The Observer, Volume LIV, Issue 20, 2/24/23

News: Students call out university’s poor response to climate action (pg. 3)

The Case Western Reserve

Observer NEWS

CWRU to make community center out of old Wade Park home Cameron Ward Staff Writer Amid the many campus construction projects happening across Case Western Reserve University due to growing class sizes, there comes a bright little spot, located on Wade Avenue. The historic home at 11310 Wade Park Ave is getting a renovation in order to remake the space into a community engagement center. Assistant Vice President of Local Government and Community Relations Julian Rogers here at CWRU described the changes to be made and the goals for the space.

Preliminary renovations on the home started a few months ago following years of debate over what to do with the space. Previously, groups within the university had tried to convert it or demolish it, but all past attempts had failed due to the wishes of the Magnolia and Wade Park Design Review Committee. Much like another familiar situation on Hessler Road, development was halted until an agreement could be made about what the space would look like and how it could function to serve both the university and the community. This resulted in a renovation into a community space that would work both to uplift the community and improve university engagement in the area.

The changes are slow moving but moving nonetheless, as fundraising is still underway with the majority of the funds being fronted by CWRU. An estimated $1-2 million dollars are needed for the completion of the project. Final plans for the space are yet to be made, but architects and interior designers are currently working on initial steps such as asbestos removal, required for the safety of visitors. The final layout will include a conference room and large multipurpose room on the ground floor, with staff offices on the second floor. The first floor will be a hub of outreach and activity, with both the conference and multipurpose room being open to various events, meetings and classes by and for the community.

Also on the ground floor will be a kitchenette and a Zoom/telehealth studio, which will provide space for people needing a reliable internet connection to hold their video calls.

As funds continue to come in, the outside space will change as well, with plans to include picnic tables, benches and possibly a recreation area.

Continue reading on page 3

Friday, February 24, 2023 Volume LIV, Issue 20 Est. 1969

SPORTS

The CWRU men’s basketball team defeated WashU and UChicago in two incredibly close games to secure the first-ever UAA Championship in the program’s history. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics

Men’s basketball crowned UAA Champions for first time in program history Paola Van der Linden Costello Staff Writer

The Case Western Reserve University men’s basketball team secured their first ever University Athletic Association Championship and extended their conference play win streak to eight games, the longest in program history. The Spartans improved to 20-3 overall and 10-3 in conference play with their latest two wins. CWRU also jumped to No. 14 in the NCAA DIII rankings from No. 21 the previous week.

The win against the Washington University Bears on Friday, Feb. 17 night in St. Louis was not an easy one. CWRU struggled making their shots in the first half and let WashU go on a 10-0 run within the first three minutes of

the game. Second-year guard Sam Trunley managed to score the first points for the Spartans with a 3-pointer with 16:53 remaining in the first half.

The Bears pushed their lead to 12, their largest of the night, midway through the first half, but CWRU continued to fight and stayed in the game.

Graduate student guard Mitch Prendergast kept this game alive and scored 15 points in the remainder of the half. After a made 3-point jump shot by Prendergast with 3:24 left, the Spartans took their first lead of the game 31-29.

The Bears reciprocated quickly and tied the game with a jump shot but Prendergast followed up with a layup.

After a defensive rebound by fourthyear forward Cole Frilling and another layup by Prendergast, CWRU took their largest lead of the half at 35-31. The lead didn’t last long as the Bears went on a 5-0 run to retake the lead 36-35. CWRU averaged 33.3% on 3-point accuracy in the whole game, but the Spartans were

only shooting 25% in the first half.

The start of the second half was similar to the start of the game. The Bears had a 7-0 run, taking an 8-point lead with 17:28 left in the game. Head Coach Todd McGuinness quickly called a 30 second timeout to talk to the team. The conversation seemed to spark some energy as second-year forward Umar Rashid hit a 3-pointer to score the Spartans’ first points of this half, chipping away at the deficit.

The Bears didn’t back down on either side of the ball, putting CWRU in a 55-46 hole with 11:54 remaining in the game. 20 seconds later, Rashid hit another 3-pointer after a strong defensive stop to put the team back in good spirits. With 7:10 left in the game, graduate student guard Danny Frauenheim made a 3-pointer that pulled CWRU within 1 point of tying the game.

Continue reading on page 13

LIFE

Springfest’s Battle of the Bands bursts into Thwing Ballroom Shejuti Wahed Video Editor

This past Friday, I felt as though I was an extra on the set of “Lemonade Mouth” or even a “Pitch Perfect” movie. While I was taking my time setting up interviews in a corner of Thwing 201 with The Observer video team, several student musicians were bustling about the makeshift green room with nervous energy in preparation for their upcoming performances in Springfest’s highly-anticipated Battle of the Bands.

Each year, student musicians showcase their talents by competing against each other for the coveted opener spot in Case Western Reserve University’s annual Springfest concert—the biggest event on campus.

Continue reading on page 4

Student bands, such as Strangers in a Car (pictured), uplifted crowds during the annual Battle of the Bands with unique covers and original songs. Shreyas Banerjee/The Observer

News

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 24, 2023 observer.case.edu Volume LIV, Issue 20

Myroslava Gongadze, Ukrainian journalist, wins the 2023 Inamori Ethics Prize Sarah Karkoff Staff Writer Myroslava Gongadze is the latest winner of the Inamori Ethics Prize, bestowed by the Inamori Center for Ethics and Excellence here at Case Western Reserve University. Past winners include LeVar Burton and Judge Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi.

The Inamori Ethics Prize, named after Dr. Kazuo Inamori, was created to honor special individuals who exemplify the concepts of ethics and leadership on an international scale.

As Dr. Inamori has stated, “People have no higher calling than to serve the greater good of humankind and society.” The Inamori Ethics Prize seeks to honor this belief by uplifting and encouraging leaders who work to better humankind.

Gongadze, a Ukrainian human rights activist and journalist, has lived in the United States with her children since 2001 after being granted political asylum following the assassination of her husband, a fellow reporter.

In the 1990s, Gongadze and her husband were important voices against the corruption within President Leonid Kuchma’s administration. Since 2004, Gongadze has worked with Voice of America where she continued to uncover the injustices of Kuchma and to bring justice to her husband. His death, and Gongadze’s ensuing work, were an important catalyst in the Orange Revolution of 2004. The revolution resulted in a change of power within Ukraine to Viktor Yuschenko, who served as president from 2005 to 2010.

In regards to Gongadze, provost Ben Vinson III has stated “[Her] efforts and advocacy to find justice for her husband and for freedom in

Journalist and human rights activist Myroslava Gongadze is the newest recipient of the Inamori Ethics Prize for her work fighting corruption within the Ukranian government in the 1990s. Courtesy of Dmytro Savchuk Ukraine demonstrate her leadership and influence as a free-press and human-rights advocate.”

Previously, Gongadze was a Neiman Foundation Fellow at Harvard University as well as a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at George Washington University. Her work has

been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the Journal of Democracy and a number of Ukrainian publications. Currently, Gongadze is the Eastern Europe chief of Voice of America. Despite living in the United States, she is often in her home country of Ukraine in order to

report on the Russian invasion.

In the words of Dr. Inamori himself, “Serve humankind through ethical deeds rather than actions based on self-interest and selfish desires.”

She is set to receive her award this upcoming September.

UHCS holds events for CWRU students promoting well-being Zachary Treseler Staff Writer Over the next few months, University Health and Counseling Services (UHCS) at Case Western Reserve University will be running various events to foster greater student selfcare, and to provide necessary services on campus.

On Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. was the annual UHCS annual Light The Campus event. There, students, faculty and staff were able to pick up a battery powered candle in honor of someone who passed away. In the main event, trees around KSL were illuminated, while the names of those who passed were read.

Next month, UHCS is showcasing their nutrition resources by tabling in Thwing Atrium on March 3. There, students can learn more about nutrition services at CWRU, receive gifts and enter into a raffle prize.

On March 7, during National Sleep Week, UHCS will be teaching patients about healthy sleeping habits. Health and Well-being Outreach Manager Mary Halm, who works for UHCS, said that, “As much as I love

ice cream, Sundaes on Mondays isn’t the program I am most excited about.

I am most excited about the Zs Get Degrees: Healthy Sleep Program.

This program covers the importance of sleep and how to practice healthy sleep habits on campus. We will also have a ‘make your own healthy sleep kit’ table, where students can gather materials that allow them to practice healthy sleep habits.

“UHCS has invested time and resources into this event and others because we know that well-being requires skills to manage one’s emotions, body, social network, life purpose and community. The Healthy Sleep Habits program covers an aspect of wellness that CWRU students often struggle with—sleep is important to a healthy mind and body.”

The other activity Halm mentioned, Sundaes on Mondays, will take place on March 6. Students can meet peer health educators while also enjoying a make-your-own-icecream bar. On March 28 there will be an arts and crafts event during a Mindful Activity Hour.

“Other activities like Sundaes on Mondays and the Mindful Activity Hour highlight the importance

of mindfulness—an evidence-based practice that improves well-being and allows students to focus on something that can bring them joy and relaxation.”

Further, UHCS has partnered with the Cuyahoga Department of Health to offer free and confidential STI testing throughout February on a walk-in basis.

This is in addition to the weekly recurring events UHCS offers. There is the BIPOC Support Space, a confidential one-on-one Zoom or inperson meeting with multicultural specialist Dr. Naomi Drakeford. In addition, UHCS is offering an open support group called I’m Fine, It’s Fine, Everything is Fine. It features guest speakers and guided meditation.

Halm said, “Our support groups— such as BIPOC Support Space, I’m Fine, It’s Fine, Everything is Fine and Rethinking Anxiety and Depression—are available for students to work through concerns they have for themselves or for others.”

To ensure the campus community feels able to help, T.H.I.N.K Training prepares members of the CWRU community to recognize and respond to depressive thoughts.

Going to these events can be extremely daunting for students as there is often a stigma attached to various mental and physical health issues and there is a pervasive fear of stepping into the unknown when talking about sensitive issues with people who they have never met before.

“I would say their concerns are valid,” Halm said of students apprehensive to go to a UHCS event. “Trying something new can be scary, or might make you feel uneasy. However, I would also say that the programs we have are all safe and judgment free spaces.

“Many programs allow you to bring a friend, and in fact we encourage that! For the programs that are one-on-one meetings, students will meet with professionals who will help to create a comfortable and safe environment for them. Being nervous is a normal feeling when attending something new, but taking the first step and attending the program or support group will help to reduce that concern for the next event you attend.”

