Volume XLVI, Issue 17 January 30, 2015

Case Western Reserve University volume xlvi, issue 17 friday, 1/30/2015

the

Observer Campus letters stolen, peed on Julia Bianco News Editor

The university’s CWRU sign on Adelbert Road was vandalized early last week.

According to Sgt. Daniel Schemmel of the Case Western Reserve University Police Department, three different groups were caught removing letters from the CWRU signs on Adelbert Road this past weekend.

The groups were not affiliated with each other.

Schemmel believes that it was an underground social media prank, possibly organized on YikYak. The students who were involved were arrested for stealing university property and will also go through the Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards for internal sanctions. According to the CWRU police log, one student took a metal letter from the sign by Adelbert Hall on Jan. 24, while multiple students were found urinating and vandalizing the sign and taking letters on Jan. 25.

All of the students were cited for petty theft and criminal damage, and the students from the Jan. 25 incident were also cited for disorderly conduct and underage drinking.

Student pictures show that some vandalism also occurred on or before Jan. 20, but this was not reported in the crime log as of press time.

Schemmel said that the letters, which cost $275 per piece, take months to replace. Removing the letters also damages the stone on which they’re placed.

“It’s defacing property, and it makes us look bad to any visitor that may come and see the sign,” said Schemmel.

Following the pranks, the police department decided to remove all of the letters from one of the signs. They Charlie Topel/Observer are currently brainstorming on a more permanent way of writing on the sign.

Journalist, civil rights activist speaks at Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation She was the first African-American woman to enroll at the University of Georgia and one of the first two African-American students to integrate the university.

She is a revered journalist and correspondent who has worked for big names like The New York Times, PBS and NPR. Her name is Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and on Jan. 23, Case Western Reserve University had the honor of hosting Hunter-Gault at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. convocation.

Hunter-Gault began her speech by connecting both old and new through the 2014 movie, “Selma,” which was based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches. She noted that the film was significant in that two shows sold out the same day and that 99 percent of the

audience was white. Hunter-Gault praised the movie, saying it can serve as an opportunity for dialogue between people of different backgrounds.

She also mentioned how, in her youth, she aspired to be like comic-strip character Brenda Starr, an adventurous, savvy reporter. For that time, her goal was not entirely realistic. Nevertheless, Hunter-Gault’s mother never discouraged her daughter.

Hunter-Gault continued her backstory by moving on to her collegiate years, which were unsurprisingly arduous. The fact that the academic Hunter-Gault ranked third in her high school was overshadowed by her skin color. In fact, enrolling at the University of Georgia required a team of lawyers.

With the help of her legal team, Hunter-Gault and her high school classmate, Hamilton Holmes, were able to enroll at the university in 1961.

Unfortunately, during her stay, she faced threats and violence. People shouted protests when she and Holmes registered for classes. This was merely the welcome wagon to the discrimination that continued.

At one point, a crowd of 1,000 surrounded her dorm and threw firecrackers, bottles and bricks at her window. Regardless, Hunter-Gault held strong.

She recalls that, for one day, she became queen of the school after winning a fundraising contest. This crown became a sort of symbolic armor and allowed her to withstand the racism and hatred with her head held high.

One of Hunter-Gault’s fondest memories was when she was personally congratulated for her bravery by Martin Luther King Jr. at the age of 19.

Turning back to the present day, Hunter-Gault said that she believes there needs

to be progress not only in America, but also worldwide.

Hunter-Gault also believes that the Civil Rights Movement is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. However, she also said that President Barack Obama’s elections shows how far the country has come.

She emphasized the importance of judging another not by their skin color, but rather by their character. Despite her struggles and barriers, Hunter-Gault has not allowed her high spirits to be dampened and does not believe in hatred.

True to her buoyant character, she invited all to stand and sing “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” with her, ending the convocation with the present venerating the past with a promise for a better future.

-Additional reporting by Candice McCloud.

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

Maria Fazal Copy Editor

pg. 3 A use for our unused food

pg. 13 pg. 19 pg. 6 Viewpoints: Intramural soccer Sparta Center “American Sniper” supplies students championship

news CWRU students develop foot-powered cell phone charger to help Africa’s poorest Suneil Kamath Staff Reporter For two Case Western Reserve University engineering students, a routine class project has now become funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Sophomores Ian Ferre and Sam Crisanti took chemical engineering professor Daniel Lacks’ class, “Engineering for the World’s Poorest.” One component of the class was for students to design and prototype a device to meet the needs of the poor. Ferre and Crisanti developed a foot-powered cell phone charger so people in developing countries could have access to a quality charging station.

The two students were inspired to develop the charger after reading a story about Kenyan villager Sara Ruto. “[Ruto] had to walk two hours, pay a taxi to drive her three hours to the city and pay someone to charge her phone,” said Ferre. “The service was so high in demand though that she had to leave her phone there for three days, resulting in her having to pay the taxi driver three more times for nine more hours of driving and six additional hours of walking. This resulted in 20 hours of total travel, four payments to a taxi driver, a payment for her phone to be charged and three days waiting time. And

she had to do this every eight or nine days.”

“When we did more research, we realized that one billion people in this world don’t have electricity and that roughly 70 percent of these people have cell phones,” Ferre added. “This was an insane problem that needed to be addressed.”

Cristiani and Ferre were able to work through their idea with Lack, who exempted them from the final paper if they agreed to apply for a grant for the P3 Grant Competition sponsored by the EPA. The pair ended up winning the grant competition and its prize of $15,000. As a result, they were able to buy more materials and supplies to further enhance their initial design and travel to Lesotho, a country surrounded by South Africa, to test their idea.

“We talked to several people [in Lesotho] who expressed direct interest in a better way to charge their cell phones than traveling to the capital, especially because our device can power light bulbs as well,” said Ferre.

As a result of the warm reception, Ferre and Crisanti are planning to expand their idea even more. They are presenting to the EPA and private investors in April for a chance to win $75,000 in grant funding, plus private investments. They have also applied to a number of other competitions and recently came in third place at

Ki Oh/Observer Sophomores Ian Ferre and Sam Crisanti have won grant money from the EPA to help fund their foot-powered cell phone charger. the Clean Energy Challenge sponsored by GLEI on CWRU’s campus.

“We are pushing forward plans to refine our foot pedal and patent the product as soon as it is perfected,” said Ferre. “We have received support from all around the CWRU community to push forward with our product in attempt to begin a business.”

Both Crisanti and Ferre agreed that they never expected this project or success to occur.

“This project has taken us on one wild and crazy ride already, but we don’t want to get off the bus just yet,” said Ferre. “We want to keep pushing forward and see where this takes us.”

USG deliberates on campus life improvement grants Miriam Ridge Staff Reporter Late last semester, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) opened applications for Student Life Improvement Grants (SLIGs), which allow students and groups to apply for funding for long-term campus improvement projects. Currently, the USG executive committee had accepted only one SLIG application, but they are still reviewing more.

SLIGs allocate USG funds in ways which provide benefits to the student body, not just one particular organization. The grants help USG avoid having monetary

rollovers to the next semester.

“When we do our funding allocations for student groups during mass funding, we don’t know how much money we’ll have,” said Chippy Kennedy, the USG vice president of finance.

There is a significant amount of prediction and assumption involved, according to Kennedy, but the goal is to prevent rolling over money to the next year, which would be unfair to students who are graduating.

“SLIGs open up that money to the entire CWRU community and lets anyone who has a good idea bring it to USG committees, which determine which projects receive funding based on feasibility and

long-term benefits to the community,” said Kennedy.

Rolling applications for this semester’s SLIGs were opened at the beginning of November and officially closed on Dec. 8. The applications were brought before the USG Executive Committee.

The accepted application project, headed by Winterfest and the Footlighters, asked for $10,000 to purchase lights for shows. Normally, Footlighters, Winterfest and other campus groups had to rent lights from local vendors. However, purchasing the lights outright and adding them to the already existing Footlighters Sound and Light Equipment Borrowing System (a re-

sult of a past SLIG), will save the group thousands of dollars on their shows and will allow them to rent the lights for free to other student groups.

The executive committee has met since then and has begun to hear more applications. As of press time, there were a total of eight more applicants and $20,000 left to allocate. Three of the nine applications have already been rejected for not meeting all of their requirements.

The committee will hear two applications that they have not heard yet on Jan. 30, and then all of the remaining applications will be voted on to determine which of the projects will be funded.

Students, community members gather to discuss police’s use of excessive force J.P. O’Hagan Sports Editor For the second time in a decade, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reviewed the Cleveland Police Department. The review determined that the Cleveland PD has a pattern of using excessive force. On Jan. 22, a group of dedicated social justice advocates gathered on campus to discuss the department’s findings.

The Social Justice Institute at Case Western Reserve University hosted a review and following discussion, which was open to both students and faculty, but also the general public. The event attracted a wide variety of curious stu-

dents, dedicated activists and concerned community members.

The night began with a break down of the 58-page letter from the DOJ to Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson by Edward Little and Shakyra Diaz. The duo broke down the findings of the 21-month investigation into understandable and relatable sections for those in attendance.

The report from the DOJ concluded that “the Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) engages in a pattern or practice of the use of excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

These are serious allegations on the department, and they echo the public out-

cry over episodes of police brutality in the city. The investigation is the second of its kind in just under a decade, as the DOJ conducted a similar investigation in 2004 with similar results.

Little and Diaz approached the report by looking at stories of just a few of those affected by the actions discovered and condemned in the report. The most moving included officers throwing and pinning down students to the ground outside their school while they protested the fact that the school let go of their teachers.

Another included officers harshly subduing a deaf and mentally disabled individual when his family called the police due to a mental episode.

Following the overview of the report, the attentive crowd turned the question and answer section into more of a sounding board for the disgruntled community members. The discussion saw a wide variety of individuals questioning the findings and sharing opinions on the atrocities they have personally seen in the city.

The report, called by some present a “polite” overview of the true scope of the issue, served as a starting block for the calls for a reformed police department as well as for deeper social injustices.

The program was the first event of this semester and part of a larger plan of discussions and presentations on the social justice issues that plague the city of Cleveland.

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CWRU prepares for a review of its accreditation status Students to be surveyed on university experience

John Brogan Staff Reporter This spring, Case Western Reserve University will undergo a major review of its highest-level accreditation status, which allows the university to offer students federally-based financial aid. One part of the review will include a survey available to all CWRU students.

CWRU’s review will be from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

“Holding accredited standing means that CWRU conforms to certain minimum standards of quality and operations,” said CWRU chemical engineering

professor and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Donald Feke. “Losing accreditation status would be very detrimental to the university.”

The HLC accreditation process occurs on a 10-year cycle, with the last major review in 2005. CWRU has received its institutional-level accreditation continuously since 1967, when Western Reserve University and Case Institute of Technology combined. Both universities had been accredited prior to their merge.

A survey of the CWRU student body is one factor that is considered in the review.

The survey, which will ask students about various aspects of their experience within the university, will be available from Feb. 2 to Feb. 12. According to Feke, the survey

is anonymous and should only take around 10 minutes to complete. Results from the survey go straight to the HLC. If there are any noted concerns, the HLC may ask the school to respond with possible ways to address them.

Another factor is the Assurance Argument, which is a compilation of documents and policies which provides evidence for the school’s accreditation criteria.

Feke has been the chair of committee, whose purpose is to gather information for the Assurance Argument, since 2011. The culmination of documents over several years led Feke and the committee to identify some areas where CWRU needed to produce more reports or enact new policies to satisfy

the expectations of the accreditors.

A draft for the Assurance Argument is complete, and the deadline for its final submission is mid-March.The committee plans to provide around 550 different items of evidence to the HLC. Review of this set of material usually takes around one month, during which an HLC team will visit campus. When the HLC team is on campus, there will be an opportunity for students to meet with them and participate in an open forum.

The entire process will take a few months to complete.

The HLC expects two key components from its accredited schools: to ensure the quality of CWRU’s operations and stimulate CWRU to improve.

A drug as a tool

New campus group donates wasted campus food

Kushagra Gupta Staff Reporter

Nardine Taleb Staff Reporter

Spotlight on research

How to find a cancer-suppressing gene

A traveler of the world, Dr. Youwei Zhang studied pharmacology in China, then Japan and finally the United States. As a child, he grew up in the countryside and was ripe with curiosity. He remembers that exploring the world was one of his favorite pastimes.

It taught him how to confront a new environment and embrace it. In all this, however, Zhang remains an admirer of pharmacology, the subject of his study.

Recently, Zhang and a group of researchers discovered a method to increase cancerous cells’ use of a fast, inaccurate method to repair DNA, versus a slow, accurate one to make them more susceptible to chemotherapy. The researchers found a gene that was affiliated with the slow method and regulated the production of the protein that controls the rapid, faulty method of DNA repair. The finding is significant because an overabundance of the protein in cancer cells would cause them to be susceptible to chemotherapy or even die on their own.

Zhang began his quest to find a gene that deals with cellular function and regulation in relation to cancerous cells. As he puts it, they were looking for “players.” He had a list of candidates but needed a way to narrow it down.

Zhang used a much-valued research tool, the RNA interference (RNAi). In this, researchers take advantage of a natural gene suppression mechanism used in cells. The RNAi binds to a different type of RNA, mRNA, that delivers the information needed to make a protein and destroy it. The RNAi is able

to bind to a specific messenger due to its distinct makeup being complementary to a unique mRNA. By removing the messenger, investigators can easily stop genes from carrying out their work.

“If that protein is important for a particular mechanism or signaling pathway, then you have a functional defect,” Zhang said.

The group went down the list to identify genes that would create a difference in the cells. However, the researchers knew it was difficult to notice variations in cells that may not even be visible. Instead, they used a drug with a known effect on the cells.

They gave it to normal cells and altered cells that contained the gene that was RNAi inhibited. If the cells didn’t respond as expected, then the gene’s inhibition had significantly altered the cell’s functioning.

“In a dance performance you may have a lead,” Zhang explained. “If that lead is sick on the day of the performance, then the performance can’t happen.”

It’s the clever use of drugs that interests Zhang. In fact, he emphasized that, unlike popular thought, pharmacology is not simply just the development of drugs. To him, pharmacology is a tool that helps health professionals study the human body.

“When you want to study disease of molecular mechanisms, you need to have a tool. One of them is pharmacological drugs,” he said.

When he’s not doing research, Zhang enjoys table tennis. He has played competitively and was the faculty moderator of the club at Case Western Reserve University.

