TNR - 2.3.10

THE INdependent student newspaper at the university of cincinnati

Vol. CXXVV Issue 42

wednesday , feb . 3, 2010 diversity in government Student Government adds three new faces to committee positions. page 3

uc vs. nd, round two Cincinnati travels to South Bend, Ind., for a Thursday night showdown with Notre Dame. page 6

the fashion dungjen American Apparel is looking for the next best bottom. page 4

Deans: Tuition hike could alleviate budget cuts kelly tucker and gin a. ando the news record

Deans at the University of Cincinnati are preparing for a possible 15 percent budget cut for the 2010-11 academic year.

The university is using 15 percent — the worst case scenario — to prepare for the highest possible cut.

Deans will be meeting this month to discuss plans to increase revenue.

“If there is not a tuition increase, there will be a decrease in quality,” said Valerie Hardcastle, dean of McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. “Some programs will be shut down.”

McMicken plans to increase

enrollment in upper-division courses for Fall 2010, Hardcastle said. The college is creating 20 to 35 new scholarships in hopes of recruiting transfer students.

Frank Weinstock, interim dean of the College-Conservatory of Music is already feeling the pressure to accommodate a budget cut.

“Basically, if you fire a member of the faculty, you fire an adviser,” Weinstock said. “And since there is only one real member of such a major as oboe, firing them is shutting down an entire major.”

The college is near maximum enrollment, but Weinstock says it is possible to increase it by 2 to 4 percent.

Carlo Montemagno, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is also struggling with

prioritizing programs to cut if next year’s budget cannot support them.

If the cut amounts to 15 percent, CEAS will face a loss of approximately $3.5 million, Montemagno said.

Montemagno says a tuition increase would be beneficial to the university and students.

“It’s not possible to make that kind of cut without eliminating projects and services,” Montemagno said.

students feel the crunch UC students might face a maximum 7 percent increase in tuition to ease financial pressures on the university.

Aside from tuition and state see budget | page 2

UC Financial Facts • Ohio’s in-state tuition is fifth highest in the United States.

• UC’s average undergraduate debt is $23,000.

• Nineteen to 20 percent of UC’s income comes from state funding, which will be cut in 2012.

• Tuition cannot increase again until 2012, if the hike is approved.

Sources: James Plummer – VP of Finance; Anthony Perzigian – Senior VP & Provost; Connie Williams – Student Financial Aid Director

$400M to “Quick Start” rail

New passenger system will provide in-state routes to other large cities james sprague the news record

A $400-million award to fund construction of a passenger rail system will help start the connection of Cincinnatians to Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland.

The project, dubbed the 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan, is slated to begin construction in 2012. It will link the cities for the first time since 1971 and provide daily service.

Mayor Mark Mallory says the announcement supports his proposed streetcar project for the city, which is expected to connect downtown Cincinnati to the University of Cincinnati’s campus.

“This announcement is a validation for rail projects in general, including the important streetcar initiative and proves that Cincinnati, along with the president and the governor, is on the right track in thinking that rail is the future of this country,” Mallory said.

While a station location for Cincinnati has not been finalized, Union Terminal and Lunken Airport are two proposed sites for the system.

“The city tells us, and we agree, the ideal site would be the historic Cincinnati Union Terminal,” said Stu Nicholson, public information officer for the Ohio Rail Development Commission. “But the freight rail congestion from the nearby Queensgate rail yards makes it extremely difficult to get additional passenger trains into the station.”

Despite the traffic, it is not impossible for Union Terminal to be the site, but it will be expensive to make Union Terminal viable for the system. The Lunken site will likely be the short-term station, Nicholson said.

The system would consist of modern passenger trains — like Amtrak — providing services for Ohio’s densely populated travel areas, known as the “3C Corridor.” “[Stations] should be a transportation center that would offer the same array of options you would find at an airport, with access to transit, rental cars, shuttle buses and taxis,” he said.

The trains will travel up to 79 mph and reach approximately 6 million Ohioans who live within a 15-minute distance from the corridor.

The grant is part of the $8 billion that President Barack Obama designated for passenger rail projects throughout the United States.

Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced last week that Ohio was awarded $400 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The plan is the first step in modernizing the state’s transportation infrastructure, Strickland said.

“Today, we are seeing the beginning of a new see rail | page 2

briefs water bottles for haiti when

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 3

where

Tangeman University Center

Sigma Chi and Theta Phi Alpha are selling bottles of water to raise awareness about the lack of clean water in Haiti. Each bottle of water is $1, and 100 percent of proceeds will go to the Foundation of Compassionate American Samaritans Ministries to support their relief efforts. Contact Douglas Krutka at krutkadr@mail.uc.edu for more information. uc sustainability film when

9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 3

where

MainStreet Cinema

The UC Sustainability film series is presenting a documentary titled “Tapped” that sheds light on the unseen world of bottled water industry.

For more information, go to uc.edu/sustainability or contact Michelle Bova at 513-556-1933. book signing when

4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 25

where

TUC Great Hall

Cincinnati authors Brooke and Keith Desserich will be signing their book about a girl’s battle with brain cancer, “Notes Left Behind.”

The event will also teach methods on fighting against cancer and get free Graeter’s Ice Cream.

