In this Issue Vol. 43 Issue 5
USI students study abroad pgs. 4 and 5
Volleyball recap pg. 7
Thursday, September 13, 2012
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USI to play UE in exhibition game BY JIMMY PYLES Staff writer The University of Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville (UE) men’s basketball teams will share the court for the Vectren Community Classic at the Ford Center on Oct. 27. Tickets for the general public go on sale Oct. 1 “I’m going on my fourth season with the team, and I’ve been wanting to play them since I got here,” USI guard Lawrence Thomas said. “They’re on the east side and we’re on the west side. It’s not just any exhibition game - it’s something important to us.” The exhibition match will be the fourth meeting between the two teams since 2004, the most recent being in 2008. UE has won all three of the previous matchups against USI. The closest game was in 2006 when the Aces won 77-75 as the Eagles missed a three-point shot with time running out. “We’re playing for bragging rights. We don’t play each other all the time, so when we do play 2004: each other, you have to take advantage of it,’ Thomas said. “A 88-75 Evansville lot of people say we won’t hanAttendance: 12,441people dle this game differently, but I think because it’s UE, we will.” 2006: The past three games between 77-75 Evansville USI and UE were played at RobAttendance: 11,597 people ert’s Stadium where the capacity was over 12,000 for basketball 2008: games. In 2008, the attendance 71-67 Evansville for the game was over 9,000 Attendance: 9,648 people people. “We should see a lot of red in the stands and probably have the same amount of fans as they Tickets for the Vectern do, if not more,” Thomas said. “We’re not going to let (our Community Classic at the fans) down. We’re going to play Ford Center go on sale hard and try and come out with Oct. 1 a win.” It’s a going to be a sad day for UE, Andy Hines, marketing major and member of Phi Delta Theta, said. “I’m going to have front row tickets,” Hines said. “I’ll be there in body paint with some of my fraternity brothers.” He said seeing USI play in the Ford Center is going be ridiculous. The game will be the first time USI head coach Rodney Watson will get to coach in the Vectren Community Classic since becoming head coach in 2009. “I talked to Coach Simmons early in the spring and asked him what he thought, but I never really asked for the game,” Watson said. “One thing lead to another, and in August everyone thought it would be a good idea.” He said even though it is just an exhibition game, the teams are going to be competitive. “Two teams from the same community - it’s not going to take a whole lot for either one of us to get competitive,” Watson said. “Anybody that plays with a scoreboard and time, your competitiveness kicks in and you want to score the most points.”
USI vs. UE history
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WHITE STUDENTS FOR EVERY
BLACK STUDENT Enrollment numbers show USI’s diversity struggle By JESSIE HELLMANN News editor
Nobody wants to talk about racial issues. We don’t have anybody going against the grain and fighting for these people.
Sophomore Marquita Fears is the only African American student in all of her classes. “Every class I’m in, I’m the only black person,” said the exercise science, pre-physical therapy major. Fears is one of 496 African American students who attend USI - 4.7 percent of the student population. The number of African American students at USI de-Kegan Walker creased 22 percent for this school year, according to the 2012 fall enrollment numbers released by the Office of Senior criminal justice major Planning and Research. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t even know how (USI) became like that,” Fears said. The percentages of every ethnic group on campus Comparison of dropped this year except for the “Asian” category, which percentage of minorities increased by 18 students. in GLVC schools in 2012 Lack of diversity is a problem USI has struggled with for many years. Northern Kentucky University 9% According to accreditation reports going back to 2002, the university has been scorned for its low diversity levels. “USI is becoming recognized as much more than USI 10.8% a city college; it needs to aspire to a campus society more representative of a broad Ball State University 15% region of mid-America,” reads the DIVERSITY on Pg. 3
Western Kentucky University 17%
Indiana University 25% Indiana State University 27% Data from respective schools
Anthropology major waiting for state approval By JAMES VAUGHN Staff writer Jillian Utter may graduate with an anthropology degree from USI if the Indiana Commission for Higher Education adds the proposal to its agenda before May. If the state approves it, it will become a major. Utter, a senior in the history department, has completed all of the requirements for the tentative major, which was approved by the Board of Trustees Thursday. “Fingers crossed, it’ll be available by the time I graduate,” Utter said. She came to USI with an undecided major and took a variety of courses. One of those courses was anthropology. From then on, she knew she wanted to pursue it, but the university didn’t offer it.
