The Wooster Voice

The Wooster Voice Vol. CXXVI, Issue II

Friday, september 4th, 2009

A STUDENT PUBLICATION SINCE 1883

“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”

— Yogi Berra

Wooster alum has directorial debut Jones scores critical hit with “Moon” David Yontz Voice Staff Wooster alumnus Duncan Jones, ‘95, has recently entered the limelight with the release of his critically acclaimed feature legnth, “Moon.” Earlier this week Jones was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule to reconnect with Wooster students, and participated in a phone interview with The Voice. Below is a transcript of the interview, which offers encouraging insight into how the Wooster experience can impact one’s future in positive and unexpected ways.

How did you first conceive of Moon?

Well, I’ve always been a huge fan of Sam Rockwell, and a few years ago an old film school friend and I wrote a script with Rockwell in mind. We sent the script to Rockwell’s agent, and were pleased to hear that he liked what he read. However, Rockwell wanted a different role. After chatting a bit, Rockwell and I found common ground in late 70s, early 80s science fiction movies, and thought about collaborating on something related to

these films. In particular, we discussed how the first half of Alien is essentially a low-key film about blue collar work in space. It seemed like a really interesting theme, and one that’s been glossed over a lot in recent science fiction, you know? It seems like now there’s a lot of focus on really grand intergalactic battles, and the world ending, and other big things like that. Sam and I thought it would be interesting to instead make a science fiction movie that focused more on humans.

As a filmmaker, who are some of your biggest influences? Were there any specific cinematic influences you drew upon when making Moon?

Like I mentioned before, I got a lot of inspiration from late 70s, early 80s sci-fi movies. “Outland,” “Silent Running,” “Alien,” “Solaris” … all these films were huge influences.

“2001: A Space Odyssey” was also obviously an influence. You can see in “Moon” that we really wear our references on our sleeves. Gerty is an obvious tribute to Hal from 2001, for example.

Let’s talk a bit about your experiences as a Wooster student. How did you first discover Wooster, and what sparked your decision to attend the college?

Well, obviously I started in the UK, and over here you have to take A-level examinations in high school, after specializing in three or four subjects.

When it came time for me to take my A-Levels, I got very hypo-stressed, and actually fell asleep during my exam! So, the boarding school I was enrolled in asked me to leave.

After this happened I took a year off to sort of figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I then took the SAT, did very well, and applied to many liberal art schools in America. Wooster ended up offering me both an academic and soccer scholarship, so it became my top choice.

I really appreciated how they gave me a second chance, even after getting kicked out of high school. I think it’s really important to give young people a second chance.

See “Jones”, page 6

Duncan Jones, a former graduate of Wooster, celebrates the release of his first feature film (Photo courtesy AP).

Chaos ensues at first UG party Soup and Bread returns Charles Horenstein Managing Editor The opening dance party of the Underground suffered “uncharacteristically disorderly conduct” from the students, said Julia Zimmer, assistant director of student activities. Several students were injured, including Undeground Manager Elizabeth Birchfield ’11, whose rib was broken.

“We were prepared for the first week back, but we were not prepared for how many people showed up and how they acted,” said Birchfield. “We were shocked that they couldn’t handle simple kindergarten rules like staying in line. It was like herding cattle.”

Doors opened at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28. Maximum capacity within the Underground was surpassed at 230 within a few hours.

“Managers couldn’t get from the bar to the storage room by the entrance. I had to go between legs,” said Birchfield.

Even after maximum capacity was reached, lines extended to Wagner Hall and students began to push to gain entrance. Students repeatedly ignored instructions to wait in line in an orderly fashion, said Abbas Sabur ’11, inventory manager of the

Underground. “In the end, there was a rush of people, things got out of hand, and we did what we were trained to do to maintain the situation,” said Sabur. Birchfield and Sabur made the decision at this point to close the Underground an hour early. Campus security was called to handle specific instances and minimize conflicts with closing.

“Only disruptive people were escorted out,” said Zimmer. “We allowed others to finish their beverages.”

After notifying security, Birchfield informed a patron that he couldn’t take his alcoholic beverage outside the facility. After failing to comply with either drinking it inside or disposing, Birchfield reached for the beverage and was elbowed by the patron, breaking her rib.

“We also heard of others injuring their noses and faces in the rush,” said Birchfield.

Zimmer noted that, contrary to student complaints, cover charges are not uncommon for the Underground. “In previous years, there was a cover charge intended for the U.G. dance parties, but technical difficulties with the cash register prevented charges last year,” said Zimmer, “I didn't think

it was fair to start a cover charge in the middle of the year, so last year was free. The seniors and juniors should be familiar with this, though.” In their latest manager meeting, Zimmer, Birchfield and Sabur all discussed plans to make the Underground safer for future visits. Lines may be split between under and over 21 guests early on to ease entrance lines, and communication with the crowd will be increased, said Zimmer. Extra staff at the top and bottom of stairs may also be implemented. “All we need the students to do is follow the rules and be orderly and patient. If we have another Friday like last one, we may shut down the U.G. for a while until students can get their act together,” said Zimmer.

Birchfield said this could be enacted as early as next week if tonight’s Underground Dance Party does not run more smoothly. “This week is their ‘one last chance’ for following rules,” said Birchfield. Zimmer noted that she is willing to discuss individual cases from the previous week with any students who are interested.

“These are students working in the Underground, too, so please be patient,” said Zimmer.

Students crowd the first Friday dance party in the UG. (Photo courtesy Jeanne Simons ‘10)

INDEX

VIEWPOINTS

News Viewpoints Features Arts & Entertainment Sports

2 3 5 6 7

FEATURES

donated for each swipe of the COW card is twice the amount compared to last year; meaning that for each The Soup and Bread Program is Soup and Bread meal attended $3 is back on campus this year with a donated to those less fortunate. The slightly different structure than has ability to use less money of a single been seen in the past. Offering new swipe to pay for the food and more of opportunities to volunteer as well as the money to donate comes in part being located on a different side of because of the volunteering staff campus, the revised program hopes running each lunch. “Cutting out to continue to serve as an example the Kittredge staffers and using volof Wooster students’ commitment unteers instead actually helps us to serve the community. donate more money in the long run,” Location of the program this year said Kelly. seems to be a main concern on camAnyone can volunteer to help out; pus. With the closing of Kittredge it doesn’t take any special skills.

Dining Hall this past year the pro- Volunteers will primarily be serving gram was forced to find a new home, the soups, swiping the COW cards at and it will now be located in Mackey the door and setting and cleaning up.

Hall (attached to Westminster These are all small jobs, yet Church House, down the street from extremely helpful to the program admissions and overall. This across the street year the profrom Morgan gram will be Hall). There, relying on every Tuesday groups and from 11 a.m. to individuals to 1 p.m, volunvolunteer, and teers will be the success of serving lunch. the program “We are going will depend on to put up large the amount of directional support it gets signs,” said from our camKathleen Kelly pus community. ’10, one of the So far this KATHLEEN KELLY ’10 switch to voltwo student coordinators for unteers has the program STUDENT COORDINATOR OF been readily this year.

SOUP AND BREAD accepted and Conveniently Sacher said for many, that, “they are Mackey Hall is excited that the located almost directly at the bottom community and the administration of the academic quad, much closer seem so interested and invested in than Kittredge Dining Hall is to that keeping the program going”. part of campus. With the program Furthermore “the volunteering serving lunch on Tuesdays the con- aspect will also allow more students venient proximity to classes should than just two student coordinators draw more people. to have more input,” said Emily Because the program is only being Sacher, ’10. Groups such as some of held once each week this year, as the Greek societies have already opposed to previous years’ program of twice each week, the money See “Soup & Bread”, page 2

Emily Timmerman Voice Staff

“Cutting out the Kittredge staffers and using volunteers instead actually helps us donate more money in the long run. Anyone can volunteer to help out; it doesn’t take any special skills.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SPORTS

John McGovern and Morgan Schweighoefer debate the implications of the closing of the Annex this year. To read their viewpoints, see page 5.

MEMBER

Andrew Vogel argues that Bissman’s new paint job, which covered the previous Greek artwork on the dorm’s walls, was poorly communicated by Res. Life staff. See page 4.

2008-09

Editor in Chief Jonah Comstock explores the historical significance within Special Collections located in Andrews Library. See page 5 to read more.

Nathan Comstock reviews Garfunkel and Oates’ debut album, “Music Songs,” which has made a substantial mark in the Internet music market.

See page 6.

Zack Vesco ’12 and other players reflect on the unexpected run to the national championship against St. Thomas in Appleton, Wisconsin. See page 8.

2

Voice

News

Friday, September 4

BITE-SIZE NEWS CAMPUS

Forum series begins with famous author The Wooster Forum series begins Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in McGaw Chapel. Tracey Kidder, a bestselling author, will discuss “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” an exploration of tuberculosis and AIDS through the eyes of Dr. Paul Farmer, operating in Haiti. Farmer founded the non-governmental health care provider Zanmi Lasante in Plateau Central, Haiti, as well as clinics and hospitals to help stem the spread of tuberculosis and AIDS in the region. Kidder’s book was required reading for the incoming Class of 2013.

Melissa J. Delbridge, author of “Family Bible,” will be reading an excerpt of her work on Tuesday, Sept.

15, at 4 p.m. in Kauke 244. “Family Bible” was the recipient of the 2009 Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award for Creative Non-Fiction. The reading is sponsored by the Department of English and the Donaldson Fund. Delbridge’s presentation is free and open to the public.

LOCAL

Waste causes hearing at Health Department A local dumping ground may face a hearing at the Holmes County Department of Health. The Department is responding to a report from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency which indicated a property off of Route 83 in Prairie Township had accumulated a significant amount of solid waste ranging from household objects to construction materials.

Department of Health officials fear prolonged accumulation of trash in the area has the potential to contaminate area surface and ground water.

Property owner Victor Whytsell has yet to respond to a July letter requesting clean-up of the property.

NATIONAL

Fire spreads in California Firefighters battling wildfires in the mountains surrounding Los Angeles may face further challenges due to a change in weather conditions this week. Lower humidity in the region may further fuel the massive fires, which are assumed to be caused by human activity.

The “Station Fire” has claimed the lives of two firemen, destroyed 62 California homes and cost the state upwards of $14 million. Over 140,000 acres have been lost due to the blaze, which continues to rage only fifteen miles from the city of Los Angeles. At press time, firefighters state the blaze has only been 22 percent contained since its inception last Wednesday.

