2010-02-17

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THE 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES: U.S. MEDAL COUNT Find out what events you should be watching tonight. OLYMPICKS | PAGE 7

Freestyle Skiing (Ladies’ Moguls)

Nordic Combined (Individual Nh/10 Km Cc)

Snowboarding (Men’s Snowboard Cross)

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Freestyle Skiing (Ladies’ Moguls) Short-track Speed Skating (Men’s 1500m)

Short-track Speed Skating (Men’s 1500m)

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Freestyle Skiing (Ladies’ Moguls) Alpine Skiing (Men’s Downhill)

THE BG NEWS

ESTABLISHED 1920 A daily independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Volume 104, Issue 103

www.bgviews.com

“Can you hand me a pop?” COURTNEY STELLAR | THE BG NEWS

ANALYZE: Pi Sigma Alpha hosted an event to discuss Obama’s first year last night. Topics were discussed among professors (from left to right) David Jackson, Melissa Miller, Jeffrey Peake and Dion Farganis. Students were also encouraged to participate toward the end of the discussion.

Faculty debates Obama’s term By Kate Snyder Managing Editor

In an event hosted by the Pi Sigma Alpha political science fraternity Tuesday, four University political science professors debated President Barack Obama’s first year in office. David Jackson, Melissa Miller, Jeff Peake and Dion Farganis answered questions posed by members of PSA about the current administration. PSA President Coleman Howes started the debate by asking how Obama has done in being transparent. Peake said the American Political Science Association has lobbied for open government records, and the administration responded quickly to those concerns. But Jackson said there are still promises the president has

yet to keep. “They said they’d put the health care debates on C-SPAN, and that hasn’t happened yet,” he said. In response, Peake said the president bears a lot of blame for unrealistic expectations from Americans. Farganis said Obama is almost too good at public speaking, and that causes some to believe the president is transparent when it might not be the case. “He’s so good on his feet that he gives the impression of being transparent,” he said. The next question was whether Obama’s health care reform package was a practical idea. Farganis said the health care reform is facing a stalemate because the current government system is ill-equipped to handle meaningful change.

“I think Obama’s running into issues presidents have faced before,” Farganis said. “He may have great ideas, but the restraints are too much.” One of the other questions asked was about the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how the president is handling the war. The professors agreed the war is winding down, though not finished. Miller said the plan is to remove most troops by 2011, which leaves the administration with a short time frame to see improvements in the Middle East. “This has been going on for years,” she said. “Will another 18 to 24 months help?” Once all of the pre-arranged questions were asked, the floor was opened for questions from

See OBAMA | Page 2

Presidents Day attracts prospective students By Christie Kerner Reporter

High school students, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings all ventured to campus Monday to find out what the University has to offer. The University’s Presidents Day open house welcomed an estimated 5,000 people to participate in the numerous festivities going on throughout the day. Of the 5,000 people, 1,958 seniors and juniors, as well as sophomores, freshmen and transfer students were confirmed to have attended. Director of Admissions Gary Swegan said he was impressed by the number of states represented by the students. “We had a total of 19 states that showed up,” Swegan said. “That’s pretty significant.” Of the states represented, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York ranked the highest in attendance. Students from as far away as California and Texas also participated. “We usually put on a very positive show for people,” Swegan said.

“Don’t you mean soda?”

Is that how ‘y’all’ say it?

To those with different dialects, one word can have multiple meanings By Hannah Nusser Reporter

With the slip of a ‘y’all’ from a southerner’s lip or by asking for a pair of trousers instead of pants, out-of-town University students can give themselves away with a single word or phrase. Beverly Flanigan, a retired professor of linguistics at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, said there is an important difference between a person’s accent and his or her dialect. Accent refers to sound of vowels and consonants, whether or not they sound nasally; dialect is a larger range of lingual elements including pronunciation, words and grammar. “Accent is basic I would say, but when you add grammar and word choice then you have the whole dialect picture,” Flanigan said. Flanigan said habitants of different Ohio regions may use the same words with different meanings, which can be confusing for travelers and out-of-towners. The Bowling Green area, for example, refers to a toboggan as a narrow, wooden board used in the snow sport tobogganing, but in Central Ohio, they’ll tell you not to forget your toboggan if you’re hitting up the

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”

ski trails. “Down in this part of the state a toboggan is a wool hat, like a ski cap … it’s very common down here [but] it was totally new to me … I didn’t know what people meant when they said ‘don’t forget your toboggan,’” Flanigan said. Senior Jacob Lawrence, originally from Jackson, Miss., said he noticed a big difference in the way Ohioans talk when he arrived at the University. “You say y’alls A’s different … the word ‘and,’ there’s a ‘y’ in it almost. It’s really flat,” Lawrence said. “So someone saying the word boss … if you’re really southern, some people say ‘baws,’ some people up here say ‘bass.’” It’s not just the sounds of words, Lawrence said, word choice is different in Ohio as well. “The ‘you guys’ thing is a whole lot different — we say y’all down south,” Lawrence said. In the southern states, he said, everyone uses the word ‘coke’ instead of pop, soda or soda pop to refer to the popular carbonated beverage. “And the ‘pop’ still throws me off ... [in

See SPEECH | Page 2

“Don’t you mean pants?”

COURTNEY STELLAR | THE BG NEWS

SCHOOL-HUNTING:Campus was busy on President’s Day with future students exploring the University.

Students had the opportunity to learn of different majors, careers and organizations offered to University students. Steven Pedro, a junior at Anthony Wayne High School, was amazed by all of the options. “There are so many different career opportunities that it’s hard to pick what interests me,” Pedro said. “I had something to do at each hour.” Karen Pedro, his mother, was impressed by the information provided before even stepping foot on campus. “It was great having the itinerary on the Web site so he could

CAMPUS Taking care of toddlers

Once an old hospital, Johnston Hall has become a place for both international and local preschool students | Page 3

plan ahead of time,” she said. The University staff and volunteers also offered new features to those who visited Monday. These features included Residence Life accepting housing payments in the Union ballroom for committed students by setting up computers for on-site registration. “We feel like a lot of students were excited and committed,” Swegan said. University Admissions saw an unusually high number of pre-registered students for Monday compared to years

See VISITS | Page 2

FORUM The blues are unappreciated art

The blues were created by those who had little but found a form of expression that would later influence music for future generations, says columnist Hama Bbela | Page 4

Easter season begins with Lent celebration By Nicole Celebrezze Reporter

“Receiving ashes is a Catholic tradition of always being mindful of death . . .”

CORRECTION

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent, and for University senior Angela Vadini, that means giving up drinking pop. “I can never stick to my New Jonathan Grodi | Veritas Year’s resolutions, but I always stick to what I give up for Lent,” Vadini said. conversations with others. Campus missionary Andrew Jonathan Grodi, event coordinaReinhart, of St. Thomas More tor for Veritas, a Catholic organizaUniversity Parish, said there are tion on campus, said even though many different items or habits students can give up for Lent, such See LENT | Page 2 as Facebook, TV or texting during

SPORTS SPORTS Swim team has strong bond The swim team has come together this season in a sport that is usually focused on individuals | Page 7

In Tuesday’s article “USG stays neutral on faculty unionization,” The BG News incorrectly reported Provost Ken Borland is supportive of the faculty unionization process. Borland is supportive of faculty, not a union.

PEOPLE ON THE STREET PEOPLE ON THE STREET What are you giving up for Lent? JUSTIN DeJOHN Senior, English

“Saying the f-word.” | Page 4

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


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2010-02-17 by BG Falcon Media - Issuu