Feb. 25, 2016

2

Student Government New bill to allow students to replace grades passes

Men’s Basketball

6

Bearcats need a strong finish to improve tournament chances

THE NEWS RECORD / UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

NEWS BITES AMIR SAMARGHANDI AND HUY NGUYEN | NEWS EDITORS

Trump wins third state in a row

Business mogul Donald Trump triumphed in the Nevada Republican Caucus — his biggest win to date.

Trump won 45.9 percent of the vote in Nevada, scoring huge points in numerous demographics such as women.

“Forty-six percent with the Hispanics.

Forty-six percent. No. 1 with Hispanics.

I’m really happy about that,”Trump said in his victory speech. “We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.”

The nearly 46 percent of the vote he received is by far the highest share won

by Trump, or any other Republican, in any state so far and 22 points more than his nearest competitor.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) placed second, with 24 percent of the vote, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) finished in third with 21 percent.

Dr. Ben Carson finished fourth with 4.8 percent of the vote. Ohio Gov. John Kasich finished last with 3.6 percent of the vote.

New poll shows Kasich’s homefield advantage

A new Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday shows Ohio Gov. John Kasich thumping the leading Democratic presidential candidates.

Kasich beats out former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 54 percent to 37 percent among registered voters in his home state. Kasich also bests Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) 54 percent to 35 percent. However, Donald Trump leads Kasich 31-26 among likely Ohio Republican primary voters.

Aerospace students go to San Diego

Four CEAS aerospace doctorate students presented their research at the 2016 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SciTech Conference The AIAA hosted the SciTech Conference in San Diego, which showcases next-generation innovations in aerospace technologies.

Brandon Cook, Nicholas Hanlon, Sarthak Kukreti and Anoop Sathyan presented their research papers on state-of-the-art advancements in unmanned aerial vehicle technology.

Religious liberty bill sparks controversy AMIR SAMARGHANDI | NEWS EDITOR

Saying man and dinosaurs once roamed the Earth together could possibly be considered a viable answer in Ohio classrooms if a new bill becomes state law.

House Bill 425, known as the “Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act of 2016,” would protect religious expression in public schools and ensure religious groups are treated the same way as secular student groups, according to the bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Bill Hayes (R-Granville).

The bill would alter the current law that limits religious expression to non-instructional periods and would allow a student to engage in religious expression “before, during, and after school hours … to the same extent that a student is permitted to engage in secular activities.”

While the bill largely addresses the issue of religious expression at public schools, one section of the bill prohibits a school from penalizing or rewarding a student’s religious expression when completing homework or other assignments — meaning that creationist answers would be treated with the same validity as evolutionary ones.

“This isn’t for universities, this is for public school but this is a state school — but why is this even a question if it’s so permissible here at a state university? We have religious observances on campus at different times for different faiths. I think they at the lower public school level sometimes play the card ‘we can’t do that, we’re a state school.’They’re all state schools,” said Ken Dillard, pastor at Collegiate Ministries of Cincinnati.

Dillard advises students in his ministry about how to deal with the issue of answering academic questions with religious belief or scientific fact.

“Students ask me ‘what should I say on these tests?’

I say if you’re being tested on this material, you need to report what’s on the material.

That’s does not deny your belief, that does not say that’s

what you believe. You just say ‘this is what the textbook told me,’” said Dillard, a minister at UC for 24 years.

Other members of UC’s many campus ministries agreed with Dillard’s sentiment about how to approach science class.

“Religious students can’t pass a science class on belief — ‘God said so’ can’t be the answer — you have to answer questions within the curriculum,” said Yitzi Creeger, rabbi at the Chabad Jewish Center.

Creeger does believe that some aspects of the bill do have merit.

“Religious expression should have always been allowed in conversation amongst students, even during class, and from teachers when properly introduced. As long as it’s pertinent to the topic at hand and not disruptive or proselytizing,” said Creeger.

Members of UC’s Secular Student Alliance worried about the implications of the bill.

“This isn’t about ‘religious expression,’ this is about religious groups trying even harder to silence secular groups like they always have — we’re just finally finding a voice and it scares them,” said Anna Butcher, a fourth-year biological anthropology and history student.

Some students were concerned the bill would be a louder voice to some groups.

“I find this bill to be largely redundant, poorly written, and potentially dangerous depending upon who ends up getting the final say on the interpretation,” said Taylor Haynes, a second-year political science student.

Jeremy Koster, an associate anthropology professor, said evolution is an unassailable theory and worries about what will happen to America’s scientific literacy if bills like this become law.

“If anything, creationism merits attention in university science classes only because it is still unclear how modern humans could have evolved to be simultaneously so intelligent and rational on the one hand but so imperviously wed to fantastic religious narratives on the other hand,” Koster said.

As part of the National Women’s History Project — a non-profit educational group spotlighting the historical accomplishments of women in America’s history — UC will host special events during “Women’s History Month” in March.

HUY NGUYEN | NEWS EDITOR

Anonymous targets Cincinnati police

Bearcat athletics set for this weekend

With three games left in the season, the Bearcats’ men’s basketball team plays the last place team in the AAC, East Carolina University, Saturday at noon in Greenville North Carolina in a game that will have NCAA tournament implications.

UC baseball will participate in the Georgia Foley Field Tournament this weekend in Athens, Georgia.

UC will play Western Kentucky University Friday, the University of Georgia Saturday and South Alabama University Sunday.

Weather

Thursday will be snowy and windy with a high of 39 and a low of 28.

Friday will be cloudy with a high of 37 and a low of 25.

Sunday will be warmer with a high of 52 and a low of 37.

religious liberty would be extended to all faiths.

“I doubt Muslims will be allowed the same treatment as Christians. I mean really, imagine if a Muslim wanted to pray in the middle of class because it’s the right time of day? People’s heads would explode,” said Matthew Owen, a graduate student in mechanical engineering.

UC does heart transplant

UC to host Women’s History Month events

A “hacktivist” group known as Anonymous Anon Verdict announced that it had obtained personal information of 52 Cincinnati Police Department employees — including information on police chief Elliot Isaacs.

The group states the so-called data dump was in response to the recent death of Paul Gaston, who was shot and killed by Cincinnati police officers on Feb. 17, according to a YouTube video the group posted Sunday.

Some students took a more nuanced stance to the highly polarizing topic.

“I would say that schools should be free to teach whatever they want, but parents should be able to choose what school their children are sent to and what they learn,” said Drake Lundstrom, president of UC’s Young Americans for Liberty, who strongly disagrees with creationism but believes the bill does have some merit.

Others worry about whether this

CALLIE CORY | CHIEF REPORTER

McKenzie Zimmerman, fourth-year communication student, discusses the effectiveness and application process for Pell Grants Tuesday morning, Feb. 23, 2016.

Pell Grants go unclaimed

Had his new heart arrived a week later, David Waits, a Hillsboro resident, may not have been at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Wednesday to announce his recovery from the UC Health’s first heart transplant in eight years.