Contact carterja@mail.uc.edu for more information. index

1 News 3 Spotlight 4 Opinion 5 Classifieds 6 Sports coulter loeb | the news record

local train lines Cincinnati Union Terminal would be the ideal site for the new passenger rail system, which would take passengers to Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland.

weather forecast

WEDNESDAY

Smart Grid plan kicks off in Cincinnati

38°

Digital meters will replace analog during five-year deployment schedule amanda woodruff the news record

anna bentley | the news record

duke energy endeavor Price Hill is one of the first areas to receive the smart meters, which were put to work after seven switches were installed on power poles. Corryville is schedued to be the next community to receive smart meters, followed by UC in 2011, at the latest.

Duke Energy plans to spend $1 billion in a five-year deployment plan across five states to install Smart Grid technology.

Corryville is one of the first neighboring areas to receive the technology, according to the Duke Energy deployment plan. The University of Cincinnati should follow within one year.

The installation of Smart Grid technology might serve as a catalyst in UC’s goal to reduce green house gas emissions by 20 percent before 2012. The university is halfway there, according to the College Sustainability Report Card 2010.

The technology allows consumers to go online and check energy costs from day to day.

“It might be usually cold or usually warm,” said Sally Thelen, Duke Energy spokesperson. “If someone has a budget, they can see what they need to do to stay

under it. It gives them the power to make decisions regarding their energy use.”

The switch from analog to digital meters reduces foot traffic of Duke employees, who travel from home to home, checking meters. Instead of 12 visits each year, there would only be one visit, which would check the integrity of the meter.

Employment would not be immediately affected, Thelen said.

Estimated bills become a thing of the past. Duke Energy employees can read the new meter remotely from the street so there is no need for a homeowner or renter to send in a reading if they miss the “meter reader.”

For college students, move-in and move-out dates present the hassle of transferring services.

“Every time we have a turn on and turn off a service, we have to be present out there to read the meter and make sure everything gets connected and turned on safely,”

25°

THURSDAY

43 /32 FRIDAY

39 /30 SATURDAY

34 /18 SUNDAY

see meter | page 2

33 /21

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% %

tnr poll Which is the lesser of two evils: a 7-percent increase in tuition or increased class sizes?

newsrecordnews@gmail.com | 513.556.5908

TNR all the time Now flip through the full issue online.

Subscribe to The News Record Web site and RSS. If that’s not enough, follow us on Twitter @NewsRecord_UC.

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From Track | page 6

from budget | page 1

Aside from tuition and state appropriation, the university does not have many revenue sources. Most colleges are being forced to take the cut out of their current budget, said Jim Plummer, vice president of finance.

“In two to three weeks, we have to know what we’re taking to the board,” Plummer said.

Deans are exploring the tuition increase as an avenue to ensure that colleges can keep faculty and staff.

“Budgets are tight,” Weinstock said. “I’m hoping not to have to cut positions or any scholarships.”

Despite plans being drawn up in preparation for the cut, Weinstock said it is premature to act on numbers being reported.

CCM is taking pre-emptive measures to ease into the upcoming cut, from rail | page 1

way to travel, and this new way to travel has left the station and is bound for Ohio,” he said.

In addition to providing rail service, the 3C plan is estimated to bring in $12.2 million a year in revenue and spur the creation of approximately 8,000 new jobs in the state.

“We estimate there will be

which will force the college to fund a difference that could reach up to $1 million, according to a letter sent to electronic media students by Marjorie Fox, the department head of electronic media.

Starting Spring quarter, students in the electronic media discipline will be required to pay an additional $150 per quarter.

“It seems like a tuition boost,” said Mike Heffron, a second-year electronic media student. “It’s just an unfortunate fee to pay.

Students might also experience increased class sizes to accommodate more students if colleges expand enrollment.

The Board of Trustees is scheduled to make the final decision Tuesday, March 16, when they meet to discuss the measures the university will take.

255 immediate construction jobs over the two years it will take to complete the project,” Nicholson said.

“Another estimated 33 train crew jobs will be created and 111 more jobs connected to supporting services like train maintenance and cleaning.”

There will also be a station stop in Sharonville, a northern suburb of Cincinnati.

Fields hopes to improve her standings in the upcoming meet.

“We think out in New York with the higher level competition that MacKenzie can really break through and become one of the top pole vaulter’s in the country,” Seaton said. “I think this weekend will probably catapult her up into the top 12.”

The pole vault is the team’s strongest and deepest event and, along with Fields, the Bearcats have four other athletes who have top-10 Big East marks in the event.

The invitational will be held at the Armory track and will be a two-day event ending Saturday, Feb. 6.

from meter | page 1

on safely,” Thelen said. Instead, it would be automatic.

In reality, there are two types of this technology: a smarter grid and smart grid. The former is a short-term system that focuses on updated technology and affordability. The latter is a long-term system that mimics the convenience of the Internet, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

“By next year, there could be something that is even better, that is faster or does something different,” Thelen said. “We’re not committing ourselves to any one type — it gives us the flexibility to make sure we’re using the latest and greatest technology.”

The Federal government established a smart Grid Task Force to assist in the

transformation.

Although Duke Energy applied for stimulus money, it has yet to hear back.

The transformation from analog to digital meters is still a process in itself.

