The Leader March 18, 2014

THE LEADER THE AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT ELMHURST COLLEGE. EC hosts first ever Scottie Williams Day SEE PAGE 17

Co-Founder of Facebook discusses “Brave New Media World” SEE PAGE 4

Ron Planz hired as new EC head football coach

Photo courtesy of Minnesota Univ., Mankato, Athletic Communications Ron Planz makes new plans for EC football as the new head coach.

luke tanaka staff writer

EC hired Ron Planz to be the school’s 19th head football coach

Friday, replacing Joe Adam, who resigned to join the staff at Syracuse University. Planz will be the Bluejays’ third head coach in three years.

VOL. 48 MARCH 18, 2014

He spent the last five seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato, one of the most successful Division II football programs in the country, where he served as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator. During his time in Mankato, the Mavericks compiled a 49-12 record and Planz coached one defensive lineman, Junior Aumavae, who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. “I knew I was at a great institution and it would take a special opportunity to make me think about leaving,” Planz said in a phone interview. “The Elmhurst head coaching position was that opportunity.” EC athletic Director Paul Krohn raved about Planz and all that he will bring to EC’s football program. “It was a thorough, comprehensive and in-depth search, from which [Planz] emerged with the qualities that the institution, athletic department, and football program were collectively seeking,” Krohn said in a phone interview. “He is a high-energy, confident coach and person, with a high leadership capacity. “He’s the complete package,” Krohn continued. Planz inherits a Jays program just two years removed from its See COACH on page 17

Cullen discusses Columbine shootings at EC 15 years after the school shootings, Dave Cullen calls for focus on teen depression ZACHARY BISHOP staff writer

Next month will mark the 15th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings, but images of panicked students rushing out of the building are still fresh in our minds. In the days and weeks that followed, the stories of Columbine — and the shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold — were all over the airwaves and in newspapers and magazines around the world. Survivors told their stories to Katie Couric on “Today.” Commentators made guesses at why two young men would open fire in the safe space of a school, killing 13 others and themselves. Dave Cullen, author of the book Columbine (Twelve Publishing, 2010) spoke about the legacy of Columbine at a March 9 EC lecture. Cullen said those initial guesses haven’t been very helpful in the long run. “We jump to a lot of conclusions when events like Colum-

bine happen,” Cullen said. “The ideas about motives that people initially create stay with us forever.” Through his 10 years of research on the tragedy, Cullen realized most of the theories people devised to explain the Columbine shooters’ motives were false. “When people on talk shows give their opinions about motives [after incidents like Columbine],” Cullen said, “They’re making that shit up.” He discovered that Harris and Klebold were not “Trench Coat Mafia” members who wanted to take revenge on the jocks who bullied them, but two individuals struggling with their own unique issues. “We need to stop thinking of the shooters as a ‘they.’ They had opposite personalities and opposite motives,” Cullen said. After analyzing the shooters’ diaries and talking to people that knew them, he concluded that Harris was a “textbook psychopath” who lacked empathy See SHOOTING on page 3

Student forms new juggling club on campus EC sophomore builds confidence and community by teaching students to juggle for the first time chrissy croft staff writer

Throwing balls, bowling pins and flaming torches into the air may have been the kind of sideshow act reserved for clowns and street performers in the past. Now, don’t be surprised if some of that street performing, juggling flair shows up in the middle of the college mall. Drew Cesta, EC sophomore, has started a juggling club on campus to show more people why his hobby is worth trying, and that it is more than just sideshow entertainment. His club, which currently boasts a membership of approximately 20 students, is

primarily composed of students with no juggling experience. Cesta spends time helping newcomers learn basic skills. “I want to teach a massive amount of people to juggle,” he said. During his club’s meeting, located in the racquetball courts, a small group of students gather to first try juggling with hacky sacks. But not all the students are newcomers. Vice presidents, freshman Tim Kirby and junior Will Cross, are both experienced jugglers who also offer their talent to newcomers. Freshmen Sam Korzak and Emily Marszalek have learned

to perform a partner juggling routine, despite having never juggled before working with Cesta last week. Marszalek enjoys the escape that juggling offers. “It’s a great stress reliever,” she said. Korzak describes her progress as being rapid and rewarding. “I just started last week, and now I’m already working with a partner. It’s addicting,” Cesta, Kirby, and Cross wanted structured times to improve their own juggling skills, which contributed to the genesis of the club. See JUGGLE on page 8

Photo by Kim McElheny Sophomore Drew Cesta juggles pins in EC’s racquetball courts.

NEWS

March 18, 2014

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l Loose Stomach l

I’m not a minority Clayton Dunlap

The city of Elmhurst is full of white people. 89.5 percent, in fact. No surprise here. The place prac-

opinions editor

tically glows in the dark. And the college is an off-tope smudge of something we could call potentially diverse in the otherwise ivory milieu of turtlenecks and penny loafers. So I can’t say I’m surprised every academic conversation I’ve had in class about white privilege always takes a full-stop at denial. Alright, so deny, deny, deny. It makes sense. No one likes hearing they have invisible privilege, which non-whites do not. One that positively affects success in well, you name it, and all because remnants of an archaic racial hierarchy still turn the cogs and grease the hulking machines that operate around us. Anyone would try and cling to even the smallest proof of suffering to take some weight off that guilt. Even I’ve made inauthentic attempts to argue for some credibility in being discriminated against for, well, anything. Alas, no matter how I carve my angle, I’m a white, able-bodied, heterosexual, male (WAHM), and nobody’s keeping me down. There is quite literally nothing that is, or ever has been, actively oppressing me. Now, that isn’t to say I haven’t had some horribly life-changing tragedies happen along the way. But, no matter how terribly I wanted to look to some greater unfair system to blame, I haven’t got one. It’s all just individual suffering for me. I’m still not oppressed. This may be the white stumbling-block to cognition that only the most privileged have—the few, the proud, the WAHMs. Often, these are the very people who raise the most concern, and claim that white privilege doesn’t apply to them. WAHMs don’t understand not being unquestionably favored in the subtleties of everything, because there is no awareness that this unquestionable favoritism exists. It’s a difficult problem dealt with best as a community. And, in light of this, I must promptly propose forming a campus organization specifically on educating WAHMs about white privilege. We’ll call it White Club, and set some rules in closing… First rule of White Club: You do not talk about white privilege. Second rule: You DO NOT talk about white privilege. Third rule: if someone feels genuinely bad about their white privilege, it is NOT over. That’s just white guilt setting in, but don’t complain about that because it’s pathetic. Fourth rule: Make it a fair fight. Remind those who begin to waver just how crippling white privilege is for those who don’t have it. Fifth rule: Take only one confrontation with your white privilege at time (everyone else has to.) Don’t be overwhelmed, just be better; become “righter, not whiter.” Sixth rule: It is your fault/it’s not your fault. You may not have chosen to be born a WAHM, but you sure do act like one. Seventh rule: You are a member of White Club as long as it takes for you to stop being an overly entitled dick. Eighth rule: If this is your first encounter with your white privilege, you have to be racist.

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Internet photo A prayer vigil takes place in Kuala Lumpur to mark the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.

BRETT PETO staff writer

Missing plane’s tracking systems deliberately disabled, official says Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced March 15 that investigators believe the tracking systems of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished en route to Beijing on March 8, were “deliberately disabled.” The Boeing 777’s identifying transponder, a radio device located in the cockpit between the pilot and co-pilot, stopped transmitting during the flight, and the backup transponder was not turned on. Some of the last known radar data of Flight 370, gathered by the Malaysian military, indicate the plane rose sharply to 45,000 feet, then fell just as sharply to 23,000 feet. An erratic course over Malaysia was also recorded. Speculation of sabotage or hijacking has continued unabated since Interpol identified two Iranians, Pouri Nourmohammadi, 18, and Delavar Seyed Mohammed Reza, 29, who boarded the plane with stolen passports. However, no authority has yet officially cited terrorism as the cause of the disappearance.

Russian troops had taken control of a gas plant in the Kherson region, home to a ship-building city of about 329,000. The incursion, to which the Ukrainian foreign ministry said it “reserves the right to use all necessary measures to stop the military invasion by Russia,” came the day before Crimea’s independence referendum. Prior to the referendum, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R) urged President Barack Obama to offer long-term military support to Ukraine, calling such a move “the right and decent thing to do.” Russian president Vladimir Putin said in a March 4 press conference that his country’s occupation of Crimea is “a humanitarian mission. We’re not setting the goal of subjugating anyone or telling them what to do.” Putin added that Russia reserves the right to use military force as a last resort.

Environmental Protection Agency lifts ban on BP

On March 15, the Ukrainian government reported that 80

Last Thursday, BP won its August 2013 lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA,) lifting a ban on new federal contracts with the London-based oil and gas giant. BP will now be free to apply for drilling leases from the Department of the Interior and to bid for supplying fuel to the U.S. military. The EPA instituted the ban after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, when approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil gushed

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Russia seizes Ukrainian gas plant on eve of independence vote

Zachary Bishop Amanda Booras Sean Buckley Chrissy Croft Peter Flockencier Kevin Garcia Kailey Hansen Joseph Kok Tyler Kerr Katie Kuszynski Brett Peto

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The Leader is the studentrun newspaper speaking to the students, faculty and administrators of Elmhurst College. The Leader is not submitted to any person or organization for prior approval. The contents are the decision of the editor in agreement with the editorial board. Opinions expressed in The Leader do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or its staff, and are not intended to represent those of the College at large. No text, photos, or art can be reproduced without direct permission of The Leader.

from an unsealed well on the Gulf of Mexico’s seabed. Since then, BP has paid an estimated $42.2 billion in fines and criminal and civil settlements. Even with the ruling, BP must keep an EPA-certified auditor for five years to inform the agency of “the company’s ethics, safety, and corporate governance,” according to Circa News.