Waits, 50, suffered a massive heart attack Dec. 2014 in his home that forced him to rely on a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) from UC Health to help mechanically pump blood throughout his body.

Despite the LVAD, Waits continued to get sicker and underwent advanced heart failure therapy. He waited for a compatible heart since Oct. 2015, and had his successful transplant Feb. 2.

“Once you put a new heart in, it works really, really well, everything about the patient gets better — we watched him literally get better by the hour,” said Dr. David Feldman, director of clinical services for the UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute. “He was only a couple weeks away from being too sick to receive a heart transplant.”

The heart transplant is the latest in cardiac treatment made available for Cincinnati residents.

The nearest locations for an identical operation are about 100 miles away.

“Regardless of how sick or how complicated and severe the problem becomes, people can rest assured that they can get world-class care right here in Cincinnati, and I think there’s nothing

JUSTIN REUTTER | SENIOR REPORTER

The University of Cincinnati has a record enrollment and number of applicants this year, but many students are unknowingly leaving a lot of cash for school on the table.

The number of applications and enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year are the highest in school history, with many students citing the ease of applying and location as main reasons for committing to coming to UC. There are 44,251 students enrolled with 26,089 enrolled as full-time undergraduate students and 5,503 are full-time graduate and professional students.

However, UC and other Ohio college PROVIDED BY UC HEALTH

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David Waits, 50, receives UC Health’s first heart transplant in eight years, Feb. 2, 2016.

THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

that better exemplifies that commitment to this community than the heart transplant program,” said Dr. Rick Lofgren, CEO of UC Health.

UC Health’s transplant program already deals with kidney, liver, bone marrow and pancreas transplants.

UC Health completes about 100 liver transplants and 100 kidney transplants each year, according to Dr. Andrew Friedrich, director of quality for the UC Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute.

Friedrich believes UC Health perform about 15 heart transplants each year with the development of the program.

“We have the infrastructure to do transplants on very sick patients very well,” said Friedrich.

Current medical students are hopefully they can keep pushing the technologies of transplants forward into the future.

“UC’s research has taken great strides in that they’re able to do heart transplants and that stuff — I just hope, like, eventually when I get to that state, I’ll be able to do research to like take leaps and bounds to progress UC and their medical department like with this heart transplant,” said Alec Hall, a first-year neuroscience student.

When asked where he would be going after his ordeal, Waits had one word.

“Home.”

FREE

2 / NEWS THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

Tobacco free campus effort moves to next step HUY NGUYEN | NEWS EDITOR

University of Cincinnati President Santa Ono approved the smoke-free policy and implementation committee Tuesday, the first steps in an effort to ban tobacco on campus.

The announcement letter was sent to students Tuesday to affirm the move will promote health and wellness in the university community, and will encompass all forms of tobacco, such as dipping tobacco and e-cigarettes, both indoors and outdoors.

The committee will use the next 12 months to evaluate the university and develop a policy and implementation plan, but an official date of implementation is still unknown.

“This is an aggressive time frame,” said Tamie Grunow, Senior Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer.

The time frame is actually quicker than some regional universities that have implemented similar plans.

“Twenty-four months is quite common — if you look at what Ohio State has done, and Michigan and OU, they all took a quite lengthy period of time,” said Elizabeth Aumann, Director of Benefits.

“There’s many components and moving parts — policy development, marketing, neighborhood interfaith — all sorts of things that we want to take our time and do correctly and make sure all stakeholders have an opportunity to provide input.”

Policies will involve banning relevant tobacco products and education programs to inform students, faculty and staff.

Some students want to make sure all options are considered before any policies are made official. Chris Whaley, a thirdyear marketing and information systems student, wants designated spots available for smoking and e-cigarettes.

OSU implemented a tobacco-free policy but e-cigarettes are still used on campus, said Whaley.

The UC Board of Trustees will review all decisions made by the committee before approval for use on campus.

Ono has confirmed the committee cochair membership to include Liz Aumann, director of benefits; Jeff Bauer, dean of UC Clermont College; Joseph Harrell, assistant vice president for utilities services; and Amanda Lynch, assistant professor in the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services.

Other UC community representatives will also be involved in the committee’s decisions.

“We haven’t identified individuals yet, but we do know we’re going to have student leaders, probably some union leaders,” said Grunow.

Over 1620 U.S. colleges are successfully tobacco-free, including Miami University, Xavier University and Northern Kentucky University. UC Health has already implemented tobacco-free policies for years.

The tobacco-free movement has been progressing since early 2012 when Undergraduate Student Government reviewed campus polls that showed support for tobacco restrictions on campus. That same year the Ohio Board of Regents voted to recommend Ohio universities ban tobacco on campus.

The UC Faculty Senate, Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Student Governance Association all approved resolutions to support the tobacco-free initiative. SG voters passed their resolution bill Oct. 28, 2015.

“This is not just about the current students, this is about future students – five years from now not a single student will

know unless they look back on historical senate rules that we even had tobacco on campus,” said College of Engineering and Applied Science Senator John Lewnard during the SG decision.

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JEAN PLEITEZ | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Andrew Naab, president of Student Government, addressing the SG body at the Wednesday evening meeting, Feb. 24 , 2016 in TUC.

SG passes grade replacement bill HUY NGUYEN | NEWS EDITOR

Bad grades may be forgiven thanks to a new policy approved by Student Government Wednesday.

SG unanimously passed a resolution bill to support the adoption of a Grade Forgiveness policy for the University of Cincinnati.

The policy will allow a student who has switched majors to waive past major-specific courses where a D or F was earned.

UC currently uses a Grade Replacement system, which lets students retake classes in order to replace the grade of a previous attempt — this system is primarily used to boost student GPA. “The problem with this is that in a vast majority, a lot of cases in which students actually are using grade replacement, they’re doing it because they have changed their major into a different college and after they have been struggling in a different major,” said Arts and Science Tribunal Senator Danny O’Connor.

Students who switch majors and want to raise their GPA are forced to pay UC and retake courses, using up their time and money toward classes that do not apply to their new major.

The new forgiveness policy will attempt to provide redeclaring students a limited fresh start and avoid doing poorly in their courses a second time.

“The idea of this originated about a year ago in conversations that were had about a year ago with Arts and Sciences — I had an opportunity to be involved in such conversations and it led us into, as a committee, into this exploration of what the best practices in other universities are regarding remedial grade,” said O’Connor.

The policy has certain qualifications required of the student in order to promote accountability and fairness, such as a limit of 10 semester hours of forgiveness and restrictions on registering for the forgiven course in the future.

The proposed policy has not yet been completed and is still under discussion by the Academic Affairs committees of SG and the Faculty Senate. It will work in parallel with the Grade Replacement system.

SG voted 22-0 to provide $250 for the UC Rotaract Club to help fund their annual program Clean-Up Cincy, a university-wide beautification program to engage students and keep Cincinnati safe and clean.