“We can’t snap our fingers and have it done overnight,” Thelen said.

Duke Energy installed seven smart switches on power poles in Price Hill September 2009. Queen City Avenue experienced a power outage during this time and the smart grid technology was able to reroute itself within one hour.

“It’s a smart-healing network,” Thelen said. “It’s such a new concept and it provides a peace of mind for people.”

The plan includes the deployment of 700,000 electric smart meters and 450,000 natural gas meters.

BRIEFS

concert in covington

defense all season, fourth in the conference in field goal percentage defense at 39.6 percent, while Notre Dame is one of the better offensive teams in the Big East. Notre Dame ranks third in field goal percentage, and is tied for fifth in overall scoring offense.

The Irish also have the second ranked 3-point percentage in the conference.

The game will air nationally on ESPN at 9 p.m.

from diversity | page 3

“K.D. has far surpassed any expectations,” Lolli said.

“She’s been very instrumental in forming the student diversity subcommittee.

She’s never stopped working and has such effort and passion for the issues she’s working for.”

Miller and Hemani have exerted a profound

amount of energy in order to improve awareness and support on campus.

“There are steps we need to take to enhance the representation of diversity among students and faculty, and I have no doubt in mind these initiatives will bring students closer to having sense of place,” Lolli said.

BEARCATS BRING HOME WIN

One of Cincinnati’s favorite local music fans, Pat Rice (aka “Punk Rock Grandma”), recently lost her home. As a result, several bands stepped up to help the woman in her time of need.

The Mad Hatter in Covington, Ky., will host a concert Wednesday, Feb. 3, featuring Duppy a` Jamba, The Frankl Project, Loudmouth, Rosemary Device and Hazle Weatherfield. There is a $5 cover and donations will be accepted to aid Rice through this turbulent time. Suggested arrival time is 7:30 p.m. For more information, call The Mad Hatter at 859-291-2233.

ASH

From Irish | page 6

comfortable out there right now.”

The key to a Bearcat victory ultimately comes from their ability to stop senior Luke Harangody, the Big Eawst’s leading scorer. In its first game against the Irish, Cincinnati was able to control Harangody, limiting him to 11 points, less than his season average of 24.2.

Thursday’s game is one of statistical contrasts.

Cincinnati has played stellar

Thanks to 23 points from junior guard Shareese Ulis, the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball team knocked off Louisville on the road in overtime 74-68.

Kahla Roudebush stole the show, coming one rebound shy of a triple-double. The senior guard finished with 19 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.

Maybe more impressive than the offensive surge, the Bearcats used just seven players.

“We had our moments where we had scoring lapses,” Roudebush said. “We stayed together and stayed positive the whole game. I think we were more worn down during regulation but when it went into overtime, we just wanted to win.”

Michelle Jones tacked on 18 points and nine rebounds for the shorthanded Bearcats.

Next up, UC (10-11, 3-6 Big East) comes home to face Notre Dame, Tuesday, Feb. 9,at Fifth Third Arena

From broadcasting bra colors to adding “Equality” as a middle name, Facebook users are constantly flying through fads. The latest trend, “Doppelganger Week,” was created by a TomSelleck look-a-like, Bob Patel, according to The Huffington Post.

Since the trend began, Facebook users

have been changing their profile pictures to the celebrity they most resemble. At The News Record, we thought it might be fun to see who our Celebrity Doppelganger’s were. With the help of myheritage.com, we uploaded pictures of our staff and got a few laughs at our celebrity twins.

(Photos provided by MCT Campus).

GIN ANDO YAO MING

AMANDA WOODRUFF LISA KUDROW

SEAN PETERS WOODY ALLEN

CLAIRE THOMPSON ASHLEY TISDALE

COULTER LOEB RON LIVINGSTON

ZACK MUELLER JACK OSBOURNE

GARRET SABELHAUS PATRICK SWAYZE

JAIME ROYCE NICOLE RICHIE

ARIEL CHEUNG CAMILLA BELLE

TAYLOR DUNGJEN MARY-KATE OLSEN

KAREEM ELGAZZAR BARACK OBAMA

SAM ELLIOTT JOHN KARSINSKI

Send us your original, unedited photos for a chance to have them published on our Web site.

This week’s theme: How you get to campus.

Winners will be published weekly, on newsrecord.org E-mail all submissions to newsrecordphoto@gmail.com

by Saturday, Feb. 6.

*The News Record reserves publication rights to any photos submitted. Please include your contact information in the e-mail.

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spotlight highlighting the best of uc

Carly Tamborski the news record

Student Government just got a little more diverse.

The organization elected three new members who are focused on promoting on-campus dversity.

Rohan Hemani, a second-year business student, the director of international affairs of Student Government.

The Singaporean and Indian student enjoys traveling, watching movies and football, playing tennis and playing Ultimate Frisbee. On campus, he’s president of the International Dance Team, vice president of alumni affairs in the Student Alumni Council, a ROAR tour guide and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

K.D. Miller is a fourth-year special education student. Miller is a transgender student and served as the director of LGBTQ Affairs before starting her new position as senator-at-large Jan. 20.

“As far as spare time, I really don’t have any,” Miller said. “That’s what happens when you have multiple leadership roles and work 30-plus hours a week. If I do find some free time, I enjoy reading, hosting friends and crocheting.”

