Daily Eastern News - Aug. 19, 2013

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, PANTHERS!

taking his talents to Florida

Teammates of former first baseman Treysen Vavra react to his transfer to Florida Southern College

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THE

“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”

VOL. 98 | ISSUE 2

MONDAY, AUG. 19, 2013

c ampus | up all nite

c ampus | quakin’ in the quad

Students stay up all night getting hypnotized

By Stephanie Markham Verge Editor @den_verge

photos by K atie Smith | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

Dominique Washick, a sophomore elementary education major, laughs after falling on a surfing simulator at Quakin’ in the Quad in the South Quad Saturday. Washick is a member of Alpha Phi and came to the event with her sorority.

First Weekend ends

with tropical-based fun, food

During the University Board’s Up All Nite party Friday, a group of students became pop stars, racecar drivers and better test takers using nothing but their imaginations and a bit of subconscious suggestion.

The night began with comedic hypnotist Rich Aimes taking the stage and announcing that he was sorry if people in the audience mistakenly heard the name “Rick James.”

Aimes, a certified hypnotist from Las Vegas who said he has hypnotized more than 10,000 people in nearly 20 years, explained to the audience how hypnotism works.

“Hypnotism is not mind control,” he said. “It is simply relaxation followed by suggestion.”

Aimes said participants would go into a trance-like state and awaken feeling like they had six to seven hours of extra sleep.

After selecting volunteers from the audience, Aimes explained that nothing bad or strange would happen during the process.

“If you feel weird at any time while you are being hypnotized, you were probably weird before you came up here,” he joked.

He told his subjects to imagine they were championship racecar drivers, ballet dancers and to dance “The Twist” when the music came on.

HYPNOTIZED, page 5

c ampus | first night

By Seth Schroeder Editor-in-chief @DEN_News Water-based games, grilled food and wide-ranging prizes greeted Eastern students as they packed into the South Quad Saturday night for a “Blue Lagoon”-themed Quakin’ in the Quad.

The University Board-sponsored welcoming celebration acted as a grand finale for “Welcome to Pantherdise,” a series of nights aimed to give a tropical taste for Eastern’s “Welcome Back Weekend.”

For many freshmen and transfer students, these events helped serve as a first impression for life at Eastern.

Selena Wilson, a freshman business major, said she was glad to have fun at Quakin’ before classes started, and she was able to meet new people.

“Everyone’s been very friendly and welcoming,” Wilson said, soaked after going through an inflatable “Surf ‘n Slide” ride.

She said she did not plan to go through the ride at first, but said it was amazing.

“I’ve been through 15 times,” she said before jumping through again.

In addition to the “Surf ‘n Slide,” students could run through an inflatable maze while shooting each other with water guns, or ride a mechanical shark before being inevitably thrown off.

Smells of grilled burgers, hotdogs and shish kabobs wafted throughout the quad and drew lines of students.

Jessic a Svoboda | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

Eastern cheerleaders perform at First Night Sunday in the South Quad.

Kaity Vader Ploeg, a senior accounting major displays paint-marbeled sunglasses Saturday at Quakin’ in the Quad on the campus’ south quad. Ploeg said she participated in the event because she is a member of New Student Programs.

Gary Kepley, owner of Kep’s Cooking, the company that provided catering for the party, said his company brought 500 chicken kabobs, 500 fruit kabobs, 500 bags of chips and about 250 hotdogs and hamburgers to feed the hungry Eastern students.

Other catering included Papa John’s pizza and snow cones provided by Vinnie & Al’s.

Freshmen roommates LeeAnn Reid, a journalism major, and Jodi Lawry, a clinical laboratory science major, said they had been relaxing in their room but the mixer’s music drew them out.

Both of them ended up going through a jungle-themed inflatable obstacle course.

“It’s awesome,” Lawry said. “It was so much fun.”

Reid agreed with her and said she loved meeting the diverse

group of people at the event.

Students also had the chance to win prizes at bingo tables ran by UB coordinators. Prizes included movie packs, board games, kites and iPods.

Kara Butorac, the UB chair, stood by the tables to help organize the games. She said she and other UB members helped organize Quakin’ in the Quad to give students a fun, laidback setting to meet people.

Since Quakin’ in the Quad is funded by student fees, Butorac said members of the UB try to serve students as best they can.

“We just try and provide the most opportunities and give them an alternative to drinking,” she said. “We want them to have a good time.”

Seth Schroeder can be reached at 581-2812 or DENeic@gmail.com.

First Night closes opening weekend

By Jarad Jarmon Student Governance Editor @JaradJarmonReporter Members of student government began the school year with an Eastern tradition, which involved music, dance and war chants.

