THE
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T h u r s d a y, M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 | U s i s h i e l d . c o m | v o l . 4 6 i s s u e 2 6
‘ COLD ,
The Edge to receive FM station by nick leighty ndleighty@eagles.usi.edu
UNCOMFORTABLE,
RESTLESS
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Photo by alyssa smith | The Shield
Seth Kidwell, a sophomore social work major, nestles into his newly constructed box home for the night Saturday outside of UC East. Kidwell was among about 20 others who participated in Box Out of Boxville, an event organized to spread awareness of homelessness by having students sleep in boxes overnight.
Social work students dedicate senior project to helping homeless by james vaughn jrvaughn@eagles.usi.edu @JamesRLVaughn About 20 students ditched their warm beds Saturday night to sleep in boxes on campus. Eleven made it all 12 hours, surviving the cold. It was 43 degrees at 9 p.m. The low was expected to reach 37. It was not the kind of weather the students expected for the first day of spring. But the students — some from the social work program and some from the Student Housing Association — didn’t let the cold and rain stop them. They were determined to experience homelessness for one night. So from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday morning, they did just that. “The weather plays a huge role,” said Ericka Smith, a senior social work major. “People were like, ‘What if it rains or snows?’ Well, homeless people don’t get to pick what weather
they’re homeless in.” Smith, along with fellow senior social work major Jenna Kruse, organized the event, dubbed Box Out of Boxville, as part of their senior project. They wanted to raise awareness about homelessness, but also help the community out. Students immerse themselves Smith and Kruse raised $450 from local businesses and family and collected toiletries from local hospitals, hotels and the USI Dental Hygiene Clinic. They used the money and supplies to fill bags with hygiene products, such as soap, deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste, all of which was donated to Aurora Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides services to the homeless and raises awareness about the issue in Evansville. “We watched this documentary on this man who went into an assisted living facility and stayed there for a month to see how it affected him,”
Kruse said. “We felt like we were too comfortable with the gerontology community to do that, so we decided to focus on the issue of homelessness.” Their first idea was to spend the night at a local shelter, but they decided against it. “It would be like us intruding,” Kruse said. “We were concerned it would make them uncomfortable. This is a population that has experienced a lot of trauma. So for some of them, (these shelters are) their only safe place.” Smith said there are a limited number of beds in the shelters and they didn’t want to take beds away from those who might actually need them. So they chose to do it on campus instead. “It’s hard for college students to really experience what it’s like because they all have their smart phones and stuff,” Smith said.
Homelessness, PAGE 3
The Edge Radio purchased an FM translator to expand their audience. It will go live at the end of April. With the addition of the translator, The Edge will also return to airing only alternative music. Currently, The Edge transmits music via its AM dial and website with alternative music during the day, electronic at night and hip-hop on the weekend. The Edge changed from only alternative to a “triple threat” format in 2012. When comparing listeners from the website stream, numbers were higher with the alternative schedule than the current triple-threat block of electronic, hip-hop and alternative it currently has. Radio and Television Instructor John Morris said he believes it is because of the inconsistency of the triplethreat programming. The current online listener count is 2,000 sessions per month. Before the change, the count was 4,000. “We have what we like and that’s the only thing we really want to listen to,” Morris said. He said major broadcasting stations only air one music format, and if The Edge is a training ground for students to learn from, they must follow suit. “Whenever we went to the triple threat, we noticed our numbers started to go down,” Program Director Michael Harris said. “In order for us to be the station we want to be, we want to maximize our listeners and make sure they’re getting the best experience possible.” Harris said 85 percent of radio listeners are on the FM dial and because of this, they will be able to reach new people. He elaborated by saying the current dial is relatively weak with the signal sounding fuzzy on campus. With the new translator, people in their cars driving around Evansville will listen to The Edge loud and clear. Morris said the procedure was slow, but once the Federal Communications Commission made the decision to allow AM radio stations to purchase FM transmitters, it was a quick turnaround. Radio stations on the AM dial are hosted in different classes ranging from A through D. Classes C and D are less powerful and sometimes share a frequency with other stations or use a directional signal to avoid interference with other stations.
Fm station, PAGE 3
‘Surviving and thriving’ Smith to grow Quidditch team prepares for Consolation Cup by sarah loesch sports@usishield.com @ShieldsterSarah Keller Stevens knows every angle of quidditch. He joined the team as a player, became a captain and now, after graduating from USI, co-coaches the team. “Speaking captain” was a lot of fun, he said. This role is appointed to a member of the team who speaks to referees and officials during tournaments or matches. The team will head to Texas for Consolation Cup
April 1, the alternative for teams who missed the U.S. Quidditch national tournament bid. The university team narrowly missed qualifying by one game. Stevens said this tournament is a huge step for the team. It will be the largest tournament the team has competed in and the first with international teams. “We have very talented new players every year,” he said. “(We’re) happy to see how far we’ve come since 2011.”
2016 - 2017 EDITION OF
student body by nick leightly ndleighty@eagles.usi.edu
Photo courtesy of photo services
Lauren Maurer (middle), a senior chaser on the quidditch team, makes her way down the field with the quaffle as Kara Kanzler follows behind. The two competed with the team in its second-annual Eagle Cup, a tournament hosted by the university.
