OLD GOLD&BLACK W A K E
F O R E S T
U N I V E R S I T Y
T H U R S D AY, F E B R U A RY 2 6 , 2 0 0 9
VOL. 92, NO. 22
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
Teacher aims Grade : a myth? to identify space debris
Outside the Bubble... NASA satellite crashes after launch
By Alex Osteen | Senior writer
By Sam Cernuto | Asst. sports editor
Details concerning a recent satellite collision have reached the university through Professor Robert Plemmons of the mathematics and computer science departments. He has been working for the Army Research Office (ARO) and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) doing research by tracking and observing the orbits and activities of satellites. Since 1983, Plemmons has been working on the challenge of identifying objects in space. Plemmons explained, “Our work is on space situational analysis. This involves imaging manmade space objects, such as satellites, launch materials Plemmons such as rocket bodies and space debris for identification purposes. In particular, this is of interest to the military for protecting our interests in space, and more generally of interest for safety reasons.” The most recent crash between a Russian satellite and a United States satellite, which took place on Feb. 10, left trails of debris in space that may threaten other satellites and the Hubble
See Debris, Page A4
If you were to ask a student at the university how he or she thinks the Wake Forest grade point average compares to the average GPA at similar schools, you’d most likely hear two words: “grade deflation.” Many students at the university believe that the grades they receive here are under-valued or “deflated” according to the steep work load required of them when compared to the university’s “crossadmit” schools. Students fear that they are put at an unfair disadvantage because of this when they apply for graduate schools or jobs. Based on a recent study by the administration, via the Office of Institutional Research (OIR), the average GPA at the university is actually only .05 points lower than our cross-admits’ average, showing no noticeable deflation. In fact, according to the school’s GPA trend over the past 20 years, there has actually been grade inflation.
peer schools was 3.26 compared to 3.21 for Wake Forest graduating seniors,” Tiefenthaler said. The study also addressed students’ relative workload at these different schools. Some students argue that it’s possible that the mean GPA is the same for all these universities yet Wake Forest students have to do more work to earn it. However, by comparing “student academic workload indicators” from the 2007 College Senior Survey, the OIR found that the workload at all ten colleges is about the same.
A satellite launched by NASA on Feb. 24 crashed back to Earth after three minutes. The crash was caused when a clam-shellshaped structure that allows the satellite to travel through space did not separate from the rocket. The satellite was supposed to monitor greenhouse gases and study how they affect the Earth’s climate.
Human remains found in New Mexico desert Three bodies and a fetus were discovered in the desert west of Albuquerque, N.M. on Feb. 21 and Feb. 23. Six other bodies were found there earlier this month. Authorities believe these deaths are all tied to a single incident and that the bodies were buried between 2003 and 2005. Only one of the bodies has been identified as Victoria Chavez, a prostitute, who was last seen in 2003 and reported missing in 2004.
See GPA, Page A5
On Average: Data Speaks Provost Jill Tiefenthaler explained that the ten cross-admit schools the OIR surveyed were Davidson, Emory, Notre Dame, University of Richmond, UNCChapel Hill, Vanderbilt, University of Virginia, Washington & Lee and William & Mary. “The results showed that the average cumulative GPA for graduating seniors at the 10
Iran plans to test nuclear power plant
D ASHING A ND D ANCING
Symposium examines Juicy Campus ethics By R. Hunter Bratton | Asst. opinion editor
Photo courtesy of Student Development office
Representatives from the Chi Omega auction, Wake ‘N Shake and Hit the Bricks were on hand at the Georgia Tech basketball game to present their check to the WFU Comprehensive Cancer Center
The communication department and the Fund for Ethics, Leadership and Civil Responsibility held a public symposium on ethics and the Internet at Annenburg Forum in Carswell Hall on Feb. 23 in front of a crowded room of undergraduate students and community members. The symposium, moderated by Michael J. Hyde, university distinguished chair of communication ethics, starred a council composed of four leading university undergraduates and four renowned professors consisting of Stravroula Glezakos, assistant professor of philosophy, Sue Wasiolek, assistant Vice President for
See Juicy, Page A3
Iran will test its first nuclear power plant on Feb. 25 in front of Russian and Iranian officials. The testing will be comprehensive and test all the plant’s systems. The tests will be completed by using “dummy” fuel rods. If the tests are successful then more tests with fuel rods containing enriched uranium will take place toward the end of 2009.
Myanmar releases political prisoners On Feb. 21 and 22, 19 political prisoners were released by the government of Myanmar. Among them was one of Amnesty International USA’s priority cases, a woman named Ma Khin Khin Leh. She had been sentenced to a life sentence in prison after authorities failed to locate her husband, who had planed a protest demonstration in Bago. Leh had been in custody since 1999.
Seven injured in Mardi Gras shooting Seven people, including an infant, were injured in a shooting that occurred along the Mardi Gras parade route on Feb. 24. Two young men were shot in the abdomen while the other victims suffered from graze wounds. None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening. Two suspects were apprehended and three guns were retrieved. Both suspects were charged with an attempted first-degree murder.
