Daily Kent Stater From Page 1
WHITE ‘It just seemed like it wasn’t real’ Weber said many of White’s friends would describe him as an intellectual. White, a 28-year-old Kent State graduate student and a veteran of the Iraq War, “had a strong opinion of pretty much everything.” “He was really, really smart,” Weber said. “He would debate with you about anything and even if you disagreed about something, it didn’t matter. You would argue about something and then two seconds later you’d be laughing about how stupid it was.” Laura Lofgren, junior newspaper journalism major, was a fellow member of College Libertarians with White last semester. She still has a hard time figuring out why anyone would assault someone like White. “John was one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met,” Lofgren said. “For something like this to happen to someone who did not deserve it whatsoever, to me it’s just bullshit.” Before coming to Kent State, White received a bachelor’s degree in religion from Ohio Wesleyan
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CHARGES ‘It just seemed like it wasn’t real’ “The whole Kent State community is keeping his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers,” President Lester Lefton said in a statement. “We grieve the loss of this young man who served his country and was a graduate student here.” It was reported that the altercation occurred outside the bars in Kent after Ragin involved himself in a verbal argument between White and a female. Akron police, who were assisted by the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Task Force, arrested Ragin without incident at his residence for felonious assault, a seconddegree felony, on Jan. 26. He was then transported to the Kent Police Department. Ragin’s defense attorney, Danny James Weisenburger, said Ragin had made arrangements with Kent Police Lt. Robert Treharn to turn himself in. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before Judge John A. Enlow at
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ROTC
They are healthy and ready “Mentally, over there, you just take your mind off of everything during your time off,” Gray said. From spending time playing basketball and video games to calling or e-mailing loved ones, the military was somewhat of a home away from home. “The way I saw it was going overseas was kind of like a vacation,” Taylor said. “It was my first time out of the United States, so I was like, ‘Alright I’m going to go to Germany, then to Russia and then to Afghanistan.’” After graduation, both Gray and Taylor will have to serve in the military again; however, they will have the status of officers. There is a chance of being deployed to serve overseas and the concern of leaving with a mental disease such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder — but this does not faze these two cadets. “It is always a possibility because you never know what you are going to run into,” Gray
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | Page 5 University before serving in the military. He completed a master’s degree in Library Science at Kent State and was attempting to earn a second master’s in Instructional Technologies. Last summer, White volunteered at the Kent Historical Society on a weekly basis. He served the society primarily as a researcher, writing a paper about John Brown for the 150th anniversary of his death. Sandy Halem, president of the historical society’s board of trustees, said she remembers White for his “intense” personality. “He had a distinctly wicked sense of humor,” Halem said. “He tried to say things in a way that people would react to them. He definitely liked to stir the pot a bit. He really had a very clever wit.” Koch said the only way to describe White is with one word: “unique.” “There’s no one I know that’s like him,” he said. “I think it’s this kind of ironic tragedy that he can survive the Iraq war and then come back to Kent and this is what happens to him here.” Contact public affairs reporter Cody Francis at cfranci1@kent.edu. React to this story and more at Kentwired.com the Portage County Common Pleas Court and is being held at the Portage County Jail on a $250,000 bond. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on March 25. Hallie E. Nuspl was arrested on Feb. 8 for one count each of obstructing official business, a fifth-degree felony, and assault, a first-degree misdemeanor. She was booked at the Portage County Sheriff’s Office and released on the same day after posting a $20,000 personal recognizance bond. Nuspl pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Feb. 16 and has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 9. This is the second student death following a physical assault in downtown Kent within the last three months. Christopher M. Kernich, 28, died Nov. 21 from injuries sustained in an assault on East Main Street. Adrian A. Barker and Ronald G. Kelly will face trial this spring for Kernich’s murder. Contact public affairs reporter Kelly Byer at kbyer@kent.edu React to this story and more at Kentwired.com
said. “I mean, let’s say you just have your regular raid mission and you run into something you were not expecting. That could affect your mental health later on.” Both Gray and Taylor believe it is hard to tell whether or not the ROTC prepares cadets well enough mentally to fight in the war, mainly because they were in the core first. “I think the ROTC is more or less training you for the military,” Gray said. “They are not training you for the war per say, but they are preparing you to become an officer instead.” Most cadets join the ROTC fresh out of high school, and Gray and Taylor can give them some sort of insight on what to expect in the military and the memories that can be made. “You’re going to miss everybody once you are done serving,” said Gray of those who served with him. “That’s for sure.” Contact ROTC reporter Megan Dunick at mdunick@kent.edu. React to this story and more at Kentwired.com
Olympic training, Kent State-style Amanda Klitsch