Quidditch, PAGE 3
Transitions
NEW STUDENT GUIDE
Growing up in the “small, humble town” of F o r e s t City, North Carolina, Rashad Smith S m i t h knew more opportunities lay outside the boundary of his
hometown. Moving from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, to Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky, Rashad Smith eventually found his way to campus as director of Undergraduate Admissions. Smith has worked in higher education in variousw positions for 15 years. He began his career as an admissions counselor at Catawba College in 2001.
smith, PAGE 2
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From student recruitment to campus investor programs, Smith said he acquired invaluable admissions knowledge. Smith became associate dean of admissions in 2007, and was tasked with overseeing the entire admissions office staff. He worked closely with Vice President of Enrollment Andy Wright to provide leadership on recruitment efforts. At Catawba, Smith said he created a communications planning team to increase physical and digital communication. “When you become part of a community, you have to embrace it. That’s what I’m really looking forward to with USI,” Smith said. “I really enjoy the
people and the feeling on campus. I love the vision and where the university is going.” He then moved to Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2011, as director of admissions. Shortly after, Smith broke a five-year streak of decreasing enrollment at Kentucky Wesleyan by increasing campus visitors by 50 percent, he said. Smith said he also developed an Admitted Students Day at Kentucky Wesleyan. This event allowed incoming students to visit campus and leave with their student ID, schedule, e-mail address and everything that is usually packed into orientation. Smith attributes the increase in visitors to a commitment to
reaching goals, such as growing diversity, which has increased four percent in four years. “(The diversity increase) would not have been able to be possible without having a great team in admissions and financial aid at Kentucky Wesleyan,” Smith said. Samantha Hays, Financial Aid director at Kentucky Wesleyan, worked alongside Smith and introduced him to the world of financial aid and, in turn, Smith introduced Hayes to the world of admissions. “I know in other colleges it’s a little bit (of a) strange relationship between (admissions and financial aid), but we worked really well together,” Hays said.
She said her work with Smith gave her an appreciation for what an admissions counselor does and helped them come together as a single team. Rashad created an environment of constant development and learning and included himself in the process, Hays said. “He is probably the most professional and ethical person I’ve ever worked with,” she said. “I really enjoyed working with him.” Wright said Smith was chosen because of his experience in data analysis and systems, and he also because he possesses an understanding of the importance in personalizing the recruitment process.
Wright said he hopes Smith brings leadership to the admissions team. For two years, the team has not had a director with the associate director temporarily filling the role. Even without a leader, the team has not slowed down one bit, with an increase in freshman enrollment last year by 77 students over the year before. This year is on track to surpass that number, Wright said. Wright said the fulfillment of the director position will make it easier to move forward. “The admissions team and I are greatly looking forward to Rashad joining us and becoming part of the team,” Wright said.
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News
The shield | mARCH 24, 2016 | Usishield.com
Homelessness continued from Page 1
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Fm station continued from Page 1 at least
445
50-60
individuals on average are in shelters or transitional housing on any given night in Evansville
uncounted individuals are living in places not meant for habitation on any given night in Evansville
Infographic by Jessica Stallings | The Shield
Information gathered by Aurora Inc. (2012).
Neither Smith nor Kruse were planning to use their phones during the event. The goal for these girls is to completely immerse themselves in underserved populations. They’ve also spent the past two spring break’s volunteering at orphanages in Jamaica as part of the Global Social Work course. “It gives us a better understanding of what it’s really like,” Kruse said. Kruse said Sunday afternoon she did get some sleep Saturday night, but she was one of the only ones. “Many of the others said they were too cold, uncomfortable and restless to sleep,” she said. “Many of us could not stay warm despite the blankets that we had. It just shows how even more difficult (the homeless) have it when it is colder and they may not even have a blanket or a box to sleep on.” SHA provided food and drinks for the event — chicken noodle soup, tomato soup and water. On the fly Dressed in sweatpants and hoodies and wrapped in blankets, students built their “homes” from boxes donated by SHA. Four SHA members set up shop between the Free Speech Zone and the University Center. They broke down boxes and once they were flat, taped them together. The first concoction made a pallet to fit all
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Weather plays a huge role. People were like, ‘What if it rains or snows?’ Well, homeless people don’t get to pick what weather they’re homeless in.
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-Ericka Smith Senior social work major
four. The second made a big enough piece to place across them. “For me, it’s important that I not be exposed,” SHA President Danesha Shelton said as she taped together flattened boxes. “If people are coming at me — not that they would, but if they did — I can see what’s in front of me.” Everything they did was on the fly. “Right now, there is no method,” Shelton said. “We’re just trying to figure out how we’re going to keep them together so they don’t fly away.” Sarah Hackler is a member of SHA, but not part of the social work program. She’s studying chemistry. “It was optional,” Hackler said about participating. “But I thought it was a really good idea to experience it and get out of your comfort zone.” She volunteers in Bedford, her hometown, but hasn’t done much volunteer work at the university.
This was a first for her. She chose chemistry as a major because she’s good at it, the sophomore said. “I’ve always been interested in science,” Hackler said. “I’m hoping someday it can go toward helping people.” ‘We’re proud of her’ Smith’s parents and sister surprised her Saturday night. As they entered the amphitheater, she ran to hug them. Rob, Mary Ann and Claire Smith drove three hours from Greensburg to witness Smith’s hard work firsthand. “That’s dedication,” Smith’s mom Mary Ann joked about making the
drive. “Or stupidity.” They’ve known about the project since December, they said, but didn’t know if they would be able to make it until a few days before. Luckily, they were all on spring break. Rob is the principal of an elementary school and Mary Ann is a teacher. “We also live on a farm, so we had to make arrangements to have someone care for our livestock and stuff before we came down here,” Rob said. The reason they made the trip was simple — they wanted to support Smith’s senior project. “We’re proud of her for taking on this issue and supporting (the homeless) with the supplies and kits,” Mary Ann said. They weren’t expecting the cold either, and they didn’t participate in the event with their daughter. “We’ll support her with a warm breakfast in the morning,” Mary Ann said. The rest of the family laughed. “We’re proud of her,” Rob said. “She’s a very caring individual,” her sister Claire chimed in.
to donate Aurora Inc. accepts monetary and supply donations. Visit www.auroraevansville.org or call 812-428-3246 to make a donation. Drop off supplies between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at 1100 Lincoln Avenue.
