News: USG town hall discusses changes to campus-wide DEI programs (pg. 3)
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Four CWRU students lose F-1 visas under national scrutiny
Téa Tamburo News Editor
Four international students at Case Western Reserve University had their F-1 visa status terminated by the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) over the past two weeks, according to an April 14 email from President Eric Kaler. This update comes amid local and national reports of student visas being terminated without prior notification, which immediately makes it illegal for those impacted to remain studying or working in the United States. The revocations follow immigration enforcement orders introduced by the Trump administration in January.
The university is actively monitoring international students’ visa statuses. CWRU’s Visa & Immigration Services & Advisors (VISA) Office will continue to update its website with the latest travel policies and procedures to help students navigate the evolving situation.
In his email, Kaler highlighted how the university is supporting international students.
“In each of these visa termination cases, a team from across the university—including the VISA Office,
the Division of Student Affairs, and academic leadership within relevant schools, among others—is working with the affected student to provide support and, where possible, legal options,” he wrote. When contacted directly by The Observer, the university declined to provide additional comments about the details of this support.
CWRU is among several universities that have reported student F-1 visa terminations in recent weeks. According to a tracker compiled by Inside Higher Ed, over 1,300 students at 210 colleges across the country have reported visa terminations, as of April 16. This list includes several of Ohio’s public universities, such as The Ohio State University, Kent State University, the University of Cincinnati, Cleveland State University and the University of Akron.
International students make up a sizable portion of CWRU’s student population, with 749 undergraduates, 1,291 graduates and 44 Cleveland Institute of Music students. This amounts to 2,084 students total— roughly 17% of the university’s population, as of the fall 2024 semester.
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Community reacts to April 11 shelter-in- place order following armed intruder
Darcy Chew Sports Editor
Hannah Johnson Opinion Editor
Zachary Treseler
News Editor
On April 11, the Case Western Reserve University community experienced a campus-wide shelter-in-place alert. At 8:19 p.m., text messages went out to the campus advising the community to “find a safe location” if outdoors and informing receivers that all buildings will require a CWRU ID for access. This message was soon followed by
a call from the university’s Rave alert system, reiterating the instructions for the community to shelter in place.
At the time of the initial alert, there was no information given about the situation, only the information advising the community on actions they should take.
Other students failed to take the alert seriously, assuming it was weather-related, and continued walking around campus despite the alert. Many students also began to speculate in group chats and on social media, hoping to get further information from their peers on the situation.
One student who was at a club event at the time of the alert said, “One of my friends stated that she heard that it was a tornado warning. Because of that, we
thought it was okay to just go. In fact, my friends left the building and actually started walking to their Southside dorms before the second alert came in.”
A follow-up text eight minutes later described the situation very bluntly: “Armed individual reported in Michelson House.”
About twenty minutes after the initial alert, the campus community was informed of the detainment of an intruder, unaffiliated with CWRU, on the south side of campus and that there was an ongoing police investigation. Updates persisted in roughly 15-minute intervals via text message until the CWRU Division of Public Safety issued an “all-clear” for the campus. Throughout the time of the alert, Saferide and shuttle services went down.
A resident of Michelson House, Resident A, recalled their first reactions to receiving the alert. “When I first got the alert, my mind jumped to there being a shooter of some sort, but I figured it was in relation to the hospitals. I saw some cops in the parking lot, but the car’s lights weren’t on and they weren’t running, so I figured it was nothing,” they said.
Resident A continued, “I was surprised when I saw Michelson named in the alert, because I hadn’t heard anything in the building. In different group chats, people had been saying there was something going on near top of the hill, but I was shocked it was my building. Then, obviously, I was scared because I had no information on the gravity of the situation.”
Another resident of Michelson House, Resident B, who lives on the floor where the intruder hid, recounted their experience.
“I heard the police in the hallway of Michelson before the second alert went out. They identified themselves as the Cleveland Heights Police, and not CWRU PD. That was the first sign that something was off in Michelson, and then the alert on my phone confirmed it. I had no idea whether or not we were in danger, so my roommates and I all hid as far from the door as possible,” they said.
In an email sent out to the campus community the day after the incident, CWRU clarified the events of the preceding night. A motor vehicle accident on Cedar Road resulted in four juveniles armed with firearms and “possibly a hammer” fleeing the scene. According to Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren, the crash took place at 7:23 p.m., with one of the vehicles involved being stolen.
One of the juveniles was detained by Cleveland Heights Police, but CWRU PD was requested to help find the remaining three subjects. At 8:18 p.m., police dispatchers were notified of a suspect tailgating a CWRU student into Michelson. This observation came from drone footage, part of a relatively new “Drone Unit” established by the Division of Public Safety at the start of this academic year with seven police officers.
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Jana Ashour/The Observer
Following the intruder’s arrest at Michelson Hall, CWRU PD conducted a search of several South Residential Village dorms. Courtesy of Cleveland 19 News
Ohio voters to decide on $2.5 billion infrastructure bond in May 6 election
CWRUVotes organizes events to encourage student turnout
Zachary Treseler News Editor
Students who are registered to vote in Ohio will be able to go to the ballot box through May 6 to have their voices heard during a special and primary election. This election primarily concerns a renewal of Issue 2, which seeks to reauthorize the Ohio Public Works Commission’s State Capital Improvement Program. The program has been in effect since 1987 and has been authorized by voters in 1995, 2005 and 2014 through a series of changes to the state constitution. This year’s reauthorization seeks to allow the state to issue $2.5 billion in bonds to fund local and countylevel infrastructure programs.
Students who registered to vote at their on-campus housing address will be able to vote in-person at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections from April 8 to Sunday, May 4.
Over the past 10 years, Cuyahoga County—where Case Western Re-
serve University is located—has enjoyed $215.6 million in funding from this measure. Of that, Cleveland received $9 million last year and $8 million in 2023. The Greater Cleveland RTA was awarded $2 million to fix a bridge across the East 116th–St. Luke’s station, which crosses the Blue and Green Lines in the Buckeye–Shaker neighborhood.
Throughout the Ohio statehouse, this ballot measure has not only widespread support but also a relatively seamless approval process.
The Ohio Ballot Board, which certifies and approves language used in ballot issues, approved both the language and the official explanation for and against Issue 2. This stands in contrast to previous ballot initiatives, such as the most recent Issue 1 on redistricting, which drew criticism for its contentious and politically charged phrasing.
Only one member of the Ohio Senate and four members of the General Assembly—all Republicans—voted against House Joint Resolution 8, the measure that cre-
ated this amendment. The official ballot argument against Issue 2 was written by the Ballot Board, as no one submitted an argument against the measure.
A long list of commerce chambers, professional organizations, planning authorities, water and sewer districts and associations of towns, cities and leaders of local governments have supported the amendment. These groups have formed the “Yes 2 Build Ohio” Coalition to advocate for the ballot measure. One of the main organizations against the amendment comes from the conservative Grassroots Freedom Initiative, calling on Ohioans to vote down the “stealth bond issue.”
“The Ohio primary election is May 6, making it a bit more challenging for CWRU students to vote, given the semester schedule. However, CCEL and CWRUVotes are here to help,” said Besty Banks, director for the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning, in a written statement to The Observer about how CWRUVotes is support-
ing students who wish to participate in the election.
To support student participation, Banks explained that CWRUVotes is organizing several efforts to make voting more accessible for CWRU students. She said, “CWRUVotes will be tabling with Ohio absentee ballot request forms, which are due to the board of elections by April 29 (we encourage students to send their request sooner, since completed ballots must be postmarked no later than May 5). Currently, early in-person voting is underway, and CWRUVotes will be providing several trips to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for registered students to vote in-person or to drop-off their completed absentee ballots. On Election Day, we are also hosting several van trips to nearby polling locations. To register for a trip, students should visit CCEL’s CampusGroups page.”
She also said, “We welcome students to stop by CCEL (Tink #165) for assistance with absentee ballot requests and voting-related questions.”
Issue 2 seeks to renew funding for local and county infrastructure
vote in the May 6 special election, and CCEL will provide
Courtesy of the Greater Ohio Policy Center
USG town hall discusses changes to campus-wide DEI programs
Darcy Chew Sports Editor
Vani Subramony News Editor
On April 12, Case Western Reserve University’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) held their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Town Hall with Vice President for Student Affairs Travis Apgar and Vice President of the new Office for Campus Enrichment and Engagement Robert L. Solomon.
During the hour-long town hall meeting, Apgar and Solomon answered curated questions drafted by USG members and responded to a short Q&A session with the 10 students in attendance. The topics discussed revolved around the recent closure of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Engagement and subsequent establishment of the Office for Campus Enrichment and Engagement, the national news of student visas being terminated and concerns about federal funding and the fiscal impact on the university.
During the section of the town hall covering DEI, Solomon said, “I hope everyone understands that [the closing of the DEI office] was not and never has been the desire of this university.”