Daily Kent Stater With the Winter Olympics competition in full swing, many students may be inspired by the caliber and excellence of the athletes performing. “Those athletes push their bodies and their sports beyond normal limits, ” said Eddie Olschansky, junior electronic communications major and avid snowboarder. “Those are the best athletes in the world. Anyone interested in improving can take notes from Olympians, no matter what the sport.” The workout routines and skill training that goes into reaching an Olympic level can be exhausting and overwhelming, but there are workouts that can help the everyday athlete improve their game even in Olympic sports. “It’s huge to have a good workout in order to improve at a
sport,” said personal trainer Ben Cope. “When you have someone working to improve at a certain sport, I recommend more sport specific training, which means helping them to mimic and improve at the skills they’re doing when competing.” Many athletes find that simply participating in their sport is enough of a workout to improve. “ P e r s o n a l l y, I t h i n k j u s t practicing is the way to go,” Olschansky said. “You don’t have to be the strongest person in the world to ride well, and the strength you need in the legs you gain from practicing.” Cope said he does not necessarily disagree with this method but believes training can definitely do more to improve an athlete in most sports than just consistent skill practice. “I can do a sport over and over and over again and you’re going to get better skill wise,
but when you want to work on something like say your leaping ability, you’re only going to get so much better while playing,” Cope said. “I would take that person and do plyometrics with them over a six-month period and do a lot of band work with them. You take what they do in a game and making them stronger, quicker and faster at that specific thing.” Sometimes workouts used to improve at a specific sport can be out of the ordinary or even out of season. “I run a lot to improve in ski cross,” said Kevin Stone, sophomore organizational communication and German translation major. “There are several other drills I know for off-season fitness, but I’m not good at going to the gym.” Even Olympic athletes seek off-season and alternative drills to improve at sports, Cope said, and they have no choice but to
get to the gym. “The skiers that do a lot of flips and even skiers that do jumps use a lot of gymnastics skills,” Cope said. “They do a lot of trampoline work and indoor training with foam pits to mimic what they are actually doing on skis.” Many athletes, no matter their training level, just enjoy improving their skills and participating in their sports, despite how much work it takes. “My goal is to just have fun, to progress and to never let snowboarding become a chore,” Olschansky said. “To become the best rider you can be that is what progression is all about.” Contact Student Recreation and Wellness Center reporter Amanda Klitsch at aklitsch@kent.edu. React to this story and more at Kentwired.com
Resources available for study abroad Multiple scholarship opportunities are possible for students Lindsy Neer Daily Kent Stater It might not be long before studying abroad becomes more affordable for Kent State students. Teaming together with organizations like Phi Beta Delta, International Affairs has started providing students with small scholarships to help fund their study abroad trips. Two to five students receive the $500 Phi Beta Delta scholarships each year.
“We realize that for the typical Kent State student, finances can really be an issue for them,” said Ted McKown, associate director of international affairs. The British American Chamber of Commerce gives out two $1000 scholarships a year to students traveling to the United Kingdom. Some Kent colleges, such as the College of Architecture and the College of Communication and Information, give out scholarships to help students fund trips to Florence. “When you think about funding your education when you’re studying abroad, there are some great alternatives here at Kent State so that the money you’re paying really isn’t that different than if you were here on the Kent campus,” McKown said. Sometimes it’s actually cheap-
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er to study abroad than to study at Kent. The first year when students went to Turkey, the university paid 10 female students’ housing expenses. Similarly, National Taichung University in Taiwan gave 10 students full-ride scholarships. The next year, they paid for five students to attend the university. Exchange programs are another way to travel abroad. Instead of paying the host school’s tuition, students pay Kent tuition, plus the host school’s living expenses. Kent students can enjoy exchange programs in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Hong Kong, Japan and Russia. Ediz Kaykayoglu, special assistant in the Office of International Affairs, said joining a scholar exchange program such as Fulbright Scholar Program
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BUSTS
OPTIONS
Drug busts just a ‘coincidence’
Students demand options
“Maybe people are just looking for new things to do,” DePaola said. “They’re getting sick of the drinking and partying.” Peach said the upswing in drug activity is nothing all too unusual. He said activity and even the different types of drugs circulate between years. “When we have drug enforcement cases going on, and when we wind up arresting eight to 12 drug dealers on campus, it has a pretty strong, chilling effect for a year or so,” Peach said. Although the number of drug busts has increased from previous years, Peach said law enforcement needs to crackdown on more people before drug activity decreases on campus. “It’s not going to have any long-term effects until they (drug dealers) or their operations are threatened,” Peach said. Some of KSUPD’s success with cracking down on crime comes from tips students give through the department’s confidential phone line, Peach said. “We are really dependent on students telling us what they are seeing and hearing,” he said. KSUPD’s confidential phone number is (330) 672-2212.
