The Observer, Volume LI, Issue 6, 9/27/19

News: CWRU Medwish volunteers help repair medical equipment (pg. 2) observer.case.edu

the

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friday, september 27, 2019 volume LI, issue 6

Observer

COIN comes to CWRU Ryan Yoo Director of Design

Students from Campus International High School hold signs for the climate strike in Downtown Cleveland.

Louis Nelkin/The Observer

Cleveland community protests climate change Lewis Nelken Contributing Reporter “HEY HEY HO HO FOSSIL FUELS HAVE GOT TO GO.” Teens from multiple Cleveland high schools chanted and waved signs with messages such as “We are taking time out of our lessons to teach you one!” Students began arriving early at the rendezvous point, their blood as hot as the searing pavement under their marching feet.

Their cries climbed up the walls of the three sky-scraping bank buildings surrounding Public Square, where some of those they were protesting against sat in air-conditioning.

Sept. 20 marked an eventful day for climate activism, as millions organized in cities across the globe. The purpose of these gatherings was to raise awareness of the human contribution to climate change and to send a message to world

leaders, letting them know that their actions are being closely watched and scrutinized. Young people especially were the focus of these events, following in the footsteps of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg who initiated her School Strike for Climate just last year.

She began solo in August 2018, refusing her education to sit in front of the parliament building in Sweden in protest.

In the year leading up to now, numerous students and teachers belonging to countries around the world have united for school strikes. It has been building ever since, to a peak four million person turnout this past Friday. Other countries are still waiting to strike on Sept. 27.

Cleveland became involved in the climate strike this past year. Case Western Reserve University third-year student

Nick Vitello was responsible for organizing the past three climate strikes in March, May and this past Friday, all here in Cleveland. The March strike saw about 50 people, but by September the Facebook page had over 1,100 responses.

“This one is huge,” said Vitello proudly.

Vitello got his foothold in climate activism from professor Matthew Hodgetts’ environmental policy class, who he claims “made it tangible that [he] could act on the climate emergency politically.”

Vitello is responsible for organizing the full week of events from Sept. 20 to Sept. 27, which were all free to the public, because “we don’t believe in commodifying the climate crisis.”

TO CRISIS | 2

The indie pop band COIN will be performing this Saturday, Sep. 28 in the Tinkham Veale University Center ballroom, as part of the University Programming Board (UPB)’s UPBeats concert series.

The indie pop band is composed of Chase Lawrence on lead vocals and synthesizer, Ryan Winnen on drums and Joe Memmel on lead guitar and backing vocals. The band has an infectious alternative indie pop sound, packed with unforgettable melodies featuring great riffs and synths, complementing their fun and carefree lyrics.

COIN is best known for their 2016 hit “Talk Too Much,” which reached No. 8 on the Billboard US Alternative Songs charts. The group also released several new singles this year, including “I Want It All” and “Crash My Car.” In an interview with Variance Magazine, Lawrence noted that the idea for “Crash My Car” came from a fan who showed up to their concert after getting into an accident.

“The story came from a fan who was in a car accident on the way to our show, but she still showed up in her near totaled, headlight hanging sedan,” said Lawrence.

The song, along with “Simple Romance” and “Cemetery,” both also released earlier last year, will be released on COIN’s third studio album, set to come out later in the year.

The band is currently on their headlining North American tour promoting the new album, and will make a pit stop in Cleveland to perform on campus. The band recently performed in Beachwood earlier this year in May at local indie pop festival Laurelive.

Local campus staple alternative rock band Sticky will open for COIN on Saturday. The band opened for Springfest last year and has played many campus events, including OwlFest and Block Party on the Hill earlier this month.

Doors will open at 8:45 p.m. Sticky will open for the band at 9 p.m., and COIN will go on at 10 p.m.

Tickets are $2 for undergraduate students and their guests, and $5 for graduate students on CampusGroups.

UPBeats: COIN September 28, 8:45 PM @Tink Ballroom

2019 Inamori Ethics Prize winner LeVar Burton speaks and listens Matt Hooke Executive Editor “Does anyone have any questions?” asked LeVar Burton at an exclusive student meet and greet on Thursday, Sept.

20, before receiving the 2019 Inamori Ethics Prize.

He was met with silence.

What can you ask someone who for 23 years on PBS taught you how to read on his program “Reading Rainbow”? Who, as Geordi La Forge on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” taught you that blind black engineers could save the day better than any European meathead? Who, on “Roots,” taught you that the history of the United States is not the flawless gem

school taught you it was?

He eased the room by introducing himself and asking two questions: “What is your name?” and “How are you?” Most of the time, the response was a chuckled, “I’m good,” shocked that Burton could possibly care about a random student at Case Western Reserve University.

In the face of silence, he has a solution: listening. It was as if he came to CWRU for the opportunity to talk to these students, not like the students came for the chance to meet a legend.

“Nsisong Udosen, what a beautiful name,” said Burton to a third-year stu-

dent. “It has its own rhythm.”

“LeVar isn’t your full name right?” asked third-year Jasmine Cuenca, standing next to Udosen.

“It’s not. It’s LeVardis.”

“Why did you shorten it?” asked Udosen.

“Well Nisisong, I’m kind of embarrassed,” said Burton. “LeVar rhymes with star and that’s what I wanted to be.

I also started practicing my autograph at 17.”

Seventeen marks not only the age Burton began practicing for the countless Star Trek conventions he would go

on to attend, but also the year he stopped studying to be a Catholic priest.

Two years later, he played Kunta Kinte in “Roots,” one of the most popular TV specials ever. In 1983, he became the host of “Reading Rainbow,” a PBS program featuring himself and other celebrities reading children’s literature, and children giving reviews of books they enjoyed. In 1987, he became Geordi La Forge, the chief engineer of the starship Enterprise in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

TO BURTON | 3

news Student organization repairs medical equipment for underprivileged countries Anna Giubileo Staff Reporter

Case Western Reserve University prides itself on the myriad of handson learning opportunities it offers its students. One such opportunity is CWRU’s student organization MedWish, an offshoot of MedWish International.

Every other Saturday, student members of the organization meet to repurpose and repair discarded medical equipment at MedWish International’s Cleveland headquarters. Once the devices are once again functioning, they are shipped to underprivileged hospitals in countries ranging from Ethiopia to Liberia to Pakistan.

Julian Narvaez, a third-year electrical engineering major, joined October of his first year and is now the current president.

“I wanted to get into engineering that was very practically helping people in a direct manner.”

Because the organization is only able to meet every two weeks, Narvaez has been working on making sure the trips are as impactful as possible, and that there are devices ready for students to repair, test and package.

“I’m graced with an executive board of eight people: Jonathan

Chen. Incredible. Jasmine Haraburda. Incredible. Mark Madler. Incredible. Maeve Salm, Incredible. Shyam Sunder Polaconda. Incredible. Anish Reddy. Incredible. Ari Bard. Incredible.”

Narvaez repeatedly mentioned that the club would not be where it is now if it were not for the efforts of the students on his executive board. “They are all very good at what they do.”

In the last calendar year, CWRU MedWish repaired over $170,000 worth of medical equipment, ranging from Masimo Pulse Oximeters that measure body metrics to phaco emul-

sifiers for cataract surgery.

“This is way more than a technical issue,” shared Narvaez. “Look at it through the lens of social action.”

Rather than just focusing on the mechanics of repairing the circuits and other technical aspects of the medical devices, Adriana Velazquez Berumen, the senior advisor and focal point of medical devices at the World Health Organization, helped the organization realize the human aid component of the work they were doing.

The group works to help the countries to which they provide medical equipment reach the United Nation’s adopted sustainable development goals, specifically those of “good health and well-being.”

MedWish itself is relatively new to campus. When Narvaez first joined it was called Medical Instruments for Nations Under Development (MIND).

The club was small, consisting of less than a dozen people. Eventually, they merged with Engineers Without Borders to create the MedWish students today know.

This past year, the group, with the help of their advisor Professor Colin Drummond from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, applied for and received a grant for $20,000 to be put towards the education of new students in the organization.

Additionally, the organization has its sights set on possibly partnering with the Cleveland Clinic or professional chemical engineers so they might guide the students and offer their expertise.