For more information, Halm directs students to register on CampusGroups.

News 3

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“Talk is cheap”: Students call out university’s poor response to climate action Grace Johnson News Editor Last week, on Feb. 13, students from the Case Western Reserve University Student Sustainability Council (SSC) and Sunrise CWRU organizations released a statement calling into question the efficacy of the administrative response to climate change. Signs were hung, chalk murals on the sidewalk were painted and attention was called for President Eric Kaler and others to change their approach to tackling climate change at CWRU. This demonstration took place after a letter was delivered to Vice President of Campus Planning and Facilities Management Dean Tufts, which “called for administrators to act on six specific climate action priorities.” Following this, students from these two organizations hung a banner reading “TALK IS CHEAP. CLIMATE ACTION NOW,” outside of Adelbert Hall, which houses the offices of CWRU officials.

This demonstration and updated letter was written in response to a call to action during the fall 2022 semester, originally sent to CWRU administration in September. The letter comments on CWRU’s 2020 Update to the “University Climate Action Plan (CAP)” and its perceived inadequacies. It says that “the CAP update doubles down on a slew of greenwashing tactics and false solutions such as manipulative accounting of emissions, an emphasis on individual behavior change and a reliance on carbon offsets.” In November, Tufts did respond to these orga-

nizations, saying, “Like you, we want to preserve the health and sustainability of our campus and our planet.

Working together, I believe we can.”

However, members of the SSC and Sunrise CWRU have since expressed their frustrations with the lack of followthrough from CWRU administration, leading to the recent demonstration.

The more recent letter demanded the reallocation of $4 million a year for “energy efficiency improvements,” as well as the hiring of three full-time administrators for the Office of Energy and Sustainability to ensure that these changes are followed through on. Other goals of this statement included demanding RTA passes for all campus personnel and the creation of a “climate action council,” among others. These demands have all been expressed to administration through these organizations over time, including the fall semester.

Leaders of both Sunrise CWRU and SSC have expressed concern over the lack of action from administrations, with the chair for SSC Abby Blaize stating, “We see through the administration’s weak climate goals and vague plans for how to meet them. CWRU students demand the administration take the basic steps to decarbonize the university’s operations by investing directly into our community.”

Many students have also remained committed to the “Green New Deal for CWRU,” which calls for a complete overhaul of the current energy and educational systems in order to create a more sustainable campus.

This includes a university powered

WADE PARK from page 1 There is a lot of hope that is being built along with the physical reconstruction of the home.

Overall, Rogers said that everyone is “really excited” to see this project moving forward, and hopes this renovation will broaden CWRU’s outreach and engagement with the surrounding community. Whenever the university attended Wade Ave. community meetings in the past,

this empty building had been a sort of elephant in the room—a mark on the university’s public face. This space will serve as a central location for the university’s communityfacing programs, as the campus can prove sometimes difficult to access.

This is hopefully a step in the right direction for the campus to connect itself with the community it seeps into.

After years standing vacant, CWRU is finally renovating this historic Wade Park home and turning it into a community engagement center: bringing together both students and community members. Courtesy of Lee Chilcote

entirely by renewable energy and an overall push toward educational and research opportunities in the climate action sphere. Campaign lead for Sunrise CWRU Ritu Havaldar says that, “Universities of this caliber have a vital responsibility to reduce emissions at a scale that individual actions cannot. More and more of the CWRU community understands the need for a revision of our current climate action plan and supports a Green New Deal.”

This is not the first time these organizations have partnered up in support of a change in policy. In fall 2022, they co-sponsored Climate Action Week along with the CWRU Climate Action Network (CWRU

CAN), which was a week full of talks, activities and outreach programs. Through those events, they intend to educate and raise awareness on climate change and how it affects both the CWRU community and the world. However, those who were a part of Climate Action Week recognize that climate activism must go farther than just seven days, and that it requires administrative efforts along with student activism.

The goal of SSC and Sunrise CWRU, through these demonstrations and the recent letter was to persuade administrators to take their talk seriously—to practice what they preach. Whether they do so remains to be seen.

Standing in front of Adelbert Hall, members from the Student Sustainability Council and Sunrise CWRU work together to push for greater administrative efforts in this fight against climate change.

Courtesy of the Student Sustainability Council and Sunrise CWRU

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Life

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 24, 2023 observer.case.edu Volume LIV, Issue 20

PTG play “Found Dog” captures audiences Mulan Ma Engagement Editor With a lovable and unique cast of characters, punchy humor that keeps the clock ticking away and masterfully done moments of vulnerability in between, I may have found a great time in “The Found Dog Ribbon Dance,” a show produced by Players’ Theatre Group (PTG) and directed by Case Western Reserve University’s Campbell Dukes. Shown in Eldred Hall, this play was a full circle moment for Dukes, who began acting in that very building in their first year at CWRU, and is now directing on its stage in his final year.

“The Found Dog Ribbon Dance,” written by Dominic Finocchiaro, follows Norma (Margot McCann), a woman who found herself as a professional cuddler after a line of odd jobs.

To no one’s surprise—as it is the title of the play—she finds a dog (Mary Coulter). She spends most of the play looking for the dog’s owner while interacting with her eccentric clients, such as a rowdy teenage girl (Maddie Pollock) and an old man of few words named Xeno (Maizy Windham). You will absolutely lose your mind when Miranda (Angela Howell) stomps on set to play a high-strung mother who just wants her dog, or quite frankly, anyone’s dog back with her rowdy high-maintenance children.

When watching the play, I was amazed at how much happened within an hour and 20 minutes.

I knew it was going to be good when Norm’s actor came on stage with a fantastic ribbon dance to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston—a tie-in to the play’s title. The cast shone with its hilarious rendition of the awkward first conversations between Norma and Norm (Macy Dickerson), the latter having a penchant for blurting out whatever strange things he’s thinking.

After the show had ended, I knew I had to ask Dukes about their experience directing this play and what it meant to them.

Macy Dickerson’s Norm (left) and her dog played by Mary Coulter (right) deliver an equal number of laughs and heartfelt moments in PTG’s “Found Dog” alongside the rest of its cast.

Courtesy of Players’ Theatre GroupRecords How did you come to discover nitely took the approach of giving my and I always tear up a little bit. Anactors a lot of leeway and having faith other one is Norm dancing with the this play?

It was the summer between my in their intuition to make their own ribbons.

What do you think the audience junior and senior year of high school decisions with blocking. I just tried and I went to a public arts boarding to guide them more. I am so lucky to should take away from this play?

I think the audience should take school my junior and senior years. My have the actors that I have … They’re junior year spring I ended up getting all very capable and talented and it away that for the most part everyone is really sick and ended up in the hospi- was a pleasure to work with all of deserving of love no matter how weird you feel like you are or how bad your tal for a few months … Over the sum- them.

What is your favorite part of the past is in terms of love. I just want the mer I discovered this website called audience to have a warm sense of “I New Play Exchange … and I just dis- play?

My favorite part of the play? I have am loved and I am ready to love.” covered this play and it just stuck with me through all the years. I remember two answers. My first is the scene As an audience member, this senbeing a freshman in college and want- where Norm is like “Go out with me!” ing to direct this play with a student because Macy and I worked on getting timent was best shown by the line, the comedic timing right. It makes “There is no stronger vow of devotion group and now I have!

What was it like directing your me laugh so hard every time. Also, the than to take another’s burden as your scene where Miranda is coming to try own and let them do the same for first full-length play?

It was certainly very exciting and to find her dog and try to buy the dog, you.” To end the interview, I barked at nerve-racking. I learned a lot. I defi- Keith. I feel like that scene is so funny Dukes—a fitting way to conclude.

BATTLE OF THE BANDS from page 1 This year’s lineup was nothing short of impressive, featuring 10 bands that displayed a variety of musical genres, instruments and students from every class.

First up was ASIR (A Story I’ll Remember), an electronic group featuring a saxophone player that pleasantly surprised the crowd. While one listener remarked that their performance was “hard to compare to other bands because they haven’t gone yet,” everyone seemed to enjoy the band’s performance and energy. The combination of the saxophone with their all original, upbeat electronic music was exciting to say the least.

Next up were the Space Cadets, a band with an energetic rock feel.

Their lead singer, Franco Krais, had performed solo the year before, but came back this year with a band to back his powerful vocals. Their energy and stage presence captivated the audience, especially when the lyrics switched to Spanish.

Lake Effect followed, and the lead singer’s smooth voice immediately entranced the crowd. Several people interviewed by The Observer commented on the lead singer’s charisma

as he moved around the stage—even ending the performance by jumping into a split. Their cover of Sublime’s “Santeria” was one of my favorites of the night, and clearly for others as well by the way everyone was tapping their feet and dancing.

Dishwasher Possum entered the stage next in matching costumes, and the crowd was in an uproar. The fanfavorite band made their return after placing as a runner-up in the 2022 Battle of the Bands, and their performance this year did not disappoint.

Their guitar chords resonated with fans, and the crowd loved waving their hands to the infectious rhythms.

Ohio Revival joined the stage shortly after—a first-year duo performing live for the first time ever.

The lead singer told The Observer that Oasis was his favorite artist, and, in his excitement, even played a few of their songs in the green room. Naturally, as the biggest Oasis fans, they had to play a cover of “Wonderwall,” which was well-received by the crowd and their initial nervous energy was nonexistent by the end of their performance.

Strangers in a Car caused yet an-

other uproar, returning better than ever after their second place performance last year. These veterans were an eclectic but groovy mix of students, and people loved their “jazzy style,” the bassists’ dynamic energy and the entire band’s unparalleled enthusiasm.

No Shame was brought together by their fraternity Fiji—apparently they just loved jamming out together so much that they decided to enter Battle of the Bands. Their musical inspirations such as Title Fight and Basement lended to their performance’s drum and guitar-heavy grittiness.

No Pitches? has a silly play on words as their name, and their sound was just as unique. The audience was awestruck when the violin began, and people continued to rave about the unexpectedness and how perfect it fit with the entire band. My favorite song of the night was their cover of “I Know the End” by Phoebe Bridgers— a performance made sublime by the violin and the final scream at the end.

Next was EXMAPLE, and before they even joined the stage, the crowd was already chanting their names.

Their original songs showcased their incredible talent and creativity, with a sound that was uniquely their own.

Their guitarists were completely in sync with each other, and the crowd loved every second of them.