Solomon continued to explain the structure and goals of the new office.
“The challenge that we have based on what the Department of Education has outlined, is that we cannot engage in targeted efforts of specific populations based upon race, religion, national heritage, etc.” he said. “Our mission, which you see from the new website, is enriching our campus life through building community, active engagement, mindful learning and transformative dialogue.”
He also acknowledged how the closing of the Office for DEI Engagement impacted its original staff. “When the office closed, that meant that every member of that staff was laid off,” he noted. Staff of the office included individuals who had worked at CWRU for more than 20 years and student workers.
One student worker, who requested to remain anonymous, said in a statement to The Observer, “As a student worker in the former DEI office, I found out about the closing of the office through the email sent out by President Kaler on March 26. I felt very blindsided by the message and feel like it would have been nice to have been informed by the university in advance.”
Additionally, it was noted in an article by Ideastream that DEI scholarships have been removed from the Col-
lege of Arts and Sciences website.
It also appears that employee training at CWRU has shifted focus, highlighting the loss of DEI. “This year’s annual compliance training for employees was bittersweet. It focused on hiring and employment and to me really demonstrated how CWRU prioritizes equitable and inclusive practices to make sure that any and every applicant has an equal opportunity for a job,” an anonymous university employee said. “However, many links for additional information are now broken, including ones that pointed to resources on the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity’s website. I would like to know that our priorities and these practices will stay the same even when offices change.”
Solomon also mentioned the cancellation of Envision Weekend, a program designed to prepare incoming firstyear students from underrepresented minorities for university life by “providing educational workshops, engaging panel discussions, and communitybuilding activities before the start of the academic year.” He stated that the office is looking to implement a similar, broader jump-start program in the following years.
During the open Q&A session, more information was revealed, including that Diversity 360, one of the Discover
Week programs, will be removed from the 2025 Discover Week schedule. On the now-removed website, Diversity 360 was listed as a “campus-wide diversity education program for students, faculty, and staff.” The program was developed to assist students, faculty and staff in learning how to “[i] ncrease capacity to recognize and engage in dialogue across the breadth of differences,” “[d]eepen understanding of how affiliations in privileged and marginalized groups impact treatment on campus,” and “[d]eepen awareness of types of microaggressions and how they affect experiences on campus and in the local community.”
Regarding Discover Week programs, Apgar made it clear that the “sexual assault prevention training” will still be in place for the incoming first-years.
Apgar also reiterated that the LGBT Center and the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women do not have any planned changes. “They’re part of Student Affairs, and at this time, we don’t anticipate there’ll be changes to those centers … They work across students, faculty, staff to offer programs and education and support. And so, we anticipate that we’ll continue to do that,” Apgar noted. “I will go back to my earlier disclosure: Everyday brings a new challenge.”
Lucas Yang/The Observer
Shelter in place from page 1
By 8:27 p.m., the suspect, found to be unarmed, had been located in the janitor’s closet and detained. Videos and photos posted to social media show one individual being led out of Glaser House by police. According to police scanners, the subject requested that an ambulance meet him, citing back pains.
After locating the suspect in Michelson House, Michelson, Kusch, Glaser, Mary Chilton Noyes, and John Sykes Fayette Houses were cleared. By 9:28 p.m., the shelter in place order was lifted for all buildings north of Euclid Avenue, with an “all clear” message sent out to the community by 10 p.m.
Many students caught up in the
Students
“I know how disconcerting this might be for many in our community,” Kaler wrote on April 14. “International students, faculty, staff and postdocs are and will continue to be an essential part of the Case Western Reserve community.”
Alexandra Magearu, a lecturer in the Department of English, wrote a letter to the department underscoring the importance of supporting students during this time.
“In this climate of fear, it is our responsibility as faculty members to come together and support our international student community,” she wrote. “We should demonstrate to our international students that we value their contributions to our campus community and that they are an integral part of our university.”
A non-international student, who wished to remain anonymous, voiced their concerns about the uncertainty international students are facing.
“These students had built lives here,” they said. “Sudden policy shifts under the new government have created uncertainty that affects not just their education, but their sense of stability and belonging.”
An international student, who asked to remain anonymous, said it would be helpful if the university provided clearer guidance on how to proceed in the event of visa-related issues.
“So, we’re kind of worried about this,” they said. “It makes us kind of scared to go back to our own country during the summer vacations. Makes us prefer to stay here whenever we got few days off, because we are worried that our visa is gonna be called back.”
Another international student mentioned how this uncertainty surrounding visa status could complicate their transfer plans.
“If I need to go to another university next semester, I need to update my visa, and I’m not sure if the policy will influence [whether I] can get a visa,” they said. “That’s what’s [making] me feel really anxious because I know if I go back to China, it’s hard for me to get back here.”
Ananya Dasgupta, assistant professor of history, highlighted the personal connection she feels with the termination of students’ F-1 visas.
“In the 19 years that I have spent studying and working at research universities in this country, I have never seen international students rendered so vulnerable,” she said. “Thus President Kaler’s message on Monday was welcome because at least we received some verified information on how many students
shelter in place order on the south side of campus wished more information was provided to them, specifically about where the armed threat was located.
Resident A wished that “CWRU had provided more communication throughout.” They said, “Obviously, I know that in times of chaos, it is hard to send clear, wellinformed messages, but I felt very in-the-dark. I wasn’t sure if they were evacuating the building or if CWRU police would be searching our rooms, or anything like that. I think that increased communication would have helped with that. I also wish that the first shelter-inplace would have specified Michel-
son—or at least top of the hill—because I saw some people outside Michelson trying to get in to shelter in place, before going to Carlton Commons.”
Other students understood the constraints of limited information but felt that the university could have responded after the all-clear was given. Student B believed that “Case did the best they could considering the circumstances. They didn’t have all the information at first but they were still pretty quick in their response. There wasn’t much support from Case for [Southside] residents after the incident, though.”
The April 12 email said that “staff
members from the Division of Student Affairs were on the scene to provide support to students in Michelson House.”
When contacted for further comment, a university spokesperson referred to the CWRU Alert emails that the authors already received. They did add that “all emergency alerts are expected to be taken seriously.” The spokesperson did not provide more information on how CWRU Police used their drone or if better communication will come to ensure students are less confused for the next alert, referring to a page on the Division of Public Safety’s website regarding what to do in a given emergency.
lose F-1 visas from page 1
have been affected, putting to rest rumors that had been circulating. It is important that CWRU keeps issuing regular updates on this volatile situation to reduce the fear level.”
In a March 25 email, the VISA Office advised international students against international travel and encouraged them to always carry documentation verifying their valid immigration status.
According to a 2021 university policy, all faculty must register university-related international travel with the Office of International Affairs. “Doing so helps the university assist in the event of an emergency during travel and provide guidance on complying with applicable laws, and allows faculty to register for the university’s medical emergency insurance policy, among other benefits,” the April 14 email explained.
During April 12’s Undergraduate Student Government Town Hall with Vice President for Student Affairs Travis Apgar, Apgar reiterated the VISA Office’s advice in response to a question about whether the university will provide financial assistance to international students who cannot go back to their home country over summer break.
One international student attended because they wanted to learn more about summer housing options since they are unable to go home.
“It made me angry that [Kaler] said [on-campus summer housing] was a ‘discounted’ rate, because it’s not discounted. It’s pretty expensive, and it’s more expensive than renting out, but that’s more of a hassle because I’m an international student,” they said.
Another student echoed a similar sentiment.
“We were told to apply for a $500 emergency fund. That’s less than one-fifth of the cost of summer housing,” they said. “The administration is calling this support—what it really is, is performative. It feels like a slap in the face to students who are already struggling, many of whom can’t return home for political or financial reasons.”
This student criticized the university’s funding priorities.
“What makes this even more painful is seeing the university find funding for spring entertainment acts and other luxuries while some of its students face housing and food insecurity. I want to have safe housing, not a spring comedian or CWRU merch,” they said.
On March 25, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented a policy to revoke F-1 student visas based on international students’ social media activity.
According to an article published by The New York Times, they particularly targeted content posted by students who were perceived as pro-Palestinian. This initiative, part of the “Catch and Revoke” program, utilizes artificial intelligence to monitor online posts and identify individuals allegedly supporting Hamas or engaging in antisemitic behavior.
While student visas grant international students the right to free speech when in the U.S., they do not guarantee protection of their immigration status. Under the executive order, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) was directed to scrutinize visa programs more closely. As the order reads, “It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”
The DOS said in a statement to
The Observer that they review information after a visa is issued to determine if someone has grounds for revocation and currently revoke visas every day. They said they will continue to do so.
“This can include everything from arrests, criminal convictions, and engaging in conduct that is inconsistent with the visa classification, to an overstay,” the department said about why some visas get terminated. “The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted.”