University receives repeat honors for service
Forest community and it is an honor to be recognized on a national level.” Honorees for the award display commendFor the third consecutive year, the university has received recognition for its outstanding able service-oriented programs on campus and commitment to higher education community in the community. Factors such as extent and originality of service projects, percentage of service. The Corporation for National and Commu- participating students and the role of servicenity Service honors colleges and universities learning in academic curriculum were considacross the nation that support exceptional com- ered at each school. At the university, service is munity service and service-learning programs. a prominent part of campus life. The Volunteer The program has placed the university on the Service Corps (VSC) is a student-run organizaPresident’s Higher Education Community tion that sponsors service projects on campus, Service Honor Roll for exemplary efforts and including Project Pumpkin and DESK, works to connect volunteers to non-profit agencies service to America’s communities. “This award is once again a wonderful recogni- in the Winston-Salem community and hosts tion of the outstanding commitment that our both domestic and international service trips. students, faculty and staff have to our motto, Last semester, the VSC successfully organized Pro Humanitate,” said Brighid Jensen, assistant Project Pumpkin in October, reaching out director of student development and volunteer to over 1,000 children from the community services. “Service is an integral part of our Wake through fun Halloween activities, such as faceBy Samantha Hoback | Staff writer
painting and trick-or-treating. Campus Kitchen is another service organization on campus that prepares and delivers over 10,000 meals per year to people all over the Winston-Salem community. The VSC international service trips take student volunteers to India, Brazil, Russia and South Africa throughout the year to do service projects and promote Pro Humanitate around the world. This spring, the VSC is organizing Wake Alternative Break trips. During Spring Break, student volunteers will travel to various places in the United States, including New Orleans, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Atlanta, Ga., and Washington, D.C., and participate in different service programs. Along with the scope of service programs, the award recognizes campuses with outstanding
Life | B5
INSIDE:
Baby, It’s Warm Outside
Brieflies
A2
Police Beat
A2
Spotlight
B2
Now that spring break is around the corner figure out what to do with the increasing warm weather.
The Hot List
B6
In Other News
Sudoku
B6
• University looking for new student advisers | A2 • Student looks help and gain experience | A4
See Service, Page A4
Sports | B1 Diamond Deacs Undefeated The Wake Forest baseball team has started its 2009 spring season 5-0, the best start it has had since the 1998 season.
Old Gold & Black file photo
DESK is one of the many service activities for which the university was recognized.
Opinion | A8 No stimulus, No Madeline Eckenrode outlines her opposition to the recently passed stimulus package.
A2 Thursday, February 26, 2008
It is the
31st
Old Gold & Black News
There are
Day of classes
Brieflies Class of 2009 senior portraits scheduled for coming week Seniors interested in scheduling an appointment for their portraits for the class of 2009 have until March 6 to do so. Portraits will be taken in Benson 500 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Seniors must schedule an appointment ahead of time by logging onto www.ouryear.com (school code: 87110) or calling 1-800-OURYEAR (687-9327) during normal business hours. This is the only planned event for oncampus portraits, sponsored by the Howler Yearbook.
Students encouraged to tutor local underprivileged children Students who are looking for an opportunity to help out in the local community are encouraged to become involved in an after school tutoring program at the Potter’s House to benefit underprivileged children. Rides and/or directions are provided Monday-Thursday in the Benson Circle at 3:30 p.m. (to return around 5 p.m.). For more information, contact Maury Riggan at riggjm5@wfu.edu.
Applications for position of President’s Aide now available Rising juniors and seniors who have demonstrated leadership in academic life, student life and community service are invited to apply for the position of President’s Aide. President’s Aides are student leaders who serve as representatives of the university and the student body. Additionally, President’s Aides meet regularly with President Hatch, providing an additional communication link between the student body and the administration. Applications are currently available online at www.wfu.edu/president/aides.php. The application deadline is March 16.
BB&T sponsors campus-wide essay contest All students are invited to enter an essay contest sponsored by the BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism. This year’s topic is “Markets and Freedom,” and it asks students, in the context of the world’s financial markets crisis, to consider the scope of government action to ensure freedom. A hard copy of all essays must be submitted to Kirby Hall Room 316 no later than 4 p.m. on March 6. For more information and to view contest guidelines, visit www.wfu. edu/~westgp/Essay.pdf.
Poet Maya Angelou to teach class again in March The humanities department announced that Professor Maya Angelou will resume teaching her spring course this semester, HMN 337 World Poetry in Dramatic Performance (1.5h), from 3 to 5 p.m. on March 23, 25, 30 and April 1, 3, 4 and 6, followed by a final performance at 3 p.m. April 7 in Brendle Recital Hall. Only a few seats will be available. Students who are interested in adding the course should go in person to the administrative assistant for the humanities, Alice Goodman, in Room B6 Tribble Hall, between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to obtain an application form and further instructions.
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days until
PAG E 2 19 8 37 25 There are
There are
days until
days
St. Patrick’s Day
There are days until
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Spring Break
Third Eye Blind
Wake ‘N Shake
TACKLING HEALTH TABOOS
Recognizing exercise addiction The conclusion of last week’s feature on exercise addiction
By Caroline Glass | Contributing writer Warning signs Walk around campus, and you’ll see students working out in the Miller Center, at the track, on the sports fields, or on campus roads. These same students attend class and go to the Pit in their workout clothes. Regardless of time or weather, you can always find a student exercising somewhere on campus. At a place where an emphasis on health and fitness is so visible, identifying an activity disorder can be difficult. However, there are telltale signs that accompany activity disorders. One of the most obvious is an obsession with working out despite physical feedback of pain, exhaustion or sickness, according to Deborah Benfield, a clinical nutritionist in Winston-Salem. “The biggest sign is fatigue; sometimes people just push right through that,” Benfield said. “A lot of people exercise through injuries and being exhausted.” Senior Lizzie Rosen suspects that a friend of hers may have an activity disorder. Rosen said that her suspicions began when she noticed that her friend refused to allow for recovery time between workouts. “We exercise together periodically,” Rosen said, “and it makes me uncomfortable because I always feel like she is pushing herself too far. I don’t think her other friends realize how intense she is about working out because they don’t work out with her.” Cognitive distortions often accompany activity disorder. Benfield said that many people who over-exercise will use their workouts as a bargaining piece. “When I over-exercised, I would have this weird fixation with being faster,” Rachel, an anonymous student, said, “and if I didn’t like my time I would punish myself by not allowing myself to eat.” According to Benfield, many of her patients see exercise as a way of obtaining permission to eat. “There’s just a feeling that you’re supposed to be exercising and if you aren’t, you haven’t earned