The Observer has new positions available. Head to observer.case.edu for more information on how to apply.

We’ve all had guilty thoughts about the food our campus is wasting, the Einstein bagels we throw away and the containers of Grab It food no one will eat. However, a new student organization on campus is on a mission to make use of that leftover food.

The University of Maryland started the Food Recovery Network. It is a national program they started when they recognized they wasted hundreds of pounds of food every day from their cafeterias while people were starving a couple streets away. Case Western Reserve University students Sara Ahmed, Shadi Ahmadmehrabi and Faraaz Hussain have founded a Food Recovery Network here on campus after recognizing the same issue within the CWRU community.

“We wanted to make the connection between what’s on campus and what’s five minutes away,” Ahmadmehrabi said.

Their mission, they decided, was to reduce waste on campus while also eradicating hunger. To do that, they needed to organize how and where to collect the food, as well as how to contact potential non-profit organizations in need of food donations.

They spent a year reaching out to non-profit organizations in the community and catering locations on campus, building resources and connections.

Obstacles like where to store the food and the costs of transportation were challenging to tackle.

“It’s been a really long process,” Ahmed said.

The program, which is run under the Muslim Student Association, transported food to the West Side Catholic Center for their first few Saturdays.

Then, after officially partnering up with another student organization on campus, Kids Against Hunger, they added St. Matthews Methodist Church

to their list of nonprofits.

In partnership with Kids Against Hunger, whose mission is to feed starving children in the community and around the world, Food Recovery Network held their most successful event this past weekend. They were able to collect and donate 130 pounds of food to St. Matthews.

“It seems so miniscule, what we’ve done relative to the impact we’re having,” Ahmadmehrabi said.

“Hunger is the same,” Ahmed said.

“Just that one meal can help them with the other stresses in their lives.”

Both Ahmed and Ahmadmehrabi agreed that they couldn’t have done it without the enthusiasm and willingness of the employees of Bon Appetít, St. Matthews United Methodist Church and West Side Catholic Center. They have been collecting food from Bon Appetít’s catering locations like L3 on North Side, Cramelot, Einstein’s and Tomlinson. They also wanted to credit their advisor, Mika Weinstein, the members of Kids Against Hunger and Slow Food (another organization on campus that raises awareness about food consumption) for their energy and hard work.

“Those people in those organizations are so passionate, and they know so much,” Ahmed said. “We want to join with other organizations on campus to make this strong. We want to get everyone involved who’s passionate about it.”

Their next collaboration is with Slow Food on the organization’s event called Disco Soup. The mission of the event is to take all leftover food and create a soup kitchen, distributing the soup to the hungry, collecting donations for non-profit organizations and raising awareness.

“It’s such a blessing to get to do this,” Ahmadmehrabi said.

Anyone interested in getting involved with the Food Recovery Network can contact them via email at sxa436@ case.edu.

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Editor’s choice

New reimbursement process, Sparta Center resource among USG’s current initiatives Julia Bianco News Editor Each week, The Observer will sit down with an important member of campus administration or a CWRU organization to get an inside look This week, we talked to the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) vice president of finance, Chippy Kennedy.

On the new PDF reimbursement process A new update to the reimbursement process will eliminate the need to submit paper receipts for most purchases. With the new system, students upload a PDF picture of the receipt and attach it to their payment and withdrawal request. This eliminates the need for any printouts to be submitted to the USG office.

“By USG not having to have an additional process of holding onto receipts in a cyclic period, we’re saving a ton of time,” said Kennedy.

However, for petty cash, students will still need to present their paper receipts at time of reimbursement. This is because of a university policy designed to prevent fraud.

On the new Sparta Center Office USG’s new initiative, the Sparta Center Office, will allow student groups to easily check out commonly used items from the Tinkham Veale University Center location.

The resources, which include plates, cups, cutlery, tablecloths and other odds and ends like money boxes and cornhole games, are paid for by the Student Activities Fee. “It helps save time on reimbursements,” said Kennedy. “Instead of giving out $20 to each group to buy plates, we just buy them ourselves.”

Feedback on the new initiative has been positive, and USG is already looking to add more items that student groups have requested.

On Case Cash machines USG purchased two new Case Cash machines last semester, neither of which require phone lines (like the old machines).

This allows organizations to use them more consistently and in more places on campus.

However, Kennedy said that USG is working on switching these types of purchases to Tapingo in the future.

On OrgSync Kennedy says that most of the feedback he receives on OrgSync has been positive, with many students who aren’t on the executive board of clubs still using the system to communicate with each other. Feedback also says that the new interface is easier to use.

However, some groups have reported problems with the system, including missing fundraising dollars and missing constitutions.

“There were a lot of problems with the actual transition [from MyExperience] in terms of getting all the information over,” said Kennedy. “Because the initial transition went poorly, a lot of the information was lost.”

Kennedy and his team have been working to find all of the missing information that they can and have been manually restoring fundraising dollars and other information, a very time-consuming process.

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New student group aims to provide thought provoking forum for students Joseph Satterfield Web Editor A new student organization is looking to create a conference where speakers from the student population, faculty and the community can express their ideas on research or other topics that they are passionate about. The group, headed by Elle Marcus, is using popular conferences such as TED and A Better World

by Design as a model for the event.

Listening to her friends’ varied opinions on social issues, along with the wealth of perspectives that Humans of New York provided, inspired Marcus to bring this event to Case Western Reserve University. She believes that a conference like this would provide students with an opportunity to share their opinions and practice their public speaking skills while participating in a unique

intellectual conference.

Although the group is still in its formative days, its founding members are working hard to make the conference a reality. At their kickoff meeting last Friday, the group laid the groundwork for how the group would proceed as an organization. Although it is not recognized

by USG yet, the group is looking into recognition as one of many options for procuring funding for the conference.

The group’s plans for the conference itself also began to take shape at the first meeting. The members decided on a fall conference, possibly timed in conjunction with Homecoming Weekend to attract a larger number of alumni.

To provide ample opportunities for students to share their ideas, the group considered attempting to keep about a one to one ratio of student speakers to others.

To maintain a high quality of speakers

at the conference, the group considered screening potential presenters in order to assess their skills. For those who could use some improvement in their public speaking skills, the group is considering hosting training sessions leading up to the conference and possibly collaborating with other campus groups.

Marcus has a vision for this event, which she hopes will become an annual event at CWRU. When asked about where she sees the conference going in the future, she responded, “Hopefully this can become a popular event, so it can become an iconic event for Case.”

Although she is looking at a one-day event for the first conference, Marcus envisions it eventually evolving into a weekend-long event.

Students looking to get involved with the group can email Marcus at erm78@ case.edu.

University appoints new Senior Vice President of Administration Sruthi Meka Staff Reporter University General Counsel Elizabeth Keefer has undertaken the additional role of senior vice president of administration. She replaced John Wheeler, who announced his retirement in December.

Keefer will continue her duties in the legal office for the university while carrying out more administrative responsibilities. This includes the supervision of the human resources department and management of campus planning and facilities.

“The areas for which I have taken on administrative responsibility are areas I know quite a bit about, having supported John Wheeler and his team as the general counsel,” Keefer said.

Keefer believes that her new position as senior vice president of administration will require a more comprehensive understanding of university policies, programs and offices. The new position will also require her involvement in more policy discussions.

“It is going to be demanding, and I am likely to be working with many more stakeholders on each issue, but I am ex-

cited to roll up my sleeves and be part of the process,” Keefer said.

Keefer first came to Case Western Reserve University in 2011 to assume the position of general counsel. She has extensive career experience working with legal matters at a variety of institutions.

Keefer previously served as general counsel at Columbia University for several years after working at a private law practice. She then worked as a legal adviser for the U.S. Department of State and, afterwards, as a deputy under secretary in the U.S. Air Force. Before coming to CWRU, Keefer also worked at TMG Strategies, a nationwide consulting firm.

“I learned something at every job, and I think the variety has given me a healthy understanding of organizations and what makes them work,” Keefer said.

Keefer says that working in higher education is a dynamic and stimulating experience that involves mingling with bright, creative and energetic people.

“I love the challenges of a research university, which is an intellectually and administratively complex place,” Keefer said. “At CWRU specifically, you can

Courtesy Elizabeth Keefer Elizabeth Keefer previously served as general counsel to the university before her promotion. also feel the energy and a growing sense of accomplishment at all levels.”

“I hope I can continue to be part of the momentum that was in full swing when I got here,” she added. “I hope that I can contribute to sustaining that momentum.”

CWRU sees increase in male nursing students Garretson Oester Staff Reporter Jonah Pregulman, a third-year nursing student, can get some odd looks when he walks into class.

“Often, I’m the only man in the room,” he said.

However, that statistic is slowing changing at Case Western Reserve University and across the nation: Male nurses currently represent 9.8 percent of the total workforce, but 11 percent of those graduating from nursing programs are men.

At CWRU this year, 11 out of the 30 students who entered the Master of

Nursing class, which allows students with non-nursing undergraduate degrees to become nurses, were male.

Men made up a significant portion of the nursing workforce throughout the 1960s, due to their high participation in the armed forces medical brigades.

However, this statistic quickly dropped.

Since a low point in the 1970s, the number of male nurses has tripled, and now there are approximately 330,000 male nurses out of a total 3.5 million nurses around the nation.

Pregulman, who was initially interested in architecture, decided to pursue nursing after shadowing a doctor in his last year of high school. Watching the nurses, he decided he wanted to follow

in their footsteps.

CWRU’s program stood out to him because it is four years, and, unlike most schools, students do not need to reapply to the nursing program after two years.

Men are more common in specialty nursing fields such as f light nursing, critical care or nurse anesthesiology, which are also areas that pay better.

However, they also require advanced schooling or sitting board certification examinations.

Pregulman advises young men interested in nursing to not be deterred by stereotypes, to shadow someone in the field and to ask questions. The most difficult part of the course: finding non-feminine scrubs.

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Professor develops exercise pamphlets to help patients with MS Aneeka Ayyar Staff Reporter Matthew Plow, assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University, has implemented a new exercise plan that he hopes will help people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS is a degenerative disease that currently has no cure, although a lot of research has been done to find ways to slow it down. Some medications and treatments exist, while other methods can help to manage the disease’s symptoms.

One of the main symptoms of multiple sclerosis is fatigue. While research proves that physical activity can help with managing MS, the fatigue prevents patients from being able to exercise all the time.

“They just get stuck in this cycle and they can’t get out,” Plow explained.

Plow, with the help of other researchers, decided to modify exercise pamphlets being used for healthy patients and use them to promote physical activity for MS patients.

The study was conducted through the Cleveland Clinic and the CWRU Nursing School on a control group of about 15 people. Half of the patients were given the pamphlets while the other half were not.

Each patient completed a one-on-one questionnaire with a doctor to record information before the study, such as height, weight and physical activity levels, and completed a six-minute walking test, which tested how far the patient could walk in a six-minute time slot. Ideally, the pamphlets would improve the patient’s overall physical fitness.

The results showed a slight increase in the patients’ individual fitness levels, although not by a lot. In addition, those who used the pamphlets experienced an increase in lower

Courtesy Matthew Plow Assistant Professor Matthew Plow’s new pamphlet is modified to help patients with multiple sclerosis manage fatigue through exercise. and upper body strength.

Each patient was evaluated independently, because they were all at different stages of the diseases. While some felt that the fatigue was so exhausting that they did not exercise at all, others were managing well. For instance, three main stages include not thinking about exercise, thinking about exercise and then maintaining a good level of physical activity.

The pamphlets differed in this aspect as well, because the patients who were managing their symptoms better would not need information on the importance of exercises.

Plow and his team are currently trying to receive a grant from the National Institute of Health to further fund their study. The pamphlets will be improved based on the feedback received after this pilot study.

“It’s stressful and a lot of waiting, but you’ve just got to stay positive,” Plow concluded with a smile.

On the beat

Dark Ages It’s January at Case Western Reserve University. The holidays have passed. This is the season of battleship-grey skies, full academic workloads and inescapable, rampaging viruses that turn us all into nose-blowing, hacking coughers. There are many things to like about Cleveland, but most of them don’t happen in January. But hey, at least the sun shines from 12-1 p.m. every day. The Lagoon looks beautiful when frozen solid.

This is the time of year when stress and depression can bite a little harder than normal for many people, for all the reasons mentioned above. Maybe it has to do with lack of sunlight, or stress or maybe it’s because it is freaking cold out there!

While depression can strike staff as well as students, the latter, traditionally, are often at greater risk. This is due to issues like academic and social pressures, distance from home and familiar support systems, and sometimes relationship and substance abuse issues. This can put students at greater risk for the negative consequences of depression ranging from dropping out to suicide.

Fortunately, here at CWRU there are resources to help you deal with these issues if they start to bog you down. The university has its own counseling center, located in the Sears Building, and is reachable at 216-368-5872. The center is staffed by professional counselors, whom you can make an appointment with to have private and privileged conversations about what is going on in your life.

There are also numerous other outlets ranging from the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women to the International Student Center to just talking with your favorite coach, professor, RA, staff member, roommate, classmate, fraternity/sorority member, etc.

While the college years pose some unique challenges, rarely in life will you again be in an environment with so much potential support, so take advantage of it if you need it.

The important thing is to remember the old saying that no person is an island.

Issues like depression aren’t like the common cold: They rarely go away of their own accord. If the winter blues are starting to bite, take advantage of the resources that are here specifically to help you. Let’s look out for each other.

On the Beat is a weekly safety column written by Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko and Officer Mark (The Crossing Guard) Chavis of CWRU PD. We welcome questions, suggestions and gripes/groans/moans/ complaints about campus life at policecolumn@case.edu.

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Cleveland catch-up Julia Bianco News Editor We boil down what happened in Cleveland this week.

Jan. 20 to Jan. 28

“60 Minutes” looks at excessive force and the Cleveland Police Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams denied the use of excessive force on CBS’ “60 Minutes” last Sunday, saying that the department had “issues” but that they “are working diligently both with the Department of Justice and with the community to make sure that we correct those things.”

Williams appeared on the show to discuss a report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) that determined that the Cleveland Police Department “engages in a pattern or practice of the use of excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s office also released a statement on the DOJ’s report, saying that the mayor “does not agree with everything in the report. He has said that he sees the report as an opportunity for the city to address issues that have been identified. He does not believe that the DOJ report fully addresses the very complex subject of the criminal justice system and policing.”