Prison sentence of Pakistani doctor who helped find bin Laden reduced Shakeel Afridi’s 33-year prison sentence was reduced March 15 by ten years. Pakistani authorities first arrested the doctor after U.S. troops killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in May 2011. Before the raid, Afridi posed as a vaccination worker with help from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA,) attempting to gather the DNA of bin Laden and his family. In May 2012, Afridi was convicted of treason and of having ties to militants. Suspicion of vaccination workers has since spread, with nine female polio vaccinators killed in Nigeria last year. This year, a roadside bomb killed 11 members of a polio vaccination team near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan on March 1.

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March 18, 2014

Photo by Amanda Booras (L-R) Charles R. Thompson, Bruce Dold, Mary Ann Ahern, Tyrone C. Fahner, Tod Miles, Robert Knuepfer Jr, discuss Illinois fiscal issues at the 7th annual EC governmental forum.

patrick erwin

news & online editor

Annual EC governmental forum held The 7th annual EC Governmental Forum was held March 7 at Drury Lane in Oak Brook. Over 300 attended the session, which was moderated by former Illinois Republican Gov. James Thompson. Thompson and the panelists, which included TV and newspaper media figures and key business figures, used the forum to try to diagnose serious financial issues facing the state, including unpaid bills and the need for pension reform. Thompson and panelist Ty Fahner both said transportation was a key part of Illinois’ success, and Thompson suggested that it needed to be part of the state’s renaissance.

EC jazz student wins award Senior Thomas Zinny was recognized by the Luminarts Cultural Foundation as a Jazz Fellow in the foundation’s 2014 Jazz Improvisation Competition. Zimmy, a jazz studies major and baritone sax player, had been recognized with an honorable mention at last year’s competition. EC students have a history of cleaning up at the Luminarts competitions. Several other EC students were recognized in December at competitions for jazz composition and jazz arrangement.

textbooks, a cell phone and keys, and was taken from an unlocked locker. The student arrived at the gym at 7:20 p.m. and noticed the bag was missing when she returned to the locker at 8:30 p.m.

EC gets “Tree Campus” recognition It’s not just the squirrels recognizing EC’s arboretum campus. The Arbor Day Foundation, in conjunction with carmaker Toyota, has recognized EC’s campus as a Tree Campus. To be recognized, colleges

and universities must meet five key points, including a long-term tree care plan and a dedicated observance of Arbor Day. The program, which has been around since 2008, recognized EC’s arboretum of nearly 800 trees.

SHOOTING from front page

Backpack stolen from Faganel Hall A March 6 Elmhurst Police Department police report included an incident where a student’s backpack was stolen from a locker in Faganel Hall. According to the report, the backpack was carrying the student’s wallet, as well as

Photo by Kim McElheny Dave Cullen displays the drawings and diary entry of Columbine shooter Dylan Klebold at his lecture.

and was an egomaniac. “[Eric] wanted to feel powerful,” Cullen said. “He wanted to do one incredibly dramatic thing that would be remembered.” But Klebold’s frame of mind was different; he suffered clinical depression. Cullen’s arguments about what happened at Columbine — and why — are part of an ongoing conversation that Americans have revisited after every school shooting, like the 2012 shootings in Newtown, Conn. “The biggest lesson [we should learn] about Columbine is teen depression. It often goes unnoticed,” Cullen said. “If we can just get a program to identify and diagnose teenagers, that’s half the battle [against school shootings].” “I really liked that he brought up teen depression,” said EC freshman Christine Gravelin. “I don’t feel like schools address it at all.”

Cullen also believes that society needs to improve firearm safety laws. “A disturbed person who

“We jump to a lot of conclusions when events like Columbine happen.” Dave Cullen doesn’t have access to firearms is not going to hurt a lot of people,” he said. “I think we need to do something about guns.” But he’s not hopeful that necessary changes will happen any time soon. “I’m pessimistic about anything happening with guns anytime soon,” he said. “Improving the human-side of violence pre-

vention is more doable in the foreseeable future.” Jill Dawson-Hoffman, an English teacher from the Peoria area, is using Cullen’s book in her classes. “Teaching Columbine helps open my students eyes on all the myths that revolve around tragedy,” said Dawson-Hoffman, who traveled from Peoria to hear Cullen’s lecture. “They don’t know what to believe about [these] tragedies.” Cullen’s next book, Soldiers First, centers on the lives of two gay soldiers and how they’ve been affected by stigma in the U.S. military. “I took my time writing Columbine and hopefully got it right,” Cullen says on his website, “I set the bar even higher for my second book; I spent four years researching, writing and contemplating. The further I got, the more I knew: this is the story I have tell.”

NEWS

March 18, 2014

Facebook co-founder discusses future of media

Photo by Joseph Kok Facebook co-founder and New Republic Editor-in-Chief Chris Hughes gives his “Brave New Media World” lecture at EC.

patrick erwin

news & online editor Co-founder of the biggest social networking site on the Web. Coordinating the online component of a successful campaign for President of the United States. Those would be dazzling bullet points on any resume, but Chris Hughes nailed those achievements before his 25th birthday. Hughes, now 30, is now in the midst of an even greater challenge — revitalizing print journalism — with his purchase of The New Republic (TNR), an “old school” magazine that’s celebrating 100 years in print. He discussed old and new ventures — and old and new media

— in a March 6 visit to EC, where he delivered the Roland Quest Lecture. Hughes acknowledged technology’s impact on journalism. “[There have been] monumental changes to the field,” he said. “They change the very nature of the journalism we practice.” One idea Hughes discussed was what he called “the filter bubble.” When readers use technology to curate and select stories to read, they filter out a wider range of discussion. Eventually, everything is reinforcing what the reader already knows or believes. “We start to think that other perspectives don’t exist,” Hughes said. “It’s addictive, and [also] corrosive.” He urged the audience to be dili-

gent about avoiding the ‘bubble’ and seeking out other perspectives. With the purchase of TNR, Hughes is betting on the longterm prospects of long-form journalism. TNR continues to be offered in print in a marketplace where advertising dollars are disappearing, and competition is fierce. (Another classic magazine, Newsweek, just relaunched its print edition this month.) But Hughes said that online, six of TNR.com’s 10 most read stories were all long stories, with a length of several thousand words. “The format may change,” he said. “But the need for information remains the same.” Hughes’ work with online efforts in Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign played a role in Obama’s victory. He argued that journalism still has a key responsibility when it comes to the political arena. “Journalism can continue to play a powerful role,” he said. “[It can] hold politicians, on the left or the right, accountable.” In 2013, Hughes himself became part of a political household, when his husband, Hudson River Ventures founder Sean Eldridge, announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York’s 19th District. The story of Facebook’s founding captured a lot of media attention — and became the subject of an Academy Award nominated film, “The Social Network.” Hughes opened his lecture by answering the question on everyone’s minds. “Yes, I am in the movie,” he said to laughter from the audience. Hughes said while his screen avatar was shown lounging around watching TV in his pajamas, that wasn’t what really happened. He chalked up some movie moments to creative license. “Hollywood tends to reimagine these moments in a way that makes it a little more entertaining than it was in reality,” he acknowledged.

ecleader.org

Task force finds challenges after presenting report patrick erwin

news & online editor EC’s current retirement plan for employees doesn’t compare favorably with plans from other schools in early years of service. That’s one of the conclusions that the Financial Working Group (FWG) made in its report to EC President S. Alan Ray and the Board of Trustees. The FWG’s full report has been posted on the EC Portal, along with reports from the other ad-

“Understandably, the question of changing the college’s retirement plan has created significant concern...” visory task forces, the Transfer Student and International Student Recruiting Task Forces, and the Innovation Task Force. The FWG reported on several key areas of concern, and the employee retirement plan was at the top of the list. The task force found that EC’s plan was in the bottom third of all surveyed plans when the first 20 years of the plan were considered. The plan benefits were closer to the media when an employee reached 25 years of service, and were above the median when looking at 30 years or more of service. “Understandably, the question of changing the college’s retirement plan has created significant concern on the campus from employees of all ages,” the report noted. “New young

faculty and staff are concerned about having enough funds to be able to retire when the time comes especially in light of issues surrounding social security, and senior faculty and staff who are closer to retirement are concerned about having enough to retire in keeping with their personal plans.” The FWG also presented several possibilities on other matters, giving several options for tuition remission. Although keeping the program “as is” is included in the options, one proposal suggests that employees pay $1,000, which may be reclaimable through various tax credits. The Innovation Task Force shared several suggestions for new or expanded majors, including nutrition, risk management, big data, informatics, digital music production, actuarial science, and health care majors. They also listed “silver bullet ideas,” including a proposal to open a space to serve beer, wine and coffee and host bands in The Roost to increase student engagement with campus on the weekends. The Transfer Student task force recommended a greater investment in “2 and 2” programs, where students are accepted at a two-year school and then migrate to EC for their final two years of major coursework. And the International Student Recruiting Task Force measured costs and benefits, and recommended EC’s investment in an international student recruiting initiative. An announcement on the Board’s latest round of votes — and decisions on further expansions or cuts to programs — is expected this week.

Pour one out and celebrate #ECunofficial

Tweets with the #ECunofficial hashtag on March 8.

patrick erwin

news & online editor Melting snow and green beer? It must be St. Patrick’s Day. And while EC students have always celebrated the holiday with shenanigans, the city of Elmhurst’s parade, held on March 8 this year, has added fuel to the fire. The “unofficial” event has

Internet photo

become big enough for its own hashtag, #ECunofficial. In other words: pour one (or several) out unofficially and on the down low, to avoid attention, arrest or an aggravated townie getting in your face. On Twitter, a few dozen tweets narrated this year’s festivities. “No words to describe how great today is going to be,” one read.

