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observer the

volume xliv, issue 19

Pinching Pennies: W

ith the university in the middle of its strategic planning process, Case Western Reserve University is examining areas in which improvement and additional support is needed. One item that fits this description is hidden in plain sight; the university’s library system is one of the most underfunded research library systems in the country.

According to 2011 data collected by the Association of Research Libraries, the organization’s last rankings, CWRU ranks 103 in terms of library expenditure out of 115 research universities. The second lowest ranked private university on the list, CWRU only spent $15 million in 2011 on the library network, which is made up of four independent collections. While $15 million at first glance may seem like a significant amount of funding, this figure accounts for every library expenditure, including building maintenance and staff salaries.

In 2011 only about $7.5 million of the university’s budget actually went to the purchasing of library materials, with about $6 million of that supporting the right to access academic journals, an annually recurring fee. In other words, less than one percent of CWRU’s

operating budget in 2011 went towards the purchase of physical library texts.

2012 offered little improvement, and 2013 looks to be more of the same. Only $15.5 million was spent on the library system in 2012, and a similar figure is expected for 2013.

While currently solvent, if economic conditions for the library do not change, the quality of obtained materials may quickly deteriorate. According to associate provost & university librarian Arnold Hirshon, the price of obtaining print and electronic materials inflates at a rate between six and nine percent. Typically, the library receives only a two percent yearly raise in funding.

“Every year over the last five years, just against inflation, we are losing ground,” Hirshon said.

This problem especially came to light in 2011. That year, according to Hirshon, the university had to do some “fairly major cancellation” of journals and other databases. $550,000 worth of serials were not renewed.

This trend is beginning to concern

friday, 02/15/13

CWRU libraries rank among worst funded in nation

those connected to the library. At last week’s Faculty Senate meeting, the Faculty Committee on the University Libraries presented a proposal for the “inclusion of a specific goal regarding the university’s libraries” in CWRU’s 2014-2018 strategic plan. The committee emphasized the need to increase financial investment in CWRU libraries so that by 2018, the university’s ARL Investment Index Score will move up to number 65, the median of all ARL research libraries, and that by 2023, CWRU will rank 45, the median of all private research institutions.

see KSL | 2

>>all reporting by Mike McKenna, Asst. News Editor

CWRU’s libraries would need an increase in funding of 15.5 percent a year over the next 5 years to even rank in the middle of library expenditure for research universities

2018 budget with proposed 15.5 percent annual increase:

$30,346,214

2018 budget if CWRU maintains annual 2 percent increase:

$16,300,295

2013 budget:

$14,763,679

Actress turned nursing home queen: on the importance of independence >>alexPARISI senior.newsREPORTER<<

courtesy jessie watson Watson reflects on a life of performing and parenting in the activities room of Eliza Bryant Village, the nation’s oldest African American nursing home in operation.

Eighty year-old Jessie Watson ambles down a green- and bamboo- colored hallway of Eliza Bryant Village, gripping her bronze cane in one hand and a brown railing in the other.

Her slow pace and pride in her ability to walk have earned her the nickname of “Slow Motion” among the staff.

Once she reaches the end of the hall, Jerry Hill, the dietary supervisor at EBV, pauses to talk to her. “I’m working on a screenplay all about this place,” he says with a smile, “you’re my leading lady, Miss Watson.”

Watson looks at him skeptically and chuckles. When he turns to leave, Watson, in a faux British accent, says, “I hope to see you in the theater.”

Of the many roles she has

played in life, her favorite were on stage. *** Rocking back on her bed with her hands clasped, Ms. Watson recalls the adventures and dreams of her late teens at Karamu Theater. Fitting the Swahili definition of karamu, the theater was a place of enjoyment for her. She says her role in The King and I as Tuptim afforded her the greatest romance of her young life. Her freckled and subtly wrinkled face lights up as she remembers.

“I had this thing about liking to act—trying to,” she says, “because I was going to BE somebody.”

Since her time in the theater, Watson has been many somebodies from tomboy, to actress, to typist, to church sec-

see WATSON | 6

ABC’s “The Taste” proves to be sour, altogether unpleasant reality show see A&E, pg. 8

This week’s editor’s note: Plan to put second-years in the Village isn’t without flaws see Opinion, pg. 10 Meet the new additions to this year’s Cleveland Indians baseball team see Sports, pg. 19

index 1 news 8 A&E 9 opinion 13 fun page 20 sports

news

02/15/13

2

from KSL | 1 To accomplish this goal, the committee says that library funding must increase 15-20 percent every year over the next five years, well above the two percent annual raise the university’s library system currently receives.

The potential consequences of an underfunded library According to the proposal, the committee feels that this issue is a key problem for the university to address since further degradation of the library system could “hamper the recruitment of outstanding faculty and students.” On top of the future impact a lack of library resources could hold, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and chair of the committee Frank Merat believes that the current funding situation is a more pressing matter.

“We’ve got to pay close attention,” Merat said. “I have had faculty that have told me that if their online database was no

“The library is the laboratory for all

of the humanities and the social science faculty. No one would think about closing the laboratories of the biomedical engineering professors or the biology or biochemistry professors.”

-Kennith Ledford, associate professor of history and law

longer accessible here, they would leave.

We really live and work by those electronic databases. That’s where you get all the current papers.”

Associate professor of history and law Kennith Ledford, who is sitting on the CWRU 2026 strategic planning work group and has been involved in library workings for much of his 21 years at CWRU, has felt the consequences of limited library acquisition funding first hand. In recent research with a graduate student, Ledford had to purchase around a dozen books since the materials were not under library possession. While he lauds the university’s ability to obtain inter-library loans, Ledford says the process of borrowing books can take up valuable time - a commodity that is especially valuable at the undergraduate level where semesters are short.

“Do I have to start dumbing down my assignments so my students can finish in the time they’re given?” Ledford asked.

Ledford says that especially for his field, it is imperative that a consistent funding source be found, so that the library doesn’t have “gaps in history.”

“The library is the laboratory for all of the humanities and the social science faculty,” Ledford said. “No one would think about closing the laboratories of the biomedical engineering professors or the biology or biochemistry professors.”

The history and cause of CWRU’s underfunded libraries According to Ledford, low library funding is not a new problem: it has been an issue since the incorporation of the university. Ledford says that the predicament was further amplified more recently when “great austerity” was taken in the 2006 budget after the previous CWRU president announced that the university was facing a $50 million deficit on a $950 million budget.

CWRU then had to face the 2007 financial crisis, which certainly did not ease financial woes.

Currently, Ledford believes that the library’s funding method is at fault for not supplying adequate funding. “[The problem] isn’t because anybody said, ‘let’s starve the library,’” Ledford said. “It’s because we haven’t changed the [funding] formula.”

The present formula “taxes” each individual school based on headcount. From a Kelvin Smith Library perspective, the varying schools contribute different amounts of funding per person pending on how much

mary kate macedonia / observer Due to the installation of hollow floors during its construction in 1995, much of Kelvin Smith Library cannot hold books; the floors would collaspe under their weight.

Limited space could hamper future collection expansion While collection storage is currently not a major issue for the university’s library network, there is concern that it may soon be; Case Western Reserve University libraries are almost at full capacity.

Currently, CWRU libraries store parts of its collection in a warehouse on Cedar Ave. and an offsite storage facility in Pennsylvania. Offsite storage is considered a standard practice for major research universities. While this methodology is relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of

things, the Pennsylvania site only costs CWRU $30,000 a year, holding collections in another state makes accessing needed materials more difficult since items must be shipped to the university.

According to Associate Professor of History and Law Dr. Kenneth Ledford, who is sitting on the CWRU 2026 strategic planning work group and has been involved in library workings for much of his 21 years at CWRU, part of this situation stems from the design of Kelvin

Smith Library, the main library on campus. Much of the building is incapable of storing books because when the library was constructed in 1995, hollow floors were installed so that internet cables could be easily snaked through them. Since the floors are not weight bearing, they would collapse under the weight of periodic materials. “[Kelvin Smith] was designed by the Vice President of Library Technology, who believed that by now there

would be no more books,” Ledford said. “He also did not anticipate wireless technology.”

Ledford later added, “It is a library that was ill-made on two bets that didn’t pay off.”

However, since Kelvin Smith is a relatively new building, with the university already involved in several other major capital improvement projects, there is probably little chance that the building will undergo significant renovation any time soon.

A snapshot of the ARL rankings Institution

2011 Total Library Expenditures

2011 Salaries & Wages of Prof. Staff

2011 Total Library Materials Expenditures

26

U. of Chicago

$36,153,527

$5,111,645

103

CWRU

$14,763,679

52

Vanderbilt

29

$18,680,779

2011 # of Prof. & Support Staff 251

% of budget spent on materials 18

$4,071,158

$7,392,519

105

21

$25,206,657

$6,163,839

$12,274,237

189

34

Johns Hopkins

$32,416,105

$8,343,018

$15,480,846

250

43

83

U. of Rochester

$19,010,587

$5,428,638

$8,818,112

150

48

34

Northwestern

$30,948,218

$8,308,410

$14,035,157

259

57

25

Emory U.

$36,651,350

$6,714,443

$16,507,242

235

60

46

Washington USTL $27,440,983

$6,663,340

$12,151,603

200

62

62

MIT

$23,054,773

$8,225,403

$8,333,732

157

103

2011 Index Rank

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) calculates the ARL Library Investment Index every year based on library expenditure. “It’s not causal, but there is a statistical correlation,” associate provost and university librarian Arnold Hirshon said regarding the connection between the index and the strength of a university’s library system. Shown above is a comparison of ARL Index ranks with what Case Western Reserve University considers its “peer” institutions. one of their student population uses KSL. However, Ledford emphasizes that the division of the bill is not the library network’s main concern at the moment.

“The issue is that no one pays enough,” Ledford said. “I think all the arguments about whether is this the right method or if the actual head counts are correct is like rearranging deck chairs on the deck of the Titanic. There has to be more money.”

CWRU’s relationship with OhioLink Further complicating the situation is the currently precarious state of OhioLINK, the consortium of 89 Ohio college and university libraries that CWRU shares library materials with. Members of the faculty senate libraries committee noted that while CWRU has been able to partially “offset

the lack of local institutional content by being a charter member of OhioLINK, continued over-reliance” in the program “could leave CWRU’s library research resources extremely vulnerable.”

Hirshon agrees with this sentiment.

“Our problem has always been somewhat alleviated but also historically exasperated by the presence of OhioLINK,” Hirshon said. “For 20 years, we have been able to do some things that would not be possible if OhioLINK wasn’t there.”

Costs related to OhioLINK are split between the state and involved universities.

In recent years, the state has provided less and less funding for the program, so the universities have had to pick up the cost.

For example, in December, OhioLINK stopped paying for access to Web of Science, an online database used across the

university. OhioLINK had previously paid for the entire cost of the journal.

According to Hirshon, CWRU was the first institution to pledge money to keep the rights to Web of Science. Eventually 65 of the institutions signed on to contribute.

While the situation worked out in the end, Hirshon emphasizes that trend is worrisome.

“We can’t keep doing that, since the money we spend to keep something like that alive, which we did not have to spend before, is money that we are taking away from something that we could afford,” Hirshon said.

“As OhioLINK funding has become more uncertain,” he added, “it has kind of revealed the cracks in the wall that had always been there waiting to happen. Now we have to be more and more concerned.”

observer.case.edu

news

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Graduate students to help ease graduation woes >>brianSHERMAN staffREPORTER<<

So you’ve graduated, now what?

This is the question that graduate students Vincent Coe and Casey Albitz hope to answer for the many seniors who are anxious about May. Coe and Albitz, both Graduate Residence Mentors at Case Western Reserve University, are organizing an event called “The Grand Affair: Life After College Explained.”

