for the college fishing national championship. For members, competing comes with securing corporate sponsorships, a great deal of research and a chance to win cash prizes.

The club is starting to become a force in college fishing ever since senior Nick Uebelhor started the club in 2011 with 2014 alumnus Eric Kieffner. Although there are more members on the team, only three students — Uebelhor and sophomores Gilbert Sanchez and Lee Knies — hold memberships in Fishing League Worldwide, which is necessary in order to take part in FLW college tournaments, the country’s largest circuit for collegiate fishermen, with more than 600 clubs nationwide.

The team competes in the central conference and is ranked 11th in the nation, according to bassrankings.com. But Uebelhor is not too concerned about statistics.

“The rankings don’t mean much,” he said, “but they look good.”

Competitions are more than just skipping class to go fishing. Anglers spend about a month preparing for an event. Once the club knows where an event will take place, members study the lake’s depth, the types of vege-

8

“

tation found in the water and the best fishing locations for that lake.

Competitors evaluate the lake the day before an event. Then they prepare to wake up before dawn and put their research to the test.

The life of a competitive fisherman is not as relaxing as it might seem.

“When we went to South Carolina, we slept in our truck,” Uebelhor said.

Events begin at daybreak. Once fishermen are out on the lake, they spend the majority of the day focused on the water, hoping fish — big fish — will bite.

“Since we’re out there for eight hours we talk a bit,” Sanchez said, “but a lot of it is focusing on that bite.”

Concentrating for that long can be difficult since there is a lot to deal with while on the water. From retying lures and baiting hooks to preparing nets and maintaining the boat — not to mention attending to the hooks on the end of the lines — there are a lot of thoughts that run through a fisherman’s mind.

On Knies’ first time on the water with Sanchez, they were so focused on everything associated with fishing that they forgot to eat.

“We planned on bringing snacks, but I don’t think we ate the whole time we were out there,” Sanchez said.

Knies said fishing together is also a great way to connect with another student.

“When you spend eight hours in a boat with someone, you get over the initial awkwardness,” he said. “By the end, we were both

tired, but the awkwardness was gone.”

At the end of the day, fishermen return to the dock with their catch. They bring their fish to a large stage, complete with a leaderboard and weighing stand. The fishermen present their five largest bass, and the five clubs with the largest fish earn money. The top 15 clubs qualify for a regional invitational, and the top 10 teams at the invitational continue on to the national championship.

While they enjoy fishing against other clubs, members are driven to fish more by a desire to best themselves than to beat their opponents.

“Usually you’re catching fish or going over what you can do better,” Knies said. “That’s what I like about it — you’re always driven to catch more or bigger fish. Always doing better — that’s what keeps me fishing.”

But self-improvement and tournaments are not the only reasons to compete.

“On a more personal level, it’s a way to relax and enjoy nature,” Sanchez said. “It’s a good stress reliever.”

Events feature competitors in teams of two.

Uebelhor said the club is in the process of getting an influx of new members, so he is figuring out how to decide which members get to go to which competitions. Despite these minor complications, the club is excited about having more people on the team to fish with.

“It’s a group of guys who share a passion for fishing,” Sanchez said. “It’s a cool group to be a part of.”

Always doing better — that’s what keeps me fishing.

”

November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

Getting ready for another bass fishing season are senior Nick Uebelhor and sophomores Gilbert Sanchez and Lee Knies. photo by Kate Sarber

Crescent Magazine

•

November 2014

9

Within Faith

RACHAEL MCGILL

SUPERSIZED SERVICE:

THE LATEST TREND Exploring the debate surrounding America’s ever-increasing megachurches.

A

s you pass greeters, a coffee shop, a gift shop, numerous large-screen TVs and a cafe, you and thousands of others file inside, psyched for what is coming next. You grab a hot dog and make your way inside the cavernous space to find the best seat. But you are not here for a sports game; you are here for church.

American megachurches are the latest trend in worship.

According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, there were more than 1,600 nationwide in 2011, and that number continues to rise. A megachurch is usually defined as a Protestant church with an average weekly service attendance of 2,000 or more. Other features may include a charismatic senior preacher and concert-style worship band performances.

Many megachurches are nondenominational, but others are affiliated, with Southern Baptist being the most common type.

Most megachurches describe themselves as evangelical, reaching out to those who do not normally go to church by providing a more relatable form of worship.

Crossroads Christian Church, a megachurch in Newburgh, tries to use its size to help enforce its three core values: celebration, connection and contribution. Its hope is to draw in as many people as possible in order to spread God’s word.

“People sometimes say, ‘It’s too big’ since people can come, attend service then leave,” said Pastor David Rinehart, CCC’s music and worship pastor. “But our goal is to make it more compelling so they’re part of the fabric of the church.”

With an average weekly congregation of more than 3,000, CCC is no stranger to handling crowds. In order to keep things personal, the church makes things smaller by using section hosts and small groups.

Rinehart said even in a large room, attendees still sit in the same areas time after time. This allows section hosts to get to know everyone, connect with them and even provide spiritual guidance. Small groups connect people who want to discuss certain topics or are in certain stages of life.

Senior Meghan Yokem said she found her niche in the large Crossroads community.

“Church is not the building,” she said. “It’s the people in the church. I’ve been challenged in ways that I’ve never been challenged by other churches.”

Because of her Crossroads connectivity, Yokem said she

10

has met Christians from around the country and in Africa.

But not all churches are onboard with the megachurch’s way of evangelizing. One critique is that megachurches focus more on bringing in numbers than on engaging with congregants’ faith. Members of smaller, more traditional churches often look upon the megachurch and see impersonal evangelization and superficial scripture study.

Senior Pastor Tom Wenig, of Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, a small church located across from campus on Lincoln, recalled the time he took his children to a megachurch worship service.

“It’s a concert with a sermon,” he said. “It didn’t feel like I was in church.”

Wenig also said megachurches sometimes do not go as deep into theology as he believes they should, and some people are just there for the experience.

A 2014 study published by the Eastern Sociological Society found that a hunger for a spiritual high is one factor in people’s devotion to a megachurch. Wenig said this hunger could take away from engaging in raw teachings.

“A church isn’t a place to consume religion like you go to a restaurant to consume food,” he said.

The teachings inside a megachurch may not be bad at their core, but the danger may lie in the outcome. Junior Emma Simonson said popular teachings may result in a large congregation, which might lead to a watered-down message.

“In our sinful nature, we like to hear that we are good people,” she said. “But the truth is we can’t live up to the perfection God created us in. We don’t want to hear that.”

But Wenig and Simonson agree that size alone does not make a bad teaching of scripture. They believe the teachings inside megachurches can still be healthy and faithful, depending on how the church is run.

American megachurches have inspired thousands of Christians to be more active in their faith and in their evangelization. Despite backlash, the number of megachurches nationwide continues to increase, proving that whether someone is for them or against them, megachurches are here to stay.

“The myth that you can’t get connected at a large church, it’s not true,” Rinehart said. “We are constantly trying to keep connecting with people.”

November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

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November 2014

11

First Time

Never let the fear of injury and embarrassment keep you from throwing an 11-pound ball across the room.

IF IT STRIKES YOUR

FANCY MCKENZIE ELLIS

I

f you handed me a bowling ball, I would probably respond as if you had handed me a baby: I wouldn’t drop it, but I’d be scared, confused and anxious to put it down. Because of this, I have avoided bowling for most of my life. Then a lesson at River City Recreation rolled right into my lane.

My teacher, Jeff Crowley, walked into the bowling alley sporting curly gray hair and an RCR shirt. We started my lesson by selecting the correct bowling ball. He told me the weight of the ball should be about 10 percent of my weight, and the holes should fit my fingers loosely enough to keep me from rolling down the lane with it. He handed me a 12.

That’s definitely less than 10 percent of my weight, but I could barely hold it. We tried an 11. Not wanting to reveal my true weakness, I took it, cradling the ball with both arms.

As I put my bowling shoes on, Crowley told me that people used to steal these shoes back in the ‘90s because they were in style.

Though my taste is sometimes questionable, I felt pretty hip with my laces tied.

He then went over bowling terms, such as the “turkey.” He said at the turn of the 19th century, bowling alleys would run specials during the Thanksgiving season. They would award a live turkey to whoever bowled three strikes in a row.

Before we started bowling, Crowley took me to the lane’s foul line. He crouched down and drew a line in the lane’s oil coating and told me to do the same. This was a cautionary demonstration: slipping on the oil is a big cause of bowling injuries.

“Mind the foul line,” Crowley said, akin to

12

the London Underground’s, “Mind the gap.”

I didn’t know the proper steps to bowling. All I had ever done was walk up to the lane, toss the ball in the general direction of the pins and hope for the best, usually turning away before I could witness my gutter ball.

Crowley now talked me through the motions.

He said to roll the ball with just one hand, positioning it “just like you’re shaking hands.”

It was a multistep process, starting at zero and running through four separate but fluid poses.

With each step forward, there is a corresponding arm movement. He said to swing the ball forward first to build up momentum, and then let it swing back as you step ahead.

When it swings forward again, slide with your left foot and set the ball free.

Then it was time to actually throw the ball.

I froze. Which foot moved first again? What was I supposed to do with this massive, heavy marble? I walked to the foul line and just kind of dropped the ball with a smidgen of force.

Crowley came to my rescue and guided me through the steps again.

Crowley said beginner bowlers often struggle with timing and matching their arm and leg movements. Moving more than two limbs at once is asking an awful lot from me. Even after I learned the steps, I still took a moment — a really long moment — to think about the steps before moving at all. If I remembered my footwork, I would move my arm wrong.

Or my posture would be off.

“If you keep your chin still,” Crowley said, “you’ll always walk straight.”

I tried to keep my back straight, knees slightly bent, arms and legs angled forward.

One of Crowley’s tips was to line up your toes, knees and nose as if you were meeting an imaginary wall. He said if you swing correctly, your hand should come back up to pat you on the back for your good throw.

