Volume XLVI: Issue 3 September 5, 2014

the

Case Western Reserve University volume xlvi, issue 3 friday, 9/5/2014

Observer One brotherhood

CWRU remembers the lives of the four students lost in plane crash tragedy Courtesy Adam Holets Friends of the late sophomore William Michael Felten release paper laterns at a service in his honor at his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan.

Sophomores Sid Ghanta and Adam Holets sit in the Zeta Beta Tau house, relaxing after a rush event. It’s the night of the accident. They had both turned down an offer from their best friend,

Michael Felten, to go f lying.

It was the first time Ghanta had ever said no. They both had jobs with early start times.

Michael talked to Holets the day before about his plans– he thought about flying to Detroit, but then decided it was too far. He eventually settled on flying over Kelly’s Island, a popular vacation spot west of Cleveland.

Michael has four spots on his plane, one for him, and the other two already filled by sophomore Lucas Vincent Marcelli and freshman Abraham Pishevar. He opens the last spot to the others in the house.

“Do you want to go flying?”

They don’t immediately respond.

Freshman John Hill eagerly throws his hands up. He wants the last spot. Af-

ter a fight with a friend who also wants the spot, John gets it.

Michael asks how much John weighs.

He runs the calculations in his head.

They should still be under the maximum load the small plane can carry.

They never make it back from their trip.

News

A&E

Opinion

Sports

pg. 3 Weekend of start-ups

pg. 7 “Stop Kiss” a can’t miss

pg.12 Keeping campus safe

pg. 15 Football: CWRU vs. CMU

Julia Bianco News Editor Mike McKenna Director of Print

to Brotherhood | 2

2 | obituary

9/5/14

from Brotherhood | 1 On Monday, Aug. 25 around 10 p.m., the rented 1999 Cessna model 172R that Michael was piloting crashed shortly after takeoff in Willoughby Hills, 15 miles northeast of CWRU. The four men were trapped in the aircraft and died from their injuries on the scene. *** By the third grade, Michael Felten was all but set in his ways. For a class assignment, his teacher asked him to draw a coat of arms. He drew four drawings, surrounded by a shield: the Chicago Skyline, the Chicago Cub’s logo, a piece of pizza, and a plane.

Chicago was his second city. He loved it like no other place says his friends.

It’s not that he didn’t appreciate his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan. Some of his closest friends were from the city north of Flint. He met his girlfriend of four years there.

Ghanta and Holets emphasized how Michael never wanted to come back to school and leave those friends behind.

*** According to witnesses, the four arrive at Cuyahoga County Airport shortly after 9 that night and walk across the ramp towards a tie-down area. One is carrying a suitcase. They then board the four-seat plane and remain on the ramp for about 30 minutes with the engine running.

That was the last time witnesses saw them. ***

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schoolwork-- even when he only had fifteen minutes to spare, he would start working on his homework. He was passionate about wrestling– he would stay after practice to train more, encourage *** his friends to do the same. He was even passionate about food– he loved Abe Pishevar cared about peanut butter, oatmeal cookies and meatballs. everyone he met. “One of the “We were back at my house first things people were talking after a wrestling tournament,” about was how glowing of said his friend and teammate a personality he had,” Ryan Jeff Gould. “And my mom had Currie, his orientation leader made cookies. I tell him they’re said. “You would have absolute ready, and he just turns around, trust in him.” one cookie in his mouth, another in his hand.”

Abe Pishevar was Tyler House’s ring Luke was modest. “Unreasonably leading teddy bear. modest,” said another friend and teamWith a wrestler’s build, he was often mate David Brunk. He didn’t boast misjudged on first impression. about his achievements. He didn’t dress But once you saw his face crinkling fancily, he didn’t go out much. He was into a smile, you knew this kid had a happy to just spend time with his close big heart. friends and his girlfriend.

“It took up more than half his face,” “He was a simple guy, with big emphasized freshman Bessie Bulman, goals,” said Brunk. a friend of Abe’s who had met him at Luke never asked for advice. He an orientation week event. never needed to. He wasn’t perfect, They had an instant connection and and he knew it, but he also knew where kept running into each other the rest of he was going and how he was going to that day. They hung out that night and get there. had been close since.

Luke had a thing about tags. Now One night, Bulman and a friend got Brunk does too. lost in a rough part of Cleveland. Abe “I keep my tag tucked now.” mapped out where they were based on landmarks and walked out to pick *** them up.

He cared about everyone he met.

At 11:58 p.m., just two minutes after “One of the first things people were radioing for takeoff, Michael tells the talking about was how glowing of a controller that his plane was not climbpersonality he had,” Ryan Currie, his ing fast enough, and tries to immediorientation leader said. “You would ately turn around, a difficult maneuver, have absolute trust in him.” even for experienced pilots.

His love for life was contagious.

The controller approves the action.

Along with several other floor mates, Michael begins to attempt the left Abe was the founder of the Tyler turn. house’s “fraternity” Alpha-Alpha-AlThe plane falls as lift is lost. pha-Delta-Delta-Delta, a joke gatherMoments later, the plane crashes ing of those he just met. into the ground.

His “brothers” called him Banjo. No one was sure why. *** And no one was sure why one night he began to dance, impromptu, alone, The day after the crash students with a boombox. gathered at a memorial on the ZBT

house lawn. Over 600 students attend *** the event planned that morning. It’s probably the biggest campus gathering At 11:56 p.m., Michael prepares for in years. takeoff. He says he will be flying east to “You join a fraternity and you talk sightsee, not in the direction of Kelly’s about brotherhood, and you experience Island. His plans must have changed. it, but you don’t think anything like The controller okays takeoff and a this would happen,” sophomore ZBT right turn. brother Jeff Gould said.

“It really showed the entire school *** just how strong it was, showed them and also showed us how much we care Lucas Marcelli had a thing about about each other. That if I ever need tags. The kind that stick up out of the anything, I can go to any brother.” back of your shirt, angrily defying the At that memorial, all 600 were natural order of things, refusing to be brothers. neat and tucked away like they’re supFour separate lives. posed to.

One campus brought together.

Luke liked things to be neat. He had his life in order, he knew Luke Marcelli was modest. what he wanted, and he knew “Unreasonably modest,” said how to get it. He wanted to be a doctor, he wanted to have a another friend and teammate family, children. He wanted David Brunk. He didn’t boast to coach wrestling. about his achievements. He Luke liked to tuck his didn’t dress fancily, he didn’t friends’ tags in when they go out much. He was happy to stuck out. His friends like just spend time with his close to pull their tags out, just to friends and his girlfriend. mess with him.

“He was a simple guy, with big Luke was passionate. He goals,” said Brunk. was passionate about his

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John Hill was a big guy. It wasn’t just his physical stature, but his personality. When he entered a room, you could feel that he was there. He had presence.

“I got used to hearing him, hearing his laugh,” said his RA, Molly Jackson.

“It was only eight days, but you get used to things.”

John was confident. He was loud, and he was inappropriately funny.

He was “unabashed and unreserved,” said his roommate, TraMichael Felten loved vis Alexander. planning, always setting up “When we had the intramural every trip. Halfway through sport event at Veale [during orihis freshman year, he had entation week], it was raining, already found the apartment but John and all of our friends he would live in junior year. still wanted to go anyway,” said He had already started his friend, Jodie Hurd. “We buying furniture. all walked in the rain. We got soaked, but afterwards we all They say that Michael loved to rib just hung out.” on Saginaw; he was sarcastic by nature, “And we didn’t wear pants,” added after all.

Travis. “We wore compression shorts.

Friends would assume he was jok- Cuz wrestlers don’t wear pants.” ing; it was a strange sight to see him John wanted to try everything. He be serious. was rushing Greek life, but he wasn’t But that town in Michigan was fixated on one fraternity. He was just home. looking forward to the experience.

However, his heart was in Chicago.

“He said something to me about ballHe was too much like the Windy City. room one time,” said Jackson. “I never Busy, bustling, even a bit scheming. met a guy who wanted to do ballroom.”

He was also highly competitive.

John was always asking about peoHe’d take a score against him in any ple, always trying to make them feel game like a “personal offense” said welcome, always wanting to know how Holets. their day was.

He had grown up visiting the Windy “He was the first resident who came City often, spending many of his sum- up to me on move-in day,” said Jackmers there. His parents owned a place son. “He came up, and he didn’t ask on Michigan Avenue, at the heart of the me questions about moving in or the midwest giant’s downtown. campus, he just asked me about myBoth Ghanta and Holets had visited self.”

“I remember when I first saw him,” several times. On those trips, as always, Michael had expensive tastes. The son she said. “I thought, he’s a handsome, of a prominent cardiologist, Michael outgoing guy. This guy is going to be a loved eating out and exploring the city. million kinds of trouble. And he probaThe three would try all of the piz- bly would have been.”

John really knew how to fill up a za places downtown. Surprisingly they only ate the deep-dish variety on sever- room. Alexander knows that best.

“Since he was my roommate, it’s al occasions.

Michael loved planning, always just very obvious now that that pressetting up every trip. Halfway through ence is gone.” his freshman year, he had already *** found the apartment he would live in junior year.