The event, which will take place in the second floor of Thwing during community hour on Mar. 1, will provide free food and resources for seniors that will aid them in the transition from college life to the real world. While it was created to help transition seniors, the event is open to all students at CWRU. “It’s never too early to start developing these skills,” said Coe. “Some skills, like personal budgeting, will always be useful.”

The event will be an interactive exposition and will primarily take place in the Thwing Ballroom. It will be divided into six sections, each with their own theme: “Tying Loose Ends,” “Moving Out,” “Rainy Days,” “The 9 to 5,” “Money, Money, Money, Money,” and “Life After 5.” In addition, the other rooms in Thwing’s second floor will provide resources for tax assistance, financial aid, and food.

“Tying Loose Ends” intends to help seniors ensure that they are ready for graduation and have a streamlined transition from the university to the working world. This session will include information about meeting graduation requirements, tips to help seniors graduate on time, handshaking and “elevator speech” etiquette, and the importance of email and thank you cards.

“Moving Out” intends to give advice to seniors about where they will be living, including apartment renting tips. A member of the Peace Corps will also be on hand to give advice on moving internationally.

“Rainy Days” will help stress the importance of having backup plans for when life does not go as expected. Unemployment, extra savings, and returning to school will be discussed.

“The 9 to 5” will stress the importance of a professional appearance and demeanor, including suit measurements and advice on how to act at professional dinners and events, with mocktails provided by The Spot.

“Money, Money, Money, Money,” as the name implies, will help seniors with important financial options and how to decide between the options. Key Bank will discuss checking and savings accounts, credit, stocks, mutual funds, and credit scores.

Finally, “Life After 5” will focus on the life of a senior years down the road, stressing the importance of staying connected and networking.

Coe and Albitz’s vision for the event is to give undergraduate and graduate students a snapshot of the real world.

“There are no do-overs in the real world,” said Coe. “We want to provide answers for tough questions like, ‘Now what do I do?’ or ‘what do I do once I get a job?’”

To that end, Coe and Albitz have enlisted the help of many CWRU and community resources to answer any questions seniors might have at this event.

“These resources are accessible to students, but sometimes students don’t know what to go to them for,” said Albitz.

arianna wage / observer The CWRU Alumni House serves as a gateway for many outgoing students. Two graduate students are working on a program that will help graduating seniors as they move onto their next stage of life.

“We want you to take advantage of everything you can while you’re here,” said Coe. Coe, a graduate and second year law student at CWRU, admits that knowing some of the topics that will be discussed at the event would have benefitted him when he graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2007.

“Things like knowing the difference between checking and savings accounts and knowing apartment searching tips would’ve really helped me,” said Coe. “I hope to make the undergraduates less stressed than I was.”

Albitz, a graduate and first year sociol-

ogy student at CWRU, feels the same as Coe. “Even though I graduated from Case and went straight to grad school, I feel as though this kind of event would’ve helped me,” agreed Albitz. “Financial tips and knowing how to do things like elevator speeches are always beneficial.”

Ultimately, these two graduate students hope to prepare all students for life after college by showing them a glimpse of what’s ahead.

“I hope to help fill the gap between the classroom and the real world,” said Coe. “This will be like the real world, not taught in class.”

news

4

02/15/13

New funding system to make money accessible throughout the semester >>nooraSOMERSALO student.affairsREPORTER<<

As the semester approaches its midpoint, many student organizations at Case Western Reserve University have to finalize their plans for events they will hold during the next few months. Along with planning, the groups must also face the struggles that sometimes accompany the process of obtaining funding from the Undergraduate Student Government (USG).

To ease the funding process for student organizations at CWRU, USG has introduced a new Dynamic Rolling Funding (DRF) system. With DRF, USG aims to make rolling funding available to more student groups throughout the semester.

Under the previous rolling funding system, if a campus organization decided not to use the funds it was allocated, the money would still remain in its possession until the following semester.

This is a major issue the new system attempts to change. DRF allows student groups to return unused funds back to the rolling funding pool immediately, thus making additional funding accessible to other organizations. The USG’s Finance Committee will start reclaiming unused funds this week.

Previously, rolling funding was only available for student groups until the start of Mass Funding halfway through the semester.

According to USG’s Vice President of

Finance Colin Williams, reallocations were also problematic under the old system.

“Our website somehow […] had three to four old reallocation forms you could find by doing a Google Search, Bing Search, CWRU Internal Search, etc. This created confusion as the forms had changed over the years,” he said. “The rules around reallocations were fuzzy and had an 80 percent penalty attached to them. With DRF, reallocations become a thing of the past, and groups can request money for what they want and need.”

The process of developing the new funding system was “straightforward,” according to Williams. The USG bylaws already

“Ideally, SpartanLink will grow over

the next semester to be able to better associate events with Funding Requests, making the system even smoother than before. I think that we could see an improvement in connecting with groups to make sure that they have all the resources they need to have the best events possible.”

-Colin Williams, USG’s Vice Present of Finance required student groups to submit receipts within two weeks after an event for which USG funds were used.

Campus organizations are still required to do the same under the new policy, but the unused funds will be directly transferred

xiaoyu li / observer The USG Vice President of finance, Colin Williams, speaks at a recent meeting of the undergraduate student government. back into the rolling funding account.

According to Williams, the new system was ready to be implemented as early as last July, but there were two issues that the USG Finance Committee had to fix before introducing the system to the community.

First, the Committee had to create a central system that would allow the Finance Committee to easily keep track of the dates of the events of the student groups. SpartanLink, a website for student organizations, proved to be of use for this purpose. Student organizations are now required to submit their events on the site during the periods of Mass Funding and rolling funding.

Second, the USG Finance Committee acknowledged that the new funding system creates a need for student organizations for personal attention. Before DRF could be taken into use at CWRU, the Finance Committee had to create the Finance Committee Liaison program to help student groups with

the transition to the new system.

So far, student groups at CWRU have received the new system well. Williams expressed enthusiasm for being able to encourage groups to request more funding instead of making them go through the complex process of reallocation.

However, DRF is not perfect and there are issues Williams would like to see improved.

“This is a system that needs a lot of personal attention. Not just from an FCL standpoint, but making sure that we are keeping careful track of everything,” Williams said.

“Ideally, SpartanLink will grow over the next semester to be able to better associate events with Funding Requests, making the system even smoother than ever before. I think that we could also see an improvement in connecting with groups to make sure that they have all the resources they need to have the best events possible.”

observer.case.edu

news

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Outside the Circle News >>sarahGROFT national.newsREPORTER<<

courtesy vibe.com Last week, a report stated that members of the Bush family had been hacked online and gained access to personal messages and photographs.

Hacker accesses the Bush family’s private emails The Bush family was surprised to find that a hacker called “Guccifer” had gained access to six personal e-mail accounts dating from 2009 to 2012.

Among those hacked were Dorothy Bush Koch, the daughter of President George H.W. Bush, and Jim Nantz, a friend of the family. The obtained emails were posted on the Smoking Gun Website this past Thursday, Feb. 7.

Secret Service spokesman, Ed Donovan, announced Friday that the Secret Service would be leading a full investigation. Bill Bastone, the Smoking Gun’s editor, said that they found the e-mails in an online account. Bastone did not

plan to release any more of the e-mails or photographs. Quotes from the hacked emails could be seen on the website, some of them involving intimate details of both of the Bush’s lives. Some of the e-mails spoke about planning for George H.W. Bush’s funeral. On a happier note, the emails posted online also showed that George W. Bush has taken up painting.

The Smoking Gun did have contact with the hacker, who mentioned that “the feds” had been investigating him for quite some time. His exact words were, “I have an old game with the [expletive] bastards inside, and this is just another chapter in the game.”

Boy Scouts reconsider banning openly gay individual from participating in organization Last summer, the Boy Scouts of America passed a policy that prevented openly gay individuals from participating in the program. Last week, they announced that they were reconsidering the ban and as of Wednesday, Feb. 6 have announced that they would not make a final decision until May. In 2000, the United States Supreme Court said that the Boy Scouts of America were legally allowed to make this policy.

According to The New York Times, the court said that is was an example of “free speech by a private organization [that] would create a new moment of risk, experimentation, and change.”

The proposition that began last week would allow local scouting units to make their own membership rules. The possible change already has opposition. Some ban supporters fear that changing the past policy will cause some conservative churchsponsored troops, which make up about 70% of the organization, to leave the Boy Scouts.

Supporters of the change believe that the policy should state that any openlygay individual should be able to join any Boy Scout troop. The scout leaders who opposed the policy said that leaving the choice up to the scouting units would allow discrimination of sexual orientation to be tolerated.

The decision to hold off on a decision until May was partially motivated by the extensive feedback of the American public. A statement from the Boy Scouts said, “after careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the

Boy Scouts of American’s National Executive Board concluded that, due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review.”

In the 2000 case with the United States Supreme Court, the Boy Scout representatives said, “In a free society, organizations fail or flourish according to the private choices of innumerable families. A society in which each and every organization must be equally diverse is a society which has destroyed diversity.” But Jay Lenrow, a Jewish man who participated in the Boy Scouts in his youth, was disappointed in the Boy Scout’s choice to hold off on a decision until May. He argues that as a child, he spent time with a multitude of different religions, and they would discuss what it was like to be a member of their individual religion and its principles. “What that led to is, first of all, an understanding of what made my friends tick,” said Lenrow. “And, second of all, an appreciation for their feelings and their religious beliefs.”

However, there are others that do not feel the same way as Lenrow. Kelly Williamson, a scout in Texas, wants the Boy Scouts to stick to their original ban. “Do not back off against the principles you’ve had for 100 years,” Williamson said. “Really, this is nothing against the gay community. Have them form their own organization. It’s kind of ironic, gay scouts coming in and saying, ‘We want you to change how you’ve done this for 100 years.’” A national poll, released on Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, revealed that 55 percent of voters were in favor of opening the Boy Scouts to gay and lesbian individuals while 33 percent were opposed.

Smoking banned from Louisiana Mental Hospital Until recently, smoking was not only condoned, but actually encouraged in most psychiatric hospitals. The law that required hospitals to condone this behavior was changed in 2012, and by Mar. 30 of this year, smoking is supposed to be banned at both of Louisiana’s mental hospitals.

In previous years, cigarettes were used by these hospitals as incentives for patients to take their medications, follow rules, or attend therapy. A study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the almost 46 million people who have a mental illness have a smoking rate that is 70 percent higher than individuals without mental illness. It was also shown that these patients use approximately one third of the country’s cigarettes.

Concerns about the health of these patients have caused the reconsideration of allowing smoking in the hospitals. William Riley, chief of the Science of Research and Technology Branch at the National Cancer Institute, said that people with mental illnesses have been

found to “smoke heavier, puff longer, and smoke it down to the end of the cigarette.” Schizophrenic patients are more prone to these actions than others.

The hypothesized reason for the popularity of smoking for mental patients may have something to do with the chemicals the brain releases when it meets nicotine. Nicotine has antidepressant effects which can help prevent extraneous thoughts and voices for some schizophrenic individuals. However, some cigarette chemicals can affect the body’s uptake of psychiatric medications, which can decrease the amount of time that the medications work. For others, smoking is just a nice way to relax and forget that they are hallucinating.

Currently, approximately one fifth of state mental hospitals are not smoke free, according to a survey by the State Mental Health Programs Directors Association.

Some hospitals that enacted the ban have had to reinstate it in order to keep their patients. The new ban in March, while angering some patients, will hopefully better their health in a permanent way.