The theme of student government’s first night was “Make it a blue night,” and students came out to show their support for Eastern.

To excite Eastern for the rest of the night, the marching band sounded its drums for the “March of Champions.”

As the night went on, more and more students, and even faculty members, crowded the South Quad to exclaim their spirit for Eastern.

Kaylia Eskew, the student body president, said she was proud of the night and the turnout.

“We had a good variety of new students, returning students, Greeks and athletes, so I was very happy with it,” she said.

Rhythm and X-tacy, an Eastern dance group, started off the celebration with a performance with mascot Billy the Panther guest appearing in front of the stage.

President of Rhythm and X-tacy Keaira Williams said the performance turned out well for the group.

“This is an opening thing besides Pantherpalooza where (students) know stuff that goes on at the school,” Williams said.

After a welcome from President Bill Perry and Eskew, members of all the Eastern athletic teams got the crowd jazzed up with a shout-out to all of the Eastern teams.

OPENING, page 5

2

The Daily Eastern News | NEWS

Local weather Today

tuesday

MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2013 Move-in | volunteers

Panther Pals help new residents

By Samantha McDaniel Associate News Editor @SamMcDaniel20

Mostly Sunny High: 82° Low: 65°

Mostly Sunny High: 83° Low: 66°

For more weather visit castle.eiu.edu/weather.

T h e D a i ly Eastern News

“Tell the truth and don’t be afraid.”

The Daily Eastern News 1802 Buzzard Hall Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL 61920 217-581-2812 217-581-2923 (fax) Editorial Board

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On Thursday a group of Eastern students took to the streets and parking lots surrounding the residence halls to help the students attempting to unload cars and move into their rooms on Move-in Day. The Panther Pals are a group of students who moved in early to volunteer by helping incoming students move all of their belongings into their rooms.

Le’Vetta Doxie, a junior family and consumer sciences major, was one of the volunteers and has helped for two years.

The first year Doxie volunteered was not as a Panther Pal, but as a Prowl Leader.

“I had a fun experience, and I wanted to be more of a higher standard so I can help more people,” Doxie said.

Last year, Doxie said she was helping move students into Andre ws Hall and one student dropped her keys in the elevator shaft.

“They had to wait for their roommates to get there, which was four hours later,” Doxie said.

Even with difficulties last year, Doxie said she has volunteered for a second year because she has enjoyed seeing the new students and because of her experience when she moved in her freshman year.

“It’s like giving back to the others,” Doxie said. “It’s a fun and new experience where you can meet friends and talk to the families to see how their experience is going so far.”

When Doxie moved in her freshman year, she was required to move in early because of the Gateway Program.

Amanda Wilkinson | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

A group of Panther Pals cheer outside before students begin to move in on Thursday. The Panther Pals assisted students and their families in unloading their cars and moving belongings into residence halls.

“Gateway had no help, and I remember it was hectic,” Doxie said. “I know if it was hectic for us, imagine everyone on movein day, so I think we should all help.”

Marlynn Reuter, a junior psychology major, also volunteered for her second year.

She said she was also influenced to join because of her experience with the Panther Pals when she moved in.

“I know when I moved in as a freshman it was really overwhelming and just the fact that you are greeted with smiling faces makes you feel so much more welcome,” Reuter said.

The Panther Pals who helped her move in asked questions and tried to get to know her, Reuter said.

Because she was greeted in a

good way and saw how involved some students were, she wanted to get involved as well.

“In the long run, you’ll want to get move involved and when I was a freshman I was like ‘Oh I want to do that one day,’ and it is what encouraged me to become a Prowl Leader,” Reuter said.

Despite some problems, like a cart that would not steer right and caused a new student’s shirts to fall everywhere, Reuter said she had a lot of fun helping people move in.

She said all of the hard work they do is worth it because there are many people who appreciate what they are doing.

“This one lady’s grandma offered to pay us 10 dollars and kept trying to give us money, but we told her no,” Reuter said.

For Lauren Dowd, a sopho-

more family and consumer sciences major, this was her first year helping as a Panther Pal. She said the day was a good experience for her.

Dowd volunteered because she wanted some more service hours and when she heard about the Panther Pals last year, she thought it would be a good way.

She said it was also a good way to meet new people on campus.

Dowd said she was surprised to see some of the things people bring for their rooms.

“They bring their whole house pretty much,” Dowd said. “I’ve seen more desks, extra chairs, everything. I don’t know how it is going to fit.”

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-2812 or dennewsdesk@gmail.com.

Residence Hall | Advice

Involvement helps surviving first days

By Samantha McDaniel Associate News Editor @SamMcDaniel20 Between learning new faces, getting ready for classes and just figuring out that Old Main and the Doudna Fine Arts Center are not the same building, the first week at Eastern can be a hectic one.

