The Observer, Volume LIV, Issue 11, 11/11/22

Opinion: Editorial: President Kaler has created far more division than USG ever could (pg. 10)

the

Observer

friday, november 11, 2022 volume LIV, issue 11 estd. 1969

The Student Newspaper of Case Western Reserve University

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USG overwhelmingly votes to pursue divestment from “Israeli apartheid”

Dave’s is dead. Long live Dave’s.

Shreyas Banerjee economic development of illegal Israeli Executive Editor

USG President Ananya Hari speaks ahead of the USG vote to encourage civility and respect. Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer

CWRU is unlikely to acquiesce to USG’s demands as Kaler calls the resolution and supporters “naïve” and “anti-Semitic” Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor After years of debate, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) of Case Western Reserve University took a strong stance against the actions of the Israeli government, the military-industrial complex and the prison-industrial complex.

On Nov. 9, the USG General Assembly (GA) voted decisively in support of Resolution 31-15, the “Students for Justice in Palestine” bill, which calls on CWRU administration to investigate whether any of its financial assets are invested in companies that support

violence against Palestinians, and divest from them if they are found to do so. Though the vote was expected to be close, having been put off by previous years’ USG bodies since 2018, the final vote was conclusive, with 35 votes in support of the resolution, 17 votes against and seven abstentions.

The bill lists specific targets for divestment, including weapons companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, private prison companies like the GEO Group and CoreCivic (formerly known as the Corrections Corporation of America) and various companies that “facilitate the building, maintenance, or

settlements, outposts, and settler-only roads and transportation systems on occupied Palestinian territory.”

The hours before the final vote were heated, with almost 30 students speaking on the resolution in order to sway USG GA members’ votes. GA was moved from Adelbert Hall to Tink Ballroom to better accommodate the large number of students present for the vote. Fears of outside interference led to USG requiring all in attendance to provide their CWRU ID to prove they were CWRU students. The public minutes for the GA were also redacted to remove all names of speakers so that all students would feel safe to speak freely without fear of doxxing by outside organizations, which has occurred to CWRU students who have voiced their opinions on this matter in the past. Accordingly, The Observer will also not be naming students who spoke at the assembly, whether they supported or opposed the bill.

Before debate began, USG President Ananya Hari reiterated that civil discussion must be the goal, saying, “My utmost concern today is the safety of every single one of you. So I implore all of you to respect all the people here that are making their voices heard and to treat them with the utmost respect and kindness you all would like to be treated with.”

Numerous Jewish students spoke out against the resolution, citing fears for their personal safety on campus.

They mostly reiterated that resolutions passed on college campuses that support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel lead to increased antisemitism.

One speaker said, “Before tonight, I reached out to every Jewish student I knew on campus, asking them to come speak. They either said yes, and are here, or were too afraid to speak out.

This is because of one simple fact: BDS acts as a litmus test for Jewish safety on campus.”

USG continued on pg. 4

I remember exactly where I was when I heard that Dave’s Market on Cedar Hill was closing. It was Friday, Oct. 7 and I was on a shuttle to the University Farm for my entomology class.

It was a peaceful fall day and the leaves had just begun to turn, hitting peak foliage. I was looking forward to a peaceful and uneventful weekend, one free from the worries of the world. That all changed when somebody on the shuttle yelled “Oh my god!” They looked up from their phone and with a sad look in their eyes said, “Dave’s is closing.”

No one could believe it, least of all me. Losing Dave’s, the local grocery for Case Western Reserve University students, was tantamount to losing a good friend, one who was always there for us. Where else could we go when we needed a jug of milk, a loaf of bread, a bottle of shampoo or cold medicine? What other store is within Safe Ride distance that we could get our essentials from? Hadn’t CWRU students faced enough hardship losing Constantino’s Market in Uptown only to see Plum Market, with its overpriced produce and limited toiletries, take its place? Could we even say that our campus had a real grocery store anymore if we didn’t even have one that sold Cheerios? I thought about all these questions, along with all the good memories I had in that grocery store.

Within a 10-minute walk from my apartment and a five-minute drive from most of campus, it was the most accessible grocery store for CWRU students that didn’t cost them an arm and leg to shop at, nor did it require them to buy flavorless organic substitutes of all their favorite brands.

In the days before the closure, which occurred on Oct. 25, I walked through the Cedar Hill Dave’s one last time. As I saw all the bare shelves and the empty refrigerators, I realized that this was actually happening and that I’d have to accept it.

DAVE’S continued on pg. 7

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Shuttles and pies: a glimpse into Election Day at CWRU Zachary Treseler Contributing Writer

When it’s Election Day in the Department of Political Science at Case Western Reserve University, an early bedtime is off the table for both professors and students. This past Tuesday, Nov. 8, students and faculty packed into Mather House to watch the election results roll in. The event, branded as the department’s “Election Watch Party” is not necessarily celebrating anything, according to Joseph White, a professor in the Department of Political Science. Instead it was “a chance to get students interested in politics

together and do what they would have done a bit anyway: Watch the returns with some camaraderie and…some insights.”

In one of the ground floor classrooms, a large television screen and a projector blasted coverage of the elections from multiple channels, allowing students and professors the chance to analyze, critique and debate in realtime. In addition, CWRU professors provided in-person commentary, while professors from local universities chimed in via Zoom.

ELECTION DAY continued on pg. 3

Bringing many CWRU students to the polls last Tuesday, CWRUVotes organized yet another successful Election Day. Courtesy of CWRUVotes

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friday, november 11, 2022 volume LIV, issue 11 estd. 1969

Voting across the nation: What we know now Grace Johnson News Editor

Many went into Election Day on Nov. 8 fearful and worried, unsure how the U.S. government stood after the polls closed. On many voters’ minds were the topics of abortion and womens’ rights, inflation, justice, the economy and, at the root of everything, the state of our democracy.

Why was this election so important?

For one, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v.

Jackson Women’s Health Organization this past summer, abortion rights and women’s healthcare were given back to the states to legislate rather than being federally protected, like it was under Roe. For another, inflation rose dramatically over the past year, with rising gas and food prices requiring many Americans to tighten their belts.

Various states had key elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and their own governorships. Below is a brief rundown of some swing states and what we know now about their results.

Ohio In Ohio, there was a gubernatorial election between incumbent Republican Mike DeWine and Democratic nominee Nan Whaley, with incumbent Governor Mike DeWine winning once again by a little less than a 30-point margin. Similarly, a Senate seat was open in Ohio after Republican Senator Rob Portman announced he would not be running again. The race was between election denier and Trumpendorsed Republican candidate J.D. Vance and unpopular Democratic candidate Tim Ryan, ending with a win by J.D. Vance by about seven percentage points. However, things were looking up for Democrats in the House, with Democrats unexpectedly winning five districts after unseating incumbent Republican Representative Steve Chabot in OH-1. On the other hand, Republicans won all three open seats on the Ohio Supreme Court, solidifying their majority there.

Pennsylvania Republicans had a rough day in Pennsylvania, with a win by former Lt.

Gov. Democrat John Fetterman over Trump-backed Republican candidate Mehmet Oz for the open Senate seat.

This was a key seat for the Democrats to win, as Pennsylvania is a swing state, having gone for both Trump and Biden in 2016 and 2020, respectively. Similarly, the gubernatorial race was decisive, with popular Democrat nominee Josh Shapiro bringing home the bacon over Republican Doug Mastriano by

Democratic incumbent Tony Evers beat Trump-backed Republican Tim Michels by 3.4% in the gubernatorial race. The House, too, was a mixed bag, with primarily red districts across the state and two little blue spots, due to gerrymandering.

Georgia This state’s Senate election has remained a mystery as Republican nomi-

With the midterm elections now in the rearview, the results are starting to pour in as all votes are counted across the nation. Courtesy of Brian Wells/ Times Herald about 13 points. As for the House, nine of the 17 seats up for election were taken by Democratic nominees.

Wisconsin Wisconsin was a bit of an interesting case. While incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson did hold on to his Senate seat, he did so by barely one point against Lt. Gov. Democrat Mandela Barnes. On the other hand,

nee and former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker went up against incumbent Democratic pastor Raphael Warnock—they are now headed toward a runoff election because neither candidate won over 50% of the vote.

However, incumbent Republican governor Brian Kemp kept his seat, beating Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams by almost 10 points. The House was, too, a mixed bag, but all incumbents in

both parties held on to their seats.

There were many other interesting outcomes from this election cycle. For example, a red wave washed across Florida, probably due to growing popularity for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won his own gubernatorial election by almost 20 points. However, Republicans did not experience the massive sweep of the House and Senate that they had been vying and hoping for prior to Election Day. But, one may ask, why does this matter to students? How does it affect us?

Well, many students are widely concerned about the election results and the impacts they will have on their own lives, including third-year political science student Paola Espinoza, who said that they voted on the reproductive rights issue. Espinoza explained to me their fears: “My biggest concern during this election, as I’m sure everyone else with a uterus [could relate], was abortion. The overturning of Roe v.

Wade put people like myself and others in danger. Ohio is notorious for trying to take away bodily autonomy, and I was not keen to stand idly by when I know my vote would count for something.”

Another student, fourth-year political science major Cameron Tong, expressed other worries: “My main concern was how American democracy would would survive if governors, secretaries of state and members of state legislatures who wanted to overhaul the democratic process were given the ability to build a system that circumvents the will of the voters, more than gerrymandering already does.”

Whether you voted on the grounds of abortion rights, inflation, immigration or something else, each person’s ability to vote—and therefore to be involved directly with our democratic system—is a right, and it is important to exercise that right. Though the election is now over, it is important to remember that all who voted exercised their civil duty; all we can do now is wait for final results, cross our fingers for the best and hope that democracy prevails over everything else.

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ELECTION DAY continued from pg. 1 The stakes for this election were incredibly high. When asked about how it would affect students, Professor White noted, “If the Republicans take the Senate, then it’s possible that it will be very hard for President Biden to appoint any new judges, so we won’t have many replacements before the Republicans take full control at the beginning of 2025. So everything courts could do, in terms of defining rights or interpreting laws, could become even more conservative—but that would not affect individuals for a few years.”

Professor White also speculated that “the big wild card in terms of immediate effects is whether Republicans who [hypothetically] have captured the House, and perhaps been emboldened by capturing the Senate, will try to force Social Security and Medicare cuts by threatening not to raise the debt ceiling. That would directly affect students if the hostage game went wrong and the government actually defaulted, which could crush the economy. But if the Democrats gave in at all, that could significantly affect students’ elder relatives.”

However, here at CWRU, there is a strong civic culture. In 2020, between 70 and 79% of CWRU students voted in the 2020 presidential election. Further, in April of this year, President Eric W. Kaler announced an initiative to drive that number up to 100% for the 2022 midterm elections as part of the national “ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.” He told The Daily that, “As institutions of higher education, we have a responsibility to help students understand the importance of making their voices heard in this year’s election—and all of the ones that follow.”