Life found under the Antarctic ice Scientists have found bacteria living deep underneath the Antarctic ice. This discovery could lead to a possible explanation of how life could survive on other planets or moons. It also allows scientists to study the vast ecosystem that is located in Antarctica’s underground lakes. These underground lakes are located in between Antarctica’s actual land and the ice that covers it.

The discovery was made after scientists drilled through half a mile of ice on top of Lake Whillans, which is five-feet deep and about 23 square miles in surface area. What they found were cells that were visible under a microscope and obviously alive. John Priscu, one of the leaders of the expedition, said that the team had done everything possible to prevent contamination of the lake with surface bacteria.

DNA analysis will be done on the bacteria in order to determine what kinds of

bacteria were found and how they live.

Since there is no sunlight, Priscu said that the organisms must have been using some kind of organic material, possibly from minerals or microbes from glaciers and rocks.

Some scientists, such as Chris McKay from NASA, believe that the discovery on Antarctica could tell scientists something about the possibility of life on other worlds. “If [the bacteria] was using a local energy source, it would be interesting. If it’s just consuming organics carried in from elsewhere, it is of much less interest,” said McKay. “There is not going to be oxygen on other worlds.”

McKay’s explanation of this view is that even though there is evidence of water under ice on other planets, the lack of oxygen means that any sustained life would have to live off of minerals alone.

On the Beat >>cwruPOLICE

February can be a tough month, especially when temperatures seem to constantly whipsaw between subtropical and Artic freeze, ensuring a steady spread of respiratory illness to keep University Health Services on their toes. You try and drink orange juice to stay healthy only to get trapped in an elevator with someone who is apparently trying to cough up their spleen. Winter Break is a dim memory, and Spring Break is a distant mirage. The groundhog says spring is coming early, but how much faith can you place in a burrow dwelling rodent? Valentine’s Day can be exhilarating, depressing, or just expensive.

February is also a month in which depression and depression-related issues seem to bite the student body a little harder than other times of the year. The key is to always ask for help when needed and take advantage of the resources Case Western Reserve University offers, from Veale Center to University Counseling Services, to fight off the winter blues.

Take care of yourself if you feel the blues setting in and extend a hand to friends if

you think that they may be struggling. If you feel someone may need more help than you can provide, tell someone in the campus support structure: RA, professor, coach, and so on. You are not being a snitch, you are helping someone who may need it, but doesn’t know how to ask for it. We have said all these things before in this column, but they sometimes bear repeating, especially at this time of year.

So let’s look out for each other and get through till spring, which will come eventually this year. Trust in the groundhog.

On the Beat welcomes feedback at policecolumn@case.edu.

>>police blotter

02/05 to 02/12

Feb. 5 - Theft from motor vehicleAuto entered and items taken between 1/27 & 2/5 Feb. 8 - Theft, Purse taken from unsecured office, Dental School Feb. 9 -Theft, Cell phone taken, Denny’s Diner.

Feb. 11 -Theft, Items stolen from office, Adelbert Hall.

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6

02/15/13 from WATSON | 1

courtesy cleveland.com Inside Christ the Redeemer A.M.E. Church is a set-up that models many churches, but two CWRU students are looking to renovate the exterior of the crumbling church.

retary, to wife, to mother, to divorcee, to grandmother. Most recently, Watson has earned herself the role “The Queen” of Eliza Bryant.

Every Sunday, Watson dresses up, making sure silver ringlets of hair hang delicately across her forehead beneath a silver sequined beret. Her garb and mannerisms elicit images of royalty for the staff at Eliza Bryant Village. For Watson, her jurisdiction and domain are modest.

“I’m the queen of this bed,” she says, slapping the mattress, “this raggedy gown, and that’s about all I’m queen of.”

Even before becoming “The Queen,” Watson enjoyed control and independence. She never became domesticated, she says, because she would stay outside and play with her seven brothers instead of listening to her mother. Even as an adult, she pursued autonomy as she and her husband divorced. “I couldn’t keep my marriage together,” Watson says, “because I had strong ideas as to what I shouldwhat I was aspiring to do.”

In some ways, the story of her marriage is in her hands; they are scarred, not

from cooking and cleaning, as her husband had wanted, but from a childhood of backyard baseball and bike riding; an adulthood of childcare and Church work.

Regardless of her age, Watson has always enjoyed control.

What she cannot control, even now as Queen, are time and aging, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

“I take the aches and pains that I have to,” she says, “I’m not ready to die yet. I have no control over it should it happen, you know. But, I’m willing to accept aging.”

Watson looks at life as a dichotomy.

“As long as you’re physically able to maneuver,” she says, “you only have one alternative: it’s either die or get older. So, die or get older.”

Straightening out her green velour sweatpant, and red and white striped shirt, Watson stands at the fullest posture her age allows, and walks out of her room towards a Jamaican nurse who calls her “The Queen.”

Watson wags her cane jokingly at the nurse, imitating the Jamaican accent, “Your wish is my command,” she says and continues down the hall, an unexpected stage for the aging actress.

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undergoes rescue by CWRU fraternity brothers >>suneilKAMATH civic.engagementREPORTER<<

to complete, and they are having some trouble financing the renovation.

“We are lacking funds and will be >>tanviPARMAR starting to look at getting corporate dospecial.assignmentsREPORTER<< nations as well as holding campus fundraisers,” Paul said.

Last semester, SigEp attained a lot Built in 1904, the Christ our Redeemer A.M.E. Church was a beautiful of their resources from Lowe’s Heroes building in Cleveland Heights, nestled program. However, since the fraternity on Superior Avenue. Recognized by already went through the donations the the Cleveland Historical Society as a company offered, they are continuing to Historical Landmark in 1995, it is the negotiate for more help.

Even though the project is somewhat oldest building in Cleveland Heights.

As the years have passed, however, the daunting, Harris, Paul, and Hudec are church has begun to deteriorate and not the only brothers working on this what was once a majestic landmark project. The entire chapter of CWRU’s now stands a molded, crumbling build- SigEp fully supports the project and, in addition, 20 brothers of John Carroll ing.

This change disturbed Bryant-Doug- University’s SigEp chapter have helped las Harris, a Case Western Reserve volunteer. The brothers want to work University junior and brother of the together not only to save a historical Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) Fraternity. landmark, but also preserve a building Harris was a member of the church’s that holds high personal value to one congregation and of their fellow could feel the imbrothers. e are lacking funds and will be pact the church’s deThe brothteriorating condition starting to look at getting corporate ers of SigEp had on the rest of the donations as well as holding campus are planning on fundraisers.” parishioners. working on the Since most of -Jeremy Paul, Sigma Phi Epsilon member renovations durthe 20 to 30 church ing spring break members are in their this year. Usu60s and 70s and do not have a dispos- ally, the fraternity travels with Habitat able income, Harris decided to take for Humanity and helps construct buildmatters into his own hands with fellow ings. Paul said that the church will be a SigEp brothers and CWRU juniors Jer- new experience since they will be renoemy Paul and Timothy Hudec and re- vating as opposed to building from the store the church. ground up.

This would not be an easy task. AcThe church congregation is extremecording to Paul, the roof of the church’s ly happy that the restoration process is two-story bell tower had holes that happening because, according to Paul, leaked. This caused severe mold prob- the Cleveland Heights government is lems, which destroyed the sanctuary. In not fully supporting the restoration. addition, the wood structures were not “Members of the congregation will holding up well and the building’s paint come out and watch us work. They’ll was peeling. The church also lacks any even give us food sometimes. It’s nice form of heating. to have support from the community So far, the restorers have put tarps because Cleveland Heights City Hall is over all the windows and replaced not cooperating with us as well as we much of the wood. The fraternity was would have hoped,” said Paul. also able to rip out the existing outdatBecause Harris, Paul, and Hudec ed pipes and sell them. may not be around campus to see the However, the work is far from over. completion of the restoration, they are Paul estimates that the project will hoping to pass the project on to some take approximately two or three years younger SigEp brothers in the future.

“W

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Springfest committee announces battle of band line-up >>brydenSPEVAK senior.newsREPORTER<<

Case Western Reserve University is brimming with more than just intellectual talent. Every year at springtime, the artists among the campus come out of the woodwork to show us their stuff. Springfest is here again, and the time has come to set the lineup for the event’s defining musical performance.

Battle of the Bands events have become a well-known topic of conversation in our 21st-century youth jargon.

A healthy mix of fierce competition and deafening music—sometimes high-

A healthy mix of fierce competition

and deafening music—sometimes highquality, often not—make this bloodless war something that young Americans can all get behind. quality, often not—make this bloodless war something that all young Americans can get behind. We’ve seen them in some of our favorite—or not-so-favorite—movies, like “School of Rock,” “Freaky Friday,” and “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.” Once again, CWRU is holding its own epic rock-off.

Jay Zhang and Mo Jaffery are in charge of this year’s Battle of the Bands competition. Per tradition, the

event will be held in The Spot and will feature a face-off between performers hoping to open the show for currently unknown Springfest headliner. As concert co-chairs, Zhang and Jaffery must make sure the lineup for 2013 consists of the top talent at Case.

On Feb. 27, bands will each play a 45-minute set, showcasing the music they think will be most likely to get them on that Springfest stage. The result of the showdown will depend entirely upon audience reaction, unlike most BOTBs whose winners are determined by a panel of judges. “During battle of the bands, performers will give the audience the best they’ve got and winners of the competition are determined by an audience vote,” said Zhang.

As this is not the first time the Springfest committee has hosted the event, they have some idea of what to expect. Last year’s Battle of the Bands had an excellent turnout, and the cochairs are planning for a similar crowd this year. “Each band had their friends present to support them, so The Spot was packed with student of all ages,” said Jaffery of his most recent BOTB experience.

“The winning band, Bacon on Tap, truly stole the show with the excellent vocals of Laine Seliga,” Jaffery explained. Dave Holcomb, Davis Wilkinson, and Ben Yabrow made up the rest

of the triumphant group. Because of their win, Bacon on Tap had the opportunity to open for 2012 headliner, Tyga.

Runner-up CWRU bands Stations, Radical Moderation, and two DJs rounded out the rest of the opening acts.

The Springfest concerts committee is currently accepting applicants to compete in the upcoming Battle of

“E

ach band had their friends present to support them, so The Spot was packed with students of all ages.”

-Mo Jaffery, representatives of Battle of the Bands the Bands. In order to be considered, at least one member of the band must be a CWRU student. The group must also submit a full listing of their band members, a band biography of around 150 words, a band picture, and two full songs submitted in video format.

They must also be available to perform on Feb. 27 and, if deemed winners, at Springfest on April 27. Five bands are already set to perform, but the concerts committee is still looking for more applicants.

Battle of the Bands will take the place of UPB’s weekly Wednesday Spot Night. But not to worry—one-dollar mystery beers and wings will still be in attendance.

Page 8

arts & entertainment 02/15/13

ABC discovers the taste of new reality show to be sour, altogether unpleasant Watershed Down >>drewSCHEELER film&tvCRITIC<< A good reality show requires the perfect kettle of ingredients to be successful. This might include a novel format or memorable contestants or some incredibly compelling reason for viewers at home to want to tune in week after week to see who survives until the finals. Remember, if you are old enough, the first season of Survivor. Now try to remember anything about the next twenty five seasons aired over the last thirteen years. But a great format does not guarantee a great show.

ABC’s “The Mole” still holds up incredibly well by today’s standards: the challenges remain thrilling, the cast is interesting enough and there is a self-effacing, pre-CNN Anderson Cooper to keep things moving. But the ratings just were not there and a pair of celebrity seasons hammered the proverbial nail into that series’ coffin.

Imagine, if you can, a team of executives deciding to take the best elements of several preexisting reality shows and merge them together to form a new superprogram. One network executive probably said, “Hey, that ‘Top Chef’ has been running for ten seasons now and is still pretty popular on basic cable.