Another tweet painted a vivid picture. “I’ve already seen someone puke out of a car window and it’s not even 9 am,” it read. Of course, EC’s relatively small student population — and a student body that overwhelmingly blows out of town every weekend — means the city of Elmhurst is in no danger of becoming the next Madison, Wisc. Large scale parties in Madison for UW students, like Mifflin Block Party and Halloween festivities, have in past years escalated into riots that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damages. While nothing so off-thechain chaotic was going down at EC, it wasn’t a completely peaceful weekend. “We had a little more activity last weekend earlier in the day than we would normally see, including an intoxicated student on Saturday,” said Jeff

Kedrowski, EC’s executive director of campus security and emergency management. Kedrowski said the weekend

“I’ve already seen someone puke out of a car window and it’s not even 9 a.m.” #ECUnofficial Tweep included two incidents of vandalism. The students involved, he said, have been identified and will face the campus judicial process. But Kedrowski added that the weekend was still relatively uneventful. “It was not too far out of the usual,” he said. Elmhurst Police Depart-

ment reported several arrests for public intoxication and underage drinking, and one incident of driving under the influence. Several people also landed in the police report for public urination. The parade, which travels along Spring Rd., is now in its 18th year. While it’s a popular event, some neighbors have expressed irritation with the traffic and trash it created. Elmhurst resident Glenn Schumacher, 55, was arrested this year after leaving a threatening message in the comments of a March 7 story on local news site Patch.com, suggesting he might blow up pressure cookers at the parade.

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March 18, 2014

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March 18, 2014

opinions

l Editorial l

}

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EC Baby on board: innovate with caution

Illustration by Tyler Kerr

Since successfully convincing the administration to leave J-term charges out of EC financial fixes, students have lost interest in a budget discourse, which is far from over. Students protested through a Facebook group, “Say No to Paying More for Jterm!,” and had strong support in the number of students present in last semester’s open budget forum. But once news broke that J-term was safe, many students were pacified, and things returned to the lull that they once were. We no longer had something directly on the line, so the sense of urgency to solve the budget issues facing EC quickly dissipated. But things aren’t close to over, and some recent proposals coming from the Innovation Task Force, may be worth student attention. The Task Force’s March 1 report, which was presented to the President Ray and the Board of Trustees, expanded on a number of proposed financial plans. One proposal would allow full-time students the ability to take a second J-term course, but at a reduced price, basically creating another outlet to complete our undergraduate degree faster. And another discusses the option of offering free J-term study abroad tuition, but charging students who choose to stay at EC for a course. Assuming students didn’t only care about J-term last semester, these proposals can be supported or opposed vocally by students, and are still important to our Jterm experience. If no one is teeming with enthusiasm to become more active quite yet, perhaps you’d like to see some time shaved off class periods. A current proposal entertains knocking 10 minutes off Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes—changing from 65 to 55 minutes—in order to cut class congestion,

making room to schedule another course on those days. Sure, you’d lose about an entire class period every two weeks when compared to the 65 minute classes, but you’d have the option of another course choice. These proposals offer us an evolving landscape of different directions EC can go, and many of the good ideas in the report are direct alternatives to earlier, less popular, proposals. So it only makes good sense that, as we were concerned last semester about budget changes, we continue this semester while the topic is still the same. Now, suppose you’re walking to class and, instead of being met with birds and trees, you notice building’s facades turned into corporate ad space (Old Main wearing a Nike logo as a front door). Maybe not quite so extreme, but there’s a proposal to explore selling naming rights through corporate sponsorship—the Fanta Lounge, instead of Founders, or The Gap Chapel, and not Hammerschmidt—the possibilities are endless. There is an extensive list of all these proposals in the Task Force report recently emailed to students. It’s worth active consideration. There is an opportunity here, for students, to support a proposed change, and not simply oppose one. Well, one last thing to consider on those more solitary nights, enveloped in the lonesome of your tears. There’s proposed talk of serving alcohol in the Roost, as a way to enrich the campus nightlife and make some money (while supporting drunken debauchery). A perfect place to wallow in the sorrows of your undergrad, with your equally sad friends, but no one has to drive. Paradise. We’re in some interesting times at EC. We may not be able make the decisions ultimately, but we can make things pretty weird.

opinions

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l Under the Microscope l

March 18, 2014

l Convergence l

Siberia: cold, icy, Writing, not carrying words and now virus-y

BRETT PETO

staff writer

It’s a premise even the SyFy Channel might reject as too silly. Giant viruses, after 30,000 years of hibernation in the bleak landscape of Siberia, emerge from the melting arctic ice to topple human civilization. My bank account would be bigger than this thing’s budget. Yet here we are, analyzing the recent discovery by French and Russian researchers of a new virus from Siberia called Pithovirus sibericum, pithovirus for short. Named for its resemblance to pithos—ancient Greek jars with long, vaguely oval-like shapes— pithovirus is huge, with a length of 1.5 microns and a diameter of 0.5 microns. Before you lock your doors and close your windows, know this. Those dimensions are still microscopic. But, compared to infamous viruses like HIV and influenza, giant viruses like pithovirus “can be 1,000 times bigger and have more than 2,500 genes,” according to New York Times science reporter Carl Zimmer. That number of genes, of which the pithovirus has 500, is also staggering. The influenza virus, for all the havoc it wreaks with our bodies’ temperature, gastrointestinal system, and sinuses, only needs 13 genes to do the job. HIV needs one less. It’s worth noting that more genes doesn’t necessarily mean more complexity, or, in this case, more lethality. If that were true, grapes, which have about 30,000 genes compared to humanity’s approximately 25,000 genes, would be our squishy overlords. Okay. But what about greater infectivity? Maybe somewhere in those 500 genes is something that could allow the pithovirus to infect many species. Look at what influenza accomplishes with 13 and HIV with 12. Well, though that’s theoretically reasonable, the pithovirus probably can’t infect you. Viruses are highly specific to the species they can infect. That’s why when you’re home sick with the flu, your dog, cat, hamster, or other fluffy mammal doesn’t start coughing, too. For now, the researchers have limited exposure of the pithovi-

rus to three samples of amoeba. Truth be told, it gutted those amoebas, but that was in line with expectations from studies of other giant viruses. Oh, yeah, let’s not forget the others. Aside from pithovirus, two other groups have been found, mimivirus and pandoravirus. All three types were unearthed from Siberian permafrost in the last decade, and the pandoravirus boasts roughly 2,500 genes. These findings are spurring somewhat of a rethinking of what a virus can be. And not much scientific consensus exists on the topic already. Are viruses living organisms, or are they just pieces of DNA and protein that split off from living organisms millions of years ago? Do they satisfy enough of the requirements to be called life, such as homeostasis, metabolism, organization, adaptation, growth, and reproduction? Some say yes. Some say no. The giant viruses should only further complicate the debate. They’re enormous, they’ve got far more genes than expected, and they’re able to survive 30,000 years of the Siberian cold shoulder. Plus, as Chantal Abergel, one of the researchers who found pithovirus, says, “sixty percent of its gene content doesn’t resemble anything on earth.” It looks to be an old parasite that can teach us new things about the modern parasites we live with, or struggle to live with. What Siberia’s tundra hasn’t given up yet is a preserved hu-

PATRICK ERWIN

news & online editor All those life lesson commencement speeches are coming soon. Lucky for you, I’m serving some life lesson realness early in this column. You’re welcome! So, my story: it’s 1999 (the actual year, not the Prince song). I’m a college dropout, working for minimum wage at a big bookstore chain. It’s a book signing. This is pre-Kindle, so we’re lugging heavy boxes of books around. Four notable authors are there at the signing. Most of them simply tolerate us workers, grunting and pointing when they need more books. But the playwright at the end?

She’s different. She cracks a joke and the other authors laugh. She looks at me and winks, and suddenly the tension in the room is gone. She asks everyone who steps up to her table about their lives. Her line quickly becomes THE most interesting conversation in the room. And when the other authors pair off into sidebar conversations, she asks me: “Patrick, what do you want to do with your life?” I told her about my dream of being someone paid to write words, not carry them around. She chatted with me for a half an hour. Before we left, she signed a copy of her play for me, with the inscription “Patrick — Keep writing.” That playwright was Wendy Wasserstein. I was incredibly grateful for her kindness and encouragement. Wendy had an acclaimed career as a playwright, winning a Pulitzer Prize. Sadly, she died several years ago after a battle with cancer. Her work is still performed around the country. Her show “Isn’t It Romantic” is here this week at the Mill Theater. You should see it. So, what’s your “The More You Know (™) moment” out of all of this? Why give a shit about this

blip of time from 1999 in 2014? It’s this, I think: Life isn’t linear, or simple, or clear. It’s messy and ugly and imperfect. You might fall on your ass and fail. You might get to the end of that partner track, or land that promotion, and sit up in bed at 3 a.m. realizing that you want something different. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and

“I told her about my dream of being paid to write words, not carry them around” changed course several times. I also learned along the way that as long as you’re alive, you aren’t bound by anything other than your own fears and the demands of others. You may not get where you’re going on the timetable that your parents, teachers, or coach set for you. But mistakes and delays make for awesome teachers. I’m still working, still learning, and still reaching for my goals. And hey, Wendy — I’m still writing.

Got an opinion? Own a pen? Know how to write?

“Giant viruses, after...years of hibernation in the bleak landscape of Siberia, emerge from the melting arctic ice.” man ancestor who died from a virus that has since gone extinct. That would mean, in a simultaneously awful and cool way, any such virus would have a much higher chance of infecting us. Of stampeding around the globe with a fury the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1919 could only sneeze at. So it turns out the SyFy Channel could have a premise to work with, after all. I can see it now: Virusnado.

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March 18, 2014

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JUGGLE from the front page “Those of us who juggle just weren’t getting together often enough. I started the club so we could hang out and juggle regularly,” said Cesta. Cesta does not only showcase his talents in the racquetball courts, but also at music festivals. He has performed at events like the Spring Awakening Music Festival, Electric Forest Music Festival, and Electric Daisy Carnival last summer. A majority of his equipment is LED, allowing for higher enter-

tainment value in the primarily dark crowds. Juggling became a hobby for Cesta when he picked up his brother’s fushigi ball, a special kind of ball made for contact juggling, two years ago. Unlike traditional toss juggling, contact juggling does not involve throwing the ball. Rather, it is rolled across different parts of the body. “I just picked it up and started playing with it, it came with a DVD,” he said.