your right to eat,” Benfield said. “It’s really sort of twisted.” Everyone is vulnerable
No one is immune to activity disorders, not even athletes. “In some ways it can be harder for them,” communications professor Steven Giles said, “because they develop habits and then have a way they can excuse their behavior.” No one is more aware of the danger to athletes than Anne Bradley, an athletic trainer who has been working for the university for five years. She is one of 10 athletic trainers, and only works with the cross-country and track teams, which Bradley says tend to have a higher number of body image problems, eating disorders and weight fluctuations. The trainers at the university carefully monitor their athletes by regularly taking their weight and calculating BMIs, “just so we know where they stand,” Bradley said. “We approach it from a medical standpoint,” Bradley said. She said it is not unusual to do other lab work to ensure that the athletes are healthy in other aspects. She says that the athletic community is close-knit, making it easier for trainers to monitor students. Athletes are generally given their workouts and exercise requirements by the coach, and Bradley says that it’s rare that someone goes above and beyond the exercise that is required of them. “Doing so would definitely be a warning sign,” Bradley said. If someone starts to have concerning exercise habits or their weight fluctuates dramatically, the trainers usually make a contract with the athlete. “When making the contract, we set an objective number as a goal weight,” Bradley said. “That way it’s black and white.” If bad habits continue, athletes may be restricted from practice or even suspended from the team. Bradley believes that, in many ways, athletes are the most protected from activity disorders because their actions are so carefully monitored. Affecting males and females alike Although Bradley estimates that about three-quarters of the athletes she sees with body image problems
are female, she is not about to rule out t h e men. “We can’t forget about male athletes,” Bradley said. “And it’s not just the skinny runners, but even the football team, the huge linebackers that are pressured to maintain a certain body, that may engage in unsafe practices.” Natascha Romeo, the university’s health educator, agrees. “I think we tend to think of this as a women’s disease,” she said, “because women are more willing to talk about it.” But while those afflicted with eating disorders are primarily women, experts believe that men are just as likely as women to have an activity disorder, particularly because of the cultural praise given to muscular bodies. “Just look at men’s magazines,” Benfield said. “Men are focused on having a perfect body instead of a number on a scale. The amount they eat is less of a concern, because they need those calories to support constant workouts and strength training.” Can anything be done? While experts are improving their understanding of activity disorder, treating it still remains a concern, especially on college campuses. Even at a young age, activity disorders can inflict long-term damage. Research shows that the health benefits associated with regular exercise decrease when exercise reaches an unhealthy extreme, while the risk of injury increases. Other health risks associated with activity disorder include amenorrhea and osteoporosis for women due to a decrease in estrogen, heart problems, degenerative arthritis, irregular sleeping patters, loss of coordination and a weakened immune system. Despite the serious consequences, there is little that the university can do to help without a student’s consent. “If Student Health hears about someone through a concerned friend or roommate, they can’t force treatment on someone or hold them accountable until that person makes the decision to come into for help themselves,” Bradley said.
Graphic by Bobby O’Connor/Old Gold & Black
And many students are hesitant to get involved in others’ personal problems. “I feel like we are at an age where we have to take control of our own lives,” Rosen said. “I’m not sure what to do.” If a student is open to receiving help, the Counseling Center and the university’s nutritionist are available for support. There is also an “eating disorder team” on campus, made up of experts like Benfield. “We are involved in treating patients who are students at Wake,” Benfield said. “So we use our meetings to have a way to work as a team. Taking a multi-directional course is the best way to deal with these problems.” Romeo expresses concern that activity disorders are not taken seriously enough on college campuses, especially when compared to more easily recognized problems, such as depression. “There are people on campus who know this is a problem and want to do something about it,” Romeo said. “The question is, do they have the leverage?”
Student advisers help freshmen transition By Samantha Hoback | Staff writer
One of the most important first connections that a new student can make on campus is the one with his or her Student Orientation Adviser (SOA). New students benefit from knowing upperclassmen on campus as they become acclimated to their new life away from home. The Student Orientation Advising program is very successful
at facilitating interaction and communication between new students and their faculty advisers and SOAs as the new students learn their way around campus, choose their new classes and learn to live with new people. Due to the increased number of freshmen next year, the Committee of Lower Division Advising and Orientation has made some changes to the program in an effort to make the transition from home to college smoother and easier for the new students.
Junior Joe Abernethy is a member of the Student Orientation Adviser Leadership Council. “The new students benefit from access to upperclassmen. Having older contacts on campus can help them avoid getting tangled with the freshmen halls, and they are exposed to a number of resources on campus,” Abernethy said. During Orientation week, which will be August 20-25,
See Adviser, Page A4
POLICE BEAT • University Police responded to 57 calls from Feb. 16-22, including 12 incidents and investigations and 45 service calls. The following is a summary of the incidents and investigations.
Miscellaneous • Several students at North Campus Apartments reported receiving a threatening e-mail from another student Feb. 20. Information about the incident was provided to the dean of student services. • A student reported Feb. 22 that a person he did not know ran up from behind and shoved
him to the ground as he walked on Manchester Plaza. He was treated for minor abrasions on his hands at the Student Health Service.
Thefts • A student’s unattended cell phone valued at $400 was reported stolen from a restroom in Reynolda Hall between 4 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. Feb. 17. • Six basketball tickets valued at $630 were reported stolen Feb. 18 from a desk in a locked office at Manchester Athletic Center. There were no signs of forced entry.
Drug and Alcohol Violations • University Police responded to a call Feb. 21 about a loud party in a room at Bostwick Residence Hall and found 10 underage students drinking. Information about the incident was provided to Harold Holmes, associate vice president and dean of student services.
Property Damage • Yellow paint was found splashed on the sidewalk and a trash can in front of the Deacon Shop in Kitchin Residence Hall Feb. 21.