INTERNATIONAL

Palestinian and Israeli have discussions Though formal peace negotiations remain deadlocked, high-level officials from Israel and the Palestinian Territories met Wednesday to engage in economic discussions. These are the highest level discussions held since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has assumed office.

Palestinian Economy Minister Bassem Khoury met with Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom for “positive” discussions. Topics under discussion included travel restrictions against Palestinians, imports into the West Bank, telecommunications issues, and the transfer of goods and money into the still-blockaded Gaza Strip. The two agreed to meet again in six weeks to continue discussions.

—News briefs compiled by Alexandra DeGrandchamp

CORRECTIONS While we strive for excellence every week, we, too, sometimes fall short.

Please send your corrections to voice@wooster.edu.

Section Editors: Allana Mortell Emily Ryan

New Director at Center for Entrepreneurship Alexandra DeGrandchamp Senior Staff Writer What do you get when you combine innovation with creativity and a dash of risk?

Entrepreneurship, according to James Levin, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at The College of Wooster. Levin plans to tap into the “pools of energy and creativity” that exist on campus and within the greater Wooster community.

Levin joins the Center for Entrepreneurship after years of private sector experience. After receiving his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Levin founded and directed three cultural organizations in the greater Cleveland community.

The Cleveland Public Theatre, Gordon Square Arts District and the Cleveland Ingenuity Festival “are all thriving,” says Levin, and he hopes to incorporate his arts and humanities background into activities at the College.

This is the Center for Entrepreneurship’s third year of operation, and Levin succeeds Reuben Domike as Director. Levin

explains that the Center now needs ideas and how to implement them.

This year, Levin hopes to develop to move into a research and idea development stage. He is currently the E-Club with “popcorn sessions,” with 30 minspeaking with utes of the chairs of academhour-long sesic departments sion devoted to and senior facul“popcor ning” ty, as well as stuideas around dents and memthe group. The bers of the goal, he states, greater Wooster is to establish a community to “non-judgmendetermine where tal, positive, fun ideas lie. e nv i r o n m e n t ” Levin plans to to encourage continue several innovation and successful procreativity. He grams begun then plans to under Domike’s use the remainlead. The studer of the dent idea compemeeting to anatition, which James Levin lyze a few ideas encourages stu(Photo courtesy OPI). and develop dents to think strategies for creatively about entrepreneurial plans, develop them implementation. Popcorn snacks and present business proposals, then will also be served.

Levin also hopes to expand acaawards top proposals with a cash prize, is planned to continue. Levin demic discussions of entrepreneuris also continuing the E-Club, a stu- ship. He is teaching two classes in dent organization that meets weekly the Department of Theatre and on Wednesdays to discuss innovative Dance. One, THTD 100, is entitled

Campus Security Reports Aug. 24 - 30 Incident Theft Welcome student banner taken off sign Person caught stealing Fire Alarm Burnt popcorn set off alarm Dirty smoke detector caused alarm Dirty smoke detector caused alarm Vandalism Weathershade windscreen torn down Door kicked in from outside Someone hung on door, bent the hinges First-floor South window hit by waterballoon Rowing paddle struck light fixture & broke globe and fixture Someone turned over custodian golf cart Substance Admitted ownership of drug paraphernalia and admitted to smoking cigarettes Alcohol Lots of empty beer cans in room Beer pong set up in basement Drank too much, underage roommate took him to SWC Smoking Admitted to smoking in room Fight Shouting match between two males

Location

Date/Time

Lowry Exterior

8/24, 3:41 p.m.

Lowry - Mom’s

8/30, 1:43 a.m.

Stevenson Hall

8/24, 10:49 p.m.

Yost House

8/28, 1:26 a.m.

Colonial House

8/29, 8:29 p.m.

Tennis Courts Hider House

8/24, 2:16 p.m.

8/24, 11:30 a.m.

Gault Manor

8/26, 4:42 p.m.

Douglass Hall

8/29, 10:25 p.m.

Kenarden Lounge

8/30, 1:46 a.m.

Kenarden Lounge

8/30, 3:21 a.m.

Andrews Hall

8/24, 11:22 p.m.

Andrews Hall

8/24, 11:48 p.m.

Bryan House

8/ 26, 10:30 a.m.

Wellness Center

8/29. 1:50 a.m.

Andrews Hall

8/24, 11:22 p.m.

Lowry - Mom’s

8/27. 1:45 a.m.

Annex closed this year the future of the College’s economic planning, Ellen Falduto, the associate vice-president for instituitonal research at Wooster, created a webThe Holden Annex — dilapidated site called, “On Purpose Strategic residence hall or the quintessential Planning @ Wooster.”

Wooster experience? Can it be both?

When asked about Wooster’s main Ryan Radtke ’10, a Senior and former goal in dealing with economic planResident Assistant. of the hall seems ning, Falduto replied, “The College to think so. In his experience, it was has an amazing foundation, somemutual misery that brought not only thing we definitely don’t want to the students of the first-year hall, but change; It’s a good college. Now also the R.A.s closer than any other let’s make it great.” housing on campus. “It’s a shame it’s To help achieve this goal, students, closed” Radtke claims, “but the reateachers, alumni and community sons are understandable.” members will Why would work together the College of Wooster take “The College has an amaz- simultaneously, such a drastic ing foundation, something no matter what the economy action as closing may be like. an Hall? With we definitely don’t want “Our planning the economy in to change; It’s a good colprocess is, as we shambles and say, ‘purposenary a person lege. Now let’s make it ful,’” Falduto left unscathed, great.” says. “We will be the College of Wooster has ELLEN FALDUTO guided by our mission and valbeen finding ues, draw upon small ways to ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT and empasize minimize costs, whether it be FOR INSTITUITONAL RESEARCH our strengths and distinctive renting out its characteristics, facilities, to identify a set of strategic initiaimproving performance of its auxiltives that will achieve our vision.” iary operations or temporarily closThe College plans on accomplishing ing Kittredge dining hall and the these goals by employing a variety of Annex. strategies. One of these strategies Kurt Holmes, the Dean of Students include holding numerous meetings to at Wooster, said there were other reareceive input from those interested in sons for closing the hall as well. participating and planning discussions With the re-opening of Babcock, a about the future of Wooster, including slightly smaller first-year class, and a the future re-opening of the Annex . fair number of students studying offIf you would like to voice your opincampus, it was an obvious choice. As ion on the aforementioned, you can Holmes also acknowledged, “The either post it on Annex is an easily reversible action http://strategicplan.scotblogs.woostand thus meets the dual goals of saver.edu/ or go to one of the upcoming ing costs and retaining the ability to strategic planning meetings (time and use it in the future.” location to be announced).

To provide more information about

Ryan Thomas Voice Staff

Soup & Bread back again on campus Soup & Bread continued from page 1 decided to make volunteering at Soup and Bread part of their community service this year, and other groups are encouraged to do the same. If you or your group want to help but don’t want to serve soup, the program is also

always looking for entertainment during the lunch hours and encourages anyone to volunteer in that way.

Sacher notes that the revisions to the Soup and Bread program this year are “big changes with a lot of big opportunities”. By allowing more of the students to get involved with the program it is ultimately able to become more involved in the campus community.

the Nuts and Bolts of Arts and Entrepreneurship. The introductory-level course focuses on both the basics of arts management and entrepreneurship.

The other, THTD 301, is entitled Marketing Culture and the Arts. In addition to formal course offerings, Levin hopes to bring “nationally known, out-ofthe-box” entrepreneurial thinkers to campus in a series of lectures. The first lecturer, Grant Marquit, is the leader of Economic Development through Growth and Entrepreneurship, or EDGE, in northeastern Ohio. Marquit will be speaking at the Center for Entrepreneurship’s Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 5 p.m.

Levin is also hoping to establish an internship or mentorship program for Wooster students to partner with community entrepreneurs in Wooster and the greater Cleveland area with the goal of inspiring ideas into reality.

“Action inspires action,” says Levin, “and I hope to overcome whatever apathy, inertia and resistance may exist and engage a variety of energies on campus.”

“I have high expectations for what I can do in this position.”

Anyone and everyone are both welcomed and encouraged to find a way to help out with the program this year. Whether that is volunteering to serve the soup with a group of friends or your sports team, or coming and eating the soup every Tuesday, the support from the community is essential for its success this coming year.

Scot Spirit Day a success for campus community This past Friday, August 28th, students, faculty and community members gathered in the walkway outside of Lowry to showcase the College’s many groups and organizations. For additional entertainment, the Scot Pipe Band performed as well as the Highland Dancers.

First-years as well as upperclassmen were able to sign up to learn more about all the College has to offer (Photo by Maureen Sill).

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Voice

Section Editors: Kris Fronzak Hannah Diorio-Toth

Viewpoints

Friday, September 4

3

The Wooster Voice The College of Wooster’s Student Newspaper Since 1883 Published Weekly on Fridays

Andrew Vogel

Jonah Comstock Editors in Chief

EDITORIAL BOARD CHARLES HORENSTEIN, MANAGING EDITOR ALLANA MORTELL, NEWS EDITOR EMILY RYAN, NEWS EDITOR

MADELYN HALSTEAD, A&E EDITOR

KRIS FRONZAK, VIEWPOINTS EDITOR

MARTEN DOLLINGER, A&E EDITOR TAMARI FARQUHARSON, FEATURES EDITOR

HANNAH DIORIO-TOTH, VIEWPOINTS EDITOR

CHRIS WESTON, SPORTS EDITOR

MAUREEN SILL, PHOTO EDITOR SARAH HARBOTTLE, PHOTO EDITOR

MATTHEW YANNIE, SPORTS EDITOR ANDREW COLLINS, SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

ALEXANDRA DEGRANDCHAMP, SENIOR STAFF WRITER KEVIN CARPENTER, BUSINESS MANAGER KIPAYA KAPIGA, WEB EDITOR

ASHLEY FARRAR, CHIEF COPY EDITOR

KAITLIN KRISTER, ADVERTISING MANAGER

EMILY DAVIS, PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

EMILY DETAR, PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

NATHAN COMSTOCK, PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

All materials published herein are property of The Wooster Voice and cannot be reproduced without written consent of the editors. The Voice can be contacted by mail at C-3187, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH 44691 or by phone at (330) 263-2598. E-mail can be sent to the editors at Voice@wooster.edu.

