The Observer, Volume LVI, Issue 21 2/28/25

Editorial: Leading with integrity: Our commitment to factual, impactful and ethical journalism (pg. 9)

The Case Western Reserve

Observer

Friday, February 28, 2025 Volume LVI, Issue 21 Est. 1969

SPORTS

Track and field hosts Ed Finnigan Greater Cleveland Colleges Invite, Taylor breaks school record in 500-meter Darcy Chew Sports Editor

Track and field athletes from across the Greater Cleveland area braved the snow and icy roads as they arrived in the Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center last Friday for the Ed Finnigan Greater Cleveland Colleges Invite. Hosting athletes from John Carroll University, Baldwin Wallace University, Ursuline College, Cuyahoga Community College, Oberlin College and Allegheny College, Case Western Reserve University saw many outstanding performances from both its own athletes and those from other schools. The Spartans were gearing up for the upcoming UAA Indoor Championships that will take place this weekend. Overall, the teams took first in a total of five events, with four from the women’s team and the remaining one from the men’s team.

Beyond first-place finishes, the Spartans also saw numerous podium finishes.

On the track, the women’s team claimed the top two spots of the 60-meter dash, with second-year Sarah Ball crossing the finish line first with a time of 8.01 and first-year Riley Friedman close behind her with a time of 8.17. Ball and third-year Grace Misiunas also recorded third and second place finishes in the 60-meter hurdles with times of 9.34 and 9.29, respec-

Third-year Melanie Taylor set a new school record in the 500-meter race last weekend, beating the previous one set in 2018 by 1.44 seconds. Phillip Kornberg/The Observer tively. Friedman was also runner-up in the 200-meter race after crossing the finish line in 26.83 seconds. In the 500-meter race, third-year Melanie Taylor finished first with a time of 1:18.51 and also notched a new school record, besting the previous record of

1:19.95 recorded by Olivia Newman in 2018.

For the distance races, third-year Arianna Holbrook and first-year Julia Walko claimed second (2:21.00) and third (2:27.96) in the 800-meter race, respectively, third-year Ayla

Grabenbauer took third (11:01.08) in the 3000-meter race and first-year Ciara Ledford was runner-up (20:18.37) in the 5000-meter.

Continue reading on page 12

NEWS

AC audit reveals board organization spending of past year Zachary Treseler News Editor Each semester, the SEC Allocations Committee (AC), part of the Student Executive Council, publishes their audit report detailing the funding that broad organizations received and how they spent it. These numbers give an insight into the often complicated and convoluted world of the Student Activities Fee (SAF) and shows where a small part of Case Western Reserve University students’ money is going and how it is being spent.

Chair of the AC Anshul Nayak, a third-year finance and pre-med student, emphasised the importance of the AC audit results and their publication. He said, “I believe the student body has a right to know where and how their money is being used. I hope to believe that our audits bring more insight into whether or not umbrella organizations are using their money efficiently.”

Previous audits have revealed large issues in organizations’ spending: Last spring, the AC

found $200,000 unaccounted for by the University Program Board (UPB). The most recent report, published in February in an email to CWRU students, detailed spending for the previous spring semester.

Previously, audits were semesterly, but they are changing to become annual.

“For starters, the audits we carry out help ensure that umbrella organizations efficiently spend their allocations from the Student Activities Fund. In the past, we have seen umbrella organizations maintain significant rollover, and our work helps mitigate that issue in order to ensure that student tuition is properly spent,” Nayak said. “We have also seen cases where expenses aren’t tracked properly, and our work helps umbrella organizations mitigate these issues. In addition, the audit process has helped certain organizations create more efficient budgets to better track their expenses. Last but not least, AC audits help umbrella organizations and SPR get a better sense of where money should be spent.”

Continue reading on page 2

News

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 28, 2025 observer.case.edu Volume LVI, Issue 21

AC audit from page 1 Within the audit, links are provided to each of the board organization’s spring 2024 budgets, which include lists of authorized purchases and projected budgets for the fall 2024 semester. For any direct spending accomplished by board organizations, these audit results can allow students to see the costs of some of the most popular campus events from a year ago.

Many of the eye-catching purchases, and often the largest impact ones, are done by UPB: Not only do they have the largest share of the SAF—more than the Undergraduate Student Government (USG)— but as they do not supervise any direct clubs, all of their money is reported in this audit. A year ago, UPB spent $50,000 to contract Matteo Lane for last year’s Spring Comedian, while $115,000 was spent to attract Colin Jost the year before. Other big-name artists, such as Waka Flocka Flame, came in at a

similar lower cost, like $35,000.

The audit also shows additional large expenses by UPB: The two spring break trips last year cost the organization $110,219.43, while UPB only received $41,600 off of ticket sales, putting the rest on the SAF bill. Similarly, the Kalahari trip cost $25,368.25 for UPB, with $5,760 in ticket sales from 481 tickets, resulting in $19,608.25 being paid for by the general SAF. Similar spending can also be seen with various campus traditions, which at CWRU are overwhelmingly administered by the Class Officer Collective. Last year’s Snowball dance cost $41,817.70, and the Hudson Relays cost $25,081.04.

Other recurring events, such as Spring Formal Sorority Recruitment, cost just over $11,000 of student money from Interfraternity Congress/Panhellenic Council (IFC/PHC). Last year’s Springfest spent $122,545.54, of which

$40,000 was spent for their headlining artist, Bea Miller.

Delving into the data provided, interesting spending patterns begin to emerge from board level organizations. Looking at the amount spent on catering from restaurants, both local and chain ones, organizations spent upward of $148,000 of SAF money, according to all money reported by the audit. The largest of these restaurants was by far Barrio Tacos, which received at least $14,836 of student money.

In second place and third place are Mitchell’s Ice Cream at $8,671.57 and Chipotle at $6,337.92, respectively. Thwing Study Over (TSO), one of the largest food events, only spent $13,783.80 on food last spring, though they did not specify how much they spent at each restaurant.

The other interesting anecdote is the amount of money spent on merchandise throughout the semester.

For example, while UPB spent over $10,000 on just its spring giveaway, all board organizations combined only spent $9,077 on merchandise for themselves and their executive boards. This is when many organizations, such as TSO, budgeted money for committee merchandise but did not spend money in that category. What this suggests is a tightening of fiscal belts of board organizations, as rollover from past semesters starts to decrease. The report applauds organizations that spent into their rollover, such as COC and IFC/PHC, while suggesting others, such as University Media Board, stop it from growing.

These statistics only include the board-level organizations and their respective committees. Only one organization that manages other clubs, the Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative, reported club-level spending data, which was not factored into the analysis.

CMA to repatriate “Marcus Aurelius” statue to Turkey

The return follows a multi-year investigation that has uncovered over a dozen smuggled antiquities across the US Elie Aoun Director of Print The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced on Feb. 14 that the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) agreed to surrender a statue thought to depict Marcus Aurelius so that it could be repatriated to Turkey. This development ends a multi-year investigation by the New York Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU) that included the removal of the statue from the CMA in August 2023.

The headless bronze 6-foot-4inch statue was looted along with many other artifacts in the 1960s in Bubon, Turkey, at a Sebasteion, an ancient shrine that contained bronze statues of Roman emperors. According to Bragg’s office, the antiquities were then sold to European traffickers from the Turkish coastal city of İzmir, and some made their way into the United States where they were sold by New York-based dealers to American museums.

As part of the repatriation, the CMA will dismiss with prejudice its August 2023 lawsuit challenging the seizure of the statue, meaning that the case is permanently dismissed and cannot be reopened.

“I am pleased the Cleveland Museum of Art agrees that this statue belongs to the people of Türkiye.