Last but certainly not least, Hit It and Quit It joined the stage. The lead singer told me that the band name implies they are never returning to the stage again, but the fans seemed to prefer otherwise. The crowd was obsessed with the band’s energy and the lead singer’s aura, specifically their platform boots and style.

Battle of the Bands was the perfect way to showcase the hidden talents at CWRU, which should be applauded and celebrated more often. While voting for who would open the upcoming Springfest concert, the student audience was able to celebrate the talent and passion of their peers.

At the same time, band members were able to do what they love on stage, as well as connect with other musicians on campus. While winners have not yet been announced, everyone had an enjoyable night celebrating the creativity, talent and passion that defines this campus.

Life 5

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A guide to adjusting to new worlds and new drama Megan Abel Contributing Writer Why are relationships, friendships and rooming-ships so hard? Why is dealing with people so hard? People always tell me freshman year is the hardest year of college, and they were mostly right about junior year of high school, so why would they be wrong this time?

Between all the new people and campus, established cliques, classes and everything else that’s different from home, it is more than a little terrifying to try and navigate it all on our own. I think that’s part of the reason a lot of us are close with people from Discover Week and on our floors—if we get along, that is. Throughout this process, I have picked up a few things from my own relationships and from talking to upperclassmen that may help make these adjustments easier: Being friendly (or at least cordial) I know it is hard to be nice to people that you do not like. It hurts a little to put on a fake smile, give a wave and say “Hi” when they blow you off, ignore you or treat you like gum on the bottom of your shoe—but sometimes, it’s important to try to be okay being in the same room as people.

I’m sure that most of you can relate with not wanting to be in the same room as a person you don’t like. But remaining calm, taking a deep breath and even taking yourself out of the situation can help. Even though it’s the bare minimum, it’s still important to maintain cordial relationships. Burn-

ing bridges just makes everything worse.

If someone is not putting in any effort to be genuinely cordial, either by being outright rude or fakely nice— and I’m not sure which of these things is worse—it’s still good to treat them with respect. This applies even if you cannot stomach being friendly with someone who refuses to make eye contact with you. While it can hurt to be around or deal with these people, being the bigger person gives you the moral high ground at the very least.

As the Golden Rule States, “Treat others how you wish to be treated.”

Learning to read “people” Reading someone’s body language, use of eye contact, tone variations and facial expressions are important when having a conversation with someone—whether online or in person.

For instance, I had a no-video Zoom interview where I had no idea how the interviewer was reacting, so I rambled because I was nervous. Not being able to see the interviewer personally solidified the idea that facial expressions and body language are important factors when reading people.

If you can read people, you can interpret how the person is feeling based on their responses and expressions. You can tell whether they like what you are saying.

Meanwhile, body language can tell you where you stand with friends, loved ones and strangers. It can let you know when someone wants to get out of a situation, or when they want to stay in it.

Practicing with friends is a great step to learn and can help you im-

Think Summer 2023

prove your relationships, teaching you to become a better speaker, teacher and presenter. Good communication and people skills can get you far in life, help you climb a corporate ladder and help you excel at interviews, speeches and more.

Based on what you see and interpret from someone else, you can learn to respond easily and correctly to calm down, support them or help them in general.

Navigating pre-existing groups and friendships When you are new to a group, it can be easy to see lines of tension between people even when they cannot see it themselves. Being able to read between those lines, not ask too many questions and balance between groups is no easy task. This is especially applicable especially when you are part of clubs that you plan to be part of for years.

Navigating these relationships and trying to remain separate from the drama is hard. Remaining unbiased when dealing with people can be tricky, even if you do not know the problems that created the rift.

Personally, I take it on a case-bycase study as different situations may require different reactions. In general, I try to get a basic understanding of what caused the issue from both sides and avoid that when dealing with each of the people involved.

Disclaimer: People do not always react to the same things in the same way. Treat each person as an individual; do not assume that just because one person reacted one way that another person will react in the same

way.

“Relationship” relationships Romantic relationships are difficult. Why is it so hard to learn where you stand? Why do they act the way they do? What are they thinking?

What is too far or not far enough?

Should I text them now or has it been too long? All the questions going through your head when you go on a date, ask someone out or want to talk to someone who is just so far out of your league add up quickly, whether you know them from class, a club, your housing or in passing.

The best advice I can give you is to just ask them out. Make it seem like something small: help with studying, go to Dunkin’ for coffee or someplace on Euclid. Alternatively, you can ask them to a higher-stakes dinner date, a fun event like a movie or skating, or even an escape room—but maybe that’s a little bold for a first date. The worst thing that can happen when you ask is that they say no. I know how scary that can be, but at least you won’t have to agonize over whether or not they will turn you down—you already know the answer. If they say no, you can move on and learn from it— but if they say yes, who knows what’s in store.

This advice can seem cheesy, but overall, it is best practice to be open and honest, clear in your intentions and to not lead someone on. Tell them what you want so there are no questions or missed signals.

Overall, for anyone who had the brain power to make it through this article, I hope this helps you navigate life and school from this point on.

Dreaming of Summer Webinar Are you ready to make the most of your summer?

Join the College of Arts and Sciences on Thursday, March 2, from 6 to 7 p.m. to learn valuable information on the summer course offerings and to participate in trivia for prizes—including a free, 3-credit-hour summer course.

Scan the code to register.

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Fun

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 24, 2023 observer.case.edu Volume LIV, Issue 20

Be sick

The Tower (Upright) Sometimes things have to be changed dramatically for you to finally see things in a new light.

Aries

Stay in

Three of Cups (Upright) Invest more into your school, work, and personal life. You’d be amazed how much you can manage and how much you can enjoy from all three.

Skip classes because of the weather

Pisces

Aquarius

Dance in the rain

Drink hot apple cider

Knight of Swords (Reversed) Rambunctious and risky fun is only good at the moment.

Run in the rain

Eight of Cups (Upright) Aimless drifting does no one any good. Try finding your direction and steer yourself away from that gray zone.

Jump into puddles

Ten of Swords (Reversed) You may not be ready for the challenges that precede you. But there is still time to prepare

Rated PG (107 mins.)

Directed by: Bill Duke With Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, Maggie Smith

The sisters are back! Deloris Van Cartier is asked to don the nun’s habit again to help a run-down Catholic school presided over by Mother Superior. Among the underachievers in her music class is Rita, who is very talented but whose mother forbids her to sing. And if trying to reach out to a class full of uninterested students weren’t bad enough, the sisters discover that the school is due to be closed by an unscrupulous local authority chief.

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

FILMS.CWRU.EDU

Scorpio

Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)

Capricorn Saggittarius

Saturday, February 25, 2023 Free Admission 7:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m.

Ace of Wands (Reversed) This new hobby might not be something you need to pick up now. Whether it be guitar or crochet, maybe you’re not up for it now.

Watch a movie

Libra

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her, but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.

Read a book

The Star (Reversed) Someone is hiding something from you and doesn’t want you to find out. I think you need to find out what that secret is

Four of Wands (Reversed) Life is looking chaotic lately. Clean it up now before it gets even messier.

Virgo

Rated PG (137 mins.)

Directed by: Isao Takahata With the voices of Aki Asakura, Kengo Kôra, Nobuko Miyamoto

Read by Mulan Ma The Emperor (Reversed) You may be in a period of unbridled aggression to get what you want. However you need to tap out of it, as it is hurting others.

Gemini The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

The signs as things to do on a rainy day

Cancer

Friday, February 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 11:59 p.m.

Weekly Tarot

Leo

CWRU Film Society

Horoscope

Taurus

Tarun’s LOLs

yourself.

Get Doordash

Nine of Pentacles (Upright) Congratulations! You’re in a good spot right now and if not right now you will soon enter it.

Get your plants outside

The Hanged Man (Upright) You are putting your eggs in the right basket. I’ll let you elaborate on what investment this is.

Looking at worms on the sidewalk

Seven of Coins (Upright) Your commitment to your life goals is paying off. Don’t stop the grind but remember to pat yourself on the back.

Fun 7

observer.case.edu

Crossword

What we’ve been listening to wyd Remi Wolf Sara Khorshidi

$20 boygenius Grace Johnson

black coffee sarah vaughan Lexy Jensen

independence day elliott smith Shejuti Wahed

Bad Dream Baby Hippo Campus Ritika Devarakonda

Mortal Projections Djo Sophia Popkin

ACROSS

40 To-do list task

1 Nike, Nestlé or Nabisco 41 Exclamation at

horror films

26 Big name in canned

I'm Writing a Novel Father John Misty

68 Bottomless pit

meat 30 Court divider

Clay Preusch

6 Treasure seeker's aid

the end of a trip?

9 Teacher's

44 Baby bear

DOWN

34 Pastry served

responsibility

47 Garland made

1 Toronto M.L.B. player

with afternoon tea

14 Knight's weapon

with flowers

2 Pure bliss

36 Rink org.

15 Wrath

48 Suffragist

3 Most on edge

37 Childish rebuttal

16 Frenzied

Elizabeth Cady

4 Sgt., e.g.

38 Actor La Salle

17 Sinclair who wrote

___

5 Oscar-winning

39 Cocktail made

"Oil!"

51 Region

Washington

with whiskey,

18 Daytime television

53 Stress ball, e.g.

6 Unlikely

honey and lemon

drama

55 Biblical book of

philanthropists

42 Dogs with

20 U.F.O. pilots, for

sacred poems

7 Greeted the day, say

standard, medium and

short

57 "Et voilà!"

8 Little legume

miniature varieties

21 Jazz duo?

58 Unusual

9 "Let's go!"

43 Big name in pretzels

23 Protective molar

59 Electrical panels

10 Bolivian capital

44 Pepto-Bismol dosage

Sex On The Beach DJ Assault

layer

found in older homes ... or

11 Result of iron

45 Octopus antagonist in

Shifra Narasimhan

24 Kitchen gadget for

what 18-, 24-, 35- and

deficiency

"The Little Mermaid"

the health-conscious

53-Across do (regarding

12 Sounds from fire

46 Wild animals

27 Enthusiast's mag

each half of each answer)?

trucks

48 Add spices to

didya think Arlie

28 Pigmented rings

61 Super-duper soup

13 What kosher

49 Actor Danson

Auden Koetters

29 Calligrapher's

scooper

seafood has that nonko-

50 Flowering shrub

implement

63 Prefix meaning

sher seafood does not

52 On the ball

31 Stubborn animal

"very"

19 Bygone Spanish cur-

54 In ___ (not yet

32 Courteous

64 To and ___

rency

born)

contraction

65 Respected

22 Government grp. em-

56 Wharton degs.

33 Fruits with pits

community leader

ploying

60 Gridiron group

35 Romanticw

66 Has staying

ecologists

rebooted in 2020

prospect after

power

25 "Doonesbury" or

62 Edmonton's

swiping right

67 Chaney of old

"Dilbert"

province: Abbr.