The funding will pay for 150 eco-friendly event supply bags for participants.

Participants will travel around Cincinnati cleaning streets and fostering sustainability.

The program will take place April 2 and over 900 student volunteers are estimated to attend.

students who qualify for federal aid — especially Pell Grants — are not taking advantage of the full slate of benefits available to them.

Ohio students did not claim $92.3 million in Pell Grant money during the 2014-2015 academic year, according to the Dayton Business Journal, the seventh-highest amount in the country.

UC students can be awarded up to $5,730, according to the UC financial aid grants page.

UC Financial Aid was unavailable for comment on how many UC students receive Pell Grants.

The federal maximum Pell Grant is currently $5,775 with next year’s maximum being $5,815.

The tuition at UC for an in-state undergraduate student is $11,000 per school year and $26,334 for out of state students. UC housing and board will run between $10,750, and $13,050 per year.

To receive a Pell Grant, students must be an undergraduate who demonstrates financial need in their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The decision is based on the student’s financial situation, cost of attendance, status as a full-time or part-time student and plans to attend school for a full academic year or less.

“Receiving a Pell Grant was pretty easy,” said McKenzie Zimmerman, a fourth-year communications student. “It just came through my FAFSA and I accepted it through OneStop.”

Students ineligible to receive a Pell Grant may owe a refund on a Title IV grant, are in default on a Title IV loan, a male who has not registered with the Selective Service, an individual who is currently incarcerated or those who do not demonstrate a financial need.

The difficulty of receiving a grant changes depending on which parent’s financial information the grant is filed under if the parents are separated.

The average Pell Grant received in Ohio was $3,500 for the 2014-2015 school year. This is below the national average of $3698.92, based on data from Nerdwallet’s article “How Students Missed Out on $2.7 Billion in Free FAFSA College Aid.”

In addition to finding UC’s financial aid options favorable, students note the location of the main campus to be convenient.

Luke Hess, a third-year criminal justice student, was attracted to UC’s comparisons to other universities in the state. Hess transferred to UC in the fall and cited the ease of transfer into UC from another school.

“UC’s a lot cheaper than OU and a lot closer since I grew up near Glen Este,” Hess said. “I went to UC’s Clermont campus and it was easy to transfer.”

The issue of left-behind Pell Grants will be a growing issue on campus thanks to UC’s booming enrollment.

UC saw a 14 percent increase this year from last year’s application intake, the most applications in school history.

Other area colleges are seeing the same growth with applications. According to Miami University’s website, the school received over 29,500 applications from prospective incoming freshmen, a nearly 9 percent increase from the 2014 fall semester.

“I liked how UC was compared to other colleges. The design here was way more interesting,” said Anthony Oury, a fourth-year geology student. “I looked at OSU and Wright State and Cincinnati itself was way more interesting.”

GRAPHIC BY RUSSEL HAUSFELD

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COLLEGE LIFE / 3 THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

Students find Catskeller hidden gem EMILY HETTERSCHEIDT | STAFF REPORTER

Most students of legal age would love the opportunity to have a beer, play some pool and hang out with friends when they get a break during their busy school days without leaving campus.

Catskeller is located on the bottom floor of Tangeman University Center facing Nippert Stadium. While it is a popular place for students to grab a quick salad or sandwich during the day, the pub also serves beer and bar food for those who want to kick back and take a break.

The pub, which gets its name from a Ratskeller, a bar that is typically in the basement of a city hall, opens as early as 11 a.m. during the week, making it a good place to grab lunch.

The meal

exchange program was recently moved from the second floor of TUC at Quick Mick’s Café to Catskeller, which has increased the foot traffic in the pub, but not necessarily business for the bar, according to Kasey Waaland, Catskeller’s manager.

“I believe it’s going to help down the line, especially when the kids that are freshmen now, once they turn 21, they’ll know we’re here,” he said The meal exchange provides breakfast sandwiches, salads, sandwiches, wraps and drinks to students with meal plans.

Each student with a meal plan can use one swipe per meal period.

Brian Yockey and John Tzioumois, both fourthyear students in mechanical engineering technology, are regular pool players and have been going to the

Catskeller for four years. The two liked the addition of the meal exchange program, but wished it did not take up so much space.

The bar only serves beer, but they said the wide variety of beer options make up for that.

“We do mostly craft, we do have some domestics for people who enjoy that. We have 40 different kinds of bottled beer I believe, and we always have eight taps that rotate,” said Waaland.

Some students, such as Joe Lovelace, a computer science doctoral student, enjoy the various options.

“They have a very good selection. They actually have a better selection than most bars in Clifton,” said Lovelace, who has been going to Catskeller for about nine years.

Not only are there drinks and food available at the pub, but plenty of entertainment as well.

The pub features many weekly events, such as trivia night on Mondays and

Catskeller Unplugged on Thursdays, which features live music.

There are two pool tables and plenty of flat-screen TV’s, as well as stereos that are usually playing popular throwback music. While it may not be a great place to study or do homework, it is certainly a good place to have fun.

Though Damien Byrne is not a student at UC, he enjoys hanging out at Catskeller while he waits for his band mate to get out of class.

“It’s a lot better sitting in here, using the computer and stuff in here. There’s music and all that, whereas if I go upstairs and sit up there it’s just a bunch of people and then the library’s all quiet. I just like it better in here,” said Byrne.

While the pub is popular with regular graduate and older students, its fame seems to rest mostly in the meal exchange.

“This is kind of a hidden gem,” said Waaland.

Group aims to get students to save money The Student Life Center is giving tips on budgeting and saving money for students during “America Saves Week.”

Volunteers for the Wellness Center stood at a booth on the third floor of TUC Monday, passing out brochures on ways to save money and offering prizes to a “spin the wheel” game set up at their booth.

Volunteers including Aisha Powell, a second-year business economics student, and Eunique Avery, a second-year social work student, offered advice based on personal experience.

“The best advice that I could give is to start budgeting now,” Avery said. “A lot of times we’re not really paying attention to what we actually spend. So sitting down and actually creating a budget for yourself based on your income is a really great idea for me personally.”

Saving as a college student can be difficult, but it is important in order to obtain financial stability in the future, according to Avery.

Some easy ways to save money on a regular basis include limiting the number of times you eat out, renting used textbooks rather than buying, pursuing scholarships and avoiding impulse buying.

“Saving in college is real real hard,” said Juana Gonzales, a first-year nursing student. “You have to buy books and that sucks, especially with me being in a health field. I think America Saves is really helpful for students struggling to balance a good budget, especially when it’s hard to have an income and be a full time student.”

The Student Wellness Center offers peer financial coaching to students in need, with the option to request a coaching session.

“We can sit down and talk to them and give them advice on what exactly they’re trying to save for,” Avery said.

America Saves Week runs through Saturday nationally, bringing thousands of organizations together to promote “automatic savings.”