When I bowled badly, I hit nothing, maybe one or two side pins. When I bowled well, I hit everything but those darn side pins.

My strong-as-spaghetti arms didn’t pack much power. Crowley called this “booger bowling” — when you don’t follow through with the movement and instead move your hand as if to flick off a booger. He told me to get more aggressive. I checked behind to make sure I wouldn’t accidentally knock him in the head with the ball. Thankfully, I didn’t hit him, but I did hit more pins.

I got one strike. Crowley cheered. He told me he started bowling when he was 4 and got his first strike three years later.

“I didn’t necessarily want to get a strike as [much as] I wanted to see the big crown light up,” he said, recalling Franklin Lanes’ lane 18.

Bowling has come a long way for Crowley.

“Golly, everything good that’s happened in my life is because of bowling,” he said. “You don’t have to be the best, but you have to dedicate yourself to finding something [at which] you can be the best you can be. And for me that’s bowling.”

For lesson information, call River City Recreation, 1050 S. Weinbach, at 812–477–5323.

Lessons are $25 an hour.

In the last frame, I first hit a single pin, then I brought them all down for a spare.

“If you want, you can call that a strike, and I won’t tell anybody,” Crowley said.

November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

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Crescent Magazine

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November 2014

13

Know Your Rights

Coming forward and giving a voice to ending domestic violence and sexual assault is extremely important.

BEING A PART OF THE

SOLUTION JENNIFER GRABAN

P

resident Barack Obama launched a campaign in September called “It’s On Us” to raise awareness concerning the often ignored culture of sexual assault on college campuses. Since there are 76 universities — large and small schools alike — currently under investigation by the Department of Education to determine whether they violated Title IX guidelines in their handling of sexual assault cases, the campaign seems long past due.

UE clarified and added to its sexual misconduct policy this year, but it is helpful to know what spurred the government to investigate colleges and ultimately require that certain points be included in every university’s sexual misconduct policy.

In many ways, the 2011 Penn State sexabuse scandal fueled the analysis of how universities handle sexual assaults. It became apparent that there needed to be more transparency so what happened at Penn State would not happen again. Schools are now required to report a broader range of incidents, while also improving the complaint process so victims know their rights and are supported.

The Penn State scandal sparked an outpouring of news reports highlighting other sexual assault cases and the mishandling of those cases.

One such story was that of Columbia University senior Emma Sulkowicz, who was featured in a time.com news video titled “My Rapist is Still on Campus: Sex Assault in the Ivy League” in May. She and 22 other Columbia and Barnard College men and women filed a Title IX complaint in April against

14

their schools alleging misconduct in the handling of their cases.

In the video, Sulkowicz describes coming forward with two other women who said the same man raped them. She endured Columbia’s mishandling of her case and helplessly stood by as the man was found not guilty. Sulkowicz appealed her ruling, but it was upheld, and she said a subsequent trip to file a police report was so upsetting she didn’t follow through. She also made national news this fall by carrying a 50-pound mattress around the Columbia campus for the semester to protest sexual assault.

Reports of cases like Sulkowicz’s have resulted in many admitting that we still live in a society where women are not comfortable reporting sexual assault. According to the Department of Justice’s most recent national crime victimization survey, only 40 of every 100 sexual assaults get reported. Of those, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network stated that 10 will be arrested, eight will be prosecuted, four will be convicted and three will serve time. The other 97 perpetrators will never spend any time in prison.

Students rarely do anything these days without their phones with them, and officials know that more than an app is needed to keep students safe. But it is a first step. “bSafe” (getbsafe.com) is a free download with no monthly charge. You choose one person as your safety contact, but you can have unlimited friends that can follow you home via a GPS trace. And when your “bSafe You” window is open, help is only a tap away. There are also video, voice, GPS and siren options.

“Circle of 6” (circleof6.com) is another free app with no monthly charge. It lets you choose six friends who can be contacted with the tap of a button. Designed for college students, the app can discreetly send your location and a pre-typed message to provide an interruption or a way out of a difficult situation.

While there is no easy way to rid society of domestic violence and sexual assault, steps are being taken at UE to address issues in educational and attention-grabbing ways.

UE has adopted NO MORE, the symbol meant to inspire awareness and to motivate people to end sexual assault. The grassroots effort — which has grown to include schools nationwide — provides a variety of resources to help educate the campus community.

Hopefully, you have seen the print posters and screen messages around campus of student leaders sharing their NO MORE messages and others wearing NO MORE buttons and T-shirts to show their support.

Student Life is passionate about making sure this ignored culture and sensitive topic is no longer ignored. But more needs to happen to truly make it a campus movement, one where students collectively say that they are no longer going to tolerate sexual misconduct.

We need students to step forward and become participants in making it known that domestic violence and sexual assault are not acceptable anywhere. Come together Nov. 21 and show your support by wearing the color teal as UE celebrates “kNOw MORE Day,” a day devoted to recognizing that a culture of sexual misconduct can go on NO MORE. —with Danielle Gillespie

November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

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Crescent Magazine

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November 2014

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November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

Quite a Pair

Emily Daly & Aaron Johnson

THE PERFECT

PACKAGE ANNA SHEFFER

photo by Kate Sarber

L

aughter is the best medicine, and for seniors Emily Daly and Aaron Johnson, humor has always been an important part of their friendship. It is apparent as the two are being interviewed, talking to each other more than the reporters, as they kid each other and laugh. There is a comfort between them that is enviable.

They met as many theatre majors do — as freshmen in the basement of Hughes Hall.

Daly said they were both awkward; Johnson was reluctant to get to know her.

“She had short hair at the time,” he joked.

“I thought she was a boy.”

But get to know each other they did. As the only freshmen in the 2012 production of UE Theatre’s “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” where he played the town’s gossip and she his alcoholic mother, they grew as actors, which strengthened their friendship even more.

“She gets cast as a haggard old woman a lot,” Johnson said.

Daly acts indignant at his comment, but smiles and is equally quick with a response.

“I played a stripper once,” she said.

This is typical of the back-and-forth banter of these theatre performance majors. Everyone in the program knows that the hi-jinks between them is an everyday occurance.

Crescent Magazine

•

November 2014

R. Scott Lank, professor of theatre, who has directed them both, compares the two to the characters played by Diane Keaton and Woody Allen in 1977’s “Annie Hall.”

“They’re always chiding each other and poking fun at each other,” he said. “They play off each other really well. She sometimes finishes his sentences and he hers.”

Even the way they dress, which Lank calls interesting, could be described as quirky.

“They probably help each other get dressed in the morning,” he said.

It surprises no one that the two are practically joined at the hip since Daly and Johnson also live in a house called “Russia,” which is normally home to theatre majors. They share the space with two other friends and a fifth housemate — Johnson’s dog, Stella.

Of course, everyone has responsibilities in the house, and Daly said since Johnson is the only man, his job is to mow the lawn and kill spiders. But the center of the house’s attention is undoubtedly Stella; she is a dog, afterall.

“She doesn’t have quite the work ethic everyone else in the house does,” Johnson said.

Daly joked that she sometimes gets jealous of the attention Johnson gives Stella.

“He calls the dog ‘baby’ and ‘sweetheart,’” she said. “I’ve never been called those things.”

Recently, Johnson and Daly have been working on separate theatre projects. Daly will play Lady Macbeth in this month’s UET production of “Macbeth,” and Johnson just finished directing October’s May Studio production of Caryl Churchill’s “Vinegar Tom.” “I think Aaron has a lot of ability as a director,” Lank said. “He has a lot of insight into human behavior.”

While Daly performed in “Macbeth” before, Lady Macbeth is one of her dream roles.

“It’s very exciting,” she said. “It’s always been a dream role since I was little.”

After graduation in May, both hope to attend graduate school, and since their bond is so strong, they would like to go somewhere together, if possible.

“If a grad school could interview us together, they’d see it,” Johnson said.

No matter what happens later in life, Daly and Johnson know that their undergraduate experience has been all the better because of each other. And whether it’s coming up with ideas for television sitcoms or throwing impromptu dance parties, they know they will always make each other laugh.

“I don’t laugh harder with anyone else,” Daly said. “That’s nice.”

—with Sarah Joest

17

Brain Bomb

LIFTING ONE’S SPIRITS As Thanksgiving approaches, people look forward to the TV program that marks the start of the holiday season — the Macy’s Thanksgiving

The first Macy’s parade took place in 1924 and was actually called “The Macy’s Christmas Parade.”

Day Parade. In the weeks leading up to the annual event, artists finish assembling the balloons, with volunteers gathering by the thousands Nov. 27 to tug the heavy balloons along the 2 1/2-mile trek through downtown New York.

The average life of a balloon is eight years.

The character with the most parade appearances is Snoopy, whose seventh balloon debuted last year.

An estimated 3.5 million people gather in the streets to watch the parade, and 50 million watch from home.

Imagine watching piles of fabric turn into balloons as tall as Macy’s nine-story Manhattan store within a matter of hours. Public inflations began in 1996 and take place on the Upper West Side the day before the parade.

18

Macy’s designers collaborated in 1934 with Walt Disney and then introduced the parade’s first Mickey Mouse balloon.

Santa Claus has ended the parade every year, except in 1933 when he led the parade.

A downpour on Thanksgiving Day 1957 caused the cap of the Popeye float to fill with gallons of water, which then poured on spectators during the parade. Ah-gah-gah-gah!

Felix the Cat was the first character balloon, introduced in 1927.

Macy’s is the world’s second largest consumer of helium behind the U.S. government. Not surprising given that politicians are full of hot air.

Handlers attend balloon boot camps to prepare themselves physically for the parade. Exercises improving upper body strength are encouraged. Shrek is not going to move himself, after all.

The Aflac Duck, which debuted in 2011, is a “balloonicle.” It combines a cold-air balloon and self-propelled vehicle.

November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

UE C nnect

Connections for a Lifetime

“That sort of thing doesn’t happen at my school.”

“We don’t talk about that.”

“That’s just the way it is.”

“It’s none of my business.”