She decided to major in history instead, and later picked up a minor in anthropology. Utter now plans to attend graduate school for southeast archeology. She said having a degree in anthropology would be great, but she’ll be fine if it’s not approved by the time she walks across the stage. “I am definitely not worried about graduating with only a minor’s worth of knowledge,” Utter said. She said she owes everything to the anthropology faculty. “They have gone above and beyond to advise and offer great learning opportunities to me,” Utter said. Ronda Priest, chair of the department of sociology, anthropology and criminal justice and Michael Strezewski, assistant professor of anthropology, have
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been planning the major for five years. It was developed over the past two years, and it has gone through a number of committees at the university level. Strezewski said the commission should notify him when the major is scheduled to be discussed, and he and Priest will be there to answer any questions it may have. The department has a tentative outline for the major. Strezewski said there are a number of students working to complete the requirements even though it is not official. “I’m hoping that the major will be 100 percent approved sometime this spring,” Strezewski said. “We’ve jumped through a lot of hoops over the past couple of years and now it’s at that final step.” www.usishield.com
He said the department currently has three full-time faculty, and they don’t plan to hire anyone else. “What we’re doing right now is covering all of the bases with what we’ve got,” Strezewski said. “If you propose a major that has to do hires, it’s not going to go well.” He said he doesn’t fear the proposal being shot down at the state level because of the amount of research he and Priest have conducted. “We made sure we put the things that they want to see in the proposal,” Strezewski said. Strezewski said one of the important aspects they want to see is what kind of jobs graduates can get, and he and Priest did research to find out where graduates are being employed. Strezewski said the univer-
sity hasn’t had an anthropology major because the university grew so quickly in such a short amount of time, leaving some majors behind. He said he realized not having it was a problem when students started coming to him and asking about a major and when he told them that there wasn’t one, students would settle for a similar major or transfer to another school. Assistant Professor of Anthropology Daniel Bauer said he’s excited the major is at its last hurdle. “Having a major means that I’m going to have more students who are much more interested in diving in and tackling the big questions related to anthropology,” Bauer said. He said he’s also excited about ANTHROPOLOGY on Pg. 3
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News Briefs Candy and Careers Career Services will host a fair to pass out flyers for the upcoming 2012 CareerLINK and inform students about the services Careers & Services provides. The fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Business and Engineering Center and from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on the first floor of the Liberal Arts building. There is no fee for this event.
USI Security Incident Log 9/5 -9/10 Criminal Mischief – false alarm OʼBannon 9/5 10:28 a.m. Closed Sex offense – forcible rape OʼDaniel 9/5 1 p.m. Open Alcohol – underage possession Clarke Lane 9/5 1:25 a.m. Closed Suspicious circumstances Eckels Lane – Marshall 9/5 5:03 p.m. Closed Traffic accident Parking lot G 9/5 5:43 p.m. Closed Illness report Physical Activities Center 9/5 9:48 p.m. Closed Injury report Governors Hall 9/6 11:45 p.m. Closed Injury report Rec and Fitness Center 9/6 1:19 p.m. Closed Illness report Varsity Dr- Lane building 9/6 8:08 p.m. Closed Injury report Health Professions Center 9/7 1:37 p.m. Closed Injury report OʼDaniel North 9/7 8:30 p.m. Closed Code of Conduct – tobacco – smoking Technology Center 9/7 9:45 a.m. Information only
Illness report McDonald 9/8 12:26 a.m. Closed Alcohol – underage consumption McDonald 9/8 12:26 a.m. Closed Property damage On-campus 9/8 5:45 a.m. Closed Alcohol – underage consumption Varsity Dr. – Hendricks building 9/9 3:51 a.m. Open Code of Conduct – failure to comply Varsity Dr. – Hendricks building 9/9 3:51 a.m. Open Code of Conduct – visitor violation Varsity Dr. – Hendricks building 9/9 3:51 a.m. Open Traffic accident Parking lot B 9/10 11:10 a.m. Closed Drugs – incident OʼBannon 9/10 3:57 p.m. Closed Injury report Parking lot C 9/10 4:45 p.m. Pending Illness report Newman Hall 9/10 6:54 p.m. Closed Lost property report On-campus 9/10 7:22 p.m. Closed
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Diversity continued from Pg. 1 report issued by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities in 2006. When the report was issued in 2006, seven percent of USI students were in the minority category. Now, six years later, the university’s minority population is at 10.8 percent. The overall minority percentage dropped .2 percent this year. The lack of diversity at USI is something Fears said she noticed since she first came to school here. “When I first got here as a freshman, I noticed it,” she said. “I feel like (USI’s) mindset is stuck on ‘we want to stay a small school,’ and they don’t want to grow. As time goes (on), things change, and you need to be able to accept the change.” Provost Ron Rochon acknowledges that lack of diversity on campus is an issue. “It’s an area of concern, without question, that we as a campus are going to really sit down and talk about and investigate what other avenues we can take with regard to recruitment,” he said. “Our impact, academic programming, and our successful matriculation for students across race is another piece of that recruitment variable.” He said he will meet with several campus officials to discuss how to raise diversity numbers. “I will be looking for possible strategies on how to approach diversity,” he said. “That will be my goal.” Compared to other Indiana public schools and schools in the GLVC conference, USI has the second highest percentage of Caucasian students at 89 percent. At Northern Kentucky University, 91 percent students identify as Caucasian. Senior Criminal Justice major Kegon Walker said he noticed as soon as he stepped on the campus how primarily “white” it was. “When I first came here as a student back in 2008, me and my parents toured the campus, and it was a very shocking experience not seeing anyone around that looked like me,” he said.