However, there are ways to help with the transition from home life to residence hall life.

Mark Hudson, the director of University Housing and Dining Services, said one of the best ways to get acclimated to a new residence hall is to branch out.

“The most important thing about having a successful experience in your residence hall is to get out of your room and enjoy the activities that are available to you,” Hudson said. “Get to know the people on your floor, get to know your (resident assistant), participate in hall activities.”

Hudson said residents should knock on the doors on their floor and meet their neighbors or get dinner with others in their residence community.

“Sit down and chat with them and find out just how similar they are,” Hudson said.

He also said this is a time of major transitions and added that other students are going through them too.

“That is why friendships that come out of your college years are typically the ones that stick with you for a lifetime because it is such an intense experience that if you connect with somebody, it is a deep connection,” Hudson said.

By getting active in the hall and becoming a part of the hall, Hudson said it gives the residents more ownership over their living space.

“All the Prowl activities are geared toward helping you become more comfortable with your new environment,” Hudson said.

Hudson also said it is important to get to know the RA on the floor.

“They are trained to be a resource person — to help students figure out how to resolve any issue they might have,” Hudson said.

Roommates should also get to know each other when they move into the residence hall, Hudson said.

One way to get to know a roommate is to talk, Hudson suggested.

“The art of conversation is an important one, and one of the things we offer students is something called the roommate agreement that outlines basic things,” he said.

Hudson said even roommates who know each other should still talk because sometimes there are things that are taken for granted and could cause problems later.

He said if problems arise, students should take care of them as early as

Amanda Wilkinson | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

(Right) Rick Sterioti, of Naperville, unloads his son's belongings at Thomas Hall on Move-In Day Thursday. Sterioti said his son, Andrew Sterioti, a freshman pre-business major, will be playing on the men's baseball team during his time at Eastern.

possible.

“My experience over the years has been that good conversation between roommates, there’s no replacing that,” Hudson said.

It is also important to get comfortable with campus, Hudson said.

“One thing I suggest that students do is in those days before the actual class days is go out and walk their schedule,” Hudson said. “That way you are not under the pressure of being there at a certain time.”

Hudson said he tries to reassure students that they are not alone in their feelings and others are trying to

For move survival tips check out the video at:

dailyeasternnews.com

figure things out.

“We know that when students come in, they are anxious,” Hudson said. “They are wondering if they are going to fit in, if this is going to work for them and often times they are sure they are the only ones feeling nervous.”

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-2812 or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.

MONDAY, August 19, 2013

The Daily Eastern News | CAMPUS

Opening Weekend | Comedy

3

Hypnotist keeps students under trance

By Jarad Jarmon Student Governance Editor @JaradJarmonReporter The Grand Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union on Sunday was filled with laughs as hypnotist Frederick Winters took 17 students through an adventure under hypnosis.

This was the 11th year Winters was booked and hosted by the Residence Hall Association.

Winters brought the 17 students to the stage, and was able to keep most of them under hypnosis for the duration of his performance, however five woke up during the performance.

He said that this is very possible with every performance.

“Hypnosis is natural but a lot of people actually resist a hypnotist,” Winters said. “Their subconscious mind may not be ready for it.”

Throughout the performance, students were put in various situations, such as being told they were on a beach, which caused many to lay back and relax beside what they thought was the cool water.

Andrew Lilek, a senior communication studies major, and Shea Brendel, a freshman kinesiology and sports studies major, ended up taking off their shirts from the heat at the supposed beach.

After the show, Brendel said his friends recorded the performance and he is nervous to find out what he did.

“I remember him calling me down and falling asleep,” Brendel said. “It didn’t feel like two hours.”

Winters also put the students onstage through a game of hide and seek in which they were all terrible hiders and they were only allowed to be on the

stage.

He then flipped the game making the students the seekers and told them he was invisible.

The audience was not off limits either with Winters suggesting the audience was full of the most adorable pets in a petting zoo.

They then went through the crowd petting everyone they saw.

Winters said when hypnotizing someone, the hypnotist does not force them to do anything.

“It looks like I do, but I don’t have control over people,” he said. “I only give suggestions.”

Learning on past experiences, Winters said he also tried to make sure it is a safe environment for those that are under.

“I have been punched and have been kicked,” Winters said. “I ended up learning the hard way.”

After the show, Winters said the 12 who were under hypnosis for the entire show were supposed to feel invigorated, like they would after a good night sleep.

Francesca Hebert, a freshman art major, said she felt refreshed.

“You know how you jump in a cold pool and you come out of the pool freezing but you feel good,” Herbert said.

While RHA had a multitude of people go to the event, it was much smaller than previous years.