The DOS did not respond to requests for comment regarding the specific grounds on which the CWRU students’ visas were terminated.
Additional reporting contributed by Sports Editor Darcy Chew and News Editor Vani Subramony.
Playlist of the week: Songs for the end of another school year
Kate Gordon Life Editor
After a brutally cold winter, spring is finally (kind of) here. Although this is the cloudiest, rainiest and definitely dreariest spring of my college experience, the rare pockets of warm, sunny weather are a more-than-welcome reprieve from the end-of-year academic slog. While I normally embrace spring with open arms—it’s always been my favorite season—this year, with graduation imminent, I’ve been feeling much more ambivalent about the changing of the seasons. The following playlist is a mix of upbeat and melancholy songs that, I hope, encapsulate the bittersweet emotions that always resurface when another semester ends. Wherever you are in your journey at Case Western Reserve University, perhaps you can find comfort in this playlist too.
“I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song”Jim Croce
I only know about Jim Croce because one of my friends is a superfan of this ‘70s singer. “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song” is stripped-back and tender, and reflects his personal experience of not being able to express his love for his wife in words, and thus, having to express it through song. While the track seems like a sweet, happy ending to this playlist, a closer examination of its history reveals that it’s actually quite sad. See, “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song” was released posthumously after Croce’s death in a plane crash. It’s pretty much the textbook definition of bittersweet, making it a perfect complement for the difficult end-of-year emotions we’re all feeling.
“Here is Someone” - Japanese Breakfast
“Here is Someone,” also an April release, is an ethereal number with light, floaty vocals and flowing instrumentals (namely keys and acoustic guitar). It opens Japanese Breakfast’s latest album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women),” and is my favorite song off the record. I think “Mega Circuit” and “Honey Water” are also solid, upbeat additions to any spring playlist, and I nominate “Orlando in Love” for a sadder pick.
I’ve encountered a few “Ohio” songs while browsing Spotify, and they always disappoint me.
An exception to this is “Ohio All The Time”, which not only is a solid song, but also a song that’s fun, high-energy and doesn’t make living in Ohio seem like some horrible tragedy.
I love that despite its release this past April, it has a distinctly early aughts pop/rock sound with lots of guitar and distorted, reverberating vocals. Plus, a lot of its lyrics are strangely relatable. “I’m standing by the sign”—could that be the Cleveland sign? The ugly Case Quad sign? The narrator also mentions being “stuck in 22,” the same age as yours truly and likely one-quarter of the people reading this article. It’s not enough to speak to the soul, for sure, but the song is probably at least a little personal for many of us, which is nice.
“oh baby” - LCD Soundsystem
“oh baby” by electronic rock band LCD Soundsystem has the no-fail combination of a quick, driving rhythm and dreamy synth and vocals. It’s bright and sunny-sounding without being cloying–a sure pick-me-up after “Miles Away.”
“A Personal Issue” - The Cleaners from Venus
This low-key, eccentric rock song from the ‘80s is a playlist filler in the best kind of way. Featuring a strong beat and simple melody, the track is light and fun and stays firmly in its own lane. I also love the album’s cover art, which features an alien-adorned postage stamp on a uniformly green background. It’s cute and quirky, just like the record itself.
“Miles Away” - Yo La Tengo
“Miles Away” has the same otherworldly, float-y feeling as “Here is Someone,” but with a much darker ambiance. I’ll admit that this sevenminute-plus, lyrically sparse song is probably not for everyone, but it’s truly beautiful and builds an atmosphere wherein you can fully immerse yourself. For a song with a similar vibe that’s a bit of an easier listen, you can try the band’s “Nowhere Near” instead.
“Ohio All The Time” - Momma
Lucas Yang/The Observer
Bright Eyes gives motivated performance at The Agora
Kennedy Wolf Staff Writer
Last Wednesday, April 9, indie rock band Bright Eyes performed at The Agora as part of their 2025 North American tour. The band released their tenth studio album, “Five Dice, All Threes,” this past September and has been touring across Canada and America to promote it ever since. Known for their emotionally charged lyrics and poetic songwriting, Bright Eyes has continued to solidify their legacy as one of the great emo bands of the 2000s with the release of their last album. With a career stretching nearly thirty years, they have clearly proven themselves to be longstanding. But does this musical talent translate to the stage? I would say only mostly. While lead singer Conor Oberst does appear to be awkward at times, especially considering his thirty years of stage experience, his passion and motivation for music is still clear. Plus, he has a genuine friendship with his bandmates, regularly giving them shout-outs during the concert.
I must admit that this was a bit of a “revenge concert” for me. Allow me to elaborate—in early 2022, I was ready to start going to concerts again after the long, seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic, a feeling I am sure many of us can relate to. I bought tickets to a Bright Eyes concert, considering they had been one of my favorite
bands since middle school and had recently released a new album (Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was). After playing three songs poorly, Oberst keeled over, vomited onto the stage and ran off. The rest of the band awkwardly tried to coax him out from backstage and then played karaoke for an hour before everyone left. Needless to say, the entire audience got refunds. So, in a way, by attending my second Bright Eyes concert (if you can count the first), I was avenging past me by actually getting to see one of my favorite bands perform. I jokingly told the friend I dragged along, “If they get through more than three songs, this will be better than the last concert.” Luckily for everyone, Bright Eyes put on a redeemable performance, and I have mentally forgiven them. Now let’s move on from my self-wallowing and cover the actual event.
Bright Eyes is a band proudly from Nebraska and usually has other groups from the state open for them. They’ve had the Nebraska-based band Cursive as the opening act for the duration of their current tour, who played for roughly an hour. Cursive’s songs lyrically and musically resemble that of Bright Eyes, which makes sense as that’s probably what their main audience enjoys. Right before Bright Eyes took the stage, the venue lowered a nicely decorated banner reading, “you are now at a Bright Eyes concert” that had a cute, illustrated piano behind it. The setlist was eighteen tracks long,
From left to right: Bright Eyes members Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst and Nate Walcott have been performing together since 1995, releasing 10 studio albums together over the years. Courtesy of Bright Eyes
with three of those tracks making up the encore. I found the concert to be a good mix of their songs that everyone knows from the 2000s, along with songs from their newest album. I left the concert having heard most of my favorites.
While there were no fancy costume changes, which I did not expect from a group of middle-aged men, to my delight, there were a variety of instruments. The band had people playing the bass, banjo, trumpet, keyboard, electric cello and triangle. I learned not only that an electric cello existed, but also what they look like! The Agora’s lighting was also spectacular and would frequently pulse with the beat and tempo of whatever song was being
played. The overall production of the concert was impressive.
Oberst did engage with the crowd and seemed grateful that everyone was there. I always feel a bit awkward when the performer completely ignores the audience, which was a camp I was afraid he might fall into. He also made numerous political statements, which I completely expected from a man who made his career off writing songs denouncing the Iraq War in the early 2000s. But I always appreciate an artist who takes a stance, and the rest of the audience certainly did too. I had a good time and am very glad that I will finally be able to get over my petty spiteful grudge against the band from 2022.
THE WORST CASE SCENARIO
The Great Spring Sneeze-ocalypse
Auden Koetters Director of Design
It’s that time of year again: The sun’s out, the flowers are blooming and your immune system is throwing in the towel. Pollen is waging war, and you're losing—miserably. It’s the season of fresh starts and allergies, and if you’re like most of us at Case Western Reserve University, your nose is the first casualty in this battle between nature and your immune system.
This week’s column is dedicated to an underappreciated, all-toocommon campus disaster: the spring sneeze-ocalypse. You know the symptoms—itchy eyes, constant sneezing and that raw, irritated throat that’s a cross between a paper cut and swallowing sandpaper. It’s the worst kind of battle, fought silently in lecture halls, libraries and coffee shops across campus. But don’t worry, dear reader, we’ve got you covered with some essential survival tips for this seasonal war zone.
1. The Tissues: a never-ending dilemma. The first blow comes when you realize you’ve run out of tissues. In that crucial moment, you start rummaging through your backpack, hoping to find that lone crumpled tissue that might save you from a full-on sneeze tsunami. But no luck. You’re left to either suffer in silence, risk a rogue booger in public or shamefully sprint to the nearest bathroom with a trail of snot in your wake. Remember: you can never have enough tissues in your backpack, unless you’ve just given up entirely and started to use your sleeve.
2. The Sneeze Interruption: You’re deep in lecture, the professor
is having an existential moment and suddenly—ACHOO! You try to stifle it, but no—your sneeze has the power of an F5 tornado. Cue the awkward silence, the sympathetic glances and the universal “Please don’t let me be the person who just interrupted the entire class.” But don’t worry, it’s only the 100th time this week. You’re not alone.