The Edge currently signs off at sunset to allow another broadcasting station from Dallas, Texas to use the frequency. With the addition of the FM translator, it is now allowed to broadcast 24 hours. Morris said The Edge needed to act fast to seize this opportunity because of the limited number of translators. After this initial window, a second will open up to allow new translators, but space may be limited by the time that happens, Morris said. He said if everything is available, they will be able to make the change by the end of April, but many things have to come together to make it happen. From the supply of translators to the availability of engineers, everything must fall
QUIDDITCH
into place. The total cost of this project, including licensing and equipment, will add up to about $75,000. Morris said he is pleased with the price because he anticipated the license alone would cost around $100,000. With these changes, Morris said The Edge will be in a position where the community will know of it like never before, and he expects substantial growth in audience. The Edge will broadcast on 95.7 FM, between 96.1 FM and other popular stations. “That’s a fantastic dial position,” Morris said. “When a person hits the scan button, they’re going to be exposed to us probably for the first time ever.”
continued from Page 1
When Stevens joined the team three years ago, the team had never held its own tournament and it didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped his second year. “We had a handful of teams come, it was kind of chaotic,” Stevens said. “I didn’t have any training on how to set up the tournament.” The team recently held its second annual Eagle Cup and welcomed teams from Tennessee, Michigan, Arkansas and Missouri. “The home tournament went so, so perfectly,” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for any better.” Quidditch tournaments are known for running late, Stevens said, but the universities actually ran ahead of schedule. The team was able to invite more teams this year because it created connections in previous tournaments. “It means a lot for us to be able to host a tournament…,” Stevens said. “It means that we are still one of those teams who are surviving and thriving.” Kara Kanzler, a dental hygiene major, said the the tournament was cold and rainy, but fun. “We all had uplifting
spirits,” she said. “Even if you don’t win, it’s fun to get out there and play and meet new people.” She said throughout traveling to other tournaments, the team marketed themselves more. This helped tournaments held on campus draw more people and make the name itself more well known. “We always want to win…,” she said. “Our main goal is to have fun out there. That’s why I joined. I didn’t join just to beat everybody.” Kanzler joined the team her freshman year after coming across the quidditch table at an information fair. She had read all of the Harry Potter books and watched all of the movies and knew it would be different from that portrayal. “Whenever I was signing up, they were like one of our players almost broke his spine,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is an actual sport.’” Still, Kanzler said she didn’t expect quidditch to be quite as contact oriented as it was. “It’s kind of like my first college experience,” she said. “I met a lot of my friends through quidditch.”
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USI Security Incident Log 03/15/16 - 3/21/16 Traffic Accident - Hit & Run Parking Lot B 3/15/16 12:56 p.m. Property Damage - University Pay Lot Booth 3/16/16 7:20 a.m. Criminal Mischief OʼDaniel Lane 3/16/16 12:01 p.m. Fraud Non Campus 3/16/16 3:34 p.m. Traffic Accident Parking Lot J 3/17/16 1:21 p.m. Welfare Check Science Center 3/17/16 1:40 p.m. Property Damage - University Pay Lot Booth 3/17/16 4:00 p.m. Fire - Alarm - Cooking University Center West 3/17/16 4:31 p.m. Violation of University Policy McDonald East Apts - Matthews Bldg 3/17/16 6:30 p.m
Fire - Faulty Alarm McDonald West Apts - Goodrich Bldg 3/17/16 8:34 p.m. Illness Report McCray Bldg - 813 Melton Lane 3/17/16 11:04 p.m. Alcohol Offenses - Underage Possession Newman Hall 3/19/16 11:37 a.m. Code of Conduct - Alcohol Violation Hendricks Bldg - 8036B OʼDaniel Lane 3/20/16 12:57 a.m. Code of Conduct - Alcohol Violation Governors Hall 3/20/16 7:39 p.m. Alcohol Offenses - Underage Possession Governors Hall 3/20/16 7:39 p.m. Injury Report Technology Center 3/21/16 10:45 a.m.
Information gathered from USIʼs Public Crime Log, provided by USI Safety and Security.
Junior died March 17 Junior Tyler Hopple, a computer information systems major, died March 17. No further information is available at this time. For assistance, contact the Dean of Students Office at deanofstudents@usi.edu for non-urgent situations or call Public Safety for 24-hour assistance at 812-464-1845 or 812-492-7777 (dial 7777 from any campus phone). The Counseling Center staff can meet with students in need of support.
Fall registration starts April 4 Starting April 4, eligible students can begin signing up for classes for the fall 2016 semester. A list is available online of each eligibility window. If a student cannot register on their assigned day, they may register any day after. Before registering, students should consult their ad-
viser about course selection. Students should schedule an appointment with their adviser or call the department of their major. Register online by logging in through myUSI. Contact the Registrar’s Office at 812464-1762 or registrar@usi. edu for more information.
Language bowl entries due April 1 The Department of World Languages and Cultures will host an academic language bowl from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. April 8, in Carter Hall. This event features a language and culture and film competition. The language and culture portion will have questions specific to certain languages. German questions focus on Vienna, Latin focuses on Rome, Spanish focuses on the Southern Cone and French questions focus on Quebec. A complete list of categories and guidelines can be found on the event website. The film competition will
start immediately after. Students wishing to participate must submit their entries on YouTube by April 1. The theme for the film sections is “World Languages, Our Community.” The screenplays must be written by the students enrolled in the foreign language class and be original.
Spring assessment Tuesday
Spring Assessment Day is Tuesday. Seniors in certain majors are required to take part in the activities for the day, including the Major Field Test. Students required to participate received an e-mail informing them of the time and location of the test. A list of students required to take the test, the location and time of the tests are posted online. For more information, contact Planning, Research and Assessment at opra@usi.edu or call 812465-7000.