Chris Hamm, the director of ethnic and cultural affairs on the special interests committee, was not available for comment.

The cabinets of Student Government are divided into four sections: executive, campus relations, community relations and special interests. Miller and Hermani work in special interests, where they focus on getting all students’ voices heard and help Student Government’s initiative to increase diversity on campus.

“It’s a more enhanced version of what we have on cabinet to really look out for the best interests of all students,” said Tim Lolli, student body president. “It’s all-inclusive so that all minority groups have better representation in Student Government. I want to make sure that students continue to be represented in the best light and in taking this step, it’ll do that.”

The two directors represent the student voices of all orientations and countries of origin.

Miller is particularly involved in the LGBTQ movement on campus. There are approximately 300 to 400 active members in one of the LGBT group on campus, although membership could include as many as 4,000 UC students, Miller said.

LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bi and transgender. The Q has several meanings, Miller said.

“I think it depends on what generation you’re talking to,” Miller said. “Some

people use questioning while others use queer. I generally use queer, which means any identity, such as pansexual, not fitting under LGBT.” Hemani’s position enables Student Government to work closely with UC International. UC International represents people who participate in study abroad, exchanges, international student recruitment, grants for international study and research, faculty exchange and international research collaboration.

The group is also responsible for assisting international students in becoming accustomed to the United States and UC regulations, rules and procedures they must follow while at UC. Each year, more than 2,500 international visitors from more than 90 different countries study, teach, conduct research and lecture at UC, according to UC International Services.

Hemani works with UC International to increase involvement between Student Government and international students.

He attends quarterly UC International Committee meetings and then informs Student Government which services the international students want to see improved and works to implement change to meet those needs.

Miller sits in on the meetings of two LGBTQ student groups then informs Student Government about LGBTQ issues, events, speakers, funding needs and, in turn, receives support.

Often overlooked, minority groups face struggles as part of the UC community, but strides are being taken in hopes of positive change.

“We often get put in these token positions, but people need to realize that’s not all we can do,” Miller said.

“It’s a matter of getting our voices heard and our needs met. We focus a lot on education. We’re trying to get a bigger office and a full-time staff person, but we’d really like to teach more people about what LGBTQ means.”

A UC “Status on Diversity Recommendations” report was updated in June 2009. The report’s updated progress of that goal states that “funding for the [graduate assistant] was continued, despite budget cuts.

Conversations with various stakeholders are underway regarding a full-time staff person.”

“Often times, we’re not seen as a viable group because of things like the confusion about our number of members, bathroom issues and not having a full-time staff person,” Miller said. “We’d really like to educate faculty, staff and students about the LGBTQ community.”

In the same diversity report, another goal is to “continue recruitment on international undergraduates.”

The goal was placed in the “some progress” made category.

“Student Government’s purpose is to be the voice of the students, regardless of how long they are in attendance at this university,” Hemani said. “They come here for the American experience and we want to make it the best experience possible.”

There are international students here from anywhere between one quarter and four years, giving them the right to be a represented student group on Student Government, Hermani said.

Opening up communication between domestic and international students is also a work in progress.

“The single greatest struggle I feel for international students is a lack of immersion into the American culture,” Hemani said. “Many students come here hoping for the American experience …

I have yet to see complete interaction between domestic and international students. I want these students to be welcomed by our domestic students and have a greater presence on campus.”

Hemani works with International Admissions to help domestic students become more involved with international students immediately upon their arrival.

One idea he has is to create a buddy system where each international student is given a domestic student, as a buddy, prior to arriving in the United States.

The events that these student groups plan also help educate curious students who might have been previously aware of them.

The LGBTQ community hosts events like drag shows, speeches and F(2)embody, a transgender activist group. They also organize Pride and Visibility Week, which takes place the first week in May and has events like a parade and lunch-and-learns.

Hemani works closely with UC International on the events that they organize, and is hoping to plan international student events during UC’s next Welcome Week.

The impact these students have made on campus has not gone unnoticed.

“Rohan’s been doing a great job attending all of the UC International meetings as student representative and coming back with initiatives that we can work on,” Lolli said.

He worked with UC NightWalk, Graduate Student Governance Association and UC International to help provide transportation from the airport to campus using NightWalk vans when international students came to UC, Lolli said.

coulter loeb | the news record

The Right Fit Rohan Hemani is one of three new members of a Student Government committee.

see Diversity | page 2

photos by coulter loeb | the news record

Takin’ Care of Business Rohan Hemani (left) and K.D. Miller work with Student Government to promote diversity and raise awareness on UC’s campus.

spotlight.newsrecord@gmail.com | 513.556.5913

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opinion

We d n e s d a y Feb. 3, 2010 www.newsrecord.org

discussion board for all walks of life

THE

FASHION

DUNGJEN taylor dungjen

Best butts sought for fashion ad American Apparel wants you.

Or, rather, they want your behind.

The clothing chain launched a campaign Thursday, Jan. 28, to find the tightest end for its Best Bottom in the World contest, encouraging butt model wannabes to submit a close-up picture of their rear end, clad — or well, clad in a mostly naked kind of way — in American Apparel underwear (or bodysuits or briefs).

