RECORD GAME ATTENDANCE
FREDDIE & FRIEDA
FALCON
For a recap of the game and our sports editor’s opinion of fan support see PAGE 5.
KATE FINLAYSOS JON ZACHERICH MADDISON BROWN SHAWN GILBERT
THE BG NEWS ESTABLISHED 1920 | An independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27 & TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012
’ D E D EA
H E ‘B Falcon m
By Bryan Warrick Reporter
The truth is finally out on the identity of this year’s Freddie and Frieda Falcon as all four of the students’ identities were revealed at Saturday’s home hockey game. The two Freddies were juniors Jon Zacherich and Shawn Gilbert, and the Friedas turned out to be seniors Kate Finlaysos and Maddison Brown. The ‘beheadings’ took place during both of the game’s inter-
r y re v e t s y m t o asc
ealed
NATHAN ELEKONICH | THE BG NEWS
missions, with Zacherich and Finlaysos at the first, and Gilbert and Brown at the second. The ice arena roared with a record crowd of more than 5,000 people as each mascot head came off. According to the athletics website, www. bgsufalcons.com, this marks the largest crowd in the history of the University Ice Arena. “The atmosphere in here is unbelievable,” Brown said. “All the people, the crowd and the students, are always loud every time. Being on the
ice was one of my favorite moments. It’s something I’ll remember forever.” After being the school’s mascot for a year, the four students are all proud of what they have done for the school, Zacherich said. “It was probably the greatest decision of my life,” he said. “It brought me so much closer to the University and the people in it. It was an awesome experience.” When the day of the beheading arrived, the students under the masks felt a mixture of excite-
ment, nervousness and sadness, Zacherich said. “I was nervous. It was the greatest and most awful feeling put together right in my gut,” he said. Perhaps the most exciting thing was the fact that the mascot’s friends would know the truth about who they are, Finlaysos said. “It was a big deal upholding this tradition of secrecy,” she said. “[Being beheaded] was a huge weight off my shoulders. I kept this from so many people and being
able to be out in the open with this felt good.” For the students in the crowd who found out their friends were Freddie or Frieda, it came as a huge surprise, said sophomore Caitlyn Menicucci, a friend of Zacherich. “When I found out Jon Zacherich was Freddie, all I could do was shout and jump around,” she said. “I was half upset because he totally fooled
See BIRDS | Page 3
Dorm expenses to rise for fall Board of Trustees approve rates, renovations By Alissa Widman Managing Editor
GILLY HANSON | THE BG NEWS
GRAFFITI marks the walls in an alley behind Wizard Graphics on Main Street. Efforts are being made in the city to combat vandalism to local businesses.
Downtown businesses fight graffiti problem By Alex Alusheff Social Media Editor
Local businesses are taking a different approach to prevent graffiti in the downtown area. “We are trying to be proactive instead of reactive,” said Barbara Ruland, director of Downtown Bowling Green. “We want to educate people about understanding that it’s one thing to express yourself and another to destroy private property.” In the past 15 years, graffiti has become more of a problem, said Municipal Administrator John Fawcett. Tags have become bigger and more elaborate while being placed in more visible areas. To combat this problem, the Downtown Bowling Green Organization teamed up with
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the city police and Crime Stoppers, and began placing placards around town and the University listing a phone number to report cases of graffiti or other crimes. People can receive up to a $1,000 reward for a report leading to a conviction. By emphasizing the fact that these people are not artists but criminals while getting the community to place their eyes on the issue, people committing the crimes will be caught, Fawcett said. While it is hard to catch criminals in the act, there are measures to deter graffiti. “Increased presence, visibility and quick response” are the best ways to prevent the action, said Lieutenant Brad Biller of the Bowling Green Police Division. The police have access to eight cameras around the downtown
area, Biller said. The cameras have led to graffiti artists’ arrests in the past, he said. “It’s very unsightly and it deteriorates the look of the property,” said Floyd Craft, owner of Ben Franklin Crafts and proponent of downtown’s initiatives. Not only is graffiti a blight, but removing it can prove expensive to the property owners as well. Removing graffiti is very costly depending on the size of the tag, the material of the wall and the labor costs, Craft said. Craft said his business has been tagged around 15 times in the past 36 years. Serious removal can cost property owners a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, said Jeff Sawyer, a
See GRAFFITI | Page 3
Students living on campus will pay an average of about 2 percent more for their housing this fall. The University’s Board of Trustees approved increasing room rates at its meeting Friday, with increases ranging from $40 per semester for a basic double room to $90 per semester for a “super single.” “We are doing our best to keep the rates as low as possible,” said trustee David Levey. “The aggregate is just a little above 2 percent. I think that puts us in a good position in Ohio with our peers.” Laundry and technology fees of $145, which were previously charged separately to students, will now be combined with room rates on students’ bills. Meal plan rates, however, will not increase for the upcoming academic year. Chief Financial Officer Sheri Stoll said it is unusual to not have an increase in meal plan prices, but the University has had higher revenues and lower expenses than anticipated since contracting with Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services in 2010. Student initiatives on campus also helped keep costs low through water and food waste-reduction efforts, including “going trayless” in dining halls, Stoll said. “Dining Services has benefited greatly from our students’ effort
SPORTS
FORUM
The BG hockey team split its weekends series with Michigan, winning 4-3 and losing 3-0. | PAGE 5
Students may not have been fully represented in the decision surrounding future Falcon’s Nest renovations. | PAGE 4
Hockey splits with Michigan
Staff Editorial
and we are very proud of what they accomplished,” she said. “We would not have been able to maintain our current board plan rates without their involvement.” The trustees also approved three capital improvement projects at the meeting — an extensive renovation to McDonald Hall, upgrades to Kreischer Quadrangle and renovations to the Falcon’s Nest and Black Swamp Pub in the Union. The improvements will cost $9.3 million, $2 million and $4 million, respectively, Stoll said. Steve Krakoff, associate vice president for Capital Planning and Design, said the residence hall upgrades will keep McDonald and Kreischer modernized, so they can remain low-cost housing options for students for “at least an additional 10 years.” McDonald’s renovations will relocate its main entrance to its east side, on North College Street, according to the meeting agenda. They will also improve bathrooms, common spaces, safety systems and wired and wireless Internet. “We’ll be doing a lot of things inside ... so it will look noticeably different,” Krakoff said. “While it won’t look like a brand new building, it will represent substantial improvement over the current condition.” The Kreischer upgrades will also improve Internet access, as well as
See BOARD | Page 3
How would you upgrade the residence halls? Swim-up blackjack table.
STEPHEN MOLLI Freshman, Undecided