The statement also said that the statistics show “a downward trend in the use of all types of force over the past nine years.”

Williams also discussed the death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot by Cleveland Police officer Timothy Loehmann in November.

“What makes it even more difficult for me—not just as a person that lives in the city but as a chief—is that that happened at the hands of a police officer,” said Williams on Rice’s death.

He also added that the department is continuing to look into the hiring of Loehmann, the officer who shot Rice. Loehmann was rejected at multiple police departments before being hired by Cleveland. He also received a negative written evaluation from his previous job at the Independence Police Department, where his supervisor said that he “could not follow simple directions, could not communicate clear thoughts nor recollections and his handgun performance was dismal.”

Jan. 22: Theft from auto— catalytic convertor taken off parked auto, Lot 44.

Jan. 23: Sexual battery—sexual battery incident that occurred in September reported, Phi Gamma Delta.

Jan. 24: Petty theft/criminal damage—metal letter taken from university sign by student, Adelbert Hall.

Jan. 25: Petty theft/criminal damage/disorderly conduct/ underage drinking—students found urinating and vandalizing CWRU sign and metal letters, Adelbert Hall.

Jan. 25: Disorderly conduct— intoxicated male cited and taken to hospital, Jolly Scholar.

Cleveland Police get body cameras In related news, Cleveland recently bought 1,500 body-mounted cameras for police officers. The community has been calling for cameras for a long time, but the requests intensified following Rice’s death and other instances of police brutality across the nation.

The Cleveland City Council approved legislation in October that gave the Police Department $1.6 million to buy cameras.

Officers will be responsible for charging their cameras and for setting them to record when needed, a fact that was met with controversy. Many critics want the cameras to be recording at all times.

Police Chief Calvin Williams said in October that he would regularly monitor the videos to review officers’ conduct.

CWRU Police Blotter

opinion Editorial

Them winter blues Sparta your world Thingamabobs?

They’ve got twenty

For student organizations, event setup can be one of the most difficult parts of running a group. The process of buying event supplies, submitting their reimbursement requests and receipts, and then actually receiving their reimbursements can take up considerable time for both organizations’ members and Undergraduate Student Government treasurers (USG). It also requires initial funds that not all students have on hand at any given time.

With the new Sparta Center, the Student Activities Office (SAO) and Undergraduate Student Government have partnered to help lessen this issue for students.

Two and a half years ago, the SAO was planning a very different Sparta Center. As they were allocating space in the then-upcoming Tinkham Veale University Center (TVUC), Director of Student Activities and Leadership Colleen Barker-Williamson requested a large, open space for a poster and balloon shop for student organizations. As the building plans changed and progressed, the space shrank, and a storefront counter was added. In response to this, Barker-Williamson and USG Vice President of finance Chippy Kennedy created the Sparta Center.

Opened on Jan. 19, the Sparta Center is a space adjacent to the SAO in the TVUC where student groups can check out commonly used items such as sidewalk chalk, disposable dishware and chafing dishes.

“I was a treasurer in USG last year, and during my time, I started to think that life would be a lot easier for both the groups and myself...if instead of a reimbursement-based system, we had a ‘let’s go buy all of the stuff ahead

of time’ system,” explained Kennedy.

He also noted that the Sparta Center will save the university thousands of dollars this semester and hopefully even more in future semesters.

The Sparta Center is still very much in its beginning stages. Barker-Williamson and Kennedy are still adding new items, such as chopsticks and water coolers, and the SAO student interns and USG finance committee members who staff the office are tweaking its structure and organization as needed. Especially given its newness and the changes it’s still undergoing, the Sparta Center is a great resource for student organizations.

We couldn’t be more thrilled to see its opening. It’s an investment that hopefully will pay off for student organizations, save the university money and make event planning much easier.

Though it supports the Sparta Center as is, The Observer does have one suggestion to tweak the program going forward. Currently, all items funded by USG—many of the Center’s available items, including cups, plates and the like—are available only to organizations under USG. To open this resource to more campus organizations, The Observer would like to suggest that the Student Executive Council instead of the USG allocate some funding to the Sparta Center, so other campus groups, such as members of the Residence Hall Association, Media Board, Greek Life or University Programming Board can have access to the same resources.

With that change and those already underway, the Sparta Center—already a great resource—can become even better.

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Sophomore slump Stephen Kolison A while back I was walking down Euclid, thinking to myself, when something suddenly hit me. And no, it was not a bus. It was as if Wes Anderson suddenly started directing my life, and I started seeing life through a blurry lens accompanied by odd color palettes.

Then and there, I realized that the winter blues had finally gotten to me.

If you’re someone like me, whose mood is dependent on the weather, you spend the last part of fall waiting for Mother Nature to do her worst. Soon, the days become shorter, and the nights never seem to end. You get scared of what may happen once winter begins.

Sometimes you’re afraid of what it will do to you physically, like make your cheeks red as a tomato or make your nose run like a Kenyan in the Olympics.

But then you begin to fear what could happen to you emotionally. You become anxious, moody and tired all of the time, and it’s like out of the blue someone else took over your body.

I managed to avoid it last semester.

And by “it,” I mean depression, the word that I have been dreading to use for the entire article. I guess the lack of snow and hope for winter break were what kept me going without fail. Now here we are with a ton of snow, no break in sight and no major tests to worry us.

So now I am in this state of flux where all I can attend to are my thoughts.

And sometimes, thoughts can be very dangerous things.

It’s tough to admit that you’re depressed, and it is tougher to admit that you need help. I have always equated going to therapy, counselling or asking for serious advice with weakness. In my mind, it was like saying that you couldn’t handle your own life, and now you have to burden someone else with your life. I joke everyday how I am a functional hot mess, but even with my cocky attitude, I know that some messes are too hot to handle on your own. Every December to March, I am on this sine wave of ups and downs where I stay on a peak, or even a bottom, for days on end.

During those bottom days, I could be logical. I can say that I have multiple opportunities in my life for which to be grateful, reminding myself that no one can get depressed when they have many blessings in their life. That is not logical at all, and maybe the most logical thing to do is just let yourself feel all the

emotions that you’ve been avoiding.

Thank God for the Internet, because if I were going through this 10 years ago, I would have had no idea how to fight this. The Internet has taught me how to let in the emotions I want and let go of the ones I hate.

Some days I sit down and cry.

Whether I’m extremely sad, angry or happy, I cry to let it all out, because for me that lightens the load a little bit.

Now, I’m not the douchebag who brags about his yoga work and how cultured he is, but for the rest of this paragraph, I’m gonna sound a lot like him. I started yoga because it helped me get in touch with my center. The moment I got in touch with it, I became a lot more honest with myself, and my Wes Anderson haze began to become a Mel Gibson glow.

The last and most obvious thing I do is ask for help when it all becomes too much. I was wrong to think that getting help showed weakness. I have replaced the term “getting help” with “taking control”. The strength that it takes to get up and seek someone out is remarkable.

You are starting to take control of your life again and realizing that you won’t be defeated by packed, frozen water on the ground.

I can point out here that my seasonal affective disorder is pretty mild compared to other people. I can still crack dumb jokes, I know how to step back before I snap and I know that this is all very temporary. Some people feel a hell of a lot worse and feel that way for a very long time.

The reason I’m sharing all of this is because I think everyone needs to be more honest with their feelings.

When people ask us how we’re doing we reply, “I’m fine,” when secretly we want to scream,cry, laugh, etc. What I am saying is definitely not novel. We all know we put up pointless walls to the people we love, but for some crazy reason, people need to keep reminding us to break down those walls. I promise, your loved ones won’t hate you if you tell them how you really feel. To all the people feeling down right now, keep your head up, because things are gonna be bright real soon. You can’t expect to see the sun shine again if you keep looking down at the ground.

Sophomore Stephen Kolison is a bi-weekly columnist, a member of IMPROVment, and actually that guy who brags about yoga and how cultured he is.

the observer

established in 1969 by the undergradute students of case western reserve university executive editor & publisher KATHLEEN WIESER director of design MEREDITH DYKEHOUSE director of print MIKE MCKENNA director of business operations TAYLOR MORAN advertising & marketing manager COLE MORRIS account manager MARCUS GUTIERREZ digital publicity & communications manager JESSICA YANG news editor JULIA BIANCO a&e editor ANNE NICKOLOFF opinion editor AQUENE KIMMEL sports editor JP O’HAGAN advisor BERNIE JIM multimedia editor HARSHA CHANDUPATLA web editor JOE SATTERFIELD news layout CHRISTINA CHENG a&e layout VICTOR LOPEZ copy editors MARIA FAZAL ADITHI IYENGAR sports layout ROBERT BROWN opinion layout AMANDA LI

opinion 7

observer.case.edu

Letter to the editor In response to “‘Rape culture’ or just ‘culture’?”

To the editor: In light of the increase in reported sexual misconduct in Greek Life here at Case Western Reserve University, it’s time that sexual assault and rape be thoroughly and rigorously discussed within the CWRU community.

A conversation that should have been ongoing between CWRU Administration and Greek Life is just now beginning. It was only after the anonymous social network Yik Yak posted about the Office of Greek Life asking all sororities and fraternities to cancel their parties for the semester’s last week that our President herself, Barbara Snyder, was made aware of the increase.

However, it’s not just the administration trying to deflect the realities and effects of rape and rape culture on our campus. The student body, too, seems to be evading the subject. The article “‘Rape culture’ or just ‘culture’” in the last edition of The Observer struck me as an attempt to argue that sexual misconduct is not a result of any sort of rape culture, but a result of people not following the “Golden Rule”—to treat other people as they want to be treated.

While rapists are probably not considering the Golden Rule before committing such an act of violence, the problem of rape culture extends far beyond a populace that forgot they probably shouldn’t take someone’s favorite toy away from them.

I’m going to break down my discussion of “‘Rape culture’ or just ‘culture’” into five different categories, which are erroneous misrepresentations of the legitimate problem at hand: 1. The title Being placed underneath another article challenging the CWRU community to face the problem of sexual assault head on, I expected to read an article potentially discussing the cultural normativity of rape. It is, after all, such a common occurrence that apparent sexism is often treated as a cultural norm instead of a horrifying reality for all people that don’t identify as male (or for people who identify as male who once

identified as anything else).

Instead, I found an article that didn’t even hint at rape until the eighth paragraph, the first seven paragraphs’ sole purpose being to describe the author’s experience with underage drinking, which he lessthan-subtly labels as “partying.” In fact, he mentions the words “party,” “partying” and “partier” 18 times, while he only mentions the words “rape,” “rape culture,” “sexual misconduct” and “taken advantage of” six times total. (He does not use any other references to sexual assault.)

2. The definition of “rape culture” The author’s definition of rape culture is the idea that “young coeds are being taken advantage of sexually during and after [college] parties due to immoderate drinking.”

This particular definition is problematic for a few reasons. Not only does this define rape culture as something only seen at college parties, but it also identifies it as something that is solely the product of immoderate drinking within said parties.

This definition severely and blatantly ignores the idea that women anywhere but at a college party can get raped. Alcohol is not the cause of rape: Rapists are the cause of rape. Alcohol should not be used as a blame mechanism for those that are raped, and alcohol should not be used as an excuse mechanism for those that rape.

The organization Women Against Violence Against Women defines rape culture on its website as a “culture in which women perceive a continuum to threatened violence that ranges from sexual remarks to sexual touching to rape itself.” I would like to note that men can be raped and are raped, but the subject matter of the initial article was focused on—or was supposed to be focused on—the rape of women, and that is where I will focus my remarks as well. This is the definition our discussions should be based on.

3. “Rape culture” vs. the terms “slut,” “whore” and “bitch” The fact that rape culture was put into quotes while the author

casually uses the words “slut,” “whore” and “bitch” without quotations might be considered grammatically correct, but it is blatantly sending a message to readers of The Observer: The term rape culture does not deserve legitimacy. Using such maledictive words as “bitch” and “slut” and not identifying these words as sexist slurs is to define women as “wrong” for their right to choose whether or not to have sex.

Through their basis in shaming women for whether or not they choose to have sex, these slurs also normalize the idea that it should be only her partner’s idea to choose. A few people might argue that the term “bitch” isn’t necessarily used in such a context, but in my personal experience, the term is applied to women most often when they are refusing the sexual advances of someone else, and I don’t doubt that many other women experience the same thing. When the terms described above are not put into quotes and the term “rape culture” is, he is essentially normalizing the sexist slurs and alienating the theme of “rape culture” as a legitimate issue.

4. “Culture of Overall Mistreatment” The article attempts to identify sexual misconduct as “a small manifestation of cultural degradation in colleges” and rape culture as “just a culture of overall mistreatment.”

Rape is not a “small manifestation” of anything. The White House report on sexual assault from Apr. 29, 2014 states that “one in five women on college campuses has been sexually assaulted during their time there.” To put this into perspective, in a casual and randomized game of “Russian Roulette” there’s a one in six chance that a player in the game will be shot.

5. Finally, young men aren’t prone to rape. The author states after the end of the article that “he likes to think all young men aren’t prone to rape.” Although the statement leaves quite a bit of room for ambiguity, I’m going to give the author the benefit of doubt and assume he means that he likes to think most young men will not rape. I too like to think that most men are not rapists. However,

that particular statement seems reminiscent of the twitter trend “#notallmen,” which men use to rebuke generalized statements regarding them (often about rape and other acts of sexual misconduct).

As Time Magazine author Jess Zimmerman stated in her article, “Not All Men: A Brief History of Every Dude’s Favorite Argument,” #notallmen is “[an argument] where a male interlocutor redirects a discussion about sexism, misogyny, rape culture or women’s rights to instead be about how none of that is his fault.” While it might not be entirely the fault of the “interlocutor” that sexism, rape and misogyny are themes that exist in almost every culture, by saying he’s not to blame, he is redirecting the issue by blaming the source of said issues elsewhere instead of trying to be part of the solution and encouraging other men not to rape. By not being a part of the solution, he is part of the problem.

As The Observer’s editorial stated in the issue released on Jan. 23, 2015, “This solution should include all of us. After all, ending sexual misconduct is everyone’s responsibility.”

Ultimately, I’m writing this article to ask everyone to encourage the discussion of the horrors of rape and sexual assault. Question the acceptance of sexism and rape culture around you. Refute the idea that rape is a “small manifestation of cultural degradation in colleges.” Recognize rape as a massive worldwide epidemic that represents a global culture in which the sexual oppression of women is either accepted as a reality, or not discussed at all. Whatever you do, don’t remain silent. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Sincerely, Mara Grigg Sophomore Mara Grigg is a person with a one out of five chance of being raped within her time at college, just like every other woman around her.