In order to take action in financial stability as a student, America Saves recommends setting a goal by taking the America Saves Pledge, making a plan by creating a new budget or kit, and setting up automatic savings by working with a bank to start a primary savings.

The Student Life Center also hosted a pizza party

Sheriff talks about issues with police SAMANTHA HALL | COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR

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SAMANTHA HALL | COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR

TONY CASTRUCCI | CONTRIBUTOR

Albert “Tim” Rodenberg, the sheriff of Clermont County since 1997, discuss topics of Black Lives Matters, police brutality and issues with the criminal justice system with students in McMicken Hall, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016.

Tuesday promoting the week, and will host a panel on the sixth floor of the Steger Life Center when, giving students the opportunity to create financial goals with the help of financial advisors and volunteers.

The sheriff of Clermont County held court Tuesday with University of Cincinnati journalism and media student on issues and complications currently facing law enforcement.

Albert “Tim” Rodenberg, sheriff since January 1997, stood before dozens of students to tackle controversial issues and answer questions on topics including Black Lives Matters, police brutality and the problems with the criminal justice system.

Prior to his career as a sheriff, he was the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Clermont County and also was involved with the private practice of law.

On Black Lives Matter, Rodenberg said that the majority of his county is white, with 2 percent black citizens.

“I’ve had one complaint in 20 years from a minority,” Rodenberg said. “It was over something minor. He thought the deputy had stopped him from racial profiling.

That’s the only case.”

According to Rodenberg, Clermont County does not deal with many racial issues.

“It only takes one or two bad apples, or bad cases, whatever you want to call them,” Rodenberg said. “It’s pretty a mess.

The Black Lives Matters movement started basically with what, one instant? That’s what made it pick up. It may have been festering for years, don’t get me wrong.

But the Michael Brown case, Ferguson, that’s what blew it off.”

Rodenberg said the most of the officers in America never face a problem or get into trouble.

“The vast majority of officers are good,” Rodenberg said. “But I will tell you this too. Someone asked me in the men’s room, they said ‘what do you think of Black Lives Matters?’ And I said ‘Well I tell you what, I’m not black so I can’t.’ I do think its very important and that that had to happen.”

Rodenberg also touched on the evolution of UC, stating student organizations and the campus were more right-winged and conservative, compared to the overwhelming Democratic population on campus today.

In response to questions raised by students on the war on drugs and criminal justice system, Rodenberg discussed the possibility of rewriting the criminal code and finding new ways to handle crime.

“The criminal justice system hasn’t changed since I started. We keep doing the same things. We can’t spend our way out of this, we keep building more and more prisons,” he said.

One prison can cost a state up to $1 billion, causing a bigger financial problem for the state rather than rehabilitating the inmates it holds and preventing the problem in the future, according to Rodenberg.

Rodenberg holds discussions for students each semester, giving them the opportunity to ask questions and learn of the law force.

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Taking the stress out of studying for midterms KATARINA KNEHANS | CONTRIBUTOR OPINION

With midterms in full swing and finals not far ahead, preventing stress and keeping a clear head are two ways to get the most out of studying.

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A national stress survey conducted by ChildLine revealed that 96 percent of 1,300 students surveyed felt anxious about exams, 59 percent feeling pressure from their parents to do well and 64 percent saying they never received any support in dealing with exams There are simple and easy ways to prevent these feelings of anxiety and pressure including the following: Make a list Write down everything you need to do and set aside intervals of time to study the material for each course’s midterm.

Drink caffeine Whether it be tea, coffee or an energy drink, the caffeine will make sure you stay awake enough to study hard. Just be careful to not drink too much and to know your limits.

Keep a clean area If your space is cluttered, your head will be too. Pick up the trash around your desk, spray some lemon-scented duster, re-stack your books and make your study area is organized.

Listen to pump up music Listening to music to get you in the zone never hurt anybody.

Beyoncé, Slayer and even Queen are some of the best bands for motivational music.

Get out of bed Sitting at a desk for hours on end will drive anyone crazy. Feel

free to give your body a change in motion and stretch. New movements will help wake up your brain too.

Take a walk To clear your head and give yourself a break, get some fresh air and maybe even walk your dog. Really anything with dogs is good.

Don’t Cram Cramming won’t help you learn faster. You need time for the brain to move information to long-term memory so you can retrieve it later. If you cram, the information stays in short-term memory and won’t be easy to retrieve during the big test.

Get lots of sleep Even though students are often tempted to stay awake all night studying during midterms and finals week, it is vital to your health to get at least eight hours of sleep each night in a comfortable environment.

Eat regularly Snack, snack regularly and snack healthily. Make a tortilla, Nutella and banana wrap or even just eat some fruit. Eating foods that are stimulating to the brain are more helpful that most students realize and can give you more energy than soda or sugar.

Calm down Everyone overthinks and has moments of panic. If this happens to you, it’s good to give yourself time to recover and calm down.

Take a hot shower or bath to give yourself time a clear mind for once you jump back into the books.

Drink some wine If you are of age, feel free to kick back, relax, and have a glass or two of Moscato, Pinot or even some Cabernet. Having a glass of wine can help ease some exam-week tension.

4 / OPINION THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

Apple bites back at FBI’s probe AMIR SAMARGHANDI | NEWS EDITOR

“Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.

He, who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.”

These are the famous words of Benjamin Franklin — founding father, kite flyer, international playboy and prognosticator who foresaw how our inalienable devotion to liberty as Americans would eventually conflict with our security interests.

This conflict reemerged with showdown between Apple and the FBI over the iPhone of Syed Farook, one of the alleged San Bernardino shooters.

The reason Farook’s iPhone is under such scrutiny is the nature of the man himself — an American citizen who was an environmental health specialist with the San Bernardino County Health Department.

How an environmental health graduate from California State University wound up allegedly teaming up with his fiancée and massacring 14 people at a holiday party Dec. 2, 2015 at the Inland Regional Center demands

a higher level of scrutiny. How did this radicalization occur and how do we stop it?

The FBI believes those answers are within Farook’s iPhone, and is asking Apple to modify the software in his phone in order to make it easier for agents to try to break in. Currently, most iPhones have a feature that erases all the information on the phone if there are more than 10 incorrect unlock attempts.

Apple released a letter to consumers that said there is no clean-cut way to create a backdoor to one iPhone without essentially giving the government a ‘master key’ that can be used to hack into any Apple device.

“The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals,” Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote in the letter.

“We don’t want to break anyone’s encryption or set a master key loose on the land,” said James Comey, FBI director, in a statement, insisting that

GARY REYES | BAY AREA NEWS GROUP | MCT

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, delivers his opening address for the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, Monday, June 10, 2013.

matters of protecting Americans from terrorism shouldn’t be left in the hands of “corporations that sell stuff for a living.”

In this titanic tussle between liberty and security, I refer back to the words of Mr. Franklin, the man on our $100 bill.