He said having lack of diversity on campus can harm minorities scholastically and can keep students from learning about other cultures. “If I’m in a class with only black people, that’s not good, me as a black male,” he said. “I’m not learning about what about what a white person, or what a hispanic does.” He said he thinks having a lack of diverse students on campus could actually deter minorities from coming to school at USI because if a minority student comes to tour campus and sees few minorities, he or she may decide to go to another school such as Indiana University, which has a high percentage of minorities. He’s frustrated. “Nobody wants to talk about racial issues. We don’t have anybody going against the grain and fighting for these people,” he said. He said he wishes for USI to grow by the time he comes back. “I would hope that when my time is up here, when I come back and walk on campus, within the first 10 minutes, I see someone other than white (people),” he said. “There are some who don’t see a problem with walking around and not seeing someone who looks different from them. They actually like it. I think that’s a problem.” Director of Admissions Eric Otto said the school has done well with increasing diversity in the last few years. “Five or 6 years ago, minority numbers were pretty low here, so I think we’ve done a pretty good job of getting the USI message out there to all underrepresented groups,” he said. “But we still want to stay aggressive there because we can still attract good students from all races out there.” Otto said he thinks the low amount of minorities could be because of the economy. “We’ve had really good students that were scholarships that turned us down because they just can’t afford it,” he said. “So, if we have a slight increase anywhere, that’s not too bad in this economy.”
Anthropology continued from Pg. 1 the opportunity to teach a broader variety of courses. Based on what he’s seen, Bauer projects about 40 students would be interested in the major if it is approved. He’s hoping that scheduling conflicts at the state level don’t push it back.
“Often times they have meetings set up, and they get canceled and then they don’t meet again for another couple of months,” Bauer said. “At this point, it’s all out of our hands.”
Obituary Judy Ann Divine Judy Ann Divine, 66, of Evansville, Ind., passed away on September 1, 2012 in Chicago, IL. Left to remember her pure heart and enduring strength are her husband of 44 years, Dr. James H. Divine, daughter, Emily R. Kasparov, son-in-law, Vladimir A. Kasparov, and two grandchildren, Victor and Katherine Kasparov of Chicago, IL. Judy dedicated herself to embracing life through tending to all things growing. She made lasting impressions on young people throughout the years as an elementary school teacher and, more recently as an instructor at the University of Southern
Indiana, in the Education and Academic Skills Departments. USI was a large part of the Divine family’s life as Judy’s husband, James H. Divine, was long a professor in the Education De-
partment prior to retiring this year. Judy’s daughter and son-in-law both graduated from USI and Judy was proud to have many extended family members graduate from USI as well. Judy will be greatly missed by family, colleagues and past students alike. Her joyous and engaging spirit was evident in her dedication to teaching. Judy’s encouraging strength will live on in the hearts of all who remember this dear and accomplished woman. A memorial service will be held for Judy on September 23, 2012 at 1:00pm at The Bauerhaus 13605 Darmstadt Road Evansville, IN
NOW HIRING Apply in the lower level of UC East Room 227
Drugs – possession Saletta building 9/10 7:41 p.m. Closed False report – incident Eckels Ln. 9/10 9:52 p.m. Closed
Information gathered from USI’s Public Crime Log, provided by USI Safety and Security.
Crime Log Key * Case suspended: No suspects listed, no leads. No follow up investigation unless new information arises. * Case cleared: The incident is resolved, suspect was identified and will be adjudicated appropriately. * Case pending: On hold, awaiting new information. * Violation of University Policy: Violation of the Studentʼs Rights and Responsibilities. * Failure to comply with a university official: Any university official, from an area coordinator to a security officer. *Residential entry: Someone walked into the residence. This is different than burglary because burglary is entering with intent to commit a felony.