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Features
The shield | mARCH 24, 2016 | Usishield.com
‘It affects us all’ International student talks politics, Trump rally
by Megan Thorne features@eagles.usi.edu @ShieldsterMegan The Shield interviewed three international students to see how they were acclimating to life at a U.S. university. In this weekly series, The Shield revisits Sandrita Sanabria, a junior international studies major from Paraguay, to find out her opinion on U.S. politics and her experience at a Donald Trump Rally. The Shield: What was your experience at a political rally like? Sanabria: (My friends and I) just went for the experience. We do not support him. We just went there because we thought it would be different from just watching it on TV, and it was weird. This is one of the craziest elections you have had in a long time and Trump is definitely one of your most popular controversial candidates, so we went there to watch and see how it works. It was pretty crazy. In my opinion, the reason Trump is so popular is because there are Americans who are going through economic difficulties and people are just looking for someone to save them. Trump gives this image that he is confident and has a big background, so most people get led by his charisma, not by what he says. When we went there, everything he would talk about was how he was leading in the polls, and that he was going to build his famous wall, and that Mexicans were going to pay for it. He mentioned that Mexico’s former president said something about him being racist and he was like, “That wall just got 10 feet taller.” I mean, he talked about how he doesn’t think Obamacare is a good health system, and about how he was going to have a new one and it’s going to be much better. But he never mentioned how he was going to do that. He has the ability to talk anger and outrage, and because people are feeling this way, they just let Trump influence them. Trump portrays that, and during his rally, he has people yelling and screaming and you have people telling him, “Hey, I love you Donald Trump,” like 15-year-old girls saying it. Then you have this 60-yearold man or 70-year-old man telling him he loves him… He never said anything logical. It was all about emotions and there were some people who came in and said something opposing Trump, and he just started yelling at them and said, “Get them out.” He got violent, and I think that if that had happened in the street, the police would have intervened. But because it was Trump’s rally, nothing happened.
Photo by Alyssa Smith | The Shield
Sandrita Sanabria, a junior international student and international studies major, listens to assistant professor of political science Nicholas LaRowe as he begins his Introduction to American Politics class Tuesday in the Liberal Arts building.
The Shield: What is your opinion of U.S. politics? Sanabria: If we are talking just about the presidential elections for November, first of all, it’s hard to follow because your election system is different than ours. I’m taking Introduction
got crazier. Whoever gets to the White House, they are not only going to rule America, but influence other countries. America is one of the bigger countries and maybe the most influential one. So I think definitely what happens in America doesn’t stay in America. It affects us all some-
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tional. It’s different. We do have two big parties back home that kind of regulate, but here, you have Republican and Democrat and they have two very different ideologies — totally opposite. In Paraguay, although we have these two big parties, I wouldn’t say they differ a lot in their ide-
I think definitely what happens in America doesn’t stay in America. It affects us all somehow. - Sandrita Sanabria Junior international studies major
to American Politics, so I kind of understand it better. But at the beginning, it was hard to understand how you guys vote because you don’t directly vote for your president, you have to go through the electoral college. So learning your electoral system was the first part. I heard it’s not always this crazy, but this year, for some reason, it
how. The Shield: What are the differences between politics in Paraguay and the U.S.? Sanabria: You have a winnertakes-all scenario. You pick one person to win, and in Paraguay, it’s proportional representation. We have whoever gets into legislature and it’s more propor-
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ologies. If people vote, it’s for tradition. They join a party for tradition. The Shield: Is there a candidate you think would make a good president? Sanabria: I don’t really have a preference. I wouldn’t say Trump, definitely not, because he is so ruthless and there is so
much hate in his words, to the point that when we went to the rally, I had two German friends who went with me, and my Russian friend and we split during the rally, so we could push ourselves to the front. The Germans left before the rally ended because, for them, they had a nasty history and they grow up listening to people saying, “You never do this again and you need to think logically and need to respect others.” And hearing Trump for them was hard. I could feel how much hate was in his words and everything and for them, it was even harder because of their history and background. They left the room before he finished. The Shield: Would you say you are a fan of politics? Sanabria: I like politics. I’ve never been interested in politics before, and then a year ago, I had a couple of good professors back home that got me into it. There’s a quote they said that really made me interested in politics, and it says something like: “Even if you don’t take part in or get into politics, politics will affect you. Politics are in everything, from laws to health systems to when you are able to drive. They control monopolies. They are in everything.” That’s what got me into that and I really like it.
THEATRE REVIEW
‘Peanuts’ perfection ‘Dog Sees God’ explores high school stereotypes by abigail suddarth acsuddarth@eagles.usi.edu After laughing until their sides hurt, audiences left “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” grief-stricken and in tears. The USI Theatre presented the student-directed play written by Bert Royal, which opened to a full house Thursday. The play, which depicts the “Peanuts” characters as high school students, centers around CB (Charlie Brown) after his dog died and he begins to question not only the afterlife, but also his sexuality and how we treat people we consider different. Without prior knowledge thye show was senior Nolan Spinks’ directorial debut, one would have thought it was a professional show.
All of the actors smoothly blended playing their respective “Peanuts” characters with their respective high school stereotypes. Most impressive of these were Collin Culiver as CB and Parker Hart as CB’s best friend, Matt. Culiver managed to keep his usually self-absorbed — and at times despicable — character relatable. Hart completely disappeared into the horrifyingly homophobic bully we sadly all know. I have never wanted to beat a character with a baseball bat so badly before, which I can only credit to Hart’s acting talent and Spinks’ directing. Other notable performances were D’Angelo Himes as Van, the stoner, and Tamarea Kramer as Van’s sister who was hospitalized for lighting
another girl’s hair on fire. Himes kept the audience laughing in every scene even — or maybe especially — when he was being a fairly awful person. Kramer gave a flawless performance ranging from psychotic, to pleasantly agreeable, to angry, to finally becoming the most empathetic and likable character in the play, even though she appeared only in one scene. Despite the quick-paced story and shocking tone change, all of the actors’ chemistry was organic and genuine. Overall, “Dog Sees God” proved to be one of those rare plays that actually manages to shed light on the cruel and ignorant state of today’s U.S. high schools and the best show the theatre has done so far this year.
Photo courtesy of nolan spinks
D’Angelo Himes (Van), Christy Thompson (Marcy), Hannah Michelle (Tricia) and Parker Hart (Matt) discuss the character CB’s sexuality during a production of USI Theatre’s “Dog Sees God,” the directorial debut of senior Nolan Spinks, March 17 at Mallette Studio Theatre. The play depicts characters from “Peanuts” in their high school years.