News Old Gold & Black
Student raises funds to help cause By Stephanie Papes | Staff writer
Sophomore Roumen Iordanov is fundraising for a trip to Ghana in Summer 2009. This trip to West Africa is for work with the charitable organization Unite For Sight, a nonprofit institution that helps to cure people suffering from blindness. Since loss of sight is often preventable and curable, there are people worldwide who are living needlessly blind. The Unite For Sight Organization seeks to improve ocular health and limit preventable blindness. Unite For Sight supports eye clinics worldwide by investing human and financial resources in their social ventures to eliminate patient barriers to eye care. An estimated 36 million blind people worldwide have curable cases, and many have other eye diseases that require treatment. Blindness is debilitating, and it affects health, mortality, families, employment, income and education in developing countries where treatment is impossible without aid. Iordanov, who is pre-med, will volunteer with Unite For Sight in Ghana during the summer of 2009. While volunteering with the organization, Iordanov will work with the Unite For Sight clinic and its partner eye clinics to provide eye care in communities formerly without access to medical treatment.
“In the future, I hope to be able to use my medical degree to help people, and to make a difference in the world, as much as my abilities allow.” Iordanov said. “Volunteering for the Unite For Sight program would be a noble cause, and it would help me grow as an individual.” The Unite For Sight ophthalmologists and their nurses diagnose and treat eye diseases, and patients who require it are brought to the eye clinic for surgery. These programs are all sponsored by the organization; patients do not have to pay for surgery. In the years 2006 and 2007, Unite For Sight provided eye care to more than 200,000 people and sponsored more than 10,000 sightrestoring surgeries. Over 600,000 total patients have been served. Unite For Sight volunteers participate in hands-on clinical services while assisting eye doctors in rural villages of developing countries. Iordanov and others will be responsible for taking patient history, testing visual acuity, assisting the eye nurse with the examination, distributing medication and eyeglasses prescribed by the eye nurse, providing eye health education in the villages and schools, and help ing with the coordination of patient surgeries in West Africa. Iordanov is currently collecting money for the Unite For Sight trip, with 100% of the funds raised providing sight-restoring surgeries
Thursday, February 26, 2009 A3
Speaker notes problems for former cons By Cheryl Johnson | Staff writer
Rachel Cameron/Old Gold & Black
Roumen Iordanov is hoping to raise money for Unite for Sight, which helps those who have curable blindness. for patients living in poverty. Entire restoration of sight is the goal of each surgery. A cataract surgery costs an average of $50, so every donation makes a difference. To contribute to Iordanov’s fundraising efforts, contact him by email at iordrb7@wfu.edu. You may also send a check made out to Unite For Sight to Cam-
pus Box 8116, 1834 Wake Forest Rd., Winston-Salem, N.C. Include your e-mail address on the check to be provided with a receipt for tax purposes. Donations are fully taxdeductible. For more information about the Unite For Sight organization and ways to get involved, visit www. uniteforsight.org.
On Saturday, Feb. 21, a spellbound audience listened with bated breath to Asha Bandele as she recounted her story about how the incarceration of her husband affected the lives of herself and her daughter. Darryl Hunt, an ex-prisoner, introduced Bandele but not before he presented the audience with his personal view of life as a prisoner. He stated that there are over 40,000 inmates in the state of North Carolina alone. The biggest problem for him was life after he was released. “When you’re incarcerated, prison makes you totally dependent upon the system. They don’t teach you how to go back to a normal life.” As Bandele began her speech, she opened with a very startling statistic: over 2.4 million children have a parent in prison. “This is due to the government’s slogan of ‘tough on crime,’ when in fact they should be ‘smart on crime,’” she said. The United States incarcerates more people than any other country, which creates more situations in which former prisoners must re-acclimate themselves to life in the real world. This quick turn-around from prison life to a normal life actually destabilizes communities by making them more dangerous. Some of the prisoners have been in solitary confinement for years at a time and suddenly they are
See Prisoner, Page A4
International Studies office holds workshop for students By Caitlin Brooks | News editor
Approximately 65 percent of the university’s undergraduates study abroad at some point during their four years at the university, but very few of them actually experience the full range of opportunities that a summer, semester or year abroad promise. To counter this, the Center for International Studies will host the inaugural two day Workshop on Intercultural Skills Exchange Feb. 27-28 at Graylyn International Conference Center. Like students trapped inside the bubble on the Reynolda campus, many students who make bold forays into the wider world will find ways to stick to the familiar. They frequent pubs, restaurants and discos to encounter new foods and local flavor with groups of fellow American students and neglect to mingle with locals. These same students go on safe, structured, fully guided tours of all the must see cultural loca-
tions, but they never really get the faintest sense of their host country. Worse, some students may fully immerge themselves in a culture utterly unprepared for what greets them, and then retreat to the familiarity of a dorm or classroom sick with culture shock for the duration of their stay. These consequences result from two common mistakes students make when planning their abroad experience, according to Steven Duke, director for the Center for International Studies. Many students plan their experiences to a tee – or so they think – focusing almost entirely on what Duke calls “the basic logistics of life.” Where students will live, what classes they will take and where they will procure much of their food, fall into this category. So much preoccupation with these crucial details, coupled with the second mistake; over confidence in their understanding of local cultures
and cultural differences, means that students spend little to no time thinking of the actual dayto-day experiences they should have when interacting with locals. Many have no idea what to expect. D u k e compares the result to throwing a group of students who have n e v e r swum before into the deep end of a huge pool. Students think about swimming, get excited about the opportunity to do so. Then they are thrown in unprepared. Many of them figure out the doggie paddle and are able to get by, not thoroughly enjoying the experience, but gaining something from it. Of course
a very few immediately grasp the concept, but many others drown. The workshop, entitled Navigating Study Abroad: Preparing Students Beyond the Classroom, aims to address these problems and their consequences through faculty training. The workshop, seemingly the first of its kind, has drawn registration from profess i o n als from across the nation. The workshop will be composed of lectures and discussions led by nine professionals. Topics will include broad ones, including “Shock Treatment,” which aims to treat culture shock at the source, before it occurs by teaching faculty what to expect when studying abroad. The
workshop will also include specific topics like Spanish Professor Jane Albrecht’s presentation titled “Diving into Language Issues,” which will explore when and where it is important to speak the local language and when an interpreter is appropriate. Terry Baker, associate professor of accounting, is one of four other university faculty members who will contribute directly to the workshop’s sessions. Baker, who teaches a summer Calloway course abroad in London, England and in Bordeaux, France, will lead a panel of four students, all of whom have studied abroad, to discuss their experiences with workshop attendees. They will be asked to focus on when they were most aware of cultural differences. “I think the audience will see some common themes from all four students, regardless of where in the world they studied,” Baker said. “For example, I think all of them will talk about the difficulty of language
differences. I hope that this will raise awareness of the student experience abroad and how to prepare/cope with those challenges.” The idea for the workshop arose out of a Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) drafted by the university in February 2006 for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools that encouraged personnel to brainstorm ways to improve the student life. The QEP, titled “Beyond Boundaries: Preparing Students to Become Global Citizens,” was then put to practical application by a faculty panel last year. When Duke arrived at the university in July 2008, he began work to make this brainchild a reality. “I think it’s clear that living immersed in another culture is going to be a very enriching experience,” Duke said. “It is one that opens minds, but doing it thoughtfully and consciously will make it an even better experience.”
