3.24.10

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THE BUTLER

COLLEGIAN

WEDNESDAY MARCH

24 2010

www.thebutlercollegian.com

Indianapolis, Indiana

Established 1886

Vol. 124 Issue 21

Could low enrollment mean cutting classes?

Faculty Senate endorses College of Communication SEE STORY PAGE 3

Rev. Sharon Watkins to be commencement speaker

SEE STORY PAGE 3

SEE STORY PAGE 5

SWEET MADNESS Steven Peek speek@butler.edu

team’s 22nd consecutive victory, a mark that continues to be the longest active winning streak in the nation. Butler’s 77-59 win against the Miners of UTEP was a convincing one, even though things were not headed in a winning direction at halftime. The Bulldogs were down to the Miners 3327 at the break and looked uneasy on both ends of the court. UTEP forced Butler into seven turnovers in the first 20 minutes and relied on points in the paint. Starting junior Derrick Caracter, a 6-foot-9-inch, 275-pound transfer from

In an NCAA Tournament filled with upsets, the Butler men’s basketball team survived two threatening opponents in San Jose, Calif., to advance to the Sweet 16 in the West Regional. Butler (30-4) has made a living off of second-half comebacks, and last weekend, they punched their ticket to Salt Lake City with two more. Butler, a No. 5 seed in the tournament, completed its eighth and ninth second-half comebacks of the season to defeat No. 12 seed UTEP (26-7) in its first-round game and No. 13 seed Murray State (31-5) in its second-round game. The latest win was the

See MADNESS Page 11

o

INSIDE Sports Extra...........2

NCAA Playlist of

BUPD Beat.............6

the Week..............10

Campus Pulse........6

On Deck.................11

Staff Editorial.........7

Sports Thought....13

Columns............7&8

Good Luck at the

Paw Prints..............8

Sweet

Reviews............9&10

Bulldogs...............14

16,

Sexist Housing

Of Music and Basketball

Women’s BB Falls in WNIT

Butler’s current housing policies reflect outdated gender roles that assume women need protection.

Nored listens to Lady Antebellum? This week’s playlist features the basketball team’s favorite songs.

Women’s basketball suffers a narrow loss to Illinois State in the WNIT’s first round.

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Butler Forecast Today

Tomorrow

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

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The Butler Collegian

SPORTS EXTRA

SPORTS EXTRA

Sophomore starters shine in San Jose Steven Peek speek@butler.edu When analysts or fans list go-to guys on the basketball court, they reasonably name upperclassmen—those players who’ve earned the right to consistently start games and continue on with the team. But, three sophomores on Butler’s men’s basketball team have earned the right to be go-to guys on a Sweet 16bound team. Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Ronald Nored have each, in their own right, found success and made fans look to them as playmakers. Hayward, named the Horizon League Player of the Year, has been looked to for big numbers in multiple categories. After playing in 31 of the team’s 32 regular season games, he led the team in five statistical categories: total points (477), points per game (15.4), total rebounds (263), rebounds per game (8.5) and blocks (26). Hayward also tied Mack for most 20-point games (7) and led Butler in double-figure rebounding games (12) and double-doubles (12). Hayward has been able to satisfy expectations this season, being a proficient perimeter shooter and a powerful force inside the lane. In this sense, Hayward has had to battle all season. He has had to battle through teams scouting him intensely, a late-season back injury and the resulting shooting difficulties in the NCAA Tournament. Hayward scored 13 points against

UTEP but shot 0-for-6 from behind the arc. He scored 12 against Murray State, but again, not in an efficient or impressive manner. “I’ve been struggling with my shot especially lately, and I came out kind of flat,” Hayward said. “I guess I wasn’t fully there mentally, so that probably describes how my game went, but I think my teammates picked me up for sure—words of motivation from everyone.” But the whole weekend, Hayward scrapped his way to points in the paint, rebounds, and loose balls, and it paid off for the Bulldogs in subtle ways. “Twice he caused mistakes at the end of a shot clock violation on defense,” Stevens said. “He dives on the loose ball at the end of the game, he’s getting offensive rebounds, he keeps things alive and you have to account for him everywhere you go. He’s a big-time player.” Mack was the point guard for the gold medal-winning USA Men’s Basketball Under-19 team. However he has been called on for a different role at Butler. The team looks to Mack to be a pure scorer. He fulfilled that role by leading the team with made three-pointers (55), field goals made (161) and double-figure scoring games (27). Mack has been known to lead by example, as seen through his 25 points against UTEP. And he’s not quick to speak out and certainly would not be quick to boast about his individual play. Mack said that it’s great to be on a stage like the NCAA Tournament, but that the team ultimately gets the credit. “My teammates give me the ball and

Collegian photos courtesy of John Fetcho

TRIPLE THREAT: (From left to right) Butler starting sophomores Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Ronald Nored each have been big contributors both throughout the regular season and NCAA Tournament. let me shoot all the time,” he said. “My teammates found me when I was open [against UTEP], and you’ve got to knock it [down] just like in open gym.” Nored is the point guard and has had to make adjustments this season, much like his fellow starting sophomores. He began the season recovering from a stress fracture in his left leg and was looked to for immediate improvements when the pre-conference results did not meet fans’ high expectations. Accordingly, Nored has run the offense and led the team’s defensive efforts with increasing success each week. The Homewood, Ala. native led Butler in

steals (51) and assists (116) after playing in all 32 regular season games. Nored’s assist-to-turnover ratio has improved steadily with time. Last season, he averaged 2.63 assists and 2.41 turnovers per game in the regular season. This season, his numbers have improved to 3.63 assists and 1.88 turnovers per game. Also, Nored’s 83 steals this season are a vast improvement on the 32 he had in the 2008-09 season. But, Nored also brings an element of fun to the team. While his personality is intense on the court (just look at his face when he is playing defense), he is most-

ly light-hearted and humorous off the court. During a press conference in San Jose, Calif. this past weekend, a reporter asked senior Willie Veasley if anyone ever confuses 31-year-old head coach Brad Stevens for one of the players. Veasley said that he has never heard of anyone making that mistake. “He couldn’t hang with us,” Nored jokingly chimed in with Stevens sitting just to his left. Witty, playful moments like this show the dual nature of Nored’s presence: an on-the-court competitor and an offthe-court friend.

How do conferences stack up in the NCAA Tournament? The Fayetteville Observer, N.C. MCT

Collegian photo from MCT

BIG TIME: Evan Turner and the Buckeyes are one of three Big Ten teams in the Sweet 16.

One way to measure conference superiority is to compare records after the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Well, that's where we’re at. So let’s take a look at which leagues have thrived and which have fallen flat. Bi g Ten (7 -2 ) What happened: Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue all made the Sweet 16, the most of any conference. Wisconsin won its first-round game before falling to Cornell. Minnesota lost its first game. What it means: That the Big Ten is the best conference? Not really. None of its teams that advanced really dominated. They actually benefited from having just five teams make the tournament since its lower level teams weren't there to lose in the first round. But Ohio State is a legitimate national title contender. And Purdue was, too, before losing Robbie Hummel. So it looks like the conference was a little underrated. S EC (4 -2 ) What happened: Kentucky and Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16. Vanderbilt and Florida lost in the first round. What it means: If there was one team that looked unbeatable in the first two rounds, it was Kentucky. At this point, the Wildcats have got to be the odds-on favorites to win the national title. Tennessee will have its hands full

in its next game against Ohio State. An upset would give this conference extra prestige. Like the Big Ten, the SEC benefited from having most of its bubble teams miss the tournament. But they’ve proven that they’re still a player on the national scene, which wasn't the case last season. Paci fi c 1 0 (3 -1 ) What happened: 11th-seeded Washington advanced to the Sweet 16. California lost in the second round. What it means: If there was one conference that needed a reputation lift, it was the Pacific 10. With only two teams in the bracket, word was this league was drastically down this year. While that may still be true, Washington and California represented well, each winning its first game. Washington also had another upset in the second round and is still playing. Looks like the Pacific 10 is better than we thought. Bi g Eas t (6 -5 ) What happened: This conference suffered a couple of major upsets, with Georgetown (a No. 3 seed) falling in Round 1 and Villanova (a No. 2 seed) in Round 2. Louisville and Notre Dame also lost their openers, and Pittsburgh fell in the second round. But both West Virginia and Syracuse advanced to the Sweet 16. What it means: As we thought, the Big East is a very good conference. West Virginia and Syracuse each have legitimate title hopes. But the best conference in the country? At this

point, it doesn't look like it. Maybe their two remaining entries can change our minds. ACC (5 -5 ) What happened: Duke made the Sweet 16. Florida State and Clemson lost in the first round. Maryland, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest lost in the second round. What it means: The ACC is just what we thought—a great conference in a bit of a down year but still very good. Duke has title hopes. Maryland lost on a last-second shot to Michigan State. Everyone else played as well as expected. Usually this league will have at least two teams still playing on the second weekend. This year that’s not the case and deservedly so. Bi g 1 2 (4 -5 ) What happened: No. 1 overall seed Kansas was upset in the second round by Northern Iowa. Kansas State and Baylor each made the Sweet 16. Texas A&M lost in the second round, while Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma State lost their openers. What it means: The jury's still out as both Kansas State and Baylor are capable of deep runs that could redeem the conference. But Kansas’ loss certainly puts a damper on things. It looks like the league was overrated, but we'll see. Al s o s ti l l pl ay i ng . . . Xavier (Atlantic 10), Butler (Horizon), Cornell (Ivy), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) and Saint Mary's (West Coast).


The Butler Collegian

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

NEWS

NEWS

Faculty endorses college Olivia Ingle oingle@butler.edu

faculty responsibilities after this vote.” Visiting Assistant Professor of Journalism Ed Kanis voiced his support for voting in favor of the endorsement at that meeting. “As much as we would collectively, in these three areas, like to look at another structure, we conclude that without the structure of the proposal, we will not be serving our students the way that we should,” Kanis said. “If we’re true to our missions as educators, we’re doing a service to our students, not to ourselves.” Associate Professor of English Bill Watts rebutted that the motion would slow the creation of a college but not the convergence of programs. The Senate voted against amendment number two, 13-14, indicating a desire to complete the voting process. Jeanne Van Tyle, Faculty Senate chair, read aloud the resolution passed by Student Government Association March 17 as a means to show that students formally and independently endorsed the creation of the college. The third and final vote of the morning was to vote on motion one, “that the Faculty Senate endorses the establishment of a College of Communication at Butler University comprising the current departments of communication studies, media arts, and the School of Journalism as supported by the Academic Affairs Committee.” Tied to this vote was the first amendment to include a clause about the need for convergence regardless of structure. With the 14-11-1 vote, the College of Communication proposal will continue on to the Board of Trustees and administration. Associate Professor and Director of the Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism Nancy Whitmore expressed relief that the proposal passed the scrutiny of Faculty Senate. “I’m very happy that we’re moving forward with this now,” she said.