The shield | mARCH 24, 2016 | Usishield.com
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Local DJ promotes Irish roots by Abigail suddarth acsuddarth@eagles.usi.edu
There are two stories regarding how DJ McNaughty chose his stage name. The official story: “McNaughty” derives from his Irish immigrant great-greatgrandparents’ Bruder last name. The true story is that Auston Bruder found an Irishname generator on Facebook. He prefers the former. “It’s like if you ever break your arm, you always try to come up with a cool story instead of saying you tripped over a tree branch,” he said. Bruder began DJing house parties for free about three years ago and he got his first gig opening for other artists last June. The senior business administration major opened for two parties and headlined two parties at Jimmy’s Hobo Jungle before he began working with local rapper Mario Nelson, stage name Nova Cain. The police and fire marshal shut down the second party Bruder headlined at Jimmy’s Hobo Jungle for breaching capacity by 400 people. “Word got around town because I don’t think a bar in Evansville has been shut down for being over capacity
like that in a while,” he said. Not long after that party, Nelson contacted Bruder. Working with the rapper has taught Bruder things not only about the music industry, he said, but about himself. “He told me basically just to enjoy what you do and do it until you don’t enjoy it anymore,” he said. “If you want to make a career out of something, it should be something you enjoy.” Bruder said he’d like to DJ professionally, though it’s a competitive market. “As long as I keep enjoying it and as long as I keep having fun and having good crowds that enjoy it with me, I’ll keep doing it,” he said. Nelson began rapping when he was 18 after he lost his eyesight and could no longer play basketball. “Music was something that my mother was doing and I tried and liked it. And ever since then, I’ve been focusing on standing out and being different with music,” Nelson said. He reached out to Bruder because he noticed genuine love for music, he said. This was around the time he and the CEO of Rockin’ Entertainment LLC decided they wanted to build an entertainment company for collegeaged adults. “We wanted to give young people like McNaughty a chance to be in something they love and actually make
Photo courtesy of Auston bruder
Auston Bruder, also known as DJ McNaughty, prepares to play a set at Jimmy’s Hobo Jungle in Evansville.
money from it,” he said. In the future, Nelson said he wants to continue finding young talent in DJing, managing, event planning and rapping, among other things. “My plan is to build an independent hub for talent and to educate people to show them that we don’t have to wait on the music industry,”
Scientist to talk GMOs by nick leighty ndleighty@eagles.usi.edu As the world’s population and demand for food continues to increase, Nina Federoff said the percentage of farmland is decreasing. Fedoroff will present the fifth-annual Shaw Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Fedoroff Wednesday in Carter Hall. The presentation will cover genetically modified organisms and the future of food crops. Genetically modified crops are the only reason crop productivity continues to increase, Federoff said, and if the world were to eat nothing but organic food, there would be enough for about half of the world’s population. No proof exists that shows a difference between organic and genetically modified foods, she said. “Plants don’t care whether they get their nitrogen from cow poop or a sack of fertilizer. But you should because cow poop can make you sick,” Fedoroff said. When Fedoroff, one of the first scientists to do plant DNA sequencing, was invited to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to give a presentation on her work, she met Nobel Prize winner Barbara
McClintock. After conversing with McClintock, Fedoroff decided her work with jumping genes would be an interesting project. These genes are ones that are able to move from one location to another within a genome. They are also key in Genetically Modified Organisms. GMOs have been around for an estimated 10,000 years. Now, instead of waiting on nature, scientists can change organisms at a molecular level. Scientists are now able to remove, modify and re-insert a gene. This new way of modification was founded near the end of the 20th century. “People decided they were hysterical about this and it was unnatural and bad,” Fedoroff said. Fedoroff said the modified crops grown today are the same as the crops grown before they were modified. The only difference is the addition of one or two genes that makes the plant resistant to an insect or herbicide that would destroy it. The addition of these genes is what people are concerned about.
The origin of the antiGMO movement was boosted thanks to a study published in 2012 by French molecular biologist GillesÉric Séralini. The study claims GMOs led to cancer in the rats used. After scientific evaluation, however, the paper was thrown out because the rats used already had high cancer rates to begin with. Over 80 percent of males and 70 percent of females developed cancer normally. Food and Nutrition Program Chair Julie McCullough said she feels this is a topic people could benefit by providing more information. McCullough said when it comes to issues like this, people should listen to the experts working in that field and see what they have to say about it. She said in order to take a stance one way or another, she would have to do more research into the topic. “I think it’s very important,” McCullough said, “you don’t make a recommendation without considering the harm that can be caused to the consumer.”
FASt FACTS What: When: Where: Cost:
Marlene V. Shaw Biology Lecture 7:30 p.m. Wednesday Carter Hall Free
he said. “We are the music industry and we create our own opportunities.” He said he also hopes to empower other blind musicians. Nelson said he wants the students he mentors to learn that if he, as a blind man, can make it in the music industry, they can as well.
“Also, I really press humbleness and I tell (the students I work with) to stay humble with people,” he said. “My motto is this: Work at it. And therefore, if I fail, I’d rather
FASt FACTS Follow @McNaughty_DJ on Twitter for upcoming shows
REVIEWS
‘Allegiant’: an ugly, lazy film In theaters now “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” is probably the best comedy of 2016. It’s a pity the cast and crew attempted an action film out of it. I almost felt bad laughing out loud during multiple scenes. The second sequel to Lionsgate’s flaccid attempt at cashing in on the young-adult science fiction market blown wide open by “The Hunger Games,” “Allegiant” is probably the least entertaining sequel I have ever seen. Note: I didn’t say the worst, simply the least entertaining. For a movie that relies heavily on computer generated graphics, there are some laughably bad moments. A significant amount of money was dumped into making the ludicrously sci-fi gadgets and ships of Allegiant’s enemies look impressive. Unfortunately, this meant the amount of time and money that could be spent on making the main actor’s green-screen shots was next to nonexistent. The film is littered with quick shots showing a character walking into frame or standing in front of something
completely computer generated, yet the actor is lit from a completely different light source. Purely going off what’s on screen, I’d accuse Lionsgate of pulling funding from the project before release. Too bad the film was operating on exactly the same budget as 2015’s “Insurgent,” a decidedly bland film (notice the trend with “Divergent” flicks) but its effects were solid throughout. “Allegiant” has performed so poorly on opening weekend, still needing $20 million to break even on budget costs as of this writing, that Lions-
Rating 2/5 by gavin gaddis
zimride.com/usi
fail knowing I gave it my all than to fail knowing I failed because I didn’t give it my all.”