The entire purpose of the contest is to find the next eligible butt model for the “always expanding intimates and briefs line.” They want you, or maybe a close friend, to snap a close-up of your butt and submit the photo.

The only rule: You must be at least 18 years old to enter.

The butts are hosted on American Apparel’s Web site for viewers to score, rank and comment on. Yes, people can leave comments about your butt.

You can also post the picture of someone’s butt to your Facebook account or Twitter feed.

The brand’s Web site has a display of all the submitted butts — the most up-to-date count is 652. That’s a lot of booty.

The highest-ranked booty belongs to someone named Mira, from Chicago, and has a score of 4.34. Not bad, considering her butt has been viewed 45,770 times and has been scored 3,970 times.

(Information that is available if you click on the photo.)

Judges from American Apparel will select the two most attractive butts as finalists. The two will go to Los Angeles for a final judging. The winner will be eligible to become the brand’s next butt model. Yes, it says eligible. There is no guarantee the winner will actually become the next model. You might only walk away with some new, very different, credentials. I wonder how that would look on a resume.

The top-10 butts, as voted by viewers worldwide, will win an American Apparel goodie bag worth $300.

Contestants could solicit votes from their friends, classmates and even strangers.

Maybe they should make a sign and stand on the corner of Clifton and Calhoun in their underwear asking drivers to cast their vote.

If you choose to check out the Web site, there are several patterns you might notice in photo submissions: lower back tattoos, butt glitter and people named “sexy ass.”

There appear to be a few poses that are favored: butt sticking out … way out, the side view typical American Apparel stance and the spread eagle view that makes me feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Although there isn’t much restriction on who can submit a photo, the contest is dominated by female booty — it isn’t until the last two or three pages when you see any male behind. It would also be worth noting that the butts are posted in order of highest to lowest rank. I guess that means nobody likes man butt and their hairy legs.

(At least one of the man butts is firmly gripped by the hand of his roommate.)

Despite the awkward feeling of examining the butt photos, I couldn’t look away. News editor Gin A. Ando, who also had a peek, says it best: It’s kind of like a train wreck.

Train wreck indeed. Some of the participants seem so desperate for attention and adoration they not only include a close up of their butt, but they make a collage of their butt from different angles. Some are daring enough to include their face in the photo. Imagine if your parents saw that?

(Then you need to decide what the bigger problem is: The fact your parents know that your butt is available for viewing on the Internet or the idea that your parents were perusing butts on the Internet.)

The layout of the contest is pretty simple. The butts appear in rows, they’re clickable so you can enlarge the image for a full view. Contestants are allowed to enter a short description of the photo for the curious at heart.

It’s almost like an online dating service … for butts.

Got what it takes to be the World’s Best Butt? The company is taking submissions through Sunday, Feb. 21.

Plan on putting your butt in the running? Tell Taylor at thefashiondungjen@gmail.com.

Bring Bearcat basketball back to TV Brandon Mohaupt

It was a day that, like few others, will forever be burned in Bearcat memory. You might even be able to remember exactly where you were and what you were doing. Personally, I was in the eighth grade just leaving my math class when I heard the news that destroyed my innocence and ushered into my life a world of disappointment: Kenyon Martin had broken his leg.

The scene was chaos. Girls ran screaming down the halls. Young boys transformed into philosophers, questioning the meaning of life and why we are here. I think I even saw a teacher try to jump out of a window.

Martin broke his leg during the first round of the Conference USA Championship, the lynchpin that broke in Bearcat basketball and has yet to be repaired. Jihad Muhammed gave a noble effort to make up for the loss of Martin, but sadly, fell just short against Kentucky in the second round of the tournament, even though he sank about 30 3-pointers.

Despite one of the great tragedies of the 20th century, the ’90s was a good decade to be a Bearcat. We enjoyed top-10 recruiting classes,

the national spotlight and deep tournament runs. We even changed the attire of the game by introducing the sleeveless jerseys. Yeah, life was good. Men by the name of Logan, Martin, Van Exel, Patterson, Fortson and Brannen led our wonderful university into athletic relevancy.

Locally, this was broadcast on FOX19 under the guise of “The Bearcat Bounce.” Have three words ever been combined to create such harmonious resonance? Our favorite programs would be shuffled to the back of the line in order to create room for our beloved Bearcats. Line jumping might not be a sport at Kings Island, but it certainly was for our favorite program lineup at FOX, including such shows as “Party of Five,” “90210,” “The Simpsons,” “Married With Children” and “Martin.” Sorry Brandon Walsh, but not even your Zach Morris haircut can persuade me to miss “K-Mart” dunk the ball on an unsuspecting defender and then flex into the camera.

Sadly, these days our men in black and red are confined to the halls of ESPNU, FSN or ESPN8 “The Ocho.” Unless you’re a rich college student, chances are you don’t have cable at all or don’t want to spend

the extra dough to get the other 27 ESPN channels. If this is the case, then you are going to miss many of the games. FOX Sports Net isn’t bad, as it’s included in most standard cable packages, but they carry so few games and when they do, the crucial final seconds always seem to be cut short in order to watch the Blue Jackets pregame show. Even worse they show Division II college games or high school basketball games.

But there are a few other options to view the games. Almost everyone with an Internet connection can watch them on ESPN360.com or, if you’re Internet savvy, there are a few Web sites that stream them online.

