2009-03-20

Page 1

SPRINGAWAKENING :

MAJOR BREAKDOWN

Friday

March 20, 2009

Volume 103, Issue 120

CAMPUS

WWW.BGVIEWS.COM

Summer job fair provides opportunity

University students had the chance to look for employment and gain valuable experience at the Summer Job Fair yesterday | Page 3

FORUM

A difference of opinions on Section O

PULSE

Seniors dissect their final years according to time spent, stress and workload required

Forum columnists debate once again! This time, columnists Josh Whetherholt and Phil Schurrer discuss the validity of the newly-passed Bowling Green housing legislation, Section O | Page 4

SOCIAL WORK

“I am not taking any classes this semester. On Mondays I do have a seminar course. This requires a few research papers, case studies, and a resume. Every other day I spend in my internship at Wood County’s Department of Jobs and Family Services in the Children’s Services unit.”

PSYCH

“My senior year is much harder than most people’s I know. I keep reminding myself of how hard I’ve worked to get where I am and how far I’ve come. And I count down the days until I graduate.”

BIOLOGY

“My friends with other majors are all still working hard. We are all trying to get out of here and get a job at the same time. I would say the biggest challenge is finding a job, especially with these economic times.”

KARI RYAN

“I had finally figured out how to work and take 17 credit hours and be involved on campus while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and then life happened. Planning a wedding, finding a job for next year and preparing for graduate school has divided my focus and made it harder to stay focused on school.”

HISTORY MARYELLEN JACKS

“At 5:45 every morning I have to go to school, Monday to Friday I cannot skip class. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if I got sick. I’ve had many nights with no sleep followed by full days of teaching.”

DEAF ED

A battle of orange

Women’s basketball team will be facing the Syracuse Orange this weekend in the WNIT game at Anderson Arena | Page 6

KATRINA BARTON

GETTING THE GRAPH: TIME CONSUMED WORK LOAD

The gymnastics team is improving immensely and working on presenting a confident exterior in front of the judges | Page 6

A daily independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community

Senior year for University students means finishing course requirements and contemplating the future as graduation looms. But is senior year for all majors created equal?

CHRIS WEINLAND

Singer/songwriter Megan Zurkey, who will be singing the national anthem at Dance Marathon this weekend, also aspires to make singing a career in Los Angeles | Page 8

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Compiled by Heather Linder Reporter

GRACE DONNELLON

Singing for the kids and hope for the future

SPORTS

With a high of only 43 degrees, though, the first day of the season is giving us the chills.

THE BG NEWS ESTABLISHED 1920

Making many improvements

Spring has finally sprung.

STRESS LEVEL

Assault victim speaks about her trauma

City police note recent rise in felonious assault in downtown area as warm weather approaches By Kristen Vasas City Editor

On the night of Feb. 1, clinical psychology doctoral student Carmen Oemig gathered with her friends at the Cla-Zel Bar in downtown Bowling Green for a friend’s celebratory birthday party. Only a short time later, she would be rushed to the Wood County Hospital with fractures to her facial bones, a shattered nose and three broken teeth — changing her life forever. Oemig became an assault victim that night when the thenunidentified 28-year-old Joshua Baker chucked a shot glass across the room after getting into a fight with another patron. “There was just this incredible force that hit my face and I could feel my teeth were broken and see the blood pouring out of my face,” Oemig said. “I remember thinking ‘why would someone do this?’” Oemig was left without answers for more than a month before Baker was arrested and charged with felonious assault. According to the Ohio Revised Code, a felonious assault occurs when a person knowingly causes serious physical harm to another with a deadly weapon or by dangerous acts. And Oemig is not alone. Within two weeks at the end of February, four other felonious assaults took place in Bowling Green, including a burglary, a kidnapping and two attacks on police officers. “It’s a coincidence everything happened all at once like that,”

• Relax your body – An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body. Learn relaxation strategies that can help you ward off stress and maintain your productivity and positive outlook. • Nurture yourself – In order to function well, it is essential to take good care of yourself. Learn about ways to nurture your body, mind and mood; and discuss strategies for overcoming obstacles to good self-care.