‘Rape culture’ or just ‘culture’ part II The meaning of Spartan life

Jacob Martin On Dec. 7, 2014, Slate published an article entitled “The College Rape Overcorrection,” by Emily Yoffe. Its abstract read, “Sexual assault on campus is a serious problem. But efforts to protect women from a putative epidemic of violence have led to misguided policies that infringe on the civil rights of men.”

The article goes on to outline the case of a University of Michigan freshman who was accused of sexual assault and—despite the presence of contrary facts—was found to have engaged in sexual intercourse with the complainant without her consent, and he was suspended until after she graduated.

Obviously, if someone is found responsible of any violation, justice should be administered.

The real problem lies in the serious lack of due process for the accused.

According to The Boston Globe, 28 members of Harvard Law School issued a statement condemning the university’s new sexual harassment policy, which was released in July, declaring it would do Harvard more harm than good. They claimed the adopted procedures “lack the most basic elements of fairness and due process, are overwhelmingly stacked against the accused and are in no way required by Title IX law or regulation.”

Case Western Reserve University has encountered similar problems recently. On Dec. 11, 2014, Cleveland.com reported

a medical student was suing CWRU for “violating due process rights and contractual obligations outlined in student handbooks.”

Whatever the merits of that case, what is going on with sex and the way it manifests within academia across the United States?

In the 1970s, a number of books were written by established feminists who began to use the term “rape culture” to push toward a goal of eliminating rape within society.

However, since then, the term has been used broadly to encapsulate any number of behaviors, mindsets and statements that have nothing to do with rape itself.

Whatever your position on the prevalence of an American rape culture, the major problem with the debate over “rape culture” is the explicitly precise term and the explicitly imprecise correlating definition(s).

Rape, according to Black’s Law Dictionary, is committed when sexual intercourse occurs without consent, by force or threat, under significantly impaired judgment or when the victim is unconscious. Rape culture on the other hand can include an unlimited number of things related to sex and not limited to the prongs of the legal definition.

A number of heavy-hitting publications have recently weighed in on America’s proposed rape culture, including Time, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Salon and Slate. In all cases, the opinion is essentially that rape culture as a phenomenon is either running rampant or blown way out of proportion.

With government crackdown on sexual misconduct, harsh university responses and such a pervasive media presence, perhaps we live in a hyperactive rape culture.

Or, perhaps we do not.

Taken strictly in conjunction with the legal definition of rape, I do not believe calling our culture a rape culture is fully appropriate.

This semantic issue gives rise to a chickenand-egg problem here: Do individuals and their actions give rise to a cultural norm of rape, or do cultural factors give rise to individual behaviors?

It seems disgusting to consider rape as a cultural norm, but suggesting we have a rape culture does just that. In fact, declaring rape a cultural norm that needs to be fixed detracts from the individual responsibility of rape, and I don’t think that rape is a cultural norm condoned by society.

In terms of colleges, there seems to be a double standard. Our legal system explicitly looks at rape as a behavior committed by an autonomous individual. Punishment is based on due process, hard evidence and a trial by jury. Universities appear to be looking at it more like a cultural imposition needed to be dealt with by properly harsh but debatably unfair policies.

Rape is inexcusable and utterly, sickeningly deplorable, but calling our culture a rape culture seems to me a misappropriation. Furthermore, the sheer amount of progressive motions towards eradicating rape from society both institutionally and discursively suggests our culture abhors rape and refuses to accept or

even see it as a normative concept.

While rape no doubt occurs on and off college campuses, we need to address the real question regarding rape culture—is it a cultural norm? All other questions are unimportant to the debate. Is sexual intercourse without consent, when forced or significantly impaired, a cultural norm?

I can anticipate the outrage at this point, but we can’t have it both ways. The prevalence of rape is either the product of autonomous individuals’ behaviors or the imposition of rape as a societal norm of cultural factors on the entire population.

We need to make a distinction between college culture and the larger society within which college culture exists. College is a subculture by definition. The conscious rekindling of the term “rape culture” has come about surrounding this subculture within which we students live, not necessarily culture at large, and the backlash is correctly pointed at more than just rape.

We need to be more vigilant with our diction and more honest with our rhetoric.

Do we have a culture of sexism, chauvinism, misogyny and objectification? Absolutely; I think such terms are perfectly on point. But declaring that the act of rape is a culturally accepted thing is problematic and actually does injustice to victims.

Jacob Martin is a weekly opinion columnist. The final sentence of his bio last week never made it to print. It read, “Stay tuned for part two [this] week.” He apologizes for his error.

arts & entertainment

Uptown warms up at outdoor festival event

to Alaska and Canada, but I’m primarily around the Northeast Ohio area working for a company called Elegant Ice Creations,” said Meyers. “It’s an interesting job, because I get to ice sculpt year-round for weddings, birthdays, corporate parties and winter festivals like this one.”

The cold temperatures didn’t stop anyone from having a good time at this event. Playing ice bowling, warming up near a fire pit and watching a block of ice get turned into a snowman spiced up an otherwise bleak Thursday night. Though it faced Cleveland’s brutal temperatures, Fire & Ice was a good start to potential Uptown Cleveland winter events.

Sanjana Krishnakumar Contributing Reporter Clevelanders gathered together to celebrate the winter season at the Fire & Ice event last Thursday, Jan. 22. This winter festival, presented by Toby’s Plaza, is a continuation of summer’s activities series that incorporates local businesses and attracts more people to the Uptown area.

While everyone had their own niche, The Corner Alley hosted creative hands-on games and activities such as light-up igloo building and ice bowling.

“The Corner Alley has been doing well.

It definitely has been picking up week by

Sanjana Krishnakumar/Observer Fire and Ice, Uptown Cleveland’s latest event, had many different events to keep Clevelanders outside even in the snow. week as the word gets out there,” said a service assistant at The Corner Alley. “I’m teaching how to bowl on the ice at this event. It’s exciting because our entire Corner Alley team, including the managers, event planners and other service assistants, is out here for this event.”

Among the fun games and activities, several people grabbed hot cups of apple cider, courtesy Constantino’s Market, and crowded around the fire pit to keep warm while they listened to the upbeat music.

Case Western Reserve University

students and University Circle locals stopped and stared as Jeff Meyers, an ice sculptor from Elegant Ice Creations, created incredible structures, including a snowman, snowflake and fire flames. Meyers took a ceramics class as a senior in high school and soon after he graduated got hired as a carver.

He learned the majority of his carving skills from his boss, Aaron Costic, who started as part of a culinary program where chefs sculpted edible fruits, sugars and ice.

“I’ve been ice sculpting for over 13 years now, and I travel quite a bit. I’ve traveled

Keep busy with Baker Nord’s upcoming events Sierra Blanton Contributing Reporter Case Western Reserve University has been a host and audience for many visitors, who have lectured and discussed their ideas and research. This February CWRU will resume this role, while the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities welcomes several presenters from a variety of subjects.

On Feb. 9, Frederick Lewis, an associate professor from Ohio University, will introduce and screen his documentary, “Rockwell Kent,” in the Wolstein Research Building Auditorium and take time to answer questions.

Rockwell Kent was a man of many titles, including artist and traveler, who lived from 1882-1971. Lewis became interested in Kent, “initially being attracted to his early paintings of Maine” and his wood engravings.

When Lewis started to produce this documentary, he had thought he was looking into a “regional artist,” but instead he started

a project that became a 10-year journey, as he looked deeper into Kent’s life and work. His process included making his own expedition that retraced Kent’s travels.

Lewis has screened his documentary at over 50 venues. “Rockwell Kent was a force of nature,” said Lewis. “People just don’t know about him.”

Jeffrey Ullom, a CWRU assistant professor of theater and director of undergraduate studies, is also looking to shed some light on a lesser-known history about the Cleveland Play House at a dinner in the Siegal Beachwood Facility on Feb. 16. He will speak about his research and the challenges he faced while writing his book, “America’s First Regional Theatre: The Cleveland Play House and Its Search for a Home.”

Ullom looked at how this playhouse, which is almost 100 years old, is still up and running after all this time despite the fact many other playhouses have fallen. “[It] is not only a history of a theater but a

unique history of the community as well,” said Ullom.

Another CWRU professor, Justine Howe, assistant professor of religious studies, will discuss her current research for her book during her “Faculty Work-in-Progress: Honoring the Prophet, Performing American Islam” presentation on Feb. 18. Howe wants to show how American-Muslims integrate their Muslim and American identities post9/11. She has been looking at new types of rituals and specifically how in the Chicago area, the Muslim community has been experimenting with a celebration to honor Muhammad, the prophet.

Howe will discuss their practices to give “Case students a window into a religious world that they may not be as familiar with” and to have an opportunity for discussion on the topic and for her to receive feedback on her project so far.

Then, later on in the month, on Feb. 24, Cynthia Willett, a philosophy professor from Emory University, will be giving

“The Issa Lecture: Interspecies Ethics” in Clark Hall. Willet saw a connection in how human ethics partially come from the fact that we are social animals.

“The way we go about social relationship dynamics and personal relationships are not that different from other social animals,” said Willet.

In her lecture and discussion, she will go further with this idea and how this knowledge can be integrated into our social dynamics and possibly change them.

The Baker-Nord Center will also be hosting a few other events in February, including Donna Kornhaber’s “Animating the War: The First World War and the History of Animation,” Roald Hoffmann’s “Chemistry in Art, Art in Chemistry and the Spiritual Ground They Share” and Idelber Avelar’s “Neoliberal Practices and Cultural Production in Latin America in the Past 40 Years.”

For more information, go to Baker-Nord Center’s Upcoming Events webpage.

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Pass the suds...

Mike Suglio Staff Reporter Roughly a year ago, I first began my exploration of the local craft beer scene.

By the end of last academic year I had reviewed all the local Cleveland breweries.

Since then several new local breweries have popped up in actual Cleveland, not just the suburbs, and more are on their way throughout 2015. It is no surprise why the travel section of the Huffington Post just recently rated Cleveland as the number one beer city in America according to beer experts.

It is not only an exciting time for Cleveland beer drinkers, but Clevelanders in general, as more exciting enterprises continue to pop up and grow in this lovely metropolis.

And with that I pass the suds…

Imagine eating a mouth-watering Cleveland cheesesteak and sipping a craft beer before or after an amazing show at the Beachland Ballroom & Tavern. That dream is now a reality, thanks to the recently-opened Waterloo Brew a block away from one of Cleveland’s premier music venues.

Upon entering the brew shop on Martin Luther King Jr. Day evening, I was greeted

by William Everett, former bartender at the Euclid Tavern (before it was Happy Dog).

I sat down at the long, wooden bar, which stretched the entire length of the room, and noticed the faded yellow, red and green seats from the 1970s furnishing the room.

Unfortunately, Waterloo was out of its one house beer, the Waterloo Brew, which is an American Pale Ale brewed in collaboration with Platform Beer Co. of Ohio City. Instead, I tried one of their many guest beers, the Neapolitan Milk Stout. This beer was like drinking alcoholic liquid ice cream. It had a fantastic stout and bitter finish to it.

Waterloo Brew had a fantastic draft selection, which Everett explained is constantly rotating. The liquor selection was extremely extensive as well.

Everett and I both laughed, as Waterloo Brew reminded us both of the “old school” bar feel the Euclid Tavern also has.

I ordered the Cleveland cheesesteak sandwich, which is only $5 on Mondays.

Each day, Waterloo offers one of their featured menu items for only $5. Several traditional Slovenian items appear on this hearty menu comprising of BBQ pork, kielbasa and Slovenian sausage.

I smiled as I watched the single kitchen staff member prepare this colossal sandwich in a tiny kitchen at the end of the bar. In minutes, this beast of a sandwich was in front of me, ready to be devoured.

The sandwich had juicy hunks of steak, which were slow cooked for 16 hours before being served between two large pieces of bread. The sandwich was drenched in housemade red pepper relish to give it a nice heated flavor. The sandwich was also filled with mushrooms, onions and, of course, nacho cheese.

As I wiped the cheese off my face from this non-beard-friendly sandwich, I was

at Waterloo Brew

Mike Suglio/Observer Near the Beachland Ballroom, Waterloo Brew offers a walkable choice for postconcert drinking into the night. greeted by Nick Krankovich, manager at ABC Uptown, who explained that the same owners of all the ABC and XYZ bars and restaurants own Waterloo Brew.

Waterloo Brew will eventually have a large brewing system installed, which will provide in-house beer not only to Waterloo Brew, but also all the other ABC/XYZ bars.

The space was formerly the historic Slovenian Workmen’s Home. Krankovich explained that they preserved a lot of the heritage of the space, as can be seen by the large mural of a serene Mediterranean

beach adorning the back wall. The main Slovenian home is still next door and as vibrant as ever.

Krankovich took me on a tour of this historic building, and I was amazed to find beautifully-preserved bocce courts in the basement. Waterloo Brew owners hope to start bocce tournaments soon. As an avid bocce player, I was rather ecstatic.

This brew shop will eventually have an outdoor patio over the summer, which will make it an absolutely perfect hangout spot when checking out a show at the Beachland.

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observer.case.edu

February Spot Night preview Temi Omilabu Staff Reporter Feb. 5, 2015: Futurebirds (with opener Jordan Genovese) Futurebirds are an indie band hailing from Athens, GA. Their southern roots explain the subtle country-rock sound that can be heard in many of their songs.

The high-energy band is known for their interesting mix of banjo, mandolin, electric and acoustic guitars, percussion and four-part harmonies. I would describe their sound as a psychedelic mix between country-pop and indie music. Recently, they toured with big names like The Whig and Jonny Corndawg, and they have performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival twice in the past. Their 2013 album “Baba Yaga” put them high on the charts for the first time, and their fame continues to spread.

Feb. 19, 2015: Civil Twilight Civil Twilight is a rock band from Cape Town, South Africa with an enthralling rock sound. Many have com-

pared them to big-name rock and roll groups such as Muse, U2 and Radiohead. Founding band members and brothers Steven and Andrew McKellar were raised listening to their mother’s classical piano playing and their father’s collection of jazz music. The two created the band with the help of their friend and now drummer, Richard Wouters, and the encouragement of their parents. Later, Kevin Dailey joined the band and added his skill with the keyboard to the mix.