3. The “Is It Allergies or Am I Getting Sick?” Debate: Ah, the classic dilemma: Is that scratchy throat and stuffy nose just your body’s annual allergic reaction to the air, or are you actually coming down with something? You’ll google every symptom, convince yourself you’re on the verge of a full-blown illness and then remember it’s just pollen that’s ruining your life for the 10th year in a row. Spoiler: It's not a cold. But you’ll still text your friend “I might be dying” just to make sure you’re not alone in this miserable mess.
4. Medication Roulette: Zyrtec? Claritin? The knock-off generic brand that was on sale? You pop the pill and pray for relief, but what you really get is the kind of drowsiness that could rival a late-night Netflix binge. Side effects include: dry mouth, regret and the faint hope that maybe—just maybe—this will actually stop the suffering. Spoiler alert: It won’t.
Spring may be the season of renewal, but your allergies? Not so much. If anything, they’re here to stay. So embrace the sneezing, the watery eyes and the tissue piles—because when finals hit, you’ll at least have a very valid excuse for your lack of focus. Welcome to the season of sneeze and struggle. May your tissues be plentiful and your antihistamines at the ready.
SUDOKU
What We've Been Listening To
Photos of the week
Rockin'
Elie Aoun/The Observer
Darcy Chew/The Observer
Shivangi Nanda/The Observer
Elie Aoun/The Observer
Shivangi Nanda/The Observer Shareen Chahal/The Observer
Téa Tamburo/The Observer
Shivangi Nanda/The Observer
Darcy Chew/The Observer
Opinion
Inexistence: Dehumanization of immigrants doesn’t seem to cut it—the US is seeking more literal forms of erasure
Mariana Parilli-Castillo Contributing Writer
Imagine that you are a nice woman, not particularly different from any other nice woman except for how the country you live in treats you. You dedicate your life to a craft, working endlessly to provide for your family. Still, you know that the country you live in is inherently predisposed against you and have heard the call of reactionaries to get rid of you—that you are a pest, a plague, all that is evil in the country. These reactionaries say that, for their nation to return to its pure, original state, you ought to be removed like gum from the sole of a shoe.
One day as you’re heading into your workplace, a mysterious police force takes you, leaving you with no way to contact your family. This police force will verge from being distant—never telling you where you’re going, what they’re doing, why you’re even in their custody—to outright cruel—insulting you, pushing you and laughing at your misery. You get placed into a center where the rest of your life will be determined. You spend hours in their custody with no water or food—nor recourse to obtain any. They pack you into a small room with a dozen others. The air is sour and sweaty as the rooms have no toilets, and you’re only allowed to shower once or twice a week. You wonder how your family is doing. You never receive an answer. One day, they tell you that they are moving you to another location. Once again, you wonder why you are moving, what their goals are, whether you’ll ever breathe fresh air or if your lungs will forever burn with ammonia and tears. You stay in limbo for months. You are in limbo even now. That limbo, much like the limbos of the past—but a new incarnation nonetheless—is called Krome North Processing Center.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Krome is a detention center located in Miami. When first created, it was meant to keep 41,500 detainees. ICE now reports that it is holding 46,269, with its population only increasing. Its living conditions are inhumane, with at least two deaths being reported since January and thousands of detainees missing. Krome is a concentration camp. This is not an opinion shared by experts, and journalists are still iffy on the wording of it. When you read the reports from USA Today, not once will that term be used, much like they were scarcely used when the practice of keeping children in cages was first brought to national attention in 2018. They do not use these words for the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), the El Salvador high-security prison that the U.S. is spending $6 million to send supposed criminals (who have not undergone due process and most of whom don’t even have a traffic ticket to their name) to work indefinitely, with no signs of release. They will not use these words for the military training centers giving them the capacity to detain migrants by the thousands. They will not even use these words for the detention center being built in Guantánamo Bay meant to once again detain migrants, this time 30,000 of them, outside of American purview. Honestly, I do not expect anyone to
say anything, at any time, anymore. Well, I do expect them to equivocate. I expect them to say 30 or 40 years from now that they could not have seen it coming. That, even though all the signs were there, they still could not have anticipated the level of death and devastation that would destroy the “millions” of immigrants President Donald Trump first declared he would deport during his campaign trail. When the U.S. has destroyed my people, there will be little left for the country outside of the satisfaction of its cruelties. That is the crux of the matter, of course, as cruelty is the point of this exercise, even for those who supposedly belong here. The horrors and the violence, the glorification of the fresh disappearances in the morning are the point. Trump is not setting up those detainment centers because he wants to quickly deport illegal immigrants— and those who are thought to be illegal immigrants. He wants to detain them, strip them of their humanity, and use them as an example of the “evil” he is vanquishing. He will make this happen to the worst and best of us.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia did everything right: As a child, he fled El Salvador due to gang violence after his family was extorted by a group called Barrio 18. He created a life with friends, a wife and children here. He worked as a metalworker and played basketball with his friends here. In 2019, he was brought in front of an immigration judge under supposed ties to the group MS-13. These charges were dismissed, and, in lieu of asylum, he was granted a stay of deportation due to “well-founded fear” of gang retaliation. I am giving all these facts not because I would consider Abrego Garcia any less worthy of human decency, a trial, a return home or even the label of human if he had not done any
of these things. Abrego Garcia could have done none of these things, and I would still believe that all that he’s living through, much like what all other detainees the U.S. sent to the CECOT are living through, is nothing short of a horror story that lurks in the back of my mind, scarier because of its proximity.
The point, however, is that he did all these things—he followed the myth of “doing things right,” “following the rules” and “assimilating into the U.S.” as if donning a protection charm—an apple a day to keep ICE away. As of right now, a unanimous decision from the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that he should be returned immediately to the U.S., to his wife and kids, because he did things right, he followed the rules and he assimilated.
The Trump administration has vacillated between placing the responsibility of Abrego Garcia’s return solely on the shoulders of the Salvadoran government (see Attorney General Pam Bondi’s statement that “If they want to return him, we would facilitate it— meaning provide a plane. That’s up for El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us.”) and doubling down on the decision to send him to CECOT (see White House advisor Stephen Miller’s statement that Abrego Garcia was “the right person sent to the right place”). In a meeting with Trump on April 14, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said, “How can I return [Kilmar Abrego Garcia] to the United States? Like if I smuggle him into the United States? Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous.”
When I first came to the U.S., Abrego Garcia’s protection charms of respectability and work ethic were the same charms that my mother instilled in me, much like those instilled
in her by her mother when they first came to live in the U.S. in the 1980s. So far, they have worked for me, much like they worked for many years for Abrego Garcia. I will forever wait for the moment they do not. As I am writing this, there have already been three successive major shifts to my status as human. First, the Supreme Court’s brief, four-page unanimous decision on Noem v. Abrego Garcia, which stated that “the proper remedy is to provide Abrego Garcia with all the process to which he would have been entitled had he not been unlawfully removed to El Salvador,” and the subsequent dismissal by the U.S. government. Second, the Senate passed the SAVE Act, which states that it “requir[es] applicants to present documentary proof of United States citizenship … The State shall not accept and process an application to register to vote in an election for Federal office unless the applicant presents documentary proof of United States citizenship with the application,” which means that, for any election, I will have to present my citizenship certificate. Finally, there were the thousands of automatized U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emails that people received this weekend telling them that the DHS is “exercising its discretion to terminate their parole” and not to “remain in the United States—the federal government will find you,” which imply that the U.S. government has decided to deem whether a certain person is worthy of even the simplest of due process rights with the automatization of an ill-functioning machine. We are no longer animals. Animals are at least given the rules under which they must suffer. We do not exist, and it is only a matter of time until we disappear, leaving the laypeople to turn and only note our absence.
Jana Ashour/The Observer
EDITORIAL
How the mistreatment of CWRU’s international community fits into the wider trend of American nationalism
Editorial Board
This past Monday, President Eric Kaler sent out an immigration update to Case Western Reserve University’s campus, highlighting the nationwide termination of many student visas. In the email, he emphasizes the termination of four student visas at our own school—a horrifying sentence to read in bold.
CWRU has a relatively large international student population, with 749 international undergraduate students–roughly 11% of the undergraduate population—in fall 2024. Despite this, there has been an alarming lack of information regarding the revoked visas and the procedure that at-risk students should take in the case that their visa is revoked.
Because of the current contentious state of immigration, the CWRU administration is encouraging international students not to travel outside of the country. This, of course, provides the perfect opportunity for the school to promote its “discounted summer housing and dining options” for those who must stay in America. Who knows? Perhaps with National Institutes of Health funding cuts looming on the horizon, the school really will be struggling for funds soon.
This summer, as usual, courses will be offered at a discounted rate to incentivize students to attend the summer session. The undergraduate tuition will be $1,376 per credit
“Just
hour, which is half of the standard tuition rate. This price tag, although decreased, is still relatively high, with the average three credit course amounting to over $4,000. As for housing, spring transitional housing will be $320 with an additional cost of up to $2,800 for the entire summer. Despite Kaler’s email informing students to check the website for discounted dining options, the website has yet to be updated with this information as of the time this article was written.