RHA adviser Laura Imbirowicz said it came down to just being a coincidence.

“We both ended up planning it and we were both booked for a hypnotist before we realized we both doing the hypnotist,” Imbirowicz said. “The contracts were signed already.”

DUI, thefts, criminal damage reported, arrests made near campus

• At 9:45 a.m. on Aug. 8 at 9:45 a.m., a theft was reported near Lumpkin Hall. This incident is under investigation.

• At 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 5, Charles Poag, 23, 509 Dante Ave., Glenwood, Ill. was arrested at Univer-

At the end of the show, Winters told those that were under to show their

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or jsjarmon@eiu.edu.

panther pride, yelling “Go Panthers.”

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K atie Smith | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

Frederick Winters hypnotizes students Sunday at the MLK Jr. University Union Grand Ballroom.

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4 OPINIONS STAFF EDITORIAL

Don’t mess up this semester Welcome back to Eastern. If this is your first time here, then simply, welcome.

The weekend is over and now it’s time for us to get back to our responsibilities. Yes, actual school.

So, while this past weekend was great, it’s time to take that bottle of Burnett’s out of your backpack and put some actual books in there. Have you even gotten your textbooks yet? Yeah, maybe you should get on that.

Believe it or not, you might actually learn something today on your first day back at college.

We live in the age of the Internet. If you’ve bothered to check Desire2Learn, you will probably find that your syllabus has probably already been posted by your professor.

If you’re a freshman, a great way to avoid looking like a total dork on the first day is to familiarize yourself with the campus. This way, you won’t be strolling into some senior seminar when you’re supposed to be in freshman English. Eastern isn’t a big school, but it’s big enough to become embarrassingly lost. What you should have been doing this weekend is taking one of those “find your classes” tours, but if you forgot about all that, don’t worry too much. The great thing about college is that you have tons of free time, so you’ll have time to get acquainted with where everything is, if you haven’t already.

If you’re an overachieving freshman or a grizzled Eastern veteran and you already know your way around campus, you can put some of that free time to good use at the Student Recreation Center that you are “totally going to start going to this semester.” You’re probably thinking that you’ll get a quick run in around 3 p.m. or so, right after your last class gets out, but you are definitely not the only person with this idea. The rec will be packed around then. If you’re too afraid to be seen sweating in the presence of your peers, try going when it will be less crowded. You can also take a class with an instructor if you’re a fitness newbie.

They can help you stop curling in the squat rack.

And finally, is Eastern a “party school?” Quite frankly, pretty much every school is a “party school.” It’s just up to you to decide if you want to go to those parties or not. You don’t have to say yes to every drink somebody gives you, but you don’t have to stay in your wroom 24/7, either. Enjoy yourself, but know your limits.

So, welcome to Eastern. There are a lot of ways to not mess up this semester, but those are just a few suggestions.

T h e D ai l y Eastern News

W W W. DA I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M MONDAY | 8.19.13

NO. 2, Volume 98

We have assembled here to help you Journalists are like superheroes.

That’s not to say they are. Of course they can’t fly or throw cars around. But when they do their jobs properly, when they are at peak quality, they take on heroic qualities.

It’s actually one of the main reasons I want the job, and I know the rest of my staff is the same.

We strive to achieve a greater good the best way we know how. We want to help Eastern and we want to help you.

We’re not out there fighting crime (directly anyway) and we aren’t properly equipped to stop a bank robbery, but we strive to help people in other ways.

Our goal is to keep you informed about the campus and the world around you. We want to promote a public forum for community members to present ideas and work out problems, and we keep an eye on what’s being done with student fees — your money.

Our team at The Daily Eastern News works every day to make sure you’re equipped with the knowledge you need to make decisions about your life.

Like superheroes, we hold the truth in high regard. We battle to save the world not from

Seth Schroeder monsters or dastardly foes, but from ignorance and a lack of information.

This isn’t achieved with heat vision or invulnerability, but with reporting and asking questions.

Thankfully we’ve got some gadgets to help us out. Our staff wields high-tech cameras, smart phones, and voice recorders, as well as simple pen and paper. We have an arsenal of social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to bring the news to you and we constantly strive to master new technology as it develops.

What we have may not be as exciting as what you can find in a comic book or a Hollywood blockbuster, but we recognize the power of mass media.

While at Eastern we study the effects of dis-

“Tell the truth and don’t be afraid.”

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief Seth Schroeder

Managing Editor Dominic Renzetti

News Editor Bob Galuski

Associate News Editor Samantha McDaniel

Online Editor Sean Copeland

Opinions Editor Emily Provance

CONTINUE THE DEBATE ONLINE • Extended letters • Forums for all content www.dailyeasternnews.com

Seth Schroeder is a senior journalism major.