“Dining Services does a pretty good job at providing healthy foods, vegetables, fruits,” Luidhardt said. “They also, however, have cheeseburgers and pizza and fried chicken. “I think a lot of times students think ‘Oh there’s no healthy food to eat’ because it’s just in the habit of going to that station (for burgers, etc.), but they do have healthy options and now you can get the nutrition information for all the food offered on (Dining Service’s) website.” Now on kentstatedining. com, students need only to look up the location where they want to eat to find the nutritional and ingredient information of all the meals offered that week. “It’s nice too because you can submit a comment or leave a complaint,” Luidhardt said. “I know a couple years ago we had students complain that the salad bars only
could also help students get money toward studying abroad. The Institute of International Education acts as a middleman between students, scholar programs and scholarships. The most important thing for students to do is to get out and search for scholarships on their own, said McKown and Kaykayoglu. “Kent students find their own (scholarships) all the time,” Kaykayoglu said. “Sometimes it depends on the country or the major, but throughout the United States and throughout the world there are so many opportunities for scholarships.” Contact student affairs reporter Lindsy Neer at lneer@kent.edu. React to this story and more at Kentwired.com
had iceberg lettuce. There were a lot of students writing in asking for more greens, spinach, romaines and now (Dining Services) is doing that, so they respond.” Alyssa Conti, senior biology major and Centennial A resident assistant, said she has noticed a change in campus food. “When I first came in, we had the fried food and everything else like that, but throughout the years, I feel like the school has become more conscious of what they are providing,” Conti said. “There’s more vegetarian options, more healthy options instead of just putting everything in a fryer.” Luidhardt said prepackaged food offered in the dining halls can also be a healthy option. “Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones are great because they’re portioned,” Luidhardt said. “They’re not that expensive. They’re only about 300 calories though, so that’s probably only going to fill you up for an hour so I always recommend to either add fruit or some vegetables so it’s more of a complete meal.”
Luidhardt also recommended filling Styrofoam takeout containers with salad and vegetables from the salad bar to have on hand in the dorm rooms. “Also always have healthy cereals,” Luidhardt said. “Cereal can be a great breakfast, a great snack food, so I always say ‘Hey, keep that cereal around’. It’s better than keeping other things.” The key to prepackaged success, Luidhardt said, is to check serving sizes and make sure each one has fewer than 800 milligrams of sodium. With all the food options on campus, Roldan said eating healthy is an individual process. “Healthy is your own personal thought,” Roldan said. “Whether that’s three meals a day, getting lots of protein, whatever your lifestyle is, we want to offer a balance for all lifestyles.”
Contact health reporter Ashley Sepanski at asepansk@kent. React to this story and more
at Kentwired.com
Contact safety reporter Simon Husted at shusted1@kent.edu React to this story and more at Kentwired.com
More senior citizens decide to try smoking pot before they kick the proverbial bucket MATT SEDENSKY
Associated Press Writer MIAMI (AP) — In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of red wine. A crisp copy of The New York Times, if she can wrest it from her husband. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night like clockwork, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana.
Long a fixture among young people, use of the country’s most popular illicit drug is now growing among the AARP set, as the massive generation of baby boomers who came of age in the 1960s and ‘70s grows older. The number of people aged 50 and older reporting marijuana use in the prior year went up from 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent from 2002 to 2008, according to surveys from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Ser-
vices Administration. The rise was most dramatic among 55- to 59-year-olds, whose reported marijuana use more than tripled from 1.6 percent in 2002 to 5.1 percent. Observers expect further increases as 78 million boomers born between 1945 and 1964 age. For many boomers, the drug never held the stigma it did for previous generations, and they tried it decades ago. Some have used it ever since,
while others are revisiting the habit in retirement, either for recreation or as a way to cope with the aches and pains of aging. Siegel walks with a cane and has arthritis in her back and legs. She finds marijuana has helped her sleep better than pills ever did. And she can’t figure out why everyone her age isn’t sharing a joint, too. “They’re missing a lot of fun and a lot of relief,” she said.