Some campus-area sports bars also show the game, but is it too much to ask for the viewers inside the 275-loop to be able to watch the games without feeling like they’re searching for the Holy Grail or Osama Bin Laden?

Imagine if all the Bengals games weren’t broadcasted locally, but on basic cable instead. Even though they’re not the best, there would be riots in the streets.

At this current juncture, our Bearcats are 14-7 overall with a

Is it too much to ask for the viewers inside the 275-loop to be able to watch the games without feeling like they’re searching for the Holy Grail?

5-4 record in the Big East (sixth overall). With a few more signature wins, we have a strong case to go dancing come March. It’s time to make this city Bearcat friendly again.

It’s time for Midnight Madness and the Crosstown Shootout to become marquee events once again. FOX19, you’ve been put on notice.

So, go dig out that old Crosstown Shootout ball you got from Skyline Chili when you were 12, toss on that ratty Donald Little jersey and let’s get back to that glorious spot on top of the NCAA. Brandon Mohaupt is a fifth-year journalism student.

there are six more weeks

Peter Springsteen | THe News record

US attention span stoops lower Maria Bergh

There is little holding the attention of American minds these days. Take these examples: Have you noticed how old ’90s pop songs seem? Have you realized the insane election Obama won was just last year? Have you any idea that we are currently involved in (at least) two missions that might as well be termed wars?

It seems there are a million things happening every day. The problem is the next day’s events, although equally pressing and numerous, are often allowed to outweigh and even erase recent history.

There is little doubt Americans were shocked by the earthquake in Haiti, by Katrina, by 9/11.

But do any of these things seem urgent anymore?

Perhaps even more to the point, do you remember Al Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth?” I had to Google it to remember the title, even though I watched it more than once. It’s still great, but nearly every fact has been proven false by naysayers (and probably proven true again by the faithful). And, to be honest, how many of us are quite as scared of global warming as we were then? We’re all still alive, right?

Sure we are. But the Maldives, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, is looking for a place to relocate when the water rises, while Alaskans arm against hungry polar bears driven inland by dwindling safe hunting in warming waters.

And you can bet the weather was (and is, and will continue to be) weird this year. No, it’s not warmer, but it’s also not as it should be, and that affects agriculture, natural cycles, migrations and, yes, you too.

Our lives are so removed from these things and that means we can afford to forget them. We let everything from disasters to minor changes in the climate to slow increases in distance between the rich and the poor in our society slip away behind the hustle to accumulate more things.

But what this really accomplishes is something like what Wal-Mart does: It gives you something incredibly cheap by letting someone else (the children who work in factories, the men who extract the raw material and the people who live near, on, or in the dump for the wastes) be harmed by negligence.

By allowing our lives to be too busy to take note of the changes and fluctuations in our society, we let these changes take over. We give up our capacity to make life better and allow the status quo to plummet.

It is not difficult to remember a few key things you care about and spread the word. It is not hard to contact a senator or congressman once or twice a year. It is not time consuming to volunteer or give money to important causes.

But I often forget, and I am sure I am not alone. Even without money, even without jobs, even without feeling important, the American attention span — short and difficult as it is

— holds amazing power, clout and potential at home and abroad. Let this be the year we harness it and bring it to bear on terrorism (even that which our own nuclear arms inflicts), disasters (like Haiti), torture (that still happens in our prisons) and the wars we fight without dignifying them with the name.

While the government serves the people, it only does so if the people are paying attention.

Maria Bergh is a fourth-year architecture student and intern for Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders, rebuilding houses in Texas after Hurricane Ike.

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Obama: State of the Union sets new tone german lopez

After one year of hiding away in the White House, President Barack Obama has come out swinging, starting with the State of the Union, as he revamped his “above-politics” style for a speech that was aggressive, funny and substantive.

It has been a rough several weeks for Democrats as they faced a series of issues: a loss in a once-guaranteed Senate race, health care reform on life support, alarming unemployment numbers, a huge deficit with this year’s budget and a need for financial reform. Even worse, more issues seem to be coming in the fray, as debates about education, energy, immigration and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell continue to rage during dinner table conversations.

It’s nice to see Obama finally realize he is the president of the United States. While last year’s

Obama kicked it back in the White House after making one vague speech for health care reform, the new Obama is promising weekly appearances. Before the State of the Union, Obama seemed distant and almost uncaring; the new Obama is witty, unapologetic and commanding.

An example of Obama’s new attitude came during a Republican Q&A session. When speaking of how Republicans have been presenting him, Obama mockingly remarked that his administration’s health care plan has been portrayed as “some Bolshevik plot.” In his following remarks, Obama reminded Republicans he is not an ideologue, and his health care bill is fairly centrist. The bill would even implement a few Republican ideas, like a national exchange that encourages interstate competition.

The best part is Obama’s embrace of leadership is backed with real policies. He might have

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let the health care public option die, but he is not going to let the entire health care bill follow — at least not without a fight. Financial reform might have been best one or two years ago, but it’s going to happen this year even if Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner seems publicly uneasy about it.

As for the still-struggling economy, Obama hopes to fight unemployment with a new jobs bill. After that, he wants what he’s called a freeze on spending in hopes of quelling deficit fears. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — the policy that discriminates against gays serving openly in the military — is going to get thrown out as well.