LETTER TO THE EDITORS To the Editors: Health care should remain a capitalist business. No matter who pays for it, health care is a service. You don’t get something for nothing — there are exceptions, but health care is not — and should not be — one of them. The only exceptions are services that the Constitution instructs the government to provide and that individuals cannot provide for themselves: a postal system, maintenance of roads, national defense, etc. Nowhere in the Constitution is there a right to free health care. The fact that many struggle to pay their medical bills is concerning, but irrelevant to the idea that it is a right. Many struggle to pay for their homes — does everyone now have the right to a free house?

Health care costs so much because drugs and technologies are simply expensive to develop. As their complexity rises, costs inevitably rise as well.

Additionally, the health care system employs hundreds of thousands of professionals — physicians, researchers, etc. — all of whom have chosen to devote their lives to providing the service of health care, and all of whom receive a paycheck. Is it not fair that these people are paid for their time and energy?

And if their position is in very high demand and takes years of study and dedication, why should they not be paid what the market is willing to pay them? If less-than-market wages are offered for certain positions, there will not be enough people to fill them. Doctor shortage, anyone?

As is so often pointed out, America is indeed the only industrialized country in the world with a private health care system. That is why in the past 20 years, more Nobel Prizes in physiology or medicine have been awarded to Americans than to all the other countries combined — because the incentive to research and practice medicine is substantially higher in America’s capitalist health care system than in Europe’s socialist ones, and because the one that generates wealth (ours) has more money to spend on further research and development.

We must keep the health care system a capitalist business.

-Joseph McCarthy Class of 2012

Turf intensifies play I think I can speak on behalf of our field hockey program when I say that we absolutely love playing on the new turf. The game is quicker and the atmosphere from the stadium increases the intensity in our play. It allows our game to become faster and better prepares us for teams that normally have the advankatevalora tage of playing on turf fields. This field gives us an opportunity to experience turf and still be able to play on our grass field, Cindy Barr Memorial Field.

Cindy Barr Memorial Field is the home grass field that is located behind Babcock Hall. Our grass field is kept short; making it one of the best grass fields in the conference. The difference between playing on our grass field and the turf is the transition during play.

On turf, the speed of the game increases because the surface is smoother.

Especially with the new self-start rule, the ball rarely stops moving. On most grass fields, the field is not as smooth as the turf and can cause balls to pop up in the air (increasing the opportunity for injury) or not go as far as you intended it to. Playing on the turf minimizes hits that may cause the ball to pop up. Some grass fields are not as well maintained and are clumpy or patchy which also

affects play. Turf fields nullify any possibility of playing on an uneven surface.

We split time during the week using the turf with the football team. In the final game against Wittenberg last year, our Scots tore up the old field fighting hard for their win. This year the turf will allow them to maintain the intensity of play without accidentally ruining the field. It prevents injuries that may occur because the cushioning of the turf is easier to run on. The football team and fans are excited about the opening game this Saturday against Waynesburg to break in our new turf.

This year, in terms of fall sports, looks positive as teams prepare for their first games on the turf. Our program has been working hard at adjusting to the transition between grass to turf.

Luckily, we are a very versatile team and seem to be adjusting well to either surface thus far.

Aside from having the opportunity to play on the turf, I’m excited to hear our warm-up mix blare through the speakers of John P. Papp Stadium in the mornings — waking up the campus to let them know we’re on the way to bringing home another NCAC Conference Championship.

Kate Valora is a new contributor to the Voice. She can be reached for comment at KValora11@wooster.edu.

Got an Opinion?

Viewpoints would love to hear what you think about current events and issues — from campus developments to global news. If you’re interested in writing, or if you’d like to comment on what you’ve read here, contact Viewpoints at voice_viewpoints@wooster.edu.

The Voice welcomes letters to the editors!

Letters cannot exceed 350 words in length and must be received by

the Voice by 5 p.m. on the Monday before Friday publication.

All letters must be signed, observe standard spelling and grammatical rules and include contact information. The Voice reserves the right to proofread and withhold letters.

Please send letters via e-mail to voice_viewpoints@wooster.edu.

Letters can also be sent by campus mail to C-3187, The Wooster Voice, College of Wooster, Wooster, OH 44691.

Editorial cartoon drawn by Andy Kissinger. He can be reached at AKissinger10@wooster.edu.

Bissman walls improperly handled Wooster has always maintained that its academic purpose is to foster an environment where discussion is encouraged and dissenting opinions are valued. To put these principles into action, the administration has consistently prided itself on valuing student input and taking these judgments into consideration before making andrewvogel decisions. In turn, students have appreciated an administration that is willing to listen to their ideas. This academic setting promotes mutual respect between the students and the administration. However, when the Office of Residence Life made a decision to paint over the Greek artwork on the walls of Bissman Hall this summer, the staff fell well short of its collaborative mission.

Bissman Hall is unique in that it serves as the home for nine of the fraternities and sororities on campus.

One of Bissman’s other distinctive aspects is the artwork that lines the lounges and hallways. On the doors and in the hallways of each section were the colors and letters of each fraternity and sorority. In each of the lounges, paintings had been created that documented each group’s history.

Artwork on the walls spanned from crests and mascots to lists of former Greek members who had since graduated. These designs in Bissman weren’t simply decorative — they documented history specific to each individual fraternity and sorority in Bissman. This made Bissman stand out from other residence lounges on campus, which are simply painted white. This art was a source of great pride and satisfaction for all members of the Greek community. The artwork really made Bissman distinctive and gave it an identity.

Over the summer, however, all of this artwork was painted over by the Residence Life staff, for reasons still unclear to the Greek community. The

artwork will be sorely missed by Bissman’s residents — the residence hall is now missing one of the features that made it so distinctive to the Greek community. However, the fact that Bissman received a less than stellar paint job is not the real problem.

The real problem lies in how the situation was handled by the Residence Life staff.

The painting of the walls came as a surprise to nearly all members of the Greek community. The Residence Life staff asserts that the presidents of this year’s groups were told last spring of Bissman’s expected summer paint job. However, none of the nine presidents from each of the different groups recalls being informed by the Residence Life staff that the painting would occur over the summer. To say that Greek leadership was surprised and distressed when they returned two weeks ago would be like saying that Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is a large piece of artwork. To say the least, the situation was a terrible case of miscommunication and the change was not well publicized to the Greek community. For a decision that the Office of Residence Life knew would likely not be received well by Bissman residents, many members of the Greek community feel as if the wool was pulled right over their eyes.

Residence Life staff should have done more to notify the Greek community that the lounges in Bissman were being overhauled and re-painted.

Residence Life staff should have recognized that this re-painting would be viewed as a major change to Bissman residents. At the very least, the staff should have ensured that all Bissman residents were aware of the change.

Moreover, the reasons for why the painting was done are still unclear.

Telling the Greek community that the “fresh blank walls should be seen as a blank slate” is as wholly unsatisfying as a bowl of Ramen noodles. One would assume that this is part of the process to gradually move Greek

groups to another residence hall in order for Bissman to become an allsingles dorm. However, at this point no one can be certain. The communication between the Office of Residence Life and the Greek community has been about as successful as Taylor Hicks’s recording career — it’s been pretty bad.

Wooster has always been a school that values the involvement of its students on important issues and has actively sought out student contributions. This situation should not have been any different. The Greek community understands Bissman Hall eventually will become an all-singles residence hall and changes within the hallways and lounges needed to be made.

But if Residence Life staff deemed that the lounges eventually needed to be painted, it should have included Greek leadership in the decisionmaking process. Because Bissman remains the home to Greeks for at least one more year, it is still unclear as to why the lounges and halls were painted this past summer. For a liberal arts school that touts student involvement as one of its defining characteristics, one-sided decisionmaking by the Residence Life staff on this issue doesn’t measure up to the high standard of partnership and collaboration Wooster holds itself to.

Wooster has always claimed that it has high expectations for its students to become mature decision-makers and collaborative learners. The administration stresses tolerance and open-mindedness from its students. In this case, the Residence Life staff ’s decision to repaint the Bissman lounges was anything but collaborative and open. If the school expects cooperation and support from its students, then students should also expect the very same from their administration.

Andrew Vogel is the president of Xi Chi Psi and editor-in-chief for the Voice. He can be reached for comment at AVogel10@wooster.edu.

Be prepared for the H1N1 (swine flu) The last time I covered the flu pandemic for The Wooster Voice, I created a small uproar within the campus community. Don’t panic! Wash your hands, get your flu shots and don’t share drinks. Chances are, even if you do contract swine flu, you’ll survive.

But swine flu continues to be an important issue, not only for North America, but also for the global community. Most peoalexandra ple in developing degrandchamp countries face a host of issues that are complicated by pandemic swine flu. Lack of basic sanitation combined with pre-existing health concerns make conditions ripe for massive health disaster.

In addition, while the traditional seasonal influenza tends to affect senior citizens, the novel flu virus attacks mostly humans under the age of 25.

This creates a second dimension that is proving to be particularly problematic for the developing world; most of these countries have large younger populations vital to the nation’s production capacities. Therefore, not only is the developing world more susceptible to diminished living conditions through disease, but the potential for economic malaise increases as the viable workforce is crippled by illness.

To date, there have been over 200,000 lab-confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in humans worldwide; over 2,100 deaths have occurred due to complications from swine flu since the novel virus’s discovery in April of this year. Though incidences of swine flu are diminishing in most countries of the Northern hemisphere, three new countries (Mozambique, Madagascar and Cameroon) reported their first cases of swine flu to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of Aug. 28.

Swine flu is only the latest in a series of global health concerns that have achieved notoriety in past years. It has and will probably continue to affect schools, hopsitals, and communities.

We can only hope that this year we will be more adequately prepared to handle it. The first step in achieving a healthier world is adequately addressing this pressing need. According to the World Health Organization, “The same virus that causes manageable disruption in affluent countries could have a devastating impact in many parts of the developing world.”

Already-overburdened health care systems with few resources and fewer doctors are suffering from an elongated influenza season. Adding the toll of pandemic flu exponentially increases the need for financial and capital resources to attempt to meet the medical needs.

Moreover, the swine flu pandemic should be an urgent wake-up call to the need for comprehensive health care in both the developed and developing world. Most of the deaths that have occurred because of complications from H1N1 have occurred in conjunction with pre-existing conditions — heart disease, cancer, respiratory illness, obesity, etc. Crowded cities, staggering pollution and low access to health care have primed developing countries for pre-existing conditions prone to flu complications and death.

The ultimate goal for global health reform should be preventative rather than reactive. Improved sanitation, public education and living conditions will ultimately decrease massive health crises.

So wash your hands. Get your flu shots when they’re available. Throw away your Solo cups on Friday night instead of “making them last” until Saturday. And petition your elected representatives for policies that address the entirety of the situation.