John Hill was a big guy.

He had already started buyIt wasn’t just his physical ing furniture.

While he was from a privistature, but his personality. leged upbringing, Ghanta emWhen he entered a room, you phasized that Michael never could feel that he was there. flaunted it. He instead used He had presence. it to provide opportunities to himself and friends.

Michael was a kid who could never Nearly 45 minutes after entering sit still.

“We couldn’t watch a movie with the plane, Michael calls for ground control asking if he can takeoff. He him,” Ghanta said. “He was that bad.”

He was always too busy chasing gets clearance, but notes his radio is a little “fuzzy.” The controller repeats dreams. what he says.

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Four minutes later, the controller tells Michael he is taxiing to the wrong runway.

He apologizes and fixes his course.

}

}

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news Editor’s Choice

Making careers at startup weekend Blackstone LaunchPad event provides entrepreneurship education

Mark Patteson Staff Reporter Friday afternoon, as much of the campus prepared for a relaxing Labor Day weekend, about 100 students and alumni gathered in the Thwing Atrium for an entirely different experience: Blackstone LaunchPad’s hectic Startup Weekend. Nametags on, the students introduced themselves to each other over a pizza dinner, trading class year, academic major and business ideas with each other in preparation for a frantic 50-hour dash to imagine a startup product or service and create a persuasive business plan.

From Friday afternoon to Sunday night, the undergraduates, graduate students and alumni from Case Western Reserve University, Baldwin Wallace University, the Cleveland Institute of Art, Kent State University and Lorain County Community College participated in Startup Weekend, a three-day Blackstone LaunchPad hosted event designed to teach participants how to launch a startup business and connect them with useful resources in the Cleveland area.

“You’ve had something in the back of your mind and you want to share it,” said Gene Sasso, Program Manager for Blackstone LaunchPad. “Some students may have a great idea for a widget but don’t have the marketing or business planning knowledge. Startup weekend can help students and alumni turn their ideas into companies.”

After pitching ideas and forming teams on Friday, participants began to work on their startups with help from mentors and educational presentations by experts. By Sunday, the aspiring entrepreneurs had already put the final touches on the business plans and presented their ideas to a panel of five judges, competing for a total of $1,000 in prizes.

According to Sasso, with so little time to flesh out brand-new ideas, Startup Weekend creates an engaging environ-

ment for both genius and pandemonium. “[Startup Weekend] provides a creative, fun and dynamic environment,” he said. “It is setting up a framework for chaos.”

Sasso’s personal slogan for Startup Weekend is, “Ready, Aim, Fire,” emphasizing the hectic spring to introduce an idea, organize a business plan and present the results of the course of one short weekend.

This year, Startup Weekend more than doubled its participation and forged new connections to CWRU’s “ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation,” including ThinkBox, the Weatherhead School of Management, the Women in Science and Engineering Round Table and JumpStart, a career education nonprofit. Additionally, Startup Weekend connected students with a number of mentors with business experience, including successful entrepreneurs, marketers and financial experts.

Keshara Senanayake, a freshman psychology and marketing major, participated in Startup Weekend. Senanayake already had significant startup experience before he attended the event: As a high school student, he co-founded B.A.S.E. or Buying and Selling Everything, a prototype “Facebook meets Craigslist” service designed to provide a platform for individuals to buy and sell products.

Senanayake hoped to use Startup Weekend to learn more about business and marketing.

“I found it very interesting that CWRU offered [events like Startup Weekend].

I’m definitely going to enjoy it,” he said.

In addition to its entrepreneurship education programs and expert mentors, Startup Weekend gave participants an opportunity to interact with and learn from their peers. Ross O’Hagan, a freshman computer science major, mentioned that, on top of the business education, he especially benefited from the experience of a cross-section of upperclassmen and graduate students.

All photos Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Students, staff, and alumni participate in Blackstone LaunchPad’s StartUp Weekend, a 50-hour dash to create a starup business

“It is really nice to learn perspective from the grad students here,” he said. “I’ll learn many things from [Startup Weekend], plus, a good background in business and marketing always helps.”

By Sunday night, the startup Trendenza, a “fashion, shopping and wardrobe coordination service,” took first place. Runner-ups included Noteworthy, a school note-sharing app, and 10:04 ink, a comic-hosting website, taking second

and third places, respectively.

But at the end of the day, the competition itself only offered an enticement to really help students dig into the event.

“Traditionally, you take a career or make a career,” Sasso said. By providing participants with valuable experiences to help them turn an untested idea into a viable startup business, Startup Weekend gave them an opportunity to take their first steps in making a career.

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news

9/5/14

Demystifying security alerts Jasmine Gallup Staff Reporter Security alerts are a mystery to most students: Why do we receive an alert for a cell phone theft, but no alert when a car crashes into Kent Hale Smith? What is the logic behind the information that the Case Western Reserve Police and Security Services Department decides to provide us and the information they don’t?

Security alerts on all college campuses in the United States are governed by the Clery Act, a federal law passed in 1990 that requires all institutions of higher learning to give “timely warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the safety of students or employees.”

Essentially, Case Police and Security Services are only required to send out security alerts for crimes that they deem as presenting an immediate threat.

“The crimes we’re required to report on tend to be more serious crimes,” said Sergeant Jeffrey Daberko of the Case Western Reserve Police and Security Services Department. “Things like robberies and what are defined as ‘crimes against persons.’ We don’t really report bike thefts or laptop thefts or things like it. What it is and where it was are the determining factors.”

The Clery Act was originally estab-

lished to prevent colleges from perpetuating misinformation about the security of their campus, and to allow full disclosure to students and parents about the crimes that occur on and around campus.

CWRU’s compliance with the Clery Act has been solid, but what they define as a threat to campus is, in many student’s eyes, lacking. For example, no security alert was sent out late last year after a car crashed into Kent Hale Smith because the police apprehended the suspects within minutes. Still, such a dramatic event on our campus would, to most, warrant notification.

Other crimes that occur more frequently also go without notification.

Car thefts, specifically, have been a problem for many students, but the campus is not notified when they happen.

Junior Brittany Chung, who had her car stolen out of the parking lot across from Wade over the summer, was concerned when there was no security alert or notification sent to students.

“No one communicated,” she said.

“No security alert… you know, caution residents, be careful when you’re parking your cars.”

According to Daberko, students aren’t notified of many car thefts because the police believe that they are isolated incidents.

“Car theft is a concern,” he said. “If

Ishaan Taylor/Observer Emergency phones on campus give students a way to contact police in a crisis. we see a pattern or a large number of them, we might put something out, but in general that’s not a crime against persons… If it’s not too threatening to people, we don’t send out alerts about those.”

Ultimately, the fact that the Case Western Reserve Police and Security Services Department are meeting the requirements set by the Clery Act by giving timely warnings and making crime logs and statistics freely avail-

able online is not enough to reassure Chung, or most of the other students on campus.

“I just don’t have trust in campus security anymore,” said Chung. “I think if someone is bold enough to steal a car in broad daylight, who knows what they might do at nighttime? Especially a car that was parked… in that central area where I knew people would see it.

I thought I didn’t have to worry about it… but apparently, I have to.”

University counseling services will not hire more counselors despite student petition Adithi Iyengar Staff Reporter

Harsha Chandupatla/Observer A secretary awaits students at the front desk of University Counseling Services’s office.

Despite a recent online student campaign which called for the expansion of University Counseling Services, the Division of Student Affairs has decided not to grant the request to hire more employees.

The Facebook campaign requested that UCS hire two new employees: an assistant to help schedule appointments and a trained counselor who will help with triage and follow-up appointments. The campaign asked students to email Vice President for Student Affairs Lou Stark and explain how the lack of counseling services affected them.

Although Stark decided not to hire any new employees, he did stress that, before the campaign started, UCS had made efforts to expand to accommodate the bigger student population for the upcoming school year.

The office turned two part-time employees into full-time employees and added an additional 10 hours to the psychiatry schedule.

According to Stark, CWRU determines how many counselors to have available by using guidelines from the International Association of Counseling Services. IACS says that the minimum staffing ratios should be one full-time counseling staff member for every 1,000 to 1,500 students.

The ratio at CWRU is one to 1,043, well within IACS’ recommendations.

“We compare other schools all around the nation to see how we do,” said G. Dean Patterson, Jr., associate vice president for student affairs. “We are pretty good in comparison.”

Despite the fact that no new employees were added, Stark said that he wants to make UCS as accessible as possible to students. He also stressed that students can go to University Health Services if they are unable to get an appointment at UCS. Stark stressed that, although they are not hiring any new employees currently, that could change as the school continues to grow.

New! Leadership Minor Starting in Fall 2014

Weatherhead School of Management

For more information, contact Lila Robinson, Department Administrator: orgbehavior@case.edu — 216-368-2055 Website: http://weatherhead.case.edu/degrees/undergraduate/academics/minors

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Spotlight on research

Weatherhead researcher shows that companies that treat employees well have better productivity Kushagra Gupta Staff Reporter Dr. Chris Laszlo of the Weatherhead School of Management recently published a book, “Flourishing Enterprise: The New Spirit of Business,” showing that if businesses play a more positive role in society, they will increase their productivity.