Narvaez wanted students who might be interested in joining to know that no technical experience is necessary.

“We are looking for students from all backgrounds. We’ll give you technical expertise. Just by virtue of being there and offering your own perspective you’re helping in a very substantial manner.”

FROM CRISIS | 1

Perhaps some of the most powerful words given were those of Marina Denunzio, a student at Shaker Heights High School, who has initiated her own climate awareness program and participates in her school’s environmental club.

“We are inheriting a broken world,” said Denunzio. “A world where we allow one of our most precious ecosystems to burn for weeks on end and not bat an eye, but an old church burns down and suddenly everyone has been to France. We’re scared that we’ll kill the world before we even get to have children.”

What brings even more distress to this image of our future is that these issues are running through the thoughts of children, tearing them away from the innocence that previous generations had the privilege of experiencing. Thirteen-year-old Louis LaGuardia stood like a sentry,

holding up his sign adjacent to the speakers for the entire two-hour duration of the strike. He was present because he had to be.

“I may not be able to meet nieces and nephews, because people may not want to have kids,” said LaGuardia with despair. “I’m mad at all these companies. They don’t care about communities,” he added, showing his awareness of the issues of environmental racism. “I’m scared for the future, and ourselves.”

This reunion was also a call-to-action. Sophia Stein of Shaker Heights High School raised awareness of the power of the consumer, reporting on the fall of the dairy industry to plant-based milk alternatives, stating “it’s supply and demand.”

David Duncan, a Cleveland resident who did not give a speech but spoke personally, said that leaders will not change as a result of the

meetings. Rather, “you have to take extreme action.”

A few volunteers carried signature books, gathering signatures from registered voters petitioning on a local issue, House Bill No. 6, the mention of which was met with resounding boos from the crowd. This piece of legislation would strengthen Cleveland’s reliance on nuclear energy, which would result in toxic radioactive waste with no proper disposal method. Although comparatively better than fossil fuels in their lack of green-house gas emissions, they are still overshadowed by renewable sources such as wind or solar energy.

These signatures spelled hope for the future. Before the end of the day, the signature books were filled, and the volunteers went to get more. In Denunzio’s words, “we are already making change.”

CWRU Medwish volunteers repaired over $170,000 worth of medical equipment for underpriviledged hospitals. .Courtesy of Medwish International Facebook

The afternoon was structured with speakers from various backgrounds in various styles: from spoken word

by CWRU fourth-year Leo Ndiaye on justice, to verse on the global and social impact of vegetarianism written

by Cleveland resident Ari Lesser. Jack McMillen, from the Cleveland Vegan Society, raised the issue that globally, animal agriculture is responsible for more green-house gases—projected to be greater than 18 percent of all GHG emissions in the U.S.—than all transportation emissions combined.

He has refused the consumption of animal products “since before vegan was a word,” over 40 years ago. He once participated in the now defunct Maximal Consumption Program here at CWRU that attempted to integrate these principles into the campus culture.

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FROM BURTON | 1 Burton said now he wants to slow down so he can preserve his energy for current projects, including his podcast “LeVar Burton Reads,” an adult-oriented podcast featuring short fiction and his membership on the board of directors for the AIDS Research Alliance.

“I’ve been living my life since I was 19 like something was chasing me,” said Burton. “As a black man, it’s not an uncommon phenomenon.

I just recognize I can’t live my life like that anymore. I have shit left to do.”

What else does Burton hope to do that he hasn’t done already?

“I’d like to see America heal itself around the issue of race,” he said.

After the introductions and small talk, he steps to the center of the room. The 20-person-or-so crowd stands still, until Burton asks why no one is using the chairs.

He made eye contact with everyone in the room while he spoke, only looking away in moments of contemplation. His brown eyes pop with an intensity, whether he is speaking about Star Trek or political and social LeVar Burton after recieving the Inanmori Ethics Prize for ethical leadership in the arts. Courtesy of Daniel Milner issues. He radiates an aggressively tranquil kindness; he wants you to be His mother gave Burton the love with the fact that my country doesn’t life alone,” said Burton once everyas present as he is. of reading. Christian was the first love me so much. It hurts and I know one opened their eyes. ”We’ve all Throughout the talk, Burton con- person in her family to graduate from I speak for many souls, not just my needed to not only get help but to ask stantly prodded the group for ques- college, at the age of 17 from Philan- own. I see the heads nodding in this for help.” tions and information. It usually der Smith College. room, that my country doesn’t love The day after the award ceremony, takes an awkward silence before “Seeing my mother read for plea- me as much as I love it. Yet I per- Burton participated in an academic someone pipes up. It’s hard not to sure made an impact,” said Burton. sist and yet I pursue the American symposium with Dr. Joy Bostic, Dr. just sit dumbfounded.

“It communicated to me that reading dream. I pursue the democracy that Cara Byrne and Dr. Shannon French, As the afternoon continued, the for pleasure, not just for knowledge was promised in the founding of this the executive director of the Inamori quiet moments of awe grew brief but for enjoyment, was one of the nation.”

International Center for Ethics and as the conversation found its own benefits of being human.”

Roddenberry, the creator of Star Excellence at CWRU. Even in this rhythm. People asked questions rangBurton believes reading is the abil- Trek, offered a utopian multiracial academic discussion, with hundreds ing from the serious, “What hope do ity to be free. Without the ability to vision of the world that gave Burton of people in the audience, Burton you see for the future?” to the Trek- understand a text, there is no way to hope that one day the world could makes a point to create personal conkie-oriented “What’s your favorite verify information or to learn more be free of the oppressive structures nections.

Star Trek episode?” For the latter, about the world in ways that do not that currently exist. His casting of “Do you think it’s more liberathis pick was “Second Chances,” an require direct experience. With liter- Nichelle Nichols as commander ing to process information from an episode he directed featuring Com- acy, you become open to not only the Nyota Uhura marked one of the first objective lens and how it can be apmander Riker meeting a duplicate real world outside your door but to times that a black woman had a star- plied outside of our life or more libof himself. The episode stood out the imaginary ones inside your own ring role on an American television erating to look at it from a subjective to Burton because it enabled him to mind. series. lens and how we can apply it to our gain a new skill set, sitting in the di“If you are literate in at least one While talking to students, Burton lives?” asked Shaker Heights High rectors chair instead of performing language, you are free,” said Burton. said it is impossible to grow up with School senior Madison Owens. in front of the camera, that otherwise “No one can imprison your mind, no a healthy self image if you can’t see “What is your name?” asked a wouldn’t have been available to him. one can put shackles on your imagi- a positive representation of yourself stunned Burton.

Burton’s choice is telling, showing nation.” in popular culture. Nichols gave that “Madison,” replied Owens, with he is someone who constantly wants Burton ended each episode of positive self image to Burton during the same surprised laugh given by the to learn new ways to create.

“Reading Rainbow” with “you don’t his formative years, when most of students at the meet and greet.

“Imagination is the thing that dif- have to take my word for it,” to es- the black people he saw on television Burton went down from the panel, ferentiates us from other sentient spe- tablish that his viewers could use the were soldiers at war in Vietnam. gave Owens a hug and said, “This is cies on this planet,” said Burton. “We power of literacy to form their own “Seeing a black woman on the hope, y’all.” have the ability to place our attention opinions on the issues and stories he bridge of the original Enterprise Burton returned back to the panel, in a past present or future. That is a discussed. meant that when the future came exhaled and answered. uniquely human superpower.”

Burton earned a full scholarship there would be a place for me. That “It is so difficult to adopt an obA couple of hours later, Burton to the University of Southern Cali- was huge,” said Burton. “I didn’t see jective mindset because we are such stood inside the Maltz Performing fornia, but the scholarship did not a lot of black people on television in subjective beings,” said Burton. “Ego Arts Center, surrounded by the ornate cover books or fees. His mother took powerful respected leadership roles.” is what is driving the train a lot of the Hebrew inscriptions of the former a night job waiting tables so Burton His last storytelling mentor was time, so subjectivity goes with the synagogue as he waited to receive the could pursue his dream of becoming Fred Rogers, better known as Mister territory. A combination of the two, Inamori Ethics Prize. an actor.