Let’s make another elimination-based cooking show!”

But directly copying another show’s format is low, even for the industry that has supported the Kardashian family for ten years. So then another executive suggests poaching the coaching format as seen on reality competitions like “The Voice.” A final executive, taking his inspiration from the plot of a famous Mary Shelley novel, sews these ideas together.

courtesy popgoestheweek.com “The Taste,” also known as “Tony Bourdain Needs To Pay For A New Condo In Miami,” is the result of this scientific experiment gone awry. Like Frankenstein’s Monster, it stumbles around and frightens normal people away. Unlike the monster, “The Taste” probably hasn’t killed anyone… yet. Contestants

are not even required to make a complete meal: they are only responsible for one lone spoonful of concentrated suck. “Top Chef” has already been scraping the bottom of the duck fat barrel in trying to find new and interesting challenges for its past few seasons.

And each episode of “The Taste” features

an uninspired cooking challenge that probably came from dumpster diving at “Top Chef” headquarters. Oh, look. Contestants must choose one of five ingredients to incorporate in a dish that pairs well with a certain wine!

And your coach has personally selected these

see ABC | 15

President Obama signs cybersecurity executive order >>owenBELL games&techREPORTER<< On Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed a new executive order meant to safeguard the United States’ critical infrastructure from cyber attack. Announced during the State of the Union, the order, Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, lays down a plan to create guidelines and standards for how to better defend the nation against cyber intrusions.

The order will improve American cyber security in two key ways.

First, it expands on the cyber threat information sharing that is already conducted through the Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program. This program was established to ensure that some critical areas of US infrastructure, run by private interests, are kept informed about potential cyber attacks. With the new order, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence shall each issue instructions to “ensure the timely production of unclassified reports of cyber threats to the U.S. homeland that identify a specific targeted entity.” These reports are then available to all areas of critical infrastructure in the US, helping them guard against identified

courtesy mshcdn.com risks.

Second, the order directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create a Cybersecurity Framework. This

framework “shall include a set of standards, methodologies, procedures, and processes that align policy, business, and technological approaches to address caber

risks.” Once created, this framework will

see OBAMA | 15

a&e 9

observer.case.edu

The Observer’s app of the week

AAA Night: stealing the spotlight

>>sheehanHANNAN arts&entertainmentEDITOR<< ting emails as tasks, a process which

Tomorrow, Asian festivities will be brought to the Thwing Ballroom, transforming it into an evening full of culture.

The Asian American Alliance (AAA) will be hosting their annual AAA Night open to all students from 6 to10 p.m.

With many student and off-campus groups performing, this year’s theme, “Stealing the Spotlight,” is very appropriate. “I can promise that it will be an unforgettable night!” said enthusiastic AAA member Nick Fung.

Fung joined AAA at Case after being very involved in his high school’s Asian American Culture Club. “Ever since, I have always gravitated towards this type of extracurricular,” he explained.

However, Fung doesn’t seem to be restricting his extracurricular involvement, as he is involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, even in college. Also a very active dance enthusiast, Fung will be performing with Urban Elementz, CBLAQ (Case Western’s K-Pop group) and the Freshman AAA dance group. Most forms of entertainment at AAA Night will be dancing performances, but according to Fung, “There are some rumors going around that Speakeasy may come and perform that night too.”’

Other groups performing include the AAA’s executive board dance group and the Yin Tang dance group.

However, live dancing and singing are not

Mailbox

Platform: iPhone Publisher: Orchestra Inc. E-mail is perhaps the most outdated form of digital communication that still remains a part of our everyday lives.

Especially as students, we are on the receiving end of a constant stream of newsletters, homework assignments, and varied updates, all spewed out through this seemingly archaic form of communication. Accessing said email is, in itself, a frustrating experience and is bound to induce downright mania when multiple accounts are in play. Given, Gmail is an improvement.

Personally, I am one to preach about how excellent the Gmail app for iOS is. But even Google’s advanced take on the archaic art form of email is still somehow lacking. Enter, Mailbox.

Simply named, Mailbox is based around a simple idea. Orchestra Inc, the company behind one of the most widespread productivity apps, Orchestra, created it. According to an interview with developers by The Verge, the idea for Mailbox sprang from an interesting quirk they were seeing in Orchestra. Many users of the popular task management app were submit-

involved convoluted wrestling with the app’s submission protocol. Nonetheless, huge quantities of users continued to submit emails as tasks. So developers decided to do something drastic.

Thus, Mailbox was a born, the bastard child of task management and email. This duality is at the core of Mailbox. Every email is viewed as a task to be dealt with, within a time frame of your choosing. A simple swipe dismisses an email to be dealt with later today, tonight, tomorrow, etc. Your inbox is no longer sorted based on the order of arrival. Instead, it’s sorted based on what you have to take care of at any given point during the day. Even better, all those times are customizable, so if you’re insane and want to start your workday at 6 a.m., you can.

But they didn’t stop with that already winning formula, instead opting to modify the underpinnings of email itself. Currently, email apps are restricted to a push-pull based infrastructure. For instance, even if the Gmail app alerts you about a new email, it doesn’t pull the email to your device until you actually access the app. Ostensibly, this is to conserve battery power. Mailbox, however, seeks to

turn that model on its head.

Firstly, Mailbox downloads your email to Orchestra servers, where it’s drastically compressed. It’s then streamed directly to your phone. The compression process is (supposedly) extremely fast, leading to truly instant email access that won’t be a large draw on battery life.

There is, of course, a downside to this system. All that compression and downloading is a sizable draw on Orchestra Inc’s infrastructure. To avoid an all-out disaster, they have instituted a sizable waitlist. Upon downloading the app, you’ll be greeted with your place in line. Tantalizingly, you can see how many people are in front of you in line (a constantly decreasing number). Even better, you can see how many people are behind you.

Mailbox is a refreshing take in an email app marketplace that, as the saying goes, is paved with corpses. It does have a downside, the most flagrant of which is no support for Gmail’s label system. However, there’s bound to be expanded support in the future. In the meantime, Mailbox is an extremely useful app that, while it might not be your primary mail client at the moment, has the potential to do so in the near future.

see AAA | 15

opinion

Page 10

02/15/13

The meat of the situation >> ashley YARUS | KEEPING PERSPECTIVE As you drive by a fast food joint, there’s a quite distinctive aroma that permeates the air. Can you smell it? It’s that savory sweet scent of cooking beef that welcomes you into a land of burgers, fries, and chicken tenders. Ruled by the omnipotent Burger King, this is a sacred place for fast food lovers and Americans alike. But recent events are starting to make people wonder: what’s really on the grill?

This past week, the identity of Burger King’s ground beef has been called into question. In a recent study by British sources, traces of horse DNA were found in one of the company’s meat suppliers.

Silvercrest, a slaughterhouse that services Burger King, as well as a number of British food companies, is being investigated for the likely use of horse meat as cheap “filler” in their beef products.

British and Irish authorities are up in arms over this newest development, not only because it is a blatant misrepresentation of a product, but also because of the possible health implications. Horses can be treated with an anti-inflammatory drug called phenylbutazone. This drug is linked to cancer in human subjects.

In fact, the drug was found in horses slaughtered in Britain this past year. As if eating red meat wasn’t controversial enough, this newest development simply adds another layer to the complicated subject of whether or not the meat industry is worth supporting. As one could expect, Burger King has stopped buying meat from the slaughterhouse in question.

Burger King’s choice to drop Silvercrest as a supplier seems quite obvious, but the whole ordeal should really serve as a wake-up call. When choosing to buy from chains like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, and their competitors, a person accepts poor quality for the sake of cheap food. There’s a certain cultural heritage in our fast food restaurants, but for a moment, let’s focus on the real meat

of the issue: the food itself.

Who among us can say that they are 100 percent positive about the origins and nature of our food? Anyone who has eaten a nice juicy hot dog or a thick slice of bologna cannot claim to be a conscious consumer.

Let me refresh you on one of this summer’s food scares: the pink slime. Videos of Pepto-Bismol pink goo being added to vats of ground beef hit the Internet sometime late last summer. There was a reasonable amount of public outrage and general disgust on the part of the consumers. The media had a hay-day with the footage, but little else followed.

The hysteria faded to a dull murmur of vigilant vegetarians after a few weeks.

It doesn’t seem that people are too interested in changing things when it comes to their groceries and favorite dives. With this most recent development in the quality of our meat, I don’t expect much to change either.

Our bellies supersede our minds when it comes to food. When my stomach aches from hunger pangs, I rarely think about where my banana is coming from or the source of my Jiffy peanut butter.

Everyone is guilty of being selfish when it comes to food. What, besides food, is something solely yours to enjoy?

Whether it’s a nice juicy burger or a marinated chicken breast, people enjoy their meat. But, at the end of the day, the nature of our meat doesn’t account for much.

Next time you buy a Whopper, remember that the phrase “burger” is pretty loose term. Beef, bison, horse, pork, chicken, goat… it’s all just meat as far as your stomach is concerned.

Ashley Yarus is a freshman studying Chemical Engineering. Her ability to doodle anchors has increased exponentially within the last week. She is feeling slightly crushed now that magical snow no longer covers the campus.

courtesy medicalarttheraphy.com

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the columnists and contributors in this section are solely their own.

They do not reflect the views of The Observer or Case Western Reserve University.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@case.edu or submitted on our website at observer.case.edu. Letters can be mailed to 10900 Euclid Avenue, Suite A09, Cleveland, OH 44106. Letters need to include the writer’s full name, address, and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters from organizations must contain the name of an individual for contact purposes. Writings may be edited for clarity and brevity, and while The Observer makes an attempt to print all correspondence; space and date of publication are not guaranteed. Letters over 600 words may be returned to the sender. Letters must be received by 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer exists to report news affecting and/or involving students and to provide an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer at (216) 368-2914 or e-mail observerads@case.edu.

The Observer is a proud member of the CWRU Media Board.

Editor’s Note The house of the rising second-year The Village at 115 has long been marketed by Case Western Reserve University to incoming students as the light at the end of the tunnel, the reward for surviving two years in the outdated and unattractive housing reserved for underclassmen.

But as the Office of Housing and Residence Life recently stated in two open forums held for university residents, the Village will soon be rolling out the welcome mat for new guests: select second-year students.

According to housing administrators, the next academic year’s sophomores will have the options of Glaser, Kush, Michaelson, Alumni, Howe, Staley, and Tippit on South Side. Then, on North Side, students will be welcome to choose among the top six floors of Clarke Tower, in addition to applying for admittance into House 1 of the Village.

In order to set foot into the Village, students must apply and be accepted into the newly created Explore, Engage, and Envision program. The university claims this program will help students “gain leadership skills and make the most of the CWRU experience,” which is code for: space is tight, the class is huge, and this program’s name makes it seem like we’re doing something productive.

The application to get into House 1 will entail a minimum GPA, no standing judicial problems, and an application with a short essay. Applicants will know whether they were accepted or denied before the lottery for other sophomore housing begins.

Current juniors and seniors who reside in the Village have expressed outrage and frustration over the soon-to-reality of second-year students occupying some of the best housing CWRU has to offer. One of the frequently mentioned reasons is that the Village has always been idolized as an end-goal, with flexible and independent housing options to meet the adult expectations of upperclass students. This is without mentioning that right now, the Village at 115 cannot hold every junior or senior student who wishes to live there.

As a consequence of second-year students inhabiting the Village, the exclusivity formerly associated with the complex is bound to dissipate as fast as warm air through its drafty windows. Thus, third- and fourth-year students may no longer see the value of paying extra money to live in housing no longer reserved for upperclassmen.