This investigation included extensive witness interviews and forensic testing that proved conclusively this antiquity was looted from Bubon,” Bragg said. “I appreciate the museum’s cooperation throughout this matter, which is illustrative of how we can work together to ensure that looted antiquities are in the possession of its rightful owners. Our extensive investigation

into the widespread and historic looting at Bubon has now led to 15 antiquities recovered for the people of Türkiye, and I thank our team of prosecutors, analysts, and investigators for their hard work.”

The 15 antiquities mentioned by Bragg are collectively valued at $80 million and include artifacts from the Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art at Fordham University and the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts.

The ATU’s investigation hinged on whether the Marcus Aurelius statue’s provenance in Bubon could be proven. According to Bragg’s office, the investigation included “comprehensive scientific testing, including 3D modeling, lead-isotope analysis, and soil comparison.

All of this confirmed that the statue was looted from Bubon.”

The CMA said, “Without this new research, the museum would not have been able to determine with confidence that the statue was once present at the site.”

There is a chance that the CMA will retain the statue for a temporary exhibition before it is permanently repatriated to Turkey. CMA Director William Griswold said that he hoped to hold such a display so that “our visitors who have grown accustomed to the presence of the sculpture at the museum may bid farewell to this cherished guest.”

Where the Marcus Aurelius statue once stood now contains a first-century AD “Statue of an Athlete” from Italy. This statue, made of marble rather than bronze, is a Roman adaptation of a Greek style that was invented and popularized in the 400s BC. The Marcus Aurelius statue will return to Turkey once arrangements are finalized with Turkish officials.

The bronze statue thought to depict Marcus Aurelius, which was removed from display in August 2023, might be displayed one last time in the CMA before being permanently relocated to Turkey.

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

News 3

observer.case.edu

Student-run hackathon fosters creativity, highlights social impact projects Sabrina Feldberg Staff Writer Hosted by Case Western Reserve University, HackCWRU 2025 was a chance for many students, from both colleges and high schools, to get together and build projects over a three-day weekend in late January.

Ishika Kanakath, a fourth-year computer engineering student and president of HackCWRU, had organized the event. “Many projects were designed to make an impact on the community,” she said. “It meant a lot to me that a lot of people showed up and I had a great team that helped plan this event with me since the summer.”

Dr. Alexis Block, her former professor and the assistant professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering, was a guest speaker at the event.

“My goal was to inspire Hackathon participants to embrace challenges, channel their personal experiences as motivation, and support one another in their journeys,” Block said.

“Hackathons are incredible opportunities for creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. I love seeing students learn new things and create solutions to real problems they identify that can make a real impact.”

Kanakath and her team raised more than $10,000 in prizes and scholarships for the hackathon winners. When asked what receiving the scholarship meant to them, firstyear computer science student Matthew Stall and first-year computer science and computer engineering student Abra Giddings, who worked together on the third-place project “blendev,” shared their appreciation for the hackathon’s recognition of their project’s social impact.

“Receiving the scholarship was incredibly meaningful since it recognizes projects that are focused on the public good and having a positive social impact,” Stall said. Describing the project, he said it “was focused on providing useful developer features which are currently missing

Last month, CWRU’s annual hackathon, HackCWRU, organized by fourth-year student Ishika Kanakath and her team, brought together students from all across Cleveland to collaborate on projects and gain practical experience in the field of technology.

Courtesy of Ishika Mishra/HackCWRU from the open source Python library for Blender.”

Giddings shared her gratitude in being able to use her theoretical knowledge on this project.

“My favorite part of the hackathon experience was completing a tangible project using the concepts we’ve learned in our classes. Oftentimes assignments for programming classes are highly theoretical, so it is really exciting to make something real for a change. Completing a project like ours from start to finish is very satisfying and requires so many different skills,” she said.

When asked of their future plans, both students shared their intentions to seek technical careers after their time at CWRU. Giddings expressed a keen interest in low-level programming, though she is seeking to explore a wide scope of subjects.

Stall voiced his inclination to pursue either cybersecurity or quantum computing.

“I am also incredibly grateful that the scholarship will make it easier for me to afford to keep studying at [CWRU],” Stall added.

Such hackathons are geared toward supporting students and pro-

viding them with the opportunity to transfer their technical knowledge toward tangible, socially impactful projects. For Kanakath, organizing the hackathon also gave her the chance to honor the values of her late mother, Radha Vinod, a former technology leader at Experian.

“It was nice to honor my mother and look at projects that reflected her values of leadership, creativity, and compassion,” she said. “My mom was always supportive of undergrads advancing their tech careers and I am glad we could honor her this way.”

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Life

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 28, 2025 observer.case.edu Volume LVI, Issue 21

There is nothing brave or new about “Captain America: Brave New World”— and that’s okay

“Captain America: Brave New World” stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, and while he and other actors delivered stellar performances, the film doesn’t stick out or bring anything new to the MCU. Courtesy of Marvel Studios Penelope Cloonan Staff Writer “Captain America: Brave New World” follows Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), former Falcon and current Captain America, as he investigates a conspiracy involving President Thaddeus Ross, also known as the Red Hulk (Harrison Ford). The investigation drags Sam and the new Falcon, Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez), deeper into government conspiracy and leads them to find an incidental ally in Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas). Ultimately, Sam and Joaquin are able to come out on top and begin creating their brave new world, free of corruption.

Arguably the most important aspect of any Captain America is their commitment to the ideals of a truly “good” America. The original Captain America, Steve Rogers, exemplified this heart as he genuinely cared about the ideals of this nation and rooted for the people—not necessarily the government.

Sam was chosen to take on the mantle of Captain America because he upheld these same ideals. Sam and his protégé, Joaquin, continue this legacy as soldiers rising to a higher calling and protectors of not just the American people, but the world. Mackie and Ramirez clearly value these roles and are able to give this otherwise gaudy action movie the care that it needs to draw the audience’s empathy. While at first glance Captain America is a shallow hero, the fact that he represents America in its entirety opens up interesting avenues for the character’s growth. When the interests of the American people align with the government, Captain America can be their biggest supporter. However, as in both “Captain America: Civil War” and “Captain America: Brave New World,” Captain America is the biggest threat to the government if it means they do not support the American people. Captain America will always be conflicted between supporting his great nation and the people in it: it’s a balance between the America the world sees and

the America people call home.

One such way “Captain America: Brave New World” explores this internal conflict is with the treatment of abandoned super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly). During the midcentury, Marvel’s America performed experiments on unwilling Black men to try and recreate the original Captain America’s super soldier serum. Some of these experiments were ultimately successful, which is Isaiah’s origin story.

After years of service, he attempted to save his troops like Steve, but unlike Steve—who was heralded as a hero— Isaiah was sentenced to life in prison and erased from history. The Disney+ show “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” dives deeper into this backstory, with “Captain America: Brave New World” providing a cursory recap. Once again, Disney fails to trust audience retention or investment from their shows and overcompensates with exposition. At the very least, it was reassuring to see that something from the Disney+ show mattered to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) plot.

The inciting incident in the film is when Isaiah is falsely accused of attempting to assassinate President Ross.

Sam’s motivation for most of the film is bringing justice to an unfairly incarcerated Black man, which is a harsh reality reflecting both America’s past and present. It is later revealed that Isaiah was programmed to attempt this assassination by the movie’s main villain, Samuel Sterns. For those who know Marvel’s history, this may seem eerily similar to Bucky Barnes’ (Sebastian Stan) origin story as a conditioned super soldier for Marvel’s Nazis, HYDRA. However, while Bucky was able to redeem himself and later run for Congress, Isaiah has not been given the same treatment. He is consistently wiped from history books and villainized by the MCU’s American government and press. Real historical ties such as these further add heart to action movies, a genre that easily loses their audience to the awe of violence.