He can be reached at 581-2812 or denopinions@gmail.com.

DRAWN FROM THE EASEL

Letters to the editor can be submitted at any time on any topic to the Opinions Editor to be published in The Daily Eastern News.

The DEN’s policy is to run all letters that are not libelous or potentially harmful. They must be less than 250 words.

Letters to the editor can be brought in with identification to The DEN or to the DENopinions@ gmail.com.

The DAILY EASTERN NEWS

seminating information to a wide audience and how to harness it responsibly to achieve a greater good. At The News we then put what we learned to the test.

We don’t have powers, and we’re still in training. We may not be the champions of truth or justice, but it is our passion to support those ideals as best we can.

This isn’t a fantasy for us. We are working in the real world to help make it a better place, and that’s why it’s exciting even without the colorful costumes.

Our staff is here to draft your history and tell your story. It’s nothing out of fiction, which makes it all the more interesting.

As a community, our time at Eastern will be an ongoing storyline not divided into issues, but continuous and real. We’ll be here to write it all down and record it for you.

We don’t wear capes, and we can’t go toe-totoe with a super villain, but we will fight for you regardless.

Z ak Jones | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

Every person has an opinion, please share it Here’s the thing, this is a brand new year and I know you have an opinion, so why not write a column or draw a comic and get your opinion out?

The rest of the paper is great, and I have dabbled in most of the areas, but I am the opinions editor for the semester and so I am going to stick to telling you what the Opinions Page is about.

The Opinions Page is the page of pure opinion so this tends to be the page that attracts a reader who may not be into strictly news.

We have opportunities for you to write columns, draw comics and even write a letter to the editor.

On The Daily Eastern News staff, we have plenty of columnists and also some who draw comics too, but we are only a small part of the Eastern community.

Our campus is made up of so many dif-

Emily Provance ferent groups, all from different walks of life. Everyone has their own opinions, and I want to hear them.

Please send me your columns, cartoons or a letter to the editor. I will look over what you write and do my best to get your opinion out in the open.

You don’t need to be the best writer or have the greatest drawing skills. We will work with you. You can write about most anything.

Please tell us your opinion, tell us about a life experience or maybe you’re an expert in something and can tell us about that, too.

This is also a way to help you in the future. Writing for a school paper can boost your resume and portfolio.

Hopefully you will like writing columns and drawing comics so much you’ll want to be on staff. We would love to welcome you here, so don’t hesitate to come by the newsroom or give us a call.

I am looking forward to the semester and want this page to be a successful expression of the Eastern community, and since you are part of what makes the community, I hope the words will come from you.

Emily Provance is a senior journalism major.

She can be reached at 581-2812 or denopinions@gmail.com.

MONDAY, August 19, 2013

The Daily Eastern News | CAMPUS

5

PHOTOS BY Dominic Baima | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

ABOVE: Students fall into a hypnotic trance at Up All Nite, Friday in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union Grand Ballroom at 7 p.m.

LEFT: A crowd of students gather to recieve free T-shirts Friday at Up All Nite in the Union.

»

HYPNOTIZE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Aimes then had certain people lip sync and dance as if they were pop stars like Beyoncé, Jay Z, Michael Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga and Elvis Presley.

Olivia Thelen, a junior English major, was hypnotized to believe she was Lady Gaga.

She said she did not think she could really be hypnotized, but the experience felt like a “cleansing” afterward.

»

“I’m new here, so I’m just trying to experience all that I can,” Thelen said.

She said her favorite part of the show was when Aimes told them to point and laugh at the audience because they were all in their underwear.

Marika Rosenberger, a senior math major, watched from the audience.

She said she would not want to be hypnotized and doubted that it would work on her because she

tends to be more skeptical.

“I don’t want to put my actions in somebody else’s hands,” she said.

Aimes said some people have negative opinions because they have seen “junk” on TV, but hypnotism can be both entertaining and useful.

“The fun stuff is great, but it’s also nice to know we can help people,” he said.

After his performance, Aimes offered a 10 minute session of

“I was nervous, but it’s exciting, and I love kicking off the school year like this.”

ple jumping as Eskew and the executive board threw out 500 T-shirts to the audience.

This year was Eskew’s first year running the night.

“I was nervous, but it’s exciting, and I love kicking off the school year like this,” she said.

“light hypnosis” to make students more confident when taking tests.

He said college students are his favorite people to work with.

“Colleges are the greatest audiences in the world,” he said.

“They aren’t kids and they aren’t stuffy like adults.”

After Aimes’ show, students helped themselves to free T-shirts and various crafts having to do with the “Honablulu” theme.

Dominique Gilliam, a sophomore early childhood education

major, took pictures wearing silly hats with her friends and decorated a pair of flip-flops.