I HADN’T EXPECT TO GET INVOLVED AS MUCH AS I have when I started at UE. My mother always told me to make connections because you never know what those connections might teach you or what they might bring. I took her advice to heart. Since I am always worrying about my future, I became involved with UE Connect, which has been really helpful.

The Student-Alumni Mentoring Program has given me two wonderful mentors. My first was someone who gave me a hint of reality for life after graduation, motivated me to work hard and always write. My second has shown me that it is OK to do it all when it comes to film and TV. I had wanted to be a screenwriter, but now I realize there are more opportunities and I want to do more.

Having the hands-on experience with different types of media has opened my eyes and broadened my horizons to be more than a onetrick pony. All because of UE Connect.

Leslie Trotter, ‘15

t

Writing Arlington, Texas

ime, guidance and support. That’s what it takes to get a jump on your career and it’s never too early to start checking into options. UE Connect can help you network and gain access to people and things that can make a difference in your quest for the perfect career. Let UE Connect help you as you navigate your future.

• Provides a professional development network.

• Increases involvement and positive relationships.

• Encourages connections across the UE alumni network.

Sexual assault and sexual misconduct are hard topics to talk about, but it’s time we start.

Say NO MORE

to sexual violence by wearing TEAL to show your support as

UE CELEBRATES

k MORE NO w

D AY

FRIDAY, NOV. 21 3 Lots of giveaways 3 Ridgway Center lobby

information table 3 Purple Patrol treats 3 Sodexo surprises 3 Electronic screen messages and contests

For more information, visit www.evansville.edu/ueconnect UE Connect is a partnership between the Office of Alumni & Parent Relations and the Center for Career Development

Crescent Magazine

•

October 2014

No more EXCUSES. No more BYSTANDERS. No more VIOLENCE. 19

Cover Story

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

20

November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

DEJA JOHNSON & MARISA PATWA

Graffiti is often thought of as vandalism, but it is also an art form that gives a voice to those who want to be heard.

A

man, dressed in dark clothing, stands by the railroad tracks with a can of spray paint in hand.

The sound of the whistle grows louder as the train grows nearer. He will have only a few seconds, so he will have to work fast.

As the train whips by, he sprays it as quickly as he can. These are the moments that graffiti artists live for.

Many people view graffiti as pointless lettering on a wall; they say it is a crime that cannot be justified. But even though graffiti may be a form of vandalism, it also connects with a wide range of people through its beauty and creativity.

Graffiti can take many forms. From inscriptions to designs in an unauthorized public place, it is a form of visual communication. People mark walls, rocks and bathroom stalls, doodle chalk on sidewalks and streets, write in the sand and on windows and even place messages in the sky.

The idea of the world seeing his art made graffiti artist Caleb Neelon want to try his hand at it.

“It was something I thought was magical,” he said. “I could see people paint really big things, and I wanted to do that too.”

Neelon said painting something outside in the public is different then any other art form because as soon as you walk away from it, it becomes alive.

A local artist, who goes by the letter O, also believes that it is powerful to put your work outside for anyone to see.

“You could be an artist and have work that sits in a gallery for 20 years and no one ever sees it, or you could climb a 200-

Crescent Magazine

•

November 2014

foot water tower and paint your name and everyone can see it,” he said.

Senior Erin Cary, a visual communication design major, said she likes how one public piece can be seen by so many.

“I think it’s cool because someone can draw on a train in New Orleans and someone in Chicago sees it,” she said. “It’s just a really cool way that art travels.”

As long as there have been people, there has been the need for expression.

Graffiti has been around since ancient times when people painted images in caves.

Even soldiers used pencils, charcoal, burnt sticks and knives to compose graffiti on the walls of houses, churches, tunnels and caves during the Civil War. They did not know if they would be alive the next day and wanted to validate their existence.

Times of political turmoil and oppressive environments are also major catalysts for people who are not normally artists to use graffiti as a way to voice their opinions, protest and cry out for liberation.

Neelon traveled to Berlin with his mother when he was 13. While exploring the city, he saw the Berlin Wall in the process of being torn down. The west side was covered in rich graffiti while the Communist side was blank. Seeing the contributions of art made by both citizens and tourists sparked his passion for graffiti.

“I liked the idea that people were doing something they were not supposed to and that it was big, bad, colorful and creative,” he said. “There was this feeling that the graffiti had kind of won, that it had helped take down the wall.”

Neelon and Roger Gastman published “The History of American Graffiti” in 2011. It details the evolution and controversy surrounding graffiti in America. They wrote that youth in the late ‘60s and ‘70s were instrumental in shaping the contemporary graffiti movement.

Darryl “Cornbread” McCray is one of the most influential artists of that time. In Philadelphia in 1967, McCray tried to get the attention of a girl by writing “Cornbread Loves Cynthia” on the walls of his school. He then began to paint his nickname on city walls. Little did he know, he would encourage the trend of tagging — signing one’s name usually on or beside a creation. McCray has tagged everything from the Jackson 5’s plane to an elephant at the Philadelphia Zoo. There is also a stigma that graffiti is something only the poor or criminals do.

Gangs often use graffiti to claim territory, honor gang members and challenge rival gangs. But they only make up a portion of graffiti artists today.

“People get this idea that it is gang crap, and it’s not true,” O said. “The people who do it are talented and graceful and brave.”

O said he has been arrested twice for vandalism. While he paid fines for both offenses, the worst part is the feeling of getting halfway finished with a project and then getting caught by the police. He said once caught, they wanted to blame him for every piece of graffiti in the city. But for graffiti artists, the need for self-expression is worth the risk of legal action.

21

Halley Pacheco de Oliveira

Brazil

A few cities allow graffiti in select places.

These five are definitely colorful.

Michael Dorausch

Calif.

A Syn

Remnants of the Venice Pavilion have become the Venice Art Walls.

Rio de Janeiro,

Venice Beach,

David Veríssimo

Graffiti is viewed as a career opportunity for some low-income communities rather than a form of vandalism.

Queens, N.Y. A Long Island City block known as 5 Pointz was a place where artists could paint on the outside walls of a factory.

While there will be a place for art, the factory is being torn down to build condominiums.

Warsaw, Poland

Topiel Street is famous for its stencil art.

Unknown

Piatek | Sobota

Melbourne, Austrailia The graffiti of Hosier Lane is painted over to create a new canvas for artists.

It stays blank for about 45 minutes.

Unknown Shepard Fairey, American contemporary street artist, did Barack Obama’s “Hope” campaign poster.

22

“I feel like we’re not where we are as a society by not breaking a few rules,” Cary said. “Obviously, if you are doing it on a gravestone then that’s crossing the line, but I think it’s funny if you do it on the side of an Apple store.”

Graffiti can be as simple as someone writing on walls out of boredom or thinking of something funny and wanting to share it. People will often be so inspired or amused by the work of others that they reply with their own art. This type of open and spontaneous dialogue is a kind of communal graffiti, where anyone can contribute to the creation, whether negatively or positively.

“That is the point,” O said. “You want to inspire.

You want people to throw down.”

Graffiti has become an outlet for those who have trouble communicating or do not have someone to talk to. It can be a form of therapy for the creative, the rebels and the dreamers.

Neelon creates art to show others what is happening in his life. His inspirations include such events as his girlfriend dumping him, the first time his child tried to walk and his daughter playing with books.

O said what he creates depends on his mood and the place he chooses as his canvas.

“Every color, every curve, every letter, every line is about something in my life,” he said.

Graffiti has not only given O an outlet to create, it has also saved his life. Rather than getting high one day and going out with friends, he chose to mark a building instead. The friend who was driving was under the influence and wreaked. He died and so did a passenger — a baby.

“Rather than running and gunning and causing trouble, I learned to take the high road,” O said. “If I had went with them and drank and gotten high, then I might be them.”

O’s work includes pieces titled “Ghetto Incredible,” “Someone Call the Police There Are Artists in the Streets” and the UE-inspired “City Color Purple.” One of his favorite works is a 13-by-20-foot design of him as Jesus rising out of a pit of hell with snakes coming out from the bottom. He said it expresses his feeling of having been crucified throughout life.

Unfortunately, most of his work has been painted over. He said it makes him mad because of all of the time, money and creativity he puts into his work.

“I don’t like the idea of art being censored in any way, shape or form,” said Julie Struck, a mixed media, digital artist and illustrator who has worked with O and documented other graffiti artists in the area.

O said in the past six months, graffiti has exploded, and there is a huge underground movement. He said street artists are tired of being viewed as gangsters and criminals because that is not who they are, and that is not the point of graffiti.

“It’s about art,” he said. “It’s about expressing yourself.”

November 2014

•

Crescent Magazine

Engage the

WORLD International Education Week

NOVEMBER 17–21

MONDAY

TUESDAY

TUESDAY cont’d

WEDNESDAY cont’d

Study Abroad Fair

Student Presentations

International Study, Research and Experiential Learning 8:30 a.m.–noon & 2–4 p.m.

Eykamp Hall 253, 254 & 255

Panel Discussion

“CoCoDa in El Salvador: Community to Communidad” 7 p.m.

Eykamp Hall 252

I-House: El Salvador

Lunchtime Panel

WEDNESDAY

Science and Mathematics Career Colloquium

11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Ridgway Center

Featured Speaker

Ossama Bahloul, Ph.D. “Religion and Politics in the U.S. and Abroad” 7 p.m.

Eykamp Hall 251

“Jews, Christians and Muslims: How can we know Peace?”

12:15-1:10 p.m.

SOBA 170

30-Minute Language & Culture Capsules

7 p.m.

Class of 1959 Gallery Ridgway Center

6 p.m.

Koch Center 102

11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Eykamp Hall 253, 254 & 255

See a full schedule of events at evansville.edu/iew | Office of Study Abroad | SOBA 261 | studyabroad@evansville.edu

FRIDAY Eykamp Hall November 2014 5-8 p.m.

Crescent Magazine

•

28th annual International Bazaar “WISH UPON A STAR”

23

Feature

BUILD ING

BR AIN S HALEY ALBERS

Everybody loves LEGO®, but these toys aren’t just for play.