Juicy: Community members Lectures will examine religion discuss questionable Web site By Natalie Ranck | Staff writer
Continued from Page A1
Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Duke University, Ananda Mitra, Chair and Professor of Communication and Shannon Gilreath, University Fellow in Law and Professor of Interdisciplinary Study. The university students, Jamie Neal, Stacey O’Sullivan, Kimberly Paschall and Ross Williford, presented well-developed arguments against the once famous “Juicy Campus” Web site and gave empathetic accounts of how the ignoble forum ruined relationships and reinforced stereotypes by providing anonymity to those whom take comfort in harassing others from behind a digital safeguard. Alessandra Beasley Von Burg, Assistant Professor of Communication said “students around campus have expressed their concern, disbelief, and at times, outrage and pain about the effects of [sites such as] Juicy Campus.” Von Burg hopes that, with Juicy Campus shutting down, it will be possible to “provide a space to discuss its life, ‘death’ and ongoing implications, while anticipating and preparing for a similar venue in the future.” Although aware that certain liberties must be protected to ensure freedom of speech, students composing the council were convinced that a healthier way of expression must exist that encourages accountability rather than promoting brutish behavior. Messages of descent, such as those once openly posted for all to see on Juicy Campus, are an indication of the age when teenagers and ‘adults’ no longer face social
repercussions for their tasteless slurs but rather unit by nature to form a mass of mediated gossip, said O’Sullivan. With students complaining that limitations on student blogging rival the free flow of information, the council contested that certain privileges of journalistic communication are not necessary requirements for unedited and free-flowing comments. The undergraduate presenters spoke of how students are moldable and their views on reality are capable of being augmented by the opinions and perceptions of others, warranted or not. Humans are beings of selective memory and it is often the case that specific comments become infinitely ingrained in the mind while the memories of their origins fade with time. Constant exposure to the socially unacceptable argots of youth can desensitize readers, build monsters out of idle minds and alter social reality. O’Sullivan reported that common themes exist within the comments on the Web site that include sexual promiscuity with regard to women and status levels with regard to men. An overarching trend of negative sexual language exists on these Web sites directed towards both men and women, while more positive comments are made toward men than women. Still, it is the case that the majority of comments on Juicy Campus are negative in nature. Cruel remarks made by faceless beings leaving no names inevitably end in embarrassment, disloyalty, and shame. Undoubtedly the bombardment of offensive language is a detriment to the psyche of students said the undergraduate members of the council.
On Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 the seventh annual Phyllis Trible Lecture Series will begin in Brendle Recital Hall. The lecture series honors Phyllis Trible, an internationallyknown biblical scholar, who is also a professor at the university’s School of Divinity. Her influential writings and career have helped shape feminist studies of the Bible, and her membership in the university’s founding faculty was a factor in the beginning of the Divinity School. She has also lectured both in the U.S. and abroad, written several books, and co-edited a book entitled Hagar, Sarah and Their Children that went on to receive a 2007 Catholic Press Award. The idea for the lecture series was created by Sylva Billue, who supported and developed the women’s and gender studies program at the university before her death in 2007. “The Divinity School joined Ms. Billue in this effort to honor Phyllis Trible,” Diane Lipsett, a professor at the Divinity School and chair of the steering committee that plans this event, said. The committee Lipsett heads brings professors from the Di-
vinity School and the women’s and gender studies program together to work toward making the series accessible and of high value to everyone involved. Every year, the series hosts renowned feminist scholars of religion who talk about issues of importance to undergraduates, graduate students and the greater community at large. This year the theme for the series is “Scandalous Women and Religious Traditions,” and it will feature six distinguished scholars, including Phyllis Trible herself. Three of the speakers are historians, one of whom is Elizabeth Clark, who will talk about the scandal of women’s leadership and experience in the early centuries of Christianity. Her lecture titled “The Scandal of the Sacred: Early Christian Ascetic Women” will be held at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3. She will be followed at 3 p.m. the same day by the other two historians, Yvonne Chireau and Jane Crosthwaite, who will focus on the scandals in American religious history in their lecture “Spirits and Visions: The Scandals of Religious Women.” At 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, Emilie Townes, an ethicist and feminist theologian, will explore the theme from her perspective in her speech titled, “With Running Mouth and
Hands on Hips: Sapphire and the Moral Imagination.” Biblical scholars Wilma Bailey and Phyllis Trible will then explore scandalous women in scripture at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4 in a lecture titled “A Scandalous Woman, Who Can Find?” The lectures will also be interactive for those in attendance. “Every lecture will conclude with a time for questions from the audience,” Lipset said. “Students therefore have a terrific opportunity not just to hear from internationally respected scholars, but to be in dialog with them.” Also, an open reception at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 and a closing panel discussion at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4 will allow more opportunities for questions and discussions. The lecture series will provide the opportunity for interaction with top-notch, brilliant scholars. This should make this series quite valuable and interesting not only for students studying religion or women’s and gender studies, but also for anyone hoping to learn more about religious history or real life juicy scandals. The lecture series is free to students, faculty and staff. For more detailed information on the speakers, visit divinity. wfu.edu/trible.