She said she was making hers with glittery stickers and letters and would probably hang them on her wall.

“I didn’t come last year, and I couldn’t miss it for a second year in a row,” she said.

Stephanie Markham can be reached at 581-2812 or samarkham@eiu.edu.

OPENING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Dino Babers, the head football coach, stepped up to the stage to sound off the roll call of Eastern’s football team.

However, before announcing the players, Babers gave his praise to the football team’s home game record from last year.

The Pink Panthers and EIU Dancers performed following the football roll call.

Sam Beumel, the Pink Panther captain, choreographed the performance.

Beumel said only veteran Pink Panther dancers were performing.

“It is important to perform our best in front of new people and get the spirit of EIU,” Beumel said.

The EIU fight song was also performed and taught by the Eastern cheerleaders, and afterward they per-

-Kaylia Eskew, student body president formed additional cheers to familiarize students and promote athletics.

The cheerleaders also taught the war chant, which J. Corey Francis, the director of bands, wrote last year for football games.

During the celebration, members of student government also had peo-

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MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2013

The Daily Eastern News | SPORTS

7

VIE WS

Football schedule presents uphill battle for Panthers Look it up in the record books — that’s an order from coach Dino Babers. The 2013 schedule is the most difficult in Eastern football history.

“It is the toughest schedule in the history of EIU football. Google it,” Babers said.

The Ohio Valley Conference schedule is routine. Routinely difficult, I might add. But what separates this schedule from those past is its nonconference schedule — a schedule that could very well have the defending OVC champions heading into conference play at 0-4.

The first four games on the Panthers’ schedule has them traveling to San Diego State, Southern IllinoisCarbondale and Northern Illinois, while hosting Illinois State in the 102nd Mid-America Classic.

“We’re playing San Diego State,” Babers said. “That is one of the premiere programs on the West Coast.

Unless you’re west of Mississippi, you have no idea what that school represents.”

Babers said San Diego State is a program that has “talent coming out of its ears,” as he considers it to be a

Anthony Catezone Pac-12 Conference caliber team.

Eastern will then travel to Carbondale to face the Salukis, which many have ranked as a top 25 FCS team.

The Salukis, a team that openly overlooked Eastern in its 49-28 loss to the Panthers last season, will surely not being doing the same this season.

“Southern Illinois has the advantage right now,” Babers said. “Psychologically, it’s going to be easier for their coach to get them to play than it will be to get my guys to play.”

The 102nd Mid-America Classic will follow, in which Eastern fell to Illinois State last season 54-51 in double overtime.

This season, the Redbirds are ranked as high as No. 5 in FCS polls, while the Panthers highest ranking is No. 19.

“That game, the rankings won’t

matter,” Babers said. “Whatever you print in the paper won’t matter.

Whatever I say to the team won’t matter, it’s Illinois State, it’s Eastern Illinois. It’s going to be a war.”

To round out the grueling nonconference schedule, Eastern travels to DeKalb for its toughest game of the season against the Northern Illinois Huskies, a team that competed in the Orange Bowl last season.

Northern is led by Heisman candidate Jordan Lynch, who ranked fourth in FBS in total offensive yards per game with 353.79.

It may seem unprecedented that the same Eastern football team from last year could begin its season 0-4, but with two FBS opponents and two top 25 FCS opponents, it is not out of the question.

OVC play is where Eastern will look to defend its title as conference champions, but the pressure to perform will start long before the Panthers see any OVC action.

Anthony Catezone can be reached at 581-2812 or ajcatezone@eiu.edu.

football

Live coaches radio show to air at Brickhouse Bar & Grill Staff Report Eastern will air the Panther Football Coaches Show this season on its Panther Football Radio Network stations with the first show airing at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 29.

The show will take place every Thursday throughout the 2013 football season.

It will broadcast live from the Brickhouse Bar & Grill in Charleston, located at the Unique Suites

Hotel.

Shows will run live from 6:30 to 7 p.m. on location.

Da t e s a re s e t f ro m Au g . 2 9 through Nov. 21.

The show is open to the public and free to attend.

It will air on WRJM 1270 AM in Charleston, WHOW 1520 AM in Clinton and WTIM 97.3 FM in Taylorville.

All games will also be aired on Panther Football Radio Network

stations.

It will air on WRJM 1270 AM in Charleston, WEIU 88.9 FM in Charleston, WHOW 1520 AM in Clinton and WMKR 94.3 FM in Taylorville.

Eastern will kick off its 2013 season at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 at FBS opponent San Diego State.

Eastern has been ranked in the preseason top 25 in several publications, and is ranked No. 23 in the FCS Coaches Poll.