Sabrina Wicker, one of two Campus Vote Project Democracy Fellows at CWRU, also co-leads CWRUVotes.

This organization is a nonpartisan student group under the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning (CCEL) office and seeks to increase political and

civic education and involvement oncampus.

Before the midterms, Wicker and CWRUVotes made local headlines last year for a National Voter Registration Day tabling event in Thwing Center.

This year, Wicker said that CWRUVotes held tabling twice a week so students had ample opportunities to register to vote, get an absentee ballot application and have questions answered. In addition, CWRUVotes ran various other events, such as an AbsenTea Party at Presti’s Bakery to give more opportunities for students to request their mail-in ballots.

When Election Day arrived, the main event was to shuttle students to the polls. Students started off by being checked-in by a member of the CWRUVotes team. Afterwards, they boarded university-sponsored shuttles to voting centers at the Mary M. Bethune School, Martin Luther King Jr. Library, John Hay High School and St Paul’s Episcopal Church. These shuttles ran on a continuous loop from 10 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Once students got to the Board of Elections, the process was relatively simple. Students were checked-in with their IDs, and then received a ballot.

Once they filled it out, students received an ‘I Voted’ sticker, before taking another shuttle to return to campus.

When asked about her favorite accomplishment, Wicker said she was “very proud of [the] turnout this year.

We won’t get our numbers for a little while, but I can tell, doing elections on this campus, students are way more fired up about voting. That is even with the kind of students with mistrust and apathy about voting. Even people who are like ‘this is not my favorite part of the political system,’ still understand, kind of, that it’s important to actively vote for policies and candidates that can, very very tangibly, change peoples lives. That’s been very refreshing to see, and it keeps you going when it’s very very difficult to be a voting rights activist sometimes.”

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CWRU Unplugged: Sustainability contest underway

Excessive electricity use in residence halls and Greek housing is just one reason why The Office of Energy and Sustainability’s sustainability contest is necessary for reducing CWRU’s carbon footprint.

Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer Sarah Karkoff Staff Writer From Nov. 1-15, Case Western Reserve University’s Office of Energy and Sustainability (OES) is running a residence hall and Greek house sustainability contest, dubbed CWRU Unplugged. The Office of Energy and Sustainability hosts CWRU Unplugged each year in an attempt to promote more sustainable energy usage practices. This annual competition has occurred since 2015 with last years’ winner being the Alumni House, reducing their energy consumption by 4.56%. For their efforts,

the entirety of the building was rewarded with Insomnia Cookies.

In order to participate, students who reside in CWRU residence halls or Greek housing can sign the Sustainability Pledge, promising to lower energy consumption in their building.

If you live off campus, you can still participate by signing up for the Sustainability Pledge in which you have the possibility of winning a prize.

UNPLUGGED continued on pg. 5

Photo of the Week

Shifra Narasimhan

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11/11/22

Combatting food insecurity with Swipe Out Hunger Darcy Chew Staff Writer From Sept. 12-15, Undergraduate Student Government (USG)’s subcommittee Swipe Out Hunger ran a swipe drive collecting meal swipes to combat food insecurity on campus. Now, those meal swipes can be redeemed by students through a form sent in USG’s Nov. 8 newsletter.

The program is headed by thirdyears Eric Elizes, Shayan Burns, Varun Samudra and Devin Desai who have been working on this project since their freshman year. Elizes, as the committee chair, says it was initially difficult to get the program off the ground. “At that point in time, it was during the COVID-19 semesters…the university was in a very fiscally tight situation,” he explained. However, with a clear vision, Elizes says he spent this past summer having conversations with administrators to bring his ideas for the program to life.

Swipe Out Hunger works with the Dean of Students Office and Auxiliary Services, with the latter setting up the kiosks that are used to collect swipes.

After they obtain a certain number of meal swipes from student donations, Swipe Out Hunger then turns to the Dean of Students Office who is in charge of distributing the swipes to the students who apply for them.

Currently, there are no set crite-

ria for who can receive these meal swipes; in Elizes’ words, “the form is fairly open ended” and each student’s situation is determined on a case-bycase basis. After a student fills out the form, it will be sent to an admin at the Dean of Students Office who reviews the applications to determine who will receive swipes. Students are currently able to request meal swipes three times each semester. If their request is approved, students will be notified within 48 hours of their application.

In their September swipe drive, Elizes was pleasantly surprised with the almost 800 swipe donations they received. All meal swipes are virtually loaded onto a student’s Case ID, but Swipe Out Hunger turns these virtual donations into physical vouchers that can be used at the dining halls. Both Fribley and Leutner Commons accept these vouchers.

When asked about his future plans for Swipe Out Hunger, Elizes says that his current focus is to increase awareness. They are still in the process of distributing the 800 donations received in September. Elizes is hopeful of the program’s future, adding that “there are definitely a lot of students who would benefit from [it].”

If you are interested in applying for meal swipes, the Swipe Out Hunger

In an effort to combat foot insecurity on campus, USG’s subcommittee Swipe Out Hunger takes meal swipe donations and turns them into meal vouchers that work at both Fribley and Leutner Commons. Courtesy of CWRU Application is quick to fill out and can be found at the top of the Swipe Out Hunger CampusGroups page. For any

questions about the organization or if you would like to become involved, contact swipeouthunger@case.edu.

USG continued from pg. 1 Other students listed incidents that have happened on other campuses targeting Jewish students, along with increased public instances of antisemitism, specifically by celebrities such as the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and basketball star Kyrie Irving.

Another Jewish student said, “If you pass this resolution tonight you are condemning the only place in the world where I feel safe being Jewish,” referring to the State of Israel. Another said, “Voting ‘yes’ on this bill is a vote blind to rising antisemitism, it’s a vote for division on campus, it’s a vote that tells me as a Jewish student that my concerns aren’t valid.”

Others opposed to the bill explicitly supported the State of Israel, with one saying, “BDS perpetuates the notion that Jewish self-determination is solely responsible for the Israeli-Palestine conflict. This oversimplifies thousands of years of Jewish history in the land, not to mention that this rhetoric makes no acknowledgement of Israel as the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.”

Supporters of the bill reiterated that this was not strictly a BDS bill, though it is born out of that movement, and instead was purely investigatory to see if CWRU was supporting companies and institutions that cause human suffering.

“This bill is to determine where our money is going,” one student said.

“This is not a Jewish versus Palestinian issue. This is a ‘look at where we are spending our money’ issue.”

Other students spoke up for the current attitudes people had towards Palestinian students on campus. One student noted how they had met a supporter of Israel wearing Palestinian clothing as a “Halloween costume,” and that the fears of discrimination that Jewish students had were currently being faced by Palestinians both at CWRU and abroad.

One Palestinian-American student stated, “I can’t go back home to my home country,” referring to the travel restrictions imposed on Palestinians in

Israel. “My family is getting bombed, rocketed, and all of that and yet here I am trying to let my voice be heard. I was scared to even put on the hijab on campus because when I said I was going to, I had friends that said we would not associate with you.”

One Jewish student who voiced support for the bill expressed distaste for other students claiming to speak for the entire Jewish community, stating, “One concerning thing I’m hearing today, especially from other Jewish students, is the conflation of Judaism and Zionism. It’s often an attack used by antisemites to push antisemitic rhetoric. Just because someone is Jewish does not mean they’re Zionist.” He also added that while antisemitism is a real issue, “voting ‘no’ on this bill will have equal if not greater consequences for the opposing side, oftentimes a less represented group on campus here.”

One of the final speakers expressed confusion as to the controversy surrounding the bill, stating, “I want to ask how voting ‘no’ on a legislation that asks for investigative reports on whether we fund apartheid, murder, and military complexes is threatening Jewish identity on this campus. We just need to ask that one question. Jewish people are being connected to terrible practices on human beings. Personally, I would be threatened, if my identity was connected to those practices …

Tell me, how funding [the aforementioned practices] represents Jewish students on campus. Tell me how removing funding [for those practices], or in fact just investigating whether we are funding [those practices] removes representation for Jewish students on campus.”

Following the passage of the bill, supporters of the bill stood to their feet in applause while opposers walked out. Cleveland Hillel, an organization that supports Jewish students on campus, released a statement following the vote castigating the resolution. In it, they said that the resolution’s authors “attempted to hide anti-Israel rhetoric” and that “the legislation falsely smears Israel, Israelis, and many Jews as anti-

peace” and that the debate during GA “rested on familiar and repeated antisemitic tropes.”

Despite the overwhelming USG vote, CWRU is unlikely to follow through on the bill’s action items. The administration has already confirmed multiple times that they would not investigate the investments discussed in the bill, nor would they divest from them even if they were found to support the actions of the Israeli government and the aforementioned companies. While supporters of the bill point out that CWRU took a similar stance when USG first passed a resolution calling on the university to divest from fossil fuel companies—before eventually acquiescing and following through six years later—such a course of action is unlikely to happen in this case due to our leadership.

Even before coming to CWRU, President Eric Kaler has been outspoken against any attempts by academic institutions to boycott or divest from the State of Israel. When the American Studies Association, which works to promote the interdisciplinary study of U.S. culture and history, voted in 2013 to boycott Israeli academic institutions, President Kaler publicly pushed back. Then the president of the University of Minnesota, he released a public letter denouncing the endeavor, stating that he believed that “such boycotts undermine academic freedom, which is a fundamental value of American higher education” and that he “personally oppose[s]” actions posed in the referendum as they do not “distinguish between opposition to the policies of the government of Israel and opposition to the existence of Israel.”

This led to an open letter being drafted and signed by various members of the Minnesota community which criticized Kaler’s statement and argued that “those who are genuinely concerned with academic freedom should deplore the lack of academic freedom that Palestinians experience due to Israeli institutional constraints on their movement.”

This, in turn, led Kaler to respond

that “it is the fact of the boycott itself that undermines academic freedom.”

Additionally, in 2018 at UMN when a campus-wide referendum calling for the university to boycott and divest from the Israeli state passed, Kaler was similarly aggrieved. Kaler described how he was concerned that the campus community “may be unfairly singling out one government and the citizens of the country in question” and suggested that the referendum led to UMN becoming “a place where unhelpful rhetoric is hurled from side to side.”

This pattern continued this time around, as Kaler met with members of Cleveland Hillel prior to the vote to assuage fears and reaffirm that CWRU would not act on the resolution if it was passed. No such meetings to listen to the concerns of the Middle Eastern Cultural Association, the Muslim Student Association or Students for Justice in Palestine, are known to have occurred before or after the resolution’s passage.