Old Gold & Black News
A4 Thursday, February 26, 2009
Prison: Wife of former prisoner discusses hardships Continued from Page A3
supposed to forget about that and integrate themselves. “You see people just staring around because they are so shocked to suddenly hear children’s voices and sometimes even see colors.” Bandele’s husband, Rasheed, was in prison when she became pregnant with her daughter. It was especially difficult for her because the prisons were so far removed
from the normal population that it became very difficult for her and her daughter to visit her husband. In the end, she had to make a decision between her husband and her daughter. She was also terrified of how others would view her: a woman with a child and no visible father. Bandele knew that society would instantly put a label on her, but through the help of her friends and family, she was able to overcome this fear and hold her head high. A short panel discussion
was held after where a variety of people with ties to this issue from the community gave their opinion. “The prisons are very similar to a slave plantation economy because they just take advantage of the inmates,” Angela Hattery, a professor of sociology at the university, said. Chaplain Ingrid Hackett, from the Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministry, discussed the importance of preparing inmates for reintegration. “The best way to accomplish this is for the families to stay connected be-
cause this makes the inmate feel like they are becoming a productive citizen when they remember they’re supporting their loved ones,” she said. “The first day of incarceration should be the first day of planning for rehabilitation and integration,” Mark Rabil, assistant capital defender at the Wake Forest University School of Law Innocence & Justice Clinic, said. Inmates in North Carolina get paid only 40 cents a day. Rabil also pointed out that there are currently more black men in prisons
than during the time when Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation. “The families are being mistreated because of society’s ‘guilt by association’ view,” Lynn Boyd, director of Mothers for Justice of Winston-Salem Inc., said. The last person to speak was Suzanne Reynolds, who is a professor of law at the university. “Law of the Family ignored the problem that 75% of women in prison are mothers, which causes developmental problems for children,” she said.
Debris: Professor identifies debris for NASA Service: University recognized Continued from Page A1
Space Telescope. According to foxnews.com, “The crash of two satellites has generated an estimated tens of thousands of pieces of space junk that could circle Earth and threaten other satellites for the next 10,000 years.” Plemmons has worked extensively on deciphering the debris from the crash. To identify the composition of a tiny piece of debris in space and what it came from, Plemmons used a variety of imaging systems and computer algorithms.
His ongoing work is also funded by U.S. intelligence agencies, and is being used by Air Force and NASA specialists following the debris clouds from the satellites. “We are also involved in non-imaging activities for objects too small or in too high an orbit to image,” Plemmons said. “In this case we obtain information by imaging a single pixel. Some of our work takes place at the Maui Space Surveillance Center in Hawaii.” During the weekend of Feb. 20, Plemmons traveled to Washington, D.C. to present a workshop on
“Mining Hyperspectral & Related Tensor Data.” The presentation included topics such as “spectral unmixing for (space) object material identification with hyperspectral data” and “analysis of massive global multivariate climate datasets.” “Basically, we help both the Defense Department and NASA by tracking satellites and determining their orbits and activities,” Plemmons said. “This includes our own satellites and those of other countries, such as Russia. Of course the two satellites that collided involved one of ours and one of theirs.”
A graduate of the university with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, Plemmons was a baseball player and entered the world of minor league baseball. He earned his applied mathematics doctorate from Auburn University. Before returning to the university in 1990 to teach, he worked at the University of Tennessee and North Carolina State University. At North Carolina State, Plemmons founded the University of North Carolina System’s Center for Research in Scientific Computation. Plemmons has presented in 20 countries and given over 350 research lectures.
Adviser: Group gives mentoring opportunity Continued from Page A2
SOAs are responsible for acting as move-in assistants during Grand Opening and attending many of the orientation events with their first-year student groups, which will consist of about 10 new students. Student advisers also work alongside the faculty advisers to help new students choose classes and start thinking about their long-term academic plan. “It is a great opportunity to interact with freshmen and provide the knowledge you have about classes, professors, and the registration process,” Abernethy said. After Orientation, the SOAs are also responsible for assisting new students with transition issues, such as student life issues and campus housing concerns. Student advising groups meet three
times during the first six weeks of school so that SOAs can follow up and see how their advisees are adjusting to their new academic and social lives at college. Last year, there were 120 first-year student advising groups, and 43 SOAs were partnered. This year, the committee has made some changes. There will be about 130 SOAs and there will be no partners. SOAs will therefore have a better opportunity to get to know both their advisees and faculty advisers on a personal level. Students who are interested in applying to be a SOA can access the application online for the first time at advising.wfu.edu. The Web site is designed to make orientation information more easily accessible for advisers and first year students. The Committee is looking for applicants who have completed one year on campus, who main-
tain a 2.7 GPA, who can attend training and all mandatory events and, most importantly, who can interact well with the faculty advisers and the new students. “It is important to be able to interact with the new students and help them on a different level, a more personal level,” Abernethy said. An information session will be held at 11:00 a.m. March 19th in Annenberg Forum in Carswell. Online applications are due on March 24th, and interviews will be conducted March 30th through April 1st. SOAs are able to move in on August 17th, and training will be on August 19th. “The most rewarding point about being a Student Orientation Adviser is being the resource point for ten lost freshmen,” Abernethy said. “They listen and truly appreciate all the input you give them and you gain ten new friends in the process.”