What I am more concerned about, however, is the division the university is creating within the sophomore class: the well-off, smart students who get to live in the Village and then everyone else, left to reside in rooms so small you can hold your arms out and touch both walls.

One of the benefits of CWRU that often makes us stand apart from other schools is our lack of an honors college. Instead, we are a university in which all of its students are admitted on an equal playing field. Simply put, we are an honors university in our own right.

I understand why administrators felt the need to make the process selective for second-year students wanting to reside in the Village, but the side effect of this choice is un-leveling the playing field. We can only hope that the Division of Student Affairs will take steps to make sure this segregation is only as thick as the Village walls.

More than anything else, this debacle exposes the need for new residence halls at the university. This is especially relevant considering the CWRU’s administration wants to maintain a larger undergraduate population in the future, consisting of approximately 5,000 students.

Inviting select rising sophomores to live in the Village is indicative of a cart and horse issue; we brought too many students here before we had a place to put them. With any luck, the school will not make this mistake again. But if they do, we need not worry; Houses 2 through 7 are still ripe for the picking.

Tyler Hoffman –EXECUTIVE EDITOR Want to connect with the editor?

Follow him on Twitter @tylerehoffman or drop him a line at observer@case.edu.

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Contentious words and a plan >> andrew BRELAND | THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM The best State of the Union Addresses attempt to reinvigorate a tired base with a new agenda. On Tuesday, President Obama failed to reinvigorate and proposed little more than the same progressive agenda he has championed for the last four years.

Embracing traditional American ideals of individualism and small business, Obama continued by criticizing the inactive Congress that has failed to pass any one of his proposals as it was first mentioned. He proposed “new” initiatives that begin with closing tax loopholes and include immigration reform, firearms regulations, as well as funding and improving a faltering education system.

In more words, Obama argued that Americans have to join together in compromise.

“None of us will get 100 percent of what we want,” he said. And the modern issues associated with immigration restrictions, failing schools, and shuttered businesses impede progress on traditional American questions of advancement through work and equal opportunity across situations.

Obama was surprisingly explicit about the policies he wanted to enact. Included among those ideas were reductions in carbon emissions, advancement in American infrastructure, and improvement of American primary and secondary schools. The latter of these concerns included a new JFKesque challenge to Americans to “redesign America’s high schools so that they better equip graduates for the demands of a hightech economy.”

Additionally, the President attacked corporate profits as the highest in recent time and faulted executives for not paying “their fair share” in taxes. Obama consented that

the rising cost of government entitlements are the biggest threat to U.S. fiscal solvency, but failed to recognize that those programs require massive reforms to remain feasible.

Rather than calling for business investments and lowering costs, Obama called for an increased minimum wage, a move that would increase costs of doing business and lower employment. Maybe John Boehner said it best when he criticized the proposal on Wednesday, saying, “When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it.”

Now I am not one to congratulate Republicans for immediately doing away with the President’s policies. I look forward to a day when Congress and the President will compromise again, the first step on the way to their Constitutionally-mandated responsibility to govern.

But that is not this day.

The President’s speech was not all superlatives and an unattainable wish list. Several of the President’s proposals make sense. All Americans should be in favor of tying the minimum wage to inflation, strengthening our Southern border while creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and ensuring value in college educations. Advancing clean energy production is a non-issue. Bringing jobs back to the U.S. is an issue that both parties agree is crucial to economic recovery.

We cannot produce the possible, however, by shielding it beneath the shroud of politically impossible measures.

President Obama invited Apple CEO Tim Cook to the State of the Union. He mentioned Siemens CEO Eric Spiegel. He channeled his inner Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett. If nothing else, Obama became the

Why the Tinkham Veale University Center isn’t a new student center >> CWRU House Mafia | FROM THE MAFIA Case Western Reserve Univeristy is aboCWRU is about to get an iconic new building that is intended to transform both the built environment and the culture of campus. But students and administrators have been using different language to talk about the new building, and as the opening date gets closer, the expectations of both groups are diverging rapidly.

The Tinkham Veale University Center (TVUC) has been in the works for a long time and became a priority in the 2005 Master Plan - and the plan has always been the same: build a university center.

The distinction is imperceptible if you aren’t listening carefully. Student centers, like those at CMU or MIT, are built to be used almost exclusively by students. They are packed full of coffee shops, bookstores, barbers, lounges, offices for student groups, even Kinkos and banks with real tellers all services and spaces that a student frequently makes use of. The idea is to have a single building which centralizes many of the extraneous needs of students - and always with a priority toward students.

Although it may look the same as a student center at first glance, a university center has a different purpose. Like any good university center, the TVUC is meant to be an icon of the university, to the rest of the community and to campus members, but mostly to the community.

There will be only a handful of dining options that will likely compete with

existing campus staples like Cramelot and the Jolly Scholar. Only the biggest student organizations will have office space - USG, UPB, COC, IFC/Panhel, etc. - and very limited office space at that. Event spaces have been designed to host events on the scale of TED or the Town Hall Speaker Series, not an organization’s cultural show or the semesterly production of the Footlighters.

In practice, and from the perspective of a student, a university center is much more like a miniature convention center. Only big-name events that can afford steep spaceusage fees will be able to make use of the programing spaces, which will likely be kept closed the rest of the time to keep them nice.

Think of it this way: student centers are built of concrete and steel for a reason - students beat the heck out of them. University centers are built of glass and have fancy furniture because it means they can attract community partners that will pump in revenue.

So whether you call it the TVUC, the Tink, the Campus Center or have no idea what we’re talking about, just know that what you’re getting won’t be a student center. Instead, we’re getting a university center.

A new weekly contributor to The Observer, CWRU House Mafia is a blog beyond The Daily that strives to engage and develop a deeper sense of community at Case Western Reserve University. They’re only a click away at cwruhousemafia.tumblr.com.

courtesy cwruhousemafia.tumblr.com

courtesy latinospost.com businessman he wants to be when he charted another path for the national American corporation. Never, though, will we advance to that stage.

Instead, he needs to champion the CEOs and corporations that make a positive impact here and abroad. He needs to congratulate the Apple Corporation who vowed to begin making iMacs in the U.S. again. But Obama likewise needs to chastise the CEOs who become political rather than remain business friendly.

Yes you, Mr. Buffett.

Mr. Obama quoted Kennedy at the inception of his address. Obama, quoting Kennedy, read, “the Constitution makes us [the President and Congress] not rivals for power, but partners for progress.” To an extent that is right.

But ask any of the Framers and the opposite may have been true. The Congress and the

President should fight for power, and each should threaten the power of the other.

President Obama’s belief that his legislative ideas will advance without opposition is foolish and stands in the face of the American governmental system.

Compromise is forced through this “gauntlet” of sorts. At least the ideas are out there. Maybe the compromise will follow.

Andrew Breland is a sophomore planning to triple major in Political Science, English, and History. At CWRU, Andrew serves as the Vice President of the Case College Republicans and the treasurer for the Case Western Mock Trial Team. After graduation, Andrew plans to attend law school and pursue a career as a civil litigation attorney specializing in Tort defense.

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02/15/13

Olympics, wrestling, and the International Olympic Committee >> heather O’KEEFFE | WHAT A GIRL WANTS “Faster, Stronger, Higher:” that’s the motto of the Olympic Games; a motto that has dictated games past and present. The Olympics are so much more than Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas: the Olympics are about bringing nations and athletes together to celebrate and unite the world.

Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) came under scrutiny after announcing its shocking decision to drop wrestling from the official roster of sports for the 2020 Olympic Games.

In the past few decades, the Olympics have grown substantially.

Sports are added, more and more athletes participate, and the television audience has continued to skyrocket. The IOC decided to drop a sport to limit the size of the event, capping the number of athletes at 10,500, and to sustain the relevance of the Olympics in the modernized world.

Based upon 39 criteria, ranging from doping instances to ticket sales, wrestling lost out to the modern pentathlon, taekwondo, and

field hockey. This decision, lacking transparency from the IOC, has left many fans of wrestling and the Olympics speechless and blindsided.

Angered fans rashly commented on blogs, the anonymity of the internet allowing people to rant without substance and deeper thinking.

Rather than bash the remaining sports and IOC, it is best to delve into the very purpose of the Olympics and make a thoughtful critique.

I have always loved the Olympics, a love so strong that my career aspiration is to work for the IOC. Through my Olympic curiosity, I have long been acquainted with the Olympic Charter, the very essence and mission of the Olympics.

Emblazoned on the cover of the charter are the words: “Olympism is a philosophy of life, which places sport at the service of humankind.”

These words are known by few fans but are the basis of the Olympic Movement.

This is a movement much greater than the sporting tournament run every two years. It is a movement

courtesy scrapetv.com

at work everyday; it happens at the grassroots level bringing children from the farthest corners of the world together through sports, teaching them social responsibility, human rights, and bringing them joy in the face of hardship. All of these are in an effort to build a better world through sports.

The Olympic Games are the pinnacle of the Olympic Movement, governed by the IOC and inspired by Olympism. The Olympic Games are deemed by the charter as a “bringing together [of] the world’s athletes at the great[est] sports festival.” The famous five interlaced rings represent the games and symbolize the union of athletes and the world for a fortnight of friendship and peace.

The fourth fundamental of the Olympic Charter is perhaps the most apropos in regards to Tuesday’s decision. It is quite simply: “The practice of sport is a human right.” Every human being has the right to be empowered and touched by sports.

Anyone can participate in wrestling, no matter what your nationality or your socioeconomic status. Every child has wrestled with a friend; it is a natural and time-honored pastime. Wrestling is one of the original Olympic sports—a staple since the first games two millennia ago. It carries with it a great tradition and epitomizes “stronger” in the motto of the games. Wrestling is a pure sport: two athletes competing in a true test of strength and skill.

Taking this into account, I am dumb struck by the decision of the IOC. Removing wrestling goes against the very core of the Olympic Movement. Wrestling is an international sport: accessible to everyone and not dominated by any one country.

Furthermore, the Olympics are the pinnacle of sports; there is nothing more validating in wrestling than winning a medal at the Olympics and

simultaneously representing your country on the world stage.

Rather than eliminate wrestling, I suggest that the IOC consolidate by dropping the men’s soccer competition. Nations are not allowed to play their first teams, rather they play their U-23 team with two senior players. Winning Olympic gold in men’s soccer is certainly an achievement, but it is not the pinnacle of the sport—the FIFA World Cup is.

While soccer is arguably the most beloved sport on Earth, its place in the Olympics is questionable. Male soccer players dream about winning the World Cup, and wrestlers dream about winning the Olympics.

All hope is not lost for wrestling, the IOC will vote two more times this year to select a sport to be added to the 2020 Games. Wrestling goes up against softball and baseball, karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wake boarding, and wushu (whatever that may be).

Among all of these contestants, wrestling is truly and easily the most global, accessible, and traditional.

Global outcry and support for wrestling will surely support the sport in the upcoming votes.

I have not lost faith in the IOC; they are capable of reversing their decision. In the upcoming months, Olympic fans can only hope the IOC will set politicking and revenues aside and revert to their core values.

In the words of one enraged blogger, “The IOC controls the Olympics, but they are owned by the world.” The Olympics were designed to bring the world together through the purity of sports. Let’s keep it that way.

Heather O’Keeffe is a freshman studying biomedical engineering.

Soccer is her favorite sport and she has recently submitted an application to work at the 2016 Rio Summer Games.

State Your Case As the smartphone war intensifies, which side are you on?