Disease knows no political boundaries — it is illogical that our nation’s policies should attempt to confine it.

Alexandra DeGrandchamp is the senior staff writer for the Voice. She can be reached for comment at adegrandchamp10@wooster.edu.

4

Friday, September 4, 2009 SHOULD HOLDEN ANNEX REMAIN CLOSED?

We deserve more than a tool shed As a first-year veteran of the Annex, I was quite delighted to hear that this year no students are forced to live there. I can clearly remember getting my dorm assignment, and then looking up the image on the Wooster website, only to see the castle-like Holden Hall and be convinced that I was living in that lovely building. morgan schweighoefer Wrong. The day we moved in, my parents and I pulled up to a dingy, crumbling, defaced building that I would be calling home for the year. Between the cockroaches (yes, there were cockroaches) and the crumbling walls, I found myself dreading to retire to my own room, the place I was supposed to be able to call home.

On stormy nights, the unlucky lot of us would wander to each other’s rooms nervously, listening to the wind beat against the building and feeling the rumble of the foundation as it struggled to remain erect. Our lounge furniture went missing over time, and eventually we were left

with nothing but a wobbly chair and telephone book. I understand that your dorm room shouldn’t be set up like a mansion, and that you don’t have to stay there all the time, but the fact is, we dressed, slept, studied, ate and relied on the Annex for shel-

they would love the extra space. It doesn’t need to be a permanent residence facility. Or if that is not possible, then just tear the thing down.

I can say from the bottom of my heart that it will not be missed.

If it turns out that in the future students must live there, the least that can happen is to fix the building up a little bit. Make the doors actually shut. They never did for my closet because the door frame was so bent. I ended up having to shove a chair under the doorknob when I really wanted the door to stay shut.

When we bump into walls, please make the plaster stop crumbling behind them. Nothing is more unnerving than trying to hang a poster or loft a bed then to hear plaster crumbling inches away from you. Is that even safe?

Whatever the College decides to do with it, don’t make students have to live there. College should be the home-away-from-home, and the Annex certainly does not live up to that image.

Between the cockroaches (yes, there were cockroaches) and the crumbling walls, I found myself dreading to retire to my own room, the place I was supposed to be able to call home ter and warmth. It is unfortunate that it was in such a horrible state, and I am very happy to hear that first-years this year don’t have to suffer like we did.

Obviously it is not needed this year, and first-years have been dispersed to other housing assignments. If the Annex must remain, why not turn it into a quarantine unit for the Wellness Center? I bet

Morgan Schweighoefer is a new contributor to the Voice. She can be reach for contact at MSchweighoefer11@wooster.edu.

Benefits outweigh the drawbacks Standing just behind the towering Holden Hall you will find the twostory Annex, a joyous architectural achievement in temporary dormitories, which is nearly a century old.

This year the building stays in darkness, not because the light bulbs were stolen but because of the decision by the College to close it. Although the dorm remains admittedly the worst excuse for a habitat in the College (save perhaps Bissman on a Saturday), the johnmcgovern Annex should stay open.

There are plenty of downsides to living in the Annex. To name a few — the winters are freezing, heaters either don’t work at all or are impossible to turn off, the windows don’t close, a stair broke, the only lounge is tiny and it probably would burn down with a single dropped cigarette. Only one dryer works, the walls are the complete opposite of soundproof and the outside door wouldn’t close for a few weeks in the

winter. Just look at the building; the plaster looks decrepit and chipped off in several places. Everyone who lived in the dorm understands that it’s an awful set up.

And yet, the first year on a college campus should encourage one to meet new people, reside somewhere relaxing and secure, and live around those like you in the formative year of college. The Annex works perfectly for this. Yeah, it’s a dump. Yet I had a great time there last year, and a majority of the 40 person Annex class of 2012 feel the same.

Everyone knew the entire hall— we played intramurals together, stayed up late doing absolutely nothing and invoked an incredibly intense loyalty to the dorm. The lounge was in use 18 hours a day, and although it’s the size of my current room in Douglass, it crowded Annexers with student-bought furniture in its extensively decorated walls (most notably the scores of colored princess pictures complete with witty and often perverse captions).

Camaraderie seemed to ensue through the disadvantages of the

living quarters.

If the rationale for closing the dorm is facility based, the College can upgrade it. Babcock had an “extreme makeover dorm edition,” and the Annex is not exactly a complicated dorm to improve.

If there weren’t enough firstyears, well, that makes sense. It’s the smallest first-year dorm, so obviously that would be closed first. If next year there are more applicants, re-open it. Financially, the Annex doesn’t seem to require anything special, and in fact this newspaper earlier published statistics showing that the Annex actually used the third least amount of power per resident.

I can’t vouch for everyone’s firstyear experiences. Some people have a great time meeting people, others end up alienated and uncomfortable.

All I know is that my first year was great because I lived with a rag tag group of misfits in a shanty.

John McGovern is a new contributor to the Voice. He can be reached for comment at JMcGovern12@wooster.edu.

CAMPUS VOICES

What do you think of the new College of Wooster website?

Mitchell Chavers ’11

Samantha Spencer ’11

“I think the new website is now more easily accessible. It brings our school up to date with other campus’ current technology.”

“I think it’s a nice change for the campus. We’re undergoing construction, so it’s fitting that our website would do the same. It’s fun and up to date.”

Kristine Mann ’10

“I think it looks more professional and up to date, but it takes a while to get used to and learn how to navigate.”

The Wooster Voice

Revamp financial aid Financial Aid is an important program that allows students who would not normally be able to afford upwards of $40,000 per year for education to attend the College, and prevents Wooster’s student body from becoming homogenous in their life experiences. From talking to fellow students, I have realized that Wooster does fairly well hilarygrothman distributing financial aid throughout its student body, creating an affordable education for its students no matter their monetary condition.

Despite this, a few of the policies of the Financial Aid Program here at Wooster are questionable.

The first downside is Wooster’s policy of not factoring in the cost of living of an area where the student lives into the amount of financial aid that said student qualifies for. From what I understand, the policy is the result of Wooster’s opinion that living in an area with an elevated cost of living is a personal choice of the way a family’s income is allocated — i.e. money could be saved by moving to a less expensive area. While this holds true on occasion, people usually live in higher cost of living areas because of better education systems, and/or to live closer to their places of work.

By moving out of the higher cost of living neighborhood, they acquire new expenses such as alternative schooling. Additionally, this often causes a longer commute, which usurps some of the saved money. On a non-financial note, this also adds stress from a longer commute, and occupying additional time. On top of that, the state of today’s housing market may make moving hardly possible and highly

impractical for families who have purchased a home. So while it is all good and easy to say that people living in expensive areas should just move, this is not as simple an option as it would appear.

The second main flaw that I have uncovered in the Financial Aid system is the protocol that the amount of aid a student receives each year is unclear.

Students don’t find out until they actually begin the year that it would have been more cost-efficient to transer. This is not to say that I think that everyone should be guaranteed a set financial aid for all four years unconditionally; quite the contrary, I think it is important for students to strive to keep their positions in this College. I also understand that the aid that the College extends to its students cannot be invariably fixed because it has to adjust from year to year, depending on the budget of the school and other extenuating circumstances.

However those students who are receiving aid that the school is not going to extend in future years, such as families who receive aid as a result of multiple children attending college simultaneously, should be advised clearly that they will not be receiving as much aid from the school in subsequent years, before they choose to enroll in the school. Just because FAFSA determines that a family can afford a certain amount doesn’t make it necessarily true. A student should be aware of the cost of the school-based on the aid that they will or will not receive each year, so that they may choose to enroll in a school where they can afford to stay for all four years.

Hilary Grothman ia a new contributor for the Voice. She can be reached for comment at HGrothman12@wooster.edu.

Try renting textbooks In the past week, most of us have traded in over 60 hours of work at your summer minimum wage job for a stack of reading material that we might not even end up reading.

There is, however, a solution to this problem.

I personally hannahdiorio-toth spent a full 40hour work week vacuuming leaves from the bottom of a pool, scrubbing tile and sitting in 80 degree heat to pay for my semester’s worth of books. You may have waited tables for a long Friday night for your geology book. Or, maybe you lifted heavy bags of mulch for your landscaping job day after day to pay for your chemistry texts. There has to be a better way to do this, right?

Some textbook companies actually do think there is a better and cheaper way to help students out.

Companies like Cengage Learning, Chegg and BookRenter have begun programs where a student can rent their textbooks out for 40 to 70 percent of the sale price. These online companies argue that renting textbooks is a more economical way for students to get their required class materials. Because we all know that sitting in the back of the Wilson Bookstore and reading the assigned chapters out of the anthropology book you didn’t buy doesn’t usually work too well.

Some argue that buying used books and then selling them back at

the end of the year is actually more cost efficient then renting them. But that still requires students to have hundreds of dollars of cash ready to spend at the beginning of each semester. And, more often than not, books are unable to be sold back to the bookstore or the student receives less than half of what they originally paid for the material. Websites like Amazon.com and Abebooks.com are other options for selling used books.

Posting them online, however, also does not guarantee that you’ll find a buyer.

Renting textbooks is probably not the best option for books a student would want to use for future reference, such as books for their major.

But, for required classes in which you won’t be reusing the materials, why not save some cash?

Most classes require the newest edition of the text available, so why buy it, only to learn that no one is going to buy it from you at the end of the semester? When you’re supposed to shell out hundreds of dollars for your class materials, but you only make eight dollars an hour all summer, every little bit helps.

Especially at a time where finding jobs is getting harder and harder, students are more money-conscious then ever. After saving money all summer, it is difficult to empty out your checking account in the span of a week. So why not try it?

Hannah Diorio-Toth is a Viewpoints editor for the Voice. She can be reached for comment at HDiorio-Toth11@wooster.edu.

New school Web site just needs some getting used to Change is good. The College’s new Web site is even better.

I distinctly remember when Wooster’s new Web site was first launched. People could not handle it. Everyone was running around acting like the desk chairs had been pulled from krisfronzak underneath them.

Everything was in the wrong place, the graphics were too campy and took longer to load, meal plan info was in the wrong place, etc.

This change seems very much akin to when Facebook launched their current version. The creators warned users far in advance of the changes, and gave people the chance to try it out before we had to commit to the new version. But when they finally made the changes permanent, panic ensued.

Opposition was formed from all angles. The most common was status updates — “Tim Nobama hates the new Facebook.” “Sandy Stuborn is sticking with old Facebook 4eva.”