Continued from Page A1
service-learning curriculums. Many First Year Seminars are service-learning based classes in which students participate in service projects outside of the classroom as a part of the required coursework. Some classes work with elementary school students, tutoring in math and English. Along with the many service projects and service-learning classes at the university, there are several student groups that promote philanthropy and service in the community. Alpha Phi Omega, the Wake Forest Habitat for Humanity, HOPE and the Piccolo Cancer Drive are all organizations that demonstrate how students are applying Pro Humanitate outside of the classroom. The Community Service Honor Roll is an exceptional achievement for the university. The Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. The objectives of the Corporation for National and Community Service are improving lives, strengthening communities and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering. Programs, such as Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America are all a part of the corporation’s approach to supporting service and humanity at large.
News Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 26, 2009 A5
GPA: Statistics negate popular student belief School
Continued from Page A1
Inflation in the Tie-Dye Nation Interest in the topic of grade inflation was sparked recently when a Jan. 25 article in the Charlotte Observer reported that UNC-Chapel Hill is experiencing worrisome grade inflation (“Study finds grade inflation at Chapel Hill,” Eric Ferreri). The university is undergoing a similar effect, although not quite as drastic. In the school year of 1988-1989, the mean GPA at the university rested at 2.84. Nearly 20 years later that number has risen by 13 percent, or .4 points, to 3.21 in the school year of 2007-2008. In all but one year during that time period, the average GPA either remained the same or increased. Associate Professor of Political Science Peter Siavelis has noticed this trend exactly, but isn’t concerned by the fact. “From my personal perspective, I do not think that there is any deflation going on,” Siavelis said. “If anything I think there is inflation, as I do believe that grades have been going up over time … I really don’t think any (of my colleagues) in particular are really that fired up about this.” Some departments are seeing more grade inflation than others. For example, the chair of the economics department, Robert Whaples, says that because his department has maintained a consistent grading policy since the early 1990s, inflation hasn’t occurred in its core classes.
mourns student
Student Government President Jermyn Davis stands against “selling students short” and has petitioned for grade fairness. “I just think we need to emphasize to professors that students should get what they deserve … It is not fair that students should be subjected to receiving lower grades because professors do not want to have too many high grades in their class,” Davis said.
Causes and Concerns Grade inflation is not an inherently bad thing. In fact, it makes a certain amount of sense for a school like Wake Forest that has risen through the ranks over the past two decades. Both Tiefenthaler and Registrar Dot Sugden agree that the best way to explain the university’s grade inflation is the fact that it’s gotten more selective in its admissions standards. Students who get accepted to the unviersity today have done better in high school and are more prepared for college than former students. “Our students are very bright! I also think that most high schools are preparing students for college much better than when I was in high school (in the Dark Ages),” Sudgen said. “I certainly wasn’t as prepared for college as my children were when they started here. “And from my experience on this campus, these professors are certainly not easier than the ones that I had.” More to College than just the GPA Nobody denies that Wake Forest is a
Graphic by Bobby O’Connor/Old Gold & Black
The numbers show inflation in undergraduate grades, but many students feel their grades are being deflated. university that demands hard work from its students. It has also been ranked in the top 30 of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” list since 1997 because of it. Dean of the College Jaquelyn Fetrow believes that there is more to a student than just his or her GPA. “Admission to graduate school isn’t just about the numerical value of the GPA. “At least as important is the quality of the school from which the student graduated,” Fetrow said.
Davis argues similarly that if Wake Forest students can survive the academic difficulties of the university, they might find that their struggles to get a high GPA actually help them in the long run. “I think students feel that the rigor of our Wake Forest education and curriculum is one of the toughest in the country,” Davis said. “Though when I’ve talked to recent alumni, they think that it made them more prepared for either their graduate education or their jobs.”
Sophomore Eric Joshua Marinoff passed away unexpectedly in the early morning on Feb. 25. The undergraduate student body was notified via e-mail the same day. Marinoff was an active member of the university community. He was a brother of Chi Psi Fraternity and played trumpet in the Spirit of the Old Gold & Black. Marinoff was Marinoff also a member of the university’s mock trial team. A funeral service will be held at 12:30 p.m. February 27 in the funeral chapel at Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks in Southampton, Penn. In addition, a campus memorial service will be held this semester. The News Service will e-mail information to students, faculty and staff when campus service arrangements have been made. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Marinoff to Congregation Beth El in Yardley, Penn.
It’s Not Your Fault. 1.800.656.HOPE
National Sexual Assault Hotline Free. Confidential. 24/7. (Operated by RAINN—the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
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Programs foster Pro Humanitate spirit
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veryone is now counting the days until spring break. While some of us are going on cruises or spending every day relaxing at the beach — activities that are much deserved after a strenuous half-semester of work — we also have students at the university who are opting for a selfless spring break devoted to helping those in need. The university is organizing a number of alternative spring break opportunities for students. Students are spreading out all over the southeast, with trips to New Symrna Beach, Fla., Mount Pleasant, S.C., Atlanta, Ga., and Washington, D.C. Aside from the obvious positive image of the university that the students are spreading, these trips are also great experiences for the students themselves. In addition, the university’s Catholic Campus Ministry helped in the formation of a trip to the mountains of Western North Carolina
through the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte Campus Ministry. We think that this is a great opportunity for students to be able to help families living not too far from us. There is also an educational aspect to the trip, because students get to go to Cherokee, N.C., and learn about life on a reservation, among other activities. These trips embody the university’s motto, “Pro Humanitate.” By going on alternative spring breaks, the student body is showing that we do care about our motto and that we do have a purpose that is not entirely selfish in nature. While we agree that it is perfectly acceptable to use spring break as a way to relax with friends and escape the pressures of “Work Forest,” we applaud those who wanted to do something more with their spring breaks and we acknowledge the positive impact that they will have on these communities.