The blatant hypocrisy highlights real

racism within our own justice system.

Marvel writers attempted to underline an important hypocrisy here, but with the amount of plotlines present in “Captain America: Brave New World,” it just gets lost. They had a real chance to explore a major theme of their Disney+ shows, but the MCU’s writers just fell short.

Another major issue working against this movie was the addition of Sabra. In the comics, Sabra is essentially an Israeli version of Captain America. The character is criticized for being a proponent of Zionist Israel, and often unabashedly so, with most of her appearances including her being explicitly racist towards Middle Easterners. Pro-Palestinian organizations have called her inclusion in this movie insensitive given the current genocide in Gaza. In response to public backlash, Marvel reduced Sabra’s role and cut most of her ties to the Israeli government. In the film, she solely goes by her alias, Ruth. While she remains Israeli, Ruth is now a former Widow, like the beloved Natasha Romanoff.

Sabra is not a beloved character; she is a niche, politically charged quasi-hero.

After the backstory change, there was no reason for this agent to retain the identity Sabra. This could have been any widow, any woman. One can assume that she originally had a larger role that was cut down, as early promotional material shows Sabra in her own superhero suit. This suit, and any further background that could have given this supposedly new Sabra a fresh start, do not appear in the movie. Marvel and Disney’s superficial attempt to quell public outrage fell short and left a poor impression after finishing the movie. It was a baffling decision to keep Sabra in the film.

A major reveal towards the end of the film is that its main antagonist is Samuel, a villain from one of the first Marvel movies ever made: “The Incredible Hulk.” Given the minor antagonist of the film is Thaddeus, a character who originated in the same film, these character choices ground

“Captain America: Brave New World” in the larger MCU. It was a nice callback that addressed some loose ends from earlier on in the timeline. With the way that Marvel has been building up Sam’s character to make him the future of superheroic patriotism and give him his own protégé in Joaquin, “Captain America: Brave New World” makes sense. Marvel relies on its previous glory to make the film exciting without taking any bold strides in the present. It is clear how Marvel got to this point in the timeline, but it is hard to guess where the studio will go from here.

Regrettably, “Captain America: Brave New World” just makes it clearer that the MCU does not know where it is going. At the end of the movie, Sam tells Joaquin he wants to start rebuilding the Avengers. However, with the tease of adamantium—and by proxy the X-Men, the upcoming Fantastic Four film and Disney+ shows “Ironheart” plus “Agatha All Along” starting up the Young Avengers—it is unclear where the old guard will fit in. Early MCU movies worked because, at the end of the day, everything was going to lead to Infinity War. In the years since the close of phase three with “Avengers Endgame,” Marvel lacks direction. It is difficult to make an audience stay invested in a larger picture when it does not seem like the studio has one.

I did not have high hopes walking into this movie. While it was expected that Mackie and Ford would give their performances their all, everything else was working against the plot. For all intents and purposes, this is a perfect action movie. The cast clearly cares, it is beautifully shot and there is enough happening to keep the audience engaged. It still isn’t enough. “Captain America: Brave New World” would have been an amazing movie about 10 years ago; however, given the state of the MCU now, I do not see how it fits into the greater canon. While I cannot recommend seeing this movie in theaters, be sure to catch it on streaming— you will at least be entertained.

Life 5

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In “The White Lotus” season three, a poisonous pong-pong fruit a day keeps your incestuous siblings away

The popular dramedy returns to satirize wellness tourism alongside power and class Kate Gordon Life Editor Just like in the prior two seasons, the third “The White Lotus” opening sequence ends with the image of an unidentified corpse. Amid a meditation exercise, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) hears the faint popping of gunshots and, in a sweet but stupid gesture, immediately runs into the crossfire to protect his mother Belinda (Natasha Rothwell). With verdant palm trees swaying overhead and sunlight dappling the surface of the water, Zion jumps into the nearby pond to reach a floating Buddha statue. Despite a pretty apathetic attitude toward spiritual moments before, he begs the deity to keep his mom safe. Seconds later, as shots are still firing, a body floats into frame, kept just enough out of focus to keep the audience guessing as to who has just been murdered.

Then the opening credits roll and viewers are transported mere days back in time, pulses surely racing.

Despite previous deaths at the White Lotus resorts in Maui and Sicily, the Thailand location has no shortage of visitors arriving on its island shores. First, we have the Ratliff family, who sport some of the worst southern accents Hollywood has seen since Daniel Craig in “Knives Out.” Father Timothy (Jason Isaacs) is a sketchy but well-off businessman, mother Victoria (Parker Posey) pops Xanax like they’re candy, respective college and high school seniors Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) are easygoing to a fault, and the nicest adjective I could come up with to describe eldest son Saxon (Patrick Schwar-

zenegger) is aggressive—he is not a nice man. Rounding out our guests are couple Rick (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), who have an uncomfortably large age gap, and trio Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon), who are childhood best friends now in their middle age. Jaclyn also happens to be a famous actress. Finally, we have spa manager Belinda back from season one, who is technically in Thailand on an extended work trip, and our staff: “health mentor” Mook (Lalisa Manobal, whom you might know as BLACKPINK’s Lisa) and security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong). Whew!

Season three sticks closely to not only the plot—lush setting, dead body, bratty guests and perpetually put-upon staff—but also the themes of the show’s prior installments, exploring class and power through the microcosm of a luxury resort. This time, however, Eastern spirituality and wellness culture are key players as well. Whereas in previous seasons, we watched guests go on sunset cruises and excursions to Italian palazzos, this time, they’re booked up with massages, therapy sessions and stints in a sensory deprivation tank. While the show seems to take a flippant attitude to the neatly packaged solutions offered by wellness tourism, I’m curious to see what it makes of these treatments’ underlying Buddhist and Hindu philosophies. The only remotely spiritual character seems to be Piper, who is writing her senior thesis on a local Buddhist monk. With a murder on the horizon, I’d be shocked if we didn’t get a thorough exploration of karma, if not other Eastern religious concepts. Time and time

again on “The White Lotus,” we’ve seen rich, horrible people get away with their bad behavior—maybe this is the season when that will finally change.

Speaking of the murder mystery at hand, I’d like to put on my detective hat for a moment. Although the opening scene’s gunshots were hard to ignore, I think they’re a red herring, at least for the floating body.

Instead, there was a much more telling scene in the first episode, in which Saxon discovers a poisonous pong-pong tree growing on their villa’s property. After being told not to eat its fruit by the family’s health mentor Pam (Morgana O’Reilly), Saxon asks if it could kill someone, and she responds that it could.

This exchange seems a little on the nose to not come back later—a bit of a Chekhov’s toxic fruit tree, if you will. As for the shooting spree, I see two possibilities. The first is the return of the armed robber from episode two, and the second is that the gunshots come from Rick, who we know does work way, way off the books. He’s weirdly fixated on the hotel’s absent owner, Jim (Scott Glenn), indicating that he might be there to do a hit on him. Whether Rick finishes the job is unclear, as the shooting spree along with the poisonous fruit may indicate multiple deaths this season.

Regarding the identity of our victim, there’s been too much foreshadowing for it not to be Lochlan.

His actor’s name appears next to a picture of a boy floating in a pond in the opening credits, we saw a similar shot of Lochlan floating in a sensory deprivation tank and his name in Gaelic means “lake.” As for his killer, a somewhat far-fetched theory points to older brother Sax-

on. In this theory, the five members of the Ratliff clan are thought to represent the five precepts of Buddhism/Taoism: no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying or ingesting of intoxicants (i.e. drugs and alcohol). Timothy, who is revealed to be implicated in a money laundering scheme, clearly represents theft; Victoria is obviously intoxicated as she’s high as a kite whenever she’s onscreen. The worst sin virginal Piper seems capable of is lying, making Lochlan sexual misconduct and Saxon killing. While the exact mechanism of Lochlan’s death is impossible to predict, if this is indeed the direction the show is going, it may be related to the weirdly incestuous vibe between the three siblings, particularly the brothers.