In the United States, 50 percent of workers report feeling disengaged at work, while another 18 percent are actively disengaged. According to Laszlo, this disengagement leads to a lower productivity rate among workers. It can also lead to distrust between the workers and the company, especially for companies who have been known to engage in negative practices, such as harming the environment or fraud.

Laszlo compares the disengaged

workers to the characters seen on the sitcom “The Office.” He says that the characters are extremely relatable to many American workers, who find themselves bored or disinterested at work.

“That’s probably why [the show] was so successful,” he joked.

According to Laszlo, businesses can work to remedy employee disengagement by creating policies that are beneficial to the public and to their workers.

One of the primary ways to do this is to create sustainable and responsible policies that are still ambitious.

Laszlo says that businesses should actively search for local and global problems and then work to find a solution to them. Instead of simply avoiding harm, he encourages businesses to work to create benefits for society.

Laszlo also says that paying attention to employee’s personal needs is vital for a successful company. Companies can

do this by creating areas for social interaction and allowing employees places for meditation or journal writing.

Google is a prime example of this, giving employees days off to follow their own interests and providing meditation rooms and classes. General Mills also provides meditation rooms, a practice that they have been doing for over a hundred years.

Although these facilities cost money to build and maintain, Laszlo found that having them made companies more profitable in the long run. Businesses that focused on employee well-being had lower turnover rates and an increase in productivity. They also became more authentic and creative by attracting more talented workers and giving them more motivation to work hard.

“People feel as if they are part of a greater community,” said Laszlo.

Laszlo first became interested in eco-

nomics in high school, when he gave a presentation on the growing national debt and the importance of helping the world’s poor. He became invested in the topic, and chose to study economics for his undergraduate and graduate degrees, before coming to teach at CWRU in 2007.

Laszlo works in the Fowler Center at Weatherhead School of Business, where he and his colleagues study how businesses affect society. Laszlo’s research is aimed at helping businesses improve both themselves and their communities. “[Workers] don’t really feel treated as human beings,” said Laszlo. “It’s transactional. We pay you and you do x task. That’s not a recipe for a productive workforce.”

Through his new book, Laszlo hopes to show companies the benefits of being proactive when it comes to employee well-being and sustainable business practices.

Psychology professor Sandra Russ among four to win Distinguished University Professor Award Anastazia Vanisko Staff Reporter Psychology professor Sandra Russ was awarded the Distinguished University Professor Award at fall convocation on Wednesday, Aug. 27. Russ was among four professors who were given the award, the others being nursing professor Barbara Daly, School of Medicine professor James Kazura and School of Medicine professor Kurt Stange.

Russ, who has been working at Case Western Reserve University since 1975, does research on the connection between a child’s creativity and pretend play. Through her research, she developed the Affect in Play Scale, which uses carefully spelledout criteria to rate a child’s imagination, the quality of the story they are telling through play, and the level of comfort the child has while playing.

To standardize the experience, the children were all given the same toys, although younger children were given a wider variety. Some younger children also needed adults to begin the play by “modeling” examples for them.

Russ’ research shows how pretend play can help children generate their own ideas rather than taking them from other sources and adapting them to fit their needs. According to Russ, even an activity as simple as playing with LEGO can show how a child is able to manipulate ideas and create symbolism with their own imagination.

Russ also studied the amount of times that emotion is displayed in a child’s play.

Harsha Chandupatla/Observer Psychology professor Sandra Russ studies the relationship between creativity and pretend play.

The more emotion shown in play, the better the child’s emotional development. This allows children to better attribute emotion to their memories.

Russ became interested in child’s creativity as an undergraduate, and eventually wrote her honors and master’s theses on the subject. She then worked for four years in a clinical setting at Washington University in St. Louis before coming to CWRU.

the the

Beyond her research, Russ is very involved on the CWRU campus. She has been involved with the faculty senate, worked with the Minority Scholar’s program and served as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for a year.

“In terms of what I enjoy most, it’s really the research,” said Russ. “And the teaching, because it’s fun to kick around ideas with students.”

Observer

Russ hopes to continue teaching, while still expanding on her research. She recently started working with a group in Sweden to see if play can help young children cope with cancer.

For Russ, being recognized for her work with the Distinguished University Professor Award is both encouraging and thrilling.

“It spurs me on,” she said. “It’s recognizing the value of the work… of research.”

f cwruobserver @CWRUObserver observer.case.edu

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news

9/5/14

Newman Catholic Ministries relaunches program for first-year students Tara Tran Staff Reporter

Courtesy Vincenzo Volpe Catherine Smith, Vincenzo Volpe, Julia O’Brien, and Jenna Bailey worked to bring Newman’s FYSH program back to campus.

The Newman Catholic Campus Ministry will be launching a small group program aimed at freshmen called the First Year Spiritual Home. The goal of FYSH is to give first-year students upperclassmen mentors to guide them through their college transition while still staying connected with their faith.

FYSH focuses on four main pillars: service, prayer, faith education and community. The program gives students time to bond through activities and weekly meetings.

“FYSH creates a welcoming environment where first-year students can stay strong in their faith and meet other Catholic students while transitioning to a secular college,” said Vincenzo Volpe, one of the program leaders.

FYSH existed four years ago, but was disbanded when the leaders graduated. It was revived after a number of Case Western Reserve University students attended the Campus Ministry Leadership Institute at John Carroll University.

Students can sign up for FYSH on Sept.

6 and 7 by contacting Campus Minister Sharon Bramante or after this weekend’s mass at the Holy Rosary.

Eleven-year-old named ambassador for diabetes walk Gabrielle Buffington Staff Reporter Eleven-year-old Andrew Morse has been named the 2014 Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes Red Strider Ambassador.

He will represent people who suffer from Type 1, Type 2 or gestational diabetes as they fundraise for a cure.

Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes raises money for the American Diabetes Association. The annual event was created more than 20 years ago, and has raised more than $175,000,000 towards finding a cure for diabetes.

Morse was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in April of 2011. It was difficult for him and his family to adjust to the news, but Morse eventually learned how to maintain a healthy diet, when to take insulin shots and how frequently to check his blood. He and his family also embraced the benefits of staying positive and having fun.

Morse joined the walk for the first time in September of 2012, with 80 members of his family and friends, called “The Drew Crew,” supporting him by wearing matching royal blue

the

t-shirts. The group raised $6,654 total, with $2,646 coming from Morse. Because he raised more than $1,000, the walk recognized him as a Champion to Stop Diabetes. He was subsequently named the 2012 Youth Ambassador.

“Andrew and his entire family are very dedicated and passionate about finding a cure for diabetes,” said Amy Szymanski, manager for the Step Out walk. As a Red Strider Ambassador, the story of Morse’s struggle with diabetes is available on the walk’s website.

“They are a large team that shows up with enthusiastic smiles, matching team t-shirts, and they aren’t shy about asking people to donate to the cause,” Szymanski added.

Morse, who loves to play basketball, baseball and football, will join 800 others for this year’s Step Out walk on Oct. 25 at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. He will also be a keynote speaker at the event.

“As a Red Strider Ambassador, it is important for me to do my part and raise awareness to find a cure,” said Morse.

“I hope that a cure will be found not just for me, but for everyone that lives with the disease: 29 million Americans.”

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arts & entertainment “Stop Kiss” a can’t miss Eldred’s latest performance seamless Temi Omilabu Contributing Reporter

Editor’s Choice

If you did not get a chance to see the production of Stop Kiss this past weekend…I’m so sorry.

From Aug. 28-30, the Players’ Theatre Group performed “Stop Kiss,” a play by Diana Son that tells the story of two women, Sara and Callie, who become friends (and eventually lovers) when Sara moves to New York to pursue her dream of being an innercity elementary school teacher. The story unfolds when Sara and Callie share their first kiss, which leads to a violent assault by an upset onlooker that puts Sara in a coma.

But what makes the play so interesting is that the story is not told in chronological order: Many varying scenes take place before and after the assault and the play concludes with Sara and Callie’s first kiss—the kiss that changed everything.

The play’s main strength was the unCourtesy Gemini Photography matchable on-stage chemistry between CarThe Players’ Theatre Group production of “Stop Kiss” gives a new perspective to oline Canale (Callie) and Sara Bogomolny (Sara). The two actresses were believable, the common issues of sexuality and discrimination on a college campus. confident and passionate. They truly brought the story to life in a way that left the audi-

ence crying as they laughed and laughing as they cried. It requires true talent to move an audience the way these two did.

The other cast members supported the lead actresses perfectly. Anthony Newman, who played the part of the condescending detective, and Evan Bramberg, who played Callie’s boyfriend George, had outstanding stage presence. Newman, Katja Yacker, Nathan Hach and Paige Klopfenstein completed the show with sincere and credible performances.

Of course, the constant shifting of plot called for just-as-constant scene changes; the crew set up the scenes without distracting the audience from the plot or ruining the overall mood. Overall, the execution of both the actors and the technicians was seamless.