There were also events created to sign petitions against it. Groups formed solely to bash the changes provoked lively (and sometimes disproportionately intense) debates and a host of irate users sent letters of disapproval to the creators of Facebook.

But — at least to my knowledge — even the most obstinate of us eventually pulled out heads out of the sand and admitted that contrary to the initial belief, new Facebook might actually be better than the older version.

Surprise! The creators didn’t want to confuse us, they were actually making the site more user-friendly in the long run.

The school’s new Web site operates in much the same fashion. While right now it might seem a little confusing,

it’s most likely going to be more easily maneuverable in the long run. The only downside it that it does take two clicks to get to most of the sites that current students use. But everything is in the same place after that initial click — ScotMail, ScotWeb, Woodle, the libraries; every link we ever really use is right there.

A few people have made the observation that the home page looks a little desperate — like the administration was trying too hard to make it look compelling. Instead it appears cluttered. I’ve scrolled over some of the pictures and icons on the home page, but they are so close together that it’s hard to even position the mouse over any particular icon without accidentally pulling up another.

But it’s not really a big deal, since as current students we don’t have to deal with that home page anyway. And maybe prospective students and their parents really like it.

One problem that I personally have is that the pictures we have up of students are not current. Now, this wouldn’t necessarily be a issue with incoming students since they probablydon’t know the difference between a student who is currently enrolled in the college and someone who graduated 50 years ago, but in a school of 1,800 students, it’s a little unnerving to look on the site and recognize no one. Part of the draw for a small school is being able to actually recognize peo-

But everything is in the same place after that initial click ... every link we ever really use is right there.

ple as they pass by. Maybe I’m being juvenile, but I would really like to see some people online that I know and can be proud of. And what happened to the profiles of seniors and their I.S. projects? That should be something more prominently displayed, since many people cite it as a major reason for choosing to attend our school.

Overall, I have no real complaint with the new Web site. The designers did a good job, and they’ve even put up a little blurb asking to be e-mailed with complaints/comments at webmaster@wooster.edu. So if you don’t like something, tell them! It might still feel like the desk chair’s been pulled out from underneath us, but who cares?

It’s been replaced with a cushioned armchair.

Kris Fronzak is a Viewpoints editor for the Voice. She can be reached for comment at HFronzak12@wooster.edu.

Section Editor: Tamari Farquharson

Voice

Features

Friday, September 4

5

Student puts spin on Independent Study presentations

Scott Smith and Woo91 spark discussion with “The I.S. Show” seniors’ Independent Study other- their I.S. “Because for some seniors it wise,” said Smith. “So we try to have is too early to know their direct interesting conversations. I try to put plans, they discuss what they may be on something people can discuss.” doing instead,” said Smith.

“It’s a difficult format and endeavSeniors can always come back on or, but that’s what makes Wooster the show and share their thoughts on such a unique college,” Smith said.

I.S. as it progresses and on the The first show aired last week. changes they made throughout the Because it was the first one, it was a process. At the same time, seniors panel. Philosophy majors Tom can get feedback and ideas from Loughead ’10 and Sam Vanfleete ’10, other seniors as well. There may be a Archeology major Andrew Marley little consistency and a few changes ’10, Philosophy that can be made and Political to seniors’ I.S. Science double This past major Sara T u e s d a y , Palagyi ’10 and Biochemistry and English major Molecular Biology Odin Tangvald major Ryan Story ’10 were featured.

Email Scott Smith ’10 was aired on The I.S. show (SSmith10@wooster.edu) the show. tries to have senLoughead and or iors with different Marley were also (theisshow@ymail.com). on the show with areas of study on the show. “I am Story. “Tom and trying to bring a Andrew are pretty variety of majors on the show to much resident appearances,” stated have different perspectives,” said Smith about the upcoming weekly Smith. Often times students may additions to the show. have one I.S. for two majors and For next week, Smith is still worksometimes tie together two different ing on a normal lineup. He is trying angles and perspectives of a particu- to bring in new people with different lar subject. majors. Of course, Loughead and The show is broken down and cen- Marley may be on it as well. At the tered around independent study and moment, Smith is relying on his its discussion. Seniors are allowed to friends because he has a diverse discuss what they will be doing for groups of friends of different

Like to appear on The I.S. show?

Above, Ryan Story ’10 and Andrew Marley ’10 discuss individual Independent Study topics and share innovative ideas led by Scott Smith ’10 (Photo by Linda Kuster).

Tamari Farquharson Features Editor Woo91 is the College of Wooster’s commercial-free radio station run entirely by students. It broadcasts a variety of programs that feature shows, lectures, music and sports. It is a format-free station, which means that each individual disc jockey can create his or her own station. There is not one specific genre of music that has to be played on air.

Scott Smith ’10, a philosophy major here at the College tried to be

innovative creating his new show, “The I.S. Show.” “I enjoy being on the air,” said Smith. While considering what kind of show to have, he wanted one that was fun, but still had a practical purpose. “At Wooster, there is so much importance laid on I.S. Why not have a show that highlights Wooster’s Independent Study?” asked Smith.

The purpose of “The I.S. Show” is to spark discussions between students from the same majors and among those in different majors. “It is hard to know the oppressive work of

majors. It may seem informal, but Smith separates business from pleasure, having each senior fill out a brief pre-interview sheet to help facilitate conversations and topics better.

In the future, he plans to invite teachers on the show. “I want to know how they feel to be on the other side of the chair during I.S. meetings, reading our drafts and other things,” said Smith. “I’m trying to expand campus-wide discussion about independent study. Wooster is I.S. You do it to graduate. It will help the campus if we open it up as an outlet,” Smith continued.

Other discussions spur from the topics when different seniors are featured. It is not strict about where the conversation ends up. Also, the show features music, discussion and commentary. “We do play music mostly from the interviewees. It is a radio show,” said Smith. The music is played during intermissions and while Smith is setting up an interviewee in the studio.

The show is on every Tuesday from 8-10 p.m. All are welcome to tune in on 90.9 fm MHz or listen online via the Woo91 website. If you are a professor or senior interested in getting your opinion or I.S. heard, Smith can be contacted at theisshow@ymail.com. The I.S. Show is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theisshow.

Experiencing different cultures and customs in “the happiest country in the world” I chose to study in Copenhagen, Denmark because it is considered to be the happiest place in the w o r l d .

Therefore, I was confused when I was warned that the Danes are “very cold.” grainnecarlin Now understand why this is said but also why this statement is false.

I have to commute 30 minutes by train every day to class. My first day I sat next to a Danish woman — she got off about three stops before me. When she was getting out of the seat she didn’t say anything, she just pushed past me and knocked my bag to the floor. I thought to myself “okay, rude,” but then realized no one on the train was saying anything. It was completely silent. Just everyone shuffling and squeezing up to the door.

The only thing that could be considered cold about the Danes is that they don’t say “excuse me” or “sorry” when moving past people.

Punctuality is very important in Danish culture.

Everyone needs to be somewhere at sometime; so why apologize for getting to your destination? This

cultural change took a little getting used to, but the more I think about it, this idea actually makes a lot of sense.

A major difference that I still am not comfortable with is the fact that everyone here does not seem to be easily offended. All of my professors use profanity in the classroom, and it’s no big deal.

Besides using certain words or being late, there are very few things that are considered rude. It is strongly encouraged to speak your mind, just get to the point — don’t sugar coat things.

At a pub one night a guy made a comment to me that probably would have caused a lawsuit in the United States. When I looked at him in disgust he said “What’s on your mind?”

I told him how I really felt; and instead of walking away he just started to talk to me about something else.

I have never been more confused in my life. I learned quickly that if a Danish person wants something, they let you know. And if you don’t — just say it. It’s not embarrassing or rude (on either end), no one is offended, its just another point in a conversation.

I almost wish the United States was more like this; there would be a lot fewer awkward moments, mixed signals, guessing games and wasted time trying to get your point across.

Ultimately, I believe this results in a

lot less drama.

The Danish people are extremely interested in US politics. A hot topic here is definitely the Obama administration and the proposed healthcare system.

There are extremely high taxes in Denmark which result in basically everything being covered by the government. I was told this was so the Danes could follow their dreams and not have to worry about if they can provide basic needs for their family.

Not one Dane I have spoken to is in the least bit jealous of the United States; one man said “It’s just so backwards, I can’t even begin to understand your systems.”

The Danes have already got me thinking about US philosophy. Do we overthink our actions? Are we too emotional and easily offended, ready to file a lawsuit at any minute? Is it silly to have the “American dream” of money, instead of our own individual dreams?

I suppose I have more time to learn and think these things over.

However, I can honestly say I am looking forward to living in the happiest country in the world for the next four months.

Grainne Carlin ’11, a Communication Studies major, can be reached for comments at GCarlin11@wooster.edu

Above, Grainne Carlin ’11 enjoys the view surrounding Denmark’s International Kollegium dormitory in Copenhagen (Photo courtesy Grainne Carlin).

Special Collections exhibits preserved historical files and rare books Jonah Comstock Editor in Chief We all know, in the backs of our minds, that Wooster has been around for more than a century. But there are places on campus where that past seems to reach out to us across the ages, and nowhere is that connection more palpable than in the offices of Special Collections, where Curator Denise Monbarren and Special Collections Librarian Elaine Smith-Snyder work to keep collections of historical files and rare books safe from the ravages of time.

The Early Textbooks and Primers exhibit currently on display at Special Collections provides a glimpse into daily life at the College back in the 1870s.

“What we did was we looked at course catalogues from the 1870s to 1890s to see what was the required reading at the University,” said Monbarren, who worked with Collection Services Librarian Margo Curl on the display. Curl and Monbarren then tracked down copies of those textbooks from various sources — some were already in the library’s extensive collection, while others were recently donated from a private collection.

“We wanted to preserve this particular part of the history — the curriculum,” said Monbarren.

The books demonstrate some differences in the curriculum from today.

For instance, a much greater emphasis is placed on the sciences, as well as on Greek and Latin.

The other half of the display deals with education as well, though not at the collegiate level. It’s a collection of primers for teaching young children

are early imprints and things that are important to book culture,” Monbarren explained.

The primers are familiar — a page of letters accompanied by illustrations of common objects that start with that letter — yet strange, with “A” standing for “axe” rather than “apple,” a reminder of the agrarian nature of the society.

“It was a very different culture,” said Monbarren. “What might be considered ‘back woods’ nowadays was very much a part of their culture.”