They can be used for education and expanding imaginations.

24

N

othing hurts worse than stepping on a LEGO® with a bare foot. Everyone has done it; everyone winces at the memory of it. But these fun building toys are instruments of endless possibilities during playtime despite the little bit of pain they may cause once in a while. The real question is: How have these colorful little blocks made their way onto the floors of nearly every home on the planet?

LEGO® got its start in 1932 when Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen started a business making wooden toys. He adopted the name “lego” in 1934, from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” which means, “play well.” The phrase also coincidentally means, “I put together” in Latin.

The toy thrived, and the company purchased a plastic molding machine in 1946 and expanded the company’s products. Plastic toys accounted for half of its total production by 1951, and wooden toy production was eventually done away with altogether after a fire destroyed the warehouse in which the wooden toys were made.

Today, LEGO® is the third largest toy manufacturer in the world. Its popularity is due to its simple design and the building possibilities it provides to children of all ages. From its use in everything from preschool classrooms to art shows and engineering competitions, it is a toy for everyone.

“LEGOs are cross-generational,” said Josh Gilmore, director of membership and marketing at the Evansville Museum. “I’m 32, almost 33, and I played with them growing up. My son is 18 months, and he plays with the LEGO® DUPLO® sets.”

Gilmore’s efforts brought thousands of the pint-sized bricks to the museum in July 2013 and then again this August. “Brickmania — WWII in LEGO®” featured a minature model based on Evansville’s own landing ship, tank — USS LST 325, a ship used in World War II, along with three other historical LEGO® models of other ships and battles. The exhibition received such a large turnout each time that it is now an annual event.

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Gilmore said the models were a fun way to help people visualize the various ships and war craft. It was also helpful to be able to point out where things like doors and machine guns were located.

“It was a good chance to get up close and see how these enormous ships really functioned,” he said.

Visitors to the exhibit — both young and old — got involved in the learning process. Children were so used to playing with their own sets that it was hard to keep them from touching the models. Fortunately, there were gobs of the colorful bricks on hand for them to play and build with. And the adult builders of the pieces were present and answered questions visitors had about the construction process.

“It was engaging on multiple levels, and I think as it goes on, we’ll try to make it even more engaging,” Gilmore said.

Staying true to its goal of promoting children’s development, LEGO® has gotten involved in the classroom. Kristiansen had a deep love for children so it is fitting that the company today has its own division for education and provides learning resources to teachers and schools. They are used in classrooms and summer camps worldwide, and there are competitions for older students dedicated to using the bricks as tools for learning art, science and engineering.

The company also manufactures educational aids. The LEGO® StoryStarter kits use the blocks and minifigures to help make learning language arts more interesting and fun for grade-schoolers. These sets are designed with state standards in mind and come with activities and software to teach children the basics of composing a good story.

By constructing scenes and digitally publishing their stories, the students learn to visualize and enjoy writing at the same time.

Older students can learn with LEGO® too. When she was in high school, senior Jessika Volz said she and other students used them in a physics course to create mousetraps. She said the toy’s many uses are part of their appeal.

“They’re really versatile,” she said. “You can use them for different things, whether it’s a science project or playing with little kids.”

Senior Catie Witt has seen firsthand the benefits of building with the bricks. She said she baby-sits a 3-year-old and said playing with the bigger blocks is a great way to develop imagination.

“It’s a creative process just looking at blocks and being able to make something out of them,” she said. “It’s almost an art, knowing how you’re going to be able to fit everything together.”

Witt remembered one occasion in which she and the child created Elsa’s castle while singing the popular

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“Let It Go” from 2013’s animated “Frozen.” She said there is nothing like watching children proudly show off their LEGO® structures.

“It’s another form of creative expression,” Witt said. “It’s something that’s their own.”

And children aren’t the only ones expressing creatively with the blocks. Just last month a 15-year-old Scottish boy released an animated two-minute stop-motion video of iconic movie moments — all built with LEGO®s. Morgan Spence reinacted scenes from such movies as “Pulp Fiction,” “E.T.” and “Life of Pi” after being commissioned by Warren Elsmore, a LEGO® artist and author of “Brick Flicks: 60 Cult Movie Scenes & Posters Made from LEGO®,” to create the original art. Spence’s first LEGO® hit was a music video last year for DJ Paul Oakenfold’s “Who Do You Love?”

Although the bricks are popular with almost everyone, many people still view them as primarily a toy for boys. Both Volz and Witt believe there is a lot less variety in the sets for girls. Even though LEGO® ran a gender-blind ad campaign in the 1980s featuring a redheaded girl, many current sets for girls are pink and seem limited to such things as bakeries and salons.

The company made some efforts to appeal to girls by introducing in August a line of sets depicting female scientists — called the Research Institute. The sets sold out quickly, and since they were limited editions, the female chemist and astronomer minifigures are no longer available. But this does not prevent girls from picking up and playing with LEGO®s.

“I think girls like to play with them,” Volz said. “They’re just more marketed toward boys.”

Regardless, they remain popular with everyone from toddlers to teenagers to adults.

“I had a blast with LEGO®s,” Gilmore said. “You could follow the directions they gave you or do what you want with them.”

There are LEGO® conventions, movies, custom sets and video games. And the reason these blocks are used in education is the same reason people love them so much.

No matter the age, with LEGO®, almost anything is possible.

— with Anna Sheffer

25

News

MARISA PATWA

NOT STICKING

TO ONE PLAN

Lecture centers on passions, social issues and life in the White House.

T

he twin daughters of former President George W. Bush told the standing-room-only audience Oct. 21 in Eykamp Hall that students should find what personally motivates them and build their careers around it in order to find happiness in their professions.

Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush shared that and other advice, coupled with personal experiences, during this year’s first Snyder Lecture Series.

“Find what drives you,” Hager said. “If it is education or healthcare, find what makes you happiest, and then find work within that because there is work.”

Hager said she realized she wanted to teach at the start of her senior year at the University of Texas. After graduating with a degree in English, she became involved with the New Teacher’s Project in Washington D.C. She said she stayed after school every night because she was worried her third grade students would not be able to read by the end of the year.

“My first year of teaching was a big learning curve,” she said. “I took the issues of my students home with me every night. It was a lot of pressure to take on.”

As an UNICEF intern in 2006, Hager traveled to Latin America to document the lives of women and children living in poverty. She met a 16-year-old with HIV named Ana who had joined a support group when she became pregnant so she could learn about HIV and try to prevent her child from being born with the virus. She said meeting Ana not only inspired her to write her 2007 book “Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope,” but also inspired her passion for education.

“There’s a thousand things you could do, and that’s really intimidating,” Hager said. “You kind of learn by doing. Be curious.”

It was while on the book’s tour that Hager was offered a job as a correspondent with NBC’s “Today.” She was hesitant until her husband convinced her to take a chance, and she left her job as a teacher to take on the new challenge.

“When we were your age, we were hiding, literally hiding, from the same people I work with (now),” Hager joked.

Bush had originally planned on becoming an architect.

But she too changed her career path after an eye-opening experience. She traveled to Uganda with her parents in 2003 for

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the opening of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an emergency operation implemented by the former president to combat the global AIDS epidemic.

That is when Bush decided to change her career path and concentrate on global health. She said after seeing hundreds of Ugandans lined up for treatment, needing medicine that was accessible to most Americans, she enrolled in as many global health courses she could when she returned to Yale.

“It was an accident that I ended up in social health,” she said.

Bush later worked with a children’s hospital in South Africa and completed a UNICEF internship in Botswana. She co-founded Global Health Corps, a nonprofit devoted to solving public health issues in eastern and southern Africa and the United States, six years ago.

“If you had told me I was going to start a nonprofit, I never would have guessed,” she said. “I can’t even compare what the two lives would have looked like.”

Bush has made GHC a priority and compares it to Teach for America, but with healthcare. The organization competitively recruits recent college graduates to work abroad in health-related fellowships around the world. She believes young people can make an impact.

“Yes, please, apply to Global Health,” she said. “I wasn’t going to make this a recruiting event, but….”

The women also spoke of their experiences growing up as the children of a president. They described their upbringing in Texas as one of relative normalcy even though their father was governor of the state and their grandfather was serving as the 41st U.S. president. They were college students when their father was in the White House and their mother, Laura, was fulfilling her duties as first lady.

“Our lives have been extraordinary because we have gotten to watch history unfold before our eyes and sometimes be a part of it,” Bush said.

And while they gave advice on a variety of topics, finding a fulfilling path to take in life was a resounding message, one they know will happen for students.

“Don’t feel pressured to figure it out tomorrow,” Hager said.

— Mackenzie Bruce and Paula Nowaczyk

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Who Knew?

WHICH DISNEY STAR HAS THE FEWEST LINES? Disney is known for its animated movies often involving talking animals. But Dumbo has no lines at all in his own 1941 movie. All of the other animals in his movie talk and sing. The next least talkative main character is Aurora in “Sleeping Beauty.” She has only 18 lines and 18 minutes of screen time, despite her status as a major Disney princess. Simba from 1994’s “The Lion King” has the most lines of all at 234.

Adult Simba and Young Simba were voiced by different people, though, so things even out.

WHY ARE FLAMINGOS PINK? Flamingos are what they eat — to an extent.

While flamingos do not actually turn into brine shrimp, their dietary choices are responsible for their pink color. Brine shrimp contain beta carotene, an important chemical that helps many creatures, including humans, make vitamin A. Baby flamingos are gray because they have not yet consumed

IS PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY REAL? Photographic memory is a myth, but autobiographical memory is not. People with this power can recall tiny details, such as what they wore 12 years ago.

WHO’S HOARDING

THOSE WORDS?

Which rapper has the biggest vocabulary? Indie rapper Aesop Rock possibly even beats Shakespeare with 7,392 different words compared to the bard’s 5,170 within a 35,000-word sample.