“Stop Kiss” is a play that reveals some very touchy subjects on college campuses (and in the real world) like sexuality, hate crimes and the struggles of young adulthood. The performance gave the audience a reminder that issues like these are real, and real people battle them every day. For this reason, I commend the cast and crew for bringing these issues to the surface in a way that was relatable for the entire audience.

CWRU THOUGHTS Maria Fazal Staff Reporter The Case Western community is known for thinking beyond the possible. Each week, this column aims to capture a slice of campus life.

Q: How has your time been at Case Western Reserve University? What do you think is something unique CWRU has to offer?

A1: I love it here, and I think they offer a big school and a small school feel. I feel connected to many different people, even though there are a lot of people here. It is

a big campus and a city environment, and even though it’s so spread out, it still feels small, which I really like.

A2: I agree, I think CWRU is its own community in itself, and I really like the aspects of the campus. There’s art from the Cleveland Museum of Art, and you can go downtown. I like that there are things to do that don’t necessarily go with your major or academics in general, just things that you like to do.

A1: And they’re free.

Maria Fazal/Observer

“The Signal” falls short Winston Eng Staff Reporter There is something to note when coming into a movie with few, if any, expectations and leaving completely stunned, confused and somewhat conflicted about how to further process your initial thoughts. Often ambition exceeds execution, and unlike the mind-bending inquiries of “Inception” or “Shutter Island” that seem to plague your mind throughout its entirety and post-viewing, some films fall just short of success and enter a limbo of competing frustration and awe.

William Eubank’s “The Signal” provides this type of dichotomy, and despite stunning visuals alongside an interesting premise, the film bites off more than it can chew with its “The Twilight Zone”-esque approach.

Film too strange for its own good

Like many science fiction stories, “The Signal” is best experienced going in with as little information as possible. Protagonist Nic and his best friend Jonah are hackers making their way across the country from their school, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to California Institute of Technology, where Nic’s girlfriend Haley will be transferring in the fall. Along the way, they are constantly fiddled with and played by Nomad, a hacker who earlier crashed MIT’s servers and placed the blame on them. Convincing Haley to take a quick detour, Nic and Jonah set out to deliver justice, a path that takes them outside a seemingly deserted shack supposedly housing their new rival. The following footage takes the viewer into a “The Blair Witch Project”-esque point-of-view where slowly but surely the situation starts to escalate beyond their control.

My eyes were glued to the screen as “The Signal” continued to get weirder and creepier each minute. Yes, some plot points did end up as loose ends, and sure, the dialogue did leave much to be desired; however, what really stood out was the uncomfortable, sickening atmosphere that seemed to hover and wallow around me.

I felt the need to constantly question what exactly I would do if given the same situation. Could I maintain my sanity? How would I know what was real and what wasn’t? For a film that springs up so many questions, I enjoyed the fact that I did not have to want to feel immersed to be immersed; the backdrops and camera work were carefully composed, and though often ephemeral, moments of crafted suspense and wonder wavered in absurdity and honest, plain fun.

What was frustrating was the fact that such a unique spin on a classic motif could have definitely been explored and fleshed out especially given the short 97-minute runtime “The Signal” had. Moreover, I didn’t realize until after the ending that some of the most interesting and quirky aspects of the film did not actually play as well together as I had initially thought. This is a testament to how well the film does to draw you in, but at the same time, fail to deliver a cohesive and connected narrative.

Those familiar with Duncan Jones’s “Moon” or William Eubank’s previous film “Love” might find this film to be just as provocative and unusual; fans of found-footage sci-fi films such as Josh Trank’s “Chronicle” and Sebastián Cordero’s “Europa Report” are encouraged to give “The Signal” a shot.

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Playlist of the Week: Sept. 5, 2014

Teddy Eisenberg Staff Reporter

“Southern Comfort” — The Orwells “I’m not that old, but I’m getting

“Beatings” — Coves

pretty wise,” wails lead singer Mario Cuomo part of the way through “Southern Comfort,” a tune that is a reminder of just how fun and homey dirty rock music can feel. Even if you’ve never heard of this Illinois garage band, this track’s driving drumbeat, warm guitars and bopping rhythm will quickly make sure you don’t forget them. The Orwells will be at The Grog Shop on Sept. 9 to promote their sophomore albvum “Disgraceland,” and you can bet that a certain staff reporter will be there.

“Beatings” is one of the creepy, psychedelic singles from Coves’ debut album “Soft Friday,” released on Sept. 2. This shoegaze duo has learned well from the spacy genre’s other pioneers, conjuring up a bubbling sea of organ, percussion, harmonica and guitar that evokes Echo & the Bunnymen and the Jesus and Mary Chain. While “Soft Friday” has a flair for the dramatic that sometimes makes its songs sound bloated and abstract, this album’s good moments are so good that this is a more than promising debut from a group that may be among indie pop’s new stars.

“How We Be” — Sinkane

“Scarecrow”— The Counting Crows

Sinkane is the alias of multi-instrumentalist and Columbus native Ahmed Gallab whose new album, “Mean Love,” draws on the sounds of everything from free jazz percussion to darkly funky guitar riffs. Undercutting these densely nuanced arrangements is Sinkane’s silky voice, which is in distinctive and fine form on “How We Be.” “Mean Love” was released on Sept. 1 on City Slang and is one of the better R&B releases put out this year.

Twenty-one years into an illustrious career, alt-folk rock veterans Counting Crows show no signs of wavering from the rootsy and poetic sounds that made them superstars in the ’90s. “Scarecrow” is a standout from the group’s latest release, “Somewhere Under Wonderland,” that uses a crunchy, organic guitar riff to make one heck of an impression. What is perhaps most impressive about what the Counting Crows accomplish on “Scarecrow” is that they manage to make their two-decade-old formula sound fresh, a feat that is sure to bring them yet another new generation of fans.

“Some Dreams Come True” — SW/MM/NG

Difficult spelling aside, SW/MM/NG’s music is a decidedly trouble-free brand of indie pop that calls on jangly layers of guitar and reverb to color their summery music. “Feel Not Bad” is an appropriate title for such an enjoyable new release, and is a solid choice to score the few sunny days of Cleveland summer we have left. Even though “Feel Not Bad” is only eight tracks long, each is as enjoyable as “Some Dreams Come True,” making this an essential addition to your Spotify queue.

Retro Pick of the Week: “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” — Marvin Gaye

“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” is the last track off“What’s Going On,” Marvin Gaye’s meditation on the state of the American dream in 1973. A perfect expression of his hopes, frustrations and concerns, the issues of police brutality, poverty and urban decay that Gaye explores here are still all too relevant today, making “What’s Going On” one of the most important albums ever recorded. The next time you’re looking for something new to listen to, stop and pick this record up first. The world as you see it will never be the same.

Courtesy of gigslutz.co.uk, coves.tmstor.es, radiorock.uy, consequenceofsound.net, oldflamerecords.bandcamp.com, & singapore60smusic. blogspot.com 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 8am-10am and co-hosts the variety talk show Max and Teddy in the Morning at Night (Sometimes) on Mondays from 5pm-6pm. The crackle of vinyl warms him on cold Cleveland nights.

SKATERS roll back into Cleveland Singer Michael Cummings hopes for bigger crowds

Anne Nickoloff Arts & Entertainment Editor After this past April’s SKATERS show, expectations might be mixed for their return to the Grog Shop this coming Tuesday, Sept. 9.

“That was a really weird show for us,” SKATERS singer Michael Cummings said.

“All the rest of the shows [on our tour] were totally packed, but then it was like, 10 to 12 people, or something crazy.

That’s not to say the show sucked; fresh off their successful 2014 album “Manhattan,” it just didn’t make sense; the punky, crowd-engaging show simply should have had a bigger turnout. The tiny crowd stood in front of the stage, listening to the likes of “Deadbolt” and “I Wanna Dance (But I Don’t Know How)” without even dancing. Such a shame.

But even when performing with other bands, Cummings said that he has never seen a large crowd at the Grog Shop. “I don’t know what it takes,” he said, about getting an actual audience.

The April show’s sparseness could be blamed on rivalling bands performing at other Cleveland venues. Or maybe people were too busy filing their taxes. Or maybe it was just the fact that it was a Monday.

None of that should matter for SKATERS’ next Cleveland show, though. Their secret ingredient has arrived in the form of headliner The Orwells.

“They’re pretty fun. They’re really young, which is cool. Definitely every time we come out with them, I wouldn’t say they’re party an-

Courtesy SKATERS SKATERS will be performing before The Orwells, for a punky show at the Grog Shop on Tuesday, Sept. 9. imals, but I would say they have a good time,” Cummings said. “They’re fresh still.”

The Orwell’s peppier, strum-filled beachy punk will complement SKATERS’ more subdued style, and contribute to the punk-filled craziness of the night.

This time around, Cummings should see what the Grog Shop is like with a packed audience. Punk has been coming back in Cleveland and music in general, and Cummings agrees.

“I think there are a lot more punk influences in everything,” he said. “I even think that pop music has borrowed so much from early pop punk stuff, like from when I was a kid. I think it’s just for everyone now. It’s not as much of a counterculture thing.”