Special Collections maintains two exhibits per year, as well as periodically doing special displays on notable on-campus DENISE MONBARREN occasions. Monbarren encourages students to come by and SPECIAL COLLECTIONS CURATOR enjoy the displays.

The locked, sealed doors of Special Collections can be imposing, skills like reading, comprehension and preventing students from sneaking basic math. in unnoticed, but there is nothing to These books, drawn from the be afraid of in this reliquary of College’s rare books collection, were Wooster’s history. published in the early 1900s and are “For the most part, what we’re trynotable for being some of the earliest ing to do is just remind people of the books published in Ohio. Cincinnati wonderful treasures we have here on became a hub for publishing as the campus,” said Monbarren. population of the United States The exhibit is available for viewing expanded westward.

Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 “Part of our rare books collection p.m., Aug. 24 to Oct. 2.

“We wanted to preserve this particular part of the history — the curriculum.”

Above, Special Collections exhibits textbooks published during the westward expansion of Ohio (Photos by Andrew Collins).

6

Voice

Friday, September 4

Arts & Entertainment

Springsteen’s exhibit showcases more than music Madelyn Halstead A&E Editor Add this exhibit to Bruce Springsteen’s list of big hits. The display, entitled “From Ashbury Park to the Promised Land, The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen,” is a special exhibit located at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio that runs from April 1, 2009 to Spring 2010. The display is the first artifact centered presentation about Bruce Springsteen, an artist known to “play every show like it might be his last.”

Taking up a full two floors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “The Life and Music” displays artifacts ranging from Springsteen’s Fender Esquire guitar, which is used on the cover of “Born To Run,” to the handwritten lyric manuscripts of some of his most popular songs. The exhibit covers a span of time ranging from his early childhood to today.

The presentation is almost overwhelming in the number of people and the amount of information crammed into one small space. The flow of knowledge is constant and the artifacts captivating. The attitude of the space is lively; people look genuinely excited to be close enough to touch so much Bruce Springsteen memorabilia. The “Bruce fans” are literally coming out of the woodwork.

Springsteen, who has been compared to folk artist Woodie Guthrie and author John Steinbeck, was born to a blue-collar family in Long Branch, New Jersey on September 23, 1949. He was first inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

According to the exhibit Springsteen’s music merges “urgency and realism [and addresses] issues of working class Americans.”

The exhibit begins in Springsteen’s adolescence, age 14, at the start of his musical career with

Springsteen lives up to his motto and rocks out. (Photo by AP) the band Castiles. Springsteen was the lead guitarist and vocalist for the band which formed in 1965. The band recorded a total of two original songs and played multiple venues including some in Greenwich Village.

The exhibit houses original scrapbooks of the band that were created by manager Tex Vinyard’s wife, Marion.

The display not only house’s tributary to his accomplishments as a musician, but family photo albums, letters and Springsteen’s childhood knick knacks are all miscellaneous memorabilia displayed throughout the exhibit.

After Springsteen’s time spent in Castile we move on to the next segment of his life spent with the band Earth. In the late 1960s’ Earth performed locally around New Jersey.

Springsteen lived above a surf shop during this time period, where he

obtained his second surfboard which is on display in the exhibit.

After Earth broke up Springsteen formed the group Child. Child branched out of New Jersey, playing numerous free shows in Virginia in the late 1960’s. The exhibit displays various concert posters ranging from professional posters to hand written poster boards. Also available is Springsteen’s personal address book from that time.

In 1970 Steelmill, formerly known as Child was formed. To commemorate this time of Springsteen’s life his 1968 Gibson Les Paul guitar is displayed in this part of the exhibit.

Springsteen retired this guitar because he felt it weighed too much.

In addition to the guitar a song book containing the songs “Clouds,” “Winters” and “Revelation” which he used the guitar to compose are displayed.

After another stint of time during which Springsteen jumped from band to band, with time spent in Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom, we progress to the point in Springsteen’s life where he becomes more recognized. With the formation of the Bruce Springsteen Band in 1971, Springsteen evolved and eventually released his first album with the E Street Band under Columbia Records.

From this point on we transition into the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that people know and love today. At this point the exhibit is filled with magazine covers, clothes, various guitars, harmonicas and newspaper clippings, all focused on the man they call “The Boss.”

One of the great things about the exhibit is that it not only includes so many different kinds of things from the life of Springsteen, but it also includes artifacts from his E Street Band members. Steve Vanzandt’s 1984 Guild X-79 Electric guitar and Clarence Clemons saxophone are just some of the E Street Band artifacts you will find.

While standing in the middle of the exhibit at peak visiting hours, one thing is for sure: Springsteen’s motto of “play every show like it’s your last” is one of the things that draws people to him. Some of the people at this exhibit are positively thrilled to be there.

Nancy Thomas and Kathy Host from Akron, Ohio came to visit the museum with only one thing in mind: Bruce Springsteen. These women are huge “Bruce fans,” “We love the exhibit, you name it they’ve got it, we’ve been Bruce fans since before you were born.”

The exhibit concludes with a video clip of Bruce and his band forming a human train through the audience at the MTV unplugged concert in November 1992, a clear representation not only of the exhibit but the person that Springsteen is.

Small T.V. names make Internet music debut Nathan Comstock Voice Staff

although the flute seems a little out of place in a few numbers. All in all the accompaniment really highlights In the new independent music mar- each song, and helps keep them from ket brought about by the Internet, blending together. it’s fully possible for a band to have a Both women can sing and their substantial fan base before releasing voices blend together excellently. a single album. Garfunkel and Oates, When they harmonize, they sound consisting of TV actresses Riki great, but I wish they did so more Lindhome and Kate Micucci (whom often. While singing in unison cresome of you might know as ates an interesting sound, more harStephanie Gooch in the last season of monies would be impressive and add “Scrubs”) is one such band. Their another layer to their sound. debut album, “Music Songs,” which Where the album really shines is in became available on iTunes last week, the lyrics. Most of the songs are is comprised of eight of the more about sex, in one way or another, and popular songs that contain a sarcastic have been popping up humor which, combined on YouTube for the with the sweet, innoREVIEW: last few months. cent quality of their Their style is prob- MUSIC SONGS voices, kind of reminds ably best described as me of Lily Allen. The comedy/folk, with songs range fom the Lindhome on the guitar and Micucci ridiculous (“Pregnant Women are on the ukulele or piano (other instru- Smug,” where the two actually stop ments like a flute make occasional playing to do comedy sketches in the appearances.) The album is relative- middle), to the sublime (the sweet, ly well-mixed and balanced, and sentimental and not particularly silly

(Photo by Chad Nicholson and courtesy Sara Sheragy).

“As You Are.”) Most fall somewhere in the middle, like “Only You,” an ode to their friendship which contains many silly lines, but is ultimately sincere.

There are a few notable omissions — I would have loved to see their song “Self-Esteem,” about having too much self-respect to date someone, for example, or the pro-gay marriage

“Sex with Ducks,” but some things, I suppose should be saved for their next album. Eight songs just seems a bit short when they have numbers they could have gotten together. On the whole, though, I think “Music Songs” is a successful first album, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes female vocalists and funny songs about sex.

Section Editors: Marten Dollinger MAdelyn Halstead

THE SCENE Nowadays, we see a lot of suspicious corporate buy-outs. If you pay close attention to business activities, you’ll notice little things that create the illusion of variety while still sending money in one direction.

We’ve got the various banks that are combining; the phone companies that martendollinger were separated way back when by the Sherman Anti-trust act are glomming back together; Dell and HP are really the same company; Apple and Microsoft use the same processors and Vista’s look has a distinct Mac-ish look to it. Even Starbucks is changing the names of individual stores to hide the stigma that’s been built around a corporate image. One buy out in particular has already caused quite a bit of buzz around the Internet. I speak of Disney’s recent acquisition of Marvel. The crossover potential has me a bit concerned.

I can concede that Disney can pull off Bad Ass; take the Pirates of the Caribbean series, for example. As conscious as I think Disney would be of why Marvel is successful, however, I don’t trust them to keep the flavor of classics like Spider-Man and the X-Men. I remember the game Kingdom Hearts and I foresee Mickey Mouse sprouting claws from his knuckles to do battle with Pete in a cybernetic armor suit a la Iron Man. Chip and Dale could end up as an elite infiltration and hacking team working alongside Ant-Man in the Avengers. Beast and The Beast would have to duke it out to avoid the redundancy issues brought to light by web cartoonist of Penny Arcade Jerry Halkins.

Personally, I think Hank McCoy could tear Belle’s beau a new one. Well, he would if he had to. Aside from the blue fur, Beast is generally a pretty together guy, which gives him another advantage over his quick-to-anger Disney counterpart, but I digress.

I will be much more wary of future Marvel movies. They say it won’t actually change anything, but if the Disney–Pixar relationship has taught us anything, it’s that the big D doesn’t play nice. Sure, Kingdom Hearts actually turned out to be a pretty good series, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. I won’t be having my Spider-Man movies turn into smarmy buddy-buddy movies… well, I guess it’s too late for that. But I definitely won’t stand for Iron Man gaining an unnecessary romantic sub-plot… er … well never mind. But Blade! And The Punisher! Disney owns The Punisher! Can you really imagine the same corporation that has a friendly mouse as it’s mascot owning a character who embodies the classic idea of the psychologically troubled antihero? Well, I suppose in a depressing, ironic way, it makes sense.

Marten is an Arts and Entertainment editor for the Voice. He can be reached for comment at MDollinger10@wooster.edu.

Duncan Jones discusses life after Wooster and “Moon” Film influenced in part by Independent Study in Philosophy demics, and Wooster was a definite “up” period for me. I can remember experiencing so many things I never thought I’d try — fencing, sculpture, flag football, editing a magazine.

Wooster really encouraged me to embrace a broad range of experiences, and explore many subjects.

“Moon” sort of reflects that, as it’s an almagamation of many interests — space, energy conservation, philosophy. The whole artificial intelligence thing even goes back to my I.S., which was based on sentient machines.

Jones Continued from p.1 While a student, what were some of your favorite campus hangouts and activities?

Well, I started the rugby team, and even lived with my teammates in a rugby house just off campus. We all had a great time. It was a really nice group of guys, very laid back. That’s definitely something I appreciated about Wooster — the laid back student body. I also used to live in the basement of frat house with some other international students. It was great, because I didn’t get any of the intimidation of national frats, you know? It was always very relaxed. I also edited the Year One magazine my senior year, with Professor Grace, which was very fun as well.

Jones confers with Rockwell. Courtesy Sony Picture Classics I ate so much that they nicknamed it the “Duncan Special.” That was a double cheeseburger with an egg on top! [Laughs] It’s really amazing what we can eat when we’re young!