33 "Dr." of hip-hop

Hold On John Lennon Shreyas Banerjee

Seek & Destroy SZA Karuna Lakhiani

Blue Hair TV Girl Mulan Ma

Fever Dream Sunbeam Sound Machine Tarun Sepuri

8 Fun

Friday, February 24, 2023

Sudoku Easy

Very Hard

Word Search: Cleveland Coffee

BLUE SKY BREWS CIVILIZATION COFFEEHOUSE DUNKIN EINSTEINS LEKKO MILK AND HONEY

NERVOUS DOG PHOENIX COFFEE CO READY SET RISING STAR STARBUCKS TWENTY SEVEN CLUB

Opinion EDITORIAL

Free speech is under attack at campuses and it’s not by the “woke left” Editorial Board Freedom of speech is a lauded American value and for good reason.

The right to express oneself without fear of punishment or retaliation from authorities is essential to the working of any liberal democracy. To live in a governmental system that is supposed to lift up the voices of all those living under it, we require a culture that allows its citizenry to speak freely and openly about the issues important to them. Exchanging ideas and viewpoints about our society allows us to be informed members of our communities, but that can only happen if we continue to have this freedom of expression.

The functioning of newspapers like The Observer is only possible with the protection of speech; it would be impossible for media outlets to be critical of our institutions, discuss pressing social issues and hold people in power accountable otherwise. Additionally, freedom of speech is essential in educational institutions, including at Case Western Reserve University, where the exploration of new ideas and fields requires a willingness to approach difficult subjects with an open mind. Academic freedom is the bedrock of our universities, enabling our professors to investigate and teach about the most controversial topics. Yet, while freedom of speech is supposedly protected by the First Amendment, it is under more attack today than it has been in decades, especially at academic institutions— and not for the reasons you might think.

It seems as if almost every thinkpiece and pundit in today’s political climate is decrying how Gen Z is preventing others from expressing their own views and professors from teaching their classes without inhibition. This base opinion should not be completely discounted as there have been some appalling cases of professors being reprimanded or fired for just doing their job. However, this is not the most pressing issue facing education and the future of our nation’s discourse. The true foe to free speech is much worse than this.

When it comes to the First Amendment, many people tend to forget that it was not meant to protect you from public scrutiny—it is meant to protect you from tyrannical governments. And currently, the United States’ government is acting less and less concerned about adhering to this amendment’s core tenets.

Let’s start with the most basic suppression of speech in education: book bans. This past year has seen a dramatic increase in the number of books banned in schools across the nation. States like Florida and Texas have lists consisting of hundreds of banned books, all in order to prevent the spread of certain opinions and ideas. Beyond that, a new law recently passed in Florida has made it so that all school books have to be approved by a state government employee. As a result, teachers across Florida have

been forced to remove all books from their school’s library shelves in order to comply with these new regulations.

So, what is this speech that is supposedly so flagrant that we need the government to regulate it? What harmful ideas do we need to remove from the public discourse? What nefarious content do we need state governments to fervently protect our innocent children from?

Well, it’s unfortunately not surprising that this so-called corrupting content typically relating to LGBTQIA+ issues and minorities is overwhelmingly the target. How awful that Generations Z and Alpha, the most diverse and openly queer generations in American history, are reading about characters and issues related to their identities.

However, it goes beyond book bans—we are now seeing state governments directly regulate curriculums and topics that students and teachers can discuss. Most famously, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis passed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, preventing discussion of LGBTQIA+ topics within schools. A similar bill was passed regulating speech about systematic racism within schools, further suppressing discussion of important topics with fear of governmental repercussions. Florida’s laws have even caused private entities like the College Board to tailor what curriculums they offer, such as for their AP African American Studies course. Due to fear of the government’s wrath, the College Board pared down discussion of queer studies, police brutality and reparations. This directly affects what students are taught, what they can discuss and how prepared they are to enter a diverse world wherein they must confront injustices. While governments have a right to regulate the content taught to students, it becomes an issue when it is done with an agenda that seeks to censor ideas and facts that challenge their power structures. With the success the Florida state government has had in suppressing speech within their schools, other states across the country have followed in its example—all testing the waters for how strictly they are able to control student speech and thought. Florida seems to be leading the way in this movement to fight the continually evolving “bogeyman of wokeness,” meaning we should pay very close attention to what Florida and DeSantis do in the future.

To take this censorship even further, Florida is stepping up their attacks on free speech by going after higher education. New College, a public college in Florida known for its open and progressive culture, is now under attack by a state government that wishes to turn it into a brainwashed institution of government-approved values.

Over the past month, DeSantis has overhauled the college’s trustees, had the college’s president removed and replaced college officials with conservative idealogues. Along with that, he has also unveiled a curriculum based on “Western civilization courses,” and eliminated diversity and inclusion

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 24, 2023 observer.case.edu Volume LIV, Issue 20

from any aspect of it. Additionally, faculty tenure protections are being abolished and students and faculty have been asked about their political leanings, as well as if they are transgender or not. This is an egregious act of using government power to promote a certain form of speech, punishing those who don’t agree with conservative state values.

If you ask DeSantis or his supporters, they’ll claim that they are actually stopping indoctrination from happening within education by banning discussion of systematic racism, intersectionality and queer theory. Their doublethink has somehow made them believe, at least outwardly, that banning certain authors and

concepts enables freedom of speech.

Furthermore, apparently using the power of the state to intimidate and punish educators is “necessary” to prevent indoctrination. To state the obvious, indoctrination is when you ban certain ideologies, not the other way around.

All this makes for a very scary picture. While the words authoritarianism and fascism are not to be used lightly, we are now truly seeing governments in the U.S. veer in that direction. This is what the First Amendment is supposed to protect us from, not being “canceled” on Twitter. Until we truly care and stand up against injustice, freedom of speech is just an idea and not necessarily a reality.

The Case Western Reserve Observer Established in 1969 by the undergraduate students of Case Western Reserve University

Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor & Publisher PRINT Sara Khorshidi Director of Print Grace Johnson News Editor Joey Gonzalez Life Editor Karuna Lakhiani Opinion Editor Puneet Bansal Sports Editor Beau Bilinovich Development Editor Mulan Ma Engagement Editor Shivangi Nanda Copy Editor Lexy Jensen Copy Editor Rachel Alexander Copy Editor Elie Aoun Copy Editor Kate Gordon Copy Editor DIGITAL MEDIA Joce Ortiz Director of Digital Media Sophia Popkin Social Media Editor Clay Preusch Photo Editor Collin Wong Web Editor DESIGN Tarun Sepuri Director of Design Shifra Narasimhan Layout Designer Auden Koetters Layout Designer Catherine Choi Layout Designer Tyler Vu Graphic Designer BUSINESS Khushali Desai Director of Business Operations Matthew Chang Business Manager Mohit Kosuru Business Manager Ryan Chang Business Manager The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer reports news affecting students and provides an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are typically written by the opinion editor but reflect the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. Opinion columns are the views of their writers and not necessarily of The Observer staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer via e-mail at observer@ case.edu.

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, TikTok and Instagram @cwruobserver.

10 Opinion

Friday, February 24, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE

It’s time to reallocate the SAF Shreyas Banerjee Executive Editor This Monday, Feb. 20, the student body of Case Western Reserve University received an email that could have a significant impact on campus life.

Coming from the chair of the Student Presidents’ Roundtable (SPR)—a group comprised of the heads of the major student organizations on campus such as the Class Officer Collective (COC), Interfraternity Congress (IFC), Panhellenic Council (PHC), Residence Hall Association (RHA), Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative (UDC), University Media Board (UMB), University Program Board (UPB) and Undergraduate Student Government (USG)—the email detailed proposed changes to the Student Activities Fee (SAF), as proposed by the Allocations Committee (AC). Though that is a lot of information, each organization has their own role and manages an important segment of student life. Let’s break it down further.

The SAF is a fee collected from everyone’s tuition—0.8% specifically— that is solely controlled by the student body and dedicated towards funding student organizations and activities on and off campus at CWRU. With everyone’s tuition, the fund usually amasses to around $1.3 million per semester which is then distributed to the clubs and events that need funding across CWRU. This is done by splitting it amongst all the umbrella organizations I mentioned—USG, UDC, UMB, etc.—so that those boards can then fund all the clubs underneath them.

But who decides how much money each board gets? That’s where the AC comes in. Each semester the AC disburses the SAF to these boards based on previously agreed upon percentages and then evaluates each board to determine whether they spent their portion effectively and efficiently. This way we can make sure that the CWRU student is getting their money’s worth by having the most amount of experiences and opportunities they can.

However, these percentages have not changed since 2015, when UDC was added as a board to SPR and guaranteed a portion of the SAF specifically

towards diversity and advocacy-related student organizations. Much has changed at CWRU since 2015, including the interests and overall composition of the student body. As such, how our SAF funding is distributed should also change with the times and meet the needs of our students today.

Before we get any further, I need to put a big disclaimer that aside from being the executive editor of The Observer, I am also the chair of the AC and the process of reallocating the SAF has been a huge project for me over the past few years.

In my time at the AC I’ve seen how many clubs struggle to fund their basic expenses while other organizations struggle to use all the money they have.

In the end, everyone wants to bring the most value to the student body by having the maximum programming pos-

meaning that whenever mass funding comes along for either of those two boards, most clubs are scrapping over a limited amount of funds. When USG cuts budgets for clubs, it’s not because they want to but rather because they literally don’t have the money to distribute to their hundreds of organizations. USG has consistently funded clubs to the maximum extent possible, which is similar to UDC. With both boards growing considerably, especially with the student population of CWRU growing and more ideas for student organizations always sprouting, they need a larger piece of the pie.

These proposed reallocations will deliver just that, giving USG an 18% budget increase and UDC a 20% budget increase. With these changes, they’ll be able to distribute more of their own funds in mass funding to

“To sell the proposed reallocations to all the SPR boards I’ve been using the mantra, ‘More money to more clubs.’ Because in essence that’s what is happening here. ” sible, but it can be difficult to reach that goal when there are strict percentages governing how the SAF is allocated.