Rogers, from the PBS show “Mis- the objective and the subjective, is When Burton’s name was an“I am the man that I am because of ter Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Burton the ideal.” nounced, his lips quivered. His eyes that woman’s love,” he said. originally thought Rogers must have He talks more with the panel and watered. A video over his head feaAlex Haley, the writer of “Roots,” just been playing a character on TV then makes another connection. turing his former Star Trek castmates a novel and television mini-series until he met the man. Burton said “You were such an important perand other friends congratulated him based on his family history. Haley that—like Haley—Roger’s ability to son in my life when it came to readfor being the first person from the begins the story with Kunta Kinte, be present was astonishing. As an ode ing,” said Gary Williams, who drove arts to win the prize. After the pre- a West African who was kidnapped, to his late friend, he asked everyone seven hours for the chance to see amble ended, draped with the Inamo- enslaved and brought to the U.S., and in the room to close their eyes for Burton. “In the third grade, I was ri medal around his neck, he steps writes about his descendants up to the thirty seconds and think of a teach- suspended for reading too much in to the side of the stage, exhales and present day. Burton said Haley’s abil- er or someone who had encouraged school. I just wanted to say thank you cries. ity to be present and compassionate them to become who they turned out as a black boy who grew up in the His acceptance speech focused inspired him as much as his writing. to be. projects of Baltimore, thank you for less on himself and more on the four “The man changed, through the Burton watched the time as the nurturing growth in me when other people in his life who inspired him power of the pen, how a nation frames room, featuring representatives from people wouldn’t.” most: his mother Erma Gene Chris- one of the greatest tragedies in hu- the Inamori Foundation from Japan, Burton walked down from the tian, Alex Haley, Gene Roddenberry man history,” said Burton. “Chattel high powered donors, and CWRU podium, hugged Williams and whisand Fred Rodgers. Each of them gave slavery here in America.”

President Barbara Snyder closed pered something in his ear. The something to Burton that he said “I love this country desperately,” their eyes. crowd clapped around them as they made him the man he is today. continued Burton. “I have had to deal “None of us do this thing called embraced.

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news

9/27/19

Storm Area 51, they might be able to stop all 150 of us

Memes, conspiracy theories and government warnings led to a disappointing Area 51 raid Nathan Lesch Director of Print Area 51, a U.S. Air Force flight testing facility in southern Nevada, has been the centerpiece of many conspiracy theories about extraterrestrial life. Founded at President Eisenhower’s behest in the 1950s, Area 51 has since served as the home for assembly, testing and deployment of U.S. surveillance technology—which explains some of the secrecy surrounding the base. Area 51 was first formally acknowledged by the government in 2013, with a wave of declassified documents.

An interview in 1989 by Bob Lazar helped cement early rumors that Area 51 was connected to alien activities.

Lazar, who claimed to have worked in Area 51, swore that military scientists and officials within Area 51 had captured extraterrestrials and were examining them and their technology. Later inquiry into Lazar’s background brought his authority to speak about Area 51 into question. Lazar is believed (in a tale spread by the government) to have forged university degrees and lied about where he worked.

The first rumors about Area 51 began approximately ten years prior to Lazar’s interview.

Although claims that Area 51 houses aliens are only vaguely backed with evidence, pop culture and the media have wholeheartedly embraced the notion of a secret extraterrestrial test-

ing facility in Nevada. Popular film franchises such as “Independence Day,” “The X-Files” and the History Channel’s “Area 51 Cover Up” all perpetuate the rumors.

These types of media portrayals are what encouraged Matty Roberts, a college student from California, to create the Facebook event “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,” on June 27.

By Sept. 20, the proposed date of the raid, over 3.5 million people had responded that they were either “going” or “interested.” For the three months prior to the event, the internet was rife with Area 51 memes. Memes about Naruto running past bullets, Kyle drinking Monster Energy drinks, escaping Area 51 with profound alien knowledge, not being able to go, livestreaming the event, “clapping alien cheeks” and actually attending, chronicled the massive enthusiasm that persisted throughout the lead-up to the raid.

After the several months of hype, the actual events of the Area 51 raid disappointed many. Only about 150 people showed up to the gates of Area 51. No one raided the base, and there were only two arrests: one for public urination, and one for trespassing.

About 40 people showed up at 3 a.m. on Friday, but were dispersed peacefully by local sheriffs.

Jonathan Qiu, a second-year student, had low expectations for the event, but was still hopeful something might come of it.

“I was really interested to see how it would all play out,” Qiu noted. “I didn’t think anybody would actually raid it.”

Second-year Bradley Deamer was also never particularly optimistic that the raid would be successful.

“People honestly took what the internet was saying seriously, and they shouldn’t have been surprised when nothing happened,” said Deamer.

Deamer cautioned that the mainstream internet tends to take jokes like this a long way, but does not go through with them in real life.

“That’s just how the internet works,” according to Deamer.

Part of the reason the raid garnered so little participation may have been due to attempts by Roberts and government officials to stop it. After the Facebook event went viral and the FBI spoke to Roberts, Roberts began to stress that the event was not created seriously.

In an interview for the BBC, Roberts said, “[The raid] was totally a joke from the get-go.”

Roberts participated in organizing two separate festivals catered to potential Area 51 raiders who wanted to interact with people similarly interested in aliens, without the danger of

actually raiding a U.S. military base.

Roberts began planning Alienstock, hosted by the Little A’Le’Inn hotel, but later separated himself from that event. He then advised people to attend the Storm Area 51 Basecamp event, held at the Alien Research Center. About 1,500 people combined attended these festivals.

U.S. Air Force spokespeople repeatedly warned potential raiders about the dangers of attempting to enter the facility.

Qiu believes that even though the event failed to live up to the hype, it still shed light into the societal climate social media has created.

“Even though the raid didn’t actually happen, I feel like this thing speaks volumes to what our culture is and how influential memes and social media have become to be able to stir something like this,” Qiu said.

Qiu further explained that this was a significant event for the internet and that it highlights the often overlooked, ability of the internet to bring people together.

“This was the first time the internet has managed to gather a bunch of people from all over the world together, and the fact that most of them sat together and made friends with one another shows how a simple joke from any guy sitting at their computer could stir such a global response.”

Hong Kong protests hit University Circle Collin Wong Contributing Reporter Tensions are only growing in Hong Kong as pro-democracy demonstrations continue for the 16th straight week.

This past June, residents of Hong Kong protested an amendment to the city’s extradition law. It would have allowed Hong Kong to process the extradition of criminal suspects that any government requests, including the Chinese government, even if that country has no extradition treaty with the city. Moreover, the perceived threat to Hong Kong’s sovereignty from Beijing has led to riots on government property. Eventually, protests included demands for a full democracy and more police accountability. As the movement expanded, protests have ranged from mass student strikes to violent, tear-gas-filled clashes with law enforcement officers. Protests have also attracted international attention.

With the international scale of the protests, the Hong Kong protests have had rippling effects as far as Cleveland.

A student at the Cleveland Institute of Music who identified himself as Anson

and comes from Hong Kong expressed mixed emotions towards the situation back at home. He expressed relief as his friends said that he “left at just the right time” as the situation in Hong Kong continued to escalate after he arrived in America.

However, the geographical distance between Cleveland and Hong Kong perhaps only heightened his concerns for Hong Kong. He fears for the safety of his friends and family, as there is no guarantee that any demonstration can stay conflict-free.

“Whether or not there is violence or peace, it’s unpredictable. When the things just go so out of control, violence may appear. This is the time when I am worried about them the most.” Despite his concerns, Anson admires his friends who protest because they “have the courage to protest and stand up for what’s right.”

Financial uncertainty also seemed to mark Anson’s new school year. His parents’ worsening financial situation due to the protests only adds to his growing

list of burdens. “The reason why I could study here is because they are financially supporting me.” Unfortunately, Anson remarks that the protests have hurt the Hong Kong economy. The economic downturn jeopardized his parents’ finances too, endangering his chances of continuing his education at the Cleveland Institute of Music because his parents, who pay for his tuition, “may suffer a rather huge loss from their investments if the protests continue.”

Because of the economic downturn and growing unrest, Anson predicts that the percentage of Hong Kong youth who hope to study overseas will grow. He says that, while one’s “financial situation comes first,” Hong Kong youth have become increasingly disillusioned with the system; “they don’t feel in control anymore.” Moreover, Anson has seen an uptake in the number of arguments that the youths are having with their parents.