Kaler’s email comes in the midst of hundreds of student visa terminations nationwide. These cancellations have been cited to be connected to things “as minor as roommate disputes or as off-campus traffic tickets” to the exercise of freedom of speech, particularly in regards to pro-Palestinian protest participation. Among some of the schools affected by the national visa revocations are Colorado State University (where university officials escorted some students to the airport to fly home), University of Massachusetts Amherst, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of California, Los Angeles and The Ohio State University.
Despite many of these reasons for revocation being flimsy at best, universities are still expected to go along with the federal government’s decisions, emphasizing a clear breach of constitutional rights. At a press conference, Secretary of State Marco Ru-
bio went as far as to say, “It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,” as if visas are something that can simply be snatched by one power-hungry man with hurt feelings at the drop of a hat. Well, that is certainly what it’s starting to seem like.
It’s completely ridiculous to expect international students to carry their “passports, I-94s, visa stamps, EADs, Permanent Resident cards, I-485 receipts, etc.” with them everywhere they go. In fact, it harkens to our not so distant past in which Black people were expected to carry “certificates of freedom” to avoid being labeled a fugitive and forcibly taken. Most people can agree that the segregation of the 1800s was horrible. They can agree that it was inhumane to expect people to carry papers to confirm their existence as human beings. Yet, somehow it is difficult for the Trump administration to see the clear-as-day parallels between the past and the sheer insanity of what they are doing today.
Time and time again, we have seen America devolve into a hateful brand of nationalism where those with privileged backgrounds are given preferential, humane treatment over the rest of the nation’s population. Today, international student journalists are being told to keep quiet about their rights—see Columbia University, where after Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest, international students were “urged to avoid publishing work about the war
in Gaza, student protests, and Khalil’s arrest”—for fear of governmental retribution. We now have a government where retribution is merely expected for speaking out against unfair practices and policies. Further than that, retribution is expected for merely existing as an immigrant.
Recently, Harvard President Alan Garber made a statement opposing President Donald Trump’s recent demands of the school: “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” Similarly, Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber said, “I think once you make concessions, it’s hard not to make them again.” Some universities are starting to speak out against Trump’s policies despite the threat of backlash and funding cuts. Nevertheless, many do not seem ready to contest these recent visa challenges due to the lack of information surrounding their revocations and questions of legality. At this point in time, though, it is critical that schools step up to provide support for the students they admitted into their programs. This includes the creation of an emergency fund for students, detailed procedural information for those who are concerned and potentially connections to legal counsel. It is the least they can do after recognizing a student’s promise and welcoming them to study at their school.
do it”—a motto for college success
Zachary Treseler News Editor
As the end of the year approaches, many take time in between the stresses of finals to reflect upon their year, and try to figure out what went right and what went wrong. As I look back on my four years, I am glad that I took advantage of every bone I was thrown and every opportunity I was given, regardless of when or what it was. I’d argue that the collegiate experience is necessitated by stepping out of one’s comfort zone and pursuing new opportunities, even if they appear at inconvenient times. For me, this meant studying abroad in my senior year, but for you, it might mean a million and one things that push you out of your comfort zone, allowing you to develop skills and remove barriers to your success.
The undergraduate years of college are unique in life. You are an adult, living away from your parents and often doing other adult things like working and filing taxes. But at the same time, there is an amount of freedom and liberty that you have, where you are not tied down to one particular box or set of activities to do. What this means is that it’s one of the few times in your life you will have the opportunity to try out new things and go on spontaneous adventures. Little is holding you back, and you have the resources of adulthood behind you to make them happen. In my case, living abroad in a new city has always been a dream of mine—a place where I can be truly independent and spontaneous while developing important skills and con-
nections. To make this happen, I had to invest time and energy to remove the barriers and obstacles that were preventing me from going on this adventure. This ranged from numerous phone calls with my parents, to countless meetings with my four-year and study abroad advisors, to seeking advice from friends on campus. And yes, this was all energy-draining and anxiety-producing, involving countless tears and emotional conversations. I felt as if I was actively playing with fire throughout the entire process. But even so, the time and energy spent to get to the point of stepping out of one’s comfort zone is not only rewarding, but also a key part of the college experience. After all, it is the only time in life when this type of action is encouraged, and you will have support to make it happen. Taking a risk and trying something new, from a new major to, in my case, a new coun-
try with a new language, takes guts, skill and emotional intelligence that is impossible to gather outside of this environment. These skills that I have gained are critical to succeeding both in the modern world and for getting the most out of your undergraduate experience.
Taking such a leap of faith is not only great for acquiring these necessary life skills, but also for increasing your confidence. I know my experience abroad has turned me into a more confident and resilient person, much like how many other large leaps of faith have helped my friends and peers strengthen their character and ability to function in the modern world.
What this means is that taking advantage of opportunities might come at the “right” time, but also opportunities for change and growth may come at inconvenient, and often counter-
productive, times. But it is in this challenge where the beauty of new opportunities make themselves known.
Which gets back into my thesis and call to action. Oftentimes, we can get caught in a groove, in a sense of normalcy, when going through our college lives as if we are working a nineto-five job. I want you to reject this sense of normalcy, and embrace the unexpected, new and scary.
Run for that executive position you think you are unqualified for. Go study abroad in that foreign country. Change your major the summer before your senior year. Have the experiences you want to have, and chase those that seem to be slipping away from your fingers.
That is how I have been able to get the most out of my four years at this university. If it all fails, hey, at least I have a story. Sometimes, that’s the most beautiful thing in the world.
Lucas Yang/The Observer
The importance of vaccines
Aambar Agarwal Social Media Manager
Last week, the United States surpassed 700 confirmed measles cases. A majority of them have occurred in Texas. In addition to Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico have active outbreaks, and 19 other states have reported at least one case. About 97% of the cases have been in unvaccinated patients and in those whose vaccination status is unknown.
Measles, also known as rubeola, is a highly contagious airborne disease caused by the measles virus. If one person nearby has measles, up to 9 out of 10 people near them will become infected. Its most common symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis and rash, similar to other infectious diseases. However, it can cause serious health complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis, especially in young children. It can erase the immune system’s memory of prior infections, rendering the body vulnerable to previously encountered pathogens. It can even lie dormant in the body for years and then reemerge, causing the deterioration of brain tissue.
In the current outbreak, the numbers are grim. Two children in Texas have died. An adult in New Mexico has died. Fifty-eight Texans have been hospitalized. Scientists fear that the U.S. is headed toward an epidemic.
Yet the solution is simple: vaccination. In communities with vaccination rates above 95%, measles outbreaks do not occur. After the first measles vaccine was developed in the 1960s, measles was eliminated in multiple countries, including in the U.S. in 2000. Nowadays, the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is administered to children in two doses. It is considered 97% effective at preventing measles, and protection is lifelong.
Vaccines are safe, reliable and effective. During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines prevented 14.4 million deaths
between December 2020 and 2021. The polio vaccine led to the eradication of the devastating disease from the U.S. in 1979. Smallpox was officially eradicated worldwide in 1980. But despite vaccines’ extensive track record, more than 9 million children in the U.S. are susceptible to measles—9 million American children are unvaccinated.
Vaccination rates have been dropping since 2020. The trend is fueled by vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination sentiments—beliefs that have now become mainstream. From the state to federal levels, vaccine hesitancy is being normalized. Since 2023, Mississip-
pi school children have been exempt from vaccines on religious grounds. In 2024, Louisiana forbade public health workers from promoting the COVID-19, influenza or mpox vaccines. Now, in 2025, the current administration is slashing funding to vaccine research and immunization programs, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is actively promoting vaccine hesitancy. Rather than encouraging MMR vaccination in the midst of the outbreaks, Kennedy has promoted alternative therapies and fringe theories. His public endorsement of a supplement, vitamin A, for measles protection has led
to Texan children showing up to the hospital with liver damage, as high levels of vitamin A are toxic to the body. There is not even evidence that vitamin A can protect against measles, yet Kennedy has purported that it can lead to “almost miraculous and instantaneous recovery.” Meanwhile, he has recruited a vaccine skeptic, David Geier, to study the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For years, Geier has attempted to tie vaccine ingredients to ASD, and now, Kennedy has given him a national stage for his unreliable results and discredited conclusions.
Vitamin A is not a cure for measles—vitamins cannot cure any infectious disease. Vaccines cannot cause ASD—countless doctors and researchers have debunked the claim. By disregarding science, Kennedy and the current administration are recklessly endangering the lives of children, older adults and those who are immunocompromised.