Although I’m praying this is not the case, the previously mentioned poisonous fruit could also be a forbidden fruit—poor Lochlan eats the fruit metaphorically, then literally and dies of shame, with Saxon being indirectly responsible.

Although the third season of “The White Lotus” has gotten off to a slower start than the previous two—and I’ll admit that the comedy aspect of the dramedy is severely lagging—I think it will be worth it for the final episode’s payoff. My television pet peeve is when shows rehash the same plotline each season, and while “The White Lotus” definitely has a formula, the wellness resort satire and exploration of Eastern religious themes keep things fresh. I also like that it’s the darkest season we’ve had by far.

Overall, I’m excited to continue watching even as tensions rise to an uncomfortable degree. I don’t think that I nor other viewers will be disappointed by what’s to come.

In the new Thailand-located season of “The White Lotus,” three new characters, the Ratliff siblings, represent “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” in a play on Eastern religious beliefs. Courtesy of HBO Entertainment

6 Life

Friday, February 28, 2025

Playlist of the week: Angry songs for the trenches of midterm season Kennedy Wolf Staff Writer As a history major, sometimes I get a little annoyed when I hear people say that they are “in the trenches.” Are you really in the trenches if you are not knee-deep in a mixture of mud and shrapnel? But come midterm season, I waive this annoyance fully. I can say with some sense of certainty that we are all collectively in the trenches. And I find that the best way to process the overwhelming tidal wave of midterm-related emotions is a good old-fashioned crash out. Anger can be a therapeutic emotion to experience, and what better way to do so than with music? The following songs should make an excellent addition to any crash-out playlist.

“Stockholm Syndrome” – Muse

“Blood You Shed” – Saint Avangeline

Courtesy of Saint Avangeline

Saint Avangeline’s work heavily incorporates religious themes, if you couldn’t guess from the “Saint” prefix in her stage name. I would describe her discography as the crucifix-adorned love child of Ethel Cain and Lana del Ray. “Blood You Shed” seamlessly incorporates soft, hyper-feminine vocals with intense, heavy metal screams. The sharp contrast between the pitch of the singing and the beating instrumentals results in a theatrical expression of anger.

“Immaterial” – SOPHIE

Wow, that was a lot. Do you feel better? Have you had a sufficient, anger-fueled crash out? Well then, I give you the gift of my ultimate hype song. “Immaterial” by SOPHIE is what I listen to on the way to every exam and before I send every risky text. “Immaterial” is my “Eye of the Tiger” in “Rocky.” This song is what I use to fix myself post-crash out. I give it to you so that you can put the pieces of yourself back together. Of course, this song should be listened to last, for the full effect of its restorative power to come to fruition.

Courtesy of ARTIST theory “The Comedienne” Parenthetical Girls

Courtesy of East West Records

Courtesy of Daughters of Cain

Courtesy of Slender Means Society “Where are they now?”

– Emily Jeffri

Courtesy of Future Classic

“Roman Candle” – Elliot Smith

While Elliot Smith songs are not what I would typically describe as “crash out” music, Smith certainly still possesses a quieter, more subdued version of rage in his songs.

This is especially present in Smith’s songwriting, which he is a master of. I would not want to be the person who “Roman Candle” was written about, as the chorus explicitly states, “I want to hurt him … I want to give him pain.” The guttural singing from Smith, though quiet, still conveys shaky anger, maybe in its purest form.

–

The Parenthetical Girls are my emotional attachment band. I feel like a parent to them. Despite breaking up in 2013 and having less than 4,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, I think they are amazing and deserve more attention. “The Comedienne” demonstrates their ability to build suspense and to also relieve that suspension. While the song might start out quietly, it builds in intensity and rage until it ends in screams.

“Ptolemaea” – Ethel Cain

How could I not include a Cain song in a playlist fueled by anger?

It’s no surprise to anyone who knows me that I love, love Cain. Her lyrical genius plus storytelling skills are enhanced by the gushing use of religious imagery. “Ptolemaea” is one of Cain’s most viscerally angry songs, and has an extreme build-up to what I consider the “drop in the roller coaster” for this song. You will recognize “the drop” immediately upon hearing it, I promise.

I was shocked when I initially discovered Muse a few months ago. The band is no secret—they had a decent amount of commercial success in the 2000s and still have around 16 million monthly listeners on Spotify today. I was dumbfounded I had never heard of them before, especially considering how I am ravenous for 2000s music. “Stockholm Syndrome” is Muse at their best, with poetic lyrics and cathartic screams.

The sliding instrumentals in the chorus never fail to send a delicate shiver down my spine.

Emily Jeffri is excellent at instilling a sense of dread and paranoia in her listeners. She does just this in “Where are they now?” which uses electronic music to achieve the desired unsettling emotional effect.

Jeffri’s wavering voice is blended together with the electronic beat of the song to create a creepy atmosphere that will have you looking over your shoulder while listening.

I included this song in my “anger” playlist because I would argue that paranoia and fear are sort-of twins to the emotion, as they frequently go hand-in-hand together.

“Sharpest Lives” – My Chemical Romance

Courtesy of Cavity Search Records

My Chemical Romance are wellknown for their angry songs inspired by intense and heavy emotions. It would feel like a crime to leave them out of this playlist. From harsh guitar riffs to blaring drums and screamed lyrics, the band conveys the writhing energy of anger in its entirety. These elements are sewn together beautifully in “Sharpest Lives,” which seamlessly transitions between lyrics and instrumentals.

Courtesy of Reprise Records

Fun

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 28, 2025 observer.case.edu Volume LVI, Issue 21

Observer koala takes on quizbowl nationals

Dealing with drunken delinquents A concerned citizen My car had an encounter last weekend with an item with which it was definitely not familiar: profuse vomit.

Not my vomit, mind you, the vomit of a friend. It was one of the most horrific endings to a Friday night you can imagine. It was on the inside, it was on the outside, it was even in the window housing. The next day, I spent a good 10 minutes hosing down my car with various cleaning chemicals, and hours more scrubbing away And yet, I still don’t feel like it’s clean enough. In fact, I will probably never look at my car, good old Petunia, the same again. She’s tainted.

So, this week I compiled a few steps to take if you ever have to deal with a friend who is disgustingly drunk to the point where they might throw up. Using this guide, hopefully you can avoid unwanted fluids on yourself, your belongings, and, especially, soaked into your beloved Petunia.

You should start off by determining if the friend in question–let’s call him Ivan–is actually drunk. Perhaps he is just tired, clumsy or stupid. Of course, he might be all these things and drunk, so be careful. The best way to determine if he is irreparably drunk is to give him a push. Did he stumble a lot, then fall over and stay down, looking dazed? If yes, then he is probably drunk. Go on to the next section. If no, then he is probably ticked. Give him a drink to calm him down.

Once you’ve determined that Ivan is wrecked, you need to figure out what to do with him. Remember, the idea here is to avoid being vomited upon: If you have a poncho handy, now is the time to put it on. Start by planning how you will get him home. If you are at a location on campus, this will likely involve some walking. Get ready for a long, painful trip, and just pray that he isn’t one of those crazy drunks who fights you off and runs away. If Ivan is passed out, this won’t be a problem. If he is small and light, you and another friend might be able to just drag him. However, since persons named Ivan are invariably enormous, your problem will be compounded. You will probably just want to give up on this one: That oaf isn’t going anywhere without a forklift.