The increase in at-home conflict may also drive some students to look elsewhere for higher education. Students

from over 100 secondary schools and 10 universities plan to welcome the new school year with class strikes, boycotts and more subtle forms of demonstrations.

While no solution has been reached, one thing is becoming clear: students who come from Hong Kong may not be in the classroom any time soon. Some originally had plans to apply to college, but class strikes might impact that process.

With continual unrest in Hong Kong and the 2020 undergraduate admissions season looming, the effects of the Hong Kong demonstrations on Case Western Reserve University’s admissions specifically are still unclear. Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Undergraduate Admission Bob McCullough of CWRU commented: “From an admission standpoint, it is difficult to predict any direct impact of a specific political situation on the application activity from a particular country. There are so many factors that can affect an individual student’s decision of where to apply and ultimately enroll for college.”

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Gemini All I Really Want to Do

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Cancer Song for the Lonely Leo Strong Enough Virgo All I Really Want to Do Libra A Different Kind of Love Song

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Pisces I Found Someone

arts & entertainment The Idiot Box makes improv more accessible Shreyas Banerje, Contributing Reporter Over the weekend, in the shadows of Nord Hall’s basement, a new club was born. The Idiot Box club, or “tHe iDiOt bOx” as they prefer to style it, which met for the first time on Sep. 21, is dedicated to building a new home for those who love improvisation, but want to participate in a more casual way.

As the brainchild of fourth-year student Rich Pannullo, The Idiot Box came from a longing to still participate in the improv scene, despite not initially being accepted into more professional troupes like IMPROVment in his sophomore year. After bringing his idea last semester to fourth-year student and current president of IMPROVment Andy Ogrinc, The Idiot Box came into being.

“I wanted to make a space where anyone who wanted to do improv could do it,’’ Pannullo said regarding his motivations. “Before, there was no real playground to mess around with improv. Really, this place is to play and be idiots, hence ‘The Idiot Box.’” In this relaxed and friendly setting, The Idiot Box aims to give people the freedom to do improv without any pressure.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, an improv jam is an event where people—regardless of skill level—can gather, work on their improvisational skills and generally just play around with the form.

“It’s kind of like a game of pickup basketball with your friends to have fun, and inevitably by doing it a bunch, you will get better,” Andy said. “I’ve seen a lot of people not get into IMPROVment say ‘I still want to get into improv, but where?’”

The answer seems to be The Idiot Box and its wacky games and scenarios. The first meeting started off with a general explanation of the purpose of the club and its goals, before getting into some energetic warm ups, such as a version of the game telephone. In this version, you try to cap-

A group of students at the First Ever Inaugural Improv Jam. Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer ture the previous person’s exact motion and exact sounds.

Afterwards, four members of the club launched into a long-form skit based off the starting concept of a flying spaghetti monster. The skit moved from scenes of astronauts discovering the monster, to a secret family history of fighting it, to the origin of the creature, which somehow got the name of “Oregano.”

Similarly, the skit would go off in tangents, but the members were sure to sometimes call back to earlier moments, to great effect. Some of the performers were members of IMPROVment, but some were not, so it was a good experience for some who might not be doing improv as often, as well as a fun, low-pressure way to still practice improv for members of IMPROVment.

Another skit involved time travellers creating the water bottle and sending it across planes of reality. Yet another prompted with the word “muffins,” but three concurrent scenes were playing at the same time, leading to many hijinks.

Six people total were at the club meeting, with five of the people performing and one just watching the show. When asked, the members of the club didn’t seem too concerned by the turnout, despite the fact that the club meeting was happening at the same time as the football game against Grove City College, the “Block Party on the Hill” hosted by several fraternities and sororities and a tailgate party near Leutner Commons.

“The nice thing is that improv jams are very modular depending on how many people you have,” Pannullo ex-

plained, “If we have 20 people, we can have four groups of five, if we have less it can be smaller. Honestly, if it’s just us, we can still have fun doing improv. If there’s not enough this time, there’ll be more next time.”

“We’ll do it with three people, we’ll do it with 300,” Ogrinc added.

The meeting ended with a lot of laughs and great hope for the future, with several members heading directly to perform in “IMPROVment Presents Zane & Nate’s Hot Me$$.” I suppose this meeting was some good practice for them.

For anyone interested in joining this young club, there will be biweekly meetings, with the next one on Oct. 5. For more details, be sure to check out their Instagram or their FaceBook page, “The Idiot Box Improv Jam.”

The Book of Mormon comes to Playhouse Square Fernando Rivera, Contributing Reporter I had never seen “The Book of Mormon” prior to Connor Palace’s show on Sunday, Sep. 15, in their recent welcome-back run at Playhouse Square, although I had listened to the soundtrack as a closeted high school senior.

The iconic song, “Turn It Off” satirizes the particularly Mormon experience (and generally religious sentiment) to train the mind to shut out undesirable/unholy thoughts—especially gay ones. The show deals with elders in the Church of Mormon who are all on a mission to baptize the people of a certain village in Uganda. The elders are mostly young men who have been sent to the missions as a matter of duty to the “Heavenly Father.” Elder Price (Liam Tobin) and Elder Cunningham are our quirky leading men.

Price is as if a Disney prince came to life—he reprises the Aladdin-esque “Orlando.” “Orlando! I Love You” Liam Tobin sings shinily when the elders are being assigned their missions to various locations in the first world.

Surprise! He’s going to Uganda instead.

Not only is he going to Uganda, but he is going with Elder Cunningham, Price’s foil in every sense.

Cunningham, played by Boston University graduate Jordan Matthew Brown, is squatty, socially awkward and constantly fibbing. “Bishop Donahue says it’s because I lack selfesteem!” We later find out there is no Bishop Donahue.

The pair are entertaining in that their differences are minimized by the warstrewn, AIDs epidemic-ridden part of

Uganda they are sent to. The corrupt General Butt-F*cking Naked is particularly comprised of our Mormon heroes’ hell dreams, which we get to peer into in the number “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream.”

There is contrast between the sparkly world of Mormonism and the natives of Uganda who joyously sing “F*ck You God” in “Hasa Diga Eebowai,” much to the shock of the elders. The natives, including a doctor who has maggots on his scrotum, throw our heroes into the thick of fighting for their personal beliefs, and dealing with selfishness/disappointment and love.

Alyah Chanelle Scott portrays the flower of the village, Nabulungi, and drives much of the action in “Mormon.” Cunningham is in love, but Price is more interested in going to Orlando.

Price and Cunningham have to come to terms with their differences before they can ultimately attain their goals and learn a little something along the way.

The actors were amazing—Liam Tobin’s range is demonstrated in the list of credits as Tony in “West Side Story,” Lord Farquaad in “Shrek,” and Buddy in “Elf.” Mormon is admittedly over the top, and I am not sure it does an amazing job of representing the Mormon church, or the people of Uganda.

However, if you are looking for sarcasm, hilarious situational comedy and heartwarming characters, listen to the soundtrack (the national Broadway tour left Cleveland last Sunday). Playwrights Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone have created something that will remain part of the musical theatre nerd’s cannon for a very long time.

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Matt & Kim bring “Grand” brand back: a conversation with Matt Johnson Henry Bendon Staff Reporter In 2009, the Brooklyn-based indiedance duo Matt and Kim exploded into the musical mainstream with their album “Grand.” The album is the band’s second record, and while they had previously experienced underground success based on the intensity of their live shows, the album’s performance—it spent five weeks on the Billboard 200 charts and saw its lead single, “Daylight,” make it to the Hot 100 list—came as a bit of a surprise.

“We did not see what happened with ‘Grand’ coming,” said Matt Johnson, singer and keyboarder for the group, speaking to The Observer by phone. “[‘Grand’] was the one that changed it for us.”

The album is now enjoying its tenth anniversary, and the band is hitting the road for a celebratory tour, which kicks off in Cleveland at the Agora Theater on Oct. 17. The tour comes at a tricky point for the group: drummer Kim Schifino tore her ACL in 2017, which took the band off the road for the first time in their entire career, and before the band could even return to touring, she suffered the same injury to her other knee.