Their songs have been featured in primetime TV, such as “The Vampire Diaries,” “Arrow” and “One Tree Hill.”

Feb. 26, 2015: Battle of The Bands In lieu of a usual Spot Night, the Springfest Committee will be hosting its annual Battle of the Bands. The winner of this competition will be the opener for the big Springfest headliner, which will be announced at a later date.

This is a night that many students anticipate, and it’s always fun to watch classmates engage in some friendly competition.

Less than Jake, Reel Big Fish bring dance party to House of Blues Anne Nickoloff Arts & Entertainment Editor You don’t know what it’s like to feel crushed at a concert, until a large man wearing a studded vest tries to crowd surf, and slams down onto you instead.

This was experienced by much of the audience at the Authority Zero/Reel Big Fish/Less Than Jake show last Friday, Jan. 23. Between “Sellout” and a cover of A-ha’s “Take On Me,” anyone who wanted to could float on a sea of bobbing hands.

One by one, they spilled over the edge of the pit with the help of several guards, kicking and singing all the way.

Most people knew what to expect, and most people knew how to handle it.

I heard lots of “sorry’s” shouted when people got bumped too hard. When a girl fell down on the ground, surrounding dancers shielded her until she stood. After losing my wallet, my new punk friends lit up their phones and helped search. We didn’t get ahold of it until after Reel Big Fish’s set, and when I had it back, not a single bill was missing.

Punks are polite. They just go hard.

After all, this was Authority Zero, Reel Big Fish and Less than Jake we’re talking about; what else could you expect? They are all some of the biggest bands in the history of American punk/ska. The sold-out show was filled with diehard fans who, to quote a yellow-mohawked worker, were there to “fuck shit up!”

Authority Zero, as more of a garage rock band, saw a less kick-happy crowd. But after faster and faster repetitions of “Rattlin’ Bog” (to the point where singer Jason De-

Carpe Summer

Vore seemed like he’d pass out), there was no doubting their energy onstage.

Reel Big Fish brought some ska, with singer Aaron Barrett wearing an outrageous outfit combining mutton chops with a pink blazer, zebra sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt. There was no shame.

Even the guards made their own fun. During a slower moment for the audience, one of the protectors picked up a handful of blue and yellow confetti from the ground and puffed it over the other guard’s head, laughing.

The eye of the storm after Reel Big Fish’s show was rudely ended at Less than Jake’s entrance, with a recording stating: “Ladies and gentlemen...shut the fuck up.”

Seconds later, Less than Jake ran straight into hit song “Look What Happened.” Singer Chris Demakes burped into the microphone, trombonist Buddy Schaub winked at a photographer and guitarist Roger Lima waved hello at the balcony’s quiet audience.

Two audience members were invited onstage to dance behind the band, and Lima shook his finger with a smile when the boy tried to sing into his microphone.

At the end of the night, when things—sort of—calmed down and the audience shouted for one more song, Demakes walked onstage and started an acoustic set. Soon, he launched into the full band version, shoving the audience back into dance mode.

The end of the night was a fitting, allout dance party, full of flailing both onstage and in the crowd.

No one cared about how they looked; they were punks.

They did what they wanted to do.

summer.case.edu

Feel like you’re swimming against the tide? Don’t let your course load pour cold water on your graduation plans. Maybe it’s time to ride the Summer Session wave!

Taking summer classes can help you work ahead or reduce your course load, graduate on time (or early), or improve your performance in a previously completed class.

And the cost? Well that’s another kettle of fish altogether. Tuition for courses numbered 1-399 is just 50 percent of the regular rate, so you’ll save money, too.

With more than 100 courses—including 25 new offerings and eight study abroad courses—Summer Session allows you to focus on completing core requirements or electives during a term that’s shorter and less stressful than the rest of the school year. And summer courses offer the same high-quality CWRU education with smaller classes and significant savings.

Stop feeling like a fish out of water—carpe summer by making your plans now.

Registration starts March 30, but view the course schedule at summer.case.edu.

May Term: May 11–29 8 Week Session: June 1–July 27 5 Week Session: June 1–July 2 4 Week Session (1): June 1–26 6 Week Session: June 15 – July 27 4 Week Session (2): July 6–31

Summer Session 2015

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Laura Smith (MEM 2012) “I had seven job offers before graduation; I wouldn’t be where I am had I not pursued the MEM at CWRU.”

Playlist of the Week Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter

The clouds open in the first few seconds of “Then Came the Morning,” revealing the sunny, blue-eyed soul vocals of Brian Elmquist and Kanene Doheney Pipkin that immediately lift this track off the ground. After the excitement that The Lone Below’s self-titled debut garnered in 2013, “Then Came the Morning” is certainly not a sophomore slump, with gorgeous arrangements that establish the trio’s trademark “Brooklyn country music” identity. Look for this album on Descendant Records Jan. 27.

Ben Kramer (MEM 2004) “The MEM’s entrepreneurship course gave me an edge in starting and selling my own company.”

Melissa Paradise-Arnett (MEM 2008) “I was one step ahead of my colleagues with similar engineering backgrounds.”

Tawny Bragg (MEM 2011) “I decided on the MEM program to help me get on the fast track to my goals in corporate America.”

MASTER OF ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT DEGREE:

February 15 Application Deadline

Want to learn more?

Open House – Thurs. 2/12 Nord 400 from 6 to 7:30pm Learn from Industry Experts: What Can A MEM Do for You?

“Magnet”—Punch Brothers Fans of the group Nickel Creek may know the Punch Brothers as Chris Thile’s side group, but sophisticated songs like “Magnet” prove that this group plays second fiddle to no one in the contemporary bluegrass community. On their fifth album, “The Phosphorescent Blues,” the quintet nimbly navigate between pop miniatures like “Magnet” and complex progressive pieces with an epic ebb and flow that will grab listeners and leave them breathless.

“Black Sun”—Death Cab for Cutie Indie rock institution Death Cab for Cutie is slated to release its next album, “Kintsugi,” in the next few months; this will be the last with longtime guitar player and producer Chris Walla. Perhaps intentionally, the weight of such a departure weighs heavily on the bittersweet, echoing ballad “Black Sun.” While this track still sounds like the Death Cab we have come to know and love, the chugging bassline and distorted, edge-like guitar solo indicate that something has changed. We will have to wait until March 31 to know whether or not it’s for the better or for the worse.

“Empty Nesters”—Tori Y Moi “Understand the purpose of making everything around you better,” sings Chaz Bundick on Toro Y Moi’s latest single. This is a message that the irresistible, swirling “Empty Nesters” takes to heart, showcasing Bundick’s genrebending talent with a funky drum breaks and a bright guitar sheen that could easily pass for Pavement or Tame Impala. Search for this tune on the album, “What For?,” due out on Carpark Records on April 7.

“Orchard Thieves”—Oldboy Cleveland’s own, Oldboy deliver an authentic and earthy blend of folk-rock that rivals the Avett Brothers and puts Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros to shame. Two of the groups members, Shawn Brewster and Shelby Sangdahl, will release their debut EP as the duo Shawn & Shelby at the Happy Dog at the Euclid Tavern on Jan. 30. Cover charge is $5 and the concert starts at 9 p.m.

featuring Robert Kenney, Sunniva Collins, Colin Drummond, and Gary Wnek (MEM faculty).

RSVP to Ramona.David@case.edu

Dinner and Discussion

Top 5 Reasons to Earn Your MEM 1) Earn while you learn with paid internship opportunities 2) Obtain a graduate degree in just one year 3) Individualized coaching 4) Accelerate your career growth and earning potential 5) Make yourself marketable — the engineer’s answer to an MBA Stop by the MEM office and mention this ad to receive a treat.

“Then Came the Morning”— The Lone Bellow

Retro Pick of the Week:

“Not Too Soon”—Throwing Muses Fusing a rush of swirling guitar pop with the unique vocals of Kristin Hersh, Throwing Muses is easily one of the most influential alternative bands of the early 1990s. “Not Too Soon” is, in many ways, the group’s quintessential song, highlighting the best parts of their sound. Thus this tune is a perfect starting point for new fans and highly recommended for fans of Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls and chick rock in general.

Find all these tracks online with our weekly Spotify playlist at observer.case.edu Teddy Eisenberg is a third-year programmer at WRUW-FM 91.1 Cleveland. He hosts The ’59 Sound, an exploration of rock music, every Thursday morning from 8-10 a.m.. and co-hosts the variety talk show Max and Teddy in the Morning at Night (Sometimes) on Mondays from 5-6 p.m. The crackle of vinyl warms him on cold Cleveland nights.

Photos courtesy npr.org, punchbrothers.com, stereogum.com, soundcloud. com, amazon.com, eyesore.no

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observer.case.edu Fall Out Boy continue triumphant return with “American Beauty/American Psycho” Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter

Courtesy Billboard.com Fall Out Boy’s newest album might be poppier than past releases, but the band hasn’t lost its edge.

As a kid growing up in the heyday of “emo” music, the return of Fall Out Boy as chart-topping saviors of rock and roll isn’t only a little unexpected; it’s also a little weird to think about. Gone are the angsty, uncool guys in girl jeans and eyeliner that sang “Dance, Dance,” and in their place are the new superstars of pop music.

The group’s sixth record, “American Beauty/American Psycho,” is in many ways a mirror held up to the point at which rock music and pop radio intersect in the 2010s: the trumpet fanfare on “Irresistible” is a riff on Capital Cities’ summer hit “Safe and Sound,” the melody on “The Kids Aren’t Alright” sounds like one or more Bruno Mars songs, the dark talkbox riff that begins “Novocaine” sounds like a twisted version of “Uptown Funk” and “Favorite Record” acknowledges the growing hipster crowd and the resurgence of vinyl.

Album: “American Beauty/ American Psycho” Artist: Fall Out Boy Release Date: Jan. 20, 2015 Rating: Maybe all of this ought to sound derivative, but a listen through “American Beauty/ American Psycho” proves just the opposite.

This album is the sound of Fall Out Boy tackling the world of modern music in all its messes and succeeding through a combination of Patrick Stump’s earnest, soulful vocals and Pete Wentz’s lyrical delusions of grandeur.

Perhaps no track better embodies this than “Centuries,” a song that has taken over ESPN in recent months to become the biggest sports anthem since Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Incorporating a sample of Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner” with sleek hip-hop production, this tune anchors the sometimes schizophrenic “American Beauty/American Psycho” with lofty and adventurous ambitions and a soaring vocal melody from Stump.

Another standout track, “Uma Thurman,” assimilates the theme from The Munsters in a surf-rock attempt to channel the menacing sex appeal of “Pulp Fiction.”

It works. The furious punk-disco of the album’s title track, the Eastern funk groove of “Immortals” and the paranoid ballad “Jet Pack Blues” are also highlights.

At its best, “American Beauty/American Psycho” is everything redeemable about pop music in the 21st century: an adventurous approach at being at being one of the biggest bands in the world. At its worst, well, it’s just plain fun.

PIZZA LUNCH WITH THE PROVOST AND LEADERSHIP TEAM Friday, February 6, 2015 Dear Case Western Reserve University Students – Please join me and members of my leadership team on Friday, February 6 from 12:45 – 1:45 in Strosacker Auditorium to learn about new initiatives to enhance student learning and life experiences at Case Western Reserve. We also will review proposed tuition rates and room and board fees for 2015-2016. Pizza and drinks will be served.

Our team will discuss enhancements to University facilities, including active-learning classrooms and new living/learning facilities, new academic programs, International programs, and studentsupport and retention programs.

The meeting will include ample time for student questions and comments.

We hope to see you there.

Provost Baeslack

CWRU Thoughts

Maria Fazal Staff Reporter

Stephanie Kim/ Observer

The Case Western Reserve University community is known for thinking beyond the possible. Each week, this column aims to capture a slice of campus life.

Q: What made you decide to attend the Cleveland Institute of Art? A: I’ve done art my whole life, and CIA is one of the only schools in the country that does the biomedical art program. I’m really interested in science and learning about the world, and I’m also interested in drawing

technically. I’ll have science classes at Case next year and study more anatomy.

Q: What’s the biggest change from art in high school?

A: It’s very open. I learn a lot from every project I do, and the professors are really inspiring. They really drive us to do art well.

I have a drawing professor who will go on a 40-minute monologue about why we’re here.

He inspires us to be the best people we can be in his class. I think it’s a good wake up call.

TRAVEL LIKE A PROFESSIONAL Welter-Muzic Child Well-Being Scholars: Conference Support Program

provides funding to undergraduate students to attend a conference on research and policy or practice related to children and young people.

UP TO $700 FOR: Conference Registration | Transportation | Lodging | Meals CHILD-RELATED CONFERENCE TOPICS CAN INCLUDE: • Child Psychology, Mental Health • Anthropology, Sociology, Culture, Cognitive Science • Law, Political Science, Juvenile Justice • Child and Family Medicine, Nursing, Health Care • Social Justice, Social Work, Family Welfare

For more information and to apply: schubert.case.edu/education/welter-muzic-scholars-program Applications for 2015 conferences due January 30, 2015!

Applications received after that date will be considered based on availability of funds.

Priority will be given to Childhood Studies minors, but all majors and minors within the Collge of Arts and Sciences are encouraged to apply.

Scholarship supported by the generous contributions of alumni Christina Welter, MPH, DrPH (CWR ‘98) and David Muzic, MD (CWR ‘97).

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Opposing Viewpoints: “American Sniper”

Film: “American Sniper” Director: Clint Eastwood Release Date: Jan. 16, 2015 Eng Rating: Kalidindi Rating:

Mixed feelings Controversial “American Sniper” a difficult film to swallow

Winston Eng Staff Reporter

Courtesy IMDB “American Sniper” has caused controversy since it came to theaters because of its takes on heroism and modern warfare.

An American hero?

“American Sniper” rethinks standards

Sunny Kalidindi Staff Reporter “American Sniper” is a film built on parallels, which work by making the viewer draw connections between scenes.

Perhaps the most alarming parallel comes right at the beginning of the movie when newly-deployed Navy Seal Chris Kyle is about to shoot a young Muslim boy.

He lines up the shot. His finger rests on the trigger, and just as he pulls it, the scene cuts to a younger Kyle—perhaps the same age as the Muslim boy—shooting a deer. You can’t help but draw a connection. To Kyle, shooting these people is like shooting animals for game. He argues that it is for his country, for his people, that he can do this. But does that justify his actions?