And from there, he continued teaching himself more tricks. With help from instructional videos on YouTube, Cesta learned toss juggling using limes. “There was a bag of limes left over from a party at my house, so I just started juggling them,” he said. Cesta’s collection now includes much more than produce. He currently has 30 balls, six clubs, and six flaming torches.

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Juggling is more than tricks for Cesta, it has become a part of who he is. “I’ve been an introvert my whole life, and juggling helped me come out of my shell. I really had to build up the courage to perform for others.” So far, five students have learned the most basic form of three ball juggling after just two sessions with Cesta, and many others have expressed interest in learning. Cesta has big dreams about what the future of his club could become. “I want the majority of Elm-

Juggling club members Tim Kirby, Drew Cesta, and Will Cross demonstrate their juggling routine with clubs.

Photo by Kim McElheny

Kings of Leon rock Chicago’s United Center Ian Walker beat editor

Huge arena rock shows are often a mixed bag. While it’s awesome to be in a crowd of thousands, rocking out with people who all love the act that

everybody came to see, the sound of the band can get a little muffled in that giant of a space, especially when the person at the mic stops singing and tries to talk with an audience. A venue that big really needs an act whose sound can really fill out that space.

Kings of Leon certainly fit that bill. The band’s Mechanical Bull tour brought them to the United Center March 8, where they put on a set full of the up tempo, guitar riff heavy songs that made them an arena-ready rock band in the first place. Opening for the band was

blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., so a quick word on him. For those who are familiar, Clark hails from Texas and released his debut album, “Blak and Blu” in October 2012. Taking the stage at the United Center, Clark had no problem owning the space. His music

Kings of Leon members Jared, Caleb, Nathan and Matthew Followill powered through a 26 song set at the United Center.

combines a more fuzzy guitar sound with his smooth R&B vocals. Combine those music chops with the laid-back charisma he displayed on stage, and Clark is a rock star on the rise. see KINGS OF LEON on page 8

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“Need for Speed” stays stuck in neutral Kevin Garcia

VERDICT: 2/5 peanuts

Movies adapted from video games have a spotty track record; the “Resident Evil’s”, “Doom’s,” or “Silent Hill’s” of the world certainly haven’t helped. “Need for Speed,” the latest film to attempt this feat, had great potential but just wasn’t developed enough to go the distance. “Need for Speed” is a racing movie about a driver named Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) who was framed by a wealthy business associate Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper) for the murder of his friend, Pete. Once out of prison, he seeks vengeance on Brewster by challenging him to an underground race competition hosted by eccentric speedster Monarch (Michael Keaton.) The big problem in the movie is the storytelling. Credit is due to the stunt team and choreographers, who have taken the 1970s and 80s approach of car racing with old school bump and grind and no CGI. However, this movie should be more of one big drag race, quick with high-octane velocity that’s not dragged out. This film is an old fashion story of revenge, and could have had a simple plot line and could be set up similarly to the cult classic film “The

Warriors” because, like in that movie, Marshall has to drive across the country to get to his underground competition and go through obstacles to get there. Unfortunately, there were like only two obstacles to get through in this movie, while in “The Warriors” that band of young studs have to gut through a variety of gangs across NYC to get back to their home of Coney Island. In this movie the pace is slow

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and “Need for Speed” shouldn’t have well…speed bumps. These characters are one-dimensional with no substance or charisma besides a fun portrayal by Michael Keaton. The audience is just waiting for the boredom of the dialogue to end to see more racing and mayhem. There were some cool Easter eggs paying homage to the video game franchise, specifically the individual games of “Need for Speed: Most Wanted” and “Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit” that might tickle the hardcore fan, but its not enough to drift into first place. Aaron Paul is a gifted actor;

no one else could have played Jesse Pinkman from the hit show “Breaking Bad” like he could. However, George and John Gatins, the film’s screenwriters, do him a real disservice here. Paul’s character could have used some extra leverage and excess baggage to work with besides him coming from prison, which is used in many revenge movies. It’s sad enough that these two screenwriters were nominated by the Academy in 2013 for Best Writing, Original Screenplay for “Flight” and now they have produced this dull script.

When the driving is happening it’s good, yet when its not, its a traffic jam. Terrific stunts and sexy vehicles with no moral compass, “Need for Speed” is an underdeveloped story that gamer fans of the franchise and petrol heads will enjoy. For those looking for something with more material and not pedestrian acting, they may want to see the film “Drive” with Ryan Gosling or “Rush” with Chris Hemsworth, but for those looking to shut their brains out well this might just be the pit stop they’re seeking.

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Aaron Paul stares down his racing foes in “Need for Speed.”

“Mr. Peadbody” isn’t quite so genius Kailey Hansen staff writer

If the premise of a talking dog adopting a human boy as his son seems at least mildly interesting, those viewers can make it through “Mr. Peabody & Sherman.” The newest colorfully animated DreamWorks flick takes historical events and figures and dumps them into a silly time travel movie that is geared for 10-year-old science geeks with oversized glasses. The genius talking dog, Mr. Peabody, and his adopted son, Sherman, originally made their debut in a short TV series which premiered on the “Rocky and Bullwinkle” show back in the early 1960s. DreamWorks adapts the adventures of the duo as they board the WABAC (short for Wayback) time machine and visit historical characters. In the movie, Sherman sneaks a trip onto the WABAC with his friend Penny and of course trouble ensues. The pair of friends find that time traveling isn’t as easy as it seems and end up ripping a hole in the time-space continuum that puts the world in great peril. It seems like a common trend for animated films to reach out to a multi-generational audience, but the attempts in this movie feel forced. Mr. Peabody’s excessive puns are chuckle-worthy, but won’t

VERDICT: 2/5 peanuts

Mr. Peadbody, Sherman and a Cleopatra-adorned Penny time travel through ancient Egypt.

keep most people over the age of 12 interested. The plotline is predictable-boy disobeys (genius dog) father, boy gets into trouble, boy realizes what he’s done wrong and learns his lesson — and nothing in the story really stands out. By far the best quality seen in the movie is the touching lesson of family being defined by love rather than by blood through Mr. Pea-

body and Sherman. Sentimentality is not always touched on in animated movies, but here it’s not very original. Regardless of the predictable plotline, “Peabody” offers some interesting takes on real life figures. This may or may not be a turn off for history buffs who will find their cartoony portrayals amusing or irritating. Marie Antoinette,

Leonardo Di Vinci, and a child version of King Tut all make an appearance, generally creating comic relief rather than furthering the story. George Washington makes a cameo to remind us that, “All people and some dogs are created equal…” The idea of historical characters in a children’s movie brings in an educational aspect but doesn’t actually show

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much accuracy at all. Mr. Peabody and Sherman are a loveable and adorable pair that make for a perfect fit in the world of modern day animation. If the movie had gone a little farther in creating an interesting story however, this dynamic duo would’ve been more fun to follow.

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March 18, 2014

“Isn’t It Romantic” comes to Mill Theatre

Joseph Kok staff writer

“Isn’t It Romantic” is a thoughtful and, at times, humorous look at the twentysomething stage of two women struggling to find their place in the awkward post-graduate world. The play was written by the late Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein. Two women, Janie Bloomberg (played by Shelby Westart) and Harriet Cornwall (played by Michelle McCarthy,) are the emotional anchors of the play. As the play begins, recent college graduates Janie and Harriet have moved to New York City. Janie is a freelance writer, and Harriet is an aspiring business executive with a new lucrative job. Janie’s overbearing parents show up unannounced at her apartment constantly — bringing everything from morning coffee to a Russian cab driver for Janie to marry. Harriet, on the other hand, has a distant relationship with her mother — trying to fit into her mother’s appointment schedule with any interaction they have. The play examines familiar issues of relating to parents, avoiding parenthood, looking for love and knowing what you want. Janie and Harriet are try-

ing to figure out their careers as well as relationships. Do they want to get married, or settled down? Do they want to focus on their career up to a certain point, and then hope to marry and start a family? Is it possible to have it all? While “Isn’t It Romantic,” one

l Joseph Kok staff writer

of Wasserstein’s earlier plays, was first produced in 1977, many of the questions Jamie and Harriet explore in the narrative of the play are still part of conversations today. The two characters are appealing to watch, as they try to determine their identities, am-

bitions, and what would make them happy in the end. Should they try to have it all? Or just prioritize, and focus on whatever aspect they deem most important? “Isn’t It Romantic” isn’t strictly romantic, comedic or dramatic, but encompasses

all of those feelings and more. Strong supporting characters add a lot to the play to make moments happen. Performances are at the Mill Theatre, Thurs. March 20 – Sat., March 22, 8 p.m. $5 students.

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Getting you through the dull days separating our bi-weekly issues... Because we care.

Photo by Joseph Kok

First day of spring After the long and arduous winter — with seeing the most snow in our collective lifetime, and the coldest of wind chill — this is indeed a day to celebrate. Hopefully the forecast will call for some sun and temperatures in the 40s or 50s. Enjoy it, get outside, take a walk, and find something to do to say goodbye to winter.

Everywhere!! Thurs. March 20

Photo by Joseph Kok

Janie (Shelby Westart) and Harriet (Michelle McCarthy) talk things over in “Isn’t It Romantic.”

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Relax with a flick after mid-terms After stressful midterm times, head to the Roost to relax for awhile. The college’s Union Board is showing two films at the end of this week in the Roost. The first of the double feature is The Amazing Spider-Man, and then they’re playing Captain America: The First Avenger. Remember to grab some snacks from the Grille while these movies are being shown!