gate has already announced it is cutting the budget of next year’s final “Divergent Series” installment. Ouch. In addition to shoddy effects and a poorly-distributed budget, there’s not much to look at in the movie’s acting department. Shailene Woodley and Theo James barely have a facial expression to share between them at this point. What they laughably attempt to pass off as a romance amounts to the occasional kiss and heavy breathing while standing near each other. It feels as if all acting talent is slowly sucked away as they slowly realize they have to make yet another one of these trite “Divergent” films before they’re done. Even legitimately talented actors like Miles Teller and Jeff Daniels can’t be bothered to actually, y’know, act. I’d give this film a rating of one star, but I can’t bring myself to do that to a film that gave me six good, hearty laughing sessions. Last year’s “Get Hard” couldn’t even pull that off, and it claimed to be a comedy.
Opinion
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The shield | mARCH 24, 2016 | Usishield.com
Screagles Call Question: “Are you registered to vote? If not, why? If so, what motivates you to vote?”
Name: Austin Henson Major: Marketing/finance Grade: Junior Answer: “No, I am not registered to vote. I have been watching and I care. I just don’t think my vote really matters.”
New students have moved in | Carlos Baquerizo | The Shield
Rock the Weighing grade scales college vote by Osman Bien Aime
orbienaime@eagles.usi.edu
by Ellen cooper fecooper1@eagles.usi.edu If one couldn’t already tell by scrolling through Facebook, watching TV or not living under a rock, it’s an election year. For many college students, myself included, this will be our first time voting in a presidential election. To prepare for it, I have been doing my research for more than a year. It is especially important this year that voters research the candidates and use common sense to decide whom they are going to vote for. More importantly, college students need to vote. Statistically, our age demographic has a low voter turnout. As slightly adulty adults, we will be the ones to feel the effects of the choices made by whoever becomes our next president. We have the right to vote, but also the obligation to attempt to enact the change that we think is needed, whatever that change may be. I know who I am going to vote for in the primaries and who I will vote for if my candidate does not get the nomination for my chosen political party. Do you? Here are some ways to become informed: Register to vote. In Indiana, April 4 is the last day to register to vote for the primaries, so you still have time. To register to vote you can go to your local BMV, online at Indianavoters.com or through the free app “Indiana Voters.” If you are not sure whether or not you are registered,
you can search for your voter registration on Indianavoters.com. Consider your political affiliation. Research more than just Democrat and Republican politics. Remember, you can be an independent. Think about what issues are most important and whom you side with on those issues. In Indiana, voters are not required to list their political affiliation when registering, but it is required to choose a party’s ballot at the primaries. Research the candidates in your party and the opposing party. Not only do you need to know which candidate to vote for, but you also need a general idea of who is in the election. Doing your research is part of being an informed voter. Choose your candidate(s). From your research, you should decide who best fits your political views. It’s also a good idea to pick a back-up candidate in case your preferred candidate does not make it to the general election. One way to better understand whom you most closely side with in this election is an easy online quiz, which can be found on Isidewith.com. Once you’ve done all your research, the last and most important thing you need to do is vote. America needs more educated young voters, no matter where their political affiliations lie. Do your duty as a citizen and be an informed voter.
THE
EAGLE EXAMINER
I study nonstop, pouring as much information as I can into every last crevasse of my mind. My day is consumed by hours of note-reading and makeshift quizzes. Note cards litter the floor of my room, casualties of a veritable war on the coming exam. Weeks later, I find out what I made: 91. “Eh, not bad,” I think to myself, flipping through the syllabus. “I could have done better, but that’s not-” The syllabus lists a grade of 91 as being within the range of a B instead of an A. This is the most disquieting part of my experience as a student. Not so much getting a less-than-desired grade, but the disparity between different classes’ grading scales.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s make things a matter of A’s and B’s. Since my freshman year, seemingly centuries ago, a large majority of my courses have followed a straightforward scale. Basically, the difference between one’s grade and the next is about 10 points: 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B. Sure, the actual volume of points you get from completing your assignments can vary, but the scale is the same. Running counter to that, a handful of my courses have used a scale that gives. As a smaller margin, usually 92100, with the B range being larger, usually 82-91, and following as such down the scale. The range between these two grades is one point. This may seem completely trivial to some, like, “So what, you got a B instead of an A,” and it wouldn’t be the problem. I feel that it is if our
Unauthorized Advice
by Gavin Gaddis
Damn, parrot “Damn, Daniel” may not be funny in the slightest, but it does serve as an excellent example of how easily something can be repeated with little thought. I don’t find the infamous sentence fragment funny regardless of its original context, or as a meme. Jokes require structure, a subject, something to actually make fun of. The aforementioned viral sensation has a structure. That’s about it. That being said, it is super easy to repeat. The phrase is short, alliterative and easily adaptable to other situations. Yet, when I’ve asked friends why they like shouting “damn, Daniel”, the majority have started to say something, then stop with a confused look and a shrug. A few of my friends
thought over the phrase for a moment before saying, “It’s not that funny, actually.” Harnessing the human urge to parrot a fun phrase is a great way to spread information. Be it a marketing message, goofy phrase or even patently false information. If it’s interesting and easy to say, people are going to spread it like wildfire. I can’t confirm “damn, Daniel” is staged specifically by Vans as a viral marketing campaign, but the video definitely feels staged. One shot in particular is supposedly showing Daniel “reacting” to the catchphrase. The subject is supposedly walking
Have you looked into the Brussels terrorist attack? Yes
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GPAs factored in the actual percentage of points you received in a class. As you well know, however, they do not. On your transcript, letter equals number. And if you’re on the bottom of the scale and are off by that one point where you would have been fine in another class, you get nothing at semester’s end. Granted a D’s nothing to fistpump about. I realize these systems are used for simplicity’s sake, and I don’t have an easy solution that would make every point a student gets in a class matter in the factoring of their GPA. However, I can at least take solace with the fact that grading scales are and will definitely continue to be a constant source of stress for students, because of their lack of standardization.