The film seems to think so, but it is ultimately up to the viewers to decide on their own.

For me, the link between the boy and the deer was uncomfortable. And it wasn’t the only one. It’s those connections (sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle) like Kyle’s rising blood pressure and the rising tension of each tour that make the film unsettling.

I can’t say I liked it, but I also can’t say I didn’t like it. An effective film, I suppose, should make you feel something. “American Sniper” makes me feel kind of hollow. I feel like I’m not quite sure what side to take, but I do think you

should watch it. This film is important. It questions what it means to be an American hero and how far we should go in defending our actions. Kyle had 160 kills, and each one weighs heavily on screen but none more so than that first kill of the boy. Ultimately, how you see that scene will determine how you feel about the movie and the actions of the protagonist.

Is he an American hero? Or should we rethink our definition?

Politics aside, this is still a pretty good film. It’s visually very sharp, and the background score, in particular, is gripping. It’s almost “Inception”-like with a brief period of quiet before a loud woomp. Bradley Cooper stands out as he completely embodies Kyle. You can’t help but feel his disorientation when he comes back to the U.S. Clint Eastwood’s directing draws you up close, and there’s a sense of rawness to the film, especially in kill scenes. Extreme close-ups build the tension and allow Cooper to shine with the small little ticks he gives the character. It’s effective, to say the least, and it adds to the “pro-warrior” quality of the film.

If you liked the material of films like “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty” or the quality of Eastwood’s other films, such as “Gran Torino,” this film is for you. Or maybe, like me, you just wanted to ask yourself some uncomfortable questions that probably need to be asked.

It has been five weeks since the start of 2015, and “American Sniper” has already solidified itself as a practically indomitable contender for the most controversial film of the year.

From aggregating, derisive, social-media commentary (think Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr-spheres) to bifurcating audiences into two schools of thought, immaculate praise and critical condemnation, Clint Eastwood’s latest release has garnered a considerable amount of attention for its source material and visual interpretation. Such controversy regarding the accuracy of titular character Chris Kyle’s memoir, and subsequently its adaptation’s commercial success, has prompted comedian-actor Seth Rogen, director/political activist Michael Moore and even prominent linguist Noam Chomsky to weigh their perspectives in the face of intense public backlash.

Regardless of whether or not you fall within the category of any kind of fiscally/ socially liberal/conservative combination, this film will test as well as seek to reaffirm your own personal beliefs related to the War on Terror and its aftereffects. As such, there should be no surprise that despite how hard “American Sniper” tries to focus solely on its stated American war hero, the subject of war and politics is completely unavoidable.

Ultimately, this becomes the main reason for such controversy.

Eastwood’s “American Sniper” focuses on Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), a wannabe rodeo star who, after witnessing a television coverage of the 1998 U.S. embassy attacks in Kenya and Tanzania, decides to join the U.S. Navy. While experiencing intense training, he meets his future wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), at a bar one night; they are quickly married and settle into their new home. After 9/11, Kyle is deployed to his first tour in Iraq; his training as a SEAL sniper earns him a status among his allies as well as his enemies as the “Legend,” a title Kyle unwillingly accepts.

There is no doubt that Kyle believes completely in what he is doing and what he seeks to accomplish out on the battlefield. Despite numerous honorable discharges and a growing family at home, his sense of purpose and unrelenting intensity gushes into his relationships in a way that cannot help but be interpreted as unnerving. Time and time again, he finds himself struggling with hiding his sporadically-emerging posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) only to draw himself back to the battlefield where, if anything, he seems to act the most human.

Through these violent situations, Eastwood consistently weaves themes depicting undying loyalty and the psychological aftereffects of war with expected character decisions and sustained dialog that is quite sim-

plistic in nature. There never appears to be a moment of brilliant change or even a gradual epiphany regarding a change in perception; things just simply are the way they are.

Overall, Kyle does not demonstrate a change in his beliefs from the start of the film to the end. To say he doesn’t experience life-altering events, however, would be incorrect.

There are a handful of instances which are further enhanced by the existence of his PTSD symptoms; however, the notion that he continues to hold fast to the image of himself as a necessary and unconquerable protector of others, a belief that is shown to be dangerously instilled in him since childhood, ultimately makes him appear singleminded and slightly psychopathic.

“American Sniper” also showcases a career-defining moment for Cooper. Flashes of menace, severe grittiness and skillfully controlled suppression of expression produce an absolutely gut-wrenching and impactful demonstration of character. It’s a spellbinding performance that unexpectedly fails to pair well with Miller, who portrays his troubled and tortured wife, who is often left to the wayside to either relieve some sexual tension or voice her ignored concerns.

Failing to flesh out the majority of the supporting characters appeared to be the trend in Eastwood’s latest release, and ultimately, this stifled opportunity left me continually yearning for deeper expansion to make up for what felt like a one-dimensional character.

You cannot expect, however, for this to be the only flaw within the film. From the use of an obviously fake infant to the cheesy and cliché slow motion, complete with excessive blood-splattering CGI, Eastwood’s mishaps often distracted me from the scene at hand. Having moments of intense emotional buildup be trumped by what felt like cheap and unprofessional tactics felt somewhat insulting and definitely not worthy of the realistic atmosphere “American Sniper” was aiming to create. I expected a lot more from a director with titles such as “Mystic River” and “Letters from Iwo Jima” and a budget nearing $60 million under his belt.

It is difficult to admit that the hardest part to swallow from “American Sniper” is the lack of sympathy for the population against which the war is being waged. Consistently, the term “savages” instills a survivalist mentality that portrays the foreign civilians as animalistic and dehumanized. However, as pointed out by Kyle quite early on in the film, there is only one outcome in the battlefield: either you or your enemy survives the other.

It’s a reality, a red pill if you will, that produces a sense of ambiguity and uneasiness at this film’s conclusion and essentially portrays a brutally humbling perspective too impactful to ignore. “American Sniper” should, by no surprise, be a must-watch.

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observer.case.edu

The science A behind winter conversation clothing with...

Janet Lanman Staff Reporter

Cleveland winters can be brutal, but not if you bundle up strategically. Here are some proven tips to keep you warm on your way to class.

The basics The essential rule to stay warm is to stay dry. As moisture evaporates, it leaves you feeling colder (the reason why you still feel cold getting out of the pool on a 90-degree summer day). Pick moisture-wicking fabrics and layer your clothing to ensure you don’t sweat and get chilly on your power walk to class.

Layer properly There are three major components to winter layers: base, middle and outer layers. Base layers are the lightweight clothes, such as a shirt, leggings and socks, that directly touch the skin. These items should be designed to wick moisture away from the body. Middle layers are your insulation: think fleece, sweaters and down jackets. Outer layers are the shell to keep wind and moisture off your middle layers, essentially a rain jacket. A good down coat will often have enough protection to suffice, but don’t neglect this shell on a particularly windy or snowy day. Be sure all layers fit snugly against your body to trap heat right where you want it.

Pick the right fabrics Wool and polyester are two materials to look for in your base layers. Both fabrics are excellent for resisting moisture. Merino wool blends, for example, are thin and comfortable on the skin as a base layer. You can find polyester in most synthetic garments designed for outdoor gear.

Cotton is fantastic when exercising in the summertime, but avoid it in the winter.

Cotton is highly absorbent and does not dry quickly, which is a no-no for optimal warmth, especially for a base layer.

Reconsider your gloves If you can’t feel your fingers by the time you get to class each day, take a look at your gloves. Texting gloves tend to have less fabric on thumbs and index fingers, leaving your fingers colder than traditional gloves. If traditional gloves still aren’t enough, trade them in for mittens, as bundling your fingers together provides more insulating body heat.

Ignore old wives’ tales Surely you have heard the claim that you lose the majority of your body heat through your head, but this is simply not true. Heat lost depends on the amount of exposed surface area, not the type of skin. Those blessed with full heads of hair can wear ear muffs or head wraps without sacrificing warmth or getting dreaded hat hair.

CMA’s

Provenance

premieres two new prix fixe menus Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter ust in time for Valentine’s Day, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Provenance has announced two new prix fixe menus for museum patrons. Starting this week, the restaurant will feature dish selections inspired by local artists displayed in the museum’s Cleveland Galleries in the East Wing.

“Each prix fixe menu features dishes that are created to give guests a multisensory experience from both an artistic and culinary standpoint,” said Chef Douglas Katz.

Indeed, a selection from this Cleveland Gallery-themed prix fixe menu includes such artful dishes as the chef’s garden roasted cauliflower salad, which comes with shaved pickled red and yellow beets, kohlrabi, golden raisins,

toasted pine nuts, red velvet creamery yogurt and mint and honey dressing.

Other items include the pan-roasted New Creation Farm chicken thighs, local apple upside down cake with Cleveland whiskey caramel and Mitchell’s homemade vanilla ice cream.

An additional four-course prix fixe menu featuring several courses with complementary wine pairings will be available on Friday, Feb. 13 for Valentine’s Day. Highlights include the Maine lobster bisque, roasted hen with wild mushroom risotto and seared grouper with roasted fingerlings, leeks, wilted spinach and red pepper cream. As an added treat, the museum will be open until 9 p.m. so that guests may enjoy the galleries before and after their meal.

For more information on both new menus and for reservations, visit Provenance’s website.

The stars from “Hot Tub Time Machine 2”

Winston Eng Staff Reporter A typical road trip weekend consists of partying, hooking up and going wild.

However in 2010, four friends—Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Jacob (Clark Duke—discovered a new level of awesome: a hot tub time machine.

After violating the laws of space and time and taking matters into their own hands by using previous knowledge from the future to create a most excellent alternate reality, the gang reopens their poolside appliance in hopes of having another incredible adventure together. Unfortunately, their hopes start to bubble away as they find themselves in 2025, where each has found himself in a pretty destitute condition.

Aimed with the intention of correcting their past—which is really their future— to make sure that their present—which is in the past—actually turns into a better future, the gang traverses time in this outrageous comedy sequel.

I had an opportunity to learn about the gang, now consisting of Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and newcomer Adam Scott to find out what we should expect in this upcoming release. Hilarious, angelically insightful and oh so unpredictable, these comedians had some inspiring answers. Here’s what they had to say: Craig, are we going to get to hear you on Hot Tub Time Machine 2?

Yes, yes you’re going to get to hear me. As a matter of fact, if you check the trailer, you might see me sing a little Lisa Loeb. So yes, I will be reprising that. We have several things that paid homage to the original, and that’s one of them.

How is the attitude on the set different this time, considering it was your second go with the same character from the story?

Rob: It was no different. It was the exact same, which was really comforting and fun and made it an easy work environment. The difference was [that] we were in New Orleans, so there were a few more parties.

Clark: It was cold.

Craig: [We were in] New Orleans [at] the height of the summer. And so you know, alcohol and heat.

What do you all believe is the main draw for the concept of a Hot Tub Time Machine, and if you could have used another household appliance in place of the hot tub as a time machine, what

would it be?

Rob: Dishwasher time machine.

Clark: I would say an espresso time machine.

Adam: Yes, a washing machine…a combo washing/drying time machine would be a good one.

Craig: Refrigerator all day. You could actually fit in it; like you can’t fit in the dishwasher.

Adam: Side-by-side refrigerator time machine?

Clark: How about a soda stream time machine?

Craig: Oh, yes.

Rob: The refrigerator time machine kills a lot of toddlers though.

Clark: A chaser/mixer time machine?

If you had a time machine, which time period would you want to go to?

Rob: I’d want to go to the Renaissance because of the clothing, and the death penalty was kind of flagrantly, you know, thrown around—like casually thrown around. And, I feel like there’s a real freedom, it’s liberating.

Adam: I feel like I’d go back to any point in time that dueling was allowed, so yes, the Renaissance era, definitely.

Rob: Yes, full dispute with a gentleman in powdered wigs shooting each other would solve a lot of problems. “Barry Lyndon” is a perfect example.

Clark: I would go back and be on “Soul Train.”

Craig: I don’t want to go anywhere; I feel too comfortable here.

Adam: Yeah, we live in the moment, man.

Rob: Yes! Adam: Ever hear of the word “now?”

That’s where we live.

How much freedom was there on set in regards to improv and rifting?

Rob: For us every word, every vision, every person is to be honored.

Clark: Steve Pink allows us to play around, and he encourages it. Everybody is pitching jokes to each other, so [for] the first “Hot Tub [Time Machine],” there was barely a script; it was like we would come and we would say, “OK, we’re doing the scene in the ski lodge,” and then we kind of improvised it. I mean, the first one had a script, but we really did a lot of heavy improv. This one was a little more solid, except we got to play around a lot.

Craig: Neither film had a written ending, no joke.

Adam: That’s the way to do it; all the great films have no ending. “Godfather” I, II and III, no ending!

fun

observer.case.edu

fun page | 15

Ivory Tower

by Kevin Yong

COMICS Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Apollo astronaut Slayton 5. Wash out with a solvent 10. F F F F 14. Poems 15. Scruffs 16. Hint 17. Instructions 19. Stringed instrument 20. Not on 21. Brass musical instruments 22. Cries 23. Schemes 25. Lofty nest 27. Confederate soldier 28. Expressive of contempt 31. Thin piece of wood or metal 34. Coming up 35. G 36. Study hard 37. Flooded 38. “Pow!” 39. Assist 40. Breaks

41. Pieces of insulation 42. Wetness 44. A parcel of land 45. Stop 46. Get hold of 50. ___-garde 52. Unsophisticated 54. Caviar 55. Mousses 56. A certain cut of meat 58. Leer at 59. Daisylike bloom 60. Small island 61. Homosexuals 62. Utilizers 63. Sleeveless garment Down 1. Blockheads 2. Enlighten 3. Notches 4. East southeast 5. Bury 6. Dens 7. Atop 8. Tautness 9. S 10. Cream-filled pastry 11. A boxing weight class

12. Roll up 13. Views 18. Bird sound 22. Engendered 24. Snip 26. “Sure” 28. Appearance 29. Tidy 30. Precious stones 31. Fraud 32. Threesome 33. Revolutionary 34. Cognizance 37. Rectum 38. Light bulb unit 40. Immediately 41. Silly mistake 43. Detects 44. Admirers 46. Made from apple juice 47. Got up 48. Spirals 49. Basic belief 50. All excited 51. Lyra’s brightest star 53. Initial wager 56. Letter after sigma 57. 54 in Roman numerals

“Oh, you’re using their Chrome APP, not their Chrome EXTENSION. They’re very similar but one handles window creation differently.” is a thing I hope I can stop saying soon. By xkcd

16 | fun page

1/30/15

Haikuscopes Aries

(Apr. 19 - May 13) Today you flourish/ Tomorrow you will flounder/ For now keep smiling.