Groups are getting this certain portion of the fund regardless of other changes. Since the SAF has never formally been reallocated without the addition of a new board to SPR, there was no precedent for conversations surrounding how to make distributions more effective and equitable. Now that has changed, with all the boards of SPR now agreeing on a new set of percentages that will hopefully better enable student activities. The process to get here was long but it was necessary.

Here’s why.

To sell the proposed reallocations to all the SPR boards I’ve been using the mantra, “More money to more clubs.”

Because in essence that’s what is happening here. The vast majority of clubs on campus are under USG and UDC,

all student organizations underneath them. More money to more clubs.

However, this does mean decreases in allocations to other boards. What is important to remember here is that the SAF pool is always growing, especially since CWRU is a growing campus.

The more students who come here, the more money goes into the pot as fees are collected. Additionally, tuition inevitably rises each academic year.

While this is unfortunate for the most part, it is not unfortunate for the SAF. Because it makes up a set percentage of tuition, the SAF also increases each year, meaning the funds for students continually grow. While some groups are seeing cuts to their allocation, they might actually be making more money in the future than they are now, just due to the growing size of the SAF. UPB, which receives the largest share of the SAF to ensure that con-

Pictures of the Week

Sahya Bikkula/The Observer

Anjali Bhuthpur/The Observer

certs and events are successful, recently volunteered to cut their own allocation by 10%. There was internal concern that as the SAF grows, they may not be able to continually put on big enough programming events to spend their entire allocation. What they already do is difficult enough.

IFC/PHC, similarly, has always struggled to spend their entire SAF allocation as there are already so many other funding sources for Greek Life chapters, primarily from chapter dues and national dues. This has invariably led to a considerable amount of being left over by Greek Life each semester.

Plans are being made to create a fund to subsidize dues for lower-income students using this leftover money, but the root cause of the issue is that they simply receive too much funding while other organizations are pinching pennies. As Greek Life participation has dipped during the COVID-19 years, this issue may become more acute.

Thankfully, this is something they realize and as such they willingly agreed to an 18% budget cut.

UMB and COC have similarly agreed to 7% and 5% cuts, respectively, after discussion of historical spending patterns with the AC and the rest of SPR. And again, they’ll likely be getting similar levels of funding as before while the SAF continues to increase.

While a proper balance of SAF distribution will likely never be found, this is a good step that will improve student life at CWRU. Reallocation is a healthy process and should happen on a regular basis in order to ensure that the needs of the student body are consistently heard and satisfied. While this is just the first time it has happened, I anticipate that it will not be the last.

Though SPR has agreed to the motion, the AC still needs to vote on the proposed changes to the SAF. I’m hopeful that when it does and these changes kick in next semester, we will see a flourishing of campus culture, with clubs dreaming bigger and accomplishing more.

Shreyas Banerjee is the chair of the SEC Allocations Committee and is directly involved in the reallocation process.

Opinion 11

observer.case.edu

Don’t put J.K. Rowling in a box It’s lazy and hurts critical thinking Carsten Torgeson Staff Writer J.K. Rowling has been under fire for transphobia since late 2019.

Since then, she has enraged much of her fan base by clarifying and defending many of her positions. Her successes have become understood as victories for intolerance, and naturally, the success of the new video game “Hogwarts Legacy” has reignited anti-Rowling sentiment. I do not intend to take a strong stance on Rowling’s ostensible bigotry in this article—that is not the purpose of this piece. However, before I discuss the way uninformed hate harms academic environments, it is first important to recognize that Rowling is more complex than her haters would have us believe. In a 2020 tweet juxtaposing the hate directed toward her, indicative of her nuanced perspective on transgender people, she said, “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them. I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”

Rowling’s portrayal in the mainstream media is that of a bigot— though in reality, she occupies a complex gray area regarding transgender identity politics. Essayist G.K. Chesterton famously wrote, “Ivory may not be so white as snow, but the whole Arctic continent does not make ivory black.” I believe that what is true about ivory, snow and the color black is similarly true about Rowling, socially liberal ideals and transphobia. Sadly, Rowling not supporting social liberalism ad nauseam—not being so white as snow—has put a target on her back for death threats, public ridicule and cancellation. These attacks on Rowling are enabled by social media, a notoriously uncritical space that fosters mob mentality, ignorance and indoctrination. In one of the many responses to Rowling’s 2020 tweet, one user said, “Just stop. You do not ‘know and love’ trans people and you most definitely do not respect them.

You are so very wrong about [so] much and such a disappointment to

everyone decent who ever enjoyed your work. Quit while you’re behind.” Another person said, “You’re a disgrace, @jk_rowling” and yet another tweet said, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to go Shove your Dumb Prejudice[.]”

I am inclined to believe that having meaningful discussions on social media is a hopeless endeavor—it is a lawless space, and people are going to feel, think and do whatever they please. Rowling has a thick enough skin to weather these attacks, and I am not intent on defending her.

Nevertheless, these hateful sentiments, which attempt to silence people whose ideas do not conform with what is considered most “correct,” not only harm their targets but also compromise academic environments. While social media may be a lost cause for encouraging critical discourse, we must do everything we can to keep these perfunctory displays of disapproval from the classroom. I want to make myself clear.

I do not discount the affront that transgender people have felt as a result of Rowling’s comments. The struggle of the transgender community to have others recognize them as even people has been a long and difficult one. Therefore, I understand how anything but the most steadfast support for them could be considered harmful. More than that, I do not mean to compare the harm done to academic spaces to the significant and pervasive harm that transgender people have and still do experience today. Rowling is right when she says, “the majority of transidentified people not only pose zero threat to others, but are vulnerable” and that “[t]rans people need and deserve protection.” However, even though everyone is entitled to their own opinion regarding the author, I denounce hate for her, especially when it silences discussion and compromises spaces for discourse.

Before continuing further, I want to draw attention to both of the excellent articles involving “Hogwarts Legacy” in last week’s issue of The Observer. Writers Joey Gonzalez and Milo Vetter both correctly maintain in their respective articles that it is a personal decision to play the game. Vetter puts it eloquently, saying “the act of avoiding consump-

tion of unethical products is still a moral virtue—though not a moral necessity.” This assertion upholds academic rigor and critical thinking alike by recognizing that the “Harry Potter” franchise can be separated from Rowling as a novelist. American poet Reginald Shepherd also sums it up nicely in his article “On the Intentional Fallacy”—the incorrect notion that an artist and their art are synonymous—stating, “one writes because one wants to produce something separate from oneself.”

If Rowling’s smear campaign was limited to social media, I would not be writing this article. However, her compartmentalization as a bigot by well-meaning LGBTQIA+ lobbyists to spineless conformists, has led to unexacting critiques of her right here at Case Western Reserve University. I first caught wind of Rowling’s “cancellation” a year ago when an English professor compared something we were working on to the “Harry Potter” series—eliciting a number of ill-concealed gags from many students. The professor asked, “Oh, do we not like Harry Potter anymore?” to which a student replied, “Yeah, J.K. Rowling is transphobic.”

It is absolutist stances on issues like this that prevent discussion. Taking anything to be an undeniable truth is uncritical. When dissent for these attitudes is met with the risk of being canceled, the stakes are often too high to speak up. In this way, uncritical stances that would otherwise be instantly dismantled are protected by cancel culture. There becomes very little room to think for oneself.

This year, in the few minutes remaining at the end of a class, a professor innocently asked if any of us had heard about “Harry Potter Legacy” and if we were playing it. After not so much as a moment of silence, a student in the back of the class said derisively, “They better not be playing it.” Immediately, anyone who might have come forward to talk about playing the game, potentially inviting meaningful conversation, was discouraged from speaking.

The academic space within which a conversation could have happened about any number of interesting corollaries to the debate about Rowling and “Harry Potter” was swiftly compromised by one student’s sti-

fling comment.

Some could argue that this student’s comment should not have prevented another student from speaking up about playing the game.

I agree and even suggest that a possible solution is bravery from students and professors alike who are not purveyors of bigotry, but instead, protectors of critical discussion. And while I have no intention of playing the game—though as I write this article, I would like nothing more than to be mindlessly playing any video game—I wish I had said something.

This is partially why I decided to write this article. Just because this discussion may have been uncomfortable, charged and predicated on identities, does not mean it should have been off the table for a discussion. In fact, difficult topics are the ones we should be discussing more.

We cannot hope to have these discussions so long as people are intent on squelching them before they begin to germinate.

Solutions for numerous social issues can come from collaborative discussion and debate. Universities are the primary places where these conversations can occur; therefore, the integrity of these spaces must be preserved and protected from uncritical thinking. Rowling may have made politically incorrect statements, but labeling her as a transphobe is indolent, discards her work as a feminist and serves only to hinder peoples’ thinking. Before the internet and social media, debate and dissent ensured that critical ideas would rise above uncritical ones. Now, however, these cursory ideas are supported by cancel culture, which permits its propagation by making it socially unacceptable to dissent in any manner—even in academic environments whose very purpose is to provide a space for healthy skepticism. I cannot help but be frustrated when I see examples of this decline in productive conversations right in front of me.

If you would like to read more about Rowling, I recommend “In Defense of J.K. Rowling” by Pamela Paul and “I’m trans and I understand JK Rowling’s concerns about the position of women. But transphobia is not the answer” by Valentijn De Hingh.

Achieving greatness with public education Catherine Choi Contributing Writer Many don’t realize that public education is under the state’s control, not the federal government’s. States control school budgets and what academic programs and requirements to impose on students. Because each state does things differently, there is a huge gap nationally in regard to the quality of education public schools provide, depending on the income and infrastructure available.

In the past, education was for those with “merit.” Since the United States was built as a democratic republic, it became crucial that those who participated in politics and made decisions had sufficient intellect. For this reason, public education was only for those who excelled in classes and showed superior intellect while weeding out those consid-

ered unintelligent.

After the Industrial Revolution occurred, people started receiving wages at factories rather than working on family farms. Horace Mann, the founder of the Board of Education in Massachusetts—and essentially of American public education—felt that universal education was necessary for citizens to adapt to the fast-changing industrial society.

According to Mann, education was the tool to prevent poverty, establish good habits and instill the American creed in a growing number of children from immigrant families.

However, his words fell on deaf ears as many in the public did not pay attention to the importance of learning. Unskilled teachers taught students and attendance was low.

It wasn’t until the Cold War in the 1950s, after the USSR launched the first satellite into space, that things took a turn. Due to the competitive

atmosphere internationally, authorities finally started paying attention to what the students were learning and education’s importance for the nation’s development.

