Eastern News
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NOVEMBER 14, 2011 V O LU M E 9 6 | N o. 1 5 3
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILL. D A I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M T WIT TER.COM/DENNE WS
Local veteran a finalist in McDonald’s contest
Search for replacement head coach continues
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PROPOSAL
Their Ultimate Wish... An 11:11 p.m. on 11/11/11 proposal
HEAD COACH SEARCH
Coordinators won’t replace Spoo as coach By Alex McNamee Editor-in-chief
R ACHEL RODGERS | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Senior sociology major Ashley Angel (right) says yes to a marriage proposal made by freshman psychology major Brittany Pond (left) at 11:11 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Booth Library clock tower. Pond said proposing at 11:11 p.m. on 11/11/11 fulfilled her ultimate wish. Angel and Pond have been in a relationship for about a year and four months.
Student pops the question at just the right moment By Rachel Rodgers Administration Editor
Every night Brittany Pond and Ashley Angel would make a wish together at 11:11 p.m., but Nov. 11, 2011 was different. Pond, a freshman psychology major, and Angel, a senior sociology major, sat under the Booth Library clock tower wrapped in blankets in 40-degree weather at around 10:15 p.m. Angel had no idea how her life would change in about an hour. At 11:11 p.m. on Nov. 11, Pond proposed to Angel, and Angel said “Yes.” “I realized in August that proposing on 11/11/11 at 11:11 p.m. would be perfect because we always make a wish at 11:11 p.m. and this would be the ultimate wish,” Pond said. “During the actual proposal I was so nervous that I held the box upside down.” Pond and Angel have been in a relationship for about a year and four months. Angel said she did not expect anything when Pond told her to close her eyes and make a wish at 11:11 p.m. since it was a reoccurring aspect of their relationship.
“Even when she told me to close my eyes and make a wish at 11:11 p.m., I still wasn’t suspicious since we do it every night, but then I knew it was coming once she took off the blanket and I just couldn’t believe that it was happening,” Angel said. “Once she got down on one knee I started crying because I was so happy.” Pond said she decided to propose under the clock tower because it was symbolic. “The time element was really important to the proposal so it was symbolic to propose under the clock tower, and I thought it would be a cute romantic place,” Pond said. “I thought about taking her to Fox Ridge because we have a lot of memories there but then I think she would have gotten suspicious and start putting two and two together so the element of surprise was key.” Prior to the proposal, Pond gave Angel a sticky note every day in November with the top 11 reasons why she loves her. Pond said she had to be crafty to make sure Angel did not suspect the surprise proposal. Also, they had talked about getting engaged a few months ago but they agreed to wait until Angel graduated so Angel did not expect the proposal to happen until May or June. “11:11,” page 5
The two top coordinators for the Eastern football team, Roc Bellantoni and Roy Wittke, are out. Eastern athletic director Barbara Burke met with each coordinator separately Sunday morning to tell them they would not be considered candidates to replace retiring head coach Bob Spoo. Bellantoni, the defensive coordinator, said he was caught off guard when Burke told him he wouldn’t be considered. Bellantoni said he will now begin looking for other jobs. Burke told Wittke she wanted to take the program in another direction, Wittke said. He said he was upset he will not be in the running. “I’m disappointed I will not have a chance to present myself as a candidate and present my plan and vision to get Eastern football back on track,” Wittke said. The Eastern football team has struggled the past two seasons with a combined record of 4-18, but Bellantoni said he’s not happy to be blamed for all the struggles. “We haven’t had great success, but it’s unfair to take the whole blame,” Bellantoni said. Senior linebacker Corey Leman said it is unjust if Burke’s decision was based on the past two seasons. “It’s hard to look at the past two years and judge (Bellantoni) based on that,” Leman said. “Look at his past and he had some of the best defenses in the conference.” Along with not being considered a candidate, both coaches will be losing their coordinator jobs; however, Wittke said Burke told him he would get a chance to interview with whoever the new head coach is. The new head coach will have the final say on whether or not to hold onto the current coaches, Wittke said. Bellantoni is moving on, although Eastern is the place he wanted to be. “I’m done here,” Bellantoni said. “But I’m a good coach. I’ll land on my feet.” Bellantoni said he feels bad for the players and coaches who came to Eastern believing in him. He said he talked to disappointed players all day Sunday. “It’s just bad,” Bellantoni said. “Life isn’t fair.” He said now he imagines there will be a lot of decisions for the players to make as to if they want to stay at Eastern or not; however, he said he didn’t talk to players about those options in their conversations Sunday. “I just tried to tell them to just go to class and focus on that,” Bellantoni said. “I can’t tell them how to feel.” Wittke said he hasn’t talked to any players yet. One of Wittke’s offensive players, red-shirt freshman running back AJ Woodson, said it will be tough to deal with the change. ‘COACHES OUT,’ page 5
PERFORMANCE
Yamma’s many influences on display at Doudna By Samantha McDaniel Activities Editor
After visiting schools in the local area, Yamma Ensemble from Israel introduced their unique music styles Saturday at the Doudna Fine Art Center. The ensemble is made up of members Talya G.A. Solan, lead vocals; Avri Borochov, double bass; Yonnie Dror, wind instruments; Aviad Ben Yehuda, percussion Sefi Asfuri, string instruments; and Evgeny Krolik, sound engineer. Solan said Israel is an immigrant country, which means there are many different cultures that are mixing to create their culture. The same thing applies to their musical style. The bands music is inspired by Eastern European, Balkan, Gypsy, Sephardic and Yemenite melodies. While the ensemble spoke English, their music was performed in different languages, including Hebrew and Arabic. Some of the music Yamma played included: “Yesh Li Gan” or “I Have a Garden” by Haim Nachman Bialik and composed by
Nachum Nardi; “Yad Anuga” or “A Delicate Hand” by Zalman Shneor and is one of the oldest Israeli songs; “Ketri Ketri,” a gypsy love song by Solan and arranged by Borochov. The band also used many different types of instruments, some common in America, and others that are less common. The band introduced instruments including: Ouds, a 3,500-yearold string instrument and the ancestor of the lute and guitar; a Jumbushs, an instrument similar to the banjo; and Darbukas, a hourglass-shaped drum popular throughout the Middle East. The Yamma Ensemble of Israel is a part of the 2011 Arts Midwest World Fest. This program brings groups from different countries to travel in America. The bands stay in each area for a week and give workshops and master classes at many different schools in the area. While in the Charleston area, the band performed at elementary and senior high schools in Oakland, Casey, Robinson, Oblong and as well as Lake Land and Lincoln Trail Colleges. ‘YAMMA’ page 5
MIR ANDA PLOSS | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Talya G.A. Solan (right) and Avri Borochov (left) of the Yamma Ensemble perform “Yad Anuga (A Delicate Hand)” in The Theatre of the Doudna Fine Arts Center Saturday. The performance was presented in conjuction with the 2011 Arts Midwest World Fest.