Taurus

(May 14 - Jun. 19) Sometimes you must sleep/ Put down your textbooks tonight/And turn off Netflix.

Gemini

(Jun. 20 - Jul. 20) Love is in the air/ Except for you since you smell/Please take a shower.

Cancer

(Jul. 21 - Aug. 9) If you’re feeling down/ Grab a cup of hot coffee/ It will never fail.

Leo

Nutcase

(Aug. 10 - Sep. 15) Super Bowl will bring/ Cheese, meat sticks, bacon and beer/Indulge with caution.

Virgo

(Sep. 16 - Oct. 30) Virgo, virgoing/Vergone.

Always such a rush/Stop and smell the snow.

Libra

(Oct. 31 - Nov. 22) Dude, it’s been so long/ Since birthday celebrations/ You’re getting so old.

Scorpio

(Nov. 23 - Nov. 29) What is a haiku?/Seriously, I don’t know/Somebody explain.

Ophiuchus

(Nov. 30 - Dec. 17) Have a happy day/Smell the flowers, though they’re dead/ Spring will soon be here. lean least little maybe moment others physician pound quart rate relate relish rids rill southeast speak their three tile trade wander

Wordsearch

across again become blocks break briar brighten cams cane chair comparative creek dozen emerald father field fresh gent heap heat honest lays

Sagittarius

(Dec. 18 - Jan. 18) Here’s a great book rec:/ You heard of Harry Potter?/ Pretty good series.

Capricorn

(Jan. 19 - Feb. 15) Do you miss summer?/ Don’t worry about winter/ All’s well that ends well.

Aquarius

(Feb. 16 - Mar. 11) Don’t wear that sweater/ It needs to be washed right now/Talk to Gemini

Pisces

(Mar. 12 - Apr. 18) Go to a party/Have some fun and talk to friends/It’s been way too long.

sports

observer.case.edu

The Jolly Scholar jolly.scholar @JollyScholar 216.368.0090 mpv3@case.edu MTW RF Sat. Sun.

11a – 12a 11a – 2a 12p – 2a 12p – 12a

Super Bowl Sunday

Sports Standings Conference

Men’s Basketball

Catering!

Call the Jolly Scholar for your next party. All budgets are welcome, and we’ll help you find a place to hold your event.

Calendar Tues

Trivia Night

Wed

Thurs

Karaoke Comedy & Grad Night Happy Hour

Fri

40’s & Fridays

Sat

Sun

Charity Late Night

All You Can Eat Wings & Football

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Case Western Reserve

4

1

0.800

13

3

0.813

Washington

3

2

0.600

14

2

0.875

Emory

3

2

0.600

13

3

0.813

New York U.

3

2

0.600

12

4

0.750

Chicago

3

2

0.600

11

5

0.688

Brandeis

2

3

0.400

7

9

0.438

Carnegie Mellon

1

4

0.200

10

6

0.625

Rochester

1

4

0.200

5

11

0.313

Conference

Women’s Basketball

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

New York U.

4

1

0.800

15

1

0.938

Washington

4

1

0.800

15

1

0.938

Chicago

4

1

0.800

10

6

0.625

Carnegie Mellon

2

3

0.400

11

5

0.688

Emory

2

3

0.400

10

6

0.625

Rochester

2

3

0.400

10

6

0.625

Brandeis

1

4

0.200

9

7

0.563

Case Western Reserve

1

4

0.200

7

9

0.438

Conference

Volleyball

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Emory

6

1

0.857

34

3

0.919

Chicago

4

3

0.571

26

12

0.684

Washington

6

1

0.857

33

5

0.868

Carnegie Mellon

5

2

0.714

22

11

0.667

Case Western Reserve

4

3

0.571

18

12

0.600

New York U.

1

6

0.143

17

19

0.472

Rochester

2

5

0.286

20

18

0.526

Brandeis

0

7

0.000

7

24

0.226

Football (UAA)

The Jolly Scholar will be hosting a party to watch the big game.

Our friends at the Observer will be there with BINGO cards, so stop by for some Super Bowl fun!

17

Conference

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Chicago

2

0

1.000

7

1

0.875

Washington

1

1

0.500

4

5

0.444

Case Western Reserve

1

1

0.500

3

6

0.333

Carnegie Mellon

0

2

0.000

3

6

0.333

Football (PAC)

Conference

All

Wins

Losses

Percent

Wins

Losses

Percent

Washington & Jefferson

7

0

1.000

9

0

1.000

Thomas More

7

1

0.875

8

2

0.800

Waynesburg

5

2

0.714

7

2

0.778

Bethany

5

2

0.714

6

3

0.667

St. Vincent

3

4

0.429

3

6

0.333

Westminster

3

4

0.429

3

6

0.333

Case Western Reserve

3

5

0.375

3

6

0.333

Carnegie Mellon

3

5

0.375

3

6

0.333

Geneva

2

5

0.286

3

6

0.333

Thiel

2

5

0.286

3

6

0.333

Grove City

0

7

0.000

0

9

0.000

Calendar Varsity Sport

Friday 1/30

Saturday 1/31

Sunday 2/1

Men's Basketball

Away @ Chicago 9:00 PM

Away @ Washington St. Louis 1:00 PM

Women's Basketball

Away @Chicago 7:00 PM

Away @ Washington St. Louis 3:00 PM

Swimming & Diving

Away @ Baldwin Wallace 1:00 PM

Track & Field

Home vs. Carnegie Mellon 1:00 PM

Wrestling

Men’s Tennis Women’s Tennis

Pete Willson Invitational @ Wheaton, Ill 10:00 AM

Pete Willson Invitational @ Wheaton, Ill 10:00 AM Away @ Wabash 9:00 AM, vs.

Augustana 12:30 PM Home vs. DePaul 7:00 PM

18

sports

1/30/15

Spartans drop back-to-back heartbreakers

the

Observer

Women’s squad looks to get back on track this weekend on the road

Super Bowl Bingo

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1) Visit edu/superbowl to print out a Bingo card.

2)

Follow us on Twitter @cwruobserver for our Bingo calls.

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This year we have two ways to play:

JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans lost both matchups this weekend by a combined point total of four points.

The Case Western Reserve University squad went out on the road this weekend and battled the Emory Eagles and the Rochester Yellowjackets to within seconds of victory.

The pair of losses set the Spartans at 1-4 on the season against the University Athletic Association (UAA) and at 7-8 on the season.

The Spartans started the first weekend of a two-weekend road trip in Atlanta where they went head to head against the Eagles on Friday night. The Spartans were led by the offensive prowess of senior wing Brooke Orcutt and ju-

Women’s Basketball

nior Laura Mummey who combined to put 36 points on the board. Jessica McCoy added 11 points of her own to go with Orcutt’s 18 and Mummey’s 18 to put three Spartans in double digit scoring.

Despite the strong shooting, the Spartans were unable to take control of the game as the Emory forwards bullied the Spartans on the glass pulling down 14 offensive rebounds.

Furthermore the Spartans were unable to hold onto the ball and turned it over 23 times.

The Spartans looked strong leading by as many as 10 late in the first half. The squad grabbed the lead at the 2:25 mark when Mummey hit a jumper to extend the lead to double digits. However the Spartans saw their lead slip away heading into the locker room for the CWRU

54

Rochester

55

CWRU

Rochester

#

Player

PTS

AST

REB

BLK

TO

MIN

#

Player

PTS

AST

REB

BLK

TO

MIN

12

L. Mummey

20

1

9

0

1

31

23

T. Guerrieri

3

1

3

0

3

15

35

B. Eppard

14

2

4

0

5

16

33

B. Landolfi

3

2

2

0

0

25

42

A. Leslie

14

4

15

3

4

33

13

A. Zywicki

10

2

2

0

3

20

35

K. Hurley

4

1

5

0

1

16

22

J. McCoy

8

3

4

3

0

28

24

A. Germer

0

4

3

0

2

34

41

B. Orcutt

4

4

10

0

2

37

11

E. Lewis

3

0

0

0

1

7

2

K. Hageman

6

1

8

0

1

24

12

B. Lauer

0

3

1

0

1

14

20

E. Reynolds

0

1

1

0

2

9

14

J. Silvestri

0

0

0

0

0

2

20

S. Kaminsky

6

0

0

0

2

18

23

A. Roth

0

0

0

0

0

1

33

A. Smith

0

0

0

0

0

1

43

R. Beaty

2

1

1

0

0

19

Team Totals

54

17

40

3

13

21

M. Kronenwetter

2

1

3

0

0

20

31

L. Deming

7

0

4

1

3

17

32

K. Kibling

3

0

1

0

0

13

55

14

36

4

18

Team Totals

1) Join us at the Jolly Scholar!

Come to the Jolly Scholar’s official party from 5p to 12p.

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Harsha Chandupatla/Observer The women’s basketball team huddles up before restarting play.

half. After 11 lead changes in the second half of play, they saw Emory grab the win when the Spartan’s final shot was off target as time expired. As the final shot sailed off the mark, Emory came out ahead, by a score of 65-62.

The Spartans returned to the hardwood on Sunday after heading north to face off against the University of Rochester’s Yellowjackets.

After the heartbreaker on Friday, the Spartans looking to claim their second win in UAA. The victory proved elusive however as the Spartans dropped a second straight heartbreaker.

The Case Western squad was once again led on the offensive end by Mummey who put up a game high 20 points and pulled down nine off the glass. Aiding Mummey to spark the offense again, was Orcutt who only put up four points but had 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior Berit Eppard added 14 points of her own with a strong showing on both ends.

The Spartans the heartbreaking loss was even harder to bear as CWRU saw a 17-point lead slip through their fingers.

The Spartans started the game very strong and jumped ahead in the first half on an 8-0 run once again capped by a Mummey bucket. The Spartans held onto their lead heading into the half and when they returned from the locker room they were up 34-25.

The Spartans came out of the gates flying as they built their way to a 17-point lead. However the Spartans once again hurt themselves by giving up 13 turnovers in the game.

The Yellowjackets capitalized on the turnovers and refused to go away as they chipped into the 17-point lead, aided by 21 points from their bench.

The Spartan shooting dried up and Rochester scored the final eight points of the match-up to eek out a single digit lead, and the 55-54 victory.

The Spartans will head back out on the road as they attempt to capture their elusive second UAA win. The team will be hard pressed to do so however as they will be going up against the previously undefeated Washington University in St. Louis Bears in the second game of the weekend. The Spartans will start the stint away from campus against the University of Chicago Maroons on Friday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.

Spartan track and field finish first, second at season opener Season’s only home meet to take place this weekend

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2) Play from home!

The first 15 winners to tweet a winning board to @cwruobserver will receive a chance to win a $20 Starbucks giftcard.

Evan Rose Staff Reporter Although both the men’s and women’s varsity track teams had their first meet in December, they officially kicked off their seasons on Jan. 23, at the Baldwin-Wallace Mid-January Meet.

The women’s team pulled off the victory at this meet, finishing 36.5 points ahead of second-place Baldwin-Wallace University, while the men’s team finished second to Baldwin-Wallace.

Senior and all-UAA honoree, Rachel Tan, led the Spartans to victory, recording two career-bests in the high jump and 555-meter hurdles, and finishing first and second, respectively, in those events. She was also fourth in the long jump.

The women also swept the triple jump, with junior Asante Brown and freshmen Skylar Braga and Rachel Willard taking the top three spots in the event, and two other Spartans rounding out the top five. Brown’s winning jump measured 10.37 meters, and all three

women recorded 10-meter jumps.

Senior Sophia Herzog, another all-UAA performer, earned a victory in the pole vault, with a maximum height of 3.05 meters.

Junior runners Taylor O’Neil and Juliana Ross secured the top two positions in the 200-meter dash, with respective times of 2:27.37 and 2:28.04.

The Spartan women have high expectations for this season, after recording a fifthplace finish at the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship last year. They have brought back several upperclassmen predicted to break school records and score points, and have a large group of freshmen also shooting for top spots.

On the men’s side, Case Western Reserve University finished second in the overall points standings, despite a crucial sweep in the 400-meter dash.

Junior Devon Belew finished first in the event with a time of 52.31 seconds, with junior Jonathan Freeman and sophomore Nico Ericksen-Deris taking second and third.

Another event winner for the Spartans

came in the 800-meter run, with sophomore Joe Ledger winning in 2:01.23. His nearest competitor finished almost three seconds behind.

CWRU secured its final victory in the 4x400-meter relay, crossing the line in 3:29.85.

Sadly, this was not enough to put the team into the lead, Case finished 33 points behind winner Baldwin-Wallace.

The Spartan men placed fourth last year at the UAA Indoor Conference Championship. However, they are now lacking thrower Harry Weintraub, who graduated last year after a sixth-place finish in the hammer throw. The team must rely more on depth this year if they expect the same result in the championship.

The track and field team’s next meet is Saturday, Jan. 31, against Carnegie Mellon for the annual Battle of the Obelisk. This is one of the most anticipated meets of the indoor season.

The women seek a repeat on their win last year, while the men aim to snatch the trophy back from the Tartans after an 82-45 loss in 2014. The meet begins at the Veale Center at 1 p.m.

Spartan seniors swim in impressive send off JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans swimming and diving squads combined for 31 first place finishes in their final meet on campus this season.

The Spartans hosted the Ohio Northern University in the meet this past Saturday and the near sweep was a fitting send off for the 12 seniors on the two squads, who were honored pre-meet in the Senior’s Day ceremony.

For the women Abby Glenn had two first place finishes, in the 1000 yard free and the 500 free. Glenn improved on her previous from 1000 yard freestyle time by nearly two seconds for her second straight first place finish in the event.

In addition to Glenn three more Spartans had two victories in the meet. Freshmen Ellie Wilson improved on her 200 breaststroke time from the previous week by nearly three seconds, netting her a second straight first place finish as well as a victory in the 100 breaststroke.

Juniors Rebecca Pakradooni and Mary Katherine Miller also had two victories apiece, with Pakradooni touching the wall first in the 200 free and 100 fly and Mary Katherine Miller grabbing victories in the 200 fly and 200 individual medley.