If you are not within walking distance of home, you are going to need to find transportation. If someone drove to the place, and you have a designated driver, then pile in and head home. However, be warned, for this is where I ran into trouble. Consider taping a vomit bag to Ivan’s face. Otherwise, you will need to watch him like a hawk to make sure he doesn’t start throwing up. At the slightest hint of a heave, be sure the car stops immediately so you can push that lousy drunk out the door and onto the grass/ sidewalk/freeway. Let him get it all of out of his system and then spray him down with Lysol.

Actually, you know what, just leave him. Those stains don’t come out.

Off to Purdue University!

A train?!

Time to out pizza the hut.

Time to rock!

Quick Chipotle break...

Scorecheck?

All photos courtesy of Elie Aoun/The Observer

Oh look, a rhyme!

“Wow, this class is a ‘Bohr’,” I think as I start to snore.

Don’t know what I’m hearing, Screw engineering, Olive Garden—a true treat!

Eepy time.

Tic-Tac-Toe Puzzles Made two just for your friend and you!

I guess I’ll just work as a whore.

Please e-mail limericks to observer@case.edu.

INMONI________ LRIEYTB________ JAUCDIADET_____ ATBRCAELEN_____ MIUACLATEM____ LEIHBTIARTEA____ UTNSCOTINTE____

Opinion

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 28, 2025 observer.case.edu Volume LVI, Issue 21

A letter to President Kaler regarding student protest Danielle Sun Contributing Writer Dear President Kaler, On Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at 1:46 p.m., you sent out an email about “overnight vandalism.” You responded to a situation where “a group of individuals vandalized multiple buildings, structures and artwork on our campus with paint and glued posters,” decrying it as “antisemitic.” Then, not three days later, you threw four suspects into one of the worst jails in the nation with alleged felony charges and now have made warrants for four more. Quite the response, but what exactly happened?

People placed paint on windows, grounds and other campus areas to speak out against acts of political and social violence across the world. They painted “Free Palentine, Sudan, Congo, Haiti, Lebanon”; they brought attention to the bloodshed in Gaza, calling on the university to “divest” from its ongoing investment in the Israeli military. They put up posters protesting your term in office, your administration and its actions: “Keep Kaler Out.” Yes, vandalism, but “antisemitic” or “Islamophobic”? The protests did not platform any derisive speech against Jewish people. There was no speech against any ethnic or religious group—or any other community for that matter. You say “intimidating,” but to whom? Intimidating to your power, it seems.

The posters and paint got taken down, so we couldn’t see them, and

then you told everyone what they said.

Your job and administration were threatened, so you wove a different narrative. The word “antisemitic” was abused to villainize protestors and people of color fighting for their rights.

Safety and mental health were involved in exaggerating the crisis. Police forces arrived in swarms, putting yellow tape around campus and presenting a visual narrative. A threat to safety and mental health. What level of harm did people peacefully putting up posters against your administration and splattering paint in the middle of the night pose to students on campus?

What about when a contractor who you paid to paint over messages of protest sprayed toxic paint on a group of students (May 7, 2024)? Which of these scenarios was a real threat to student safety, and who was responsible?

What about when a man stood in KSL Oval and waved a flag with a swastika, and you allowed him to continue despite multiple reports? Or when a man spouting hate speech against the rights of BIPOC, female and LGBTQIA+ students stood alongside the campus, harassing students? Where was the mass email with mental health resources?

Where were the police?

The contrast is crystal clear when it comes to the situations that you underplay or even ignore and what you choose to overplay. We, your students, pay thousands of tuition dollars to study, live and exist in a place that allows us to do so—yet rising hate, Islamophobia and censorship threaten the very safety and identity of Arab, Muslim and other communities of color who advocate

for themselves. Meanwhile, you and your administration, shielded within a columned building paid for by our tuition dollars, don’t address these very real threats, instead continuing to act against the free speech of marginalized communities.

Your administration creates rules to limit freedom of expression so you can use them to silence people you disagree with. You made strict conditions for protesting, appointed an entire council to hover over student’s expression and censored the Spirit Wall, a space open to student expression for years. What form of unrestricted, uncensored speech on campus even exists now?

These tactics have been used against

people of color protesting for human rights for years and years. Despite claiming to support protesting and fighting for social change, you seem to forget the actions that brought about this change: sit-ins, the Freedom Riders—nonviolent resistance. What were the reactions to this, the headlines in newspapers and feedback from leaders across the country? They claimed these were “criminals” disrupting society and “threatening property.” This is social change by the oppressed and criminalized versus the oppressor—illustrated again now. The very same story repeated.

Sincerely, Danielle Sun

Darcy Chew/The Observer

Pre-med, pre-law, pre-burnout?

How we can fix pre-professional tick-box culture Katharina Staehr Staff Writer Picture this: the pre-PhD engineering student lining up summer internships with reputable automobile companies, the pre-med student juggling hospice volunteering with bench research and the pre-law student spearheading the mock trial team and investigating legal cases under the mentorship of a law professor.

Sound familiar? Probably because at CWRU, most of us are submerged in the vast amalgamation of “pre’s”: premed, pre-law, pre-dental, pre-vet, prePhD and pre-grad school. Inevitably, the concept of “being pre” defines our undergraduate education—that universally understood “pre-professional experience” in which we work inside and beyond the classroom to achieve our career goals. The extensive list of extracurriculars we accumulate and entertain unequivocally speaks to our commitment, talent and willpower to reach professional school. Yet more often than not, on the other side of flawless resumes and impressive LinkedIn profiles lies anxiety, and potentially even burnout.

There appears to be an unspoken agreement amongst students that the more we do, the more we will stand out to professional schools—especially given the evergrowing competition to get into medical, dental, law, graduate school and PhD programs. Thus ensues the race to fill every minute outside of the lecture hall with activities that will bring that extra “oomph” to our applications. However, this can be problematic, not only for the anxiety that arises as a result, but also for

the culture it creates: activities transform from meaningful experiences into seemingly empty obligations.

This phenomenon is not new. It’s called “tick-box culture,” which, as the name suggests, is about monitoring our success by checking off boxes just for the sake of “having done it.”

Take medical schools, for example.

Amidst looking for students with hours of shadowing, patient care, volunteer, research and leadership experiences, it appears that medical schools have constructed a rigid checklist that applicants should follow. While these are certainly meaningful in cultivating a genuine interest in medicine, the sheer volume

of expectations shifts the pre-med experience away from the intrinsic value of these activities to an effort to check off all the right boxes, with the cost of stress and burnout.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way. More and more, admissions committees are looking for applicants who can articulate their passions and demonstrate depth in their experiences rather than those who have dabbled superficially in a variety of activities.

Quality, not quantity, is what sets candidates apart.

Granted, professional schools have fundamental requirements that need to be met, whether its clinical shadow-

Lucas Yang/The Observer

ing for medical school or extensive research experience for a PhD program.

And naturally, if you weren’t seriously considering a career in medicine or academia, for example, you wouldn’t and shouldn’t be making the effort to pursue these activities.

Yet beyond this, that pre-professional experience is ours to create. By pursuing our passions and identifying the impact we have, we can not only foster meaningful experiences, but become happier, more fulfilled versions of ourselves.

If research excites you, commit to a long-term project rather than bouncing between multiple labs. If leadership is important to you, take on a role where you can make a tangible impact—perhaps by restructuring a club to increase engagement or spearheading a new initiative—rather than simply holding a title. If teaching and community service are your passions, consider mentoring young adults in their college application journey or tutoring elementary school students through a local organization.

You don’t have to do it all—nobody expects that of you. Besides, it’s impossible and unrealistic to do a myriad of activities with equal amounts of passion and without spreading yourself too thin. The undergraduate experience is about more than just checking boxes.