In the social contract, it is said that the people give up some of their rights and abide by the rules society has agreed upon for protection and peace. Education is a part of the ‘protection’ that is promised in the social contract; school is where people learn the rules of society and how to interact in their environment. However, the states are currently not doing a great job regarding educational systems. States with high poverty rates are less likely to invest in education and are more likely to nurture citizens with insufficient skills to advance their careers, and the vicious cycle goes on.

If education was under the federal government’s control, all states could receive equal funding and quality of

education, regardless of where they live. Another possible solution is fixed incomes adjusted based on the cost of living, which would aid in recruiting highly qualified teachers. All people are created equal, and everyone has the right to receive the same quality of education, the right to work hard to change their fate, to be unbothered by factors beyond one’s control and to escape from poverty.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them, as Shakespeare wrote. If education remains under state control, where you are born can impact you for the rest of your life. The federal government must step in to guarantee equality in public education to mitigate this impact. As Mann claims, schooling is “seed-grain sown in a soil which is itself enriched by yielding” and that the outcomes will exceed the investments.

12 Opinion

Friday, February 24, 2023

Likable or credible? What are you really looking for?

Enya Eettickal Staff Writer There’s no drama like kid drama.

That’s something I’m reminded of every time I find myself babysitting. The intensity with which children war over who gets to be the mom when playing house or the ways they decide who gets to play hide-and-seek interests me. These drama-inducing circumstances are perpetuated in various age groups as well, but they get less interesting and increasingly stupid the older you are. But the question I’ve pretty consistently asked myself is “why?”

Why does it matter so much to them if they get to be the parents when playing house, or if they get to be a part of the group that hides in the static-filled hell that are elementary school slides?

The answer is quite simple, actually. All these seemingly small situations are directly tied to one thing: likability. For children, adolescents and even adults, likability is at the forefront of many people’s concerns.

Everything people do can be tied back to likability. The way people dress, act, talk, what they do, what they don’t do—all of it shapes how likable someone is. Likability is a universally desired attribute. It’s perceived as a form of power. Those who are liked get what they want, or at least that’s the accepted belief.

Recently, I don’t know how much I agree with that. Likability is useful, but I think people are actually looking for credibility. The issue is that likability and credibility are not the same thing, and confusing these two separate concepts is potentially problematic.

Likability is about favorability, meaning people find you agreeable or enjoyable. People assume that being likable also translates to having others defer to you more often— however, that’s not necessarily true and that assumption overlaps with credibility. Credibility is about being believable and trusted, no more or less than that. Credibility is what gives weight to words and encourages the masses to entrust someone with decision-making authority.

There’s no doubt that an overlap exists between likability and credibility. But confusing the two can be a problem for a number of reasons.

The first problem is that someone may obsess over their image in order to become likable. Since likability is solely about perception, it lies in the hands of others. What makes someone agreeable or enjoyable is heavily subjective. For some people, an “agreeable” person is bubbly and talkative. Others may find that annoying. In other cases, someone who’s soft-spoken and sweet may be perceived as enjoyable, but some may find that unsettling. There is no way to really ensure that you’re

universally likable. Trying to micromanage likability can easily become a losing battle. The only way to be universally favorable is if you’re universally beneficial to everyone.

That leads to the next issue—becoming a pushover. Being universally beneficial is an easy solution to trying to be universally likable, so it’s a popular path in pursuing likability.

But if someone doesn’t have a thoroughly established sense of self or well-drawn boundaries for the sake of their health and wellbeing, they can quickly fall prey to someone who might take advantage of them.

It’s devastating to watch, honestly.

Worse, it’s hard to get out of that position. People who are used to it are afraid to stop being a pushover out of fear that they’ll lose their opportunity to be liked. The manipulators around us will always pick up on those who don’t stand up for themselves in order to please others. Be mindful of that.

Misguided attempts at trying to be likable aside, achieving “likability” doesn’t ensure that you’ll have what you’re really looking for—credibility. Overlap between the two exists, but it’s not a guarantee. You can be likable and uncredible. Just because people enjoy spending time with you, it doesn’t mean that they trust you, have confidence in your decision-making skills or believe you’d be a good leader. Some traits of likability are inherently at odds

with being credible. Being a pushover doesn’t lead to decisiveness or conviction—both of which are attributes that bolster credibility.

Likewise, you can be credible and not likable. If people find you annoying or disagreeable, it doesn’t affect your credibility so long as they’re certain that you’re honest and have conviction. Being too honest or doubling down on decisions isn’t necessarily likable, but it fosters credibility. Sometimes, doing what’s right means acting directly against certain people’s interests—and that means catching some heat and potentially being disliked. Even if they dislike you, people are more likely to defer to someone whom they regard as brash and high-strung than someone who’s passive and swayed by the way they’re perceived.

All this isn’t to say you should go balls to the wall with forgoing likability. What I’m saying is that you should closely consider what you’re really aspiring to do. If what you’re looking to build is credibility, you don’t need to die on the hill of likability. It’s all give and take. There’s a sweet spot of having both likability and credibility, but in order to achieve either to a higher degree, you need to let up on the other. Neither is necessarily better than the other, but it’s all about what you want and what you are looking for. Once you can figure out what it is you really want, committing to it is worth it.

Experience doesn’t pay the bills

Unpaid internships leave low-income students behind Cailee Zeraat Staff Writer

Many college students are asked, “What are you going to do in the future?”

For most people at university, finding a job is an essential part of transitioning into a totally independent, adult life. However, with more and more young adults attending college, simply having a degree is not enough to set you apart from the crowd. A common way college students aim to boost their resume and gain relevant workplace experience is through internships. Often, internships are not only a helpful addition to a resume, but are often expected for even entry-level jobs.

This expectation though almost guarantees unequal opportunities for low-income students who can’t afford to work unpaid, further widening the gap between social classes and making any sort of upward mobility extremely difficult.

While there are insanely selective software engineering internships that pay considerably, I want to focus on the average internship experience for most college students. Unpaid internships seem to be increasingly common. Compa-

nies understand the necessity of having internship experience when applying for full-time jobs forces most students to work for free in exchange for a resume boost. And for internships and research positions that are paid, the wage is typically just above minimum wage. Unfortunately, most students who are low to middle-class simply cannot afford to work for free or for marginal amounts. Students who can afford to spend hours in the day performing free or underpaid labor come from already wealthy families who have the means to support them.

Thus, low-income students entering the workforce are at an inherent disadvantage when their resumes are filled with part-time jobs, rather than relevant internships.

Internships are essential for students to improve their resumes and build a network in their desired field of study. However, when students who get internships are those who already have an advantage due to their financial status, it leaves low-income students further behind than they already are. Parental wealth is one of the biggest indicators of future financial growth.

One of the ways to break the cycle of generational poverty is to get a high paying job. These high paying

jobs, however, are usually closed off to those without previous field experience. Thus, the cycle becomes impossible to escape, leaving lowincome students trapped and unable to climb the social ladder.

Furthermore, part-time jobs are common for many low-income students on college campuses. These jobs often pay better than most internships, but usually don’t provide any relevant experience. So while these jobs are necessary for low-income students to pay for groceries, rent and tuition, they aren’t as helpful as internships when it comes to boosting their resumes. From an employer’s perspective, a candidate with multiple summer internships looks a lot better than a student who spent their four years working 20 hours a week at Panera Bread.

Although the latter student was just working to financially support themselves, the lack of experience in a relevant field doesn’t look great.

Unpaid or underpaid internships are a direct cause of low workplace diversity. As previously established, the students that are able to take these internships already come from a higher socioeconomic standing. Workplaces fill up with candidates who have previous experience, and those people are often rich and

white. This only further perpetuates the wealth gap that exists between socioeconomic classes and marginalized groups. As a result, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 73% of unpaid interns were white.

One way Case Western Reserve University and other colleges across the country are addressing this issue is by offering stipends to students who are participating in unpaid or underpaid internships. Last year, I participated in a micro-internship through the Baker-Nord Center’s Humanities@Work program. This internship was about three months long and took no more than 10 hours of work each week. While it was unpaid by the company I was working for, the Baker-Nord Center provided me with a $600 stipend each.

Without that stipend, I definitely would not have applied for the internship. Many companies and employers would like to claim that the experience their internships provide are priceless, but time is money for low-income students. While the compensation I received was probably under minimum-wage based on the time I spent completing my project, the sentiment is there: No one should waste their time doing work for free.

observer.case.edu

Sports

The Case Western Reserve Observer Friday, February 24, 2023 observer.case.edu Volume LIV, Issue 20

Women’s basketball improves to 15-9 overall, 6-7 in UAA Paola Van der Linden Costello Staff Writer The Case Western Reserve University women’s basketball team won against the No. 22 University of Washington in St. Louis on Feb. 17 and lost against the University of Chicago on Feb. 19, giving them an overall record of 15-9 and 6-7 in conference play.

The Spartans notched their first ever win against WashU in an away game as well as their second win against a team in the top 25, the first being against the No. 24 University of Rochester the week prior.

Fourth-year guard/forward Isabella Mills led all players with 27 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds. This was Mills’ second double-double against WashU, the fourth overall this season and the 11th of her career. Third-year guard Sarah Mitchell had four points, but added 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Her defensive play was key for the team’s success this weekend and throughout the season.

First-year guard/forward Emily Plachata converted two free-throws to kick off scoring as the Spartans took their first lead of the night at 2-0. Third-year forward Kayla Characklis’ layup gave the Spartans a 4-0 lead with 7:40 remaining in the quarter. WashU quickly tied the game, but the Spartans kept up the energy and reestablished the 4-point lead with 5:57 left in the quarter. The Bears fought back and took their first lead of the night with an and-one conversion. Mills responded with her first two points of the night with 18 seconds left in the first quarter to pull the Spartans within two points. While the Bears found success in stopping Mills, this strategy started to fail in the following quarters.

With 6:24 left in the second quarter, third-year guard Margaret Terry converted a 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to 20-19. CWRU and WashU remained neck-and-neck, jostling over the lead. The Spartans were up by three with 1:16 left but

Third-year Isabella Mills defends against second-year guard Izzy Munson in CWRU’s Feb. 12 match against Emory University. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics the Bears went on a 4-0 run to steal the 31-30 lead by halftime.

The third quarter started out slow, with neither team making any points in the first five minutes.