Kaler also sent out an email to the CWRU student body on Nov. 9 the morning after the vote, decrying the resolution and expressing his disappointment in its passage. He condemned the clauses of the bill as being either “anti-Israel” or “irrelevant,” and described the entire disinvestment endeavor as “naïve” in its targets. He also characterized the resolution and its roots as “profoundly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.” In his most pointed statement, Kaler made it clear that he believed that “A vote for this resolution is clearly a vote against Israel and an aggression toward the Jewish members of our community.” He ended his statement by saying that while “vigorous political debate is welcome and encouraged” at CWRU, “hate toward any group will be opposed at every step,” and described the resolution and the actions it calls for as such acts of hate.

Despite the passage of the bill following years of discussion, it is clear that debate will continue to rage across CWRU, as it does across the nation.

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Finding optimism in the face of climate change An interview with CWRU’s Dr. Onema Adojoh Carsten Torgeson Contributing Writer In the aftermath of both Hurricane Fiona and Ian, concerns about the changing climate and its impacts on how we live press upon many of us.

Dr. Onema Adojoh, from the Case Western Reserve University Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences offered in conversation some information on what climate change means for students, what we can do to take control of our futures and how to remain positive during this uncertain time.

Dr. Adojoh, a visiting assistant professor of environmental science at Case Western Reserve University, conveys passion for his field in numerous ways. The walls of his office are adorned with water level contour maps and groundwater hydrographs, and he speaks with an excitement and vitality that is rare to hear. This conversation with Dr. Adojoh comes at a crucial time: Climate change is becoming more and more visible, and with it, anxiety about its effects are on the rise.

By speaking with experts like Dr. Adojoh, we can find reasons to remain positive, even amongst all the bad news.

Dr. Adojoh’s research has taken him all over the world—including Australia, England, Japan and the U.S.—and has given him a unique perspective on how climate change is impacting different corners of humanity. The impact of climate change is far reaching, affecting humans internationally, and Adojoh emphasized the importance of global collaboration when it comes to combating the effects of climate change, stating, “People have to see that climate change is not an individual thing—it is a global thing.”

Dr. Adojoh also noted that despite governments working to mitigate the effects of climate change, we as in-

Tyler Vu/The Observer dividuals “need to change our habits as well.” Traditionally, we think of changing our habits as using less water in the shower or driving less, and Dr. Adojoh did not discount the importance of this. For him, however, changing individual habits also includes supporting “different mitigation policies” that seek to make positive changes on a larger scale. “For instance,” says Dr. Adojoh, “avoiding or reducing the greenhouse emissions from industries.” He also emphasized the need to invest in alternatives that would maintain our present way of life while simultaneously mitigating the effects of climate change. “We need to think about another alternative source, you know. People tend to drive a lot of cars around. How about we look into getting bicycles, because with bicycles we can reduce the gasses emitted from

the cars.” He further explained the role of government in this process by saying that “the government needs to support these systems.”

Building on the notion that climate change affects humans in aggregate, Dr. Adojoh emphasized the role of people in the arts and social sciences in the fight against climate change. Though some fields—namely the sciences— may interact with climate change more directly than others, the role of the arts, humanities and social sciences are equally responsible in mitigating climate change by influencing culture and legislation. Dr. Adojoh says that “in terms of policy making, the social sciences are to take the lead.” He goes on to say that it is necessary that science be dissociated from policy, as this allows the science “to stand firm.” In other words, no single discipline can

solve this epoch-defining dilemma of climate change on its own. Regarding the arts, Dr. Adojoh says that “the arts will definitely dominate” when it comes to “spreading the message [of science].” The arts are especially important, as most people do not want to spend their time perusing through dry science journals. The arts can translate the findings of scientists into more accessible and interactive mediums. It is better if “people come to the public and talk to them,” says Dr. Adojoh, because this will help to spread awareness of climate change.

Dr. Adojoh’s positivity was most touching. This is a remarkable thing to have, considering the field he works in contends with the heavy reality of climate change. He admitted there are a lot of reasons to be discouraged, saying that “those of us in academia need

more support.” He also noted that the impacts of climate change on the world can be upsetting. In reference to recent flooding in Kentucky, he says, “because of the heatwaves, everywhere was highly flooded, many houses got destroyed—people could not even do the business they needed to do.” Despite all this, Dr. Adojoh insisted that “we have to stay motivated.” When I asked him how, he gave a glimpse into the source of his own optimism by saying “we should be thinking about the solution, not what happened.”

The importance of this is not to disparage yourself. It is all too easy to become bogged down by all the bad things happening in the world, but if one can maintain a future-oriented mindset, one is better able to learn from the past and use it to shape the future.

UNPLUGGED continued from pg. 3 The residence hall or Greek house that wins will have the largest number of points. Points are determined by the amount of students who sign the pledge and the reduction in electricity usage. It is possible to observe the energy dashboard of your building to see up-to-date information regarding energy consumption.

The CWRU Unplugged contest is in line with the 2011 CWRU Climate Action Plan. In 2011, CWRU committed to moving towards becoming a carbon-neutral campus. In essence, the plan is to create a net-zero carbon footprint for the university within the next few decades. Former President

Barbara Snyder stated, “To say this goal is ambitious represents the height of understatement. But this institution will not embrace anything less.”

As for the 2020 Climate Action Plan Update, CWRU is currently up to date with their initial environmental goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20%. The next actionable goal is to reach 50% GHG emissions reduction by 2030. By participating in CWRU Unplugged, students can help CWRU create a more carbon-neutral campus.

The Sustainability Pledge offers students some ways that they can be more sustainable in their daily lives. In

terms of reducing energy, students can turn off the lights in their common area when no one is around, take public transportation whenever possible and unplug any electronics that are not in use. For reducing waste, students are encouraged to avoid single-use plastics, print everything double-sided and avoid any unnecessary printing, use reusable bags and donate old clothes instead of throwing them out. Recycling and becoming familiar with the campus recycling policy is yet another good way for students to reduce their environmental impact. Finally, OES encourages students to be active about the sustainability issues that are impor-

tant to them—this includes voting in general elections, signing petitions, attending protests and anything else that makes student voices heard.

More tips can be found on the website for the Office of Energy and Sustainability.

The winning building will be announced on Nov. 16 and will be awarded with a pizza party for its residents. However, even if your building does not win, individual prizes are still available. Raffle prizes for signing the Sustainability Pledge include gift cards, zero-waste kits with tote bags, reusable silverware, beeswax wraps and more.

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friday, november 11, 2022 volume LIV, issue 11 estd. 1969

A journey through my latest rock anthems Playlist of the week 11/11/22 Joey Gonzalez Life Editor We all have those songs that get us just the right amount of hype on our walk to and from class, whether they’re classic rock, blues or sad indie. They get us skipping down the hallway or pumping our fist like it’s the last few seconds of “The Breakfast Club.” And while each of these songs is personal to their individual Case Western Reserve University listener, I found a few that have crept their way into my daily stroll—or sprint if I’m running late. Each of them represents a unique take on the rock genre that provides a really interesting listening experience, even if they’re scattered throughout an existing playlist. So in the spirit of sharing, I thought I’d give you a peep into some of my new daily listens in the hopes of inspiring your next playlist. Sit back, pop your headphones of choice in and let me take you on a journey of rock music that might just put a pep in your step.

“Sex on Fire” - Kings of Leon If you’ve ever been in the car with your dad on the way to school, you definitely know all the words to this rock classic. It’s one of those songs that you forget about until you find it again, discovering that you remember almost every catchy lyric. And “Sex on Fire” just sticks in your head, no

matter how many times you listen to it. It’s one of those classic rock songs that played constantly on the radio in the early 2000s and, despite the NSFW material, reminds me of listening to music in the car as a kid.

The song somehow reemerged onto my Halloweekend playlist and has become one of my favorite post-class hype songs. Something about the uplifting beat and incredible vocals just gives that much needed boost at the end of my walk.

“Do I Wanna Know?” - Arctic Monkeys The introduction of this song is reminiscent of a Home Depot commercial, or those weirdly homoerotic Ford ads with the deep voiceover.

And, while that might be a drawback for some people, it sets up an incredible guitar riff that will have your feet dying to stomp along. The vocals in the song are raspy yet controlled and timed perfectly with the everpresent beat, providing that perfect formula for a rock song. The softer beat drops create an interesting vocal dynamic as they both quicken the pace of the song and get louder, only to slow back down after the chorus.

This is one of those songs that induce an indescribable feeling, one where you suddenly have the urge to build a wooden shelf. So, if your walk to class has been missing just the perfect blend of guitar riffs and vocals, this is definitely the song for you.

“Hayloft” - Mother Mother Although I have no memory or snarky quip associated with this song, the lyrics and high-pitched vocals are incredibly catchy, creating an upbeat listening experience. The song describes a young couple who are caught in the act inside a hayloft. Its beat is easily recognizable and will provide a much needed audio boost to any walk to or from class. The lyrics are also simple and catchy, which makes it easy to both follow and sing along to. Fourteen years later, the band released a sequel, “Hayloft II,” with a similar yet darker vibe, and a lot of the same lyrics from the original. If you need the perfect rock song to fill the hole in your hype playlists, this is definitely the one to pick.

fluenced by alternative R&B, rock and soul to make something truly incredible. The raspy, edgy beat provides an almost hypnotic experience, and the vocals form a not-quite angry breakup anthem. The song has a heavy emphasis on bass followed by a traditional rock guitar solo, which creates an insane juxtaposition. There isn’t much else to say, other than that “Hotel” truly experiments and reinvents the rock genre, producing a one of a kind listen. It might not have you skipping on your walk to class, but it will definitely pull at those edgier parts of your music taste.

“Gilded Lily” - Cults In the spirit of transparency, this isn’t actually a rock song, but it’s just too good not to put on this list. It starts off fairly slow, leading up to an incredible chorus and the introduction of a sick synth beat. The vocals make you feel as though you’re levitating, and although it might not put a pep in your step, it will definitely have you feeling like a character in a coming-of-age film. The lyrics, vocals and incredible yet reserved beat—that never gets too intense— create an out-of-this-world auditory experience. If the song hits all the right chords but just doesn’t fit into any of your playlists, the band has “Hotel” - Montell Fish also released sped up and slowed, reThis is one of those songs that just verb versions for all of your listening doesn’t fit into a singular genre, in- needs.

“My Policeman”: Harry Styles’ latest attempt at acting Joey Gonzalez Life Editor Hollywood seems hellbent on casting Harry Styles as a leading role in films and unfortunately it’s clear that his main career path has not been as an actor.

Considering the widespread criticism of his skills in “Don’t Worry Darling,” his latest film, “My Policeman,” has also failed to deliver the performance necessary for such rich source material, leaving viewers with a surface-level queer period drama that lacked any semblance of depth. Even discounting Styles’ poor execution, the film itself was predictable, unable to get viewers invested in the characters or storylines. Its climax and ending felt overly rushed, wherein the bulk of the film focused on the build up to a plot twist that anyone could have seen coming. Overall, “My Policeman” failed to provide an interesting representation of forbidden queer love and

lacked performances that grasped the necessary depth throughout the film.