After more than a month-and-a-half of discussion, the vote is in. Faculty Senate voted in favor of endorsing the College of Communication, making it possible for the proposal to move forward in the approval process to the Board of Trustees and Butler University administration. The vote was 14-11 in favor of endorsement, with one Faculty Senator abstaining their vote. At the beginning of the meeting, Butler President Bobby Fong said the administration was waiting for the approval of Faculty Senate in order to move forward so the end result would be a better experience for students in the three academic departments most effected: journalism, media arts, and communication studies. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jamie Comstock said the communications faculty has been aware of the importance of getting the Senate’s support before the proposal could move forward, resulting in extended efforts to win the senators’ support. However, Computer Science Professor Jon Sorenson presented two motions to amend the original motion before it came to a final vote. The first amendment was to attach a clause to the endorsement that would stress the faculty’s approval of the idea of convergence regardless of if a college was created. The amendment was not a substitution for any line in the original motion to endorse the college, but rather was just another way to emphasize support for convergence. “I propose to endorse the emergence of curricula,” Sorenson said. “Work on the converged curricula should continue whether we get a new college or not.” The Senate voted 19-10 in favor of Sorenson’s proposed amendment. The second amendment asked Faculty Senate to suspend voting on whether or not to endorse the college until a later time when more research and presentations could be completed. Paul Hanson, a professor of history, said he was not yet convinced that a new college is necessary. He said he remains concerned about the budgetary argument because bringing in more students into a set curriculum requires more money. Communication Studies Professor William Neher responded by saying there is nothing gained by holding up the process at this point. “You’re going to have to take any new major, any new minor, any new program, any new degree to curricula committees already Collegian photo by Rachel Senn in place,” he said. “It’ll come back through [Faculty Senate] again RULES: Professor William Neher (right), Faculty Senate and you’ll get to vote on every change that significantly affects the parlimentarian, clarified the rules of order for the senate meeting.

Policy reinforced to cut small classes Jennifer Pignolet jpignole@butler.edu As Butler University students select their classes for the next academic semester, they may face a new challenge: the possibility of the administration cutting classes with too few students enrolled. The policy is not technically new. However, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jamie Comstock said there is a renewed effort to make it uniformly enforced across all five colleges. “There are lots of things we do to make sure we use resources wisely and to serve students well,” Comstock said. “One of those things is to make sure classes are spread across the grid.” The policy states that any course with less than five students enrolled by the Wednesday after the close of regular registration, or eight students after the first Monday in May, will go on a list to be considered for elimination by the deans and the provost. “It’s not a hard-fast rule,” Comstock said. “There’s just a trigger point for when we start to examine the enrollment in the courses to determine if there’s a more efficient use of the resources.” Courses that are automatically exempt from the policy include classes in the honors program, foreign languages, applied music, directed music, internships, independent studies and all classes at the 100 and 200 levels. But not all students are convinced there are enough exceptions. Senior physics major Kim Phifer said students in her department are nervous about why courses required to graduate are not on the list of those automatically exempt from being cut. “A lot of our required classes don’t have eight students, but there’s no blanket statement written into the policy (protecting required classes),” Phifer said. “It’s nerve-racking.” She said the policy may cause students trouble when they try to plan their semesters in advance, as they may not be sure which classes will get cut. Sondrea Ozolins of Registration and Records said the See POLICY Page 6


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

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The Butler Collegian

NEWS

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Campaign fights for removal of r-word Tara McElmurry tmcelmur@butler.edu Katie Cortelyou loves ice cream, knows a ton about movies and movie stars, has a big heart and is a best friend. The r-word offends Cortelyou who has Down Syndrome, sophomore Elizabeth Erb, the membership coordinator of Best Buddies, said. Throughout March, Best Buddies chapters across the state and nation as well as around the world will be hosting events to celebrate Best Buddies Month and Disabilities Awareness Month. March 3 marked the pledge day for the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. The Best Buddies Organization has tables set up inside Starbucks for people to sign their name pledging against using the r-word. This week is the last week of the campaign. “The focus of this campaign is to remove the word ‘retard’ from your everyday vocabulary,” Sophomore and Special Events Coordinator for Best Buddies Ben Trefilek said. “The point is to get everyone to pledge, and hopefully by pledging, they realize that it is a hurtful word and that it raises awareness about people with intellectual disabilities.” Best Buddies also has some of their buddies stand at the tables to talk to people about how the r-word affects them. The campaign was started in 2009 by Soren Palumbo, who is currently a junior at the University of Notre Dame. Palumbo started the campaign in response to the derogatory use of the r-word in the movie “Tropic Thunder.” The r-word campaign quickly turned into a national effort when the Special Olympics found out about it and began to promote it. “People don’t realize that people with intellectual disabilities understand when

someone is using the r-word in a derogatory way, and it really hurts them,” Erb said. “The goals are to spread that awareness and replace the r-word with respect. “With that elimination of the r-word, we start to see people with intellectual disabilities no longer as someone who is different because they have an intellectual disability. We instead see an individual who is a sister or a pianist or an athlete.” Junior Kylee Kirk, a Best Buddies member, said she thinks this campaign is another part of the maturation process in college. “I think this campaign affects Butler students not only now but in the future,” Kirk said. “We’re growing up. We need to realize that there’s a time to be mature. There’s a time when you don’t say things that are hurtful.” Kirk said another way to spread awareness is simply by word of mouth. “If you hear somebody saying it, stop them,” Kirk said. “You don’t have to be rude or make people feel uncomfortable, just make them educated about how that can affect somebody else and what the word really means. She said it has a deeper meaning than trying to say someone’s stupid or doesn’t get something.” To pledge, people write their names down in a pledge book at one of the Best Buddies’ tables. Best Buddies then enters the names into the r-word Web site, rword.org. Trefilek said that their goal is to have 1,000 signatures, which is a quarter of the Butler community. He said they are about halfway there. Trefilek said that if they don’t reach 1,000, he wouldn’t consider the campaign a failure. He said the most important thing is getting the word out. Erb said that even something so small as being mindful of word usage can make

Collegian photo courtesy of Elizabeth Erb

LIFELONG BUDDIES: Butler students and their buddies attended a Halloween party in October, one of the organization’s many activities promoting the interaction between the buddies and disability awareness. a huge difference in the lives of those with intellectual disabilities and the friends and families of those with intellectual disabilities. “It only takes you 20 times to break a habit,” Erb said. “So after 20 times of catching yourself and replacing ‘retarded’ with unfair or pointless, you have just changed the lives of millions of people.” Erb said that this campaign is about more than just taking this word out of common vocabulary. It’s about learning to accept differences, she said.

“Everyone is different, but it’s pointless to focus on the differences that people can’t control,” Erb said. “I have brown hair, and someone has blond, I don’t have an intellectual disability, but my buddy Katie has Down Syndrome.” “In no way does that fantastic of a person deserve to be demeaned, especially by something that is so easy for all of us to change. “By taking the one minute to take the pledge and taking the small effort to change your vocabulary, you are helping

the world and yourself realize that Katie, or any other buddy in the world, is just as valuable to the world as any other person.” The last event for the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign is a cookout on the Phi Psi lawn, which also happens to be the last Best Buddies event of the year. “The last Best Buddies event is going to be the culmination of the celebration of the new r-word, ‘respect’ and a chance to celebrate all the great friendships we have made in Best Buddies this year,” Erb said.

Technology and opportunity spark upcoming tuition increase Grace Wallace gwallace@butler.edu Butler University students will see their tuition costs increase by 4.5 percent for the 2010-11 school year, making general undergraduate tuition $29,740. Room and board costs will increase by 4 percent in every university housing option. Vice President of Finance Bruce Arick said the need for increased tuition is derived from necessary university costs. “Primary increases are [in] small increases in payroll, benefits, capital and utilities,” Arick said. Furthermore, President Bobby Fong said some of the reasons for the increase arise from ensuring the best education possible for students. “Our main concern is what this does to affordability for our students as tuition continues to increase,” Fong said. “One of the difficulties is that we are not asked to provide the same education that we were 10 years ago. Today, we have to focus on technological advancements as well as providing the interactive experiences [for a liberal arts education].” Another cost of higher education is an upkeep and improvement of the student-to-faculty ratio. In recent years, Butler has decreased its ratio from 13:1 to 11:1, Fong said. Though this is a highly important feature of Butler’s educational experience, he said the costs for obtaining the ratio do not come without an impact on university tuition. “The raise in tuition was an attempt to find that appropriate spot,” Fong said. “Our concern is to try and keep the costs with-

in bounds, but we also owe students a quality education.” However, Fong said the main reason for the increase involves the cost of running the university on a day-to-day basis. “Many of the things that the money goes to is fixed costs— such as deferred maintenance and computer replacements,” Fong said. In the 2009-10 school year, the university saw its smallest margin of tuition increase at 3.5 percent—the lowest it had risen since 1975. From an overall standpoint, Arick said the university was determined to keep the tuition increase low in a time of national economic struggle proved successful. “We did absorb additional costs related to Indiana reducing funding to students to attend college,” Arick said. Though the university did manage to finish the year on top, Fong said there was some repercussions for the attempt to keep costs down. Though the university managed to finish the school year on top of the money scale, they were forced to fall back on reserves in order to compensate for some unplanned maintenance, Fong said. This year, the university faced unscheduled maintenance such as the repair of heating and cooling in campus buildings and restorations to Hinkle Fieldhouse. In addition, the university’s water utility fees went up 22 percent during the year—a factor that the university had not foreseen, Fong said. By raising the margin of tuition increase slightly, Fong said

the university is hoping to be better prepared for these “shockers” and to build up reserves that would eliminate need to dip into other funds. The tuition increases for other schools in the state have not yet been released. Although Arick said the university raised their margin of increase, it still plans to be competitive with other schools in the nation. “We anticipate being at or below the average increase for other universities in the state,” Arick said. “We have been below the average increase in several recent years.” With raised tuition and the cut in Indiana’s state-based funding, the university will be providing increased or equal financial aid. “Financial aid dollars are increasing for 2010-11,” Arick said. Fong said with the increased tuition, the university has an automatic escalator for financial aid. “There is something to be said for completing a degree in higher education, and we mean to help,” Fong said. Indiana’s state-funded need-based aid was cut to 30 percent last year, Fong said. He said Butler’s intention for continuing students is to keep these costs equal to what they have always been by providing the aid themselves. He said that though the university has seen a steady increase in tuition rates during the years, this has not yet deterred students from completing their higher educational experiences. “Retention rates from spring to fall and fall to spring have reached new highs,” Fong said. “It could be that college is the place to be in place of an economic downturn.”


The Butler Collegian

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

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NEWS

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Renowned minister and Butler alumna named 2010 commencement speaker Anne Carpenter accarpen@butler.edu Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church of Disciples, will be Butler University’s 2010 commencement ceremony speaker. A 1975 Butler alumna, Watkins was chosen by U.S. President Barack Obama to serve as the preacher at the National Prayer Service in 2009, the day following his inauguration. She is also a member of both the President’s Advisory Council and the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches in Geneva. However, Watkins has not forgotten about Butler, as she returned to campus for the induction of charter members for Phi Beta Kappa this year. “She was one of three alumni chosen to represent past achievements and receive an honorary degree,” Butler President Bobby Fong said. Honorary degrees from Butler are symbols that pay tribute to a person’s attainments, Fong said. Considered an honor, the degree holds a place for the speaker in that graduating class. Watkins will be receiving an honorary degree in humane letters. The process of choosing a speaker begins with nominations from any member of the Butler community—including faculty, staff, students, trustees and alumni, Marc Allan, associate director of public relations, said. The Faculty Senate then compiles a list of candidates it deems qualified to receive an honorary degree. “I work off of this list that is compiled over years and try to choose people who I believe can say something of value to our graduating class,” Fong said. Allan said it can take several years from the time the faculty recommends a candidate to when the degree is conferred. The Board of Trustees then confers honorary degrees to those willing to accept one. “There is a lot of writing and talking back and forth,” Fong said. “I am looking for people who will say yes and who would be willing to show up in person.” Much of the selection process has to do with the timing of the invitation and the availability of the candidate, Allan said. Then, the opinions of the graduating class are taken into account. Senior Jennifer Schwab said she is very excited to have Watkins come to campus. “I think Watkins is a brilliant choice,” Schwab said. “She seems to have lots of life experience both here and abroad that can be inspiring and informative at our graduation.” Overall, she said it was the accomplishments and down-toearth feel that makes Watkins the best choice. “After reading her biography, I’d be really excited to sit down and have coffee with her because it seems like she’s done so much,” she said. “I don’t think she’ll be delivering a cliché message about how these are the ‘best days of our lives’ so I’m excited to have her here at Butler.”