The end of a summer at Severance Cleveland Orchestra’s good vibes stay strong

Mike Suglio Staff Reporter

As the gentle and warm summer ended, so did the Friday night Summers@Severance series. Throughout the month of August, the Cleveland Orchestra provided an intimate musical experience both in the hall and on the front terrace.

At the last show, which was on Aug. 29, the evening began with a special happy hour on the front terrace where music lovers enjoyed some cool drinks and conversed about the perfect Cleveland summer weather. At 6:50 p.m., patrons moved from their drinks to their seats in the glistening hall.

Promptly at 7 p.m., Music Director Franz Welser-Möst joined the awaiting orchestra as the entire hall applauded. Welser-Möst now begins his 13th season as director, which will extend through the Orchestra’s centennial in 2018.

The evening began with composer, Jörg Widmann’s “Lied.” The Munich native was commissioned to work in homage to Franz Schubert, but chose to take a modern take; the music’s loud melody met a soft harmony in the background.

Throughout the piece there was a strong and vibrant violin section followed by an equally powerful saxophone accompaniment with an occasional bang from a gong. Often the song flew from almost total silence to a loud roar.

Widmann’s second piece of the evening was “Flute en Suite,” which featured principal flutist, Joshua Smith. Head of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s flute department, Smith has been nominated for a Grammy and just recently released an album recorded at Cleveland’s Happy Dog with his group, Ensemble HD. Similar to Widmann’s last piece, this work also took a modern look at older music. He was inspired by classical dance music and instead changed it to a more serene and mellow sound. Smith’s flute was the melody of the piece, acting as the dance element.

The flute and violin section harmoniously

Mike Suglio/Observer Severance Hall’s performance was the perfect precursor to a school year filled with music. played alongside each other with an occasional interruption by the wonderful xylophone.

The piece ended with a switch to traditional and lively “Flute en Suite” sound, which the audience laughed and cheered to.

The Cleveland Orchestra continued entertainment through the intermission by having the Cleveland Cavaliers’ hip-hop team perform in the hall. Even though the music before this break was more modern, this had to be the craziest part of the night; the dancers energized the audience into the second half of the evening with flips and windmills.

Finishing the evening was Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Opus 68 composed by the great Johannes Brahms. I closed my eyes as I took in this classical symphonic piece. As the string section strutted in unison and the brass section blew a powerful musical breeze, I felt the Cleveland Orchestra’s good vibes.

With a powerful finale, Welser-Möst took a bow to grand applause. The orchestra then continued to play additional music, not originally included in the program, as an encore.

After the music ended, patrons on a music high danced out to the front terrace where they enjoyed even more cool summer drinks and music on a warm summer evening.

Though this may be the last performance in this special summer series, Severance Hall’s school year shows are highly anticipated, featuring music from the likes of Chopin, Beethoven, Bach and Schumann.

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observer.case.edu

No restraints at Zetepaint Anne Nickoloff Arts & Entertainment Editor

Students donned their bright white shirts for Zeta Psi’s annual paint party, Zetepaint, held in the Leutner Pavilion on Saturday, Aug. 30.

With headlining No Limits and opening PSTRCHLD, the thumping rhythm was met with laser lights and, of course, endless splashes of paint. The crowd got rowdy when No Limits took the stage, pushing and shoving to get to the front and center. Even a few slippery, paintcoated crowd surfers bobbed around the dancing crowd.

Zetepaint is one of the most popular parties at Case Western Reserve University every year, and this year was no different.

Party on, CWRU.

Anne Nickoloff/Observer

New LGBTQA+ group started for graduate and professional school students

Ellie Rambo Staff Reporter

11454 Uptown Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (216) 229-9920

$5 wraps for the month of September expires: Sept. 30

11454 Uptown Ave Cleveland, Ohio 44106 (216) 229-9920

This week five students launched QGrad, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally (LGBTQA+) group for graduate and professional school students. Although Case Western Reserve University is a welcoming community to anyone regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, some students have noticed a lack of representation for members in certain graduate and professional schools.

“I’m in the physics department, and although there are LGBT people, there’s no organized community,” said Luke Keltner, the group’s social committee chair.

“The point is to get people together, and make it more obvious that there is a community here.”

Some of CWRU’s graduate and professional schools have their own LGBTQA+ groups, which are contained within schools and programs. The founding students, who study everything from phys-

ics to the social sciences, saw a need for a larger group that could connect all interested graduate and professional students.

“As PhD students we never had an LGBT group, the smaller groups are for the professional schools,” said Michal Bonar, the public relations chair. “We have the LGBT Center, but it’s focused on undergraduates.”

The group plans to host educational, professional and social events. In October, they will sponsor an educational event focusing on domestic violence in the LGBT community, and plan to host a drag show as a fundraising event in November.

Bonar said the group’s ultimate goal is to create a sense of LGBTQA+ community and to show prospective students that CWRU is an accepting environment.

“We’re going to work to link members to local resources,” said Bonar. “We’re plugging everyone in to all these different resources that already exist.”

fun

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9/5/14

COMI C S

Ivory Tower

by Kevin Yong

40% of OpenBSD installs lead to shark attacks.

It’s their only standing security issue. By xkcd

Crossword Puzzle Across 1. Carve in stone 5. Craves 10. Leave in a hurry 14. Unusual 15. Open, as a bottle 16. Vagabond 17. Nutritious 19. Govern 20. A type of large sandwich 21. Nigerian monetary unit 22. Ebbed 23. Gist 25. Middays 27. Chap 28. Trespassers 31. Hawaiian veranda 34. Shoe blemish 35. Legislation 36. Was indebted 37. Objectives 38. Exploded star 39. Holiday drink 40. Brazilian dance 41. A proofreader’s symbol

42. Marks of omission 44. 3 in Roman numerals 45. Awkward 46. Infinite 50. Swamplike 52. Bisect 54. Very Important Person 55. Curved molding 56. Tableware 58. Mining finds 59. Contemptuous look 60. Biblical garden 61. Finest 62. Excrete 63. Exam Down 1. Delete 2. Anklebone 3. Baby beds 4. Skirt’s edge 5. Craziness 6. Loosen, as laces 7. Stigma 8. European wolf spider 9. Operative 10. Became smaller 11. Attorney

12. Competent 13. Pigeon-___ 18. Boredom 22. Canis lupus 24. Quaint outburst 26. Clods 28. Picket line crossers 29. Rant 30. Smack 31. Solitary 32. Absent Without Leave 33. Loose dressing gowns 34. An unspecified thing 37. Shocked reaction 38. Found on a finger 40. Neuter 41. Made from apple juice 43. Swallow 44. Flip 46. Santa’s helpers 47. Avoid 48. Fathers 49. All tuckered out 50. Doofus 51. Monster 53. Away from the wind 56. South southeast 57. Damp

observer.case.edu

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Horoscopes Aries

Due to a cosmic typo, you will find yourself transformed from Aries into actual air. It won’t be so bad, though; you will feel quite light and unencumbered once you literally have no mass.

Taurus

Today will be a good day for you, Taurus.

Gemini

Remember that Denny’s burger you had this week? It’s about to come back in a big way!

Cancer

Don’t let your pens out of your sight, ever.

Leo

xkcd

Academia vs. Business

This is a good week for your butt.

Virgo

Take caution this week as you pick your group members for this semester’s project. The guy to your right has just been pretending competence now and plans to stop attending class after fall break.

Libra

This week try to go easy on Grab-It, or you’ll spend your entire life waiting in line.

Scorpio

Some engineer out there has solved P=NP and it’s locked up in an electric eggbeater calibration routine. For every 0x5f375a86 we learn about, there are thousands we never see.

You might feel overwhelmbed with all the homework and quizzes for next week, but don’t lose hope. Go to the Art Museum to distress and then buckle down and rock your classes.

Sagittarius

Ask again later. rarely scare scene scream share sidewalk star street style sweetest thing today trick tumble where window without worry

Capricorn

Wordsearch

alright around awhile behind block break city color concrete eternally flit green head heart leaves meant might oaks quiet

You may feel like things in your life are going well, but don’t worry; soon you’ll plummet into the bottomless pit of despair that you know so well and love.

Aquarius

You should use your free time this week to create a new organization: Nerds Rule! It’ll be a hit.

Pisces

Watch your back…

opinion From chaos, community The meaning of Spartan life Jacob Martin Opinion Editor Last year, the primary focus of my column was the importance of community on a college campus. More specifically, I focused on the lack of community at CWRU and why that should change.

In my Oct. 4, 2013 installment, I wrote “the sentiment of community has been hibernating in Case Western Reserve University’s doldrums for too long.” I talked about community like one talks about objects one keeps locked away in an attic for storage. Last week, our community came alive. Last week, we dusted off the cobwebs of apathy and displayed the brilliance of our ability to come together.

But would such a unification would be possible without last week’s tragedy?

Sadly, I’m not so sure.

For the summer issue I wrote directly to the freshman class with a professor about the importance of being a realist.