The film follows an older couple, Tom and Marion—played by Linus Roache and Gina McKee, respectively—, who live in a small town by the sea. Their mutual yet distant friend, Patrick—played by Rupert Everett—, recently had a stroke and instead of sending him to a care facility, Tom and Marion take him into their own home.

However, Tom has reservations and refuses to visit or interact with his old friend, leaving his wife to care for him.

From this point in the film, it is clear that Marion feels guilty for something and that is the source of her sympathy for Patrick.

‘MY POLICEMAN continued on pg. 7

Harry Styles, in his latest movie venture “My Policeman,” with a lackluster queer romance, proves once again that he should stick to his career in music. Courtesy of Amazon.

life

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7

“MY POLICEMAN” continued from pg. 6 The film later uncovers that Patrick had been reported for homosexual behavior, almost completely spoiling the twist that doesn’t come until the final minutes of the movie. The movie makes several jumps back and forth in time, between the present and the 1950s. In the ‘50s, Britain has rather strict homosexuality laws and even harsher prison sentences. The film depicts the friendship between Tom, Marion and Patrick—played by Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and David Dawson, respectively—as they explore the lavish world of art and culture. While Tom and Marion are dating, the two men also engage in a secret love affair.

Marion knows about the affair, blaming Patrick for encouraging Tom’s ‘tendencies.’ Further into the film, Patrick is reported for acting on his homosexuality and is sentenced to two years in

prison. Marion agrees to testify on his behalf, where it is revealed that Patrick kept a diary that recounted his affair with “my policeman” that is publically read during the trial. The ending of the film jumps back to the present, with the expected plot twist that Marion was the one who had reported Patrick and, after dropping that bombshell, decides to leave Tom. To say the least, the film is boring.

The beginning, in an attempt to create an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue, leaves the viewer completely in the dark about the characters’ relationships and the tension between them.

Furthermore, it does little to garner any sort of viewer interest in the characters, most likely due to the lackluster performances and inability to convey the stakes prior to the time jump. The characters and their portrayals lack

the kind of depth that typically makes these romantic dramas work. Their journey as people is entirely surfacelevel, focusing solely on the struggle of queer love during a time when this was illegal. But even in that, the acting fails to grasp the emotion necessary to convince the audience of that story.

The romance between Tom and Patrick seems entirely sexual and rather onesided, simply providing an excuse for gay sex scenes starring Harry Styles.

Through Patrick’s diary, we are told that he is wildly in love with Tom, semblances of which we can see scattered throughout his advances in the film.

However, once again, there isn’t the depth necessary to be convincing for the viewer, we are simply told rather than shown.

It wasn’t only Styles who dropped the ball, as each actor failed to present

relatable and dynamic characters. They were all entirely superficial, lacking believable passion during high-intensity scenes. Scenes in which characters were arguing fell completely flat and ended up being hard to watch rather than invoking any semblance of feeling from the viewer. The tone seemed more like a faux argument than something that was actually supposed to be real. The film failed to provide a sense of soul that would have allowed for a deeper understanding of the characters and the plot. Instead, the film substituted the raw emotion that was necessary for a queer film of this caliber for big name actors.

The film is available on Amazon Prime for those of you that wish to formulate your own opinions about it, even if you’re only watching for the erotic Harry Styles scenes.

DAVE’S continued from pg.1

The new Dave’s Market and Eatery features expanded aisles and an overall roomier interior, as well as a place for customers to purchase fresh-cooked meals in store.

Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer.

The new location of Dave’s Market on the corner of Lee and East Overlook, a spot previously occupied by Zagara’s Marketplace.

Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer.

The new Dave’s also features aisles named after streets in Cleveland Heights.

Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer.

I walked out of the store and I stared at the cloudy sky, silently wishing for smooth grocery trips in the future. And lo, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a piece of paper haphazardly taped to the door. Hope returned as I read it. It announced that Dave’s wasn’t simply closing, but rather relocating to the corner of Lee and East Overlook at the current location of the grocery store Zagara’s.

The reopening was set to occur on Oct. 29. Somehow, in my despair, I neglected to read the actual article announcing the closure of Dave’s and completely missed the detail of its imminent relocation. Doing the mental math in my head, I realized the new store was further away from CWRU—definitely not walkable—but if one were to drive, it was only five extra minutes away.

While the new distance is certainly still tragic in its own right and raises serious questions about CWRU students’ access to quality shopping options, I

figured I would give the new location a chance. While students without cars are now being denied the bliss of Dave’s, I do have a car and might as well use it.

It wasn’t like I had much of a choice if I wanted actual groceries. Making the drive, I saw the Rising Star Coffee Roasters that I often go to on Lee Road, which also used to be a CWRU Southside staple before its own relocation to this corner. I suppose all the CWRU exiles have to go somewhere; they might as well be together.

Walking in, I was taken aback by how much bigger the new location was.

Gone were the cramped, one-way aisles.

Instead, everything was properly spaced, with no chance of cart collisions. Additionally, the expanded aisles allowed for larger shelves. I gasped upon seeing “Giant Size” boxes of Cheerios in the new store; annoyingly, the old Dave’s only had shelves tall enough to fit the 40% smaller “Large Size.” The increased size

of the store in general allows for a greater variety of products, with more options available for all your daily essentials: more yogurts, more fruit and more chips.

Endearingly, all the aisles were named after streets in Cleveland Heights, with signs displaying “Coventry,” “Overlook” and “Fairmount” and containing mini-maps of the area all overhead.

Aside from groceries, the selling point of the new Dave’s is a revamped eatery for customers to buy fresh meals from.

The store is actually the only Dave’s Markets to have the name “Dave’s Market and Eatery,” making it a special service of this location. From afar, the stand serving food looked rather typical, with a selection of sandwiches and subs to try, but all of them are made-to-order. I had the “Murray Hill Meatball Sub” and it wasn’t half bad—it could give Dave’s Cosmic Subs a run for their money for the title of “best subs from a place named ‘Dave’s.’” In addition, the eat-

ery sells fried chicken, freshly squeezed juices and a variety of deli options. For a quick lunch, the eatery does not make for a bad option, I just wish they had a seating area inside the grocery store itself—but perhaps I missed it.

All in all, walking out of the new Dave’s, I had bigger and better groceries than I expected, a full stomach and a lot of fun gawking at cute aisle signs.

The Dave’s I loved may be gone, but this is a worthy contender. If only it was closer so that all CWRU students could enjoy its amenities. While there are rumblings that a new grocery store will replace the old Dave’s location, that day has not yet come. The CWRU student body is, for the time being, extremely inconvenienced and deprived of proper grocery options until a new store opens.

Until then, we must make do with what we have and make the extra five-minute drive—the larger Cheerios boxes really make it all go down easier.

fun

friday, november 11, 2022 volume LIV, issue 11 estd. 1969

Tarun’s LOLs

Hor

scope

Aquarius

Three of Coins (Reversed) A group project may have gone awry due to a lack of communication.

Pisces

Dynamite Roll

Knight of Swords (Reversed) A friend in your life may be too hotheaded although he has your back.

Rainbow Roll

Three of Cups (Reversed) You don’t need to always bring other people to go to events. Don’t be afraid to go alone.

California Roll

Ace of Swords (Upright) You’re about to have a breakthrough.

King Crab Roll

Virgo

Shrimp Tempura Roll Boston Roll Alaska Roll

Capricorn Saggittarius Scorpio

Hard

Spider Roll

Libra

Leo

Cancer

Gemini

Easy

Salmon Roll

Aries

Sudoku

Read by Mulan Ma

Taurus

The Signs as Sushi Rolls

Weekly Tarot

Four of Swords (Upright) You’ve been through a lot and although the challenges keep coming, you need to give yourself time to rest before dealing with more.

Six of Wands (Reversed) You were not acknowledged for something you put a lot of work into.

Don’t let this lack of attention distract you from your accomplishment.

Two of Wands (Upright) You should be making plans for your future soon.

Ten of Coins (Upright) If you put your all into your goals regarding your finance and family situation this week, you will spend the weekend satisfied with your labor.

Two of Cups (Reversed) Expect a fallout soon from a shaky connection.

Philly Roll

Queen of Cups (Reversed) You are too busy listening to other people’s problems to face your own.

Cucumber Roll

Ten of Wands (Upright) Hard work is something you need to put in to your new challenges. It is the only way.

Firecracker Roll

Five of Coins (Upright) You’ve been put through hardship and loss. This time in your life will teach you how to be a better person.

observer.case.edu

fun| 9

Word Search: UMB Clubs THE ATHENIAN THE OBSERVER

What we’ve been listening to

WRUW DISCUSSIONS LED FILM SOCIETY

Goodbye Stranger Supertramp Shreyas Banerjee

LUX FOOTLIGHTERS PTG IMPROVMENT SPARC

Crossword

30 German luxury auto 31 Cards worth 1 or 11 in blackjack 32 Opposite of exo33 “I’ll return soon,” in a text 36 “Why the troubled look?” ... or a hint to 17-, 24-, 48- and 58-Across 41 Edgar’s nickname, perhaps 42 Prefix with sphere 43 Flightless Australian birds 44 Color of unbleached linen 45 Skill 48 “I can’t sit still!

There are ...”

52 Cloth to dry off with 53 Figs. that include interest 54 Extra amount for a waiter 57 What hips don’t do, per a Shakira hit

58 See 17-Across 62 “___ we there yet?”

63 Where India is 64 It has the same function as “Option” on a Mac 65 6-3, 6-2 or 7-6 66 D.C. ball club, informally 67 Attacks DOWN 1 Japanese buckwheat noodle 2 “No siree!”

3 What baba ghanouj is often served with 4 Approx.

5 Stunk 6 Senator Sanders 7 Witch trials locale 8 One of the Mannings 9 Had breakfast, say 10 Extinct megafauna species whose name derives from the Greek

ACROSS 1 Outstanding 7 Clothes line?

11 Toothed tool 14 “Now it makes sense” 15 Opposite of baja, in Spanish 16 How many it takes to tango 17 With 58-Across, “I’m so nervous!

There are ...”

19 Prominent feature of an elephant or dachshund 20 “Now it makes sense!”

21 Word with jerk or joint 22 ___ and Caicos Islands 24 “I can’t stop thinking about it!

There’s a ...”

28 Marched in an attention-seeking way for “breast tooth” 11 Rear of a ship 12 No longer in slumberland 13 ___-case scenario 18 Ward (off) 23 Prefix with cycle or code 25 Sunrise direction 26 Yin’s counterpart 27 “___ have promises to keep, and miles to go ...”: Robert Frost 28 One of 16 on a chessboard 29 Pain 32 One in a Freudian trio 33 How one sends an embarrassing email to the entire office?