THE BUTLER

COLLEGIANs

5

things you should know

this week

Didn’t have time to watch or read the news this week? Not to worry—the news editors of The Butler Collegian have compiled a list of the top five things we think readers should know this week. Short, sweet and to the point, whether you’re too busy with your classes to pick up a paper or you’re glued to “Lost,” here are the tidbits we think you need to know to impress your friends and professors this week.

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Hi story for heal th care: The U.S. House of Representatives voted 219212 to significantly reform health care in the United States Sunday night, passing the health care reform bill to be signed into law by President Obama. The measure marks the largest expansion in federal health care guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid more than 40 years ago. The plan is projected to provide health care coverage to almost 32 million additional Americans in an effort to provide universal health care. However, Republican senators have hinted that they will use any and all legislative tactics to slow the bill, according to a CNN.com article.

Collegian photo courtesy of Marc Allan

COMING HOME: Butler alumna Watkins was announced as 2010 commencement speaker.

Other commencement speakers will be Thomas M. Lofton, chairman of Lilly Endowment, and Chad Bauman, Butler assistant professor of philosophy and religion. Lofton was also selected to receive an honorary degree of laws. On Feb. 2, the Faculty Senate voted to not extend an invitation to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after members of the senior class requested him as commencement speaker. While there is no official reason why he was not approved for an honorary degree, Fong sent a campus wide e-mail explaining the procedure to choose a speaker. In recent years, Fong said Butler has been studying the spiritual dimension of human life through efforts such as The Center for Faith and Vocation, where life is about a kind of purpose. Hearing from a person like Watkins may help to motivate students to give back once they have graduated, he said. “I think students want to make a life of purpose, not just a living,” Fong said. “I think hearing from a person about issues of faith and spirituality can motivate us to see ourselves in service to others. “But your desire to help other people does not necessarily have to be spiritual.” Lofton will also have a chance to make remarks. However, he will only have a few minutes to offer thoughts and advice to the graduating class due to time. “It is the students’ day,” Fong said. “As important as the commencement speaker is, it is part of a larger way of honoring the students.”

An overshadowed March: An estimated crowd of 150,000 gathered on Washington’s National Mall to rally in support of the Obama Administration as they plan to overhaul the current immigration policies in the United States. The immigration issue, which has been put on hold since 2007, will be the next battle for Obama’s administration following the health care reforms. According to CNN.com, Obama told ralliers he would do “everything in my power” to obtain a bipartisan deal within the year. Know how to pi ck ’em: Two rounds into the NCAA tournament, an autistic teenager who hails from the Chicagoland area has gotten his basketball bracket perfect so far, according to NBCChicago.com. The article said this is nearly impossible to accomplish, with the odds being one in more than 13 million. With four rounds remaining, our eyes will be on 17-year-old Alex Hermann to see how his bracket fares. Hermann has Purdue winning the entire tournament on his bracket. Cornel l ‘publ i c heal th cri si s’: Ivy League’s Cornell University has now seen six suicide deaths during the academic year, four more than the national average for a school of its size. The last two deaths occurred on successive days, March 11 and 12, when one student jumped from a campus bridge and another’s cause of death remains unknown. School officials have declared the events a ‘public health crisis’ and are taking measures to educate and inform students on the dangers of depression. From the moon to the stars: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin has found another claim to fame besides being the second person to ever step foot on the moon—he will now be the oldest contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” The 80-year-old said, “The moon wouldn't be a good place to do the cha-cha. That's too fast-moving for lunar gravity,” according to CNN.com.

Written and compiled by Hayleigh Colombo and Grace Wallace

Big Ten Commissioner educates students on tournament challenges Jill McCarter jmccarte@butler.edu Big Ten Commissioner James Delany gave a firsthand account as to why the NCAA tournament is successful, as well as the problems that the industry is facing. Delany, who has held the position since 1989, spoke to professor Dan McQuiston’s sports marketing class Monday. Delany described the effects of the NCAA Tournament on fans around the country. “The tournament is a really good way to bring alumni and supporters together,” Delany said. “It is as suc-

cessful as it is because it has the ability to connect with a lot of people.” While the recent upsets in the tournament have left some sports fans tearing up their brackets, Delany said that it’s part of the appeal for some of the viewers. “People want the underdog to win,” Delany said. “It comes down to a David and Goliath type of story, and in a way, that’s what the American story is,” Delany said. Delany said the game between Butler University and Murray State was an important game for Butler fans. “Every living Butler alumni was aware of the game,” Delany said. “Everyone who had anything to do

with Butler watched that game and knew exactly what happened.” Butler is important in representing the ‘underdog story’ in American basketball, he said. “There’s a lot of history here [at Butler],” Delany said. “It’s a sort of mecca for basketball in Indiana. It’s a good representation of the small teams beating the big teams.” Delany said the underdog gets people invested in the brackets and drawn to CBS to watch the games. “The tournament has all of the ingredients that capture the attention in a way that no other tournament does,” Delany said. As successful as the tournament

seems, Delany said that it’s not where it used to be. “There were a lot of channels that televised the event, but now a lot of them have pulled away,” Delany said. “The Internet has a lot to do with that, because anyone can find almost any game on the Internet now.” He said the access to the games has left the ad marketplace under some pressure to keep the revenue the same for CBS, the primary network that airs the event. “The spots are getting really expensive for the advertisers,” Delany said. “But at the same time, the tournament also needs that money.” The ratings for this year’s tourna-

ment are not at the same level as they once were, Delany said. This might threaten the tournament in the future, he said. “The NCAA ratings have been flat as more and more people find other ways to tune in, but the cost of putting on and airing this event for CBS still continues to skyrocket.” Besides the cost of the event, Delany said that some of the games aren’t as billed as they used to be. “Very few games stand above the rest as a must-see,” Delany said. “There used to be plenty of games that were of national magnitude 20 years ago. They were the games everyone tuned into.”

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Page 6

The Butler Collegian

NEWS

NEWS

COB creates specialized minors

BUPD Beat

March 3 9:09 p.m. – CLOWES HALL PARKING LOT An officer took a report of a sick person.

Hayleigh Colombo hcolombo@butler.edu

March 4 9:09 p.m. — RESCO PARKING LOT An officer had an illegally parked vehicle towed. March 5 9:59 p.m. – CLARENDON ROAD An officer took a report of a traffic accident. March 9 9:30 a.m. – BUTLERTARKINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD An officer arrested an individual for a traffic law violation. 8:30 p.m. – BUTLERTARKINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD An officer had an illegally parked vehicle towed. March 10 11:38 a.m. – RESCO PARKING LOT An officer arrested an individual for theft. March 13 9:26 p.m. – BUTLERTARKINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD An officer had an illegally parked vehicle towed. March 14 4:52 a.m. — APARTMENT VILLAGE An officer took a report of a sick person. 8:30 p.m. — 44th STREET An officer took a report of damage to private property.

Associated New American Colleges (ANAC) Institutions Offering Specialized Business-related Minors

- Marketing - Business Law - International Business

- Belmont University - Hampton University - Ithaca College - Pacific Lutheran University - Quinnipiac University - Samford University - Simmons College - The Sage Colleges - Valparaiso University - Wagner College

*Students also are able to pursue these existing minors: - Business Administration (general) - Management Information Systems

“[Doing a minor in international business] sounded perfect because I can still get the business aspect that I wanted but not get bogged down in so many credit hours,” Dobbs said. The main reason Templeton said area-specific minors haven’t been available in the past is due to the extensive amount of classes required for COB students. In other words, it has been hard to offer specialty minors because Templeton said he and the rest of the college worried that students would not be able to take area-specific classes and all their prerequisites while still completing the minor in a reasonable amount of time. Although Templeton said the problem of completing prerequisites is still an issue, he said “[the college] has tried to minimize them where we can.” Also, Templeton said “double counting” of prerequisite classes will be available to students who wish to pursue minors when possible, especially if they are already majoring in a related field such as actuarial science. Currently, 11 Associated New American Colleges

(Information provided by Bill Templeton)

(ANAC) institutions offer minors in specific business-related fields besides a general business administration minor. Templeton said COB decided to pursue a similar avenue partly because it was within best practice of the schools Butler compares itself to in size and academic nature. “We noticed a lot of ANAC schools were doing it,” Templeton said. “It seemed to be the reasonable thing to do.” In addition to these new business-related options, students will still have the opportunity to minor in general business administration and management information systems, which have been in place for the past three school years. As of the end of the Fall 2009 semester, 35 students had declared a management information systems minor since it was created. Whether students choose to pursue a specialized field or not, Templeton said hopes are high for students to take advantage of the new majors. “We’d like to graduate 50 students per year with a business-related minor,” he said.

anotetoourreaders

Continued from Page Three

March 15 1:19 p.m. – BUTLERTARKINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD An officer took a report of an intimidation. 7:27 a.m. — CLOWES HALL An officer had an illegally parked vehicle towed. 10:32 a.m. — APARTMENT VILLAGE An officer took a report of a suspicious person. March 16 12:41 a.m. – SCHWITZER HALL An officer took a report of a sick person. 1:50 a.m. – UNKNOWN An officer arrested an individual wanted on a warrant issued out of Marion County. March 18 12:18 a.m. – DELTA TAU DELTA An officer took a report of a natural gas odor. 12:18 a.m. – 49th and BLVD An officer arrested an individual for drunk driving. 11:48 a.m. – JORDAN LANE An officer took a report of a hit and run traffic accident.

- Madel ei ne Al bri ght Clowes Memorial Hall 7:30 p.m.

Minors Now Offered in Business-related Specialty Areas for Butler University Students in College of Business

POLICY: 108 fall classes had low enrollment

7:59 p.m. – SCHWITZER HALL An officer took a report of a burglary.