Ultimately, the pre-professional journey should not be about assembling the perfect application—it should be a time of genuine growth, discovery and fulfillment. With that being said, the undergraduate experience also only comes around once in a lifetime. Thus, let’s shift our mindset from simply “checking the boxes” to pursuing what truly excites us—and redefine what it means to be “pre.”

Opinion 9

observer.case.edu

EDITORIAL

Leading with integrity: Our commitment to factual, impactful and ethical journalism Editorial Board As Case Western Reserve University’s student-led newspaper, The Observer strives to report on topics pertaining to the community. And, during this precarious time, it is more important than ever before that we remain true to our code of being transparent, accurate and accountable with the information we publish.

Unlike traditional news outlets, student journalism, in broadcast and in print, relies on articles by students, for students. Often, it is student journalists who are able to provide vital on-theground coverage of events important to the campus body they represent. Last May, Columbia University’s radio station WKCR provided 24/7 coverage of clashes between the police and student protesters when mainstream media outlets could not enter campus premises. In 2023, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel published their viral front page design highlighting student experiences during the school shooting on Aug. 28, 2023. Situations like these have become more frequent in recent years and support the need for powerful, factual and ethical student journalism.

This starts and ends with protecting the communities we represent. We do not condone the dissemination of personal details without consent from the affected parties, especially if they are vulnerable and may receive backlash for their perspectives or actions. The ethical codes of other news organizations do not influence what we publish; we ardently report the full story, but we will never compromise on our journal-

istic integrity and empathy for the individuals involved.

A commitment to journalism that is effective—yet cognizant of the audience we serve—is woven into every aspect of our production. Each paper starts with a curated list of pitches—the campus and Cleveland happenings we hope to cover that week. Identifying these stories is an involved process, requiring us to scour campus newsletters, local news outlets and tips from those on and off campus. Even our weekly editorials are made to reflect the campus climate and present a perspective we feel strongly about and believe others would find relevant.

These articles are then put through three tiers of editing: section editors make bulk edits, copy editors check style and facts and directors oversee the final revisions. Each layer of editing serves a unique purpose, ensuring the content is stylistically, grammatically and factually sound. It is important to note, though, that this process is not always linear. When faced with controversial topics or news stories with conflicting information, writing and editing a piece demands discussion in which every claim made and quote used is scrutinized. The information we eventually decide to publish is what we, as a collective, deem to be accurate, beneficial, informative and most importantly, not egregiously inflammatory. If not, we regroup, restudy and prioritize publishing a well-written article over a perfectly-timed one.

It is of utmost importance for us to include student comments in each article we write, piecing perspectives together into one cohesive narrative.

Often, this involves asking questions that provoke passionate and honest re-

Jana Ashour/The Observer sponses. For this reason, we emphasize anonymity as an option for all students eager to make their voices heard but fearful of the consequences. Anonymity does not make a perspective any less hard-hitting or evocative. At The Observer, anonymity serves as a necessary protection rather than a barrier to the legitimacy of our content.

This anonymity, though, is not universally applied. Student leaders and student activists who have willingly put themselves in the public eye are often named in our pieces. These figures represent much larger communities, including clubs, government or advocacy groups, and thus deserve to be properly recognized in our paper. For better or for worse, statements from student leaders carry weight. And we believe maintaining integrity in our reporting means prioritizing transparency and

ensuring our audience is adequately informed—highlighting and properly assessing the voices of the leaders on our campus.

As student journalists, we are uniquely positioned to be a part of the community we represent. This is our badge of honor; we are dedicated to engaging credibly and effectively with the student, faculty and staff body that comprises our home away from home.

Reporting on fellow students comes with its fair share of difficulties, but it also informs our journalistic ethics and integrity. That is why we urge you, our readers, to engage with our coverage and recognize the perspectives we can provide that other major outlets cannot.

For us, headlines matter, “the scoop” matters, but protecting members of our campus and the quality of our content will always matter the most.

Money habits you need to break in 2025 Catherine Choi Staff Writer As a child, money was a source of stress for me. I did not receive an allowance nor was I allowed to earn any by helping out with chores. For this reason, I was not able to buy things that I wanted immediately and would get frustrated because I had to miss out on trends. However, as I started fifth grade, I started to receive an allowance every month. Although the amount was small and almost all of it went into my checking account, I still felt relieved to have a fixed income. Our past experiences with money affect the way we view it today. Reflecting on my history with money, I will be providing some financial tips to keep you from ending up in the street.

The first habit we’ll address is impulse spending. Although pennypinching is miserable and we should be generous with ourselves, we have to be mindful about how we use our resources. Because of e-commerce, it has become very easy to purchase a wide range of items in a short period of time from the comfort of our phone.

Ordering delivery and take-out coffee is as convenient as clicking a few buttons and picking it up on our way to school or work. We no longer have to spend hours strolling through the mall to update our wardrobes either. This can lead us to lose track of our spending, making it difficult to resist the desire to purchase items. If succumbing to temptation goes beyond our means, it can lead to financial ruin and an inability to pay our bills. To avoid such

Lucas Yang/The Observer a situation, we must break this habit.

This can involve having a spending plan, removing all shopping and delivery apps from our phones, tracking our spending and identifying triggers that lead to impulse spending.

Second, we cannot take debt lightly.

As we get older, many people consider taking out loans to attend school, buy a car or a house, cover for emergencies or even to spend more than they earn.

As we start jobs with a stable income, going into debt becomes an easier trap to fall into because our credit limit increases and more loans are advertised.

However, debt is a serious matter. Although some debt is necessary, as it is nearly impossible to pay off a house or pay tuition instantaneously, we should

do our best to not let it affect our life. Refraining from purchasing large, extravagant items and keeping up with loan payments can prevent the accumulation of debt and interest. Loans that are designed for living a life beyond our means, such as payday loans, should be refrained from altogether. These types of loans come with high interest rates and are not necessary as long as we are responsible with our spending. In the case of student loans, we can choose a school within our means, decide to get a useful degree, focus on school work in order to graduate on time, keep merit based scholarships, start gradually paying off loans and participate in tuition reimbursement programs.

Third, you must set boundaries. It is

true that we should not be stingy with our loved ones. But this does not mean that we have to be overly generous when we can’t afford it. Not everyone has your best interest at heart and not being able to say “no” can lead to you being exploited. If people are aware that someone close to them is being irresponsible with money and expects their loved ones to rescue them out of the mess they created, the request should not be granted as it may hinder their ability to learn from the experience. People have to know how to set boundaries to make sure that others do not think that they are entitled to their money.

Fourth, you have to have a plan. Although it is true that thoughts about the future are daunting, it does not mean that it is okay to not have the future in mind. We know very little about what the future holds so we must take being financially ready seriously.

Therefore, we must hold ourselves accountable. Everyone should have a monthly budget to prevent overspending, account for emergency savings, insured valuables and a retirement plan like a 401(k) or a Roth IRA. You should also continue to learn about personal finances and find ways to increase your assets and net worth, while investing responsibly.

As adults, we can no longer expect others to clean up our messes. Being good with money can be as easy as refraining from solving our emotional distress with retail therapy, treating shopping as a hobby and getting into unnecessary debt. We need to learn to say “no” and deny the urge to display our wealth through material objects.

10 Opinion

Friday, February 28, 2025

Reselling the show: Online ticketing companies are out of control Hannah Johnson Opinion Editor The prices of concerts become more ridiculous with every year that passes. Just look at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, with tickets selling for well over $1,000 in 2024.