Illustration by Philip Kuhns | The Shield
past the camera to class, yet as the sentence “back at it again with the white Vans,” is said, he makes a full half turn, so he’s walking back in the direction he originally started from. Not the most efficient way to walk to class, but a great way to keep your shoes as large in frame as humanly possible. Keep that in mind the next time someone tries to share a motivational or “shocking” fun fact, especially from an educator. It’s incredibly easy for a something patently wrong to get stuck in the head of a person with power. Think about it. If you’re a student, are you likely to outright tell an instructor, “No, professor trying to tell an inspiring story, Albert Einstein never had trouble with math in school. He was actually incredibly good at math his entire life.” If I’d taken everything an educator has ever told me to heart, I’d be walking around this campus telling people Japan is a communist country, Wendy’s chili has horse meat in it and every one in five miles of any U.S. highway is mandated to be perfectly straight (apparently so planes can land during wartime). Parroting opinions, quips and fun facts is quite easy, but please take the time to consider the source material before continuing an idea.
Name: Traci Smith Major: Communication studie Grade: Sophomore Answer: “No, I just haven’t found the time to do it.”
Name: Alton Cummings Major: Marketing Grade: Sophomore Answer: “Yes, I want to pick the best candidate that will help us in the future.”
THE
SHIELD Editorial Board Bobby Shipman Editor-in-Chief Gabi Wy News Editor Megan Thorne Features Editor Gavin Gaddis Opinion Editor Sarah Loesch Sports Editor James Vaughn Chief Copy Editor Jessica Stallings Visual Editor
S ta f f Alyssa Smith Chief Photographer APPLY NOW Community Engagement Manager Brian Tenbarge Page Designer Philip Kuhns Page Designer
Sales & Marketing S ta f f Anthony Ross Sales & Marketing Director Olivia Meyer Business Manager APPLY NOW Marketing Manager Danielle VanHooser Layout & Design Manager Gavin Gaddis Circulation Manager Jonah Breeden Sales Consultant Rob Rich Sales Consultant Opinions expressed in unsigned editorials represent a consensus opinion of the editorial board
Sports
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Not every
champion is a
prodigy
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The shield | mARCH 24, 2016 | Usishield.com
7
Photos courtesy of Rachel johnson
Rachel Johnson stands atop a podium after winning the Junior Elite Freestyle Championship in the 2013 United States Twirling Association National Championships in Dayton, Ohio. She did her routine to a combination of David Lanz on the piano and Lord Byron’s poem, “She Walks In Beauty.”
Johnson, mom twirl through life together by sarah loesch sports@usishield.com @ShieldsterSarah For Rachel Johnson, the hardest part of twirling isn’t the tricks or skills. It’s the loneliness. From age six to 17, she practically lived in a gym between training with her mother and her coach. “It was just really Johnson l o n e l y, ” Johnson said. “I think that as a child, you’re looking to build relationships with your peers and it’s not something that everyone can deal with.” The sophomore political science and economics double major started dance classes when she was 3-years-old and then transitioned to twirling. Now, despite choosing USI, which doesn’t have a twirling program, Johnson still picks up her baton. Johnson, a national champion, twirled both her freshman and sophomore year of college during halftime at basketball games. ‘I sucked’ At age five, she marched in parades after she was introduced to parade corp. “I’ll be honest,” she said. “I sucked.” At age 6, Johnson began to compete on the local level and a year later, she competed in her first state tournament. She won every event in her age group at the advanced level. “That was another thing. I progressed really quickly,” she said. “There wasn’t anything particularly hard when I was young. It was just practicing on my own and knowing that I didn’t have any friends that were going
to do it.” At age 8, her coach told her mom, Tonya Johnson, she was “really good.” That same year, Johnson competed in her first national competition in Tuscon, Arizona, placing second in each category. “After I placed second in everything at nationals it was like, ‘OK, we’re going to do this. We’re going to keep doing this for a long time,’” Johnson said. ‘It all starts to fall together’ Two years later, after competing in nationals, Johnson had a short-lived change of heart when she felt she wasn’t performing well anymore. “You don’t really know what your competition is like until you get (to a competition),” Johnson said. “It’s just a hard battle and a mind game of, ‘Am I going to be the best when I get there?’” Johnson said she wanted
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son and Tonya looked for a second opinion with the Hadi Shriners. From that appointment, Johnson found she could go without surgery and learn to manage her aches and pains. Johnson said there are some things the curve in her spine hinders (but it’s never stopped her from competing.)
As Johnson progressed, she moved from working with a local coach once a week to a different coach twice a month. She and her mother would drive twoand-a-half hours to Michigan for a two to three-hour lesson and back. She called her coach and explained that she didn’t want to twirl anymore. Tonya said she didn’t want Johnson to quit, but she always told her it was ultimately her decision. “You can’t make someone do something their heart isn’t in,” Tonya said. That break lasted about two weeks. She started practicing again and prepared for nationals the next year. Johnson spent the summer wearing holes in the bottoms of her Keds as she practiced on concrete. She went through a couple pairs that summer. She won two events that time. “Not every champion is
Rachel Johnson, a sophomore political science and economics double major, performs her freestyle in Rochester, Minnesota nine years ago. At this competition Johnson won her first national title in a freestyle event.
‘Whatever she could dream up’ Johnson competed in costumes her mom sewed for her. “I made almost all of her
I think the performance in the public venue is when you can feel your love of twirling come out.
-Rachel Johnson Political science and economics double major
to do everything her friends were doing. She never played T-ball or played recreational soccer. “I literally lived my life in dance class or at baton practice,” she said, “and baton practice was by myself.”
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costumes,” Tonya said. “A lot of it was out of necessity.” Costumes for twirlers are expensive, Tonya said. It’s possible to spend $900 on one, especially for a freestyle event.
a prodigy. Not every champion has everything, the perfect costume or the perfect hair to begin with,” she said. “It all starts to fall together. You do what you can with what you have.”