Did you have a favorite Lowry dish?

Moving along, did you ever step foot You know, I can’t really remember. in the UG? If so, why?

It may have been sloppy joes. I did I’m not exactly sure what that is. used to eat at Mom’s quite a lot. In fact, there was one item on the menu [Pauses] Oh! I think I did go to that

place once, to see a stand up comedian who was visiting!

How would you describe your overall Wooster experience, and how do you think it has impacted your post-graduation life?

It’s been fascinatingly positive, really. In my adolescence I experienced a lot of ups and downs in aca-

To conclude, do you have any parting words of wisdom for future Wooster grads?

I guess the best advice I can give is that I know that time is limited, and while at Wooster you may feel like so much of your life hinges on writing the best I.S., or getting the best grades in whatever classes you’re taking. But really, when you get out into the real world, you find that employers don’t care about those kinds of things, and are looking for really passionate, interesting people

with a broad range of knowledge and experiences. I think I was exposed to that sort of thing at Wooster, and it’s helped a lot. I would definitely say don’t worry about the future so much when you graduate. Take your time. It took me 10 years after completing film school to make my first movie, and now a lot of very exciting things are happening with my career. I think, when it comes to your education, it’s the little things that end up being important in the end, and that’s the main thing I learned from Wooster.

Jones spoke these parting words with the same enthusiastic, strikingly friendly voice he assumed throughout the duration of the interview. Despite his newfound fame, he seemed to be a remarkably approachable, down-to-earth person in conversation, with a great sense of optimism towards his future. It’s clear that he approaches his life with excitement and passion, and his final words are indeed a great source of inspiration to a new generation of Wooster students.

Voice

Section Editors: Chris Weston Matthew Yannie

Friday, September 4

Sports

7

Football team breaks in new turf tomorrow against Waynesburg Chris Weston Sports Editor The Fighting Scots are looking to start off this season the same way as last season.

The College of Wooster football team kicks off its 2009 campaign against the Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets on Saturday in this season’s home opener. Waynesburg, who have only beaten the Scots once in the history of this series, are coming off what can be described as an average season (5-5), seeking revenge for a 27-6 defeat from the Scots during last season’s opener.

The main story line for the Scots’ offense this week is Austin Holter ’10, who last year single-handedly picked apart the Waynesburg defense, for over 100 yards through the air and on the ground, with 248 yards total, as well as three touchdowns (two passing, one running).

Holter, who is starting for his third straight season, will need to find a way to elude the Yellow Jacket defense once again, assuming he will have eyes on him the entire game.

A player to keep your eyes on while the Scots are on offense is Mike Francescangeli ’10, who totaled five grabs for 40 yards and a score in last season’s match-up. If the defense finally finds a way to keep Holter in the pocket, Francescangeli should be the go-to guy to work the Scots down the field.

On the other side of the ball, the Scots’ defense will be looking to replicate its success from last season against Waynesburg’s running game.

Although it is no longer led by former All-American running back Robert Heller, the Yellow Jackets still have a formidable one-two punch in the likes of junior Billy Becker and sophomore Justin Falcon.

Becker and Falcon, who took over for Heller after the first game of last season, totaled a combined 238 carries for 1055 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Scots willl also need to keep an eye on is the brand-new Waynesburg passing game. Led by junior quarterback Brad Dawson, the Yellow Jackets have decided to make a switch from a pure power running offense to a spread offense that favors passing the ball to any number of players. With Dawson’s tendency to miss his receivers (finishing last year with only a 55% completion rating), this system should allow him to find one of his many talented receivers without too much trouble.

This game will also mark the unveiling of the new Sprinturf, which was installed over the summer.

This turf was deemed necessary after the “Mud Bowl” against Wittenberg last season, which turned the field into a mud pit.

The season opens up tomorrow at John P. Papp stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Scots will look to start their season on a high note against Waynesburg University this Saturday. The Scots will look to repeat last season’s success against the Yellow Jackets, winning 27-6 on the road (Photo by Andrew Collins).

ROUNDING THIRD

Cleveland, you might want to read this...

Five failproof ideas for Cleveland sports teams to start earning money and winning games Let’s be honest — Cleveland is going through tough times. Not only is the economy going steadily downhill and jobs disappearing like cell phones at a frat party, but jasonweingardt C l e v e l a n d sports teams are feeling the repercussions of all this.

So, what to do? Below are some promotional ideas that are guaranteed to put money back into the the city, and if they don’t work, well ... let’s just hope they work.

to New York. So, what can the Cavs and Cleveland do to financially benefit from LeBron before his contract runs out at the end of next season?

Make any LeBron James function something you have to pay for. Did you fawn over LeBron on a street corner?

Fifty bucks, please.

Have any Facebook pictures of you and him? A hundred a piece. And for companies, you can even rent out tattoo space on his body! Prices are negotiable.

when arguing foul calls with referees, Varejao’s hair could produce some high quality jackets and/or toupées.

That way, instead of posting meager career stats of six points per game and a solid six rebounds per game, Anderson could redeem himself somewhat by financially contributing to the Cavs.

So while he’s spending some quality time on the bench, he can hawk luxury coats to the patrons sitting courtside as well as find equal time to argue with his teammates over poor officiating.

Did you fawn over LeBron on a street corner? Fifty bucks, please. Have any Facebook pictures of you and him? A hundred a piece.

1. Monetize off LeBron James while you still can

2. Sell Anderson Varejao’s hair

The Cavs may have gotten Shaquille O’Neil, but LeBron is going to want more money regardless of what happens this season.

Come basketball season he may single handedly run the Ohio economy, but let’s face it: Mr. James is headed

Before you move to the next point, hear me out. Much like his play, none of Varejao’s hair is used to really help his team. His hair is clearly well taken care of, which means it will probably have the highest resale value. Judging by how his hair flows

3. Brady Quinn/Grady Sizemore mud wrestling match Out of any of these promotional ideas I’m submitting, this would easily be the most prosperous. If I were their agents, I would be all over this

idea regardless of hurting their street-cred. I can picture it now: Billed as a one night HBO pay-perview event, two budding stars from a struggling city mud-wrestle it out to see who’s the strongest. Just by quickly judging the number of female Cleveland sports fans, this can already be penned in as an instant success. Someone really should call me about a job...

4. Actually accomplish “Major League” Although a radical move, this promotional idea seems to be the only one already being put into place.

Much like the movie, the Indians are an absolutely dreadful team.

Although they don’t have an ex-convict as their closer, Kerry Wood looks like one. My suggestion — Indians front office should try to overthrow the Washington Nationals as the worst team in baseball, and have the players revolt by winning games. Then, fans will flock to the

2009 PRESEASON COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS

matthewyannie

National Championship Game Florida over Texas ACC Atlantic Champ Clemson ACC Costal Champ North Carolina Big East Champ Cincinnati Big Ten Champ Ohio State Big 12 North Champ Iowa State Big 12 South Champ Oklahoma PAC-10 Champ USC SEC East Champ Florida SEC West Champ LSU BCS Buster Utah Surprise Bowl Team Maryland Team To Exceed Expectations Syracuse Team That Will Fall Short of Expectations Georgia Coach on the Hot Seat Ralph Friedgen Heisman Winner Colt McCoy

National Championship Game Texas over Florida ACC Atlantic Champ Florida State ACC Costal Champ Virgina Tech Big East Champ Rutgers Big Ten Champ Ohio State Big 12 North Champ Kansas Big 12 South Champ Texas PAC-10 Champ Oregon SEC East Champ Florida SEC West Champ Ole Miss BCS Buster Utah Surprise Bowl Team Miami (FL) Team To Exceed Expectations North Carolina Team That Will Fall Short of Expectations USC Coach on the Hot Seat Charlie Weis Heisman Winner Colt McCoy

andrewvogel National Championship Game Florida over Texas ACC Atlantic Champ Florida State ACC Costal Champ Georgia Tech Big East Champ South Florida Big Ten Champ Ohio State Big 12 North Champ Kansas Big 12 South Champ Texas PAC-10 Champ USC SEC East Champ Florida SEC West Champ Alabama BCS Buster Boise State Surprise Bowl Team Baylor Team To Exceed Expectations Arkansas Team That Will Fall Short of Expectations Nebraska Coach on the Hot Seat Dan Hawkins Heisman Winner Terrelle Pryor

5. Inform fans it could be worse Cleveland is the losing-est city in the United States when it comes to sports. No, really, they are — in 2004 ESPN proclaimed Cleveland as the most tortured sports city.

But who can blame them? Their last major sports title of any kind was in 1964 when the Browns won the NFL Championship. I’m proposing a new attitude I think Cleveland sports organizations should use for promos — “at least we’re not Detroit.” Detroit may have won three times as many (21) championships than Cleveland (seven), but it’s important for Cleveland fans to remember that Detroit is home to the worst team — the 2008 Detroit Lions. Now that should really help spirits, and hopefully pocketbooks.

PICK ’EM

The sports nuts make a few predictions that may well be right, and more than a few that will surely go awry

jasonweingardt

ballpark with revitalized hopes, and the Indians will be a financially stable organization.

chrisweston National Championship Game Texas over USC ACC Atlantic Champ Florida State ACC Costal Champ Georgia Tech Big East Champ Rutgers Big Ten Champ Penn State Big 12 North Champ Nebraska Big 12 South Champ Texas PAC-10 Champ USC SEC East Champ Florida SEC West Champ Ole Miss BCS Buster BYU Surprise Bowl Team Boston College Team To Exceed Expectations BYU Team That Will Fall Short of Expectations Notre Dame Coach on the Hot Seat Rich Rodriguez Heisman Winner Colt McCoy

Don’t have a clue who’s going to win the big game? Every week, sports nuts Matthew Yannie, Andrew Vogel, Chris Weston and Jason Weingardt will pick the week’s biggest football games, both college and pro. Some will be on the mark, others probably not so much. We’ll track their progress every week with season standings. Think they’ve picked the wrong teams? Feel free to let them know what you think about all sports at v o i c e _ s p o r t s @ w o o s t e r . e d u.