Today, it’s completely normal for a single concert ticket to be anywhere from $80 to $200. Keep in mind this isn’t the final price you’ll be paying. No siree Bob, there are a couple of other culprits making this one night’s couple-hour experience cost a small fortune. To see the bigger picture, we need to look at ticketing companies and resellers.

For years, companies such as Ticketmaster and SeatGeek have received backlash for their outrageous ticket fees. Ticketmaster’s average rate hovers around 28% of the original ticket price, and SeatGeek is similar at about 30% but can also extend to more than half of the selling price of the ticket. Even worse, neither of these fees factor in taxes. SeatGeek defends itself by claiming that fees help “keep the lights on, pay the sellers that list tickets on our marketplace, and continue to provide a great product for finding live events.” They even front complaints with the disclaimer that their fee range is “commensurate with other ticket market participants’ fees, and are driven by the same supply and demand factors,” as if that justifies the decision to keep the fees so high.

After seeing a small artist I like was going on tour, I clicked into the sale portal the day after tickets had dropped. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the entire show had already sold out. When I called the venue, I was told their entire inventory had gotten bought out, and I’d have to buy from a reseller if I wanted to see the show. Hearing this rang immediate alarm bells in my head seeing since, as far as I knew, this artist wasn’t that popular—the original price of the ad-

mission was originally only $33. I checked SeatGeek next and was appalled to see how many tickets were up on the site for resale at triple the original price. A show that had originally cost $33 could now only be accessed for around $90. I was sad to see this but decided to keep monitoring the prices, convinced that the tickets wouldn’t sell due to the size of the artist. In the weeks leading up to the concert, the prices started to drop rapidly, with some of the tickets nearly returning to the original price. Once it reached about $35 the week of the concert, I purchased the ticket from SeatGeek, being greeted by the steep service fee, which was nearly half of the ticket’s price.

The new standard of online resale is ruining entertainment access. In the past when resellers had to go in person to try to scam the innocent public, their job was much less appealing. Today, the power is easily in their hands in the form of an electronic device. With the exorbitant fees that companies can make off these tickets, though, they’re not motivated to stop resellers from taking advantage of people.

If there is an easy way to rip people off, there will always be someone there to fill the space in the market.

I believe that there should be a ceiling price on resale tickets because of this. Perhaps this ceiling price should even be the original price of the ticket, with the reseller having to pay a small fee to return an uninsured ticket. If there was a ceiling price on online tickets, resale as a business venture would become a lot less enticing.

Although many ticket sale sites have controls to prevent bots from mass purchasing for resale, I’ve found that these systems are often faulty. When trying to buy a ticket for a different concert on Ticketmaster last year, I clicked on the site the day after the presale ended.

Tickets were still available for the same price as the presale, yet when I clicked purchase, I received a pop-

up from Ticketmaster telling me that the site had identified me as a bot and couldn’t complete the transaction. I refreshed the website and even switched to another browser, but I was still unable to buy a ticket until multiple days later—and even then, I was on a different device. If this system can mistake a human buying a single ticket for a bot, there seem to be deeper issues within its infrastructure. I was lucky that this artist’s tickets were not in high demand and that some were still available by the time I was able to make my purchase. At the time of writing this article, the tickets for the show have completely sold out. The lowest resale price I could find on the site now starts at $108 before fees (for a ticket that originally cost $42).

Companies profiting from the fa-

cilitation of resales have created an industry in which the everyday fans of artists can’t attend the concerts of people whose musical journeys they have followed for years. Due to the substantial mass of music circulating today, people who can afford it will likely decide to go to a concert simply because they know someone’s latest viral hit. I think this is completely fine—although some artists would disagree (see: Steve Lacy). However, I do think it’s unfortunate that concerts have become a luxury for the average person because of greedy corporations.

High resale prices do not in any way benefit the artist or their team. Instead, they just make it more likely that a sold-out venue may only be halfway full, especially in the case of smaller artists.

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The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer reports news affecting students and provides an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are typically written by the opinion editor but reflect the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. Opinion columns are the views of their writers and not necessarily of The Observer staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer via e-mail at observer@case. edu.

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Sports

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 28, 2025 observer.case.edu Volume LVI, Issue 21

NCAA makes unanimous decision to compensate collegiate teams in the women’s March Madness tournament Ellie Palaian Copy Editor On Jan. 15, the NCAA unanimously voted 292-0 to grant women’s college basketball teams participating in the annual March Madness tournament financial “performance units,” a benefit that men’s teams have long received.

“Units” are multi-million dollar payments that the NCAA grants to conferences based on the number of games a team competes in during the March Madness tournament. Historically, on the men’s side, 132 units, one per team for each game played, have been distributed to the conferences of participating teams. These payments are allocated over six years and given to the respective conference, which then decides how to distribute the funds.

For instance, in the 2024 March Madness men’s tournament, each game carried a value of approximately $2 million. Regardless of the outcome, every team that played in the tournament secured $2 million per game for its conference. In 2023, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) sent eight teams to the tournament, while the Big 12 sent seven. Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams competed in 17 tournament games, earning the highest estimated payout of $34 million, according to Sportico. The SEC followed closely, with its teams playing 16 games and generating an estimated $32 million.

However, while men’s teams have

long generated revenue for their conferences through March Madness, women’s teams have never had the same opportunity, until now. Following a significant rise in viewership last year, the NCAA has decided to allocate $15 million to be distributed over three years across 132 units. As a result, a team that reaches the Final Four this season will earn nearly $1.3 million for its conference, paid out over the next three years. This fund is set to grow to $25 million by 2028. However, it remains significantly lower than the total value of the men’s units, which exceed $200 million.

The 2024 March Madness women’s final drew a record 18.7 million viewers, surpassing the men’s championship game for the first time in history, which garnered 14.82 million viewers.

This surge in viewership was largely driven by the spotlight on star players such as Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese, as well as the dominance of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, who completed an undefeated season and claimed the NCAA title.

The heightened attention on women’s college basketball played a key role in the NCAA’s decision to begin compensating teams in the tournament. However, the question remains: Can the momentum continue? The sport still boasts standout talent, Bueckers is finishing her final season with the University of Connecticut and JuJu Watkins has emerged as one of the nation’s top players at the University of Southern California. But the

With record-breaking viewership and the NCAA’s monumental decision to grant financial compensation to women’s March Madness teams, this year’s tournament will make history.

Courtesy of Creative Commons league has lost its biggest star, Caitlin Clark, whose deep three-pointers and record-breaking NCAA scoring captivated fans worldwide. Without her, will women’s college basketball sustain its growing audience?

I can’t predict whether this year’s women’s March Madness will draw the same level of attention as last year, but it absolutely deserves to. This tournament is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling and unpredictable yet, plus, for the first time, the women’s teams will finally receive the revenue they’ve long deserved.

Unlike past years, where one team

often stood out as the clear favorite, like South Carolina in 2024, this season, multiple teams are neck and neck, bringing in similar records and stats.

South Carolina remains a powerhouse, but Louisiana State University, University of Notre Dame, UConn, USC and other teams are just as strong, setting the stage for intense competition and unexpected upsets.

If you love basketball, drama and history in the making, this is the tournament to watch. Women’s college basketball has never been more competitive, and this March, anything can happen.

With two UAA loses, women’s basketball begins to wrap up 2024-25 season Ellie Palaian Copy Editor With one game remaining in the regular season, the Case Western Reserve University women’s basketball team will conclude the 2024-25 season with a 2-11 record in conference play and a 7-17 overall mark.

The Spartans had a balanced start to their season, finishing non-conference play at 5-6. However, they faced challenges once the UAA competition began. This continues a trend from last season when the team went 4-10 in conference play. The UAA remains one of the toughest conferences in Division III athletics, with New York University currently ranked as the top team in all of DIII women’s basketball.