- Campus Master Pl an Presentati on by Mi ke Gardner, VP of Operati ons Johnson Room 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Butler University students pursuing an education in more than one field have three new options to look into as of the Spring 2010 semester. The College of Business (COB) has recently added three business-related minors for current and incoming students to study: marketing, business law and international business. “There used to be this general idea that business itself was a field, but we find more and more students are interested in specific minors,” College of Business Associate Dean Bill Templeton said. The minors were designed as an effort to supplement liberal arts disciplines, as well as provide practical experience for students who might be interested in continuing on to law school after they receive their undergraduate degrees from Butler, Templeton said. “We’re looking for a way to encourage students from other areas to take business classes,” Templeton said. “And we wanted to provide something that would be attractive to them and usable for their programs.” Templeton said some of the areas he believes a business minor would work particularly well in would be international studies, media arts and foreign languages. “It maybe adds a bit of practicality to their program of study they wouldn’t get otherwise,” he said. An information session was held Tuesday for students who wished to receive more information. Freshman Kirstie Dobbs was one of the students in attendance and is interested in pursuing a minor in international business along with her French language major. Dobbs, whose family owns and operates an equestrian business in Carmel, Ind., said the combination of French language skills and business knowledge will be invaluable to her when she graduates and eventually joins her family at Treesdale Farms. “We travel to Europe a lot [for my family’s business] and French is spoken a lot in that field,” Dobbs said, who originally wanted to double major in international business but decided against it because of the intense requirements.

intention of the policy is not to change the curriculum, but rather to come up with a better schedule of when to offer smaller classes with the hopes that more students would be able to take them when they are offered. “If we find there’s not significant interest in some of the classes, we’ll cancel them and give students time to choose another class with room in it,” Ozolins said. “We’ll keep track of those we cancel, and we’ll get on a different rotation of when to offer them. “Some courses are offered every semester or every year, and if you’re running really small classes, maybe that’s too much. Maybe you just run it in the spring or the fall, but not both.” Ozolins said low enrollment is a trend she has seen during the last few years, which helped prompt the enforced policy. Butler offered 1,904 class sections last semester. Based on the policy, 108 of those sections could have been eliminated. Of those 108, 21 were music ensemble classes, 16 were from the dance department, 15 were education classes and six were pharmacy classes. “Our students do a lot of extra work,” Ozolins said. “We have a high number of students who will do a secondary major, and multiple minors are not a surprise. And that’s fabulous. “But we want to make sure we’re providing the courses for those students, but not in such an abundance.” If a department disagrees with a class being cut, the chair of that department can go through an appeal process. Comstock said classes that are created specifically to fill a void in a department’s curriculum, making students as marketable as possible, would most like-

- Ri ghts & Wrongs: Ci vi l Di scourse Forum Reilly Room 3 p.m. - Robert Frank, economi st Clowes Memorial Hall 7:30 p.m.

ly not be cut. “What rules is what’s best for students, but efficiency is part of that equation,” Comstock said. Faculty whose classes are eliminated because of low enrollment will have other options of classes to teach, varying by department. “When you’re having to rely on adjuncts, it’s expensive if the class is not needed,” Comstock said. Faculty may have the options to teach lower level classes that adjuncts would normally teach, or possibly teach in the core curriculum or the honors program. Comstock said once a class has started at the beginning of a semester, that class would not be canceled, even if enrollment dropped below eight students. Phifer said she worries more about class selection and less about the number of students in her classes, particularly electives. “[An advanced elective course] was one of the reasons I got into graduate school,” Phifer said. “I was competitive at a much higher level, and they were impressed that I had taken it. And it only had six or seven students in it, and that’s a course that could be cut.” While the average class size for the university, which is listed on the Butler Web site as 20 students per class, may rise as a result of condensing classes, Phifer said she didn’t believe the number of students in the class made much difference to the classroom dynamic. “I think all classes at Butler are pretty small,” Phifer said. “I don’t think it makes a big difference whether you have five students in a class or 20. If you go to the professor’s office hours, they’re still going to help you.”

- Di scoveri ng Basi c Goodness Butler Blue House 8 p.m.

- Di scoveri ng Basi c Goodness Butler Blue House 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

- Weekend Movi e: The Lovel y Bones JH141 8 p.m.

- Gi rl Tal k Egyptian Room Murat Theater Doors: 8:30 p.m. Show: 9 p.m.

Corrections for ‘Faculty continues college debate’ Dear Readers, We wanted to make a correction to the story that was published in the March 3 issue of The Butler Collegian. Our story titled “Faculty continues college debate” contained several factual errors. First, the byline on the story was wrong. It said that Hayleigh Colombo was the reporter who covered the story. The correct writer of the story was Grace Wallace, The Butler Collegian’s assistant news editor. Due to an unintended oversight, Hayleigh’s name was attributed to the story instead. Nancy Whitmore was attributed incorrectly as “Journalism Department Chair.” Whitmore is an associate professor and the director of the Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism. Lastly, the paragraph about the proposal process was unclear. According to the Faculty Senate bylaws, the vote to endorse would have been turned over to an all-faculty vote if 40 percent of Faculty Senators approved. On behalf of The Butler Collegian, we deeply regret these mistakes as well as any impressions they may have made on our readers. In the future, our staff will strive to better maintain the sense of accuracy, fairness and truth that always stand at the center of good journalism and avoid errors such as these. -The Butler Collegian

- Butl er S ymphoni c Band Clowes Memorial Hall 3 p.m.

- Free Yoga Cl ass Butler Blue House 7 p.m. - Butl er Guest Reci tal : Jerry Wong, Pi ano Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall 7:30 p.m.

- Between the Outhouse and the Garbage Dump: Locati ng Depressi ons Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall 7:30 p.m.


Gender Segregation Failing to integrate Butler University housing only promotes implicit gender inequality. Page 8

OPINION

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Faculty Senate Fallout Public responds to Faculty Senate’s decision regarding U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Page 8

Page 7

THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN

THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN The Butler watchdog and voice for BU students 4600 Sunset Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46208 Office Information: Fairbanks Rm 210 News Line: (317) 940-8813 Advertising Line: (317) 940-9358 collegian@butler.edu

Spring 2010 Editorial Staff Paige Chapman Editor in Chief Kelly Patrick Print Managing Editor Allison Brown Online Managing Editor Jennifer Pignolet Co-News Editor Hayleigh Colombo Co-News Editor Olivia Ingle Asst. News Editor Grace Wallace Asst. News Editor Caleb Hamman Opinion Editor Tom Fryska Asst. Opinion Editor Mary Beth Sekela Asst. Opinion Editor Caitlin O’Rourke A&E Editor Kellye Donnelly Asst. A&E Editor Josie Villanueva Asst. A&E Editor Steven Peek Co-Sports Editor Emily Newell Co-Sports Editor Sarah Black Asst. Sports Editor Drew Schmidtke Head Copy Editor Rachel Senn Photography Editor Ryan Murach Asst. Photography Editor Maria Porter Asst. Photography Editor Heather Hanford Graphics Editor Amy Rensink Design Editor Lauren Fisher Advertising Manager Steven Peek Circulation Manager Dr. Charles St. Cyr Adviser The Butler Collegian is published weekly on Wednesdays with a controlled circulation of 2,600. The Collegian office is located in the Fairbanks Building, Room 210. The Collegian is printed at The Greenfield Reporter in Greenfield, Ind. The Collegian maintains a subscription to MCT Services Campus wire service. The Collegian editorial staff determines the editorial policies; the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of The Collegian, but of the writers clearly labeled. The Collegian accepts advertising from a variety of campus organizations and local businesses and agencies. All advertising decisions are based on the discretion of the ad manager and editor in chief. For a copy of The Collegian advertising rates, publication schedule and policies, please call (317) 940-9358 or send an e-mail to the advertising staff at advertising@butler.edu. Direct postal inquiries to: The Butler Collegian-Advertising. For subscriptions to The Collegian, please send a check to the main address above. Subscriptions are $45 per academic year.

Corrections Policy The Collegian staff makes an effort to be as accurate as possible. Corrections may be submitted to The Collegian and will be printed at the next publication date.

Letters to the Editor Policy The Collegian accepts letters to the editor no later than noon on the Sunday before publication. Letters to the editor must be emailed to collegian@butler.edu and verified by a signature. A signed version of the letter may be dropped off at The Collegian office. The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for spelling, style, clarity and length. Letters must be kept to a length of 450 words. Contact The Collegian for questions. Exceptions to these policies may be made at the editorial board’s discretion.

Collegian illustration by Heather Hanford

Media fails on Roberts rejection OUR POINT THIS WEEK: Sensationalistic coverage of Roberts controversy tarnishes Butler’s reputation, stereotyping the university as intolerant.

The week before Spring Break, an opinion column appeared in The Butler Collegian regarding the decision of the Butler University Faculty Senate to reject U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as a fitting candidate to receive an honorary degree. By making this decision, the Faculty Senate eliminated Roberts from consideration as a potential commencement speaker. Thirteen days following the column’s publication, The Indianapolis Star ran a story entitled “Butler rejects U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts as commencement speaker.” The story contained factual inaccuracies and dubious suggestions. However, the worst aspect of the piece was the manner in which it was determined newsworthy, first by The Star and then by subsequent news outlets across the country. We at The Collegian think the media’s treatment of Roberts’ rejection exemplified poor adherence to journalistic values. The importance of the story was blown out of proportion and the facts of the case were not seriously taken into account. As a result, Butler’s reputation— including the reputation of its students, faculty

and administrators—has been recklessly harmed in the interests of sensationalist reporting. This reporting would have been detrimental enough if coverage had remained local. However, soon after the Roberts story appeared in The Star, it was picked up by Fox News, Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. The word was out, and unfortunately, factual inaccuracies were repeated every step of the way. As Butler President Bobby Fong observed in Thursday’s letter to the Butler community, it is not the case that Roberts’ niece, a Butler student, will graduate this May, which is contrary to almost universal reporting nationwide. Similarly, it is also not the case that Butler had already extended an invitation to Roberts that was then rescinded by the Faculty Senate. Finally, even if a Roberts invitation was approved by the Faculty Senate, it is far from certain he would have been the 2010 commencement speaker. As Fong stated, “It can take several years between the time the faculty recommends a candidate and when the degree is conferred.”