The ACL tears have been rough for both members of the group. Shifino’s surgery and recovery path was long, painful and will now require the entire process to happen again for her other leg—after she plays an entire tour through the injury.

For Johnson, the stress was more

psychological. “[The break] was like seeing into the future when we no longer get to do this band anymore.”

Johnson paused, “I’m gonna tell you I didn’t like it one bit.”

Even with the injury, the band expects to bring an electric stage show. “People who only know a couple of the songs might not think about the punk rock energy we bring to the stage,” Johnson explained. “But that’s always been our thing. We always have an audience that kind of dances around.”

The band first experienced the phenomenon of playing for an audience that knew their songs, but not necessarily their stage show, playing festivals after the album came out. Their first major festival concert was before “Grand,” opening a side stage at Lollapalooza at 11 a.m. in 2007.

“That was the earliest I’d ever drank in my life, because I was so nervous,” Johnson said. That show went well—a crowd was there despite the early set time and the festival promoters enjoyed it enough that they were asked to play again later that night when another band got caught up at the border with visa issues.

The next time the band would appear at Lolla was a different story. “Fast forward to us playing Lollapalooza again in 2010. I always think back to this video that Rolling Stone put out of us playing

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on the main lawn with people as far as I could see, dancing and jumping around.

That was certainly a moment for us.”

The band has since gone on to play even bigger shows, touring alongside acts across the spectrum, from the punk bands Against Me! to Blink-182 to Girl Talk (the stage name for Gregg Gillis), a Pittsburgh-based DC and experimental electronic musician that Matt Johnson specifically mentioned

as making an excellent partner act for a show.

The duo is psyched to be starting the tour in Cleveland as well. “Cleveland went off the last show we played there!” Johnson exclaimed when the tour date details were mentioned.

“There are certain cities that really love to get loose, and that’s what we want.”

Matt & Kim will appear at the Agora Theater on Oct. 17.

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My “The Alchemy Tour” Experience Claudia Jazowski Contributing Reporter Cleveland doesn’t have too big of an electronic dance music (EDM) scene, but when quality artists come here to perform, the experience is incredible.

On Sep. 15, The Alchemy Tour came to Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica and left Cleveland in awe.

Surrounded by the people I love, listening to the music I love, created the perfect Sunday night. The lineup included DJs The Glitch Mob, NGHTMRE+Slander as Gud Vibrations and Seven Lions.

The three acts have unique styles with shared roots in bass music. I remember listening to The Glitch Mob when I was first exposed to EDM and it was interesting to see how their style has changed. I have seen NGHTMRE and Slander separately, but did not know what to expect from their new label, Gud Vibrations. Finally, my favorite DJ, Seven Lions, whose music has gotten me through long nights of homework and moments of sadness alike.

The Glitch Mob started the concert, immediately immersing the audience in their show. The cinematic and video-game style music, paired with the intense visuals created a temporary world where you “see” the music.

Next up was Gud Vibrations. The crowd went wild when they played their self-titled hit, “Gud Vibrations.”

Their music was filled with positive energy, vibrations and frequencies with matching stage and visuals.

During their set, numerous mosh pits formed, which was entertaining

to watch and participate in. To quote the song that began the first mosh pit: “Give me some room, I’m throwing elbows.”

At the end of their set, Slander and NGHTMRE encouraged the ravers to “form a wall of death,” where two walls of people rush into each other. This is when I got nervous, as my friends and I found ourselves at the front of the wall.

When the bass drop happened, the two “walls’ ‘ collided and the fun continued. No one I knew was hurt, which was good.

At the end of the night, Seven Lions put on a wonderful show. Seven Lions’ music has a lot of power, as he orchestrates emotion by pairing beautifully crafted melodic dubstep with compelling messages and videos.

There was love in everyone’s eyes as friends and partners embraced each other. However, these moments don’t always last very long as Seven Lions has a dark side, which unleashed the wildness of the crowd. One of my friends who was at the show said, “this is the best night of [his] life.” It was mine, too.

EDM isn’t the only genre of music I listen to, but it is the one that never fails to put me in a good mood. Because of my attendance at raves, concerts and festivals, I can relate numerous songs to incredible experiences like the one I had at this concert. When I hear songs I’ve heard live in the past, while having an amazing time with people I love, I reminisce and remember the happiness I felt then.

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Kendrick Lamar has a Pulitzer and you don’t Ben Shapiro Jackson Rudoff Director of Web and Multimedia Let me begin by saying I generally try my best to avoid Ben Shapiro on all social media. For years, I followed him on Twitter to just to get a sense of what was going on in right-wing intellectualism, but the casual implied racism and mountain of conservative apologism eventually drove me to muting him.

Generally, his hotter takes have been limited to politics and society, with cultural claims usually being limited to regressive notions of Americana. But for years, he has cultivated a take on rap music that finally came to a head when he spoke with (right-wing) rapper Zuby.

His claim is fairly simple: all music is made up of rhythm, melody and harmony. If it fails to satisfy all of these conditions, then it isn’t “real” music. To him, rap fulfills the category of rhythm, with only trace elements of melody or harmony.

Most music, including rap, has all of these elements, but what’s more important is establishing that there are not only endless counterexamples to this trichotomous theory of what is “music,” you could also name any number of other elements to music that are excluded.

Why do we listen to solo voice if it’s not really music? If there’s no presence of harmony, except maybe in our heads, then shouldn’t it suck?

You could also think about all the drum music that relies almost solely on rhythm for its musical effect. In fact, most of its melody comes from the rhythm itself.

Wait, aren’t melody and rhythm

separate? Well, even though Ben appears to believe they are, the unequivocal answer is no. Melody is partially composed of rhythm, with pitch also factoring in.

This next point is one I cannot stress enough: these categories that Shapiro constructs are not mutually exclusive, which he appears to portray them as. He seems to think of them as distinct entities that make up music, rather than as interweaving components.

Let’s say, hypothetically, that this theory of music has any grounding reality. His claim, again, is that rap cannot be considered music because it is light on the harmony and melody, yet heavy on the rhythm.

Not only is the theoretical basis for his argument false, so is his application of it.

The argument that rap places too much emphasis on rhythm is old and tired, and has been abandoned by most rational music commentators. The vocal performances are rhythmic, yes, but again, you need a rhythm to make a melody. Saying it’s devoid of harmony is also a total misrepresentation, given that there will almost always be backing instrumentation.

Lots of modern rap has also begun to move toward larger, powerful vocals that place greater emphasis on pitch. Many artists in the emo-rap genre, like Juice WRLD, are rarely monotonous. A number of prominent rappers have embraced genre-fusion and live instrumentation, such as Kendrick Lamar on “To Pimp a But-

terfly.”

More unorthodox rappers like Tyler the Creator will often pair unusual or unorthodox production styles that change the tone quality of their voice, or rely more heavily on dynamic contrasts for effect.

What Ben Shapiro’s theory represents is an outdated, ethnocentric viewpoint on modern American music. It’s designed to exclude what he and the old guard of American social attitudes don’t like, the volume and power of minorities. After every generation, this group slowly watches their “values” slip away from them.

For reference on how far back this kind of thinking goes, consider the fact that Shapiro derived this theory from his dad. Apparently, his dad not only has a music theory degree, but went to music school (quoting from him on this one), which means that we have to take his opinion as being informed.

I hate to break it to you Ben, but your dad’s degree doesn’t grant you authority on things he studied, or that his opinions on abstract topics are automatically correct. It just so happens that I also have a dad and a mom with a couple music degrees.

But their years of study and decades of building expertise do not grant me the license to make incorrect statements as if I have authority by proxy.

What I understand or argue related to music comes from my own experience playing an instrument, listening across genres, and not dis-

missive and antagonizing towards what I don’t like. I feel as though I can comment and discuss rap because, unlike Shapiro, I actually listen to it.

That’s not even a rhetorical exaggeration. Shapiro has conceded he doesn’t even know very much about the genre. Just that when he has listened to it, he didn’t like it.

I will admit that I don’t have a definition of music, or even a solid set of parameters for what constitutes it. Cultural concepts are not constant or easily indexed, and like I said before, I don’t really have enough experience as an artist to make extremely bold claims with the proper substantiation.