While the nature and importance of capitalism has become a political issue in the current presidential election — and is a worthwhile, legitimate discussion we as a society need to have — we have to understand the seminal nature of the American corporation to American culture.

The websites and TV shows we obsess over exist because of advertising. We raise our children on Disney, we judge one another’s appearances based on name brands, we share and capture our most private moments on Facebook.

Do we as a society need to address how pervasive capitalism is? How we often buy and sell every aspect of our personalities, including our emotions? We do.

But we do not need the U.S. government deciding that Apple’s decades-long commitment to encryption as a selling point and unique feature is something they are allowed to dismantle because of security.

If we chose to end the omniscience of American capitalism, we need much better reasons than security.

Apple’s suspicion the FBI would be able to hack any iPhone with this information seems reasonable, even to their long-time business nemesis, Bill Gates, who believes Apple could help the government but notes the slippery historical precedent.

“I do believe there are sets of safeguards where the government shouldn’t have to be completely blind,” Gates said in a Bloomberg interview. “But striking that balance -- clearly the government has taken information historically and used it in ways we didn’t expect, going all the way back to say the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover.”

As important as it is to avoid the radicalization of Americans to extremist groups like ISIS, we also have to remain beholden to the core values that define us as a country.

Which means respecting corporations and their ability to create unassailable products — especially as terrorism and digital security continue to be a vital nexus, allowing Apple to maintain their own cybersecurity is a fundamentally America value.

And I think Ben Franklin would agree.

RIC THORNTON COLOR ILLUSTRATION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MACON TELEGRAPH 2005

Black History Month repetitive MACK DAVIS | STAFF REPORTER

Let’s say you had very little knowledge about a race of people that have been on the planet for thousands of years. How much can you learn in the span of only 28 days?

This is what makes Black History Month a double-edged sword for many African Americans.

On one hand, we can be proud that black culture in America is celebrated exclusively for one month out of the year.

On the other hand, the things that are taught and celebrated the most during Black History Month are merely a sample size of the heritage and greatness of descendants of Africans in the United States.

The civil rights movement is a major focus of Black History Month, but often those leaders are the only ones featured during February.

An enormous amount of history pertaining to African Americans that is glossed over when the calendar flips to February.

They never tell you during Black History Month of Toussaint Louverture, the man that led the Haitian Revolution against the

French as the Haitians won their freedom and expelled the French Colonial government.

The importance of the Black Panther Party is also often skipped.

Often, all that is taught during Black History Month is Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up on the bus and Martin Luther King marched for freedom.

This material is brought out year after year and is so repetitive that, as an African American, it makes it really easy to ignore Black History Month all together.

It would be impossible to learn the history of any race of people with only 28 days to do so, yet every year from kindergarten to high school, kids are forced to sit and listen to the same things about African American history.

African Americans have done a great deal not only for this country but for the world, and to cheapen the efforts of all those great individuals with only speaking of them for 28 days is almost criminal.

We don’t need Black History Month any longer – self-education is the only true way to learn of black history.

WANT TO WRITE TO THE EDITOR? NEWSRECORDOPINION@GMAIL.COM

FOR RELEASE DECEMBER 29, 2015

PUZZLE

geles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

Feb. 22 puzzle’s answer: U L A L U M E

P A N O P L Y

S Y N A P S E

E L E V E

L I F E M M A Q A B R U S S E A T A L E H S T R I T O Y C

21. Laborious tasks Across By Mary Lou Guizzo 26. “Twin Peaks” actress 1.

Glass edge

42. “_____ 101”: Jamie Lynn Spears sitcom 43. Dilapidated ship 45. Go astray 46. Thicker, as a beard 47. Some MIT grads 48. Indonesian island 50. Well-kept 52. “That’s shocking!”

56. Triumphant cries 60. Potato press 61. Bucking ride 64. Sun-dried brick

12/29/15

65. Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby 66. Vintage roadster 67. Guadalajara girls 68. “We Have The Meats” fast food chain, and a homophonic hint to the six longest puzzle answers 69. Woodsman’s chopper

Sherilyn histories 34.9. Personal Spread Monday’s Puzzle Solved 27. USN officer Infielder Rodon in a BLT 30. Buying plan with a Cooperstown 4 City near down payment 14. “Caught you!”

33. Highway sign 15.Stanford Stag, at a party 36. Tavern with a view 16.University Egg-shaped 38. “In memoriam” bio 17. Kansas City 5 Greece 39. English: Pref. baseball color neighbor: 40. Dashed 19.Abbr.

Battery acronym 41. Job that doesn’t 20. Olympics skating 6 Note after fa pay? analyst Ohno 7 Letter-shaped

T I S A P X E S R C A O D I N E D E S E S P A K H F L A O U S C T E H E S

Down 1. _____ avis 2. All-You-Can-EatPancakes chain 3. Spread on a BLT 4. City near Stanford University 5. Greece neighbor: Abbr.

6. Note after fa 7. Letter-shaped fastener 8. Clairvoyant 9. Transport, as on a factory belt?

10. For the birds?

11. Tour de France wheels 12. List-ending abbr.

13. Unites in marriage 18. Bottom-row PC

S P O N S O R

L A W Y E R

H K E E R Y B W E S S T T S

A C E R B M E N K E N

key 22. Off in the distance 24. Thai language 25. Mediterranean island republic 27. Hottest fashion 28. Philanthropist 29. 13th-century English friar/ philosopher 31. Embarrass 32. Hope to participate 34. ‘Til Tuesday lead vocalist Mann 35. Decides not to dele 37. Swatter target 38. Tolkien beast 41. Museum overseers

N D H O P E R A C E R U S E R O T A V N I N A G E L I D R H Y D E A R B U R N S E O E R P A S S A I L I T Z A I R E O N S E T R O T E S 43. All-Star Phillies catcher Carlos 44. Pollen eater 46. Loud, raucous sounds 49. Tiny life form 51. Bill at a bar 52. OPEC founding member 53. Calf-length skirt 54. Wagner’s Earth goddess 55. Way in or out 57. Battery name prefix with “cell” 58. “Jeopardy!” host Trebek 59. Gin flavoring 62. Belle of the ball 63. Suffix with trick

5 / ARTS THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

‘In My Mind’ has a few high points RYAN HOLBROOK | STAFF REPORTER REVIEW

PROVIDED

Tropical Bitch, developed for the brewery’s 25th anniversary, takes on a new taste of Flying Dog’s popular Belgian style IPA.

Hailing from Chicago — as you might guess from his stage name — BJ the Chicago Kid has been a staple on hip hop hooks for the last few years, appearing on everything from Chance the Rapper’s “Acid Rap” mixtape to Schoolboy Q’s “Oxymoron.”

This time BJ is back with a solo album, “In My Mind,” which is worth listening to for a few of the standout tracks, but falls flat in many places.

“In My Mind” features a unique mix of soulful and gospel-like singing with aggressive, hard-hitting beats.