For the newest State Your Case poll, visit observer.case.edu and voice your opinion!

fun page

Page 13

02/15/13

easy

Sudoku

hard(er)

*Crossword*

ACROSS 1. Ancient upright stone 6. Whip 10. Murres 14. Muggy 15. Assistant 16. Stars

17. Homeric epic 18. Level 19. Historical periods 20. Nationalism 22. A temple (archaic) 23. Bawl 24. Charm 26. Feast or celebration 30. Cancel 32. Border 33. Prospectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s find 35. A light informal meal 39. A-list 41. Promise 42. Long-necked bird 43. Cantankerous 44. Formerly (archaic) 46. Give rise to 47. Acquire knowledge 49. Irrational 51. Appraise 54. New Zealand parrot 55. Deception 56. Sin 63. A thin flat slab 64. Domicile 65. Jewish unit of weight 66. Biblical garden 67. Postcards and letters 68. Ancient Roman magistrate 69. Repose 70. Freudian stage 71. Drugged DOWN 1. Boat 2. An ancient Toltec city in central Mexico 3. Radiate 4. Teller of untruths 5. Junkie

6. Oily 7. Fifty-three in Roman numerals 8. Lyric poems 9. Bavarian or Prussian 10. Helpfulness 11. Country 12. Silly 13. A useful or valuable quality 21. Verbal 25. Slop 26. We have two 27. Indolent 28. Auspices 29. Colony 30. Beautify 31. Current event information 34. Not under 36. Operatic solo 37. Maize 38. Leg joint 40. Visual organs 45. Neckwear 48. A respiratory disorder 50. Hen-pecked 51. Not before 52. Glide 53. Periods of discounted prices 54. The sound of a bell rung slowly 57. Horse color 58. Dogfish 59. Start over 60. Goddess of discord (Greek mythology) 61. A period of discounted prices 62. Small storage structure

a&e 14

02/15/13

IMPROVment takes the Eldred Blackbox >>elainaLIN theatre&danceREPORTER<< A bright-lit stage, enclosed within dark-painted walls, awaits an audience who applaud enthusiastically. Students and fans slip into seats, eager to engage with the show about to start. Taking the stage is CWRU’s student improvisation group, IMPROVment, who perform every week in the Eldred Theatre blackbox.

The improvisation show this past week was composed of seven games, each of which pulls ideas from members of the audience. The games were stunt double, narrative fairytale, monkey-see monkey-do, whose line, Irish drinking song, translators, and scenes from a hat.

The first game, stunt double, exuded joviality, poking fun at the nature of baboons. With recurrences of the facetious “baboon act” throughout other games, it certainly evoked a slight nostalgic remembrance of the original scene.

Reflecting on his first memories of the IMPROVment shows before he joined, current cast member Anthony Christensen reminisces, “I just found them so funny and I wanted to be friends with that group of people.”

A member of the audience, Michaela Epperson, says, “I thought it was really interesting, the chemistry that they had with each other, and how they fed off of each other’s energy. They’re just such a great ensemble and it was very creative and spontaneous.”

Shifting to the next part of the show, narrative fairytale, someone from the crowd suggested an improvisation act of Superman’s first date. Decided on the spot, it featured sophomore actor Emily Bulgrin as Superman who flew around in Asia, visiting a “friend-store” in Ma-

courtesy observer archives laysia, seeking someone “more than a friend.” Crackles of mirth spread around the room, bouncing against the walls.

“We seek to make people laugh, have fun, and we have so much fun ourselves.

We’ve had a lot of faithful fans, which

The Observer’s playlist of the week 2.15.13

>>jasonWALSH musicCRITIC<<

Justin Timberlake - “Mirrors” The newest single from Justin Timberlake’s upcoming album The 20/20 Experience. An eight-minute epic of classic Justin Timberlake.

Kurt Vile – “Wakin’ On A Pretty Day” The first single and opening track from Kurt Vile’s album Walkin On A Pretty Daze, which is scheduled to be released sometime this spring.

“Wakin’ On A Pretty Day” is nine and a half minutes of laid-back guitar strumming and singing.

James Blake - “Retrograde” “Retrograde” is the lead single from James Blake’s upcoming album Overgrown, due out April 8th. “Retro-

grade” surfaced as a BBC Radio 1 rip last week, and Blake released a video for it earlier this week.

Talking Heads - “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” “This Must Be The Place” is one of my favorite songs off of Talking Heads’ 1983 album Speaking in Tongues. It’s a much more laidback, groovier song after an album full of Talking Heads’ jagged post-punk / New Wave.

HAIM - “Falling” “Falling” is the title track from HAIM’s upcoming EP. HAIM is a trio of sisters from California who make light, bouncy pop music and “Falling” is a good sign for what’s to come.

is really nice. It’s going to be our tenth year, next year of IMPROVment,” stated Eliana Fabiyi, vice president of the student improvisation group.

Moving on to the Irish drinking song segment of the show, which is a minimusical that consists of the actors singing to a song on the spot and also creating rhyming lyrics. The lyrics build upon the previous actors’ words, developing a story plot along the way. The musical aspect of this improvisation performance adds a bit of a comical effect, with the

sung words skipping out and along to the beat.

“We have the honor to entertain people every weekend,” says actor Joe Fennimore.

Each Blackbox show consists of a different set of games, providing an eclectic mix of entertainment and performances every week.

Glad to have joined the IMPROVment group, Fennimore shares, “It really was a nice way to establish a feeling of home, here at CWRU.”

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observer.case.edu

food only sweetens the deal.” For event that made Zheng want to join AAA year,” said Zheng. from AAA | 9 “delicious how active he is in so many dance groups when she arrived at CWRU this year. “It was Fung certainly agrees. “I am excited to all there is to look forward to at AAA Night.

Freshman AAA Representative Annie Zheng is excited for all the activities but especially the food. “It is a formal event that has a wide variety of food, also for vegetarians,” said Zheng.

Catered by all local Asian restaurants, the food will be a highlight of the evening for any Asian cuisine lover. Also, all undergraduates at CWRU get in for just eight dollars, which makes it an affordable ‘dinner and a show’ type of night.

Nick Fung believes the entire night will be a bargain for what is included, and that the

though, he admits to being biased towards the performances being the best part.

Tickets can be purchased from the Case Western Reserve University ticketing website or at Nord. Ticket money will directly pay for the night’s activities and decorations, future AAA plans, and the group’s philanthropy.

Past events like Taste of Asia have proven to be very successful with the student body.

“This year’s Taste of Asia had interactive games, a photo area, and a lot of food,” said Zheng.

Actually, it was last year’s Taste of Asia

a fun experience, culturally and socially,” she said.

There is a lot of anticipation for future events, too. “I’m most excited for their annual Iron Chef competition, where groups compete to create the best 5 course meal using specific unique ingredients,” said Fung.

Like the Iron Chef competition, there are many potential future events scheduled by the AAA’s executive board for later in the semester. All AAA events are very fun and educational, but nothing seems to top what they have planned for tomorrow evening.

“AAA Night is our biggest event of the

show everyone what we’ve been working hard to perfect over the past month or so. It’ll be awesome, to say the least,” said Fung excitedly.

The event is a little different from other Thwing festivities because it calls for formal attire. It will be a great post-Valentine’s Day opportunity for students to get on their best clothes and get out of their dorms.

It is also a great chance to try something that not all students are familiar with. “I believe that CWRU students should also come to the event to help us celebrate cultural diversity here at CWRU,” said Fung.

from ABC | 8 Channel for editing him into a car commercial

from OBAMA | 8

all end up being a lot of hot air. As this is an executive order and not an act of Congress, it does not carry the weight of law behind it. Rather, all programs laid out within the order relating to the private sector, especially the Cybersecurity Framework, are purely voluntary programs that privately owned infrastructure couldn’t be made to adopt. The Secretaries of Homeland Security, the Treasury, and Commerce will each make suggestions for incentives to encourage adoption of the framework, but there is no telling if they will be good enough to ensure that most of private infrastructure choose to adopt the framework.

At the very least, the order proves that Obama does take American cybersecurity seriously, a stance that some questioned when he threatened to veto the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) last year. An order like this ensures that something is being done and should help grease the wheels for actual legislation from Congress later this year.

ingredients so you already know they can play well with the wine.

This isn’t rocket science. But at least rocket science offers the threat of explosions, unlike the normally opinionated judging panel who appear neutered on this show. The coaches should be an automatic homerun for this series. Nigella Lawson is a major force in the world of British television cookery, but she never gets a chance to shine here with her Abdulesque praise here. Ludo Lefebvre never gets to crack the bitter French-accented asides that made him into the demon figure on “Top Chef Masters.” And Wikipedia tells me that this Brian Malarkey fellow is also a “Top Chef” alumnus.

Like America, Wikipedia knows that this man has no reason to be famous and, coincidentally, Malarkey’s Wikipedia page redirects to his “Top Chef” season where he finished fourth. And is this other guy Tony Bourdain?

The same man who once blasted the Travel

made from “No Reservations” footage as it tarnished his image of badassery? I genuinely hope that whoever holds the jar containing Mr. Bourdain’s balls will give it back to Tony once he fulfills his contract.

Can reality go downhill from here? On “The Hunt,” an upcoming CW reality series/ game show, teams of two contestants will basically reenact a generic version of “The Hunger Games” while America watches. We have to remember that this is the CW: they simply cannot afford to genetically engineer dogs or wasps, especially since that budget was given to Emily Owens, M.D. and there is no chance in hell they will ever see that money again.

Details remain scarce, but the casting notice mentions capturing other teams and competing for a limited amount of food and other resources. In a perfect world there would be a reunion season of “The Taste” held on this new program. My money is on Tony with a trident. If someone does not shove a tasting spoon down his throat first.

be used to help the private sector operators of infrastructure, “identify, assess, and manage cyber risk.” This framework will be created through an open process, subject to public review and comment, and will be advised by the Secretary of National Security and Director of National Intelligence, as well as other relevant agencies, to ensure that relevant “vulnerability information” and “technical expertise” are significant inputs towards creating the framework.

Through this program, Obama is taking clear steps to improve the country’s cyber preparedness, something that Congress has repeatedly tried and failed to do for a number of years. The order falls within the realm of the executive branch’s power, meaning that the plans within should begin to be enacted soon.

Despite the clear plans laid out in the order, there is a significant risk that it could

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02/15/13

Kyrie Irving is the NBA’s next superstar >>arunMAGNUSON cleveland.sportsREPORTER<

Kyrie Irving has started to become a household name in the NBA, but rewind to June 23, 2011, when “NBA Draft Experts” were predicting another Jay Williams. His talent was considered a notch below prospects from previous drafts, such as Blake Griffin and fellow point guard, John Wall.

One of the major knocks on him was his athleticism; the experts harped on the fact that he lacked the speed and explosiveness of fellow point guards like Wall or Derrick Rose. They also claimed that he was good at many things but not great at any. It seemed, at the time, like the basketball gods had yet again cursed Cleveland with a marginal draft at a crucial time for a franchise reeling from one of the biggest losses in league history.

Fast forward to December 2012 and Kyrie Irving was the cover boy for ESPN The Magazine’s NEXT issue. It’s safe to say a lot has happened between him being drafted and now. Did I mention that he’s still 20 years old? In a year where Damian Lillard is capturing a lot headlines for his exciting play as a rookie, it’s easy to overlook the fact that Irving is actually two years younger than Lillard. This is not a knock on Lillard, but rather a compliment to Irving who has displayed elite talent in an extremely short time.

It took some time for the national media to recognize the talent Irving is, but Cleveland fans sensed it almost immediately. Irving’s debut was shaky at best, but throughout the year, improvement was there as was confidence. Throughout his rookie campaign, he showed that he was not afraid of big moments and gamewinning shots. After the Ricky Rubio fad phased out, it did not take long for the NBA to recognize Irving’s talent, and his play only improved toward the end of the season where he collected the 2011-2012 Rookie of the Year hardware.