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Life & Culture
Page 4 - The Shield - September 13, 2012
USI around the world
2 1 Together four USI students spent a minimum of 140 hours, or almost six days, each traveling to three different countries. Each student received the Global Engagement Internship, which are fully funded internships. This is part one of “USI all around the world.” Check out next week’s issue for part two of the series.
Senior teaches women and children abroad By SHANNON HALL Life and Culture editor The last of the students to return to USI, senior Jordan Whitledge came home from India just days before school started. His “home” from July 6 to August 18 was Jaipur, home to more than 3 million people, but the region he lived in was considered a slum area, he said. He lived in a gated community in a six-room house which held four beds to a room. “All the volunteers were never in harm,” Whitledge said. He said they were blessed with a small TV and access to the Internet, but they did not have hot water. “You did your laundry in a bucket of water, wash it and ring it out,” Whitledge said. He taught children ages 6-12, which was difficult due to the different levels of education, he said. “One of the young kids that I was teaching had no prior knowledge or anything,” Whitledge said. “I worked with him every day and taught him the ABCs, 123s and how to count and how to write. … (It) was very rewarding.” The children listened to Whitledge’s lessons while sitting on the ground – the one-room classroom did not have tables or chairs. He had a chalkboard to write on and the children had notebooks. During his time in India, Whitledge found out the Indian government was diverting electricity from the city to farmers in rural areas, he said. “They shut off that power for an hour or two every day,” he said. “And when you’re
in the school in a room that just had one light bulb and a fan, … it was really bad.” At one point, 22 out of the 28 Indian states blacked out, leaving 625 million people without power. Whitledge said the blackout lasted in his area for about a day, although in other states it lasted a few days longer. He found out shortly upon his arrival that he would work with the women’s empowerment group. “These are women who had no formal education,” he said. “You meet a lot of impoverished people who had some education, but these women – they got married very young and had children and started families, and they didn’t have any chance to learn any skills.” These women touched Whitledge’s heart because he wanted to help them gain independence. “They wanted their husbands to actually respect them, and they wanted to be able to help their children with their homework and schoolwork whenever they came home,” he said. Whitledge said he chose to go to India over China, Ghana and Scotland because it is the world’s largest democracy. “I was very interested to learn about their political system, their cultural norms, their economy,” he said. “They will be rising up as one of the leading economies in our lifetime.” He said he was treated differently while abroad because he is a white American. “I was walking down the street one day and this Indian man was walking the opposite direction,” he said. “We stopped and talked for a couple seconds, and he was like, ‘Where are you from?’ – ‘I’m
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INDIA
Photo courtesy / Jordan Whitledge
Senior triple major Jordan Whitledge allows a young girl to put a bracelet on his wrist. Whitledge taught children ages 6-12 in a one-room schoolhouse in India.
from the U.S.,’ and I just talked to him a little, and he was like, ‘Ah, you must come and take tea with my family.’” Drinking tea with a family in India is a very respectful and polite custom, Whitledge said. “I think about this a lot now that I’m back, but the simplicity back in India is something I miss,” he said. “It’s very basic, everything is around families and social
values, and I really miss that.” Whitledge said he had always wanted to travel abroad. “I never had the money to,” he said. “(The Global Engagement Internship) is a great opportunity for students to go abroad and experience a different culture. It definitely changed my life.”
Life in Evansville Aug. 13 "Brave" 9 p.m. USI Forum 1 "The Giving Tree Band" Bluegrass, 10 p.m. Lamasco Bar and Grill Aug. 14 "Lindsey Williams" 8 p.m. Backstage Bar and Grill "Nathan Thompson and The Breakevens" Pop/Rock covers, 9:30 p.m. RiRa's "The Henhouse Prowlers" Bluegrass, 10 p.m. Lamasco Bar and Grill Aug. 15 "Brave" 6 p.m. USI Forum 1 "Gentleman and Scholars" Rock Band, 8 p.m. Backstage Bar and Grill "Brave" 9 p.m. USI Forum 1 "Brad Jackson Duo" Pop/Rock covers, 9:30 p.m. RiRa's "Indiana Boys" Bluegrass, 10 p.m. Lamasco Bar and Grill
Page 5 - The Shield - September 13, 2012
Life & Culture
‘Everyone genuinely interested’ in USI junior By SHANNON HALL Life and Culture editor With England and Turkey already under her belt, Catherine Carver tackled New Lanark, Scotland this summer. The junior history and anthropology major spent May 11 through June 26 helping the charity New Lanark Trust create a public search room for all of its collections. “I feel like helping them create a public search room was pretty relevant to my career goals, as far as working with museums and archives, stuff like that,” Carver said. She cataloged some of its photographs and digitized inventories. While in Scotland, she said she experienced many things she would not have been able to where she’s