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enough brine shrimp to be pink. The richer their diet, the more vibrant their feathers. Other foods like carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, so zookeepers often use these as replacements to keep their flamingos pink, as well as canthaxanthin — a chemical found in artificial tanning pills.

WHY DO WE YAWN? Yawning is a breath of fresh air for your tired brain, and it marks your body’s rhythms. Contagious yawning is a social cue meant to signal to a whole group that it’s time to get some sleep.

GOT A SONG STUCK IN YOUR HEAD? Called an “earworm,” this can happen when you hear a song too often. Stress, memory or outside stimuli also contribute. Certain song structures are shaped to get stuck, having notes with long durations and small pitch intervals.

27

Feature

no glove CHRIS NORRIS & ANNA SHEFFER

STIs continue to spread.

It’s important to know what you are up against and how to stop it.

T

Quick Tips If you are a sexually active female aged 25 years or younger, get tested every year for chlamydia. If left untreated, chlamydia can affect your ability to have children.

If you are diagnosed with an STD, notify your sex partners so they can be tested and receive treatment if needed.

If your sex partner is diagnosed with an STD, you need to be evaluated, tested, and treated.

The most reliable ways to avoid transmission of STDs, including HIV infection, are to abstain from sexual activity or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner.

Latex male and female condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce the risk of transmission of some STDs.

— CDC.gov

HIV — Still a Threat Human immunodeficiency virus Attacks immune system Can develop into AIDS Symptoms may take years to appear

How do you get it? oral

vaginal

anal

needles

Transmitted through certain bodily fluids Condoms reduce the risk

How do you treat it?

Medications prevent onset of AIDS or ease AIDS symptoms Cannot be cured

How many people have it?

About

About

1 million 33 million in the U.S.

total

1 in 6 people don’t know they are infected

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NO LOV

here were 509 new cases of HIV and 29,505 new cases of chlamydia reported in Indiana in 2012, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. With numbers like these, it is clear that people are still not practicing safe sex.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about 20 million new sexually transmitted infections are contracted each year. Adults aged 15–24 acquire almost half of all new STIs every year, even though they only account for 25 percent of sexually active adults. Despite the high rate of infection, there are still a lot people who do not consider STIs when being sexually involved.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of information that is not discussed in high school sex education classes. Some people get more than they want; others get a passing glance with no discussion. Regardless, it is important to know the difference between STIs and STDs and what to do to prevent them.

STIs only become STDs when they cause symptoms. Some can be fairly harmless, but others can be painful, debilitating or life-threatening. STIs with no symptoms can have serious health consequences. Because of this, it is important to know if you have an STI. And it needs to happen before the passion and playing begin.

“It’s responsible for both partners to get tested before starting a sexual relationship,” said Jamie Adams-Kemper, health education coordinator.

As sex education has been limited for many, it is understandable that education on STIs has been limited as well. But even the most common STIs — human papillomavirus, herpes simplex virus and chlamyd-

ia — have important details people might not know.

HPV Human papillomavirus is the most common type of STI. Though 90 percent of HPV infections will dissipate without detection, they can lead to genital warts or serious diseases, including cervical cancer.

Symptoms can develop years after first having sex with someone. HPV can also be spread even when the infected partner has no symptoms.

Almost all sexually active people get it at some point in their lives. Since it is a viral infection, there is no cure, but you can help prevent it with the HPV vaccine.

“The vaccine is important to get at any time, especially in this age range,” Adams-Kemper said, “but it’s important to get tested regularly if you’re sexually active.”

The vaccine is administered in three separate shots given over the course of six months. It is most effective if it is provided before the person has had any type of sexual contact.

The vaccine protects against strains that cause genital warts since HPV leads to 90 percent of genital warts cases. The CDC reports that there are 360,000 new cases of genital warts annually, and they can be treated with topical medications or removed through minor surgical procedures such as freezing.

Herpes Herpes is one of the most common STIs in America, and about 16 percent of people aged 14–49 have it. The HSV-2 strain of the herpes simplex virus is the main culprit

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HERPES

OVE

CHLAMYDIA

Most commonly reported STI

Chlamydia trachomatis, bacterial infection Infects genital area, rectum and throat

Can permanently damage a woman’s reproductive system

How do you get it?

Prescription antibiotics oral

Chlamydia Chlamydia is most common among those younger than 25. Not all people with chlamydia will have symptoms, but the infection can still cause damage to the reproductive system. Common symptoms of chlamydia include discharge, burning while urinating, pain and swelling in the testicles and bleeding. It is common to have repeat infections with chlamydia.

Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause ectopic pregnancies or infertility in women, and it can also make one more susceptible to HIV. In rare cases, chlamydia can lead to male infertility.

Since it is a bacterial infection, chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics.

Prevention Condoms are still the most effective way to prevent the spread of STIs other than abstinence, so it is crucial that students know how to use them and make a habit of it.

Condoms are more effective at preventing

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November 2014

vaginal

How do you get it? oral

vaginal

anal

Condoms help prevent, but no guarantee Most cases are asymptomatic

anal

Can be transmitted even if ejaculation does not occur during sex

of genital herpes. It remains in the body for life and can reactivate multiple times in a year. Herpes is usually asymptomatic, but sometimes there is an outbreak of genital sores.

Contact with sores can cause the virus to transfer to other parts of the body, such as the eyes. Open sores can also increase the risk of getting and spreading HIV. There is no cure, but there are medications that can make outbreaks less severe and less frequent. Herpes can still be passed between outbreaks and during treatment, though.

Crescent Magazine

How do you treat it?

Herpes simplex virus Infects mouth, rectum and genital area

people are infected annually

Medications only ease symptoms and help keep it from spreading

How many people have it?

An estimated

About

people are infected annually

70

How many people have it?

An estimated

How do you treat it?

776,000

%

2.86 million

Occasionally reactivates

90% show no symptoms

HPV Genital human papillomavirus More than 40 sexual types

How do you get it?

the transmission of STIs spread through bodily fluids, such as the human immunodeficiency virus, than they are against STIs that spread through skin-to-skin contact, like HPV, since barriers do not cover all potentially infectious skin. Lube can also add to protection since it acts as a barrier.

While these places may not be open when you most need a condom, Adams-Kemper said they are available in residence halls, Counseling Services and the Health Center.

Condoms can only go so far in preventing STIs. Being forthcoming with one’s partner is crucial and can stop the spread of STIs. “Make sure you have really good, open communication with your partner, and make sure you get tested,” said Jenna, a Planned Parenthood assistant.

Testing Available tests, treatments and costs vary. Most places will work with students on the cost. The Health Center also offers HIV testing through the AIDS Resource Group. The next available testing is from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 7 in the Health Center.

— with Marisa Patwa

oral

vaginal

anal

How many people have it?

About

Infects genital and oral areas Can lead to cervical and other cancers

How do you treat it?

Treatment cannot cure HPV, but can treat problems caused by it Virus will often clear up on its own Vaccines can help prevent it

14 million new cases annually

Local Testing/Treatment

Planned Parenthood

What they test: Gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, bacterial vaginosis, syphilis, trichomoniasis and HIV What they treat: All except HIV and offers HPV vaccine Cost: Varies depending on test; accepts insurance Contact: 812–473–4990 / 125 N. Weinbach

Vanderburgh County Health Department What they test: Gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis What they treat: All and offers HPV vaccine Cost: Office visit: $20; Medication administration: $10 Contact: 812–435–5683 / 420 Mulberry St.

Tri-Cap What they test: HIV and other STIs What they treat: All of the above except HIV Cost: Sliding scale, depends upon income Contact: 812–482–2233 / 727 John St.

AIDS Resource Group What they test: HIV and syphilis What they treat: No treatment, but counseling Cost: Free Contact: 812–421–0059 / 201 N.W. Fourth St., Suite B-7

WORTH NOTING Gonorrhea can infect both men and women and

Syphilis can cause long-term complications

can cause infections in the genitals, rectum and throat. It is a common infection, especially among 15–24 year olds. It is becoming harder to treat some gonorrhea as drug-resistant strains of it are increasing. The CDC reports there were almost 335,000 cases of gonorrhea diagnosed in 2012, a 4.1 percent increase from 2011.

if not treated. You can get it by direct contact with a syphilis sore during vaginal, anal or oral sex. It can be cured with antibiotics, but treatment will not undo any damage the infection has already done. Cases reported by the CDC in 2012 were 15,667, an 11.1 percent increase from 2011.

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Sexual Tension

MARISA PATWA

AN EXTREMELY

TOUCHY SUBJECT

Masturbation is a subject we don’t talk about, but it can actually be healthy.

I

n a scene from the popular TV show “Blue Mountain State” one character blackmails another when he walks in on him masturbating in his mascot’s uniform. Masturbating has long been viewed as something only people with sexual perversions do. In reality, it is something almost everyone does.

“Part of it is that masturbation is a very private thing,” said Doug Adams, creator of HealthyStrokes.com, “and nearly everyone is horrified at the thought of someone else seeing them do it, or even knowing they do it.”

With men, it is viewed as something only lonely guys with bad social skills do.

Canada’s Simon Fraser University conducted a study in 2013 on the depiction of masturbation in North American movies. Samples consisted of 44 movies from 2005–10, and the majority of them showed male masturbation in a negative light. Characters were often caught, embarrassed and ridiculed.

And there is sometimes even more of a negative reaction toward women who masturbate. But where do these stereotypes come from?

“Busy women do it, mothers do it, young girls do it, people with partners do it,” senior Marketa Trousilova said. “It’s not just one group of people.”

Designer and front end developer Tina Gong created a female-friendly app called “HappyPlayTime” this year.

Her goal was to help dissipate the stigma of women masturbating and teach women to be comfortable with their bodies. Apple rejected the app, claiming it had objectionable content and erotic and mature themes. Yet it accepted apps such as “Rack Stare” and “Boobs are Awesome.”

Trousilova said she does not understand how Americans can be so uptight about sex and that her friends back home in the Czech Republic are incredibly open when it comes to talking about their sexual desires.