Things get interesting by the third track, “Church,” featuring Chance the Rapper and Buddy. This is where BJ first expresses his love for church and his faith, but counterbalances that with his lifestyle as a musician.

“She says she wanna drink, do drugs, and have sex tonight, but I got church in the morning,” the chorus goes.

Duality between faith and a hedonistic lifestyle is a common trope in hip-hop music from Chicago. Artists from Kanye West to Chance the Rapper have explored this, dating back to West’s debut album “The College Dropout.”

BJ continues to reference his faith throughout the

album, including in “Jeremiah/ World Needs More Love.” A straightforward gospel ballad, BJ sings about Jeremiah from the Bible and love.

The two best tracks are “The Resume,” which features a spoken word intro by Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. and “The New Cupid,” featuring a verse from frequent collaborator Kendrick Lamar.

“The Resume” features layer upon layer of soulful singing and fills the ears with a rich sound. It is the most organized and fulfilling track on the album which may very well find its place on the radio.

“The New Cupid” sounds just like an old Motown song, with a straightforward and soulful beat to compliment BJ’s voice.

Kendrick Lamar’s verse is very laid back and fits the beat.

This track is a welcome break from the rest of the album, providing a nice contrast to the rest of the material.

Another song that lifts up “In My Mind” is “Woman’s World,” a ballad to women. This track, much like the previous “The New Cupid,” features a very Motown-esque instrumental that is perfect for BJ’s soulful singing.

While the album has a few great, standout tracks, it feels unorganized and is kind of a mess. The aggressive beats do not mesh well with the soulful

singing on top of them.

The singing itself is great, though. BJ the Chicago Kid is a great singer and would be welcome on any track or feature. The problem is that the beats and arrangements he uses for his own solo material are not kind to him.

He actually sounds better on other artist’s songs as a hook.

“In My Mind” is an album

that will draw you in on the first couple of listens, but by the third or fourth time, you may be skipping half of the album. However, the standout tracks will be getting continuous spins from listeners and are some of the best songs to come out so far in 2016.

Flying Dog’s new beer is like a trip to the tropics Stop motion ‘Anomalisa’ is a marvel STEPHANIE L. SMITH | STAFF REPORTER

RICHA KAVELAKAR | STAFF REPORTER REVIEW

Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch is one of my go-to beers. Imagine my surprise when I found her little sister, Tropical Bitch, at Cappy’s Wines and Spirits in Loveland.

Developed for the brewery’s 25th anniversary, Tropical Bitch is an interesting take on Flying Dog’s popular Belgian style IPA — created for its 20th anniversary.

This breed has a golden copper body with an aggressive tawny head and intense carbonation swirling as it is poured into the glass.

The beer maintains its Belgian characteristics with a bready yeast aroma, though it is not as strong as it is in its predecessor. There is a soft blend of pineapple, mango and coconut on the nose, preparing the taste buds for a playful lick instead of a vicious bite.

Tropical Bitch still has that Tripel quality found in Raging Bitch, but it is subdued.

Yeast is at the forefront, but there is an acidity to it due to the pineapple and some funk from the mango. Throughout, there is a muted pineapple hop presence and a slight spiciness which grows with each sip.

The 8 percent ABV goes unnoticed and the tropical fruitiness becomes noticeable about five minutes after finishing the bottle.

Tropical Bitch is a tame one, lighter and more refreshing than Raging Bitch. And the added fruit notes make it very smooth and easy to drink. Be sure to catch this beer soon, since it is only available now through March.

Charlie Kaufman, the screenplay writer of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” brings us the first of its kind — the stop-motion film “Anomalisa.”

Released in December 2015, “Anomalisa” is the first R-rated movie to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

Co-directed by animator Duke Johnson, famous for his Emmy-winning stop-motion Christmas episode of Yahoo’s “Community”, “Anomalisa” was funded through a Kickstarter campaign.

This hidden, cinematic gem was originally a play successfully brought to the big screen by Kaufman and Johnson.

Set in Cincinnati, “Anomalisa” follows Michael Stone (David Thewlis), a writer speaking about his successful customerservice book “How May I Help You Help Them?” at a hotel conference.

Stuck in the mechanical rut of his humdrum life, every voice and face Stone comes across blend into a repetitious lull, until he meets Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

She is an anomaly — an Anomalisa.

The most distinguishing aspect of this film is the fact it features only three voice actors. Tom Noonan is responsible for every other character we see on screen apart from Stone and Lisa.

Initially, the film could be a little confusing. We hear this deep, monotonous voice come out of the mouth of

PROVIDED

“Anomalisa,” brought to the big screen by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, was funded through a Kickstarter campaign and is the first R-rated movie to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film.

PROVIDED

BJ the Chicago Kid is back with a solo album, “In My Mind.”

every man and woman on screen, wondering what kind of budget cuts “Anomalisa” had endured.

But, halfway through the film, your blatant skepticism turns into awe. This ingenious approach by the directors delineates Stone’s feelings about the mundaneness of his uneventful life, how everyone is the same person until he meets Lisa.

Kaufman continues to play cleverly on this concept. The majority of the film is shot in the fictional hotel, The Fregoli, named after a delusional syndrome where the sufferer believes everyone they meet is the same person in disguise.

“Anomalisa” explores the idiosyncrasies of mankind, the nuances and imperfections miraculously captured through animation.

Johnson utilized a form of face-replacement stopmotion, where the faces of the puppets are interchangeable by parts. Different facial expressions are generated by 3-D printers and switched in between sequences, leaving a seam across the puppet’s faces that are usually digitally removed. However, Kaufman and Johnson’s artistic choice to leave it untouched added to the credibility of the film, a metaphor of the fragility and brokenness of human nature.

Just thinking about a stop-

motion sex scene is cringeworthy, yet it was one of the most poignant scenes of the film. Awkward yet remarkably tender, Kaufman told Complex that the four-minute arrangement took a solid six months to film.

With a modest budget, the film was limited on set locations, which only include an airport, cab, sex shop, hotel and a house. The subtle yet engaging animation masterfully captures the essence and charm of Cincinnati.

But the budget for “Anomalisa” was a meager fraction than that of its top rival for the Academy Award, Pixar’s “Inside Out”. Yet, this limited-range stop-motion picture gave live action films a run for their money as it coveys more realistic and human emotions than any other film this year.

“Anomalisa” is accompanied by the same ache and hollowness in the pit of your stomach that was reflected by “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

It drills a hole in your heart that has you wallowing in existentialism long after the film is over. Kaufman is a perfectionist of imperfections and has ingeniously constructed a heartbreakingly human film from a purely artificial medium.

Pinball finding its niche in Cincinnati’s barcade scene RUSSELL HAUSFELD | ARTS EDITOR

As Cincinnati’s bar scene continues to grow, the niche social scenes that develop within them are evolve as well.

Arcade Legacy in Northside is one of Cincinnati’s few barcades — bars full of video games — and has been catering to a group of people around the city who are interested in competitive pinball.