from. “We saw two cows being herded by two vehicles,” she said. “That was interesting because it’s not like you see cows walking down the road every day.” She also experienced her first rugby match in Scotland. “They were a bunch of characters, bunch of rowdy, giant men,” she said. “They took their shirts off and sang, like a warrior chant.” Carver said her living conditions were very basic: a bed, sink, toilet and shower. But the area where she lived differed from the U.S. “I really liked that it was still a village,” Carver said. “(It’s like) you’re back in time.” Carver said she ate salmon for the first time in Scotland but stayed far
“The Lucky One” As a fan of “The Notebook” and “A Walk to Remember,” I feel obligated to watch all the Nicholas Sparks movie adaptations at least once. I make a point to read all the books before the movies, as well. “The Lucky One” as a book never thrilled me, so before watching the movie, I tried to imagine the worst-case scenario for its adaptation. It turned out to be even worse than that. Main man Logan (Zac Efron) is a U.S. Marine who finds a picture of a pretty blonde while overseas. After miraculously escaping death twice while in possession of the photo, Logan begins to believe that the girl is his guardian angel. What happens next? He stalks the girl. Upon returning home, he walks from Colorado to Louisiana (even though in the book, he goes to North Carolina) and just
Twin Shadow “Confess” Twin Shadow has shown much progression on his second album. “Confess” is a more mature release and shows a change in style. Tracks are more fast-paced and add different instrumental elements while still maintaining that 80s nostalgic sound.
Two Door Cinema Club “Beacon” The new release by indie trio Two Door Cinema Club suits its name well. From beginning to end, “Beacon” shines in rays of poppy overbearance… but in a good way. There’s enough musical disparity on the album to appease those who normally dislike the bright, heavily-produced sound that is pretty consistent throughout. Some of this disparity comes through in the catchy bass lines of the songs “Wake Up,” “Pyramid” and “Beacon.” “Wake Up” also has some coinciding guitar riffs to add to its creative repertoire. “Sun” uses a layer of trumpets to add an ethereal
The Chariot “One Wing” The Chariot has always been a leader in the American hardcore music scene, but those who are familiar with the band know that they don’t really fit in with the likes of Have Heart, Title Fight and other hardcore bands. The Chariot’s sound has always been unique, blend-
away from curry. She said she appreciated how Scottish people acted around her. “Everyone was genuinely interested in my American thoughts and opinions,” Carver said. Carver said she even surprised herself while studying abroad. “I knew I was independent, but surviving six weeks alone was a big deal for me,” she said. Carver said Scottish people’s attitudes present a more laid-back life than those of Americans. “When they go to have their dinner, they don’t hurry up to go and watch TV,” she said. “A lot of times their dinners can last up to two to three hours because they take the time to have a nice dinner and wind down after their day.”
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Scotland Photo courtesy / Catherine Carver
Junior history and anthropology major helps the charity New Lanark Trust by creating a public search room and digitizing inventories.
happens upon the town where she lives. Get out. That’s so creepy. To make it, the movie leaves out a key component which would have maybe made it a little less so. In the book, there is a scene where Logan goes boating with a friend who also served overseas. He says Logan was fated to meet this girl - that’s why he survived those accidents. Abruptly, another boat crashes into their own, killing his friend. If that scene was in the movie, I didn’t realize it. I
think a glimpse of it might have happened, but not the entire story. I’m pretty sure none of these scenes lasted more than four minutes, which did not help my short attention span. I could not picture any of the scenes at all. I had expected at least one scene to leave me bawling. It is a sad story, after all. But no - it just dragged on. In my opinion, this movie should have ended 43 minutes in. I can now say that I have seen the majority of Nicholas Sparks’ movie adaptations, and “The Lucky One” is by far the worst of them all.
Twin Shadow, aka George Lewis Jr., is a great songwriter. This 12-track album tells the story of his postmotorcycle accident epiphany and his urge for more. Before the album’s debut in July, the single “Five Seconds” was released. It was exciting for fans because it meant he was releasing a new album soon. The track set the pace for the album with its upbeat drums, syncopated beats and awesome guitar sounds. Each song contributes another piece to the puzzle of what could have happened in his accident. Specific tracks, like “Run My Heart” and “When the Movie’s Over,” reflect the adventure the group had while completing this album.