M= Matthew, A = Andrew, C= Chris, J= Jason, All= Everyone

NCAA Games Thursday, Sept. 3 (M,C,J) #16 Ore. at Boise St. (A)

Saturday, Sept. 5 Navy at #6 OSU (All) Akron at #9 Penn State (All) (C,J) Minnesota at ‘Cuse (M,A) (M,C) Baylor at Wake (A,J) (M,J) Missouri vs Illinois (A,C) (A,C,J) #13 UGA at #9 OKSU (M) (C) #20 BYU vs #3 OU (M,A,J) (A,C,J) #5 Bama vs #7 VT (M) Maryland at #12 Cal (All) (All) #11 LSU at Washington

Monday, Sept. 7 (J) Cincinnati at Rutgers (M,A,C) Miami at #18 Florida State (All)

8

Friday, September 4, 2009

The Wooster Voice

Scots’ season ends in extra inning heartbreak

FRIDAY CONVERSATION Sports Editor Matthew Yannie recently talked about the upcoming football season with starting quarterback Austin Holter ’10.

The football team is looking to continue the winning tradition that resulted in a second place finish in the North austinholter Coast Athletic Conference just last season.

Holter, who led the conference and in total yards from scrimmage with 2,712, which was also a school record. He also totaled 22 touchdowns (nine rushing and 13 passing) over the ten game span. He was named a second team NCAC AllConference quarterback after starting every game in the 2008 season.

Mark Miller ’09 pitched one of the finest games of his career, but gave up the game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th inning against St. Thomas. Miller, pitching the entire game, gave up three runs while pitching more than 11 innings. “It never should have gone that far. We should have scored more runs behind him,” said head coach Tim Pettorini (Photo courtesy OPI).

Andrew Vogel Editor in Chief When the University of St. Thomas knocked a single through the left side of the infield to beat the Wooster baseball team for the national championship in the bottom of the 12th inning, “heartbroken” doesn’t even begin to describe the emotions at the end of last year’s historic season. However, looking back on the 2009 season, despite a rash of injuries and adversity, last year’s baseball team came closer to a national championship than any team in school history. That feat in itself may be the most remarkable aspect of the Fighting Scots’ roller coaster season.

The Scots’ appearance in the national championship game is a great achievement in itself. The 2009 team that head coach Tim Pettorini trotted out was probably not the most talented in Pettorini’s 27 years, but it came as close to winning the ultimate prize as any Scot team has ever come. The Scots first reached the national championship in 1997, ultimately falling to Southern Maine 15-1.

In many ways, the 2009 team was similar to a MASH unit. Within the first week of the season, the Scots were already hit with a significant setback. Starting pitcher Matt Barnes ’10, poised for a breakout junior season and slated to become the team’s ace, was out for the season with a blood clot after his first start of the year. Anthony Trapuzzano ’09, a three-year contributor, battled arm troubles all year and was not the same force he had been in years past.

Shortstop Matt Johnson ’10, a defensive standout in the infield, was shelved for the season in mid-April due to an arm injury.

“After the season-ending injuries to Barnes and Johnson, the team really had two routes to travel. We could easily give up on the season because our backs were against the wall, or we could come together as a team, pick each other up, and go out on the field and give 110 percent every pitch of every game. We chose the latter,” said relief pitcher Tanner Hall ’10.

The team, however, was able to play its best baseball in the second half of the season with the players it had. After losing three of four to conference foe Kenyon College, the

Scots won 18 of their last 20 games jam. Finally, in the bottom of the between Apr. 16 and May 25, advanc- 12th, the Tommies led off with a sining all the way to Appleton, Wisc. for gle, moved the runner over with a the College World Series. The team sacrifice bunt, and a weak grounder simply took it up a notch. It was a through the hole between third and run no one, not even Pettorini, could short gave St. Thomas the national title. Miller pitched arguably one of have expected.

“This group really did overachieve. the finest games of his life, but it [After the injuries,] I didn’t make wasn’t enough.

Pettorini opted to leave Miller in any sterling coaching moves that for the entire game because he simply turned us into a juggernaut. Because couldn’t bear the thought of taking we didn’t have a lot of depth, our top the All-American out. “[Miller’s] guys really played well and improved such a competitor,” he said. “We had as the season went on,” said other guys who could have come in Pettorini. and pitched, but maybe not as well.

One key aspect helping the turnHe gets so many ground balls and we around was starting pitching. Justin were making plays behind him.

I didMcDowell ’11 (13-3, 2.38 ERA and n’t have the heart to 94 strikeouts in 113 take him out.

It innings) and Mark never should have Miller ’09 (11-2, 2.51 gone that far. We ERA, and 72 strikeouts should have scored in 96 innings) emerged runs behind him.” as two of the top pitchThe emotion, still ers in Division 3. fresh from that late McDowell had a breakafternoon on May out year, leading the 26, still sits in the nation in wins. stomachs of the Once the team got players.

Hall said going, it didn’t let up. that after St. The team won its first Thomas singled in four games in the the winning run, College World Series “I’m pretty sure to advance to the Miller was the only championship game against St. Thomas.

ZACK VESCO ’12 player on our team that was left standAfter already beating T HIRD B ASEMAN ing. I know most the Tommies once in everyone in the the earlier rounds of dugout dropped to their knees. It felt the World Series, the Scots simply as though the weight of the world needed to win one of the final two in came down on our shoulders.” the championship series on May 26.

“We all pictured in our minds that With McDowell and Miller on the we were going to be the team to dogmound in both games, the Scots pile at the end of the game, and when looked to be in good shape. However, it was St. Thomas instead definitely after playing so consistently for over made us realize it was all over. The a month, the team couldn’t get it season was finished,” said Matt going on the last day of the season.

DeGrand ’10.

In the first game against St. While it is said that time heals Thomas, the Scots tied the game at everything, the loss is still raw for four with three runs in the bottom of many of the players. “It was the the eighth inning, only to see St. worst feeling in the world — knowThomas score two in the ninth to ing that we had come all that way take the first game 6-4 and set up the and battled so hard only to be beat on winner-take-all second game of the a weak single through the hole. I double header. have never felt a more sickening feelOffense was at a premium in the ing in my stomach,” said McDowell. final game. The Scots led 2-1 until “The bitter aftertaste of coming the sixth inning, when St. Thomas so close and knowing that we were was able to tie the game against the best team in the country but just Miller. From there, both teams couldn’t get it done on the champiremained deadlocked. The Tommies onship day still hasn't gone away. threatened to score in the eighth, Every single time I see a highlight ninth, 10th and 11th innings, but from the game or someone talks each time Miller worked out of a

“I look back proud of what we have done but it still hurts every day when I think about how close we were to reaching every one of our goals.”

about it, I still can’t get over it. Yes, we had a great run through the NCAC’s, regionals and World Series, but there is no doubt in my mind we were the best team in the nation,” said McDowell.

The pain from that loss may never go away for many of the players, and if it does, it won’t subside any time soon. Three months later, however, the players have had time to reflect on what a ride it was all the way to Appleton. The double-header on May 26 that somehow went awry shouldn’t erase one of the finest seasons in school history. As hard as the loss has been for McDowell, he is immensely proud of what the team accomplished last spring. “The saying goes ‘second place is the first loser,’ but I think if you talk to Kenyon, Oberlin, Allegheny, Marietta, etc., they’ll tell you the caliber of team that we had. We beat St. Thomas Game 3 of the World Series.

It was just unfortunate that the day we played them for the championship just wasn’t our day.”

Pettorini said that at the end of last season, he was as proud of the team as he has ever been in his 27 years here. “It wasn’t the most talented group and we had to deal with a lot of adversity. Every coach wants their team to reach that max potential, and this team came as close to that as I’ve ever had,” said Pettorini.

Yet as positive as this past season was for the entire team, especially given the circumstances, the aftertaste of that extra inning loss still lingers. “I look back proud of what we have done but it still hurts everyday when I think about how close we were to reaching every one of our goals. We accomplished every goal but one, but coming that close makes it hurt more than to feel satisfied with the things we did accomplish,” said third baseman Zack Vesco ’12.

The Scots came as close to a national championship as any team can without capturing the ultimate prize. While the run brought immense pride to the school and surrounding community, it didn’t end the way players, coaches and fans had envisioned. While the players know they should look at the 2009 season with their heads held high, for many of them the pain of that loss will not subside anytime soon. The only cure may be to get back on the field and start thinking about the possibilities in 2010.

BY THE NUMBERS The Wooster Voice C-3187 1189 Beall Ave. Wooster, OH 44691

25

Number of years that Dennis Rice has coached for the cross country team. He spent four years as the assistant coach before being given the head coaching position in 1988.

2

Number of players on the men’s soccer team who scored more than two goals last season, Karl Ruter ’10 and Scott Buckwald ’10.

Ruter scored six goals, and Buckwald scored seven.

In one game this season, the Scots have yet to score.

MY: Given the success of last season how high are your expectations for this year?

AH: I’d say they are pretty high.

Obviously we have a good senior class and offensively we bring back nine starters. On our offensive line everyone comes back with the exception of Cam Lemasters, and defensively we have great senior leadership on that side of the ball too, so we’re looking to have a really good season. Anything less than an NCAC championship is not good enough for us so we’re working towards that.

MY: Towards the end of last season the team really began firing on all cylinders. What needs to be done to ensure continued success this year?

AH: We have to stay focused throughout each week and just go into each week prepared for that team. We have to give good effort, give 100 percent, and not overlook any opponents. Coach has talked about enjoying the process, that it’s not just about the outcome, but to enjoy the time you have, working as hard as you can day by day.

Through that we should be pretty successful.

MY: In your four years as a member of the football team, where do you think the program has shown the most growth and improvement?

AH: Year by year everything improves. As players grow, their intelligence for the game grows obviously. Every year we have more and more guys coming into the program with a better understanding of the game which makes it a lot easier for them to adapt to college football. It goes along with great coaching, I think our coaching has improved year by year and that’s definitely a key to our success.

MY: With a successful season not only for the team but for you as an individual, receiving second team all conference honors, what are your personal goals for this, your senior season?

AH: First team All Conference would be fantastic, maybe NCAC player of the year depending on how the season goes, but my first goal would have to be an NCAC championship for the team. We have a lot of team goals as well, to win the NCAC championship and host a playoff game, and ultimately to win the NCAA division three championship.

MY: How important of a role will the 16 returning starters play in the success of this year’s squad?

AH: They should play a major role in our success but also our younger players are going to play a big role as well. I think returning players will be great leaders for the younger players but we’ve had some of the younger players step up into leadership roles as well. The success of this team is going to be reliant on all 95 of us.

MY: Is there a specific game on the schedule this year that you are most looking forward to?

AH: I’m looking forward to every game, to be honest. With it being my senior year I have to take it one game at a time. I’m just excited to get the 10 guaranteed opportunities to play, so every week I’ll embrace a new game.