“It’s strange because back home we view America as the free country where you can get everything and anything you want,” she said. “So it was surprising that when I got here, sex was such a closed-off topic that people don’t want to talk about.”

According to Planned Parenthood, masturbation has been viewed as a sin throughout history, detrimental to mental and physical health. Some church leaders preached that masturbation was worse than fornication,

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rape and incest because it was seen as unnatural and not conducive to reproduction.

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who ran a sanitarium in the 1800s, believed masturbation was caused by several different factors, including gluttony, sedentary employment and laziness. Some of his recommendations for preventing masturbating included applying leeches to the genitals and being confined to a straight jacket. Kellogg also helped to invent cornflakes to get people to people eat cold cereal instead of hot. He thought this would curb their need for self-pleasure.

These beliefs were so enforced that 82 percent of college freshman in 1937 thought masturbating was dangerous. Today, seven out of 10 men and five out of 10 women masturbate, according to Planned Parenthood. But it is still not a typical topic of conversation.

In college, most students have roommates, and the loss of being able to masturbate easily can be jarring enough to make some not do it at all. Junior Leland Noland said having roommates does not have to be a hindrance, though.

“It is not something I discuss with people,” he said.

“I mean, you can always find a way around it.”

Trousilova said masturbation is not controversial in the Czech Republic. Sex fantasy stores are everywhere, and there are often TV commercials promoting sex toys.

She does not think Americans should be uncomfortable talking about it and thinks students should be able to freely discuss the subject with their roommates.

“If there are three- to-four people living in an apartment, you have to be open because you might see a naked boy in the middle of the night going to the bathroom,” she said. “You have to be open for it not to be awkward.”

Masturbating is completely normal and even beneficial for your sexual health. It can improve sleep, increase orgasms, enhance your sex life and relieve menstrual cramps. It is also a way for people who are not ready to have sex to learn how to be intimate and discover what they like.

“It’s for pleasure,” Trousilova said. “It releases the happy hormones so that people are not so uptight and stressed. It’s a way for you to like your body and feel more comfortable with yourself.”

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Questions The numbers are staggering. While UE recycles a great deal of paper, plastic and alumninum, too much of that is still being thrown in the trash.

JAN SCHRADER Risk and Environmental Management manager

photo by Kate Sarber

Q: Many people might not know why they

Q: How much does UE recycle annually?

A: Last year — and so far this year — we have recycled about 57 tons — 28 tons were collected by work-study students. Of the total, cardboard was 12.8 tons. Tri-State Resource Recovery hauls that away for us. From movein alone, there were 1.56 tons. Piranha Mobile Shredding comes to campus and picks up paper to shred. That was about 10 tons. Another 8 tons were confidential paper and another 5.9 tons was picked up as-needed. We recycled about .35 tons of toner cartridges, which were sent off to Office Depot. We get a little bit of money from them if they can reuse them. Obsolete electronics accounted for about a ton of our recyclables. And there were 5.9 tons of other stuff we needed to get rid of. It came down to a little more than a ton per week.

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should recycle. What are the benefits?

A: To keep things out of landfills for one.

If you recycle aluminum cans, for example, you save an enormous amount of energy because the process to melt down aluminum and use it again takes much, much less energy than starting the whole process from scratch. It begins with mining and includes transporting the ore you’ve mined to actually having to manufacture the cans. If you recycle paper, you save trees so you help the environment and save money. The same thing applies to cardboard.

Again, there are cost savings to recycling plastic versus making it from scratch. And there are problems with plastic getting into waterways and wildlife seeing plastic as food, eating it and dying.

Q: What are the ways people can recycle around campus?

A: We have bins all around campus for either paper, plastic or aluminum. If you’ve got cardboard, please break it down, fold it and put it beside or in a paper container. We do not recycle glass because of safety concerns.

We also collect batteries and toner cartridges. The UE Recycling Guide can be found on AceLink and gives the locations and what can be recycled. The are about 100 pickup locations. Also, some students from the Environmental Concerns Organization set up a location in Ridgway Center last year and collected

plastic bags that were then recycled. I do not know if they’re doing that this year or not.

Q: How much trash does UE throw away?

A: About 19,000 pounds of trash a week.

That’s a lot of trash.

Q: How much of that trash would you say is recyclables that haven’t been recycled?

A: I think there’s a fair amount. Veolia Environmental Services did an analysis for us and mentioned that we have a lot of stuff that’s being thrown out that should be recycled. I would love to do a waste analysis and really take a look at what is going out in our trash.

Q: Do you think that’s just because people don’t recycle that much or that it is something we could be doing better?

A: I don’t think it’s just here. I think it’s widespread. One of the things I’m asking my work studies to do this year is to notice when we get contamination — trash being put in the recycle bins. If we get a lot of that in a bin, we have to throw it away instead of recycle it.

We need to lessen that contamination and have people become aware of what they’re putting into the recycling bins and also to empty things out that contain liquids. I think people get into habits. If your habit is to throw something away in the trash, how do you easily change that sort of behavior? It’s not easy, but it’s important.

31

Full-Court Press

College hoops traditions provide a competitive advantage for teams and an exciting experience for fans.

TRADITIONALLY

TRIUMPHANT IAN HESLINGER

S

tudents at John Brown (Ark.) University use roll after roll of toilet paper for something other than its intended purpose. Once the first basket is scored in the Golden Eagles’ home men’s basketball game opener, students toss it from the stands, creating what USA Today called “the best technical foul in all of sports.”

Players and coaches shield themselves. The JBU mascot makes snow angels. This blizzard represents what drives college basketball.

Traditions make this sport special. Whether it involves a small university such as JBU or a big-time NCAA Division I school such as Kansas, traditions create an atmosphere that cannot be replicated. They energize fans, no matter how a game or season ends. And, crazy as they may be, they often result in wins.

Students have performed the toilet paper stunt for 33 years, and the team has only lost their home opener once. The ritual has plenty of supporters, including Clark Sheehy, who coached at JBU for seven years.

“The tradition has gotten bigger and bigger each season,” he told Yahoo Sports in 2011.

“What our players look forward to is a lot of energy and excitement from the fans. It’s just a fun, fun night. I think it’s one of the greatest traditions in college sports.”

Small schools do not always get the same exposure as big schools, but certain traditions have not gone unnoticed.

Taylor (Ind.) University performs a ritual known as “Silent Night.” The Trojans play a game the Friday before finals that sends the school into the holiday season. Everyone remains silent until the Trojans score their 10th

32

point, and then students erupt into chaos.

“It’s so bizarre, that first 10 points,” former coach Paul Patterson told CBS Sports. “You can’t speak. You can encourage the guys, but you can’t do anything. Then it comes, and the game gets to be a really high intensity.”

The Trojans have never lost that game since Patterson introduced it about two decades ago. At the game’s end, the atmosphere changes when the students link arms and sing “Silent Night.”

As for big universities, Kansas has one of the most recognized chants in sports. Former President Theodore Roosevelt even said it was the greatest chant he had ever heard.

A KU chemistry professor created it in 1886 for the science club. The Gregorian-like chant was “Rah, rah, Jayhawk, KU,” which was repeated three times. “Rock Chalk” later replaced the “rahs” because it rhymes with Jayhawk and symbolizes the chalk rock limestone found on Kansas’ campus.

Students can also have a profound impact on forming traditions. Duke’s student section, the Cameron Crazies, is credited for coining the phrase, “Air ball!” Without the help of students, many traditions may not exist.

UE has had some traditions of its own.

The Aces are the last team to have worn jerseys with sleeves. The school traded them in for sleeveless in 2002, but recently brought back a similar version for special occasions.

“Last year, we brought them back for six games,” said Bob Pristash, sports information director. “It was a couple of our bigger games, our home opener and against [Wichita State].

We won five national (college) championships

wearing them, and you want to make sure you honor the tradition of those championship teams forever.”

Although Pristash said the sleeved jerseys hurt recruiting, they are still a valued part of UE’s tradition, which needs to be embraced.

“When you have a tradition like that, it is something you want to be sure remains part of your culture forever,” he said.

Traditions are an important part of college basketball and, in many cases, can lead to attracting recruits. Gaining a competitive advantage is as important as ever before because of higher investments and less patience from everyone involved. Having unique traditions may help.

Coaches try to embrace them, and even start their own, such as Midnight Madness, where schools introduce their new teams to fans at midnight. This event may involve scrimmages or dunk contests, and players and fans love the atmosphere it creates.

According to NCAA.com, this craze began in 1970 when Maryland coach Lefty Driesell made his players run at midnight on Oct. 15, the first day teams were allowed to practice. He later said he never envisioned where that crazy idea would lead, but it remains one of the most popular traditions today.

College basketball is getting crazier every year, and traditions can provide the edge a program needs to attract recruits. No one could have predicted they would involve toilet paper or Christmas caroling, but unusual traditions are what make this sport unique.

And they’re even more fun when your team is winning.

November 2014

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Crescent Magazine

Athletes in Action

KATE SARBER

NO TEARS Just blood and sweat.

The old saying “You win some, you lose some” comes to mind this season. While men’s soccer has had its ups and downs, the team continues to play with determination. News of coach Mike Jacobs accepting a position with United Soccer Leagues after the season ends has not helped, but even with the disappointing news, the team pushes on. UE still has Missouri State on the road Nov. 8 before starting MVC Tournament play, which begins Nov. 12. In his nine years, Jacobs has led UE to six winning seasons and will leave behind a nationally recognized squad. Hopefully, his talented seniors — defenders Charlie Macias, Patrick Hodges and Kevin Schafer, midfielders Mark Anthony Gonzalez and Faik Hajderovic, forwards Dylan Terry, Nick Schroeder and Joel Craig and goalkeeper Eric Teppen — can make magic happen at the 2014 tournment.

