THE BG NEWS
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ESTABLISHED 1920 | An independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
Friday, January 31, 2014
Volume 93, Issue 59
Conference highlights Black History Month
‘the power of the camera’
Multicultural Affairs to host Black Issues Conference on Saturday
John Quiñones, journalist and host of What Would You Do? speaks to University Wednesday night
Amirah Adams Reporter
For a little more than a decade, a diverse group of students, faculty, staff and those traveling from all over Ohio have come together in celebration of Black History Month. The 15th annual Black Issues Conference will take place Saturday Feb. 1 in 101 Olscamp all day. Sheila Brown, associate director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, is the conference chair this year. “Last year was actually my first time coordinating the conference,” Brown said. “Before that, we would traditionally have graduate students who would coordinate the event.” In previous years, the format of the conference has been consistent with sessions, a panel and a speaker. Junior Alexis Saulter, Conference Underg raduate St udent Coordinator, said her favorite part of the conference last year was the National Pan-Hellenic Council panel. “They had a lot of advice on college life,” Saulter said. “Because they were older, I feel like the advice was really well received.” The Pan-Hellenic Council won’t be present at the 2014 conference, and instead there will be an additional speaker. “This year, we really wanted to do something special as far as changing the format of the conference just a little bit, which we did,” Brown said. Two keynote speakers will speak at the 2014 conference. Ohio State Senator Nina Turner will speak during the luncheon and Paul James, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Duke University, will be the closing speaker. “I am very excited to hear Nina Turner speak,” Brown said, “She’s such a dynamic speaker, I think the students would really receive her message warmly.” A brochure will also be given out
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By Eric Lagatta Campus Editor
Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, John Quiñones’ teachers never saw much for him beyond high school, but that never deterred him from seeking a college education and, beyond that, a career in journalism. “My school saw me as another Mexican kid with no likelihood of making it in college,” Quiñones told a packed Union ballroom on Wednesday evening. Now, Quiñones has a master’s, seven Emmys, and has covered stories around the world. Quiñones, 61, who spoke at the University Wednesday in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, framed his talk with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” University President Mary Ellen Mazey introduced Quiñones’ talk, “What Would You Do? A 20/20 Vision of America,” and said some words on King’s vision for America. “I still get cold chills down my spine when I read or hear the words of Dr. King’s ‘I have a dream speech,’” Mazey told the ballroom. “We all know the living words that speak to us today.” These days, Quiñones is a co-anchor of ABC news magazine “Primetime” and host of the series “What Would You Do?,” a hidden-camera show in which actors stage public scenes of illegal or contentious activity to see if and how bystanders react. But Quiñones was “born in poverty;” his father was a janitor and his mother cleaned houses. In San Antonio, a place that was 60 percent Hispanic, his family spoke not a word of English. Quiñones earned money as a kid by shining shoes. Eventually, his family joined a caravan of migrant farm workers. After traveling all the way to Swanton, Ohio, he eventually returned to his hometown to pursue a journalism career. “The only stories coming out [of San Antonio] were about drugs and gangs and illegal immigrants,” he said. “I
WANT TO SEE MORE PHOTOS?
See JOHN | Page 7
The Emmy-award winner returned Thursday for question and answer session
See ISSUES | Page 2
Check BGnews.com for albums from both days Quiñones was here.
By Seth Weber Web Editor
John Quiñones’ 1986 coverage of a Florida space shuttle take off was supposed to be boring, but became the start of a career full of emotional, hard-hitting stories. That shuttle turned out to be the Challenger, which exploded during take off. Although shaken and emotional while reporting, Quiñones learned early in his career not to let his emotions get the best of him. After speaking in the Union ballroom Wednesday evening, Quiñones spoke again in Olscamp 101 on Thursday morning,
See Quiñones | Page 2
ZAPPING THE STRESS AWAY
‘Controversial’ production to debut this weekend Theatre and Film Department hosts ‘Blue Orange,’ set in a psychiatric hospital By Jackie Elliott Reporter
Amanda Matthews | THE BG NEWS
STUDENTS PLAY laser tag in the Union on Thursday night hosted by University Activities Organization.
Manning vs “Beast Mode” The Super Bowl is Feb. 2 at 6:25 p.m. on Fox. The sports staff makes their picks with an analysis. The Broncos host the NFL’s best offense against Seattle’s best defense. | PAGE 3
The theatre and film department is putting on the production “The Blue Orange,” which addresses sanity, power, hierarchy and even racism. The controversial play is taking place during the department’s “elsewhere season.” Jonathan Chambers, director of the production, said that “elsewhere season” is a chance for the actors to grow. Elsewhere season” happens between the main stage season, which is during the entire academic year. “We get the chance to build a connection with the audience and become better at the craft of acting,” Chambers said. The play contains a controver-
sial topic in racism. The cast of the play is very small, having only three members. Chambers said that it’s important to have strong skilled actors for this particular production. Set in contemporary times, the play is based in England, and contains tough language and requires an accent. Set in a psychiatric hospital, one patient claims to be the son of an African dictator and the plot escalates from there. Brett Mutter, an actor in the production, said the play was complex but required him to step out of his comfort zone. “I enjoy doing musicals, but I had never done an accent before,” he said. “I enjoyed doing something different and working on new things.” Some plays do contain contro-
GIFTED INTELLIGENCE
Columnist Paul McKenzie talks about his own intelligence and how he tried to make sure he kept learning during the trials of his life. He also talks about being compared to other students. | PAGE 4
versy, such as this topic of racism and power. The actors feel that the correct representation is important. Graduate student Quincy Thomas is also one of the actors in the production. He said that he enjoys being apart of things that speak for something, but it has to be done in the right way. “I don’t mind being in this production,” he says “I just did not want to be caricaturized and I think Jonathan understood that.” The production will leave the audience with something to think about once it ends. It debuts Friday Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. with a second show on Saturday. The “Blue Orange” will be hosted in the Eva Marie Saint Theatre in the Wolfe Center. Admission to the play is free, but seating will be limited.
What would you NAME YOUR LASER TAG TEAM? Why? “Most Moistest, because it sounds funny and rolls off the tongue. ” Robert Emerson Freshman, Criminal Justice