Fri. March 21, 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. FREE Frick Center – Roost

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Chicago Beer Festival Over the course of the first Saturday of spring break, the Chicago Beer Festival is happening at Union Station downtown. This event will feature dozens of domestic and international breweries offering tastes of their fall seasonal beers. The event has two sessions — either 1-4 p.m. or 6-9 p.m. Jump on Eventbrite to buy tickets ahead of time — they won’t be sold at the door. You’ll receive 30 taste vouchers, so it can be worth the steep price. Sat. March 22, 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. $40 Union Station

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Chicago White Sox Home Opener Spring brings on the start of baseball season in Chicago. The White Sox open the 2014 season at home on March 31 against the Minnesota Twins. Tickets are still available, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. As for the other side of town, if you’re a Cubs fan, they have their first home game a few days into April.

Mon. March 31, 3:10 p.m. $34.45 U.S. Cellular Field

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DJ returns to WRSE to play classical music

Photo by Haleema Shah Don Romano hosts his Great American Songbook show Sunday mornings.

Sean Buckley staff writer

Deep in a windowless corner of the basement of EC’s Frick Center, the soundboard at campus radio station WRSE blinks with activity 24/7. And early on Sunday morn-

ings, while many students are still dead to the world, 2011 EC alumni Don Romano comes to campus to start his weekly radio shift. Any EC alum can host a WRSE show, but it’s the tunes played by Romano, 24, during his shift that catches listeners

by surprise. “I focus my show on playing obscure and rare recordings,” Romano said. “Many interpreters sing the choruses to old songs and completely neglect the verses [as written.] I try to pick recordings that feature [missing verses from] many popular songs.” Romano plays music from the Great American Songbook era - popular music from big bands, musical theater and film, and a genre that was at its peak of popularity in the first part of the last century. He’s been doing so at WRSE since 2008, when he was still an EC undergraduate student. While other EC students might remember the battle of the boy bands or the last gasps of grunge from their younger days, Romano, who was born in Downers Grove and grew up in Oak Brook, was hooked on classics when he listened to his mother’s collection of 78 RPM records on the family’s Victrola record player. Over the years, Romano developed a particular inter-

est in collecting rare records, which he often plays on his program. Among his favorites in his collection: Irving Berlin’s first commercial recording from 1910, an autographed book of records from supper-club entertainer Hildegarde, and a copy of Billy Murray’s 1921 hit “Down By The O-Hi-O,” one of the first older songs Romano heard and one he credits with getting him into the genre. Romano’s show has built a following, and his musical choices also launched a friendship with Peggy King, a jazz and pop singer who was well-known for her TV appearances and hit singles in the 1950s and early 1960s. King, now 84, has hosted archived recordings of Romano’s show on her website (www.peggyking.net) since 2012. Other performers, like the original Chiquita Banana voice Monica Lewis, ukulele chanteuse Janet Klein, and acclaimed singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, have all been guests of the show.

After exposure from both Michael Feinstein and Ella Fitzgerald’s Facebook pages, Romano has amassed followers on his “Don’s American Songbook” Facebook page. Now, contemporary Great American Songbook interpreters send him CDs for exposure, and he has garnered an international following of listeners from countries such as Japan, Spain, and England. In addition to his radio show, Romano is still a student; he currently attends graduate school at Midwestern University in Downers Grove, pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology. “I try to find a balance between academic work and what I do for pleasure,” Romano said. “[The show is] a nice break for me when I study for a long time. I get to sit and listen to music that I enjoy and that other people enjoy, which is why I do it.”

DON ROMANO’S FIVE ESSENTIAL SONGBOOK SONGS 1. “They Didn’t Believe Me,” by Jerome Kern and Herbert Reynolds This song was written 100 years ago for a show called “The Girl From Utah.” It’s my favorite Jerome Kern song, and quite possibly my most favorite song of all-time. My favorite version is by Irene Dunne.

2. “It Never Entered My Mind,” by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart It’s always hard to pick a favorite Rodgers and Hart song because they made so many wonderful songs together — it was a toss-up between this song, and “Glad to Be Unhappy.” Very poignant melodies by Rodgers with lyrics only the tragic Hart could write.

3. “You’ll Never Know,” by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon The melody to this song is simple and beautiful. Many people forget Harry Warren when they think of the Great American Songbook. He didn’t long for the same type of star power that Irving Berlin and George Gershwin had, for example.

4. “You Are For Loving,” by Hugh Martin Not many people are familiar with Hugh Martin’s work outside of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Trolley Song,” and “The Boy Next Door,” but this is easily one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

5. “Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year,” by Frank Loesser When I think of Loesser’s tough-guy, chain-smoking, New Yorker persona, I find it astounding that he could turn out such a beautiful melody [with] melancholy words. This and “More I Cannot Wish You” are two favorite Loesser tunes.

KINGS OF LEON from page 8 Back to the Kings, most of their set trended towards tracks from their more recent albums, with an emphasis put on their latest record, last year’s “Mechanical Bull,” and 2008’s “Only By the Night,” the record that broke the band into the mainstream music scene. Once the band got going, they kept their momentum up throughout their setlist, blasting through one song after the next. Watching the band perform made it apparent that, while the group still has high levels of rock and roll ferocity, the band’s act is very workmanlike. Frontman Caleb Followill in particular seems to take a no frills approach on stage; no strutting around the stage head-banging and shredding extended guitar riffs for him. Yet maybe that’s a good thing. On the last tour, Caleb got more than a little tipsy at a few shows, and the band had to cancel a bunch of shows halfway through. This time around, Caleb and his bros (the band is literally a family affair; Caleb, guitarist Matthew and bassist Jared are brothers and drummer Nathan is a cousin) just seemed to be thankful to be on the road playing shows again.

It certainly showed. While the band moved efficiently from one song to the next throughout the set, the Followills still managed to keep the energy level up. Caleb’s slightly southern twangy vocals powered through each song and every propulsive drum beat and guitar riff was full of rock and roll swagger and intensity. They capped off the night with their biggest single “Sex on Fire,” prompting a massive sing-a-long that’s only possible at an arena like the United Center. Lots of bands aim to reach that level of “arena rock band,” allowing them to play for the biggest crowds imaginable. While it’s not the most ideal place to see an act (for live music, typically the smaller venue the better) it’s no doubt awesome for any band to be able to play for thousands of people each night. For Kings of Leon, they seemed to have a blast playing the United Center, and the crowd was able to feed off of that, making for an awesome night of rock and roll. By the time their next album rolls around, they’ll have no trouble lining up their next big tour, drawing fans of the Followills

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March 18, 2014

This week’s question: What’s the best new music you’ve heard so far this year?

Jaclyn Abdul, WRSE DJ: “If It Means A Lot To You” by A Day To Remember, and “Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys [are my songs.] Both songs instantly make me just focus on the song, and nothing else. [They make me feel] peaceful.

2 Vinnie Lotesto, WRSE DJ and Produc-

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tion Director: Whenever midterms start to rear their ugly head, I find myself listening to the Grateful Dead’s “Workingman’s Dead.” This album is an appropriate soundtrack to close a long day of studying. It is the perfect blend between fast and slow paced tunes to match the varying moods one may experience in this hellish time. If you are feeling productive, the song “Cumberland Blues” is perfect for keeping up that energy. In contrast, if you feel like nothing is going right and are feeling down, then “Black Peter” would suit you better.

3 Patrick Erwin, News and Online Editor,

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The Leader: I’ve really been getting into “chill” electronica music lately. Bibio is a guy who combines really pastoral folk sounds with electronica and the result is calming but not boring. A few other bands, like Boards of Canada, Baths and Bent (what is it with all the B names?) are also very calming during crunch time.

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Alysha McElroy-Hodges, WRSE DJ: I listen to neo-soul artists like Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway, Chantae Cann, Musiq Soulchild and Maxwell. Their sound is so crisp and fresh, it just calms my whole body and relaxes me when I’m freaking out.

Haleema Shah, Editor-in-Chief, The Leader: I started listening to a lot of neo-soul in my later years of high school and have become obsessed with Erykah Badu’s sound since. I jokingly say that “Bag Lady” and “Green Eyes” are my life’s theme songs, but ask anyone on The Leader staff who has to put up with my music during our sleep deprived production nights, and it’s definitely Ms. Badu’s honest and poetic music.

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Want to be part of the next Sound Roundup? Email us at leadernewsec@gmail.com.

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l Tyler Kerr cartoonist

Off the Wire l

Politics boring you? Sick of hearing about #thirdworldproblems? Tired of seeming like an ignorant slob? Off The Wire compiles the worlds’s quirkiest news to help avoid that uncomfortable lull in conversation.

Frank Ocean Finds Chipotle Hard to Chew Frank Ocean has some beef with Chipotle (especially because he ordered the carnitas, not steak.) But really, Mr. Ocean is up in arms about a contract with the beloved burrito brigade. According to “Rolling Stone,” Ocean backed out of a commercial deal with Chipotle after learning that their logo would be featured in the advertisement (but dude, that’s how advertising works?) Chipotle sued Frank for a little over $200,000. His response? Putting “fuck you” in the memo of the check in a fashion that is all too reminiscent of something you’d see on passiveaggressivenotes.com.

J.K. Rowling yet to Call it “Quidditch” Rowling made some bullshit promise to her bullshit fans that if enough people used the hashtag #someHPbullshit that she’d post some more HP bullshit on her Pottermore site. Well, enough loonies did it and she released A HISTORICAL ESSAY ON THE ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP. J.K. Rowling has either wayyyy too much time on her hands or is going fucking crazy. In other news, Harry Potter fans fell asleep all over the world.