It’s all about saves. Goalkeeper Eric Teppen makes another one as he prevents Marshall forward Scott Doney from scoring. | Taylor Williams

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November 2014

Just for kicks, midfielder Faik Hajderovic follows defender Patrick Hodges as he moves away from Marshall defender Cory Shimensky. |Taylor Williams

Yanking his opponent out of the way, midfielder Vince DiPrimio distracts Lipscomb midfielder Jonathan Ramirez, giving midfielder Mark Anthony Gonzalez a chance to take possession of the ball. | Kate Sarber

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Overtime

photo by Kate Sarber

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November 2014

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Crescent Magazine

RYAN MURPHY

IT’S ALL ABOUT WINNING UE’s top scorer believes his team’s success is more important than personal glory.

E

veryone likes to win. There is no feeling as gratifying as the glory and satisfaction that comes from a hard-fought victory. And for men’s basketball guard D.J. Balentine, winning is the only option.

“My biggest fear is failing,” the 6-foot-2-inch junior said. “No matter what we’re doing, whether it’s playing checkers or who can tie their shoe the fastest, I try to win.”

Balentine was the MVC’s top scorer last season and the seventh best scorer in the nation with a 22.8 points per game average, including a 43-point performance against Northern Iowa. He finished the season with 752 points, tied for fifth in the nation with 216 free throws and was named to the allMVC first team. Despite these and other impressive statistics, he does not see himself as just a scorer.

“I like being an overall basketball player,” Balentine said, “but a good teammate is better.”

Many point to the UNI game as his best, but Balentine’s favorite game so far is the one against Wichita State his freshman year, his first starting game. The Aces defeated one of the highest-ranked teams in the nation, but Balentine did not realize its significance until he witnessed his older teammates tearing up in the locker room following the game.

Balentine has made the basketball court his second home. He found his passion when he was 6 years old, the year he started playing organized basketball. He grew up watching the NBA and would imitate the shots and moves of his favorite professional players. Balentine has become a highly skilled player since then, and works to be even better.

“He wants to be good,” coach Marty Simmons said. “He wants to learn. He wants to improve in all areas. From that standpoint, it’s enjoyable to coach him.”

Balentine’s skill has earned him a lot of praise, from teammates, coaches and fans. He said the compliments are humbling, and he uses them as motivation to work harder and get better.

“He feels like he’s the underdog,” forward David Howard said. “He thrives when people underestimate him, underestimate the team.”

Balentine’s passion for basketball also extends into the classroom. As a sports management major, he is learning how to be an effective coach, to lead players and to handle the administrative side of athletics.

“I try to be a coach on the floor as well as [hopefully] being a coach someday too,” he said. “They say once ball stops, you have to do something. That would be something.”

One way Balentine leads his team is through his reaction to losses.

He takes losses hard, and his teammates take notice.

“It’s not fun being around him when we lose because he’ll get really angry,” Howard said. “Definitely one of his better qualities, I say.”

Simmons said this reaction is the mark of a good player, someone who really wants what he is trying so hard to achieve. But he warns against letting the anger take over. His message is a simple one.

“Stay the course,” he said. “Let it turn into a positive motivation.”

Balentine has been motivated in a variety of ways to become a more well-rounded player as he plays on his strengths and works on his rebounding and other defensive skills. His parents are also an inspiration. They have missed only two games during his college career, and they paid for the extras that went along with his playing AAU ball while growing up. This allowed him to improve, travel and be seen by college coaches.

In a way, Balentine feels he has to repay his parents for their efforts and hopes to be able to give back to them if he is fortunate enough to have a professional career.

Off the court, Balentine and his teammates are together all the time.

When not practicing or studying opponents, they spend their time playing video games, watching movies or going out to eat. The Kokomo, Ind., native is the joker of the group, making his teammates laugh with his antics. Howard said Balentine’s goofiness has led to a close connection.

“He’s like a brother to me,” he said. “I consider him a little brother, like that pest, ya know?”

Balentine and his teammates also play pranks on one another. He was initiated his freshman year when 2013 alumnus Ned Cox dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. Balentine has carried on the tradition, with Howard his usual target. From moving Howard’s car without his knowing it to playing music loud enough to keep him from sleeping, Balentine and his teammates have found different ways to keep the traditions and rituals alive.

“It’s all in good fun,” Howard said. “I’ve gotten mad a few times, but I gotta give them props. They’ve pulled some really funny ones.”

Simmons said Balentine’s good-natured character is one of the reasons he enjoys coaching him.

“He’s got one of the better personalities off the court of anyone maybe I’ve ever coached,” he said. “He’s just a warm, loving guy.”

—with Chris Norris

I like being an overall basketball player, but a good teammate is better.

Crescent Magazine

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November 2014

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campus crime

The following information was compiled from criminal offense reports filed Sept. 24–Oct. 21 in Safety & Security.

Oct. 19 — Student reported wallet stolen while he was working out in the Fitness Center. Loss reported at $55.

Oct. 15 — Student reports gameroom PlayStation 3 controller stolen from Ridgway Center.

Loss not reported.

Oct. 11 – Student reported vehicle stolen from the Lambda Chi Alpha parking lot. Evansville Police later recovered vehicle. Loss reported at $12,000.

Oct. 10 – Student reported bike stolen from the Moore Hall bike rack in F-lot. Loss reported at $100.

Oct. 3 – Student reported losing wallet in Ridgway Center. Loss reported at $300.

Sept. 27 – Student found intoxicated and lying in the intersection of Walnut and Weinbach. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action.

Sept. 26 – Student found intoxicated in O-lot.

Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action.

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November 2014

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Crescent Magazine

photo by Kate Sarber

A BALANCED LIFE PAULA NOWACZYK

F

or accountants, having a plan B or C is sometimes essential. Rania Mousa, assistant professor of accounting, has learned through the course of her career the importance of planning as well as welcoming the unexpected.

“I think she could have been a chess master if she had chosen to play chess,” said Jim Schaefer, professor of accounting. “She is very good at thinking several steps ahead.”

Teaching was not a part of Mousa’s plan, but it helps her balance her love of accounting and technology with her other interests.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Cairo’s American University, she attended the Illinois Institute of Technology to earn her master’s degree. She then worked as a financial analyst in Chicago, Egypt and Kuwait before deciding the rigid structure of the job was unfulfilling. She discovered her passion for teaching while completing her doctorate at the University of Birmingham in England.

Attending school in various countries has given Mousa a multicultural perspective on education. She said she wants to gain an understanding of her students by eliminating prej-

“

udice and appreciating diversity. She believes empathizing with students enables a more successful educational process.

This is evident in her efforts to make courses fun yet practical. In Accounting 210, “Principals of Accounting I,” she uses Monopoly to show students that accounting does not have to be dry. While playing, students are expected to journalize transactions and formulate financial statements.

“I never thought of Monopoly in that way,” senior Annalea Miller said. “It gave me a new perspective on the game and also on how to apply it in real life.”

Miller said she dislikes math and did not think she would like accounting either. But Mousa convinced her otherwise. After her sophomore year, Miller switched majors.

“She’s informative and helpful to get me where I’m going,” Miller said. “It’s more of a friend-teacher relationship.”

Mousa strives to provide students with oneon-one guidance to better contribute to their learning experience and to have a personal connection, something she was not able to do as a financial analyst.

“It’s rewarding because you are making an impact on someone,” Mousa said. “It’s not just down to the dollar amounts.”

Analytical and pragmatic by nature, she finds balance through creative self-expression.

She unleashes this when she’s in the kitchen.

“I know accountants,” Mousa said. “They are not supposed to be creative people. But this is one place I can be creative.”

Using the Food Network as inspiration, Mousa experiments with concocting desserts and sometimes brings items to the office to share. She also finds other ways to unwind, such as doing yoga.

“Your brain is always moving in accounting,” Mousa said. “The yoga reduces that pressure.”

Yoga is an activity that lets her listen to her body, one thing her instructor has taught her to be grateful for. Gratitude is another key to balancing one’s life. And even if one has to resort to plan B or C, a life of harmony can be achieved though a positive mindset.

“When you’re grateful, you feel more at peace,” Mousa said, “more happy and satisfied with life.”

When you’re grateful, you feel more at peace, more happy and satisfied with life.

Crescent Magazine

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November 2014

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37

Off the Wall

DOTM

GOTTA GET IT

taskone g3 iPhone case — what a tool Ever wish your iPhone could cut steak?

Well, now it can. The TASKONE G3 multitool utility case for the iPhone 5 and 5S enables you to do this and so much more. Make your phone complete with all the tools you could ever need in one handy location. The possibilities are as endless as the number of tools this phone case comes with — 22.

Thanks to the intuitive minds at TaskLab, Batman’s utility belt has been condensed into a case for your phone. It has the tools you’ve always needed but never had attached to your phone, including a removable knife,

three screwdrivers, a pair of pliers with wire cutters, six wrenches, a saw blade, dual kickstands and a box wrench. The tools are made from stainless steel and are all attached to a protective phone case made of rugged aluminum and polycarbonate. The functional case runs for the low, low price of $90 and can be purchased at THETASKLAB.COM. This case will make you a high-tech handy person. Go from scrolling through Tumblr to building a barn in one swift motion. With this utility case on your phone, there will never be a time when there isn’t an app for that.

Drinking is best enjoyed as a social activity, so download UNTAPPD. Find new bars, tell your friends what you’re drinking and discover new beers to whet your palate. Make wish lists and earn badges for trying new styles.

TIDBIT

Do you like music, TV and free prizes? Then just sit back, relax and download VIGGLE. The app listens to what you’re listening to and gives you points that you can redeem for actual prizes such as gift cards and electronics.

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Indiana winters can be long and cold — and downright dreary — but there’s no reason to let it get you down. Jack Frost doesn’t need to get the upper hand because you can fight the cold with a warm blanket and a nice piping mug of IRISH WINTER. According to cocktails.about.com, just add the ingredients and top it off with as much whipped cream as you desire. It won’t bring spring to the Tri-State any sooner, but your mood is bound to improve.

Spending the winter with this delicious offering sounds pretty good.

ingredients: 1 part Kahlua Cof-

fee Cream | 1 part Jameson Irish Whiskey | a fresh pot of coffee | whipped cream.