If I had to decide on the spot if I would call rap “music,” I would probably side with whoever has actually received recognition that their work and presence in the field is important. So, that means I would end up siding with the guy who has a Pulitzer.

That would be Kendrick Lamar, by the way, who won the award in 2018 even with “only rhythm” on his side. Last time I checked, Shapiro (and his dad, for that matter) and his lib-destroying books are still waiting to make the longlist.

Maybe one day Shapiro will clarify his theory a little more, and find some way to make it even somewhat coherent. Until that day comes, though, the backlash he faces whenever he opens his mouth on this subject will continue to be music to my ears.

“American Circumcision” showing on Tuesday Oct. 1 Yvonne Pan A&E Editor Though Americans rarely give circumcision a second thought, some may be surprised to learn that it is actually far less common in many other regions of the world. The United States is the only country that routinely circumcises its infants for nonreligious reasons.

In fact, outside the United States, many medical and children’s rights officials have condemned the procedure. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe even called it “a human rights violation.”

To promote discussion on this topic, Intact Cleveland, a local chapter of the non-profit organizations Saving Our Sons, and The Intact Network will be hosting the award-winning documentary “American Circumcision” on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Bingham 103.

Alexandre Rotta was a co-producer for the documentary. Rotta, who

left the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2012 to protest their support of infant circumcision, spent five years as Case Western Reserve University’s Linsalata Endowed Chair in Pediatric Critical Care and Emergency Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care. He currently serves as Chief of the Division of Critical Care Medicine at Duke University.

“Public awareness of this debate is growing, and more and more people are choosing to not circumcise their sons,” second-year student, intactivist and event organizer Desmond Weisenberg said. “Ultimately, this is a political issue, though, which is why it is especially important to start the conversation on college campuses.”

Although circumcision is often thought of as being more hygienic and having health benefits, intact (not

circumcised) men are just as hygienic and that all “health benefits” merely reduce the risks of certain conditions to a trivial extent.

Furthermore, despite the misconception that the foreskin is “just a flap of skin,” it is rich in nerves and sensitivity, and protects the head of the penis from clothing contact and reduces friction during sexual intercourse.

Most importantly, it’s a matter of bodily autonomy—though we allow parents to make necessary decisions such as vaccines, there are limits, and unnecessary body modifications cross them. Though many circumcised men are fine with it, many also aren’t, and more and more are speaking out against it.

Resistance to the procedure has mainly come in the form of the intactivist movement, which asserts that people have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and that infant

circumcision violates this right. The movement has grown over the last few decades and with the establishment of organizations such as Genital Autonomy America and Intact America, public awareness has radically grown.

Most notably, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang tweeted his opposition to the practice and called himself “highly aligned with the intactivists” and stated that “history will prove them even more correct.”

“More and more Americans are waking up on this issue and beginning to question circumcision, and I hope this screening will help CWRU students—many of whom will go on to become tomorrow’s parents, doctors and lawmakers—do the same,” Weisenberg continued.

For those who cannot make the showing on Tuesday, Oct. 1, “American Circumcision” is currently streaming on Netflix as well.

Visit us online at observer.case.edu for more great content

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opinion

EDITORAL

Attention on climate raises important ethical questions about environmental responsibility Editorial Board In the week following the global climate strike, it must be said that the velocity the environmental movement has gathered cannot fall again while the issue remains so urgent. On campus, the Cleveland Climate Teach-In represented a push to continue the conversation on environmentalism and ethics.

Mounting evidence from the past several decades has proven to the world that climate change is not only real, but continues to grow at an unprecedented rate and is becoming difficult to reverse. However, little legislative or political action has been taken in the past several years, with a recent G7 summit—a meeting of the seven wealthiest nations in the world—raising only $20 million to fund efforts to stop the fires in the Amazon.

With the growth of the environmen-

tal ethics and conservation movement in the past year, it is especially important that the movement is largely led by the youth. Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg made news at the U.N. on Monday when she called for change, saying, “People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you?”

Her words resonate with students who understand feeling both powerless and being hailed by elder generations as solutions to a problem that they continue to worsen. Thunberg’s words also mesh strongly with Case Western Reserve University Ethics Professor Jeremy Bendik-Keymer’s concept of presentism, or the bias against future generations in fa-

vor of the current generation.

It should not be the responsibility of students, from teenagers to recent graduates, to fix a world that they had little part in breaking. When the responsibility of environmental protection and conservation is delegated to the younger generation and, in a larger sense, consumers, it relieves those who actually create and sustain the problem of the blame. While students should be aware of their actions, like energy use and recycling habits, currently 100 companies around the globe account for 71 percent of carbon emissions worldwide.

The question that we face has widened from how we can take personal responsibility for our carbon footprints to how we manage our ethical responsibility to the environment. Do we, and

should we, as the younger generation, be the one to find solutions to a problem we did not start? Movement leaders like Thunberg prove that we may not have a choice, and must take up the mantle and work to improve our environment before irrevocable damage ruins it forever.

Thunberg brings up important and necessary points in her speeches to global institutions, namely that her position as the leader of a global movement is a reluctant one, and that she acts in large part to pressure current leaders to establish change instead of continuing to push the responsibility onto the next generation. By refusing to act and knowing they will not face the consequences of their actions, current leaders are being deeply unethical and incredibly selfish.

Kuntzman: Quality higher education is more than ranking Caroline Kuntzman Contributing Columnist In 2017, Harvard professor Clayton Christensen claimed that half of all American colleges would go bankrupt over the next 10 to 15 years. Whether or not his prediction will come true remains to be seen, but several academic institutions are currently experiencing ill-portending financial issues. Corinthian Colleges declared bankruptcy in 2015, while others, such as Goucher College and Gordon College, announced that they would be eliminating certain academic programs in part to save money.

In the midst of these crises for universities, others, such as New York University (NYU) and Case Western Reserve University, have been able to add new programs in data science and origins science. For students at these universities or those interested in attending, this is favorable, but it does call to question why there is such a dramatic split in the spending abilities of colleges.

One noteworthy difference between the growing and shrinking colleges is their rankings. CWRU and NYU both rank relatively highly among their category of academic institution at 40th

and 29th in the nation respectively according to U.S. News & World Report. On the other hand, Goucher and Gordon’s ranks were both in the triple digits for their category. The U.S. News & World Report considers many useful factors, such as colleges’ retention rates and faculty resources, but 20 percent of its grading system relies on an extremely flawed factor: expert opinion, or how good an academic institution is perceived as being. Their data is collected from surveys of people working in higher education, such as deans and provosts, but this category is extremely subjective and may cause new universities to be ranked lower than they should be.

Fifty-seven percent of the survey’s recipients never responded.

A university’s rank can help reinforce its reputation, which can have a huge impact on how many applications a college receives. The Ivy League, Stanford and MIT saw an average increase of 28.28 percent in the number of applicants for the class of 2015 to the class of 2023. This is a good indicator of stable enrollment for these schools; however, this trend

is inconsistent with the national average. Data from 2011 to 2019 actually shows a steady decrease in college enrollment across the United States.

This decrease is projected to continue, but what is most striking about the models are how disproportionately college enrollment is expected to decrease among different types of academic institutes. The “Elite 50,” as the U.S. News & World Report calls them, are expected to have fairly stable enrollment and continue to see an increasing number of applications. The next 50 universities will likely see a slight decrease, while the following colleges and universities will experience more severe enrollment losses.

It’s incredible to see how powerful of an impact assigning a school a number has.

As enrollment drops, colleges, especially those with small endowments, will likely have to start reducing or merging their programs to compensate for lost tuition revenue.

Since many ranking systems, including U.S. News & World Report, consider a college’s financial resources

when deciding its rank, this would likely affect lower ranking colleges more than others, and create a negative feedback loop where the lower ranked colleges get progressively worse.

It’s sad to see that higher education has fallen to this state. So many decisions are made based on numbers calculated with flawed formulas instead of considering colleges in a holistic manner. There are many aspects of colleges, such as traditions and student happiness, that are hard to rank and that no amount of money or prestige can generate.

A college doesn’t have to be a top 50 school to provide students with a great education and experience, and the current ranking systems don’t reflect this. These arbitrary claims of prestige create an environment where colleges are forced to fight for higher rankings in order to survive that hurts higher education at large. If college rankings continue to exist, they acknowledge that there are aspects of colleges that can’t be ranked and work to eliminate sources of bias in their ranking criteria.