The musical style expressed in “Confess” is perfectly synonymous with this technological age. It is quite a jump from Twin Shadow’s debut album “Forget,” but is the perfect second step. The album winds down toward the end with more serious sounds and concrete lyrics, showcased in the songs “I Don’t Care” and “Mirror in the Dark” (a hidden track).
element to the album, and “The World is Watching” boasts ambient, atmospheric vocals. “Sleep Alone” has an alternating tempo yet maintains the catchiness of an uptempo track, making it a thoughtful choice as the lead single. The tracks “Settle” and “Beacon” force the album to slow down a little – but not too much. Both tracks have a rhythmic nature to them and feel more like a
step back than a step in a different direction. The only real problem I have with “Beacon,” which is really just me being nitpicky, is its lack of a solid slow song. Having at least one song to fulfill the more minimalistic, acoustic sound seems like a necessity for almost every artist – even hard rock bands do it. But, with that said, “Beacon” is still a rewarding listen. And with fall right around the corner, it might just be the perfect “driving-around-town-with-thewindows-down” kind of album.
ing together chaos, poetry, ferocity and pointed lyrics. Its new album “One Wing” is no different. From start to finish, “One Wing” is loaded with powerful messages. The album starts at a frantic pace with “Forget,” which explores the idea of conformity, and then transitions to tracks like “Not” and “In,” which grapple with hypocrisy in society. A particular song to take note of is “Speak,” which sits in the middle of the album. The track takes a dramatic turn from the fast, guitar-driven music of the rest of the album and is replaced by the sound of a single piano over which Josh Scogin, the band’s vocalist, lays out a passionate cry for forgiveness. From this point on, the album picks up again and
ends with the song “Cheek,” which sandwiches an excerpt of Charlie Chaplin’s famous speech from “The Great Dictator” in between Scogin’s moving lyrics. The song serves as a powerful call to fight hate, deceit and greed. Even for a band that never fails to put out music that is fresh and meaningful, it isn’t hard to call “One Wing” The Chariot’s best album yet. It succeeds in revealing yet another facet of The Chariot’s ever-changing identity.
Rating: 0.5/5
By: SHANNON HALL, Life and Culture editor
Rating: 4.5/5
By: ARI BEEDIE, Staff writer
Rating: 4/5
By: Jake Tapley, Staff writer
Rating: 5/5
By: NICK EBERTZ, Special to The Shield
Opinion
Page 6 - The Shield - September 13, 2012
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Love you, Grandpa, but Obama is not the Antichrist By JIMMY PYLES Editor-in-Chief I’m going to flat out say that old people shouldn’t have emails. If your grandparents ask for your email, don’t give it to them - it’s a trap. This summer I made the mistake of giving my grandpa my email address. I thought I was going to get some perverted, old-man jokes every few weeks. Man, was I wrong. He forwards me emails almost every day. I get everything from redneck jokes to politics, but nothing sticks out more than emails about Barack Obama being the Antichrist. He knows I like Obama, but that doesn’t stop him from forwarding me emails that try to disprove his American citizenship and say he is a terrorist or the destroyer of human kind. After the Democratic National Convention, I got more Obama propaganda than normal. The most recent email that stuck out to me was one claiming that the Bible’s book of Revelation describes the Antichrist as someone matching Obama’s characteristics. This email states that the Antichrist is a man in his 40s, of Muslim descent, who will deceive the nations with persuasive language and have a massive Christ-like appeal.
People will flock to him, and he will promise false hope. Then, once he is in power, he will destroy everything. Yep, that sounds like Obama to me. Actually, this email is horribly wrong. The Bible never describes the Antichrist as being “a man in his 40s of Muslim descent.” The worst part about it is that my grandpa actually believes that the emails he is getting from his friends are factual and that Obama is the Antichrist. Looking at who has been forwarded these emails, it’s safe to say that a group of old Republicans is just trying to find a reason why Obama should not be in office. Even though my grandpa is registered as a Republican, that doesn’t make it okay for him to fall for these crazy and untrue emails. There should be an age limit for having an email address (or at least a test to prove you’re a sane member of society). I have learned to just click and delete these forwarded emails and, if your grandparents do have your email address, I suggest you do the same. I love you, Grandpa, but Obama isn’t the Antichrist, and you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet.
It isn’t enough to say that what happened on Sept. 11, 2001 is a historical landmark or national tragedy because it’s so much more than that – calling it such would be undermining its significance. We can all picture where we were when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Think about that – actually think about it. Thanks to our televisions, we were all there together in New York City watching the devastation unfold and committing it to memory. How many other moments in your life can you picture perfectly? Or, even better, how many other moments in your life can you and everyone you know picture perfectly? I’m going to assume, for the sake of argument, that the answer to the second question is “none.” We all have radically different experiences that make it hard for us to truly centralize on anything. It is this subtle yet powerful unity that begins to shape what September 11 means to us. Diversity is an essential part of every layer of society. As college students, we see it take shape in many ways around our campus and community. Sometimes this diversity acts a barrier, distancing us from our peers. We don’t always want to acknowledge or accept the differences between ourselves and others. The events that took place Sept. 11, 2001 reverberated negatively with Americans everywhere. Many lost loved ones in the tragedy and, whether warranted or not, Muslims soon became subject to a newfound discrimination against people of their faith. Despite these hardships, one commonality remains between all U.S. citizens - that day impacted each and every one of us greatly. September 11 is that one day out of the year where we are guaranteed common ground with everybody - that’s the heart of it. It’s the bridge between each and every societal gap. People of all ages, races, religions and socio-economic backgrounds can at least have this one day together. Since the rest of the year is spent with all of us living in cohabitation with one another, I, for one, embrace the fleeting sense of community that comes on September 11.