34 Sound defeat 35 Kind of phone signal that’s nearly obsolete 37 Like thick-crust, rectangular pizza 38 Created

39 E pluribus ___ 40 Hanukkah money 44 Language suffix 45 Facebook and Pinterest 46 Record of drinks ordered 47 Dr. Scholl’s product 48 World record?

49 Bête ___ 50 Something a bird or celebrity might do 51 “Get Yer ___ Out!” (Rolling Stones album) 55 Stage name for rapper Tracy Lauren Marrow 56 ___ Ed (gym class) 59 Intelligence org.

60 Sch. for aspiring engineers 61 Everest and Denali: Abbr.

What a Ride DYLYN Karuna Lakhiani

Concorde Black Country, New Road Clay Preusch

It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) The 1975 Sophia Popkin

Garage Rooftop Q Tarun Sepuri

Hard to Explain The Strokes Beau Bilinovich

FM Steely Dan Sara Khorshidi

Spice Girl Aminé Dasha Degterev

opinion

friday, 11, 2022 2022 friday,november february 18, volume LIV, issue volume LIII, issue 11 20 estd. estd. 1969 1969

EDITORIAL

Editorial: President Kaler has created far more division than USG ever could

Editorial Board The priority of any university president should be to look out for the safety of their student body. President Eric Kaler flagrantly disregarded that notion when he decided to label our Undergraduate Student Government (USG) as antisemitic.

On Nov. 8, we saw the passage of Resolution 31-15 by our USG— which calls on Case Western Reserve University administration to investigate whether any part of our university’s endowment is invested in companies that support violence against Palestinians, and to divest from them if they are found to do so. Versions of the bill had been considered by USG for years, as students debated whether the actions of the Israeli government were worth supporting with our university’s money. The debate at USG’s General Assembly was very respectful and came to a head with the passage of the bill. Students spoke out on both sides of the bill but always remained cordial towards each other. Despite USG’s majority voting on one side of the issue, the need to be respectful and civil was constantly reiterated due to the nuance of the situation. President Kaler did not follow that standard.

The next day on Nov. 9, President Kaler sent out an email to the CWRU community titled “Supporting informed debate, but rejecting hate.” Yet, ironically, Kaler’s email was not at all informed and ignored the purpose and the language of the USG “Students for Justice in Palestine” resolution that was passed the night before. He called clauses of the resolution either “irrelevant” or “antiSemitic,” and called the resolution itself “naïve” and inherently hateful towards the Jewish people. He explicitly said that if a USG member voted “yes,” their vote was “clearly a vote against Israel and an aggression toward the Jewish members of our community.” Beyond that, he also characterized the actions called for by the resolution as “hate” towards specific groups, implying that those in support were hateful towards the Jewish people—a very serious label, especially considering the vast majority of our USG voted to pass the bill. This is extremely irresponsible and inflames tensions across campus. It ignores the situation in Israel and Palestine and discounts the moral reasons our USG representatives may have had in voting the way they did.

The Observer has gone into the specifics of this resolution and its purpose in other articles. However, to give an overview of the bill, here are some specifics to combat Kaler’s misinformation.

First, the bill is entirely investigatory in nature, asking the university

to see what portions of its endowment are invested in companies within the military-industrial complex, the prison-industrial complex and any other organization that supports the Israeli government causing human suffering—and there is a lot of suffering.

Between causing the displacement of populations, enforcing extrajudicial killings, implementing a system of widespread segregation and creating the world’s largest open-air prison through the restrictions placed on Gaza, much can be criticized about Israel’s government. USG is not the only group to call Israel an “apartheid” state; human rights groups such as Amnesty International have used the same language when describing the government. Palestinians and any other Arabs living in Israel are essentially living like second-class citizens—a fact, not an opinion. The USG resolution outlines these and other international law transgressions and essentially asks why our university should invest in corporations and a system that causes such human suffering. To point these things out isn’t “anti-Semitic” or “irrelevant,” as Kaler says, nor are they necessarily antiIsrael. Nowhere in the resolution does it deny Israel’s right to exist; instead, it decries the suffering that its government is causing. To that point, multiple Jewish students who spoke out against the resolution during USG’s GA acknowledged that the content of the bill itself wasn’t antisemitic. Rather, they were worried about the division that the bill might create and the consequences of that division.

To be against the actions of the Israeli government does not necessarily mean that one is antisemitic, as President Kaler suggests. Being against a government that discriminates against much of its population is a moral stance, just as being against corporations that build weapons, private prisons and illegal settlements that harm and displace any human population is. It is not a statement against the people who live within the governed area, nor any particular ethnic group.

The Jewish people and the people of Israel have gone through much suffering—which should not be disputed and must be acknowledged. It is true that there are some who support the people of Palestine because they are antisemitic and wish harm upon the Jewish people. However, not everyone who criticizes a religious state is criticizing the religion itself, and we must make that distinction to have a healthy debate. President Kaler says he supports “informed debate,” but how can we do that when students cannot voice their views without being labeled as “hateful”?

If the fear is that the resolution may cause divisions on campus and increase tensions, causing Jewish students to feel like targets, that is completely understandable. We should not discount the fears of any student at CWRU and should work to make everyone feel supported. However, President Kaler did not diffuse the situation with his statement. If anything, he has further fueled division on this campus. Let us be honest and admit that the CWRU student population is not the most politically engaged.

Most CWRU students probably did not even know that USG was voting on this resolution. By spotlighting the resolution and labeling those who voted to pass it as inherently antisemitic, Kaler has caused groups of students to feel targeted—not just by fellow students but by their own university’s administration. Palestinian students already felt a lack of support on campus and have faced many instances of discrimination and microaggressions.

To discount their experiences is to discount a portion of our student body that needs support just as much as any other group, if not more. Now they feel all the more targeted, at the expense of protecting a different group of students. This behavior is unbecoming of a university president.

Beyond the falsity surrounding the resolution in Kaler’s email, his statement truly illustrates how the administration is willing to brush off genuine concern from the student body.

Furthermore, Kaler disguises that disregard through a righteous perspective by stating his “disappointment” in the student support of this USG bill, especially since he regards us as “among the brightest, most compassionate, welcoming and dedicated individuals.” Well, considering that we are “compassionate” and “dedicated,” Kaler conveniently forgets to mention that our compassion is for those being hurt and killed in Palestine; the thousands of individuals being affected by the travesties committed by the Israeli government. Furthermore, his personal disappointment in our student body is not only conceited but also hypocritical.

President Kaler did not even pretend to acknowledge both sides of what, in the end, is a very nuanced situation. He has a clear political and financial agenda, and impressing that onto the student body while labeling many students, including our student leaders, as hateful and antisemitic is reckless and ill-considered. Perhaps one could discount this as a rash decision made in the heat of the moment to support a group of students he felt was being discriminated against.

Maybe one could say that he was sim-

observer.case.edu

ply misinformed about the contents of the bill and the debate surrounding it.

But no—Kaler has continuously made statements like this throughout his career, having denounced anti-Israel sentiments as the president of the University of Minnesota following a campus-wide vote to divest from the Israeli government. He also condemned the American Studies Association for boycotting Israeli institutions as being against the values of “academic freedom.” He further discounted community members who pointed out that Palestinians face a lack of academic freedom due to Israeli institutional constraints on their movement, and instead doubled down by saying in response that boycotts, no matter what, “undermine academic freedom.”

Continuously suggesting that students must live with the consequences of being labeled as antisemitic due to their stance on Israel illustrates his close-mindedness on the subject. Additionally, the fact that President Kaler felt it necessary to meet with members of Cleveland Hillel and heed the concerns of our Jewish students, while not deeming it necessary to meet with and hear the concerns of our Middle Eastern Cultural Association nor our Muslim Student Association about their very real fears of discrimination on CWRU campus, shows where his priorities are.

We, as students, deserve better than this. We deserve to feel supported by our university—yet time and time again, we are ignored, placated and given false assurances and meaningless actions. Finally, in this instance, we have been berated for voicing our beliefs surrounding an issue that deserves more tact than President Kaler’s less-than-300-word email that alienated an entire population of community members. Kaler “[pledged] that Case Western Reserve will continue to be a place welcoming to all,” yet his words demonstrate the opposite of that sentiment. His statement was a clear attempt to strike down any civil discussion between students and the administration and was full of misinformation and ignorance. President Kaler and CWRU’s administration had an opportunity to make sure multiple community perspectives were heard and seen. Instead, President Kaler decided that sending out a hostile email would be the best solution, creating more mistrust.

If President Kaler is so worried about how resolutions like the one USG passed will cause division on campus and cause students to feel discriminated against, he should look in the mirror. His one-sided and inflammatory statement did far more harm than any USG vote ever could.

opinion 11

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Repurposing the abandoned real estate in Cleveland

the observer established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of case western reserve university

executive editor & publisher SHREYAS BANERJEE PRINT director of print SARA KHORSHIDI news editor GRACE JOHNSON life editor JOEY GONZALEZ opinion editor KARUNA LAKHIANI sports editor PUNEET BANSAL development editor BEAU BILINOVICH engagement editor MULAN MA copy editor SHIVANGI NANDA copy editor LEXY JENSEN copy editor RACHEL ALEXANDER copy editor ELIE AOUN, copy editor KATE GORDON copy editor CHARLOTTE GOYAL DIGITAL MEDIA director of digital media JOCELYN ORTIZ social media editor SOPHIA POPKIN photo editor CLAY PREUSCH web editor COLLIN WONG DESIGN director of design TARUN SEPURI layout designer DASHA DEGTEREV layout designer SHIFRA NARASIMHAN graphic designer TYLER VU

Tyler Vu/The Observer Megan Abel Contributing Writer If you have traveled outside of campus, you have likely seen run-down buildings, empty spaces and abandoned lots. If you have not seen these, let me paint you a picture: To the west, there are open green lands, full of grass. Some of these are blocked by metal fences, sitting vacant next to busy highways and outside of a growing college campus. There are small brick buildings with broken and boarded up windows, leaky roofs and falling walls. Abandoned housing and apartments next to the remains of a town that once was as vibrant as the campus near it. Abandoned storefronts are covered in graffiti and have been ignored for years.

To the north, there are houses that are falling apart. They have boardedup windows, overgrown ivy, cracked driveways and sidewalks and crumbling structures. Houses that used to comfortably hold a family of four now hold the memories of years long gone and quickly forgotten people.

When you drive past these buildings and spaces in Cleveland, it is clear that there used to be industry. However, when steel collapsed in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, the money left, and the peo-

ple followed suit soon after.