Wiencek: Time to celebrate Ask a Stupid Question Day Aimee Wiencek Contributing Columnist Many of us tend to be scared to ask a silly question for fear of looking dumb in front of our peers. We let fear hold us back from seeking knowledge about what might seem like a trivial inquiry, or possibly delving into a thoughtprovoking question that we mistakenly assume the people around us already know the answer to.

No one likes to be laughed at or bullied for something as benign as a question. How many times have we kept our thoughts to ourselves assuming it is better not to ask? But, what if a single question could give us a new perspective? What if it the question isn’t as stupid as we thought?

Teachers often say that there is no such thing as a stupid question, but, instead of taking their advice, too many

of us have decided the opposite. However, it is also important to remember what else our teachers have told us: if we have a question, most likely others do too.

This Friday, Sept. 28, is Ask a Stupid Question Day. Although it may appear to be a silly holiday, it is an event that we should celebrate and embrace, not only on this day but throughout the year.

The holiday began in the 1980s as teachers began a movement to improve classroom engagement and encourage their students to ask more questions. According to Holiday Insights, a website that details celebrated days or events, “kids sometimes hold back, fearing their question is stupid, and asking it will result in ridicule.”

Don’t get me wrong. I am sure we

can all recall a time when we heard a stupid question. For example, if someone were to ask, “How far is it to drive from Los Angeles to California?” you might scratch your head. But, we need to remember that no one is born knowing geography. Learning that Los Angeles is in California is something that you are taught. Or if someone were to ask, “What color is the White House— blue?” Perhaps the person asking the question is new to our country, or hasn’t had the opportunity to take a trip to Washington, D.C. It is important to realize that though it may appear stupid, every question comes from a place of curiosity. A stupid question to one may be a revelation to another.

As human beings, we learn from one another. One of the ways to do this is to

ask a question. We pick up knowledge from those around us, and, in turn, make ourselves more well-rounded.

What makes sense to one person may appear to be rocket science to another.

It’s important to realize that questions, no matter how laughable or silly, are the gateway to learning and acquiring new knowledge. We all deserve the chance to learn all we can.

This year, ask all the stupid questions that you have been holding in for so many years. Ask your teachers, your parents, your friends or perhaps even the barista at Starbucks. They may laugh or question your thought process, but you just might get the answer you’ve been searching for all along.

Never underestimate the power of asking.

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Reif: What should we make of Trudeau’s indiscretions?

Jordan Reif Staff Columnist While blackface minstrelsy began in the 1830s, its popularity soared after the Civil War as a means to belittle African-Americans and support white supremacy. It appears little has changed.

Last week, Time magazine published an expose on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, showing him in brownface almost 20 years ago while attending an “Arabian Nights” themed party as a teacher at a private school. Almost simultaneously, a video was released by Canadian news network Global News, revealing another instance, dated to the early 1990s, of Trudeau dancing in blackface, with his arms and legs also covered in dark makeup. During a press interview afterward, Trudeau admitted to another episode in high school, in which he wore blackface to perform a Jamaican folk song. Trudeau was approximately 29, 19 and 17 years old at the time of these events respectively.

Should wearing blackface discredit someone, ruin a career and publicly humiliate the individual? The case for Trudeau and blackface raises these questions and others related to the nature of our society, the racism implied with blackface and how such racist actions are emblematic of the other class, gender and racial issues of our time. In an attempt to answer these queries, we must understand Trudeau’s political history and determine if his more recent behavior makes up for his earlier racial indiscretions.

Trudeau has been championed by liberals in Canada, the United States and across Western Europe for his progressiveness; however, a close examination of his record is not as transparent and optimistic. The day after declaring a climate emergency, Trudeau signed into law a multi-billion dollar tar sands pipeline expansion, betraying his promise to respect the land and rights of indigenous peoples. Furthermore, his government continues to sell billions of dollars in arms to the bonesaw-wielding Saudi Arabian government. Earlier this year, Trudeau was also found to have violated a federal conflict of interest law in efforts to protect a

corrupt corporation. Yet, he was—and perhaps still is—beloved by many liberals for his gender-balanced federal cabinet, marijuana legalization and acceptance of refugees and immigrants rejected by the U.S. So, given this seemingly contradictory history of racism mixed with progressivism, what role do the recent exposures have on Trudeau’s career as a politician? The release of such images is often met with calls for resignation. In the U.S., we are not strangers to the exposure of public figures in blackface. CNN has a growing list of politicians noted to have engaged in such white supremacist behavior in the past. Most recently and notably among these is Virginia Governor Ralph Northam.

Much like Northam, Trudeau is unlikely to willingly leave office. However, the Canadian people may decide otherwise in the upcoming elections.

The three recent exposures of Trudeau—a leader known internationally for acceptance—raises questions to the power of such actions. Transcending Trudeau, it begs the question for all leaders, public figures and, frankly, people: does and should one act define you? Should it cost you credibility, your job and respectability from peers and the public?

This question is multifold and situational with no easy answer. In examining the case of Trudeau, I would say yes and no. For starters, Trudeau only apologized for his actions after they were discovered and released by the media. Thus, the question is raised about whether he does truly regret what he did or if he is simply trying to save his political career, especially with the impending election. Had Trudeau acknowledged this behavior and the blackface incidents out of transparency earlier in his political career, while it would have been no less disturbing or racist, it could have been used for growth and discovery. Some might still argue—rightfully so—that there should be no reward for simply acknowledging repeated racist acts.

While unequivocally true, there is something to say for someone who comes forward with a disturbing his-

Richards: Weeping Wepas Jason Richards Staff Columnist I’m sure you can recall a time you were walking toward Case Quad, ready to print your assignment to turn in next class, only to realize that all of the four printers on the quad were down. Out of paper, out of ink, some sort of paper jam, not feeling like working right now or just plain shut off—all students have seen the unreliability of the wepa print kiosks on Case Western Reserve University’s campus.

The unreliability of our on-campus cloud printing is only half of the problem though. Quantity is the other.

Currently, there are only four—yes, just four— printers on the quad for students to use. I’ve encountered many situations when the three that reside in the engineering buildings all suspiciously quit working at the same time, leaving me frustrated and sweaty running to Clapp Hall to grab my last minute essay.

Sure, blame my time management skills for leaving 15 minutes to run around the quad in a frenzy looking for a working printer, but when there’s only four printers to pick your fate from, how much of the blame can really be attributed to me?

There are four wepa printers in the Peter B. Lewis School building alone. These numbers are great, but the fact that there are the same number of printers in one building as there are in the whole

majority of class buildings in the center of campus raises some questions.

Mainly, why aren’t there more printers on the quad?

If this is a problem that can’t be solved by more reliable printers, then maybe the solution lies in the simpler fix—more wepa printers. In general, having more unreliable printers is better than fewer unreliable printers. However, neither option really seems like a great fix.

At some points, reliability isn’t even the issue.

Sometimes, you can find yourself waiting 15 minutes for a herd of physics students to print their 12page lab reports with the sparse number of printers on the main quad.

Don’t get me wrong. Wepa’s cloud network of printing is extremely useful and practical to work with. You’re able to print directly from numerous sources, including Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive. From the stations themselves, you can print from a flash drive too. The prices of printing are fair, and the paper quality is reasonable if you even care about that.

The only problem is the number of printers we are limited to. The wepa network has extraordinary potential to handle the printing requests of thousands of students, but with only a handful of printers in some locations, it limits its ability to provide students with its intended efficiency.

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tory out of a desire to better oneself and others like them.

Similarly, we must ask, should transparency have the power to destroy you? And again, there is no simple or clear answer. There is a spectrum of remarks and actions, each which must be carefully investigated and addressed. In seeking an answer, we should analyze how the actor in question responds, not in the press releases immediately following the exposure, but in what they do in the coming weeks and months. If one genuinely regrets something in their past, subsequent actions should reflect efforts to learn what it meant for people affected. For Trudeau, it would mean talking with people of color to understand how his actions affected them and how he can use his position to foster respect rather than hostility.