None of these facts would have been difficult for a diligent journalist to discover and report accurately. However, is seems clear that such concerns were not given high priority. Rather, basic standards of journalism were thrown overboard in attempt to make a story appear out of thin air. By obscuring the circumstances surrounding the Roberts rejection, Butler’s decision was made to fit into a prevailing stereotype of universities as bastions of liberalism. Thus, the framing of Roberts’ rejection was sure to coincide with the beliefs of many readers. Unfortunately, it is profitable to publish such rubbish. As it always has, sensationalism sells. However, the greatest tragedy of the Roberts story is not what it says about the state of journalism. It is the damage that this poor excuse for reporting has done to the lives of people in the Butler community. Too many reputations have been needlessly tarnished. Those searching these pages for news to make their own should clean up their act. The staff’s view: 27 agreed, 0 disagreed, 5 neutral

Students should support campaign to eliminate ‘r’ word Mary Beth Sekela msekela@butler.edu Wake up, Butler University! March is Mental Disability Awareness Month, and it’s time for another rousing reassessment of our personal values and behaviors. Most of us have noticed the mysterious fliers and chalk messages appearing around campus this month—the messages advising us against using the offensive “r” word. Student interest has certainly been piqued by the campaign’s clever advertising techniques, but it appears that many have not seriously considered the implications of the international “r” word campaign. Far too few of us have actually taken this campaign’s message to heart and ceased our personal use of the “r” word. When I first heard about the campaign, I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical. After all, it’s nearly impossible to move in society these days without hearing someone use this word to describe an item, event or person. Although most people do not use this word in reference to those with mental or physical disabilities, junior Graham Kilian, president of Butler’s Best Buddies chapter, said that it remains insulting and disrespectful to the dis-

abled community. Nicholas, a sophomore English major, “[Use of the word] has become a part who said that the only way to generate of our society, but that doesn’t make it change is through raising awareness. okay,” Kilian said. “It’s dehumanizing. She said that many who use the “r” It’s not just sticks and stones, it’s real.” word as an insult are attaching a damagBest Buddies is an international ing negative connotation without realizorganization that works to educate the ing their offensive mistake. community and foster friendships “The campaign’s purpose is to make between individuals with physical and people aware of the word’s connotamental disabilities. tion,” Nicholas said. “Encouraging peoThe organization is ple to think about what currently involved in “Although the ‘r’ word is they say is not censorthe move to end both ship.” the slang and technical Although the “r” widely used among use of the “r” word, word is widely used encouraging society to among today’s young today’s young adults, recognize the person adults, few recognize before the disability. its power to injure few recognize its power those with disabilities. “Best Buddies requires you to look past race, Ceasing use of the word to injure those with gender and religion and is not a surrender to to just see a person as a political correctness, disabilities. Ceasing use but rather a sign of person,” Kilian said. Admirable as this respect for fellow of the word is...a sign of human beings. intention may be, some fear that the campaign “Political correctness is encouraging censor- respect for fellow human is an aspect of this ship by asking particicampaign,” Kilian said. beings.” pants to omit the “r” “But, this is a humaniword from their daily ty issue.” vocabulary. Not only is use of the “r” word abuFreshman Nic Hochstedler, a political sive and insensitive, it is immature as science major, said that he doesn’t agree well. People who use it in place of “stuwith this assertion. pid” or “annoying” are reverting to “It’s necessary to make people aware,” incorrect vocabulary and appear to be Hochstedler said. “If the campaign is not only juvenile but also entirely uneeducating people, it’s not censoring.” ducated. This sentiment was echoed by Amy College students who have the advan-

tage of higher education should immediately recognize the word’s social and personal implications. Use of the word among college students who certainly ought to know better is entirely unacceptable. “Part of the college experience is broadening your horizons and learning about people who are different from you,” Nicholas said. “If we’re annoyed and this word we resort to, what does that say about how we are using our brains?” Here’s the truth of the matter: Using the “r” word makes you sound like an ignorant child. If you insist on using it, then others should insist on viewing you as childish and incompetent. Though this was once an acceptable technical term for those with mental disabilities, society’s misuse of the word has made it offensive in any capacity. The campaign’s desire to remove the “r” word from daily vocabulary is admirable. However, due to society’s indifference and obstinacy, it will take a good deal of time and effort to eliminate the word entirely. Ultimately, it is up to the individual to make the “r” word campaign’s goal a reality. Every decision to stop using it is a step in the right direction “If we can convince fewer people to say it, that takes away [the word’s] power,” Kilian said. “There’s nothing to gain from using the word, and everything to gain from stopping.”


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Page 8

The Butler Collegian

OPINION

OPINION

Political self validation feeds conflict Tom Fryska tfryska@butler.edu

More than a few of us here at Butler University have observed (with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief) how media outlets and blogs have grasped on the controversy regarding John Roberts and the Faculty Senate. Rather than getting the full story, these dispensers of information have seemed to forego both fact checking and balance to allow the situation to degrade into a kind of manufactured, misrepresented outrage generating more attention than it really deserves. While this incident clearly demonstrates a fallacy in both the media’s rush to earn attention (i.e. profits) and its presentation of the news, there’s another aspect of the way that individuals receive information that needs to be addressed: the political filtration of our news. In the modern age of media, people now have the ability to insulate themselves in their respective beliefs as never before. Blogs like The Huffington Post and The Drudge Report allow individuals to receive only information that has been predigested to fit in line with either a liberal or conservative narrative. Both MSNBC and Fox News unabashedly embrace political agendas and present events through a tinted lens of one color or another. Simply said, most of us have the ability at our fingertips to only consult sources of information which reinforce our own preconceived prejudices and validate our own narratives of the world; furthermore, the majority of people, from

college graduates to high-school students, do utilize this ability. As Bill Bishop, author of “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing us Apart” observed, “we now live in a giant feedback loop, hearing our own thoughts about what’s right and wrong bounced back to us by the television shows we watch, the newspapers and books we read, the blogs we visit online, the sermons we hear.” This self validation is nothing short of dangerous. Hearing our beliefs regurgitated back at us without any concern for critical thought or intellectual discourse leaves us more prone to self-righteous arrogance in our attitudes. We become overly comfortable in the reassurance that we are infallibly correct in our presumptions and beliefs. Moreover, it also creates a feedback cycle. When we consistently have our news presented to us by outlets that filter information through an ideological lens mirroring our own, we become more radicalized in our beliefs. This, in turn, leaves us more likely to buy into the kind of baseless nonsense—like the notion that President Obama is a socialist who has “a deep-seated hatred for white people of the white culture” and is trying to indoctrinate our children in the “cancer” of progressivism—that’s publicized by ideologues like Glenn Beck. From there, we only grow even more radicalized and more willing to believe the gross mischaracterization about those who disagree with us. More than that, this approach to gaining knowledge prevents us from actually understanding those who disagree with us. Since we cease to engage in political conversation with those who maintain opposing viewpoints or take the time to explore the intellectual basis for different posi-

tions, we begin to lose understanding of those who disagree with us. Consequently, this lack of understanding cultivates an atmosphere where we become willing to ascribe more extreme beliefs to those who disagree with us than are actually held. Thus, we ultimately have a situation where we ourselves become more radicalized in our beliefs while simultaneously losing understanding of contradictory viewpoints and ascribing extreme negative positions to those with whom we disagree. As Bishop stated, this is contributing to a balkanization of politics where Americans “find other Americans to be culturally inapprehensible” in their beliefs. At heart, this information gathering procedure is a form of anti-intellectualism that is antagonistic to democracy itself. In order for a democratic society to actually function, individuals must retain an open-minded perspective and be willing to constantly evaluate new ideas and opposing ideologies. Doing the opposite is responsible for today’s toxic political environment. The foundation of this situation is the intellectual apathy of the people who subscribe to this information filtrating process. The only reason that these blogs and cable news outlets have any influence on politics and public discourse whatsoever is that individuals are too lazy to actually try to think about the world themselves. Instead, they simply let these outlets process and deliver the information for them. The brighter side of this realization is that people can rectify the situation by actually engaging in debate and critically thinking about the complexity of the

Butler housing promotes sexism Robert Warren Contributing Writer

the men and literally inaccessible covertly suggests the idea of necessary protection—that it goes without saying to keep the ‘women and children’ safe, as Butler housing is an odd sort. Ross Hall, the pro- often said in the nautical tongue. However, we are totypical freshman dorm, is a perfect example of first not on a sinking ship. I am not suggesting that there year living arrangements. The facilities are basic, the is some ulterior motive of a dated overlord, actively heating is ancient and the walls are bulletproof. trying to keep our women under full protection. However, one aspect of Ross strikes me as utterly I assert that this is only an oversight, a point peculiar. Men live in the basement, first and second missed on a development plan to integrate dorms. We floors. But at the top of every stairwell lies a third must have just skipped that one in last year’s “State floor, only accessible by a second lock and key. of the University.” The only necessary alterations are Within those secretive third floor halls lies the mys- ones of organization, not ones of literal construction. tery of Ross—the women. A renegotiation of how the residential system In a progressive school that supoperates and how one is gender senports and promotes a diverse com“Our failure to question sitive in an integrated environment munity of thinkers—from varied are systems to be considered, but gender, ethnic and socio-economino large alterations need to be made the living spaces of our cal backgrounds, all fighting for to either of the facilities themvalid and progressive movements selves. students is saturating in their own right—it is altogethThe only thing we leave behind er baffling that we have ignored the in this reorganization is our outdatthem with an outdated dated concepts that our modern ed concept of gender. I do not supuniversity promotes. The promopose that this change will bring concept of gender tion of gender inequality through harmony and Utopian greatness to living space is a primary issue. Ross and Schwitzer. worth.” Ask any feminist thinker if the In all actuality, it will bring concept of a woman as something about a whole new set of issues and delicate and needing of protection is a modern idea, concerns. But the concerns will not be ones based on and they will scoff at your mid-century misogyny. the implicit inequality of the sexes. They will be Now note that it takes two locks to get a woman dealt with in a balanced sexual environment. They through the front door and into her wing of Schwitzer will not ring with outdated post-war, patriarchal ideas Hall after midnight. Then consider that any man suggested by our current living arrangements. within Schwitzer must be escorted at all points in If we ever hope to truly prize the power of both our time, as if there were a danger present, as if his ‘man- men and women on campus, we must let them develliness’ was itself something to be restrained while op in an environment that assumes they can both be walking through those hallways. powerful, not one that secludes and locks up more Our failure to question the living spaces of our stu- than one half of its student body. dents is saturating them with an outdated concept of So to all of our progressive and thoughtful Butler gender worth. It establishes the women as individu- organizations, reaching far and wide for your conals in need of protection, either en masse as in cerns and aspirations, I offer you something close to Schwitzer, or by way of a raised outpost, as in Ross. fight for. I hope you will see the gravity of the conThe fact that the women in Ross are literally above cern, and your power to promote the alternative.

Paw Prints By Maria Porter

“I’d like for them to win! I think if they play well they can beat Syracuse. I’ll keep hoping for the best.”

Aaron Kelpin freshman

“I definitely think they’ll win another game.”

Sarah Sotis sophomore

Collegian photo courtesy of MCT

THE APEX OF SELF VALIDATION: Demagogues like Glenn Beck represent the worst parts of the feedback system plaguing media consumers. world. Likewise, people can move away from the insulated echo chambers that have become so prevalent and instead examine forms of media which deliver accurate information and challenge indi-

viduals to examine their own beliefs. Of course, transporting this solution from the theoretical realm to the real world is an altogether different, and vastly more difficult, matter.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR S enate’s deci si on reveal s fear, bi gotry

Reg ret wi l l fo l l o w S enate’s deci s i o n

Thank you, Dr. Fong, for your explanation of the process for choosing a commencement speaker, but I do not believe any of us were concerned about the process itself. It is the outcome of the process that concerned us. As you stated, the Faculty Senate voted this recommendation down. I would ask you to ask yourself if the result would have been the same for Justice Ginsburg or Sotomayer. I think we all already know that answer. I would be proud and delighted for either of them to receive an honorary degree. The process itself is not the problem. I can not, nor do I want to, change the political position of the Butler University faculty or any other faculty. I respect their right to honest disagreement with any opinion. I am more of a Libertarian than anything and received a degree ('72) in political science at Butler. During my time as a student, I enjoyed listening to and learning from all of my professors. No matter which side of an issue they were on, they always made me think. I let their ideas stand in the light of day and decided for myself from there. I wish the faculty would permit the same of others. Their decision to deny Justice Roberts an honorary degree makes them look afraid that their own ideas will not hold up. Dr. Fong, I think you have a done a wonderful job at Butler, and I hope you will continue to lead the school and faculty as you have been doing. But please ask the faculty to let the people speak. That is what I learned most at Butler: to listen.