Word World Gets a Little Bigger Listen up all you Scrabble rousers! According to their Facebook page, the Hasbro word game is opening up the polls to expand their online dictionary for gameplay. Players of the game are now free to submit their own crazy ideas that at one point or another will cost them some points when their competition nullified the turn. A press release listed recent submissions, such as “hashtag” and “photobomb”. Scrabble is so ready to embrace pop culture trends that the game is one step away from a “#” tile.

iTunes Creates App Section for Selfies In the most disgusting news of the week, the world just got a little more shallow with Apple’s induction of a selfie category on iTunes. And to think the “art” of dolling yourself up and taking god awful blurry photos in rando bathrooms wasn’t narcissistic enough. Engadget reports that the section features “classics” (lol) such as Snapchat (well, duh,) Front Flash (who cares,) and 1Second Everyday (really, who cares!) The next time vanity strikes just remember that Apple is there for every part of me, my-selfie, and i(Phone.)

Cartoon by Tyler Kerr

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March 18, 2014

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THE FUN PAGE In honor of all of the Spring Brreak traveling, what better time to celebrate state geography. For each state capital, list the corresponding state in the puzzle.

Across 2. Helena 4. Charleston 5. Raleigh 8. Harrisburg 10. Bismarck 14. Dover 15. Montpelier 16. Olympia

Down 1. Topeka 2. Annapolis 3. Concord 6. Sacramento 7. Jefferson City 9. Pierre 11. Lincoln 12. Augusta 13. Frankfort

Leader Horoscopes Tyler Kerr

staff cartoonist

For answers to last issue’s crossword puzzle, go to ecleader.org

Helping you with the little things like what to have for lunch, and the more important things like your non-existent love life.

(see Libra)

Your fall is Pluto. Dude, not even your position of weakness is a planet anymore..

Close your eyes, reorient, and walk forward until your path of destiny takes you off a cliff.

That governing gut will lead to a “horn of Good & Plenty.”

No self-indulgence for you here. Maybe you should have stopped at Cocomero.

This week you won’t shut up long enough to even pay attention to this bullshit.

If you’re reading this, then you haven’t (surprisingly) been scared off yet.

How’d you find a hat big enough for that swelling head of yours?

Your garden will have seen better days come spring. There’ll be a lot of “he loves me/loves me not.”

On the fence, middle of the road, boring, boring, blah, blah.

Your erogenous zone is the bowels. You’ll be pretty constipated this week.

If the stars read right, you should be reading this now coffee-stained prediction after that recent spill.

Reiny and Neebs chat amongst the strolling EC students.

Cartoon by Tyler Kerr

sports

ecleader.org

March 18, 2014

The Leader’s March Madness predictions LUKE TANAKA

PAUL ROUMELIOTIS

BRANDON PORTER

CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

Sleeper: 9 Oklahoma State Bust: 1 Wichita State

Sleeper: 10 Arizona State Bust: 2 Kansas

Sleeper: 9 Oklahoma State Bust: 1 Wichita State

FINAL FOUR South: 1 Florida West: 9 Oklahoma State East: 4 Michigan State Midwest: 4 Louisville

FINAL FOUR South: 1 Florida West: 2 Wisconsin East: 4 Michigan State Midwest: 4 Louisville

FINAL FOUR South: 3 Syracuse West: 1 Arizona East: 7 Connecticut Midwest: 4 Louisville

FINAL FOUR South: 2 Kansas West: 9 Oklahoma State East: 4 Michigan State Midwest: 4 Louisville

Champion: 4 Michigan State

Champion: 4 Louisville

Champion: 3 Syracuse

Champion: 4 Michigan State

WHY? The No. 1 thing I look for when picking NCAA tournament games: Which teams are playing their best basketball right now? Do I care that Michigan State finished their regular season 5-7? No, because they ran through the Big Ten tournament with relative ease and are now fully healthy. Do I care if Louisville plays in a “weak” conference? No, because their defense is sniffling and they have pieces back from last season’s run. Both teams fit my formula for tournament success: Good guard play, even better coaching, and tournament experience. P.S.: I recommend everyone pick Stephen F. Austin over VCU. Elmhurst College is one of their 28 consecutive wins. Don’t believe me? Look it up.

WHY? Did Rick Pitino say he’d be getting another tattoo if Louisville wins the tournament again? Because he shouldn’t ... if he doesn’t want another tattoo, of course. As always, the NCAA tournament is all about coaching and matchups. But even in the toughest division of the tournament, I’m taking the defending champions to repeat, especially after shockingly being awarded a No. 4 seed when they arguably should have been a No. 1. The Cardinals are the best two-way team in the tournament. They still force plenty of turnovers like they did last year and Montrezl Harrell has helped Louisville ease the loss of Chane Behanan, especially on offense. Sorry Cubs fans, but Go Cardinals, Go.

WHY? Ahhh, the madness has arrived just in time to give us an entertaining month of March. My sleeper teams are Ohio State, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State. The Buckeyes made the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, while Oklahoma State has one of the more impressive players, Marcus Smart, in the nation. Iowa State just won the Big 12 tournament title, so I expect them to make some noise in the tourney. For the Final Four, I think power reigns supreme this year. Arizona, Florida, Syracuse, and Louisville all make it to the big stage and battle it out for the right to get to the National Championship game.

WHY? While you’re still trying to figure out why Louisville was outrageously snubbed of a top seed, Michigan State will make you look foolish for forgetting about them. Can we acknowledge the fact they’ve easily had the toughest schedule in the league this year while battling injuries to all four of their leading scorers? Solid wins at the beginning of the year against then No. 1-ranked Kentucky and now No. 1-ranked Virginia are going unnoticed. A Big Ten title win over arch rival Michigan, and Tom Izzo’s team has caught fire and gotten healthy at the right time. As long as Keith Appling is 100 percent, the Spartans will be cutting down the nets in a month.

staff writer

sports editor

sports

March 18, 2014

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EC’s Drew Wassenaar, youngest of six, driven to make impact as multi-sport athlete e t hleTo tc h t A a W

CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS sports editor

Drew Wassenaar is 6-foot2, 215 pounds. He’s built like a body-builder, but he’s also as athletic as they come, given his frame. But most importantly, he’s durable. And you have to be if you’re a multi-sport athlete for two sports that involves heavy contact: football and lacrosse. Wassenaar says he’s driven, but sometimes to a fault. And it might have something to do with being the youngest of six children, all of whom grew up playing sports. “My family is extremely competitive, which has helped me out tremendously,” said Wassenaar, who has two brothers and three sisters. “It got to the point where, because I am the youngest, I wanted to beat everybody. They were all older than me, so I was always at a disadvantage. But it was a fun atmosphere to grow up in.” Wassenaar’s competitiveness stems from his father, Mark, who was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, wrestling, lacrosse.) He went on to play Division I football at Iowa State, where he played center for Hall of Fame head coach Johnny Majors. Wassenaar followed his fathers footsteps in football, playing defensive end and tight end until the seventh grade when he decided to pick up lacrosse. It wasn’t until Wassenaar, a transfer from Young Harris College, committed to EC in the summer of 2013 when he wanted to give both sports a shot, at the same time. “Playing football and lacrosse at EC [until I graduate] is my plan,” said Wassenaar, who didn’t miss a single game during his high school career. “The main thing for me is how my body is going to hold up for now because it’s hard not having an offseason to let your body recover, but that’s my goal.” Wassenaar didn’t have the opportunity to play football at Young Harris because they don’t have a team. They did, however, have a lacrosse team, but Wassenaar redshirted to keep his year of

eligibility knowing he’d (eventually) transfer to EC. Because he redshirted, Wassenaar is listed as a freshman for EC lacrosse, but a sophomore on the football team. Why didn’t he redshirt as a football player this past season? His competitiveness made Wassenaar believing he could compete and play right away. He didn’t spend as much time on the football field during games as he would have liked, but Wassenaar said he’s still committed to sticking with both sports and admits if there’s a time to stop and pick one sport, it’d have to be now. “By [my junior year], I’d have put in too much time and effort to stop at the point. If anything, the stopping point would be around this time,” he said. “I’m going to see how my body feels

this summer, and if it doesn’t tremely high standard,” Was- nically already lost.” In his first year at EC, Wassenaar added. “Maybe at times feel too bad, I’m going for it.” Although Wassenaar didn’t a little too high, but that’s just senaar’s team goals consist of a have the opportunity to make what I do. For me, it’s just, ‘I’ll double-digit win season, along an impact on the football field show you and let you make your with competing for a spot in the conference tournament. this past season, he’s certainly own opinion.’” Wassenaar said he doesn’t And that’s what his teamevolving into one of the top have any individual goals, but players for the Jays lacrosse mates notice as well. “He’s a very humble person admits a post-season accolade team this spring. “He has a gift from God,” and nice to everyone,” York said. would be a token to his contrisaid sophomore goalkeeper “There really isn’t anything bad bution to the team. “I like to hold myself to a high Tyler York. “With his body, he you can say about the guy.” Wassenaar’s competitive, standard,” Wassenaar said. “I’d is strong, fast, and has the skill love to be able to get to a with it. He’s your ideal athpoint where I can get some lete that every coach wants “I always expect to go in type of post-season accoon their team.” winning, not in an arrogant Jays head coach Mark way. I know it’s going to be a lade. That’d be great just because, if anything, that Morrell noticed Wasbattle, it’s going to be tough, would solidify that I was senaar’s skills when he scouted Wassenaar as a it’s going to be close, but I al- working hard and that I junior in high school dur- ways go in thinking I’m going was successful on the field ing a tournament over the to win. If you think you’re go- to help my team produce ing to lose, then you’ve techni- wins.” summer. cally already lost.” EC dropped to 1-3 after Morrell actually already falling to Adrian College had a file on him. on Saturday and have 11 At the tournament, WasDrew Wassenaar games left to accomplish senaar played with and EC redshirt freshman lacrosse the goal of a double-digit against players who carplayer win season. ried themselves with a But if there’s one thing high sense of honor. But there were also players humble, and driven. His biggest Wassenaar enjoys, it’s playing on short rest. who were the opposite; some- motivation? “I love going out to compete “Fear of failure. Flat out,” thing Wassenaar says isn’t his Wassenaar said. “The thing for every week,” Wassenaar said. cup of tea. “The kids who were good me is, I hate failing so much “I love Wednesday games, beand arrogant, I couldn’t stand more than winning because any cause whether you have a good them,” he said. “I think for time I’ll go into a competition game or a bad game, it’s a short them, I was kind of like ‘Show or anything like that, I always couple days until you get to me, don’t tell me.’ That’s always expect to go in winning, not in prove your worth.” Wassenaar and the Jays will been my thing. I’m not going to an arrogant way. I know it’s gobuild myself up, I’m just going ing to be a battle, it’s going to have a chance to do that when to go play, try my hardest, and be tough, it’s going to be close, they play in their first Wednesbut I always go in thinking I’m day game of the season on execute. “I’m my toughest critic, by going to win. If you think you’re March 19 vs. Aurora Univ. far, and I hold myself to an ex- going to lose, then you’ve tech-

Photo by Peter Flockencier Drew Wassenaar (No. 11) ranks second on the Jays in goals (5) and points (8) through the first four games of the season.