Having grown up in Western Pennsylvania, I know that there are obvious differences between the places that were abandoned with the collapse of steel, and the ones that never recovered. These towns have some of the worst drug and alcohol problems, with scarce grocery stores. Kids are stuck with parents unable to pay for food, or who waste it on cigarettes and beer. Families live off food stamps, banks and kitchens, not able to break the cycle. Furthermore, the schools are just as poor as the people and cannot provide the same utilities that schools nearby have in spades.

With all these empty buildings and green space cut in half due to road infrastructure—mind you, facilitated by people who don’t care about parks or walking areas—, it is hard to imagine a world in which these buildings and areas can be used. But the next time you drive or walk past a strip of abandoned city, or a place near you that you often ignore, imagine a school. One like the one you go to, with new dorms, technology and teachers that can help students stuck in a cycle of drugs, poverty and teenage pregnancies.

REAL ESTATE continued on pg. 12

BUSINESS director of business operations KHUSHALI DESAI business manager MATTHEW CHANG busines manager MOHIT KOSURU business manager RYAN CHOU

The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer reports news affecting students and provides an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are typically written by the opinion editor but reflect the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. Opinion columns are the views of their writers and not necessarily of The Observer staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer at (216) 302-4442 or e-mail observer-ads@case.edu.

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 Thwing Center 11111 Euclid Avenue, Suite 01, Cleveland, Ohio 44106. For policy and guidelines related to the submission of Letters to the Editor, refer to observer.case.edu/submit-a-letter.

The Observer is a proud member of CWRU’s University Media Board.

Follow The Observer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @cwruobserver.

Circles of life Enya Eettickal Staff Writer

As one of the youngest in my extended family, I’ve always spent a lot of time with family members who are much older than me. There’ve often been certain gaps in life experience that have left me at a loss for understanding what exactly they were talking about or going through. But as I’ve grown older and finally hit the phases of life that they’ve already undergone, I’ve started to understand some of my family’s discussions. Particularly, something that stuck with me was when my cousin said, “life is just a bunch of cycles.”

Naturally, my first reaction was to think that my cousin was trying way too hard to be “deep,” or maybe he was just crazy. But now that I’m in my fourth year of college, I’ve started

to understand exactly what he meant.

Life really is just a bunch of cycles.

And the sooner you recognize the cycles you are stuck in, the sooner you can try to break that cycle or learn to manage your circumstances better.

This concept is still relatively abstract, so I want to root my claim in more tangible examples. When I say “life is cyclical,” I mean that many experiences you’ve had thus far will show up again down the line, probably more than once. The circumstances you end up in, the roles you take on, the types of people you meet and the problems you face will continue to reappear throughout your life.

So why does it matter? What about this is profound? Like I said earlier, my cousin’s statement didn’t mean

much to me for a very long time. But when the feeling of déjà vu kept occurring, and the struggles I thought were behind me continued to show up with new names and slightly different characteristics, the circles in my life started to become more apparent. And after acknowledging the circles, the way I approached life shifted dramatically.

Life being cyclical isn’t inherently a problem. However, it can be an issue if you don’t understand the trends relevant to your life, stunting growth or plateauing development. Dealing with the same problematic tendencies in friends or allowing yourself to perpetually fill an undesired role in groups can be exhausting and even maddening, to a degree. If you allow yourself to continue to be pulled around in the

pre-existing cycles in your life, you won’t ever get to move forward.

If you can figure out where the cycles are, the types of people and issues you run into, you can take control of the situation. Suppose you have a habit of finding friends with clashing personalities to your own and run into consistent problems because of it.

In that case, you should push yourself to try and change the way you communicate and work around those personalities. If you can figure out how to navigate that dynamic early on, it’ll prepare you for when you have to do it later in life, should you run into a similar situation.

CIRCLES OF LIFE continued on pg. 12

12 opinion

11/11/22

Eric Kaler’s statement about USG’s Israel resolution is disingenuous Milo Vetter Staff Writer The global debate about the IsrealPalestine conflict has always been fraught with antisemitism. Antisemitic people commonly disguise their antisemitism as criticism of the Israeli government, which both endangers Jewish people and harms the ability to have a legitimate debate on the topic.

Because of this, many social justice advocates are wary of criticism of Israel. A good solution to the problem is for an interlocutor to be specific in their claims so that the audience knows their intent precisely. For example, if someone said, “Israel is the root of evil in the world,” it would be unclear if that person’s problem was with the Israeli government’s actions or the Jewish people who live there (and few would blame you for assuming the latter). On the other hand, if that person said, “Israeli military doctrine explicitly allows for the destruction of civilian infrastructure and calls for the use of ‘disproportionate power’ to achieve that end,” it would be clear exactly what that person is advocating for.

This dichotomy between antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Israel was showcased on Nov. 9. The General Assembly of Undergraduate Student Government (USG) passed a resolution demanding that Case Western Reserve University divests from companies that are complicit in the

genocide of Palestinians in Israel. The resolution begins by summarizing the offenses that Israel has committed.

These offenses include the blockading of the Gaza strip, displacement of Palestinians by government-sanctioned settlement in the West Bank, targeted killings of Palestinians and more. The resolution then stated that CWRU has previously participated in a boycott of Sudan because of human rights violations in the area. Finally, it pointed out that student governments at nearby universities have advocated for divestment from companies complicit in Israeli human rights abuses— now, CWRU’s USG is now doing the same.

The next day, President Eric Kaler sent out a statement to the CWRU community that rejected the resolution’s demands. This was not a surprise, as the administration had said they would do so in advance. What was a surprise, however, was the language of the statement, which called the resolution “profoundly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.” Kaler also wrote that “a vote for this resolution is clearly a vote against Israel and an aggression towards the Jewish members of our community.” He ended the email saying “hate toward any group will be opposed at every step, including categorically rejecting the calls to action outlined in this resolution.” Kaler is

REAL ESTATE continued from pg. 11 Imagine this: stores and towns brought back to life with small businesses, and large corporations bringing industry back to places that have been devoid of life for so long. Imagine groups that are dedicated to helping the less fortunate and bringing life back to disheartened citizens.

Imagine teams working with local governments to help foster kids enroll in safe schools, fixing the issues of the foster care system and giving these lost kids a chance. Imagine places with warmth, safety and stability—places that could be home for these kids.

Throughout the country and world, there are many people that don’t have the same opportunities as us—they can’t imagine a world outside of where they are stuck. By collectively working to help the underprivileged—giving them a place to explore who they are, where they come from and make the world a better place—, we can work toward a better world. We can work toward lowering the amount of people living off government aid and barely

scraping by, decreasing the levels of obesity and mental health disorders, healing the environment and creating new jobs.

We may only be students, and this may be idealistic, but these abandoned places are doing nothing for the local community. However, other cities would love to have new forms of revenue, new places for people to live and new hope for their constituents. These buildings are falling apart, when instead, they can be put to use; if we work to help bring life back to these infrastructures, we could make a big difference in Cleveland and the surrounding areas.

While I am aware that Pittsburgh was hit harder when steel collapsed, and much of what I have seen is in relation to that, there are many other locations with similar issues—and the same recovering principles can be applied. Whether it is the slums of your town or the impact of systematic racism somewhere else, you know what areas need help. We can do more than we think we are capable of. We just have to try.

CIRCLES OF LIFE continued from pg. 11 This method goes for anything. If you’re stuck in a social position you dislike, don’t burden yourself with the unattainable expectations of said role.

Instead, figure out your tendencies and weaknesses early on and address them then—because those struggles will likely manifest anew.

The serial nature of life is both frus-

trating and absolutely fascinating. Witnessing the repetition of situations in your own existence is wonderful and mystifying. But the only way to guarantee you don’t end up stuck is by seeing it for what it truly is: A cycle. If this article does nothing more than open your eyes to the dispositions in your life, I’ll have considered it a success.

right about one thing—the USG resolution is, without a doubt, anti-Israel.

Nevertheless, it is not antisemitic; the resolution contains essential specificity crucial to proper criticism of the Israeli state. The “whereas” statements in the resolution condemning actions

by Israel (or citing condemnations by human rights groups) are all very specifically targeted to the state of Israel, not the majority ethnic group within the state. They also avoid overly moralistic language against the people who commit these actions, instead focusing on the actions themselves.

The concern about antisemitism is somewhat understandable. There have been increases in antisemitic sentiment and attacks following the passage of similar resolutions, and that may very well happen here. But there is an important distinction between resistance to the Israeli government and hatred of Jewish people.

It is not difficult to differentiate between legitimate anti-Israel advocacy (especially when it is specific and clear) and the antisemitism that can accompany it. The CWRU administration failed to make this critical differentiation when it condemned both at the same time.

The tactic of calling antisemitism whenever Israel is criticized—no matter the extent to which the claims are actually antisemitic—is not new. It

has long been used to justify an otherwise indefensible state that regularly and systematically engages in human rights violations, and it is a major point of contention among Jewish communities (who do not monolithically support the Israeli government).

Sometimes it goes so far as Zionists calling anti-Zionist Jewish people “self-hating Jews.”

However, to circle back, President Kaler’s statement is either a grossly incompetent misunderstanding of the resolution (which just so happens to exactly match a tried-and-true political strategy) or deliberately dishonest. At the risk of over-speculation, one possible explanation for this potential dishonesty is that CWRU is so deeply affiliated with one or more of these companies—such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon—that divestment would either be extremely difficult or even impossible. Because of this, his statement may have been sent to shield CWRU from calls for divestment. I cannot speak for all students at CWRU, but I would prefer to accept a cynical but honest conclusion that economics trumps ethics rather than what the statement might truly represent: a revelation that the CWRU administration is willing to disingenuously declare USG’s actions antisemitic to avoid telling us the truth.

CWRU Film Society Friday, November 11, 2022 7:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 11:59 p.m.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Rated PG-13 (130 min.)

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski With Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller

After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads Top Gun’s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.

Saturday, November 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Not Rated (89 min.)

Directed by: Isao Takahata With the voices of Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi

The story of Seita and Setsuko, two young Japanese siblings, living in the declining days of World War II. When an American firebombing separates the two children from their parents, the two siblings must rely completely on one another while they struggle to fight for their survival.

General Admission $4.00 Strosacker Auditorium, CWRU Campus Quad Free Parking: Lot 44 at Adelbert Rd and Murray Hill

FILMS.CWRU.EDU

opinion 13

observer.case.edu

Is Congress able to pass federal abortion legislation? It depends Sarah Karkoff Staff Writer With the recent Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, there has been a push for Congress to codify women’s abortion rights into federal law. President Joe Biden verbally signaled before the midterm elections that he would try to get a federal law protecting abortion rights passed through the legislative branch, stating, “If you give me two more senators in the United States Senate, I promise you, I promise you, we’re going to codify Roe and once again make Roe the law of the land.”