• Improve your relationships – Close, healthy relationships can bring you support and enjoyment. Learn some skills for building, improving, and evaluating your relationships. •Conquer procrastination – If you’re doing everything at the last minute, you’re not doing your best work. Learn about how “A” and “F” students manage their time, and build the knowledge and skills you need to conquer procrastination.

As a child, astronomy professor fell in love with the Milky Way galaxy and now runs the University’s planetarium

What do you think is the hardest major?

PEOPLE ON THE STREET

See ASSAULT | Page 2

The Counseling Center offers a variety of workshops for those student’s who may have some issues handling stress, according to the Counseling Center self help Web site. Check out the Web site for more information on how to make the most out of your major, without worrying about deadline pressures and papers due.

BEFORE: Carmen Oemig, pictured above, before she was assaulted at the Cla-Zel Bar.

Out-of-this-world professor is a member of the elite

MIKE SATTER Senior, VCT

“Undecided, because you have to pick what you want to do with the rest of your life.” | Page 4

Bowling Green Police Lt. Tony Hetrick said. “We can’t point to any one thing to be a factor.” Hetrick said the city normally sees an increase in crime in the springtime when the weather gets warmer and people spend more time outdoors. The month of April also marks the month before graduation, which brings an increased number of violations because of the rise in party goers. “Crime drops off completely after graduation, and we get pretty quiet for awhile,” he said. “There is no rhyme or reason to some of it. It just happens.” For Oemig, the timing of the assault doesn’t matter. Regardless of what month the attack occurred in, she still has to face the issues it created, she said. “When there’s a trauma like this, your power and control are taken away,” she said. “There are medical, emotional and legal realities that then can be really disruptive [and] it takes time to re-orient.” Allies in Mental Health counselor and therapist Pamela Skeeter-Hunt, who specializes in trauma cases, said the worst thing an assault victim can do during the recovery process is deny the attack ever happened. By trying to suppress the incident, Skeeter-Hunt said victims could actually make the process of emotional and physical recovery worse.

RACHEL RADWANSKI | THE BG NEWS

LOOKING TOWARD THE STARS: Professor Dale Smith holds programs in the planetarium for local school children to instruct them about the stars and planets.

By Jesper Bekkers Reporter

Dale Smith had his first contact with other planets when he was in the third grade. Now, he is a 60-year-old astronomy professor and the director of the University’s planetarium. “A friend gave me a children’s astronomy book, and I was fascinated,” he said. “Thirty-three years later, I met the author of the book.” The author sucked Smith into the world of other planets miles away from planet Earth and Smith said he has been a part of the world of science ever since. “There are only a few planetariums and astronomers, but when you’re part of the group then you’ll always be,” he said. Even though he has always been a part of that out-of-ourworld world, he didn’t like science as a young man. “The science classes [in high school] were not being taught very good, the level was medi-

um,” he said. “I really liked English, math and history. Today in my astronomy classes I always try to put history in it, to put the information in perspective.” I think that students should always take a wide range of classes. You don’t know what knowledge you need to have in your future area of work. I still use a lot of knowledge that was taught during high school — something I could never predict.” After high school Smith wanted to study astronomy; a friend of his had the same major in Seattle and spoke highly of the program. “My friend found the school great, so I went doing that,” he said. Smith came to the University in 1983 when he was informed there was a job opportunity and the faculty was investing in a planetarium. Haowen Xi is a computation-

See SMITH | Page 2

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CARMEN OEMIG

AFTER: Carmen Oemig after the assault at the Cla-Zel Bar.

CAMPUS BRIEF

Free tickets to women’s basketball game offered first come, first served

According to an e-mail sent to all University students, 300 students could have a chance to go to the WNIT match-up between BGSU and Syracuse for free on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Anderson Arena. The 300 free tickets are courtesy of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and are offered on a first come, first served basis at the Memorial Hall Ticket Office today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are also available at Union Information Desk today from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. There is a one ticket limit per student, and the student must show student ID to claim a ticket. Regular admission tickets are $4 each and can be purchased at the Memorial Hall Ticket Office today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or at the game with a valid student ID.

VISIT BGVIEWS.COM: NEWS, SPORTS, UPDATES, MULTIMEDIA AND FORUMS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE


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