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COACH from the front page In 2012, EC won their first conference title since 1980, reached the NCAA playoffs for the first time, and won their first ever playoff game. However, after losing key seniors, the program leveled out in 2013, finishing fifth in the CCIW with a 4-6 overall record. In contrast with last year’s in-house hiring of Adam, Planz brings a fresh set of ideas to the team. Although he’s aware that EC ran a 3-5 defense and a pistol base offense in years past, he’ll look to mold his systems to his players. “I don’t know what kind of offensive or defensive system we will run yet,” Planz said. “I will evaluate our personnel first and then whatever we do on both sides of the ball will fit them.” The players, like 2013 starting quarterback Joe Camiliere, will learn their third system in as

many years. “I definitely didn’t expect to have three head coaches during my time [at EC] but it’s a part of the business and I understand it happens,” Camiliere said. “Overall, I don’t think it will affect our team in a negative way because, as players, we’ve stuck together and have continued to push each other no matter who our coach is.” Another shakeup for EC players, fans, and coaches, will be Planz’ desire to have separate offensive and defensive coordinators. Tim Lester (offensive), former Jays head coach, and Adam (defensive) took on a coordinator role as head coach with EC. However, a defensive coach by trade, Planz would be willing to step into the defensive coordinator role if need be. The fate of the rest of the coaching staff is unclear but, for now, Planz will let the assistant coaches finish out the recruiting season. “The staff is working very hard

recruiting and getting things set for next season,” Planz said. “My intent is to not disrupt that.” Planz’ familiarity with the local recruiting scene should aid in finding the next wave of Jays. At Minnesota State, he was in charge of recruiting for DuPage County, Northern Cook County, Lake County, and Southeastern Wisconsin. “I’ve created personal connections with many of the high school coaches all around the Chicagoland area,” Planz said. “Many congratulated me on the [EC] job with phone calls and text messages.” Also while at Minnesota State, he turned around the team’s academic performance. After being named the team’s academic coordinator, the Mavericks’ team GPA rose from 2.5 to 3.01 in two semesters. “I’m Division III guy,” Planz said. “I love the combination of academics and athletics.” His coaching philosophy stems from the Division III philosophy of academics and ath-

March 18, 2014

letics and pays strict attention to detail. “Every decision we make is for the best interest of the student athlete, institution, and the football team,” he said. “We’ll pay attention to every detail because there’s an advantage to turning over every stone in the classroom, on the field, and in life.” The players once again head into a season with high aspirations, not expecting a “transition year” with another new coach. “I know we have high expectations for this Photo Courtesy of Minnesota State Univ., Mankato Athletic Communications year,” Camiliere said of his team. “We’ve got a lot Ron Planz coached seven all-conference of talented players with defensive players during his five years at experience coming back Minnesota State. and we’re ready to comsphere when I visited and I feel pete for another conference like I’m joining the program, championship.” not taking it over,” he said. “EvPlanz agrees, and is ready to eryone wants to be at EC bebe a part of the EC community. cause of the people and I’m ex“I could feel the family atmo- cited to join the family.”

First annual “Scottie Williams ‘Service’ Day” dedicated to veterans and troops CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS

he had no idea what he was going to do for it. But Williams, winner of the 2013 Gagliardi Trophy for Most Outstanding Division III football player, said he knew wanted his day to be about service after ad-

miring Benedictine University’s celebration of Martin Luther King sports editor Day. “When I got the day, I didn’t know what I was going to do with After being awarded his own it right away,” Williams said. “I just day last year during EC’s scholarkind of took it in stride. I asked ship dinner, Scottie Williams said myself, ‘It’s cool to have a day, but what am I going to do with my day?’” Williams began planning in February, and had plenty of suggestions and ideas but was uncertain about how to execute them. “ Y o u should’ve seen the list of ideas. Everybody was telling me, ‘There’s no way you can do all this. There’s not enough time.’” On Sunday, March 16, now known as “Scottie Williams Day” at EC, Williams kick started the first annual service event day in the Roost, with plans to one day be too big for it. Current and past EC players and coaches, family members, and students participated in putting together care packages, wrote letters to the veterans and soldiers, and donated nonPhoto by Kim McElheny Scottie Williams, 2013 EC graduate, lends sophomore wide receiver Joe Sanfilippo a perishable items, hand with wrapping up care packages. such as canned

goods and boxes of cereal. Williams also invited a special guest, Sgt. Anthony Lopez, who served in the marines for eight years, to partake in the activities, who appreciated the gratitude. “I think it’s really awesome

“This day means a lot to me. ... As of right now, my family is not in the state that I was in college. I’ve had some hard times. But I feel like even if you’re in hard times, you should still give back to people that need it.” Scottie Williams 2013 EC graduate, Gagliardi Trophy winner they’re showing appreciation to us,” said Sgt. Lopez. “It’s always welcome. It brings exposure and awareness, and it’s another service option available [to the public].” The food will be distributed to the Elmhurst Yorkville Pantry, while the care packages and letters will be sent to operation, “Save Our Troops,” who accepted the responsibility to ship them to Afghanistan and the homeless veterans. Williams notes a handful of packages and letters will be distributed to the thousands of homeless veterans in the Chicagoland area as well. “It’s only going to be able to reach a small portion, but eventually it’ll reach masses,” Williams said. While the care packages will certainly assist the homeless veterans, Williams also said the purpose of his day is to know they

haven’t been forgotten. “There are people that still don’t feel appreciated,” he said. “There are people that still don’t even know that there are things out here like this. So my objective is to try and make sure that people understand there are people out here trying to help them, trying to appreciate them, and I just want to be apart of letting people know they feel appreciated.” Williams, a 2013 EC graduate, said a day dedicated to service hits close to home. “This day means a lot to me,” he said. “Just thinking back on things and trying to put things in perspective, I didn’t come from a lot. And as of right now, my family is not in the state that I was in college. I’ve had some hard times. But I feel like even if you’re in hard times, you should still give back to people that need it.” The preparations were difficult and time-consuming, but Williams said that he has some bigger plans in store for the future. “I haven’t told anybody yet, but we’re going to change it every year,” he said. “It could be every two or three years, just to give more to those that are underappreciated and just try to let them know that there are people that are thinking of them.” Williams says it’s nice to honor Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, etc. who have their own days. But he also says he’s lucky to be a part of it. “Kanye West said, ‘People don’t get their flowers when they’re alive,’” Williams said. “I got my flowers while I’m alive, so now I have to make sure that when I die, people can look back on this day and say ‘This is what Scottie Williams Day did, what can we do to continue it, what can we do to make it grow, and what can we do to make it bigger than what it is right now.’”

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March 18, 2014

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EC MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Collision prevents Will Cross from qualifying for Nationals, places 15th at preliminary heat PAUL ROUMELIOTIS

Field Championships in attempt to reach the finals when something went wrong. Sports sometimes come During the race, Cross made down to inches, and Will Cross a move to the outside and found out the hard way when it clipped another runner, falling hard to the ground. He finished the race, but couldn’t make up the ground he had lost, placing eighth overall, and five spots outside the Top 10 for fastest time between the two preliminary heat, which eliminated his chances to qualify for nationals. “I would say it was an instinctive reaction to make a move Photo courtesy of Kelsey Plefka and prepare to kick,” said Cross. Will Cross (white) recorded a time of 4:31.5, missing out at National by five spots. staff writer

may have cost him a chance to compete at the National meet. Cross, junior, was running in the preliminary heats of the mile run on Friday at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and

“The race had a somewhat slow start and I knew that someone was going to make a move soon. I knew that I had to be in position to cover that move when it happened.

“Obviously, I’m very proud of Will for just making it to Nationals. ... He’s already proven he’s one of the best runners in the country.” Jim Akita EC’s men’s track and field coach “Unfortunately, the guy to my outside made the same decision as I did and we collided.” Cross admitted that as soon as he fell, he knew it’d be a long shot to get back to the front of the pack. “I was definitely devastated,” Cross said. “In that level of a

race that’s something you can’t come back from.” Before the race, Bluejays head coach Jim Akita told Cross to be aggressive and that contact will happen sometimes. But the contact arguably cost him too much ground for a comeback. “I saw the hole he saw and nine out of 10 times he squeezes out safely, but unfortunately his foot clipped another runner and Will went down,” said Akita. “It was a hard fall and I give him credit for getting up and finishing the race.” Even though Cross didn’t finish the way he wanted to, Akita believes it hasn’t taken away anything he’s accomplished so far this season. “Obviously, I’m very proud of Will for just making it to Nationals and we still have outdoors and all of next year,” Akita said. “He’s already proven he’s one of the best runners in the country.”