Despite Biden’s promise to support this legislation, Congress most likely does not have the constitutionally endowed power to uphold this law, even if a pro-choice majority was elected.

Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overruled decades of jurisprudence justifying abortion as a “quasi-fundamental right.” Beginning with Roe v. Wade, the Court declared that abortion was protected under the penumbras of privacy and the Fourteenth Amendment. Eventually, in 1991, Planned Parenthood v. Casey contradicted the previous ruling by stating that abortion was not considered completely fundamental and put forward the undue burden test instead of Roe’s trimester framework. This year, the Court has decided that abortion is not protected under those penumbras of privacy nor is it protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. In this ruling, they have officially determined that abortion is not considered a fundamental right protected by the Constitution because the Constitution does not make any mention of abortion. There-

fore, it is up to the states to decide abortion legislation.

Women’s rights, which are rarely enumerated explicitly in the Constitution, have often fallen outside Congress’ purview. In fact, the United States Constitution did not originally mention women’s equality or women’s positive rights. The Constitution works under a framework of negative rights which dictate what the government is not allowed to do; for example Congress cannot freely abridge free speech as it is considered a fundamental right under the First Amendment. The few times in which the Constitution specifically mentions equality or women’s rights are the Nineteenth Amendment—granting women suffrage—and the Fourteenth Amendment—granting equal protection under the law. Although the latter amendment is utilized for quandaries regarding sex discrimination, it does not explicitly guarantee rights that are essential to women’s equality such as reproductive rights.

To make federal laws to protect against discrimination, including sex discrimination, Congress often has to claim the power of the commerce clause. The commerce clause states that Congress has the ability “to regulate commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.” Essentially, the legislative branch has complete authority over interstate commerce.

In cases such as Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States, the Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 based upon commerce clause powers.

To prohibit private discrimination, fundamental rights that can be found in the Fourteenth Amendment can often be protected by Congress if the legislative branch can prove a connection to interstate commerce. The majority of hospitals and clinics in the United States are privately owned, so in order for Congress to exert authority over them in regards to abortion they would have to claim the commerce clause.

There has been a tumultuous relationship between the power of the commerce clause and Supreme Court jurisprudence. From 1937 to 1995, the Court did not strike down any commerce clause case on the grounds of Congress exceeding its bounds. However, what broke this long-standing precedent was the case of United States v. Lopez; the Court determined that the Guns-Free School Zone Act was not closely related to interstate commerce and struck down the act as unconstitutional.

Just five years later, the United States v. Morrison case further restricted this power of Congress. In Morrison, the constitutionality of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was brought into question. Part of VAWA promised those affected by gender-motivated violence respite in the form of a federal civil remedy.

Ultimately, the court decided that this was too far removed from Congress’s power over interstate commerce.

The justices who dissented from the majority decision represent the difficulty of developing a coherent judicial philosophy concerning the commerce clause. Justice Breyer, one of the dis-

senters, wrote that cases like Morrison “illustrate the difficulty of finding a workable judicial Commerce Clause touchstone.” Furthermore, Justice Souter argued that there is clear evidence—in the form of research—that violence against women impacts interstate commerce.

The newly proposed law—titled the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) and supported by Democrats—aims to “put an end to harmful restrictions, to federally protect access to abortion services for everyone regardless of where they live, and to protect the ability of health care providers to provide these services in a safe and accessible manner.” Through this framework, WHPA is mirroring the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As seen in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, Congress plans to hinge their authority regarding discrimination through the commerce clause. Considering the Supreme Court has denied abortion’s tie to the Fourteenth Amendment and limited commerce clause powers regarding women’s rights in United States v.

Morrison, it seems as if Congress does not have jurisprudential backing behind its attempt to codify Roe, at least with this Supreme Court bench. Since Dobbs v. Jackson denies abortion as a fundamental right constitutionally, this topic is not considered as important as other forms of discrimination protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.

CONGRESS continued on pg. 14

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14 opinion

11/11/22

The decline of dissent in universities How Institutional Neutrality can ameliorate polarization Carsten Torgeson Contributing Writer On Oct.18, Mark McNeilly, a professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, published an article calling for universities to adopt “Institutional Neutrality.” Institutional Neutrality limits the ability of a university to make statements on behalf of its students and faculty, with the hopes of encouraging students and faculty to derive their own viewpoints. With universities increasingly becoming liberal echo chambers, including Case Western Reserve University, the adoption of Institutional Neutrality would be a good first step to stanch the decline of our academic institutions. Any university that believes that knowledge comes from critiquing differing opinions, with strengthened ideas that subsequently arising from this dialectic, would do well to adopt this policy.

To give some context, the past 20 years, and certainly since the election of the former President Donald Trump, the political and social spheres have been marked by an increase in polarization. In everyday life, charged issues are avoided to prevent harmful and polemical confrontations. This may not be unique to this time, but certainly, with people occupying ever distant positions on the political spectrum, the risk for explosive, relationship-affecting conflict has increased. The time and place for these discussions is no longer in quotidian social life—perhaps it never was—but at the very least the hallowed grounds of a university should always be a place to apprehend and critique differing opinions.

Sadly, it no longer is.

This claim, that universities are no longer a space for discourse, is a difficult one for any individual to assess. For many students, their undergraduate years are the only years they will spend directly involved with a

university education, meaning their perspective is relatively narrow. Only around 25% of students go on to earn masters or doctoral degrees. This means that for many students, after they complete their undergraduate education, they may never set foot on a college campus again. For undergraduate degree seekers, the level of political heterogeneity (or lack thereof) may seem normal—or at the very least, static. However, as soon as we expand our view to include more than just the four or so years that the average individual student spends in higher education, it becomes clear how rapidly higher education has become homogenized.

In his 2016 Hayek Lecture at Duke University, Dr. Jonathan Haidt says that “as late as the [mid] 1990’s, the left:right ratio [of professors] in the academy was only 2:1.” However, a little over a decade later, that ratio is 5:1. When excluding the non-humanities majors, that ratio becomes as high as 10.5 to 1. This rapid liberalization at universities means that the conditions of undergraduate education a mere 25 years ago do not resemble today’s conditions in the slightest. This change, which is just barely slow enough to evade individual perception, nevertheless has huge implications for students and their impact on the world after graduating.

The lack of political diversity in higher education presents two problems. First, the incongruence between the overall ratio of liberals to conservatives in the United States, and second, that ratio on the college campus raises concerns about proper representation. This problem of representation is massive, and something worth revisiting in its own article.

However, for now, it is suffice to say that this lack of representation creates a way of thinking that has little to no applicability to the noncollegiate world. Students are taught

to think in ways that are largely divergent from the ways normal people think beyond the relatively small academic sphere. This lack of diversity on the college campus leads to polarization beyond its walls. More pertinent, however, is the impact that uniform opinions and perspectives have on the university’s ability to create an environment conducive to knowledge acquisition.

The notion that dissenting opinions (and their critique) are necessary for the improvement of multiple perspectives and—in general—is a way to filter out “bad” ideas, can be understood easily enough. This notion is best crystallized by John Stuart Mills writing, “he who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.”

According to Dr. Haidt, in the contemporary college campus, with all its political homogeneity, “orthodox views become strongly held but weakly supported” and students “don’t know the reasons for their beliefs, because they’ve never been challenged.” Differing opinions in university spaces are invaluable, and it should be concerning that they are so hard to come by. An academic environment that contains a multiplicity of differing opinions creates something that Haidt calls “institutionalized disconfirmation” wherein “[the] community of scholars [critique] each other’s work,” resulting in better thinking and better ideas.

But between the lack of variation in opinion, and universities developing their own monolithic perspectives (that speak for all its members), institutionalized disconfirmation ceases to act as a filter for bad research. Instead, unchallenged ideas are blindly purveyed by students who are no longer required to critically contend with the ideas they hold to be true.

At this point it should be abundantly clear that homogeneity in universities undermines the institution’s ability to aid its students in acquiring

knowledge. It should also be apparent that the nonacademic world has become increasingly polarized, in part, as a result of this lack of varied perspectives in higher education.

However, while there are many reasons for this homogeneity, there are an equally numerous number of solutions. There are simple steps that every university can take to stimulate variation in the ways its community members think.

On July 27, 2022, the University of North Carolina adopted the Kalven Report, committing the school to following a policy of Institutional Neutrality. Institutional Neutrality is founded upon the belief that a university should act as nothing more than a home for the development of ideas and should not be a producer of these ideas itself. With this in mind, Institutional Neutrality limits schools’ ability to make statements on behalf of all its community members, in turn stimulating varying opinions amongst the proper people—its faculty and student body. This combats the increasing tendency for universities to speak on behalf of their faculty and students, resulting in dissenting opinions and views being stifled and the reduction of that school’s legitimate academic thrust.

As a humanities and social science major at an institution that is most well known for its engineering programs, I am sometimes frustrated by the relatively small number of fellow humanities majors. As a left-leaning student though, I am thankful to interact with students whose opinions differ from my own, which perhaps would not occur quite as frequently at a school more grounded in the humanities. Regardless, I believe that CWRU should take this first step of adopting Institutional Neutrality. Our university should commit itself to maintaining and building an environment open to the academic critique of more than just what is deemed to be orthodox.

CONGRESS continued from pg. 13 Congress’ ability to constitutionally pass federal abortion legislation entirely depends on the makeup of the Supreme Court. Once new Justices enter the court it is entirely possible that the Court will enter an ideological shift in favor of abortion rights and Congress’s authority in the matter. The Court, which has received four new appointments in the past five years, is unlikely to change ideologically any time soon. As seen with the history of rulings regarding commerce clause powers, those who are on the court often dictate a longstanding philosophy.

The Court during the New Deal was specifically liberal in their interpretation of the commerce clause while the Rehnquist Court, beginning in the 1990s, was more conservative in their estimation of what Congress could do with these powers.

Challenging a court that has not had an ideological shift often results in Congress’ legislation being deemed unconstitutional. In Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith, the Supreme Court ruled that laws which were generally applicable and infringed upon the right to free exercise of religion were valid. Just three years later, Congress—which disagreed with this ruling—created the

Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which the Court subsequently struck down in City of Boerne v. Flores.

Through this decision, the majority essentially claimed that Congress did not have greater authority than the Court to decide how to interpret rights enumerated in the Constitution.

The Supreme Court has struck down retaliation by Congress in other cases, such as Dickerson v. United States. Despite legislative attempts to circumvent the Miranda warnings, the Supreme Court stood strong in its decision in Miranda v. Arizona, and the case that solidified the practice of alerting detainees of their rights to remain silent and obtain counsel.

So is Congress able to pass federal abortion legislation? It can try!