With declining vaccination rates, measles is not the only infectious disease that will make a comeback in the U.S. Cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, are already on the rise. Polio, which continues to circulate in Pakistan and Afghanistan, is still a risk. Furthermore, vaccine hesitancy will impair public health responses to future infectious threats. An outbreak of avian influenza has been occurring since March 2024, affecting wild birds, poultry, cattle and even humans. The longer it continues to spread, the greater its potential is for human-tohuman transmission. In the case of human-to-human transmission, without widespread vaccination, avian influenza could quickly become a deadly pandemic. Vaccines save lives. The current measles outbreak is dangerous, but its effects can be mitigated. The U.S. needs to double down on showing Americans the safety and efficacy of vaccines—not cast doubt on a historically and scientifically-proven solution for combating infectious diseases.
Tales from the pre-med trenches: Crafting a story that sticks
tive, this makes perfect sense.
‘Tis the season, not of holidays, but of personal statements, secondaries and soul-searching. With May fast approaching, the Association of American Medical Colleges is once again opening the gates to the daunting medical school admissions cycle. Each year brings its share of anxiety, as only about 40% of applicants receive that coveted acceptance letter. With application numbers rising while class sizes stay the same, the odds feel more unbalanced than ever. As one of those hopeful applicants, I’ve spent the past few months reaching out to medical students across the country, hoping to gain insight. I asked each of them the same question: What aspects of your journey do you believe helped make you successful as a medical school applicant? Here’s what they had to say: After asking students from 11 different schools, I was struck the most by the recurring theme of storytelling. Almost every one of them emphasized the importance of having a solid narrative reflecting who you are as a person. From a random -stranger-trying-topiece-you-together-from-a-stack-ofpapers-in-a-manila-folder perspec-
Let me take you back a bit—”The Three Little Pigs” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Stories shaped our childhood, teaching us life lessons in ways that a lesson taught by our firstgrade teachers couldn’t. With every house the wolf blew down, we learned the importance of doing things right the first time. If we cut corners, we may have our houses destroyed by the neighborhood wolf. With Goldilocks, we learned to respect people’s boundaries so that you’ll have a bowl of justright porridge waiting for you. Beyond childhood anecdotes, storytelling becomes a vehicle for empathy. It doesn’t just show what you’ve done: It shows who you are. In a process as impersonal as medical school admissions, that kind of connection is gold.
This bond is why it’s important to consider your “why medicine?” early on in your college career. A University of Cincinnati College of Medicine student told me, “I think hands down the most important factor in getting into medical school is having some sort of narrative that brought you into medicine. It doesn’t need to be a crazy world-changing story, but anything that conveys your interests and how that translates into medicine is extremely helpful.” I think he is right because grounding yourself in the rea-
sons that drew you to medicine will allow you to better build on your past experiences to design a path catered to your unique interests. Going through your pre-med life thinking about that “why” rather than the “pre-med checklist” will help you tell your story better, as you will have more evidence to support your so-called “argument” to the admissions committee.
Though I can hear you saying “duh,” crafting your narrative this way is not as easy as it seems. Many of us come to college to figure out what we want to do with our lives, which is completely fine. If you’re pre-med and still unsure about medicine but decide “this is right,” the world of organic chemistry and physics may cause you to lose sight of your fragile “why.” With the average accepted grade point average being 3.77, you need exceptional grades to get into medical school. Most people know this. When you’re trying to figure out what you want while also spending a substantial amount of time studying, it can be hard to thread a comprehensive story. After all, a good story comes from self-reflection and growth. When you’re drowning in reaction schemes, this can be challenging. Outside of academics, other stresses, such as scary pre-health advising
meetings, can instill this sense of “not doing enough.” This feeling may cause you to spiral and start agreeing to activities that don’t make sense for you. A Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine student suggested asking yourself, “What do you see your niche to be as of now, and how do your extracurriculars and life story show you are committed to that?” This is an important question to ask yourself when seeing other people publishing articles or earning awards. Doing so will hopefully help keep you afloat as you remember that they probably are thinking similarly about your achievements. Despite the challenges in discovering and retaining your “why,” the rewards are magical. It’s not that $200,000 worth of debt is anything to be over the moon about, but the benefits of a career dedicated to service and community-building are enough to keep many of us moving forward. When your story is rooted in genuine curiosity and compassion, it resonates. It speaks louder than a GPA or a Medical College Admission Test score ever could. If you’re somewhere in the middle of figuring it all out, that’s okay. Just keep asking yourself the hard questions. Keep living the story you want to tell. When the time comes to write it down, trust that who you are will be enough.
Salsabeel Salem Staff Writer
Tyler Vu/The Observer
Learning how to be alone
Catherine Choi Staff Writer
Although such a trend is less true in college than it was in highschool, many people have a hard time being alone. Humans are social animals and cannot live in isolation. In fact, there is even a phobia of being alone called autophobia. However, if the need to constantly be around other people is extreme and a person struggles to spend time alone, it can negatively impact many aspects of life, such as your social circle and career. To prevent this self destructive practice, we must understand the value in being comfortable being alone.
The first step is to identify why someone is afraid of being alone. According to Cleveland Clinic, personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder or dependent personality disorder, can contribute to a fear of being alone. More commonly, though, factors such as family history, sex and genetics can have an impact. Other causes include traumatic experiences such as being neglected or separated from loved ones. There is also the social belief where we assume that we must be surrounded by people all the time and have to be outgoing in order to be considered normal. Regardless of the reason, we must attempt to gain an understanding of exactly why we feel a certain way and how we are going to navigate through by learning how to address negative thoughts and fears.
The second thing that people should
know is that there is no right or wrong answer. As I stated in the past, pop culture and trends in social media make it seem like we have to always be surrounded by other people. In this setting, it is not uncommon for people to belittle themselves through comparison to others. As a result, people may end up spending too much time, resources and emotions on shallow relationships, burning out from over socialization and the accompanying overstimulation. For this reason, people should have clear expectations of who they want to spend their time with and set boundaries, choosing to be alone until they find a group that suits them well. They should spend precious time with good people whom they are already comfortable with in order to allow themselves time to recharge, destress and have fun. There is nothing wrong with being picky about whom we surround ourselves with. Allowing someone who is likely to hurt us into our lives because we are lonely can be extremely detrimental. Not only will we feel overwhelmed by the relationship fall-out, but in extreme cases, we could be taken advantage of or be putting our lives at risk.
The third step is to be self-sufficient and independent. There are often cases where we are put in situations where we have to navigate our surroundings on our own. Moving to a new city, being part of a group project where we don’t know anyone and participating in an intensive program, such as medical school, where students spend most
of their time studying, are all primary examples. As important as it is to make friends, one should not make themselves feel as if they must make people feel good at their own expense. For example, people who are not emotionally independent may have a hard time because they are in constant need of validation, may have clingy relationships or act as a people pleaser. We should not rely on others for emotional stability. Instead, we should make our own decisions with confidence and cut off people who do not align with our values or mistreat us (although being too extreme and ruthless is itself a problem). As adults, people should be able to take care of themselves and their problems without asking other people for help unless it is necessary.
The fourth step is to have a good understanding of yourself and to spend
your time alone wisely. Having a hard time being alone could result in selfdestructive habits, such as spiraling and doomscrolling. Rather than falling into these traps, people should intentionally take time to figure out who they are, what they wish to accomplish, what they like or dislike and widen their scope of interests. Trying something new, putting effort toward a big goal and maintaining inner peace are good ways to spend alone time. Even very extroverted people can benefit from taking time for themselves. Everyone should work on having a firm understanding of themselves and be able to stand their ground in regards to their beliefs. The people who are proficient at being independent are always far more successful at building healthy relationships with friends, family and significant others.
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Sports
March Madness 2025: A tournament for the ages
Ellie Palaian Copy Editor
Between March 18 and April 7, one of the biggest events in sports returned, capturing the attention of millions. Fans across the country filled out 34 million brackets, each hoping to predict the winner of all 64 games. As the drama unfolded on the court, $3.1 billion was wagered on young athletes between the ages of 18 and 26 turning college competition into a national obsession.
After a grueling journey through the toughest competition in college basketball, marked by fouls, overtimes, injuries and unforgettable game-winners, the University of Connecticut Huskies and the University of Florida Gators emerged as national champions, standing alone at the top when the madness finally settled.
For the women, the Huskies were unstoppable. They tore through the tournament with an average margin of victory of 32.8 points per game, capping off their run with a commanding 82-59 win over the reigning 2024 champions, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, in the title game. The final was the third most-watched women’s March Madness title game ever, drawing an impressive 8.5 million viewers.
At the final buzzer, UConn guard Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, capped her career with a national championship, becoming UConn’s all-time leading scorer in NCAA tournament history and surpassing Maya Moore on the all-time list.