Though CWRU tied the game 31-31 following a successful free throw, WashU hit a quick jumper to regain the lead. Plachata and Mills didn’t back down and hit backto-back 3-pointers for the 4-point Spartan lead. CWRU completed a 10-0 run and held an 11-point lead by the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears cut the 11-point difference into a 4-point one with 5:17 left in the game. Two more 3-pointers soon gave the Spartans an 8-point advantage that would give them enough breathing room for the rest of the game to come home with the win. With six seconds left, Mills hit two free throws to seal the 61-57 Spartan victory.

The Spartans made eight of 21 shots from the 3-point line compared to WashU’s one of 11, the big-

gest advantage in this game. They also had 37 total rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds compared to 35 and 8 from the Bears.

On Sunday afternoon, Mills led the team again, this time with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to help the Spartans secure a win against UChicago. Mitchell scored 10 points and had 5 defensive rebounds and two steals. Characklis also contributed 13 points. The team only shot five of 23 from beyond the arc compared to UChicago’s seven of 21 and had a 33.9% overall shooting accuracy compared to Chicago’s 41.5%. They also had a total of 32 rebounds compared to 49 by the Maroons.

Mitchell hit a layup to open the game, but the Maroons quickly answered with a 3-pointer. The Spartans tied it with 5:32 left in the first after Mitchell made a layup followed by a free throw. The Maroons strung together a 10-3 run which left the Spartans down 19-12

at the end of the quarter.

The Spartans attempted to close the gap in the second quarter, with Characklis scoring a layup to come within four points with 3:36 left.

However, the Maroons maintained intense defensive pressure and the Spartans trailed by six points at the half.

The Maroons went on a 12-0 run to begin the second half to take the 50-32 lead with 5:30 left in the third. The third quarter ended with the Spartans down by 14.

Mills’ jumper and free-throw at the top of the fourth trimmed the gap to 11, but a combination of missed shots from the Spartans and good offensive play from the Maroons kept them out of reach as they took a 20-point lead with 4:49 left. The Spawrtans went on an 8-0 run with 2:41 left, but it was too little too late as the Spartans lost 76-64.

CWRU will play their final game of the regular season on Feb. 25 against Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

MEN’S BASKETBALL from page 1 Third-year forward Ian Elam made a layup with 4:13 left to give CWRU their first lead of the second half.

WashU responded with a 6-0 run with 1:28 left in the game. Prendergast, once again, came to the rescue with a 3-pointer and a layup to tie it with 49 seconds left. The Bears put in a layup but Prendergast hit another 3-pointer, giving CWRU a 75-74 lead with 22 seconds left. The Bears missed a free throw with two seconds left and thirdyear guard Luke Thorburn inhaled the rebound to seal the Spartan win 75-74.

The victory also gave CWRU sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the UAA conference.

The Spartans shot 33.3% from beyond the arc and 42.9% overall. Prendergast led all players with 29 points.

Rashid added 12 points and led the team with 8 rebounds, anchoring CWRU’s defense throughout their conference play. Frilling led the team with 3 assists and had 7 rebounds and 11 points.

Prendergast said, “Coming into

the game, we knew that if we won we would be in a really good position to win the conference. We started off really slow but we’re finally able to start hitting shots. Coach drew up a really good play at the end of the game and Danny made a great pass. Their defensive pressure bothered us but once we were able to figure it out we knew we would be good.”

CWRU next started the game on Sunday, Feb. 19 against the University of Chicago strong, opening with a layup from Thorburn. Though the Maroons quickly tied it, a jumper from Frilling, one 3-pointer from Trunley and two from Rashid gave the Spartans a 6-point lead with 13:56 left in the first half. The Maroons cut the lead to 1, but Rashid hit another 3-pointer to stymie any comeback. Despite good offensive strategy by the Maroons, CWRU just kept making their shots from a distance, hitting 42.1% overall as a team with Rashid making 4-6.

The Spartans took their largest lead of the night with 4:08 left in the first

half after Rashid made a 3-pointer, leaving the Maroons trailing by 11.

However, the Maroons struck back with a 7-1 run to end the first half 3733 in favor of CWRU. UChicago came out of halftime with ferocity and stole a 2-point lead after hitting two 3-pointers. Elam hit a shot to tie it 39-39, but UChicago stormed back for a 56-52 after hitting a 3-pointer of their own.

Rashid responded with yet another 3-pointer that put the Spartans 1 point away from a tie. Later, Rashid hit his final 3-pointer of the night to tie the score with 3:33 left in the game. After this, CWRU maintained the lead for the remainder of the game. A crucial steal by Rashid with 2:07 left and a successful jumper by Frauenheim gave the Spartans a 7-point lead. After a team deadball rebound with 23 seconds left and a successful free throw

by Rashid, the Spartans claimed the 76-67 victory and the UAA championship.

Rashid led all players with 26

points, shooting 7-10 from the 3-point line and 8-14 overall. Rashid, Frilling and Trunley had 7 rebounds each while Prendergast and Frauenheim recorded 4 assists each.

Rashid’s outstanding performance in the game earned him a spot on the D3Hoops Team of the Week. The team shot 37.9% from the field goal range and 37.5% from beyond the arc.

“Being able to make school history is always special, and having a hand in the contribution feels great as well,” reflected Rashid. “Hopefully we’ll be able to keep our hot streak rolling these next couple of weeks.”

CWRU will play their regular season finale game against Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3:00 p.m. Make sure to keep up with their game next week and future announcements about this team as they head into the NCAA DIII tournament. As they have shown us time and time again, the Spartans can continue to break school records and deliver amazing results.

Friday, February 24, 2023

14 Sports

Mac McClung shines in an otherwise disappointing NBA All-Star Weekend Ajeet Kalepu Staff Writer The Utah Jazz hosted the 2023 NBA All Star Weekend at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City where the league’s biggest stars were on display.

The festivities began on Friday, Feb. 17 with the celebrity game, consisting of one of the most starstudded rosters since the event began in 2003. Dwyane Wade, 2023 NBA Hall of Fame finalist and minority Utah Jazz owner, captained a squad against the Jazz majority owner Ryan Smith. The game was full of comedic bits from Guillermo Rodriguez and Richard Jefferson, finishing with a dramatic ending. At the buzzer, WWE star “The Miz” sank a half court shot for Team Ryan. Unfortunately, the shot was too little too late and D.K. Metcalf ’s dominant performance of 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks lead Team Dwyane to victory; this impressive performance earned Metcalf the game’s MVP honors.

Later that night, the NBA tested out the second year of a new Rising Stars Challenge format. It began with two semifinal games with Team Pau facing off against Team Deron while Team Joakim took on Team Jason. Led by the 2023 Rising Stars MVP Jose Alvarado and an impressive 15 points from Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero, Team Pau secured a victory at a 15-point lead against Team Deron.

Team Joakim would meet Team Pau in the final match following a 40-32 point victory against team Jason. The Philadelphia 76ers guard and 2023 Slam Dunk Champion Mac McClung racked up 10 points for Team Jason, but Quentin Grimes and Evan Mobley’s efforts pushed Team Joakim to victory.

In a tight championship game, it was Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans scoring a game-winning 3-pointer to bring Team Pau the 25-20 victory. He finished the game with five points.

Saturday night was filled with the most exciting events of the weekend. The Skills Challenge kicked off festivities where Team Jazz, Team Rooks and Team Antetokounmpo put their skills to the test in three rounds. Team Rooks won the first round, Team Relay, earning them 100 points. In the second round, Team Jazz excelled in the passing drills, earning the 100 challenge points. The last round was a shooting challenge, in which each player earned points shooting at five different positions on the court. Team

Even though he has spent most of his career in the NBA G League, Mac McClung demonstrated his astounding skills in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest on Feb. 18. Courtesy of USA TODAY SPORTS Antetokounmpo and Team Rooks had disappointing performances, and it was Team Jazz who clinched a Skills Challenge victory in front of the home crowd.

Following the Skills Challenge was the 3-point contest, completed

by Tyrese Haliburton, Tyler Herro, Buddy Hield, Kevin Huerter, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, Julius Randle and Jayson Tatum.

In the first round, Haliburton matched Stephen Curry’s record for most points in a 3-point contest with 31. New York Knicks AllStar Randle followed with only 13 points, and his 6-year-old son was caught on camera with a disappointed look at his father’s subpar performance. The 2020 3-point winner Hield and Portland Trail Blazers’ Lillard qualified for the second round of the contest along with Haliburton. Hield opened the second round scoring 25 points, but Lillard took the lead scoring 26 points while sinking two 30-foot buckets in the process. Haliburton was unable to surpass Lillard, even after his impressive first round performance. This was Lillard’s first 3-point contest victory of his career and he did it while rocking his alma mater Weber State’s uniform.

The last event of the night, the Slam Dunk Contest, saw Jericho Sims of the New York Knicks, Kenyon Martin Jr. of the Houston Rockets, Trey Murphy III of the

New Orleans Pelicans and Mac McClung of the Philadelphia 76ers vie for the title. Though this year lacked the star power of previous years, one contestant unexpectedly revived the electricity in the dunk contest. McClung was crowned champion after being called up from the NBA G League just a week prior. The event began with Murphy III slamming it in after an alley-oop pass from Alvarado. Sims performed two “honey dip” dunks in the first round in a disappointing performance for Knicks fans.

In his second attempt, he stuck his arm inside the rim and pulled out a note from the net signaling the judges to give him a score of 50. However, with minimal cheers coming from the crowd, he did not receive a perfect score. Murphy III and McClung proceeded to the second and final round. McClung’s 540-degree dunk in his high school jersey capped off his legendary performance. Between his four dunks, McClung got perfect 50s on all but one attempt. Even though he has received minimal minutes in NBA games and has spent most of his career in the G League, McClung put his name on the map after the world saw him lift the Slam Dunk trophy.

The All-Star game was the final event of the weekend, where team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo picked their

teams’ playground-style just before the game began. Though James has been undefeated in the new format, Team Giannis handed him his first loss. The 184-175 victory was led by the game’s MVP Jayson Tatum’s record-breaking 55 points and Donovan Mitchell’s 40 points. Both players outcompeted Team LeBron’s Jaylen Brown, who scored 35 points. Similar to previous years, the high-scoring game was full of highlights and void of defense, leaving some fans desiring a game with more competitiveness. Even Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone called it “the worst basketball game ever.” Much of the game consisted of uncontested dunks and 3-point attempts from the logo. However, in the fourth quarter Boston Celtics fans were in for a treat as all players on the court quite literally stepped aside allowing Tatum and Brown to battle one-on-one. Though Brown knocked down a couple of contested 3-pointers over Tatum, it was a deep Lillard 3-pointer that sealed the game for Team Giannis.