The sad news is that some of this might be too late. The health care bill is barely hanging on, as congressional Democrats seem terrified of passing it after the shocking loss in Massachusetts.

And plenty of economists like Paul Krugman have been warning since

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last year that the stimulus package was too small. It would have been nice to have the jobs bills programs back then. In fact, any of this new leadership would have been much better than the hands-off attitude of Obama last year.

But, for now, it is a time for optimism. The leader in Obama has finally woken up, ready to take on new political realities. He might not always be on the right track, like when calling for a potentially hampering spending freeze in a blatant display of populism; but, like former President Bill Clinton said, “When people are insecure, they’d rather have somebody who is strong and wrong than someone who’s weak and right.”

Whatever happens, if Obama wants to continue pushing a progressive agenda, he should never go into hiding again.

German Lopez is a third-year journalism student interested in world politics.

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Women’s track sprints to Big Apple

SAM

ANTICS

Sam Weinberg the news record

sam elliott

Larger March Madness not necessary If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The NCAA college basketball tournament expanding to a 96-team field is “a done deal,” and could happen as soon as next season, SportsbyBrooks.com reported Monday, Feb. 1.

Two anonymous ESPN sources said the NCAA has plans to back out of the remaining years of its contract with CBS and allow other networks such as ESPN and FOX to enter a bidding war for television rights to an expanded Big Dance, according to the Web site.

This is a terrible idea.

March Madness is the greatest time of year for sports fans. While college football’s bowl season is fun, only one of those games truly matters. College basketball’s postseason tournament is full of meaningful games and is the perfect combination of size and timeliness.

Do we really need a 96-team field that would expand the tournament 31 games?

Should it really take one full month for college basketball’s postseason tournament? The regular season is four months, already. Do we really need four months to weed out the top 96 teams from the rest of the pack?

The current 65-team format is large enough. At 96 teams deep, making the tournament would be too easy a task. Letting that many teams into the tournament is a bad idea. Teams already have the entire regular season to impress Selection Committee members. Then winners of conference tournaments are automatically into the field.

Teams already have ample chances to make it into the Big Dance.

Expanding the tournament by 31 teams will only help the mediocre BCS conference schools that would have been bubble teams under the current set-up get into March Madness.

The NCAA tournament should be a privilege. Teams that don’t deserve to be there shouldn’t be allowed into an expanded field. We’re trying to crown a national champion here, we can’t be inviting just any old big-conference team with a fan following to March Madness.

At the proposed expanded field, the NCAA will lose a lot of its casual fans. Who wants to fill out a tournament bracket with nearly 100 teams to choose from?

One of the beauties of the tournament is how easy it is to fill out a bracket. No 96-team bracket is going to fit on a single sheet of paper as easily as the 65-team format currently does.

But the absolute worst thing about expanding the tournament to 96 teams is that it would make the regular season essentially meaningless.

When the top 96 teams are getting a shot to play for a national title, what motivation is there for major-conference teams to schedule any tough opponents outside their league?

And even in strong conferences such as the Big East, ACC and Big 12, teams that finish the season with mediocre records in conference play will likely make it into the tournament field due simply to the strength of their conferences.

Well, Cincinnati fans can at least take something away from a possible 96-team field: UC would actually stand a chance at getting into March Madness again.

But that’s the whole problem with going to a 96-team field. There’s no sense of accomplishment when you and 95 other teams are all in the NCAA tournament. The expanded field would praise mediocrity.

But we’re forgetting one thing in this discussion: money.

Money is the entire reason this expansion might happen. Money and more of it is why the NCAA wants out of its current deal with CBS. The NCAA wants what the BCS had last year: a new TV deal with ESPN, who threw more money at its five college football bowl games than FOX could match.

For a sport played by amateur athletes, money sure has a lot to do with the way things work.

Money might end up driving the greatest college sporting event of the year into a laughable mockery of what it once was.

Do the right thing, NCAA. For once, don’t go after the promise of bigger bucks. Keep the glory of March Madness intact. The current format works, and it works well.

College basketball fans love the current system and college football fans are jealous of the current system.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and March Madness ain’t broke.

Think Sam’s wrong? Should the NCAA tournament expand from 65 to 96 teams? E-mail Sam at elliotsu@mail.uc.edu.

File Art | the news record

On the run The UC women’s track and field team will compete in the New Balance Invitational Friday, Feb. 5.

In preparation for the Big East championships, the University of Cincinnati’s women’s track and field team will participate in the New Balance Invitational in New York Friday, Feb. 5.

The invitational will be the last meet for the Bearcats before the Big East Championships Feb. 20.

“We’re excited to go to New York,” said UC head coach Susan Seaton. “This is the big meet of the year for us. We’re going to compete on the track we’re going to have the Big East championships two weeks later. We’re going to see a lot of Big East competition.”

Going into the meet, the Bearcats have 18 athletes who qualified for the Big East championships, and the team hopes to add more with strong performances in the New Balance Invitational.

Along with the 18 runners, the Bearcats hope to add to their 17 marks that currently place in the Big East’s top-12 performance lists.

“We really hope that we have some people step up at this meet and feel that extra level of competition that comes with having some of the top teams in the country,” Seaton said.