Do what you love By JESSICA STALLINGS Staff writer
Should I get a degree in a career that I am passionate about or one that gives me a hefty paycheck? We have all probably struggled with this question, or still are to this day. Since the economy is not in the best shape, many students are deciding to go to college for something that will always have job opportunities and make them lots of money. It’s never a bad choice to get into a financially stable career, but I feel that some people can get too hooked on the idea of being able to buy whatever they like. I love shopping, but I also realize that, as humans, we will always want more no matter how much we already have. There will always be new products to try and new styles that come out - it’s neverending. We have to know when enough is enough. People can get the wrong idea and think someone has to be rich in order to
pay the bills, buy necessities, and still be able to afford the things they want. That isn’t true. We just have to know how to be smart with our money and manage it wisely. I would rather trust doctors to perform surgery who are knowledgeable and love everything about their jobs than doctors who aren’t passionate and just went to school because they knew they would end up with more money down the road. I chose to go into something I love - journalism. I would rather wake up each morning and go to a job that I enjoy than go to one that I hate but hands me a good pay check. We have to find a happy medium. Get into something you know you will enjoy but won’t leave you broke and unable to pay the bills. I want to be happy with my career - not just happy because I can buy all the latest products. I know that I won’t regret my decision later on in life.
SpringFest: End of a bad image? By PAT HICKEY Sports editor News release from “Mad Money’s” Jim Cramer: Finance professionals reveal that companies which operate at 30 percent capacity and lose money will not remain in operation for very long. SpringFest has failed to generate a profit in either of its last two years while operating on irresponsible budgets. Attendance for its headliners have significantly dipped each year since 2008, when it hosted a sell-out crowd to Dash-
board Confessional. In 2011, Jason Derulo performed to a half-empty crowd. In 2012, the event hit rock bottom when only 30 percent of venue capacity filled for Mike Posner. The university said it doesn’t want to convey a bad image. Yet, its last SpringFest featured inflatable carnival rides (which, shockingly, weren’t very attractive to 20 year olds) during the day to set the stage for Posner (whose lyrics often devalue women) as the headline act at night. Now, Provost Ron Rochon and the event com-
mittee must come up with a solution. I have a few suggestions. First, we need to ditch the family fun atmosphere. If the university’s goal is also to improve campus lifestyle, give the students what they want at the most anticipated campus event of the school year - that means an end to the lame carnival rides. An alternative could be coordinating with Greek Life and other organizations. I suggest concluding Greek Week on the afternoon of SpringFest and have other student or-
ganizations provide free food to further promote the event. Second, lean heavily towards quality over quantity. Cut the 20 acts that hardly anyone cares about, and spread the money evenly between one upand-coming country, rock and hip-hop artist. With a hypothetical budget of $90,000, we need to sell only two-thirds of the 3000 tickets available for each act to ensure a profit of at least $30,000, assuming each ticket costs $20. Promote the event and its new change in atmo-
sphere. Lastly, have the SpringFest committee assemble a team of responsible, knowledgeable students who will use student surveys only to decide which artists should perform. Posner was not in the top 10 choices for students, according to the survey. That’s unacceptable. Clean lyrics and quality tunes do exist, and thanks to the wonderful invention of the Internet, they can easily be found. SpringFest 2013 doesn’t need to be canceled. Act swiftly, and carry out thy command.