...bottom of the 9th... ...tied game... ...bases loaded... ...fast ball, down the middle... ...looks like it could be...

HOMERUN!!!

Dominic Baima | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

Jake Plant, a senior defender/midfielder, heads a ball during the exhibition game against St. Xavier Saturday at Lakeside Field. The Panthers won 4-2.

»

EXHIBITION

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

“We all knew he could do that, but I think the biggest thing was that we needed to make sure he was fit.”

Moreover, the entire roster is filled with youth. Nearly a third of the team is comprised of first-year freshmen.

Despite the depth and youth, however, a number of Eastern players are still recovering from injuries.

Red-shir t sophomores Garet Christianson and Spencer Filosa still leave gaps at forward and defender,

respectively. Red-shirt junior midfielder Chris Boswell is also missing from the list of active Panthers.

Eastern is on the road this week as it travels to Butler for another exhibition match Tuesday Aug. 20.

The team will be back in Charleston to take on Dayton next Saturday Aug. 24 at Lakeside Field to wrap up the preseason.

Michael Spencer can be reached at tmspencer2@eiu.edu or at 581-2812.

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@DEN_Sports tweet of the day: #EIU quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was named to the College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Year Watch List.

S ports

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T H E DA I LY Easte r n News

D a i ly e a s t e r n NE W S . C O M

MON DAY, AU G U S T 19, 2013 N o. 2 , V O L U M E 9 8

BASEBALL

Who’s on first?

Players react to Vavra transferring to Florida Southern College

By Aldo Soto Assistant Sports Editor @AldoSoto21 @DEN_Sports Eastern’s former starting first baseman, Treysen Vavra, transferred to Florida Southern College during the summer, leaving the Panthers without their best power hitter from the 2013 season.

Vavra led Eastern in home runs (eight), RBIs (47), runs scored (37), doubles (20), and slugging percentage (.568) last season.

The Wisconsin native started all 49 games at first base in 2013 and finished with the team’s third-best average (.318). Vavra also ended the year with 24 walks and an on-base percentage of .406, both of which were second to Caleb Howell (27, .442).

Vavra said the transfer was best suited for him at the moment.

“It’s a better fit for me and my family at Florida Southern,” he said.

Now, with a starting job vacant, coach Jim Schmitz said Vavra’s decision would lead to opportunities for players who were primarily relegated to back-up spots last season.

“It’s too early to determine who will be the starter at first, but it will give many guys like Jason Scholl a chance to play,” Schmitz said.

Vavra’s transfer followed a 22-27 record that left Eastern in seventh place in the Ohio Valley Conference standings and out of the postseason tournament.

On July 16, Vavra tweeted, “It’s official, heading to Florida Southern next year!”

Jake Johansmeier, now entering his sophomore year at Eastern, spent part of his summer playing baseball in the Northwoods League with Vavra.

Johansmeier said Vavra did not let any of his Panther teammates know about his future plans.

“As far as player-wise, I don’t think anyone knew until after he left,” Johansmeier said.

The right-handed pitcher also

said that after he found out about Vavra’s transfer, he did not feel the need to talk with his ex-teammate.

“If (Vavra) wants to leave the team without telling us, then I didn’t see a reason to talk with him,” he said.

Trey Russell, a senior on the Eastern roster, said he was taken aback when he first heard the news.

“It was a little bit of a surprise, but he had to do what was best for him and go with what made him happy,” Russell said.

Vavra’s stay at Florida Southern College will be his third school in as many years after playing for Madison College in 2012.

Schmitz said he found out about the Vavra transfer in June.

“Trey was not happy at EIU and I wish him well,” Schmitz said.

Although Schmitz said Vavra was not happy at Eastern, Schmitz also said Vavra never gave him a reason why he decided to transfer.

Ru s s e l l a l s o s a i d t h a t n o t h ing stood out in Vavra’s behavior throughout the year that might have implied that he was not content with his stay at the school.

Mitch Gasbarro was a freshman last season and said he had a close relationship with Vavra.

Gasbarro said it was difficult seeing his former teammate leave.

“It’s tough to lose a good guy and good friend, but as you get older, I have realized it is part of the game,” Gasbarro said.

The Eastern infielder said losing players gives the team a chance to adapt to new situations.

“We’ll have to learn to adapt and play with new situations all the time,” he said. “Whether that means losing a player or getting

new guys.”

Eastern’s pitching coach, Jason Anderson, said he talked with Vavra and wished him the best. “(Vavra) has the work ethic that whatever route he takes he’s going to do just fine in life,” Anderson said.

Anderson praised Vavra on and off the field and said the senior was a good player and an even better kid, but was still disappointed.

“I’m not really sure of all the reasons why he left, but we’re definitely disappointed that he’s not here,” Anderson said.