On the men’s side the Spartans were unable to completely shut out the visiting Polar Bears but managed to win 15 of the

19

sports

observer.case.edu Men

CWRU

215

Ohio Northern

78

Women

CWRU

214

Ohio Northern

75

Women’s Swimming Events Event

Winning Time

Winner

School

200 Yd. Medley Relay

1:52.10

Team A

CWRU

1000 Yd. Freestyle

11:18.24

A. Glenn

CWRU

200 Yd. Freestyle

2:01.61

R. Pakradooni

CWRU

100 Yd. Backstroke

1:03.95

C. Laios

CWRU

100 Yd. Breaststroke

1:07.87

E. Wilson

CWRU

200 Yd. Butterfly

2:14.92

M. Miller

CWRU

50 Yd. Freestyle

25.49

I. Moore

CWRU

100 Yd. Freestyle

56.39

J. Eurich

CWRU

200 Yd. Backstroke

2:16.09

S. Colevas

CWRU

200 Yd. Breaststroke

2:29.45

E. Wilson

CWRU

500 Yd. Freestyle

5:30.38

A. Glenn

CWRU

100 Yd. Butterfly

59.99

R. Pakradooni

CWRU

200 Yd. IM

4:51.45

M. Miller

CWRU

400 Freestyle Relay

3:46.15

Team A

CWRU

Men’s Swimming Events

Andrew Hodowanec/Observer Men’s diver Connor Farrell falls mid-dive. Farrell had two first place dives for the Spartans.

16 events, a fitting send off for the successful seniors.

The men’s swimming squad had five double winners. Senior Aaron Yeung was a highlight on Senior Day as a double winner, bringing victories in the 100 yard breaststroke and 200 yard breaststroke.

On the diving side, Connor Farrell posted winning scores of 273.45 on the

1-meter board and 273.00 on the 3 meter board.

With this last Veale Natatorium meet for the season in the books, both teams of Spartans will compete against cross town rival Baldwin Wallace this weekend as their final meet before the UAA Championship meet in mid February. Case Western returns to the water at Baldwin Wallace on Saturday, Jan. 31st at 1:00 PM.

Event

Winning Time

200 Yd. Medley Relay 1000 Yd. Freestyle

Winner

School

1:36.92

Team A

CWRU

9:57.18

D. Hamilton

CWRU

200 Yd. Freestyle

1:44.42

A. Tam

CWRU

100 Yd. Backstroke

54.19

A. Bollinger

CWRU

100 Yd. Breaststroke

1:01.27

A. Yeung

CWRU

200 Yd. Butterfly

1:55.82

A. Pang

CWRU

50 Yd. Freestyle

22.19

E. Kerbel

CWRU

100 Yd. Freestyle

48.34

L. Pfeifer

Ohio Northern

200 Yd. Backstroke

1:58.68

O. Hudgins

CWRU

200 Yd. Breaststroke

2:14.68

A. Yeung

CWRU

500 Yd. Freestyle

4:46.04

D. Hamilton

CWRU

100 Yd. Butterfly

51.69

A. Tam

CWRU

200 Yd. IM

1:42.48

A. Pang

CWRU

400 Freestyle Relay

3:09.88

Team A

CWRU

Women’s Diving Events Event

Winning Score

Winner

1 Meter Dive

187.45

B. Hortness

CWRU

3 Meter Dive

198.85

B. Hortness

CWRU

School

Men’s Diving Events Event

Winning Score

Winner

1 Meter Dive

273.45

C. Farrell

CWRU

3 Meter Dive

273.00

C. Farrell

CWRU

School

Editor’s choice

Exciting tournament comes to a close The Slooty Sloots win intramural soccer championship in impressive fashion David Hoffman Staff Reporter The intramural indoor soccer tournament has been a captivating one to follow, as various groups on campus battle it out in an effort to be the last team standing. Who was the last team standing, you ask?

Let’s recap the tournament: In the first round, Dix Knotz Revival eliminated Phi Kaps. Bringin’ Sexy Plaque defeated Delta Sigma Phi Mu by a 7-2 final, while Delta Iota Kappa shutout MSA 4-0. E-lemonators snuck by BME SunDevils 3-2. One and Done advanced with an 8-1 triumph over Victorious Secret. Learned Foot survived No Casualties by a 3-1 score. Theta Beta blanked Weatherheaders 4-0, and futbol team kept their hopes alive with a 3-2 victory against Fiji. Finally, Koala moved on to the next round with a win against Theta Chi Redshirts.

The second round provided plenty of memorable matches. Slooty Sloots eliminated Dix Knotz Revival, while MMMM advanced with a 7-2 triumph over Sigma Chi. Bringin’ Sexy Plaque eked out a 5-4

victory against Zeta Psi. Delta Iota Kappa moved on by defeating Honey Badgers 7-3.

Wengers’ Coat won 5-1 over The Gunners to advance to the next round, while CIM joined them with a thrilling 2-1 victory against Weatherhead. The Sports Fiesta snuck past E-lemonators 4-3. Macroballs shut out Delta Tau Delta 3-0. Delta Chi also had a shutout, defeating Phi Psi 4-0.

Something or Whatever survived a 9-8 slugfest against One and Done. Accelerators advanced with a 2-1 win over Team Melli.

Learned Foot defeated The Meat Flanks 3-1, while Theta Beta eked out a 2-1 win against Red Hot Chili Players to advance.

Schrodinger’s Team moved on after eking out a 3-2 triumph against futbol team. MI6 advanced with a victory over D-Boys with the G-Packs, and Delta Sigma Phi defeated Koala 5-4 to keep their season alive.

Round three began with the Slooty Sloots defeating MMMM by a final of 7-2. Delta Iota Kappa advanced with an 8-3 win against Bringin’ Sexy Plaque. Wenger’s Coat shut out CIM 3-0, while The Sports Fiesta dominated Macroballs 9-1. Delta Chi doubled up

Something or Whatever by a 4-2 score. Accelerators moved on to the next round with a 5-1 triumph over Learned Foot.

Schrodinger’s Team defeated Theta Beta 3-1. Finally, MI6 kept their season alive with a victory against Delta Sigma Phi. The quarterfinals proved to be a series of classics as the playoff field was whittled from eight to four. Slooty Sloots eked out a 5-4 victory over Delta Iota Kappa. Wenger’s Coat put up a shutout for the second consecutive game, defeating The Sports Fiesta by a score of 3-0. Accelerators kept their championship aspirations alive with a 3-2 victory against Delta Chi. Finally, Schrodinger’s Team managed to outlast MI6 with the final score being 2-1.

In the semifinals, Slooty Sloots doubled up Wenger’s Coat with a 4-2 triumph while Accelerators advanced to the finals after eking out a 2-1 victory over Schrodinger’s Team.

Wednesday night saw the Championship match of the Accelerators against the Slooty Sloots. The fast paced action of indoor soccer was on full display as the two battle-tested teams competed for campus glory. “The

game is so much faster, you can’t let your guard down,” said Ryan Meyer, from the victorious Slooty Sloots.

“You just kick it has hard as you can and try to score from wherever,” said teammate J.J. Rathbun. The Slooty Sloots used that “score from wherever” mentality to rack up nine goals on 32 shots in 30 minutes of play.

The Accelerators, while they battled back, were unable to hold back the fire power, managing a single impressive break-away goal in the second half, for a 9-1 final.

The Slooty Sloots, made up of a group of dedicated soccer players, many play for the varsity team, have a “technically a threepeat” said Rathbun. Members of the team have won the past two tournaments. Their biggest challenge this year was facing the guys from Delta Iota Kappa, “that was a great game,” said Matt Zembas “We won 5-4 in overtime.”

In addition to Meyer, Rathbun and Zembas the Slooty Sloots combined the talents of Dan Bavaro, Thomas Nolan, Chris Cvecko, Taylor Fletcher, and Peter Jacobi, and now the team stands as champions.

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sports Back On Track Case Western men’s basketball move atop UAA standings

Aaron Shang Staff Reporter Barely two days after falling to No. 13 Emory University in Atlanta, the No. 25 Case Western Reserve men’s basketball team bounced back in a big way Sunday night, steamrolling University Athletic Association (UAA) rival, Rochester, 65-37 to move into sole possession of first place in the conference.

The win, which moved the Spartans to 13-3 (4-1 UAA), marks the first time this season that CWRU has been alone at the top of the UAA. With the win, the Spartans also won a road conference game for the first time since Feb. 17, 2013.

Spurred on by a career night from senior forward Brian Klements, the Spartans used a hot shooting night and a dominating defensive effort to overwhelm the Rochester Yellowjackets, who shot a slim 25.9 percent from the floor and were held to their lowest point total since 2001.

On the offensive side of the floor, CWRU caught fire from behind the arc (11-16 as a team) and never looked back from there. Klements led the way by scoring a career best 17 points on 7-10 shooting (including a perfect 3-3 from deep), and was supported by strong efforts from senior center Connor Edel (8 points, 5 rebounds) and senior guard Julien Person (9 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists).

The rout was so complete that the Spartans played their entire bench, subbing in nine reserves throughout the second half.

The win came after a tough road loss to highly ranked Emory University on Friday, where the Spartans hung around for the entire night but just could not overtake a resilient Eagles squad.

On the night however, senior team captain Dane McLoughlin broke the CWRU career record for three-pointers. Needing two to tie and three to break John Link’s decade old mark of 199, McLoughlin drilled five threepointers from deep en route to 15 points.

McLoughlin also became the first player in

Wrestling Wt. Class

Winner

Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Point Guard Jimmy Holman brings the ball into the offensive half against the New York University Violets on Jan. 16th.

Spartan history to top the 200 mark, achieving what Link fell just short of years ago.

Now, undoubtedly, the team to beat in the UAA, the Spartans face a tough upcoming road weekend against Chicago (recently ranked No.21 before falling out of the top 25), and Washington (Mo.).

The same teams then visit Horsburgh Gymnasium the following week, where the Spartans, 8-0 at home, have yet to be defeated. Should CWRU emerge unscathed from these matchups, their position atop the UAA would be essentially unassailable for all intents and purposes—and virtually guarantee the Spartans a first-place conference finish.

Still also much in play is the school record for wins in a season, which the Spartans need 4 more wins to break with 9 games left on the schedule.

Men’s Basketball

CWRU

65

Rochester

37

CWRU

Rochester

#

Player

PTS

AST

REB

BLK

TO

MIN

#

Player

PTS

AST

REB

BLK

TO

MIN

42

B. Klements

17

1

7

3

2

21

40

J. Seltzer

0

0

7

0

1

24

44

D. McLoughlin

5

2

5

0

1

24

44

D. Peretz

4

1

7

0

2

24

50

C. Edel

8

1

5

0

1

21

4

K. Sheehy

5

0

2

0

1

25

2

J. Holman

6

4

0

0

1

24

10

M. Montague

2

1

1

0

1

18

10

J. Person

9

6

5

0

3

24

11

S. Borst-Smith

6

1

3

0

2

23

3

C. Zucker

0

0

1

0

0

6

2

B. Ward

0

0

0

0

0

4

4

A. St. Germain

0

0

0

0

0

5

3

T. Seidman

6

1

0

0

0

27

5

J. Dean

3

1

1

0

0

12

12

I. Smith

2

1

2

0

0

4

11

M. Clark

3

4

5

1

1

17

15

T. Knox

3

0

1

1

0

4

15

D. Black

3

1

0

0

0

13

20

A. Minami

0

1

1

0

0

2

21

E. Black

7

0

0

0

0

13

21

R. Pelka

2

0

0

0

0

2 16

24

S. Boyd

0

0

4

0

0

10

31

A. Hoey

2

0

1

0

2

32

M. Hartman

0

0

2

0

0

5

33

T. Sankes

4

0

3

0

3

12

34

TJ Duckett

4

0

3

0

0

5

35

Z. Ayers

1

2

3

1

0

15

65

20

38

4

9

Team Totals

37

8

31

2

12

Team Totals

Spartan wrestlers win on the road Squad picks up victory on Lewis’ pin

CWRU

27

Washington & Jefferson

22

School

Over

School

By

125

S. Carr

WJ

M. Moy

CWRU

TF 20-4

133

J. Hall

CWRU

S. Anderson

WJ

Dec 4-1

141

C. Medlang

CWRU

A. Powell

WJ

Dec 6-4

149

A. Gessic

CWRU

L. Strope

WJ

Dec. 7-0

157

S. Florentino

WJ

T. Alexander

CWRU

Fall 3:22

165

N. Carr

WJ

N. Tommas

CWRU

Fall 0:51

174

S. Blanco

WJ

N. Lees

WJ

TF 27-11

184

A. Khatib

CWRU

D. Haggerty

WJ

Fall 2:25

197

R. Berg

CWRU

B. Shideler

WJ

Inj. 0:22

285

N. Lewis

CWRU

Y. Cristobal -Perez

WJ

Fall 6:59

Exb. 125

N. Lee

CWRU

S. Horowitz

WJ

TF 22-4

JP. O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans continued their winning ways this past weekend as they won their second straight dual meet, after dropping three straight as part of the Budd Whitehill National Duals.

The Spartans travelled this past weekend to face off against Washington & Jefferson College. The Spartans faced tough competition going against the hosting Presidents, but managed to squeak out a

27-22 victory. The win brought the Spartans back up to .500 in the season, as they stand at six and six. The competition came down to the final matchup between the 275 weight class heavyweights.

Sophomore Nate Lewis lifted the Spartans to victory, and scored the winning points with a pin against Washington & Jefferson’s Yamil Cristobal-Perez.

The pin occurred in just under seven minutes, as Cristobal-Perez hit the mat at the 6:59 mark, and was Lewis’s fourth pin this season.

Lewis, a first time wrestler for the Spartans, is having a stellar season in the 285 weight class. His performance this weekend earned him the UAA Co-Wrestler of Week, a big step for the rebuilding Spartan wrestling program.

The Spartans head out to Wheaton, Illinois and will compete in the two day Pete Wilson Invitational hosted by Wheaton College both today and tomorrow, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30 and 31. Competition kicks off at 11 a.m. both days.

Correction: In our previous issue, in the men’s basketball article “Making history” the Emory University mascot was incorrectly stated as being the Doolys instead of the Eagles. Also number 11 in the far left picture was incorrectly identified as Eoghan Bees, instead of junior Matt Clark. The Observer apologizes for the confusion.