With three extra days off after the weekend, NBA basketball resumed on Thursday, Feb. 23. The final two months of the regular season always prove to be the most important stretch of the season, as teams rev up for the playoffs. Only time will tell who the real contenders will be and who will be knocked out of playoff contention.

Women’s tennis blasts to 6-0 start in spring season Puneet Bansal Sports Editor The Case Western Reserve University women’s tennis team started with a fiery six-game win streak in the 2023 spring season, including four 9-0 sweeps. The team’s performance in recent weeks has been highlighted by second-year Hannah Kassaie, who earned back-to-back UAA Athlete of the Week for her dominance on the court.

The Spartans opened their season on the road against Wooster College on Feb. 5, sweeping all nine match-

es.

“It was a great first day to be back on the courts,” said head coach Kirsten Gambrell McMohan in an interview with the CWRU Athletic Department. “We were able to play almost the whole team so everybody got a lot of tennis … Everyone always wants lots of time on the court and to be feeling good about their game so that was really great.”

The strong doubles play from fourth-years Nina Hoog and Shreya Ramani, third-year Caitlyn Hsu and second-years Anna Kan, Hannah Kassaie and Lily McCloskey was instrumental in securing the season

opener.

“I thought Wooster played well and I thought our doubles came out really strong,” added Coach McMahon. “It was just a really solid all-around team win … [Wooster] definitely challenged us in a couple spots, so it was really great that we pulled out some of the close sets and a lot of tiebreakers.”

The Wooster match also marked the return of Ramani after more than a yearlong absence due to a knee injury.

“Playing tennis after a tough injury is really rewarding,” said Ramani.

“I was able to see the value of the

post-op work that I put in and it’s really gratifying to be playing with the team again.”

On their home court, the Spartans swept Otterbein College and Wittenberg University. Kassaie was instrumental in the wins, earning an 8-4 first doubles victory alongside McCloskey against Otterbein, an 8-1 first doubles win alongside McCloskey against Wittenberg and a 6-1, 6-1 win in first singles against Wittenberg. Her performance was honored with the UAA Athlete of the Week award, her first of the season.

Continue reading on page 15

Sports 15

observer.case.edu

WOMEN’S TENNIS from page 14 Everyone across the roster contributed to these wins, with the duos of second-year Radha Patel and first-year Katalina Wang and Ramani and Hsu picking up second and third doubles wins, respectively, against Otterbein. Kan and firstyear Elsa Syed picked up matchclinching wins following their individual victories in the singles.

Third-year Chloe Ku added a 6-0, 6-2 win in fifth singles, first-year Asha Shukla took a 6-2, 6-1 victory in fourth singles, Patel won second singles 6-3, 6-1 and McCloskey completed the sweep in first singles with a 6-2, 6-4 win.

Third-years Katherine Wang and Pallavi Goculdas teamed up for an 8-0 third doubles win against Wittenberg while Kan and Hoog pulled off a tough 8-4 win in second doubles. Kan and first-year Ellior Rose took third and sixth singles, respectively, to clinch the match. Ku and Goculdas took two-set wins in their singles, while Wang won the second singles match in three sets.

“I especially thought Wittenberg gave us some good competition,” reflected Coach McMahon. “The doubles matches were a little closer than they looked like and some the singles matches were also closer than what the scores show. I definitely feel like they were a strong team and pushed us to the most so far. It was a good physical and mental test for us.”

When asked about what’s contributing to the team’s success, Ramani pointed to sheer determination and strong chemistry.

“We have a ... team where all of our players are extremely competitive and versatile. That really helps

solidify and diversify every match that we play as a team. There is also a genuine camaraderie ... that allows us to all push each other to be better.”

The Spartans traveled to Lexington, Virginia on Feb. 17 for a threegame road series, first taking on the No. 21 Washington and Lee University. CWRU went 2-1 in doubles, with Kassaie/McCloskey winning 8-2 in first, Patel/Wang taking second with 8-3 and Kan/Hoog falling 8-7 in third. Kassaie and Patel kicked off singles with two-set wins.

McCloskey clinched the match after defeating her opponent in second singles 6-4, 6-3.

The next day, CWRU brought out the brooms again, sweeping No. 23 Christopher Newport University.

Kan/Hoog, Patel/Wang and Kassaie/McCloskey went about their winning ways in the doubles. Kassaie, Patel, Wang, McCloskey, Goculdas and Shukla completed the sweep with singles victories.

On Feb. 19, the Spartans faced the No. 14 University of Mary Washington in the toughest competition they’ve had thus far. Kassaie/McCloskey kicked off doubles with an 8-0 win while Goculdas/Wang and Patel/Wang completed the doubles sweep. Kassaie, Patel and Goculdas picked up singles wins to stave off Mary Washington 6-3 for their sixth straight win. McCloskey, Kan and Shukla each played hard-fought matches in their singles but ultimately were defeated.

Kassaie won all six of her matches during this trip, earning her second UAA Athlete of the Week honors of the season and the fourth of her ca-

reer.

The Spartans will return home to host Kenyon College on Feb. 26.

They will then travel to Nicholasville, Kentucky to compete in the ITA National Indoor Championships from March 3-5.

“Last year was record-breaking for us and we’re hoping to go even farther this year,” said Ramani about the season ahead. “We have really lofty goals and I’m sure [that] as a team, we will definitely accomplish them.”

Pallavi Goculdas wins at sixth singles against the University of Mary Washington, helping CWRU to their sixth straight win of the spring season. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics

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We accept Case Cash & Plum Cash! Located at the corner of Euclid Ave. and E115th St.

Friday, February 24, 2023

16 Sports

Danny Frauenheim continues to excel on the court at CWRU Paola Van der Linden Costello Sports Editor Graduate student guard Danny Frauenheim has been an amazing addition to Case Western Reserve University’s men’s basketball team this season. Frauenheim has been averaging 12.9 points per game in conference play on 42.4% overall shooting. He recorded two doubledoubles in conference play and recently surpassed 1,000 career points and 500 assists after playing against New York University on Sunday, Feb. 5.

Frauenheim grew up in Brielle, New Jersey and completed his undergraduate studies at Susquehanna University, where he majored in finance. He came to CWRU for his masters in finance as well.

Although Frauenheim finally chose basketball, he played as many sports as he could growing up.

“I played football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball and lacrosse in the spring,” said Frauenheim about his childhood.

“Then in high school, I only ended up playing basketball and golf during my four years.”

He started playing basketball from a very young age, partly because his father was a basketball coach. Frauenheim grew up going to the games his dad coached and usually sat with him at practice. Naturally, Frauenheim wanted to play.

He started in first grade and hasn’t stopped since.

An integral part of the men’s basketball team, graduate student Danny Frauenheim recently surpassed 1,000 career points and 500 assists. Courtesy of CWRU Athletics Choosing to become an undergraduate student athlete is no small decision, but Frauenheim loved basketball and decided to take on the challenge. At Susquehanna, he lost his third-year season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, giving him an extra year of eligibility. “Luckily I was able to find a place like CWRU that has given me the opportunity to use that year and continue playing the game I love,” said Frauenheim.

CWRU offered him a strong academic program in the Weatherhead School of Management and the opportunity to play elite NCAA DIII basketball.

CWRU’s basketball team this season has continued to surprise

everyone with record-shattering performances time and time again.

Frauenheim tells us that his favorite part of the game “would have to be winning. There’s no greater feeling in the world than winning.” Spartan basketball fans would have to agree.

Seeing this team be in an eightgame winning streak and clinch the top seed in the University Athletics Association for the first time in CWRU’s history has been an incredible ride that fans happily shared with them.

One of the great things about Frauenheim is his ability to work in a team. In an earlier post-game interview, third-year forward Ian Elam described how special Frauenheim’s

play-making abilities are. Elam, who made 21 points that game, attributed part of his success to Frauenheim, saying, “Danny created so many great looks for me and the ball just kept going in.” Frauenheim has 156 assists this season and 82 during conference play, leading the team with the most assists this season.

As the team moves forward to the NCAA DIII championship, Frauenheim is looking forward to the next few weeks for the team.

“We have had great success this season, winning the first UAA championship in school history and we’re looking forward to continuing the success in the tournament.”

Scores and Upcoming Games Women’s Basketball

Baseball

(15-9, 6-7 UAA)

Men’s Basketball

CWRU vs UChicago

(20-3, 10-3 UAA)

CWRU at WashU (2/17) - W 61-57

(2/24-26) - 4 games

CWRU at WashU (2/17) - W 75-74

CWRU at UChicago (2/19) - L 76-64

CWRU vs Marietta

CWRU at UChicago (2/19) - W 76-67

(3/1) - 2 games CWRU at CMU (2/25)

Women’s Tennis

CWRU vs Wash. & Jeff.

(3/4) - 2 games

CWRU at CMU (2/25)

Men’s Tennis

(6-0)

(7-2)

CWRU at Washington & Lee (2/17) - W 6-3

CWRU vs Hope (2/17) - W 9-0

CWRU vs Chris. Newport (2/18) - W 9-0

Softball

CWRU vs John Carroll (2/17) - W 9-0

CWRU vs Mary Washington (2/19) - W 6-3

CWRU vs Grand Slam Triangle

CWRU vs Allegheny (2/19) - W 9-0

Classic (3/4-5)

CWRU vs Oberlin (2/19) - W 9-0

CWRU vs Kenyon (2/24)

CWRU vs Huntingdon (3/4)

CWRU vs Claremont-M-S (3/3)

CWRU vs Averett (3/4)

CWRU vs Emory (2/24)

CWRU vs ITA National Indoor

CWRU vs Chris. Newport (3/5)

CWRU vs ITA National Indoor

Championship (2/25-26)

CWRU vs Arcadia (3/5)

Championship (2/25-26)

Indoor Track & Field

Swimming & Diving

CWRU vs Ed Finnigan GCC Invite (2/17) -

CWRU vs Midwest Invitational (2/17-18) -

Men’s team: 1/5 (176 pts)

Men’s team: 2nd (661 pts)

Women’s team: 2/6 (135 pts)

Women’s team: 1st (608 pts)

CWRU vs UAA Indoor Championships (2/17)

CWRU vs NCAA Diving Zone Regional (2/24-25)