Finding a bar — or anywhere — with good, working pinball machines can be a struggle due to the challenging maintenance of the more vintage machines and the small market for modern day pinball machines.

Erik Wurtenberger is in charge of running the pinball tournaments at Arcade Legacy and spoke with The News Record about the group of people who participate in his tournaments, collectors around Cincinnati and the variety of shapes and sizes that pinball machines can come in.

The News Record: Is there much of a pinball scene in Cincinnati?

Erik Wurtenberger: The Cincinnati pinball scene is still relatively underground and being supported in peoples’ home collections and private parties. There are over 60 people in a local social network of pinball enthusiasts that come from the Cincinnati, NKY, Dayton, and Columbus areas. This includes a Cincinnati league with 30 participants that takes place at various collectors’ homes.

Also, I think it is worth noting that when I had the first tournament at Arcade Legacy in December 2015, there were 18 participants. Fourteen of those participants had never played competitive pinball before. So, there seems to be a local interest in public competitive pinball and I hope these tournaments at Arcade legacy are just the start of what public competitive pinball could be in the Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati area in the near future.

TNR: What about old pinball machine collectors?

EW: I personally know at least 15 to 20 other collectors in the Cincinnati area, but I would guess there are at least double that amount that have at least two pinball machines at home.

TNR: Where can you play pinball around the city?

EW: There are various locations to play pinball — at least two games — in the Cincinnati area. Arcade Legacy in Northside, 16-bit barcade in OTR, MOTR Pub in OTR, Jungle Jim’s, The Place Retro Arcade, The Cone is open during the summers.

I chose to run tournaments at Arcade Legacy because it is a barcade — people like to drink — and I got to know one of the owners, Jesse Baker. And he has been very eager to start regular tournaments, as well.

He also does a great job of maintaining his games, which is very important if you want to attract competitive pinball players.

TNR: What pinball games are available at Arcade Legacy in Northside when you have tournaments?

EW: So, Arcade Legacy has four pinball machines at this time: Johnny Mnemonic, White Water, The Walking Dead Pro and Game of Thrones Pro. Johnny Mnemonic is a game from the mid ’90s based off the horrible Keanu Reeves movie. There were other very fun pinball machines based off really bad movies like Demolition Man and The Shadow. JM has a really neat feature of a glove that picks up the pinballs and places them in a tic-tac-toe grid that gives the player various awards.

White Water is an original pinball theme from the mid ’90s that is a white water rafting theme. It has an interactive Yeti that will come to life at various points in the game.

The Walking Dead is one of the newest machines from the largest pinball manufacturer in the world, Stern. It

is a licensed theme based off the popular TV show and features two interactive toys — the Prison and the Well Walker that players must bash over and over again to get to various multi-ball modes in the game.

Lastly, Game of Thrones is one of the newest offerings from Stern, as well. This game actually came out in late 2015, and Arcade Legacy was the first location in the area to get the game. It is another licensed theme based off the popular HBO series and is very unique.

The game allows you to align yourself with a specific family at the start of the game which will give you a different advantage as you progress through the game in sort of a “choose your own adventure” feel.

NICK BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

With the bar scene on the rise in Cincinnati, barcades, such as Arcade Legacy, are building a local interest in pinball competitions across the Cincinnati area.

6 / SPORTS THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2016

Baseball drops opening series at LSU EMILY WITT | STAFF REPORTER

The University of Cincinnati baseball team dropped their first three games of the season over the weekend, being swept by No. 5 Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Bearcats were outplayed by the Tigers in a 12-inning, 6-5 contest on Friday, a 4-0 loss Saturday and a 12-4 loss Sunday.

The standards were high as the Bearcats traveled to play one of the top teams in the country.

“The expectations were making sure our guys were ready to play,” said UC head coach Ty Neal. “They played hard, and they played the way we expected the game to be played here at UC. You always expect to win, regardless of who you’re playing, or where, or your environment.”

Despite a strong team effort, the series began with a walk-off loss on a single in the bottom of the 12th inning.

The hit fell between three Cincinnati

fielders into no-man’s land behind first base, giving LSU the walk-off victory.

Junior pitcher Andrew Zellner started the contest, throwing 4.2 innings and giving up three hits and one run, while striking out two and walking one. Sophomore pitcher J.T. Perez entered in relief, pitching four innings with two hits, two runs and two walks.

Offensively, sophomore outfielder Treg Haberkorn knocked in two RBIs and sophomore infielder Kyle Mottice, senior catcher Woody Wallace and sophomore infielder Manny Rodriguez also added RBIs. Sophomore infielder and outfielder Ryan Noda led the team with two hits.

Saturday’s matchup featured Alex Lange, LSU’s 2015 Louisville Slugger National Freshman Pitcher of the Year.

The sophomore pitcher is 13-0 in his college career for the Tigers. He threw 6.2 shutout innings, walking nine and giving up one hit Saturday. That performance earned him Southeastern Conference

PROVIDED BY UC ATHLETICS

J.T. Perez., second-year and left-handed pitcher, follows through to LSU catcher, Jordan Romero, Friday, Feb. 19, 2016 at LSU.

Pitcher of the Week honors.

“We faced arguably one of the top pitching staffs in the country this weekend,” Neal recalled. “And arguably the top pitcher in the country this weekend.”

Cincinnati pitching held the Tigers’ offense to four runs, but LSU’s pitching limited the Bearcats offense to four hits.

LSU’s powerful offense fully emerged Sunday, downing the Bearcats 12-4.

Seven different Cincinnati pitchers gave up a total of 10 hits ― including a fifth inning grand-slam ― and nine walks.

The Bearcats secured an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but could not keep the steadily dominant LSU offense in check.

After the Tigers drove in nine runs during the first five innings, UC fought back in the top of the sixth with two more runs, but failed to stop the Tigers as they drove in three more runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Despite the sweep, Neal believes that the positive outcomes of the series outweigh the negatives.

“You come to the University of Cincinnati so you can play quality opponents like that,” Neal said. “It’s a part of our formula for getting better as a program. You can only get better by playing with the big kids on the playground, right? That’s how you get better, that’s how you get tougher and deal with adversity, especially on the road.”

Neal is entering into his third season coaching for the Bearcats. Last season, the team went 15-41 with a 6-18 conference record.

The Bearcats travel to Athens, Georgia this weekend for the Georgia Foley Field Tournament, facing Western Kentucky, Georgia and South Alabama.

Women’s lacrosse splits first two contests JASON SZELESET | STAFF REPORTER

In two games this season, the University of Cincinnati women’s lacrosse team has won half the amount of games they won last year, beating Presbyterian College 17-6 Sunday for their first win of the season.

The win comes after a 9-6 loss to Stetson University Friday in the team’s season opener. The Bearcats won two games overall last season.

Senior midfielder Courtney Curtis was a big part of the team’s success against Presbyterian, registering three goals.