A final component of this scandal is how the acts intersect with privilege. That is, class, race, religious and gender privilege. Justin Trudeau—like many accused of blackface—is a wealthy, white Catholic, whose father was also the prime minister of Canada. While we do not control the circumstances of our births, we can control what we do with the power which accompanies them. Furthermore, Trudeau’s indiscretions should be understood as an abuse of his power at the cost of others. They should be a call for us to address not only racism on an individual level, but at a systemic level across a variety of Western societies. We have all made mistakes, had moments of thoughtlessness and poor behavior. After all, the society in which we are raised, whether in Canada, the United States or elsewhere, breeds us with certain biases, conscious or not. As difficult as the conversations will be, we must admit our mistakes and accept what consequences they should have. This is as true for Trudeau and his blackface as it is for others engaging in racist or sexist acts. To do otherwise is to forgo efforts to understand and remedy the underlying causes, namely racism, sexism and classism.

CORRECTION: Package Pandemonium in the Area Offices

A recent opinion article, “Package pandemonium in the area offices,” incorrectly explained the reason for the package buildup at Wade Commons. Case Western Reserve University’s information technology operations group staff clarified that the package buildup occurred due to a lack of labels and a delay in reordering more. The Housing and Residence Life Database (HARLD) automates most of the work, and the area offices have since logged all outstanding packages.

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established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher MATT HOOKE directors of print WON HEE KIM & NATHAN LESCH directors of design RYAN YOO director of web & multimedia JACKSON RUDOFF director of business operations SARAH PARR layout designer LESLIE SERN development editor EMILY YOUNG social media editor DEEKSHA GOLLAMUDI news editor GRACE HOWARD web editor PRESTON WILLIS a&e editor YVONNE PAN photo editor CHRIS HEERMANN opinion editor CAROLINE ZHU sports editor CLAIRE NORDT adviertising manager JUSTIN HU accounts manager SHIVANI GOVANI copy editor RITCHELLE ALINSAO & marketing manager BRADLEY SCHNEIDER AURA ROSSY

sports The Ohio State University football, four weeks in Ryan Yoo Director of Design

So far into the 2019 season, the Buckeyes seem to be doing pretty well.

They have had a four-game win streak and have seemed to settle into their groove.

The team’s direction this season is uncertain yet exciting, especially considering this is the first season without the team’s legendary coach, Urban Meyer, who stepped down in 2018 due to health problems. Meyer started his final season on a rough note, having been suspended for three games following an investigation that determined that he mishandled domestic abuse accusations made towards former assistant coach Zach Smith.

Meyer’s departure marks a huge shift in the program for The Ohio State University (OSU) who under Urban Meyer’s leadership has led the team to multiple conference championships and even a national title.

Meyer was replaced as head coach

by Ryan Day. Day previously served as the Buckeyes’ quarterback coach and offensive coordinator, as well as the quarterback coach for the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles.

In addition to a new head coach, the team also has new quarterback Justin Fields, replacing Dwayne Haskins, who graduated after the 2018 season.

Fields is a second-year transfer from the University of Georgia, where he served as the backup to starting quarterback Jake Fromm.

Fields seems to be having a pretty

successful season so far. He has made 13 passing touchdowns, as well as 880 passing yards, in addition to six rushing touchdowns and 150 rushing yards.

In the game against Miami University (located in Ohio), Fields scored six touchdowns in a single quarter. Fields is the first quarterback to have four passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in the first half of a game since University of Louisville Cardinals’ Lamar Jackson in 2016.

In the first couple of games, the future of OSU seemed to be a little less certain than it had been in previous years. Even though the Buckeyes beat the Florida Atlantic University Owls 45-21, the game was way closer than it should have been. In the past, the Buckeyes have consistently beat their non-conference opponents by a landslide, and should have been expected to do that again in this game, especially against such a much weaker team. The closest nonconference game last season is the game against Texas Christian University, a major Big 12 Conference team, where the Buckeyes won by a margin of 12 points.

Overall, the football powerhouse has had no problems in its first four games of the season, their closest game this season being against the Owls.

However, It is important to note that the teams the Buckeyes have played so far have weaker football programs that are unlikely to stand up to the Buckeyes.

Buckeyes’ second-year transfer quaterback Justin Fields (1) has been a key player in the Buckeyes’ success story, throwing 18 touchdowns so far this season. Courtesy of OSU The Lantern/Amal Saeed The team’s next game will be against Big Ten opponent University of Nebraska—Lincoln this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Buckeyes will go on to play minor rival Michigan State University, ranked No. 25 on the AP Top 25 rankings, on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.

It’s likely that OSU will plow through both teams like with the teams they have played so far, although both Nebraska and Michigan State will put up some resistance against the Buckeyes.

It will be interesting to see where the Buckeyes will go during the remainder

of this season. Will the Buckeyes continue to adjust to the new changes on the team and on their coaching staff, or will the adjustments become too much for the team?

OHIO STATE FOOTBALL v. Nebraska September 28, 2019 @ 7:30 PM v. Michigan State October 5, 2019 @ 7:30 PM

Women’s soccer continue winning while men split games David Chang Staff Reporter The Chinese believe that seven represents Yin, Yang and the Five Elements. Some consider seven to be lucky because it’s God’s number. Apparently the Spartans also believe that because that’s how many wins the women’s team have.

The Case Western Reserve University women’s soccer team extended their winning streak to seven when they defeated Ohio Northern University 3-1.

Meanwhile the men’s team fell to John Carroll University 2-1, but bounced back to top Adrian College 2-1 in overtime. The women’s win made their United Soccer Coaches poll ranking rise to 13, tying for the highest the program has ever been ranked.

In their sole game this week, the women’s team struck first against the Polar Bears, with second-year Anika Washburn taking a shot, which was blocked, then a header that was too wide. First-year Merry Meyer also took two shots in the first half. However, one was saved by the opposing goalie, and the other was wide.

Both teams did not score in the first half. First-year Laura Gorjanc lofted the ball off a corner kick to a trailing fourthyear forward Kimberly Chen, who chipped the ball over the goal’s reaching arms to take the lead for the Spartans.

A foul by Ohio Northern allowed Washburn a free kick on the left hand side of the ten-yard line. Washburn drilled it into the goalie’s hands, who failed to catch it. Running past the defenders marking her, second-year Kat Rebele was there to head the ball back in, but it chipped off the top of the goal post. First-year Maia Sethi was there to put back the rebound for the second goal of the game.

Needing to come back from the 2-0 deficit, Ohio Northern rushed a shot but it was saved by goalie Lauren Unterborn. Meyer tried to pass towards the goal but was intercepted by a defender.

The defender marking her appeared to have injured herself, and Meyer took the open opportunity to drill the shot to ice the game. The precise placement towards the upper left side of the goal

while curving took the opposing keeper off guard.

Chen comments on the team’s excellent performance this season “[UAA teams] better watch out for us, we haven’t been ranked or undefeated in past years … [we have] more depth and are more ready compared to previous years.”

For the men’s team, playing an away game against an undefeated team coming off a loss gave the Spartans all the extra drive to turn the tables. Like the women’s game, the first half was also scoreless. First-year Jackson Kallen got his first collegiate start at goalie and his impact was felt early, saving three goals in the first 17 minutes. The Spartans counterattacked but the opposing goalie managed to save two shots.

Third-year Connor Webber’s corner kick to third-year Nathan Ekberg, who tried to receive it with a header fell through, as the header was a bit high.

In the second half, fourth-year Zachary Senft was eager to take the lead, taking two shots but both were saved by the opposing goalie. Senft finally scored off

a penalty kick for his first goal of the season. In the last two minutes, Adrian scored off a cross to even the score.

Senft and fourth-year forward Garrett Winter continued to aggressively take shots in overtime, before Senft drilled the ball in for game off a Weber shot saved by the goalie. Kallen was excellent in his debut, recording six saves.

The women’s team will face Kenyon College at home on Wednesday and is then going to John Carroll University on Sunday. The men’s team will travel to play Marietta College on Wednesday.

VARSITY WOMEN’S SOCCER at John Carroll September 29, 2019 @ 2 PM

VARSITY MENS’ SOCCER v. Otterbein September 28, 2019 @ 1:30 PM

Think Baker Mayfield is overrated?

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