Five years after his resignation, President Richard Nixon approached his alma mater, Duke Law School, to offer his Presidential Library. It was 1979, and I was a first-year law student at the time. Though Nixon had retired from public life, Watergate was still fresh in many people’s minds. At the height of the controversy, a TV crew stuck a microphone into my face one afternoon as I was heading to class. I recall my comments to go something like this: “Unless I am mistaken, Duke is an institution of learning. Whether you like Nixon or you hate him, it is an undeniable fact that he was our president during a tumultuous time in our history. “He is offering us a treasure trove of historical documents which will cost the university absolutely nothing, to be studied for years to come. Only a fool would turn this down.” By the time I left class that day, my comments were being aired on the local TV stations, most likely to balance the nearly uniform howls of righteous indignation then being voiced by Duke’s faculty members. A few days later, Duke’s equivalent of a faculty senate declined the offer. The Nixon Library now stands in Yorba Linda, Calif. I suspect that Duke now regrets that decision. I suspect, too, that Butler will some day regret its refusal to allow the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice to address its graduates. Wisdom comes slowly, if ever, to pompous pedagogues and their administrative handlers.

Steve Stewart Alumnus, Butler University

Rick Hofstetter Adjunct, College of Business Administration

Now that our Butler Bulldogs basketball team has reached the Sweet 16, how far do you think they’ll go in the NCAA tournament? “I think we’ll beat Syracuse with a lastsecond shot. I could see us going to the Final Four with all the upsets we’ve seen this year.” Jack Russell freshman

“I think they’ll get pretty far and win at least two more games. Dawgs is hot!”

Kristin Briscoe sophomore

“I’ll say Final Four, but it’ll be tough against Syracuse.”

Ryan Salvino sophomore


The Butler Collegian

Page 10

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

A&E

A&E

P

laylist

The Best of

of the Week

Getting Pumped: BU Basketball Style

NDY

These local spots in Indy have A&E’s stamp of approval—a new place featured each week!

01.

“Champion” - Kanye West (Zach Hahn)

02.

“All the Way Turned Up” - Travis Porter (Shelvin Mack)

03.

“The Winner” - Drake (Zach Hahn)

04.

“Perfect Day” - Lady Antebellum (Ronald Nored)

05.

“American Honey” - Lady Antebellum (Ronald Nored)

06.

“Until I Collapse” - Eminem (Avery Jukes)

07.

“Get Ya Mind Right” - Young Jeezy (Avery Jukes)

08.

“Never Enough” - Eminem (Gordon Hayward)

09.

“We Gon Get Paid” - Lil Wayne (Willie Veasley)

10.

“Dey Know” - Shawty Lo (Willie Veasley)

11.

“Plenty Money” - Plies (Shawn Vanzant)

Why We Love This Place: Even the A&E section has gone Dawg-crazy. Butler’s own Public

12.

“Bottom of the Map”- Young Jeezy (Shawn Vanzant)

13.

“Too Big Yo” - G-Time (Matt Howard)

Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has teamed up with an ad agency to drive traffic through BWW during basketball season. They’re in competition with four other schools right now to raise the most money for BWW. Let’s face it, anything we can do to prove to everyone that we have the most spirit is definitely worth it. So on Thursday, cover yourself in blue and white and enjoy both the company of Butler fans and great food. Sounds like a plan to us.

Buffalo Wild W Broad R ings in ipple Details: 6235 N. Guilford Ave. (317) 257-2999 Mon-Thurs: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Fri-Sat: 11 a.m.- 2 a.m. Average Meal: $10

Distance from Butler: 10 minutes Specials: This Thursday: everyone wearing Butler gear gets a prize. The most spirited will win a prize bucket with a $50 certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW). Every Friday is now “Bulldog Friday” with $3 Blue Moon and Miller Lite pints.

Have an idea for our next Playlist of the Week? Send submissions to corourke@butler.edu.

Want us to feature your favorite Indy spot? Send submissions to corourke@butler.edu.

Jay-Z delivers show packed with hits Jill McCarter & Josie Villanueva jmccarte@butler.edu, jvillanu@butler.edu

They call him Hova, Young Hov or Jigga. Though rap mogul Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter may be known by many names, Indianapolis was witness to a phenomenal performance by one of rap’s greatest legends this past Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse. Joined by R&B singer Trey Songz and rapper Young Jeezy, he’s headlined the Blueprint 3 Tour featuring songs from his platinum album of the same title. Indianapolis fans filled the stadium, and the response to the performance was palpable. Fans from all walks of life crowded into Conseco to witness the ebb and flow of Jay-Z’s lyrical rhymes. Because of his 14-year career and 11 studio albums, Jay-Z had an extensive library of songs to choose from when it came to entertaining the audience. The opener, a very powerful “Run This Town,” got the audience immediately up on its feet. The arena was filled with everyone singing the chorus, and there was a sort of eerie silence as Jay-Z began his first verse. The song was a great choice as an opener, because it has such an attention-grabbing beginning. Jay-Z’s “Death of Auto-Tune” had the

entire audience singing the catchy hook. The song is very instrumental and was a good showcase for the backing band, which often gets overlooked at hip-hop concerts. Another crowd favorite was “99 Problems.” The song is epic in the world of hip-hop, landing on Rolling Stone’s “Top 100 Songs of the Decade” list. The song has the appeal of being a hit on the charts in its time, as well as being very audience-friendly. The whole crowd sung along to the line “I got 99 problems, but…” well, you know. It was definitely a powerful song to use near the beginning, and it really hooked the audience and prepared them for what was to come. However, true to his roots, Hova was sure to provide a stable mix of the two ends of the hip-hop spectrum. On one hand, Songz represented the melodic R&B crooning that stirred the attention of the female audience. Opening for JayZ and singing sensual hits like “Neighbors Know My Name” and “Say Aah,” Songz certainly did his part to seduce the audience with his racy lyrics. On the other hand, Young Jeezy represented hip-hop’s tougher side. He performed a blend of hits like “Soul Survivor” and “Let’s Get It/Sky’s The Limit.” Emerging halfway through JayZ’s performance, Jeezy provided a break in the show to hype up the crowd with

members of the audience. This quality was a nice touch, as it made the giant arena an unexpected intimate venue with a giant of the hip-hop world. It’s a very rare thing when an artist sounds like the record, and Jay-Z is surely the exception. While the sound during Songz’s set made it difficult for the audience to hear beyond the instrumentals, the sound guys figured out how to make Jay-Z sound like the pro he is. The quality of every instrument in the backing band was perfect. Jay-Z sung against LED towers which played videos and showed pictures. This created some pretty good photo-ops for the crazed concert goers as Jay-Z turned into a silhouette along the brightly colored screens. At one point, the New York Collegian photo from MCT City skyline was recreated on the screens, NEAR PERFECT SHOW: Jay-Z’s an impressive sight. show was a definite crowd pleaser. The arena proved to be a very good choice in ensuring ticket holders a good his raw street rhymes. Jay-Z’s charisma and careful attention seat anywhere in the house. Even audito fans are part of what made the per- ence members in the “nosebleeds” were formance worthwhile. There is no doubt able to get a full view, in part to the stathat Jay-Z’s stage presence is unparal- dium’s seating and the screens placed on leled, and that was evident by the scream- either side of the stage. ing crowds as he took the stage. The only downside of hosting the Jay-Z’s illustrious swagger and connec- event at Conseco was the price of food tion to his fans was also obvious. He and drink. By the time concert-goers purwent out of his way to reach out to fans chased a T-shirt, a drink and a pretzel, by panning cameras to different sections they were out $45. Between the seats, the stage, and the of the arena, joking and complimenting

sound, the Blueprint 3 Tour holds all of the technical qualities of a great show. For future performances, there are a few small fixes we would suggest. Jay-Z has a large variety of fans, with different people liking different styles of his music. For side acts, Jay-Z decided to try to appeal to each sort of fan, which almost hindered the audience participation. Having two completely different genres of music for opening acts made it difficult for there to be a group of fans that liked it all. Also, ticket prices for the concert were pretty steep, with the cheapest seats going for $39. While it’s known that JayZ is “one of the greatest rappers of all time,” we live in a time where a $40 ticket makes some fans wary. Lowering the ticket prices just a little bit would be easy on both the fans and their wallets, but we’re pretty sure no one wants to be the person to tell Jay-Z to make his tickets cheaper. Jay-Z’s Indianapolis show was an impressive feat. His celebrity and rapper status are not only able to fill entire arenas with screaming fans, but his credibility also draws people of all ages, races and backgrounds. The overall atmosphere at the concert was upbeat, and fans were completely awestruck by the blend of hip-hop genres and Jay-Z’s undeniable swagger.

Burton creates magical Wonderland that leaves plot lacking Caitlin O’Rourke corourke@butler.edu When it comes down to it, there are always a few things one can expect from a Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaboration. The visuals will be fantastic, the plot will be a little out there and Helena Bonham Carter will often hop on for the ride. “Alice in Wonderland” manages to fulfill all of those expectations. Unfortunately, the expected magic lacks just a little. Lengthy battle scenes and a un-Burtonesque plot take away from the wondrous world that Burton has created for his characters, as well as the fantastic acting from the best of Britain’s actors. The high point of the movie is, of course,

“Alice in Wonderland” MOVIE REVIEW Walt Disney Pictures Directed by: Tim Burton Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Stephen Fry, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Mia Wasikowska Rated PG Rating: 5 = perfect, 4 = outstanding, 3 = good, 2 = fair, 1 = poor

Depp. Made out as a lovable oddball in the animated version, Depp’s hatter is just as lovable but slightly more sinister. Also, the true nature of the relationship between Alice (Mia Wasikowska) and the Hatter is a little too ambiguous at times, especially when the Hatter looks at her a little too adoringly. Wasikowska is still mostly a newcomer, and she manages a strong performance for her first Burton movie. Alice is much more of a go-getter, empowered female in this version, but her main role is still to play the straight man to the crazies around her. Wasikowska manages to hold her own, even alongside the likes of Depp, Carter, Anne Hathaway and Crispin Glover. The real drawback the movie faces is the plot. The basic plot of the story is that Alice, 10 or so years after her first trip to Wonderland, has completely forgotten about her experiences and thinks it was originally a dream. Faced with a proposal of marriage she does not want to accept, she again chases the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) down the hole. She encounters a Wonderland that has been under the evil domination of the Red Queen (Carter) and her Jabberwocky. It is up to Alice to join forces with the Mad Hatter and the White Queen (Hathaway) to re-establish order by going into battle. Some of it is portrayed very nicely. Although Carter draws many laughs, the sense of creepiness and bloodlust is felt clearly, especially from Glover who plays her right hand man. The term “Off with their heads!” becomes a lot more terri-

Collegian photo from MCT

CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska star in Tim Burton’s reimagined sequel that has Alice revisit a Red Queen-ruled Wonderland. fying when Alice has to use cut-off heads as rocks to get across a river to enter the Red Queen’s palace. However, Burton is anything but a battle scene director. That part of the movie was ill-constructed and finishes awkwardly, almost like he’s trying to apologize. The battle’s ending could have been much more creative. The actors can almost make up for the downfalls. Alan Rickman voices the caterpillar, and his voice drips disdain perfectly. Hathaway is dreamily airy, while still managing to convey the White Queen’s power. Steven Fry is fantastical-

ly infuriating as the mischievous Cheshire Cat. The visuals are highly impressive as well. The 3-D simply adds to the idea of Wonderland being its own character as it almost breathes around Alice. After the stark blacks and whites of “Sweeney Todd,” this movie pops with its vibrant coloring– whether it’s Depp’s orange hair or the Red Queen’s palace. After all the hype, the film is somewhat of a disappointment. However, Depp and Carter’s performances, a strong ending and the colorful Wonderland provide good entertainment that is definitely worth seeing in theaters.