Aldo Soto can be reached at 581-2812 or asoto2@eiu.edu.

File photo | The Daily Eastern Ne ws

Treysen Vavra, a former Eastern first baseman, transferred to Florida Southern College during the summer. Vavra led the Panthers in homeruns, RBIs and runs scored.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Team to host open tryouts Wednesday

By Dominic Renzetti Managing Editor @domrenzetti The start of the Eastern women’s soccer season may be just around the corner, but the team is still looking to add a few new members.

Newly named interim head coach Jason Cherry’s team will hold open walk-on tryouts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the team’s practice field.

Students interested must receive a physical exam at Health Services in order to be eligible.

Physicals done by an outside physician will not be accepted.

A Sickle Cell test will be performed at the cost of the student.

Previous tests will be accepted

with proper documentation.

All forms required by students are available on the Eastern athletic department’s website.

Students must wear proper attire and footwear during the tryout.

“I want to do open tryouts because I always want to give somebody the opportunity,” Cherr y said. “It’s tough for coaches to go out and go all over the country, or all over the world in that aspect, and find these kids in these places, and sometimes they get overlooked. So, I want to give them the opportunity.”

Cherry said to make the team, players will need to be one of the top 18 players on the roster.

“If (a player doesn’t make the

team), maybe it’s something they can develop and tryout again, but I just want to give the opportunity to see.”

The team’s first game is at 3 p.m.

Friday at Lakeside Field against Oakland.

T h e m a t c h a g a i n s t Oa k l a n d will be the first of two matches this weekend for the Panthers, the second being on the road against Northern Illinois on Sunday.

The Panthers finished 6-12-1 last season, missing the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

This season, the Panthers were picked to finish ninth in the preseason voting.

Sophomore forward Hannah Miller was named to the Col-

lege Sports Madness All-Ohio Valley Conference Pre-Season Second Team.

Miller had two goals and one assist last season.

Eastern Athletic Director Barbara Burke announced on Aug. 1 that last year’s assistant coach, Cherry, would be the team’s interim head coach following Summer Perala’s resignation in July.

This will be Cherry’s second year at Eastern.

Cherry named Tony Castelon as his assistant. Cherry and Castelon were assistants together at Western Illinois.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-2812 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.

8

men’s soccer

Panthers score 4 in exhibition

By Michael Spencer Staff Reporter @tmskeeper The Eastern men’s soccer team opened its exhibition season with two matches ending by a score of 4-2, one coming as a win over St. Xavier on Saturday, following an intrasquad scrimmage on Friday.

In the first half against St. Xavier, junior forward Lorenzo Savino opened the scoring when he managed to find the back of the net for St. Xavier.

His shot from the top of the penalty box was deflected past freshman goalkeeper Austin Miller and slotted into the top corner with 14 minutes to go in the half.

However, Eastern managed to draw even seven minutes later. Captain and senior midfielder Jake Plant’s shot took a deflection that chipped goalkeeper Andreas Pfatschbacher and leveled the score at 1-1.

Eastern’s superior numbers and match fitness were able to break down the Cougar’s in the second half as the Panthers broke through three more times. The scoring ended on a shot from junior left wing Will Butler.

His attempt bent into the top corner from more than 20 yards out. It was enough to put Eastern over St. Xavier, 4-2.

Coach Adam Howarth said the match only confirmed that this team has quality across the entirety of the depth chart, and Plant agreed with his coach.

“What we have as a squad is real depth in numbers,” Plant said. “We have a lot of games, and I think the squad is going to utilize that.”

Eastern and St. Xavier played to a 1-1 draw in the exhibition season last year. Since then, the Cougars lost three of their five All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletics Conference players from last season.

The intrasquad scrimmage allowed Howarth a chance to see all his players on the field, but most importantly, the weekend was about getting in shape for the official start of season Aug. 30, Howarth said.

“The biggest thing is fitness,” he said. “We are trying to increase our fitness over the course of the week.

We’ve only been together since Monday. The guys came in on their own before and were doing stuff on their own but from Monday on, that’s really all we’ve had.”

Howarth said the depth of his team would be what sets it apart this season.

“I think we’ve got a lot of depth this year which is really very nice,” he said. “I think we have a lot of players that can really push to start.”

One of those players bidding for a starting role is freshman midfielder Nick Wegrzynowicz. He scored twice in the intrasquad match with both goals coming from the buildup play of sophomore defensive midfielder Tony Meza.

In addition to his role in moving the ball through the center of the pitch, Meza also scored a free kick from just inside the attacking third. “(Meza’s) come in a lot more fit and that’s why he is doing so much better,” Howarth said.

EXHIBITION, page 7