We talked about the beginning of any semester and the power of novelty. If I follow my own logic, I am obliged to ask if CWRU will retain its newfound sense of community two weeks, one month, three months from now.

I am of Lebanese descent on my mother’s side. We have a seemingly infinite number of cousins here in the states and abroad. To name them all would take more space than the words that compose this column. In fact, I don’t know many of these relatives by anything other than in name. Because of this, there is an old joke in my family which essentially says the only time we

see cousins is at weddings and funerals, a statement in which there is some truth to this adage because of the sheer number of us.

If we tailor that statement to community at CWRU, it might look something like the only time we see a strong sense of community on campus is during celebrations and tragedies. Given that I’ve spent a number of years at this school, I can say that this commentary is not posited in vain.

When the snow starts flying and we become radically re-absorbed in our own lives, our own pursuits with all their challenges and triumphs, will we forget those four young men who we lost last week? Will we forget about the importance of being a unified campus community and slip back into all-American hyper-individualism?

The opening week of this semester is a testament to why a strong sense of community is of the utmost importance to the wellbeing of an entire college: students, faculty, staff and administrators alike. My fear is that it will only exist during distinctly anomalous periods of shared intense affect.

I really hope my fear is irrational and we foster the vibrancy that was borne from chaos. The Office of Student Affairs’ theme for 2014-2015 is community. Let us all embrace that concept and not wait to build the CWRU community.

“Men are free when they belong to a living, organic, believing community, active in fulfilling some unfulfilled, perhaps unrealized purpose. Not when they are escaping to some wild west. The most unfree souls go west, and shout of freedom.”

—D.H. Lawrence

Editorial

Crimes & Misdemeanors:

The case for greater investment in security

Case Western Reserve University’s Police and Security Services Department was established in 2006. Since then, their presence has been felt on campus among students during the day, in the evening and at various social events like Spot Night. Freshman are asked to program (216) 368-3333—Case Police’s phone number—into their cell phones during orientation, and the CWRU Police Department has reached out to students with the inception of CWRU Shield in 2014. Without a doubt, the creation of these departments and the programs they’ve helped to put in place have helped CWRU students feel safer.

CWRU PD and Security are clearly putting forth great efforts to ensure the safety of the campus community, but more impactful changes from these departments and others are still needed to make the campus a secure environment for students, community members and their property. From our perspective, some of the implementations of added security around campus seem more like public relations moves rather than practical applications which strengthen our defenses against crime.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that our campus is an urban setting. For the most part, CWRU seems to be insulated from the problems associated with living and working in a densely populated area. But there are incidents of intersection between the two conflicting spheres of academia and city life which demand the attention of the CWRU community.

For example, we’ve already discussed the disparity between the events which justify a security alert and which are left to the rumor mill. It is also of great concern that many of blue-light security stations are out of order and need to be repaired.

Before the hold-up in Wade Commons this summer, its doors were left unlocked during hours of daylight. Since that day, the doors are locked 24/7 to protect students from unauthorized persons. But what does this accomplish? These first two weeks of classes saw high levels of tailgating and students seemed to be more annoyed at the inconvenience than assured of their safety. We can understand the need to lock the building earlier in the evening, but it should remain open during peak hours.

Safe Ride is another example of the well-intentioned but problematic safety tools offered to students. The system for reserving a ride is great in theory, but leaves much to be desired in the way of implementation. If a student has spotty cell service or doesn’t have a smartphone, they may miss their ride or think it was placed when it wasn’t. Furthermore, there is a higher demand for cars during late evening hours causing long waits for students looking to get back to their homes late at night. If a student is forced to wait more than half an hour, he or she could easily decide that walking would be a more convenient option–a dangerous habit that instantly negates the impact of this important service.

CWRU PD and Security do a great job providing a sense of overall safety and wellbeing. The individual officers are pleasant and professional, and the departments seem to be heading in the right direction. However, more resources, like funds to add Safe Ride cars and fix emergency services like the blue-light stations, need to be devoted to campus security. Without making real changes to the services which impact the safety of students the most, we will continue to be at risk for the type of publicity that no university wants to see.

Letter to the Editor On behalf of Zeta Beta Tau, we would like to thank everyone in the Case Western Reserve University community for their outpouring of support during this trying time.

Before writing this, we attempted to gather a list of all of the organizations that have assisted us over the past week; we quickly realized there were so many that it would be difficult to know if we had left anyone out. The fact that the amount of support we have received is actually overwhelming is a testament to the sense of community that exists at this university, and for that, we thank you.

Words cannot express how comforting it has been for us to see how much the people on this campus truly care about one another.

Another struggle we have faced is deciding the best way to tell those that were not lucky enough to get to know William Michael Felten and Lucas Marcelli a little bit about the men that they were. Once again, the conclusion that we soon reached was that we cannot.

No amount of words spoken about the two would do justice in describing the exemplary men that they were.

Even though they were only sophomores, they had securely established themselves as two of the most well-respected and admired members of our fraternity, as well as this university. As cliché as it may sound, Luke and Mike were two of the nicest, most genuine and hardworking men that we had ever met.

The Observer is the weekly undergraduate student newspaper of Case Western Reserve University. Established in 1969, The Observer exists to report news affecting and/or involving students and to provide an editorial forum for the university community. Unsigned editorials are the majority opinion of the senior editorial staff. For advertising information, contact The Observer at (216) 368-2914 or e-mail observerads@case.edu.

The Observer is a proud member of the CWRU Media Board.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be e-mailed to observer@case.edu or submitted on our website at observer.case.edu. Letters can be mailed to 10900 Euclid Avenue, Suite A09, Cleveland, OH 44106. For policy and guidelines related to the submission of Letters to the Editor, refer to observer.case.edu/submit-a-letter.

In their everyday life they set the example of what it means to be a good man, and we are all thankful for that.

Even though our interactions with them were limited, we also feel it is important to recognize Abraham Pishevar and John Hill. From our initial impressions of John and Abe, it was quite obvious that they were exceptional men as well. Many of the brothers were fortunate enough to be able to attend the memorials held in both Abe and John’s dorms and have our initial impressions reaffirmed. The countless stories and emotions that were shared regarding these two men exhibited the impact that they had on their community in such a brief period.

Those fortunate enough to have interacted with Abe and John are lucky to have met two men of their character, and they will be truly missed.

Once again, there are no words that can express the thanks and gratitude we feel for all those who have supported us through this tragedy. In the coming days we hope that we will not forget the impact that these four men had on all of our lives. If we all can actively try to be half the people that these men were, then the CWRU community, and the world in general, will become a much better place.

Sincerely, Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity

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 web & multimedia MARY KATE MACEDONIA director of print MIKE MCKENNA advertising & marketing manager COLE MORRIS account manager JAMES VELETTE digital publicity & communications manager JESSICA YANG news editor JULIA BIANCO a&e editor ANNE NICKOLOFF opinion editor JACOB MARTIN sports editor JP O’HAGAN multimedia editor HARSHA CHANDUPATLA web editor JOE SATTERFIELD news layout CHRISTINA CHENG copy editors JENIECE MONTELLANO, a&e layout VICTOR LOPEZ ELLIE RAMBO sports layout ROBERT BROWN advisor BERNIE JIM opinion layout AQUENE KIMMEL

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Follow your passion Looking back, and forward Ted Howard My good friend Jacob Martin asked me to say a few words about being 70 years in the making and sitting among Case Western Reserve University undergraduates in various classes. My first observation is how polite and civil the CWRU students are. Never have I been on a college campus—and I have been on the campuses of Cornell, Harvard, Clark, John Carroll (as a teacher), Cleveland State, Bowling Green and Findlay College (as a teacher)—and experienced such courtesy. My second observation is that CWRU students are a whole lot better prepared for college than I was in 1963 as a freshman at Cornell. It is an honor and a privilege to be here. It is also a bit intimidating.

I also observe something that I find both amusing and a bit frightening. I hear students talking about taking many credit hours, such as 18 or 21 per semester. I also hear some talking about double majors and multiple minors. I

certainly admire the willingness they have to work diligently, to amass knowledge by the bucket-load, and to build a “heavy” transcript. Credentials are important. Frankly, if I had had the energy as an undergraduate I might have done the same. Looking back, I am thankful that I did not have that energy.

What concerns me about these heavy loads comes from my 25 years in the executive search business, and my general experience working after college.

What happens is this: a student graduates and gets a great job. That is what the degree does, it gets the student the interview and an inside track on a great career. Once a student is hired, his or her transcript becomes (almost) irrelevant. The boss cares little now about a major or minor. What the boss cares about today is what his new employee did today to make money for the firm.

So the employer trains the new employee to do the job at hand. That job changes continuously and will not look anything like the person’s major or minor in a very few years. Actually, most new grads are hired into jobs that do not look

anything like their majors or minors.

As a third party recruiter I was never impressed by multiple majors or minors.

What impressed me was cum laude or magna cum laude or summa cum laude.

If the extra work for the extra major or minor brings down the GPA even by a tenth of a point, it does more harm than good. Working hard is not necessarily admirable. Being focused and producing a quality result is worthy.