Titan Takedown Junior Chris Herron and sophomore Zach Ervin post singles and doubles wins Sunday. Page 12

SPORTS

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Busted Brackets Emily Newell discusses why Northern Iowa and Ohio University busted her bracket, and she doesn’t care. Page 13

Page 11

THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN

MADNESS: Mack’s 25 points lead Butler past UTEP, defense contributes to Murray State victory Continued from Page One

Louisville, scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half. “I don't know that I've ever guarded someone quite like him,” junior forward Matt Howard said. “In the first half, he was getting a lot of really easy baskets.” Junior guards Randy Culpepper and Julyan Stone also made things hard on the Bulldogs at the half by scoring eight and six points respectively. “Coach wrote up a great game plan for us,” sophomore guard Gordon Hayward said. “I don't know if we came out and didn't follow it necessarily, but we didn't execute it as well as we wanted to in the first half.” Bulldog sophomore Shelvin Mack led Butler’s second-half response and ended the game with 25 points. He began the second half with two quick three-pointers and would make four more in the game. “My teammates did a good job of getting the ball to me when I was open,” Mack said. “That's what you have to do is knock them down when you have the chance.” Junior guard Zach Hahn joined Mack in the three-point frenzy by knocking down three of his own. Shawn Vanzant, another junior guard, contributed two three-pointers in the game. Howard did well to not let the size of Caracter decide the game. Caracter scored only eight points in the final 20 minutes and had little help in the paint. Howard finished the game with 11 points, three rebounds and only one foul in 30 minutes of play. “Shawn settled us down in the first half, and Zach comes off the bench and hits a three right away,” Butler head coach Brad Stevens said. “Both those guys give us great options off the bench, and they're both fearless in their approach, which is really important.” Individual efforts aside, Butler as a team improved its assist-to-turnover ratio in the second half. Instead of the first half’s three assists and seven turnovers, the Bulldogs produced 11 assists and only three turnovers in the second half. The win against UTEP advanced Butler into the second round, where it faced a Murray State team that arrived in thrilling fashion. Murray State defeated No. 4-seeded

Vanderbilt in the first round when senior forward Danero Thomas hit a two-pointer from the right wing to upset the Commodores by one point. Butler had no intention of letting Murray State spin that same record Saturday once the Racers had the ball for the final possession. While up 54-52, Nored and Hayward trapped Isaiah Canaan near the half court line. The duo forced Canaan to pass, with Hayward tipping the ball to the other end of the court. He then dove to keep the ball in play and the clock expired. “They made a good play of collapsing with great defense,” junior guard Isacc Miles said. “We couldn’t get a shot off.” Stevens said the team did an excellent job of playing the personnel and using their minds during the last possession. “I thought our guys did a great job of doubling a little bit off of [forward Ivan] Aska,” Stevens said. “It was a lot of fun and an unbelievable play at the end by Gordon, just diving on the floor and tipping that ball keeps the clock running. “Heck of a basketball play—smart.” Butler held Thomas to zero points in the game, although Thomas managed to total seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Ronald Nored led Butler statistically by scoring 15 points while dealing out six assists. Twice during the game Saturday, the Bulldogs lost what seemed like a controlling lead. With six minutes and twenty-four seconds remaining in the first half, Nored made a layup to put Butler up 22-17. But a Tony Easley free throw began a 90 run in the final 90 seconds for Murray State to carry a lead into halftime. Good fortune seemed to continue shining on the Racers when Howard committed his second, third and fourth fouls within 32 seconds of each other. “[Howard] anchors us in the middle,” senior forward Willie Veasley said. “When he went out, we knew that we had to step it up just that much more. “We’ve got this thing called ‘guard your yard,’ and we knew it would be a big key coming into the game, but we had to focus more when Matt went out.” The other Bulldogs went on a 20-8 run to create a 46-38 lead. But once again, Murray State responded and scored 10 points in 75 seconds. “At that point, it was just stay tough

and stay together,” Nored said. “They make a lot of runs. We just thought if we stayed together and keep fighting through this that we would be good.” With the score tied at 50, Nored rebounded a missed Murray State jump shot. Twenty-six seconds later, a pivotal moment occurred when he scored a layup as Aska fouled him. Nored made his free throw, and Howard would hit one later on to bring the Butler total to 54. Butler might have lost the game if not for the multitude of highlights. “We got beat on the glass, 39-22,” Stevens said. “They shot 9-for-14 from (three-point range), and we shot 36 percent from the field. I’m still trying to figure out how the heck we won.” Butler’s defense had much to do with the team overcoming being outrebounded and outshot. Murray State had 18 turnovers compared to Butler’s six, and the Bulldogs scored 19 points on those opportunities. “You’ve got to give Butler a lot of credit,” Murray State head coach Billy Kennedy said. “They took care of the ball and made the plays they had to at the end. We had too many turnovers against a very good Butler team.” Four times during the game, Murray State went at least three minutes without scoring, with one of those chunks of time lasting over six minutes. The Racers kept the Bulldogs in the game by committing two shot clock violations in the second half. Adversity has certainly been no stranger to Butler this season. The team started the season 8-4 after facing a competitive pre-conference schedule. “You look back throughout the course of the season and you determine what has set you up to have success when adversity hits in certain areas,” Stevens said. “We played with Matt in foul trouble quite a bit, and I think it made us stronger.” Stevens is on to something because Butler has not lost since Dec. 22, when they fell 67-57 at UAB. Butler looks to continue its success in the NCAA Tournament’s third round, where they will face No. 1 seed Syracuse Thursday in Salt Lake City. A win would advance them to the Elite Eight, where they would play the winner of the game between (2) Kansas State and (6) Xavier.

Collegian photo courtesy of John Fetcho

MOUNT HOWARD: Matt Howard shoots a layup over Murray State’s master shot blocker Tony Easley in the 54-52 win versus the Racers Saturday.

Lady Bulldogs end season against Redbirds in WNIT first round Megan Moles mmoles@butler.edu Despite playing their best games of the season, Butler (2310, 11-4 HL) seniors Susan Lester and Melanie Thornton could not lift the Bulldogs to a second round berth against the Missouri Valley Conference regular season champion, Illinois State. Three Butler seniors finished off their Butler careers in the WNIT after falling to Illinois State (ISU) 57-54 March 17. Head coach Beth Couture said she was proud of the way her team played. “It’s playoff basketball, and it

was a great game,” Couture said. “I give Illinois State a lot of credit. They made shots in the first half. “In the second half, we were more aggressive and at the end of the game, we had two good looks by the player we want to have the ball at the end of the game.” Thornton, the Horizon League Player of the Year, scored a careerhigh 25 points while adding 15 rebounds and three steals to her performance. Butler was down 55-52 near the end of the game when sophomore Devin Brierly went coast to coast on a layup, pulling the Bulldogs within two with 26.4 seconds left to play.

Butler fouled to stop the clock, and Illinois State’s Maggie Krick made both of her free throws to bring the score to 57-54 with 15 seconds remaining. The Bulldogs got the ball into the hands of junior Alyssa Pittman who shot two threepointers but missed both as time expired. Thornton said the team was saddened by the outcome. “It was disappointing to have the season we did and then have it end this way,” she said. The Bulldogs led for the first 13 minutes of the game, starting off with a 10-4 lead. Butler was leading 15-12 with more than seven minutes remaining in the

first half when ISU went on a 140 run lasting five minutes. Illinois State went into halftime leading 33-23 after controlling the rest of the half. Butler came out slow in the second half, allowing the Redbirds to build a lead of 15 points. Junior Brittany Bowen hit a three-point shot that started Butler on a 7-0 run in the second half, bringing the Bulldogs within eight with seven minutes left to play. Bowen had 14 points. Thornton hit a pair of free throws to make the score 50-44 with five minutes and 10 seconds to go. Lester added a three, and Thornton had another bucket and

free throws to bring the Bulldogs within three. The Bulldogs stopped ISU on the next possession but missed a three pointer. The Redbirds then scored a bucket to make it 55-50 with 59 seconds to play. Couture said she knew the game was going to be a hard one, but that Butler had a chance if the score stayed below 70. “I’m proud of our team,” she said. “I thought we fought hard.” Butler made its second consecutive appearance in the postseason, the most since making the jump to Division I basketball. Thornton and Lester finished their careers with a four-year record of 79-47.

Lester accumulated 1,275 points, 781 rebounds, 139 threepointers and 155 steals in her career. Thornton finished her career with 954 points, 631 rebounds, 164 steals and 126 blocked shots. Thornton reflected on her four years at Butler and how she was affected the most by the people who surrounded her everyday. “The people here have made the difference,” she said. “Sure, every season has been different, but my teammates and coaches have made the difference and affected me the most.” Senior Amie Kabara finished her career having been on teams that went 63-32.

Need more Bulldog sports? Get your fix throughout the week by following The Butler Collegian online! thebutlercollegian.com WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Baseball vs. Marian 3 p.m.

Men’s Basketball vs. Syracuse Salt Lake City 7:07 p.m.

Baseball vs. Youngstown State 3 p.m.

Baseball vs. Youngstown State Noon and 3 p.m.

Softball vs. Loyola 1 p.m.

Softball at Indiana State Terre Haute, Ind. 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Softball vs. Loyola 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Women’s Tennis at Evansville 2 p.m.

Live chat with Collegian Sports, The Bulldog Blitz & other Butler fans during the NCAA Tournament game!!

Most Shocking NCAA Tournament Upsets

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2) No. 14 Ohio def. No. 3 Georgetown

1) No. 9 Northern Iowa def. No. 1 Kansas

3) No. 10 St. Mary’s def. No. 2 Villanova

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Page 12

SPORTS

The Butler Collegian

SPORTS

Softball continues success

Men’s tennis wins 5-2 at Bubble Mike Ellis mellis@butler.edu

Sarah Black sablack1@butler.edu Butler’s softball team (19-4) hit the road this week, where they went (5-1) in Ohio and at IUPUI. The Bulldogs shut out Dayton 9-0, 8-0 Friday. In the first game, freshman pitcher Jenny Esparza allowed just one hit in the five innings. In the second game against the Flyers, sophomore Breanna Fisher pitched a one-hitter. Butler split their matches with Ohio University, winning 2-0 in the first game and losing 2-1 in the second. Junior Erin Jackson had three of five hits and hit in a run for the Bulldogs. Junior Jennifer Chasteen allowed only three hits, and the Bobcats placed just one runner at third. In the second game, Bobcat junior Jordan Paden hit her third home run of the season. Fisher pitched a scoreless inning, while Esparza struck out eight batters. Jackson attributes a lot of the Bulldogs’ success to the new hitting facility that they and the baseball team share. “I definitely think the new hitting facility is a major contribution to our winning,” she said. “There’s more space for hitting and pitching, and our pitchers have been huge when it comes to how well we’re playing.” The Bulldogs continued their success at IUPUI Tuesday, defeating the Jaguars 5-2 in the first game and 7-1 in the second. Senior Bridget Paine had three RBIs during the second game. These games follow the Bulldogs’ impressive trip to Florida, where they went undefeated in 10 games. “It was pretty amazing,” Jackson said. “Not every game was a cakewalk. It was exhausting, but it was a good experience. It gave us a view on how well we can do the rest of the season.” The Bulldogs head to Indiana State today for a double-header beginning at 2 p.m.