On Friday, Feb. 21, the Spartans faced off against Brandeis University but fell short in a 58-43 defeat.

CWRU showed resilience in the third quarter, igniting a 12-0 run to take a 30-29 lead after a layup by fourthyear forward and co-captain Evie Miller with 6:01 remaining in the period.

However, Brandeis quickly responded with 5 straight points to reclaim the lead. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer extended the Judges’ advantage to 37-32 heading into the final quarter.

Brandeis carried that momentum into the fourth, opening the period with a 10-0 run to stretch their lead to 47-32 with 6:49 left to play. The Spar-

Fourth-year Nyah Moore plays her last game as a CWRU Spartan this weekend. She played 98 games and logged 1,322 minutes and 233 points throughout her career.

Courtesy of Tim Phillis/CWRU Athletics tans were unable to close the gap, as the Judges maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game to secure the victory.

Fourth-year guard and co-captain Nyah Moore led CWRU with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting, including 2 3-pointers. Second-year guard Mya Hartjes contributed 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, while Miller added 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks.

On Sunday, Feb. 23, the Spartans fell 86-62 to top-ranked NYU in their second-to-last game of the season.

CWRU kept pace early, using a 6-0 run to pull within 1 point at 13-12 late in the first quarter. However, NYU took control in the third, scoring 30 points in the period. A tip-in by Miller early in the second half cut the deficit to 10, but the Spartans couldn’t close the gap further.

Miller had a career-best performance, scoring 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting while adding 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Second-year forward Maura Schorr contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while third-year guard and forward Emily Plachta added 11 points and a career-high-tying 4 steals. Hartjes matched a career-high with 7 assists while scoring 9 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.

Despite the challenges of the season, the Spartans had several standout moments. In December, they broke the 100-point mark in a dominant 108-52 win over the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. They also notched a signature victory in January, defeating No. 13-ranked Washington University in St. Louis.

On March 1, CWRU will be saying goodbye to seniors and team captains Miller and Moore in their final game.

Both have been key contributors and will leave a lasting impact on the program.

Moore played in her 98th career game this past weekend against NYU, tying for the 17th-most appearances in program history. Over four seasons, she logged 1,322 minutes and scored 233 points. Miller, in her 71st game for the Spartans, has totaled 1,186 minutes and 289 points for the Spartans.

The Spartans will play in their final game of the season against Carnegie Mellon University on March 1 at CMU at 3 p.m.

12 Sports

Friday, February 28, 2025

Track and field from page 1 The Spartans also dominated on the field as the No. 11-ranked women’s weight throw team claimed the four of the top five spots of the event.

Fourth-year Lauren Roskuszka recorded an impressive 15.61-meter throw to take the gold, followed by third-year Michelle Lee. Graduate student Ailean Duffie and fourthyear Rachel Ginn finished fourth and fifth, respectively, with marks of 14.95 and 14.81 meters. Fourthyear Jordan Su also claimed a victory for the team after bounding 10.87 meters for the triple jump. Another podium finish for the women’s team was first-year Eyoha Teshome, who cleared 1.47 meters in the high jump for the third-place finish.

On the men’s team, the sole victory came from first-year Artin Fazeli, who cleared 4.35 meters to tie with Baldwin Wallace’s Connor Radojcsics. Third-year Anthony DeCarlo and fourth-year Quaylen Lamarre also cleared 4.35 with more attempts to tie for third. The squad also saw many top three fin-

ishes including many second-place finishes. The men’s 4x400 team of fourth-year Jack Xia, first-year Madhan Manikandaswamy and third-years Josh Bates and Aaron Brula came in second with a time of 3:34.53. Bates had also individually recorded a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash after crossing the finish line in 50.67. For the distance races, third-year Solomon Greene (15.47.52), first-year Adam Esa (8:55.72) and first-year Brendan Bradish (4:24.96) were runners-up in the 5000-meter, 3000-meter and mile races, respectively.

This weekend, the teams will be in Chicago for the UAA Indoor Championships as the indoor track and field season begins to wind down. After the Indoor Championships, the athletes will have a week to improve and record more qualifying performances at the Tufts Final Qualifier and Polar Bear Last Chance before the NCAA Championships on March 14-15.

First-year Lucas Siepser came in fourth in the men’s 3000-meter run last weekend with a time of 8.58.13.

Phillip Kornberg/The Observer

Scores and Upcoming Games

Men’s Basketball

CWRU at Brandeis (2/21) - W 73-69 CWRU at NYU (2/23) - L 55-83 CWRU at Carnegie Mellon (3/1)

Women’s Basketball

Baseball

Crossroads Crossover Series CWRU vs Mount Union (2/22) - L 5-9 CWRU vs DePauw (2/23) - L 6-8 CWRU vs Heidelberg (2/23) - W 13-3 CWRU at Derby City Classic CWRU vs Millikin (3/1) CWRU at Spalding (3/1) CWRU vs Ohio Northern (3/2)

CWRU at Brandeis (2/21) - L 43-58 CWRU at NYU (2/23) - L 62-86

CWRU vs Washington and Jefferson (3/5, 3 p.m., Nobby’s Ballpark)

CWRU at Carnegie Mellon (3/1)

CWRU at Spartan Southern Classic CWRU vs Swarthmore (3/8) CWRU vs Baldwin Wallace (3/9) CWRU vs Arcadia (3/10) CWRU vs Ithaca (3/11) CWRU vs Swarthmore (3/11) CWRU vs Swarthmore (3/13)

Men’s Tennis CWRU at ITA DIII Indoor Championship 4th place CWRU vs Swarthmore (2/21) - W 4-3 CWRU vs Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2/22) L 2-5 CWRU vs Denison (2/23) - L 2-4

CWRU vs Wittenberg (3/14) CWRU vs Johnson & Wales (3/15) CWRU at Marietta (3/15)

CWRU vs University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (3/9) CWRU vs Wittenberg (3/9) CWRU at Regional Futures Open (2/23) - No CWRU vs Piedmont (3/9) team scoring CWRU vs North Central (3/10) CWRU vs Emory (3/10) CWRU at NCAA Region V Tournament CWRU vs Hampden-Sydney (3/11) (2/28-3/1) CWRU vs Franklin and Marshall (3/11) CWRU vs Skidmore (3/11) CWRU vs Denison (2/23) - W 7-0 CWRU vs Carthage (3/12) CWRU vs Oberlin (2/23) - W 7-0 CWRU vs Transylvania (3/12) CWRU vs Kenyon (3/12) CWRU at DePauw (3/1) CWRU at Grinnell (3/2)

Wrestling

Women’s Tennis

Swimming and Diving

CWRU vs Spartan Invitational (2/21-22) - No team scoring CWRU at NCAA Diving Central Regional (2/28-3/1) CWRU at NCAA Championships (3/19-22)

Track and Field CWRU at Ed Finnigan Greater Cleveland Colleges Invite (2/21) - No team scoring CWRU vs UAA Indoor Championships (3/1-2) CWRU at Tufts Final Qualifier (3/7-8) CWRU at Polar Bear Last Chance (3/8) CWRU at NCAA Indoor Championships (3/14-15)

Softball CWRU at NFCA Leadoff Classic CWRU vs DePauw (2/28) CWRU vs East Texas Baptist (2/28) CWRU vs Linfield (3/1) CWRU vs Trine (3/1) CWRU vs Tufts (3/2) CWRU vs Belhaven (3/2) CWRU at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (3/9) CWRU vs Bethel (3/10) CWRU vs Illinois Wesleyan (3/10) CWRU at Redlands (3/12) CWRU vs Haverford (3/13) CWRU at Whittier (3/13) CWRU at Chapman (3/14)