Bueckers entered UConn in 2020 alongside future stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese with high expectations. Her path, however, was far from smooth. Her first year ended in a Final Four loss, and she faced setbacks in her second and third years, including a knee injury and an ACL tear that kept
her out of the 2022-2023 season. In 2023-2024, she returned to lead UConn back to the Final Four, but they fell to the University of Iowa and the unstoppable Clark.
In her fifth and final season, Bueckers led UConn to a commanding victory over the University of California, Los Angeles in the Final Four, then helped the Huskies defeat South Carolina by 23 points in the championship. Alongside senior Azzi Fudd and standout first-year Sarah Strong, the trio put on a dominant performance. UConn’s 23-point win marked a perfect ending to one of the most remarkable careers in college basketball history.
UConn’s historic tournament run and Bueckers’ story were unforgettable, but the women’s field also showcased incredible talent. Six-foot-seven-inch Lauren Betts led UCLA to the Final Four, forcing UConn to adjust their game to limit her impact. Despite their efforts, Lauren Betts scored 26 points in the semifinals. She will return to UCLA next season, joining her sister, 6-foot-4inch McDonald’s All-American Sienna Betts, who committed to UCLA in 2023.
Bronze medalist Hailey Van Lith, who transferred from Louisiana State University to Texas Christian University for her fifth year, led the Horned Frogs to their first Elite Eight. TCU was the final stop in her career after her time at the University of Louisville and LSU. Van Lith was the eleventh overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and will be playing for the Chicago Sky alongside former LSU teammate Reese.
The tournament also saw University of Southern California star JuJu Watkins tear her ACL early in the second round against Mississippi State University. Despite the setback, her team rallied, defeating MSU and reaching the Elite Eight. Watkins garnered significant support from players and coaches throughout the tournament, and is an-
ticipated to make a strong comeback in the future.
The 2025 women’s tournament will be remembered as one of the greatest ever played, featuring players destined to be considered some of the best to ever grace the game. This tournament also marked a historic milestone, as it was the first time women’s teams were compensated for their participation, a long-overdue change that had been a reality for the men’s teams for decades.
The men’s tournament lived up to its high expectations, featuring some unforgettable moments, including the University of Houston’s impressive comeback against heavily favored Duke University in the Final Four. With the rise in popularity of 18-year old Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg, 25% of brackets, roughly 8.5 million people, predicted Duke to win the tournament. However, the Cougars destroyed that dream and staged a remarkable 14-point rally with just eight minutes remaining in the game. Houston took their first lead of the game with just 20 seconds remaining, securing a 70-67 victory over the heavily favored Blue Devils.
Despite being a No. 1 seed, Houston was largely undervalued compared to other No. 1 seeds—Duke, Florida and Auburn University—with only 8.9% of brackets picking the Cougars to win it all, and making their tournament run one to remember. Their national championship appearance marked the first for Houston since 1984, and their thrilling comeback against Duke became one of the most memorable moments in the tournament.
On April 7, all eyes were on Houston and Florida as they squared off in the national championship. Florida had impressed throughout the tournament, with thrilling wins and a remarkable 34-point performance by Walter Clayton Jr. in the Final Four. Despite Houston leading for most of the title
game and Florida trailing by 12 points, the Gators mounted a fierce comeback. In a final push, Houston raced down the court with 19.7 seconds remaining, but came up short. By the final buzzer, Florida had secured a 65-63 victory, capturing their first title since 2007 and cementing their legacy in March Madness history.
The men’s tournament is famous for its upsets, with an average of 8.5 each year—an upset being defined as a team beating one at least five seeds higher. In 2023, No. 1 seed Purdue University was shockingly eliminated by No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson University in the first round, proving once again that anything can happen in March. Since the tournament began seeding teams in 1979, the Final Four has featured all four No. 1 seeds only twice: in 2025 and 2008, making it a historic moment for the event.
The 2025 March Madness tournaments showcased the ever-growing talent in collegiate basketball. Thirtyeight women’s collegiate players were drafted into the WNBA on April 14, not including top talents like Lauren Betts, Olivia Miles and Fudd, who have chosen to stay in college. The men’s draft will not take place until June 25, and is trickier to predict as, unlike the women who must be either 22 or have completed college for domestic players, men’s players can be drafted to the NBA in college if they are 19 and have either completed four years of college eligibility or one year removed from high school. Still, future stars like Flagg, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Gonzaga University’s Ryan Nembhard inspire excitement for the men’s game. On the women’s side, players like LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, Watkins and Strong are set to make the next tournaments just as thrilling. The future of collegiate basketball is bright, with immense potential to grow year after year.
Women’s tennis plays three-match weekend against Berry, Babson and No. 3-ranked Emory
Ellie Palaian Copy Editor
Over the past weekend, the Case Western Reserve University women’s tennis team traveled down south to Georgia to play Berry College, Babson College and Emory University.
The No. 17-ranked Spartans delivered a dominant performance against Berry on Friday, April 11. Graduate student Laurel Utterback and third-year Katalina Wang set the tone with a flawless 6-0 win at second doubles. First-year Maya Brink and second-year Katie Wong secured the doubles point with a 6-2 victory at third doubles, and fourth-years Lily McCloskey and Anna Kan completed the sweep at first doubles with a tight 7-5 win over the Vikings.
In singles play, Wong earned a point at fifth singles after her opponent retired, and Wang followed with a strong 6-3, 6-3 win at second singles. Third-year Asha Shukla clinched the match for CWRU with a 6-3 victory at fourth singles. Second-year Prachi Shah added another point, winning 6-1, 6-2 at sixth singles, and Kan battled through three sets to take third singles 6-2, 3-7 (3-7), 10-4.
This marked the Spartans’ first matchup against Berry, and with the victory, they improved to 11-3 on the season.
On Saturday, the Spartans faced off against No. 15-ranked Babson, ultimately falling 2-5 in the match. Babson opened strong, sweeping all three doubles matches with scores of 7-5 at first doubles, 6-3 at second and 6-4 at third to claim the opening point.
In singles, the Beavers struck
first again with a win on court two, but Kan responded for CWRU with a solid 6-2, 6-3 victory at fourth singles. Babson extended their lead after a tightly contested battle at first singles between two nationally ranked players. Wong earned the Spartans’ second point of the day, posting a 6-1, 6-4 win at sixth singles.
With the match hanging in the balance, CWRU needed wins in both remaining contests. However, Babson clinched the overall victory with a 6-2, 6-4 result at fifth singles. At third singles, Wang forced a deciding third set but ultimately fell 2-6, 6-4, 2-6, sealing the 5-2 loss for the Spartans.
To wrap up the weekend, the Spartans traveled to Atlanta to take on No. 3-ranked and UAA opponent Emory. The Spartans suffered a tough loss, falling 0-7 against the Eagles. Emory claimed the doubles point with wins at third and second doubles, 6-2 and 6-3, respectively. However, CWRU’s top duo of McCloskey and Wang earned a hardfought 7-6 (7-3) victory at first doubles over Emory’s No. 3-ranked team. McCloskey and Wang entered the match as the secondranked doubles pair in the Central Region.
In singles, the Eagles swept all six matches to secure the overall win. Despite the final result, sev-
eral Spartans put up a strong fight. Wang battled through three sets at third singles before falling 6-2, 2-6, 0-6. Utterback also pushed her nationally fifth-ranked and regionally ninth-ranked opponent to a third set but came up short 4-6, 6-4, 5-10.
The Spartans currently hold an 11-5 record this season and are set to take on Allegheny College on April 18. Following that matchup, they will head into the UAA Championship from April 24–26, where they’ll face familiar opponents in Emory, New York University and Carnegie Mellon University, teams they’ve already matched up against earlier in the season.
Sports and physics collide: A look into the torpedo bat taking MLB by storm
Abhishek Nambiar Staff Writer
With the opening of the 2025 MLB season, the New York Yankees were quick to launch into success. During their second game of the season, the team’s first three batters hit home runs on the first three pitches thrown their way, contributing to a final score of 20-9 over the Milwaukee Brewers. The impressive score raised eyebrows, prompting a closer look at the game—where the Yankees’ bats quickly became the center of attention.
As it turned out, the Yankees had been using a bat with an unconventional design. With a wider, more bulbous barrel, the Yankees “torpedo bat” took center stage. This design features many unique elements that combine to create a near-unstoppable bat, one that has the potential to create a substantial impact on MLB and the strategies utilized by its batters and pitchers.
“Personally I see the bat as interesting and potentially a starting point in a new dynamic of a predator/prey dynamic between hitters and pitchers,” Case Western Reserve University physics professor
Jonathan Boyd said. “The relationship has existed previously … but this is a new tool in that dynamic that evolved and could make decisions for pitching and hitting more intricate in the long term.”
Taking a look at the design itself, what makes a torpedo bat unique is its distinctive shape: a tapered tip with a bulbous barrel positioned closer to the handle. This barrel is bigger than the standard one and positioned closer to the center of the bat, creating a bowling pinesque design; this has led some to alternatively refer to the new design as the “bowling pin bat.” Either way, this change in the design—and subsequent changes in the overall design to account for the change in weight distribution—results in the torpedo bat having more mass concentrated in the region of the bat where batters would expect to make contact with the ball.
