THE 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES: U.S. MEDAL COUNT Find out what events you should be watching tonight. OLYMPICKS | PAGE 6
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Freestyle Skiing (Women’s Moguls)
Nordic Combined (Individual Nh/10 Km Cc)
Snowboarding (Men’s Snowboard Cross and Men’s Halfpipe)
Freestyle Skiing (Women’s Moguls and Men’s Moguls)
Short-track Speed Skating (Men’s 1500m)
Short-track Speed Skating (Men’s 1500m and Men’s 1000m)
Alpine Skiing (Women’s Downhill and Men’s Super-Combined) Speed Skating (Men’s 1000m)
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Alpine Skiing (Women’s Downhill, Women’s Super Combined and Men’s Super-G)
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THE BG NEWS Snowboarding (Women’s Halfpipe) Speed Skating (Men’s 1500m) Figure Skating (Ice Dancing)
Alpine Skiing (Men’s Downhill, Men’s Super-G and Women’s Super-G) Speed Skating (Men’s 1000m) Snowboarding (Men’s Halfpipe and Women’s Halfpipe)
ESTABLISHED 1920 A daily independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Volume 104, Issue 107
www.bgviews.com
RAs keep students Users vs. busy on snow days with ABUSERS good, clean fun By Shaina Smith Reporter
In an effort to keep residents entertained during snow days, Residence Life is making sure all hall directors and their staff have snow day activities on deck. The University has not had a full snow day yet this school year, but there are procedures hall directors and resident advisers carry out for the residents. ResidenceLifeSeniorAssociate Director Sarah Waters said that RAs and hall directors put on additional programs and provide social activities like game tournaments, study tables or going out to sled. RAs are also asked to make additional community rounds to be a resource for the residents. Every hall is in charge of coming up with their own plan for University closures. Harshman Anderson and Bromfield Hall
Director Rick Lofgren said other halls have their activities already planned before the closure is announced, but his hall does not decide what programs they will provide until the morning the school closes. “Anderson and Bromfield halls are more impromptu,” Lofgren said. Sophomore Joe Tucker, an RA in Kreischer Ashley, said every RA is in charge of their residents, but they can participate in the programs that other RAs coordinate on different floors. “I would have video games or have a game day, night or afternoon depending on what time of day it is,” Tucker said. “It’s just the idea of giving students something to do besides chilling in their room.” With snow days there is the possibility of students getting antsy and possibly participating in reckless behavior, but
“It’s just the idea of giving students something to do besides chilling in their room.” Joe Tucker | Resident Adviser
Waters said she hasn’t had any problems in that department. “Students at BG are very responsible. They understand what it means to be a good community member,” Waters said. The main goal for Residence Life is to provide activities for students to participate in. “We prepare a lot for things that sometimes don’t happen, but we try to be as proactive as possible by having RAs and hall directors talking about activities for the snow day,” Waters said.
Women players dominate men on club’s chess board By Angela Green Reporter
The University’s chess club is not a typical chess club. Club president Daniel Gordon said 90 percent of chess players are male, but the University’s chess club, has more female members than male members. “It’s not very typical,” Gordon said. “People think males are better at sports so they must be better at chess. Women are just as good if not better.” Breaking the stereotypes of chess players even more, not everyone in the chess club is a computer science major. Gordon said there are all kinds of majors in the club and that diversity helps the group. Gordon, who learned how to
play chess from his father, started the club from scratch last semester. “I know this sounds corny but I fell in love with it and have been playing ever since,” he said. “It’s kind of like a sport but it’s more strategic and tactical than a card game or kicking a ball into a goal.” The club meets twice a week and Gordon said they were lucky to have five people show up in the beginning. The club now has 46 members and not all have been playing their entire lives. Gordon said about 20 percent of members are completely new at playing chess, 20 percent have played for years and the rest fall in between. “If they’re a true beginner, we
teach them the rules, how to set up the board and pieces and what the legal moves are,” he said. Then the chess club take a hands-off approach. “Once they know how to play, we pit them against people with the same skill level and then the planning and strategy come later,” he said. Tyler Appt, a freshman who has been playing chess since he was a kid, said simply playing at the meetings is the best way to learn. “The better the player, the farther ahead they think and if they’re thinking ahead of you, you won’t last very long,” Appt
RYAN PIROG | THE BG NEWS
What starts out as social drinking can lead to alcoholism, making some seek out professional help through the University By Michelle Olmstead Reporter
Although Folmar spent some unorthodox bonding time with her dad, who is still dealing with his own alcoholism, she said she did not drink outside of his home until college. Folmar started drinking at social gath-
Senior Sarah Folmar had her first drink at the age of 11 — with her father. “My brothers and I used to go visit my dad on the weekends,” Folmar said. “He didn’t see us very often, so he just always tried to be the cool dad.”
See ABUSE | Page 3
See CHESS | Page 2
Fun Classes | Ongoing series
Editor’s Note: This story represents the first in a series looking at classes students take for fun at the University. Today, we look at the educational side of ice skating.
Ice skating serves as educational, fun course for college credit
By Anthony Phillips Reporter
ENOCH WU | THE BG NEWS
ENDGAME: Sophomore Alexandra McCollum captures a white pawn and closes in on the king while playing freshman Travis Edge during a friendly match in Chess Club.
CAMPUS Get a “Clue” with Cru
Cru coordinates a six-week murder mystery game in which participants must narrow down suspects to discover who committed the crime | Page 3
FORUM University’s priorities skewed
As tuition is expected to rise again, the salaries of University administrators such as President Carol Cartwright will also rise, a show of hypocrisy, according to guest columnist Matthew Stewart | Page 4
Some students take classes for a requirement, and some as an elective for their major, but others take classes for a different reason — fun. Ice skating is one such class, and senior Adrienne Jones is one such student. “Really, I just wanted to take a fun course,” Jones said. Jones, an accounting major, said all of her classes up until this point have counted toward graduation. The class is taught by Laura
“I have been skating since I was 9 and I have learned a lot from this class.”
Dunn, ice arena staff assistant, who has been teaching the class for two years. Dunn said there are a variety of students who take the class. They differ in major, year, skill and reason. “You will get a chunk of phys. ed. Brittany Deas | Sophomore majors that are required to take classes, so they will look for something different or fun,” Dunn said. 9 and I have learned a lot from “But there are a decent amount this class,” Deas said. who do not have to take it and are Deas said one problem she has looking for something fun to do.” always had was stopping, but Sophomore Brittany Deas, a because of Dunn and the class, physical education major, said See FUN | Page 2 she took the class for fun as well. “I have been skating since I was
SPORTS All about the team
Junior track star Brittani McNeal is putting personal accolades aside as she strives to focus on the team as a whole | Page 6
PEOPLE ON THE STREET If you could create a college course, what would the topic be? JENNIE HARTMAN, Sophomore, Communication Disorders
“Painting with your body parts.” | Page 4
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