THERE’S an APP for THAT

Don’t worry about crocodiles making fun of you. It is impossible for them to stick out their tongues because of a membrane that holds the tongue in. That’s a relief.

irish winter

heard it here “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music & cats.”

It would take about 601 days of nonstop yelling to generate enough kinetic energy to heat a cup of coffee. Or, you know, you could just use the microwave.

– theologian Albert Switzer

Do you like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?” Adolf Hitler did. He considered it to be a masterpiece, since the story had roots in a German fairytale.

November 2014

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Crescent Magazine

people tweet the damndest things Just texted, “I’m grabbing food.” Hope they understand I’m just walking around a grocery store squeezing bread and goosing produce.

—Kurt Braunohler Conversations on the phone with my mom involve her continuously yelling, “What?” while I am in the middle of explaining what.

—Fortune Feimster I think it’s hilarious when an NFL team will tweet, “Ready for kickoff!” Then they get their asses kicked and they don’t tweet ‘til post game.

—Pete Davidson The generation that comes after the millennials is gonna be called the dad why did you tweet thats.

—Maxhell Yespiritelok The genie sang that song about how he’s gonna be Aladdin’s best friend forever right in front of the monkey.

—Damniel Killerscythe There are enough doves outside my husband’s workplace to make a John Woo film.

Things that make us Crazy TARDY TEACHERS

CHANNEL SURFING

We’ve all had professors who show up to class five minutes late. Sure, they’re probably busy and lose track of time. Or maybe they just really don’t feel like teaching that day. Either way, we were on time, so let’s get to learning.

Or don’t show up at all. We forgot to do the homework for the next class anyway — having a free period would be fine with us.

On the bright side, we get a bunch of digital cable channels. On the other hand, it would be nice to know what any of those channels are.

I’m trying to watch VH1’s “Dating Naked” marathon. Why do I have to flip through 50 stations to get there? Sure, there’s that one station that tells you where everything is, but no one can remember what channel that’s on.

UGLY IS THE NEW CUTE

CLICK CLACK CRAZY

Ugly Christmas sweaters are funny and festive.

But really, Birkenstocks are back? We thought wearing garish things was only OK when done to be ironic. But this weird trend is showing up all over the place — on runways, city streets and even college campuses in what appears to be complete seriousness. Sorry people, but “so ugly it’s cute” isn’t always a thing.

It’s five minutes before class starts, and everyone is texting. How do you know they’re texting? Well first off, they have their phones on their desks. But the sound is what gets us. Irregular keyboard clicks are enough to drive anyone over the edge. Please, spare us your “LOL.” No one really wants to hear you typing away, especially before a test.

—Mellinda Hensley

REMEMBER WHEN... …you could find ketchup in colors other than red? Heinz made colorful EZ SQUIRT ketchup to the delight of children and the disgust of parents. It came in green, purple, pink, orange, teal and blue. They discontinued the brand in 2006, and burgers haven’t been as vibrant since. …the best way to answer your phone was with a flick of the wrist? FLIP PHONES had every feature a cell phone owner could ever possibly want — they could call, text and even play a few games. Who needs a fancy new smart phone when you have Snake II and Tetris? …rushing home to watch “BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER” was the best part of your week? Running from 1997 to 2003 and based on the movie of the same name, the series featured Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy fighting paranormal threats. It didn’t get much better than watching a group of spunky teens take on vampires, demons and monsters and look good doing it. …there were no books scarier than R.L. Stine’s GOOSEBUMPS series? From “Monster Blood” to “Night of the Living Dummy,” nothing thrilled, chilled and gave kids goosebumps quite like them. The cliffhanger endings in each book left children wanting to get their hands on another as soon as they put one down. …earth, fire, wind, water and heart combined to summon the greatest hero of them all? Not only did the title characters of “CAPTAIN PLANET AND THE PLANETEERS” protect the world from villains like Hoggish Greedly and Looten Plunder, they also taught us how to take care of the planet. The series ran from 1990 to 1996 and featured the voices of celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Tim Curry and Sting.

Space has a smell, and it stinks. The smell is like hot metal, diesel fumes and barbecue, a byproduct of the combustion of dying stars. Yuck.

Crescent Magazine

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November 2014

If you’re tired of regular Kit Kat bars, try Wasabi Kit Kats, which are sold only once a year in Japan. But hurry, they sell out quickly.

When you mix Coke and milk, the concoction turns into a clear-ish fluid.

But whatever you do, just don’t drink it. It’s disgusting.

The record for longest beard ever was 17 feet 6 inches long and belonged to a Norwegian. All that hair was bound to keep him warm.

39

Motley Crew

Learning a foreign language in school is one thing; actually using it in a foreign country is a different story.

COMMUNICATION

CHAOS ASHLEY MATTHEWS

I

’ve always enjoyed the Spanish language.

Well, ever since freshman year of high school when I had to choose between taking Spanish or German. I loved conjugating verbs and memorizing vocabulary words. It was cool to learn a grammar that was different from — and less complicated than — English. And I don’t like to brag, but hey, I’m pretty good at it. Most of the time.

I learned a lot in the four years I studied it. I could write, read and translate it. I could even hold a conversation. Of course, these were with classmates about our weekends or the weather. Things that would come in handy if I were ever trapped in a room with a Spanish-speaking person and forced to make small talk.

I never had the chance to practice with an actual native Spanish speaker, so when I had the chance to go to Barcelona, Spain, last fall during my semester abroad, I was all for it. Sure, I hadn’t taken Spanish in more than two years, but I was confident that I had retained enough of my skills to be able to communicate with the locals, at least enough to get from one place to another and order food.

Turns out, I was wrong. It wasn’t that I had forgotten everything that I learned in high school. I still remembered a lot, and if you asked me to conjugate a verb into the “yo” form right now, I could do it, no problem.

I don’t know if it was the intimidation of speaking to strangers in a foreign language or the pressure of speaking to people who knew the language so much better than I did, but I could never manage to hold up my end of the conversation. Time and time again, something

40

came over me, and I stopped being myself and became “Stupid American Tourist.”

If I hadn’t had my more-fluent-in-Spanish friend Tyson with me, I would have been lost — literally, as my sense of direction is almost as bad as my ability to order baked goods in Spanish — but that’s a different story.

When we first got to Spain, we decided to explore and ended up at a local pizza place along the street. The menu was outside, so we decided what we wanted to order and practiced ordering it before even going inside.

I knew exactly what I needed to say in order to get my small ham and pineapple pizza.

And Tyson was ordering the exact same thing, so if I forgot, all I had to do was repeat what he said. Or simpler yet, I could have just said, “Yo tambien.” But instead, when the waitress looked at me, I froze. I felt like an actor who knew each of her lines by heart only to be overcome with a sudden bout of stage fright on opening night. Tyson had to order for me.

At a gelato shop later, before I could even open my mouth to make my attempt, the cashier looked at me, clearly annoyed.

“Just say it in English,” she said.

It was like she knew. Maybe I was giving off some vibe.

But I was determined. I promised myself that once, just once, I would order something for myself. I would say it correctly, no one would think I was stupid and I wouldn’t need my friend’s help. I would not be the “Stupid American Tourist.” If I couldn’t do it, it was basically like my four years of high school Spanish were a complete waste of time.

When we decided to stop for doughnuts

— authentic Spanish cuisine, I know — I was ready to try again. We walked into a small bakery called 365.cafe and looked around, but I knew what I wanted: a plain old glazed doughnut, nothing special. I walked up to the counter. Here was my chance to redeem myself. If I succeeded, I’d gain some self-respect, not to mention a delicious snack. It would be a much-needed victory on both fronts.

The donuts were each labeled for my ordering convenience; all I had to do was read the name of the white card in front of it: “Cero de sucre.” If I wanted to be fancy, I could have added, “Me gustaria” — “I would like.” It would be a complete sentence and everything.

Simple enough, right? I thought so. But when I opened my mouth to speak, “Stupid American Tourist” struck again.

“Uno,” I said, while pointing to the doughnut behind the glass. That’s it. “Uno.” One. And the rest was just a blur of embarrassment and avoided eye contact. The cashier and Tyson started laughing, and I couldn’t help but join them. Dignity is overrated, anyway.

What’s even more awkward is, despite “uno” being the only word I said, I watched the lady pick up not one, but two glazed doughnuts and put them into a bag. And don’t think it was because she felt sorry for me; she charged me for both.

Maybe my stupidity had thrown her off.

Or maybe she knew I’d be writing about this some day and thought she could help. But whatever the reason, I didn’t correct her. I was laughing too hard for that, and let’s face it — I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to communicate with her anyway.

October 2014

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Crescent Magazine

never underestimate the courage it takes to be yourself.

Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities of the region since 1980

TRI-STATE

ALLIANCE

TSAGL.org | For more information, email wallypaynter@aol.com or call 812.480.0204 Youth group for LGBT students under age 21 and their straight-supportive friends meets at 7 p.m. each Saturday at the TSA office, 501 John St. Suite 5, Evansville.

WINTER INTERSESSION 2014 3 credits. 3 weeks. entirely online.

12.18.14 to 1.9.15 n

n

n

n

n

n

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ART 105 COMM 333 COMM 380 EXSS 310 EXSS 320 FIN 280 HS 101

Introduction to the Visual Arts News Copyediting Intercultural Communication Sport Law & Ethics Nutrition for Performance/Health Personal Finance Adult Health & Wellness

Larmann Wandel Thomlison Newhouse-Bailey Rodd Alhenawi LaMar

n

n

n

n

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MGT 311 PH 190 PSCI 100 PSYC 121 PSYC 229 SOC 105

Management Information Systems Introduction to Public Health World Politics Introduction to Psychology Social Psychology Introduction to Sociology

Hudson Patel-Dovlatabadi Kim Hennon-Peters Stevenson Plilkuhn

Register for Winter Intersession at the same time you register for Spring Semester courses.

Registration begins Nov. 11, 2014.

For more information visit www.evansville.edu/registrar