Boyd further explained the implications of this design from a physics perspective.
“First, it changes the moment of inertia of the bat, meaning batters can potentially reach faster bat speeds while still applying the same torque, and second, it can change the amount of mass at the point of contact, impacting the col-
lision mechanics that happen when the bat and ball make contact,” he explained.
The design was created by Aaron Leanhardt, a field coordinator for the Miami Marlins who holds a PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In creating the design, Leanhardt sought to address a common complaint from numerous players: that pitchers had been getting better than ever, giving batters fewer opportunities to succeed during the game. This inspired the idea of elongating the barrel—the fat part of the bat that generates the hardest and most contact—and thus leading to the creation of the torpedo bat.
The Yankees’s blowout victory is already showing its impact across the league. Numerous players across several teams have begun using the new bat in play, oftentimes with staggering results. For instance, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz used the bat to go 4-for-5 in two home runs and seven runs batted in during a March 31 game against the Texas Rangers, helping the Reds achieve a 14-3 blowout. Other players confirmed to be using the torpedo bat include Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Toronto Blue Jays out-
fielder Davis Schneider and Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, among others amidst the growing number of players adopting the bat for play.
As the torpedo bat rises in popularity, its true impact—and whether or not it will become the new goto bat in MLB—remains disputed. While the design certainly contributed to the Yankees’s victory, it is also worth noting that while Yankees using the torpedo bat scored a combined nine home runs across the team’s first three games, Yankee outfielder Aaron Judge achieved four home runs himself across those three games without using the torpedo bat. Similarly, some players have struggled with the torpedo bat, such as New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. Nonetheless, it is all but guaranteed that the torpedo bat’s usage will continue to increase as more players take notice of its design advantages and attempt to use those advantages to improve their quality of play.
“Playing within the rules while designing something new challenges our assumptions and can lead to cool new interactions,” Boyd said. “It is going to be interesting to see how the dynamics evolve.”
Second-year Katie Wong scored a 6-1, 6-4 win against Babson College’s Mia Sorrentino in Atlanta this past weekend. Courtesy of Tim Phillis/CWRU Athletics
CWRU Club Badminton claims D2B championship title
Darcy Chew Sports Editor
This past weekend, the Case Western Reserve University club badminton’s competitive competition team traveled to Delaware to participate in the 2025 National Collegiate Tournament. The competition was hosted by Club28 with a total of 20 teams competing across Division 2A and Division 2B, with CWRU being among the 12 teams participating in Division 2B. The Spartans claimed the D2B national championship title after two hard fought days of matches.
The first day of the tournament consisted of the 12 teams splitting into four groups and participating in a round robin style competition. CWRU was placed in Group C where they faced Temple University and the University of New Haven.
To start the afternoon, the Spartans met the Temple Owls on the court. The team won seven of the nine events to triumph over the Owls. In singles play, third-year Alvin Huang won 15-8, 15-8 and third-year and competitive team captain Sreya Srinidhi won 15-7, 15-6. The men’s doubles pairing of third-year Tanuj Kannan and firstyear Pranav Saran beat their opponents 15-4, 15-7 and both women’s doubles won their matches with duo post-graduate student Jaime Wang and Srindhi (15-8, 15-7) and duo PhD student Oranatt Chaichanasittikarn and first-year Ruhi Sachar (16-14, 15-4). Both mixed doubles teams took the win with third-year Tyler Lin and Wang dominating 154, 15-7 and first-year Adrian Cheng and Sachar winning 15-7, 15-7.
Following their afternoon win, the Spartans also beat the New Haven Chargers 6-3. The Spartans took first men’s singles (15-8, 1816), women’s singles (15-5,15-3) and first men’s doubles (8-15, 1510, 15-13), with efforts of Kannan, Srinhidhi and the pair of Huang and Lin. Both first and second women’s doubles contributed to the Spartan victory with 15-5, 15-8 and 15-7, 15-8 wins, respectively. Cheng and Sachar also added a 15-2, 15-13 win in second mixed doubles.
Day two of the tournament was very exciting for the Spartans as they headed into the semifinals.
Their semifinals match up was the most intense with the Spartans eventually claiming the victory over the University of Pittsburgh. Both teams had collected four wins with the Spartans taking the wins in all the singles matches and the second men’s doubles match. The final point and ultimate victory boiled down to the first women’s doubles match with Srinidhi and Wang.
“The first game, we lost 4-21, so that was really a slap in the face, and almost everyone thought that that was the end and we were going to lose. Similarly, UPitt was so sure they’d win they reduced their cheering intensity too. In the second game, however, we implemented a strategy of just playing long rallies and consistently. Suddenly it became a game of who makes the mistake first - and this worked well for us. We ended up winning a super close second game with a score
of 24-22. Every rally was super long, with neither of us really giving up,” Srinidhi said. “It came down to the final game, and we stuck to our strategy. At this point, our opponents were getting tired and starting to slip up more often. We were super tired too, but we knew we had to be consistent and we won with a score of 21-15. It was a crazy mental game and turn around that I think nobody anticipated, not UPitt, not Jaime or I but our team kept cheering us on and coaching us every step of the way, and it just gave me so much confidence - I’m not sure the result would have been the same without them. It was 100% a team effort.”
Lin also commented how the match was one of the most memorable of the tournament.
“The match lasted 55 minutes which was incredibly long for a match and both teams were screaming and cheering at each point trying to motivate the players. For reference, the longest games at this amateur level last around 25-30 minutes,” he said.
After their win against the Panthers, CWRU played the finals against the University of Michigan’s second team. After the exciting morning, the Spartans were able to claim a fast win over the Wolverines, winning 5-1. During singles play, Kannan beat his opponent 21-11, 21-10 and Srinidhi won her match 21-11, 21-11. The Spartans also claimed victories in both men’s doubles with duos Huang and Kim (27-25, 23,21) as well as the pair of Kannan and Saran (19-21, 21-12, 21-15). The women’s doubles pair of Srinidhi and Wang claimed a 2110 win over their Wolverine opponents, leading the Spartans to win the Division 2B championship title.
As president of club badminton, Lin has played a large part in the growth of the team. He commented on the team’s reaction to their championship win.
“I think after we won it didn’t click in many of our heads that we had actually won D2B especially since previous years D2 has always been a big struggle … It was really rewarding seeing the efforts pay off,” Lin said.
Srinidhi also commented how the team’s camaraderie aided in their win.
“I think the biggest advantage of this is that each member has a different background, a different strength and recognizes different aspects of the game, and with everyone comfortable with each other and willing to help the player out, it automatically elevates the player’s game. I remember I was playing the last single’s game, and I knew I could easily win it and the rest of the team did too. But I was feeling particularly tired and I just needed a little motivation and feeling of safety with some people cheering me on. The second I communicated that, people immediately came to cheer me on and I felt a surge of energy and I finished the game that we all knew I would win and secured another point in the final. I think in general, that unconditional support is something you can’t measure how valuable it is, and our team had that, and I am extremely grateful for it,” she said.
Scores and Upcoming Games
Track and Field
CWRU at Outdoor All-Ohio Championships (4/11-12)
Women’s team: 5th of 13 teams (67 points)
Men’s team: 5th of 14 teams (63.5 points)
CWRU at Bison Classic (4/12-13) - No team scoring
CWRU at Sparky Adams Invite (4/18-19)
Baseball
CWRU at UChicago (4/11) - W 8-6
CWRU at UChicago (4/12) - W 4-1
CWRU at UChicago (4/12) - L 0-5
CWRU at UChicago (4/13) - W 11-2
CWRU vs NYU (4/18, noon, Nobby’s Ballpark)
CWRU vs NYU (4/18, 3 p.m., Nobby’s Ballpark)
CWRU vs NYU (4/19, noon, Nobby’s Ballpark)
CWRU vs NYU (4/20, 11 a.m., Nobby’s Ballpark)
Softball
CWRU vs NYU (4/11) - W 9-1
CWRU vs NYU (4/12) - W 5-0
CWRU vs NYU (4/12) - W 7-0
CWRU vs UChicago (4/18, 4 p.m., Mather Park)
CWRU vs UChicago (4/19, 1 p.m., Mather Park)
CWRU vs UChicago (4/19, 3 p.m., Mather Park)
Men’s Tennis
CWRU at Denison (4/11) - L 2-4
CWRU at Carnegie Mellon (4/19)
Women’s Tennis
CWRU vs Berry College (4/11) - W 6-1
CWRU vs Babson (4/12) - L 2-5
CWRU at Emory (4/13) - L 0-7
CWRU vs Allegheny (4/18, 1 p.m., Carlton Courts)