Collegian photo by Maria Porter

SET: No. 3 doubles team Zach Ervin and Chris Herron beat Detroit Sunday.

Junior Chris Herron and sophomore Zach Ervin won at both singles and doubles, as Butler defeated Detroit, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at the Bubble. Herron defeated the Titans’ Alex Latosinsky, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-2 in a hardfought match at No. 2 singles, while Ervin obliterated Christopher Cheung, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 6 singles. Although he was pleased, Herron admitted the win could have been slightly easier. After capturing the first set, Herron raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second, but he soon saw it evaporate when Latosinsky broke back at 4-2. “I got a little tight and tired with my shots,” Herron said. “And [Latosinsky] turned his game up a notch and made some good plays.” Latosinsky took Herron to a tiebreaker and defeated him, but Herron did not allow his Titan opponent to seize momentum. Herron quickly broke Latosinsky’s serve to open the third set before serving and volleying his way to a 6-2 win. Ervin’s effort against the left-handed Cheung was considerably more routine.

The Butler sophomore overpowered his opponent from the baseline, while also consistently volleying well at the net. “I just came out and wanted to jump on [Cheung] from the start,” Ervin said. “I played aggressively, which seemed to work very well throughout the match. “I always want to play my opponent’s backhand more often. I used a pattern of cross-court forehands into his backhand, and it seemed to work pretty well.” The Bulldogs also received strong efforts from junior Bryce Warren, who defeated Detroit’s Patrick Troy 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3 singles, and junior Brandon Bayliss, who outlasted Nick Tolomei 6-2, 7-6 (1) at No. 4 singles. Senior Benjamin Raynauld played quality tennis at No. 1 singles, but he was simply overmatched by reigning Horizon League Player of the Year Pjotrs Necajevs, who took the match 6-3, 6-1. Butler head coach Jason Suscha said he was pleased with his team’s effort as a whole and felt capturing the doubles point was crucial to the Bulldogs’ victory. “Obviously, I thought Bryce [Warren] and Zach [Ervin] had really good singles efforts,” Suscha said. “And I thought it was especially important to win the doubles

point against this team.” Suscha also said that having the conference Player of the Year helps the Titans overall. “[Necajevs] tends to make the team better than it actually is,” he said. “When he wins, their other players feed off of his energy and usually overachieve.” The Bulldogs did not do as well Saturday, losing 6-1 to Ball State at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Center in Muncie, Ind. After losing the doubles point, junior Brandon Bayliss was Butler’s lone bright spot in singles, gutting out a tough threeset victory over the Cardinals’ Alex Brym, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (2). Herron also put up a fight against Cliff Morrison before falling 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 2 singles. Butler will play its final home match of the season April 3, when the Bulldogs host the Phoenix of Green Bay. Moving forward, Suscha said he believes it is imperative that the Bulldogs continue to make a habit of winning the doubles point. “I don’t think we can lose in conference play if we win doubles,” he said. “Our lineup is just too deep from top to bottom.”

Baseball team struggles to hold lead at Bulldog Park Mike Ellis mellis@butler.edu Butler allowed a three-run lead to slip away in their 83 loss to Cincinnati at Bulldog Park Tuesday afternoon. The Bulldogs (5-11) jumped out 3-0 after four innings thanks to the strong pitching of freshman Billy Laing and junior David Dennemann, who combined for seven strikeouts during four shutout innings. But Butler failed to tack on additional runs after the fourth and relinquished the lead in the top of the seventh. Junior infielder Luke Duncan led off for the Bulldogs, going 3-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. “I struggled the last couple of games, but I’m feeling pretty comfortable at the plate right now,” Duncan said. “My approach is to hit the ball to the right side and stay closed, and I feel I’m doing that now.” The Bulldogs lost three of four games to Buffalo, who won both Saturday games by a score of 9-7. In the first game, the Bulls struck quickly, scoring six runs on seven hits in the second inning. Trailing 9-4 entering the seventh and final inning, the Bulldogs rallied but fell two runs short. The second game followed a similar pattern. Buffalo built a 7-0 lead in the fifth inning behind a two-run double by first baseman Rob Lawler. Sparked by a lead-off home run in the bottom of the fifth by junior catcher Michael Letzter, Butler again attempted a comeback. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs used two walks and an error to their advantage. Junior outfielder

Kevin Crane doubled to tie the game, 7-7, with two outs. But Buffalo proved too strong, answering in the next inning with two runs to reclaim the lead, 9-7. Junior infielder Grant Fillipitch said his team simply dug too great a hole to battle back Saturday. “In both games we were behind early, and that just took the wind out of our sails right off the bat,” Fillipitch said. “It was nice to see the offense still put us in a position to win the games, but we still just came up short.” The Bulldogs split a doubleheader Friday, losing the first game 9-1 in seven innings before exploding for a six-run second inning en route to a 9-2 victory in the second game. Fillipitch went 3-for-4 in the win and led the team with four RBIs. Senior designated hitter Corey Schultz scored two runs while junior outfielder Corey Moylan knocked in two. Freshman Jared Earle surrendered two runs in six innings, and Laing pitched three shutout innings in relief. Butler head coach Steve Farley said he was pleased with his team’s response to a lackluster performance in the first game. “The nice thing about baseball is you don’t have to wait long after a loss,” Farley said. “In football, you have to wait a whole week to play another game. We had to wait 30 minutes.” Butler continues its homestand this afternoon against Marian before beginning a three-game series Friday with Youngstown State.

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Collegian photo by Ryan Murach

STRONG LEAD: Luke Duncan led off for the Bulldogs in their match against Cincinnati Tuesday.


The Butler Collegian

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Page 13

Why my bracket is done and I don’t care Emily Newell enewell@butler.edu

There was a commercial on ESPN the other day where a guy explains to his co-workers how he filled out each of his brackets. “This one’s no second guessing,” he says. “This one’s all second guessing.” This year, I have my optimistic bracket where Ohio State upsets Kansas and heads to the Final Four, and the Bulldogs make it to the Elite Eight. They are my two favorite teams, after all. I also had my realistic bracket, realistic bracket number two and my “flip-coin” bracket, where heads equals the high seed and tails equals the low seed. That bracket looked bad from the get-go since my national champion Sam Houston State, a No. 14 seed, was knocked out on the opening day. Even my realistic brackets where I started out four of five (thanks for blowing it, Notre Dame), were looking bad by the end of night one. After the second round, it seems that half of America’s national championship winner pick was out. Experts around the country were even left scratching their heads. It seems no one had ever seen such excitement in the first two rounds of play. But this year, I’m not obsessing over my brackets with a highlighter and trying to figure out what teams need to win in order to compensate for an error in my selections. This year, I’m throwing out my bracket, and I don’t care. After leaving class at 2 p.m. Thursday, I spent approximately the next 11 or so hours on a couch watching basketball. After a quick nap and dinner break, I found myself staring in awe at the numbers on the screen. The No. 14-seeded Ohio University Bobcats were beating the No. 3 seed Georgetown. Correction: the Bobcats weren’t just beating Georgetown, they were killing them. But, Ohio University defeating the Big East Conference powerhouse wasn’t the only upset

of the day. Those watching the tournament saw the Big East, considered by many throughout the season to be one of the strongest conferences, drop game after game. Early in Day One, the No. 6-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish were eliminated by No. 11 seed Old Dominion. Pacific 10 Conference champion and No. 11 seed Washington defeated No. 6 seed Marquette. Even No. 2 seed Villanova nearly lost its first round game to No. 15 seed Robert Morris, going to overtime before pulling through with a 73-70 win. Apart from the early struggles of several Big East teams, the Marquette, Notre Dame and Georgetown upsets did not stand alone. The Gaels of St. Mary’s, a No. 10 seed, also pulled off an upset, beating No. 7 seed Richmond 80-71. No. 13 seed Murray State beat No. 4 seed Vanderbilt with a buzzer-beating two at the end of regulation, clinching the one-point win. Murray State beating Vanderbilt was one of my upset picks, so that game made me happy. Another potential upset brewed in the West Region as the No. 10-seeded Florida Gators took the No. 7 seed, Brigham Young, to double overtime before they pulled off a 99-92 victory. I looked at my bracket around 5 p.m. Thursday and thought I was doing fairly well. By the end of the night, my bracket was in shambles, especially since I had Georgetown going to the Elite Eight. Day Two of the first round wasn’t as actionpacked as day one, but it still would do me few favors. It all started when No. 12-seeded Cornell, winner of the Ivy League Conference, posted a commanding 78-65 victory versus No. 5 seed Temple. Though that was the only major upset of the day (I had picked No. 10 seed Georgia Tech over No. 7 seed Oklahoma State), there were many close calls with the potential to become bracket busters. In the Midwest Region, No. 5 seed Michigan State just squeezed by No. 12 seed New Mexico State. No. 6 seed Tennessee also barely beat No. 11 seed San Diego State. Each of the winners secured a place in the second round by a mere three points.

By the time the second round ended Sunday evening, even more brackets would be busted, and the analysts on CBS and ESPN were left looking at a narrowed field of 16 that included some teams few ever expected to be there. The second round saw the St. Mary’s Gaels continuing their incredible run, beating Villanova, whose first round struggles continued. No. 11 Washington also downed No. 3 New Mexico, 82-64. Sunday, Cornell clinched a spot in the Sweet 16 with an upset win against No. 4 Wisconsin. The Big Red scored a convincing 87-69 victory over the Badgers. But, the most notable upset of the second round, and perhaps of the tournament, came when the Panthers of Northern Iowa (UNI), a No. 9 seed which beat No. 8-seeded UNLV in the first round, took down the overall No. 1 seed and tournament giant Kansas Jayhawks. The world of basketball lost its collective breath when UNI’s Ali Farokhmanesh hit a gutsy three-point shot at the end of the game. It

was the eventual game decider as the Panthers clinched a two-point, 69-67, win. Suddenly, the team to beat was done and gone. No longer were teams dreading a match up with the Jayhawks. The eyes of basketball teams, coaches, analysts and fans turned to UNI. The upset was a cap on four days of great games. Though there were a select few blowouts, a majority of the games were close and hard fought. That’s why I no longer care about my bracket. Yes, I had Kansas in the National Championship game, but that doesn’t matter. I’ve seen years where nearly every first round game was a blowout. I’ve also seen years like 2008 where all No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four. While years like these prove the strength of the higher-seeded teams, it makes for a much more predictable and much less exciting sequence of games. I’ll take exciting any day, even if it covers my bracket in red marks and strikeouts. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the Bulldogs are in the Sweet 16.

Collegian photos from MCT

JAYHAWK DOWN: Northern Iowa’s Ali Farokmanesh (left), who hit the game-winning shot to beat Kansas, celebrates. Sherron Collins (right) of Kansas talks to the press about their loss.


Page 14

BUTLER COLLEGIAN

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Butler Collegian

BUTLER COLLEGIAN

Collegian photos courtesy of John Fetcho Collegian photo illustration by Emily Newell


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