Going into the meet, the team will be led by senior Jasmine Cotten and sophomore MacKenzie Fields, who are both coming off strong performances at the Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial Jan. 29.

“

We really hope that we have some people step up at this meet and feel that extra level of competition.

—Susan Seaton, uc Head coach

”

Despite battling a nagging injury for the last year, Cotten set the third-place Big East mark in the high jump event at the McCravy Memorial.

Cotten also holds first-place Big East marks in the long jump and the pentathlon, and will try to take Big East titles in all three events come the championships.

“I think she can definitely challenge for being the Big East Champion in the pentathlon and possibly over in the long jump and the high jump,” Seaton said. “That would be a huge deal because that hasn’t been done that much before, [where] somebody wins three events at the Big East championship.”

Fields is coming off a record-setting performance in the pole vault, where her mark placed second in the Big East and 21st on the NCAA list. see Track | page 2

Come out with your hands up

CATS SEEK SEASON Sweep of Irish

Michael Vest the news record

Coming off a win against Providence, the Bearcats will travel to South Bend, Ind., Thursday, Feb. 4, to take on Notre Dame for the second time this season.

Cincinnati won the Jan. 16 meeting at home in a 60-58 thriller thanks to a last-second basket by Yancy Gates.

With the 92-88 Saturday against Providence, the Bearcats improved to 5-4 in the Big East and 14-7 overall. Cashmere Wright, who was awarded the Big East Rookie of the Week Monday, led the Bearcats with a career-high 24 points and had no turnovers in 30 minutes of play.

“Cashmere seems to be getting pretty comfortable out there, he had a great offensive game against Louisville, as well. It makes us a better offensive team when he’s playing well on offense,” said UC head coach Mick Cronin.

Wright’s partner in the backcourt, senior Deonta Vaughn, has provided the consistency needed on a young team during the grind of Big East

play. Vaughn leads the team in scoring during conference play at 15.3 points per game, and also leads the team in free-throw shooting at 88.6 percent.

For UC to have success against Notre Dame, it will need to continue its improved 3-point shooting.

Spanning the last three games UC has shot 35.7 percent, 50 percent and 44.4 percent from long range, a drastic improvement from earlier in the season.

The Bearcats are still tied for last in the conference in 3-point percentage with South Florida, but during conference play UC is ninth in the Big East. The Bearcats have also improved overall shooting from the field. UC’s field goal percentage is 45 percent during conference play, good for seventh in the Big East.

“We just got to be able to maintain statistically what we’re doing,” Cronin said. “Shooting a high percentage giving up a low percentage, and continuing take care of the basketball. We’ve developed a lot offensively we seem to be pretty see Irish | page 2

photos by Kareem Elgazzar | the news record

Box him out Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates limited Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody to 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting during UC’s 60-58 home win against Notre Dame Saturday, Jan. 16.

Who will win Super Bowl XLIV? Manning will lead Colts to win

Offensive assault will power Saints

garrett Sabelhaus the news record

sam elliott the news record

The Indianapolis Colts will win Super Bowl XLIV because they have the best quarterback in the game, possibly of all time.

It’s safe to say this will be one of the highest scoring Super Bowls ever because, let’s face it, both defenses leave something to be desired. However, the offenses are two of the best in the game.

Unfortunately for the Saints, Peyton Manning has been there before, and won before.

This season has been no different than any other for Manning, who has shredded top defenses all year including throwing for 377 yards against the Jets in the AFC championship game.

This game will ultimately come down to who plays better between Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Manning. Brees, although a great quarterback, has never been on a stage as big as the Super Bowl.

But as well as the offenses of both squads have played, the game could come down to who makes the biggest mistake; Manning won’t be the one to make it.

Brees is new to this and, much like Manning, is the heart and soul of his team. If things don’t go well for the Saints out of the gate, it could steam roll and mistakes could start to pile up for the less experienced team.

The Colts have 25 players that were on their Super Bowl winning squad from 2006. The experience alone will lead the Colts to their second Super Bowl win in four years.

It takes one thing to win football games: points.

That’s good news for the New Orleans Saints, as they’ve scored more points than anybody this postseason — 26 more than Indianapolis in as many games.

They say that all offense does is sell tickets, but in the case of the Saints, this year, offense will win them a championship.

Drew Brees has thrown six touchdowns this postseason, more than any other quarterback. Sure he’s going up against Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLIV, but Brees’ 116.1 quarterback rating this postseason bests Manning’s 104.6.

A solid running game is a must for any championship team, and New Orleans has Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush leading their ground attack. The Saints are averaging 119.5 yards per game on the ground this postseason, compared to only 71.5 per game from Joseph Addai and Donald Brown for the Colts.

New Orleans is getting this all done behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. Through the postseason, the Saints’ offensive line has allowed Brees to be sacked only once.

Oh, and Indianapolis will likely be playing without its best defensive lineman, Dwight Freeney.

Sure, New Orleans’ defense surrendered more than 21 points per game this season, but the well-oiled machine that is the Saints’ offense is putting up more than 38 points per game this postseason.

Nothing — not even league MVP Manning and the Colts — can bring the Saints to a halt. It’ll be a big day in the Big Easy as New Orleans will win the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

Heads or Tails?

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