Page 7 - The Shield - September 13, 2012
Volleyball team wins home opener
Sports
By IAN FRASIER Special to The Shield
The Eagles held off a late surging and previously unbeaten Cedarville team to win its home opener on Tuesday night in four sets 25-20, 25-10, 22-25, 30-28. Sophomore Lauren DeShaney had seven of her 14 kills and had a .700 attacking percentage in the opening set. Sophomore Fawn Ryan picked up where DeShaney left off in the second set, racking up eight of her teamleading 15 kills. Ryan also lead the team with a .464 killing percentage. The Eagles (2-7) as a team finished with an attacking percentage of .406, outdueling Cedarville who compiled a .310 number in that category. Junior Jorae Bradbury lead the team with 51 assists and finished with a .286 attacking percentage. Leading the team in digs was junior Kayla Heldman with 21. Cedarville’s only response to an energized Southern Indiana team was a close third set victory in which they allowed the Eagles to score eight of 12 late points. The upset of Cedarville (9-1) marks the end of a difficult non-conference schedule for the Eagles. Head Coach Leah Mercer said she was pleased with the way her team responded to being at home. “You always wonder how teams will come out at home,” Mercer said. “Sometimes they’ll come out and overplay everything, but the girls appeared to be very rested and comfortable.” Mercer said she is optimistic going into conference play, despite her team’s non-conference record. “We are a very young group,” Mercer said. “It’s working on a lot of mental toughness that we have to continue to fight through.” Hard work and perseverance is key for the Lauren DeShaney and her teammates. “We’ve been practicing really hard,” DeShaney said. “I’m just hoping it will reflect in our conference games.” Entering conference play and understanding the importance of each point is something Mercer coaches to Jorae Bradbury and the rest of the team. “It’s really one at a time,” said Bradbury. The Eagles will open its Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule against McKendree University at 7 p.m Friday in the Physical Activites Center.
Photo by JIMMY PYLES/The Shield
Sophomore outside hitter Fawn Ryan had 15 kills in the USI win over Cedarville University. USI beat Cedarville 25-20, 25-10, 22-25, 30-28 in its home opener Tuesday in the Physical Activities Center.
Are you ready for some rugby? By PAT HICKEY Sports editor
Photo by File photo/The Shield
Members of USI rugby club get in a scrum to resume play during a match last season. The rugby club has a match against University of Kentucky at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Intramural and Recreation Field by Clarke’s Lane.
In club sports, money doesn’t talk. With limited financial resources, the USI rugby team brings its talking to the field. After a 36-17 win in its season opener against Western Kentucky University last week, the Eagles (1-0) have their eyes set on the University of Kentucky (0-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Intramural and Recreational Field. Within the past five years, the team has given students wanting a football team something else to root for instead. No longer viewed as an odd-ball sport, the growing popularity of rugby has caught the attention of several USI fans and continues to grow across the nation. “My freshman year, we maybe had 20 or 30 people come out to our games – mostly just our family and girlfriends,” senior Tyler Pipes said. “Now, there’s a ton of support from Greek Life and other fans. We probably have around 150 to 200 fans come out now. “I remember when we went up to Wabash for the state championship last fall, we even had our own student section travel up for it.” USI lost that match by just three points, ending the season with a respectable 5-2 record – followed by a 3-1 record in the spring. This fall, the team features plenty of athleticism in former high school football, wrestling and baseball players. Under the tutelage of fourth-year head coach Kurt Murrell, who has been active in the sport for over 20 years, the Eagles feel they have one of the most experienced and fundamentally strong teams it has ever had. “We’ve just really been sticking to the basics in practice,” junior Justin Mizen said. “When you get ahead of yourself, that’s when you start turning the ball over and losing matches. ... We feel like we can beat just about anyone.” USI has proven they can beat Division I clubs in the recent past. A win against UK, who plays in one of the most athletically-gifted conferences in the nation, adds even more to the respect the team has gained over the past five years.
Puzzle answers from page 2
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The Shield - September 13, 2012
Page 8
MAP-Works is only for Freshmen that completed the survey on Assessment Day
What is
MAP-Works? MAP-Works enhances a student’s ability to be more successful in college. It provides strategies for success with customized, relevant information to help you make the most of your college experience.
Transition Report
! " " " "
MAP-Works provides you an extensive, personalized report about: How to set and achieve your goals What your peers are thinking How to be more successful in college What campus resources are available to help you.
The transition report is designed to help support you and ensure your success here at University of Southern Indiana.
Students You need to click on the link that was sent to your USI email. It will take you to the website.
Need help? Here are some resources for you: McDonald East & west Apartments AC: Angie Hobkirk Office: 2101 (108 Community Center) GA: Shayne Rhoads Office: 2107 (104 Community Center)
O'Daniel South Apartments AC: Karen Huseman Office: 2066 (Housing Services Bldg)
O'Daniel North Apartments AC: Jessica Woods Office: 2051 (Housing Services Bldg)
Ruston & O'Bannon AC: Terry Coleman Office: 7743 (221 Ruston) GA: Erica Brooks Office: 2674 (221 O'Bannon)
Newman & Governors AC: Travis Hardin Office: 2675 (221 Governors) GA: Terrence Tucker Office: 2498 (221 Newman)