NOW HIRING We are now accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school year. We are in need of: Reporters
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In those events, the performer chooses their own music. Tonya would create an outfit to help Johnson depict her character. Tonya said the costumes Johnson wore were always second hand or sewn by her, but she thinks in some ways it made her feel special. “As she got older, she would design (the costumes) and I would make them,” Tonya said. “I could make whatever she could dream up. No one had anything even close.” ‘Surgery would just devastate us’ After the initial nationals wins, Johnson was ready to win again, she said. But the next year, doctors diagnosed her with scoliosis, a condition where the spine curves sideways. “(The doctor) had just decided we would do surgery and that was it,” Tonya said. “By this time, I was a single mom and I knew surgery would just devastate us financially.” Through a friend, John-
‘You can absolutely not drop your baton’ In choosing USI, Johnson chose a school with no twirling program. “If I wasn’t going to twirl, I didn’t want to be somewhere where twirlers were,” Johnson said. Despite not having a program, she has still performed for an audience at the university. “When I twirl for my peers, it’s about entertainment,” she said. “It’s about being super hyper and super fun and you can absolutely not drop your baton. People think if I drop my baton that I suck.” Johnson said dropping it should not be equated with sucking, but she knows it puts a damper on the performance if she does. The first time she twirled at a basketball game was in high school. “People thought I was going to suck,” she said. “They told me that after.” She said competing is fun, but she enjoys performing to songs that are on the radio that everyone is going to be into. Johnson said it feels better to perform than to win a title. “I think the performance in the public venue is when you can feel your love of twirling come out,” she said. “That’s definitely where I felt it.”
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The shield | march 24, 2016 | Usishield.com
The Verbal Commitment
Baseball
Softball
2 p.m. | 1 p.m. Mar. 25 | 26 USI Baseball Field Bellarmine University
Noon | 2 p.m. Mar. 25 USI Softball Field University of IL Springfield
2 p.m. Mar. 30 St. Louis MI Univ. of Missouri St. Louis
Noon | 2 p.m. Mar. 26 USI Softball Field McKendree University
Men’s tennis
Women’s Tennis
1 p.m. | 8 a.m. Mar. 24 | 25 Romeoville, IL Wayne State University
4:30 p.m. Mar. 23 USI Tennis Courts Kentucky Wesleyan College
8 a.m. Mar. 26 Romeoville, IL Tiffin University
11:00 a.m. April 2 USI Tennis Courts University of IL Springfield
Mar. 19 0-9
men’s | Women’s track & Field
Women’s golf
women’s golf
1 p.m. Mar. 24 Vincennes, IN Bill Smith Challenge
Baseball Mar. 18 2-1
By Sarah Loesch
Mar. 19 7-4
Take a walk Don’t be like me. Don’t work more hours in a week than you know deep down you can handle. Don’t pay for access to the Recreation, Fitness, and Wellness Center and then only use it for the one required health class. Both archery and quidditch team members have said they enjoy their respective activity because it helps relieve stress. In many instances, exercise and sports can help people relieve stress and improve their basic health. The campus offers many opportunities to do just that. There are club sports like quidditch or rugby. Go out and watch a match and see if you like it, or swing by a practice and try it out. Even if in the end it doesn’t work out, there was still time spent outdoors and an escape mentally and physically. There are also intramurals.
Many of the sign-up dates for spring sports have passed, but wiffleball, tennis doubles, singles tennis and kickball all have sign-up dates in April. Indoor activities are always an option as well. Take a yoga class or a group exercise class with friends. Either way, indoors or out, the activity is helpful for both the mental and physical wellbeing of students. Don’t be like me. Utilize the resources around you. Don’t make excuses from inside your room or complain about how nice it is outside while you’re not. It’s not admirable to never take time for yourself. It’s unhealthy. If someone in your life is constantly like this, tell them to take a walk, literally. The trail is pretty nice.
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Upcoming Games
scoreboard
Mar. 20 8-4
softball Mar. 19 1-2 Mar. 19 0-5 Mar. 20 9 - 13 Mar. 20 5-4
Women’s tennis
Mar. 19 - 20 Perry Park Spring Fling 3rd of 27 teams
All Day Mar. 27 / 28 Maryland Heights, MI Maryville Spring Invitational
briefs Cross country ranked ninth The men’s cross country
and track and field program is currently ranked ninth in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association’s Damon Martin Program of the Year standings. This Program of the Year award is given to universities that achieve the most success in each academic year. It is ultimately based on
the finish at the NCAA Championships. The team must qualify for each of the NCAA Championships. The lowest combined score for the three championships are combined to determine the recipient. If a school ties, the points are split. USI finished fourth in the Program of the Year awards last year, and was third in 2013-14. The university currently has 36.5 points to follow after Texas A&M University. The track and field team is now in outdoor season.
Softball plays for a cause The softball team will play two games for special causes April 2-3. First, the team will participate in “We Play For....” This is an awareness day game where players and coaches play for someone they know has been affected by a disease, illness, handicap or other special cause. The players and coaches from USI and the University of Indianapolis will wear a
colored ribbon representing their person and cause. The next game will be “Play for Kate.” It will be played for Kate Bruggenschmidt, an 11-year-old softball player who died in 2015 after an ATV accident. Bruggenschmidt’s family will be at the game. Her younger sister, Emma, will throw the first pitch. Players and coaches will wear ribbons and bright green bracelets in her honor.
2016 - 2017
Housing Renewal select your space
5 K FOR A UT I SM A WARE NESS
March 22 - 31
Attention current residents: If you are a current resident and have already contracted for 2016 - 2017, don’t forget your appointment time to choose your space! Current residents don’t miss out on the chance to pick the room you want! (as available) If you do not select space in March you will be able to select space in June after freshmen and transfer students.
APRIL 15, 2016 @ 9P.M. RACE BEGINS @ 10:30 P.M. STARTING AT RFWC REGISTATION OPENS MARCH 15 ON ORGSYNC CHECK IN & LATE REGISTRATION @ 9 P.M. AT RFWC