What I wanted to see in a transcript and a résumé was a solid performance in any subject, a balance of elective courses, some evidence of socializing and some evidence of leadership. I also wanted some indication that the individual had a balanced life while at college. Individuals who spent four years in a library or laboratory might be more suited for the academic track than a business or professional career.

What might be terribly difficult to see while in college preparing for a career is the inevitability of change. A career goes in the direction that circumstance and choice drives it. We are faced with the need to learn new skills every

day. If we were fortunate in college, what we really learned was how to learn efficiently. If a career is going well it offers the possibility and the challenge of growth. The subject we studied in college we might bring along with us, but it becomes less and less the driving force in developing a satisfying career as that career evolves and we grow and move on.

When asked “What should I study?” I always respond: “Follow your passion.”

In the process of following your passion you will be guided by the dedicated faculty at CWRU. When you come through the tunnel of these four years you shall have turned out just fine. Get the grade and take time to enjoy the trip.

Ted Howard is retired from a career in Executive Search. He is a husband, a father, a dancer, a pilot, a golfer, a gardener and a student of Latin and Greek and their respective cultures at CWRU. He majored in English (BA) at Cornell and took an MBA at Clark. A good day includes a morning of Latin, an afternoon of golf and an evening of Tango.

Numbers might lie The elephant in the room Andrew Breland When applying to college, there is hardly a high school student that does not look at the U.S. News and World Report rankings of national universities.

Every spring, the publication comes out with new rankings, sometimes doing the unthinkable and switching the order of Columbia University and the University of Chicago. (These schools are traditionally 4 and 5, and have developed a sort of rivalry in the U.S. News rankings.)

However, the U.S. News rankings are not the only measures of the nation’s “Best Colleges.” It seems as if every publication now has their own methodology and reason behind creating a college ranking. Princeton Review, the test company, has long produced a list of the 500 best colleges in the country. Websites like the Huffington Post and College Prowler pride themselves on nontraditional lists, like the “nerdiest schools” or schools with the hottest guys or girls. (This is an actual ranking on College Prowler. Case Western Reserve University ranks 533 and 703 on the guys’ and girls’ list respectively.)

Even the White House has joined the college ranking party. While not putting out an explicit ranking, the administration’s “College Scorecard” promises to help students “find out more about a col-

lege’s affordability and value so you can make more informed decisions about which college to attend.” The mission of this system is nearly identical to the explicit rankings. They all boil down to influencing a high school student’s decision about where to attend college.

There are rankings that say this mission more explicitly than others though.

They claim to base rankings on criteria college students find important. Forbes and Washington Monthly published these kind of rankings last week.

Washington Monthly, a monthly magazine published out of Washington, D.C., creates rankings based on social mobility and the university’s commitment to research and fostering an ethical society. In their most recent iteration, CWRU ranked ninth.

Alternatively, Forbes concerns itself primarily with the cost of school and the benefit students get by attending there.

The biweekly magazine ranked CWRU as the 127th best school in the country in their newest list.

On their face these rankings might be rationalized. CWRU is an expensive school, but we do send future PhDs and Peace Corps members off in droves following graduation. Perhaps that explains the disparity between the two rankings. But it still does not answer the larger question about why these ranking matter in the slightest.

They matter because we like them to

the the

matter.

Just as the internet has been taken over by the ever popular “listicle,” college rankings remove the action of distilling information from a paragraph and turn it into an easier-to-grasp form that rewards readers with nearly immediate information gratification. In this way, college rankings are perhaps taking the nation’s best students—the most promising young minds—and allowing them to get off easy.

In order to decide whether to go to Harvard or Princeton, Georgetown or Tufts, or CWRU or Penn State, publications like U.S. News, Washington Monthly, Forbes and the like present students with a seemingly immediate answer instead of forcing them to decide based on more than a ranking and a stock photo.

I cannot say this without revealing the largest of caveats though. We are all hypocrites on this issue. I would imagine that most people reading this are of a similar opinion that college rankings have gotten a bit old. They do more harm than good some might say. I would be one of them.

At the same time though, as I prepare my law school applications, I am most certainly relying on the U.S. News Law School rankings as if they were my bible. Sure, I am also researching the employment figures, average debt load and financial aid information, but U.S.

News is a perpetual bookmark on all the electronics I own.

Our mentality comes down to this: “Rankings are painful, arbitrary and overwhelmingly dumb, but OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO GREAT. I’M GOING TO GO TO THE BEST SCHOOL EVER!!!” I imagine that line being read in the voice of a 16-year-old girl getting her first car.

The sad truth is that rankings like these are not going away. They make information easy to understand, and do serve as a sort of front line on the search for the right college, law school, medical school, etc. But they are hardly the extent one should search.

The school that ranks 150th on one list might be the right one for you, just as the school that ranks first may not be.

As the school year progresses and rankings come out more frequently before the big U.S. News revelation in the spring, remember to take each ranking with a healthy dose of skepticism. Most students at CWRU would happily argue against the 127th we received and heartily for the ninth. In the end, it is a number, and the college experience is about so much more than the number your school got assigned this year. Unless it is tuition. That number does count.

Andrew Breland is the Observer’s senior opinion columnist. Contact him at awb69@case.edu.

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Men’s soccer The Jolly Scholar searches for first win jolly.scholar @JollyScholar 216.368.0090

mpv3@case.edu

MTW RF Sat. Sun.

11a - 12a 11a - 2a 12p - 2a 12p - 12a

They will not be forgotten.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the friends and families of those we lost last week.

To help those impacted, donate at gofundme.com/ CaseWesternTragicLoss

A memorial service will be held Friday, Sept. 5, at 5 pm in the Tink Ballroom.

Join us for our NFL Sunday Special, featuring all you can eat fries and wings $9.95

JP O’Hagan Sports Editor The men’s soccer team has played better than their record shows following the opening the weekend of Case Western sports.

The Spartans head into the Fred Meyers adidas Invitational this weekend looking at a 0-1-1 record, following a double overtime draw against last weekend’s tournament host Roanoke and then a disappointing loss to Lynchburg College.

The Spartans struck first in the opening game on Friday night; Matthew Zembas marched unassisted down into Roanoke’s half, putting his shot to the left of the Maroons’ goalie and into the back of the net.

Roanoke pounced from the restart, and marched back down into the Spartan half, putting a shot just wide a mere 40 seconds after the Spartans scored. This scare got the Spartans moving again and the teams traded possessions until the Maroons found an opportunity of their own late in the first half.

The Spartans were called for a foul just outside the box and Roanoke converted on the dead ball kick, placing it just out of reach of the Spartan keeper, Frank Candau.

The second half continued in much the same fashion, with both sides trading strong runs and big stops. Neither team was able to find the back of the net after the second 45 minutes ticked off the clock. The teams were highly comparable in regulation, with 10 shots for the Spartans and 10 for the Maroons. In

addition, the high level of competition was clearly seen in the 28 fouls traded between the two teams. As the game moved into extra time Roanoke, desperate to break the tie and not lose their first game at home, stepped up the pressure. The Maroons dominated offensively in the pair of overtimes, outshooting the Spartans 7-0 before the final whistle blew. The Spartan defense held strong, however, and Candau’s career high six saves allowed the Spartans to leave with a tie.

The Spartans were unable to keep Lynchburg’s Luke Moore at bay, as he accounted for both shots that found the back of the Spartan net. Moore broke the game open early, finding space between Spartan keeper Candau and the left post in the 13th minute, receiving a nice pass just above the box. Moore then finished off the match when he knocked a header into the Spartan net in the 79th minute off of a pass from teammate Josh Hinkle.

Junior midfielder Chris Cvecko, who will be one of the Spartans top weapons this season, had the best chance for Case Western to get on the board in the 54th minute, but he sent the pass he received from Zembas went just wide of the goal. The match was another physical one, as the teams combined for 23 fouls. Candau was in the net for the second straight game and stopped five of Lynchburg’s seven shots on goal.

The Spartans will be looking for their first win of the season when they kick off the weekend against Guilford College tonight at 5:00 p.m. at the Fred Myers Invitational at Ohio Wesleyan.

Spartans sweep top spots at Sudeck Classic JP O’Hagan Sports Editor If you were trying to predict the winners of the Bill Sudeck Classic on Saturday morning, you would have been surprised to see a freshman to be the first to cross the finish line.

Danielle Kulpins, running in her collegiate debut crossed the finish line a full six seconds ahead of the rest of field. Kulpins’ individual title helped lead the Spartans, who took seven of the top eight spots in the women’s 4K race against crosstown rival, John Carroll. Following close behind Kulpins was sophomore Olivia Zabrodsky; she placed as runner-up in her own running collegiate debut. Zabrodsky missed all of last season due to injury but has made tremendous strides in her recovery and looks to be a strong piece in the Spartans’ squad this season. Also coming back from injury was Kelsey Aamoth, who won the past two Sudeck Classics; she rounded out the top eight running a 16:24.89. Kristen Ruckstuhl, Evy Hail, Hayley Yocum and Dana Jeter round out the top finishes from the Spartans finishing third through sixth.