Curtis, a Mason native, came to UC with the hopes of turning her hometown program around. She said she was pleased with the victory, but knows there is more work to be done.

“It was a good step in the right direction, but we should have come home with two wins,” Curtis said. “At least we have one under our belt, and now the team knows what it feels like to win. Hopefully we can continue to bring home some wins.”

Redshirt senior Megan Bell also played a big role in the first two games of the season.

Bell, who missed most of last season with an ACL injury, has seen instant success upon her return, totaling six goals and two assists in the first two matches.

“It’s like no other feeling in the world,” Bell said. “Having to watch 15 games last year was horrible. Finally being able to be out there and make a difference instead of

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just trying to coach up teammates is very rewarding.”

Bell hopes she can help turn things around this season for the future of the Bearcats’ program.

“I definitely think this year is going to be a really big turning point for the program, and that’s what me and the rest of the seniors want to leave this year,” Bell said.

“We want this year to be different than the other years, and change that mindset in our teammates now, so that they can continue to win for years to come.”

Next up for the Bearcats is a match against Winthrop University, who defeated the Bearcats 17-5 last season.

Head Coach Gina Oliver knows this

year’s Winthrop squad will not be easy, but hopes her team’s improved play, along with the confidence gained from a victory in the last game, will be enough to pull out a victory.

“Winthrop is a better team than they were last year. I think they have a lot more star power as a team,” Oliver said. “The mentality of our team is going to be big.

We’re definitely coming off a confident win on Sunday. Our mentality is different this year of making sure we’re playing 60 full minutes of competitiveness. We will compete win, lose or draw in that game and hopefully come out with a W.” That matchup will take place 2 p.m.

Friday in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

PROVIDED BY UC ATHLETICS

Courtney Curtis, fourth-year CECH student, was a major contributor to the win over Presbyterian, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, making the teams record 1-1. Ryan Meyer

PROVIDED BY UC ATHLETICS

Womens golf practice round Losantiville Country Club.

Women’s golf starts strong DAVID WYSONG | STAFF REPORTER

The University of Cincinnati women’s golf team opened up the spring season finishing second out of 16 teams in the Amelia Island Collegiate tournament Monday and Tuesday.

The Bearcats began the first two rounds of the tournament strong Monday with a 10-over-par 586 score ― good for third place. The third and final round was played Tuesday and the team had a round score of 298, giving them an overall 20-over-par 884 score.

After the team’s performance Monday, head coach Janet Carl was proud of their efforts.

“I’m really proud of the team and its effort today with it being our first day back competing since Nov. 1,” Carl said. “It was a 36-hole day which meant the players’ focus needed to be great for nine hours. I couldn’t be more proud of them and the effort they gave today. They fought through all 36 holes, evidenced by birdies being made on their last holes.”

The three-round score set a new program record, besting their Oct. 9, 2013 outing at the Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Invitational, where they finished with a score of 887.

Carl said the team accomplished several goals they made for themselves in Tuesday’s final round effort.

“The players fought hard to overcome some nerves early and made some key birdies in the last stretch of holes to pull away from third and fourth-place teams,” Carl said.

Junior Ashley Cassidy played a major role in the team’s runner-up finish. After a score of 75 in the first round, Cassidy scored two rounds of 72 to finish 3-overpar and place sixth individually.

Cassidy’s teammate, sophomore Christina Gloor, finished right behind her, tying for seventh place. Gloor began the tournament with a score of 69, she then scored 74 in the second and 77 in the third round to finish with a 4-over-par 220 score.

Two other Bearcats placed in the top 30 individually, as senior Stefanie Mitchell ended the tournament with a 9-over-par 225 score, to finish tied for 22nd place, and junior Valentina Herrera ended with a 73 score round to finish with a 10-over-par 226 score and tied for 26th place.

North Florida University won the tournament with a 15-over-par 875 score.

Campbell University and Kennesaw State University tied for third place behind the Bearcats with a 31-over-par 895 score.

Bradley University rounded out the topfive with a 32-over-par 896 score.

The women’s golf team will play at the Clover Cup at Longbow Golf Club March 11-13 in Mesa, Arizona.

Final stretch crucial to men’s basketball success JASON SZELEST | STAFF REPORTER OPINION

The University of Cincinnati men’s basketball team finds themselves squarely on the bubble of gaining entry into this year’s NCAA tournament.

The Bearcats currently have a 20-8 overall record, while holding a 10-5 record in the American Athletic Conference.

According to ESPN’s “bracketologist” Joe Lunardi, the Bearcats are currently projected to be one on the final four teams into the field, facing the task of a play-in game to gain entry into the 64-team field.

If the Bearcats miss the tournament this year, they would break a streak of five consecutive trips to the Big Dance.

Despite their recent success in reaching the tournament, the bubble picture is not unfamiliar to the team.

Last season, the team stood at 17-9, before rattling off five-straight victories to end the season, gaining them entry to the tournament as a No. 8 seed.

With three games remaining in the regular season, followed by the conference tournament, the way the Bearcats finish the season will undoubtedly decide whether or not they make the tourney.

That three game stretch starts with a matchup against last place East Carolina University, followed by a middle-of-thepack University of Houston team and finishes with a contest against No. 24 Southern Methodist University ― who has lost only four games this season.

The Bearcats will need to win at least two of their final three games, along with at least one victory in the conference tournament, to make the NCAA tournament this year.

Even though the team still has a shot to make it, there is absolutely no reason they should be in this position of uncertainty in the first place.

Last year, the Bearcats defeated Purdue University and made it to the second round

of the tournament, before bowing out to the No. 1 University of Kentucky Wildcats.

This year’s squad returned eight-of-nine leaders in minutes played from that team that was one of the 32 best in the nation.

Progression and player development has been apparent throughout the Bearcats’ campaign so far this year.

Out of those eight returning players, seven of them increased their scoring totals this season, yet the team finds themselves in the same position as last year due to their inability to close out games.

The Bearcats are 1-5 in games decided by two points or less this season. In all five loses, the Bearcats held leads in the final minute of the game before ultimately collapsing down the stretch.

Their results in close games caused their RPI to plummet to No. 56 nationally.

With a tournament field of 68 teams, generally the top 50 teams in the country

find themselves safely into the field, while the remaining spots are filled by automatic qualifiers through conference championships.

After finishing off a season sweep of the University of Connecticut Huskies Saturday, a team whose RPI sits at No. 38, another victory over SMU, No. 14 in RPI, would provide another big boost to the Bearcat’s numbers.

With the Bearcats knack for playing to the level of competition, good or bad, they have the ability to make noise against higher seeded teams in the NCAA tournament.

Ultimately, the Bearcats will continue to finish strong ― winning seven of their last nine games ― and sneak into the NCAA tournament by the skin of their teeth.

After that, assuming they continue to overcome their late game woes, look out, because this team is a lot better than their record.

NICK BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

File art from the UC vs. UConn game Saturday, Feb 20, 2016 at Fifth Third Arena.