Irving now finds himself on the heels of his first All-Star game, of what will likely be many. His rise was not as easy as

from SWIMMING| 18 The men are also 4-0 in conference meets so far this season, defeating No. 13 Carnegie Mellon 208-160, Brandeis 306-52, New York, 250-120, and Rochester 244-124 at the UAA Invitational on Oct. 26-27.

The women went 1-3 in UAA play this year. They beat the newly reformed program at Brandeis 296-67, but fell to No. 17 Carnegie Mellon 225-143, New York 198-169, and Rochester 224-146.

Sophomore Eric Haufler is ranked seventh in the UAA this season with a time of 21.30 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle. Sophomore Elliott Kerbel is 12th with a time of 21.43 seconds, while junior Gus Bailey is right behind him with a time of 21.51 seconds.

Eric Haufler is also seeded 12th in the 100-yard butterfly with a seed time of 50.55 seconds Junior Scott McHenry is seeded sixth in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:42.43. Eric Haufler is ninth with a time of 1:43.84.

Junior Sean Nickley is eighth in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 58.36. Nickley is also seeded sixth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:07.29.

Sophomore Andrew Bollinger is the Spartan men’s highest ranked individual seed with a fifth-place time of 52.05 in the 100-yard backstroke. Sophomore Alex Haufler is also ranked in the top12 with an eleventh-place seed time of 53.51.

Freshman Aaron Tam is seeded eleventh in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16 minutes, 48.42 seconds.

Alex Haufler is also seeded tenth in

courtesy xklusiveaccess.com Kyrie Irving, the NBA’s 2012 rookie of the year, is currently 6th in the NBA in scoring with 23.9 points per game. some bigger-named players in larger markets, but the fact that he made it in only his second season is a testament to his transcendent talent. Many believe that he deserves to start in the All-Star game with Rajon Rondo out with injury, but now that it’s been decided that Erik Spoelstra will coach the game, it looks like Chris Bosh will get the starting nod and move up into the front court. Some may joke that maybe Spoelstra doesn’t want to see Kyrie and LeBron on the court at the same time, which could very well be a reality in 2014, but that’s beside the point right now.

It stands today that there is a legitimate argument that Kyrie Irving is the best point guard in the East with Rose and Rondo out to injury. When looking at the NBA as a whole, Chris Paul seems

UAA Championship Day 1 Results: Men 1-Meter Diving Name

Univ.

Score:

1.Matt Staab

Chi.

487.7

2.Austen Blease

NYU

480.75

3.Tony Restaino

Chi.

478.10

4.Jacob Kasper

CWRU

463.25

5.Bobby Morales Chi.

462.20

6.Daniel Jacobson CWRU

455.80

7.Connor Farrell

CWRU

439.55

8.Elliott Lasher

Roch.

421.70

9.Sam Guenin

Wash.

383.75

the 200-yard backstroke and Bollinger is seeded 12th with times of 1:56.88 and 1:57.57, respectively.

Junior Maggie Dillione is seeded second in the 100-yard butterfly with a BCut time of 56.25 seconds. Dillione has also surpassed last year’s selection time for the NCAA Championship and is under a second from the A-Cut of 55.62 seconds. Dillione is also seeded fifth in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:06.00, good enough for a selection last year and a B-Cut. The A-cut for the event is 2:02.93. Dillione is also seeded 12th in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.56.

Junior Sara Tillie is seeded 12th in both the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys with times of 2:10.29 and 4:39.46, respectively.

The Spartan performances this weekend will determine their eligibility for the 2013 NCAA Division III Championship. That meet will take place Mar. 20-23 in Shenandoah, TX at the Conroe Natatorium.

to be the only point guard that can lay claim to be better than Irving at this moment. Irving’s age cannot be emphasized enough as he’s reached elite level before he’s even 21. Not many players can lay claim to greatness at such a young age.

This has to make fans wonder if he is that rare breed of player that defines a generation, such as a Kobe, LeBron, or Durant.

At this pace, the answer would be yes, but he has a long way to go and, as his-

tory has shown, point guards rarely lead teams to championships by themselves.

Chris Grant has made some smart moves and left tons of cap space open to be flexible in free agency (specifically 2014…

LeBron). It will be very interesting to see what this team looks like in two years.

Kyrie Irving is the face of Cleveland sports right now, and a glimmer of hope that has been shown and snatched away so many times.

CWRU – Fisk Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program BECOME A HIGHLY QUALIFIED MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHER IN OHIO AND ACROSS THE NATION

If you are a biology, chemistry, mathematics, or physics major with a future in teaching in a high needs school district, visit the CWRU Robert Noyce website for complete information and for an application.

Paid Summer Internships

Opportunities are available now for first or second year students for the summer 2013 where you can earn $1700 for four weeks.

Tuition Scholarships

Opportunities are also available for juniors and seniors for a $30,000 renewable scholarship where you’ll gain invaluable teaching experience.

Applications due March 1, 2013. http://www.case.edu/artsci/noyce/ Contact Dr. Denise K. Davis, CWRU Director of Teacher Education 216 368 1505 denise.k.davis @case.edu

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from MEN’S HOOPS| 20 For the game, the Spartans held Brandeis to just 29.5% (18-of-61) shooting from the field. The Judges were led individually by Youri Dascy and Gabriel Moton with 16 and 12 points, respectively.

On Friday, Feb. 8, the Spartans topped New York University 71-61 behind Thompson’s 14 points and a career high of 13 rebounds.

In addition to Thompson’s fifth career double-double, Dean came off of the bench and recorded a career-high 10 assists. Junior guard Tim Chung scored 16 points with four three-pointers, while Fowler and sophomore forward Dane McLoughlin contributed 16 and 11 points, respectively.

For the game, the Spartans committed only six turnovers while forcing 15 for NYU. Stockmal led all scorers with 20 points for NYU, while Yaffe and Devin Karch each tallied 12.

The Spartans leave town for the final road trip of the season beginning at Emory University on Friday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m. in Atlanta. CWRU closes the trip at No. 6 University of Rochester on Sunday, Feb. 17.

WOMAN’S BASKETBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS School: Conf. Record Emory 9-2 Rochester 9-2 Washington 8-3 CWRU 7-4 CMU 5-6 Chicago 3-8 Brandeis 2-9 New York 1-10

austin sting / observer Senior guard Erica Iafelice tied a career high 17 points in an 89-74 win over New York. Iafelice is also now three assists away from breaking Jeanne Scott’s career record of 364.

from WOMEN’S HOOPS| 20 an 8-2 run to push the lead to 11, 20-9, after Iacono hit a pair of free throws with 2:57 left before the break. Brandeis scored six of the next nine points and trimmed the deficit to eight at the break, 23-15.

In the second half, the Spartans opened with a 13-4 run as Iacono made a midrange jumper to push the advantage to 17, 36-19, with 12:06 left to play. The Spartan lead reached as many as 21, 44-23, when sophomore forward Erin Reynolds hit two free throws with 5:07 remaining.

Brandeis was led individually by Kasey

Dean with six points and six rebounds.

The Judges hit only 13 field goals in 67 attempts.

On Friday, Feb. 8, the Spartans topped New York University 89-74, on Play4Kay night as Iaefilice tied a career-high with 17 points and added eight assists.

As part of Play4Kay night, the Spartans wore pink uniforms, and all proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Iafelice shot a career-best 4-of-6 from three-point range as the Spartans moved closer to the top of the UAA. Three others scored in double-figures as

the Spartans scored their highest non-overtime total of the season. Iacono finished with a team-high 23 points to go along with four rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Senior forward Marissa Miles scored a career-high 16, and sophomore guard Brooke Orcutt tallied 12 off the bench.

For the game, NYU was led by Lem with a game-high 25 points, while Melissa Peng dished out a game-best 10 assists.

The Spartans leave town for the final road trip of the season beginning at Emory on Friday, Feb.15, at 6 p.m. in Atlanta.

CWRU closes the trip at the Rochester on Sunday, Feb. 17.

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02/15/13

angie lee / observer Sophomore Sophia Herzog performs the high jump. Herzog tied for the top height in the pole vault of 10.5 feet but finished second on attempts.

Women 9th, men 10th at All-Ohio Championship >>compiledBY staffREPORTS<

The Case Western Reserve University track and field teams were led by a number of top individual finishes at the 2013 Division III All-Ohio Championship on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Clements Recreation Center on the campus of Otterbein University. The women placed ninth of 18 squads with 28.5 points whiel the men scored 30 points and ended in a tie for 10th out of 18 squads.

The University of Mount Union took home both team titles. The women’s side won with 110.5 points, while Ohio Wesleyan University was second with 97. Baldwin Wallace University was a distant third with 65.5 points, Oberlin

College was fourth racking up 53 points and host Otterbein rounded out the top five with 49 points.

The Purple Raider men claimed the team title with 111.5 points, while Ohio Wesleyan was a distant second with 73 points. Otterbein and Baldwin Wallace tied for third with 49 points, while Ohio Northern University rounded out the top five with 48.5 points.

Case recorded a majority of its points in field events as a trio of Spartans picked up top-five finishes. During the pole vault, sophomore Sophia Herzog and Ohio Wesleyan’s Sarah Bechtel both cleared a height of 10 feet, six inches, but Bechtel took home the event title by clearing the bar in fewer attempts. Additionally, freshman Christen Saccucci placed fifth during the same event clearing exactly 10 feet.

In the triple jump, junior Thenessa Savitsky leapt to a distance of 34’7.75” for third. In the high jump, freshman Laurel Shickler cleared the bar with the sixth-highest height in the event, but wound up eighth due to total number of attempts.

On the track, freshman Kelsey Aamoth was runner up in the 3,000-meter run with a season-best time of 10:36.12, just under four seconds behind Michelle Clark of Denison University.

Scoring additional points for the Spartans was the distance medley relay quartet of sophomore Erica Bauerbach, freshmen Juliana Ross and Taylor O’Neil, and junior Brooke Simpson in seventh with a time of 13:07.61.

On the track, the distance medley quartet of senior Phil Yeung, freshman Abdallah Soliman, and seniors Michael

Perisa and Chris Kelly placed second with a time of 10:26.25.

Individually, Yeung and Kelly also placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the mile run with times of 4:26.25 and 4:26.97.

In field events, three Spartans turned in top eight finishes. Junior Harry Weintraub grabbed third in the weight throw competition with a career-best toss of 57 feet, two and three-quarter inches.

Sophomore Joshua Malone took fourth in the high jump clearing the bar at 6’3.5”, while senior Nick Errico rounded out the Spartan team scoring in seventh in the pole vault at 13’11.25”.

The Spartans return to action next Friday, Feb. 15 at the Greater Cleveland College Championship hosted by Baldwin Wallace on the Harrison Dillard Track at 4 p.m. in Berea.

Spartans prepare for UAA Championship in Chicago Women, no. 16 men hit the pool with eye on top finishes >>peterCOOKE sportsEDITOR<

The University Athletic Association swimming and diving championship will take place this weekend as Case Western Reserve University travels to the University of Chicago’s Gerald Ratner Athletics Center. The Spartans travel to Chicago following a pair of late season surges as the men finished 14-21 overall, and were undefeated against Division III opponents. Meanwhile, the women finished 8-9 overall, and 4-1 in their last five meets with the sole loss coming by one point to Allegheny College.

The men finished third in 2012 while the women finished seventh. Emory won both the men’s and women’s conference championships last year.

The meet will take place from Feb. 13-16. The championship began on Wednesday afternoon as the men’s onemeter diving commenced. Thursday will mark the first day of swimming events and the women’s three-meter diving. Swimming and the men’s threemeter diving will take place on Friday,

and women’s one-meter diving takes place on Saturday.