On the men’s side, junior captain Tony Spalding led his Spartan squad to victory, setting a personal best 6k time of 19:54.71. In

the

addition, this time beat Spalding’s previous Sudeck Classic times by more than a minute.

The Spartan men also handily beat John Carroll, with runners crossing the finish line in five of the top six spots. Following Spalding was freshman Sam Merriman, sophomore Galen Caldwell and junior Timothy Travitz crossed the finish line placing second, third and fourth to help boost the Spartans to their 16 to 41 team scoring win. Merriman ran a 20:13.22 with Caldwell and Travitz finishing just over a second apart, checking in at 20.24.21 and 20:25.40, respectively.

The dominance in the meet in both the men’s and women’s races shows a strong season in the works for the Spartans. Especially with the rise of strong freshmen such as Kulpins and Merriman, the Spartans look poised to continue their run of great seasons.

The Spartans will rest this weekend from their strong showings in the home meet in preparation for competitions on Saturday, Sept. 13 in a split squad day. The top runners for both teams will be representing the Spartans at the Knight Invitational at Calvin College starting at 10 a.m. The rest of both the squads will be running in the Behrend Invitational at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College at 11:00 a.m. making for a runningfilled day for the Spartans.

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Calendar of events for the Spartan Football Kick-off: 6:00- Parties: Official and unofficial parties will surround the Village and DiSanto Field prior to kick-off, hamburgers and hotdogs galore!

6:30- Free T-Shirts: The first 500 students to attend the game will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of First Year Experience and Family Programs.

Pregame- 1984 Football Team Honored: Members of the 1984 CWRU football team will be recognized prior to the game on the 30th anniversary of it’s undefeated season. The team was presented with the first “University Award for Athletic Excellence” earlier this year and will be honored at the game.

Pregame- 2014 PAC Kickoff: In the inaugural season as affiliate members of the PAC, Case Western and Carnegie Mellon will kick off this season’s conference game of the week and PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko will be on hand and joined on the field pregame by officials of each school to commemorate the event.

Halftime- Tennis Honored: The Spartan tennis team will be honored for its team run the NCAA Elite 8 and Eric Klawitter and CJ Krimbill will be honored for their NCAA Doubles Championship.

Postgame- Fireworks: Minutes after the game the CWRU Ath-

letic Department will present Fireworks Night. The annual event since 2004 this year is being funded by Independence Excavating and Precision Environmental in support of the opening of the new DiGeronimo Fitness Center in the Wyant Athletic and Wellness Center.

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Spartans to face off against Carnegie Mellon in football opener JP O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans will kick off the football season tomorrow night at home against archrival Carnegie Mellon University for the 28th Annual Academic Bowl.

We at The Observer are really excited for the game as not only the contest mark the start of football season, but the Tartans are our obvious archrivals.

The Spartans have faced the Tartans annually since 1970 and will be looking to add an eighth consecutive Academic Bowl win. At the end of last season, the Spartans bounced from a hard loss against Washington University in St. Louis to beat the Tartans on their home field in Pittsburgh by a score of 35-32.

This game holds extra weight as both Case Western and Carnegie Mellon are now affiliate members of the President’s Athletic Conference, and this game will count toward both those standings and their usual UAA standings. The Ob-

server sports staff has, in preparation for this game, diligently reviewed stats and previews and is prepared to predict the scores for each of the Spartans’ 10 games this season.

First, looking at previous matchups, the Spartans have a steady history of success on their side over the last decade under head coach Greg Debeljak as he enters his 11th season. Debeljak has coached the Spartans to a 72-31 record and the team is previewed fourth in the PAC, which is a big honor for a new team. The one concern for the Spartans, who have won 12 consecutive season openers, is that the last one we lost was against Carnegie Mellon in 2001, when the Tartans routed the Spartans by a score of 42-14.

Based off these facts and the wide variety of stats we have looked over, The Observer predicts a narrow victory over the Tartans, with the Spartans riding the boost of home-field advantage to a 2421 victory.

Win some, lose some Volleyball team splits both days of opening tournament

JP O’Hagan Sports Editor The Spartans will look to build on last weekend’s steady performance at their home opener tournament starting tonight. The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team opened the 2014 season with a 2-2 performance at the Otterbein Classic played inside the Rike Center. The Spartans defeated Buffalo State College in four sets on Friday night and then beat Kenyon College in three straight sets on Saturday while falling to Alma College and Maryville College.

The first official Spartan sporting event of the season was marked by a strong win over Buffalo State last Friday night. The Spartans won the first, third and fourth sets of the match, 2523, 25-13 and 25-21 respectfully. Buffalo State stole the second set in an extremely close 24-26 final.

Sophomore outside hitter Isabelle Wagner and junior middle hitter Haley Kauffman led the Spartans offensively in the win, tallying 24 kills between the two of them. Kauffman’s performance was highlighted by only two errors in her 25 attempts (0.360) and her four aces off the serve. Three Spartans had double digit assists, with Robyn Marks leading the Spartans with a team best 18 assists from the floor. Defensively, junior libero Katie Best tallied 19 digs against Buffalo, the first step toward her All-Tournament nod.

The second match of the night came was against Alma. Case Western Reserve found themselves in a 2-0 deficit after dropping the opening sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-19. The Spartans wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, and rallied to claim the next two sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-22. The comeback was not enough however as Alma grabbed the final short set by a score of 15-9.

Kauffman added to her first match numbers with another eight kills on a 0.368 hitting percentage and while freshman Jessica Justice set for the offense with 16 assists. Junior outside hitter Carolyn Bogart led the defensive effort with a career-high 23 digs. Best contributed another 19 digs.

Early the next morning, the Spartans again found themselves on the losing end of a four set match. Maryville, the Spartans lost by scores of 16-25, 25-22, 23-25 and 23-25. Freshman outside hitter Ganiru Anunike recorded 10 kills and Wagner matched the mark to lead the squad.

Anunike committed just one attack error in 23 attempts for a splendid 0.391 average and led the team with three service aces. Justice and Marks split time setting for the offense and totaled 22 and 17 assists, respectively. On defense, Best led the team with 23 digs, while senior outside hitter Carolyn Bogart added an-

other 10 for the Spartan.

The Spartans rebounded nicely however, with Wagner again leading the Spartans offensively, this time with nine kills, hitting at a 0.304 average.

Junior right side hitter Danielle Witri had seven kills of her own and Kauffman and Kenya Moyers both added five hits of their own. Marks accumulated a team-high 15 assists in the Kenyon set and sophomore specialist Kayla Petro dug out the Spartans on 10 occasions and Best added nine of her own to reach her celebrated All-Tournament award of 70 digs.

The 2-2 start was just the beginning for the Spartans as they prepare to cohost the 2014 Marcia French Memorial Invitational starting tonight at the Veale Center. They will open against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford at 4:00 p.m. and finish the night against and Muskingum University at 8:00 p.m.

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sports Home field advantage

Spartan women find themselves on both side of 2-0 scores in opening weekend

Christina Tam/Observer

The women’s soccer team split the opening weekend of the season and looks prepared for good season ahead.

JP O’Hagan Sports Editor Chants of “C-A-S-E, Case, Case, Case” filled the warm summer night as the women’s soccer team kicked off the first home game of the season against Ohio Wesleyan on Friday night.

The Spartans capitalized on the home crowd energy to grab a strong 2-0 win over the visiting Bishops last Friday, before dropping their follow-up game on Sunday against nationally ranked Thomas More.

The Spartans started the game with strong passing after the Ohio Wesleyan kick-off. The Spartans’ possession al-

lowed for strong runs from the forwards into the Battling Bishops’ backfield.

Strong runs by Jessie Sabers, Alexa Williams and Christine Straka throughout the first half kept the Bishops on their heels and unable to mount a solid run into the Spartan half. However, it was sophomore forward Jennifer Zajic who broke through first as she collected the deflected save from Mahya Krouse’s shot and put it into the back of the net to put the Spartans up in the 37th minute.

Krouse, who had her first good shot deflected and then put in the goal by her teammate was able to bury a goal of her own in the 86th minute. This was her first goal as a Spartan and helped shut down

the the

any hope of a Ohio Wesleyan comeback.

Abbey Smith didn’t even have to record a save as the Spartans outshot the Bishops 17-1 and Smith picked up the shutout and her ninth career win.

The strong start was rocked on Sunday, however, as the Spartans found themselves on the losing end of a 2-0 scoreline. The first loss for the Case Western women came at the hands of number 13 nationally ranked Thomas More College.

Olivia Huber scored both goals for the Thomas More Saints. Her first shot came off of a penalty kick at the 19:01 mark that Spartan keeper Smith was unable to read. The Spartans battled back

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but were forced to rely on their defense to remain in the game. The Saints not only outshot the Spartans 11-4 but also had a 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Smith stopped six shots but it wasn’t enough as Huber snuck an insurance goal past Smith in the 57th minute.

The Spartans will be looking for a boost from the home crowd and look to return to their successful passing and possession game when they face-off against Wittenberg University tomorrow. The Spartans will be the first game of the two sport doubleheader at DiSanto field, when they kick off at 1:00 p.m. in advance of tomorrow night’s football game.

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