EC LACROSSE

Jays fall to 1-3 after 14-4 loss to Adrian BRANDON PORTER staff writer

After keeping it close for the first quarter of the game, the EC men’s lacrosse team couldn’t stop Adrian College from pouring on the scoring which led to a 14-4 loss Saturday afternoon. Entering the second period, Adrian held a 4-2 lead, but outscored the Bluejays 3-0 in the second period to stretch their lead to 7-2 at the half. In the third period, Adrian scored five straight goals before EC sophomore midfielder Mal Euson scored to stop some of the onslaught. Adrian added one more goal in the third to bring their total to six in the period. Between the second and third periods, Adrian went on a

9-1 run and effectively put the game out of reach. “We could have played as a unit more,” said sophomore midfielder Tyler Dailey. “If we were to work mainly on our mental aspect of the fake, I’m sure we would be an undefeated team”. Both teams scored a goal a piece in the final period, which led to Adrian taking a dominating victory by 10 goals. Adrian outshot EC 36-18, and won 16 out of the 22 faceoff opportunities. “We just need to focus on what we need to do as a team,” Dailey said. “We have the potential”. EC will kick off Midwest Lacrosse Conference play Wed., March 19 against Aurora Univ.

Photo by Peter Flockencier Adrian’s Brendan Harvey (No. 1) battles his way through several Jays, minutes after scoring his second goal of the game.

EC MEN’S TENNIS

EC BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL

Bluejays win fifth straight, Baseball, softball edge Carthage 5-4 games postponed BRANDON PORTER staff writer

The EC men’s tennis team squeezed out a 5-4 victory over Carthage College Friday night to improve their record to 6-1. The matches were close throughout as EC won two of the three doubles contests led by seniors Alex Harbert and Will Jung who won their doubles contest 8-6. The doubles pair of junior Chris Harrison and senior Vince McPherson lost the next

set 8-5, but junior Luke Tanaka and senior David Devaney closed out doubles with a 9-7 win. The Bluejays split their singles contests as Jung won his sets 6-3, and 6-2. Sophomore Quinn Jennings won his sets 6-3 and 6-4 while Harrison closed out singles play with a 6-2 and 6-4 contest win to secure EC’s team victory. Jays head coach Anthony McPherson believes the team showed intensity and capital-

ized on momentum. “In addition to our experience we played some really great doubles overall to take a 2-1 lead and that gave us a huge boost of momentum going into singles play,” he said. “Every match we go into with a record of 0-0. Every day is a new day win or lose”. The Jays will look to build on their five-game winning streak when they welcome a 3-4 Illinois Wesleyan team on Friday, March 21 at 6 p.m. at Courts Plus in Elmhurst, Ill.

THE LEADER staff report

The EC baseball and softball teams upcoming contests have been postponed due to snow and poor field conditions. Bluejays baseball was scheduled to play a doubleheader against Milwaukee School of Engineering and Capital Univ. Sunday in Ohio, but both games will be made up at a later date that has yet to be determined. The Jays split their dou-

ble-header against Univ. of Dubuque with a 1-4 loss and 12-6 win, updating their record to 2-3 on the season. Poor field conditions also forced EC softball to postpone their season-opening doubleheader vs. Concordia Univ.Chicago scheduled for Tuesday, March 18. A makeup date has not yet been announced. Want more Elmhurst College sports updates? Follow us on Twitter @LeaderNewsEC.

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WRESTLING from the back page

LUKE TANAKA staff writer

Ryan Prater has been waiting his whole wrestling career for this one moment, one match for a national championship. EC head coach Steve Marianetti accompanies No.2-seeded Prater as he walks toward the feature mat. Their stories could not be

asked for a better way to end my career.” Marianetti, who handed Prater his trophy on the podium, spoke to the magnitude of Prater’s extraordinary national title run. “Ryan put together one of the most dominant years in [school] history,” Marianetti said. “His undefeated season and dominance is unprecedented.” Prater finished the season, in which he missed six weeks with a knee injury, at 20-0.

as Prater won 4-2 and secured the national championship. To reach the final, Prater defeated Trevor Engle of Cornell by major decision (14-0) in the first round, won by decision over No. 7-seeded Vincent Fava of Delaware Valley 3-0 in the quarterfinals, and pinned No. 3 seed Mark Hartenstine of Wilkes in 5:26. Prater’s teammate, Danny Balderas, went 1-2, missing AllAmerica honors by one match. In the first round, Balderas fell

March 18, 2014

Charlie’s Angles l

Paying college athletes? Yes. CHARLIE ROUMELIOTIS sports editor

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Plefka Ryan Prater finishes his EC wrestling career with an undefeated season and national championship.

more similar. In 1995, as the No. 2 seed, Marianetti won the 150-pound Division I national title in Iowa City. Now, in 2014, just up the road in Cedar Rapids, Marianetti plays the role of coach, getting Prater ready for the biggest wrestling match of his life. “[The other coaches and I] just tried to keep Ryan loose and relaxed,” Marianetti said in an email. “At the beginning of each match, I shook his hand and told him ‘this is your world.’” Prater made it his world Saturday, defeating top seed Robert Dierna of SUNY-Courtland 4-2 to take the Division III 149-pound national championship. It’s EC’s third individual national championship in the last two seasons and the second individual undefeated national championship season in school history. “This national title means everything to me,” Prater said in an email. “I’ve been thinking about it for so long and I couldn’t have

Throughout the season, he pinned six opponents, won three matches by technical fall, six by major decision, four by decision, and one by injury default. In the first period of the title bout, Dierna almost put Prater into a prone position, but the Prater rolled out of it and drew a stalemate stoppage. After the first period ended scoreless, Prater executed his plan. He started on top to begin the second and rode Dierna for the whole period, gaining two points for a near fall. “Coach Marianetti and I had a pretty good feel for [my opponent] going into the match and I thought we had a great gameplan,” Prater said. “I wanted to push the pace and get on offense as fast as I could to make him uncomfortable.” Prater escaped Dierna for a point in the third, extending his lead to 3-0. Dierna earned a two-point takedown in the closing seconds, but it was too little too late

to No. 3-seeded Jacob Lowry of Thiel 5-3, then defeated Heidelburg’s Jason Russell 6-3 before being pinned by Punahele Soriano of Wartburg in 1:44. Balderas performed his best at regionals and nationals, something he was unable to do during his sophomore and junior seasons. “I feel that every wrestler’s goal is to peak at the right time, specifically going into nationals,” Balderas said in a phone interview. “The past few years, I fell short at regionals because I peaked too early, but this year I thought that the coaches prepared me well and I peaked at regionals and nationals. This was definitely my best year at Elmhurst.” As for Balderas’ view on Prater, he holds the national champion in the highest regard. “He’s the ideal wrestler physically, mentally, and emotionally,” Balderas said. “He has the experience, the techniques, everything. “Overall, he’s just too good.”

EC WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Poremba falls five seconds short of Nationals PAUL ROUMELIOTIS staff writer

Alyssa Poremba broke a school record in the 3,000 meters a couple weeks ago, but she came five seconds short of qualifying for Nationals last Saturday at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. Despite achieving her pre-

season goal, Poremba is happy with her indoor season accomplishments — many personal records, two conference titles, and two school records. “I would have loved to go to Nationals and I’ll admit I beat myself up over my last race since I knew I wouldn’t qualify but my friends and family helped me realize everything else I had done so far,” said Poremba.

“It really stinks how a few seconds or even thousandths of a second can make such a difference in track but it’ll only help push me that much harder for the outdoor season.” The EC women’s track and field outdoor season begins on Friday, March 21 at the Washington and Lee University Invitational in Lexington, VA.

For years, I’ve always believed that paying college athletes would destroy intercollegiate athletics and support the idea that a college education and an opportunity to earn a degree is more than enough for a student athlete. Education is money, payment beyond scholarships would create more issues, and athletes are already receiving special treatment on-and-off the field, right? I might have once agreed with that, but not anymore. First off, let me begin by saying I’m vehemently opposed to the idea of paying every single college athlete because that would essentially make them professional athletes, which defeats the purpose. I’m simply interested in seeing athletes that produce a large portion of revenue for their schools receive a fraction of the pie. Where would that money come from? How about the most exhilarating sports tournament we’re all about to invest our free time in next month: March Madness. The NCAA and CBS/Turner Sports are currently in a $10.8 billion contract together until 2024. That’s nearly $11 billion for three weekends of television per year, which doesn’t even include the revenue they’ll produce during the actual games. Why not take a chunk of that and distribute the money among players that generate millions of dollars for their school. Or at least allow them to accept endorsement deals, similar to the Olympic model. The number of college basketball players who dart for the NBA draft each year is staggering. Sometimes, they’ll declare because they believe in their ability to play at the next level. But let’s be real, a majority of college athletes leave early to collect a paycheck. Does anybody remember Jereme Richmond? The Chicagoproduct was one of the most talented high school basketball players in the country in 2010 who committed to University of Illinois that same year. He was used as a bench player as a freshman, averaging just 7.6 points per game. But instead of developing in college, Richmond decided to enter the NBA draft after one season so he could collect a salary to pay off his debts. Needless to say, he went undrafted and lost his way finding himself in and out of prison since then. My point is that players like Richmond wouldn’t hesitate to return to college (if they were able to test their market value) because they don’t face as significant public pressure to sign a rookie contract. Many, including myself at one point, fear(ed) that this would create a rift in college sports, but I’m not sure I agree with that now. If players were allowed to receive stipends, the pressure to accept illegal benefits would be significantly less. Allowing college athletes to test their market value also provides an incentive for borderline professional prospects to remain in college. Could you imagine if Anthony Davis was still playing for Kentucky right now as a junior? Or Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller with Indiana? What about Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers in the same starting lineup with Jabari Parker for Duke? March Madness? More like, March Marvelous. Want more Elmhurst College Sports angles? Follow Charlie on Twitter @CRoumeliotis.

March 18, 2014

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PRATER WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! See WRESTLING on page 19

Matt Prater (left) accepts his title on the stand while his opponent, Robert Diema, (right) takes second. Photo courtesy of Kevin Juday