The No. 16 men enter the 2013 championship up six spots in the most recent College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll. The men are one of five UAA teams ranked in the poll.

Defending conference champion Emory University is the top conference team at No. 6. No. 12 Chicago, No. 13 Carnegie Mellon University and No. 14 Washington University are the other men’s teams that are ranked.

There are four UAA women’s teams ranked in the top CSCAA poll as defending UAA and national champion Emory is No. 1. No. 9 Chicago is the only other team in the top 10, but No. 11 Washington is right outside on the cusp.

No. 17 Carnegie Mellon is the only other team in the rankings, falling 10 spots from their previous ranking.

The rankings are based solely on how teams would fare in dual meets, rather than in the championship format that will be used at the UAA and NCAA championships.

see SWIMMING HOOPS| 16

austin sting / observer Junior Kathryn Madalena is one of the top seeded women’s swimmers at the UAA Championship. Madalena is seeded 18th in both the 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard backstroke.

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New faces headline Indian’s Spring Training compiled by Shinichi Inoue, Asst. Sports Editor As pitchers and catchers reported to their respective Spring Training facilities on Monday, the Cleveland Indians begin their preparation for the 2013 season.

During the offseason, the Tribe committed a large amount of their cap space to free agents, including four-year $48 million to Michael Bourn and another four-year, $56 million to Nick Swisher. Let’s take a look at some of the new faces that will be showing up at Spring Training for the Indians: Michael Bourn (CF) – 2012 Stats: .274 AVG, 171 hits, 9 HR, 57 RBIs General manager Chris Antonetti surprised many Indians fans this off season, and then there’s the Michael Bourn signing. “The Bourn Identity” came not only as a shock, but it was just as surprising how well the deal was constructed. Bourn will be making less per year than Nick Swisher, and the Indians won’t be losing a high draft pick to the Atlanta Braves. Bourn’s greatest asset is his speed (42 stolen bases last season) and elite defense in centerfield.

The former AllStar may not turn the Tribe into immediate World Series contender, but a combination of Bourn and Michael Brantley at the top of the lineup makes the Tribe a constant base stealing threat.

Nick Swisher (RF) - 2012 Stats: .272 AVG, 146 hits, 24 homeruns, 93 RBIs The switch hitter Swisher was the biggest signing for the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe signed Swisher to a four-year, $56 million deal. The 32-year-old outfielder is coming

off a routine season with 24 homers, 93 RBIs, and .272 batting average. The addition of Swisher will definitely give the Tribe a more potent offense as he will be batting behind catcher Carlos Santana.

Swisher also brings in veteran leadership that a rebuilding Indians club needs desperately. If Swisher stays healthy and continues his production, he will replace the numbers left by Shin-Soo Choo.

Drew Stubbs (CF) - 2012 Stats: .213 AVG, 105 hits, 15 homeruns, 40 RBIs The 28-year-old Stubbs was a bonus that came with Shin-Soo Choo trade.

Despite a terrible 2012, he’s still an outstanding defender as well as an excellent base runner. One major flaw of the former 8th overall pick is his strikeout rate – above 30 percent in each of the past two seasons. Stubbs was shoein for the starting centerfield position, but with the addition of Michael Bourn, he will most likely become the fourth outfielder and share time with Nick

Swisher in right field. Stubbs will also be providing some great speed on the base path.

Along with Michael Brantley and Michael Bourn, the Indians may have one of the quickest outfield trios.

Mark Reynolds (3B) - 2012 Stats: .221 AVG, 101 hits, 23 homeruns, 69 RBIs Reynolds is quite a disputed offensive talent. The former Baltimore Orioles has great power number: combined 60 homers and 155 RBIs the last two seasons; however, he has struggled on

making contact and has a high strikeout rate. For an Indians squad that lacks power outside of Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera, Reynolds should provide sufficient power for the lineup.

Reynolds’ one-year deal will benefit the Tribe - a low risk, high reward signing.

If Reynolds will be penciled in at first base, and replace the dismal offense of Matt LaPorta and Casey Kotchman from last year.

Trevor Bauer (P) - 2012 Stats: 1-2, 6.06 ERA, 16.1 IP, 17 strikeouts The former third pick of the 2011 draft was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite early struggles, including failure to click with catcher Miguel Montero, Bauer will have a chance at a fresh start in Cleveland and establish himself as the future ace of the Indians.

Last season, the pitching staff ranked second-to-last in the league in strikeout rate (6.1 per nine innings). Bauer may not immediately revamp the dismal In-

dians rotation, but he is the building block for the future. If Bauer performs well, don’t be surprised to see him fight for spot as the fifth starter.

Brett Myers (P) - 2012 Stats: 3-4, 3.12 ERA, 34.2 IP, 21 strikeouts Veteran Myers will be moving back to the rotation after spending 2012 in the bullpen for the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox. The 32-year-old

righty, who signed a one-year, $7 million contract made 33 starts, threw 216 innings, and had a respectable 6.7 strikeout per nine innings back in 2011. The Indians are hoping Myers will return to his form of a consistent 150+ inning pitcher and solidify the rotation with Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Bauer, and Zach McAllister. Myers will likely be the third starter for the Tribe.

Jason Giambi (1B/DH) - 2012 Stats: .225 AVG, 20 hits, 1 homerun, 8 RBIs Giambi has been on a decline since his 2008 he’s averaging less season with the New York Yankees when he than 80 games and batted .247 and had 113 hits, 32 homeruns, 10 homers per seaand 96 RBIs. His one year, $750,000 minor son. At 42 years league deal will give him an invite to Spring old, it’s hard to see Training and a possibility to earn the desig- that Giambi has nated hitter spot left by Travis Hafner. Over anything left in the the last four seasons, Giambi has split time tank, but the Indians between the Oakland Athletics and Colora- hope he can at least do Rockies, sparingly used as a pinch-hitter provide a sufficient or benchwarmer. Throughout the four years, firepower as a DH. Daisuke Matsuzaka (P) - 2012 Stats: 1-7, 8.28 ERA, 45.2 IP, 42 strikeouts Remember the huge hype that followed Matsuzaka when the Red Sox spent $51 million to win the bid just to negotiate with the Japanese pitcher?

Well, the Japanese sensation hasn’t been an effective major

league pitcher since 2008. Dice-K did undergo Tommy John surgery in 2011 and has struggled with pitching control and speed. If he can return to form and perform well, Dice-K could become a dark horse candidate to win a starting position.

New Indians head coach, Terry Francona has worked with Dice-K before. Maybe a change of scenery with a familiar coach will help redeem his performance.

Mike Aviles (3B) - 2012 Stats: .250 AVG, 128 hits, 13 homeruns, 60 RBIs Aviles was one of the earliest moves the Tribe did when offseason started. Recently the former Boston Red Sox signed a twoyear, $6 million contract to avoid arbitration. Aviles will likely be a versatile asset for the Indians – he’s capable of playing third base, backing up All-Star Asdrubal Cabrera, or even starting at DH. Indians acquired Aviles and catcher Yan Gomes from Toronto for right-hander Esmil Rogers. Aviles’ versatility will definitely get

him some playing time, especially providing mentorship to young third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall.

As of now, look for Aviles to split time between being third and the starting DH for the Tribe.

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02/15/13

Men get first conference sweep in two years >>peterCOOKE sportsEDITOR<

Sophomore guard Julien Person scored 10 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds as the Case Western Reserve University men’s basketball team won its secondstraight University Athletic Association game by a score of 56-47 versus Brandeis University in Sunday matinee action at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

The Spartans evened their overall record at 11-11 and improved to 4-7 in the UAA. With the loss, the Judges (166, 7-4 UAA) drop their fourth in seven games. The conference weekend sweep was the first for the Spartans since they beat the same two teams on Jan. 14 and 16, 2011.

The wins improved the Spartans to a fifth place tie with University of Chicago in the UAA. Case is also on the cusp of their first winning season since 2009-10 when the squad finished 14-11 overall and 6-8 in conference play.

Person’s first career doubledouble was accompanied by a pair of blocked shots. Senior forward Austin Fowler and sophomore forward Dane McLoughlin also scored in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

In the first half, the Judges jumped out to a 7-4 lead on a jumper from Gabriel Moton at the 17:41 mark. The lead grew to six, 10-4, via a three-point play by Youri Dascy at 15:34, but the Spartans rode seven straight from McLoughlin then took their first lead of the con-

arianna wage/ observer Sophomore guard Julien Person recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in Case’s 56-47 win over Brandeis. test, 16-14, on a layup from Person with 9:08 left on the clock.

The Spartan lead grew to as many as 10, 26-16, when Person capped a 19-4 run with a jumper at 3:04, but the Judges cut the deficit to eight with the final bucket of the half. Over-

all, the Spartan defense limited Brandeis to just 26 percent on 8-of-31 shooting from the field in the opening period.

In the second half, the Spartans opened on a 10-4 run to push their lead to 14, 36-22, after two free throws from Fowler with 16:22 remaining. Brandeis

came back with an 8-2 run of its own to cut the deficit to eight (38-30) with 12:20 left, but the Spartans restored order by scoring five straight to push the lead back to 13, 43-30, as sophomore guard Jordan Dean hit a wide-open three with 9:38 left to play. Case’s largest lead,

22, came after McLoughlin hit a free throw to make the score 56-34 with 2:47 left on the clock. Once the Spartans emptied the bench, Brandeis scored 12 in a row to make the final 56-47.

see MEN’S HOOPS| 17

Women sweep last home weekend, move within two games of first Spartans top Brandeis 50-36, NYU 89-74; match last season’s win total >>peterCOOKE sportsEDITOR<

The Case Western Reserve University women’s basketball team forced 19 turnovers and held visiting Brandeis University to just 19.4 percent shooting from the field en route to a 50-36 victory in University Athletic Association action on Sunday at Horsburgh Gymnasium.

With their second-straight victory, the Spartans improve to 15-7 overall and 7-4 in the UAA. The 15 wins already match the team’s total from last season, which is the most since the Spartans went 20-7 with the only NCAA Tournament berth in program history during the 2001-02 campaign.

The Judges (8-14, 2-9) have now lost nine of 10 and are in seventh in the UAA. The win puts the Spartans within an outside shot at a share

of the conference title. CWRU will face off against the UAA’s first place teams, No. 21 Emory University (19-3, 9-2) and University of Rochester (17-5, 9-2), on their road trip this weekend.

A sweep would give them a shot at a share of the title with a win in their final home game against Carnegie Mellon University (139, 5-6), depending on other results around the UAA. Washington University is also ahead of the Spartans in third at 18-4 overall and 8-3 in the UAA. Senior guard Evy Iacono led all scorers in the contest with 15 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals.

Senior point guard Erica Iafelice contributed five points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The four helpers gave Iafelice 361 for her career, passing Ashleigh Tondo for the second most in school history.

Iafelice now has her sight set on

the school record of 364 held by Jeanne Scott.

Also of note, senior center Emily Mueller totaled five points, five rebounds and five blocked shots. Mueller now has 103 blocks for her career.

In the first half, the Spartans opened the game with eight of the first 10 points. At the 13:38 mark, Iafelice passed Tondo on the school’s all-time assist list with a helper on a Mueller three-point field goal that made the score 8-2.

Starting 0-of-12 from the field in the opening 8:28, the Judges didn’t convert their first field goal until the 11:32 mark when Angela Miller hit a jumper to bring the score to 8-4.

The visitors later pulled to within five, 12-7, on a layup by Samantha Anderson at 5:21.

However, Case responded with

austin sting/ observer

see WOMEN’S HOOPS| 17

Senior guard Evy Iacono continues her impressive final season, leading the UAA in points per game with 17.5. Iacono’s 1291 points is third all-time in program history.