It is doubtful whether the legislature would successfully uphold any abortion legislation until the Supreme Court has an ideological shift on reproductive rights.

sports

friday, november 11, 2022 volume LIV, issue 11 estd. 1969

Football comeback falls short, drop 14-13 to Westminster in nail-biting defensive showdown Gaurav Hardikar Staff Writer

On Saturday Nov. 5, third-year linebacker Sean Torres was one of many CWRU defensive players who faced-off against Westminster’s offense.

Courtesy of CWRU Athletics Last Saturday, the Case Western last Spartan punt traveled a mere 10 into the end zone for a rushing touch- ing, Kipp and the Spartans offense took Reserve University football team trav- yards, giving the Titans a shorter field down. The successful extra point kick the field hoping to put together a gameeled to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania to jumpstart their offense. Starting their from Rhodes put the Spartans within winning drive. Though the first play hoping to extend their three-game win drive inside the red zone, Westminster four points of Westminster at 14-10. proved effective with a 5-yard run from streak against the Westminster College scored the first touchdown of the game As the Spartans began to put togeth- Kipp, a false start and two incomplete Titans. The Titans were on a similar on a 13-yard carry by graduate student er a potential comeback, the Titans’ passes saw CWRU facing a fourthmission, looking to build on their own defensive lineman Brayden Thimons. offense continued to struggle, coming and-10 scenario in their own territory. three-game win streak and show off The Titans capitalized on the Spar- up with yet another three-and-out. The In a do-or-die moment, Kipp delivered their top talent on Senior Day. tans’ next drive. On the first play of the defense assuaged the fears of the West- an 11-yard strike to fourth-year wide The two teams featured potent of- second quarter, Saxton’s pass was in- minster fans after a sack, recorded in receiver Michael Wojkowski for a critifenses and stout defenses. Entering Sat- tercepted by third-year defensive back part by Thimons, forced a punt out of cal fourth down conversion that kept urday’s matchup, the Spartans had been Corte Williams, who took the ball back the Spartans. the Spartans alive. averaging 33 points per game while 33 yards for the defensive touchdown In the final drives of the third quarter, A holding penalty against Westminallowing under 19 points per game. to extend the Titans’ lead to 14-3. neither team’s offenses were able to put ster and a 4-yard completion from Kipp Westminster’s offense, meanwhile, had Quickly in a two-score hole, the together drives of more than 10 yards. to third-year quarterback Alex Fromaveraged an inferior 25.1 points per Spartans desperately needed offensive Following another Titan punt at the top berg brought CWRU 14 yards closer game, but their defense allowed under production. Though they went three- of the fourth quarter, the Spartans of- to set up a 47-yard game-winning field 12.4 points per game, which would ulti- and-out again, CWRU’s defense held fense once more began to make some goal attempt for Rhodes, who had been mately be the X-factor against CWRU. fast and forced the same out of West- headway. However, Titans second-year perfect all game. However, Rhodes had The Titans won the toss and elected minster. The teams traded punts anoth- defensive back Brice Butler stopped endured a tiresome game due to a slugto defer, making way for the Spartan er time before the Westminster defense the visitors in their tracks by recover- gish offense that asked him to punt nine offense to take the field first in front once again proved themselves the an- ing a fumble on a carry by Orsini. Each times in addition to his four kickoffs, of a crowd of 1,300. Starting from the chor of the team via a strip sack recov- team punted again, and soon the Spar- two previous field goal attempts and CWRU 25-yard line, fourth-year quar- ered by second-year linebacker Carter tans found themselves in a four-point the extra point from the lone Spartan terback Drew Saxton got the offense Chinn. deficit with just under eight minutes touchdown. The fatigue, combined going immediately. The Spartans’ Understanding that another Titan remaining and the ball in the hands of with the pressure of a game-winning opening possession saw Saxton com- touchdown might put the game away the other team. field goal try from more than 20 yards plete five of seven passes for 66 yards, early, CWRU’s defense came up big as As the Titans began to rely more further than his successful attempts, highlighted by a 22-yard completion to second-year defensive back Nate Ci- on rushing the football to run down proved too much for the young puntthird-year wide receiver Riley Knurek kalo picked off the Westminster quar- the clock, CWRU’s defense was look- er, who missed wide left. With only and a 29-yard completion to second- terback and returned the interception 9 ing for a crucial stop. Fortunately, 33 seconds left, the Titans ran out the year wide receiver Ethan Dahlem. yards. Neither team picked up another two third-year players, defensive line- clock and to seal the 14-13 victory.

Unfortunately, the drive stalled fol- first down before the end of the half as man Kaden Tong and linebacker Gabe CWRU football has much to imlowing an untimely sack that forced a the two defenses continued to put the Troch, delivered tackles on fourth-and- prove upon offensively as they return field goal attempt. Second-year punter clamps on their opposing offenses. one to force the turnover on downs. home for their final game of the seaJoseph Rhodes V nailed the kick from Westminster began the second half Just outside the red zone, the Spar- son. Despite the gut-wrenching finish, the 25-yard line to put CWRU on the with the ball and punted again after tan offense took the field looking for a however, the strong defensive perforboard 3-0. three plays. In their first drive of the quick touchdown. Their struggles con- mance should keep spirits high during The Titan offense started off slowly. second half, the Spartan offense found tinued, but they were close enough for the Spartans’ preparation for this SatUnable to get by the CWRU defense, their rhythm. Second-year quarterback Rhodes to knock down another field urday’s game against Carnegie Mellon Westminster went three-and-out, giving Ian Kipp entered the game as the Spar- goal and cut the Titans’ lead 14-13 with University. CWRU faces a daunting the Spartans a chance to tack on some tans leaned on their run game. Kipp tal- under four minutes to go. task, as the Tartans are 9-0 and beat more points. Yet the Titans refused to lied just 7 passing yards on the drive, Cikalo once again made a great play, their opponents on average by over 15 yield, and the Spartans also punted af- while fourth-year running back Anto- tackling Thimons for a loss of three on points per game, but there is no better ter three plays. In the next two drives, nio Orsini racked up 44 rushing yards the subsequent Westminster possession motivation for the Spartans than the both teams played for negative yardage on five attempts. Kipp ended the Spar- and forcing a punt. chance to spoil a conference rival’s with another pair of three-and-outs. The tan drive by carrying the ball 2 yards With just over two minutes remain- quest for an undefeated season.

16

sports

11/11/22

Women’s soccer crowned UAA champions

Men’s and women’s teams earn NCAA berths following victories over CMU

Scores and Upcoming Games Wrestling CWRU vs Adrian Invitational (11/5) 8th place (36.5 points) CWRU vs Ohio Wesleyan (11/12) CWRU vs Bob Del Rosa Ohio Intercollegiate Open (11/13)

Women’s Basketball CWRU vs Waynesburg (11/8) - W 94-48 CWRU at Mt. St. Joseph (11/11) CWRU vs Westminster (11/12) CWRU at Baldwin Wallace (11/14)

The CWRU women’s soccer team poses after their 1-0 win against CMU on Saturday Nov. 5. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics

Men’s Basketball CWRU vs Oberlin (11/11) CWRU vs Dickinson/Allegheny (11/12) CWRU vs La Roche (11/16)

Volleyball CWRU vs Emory (11/4) - L 3-0 CWRU vs Brandeis (11/4) - W 3-0 CWRU vs UChicago (11/5) - L 3-2

Collin Hamilton, Adrian Harkness, Rafael Perez, Alexandru Rumleanschi and Jackson Kallen add another victory to their season, defeating CMU with a score of 3-2. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics Puneet Bansal Sports Editor Touting their first undefeated regular season in program history, the Case Western Reserve Women’s soccer team also clinched their first University Athletic Association (UAA) championship on Nov. 5 on DiSanto Field against seventh-ranked Carnegie Mellon University 1-0. The conference-clinching win automatically guaranteed the Spartans a spot in the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship tournament.

CWRU finished the season 15-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the conference, setting program records on both counts.

The men’s team also defeated CMU 3-2 that day, finishing their regular season with an overall record of 10-3-3 and a conference record of 5-1-1. Their .786 win percentage is also the best in program history. On Nov. 7, the Spartans earned a bid to their fourth ever NCAA tournament after ranking second in the UAA. The women’s team quickly struck first with a goal from first-year mid-

fielder Jamie Goldfarb five minutes into the match. Fourth-year defender Elizabeth White launched a 40-yard free kick into the box. Goldfarb ran into the six-yard box and headed the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom right corner for the lone score.

Goldfarb recorded her second goal of the season while White notched her second assist.

The Spartans attempted 5 more shots, including 2 from graduate student forward Camryn Hartman, but to no avail. CMU mounted a stronger attack, taking 9 shots total, but CWRU’s defense, anchored by thirdyear goalie Maggie Storti, forced a shutout. Storti saved two shots in her 17th career shutout, lowering her goals-against average to 0.54. White, fourth-year midfielder Lexi Gomez, fourth-year forward Merry Meyer and second-year defender Katie Rishel played all 90 minutes to seal the victory.

Goldfarb was named the UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week and Spar-

tan Club Athlete of the Week for her conference-winning goal. Storti was named the UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week.

The CWRU men’s team faced a different challenge, quickly finding themselves down 1-0 a little over five minutes into their match against the Tartans. The rest of the first half went back and forth between the two teams until graduate student defender Alexandru Rumleanschi netted CWRU’s first goal at 43:41. Third-year defender Josh Cook lobbed the ball to third-year defender Alex Lippiatt into the box. Lippiatt headed it to Rumleanschi, who was left unguarded, and scored a clear shot into the top right corner of the goal. Lippiatt and Cook earned their first and second assists of the season, respectively. In the second half, the Spartans took a 2-1 lead via a rebound score from second-year forward Kysen Kroeger. Fourth-year midfielder Matt Vatne took a shot that hit the crossbar. Kroeger collected it and sent it into the top left corner for his third goal of the season. Vatne earned his sixth assist of the season.

CWRU scored one final time four minutes later. Lippiatt sent a free kick from 45 yards that deflected off a Tartan player’s head into the goal. It marked his third goal of the season.

Lippiatt was also named the UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week and the Spartan Club Athlete of the Week.

The Tartans scored once more in the 87th minute, but their comeback effort proved fruitless as the Spartans came away with the 3-2 victory.

CWRU outshot CMU 17-8, clearly dominating the possession of the ball and putting pressure on the Tartan defense throughout.

The No. 4 ranked women’s team is set to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. The first round, taking place on Saturday Nov. 12, will feature the Spartans against the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg at 11 a.m. on DiSanto Field. Ithaca College and Capital University will face off for the second match at 1:30 p.m. The winners of the two matches will play in the second round on Sunday Nov. 13 at 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, the men’s team will travel to Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia for the first two rounds of their NCAA tournament. On Nov. 12, they will face Muhlenberg College, the Centennial Conference champions, at 3:30 p.m.

The winner of this match will face either Washington and Lee University or Brevard College on Nov. 13 at 3 p.m.