Drug laws must be re-evaluated
Making drugs legal will cause a druggie “free for all.” All countries that have legalized drugs have actually seen a drop in drug usage. While there are many factors in the prohibition of drugs, the public health was never important to the lawmakers that banned these substances. So why are Geoff Janssen drugs illegal then? Most drugs are illegal Guest columnist due to racism and ignorance. Opium was ince Michael Phelps has admitted to banned because officials claimed Chinese the heinous crime of smoking pot, immigrants used it to seduce white he has come under tremendous fire. women. Cocaine was banned because it Kellogg’s has decided not to renew its “made Negroes insane.” contract with Phelps, radio talk show Due to articles in the New York Times hosts slammed him as a terrible role like “Negro Cocaine Fiends: New model for children and Sheriff Leon Lott Southern Menace,” it became widely revealed that the only reason the police believed that cocaine made axe murderers cannot file criminal charges against him is and rapists out of blacks. Marijuana because of a “lack of physical evidence.” was banned because, as one Texas The part that bothers me is that Phelps Congressman testified before Congress, could be in jail for something that 42 “all Mexicans are crazy and this stuff percent of Americans have admitted is what makes them crazy.” Marijuana to doing. He did not physically attack became another drug that turned its users anyone or steal anything. into murderers, rapists, and seducers of The same is true for over 20 percent of — as always — white women. Most of our prison population that is serving time these claims were made with little (if any) for non-violent drug basis in fact. offenses. And so, to protect the Why are we locking white women, we bought According to the Bureau of people away for into the biggest myth of Justice, over $10 billion per “crimes” that affect no all: Arresting drug users one but themselves? year is spent on drug enforceworks to prevent drugs. While I do not So, looking back on ment... yet the Drug Enforceadvocate drugs, I decades of prohibition ment Administration admits think we need to and imprisonment, have that it has never had any sigtake a look at our we accomplished our current drug laws to goal? Unless our goal was nificant impact on drug use. see that our current to lock away minorities, war on drugs is an the answer is no. utter failure. Take Whites represent 72 one look at the myths that support our percent of drug users, yet almost half current laws and you will see that they are the inmates serving time for drug related irrational. offenses are black. Furthermore, look Only hippies and people with no ambition at what this does to our economy and use drugs. judicial system. According to the Bureau Right. After their experiences with of Justice, over $10 billion per year is drugs, Barack Obama, George Bush and spent on drug enforcement (with $14 Bill Clinton had so little ambition that billion requested for 2009 alone), yet they only became presidents. the Drug Enforcement Administration Illegal drugs have no medical value. admits that it has never had any In fact, the American Medical significant impact on drug use. Association protested the prohibition of It costs almost $500,000 to put one marijuana back in 1937, and fourteen drug user in prison. For the same amount states currently use medical marijuana. of money, we could get treatment for Most studies show that when used over 100 people. Which option seems responsibly, even heroin is less dangerous more reasonable? Besides, if we stopped than other medications hospitals use. imprisoning people for non-violent drug Drugs lead to violence. use, our police officers would have more All major authorities have agreed time to go after people who commit drug-related violence is caused by the crimes like murder, arson, theft and prohibition of drugs instead of the drugs rape, and fill jail cells with criminals themselves, and the only drug that is who actually harm other people besides commonly known to increase aggression themselves. is alcohol. Our laws have arrested millions of We have to protect children from drugs. people, wasted billions of dollars and have While I agree with this statement, I cost many people their lives, yet drug disagree with the notion that the current use rates remain higher in America than laws protect children; right now, people almost anywhere else. Isn’t it time we take between the ages of 15 and 23 represent another look at these laws? the largest percentage of drug users, and drug dealers find it profitable to distribute Geoff Janssen is a freshman from Oshkosh, drugs for free on school campuses. Wis.
Enforcement is both costly and a blatant display of racism
OGB’s blogs show Web growth S
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e are very excited to announce that the Old Gold & Black is currently contracting a student-run company to develop the Web site and make it even better. We currently have four online blogs which serve as outlets for students. Campus Wire provides an insight into what is currently going on at the university. Red State Blues offers three different political perspectives to
everyday happenings on both the global and national levels. Unfit for Print has commentary on pop culture, and The Thousandth Word is a photo blog dedicated to capturing the essence of the university. Combined, these blogs provide updates into the minds of students throughout the week and they are a great supplement to our newspaper that comes out every Thursday.
OLD GOLD&BLACK T h e S t u d e n t N e w s pa p e r o f W a k e F o r e st U n i v e r s i t y s i n c e 1 9 1 6
Mariclaire Hicks Editor in chief Elliot Engstrom Tyler Kellner Managing editor Business manager News: Caitlin Brooks, editor. Ashton Astbury and Elizabeth Forrest, assistant editors. Opinion: Hannah Werthan, editor. Hunter Bratton and Nilam Patel, assistant editors. Sports: Connor Swarbrick, editor. Samantha Cernuto and Tori Stewart, assistant editors. Life: Caroline Edgeton, editor. Olivia Boyce and Chantel O’Neal, assistant editors. Contributing editor: CeCe Brooks Photography: Rachel Cameron and Haowei Tong, editors. Graphics: Bobby O’Connor, editor. Production: Allison Lange and Gary Pasqualicchio, production assistants. Online: Elizabeth Wicker, editor. Business Staff:. Jake Gelbort, invoices and circulation. Adviser: Wayne King. The Old Gold & Black is published Thursdays during the school year, except during examinations, summer and holiday periods, by Stone Printing of High Point. Send e-mail to ogb@wfu.edu. To subscribe, please send $75 to P.O. Box 7569, WinstonSalem, NC 27106. © 2008 WFU Media Board. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all editorials and advertisements contained within this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Old Gold & Black. Send guest columns to ogboped@wfu.edu. The deadline for inclusion is 5 p.m. the Monday before publication. To view editorials policies, visit www.oldgoldandblack.com.
Kerui Xu
Submissions The Old Gold & Black welcomes submissions in the form of columns and letters to the editor. Letters should be fewer than 300 words and columns should be under 750 words. Send yours via e-mail to ogboped@wfu.edu, by campus mail to P.O. Box 7569 or deliver it to Benson 518. by 5 p.m. the Monday before publication. We reserve the right to edit all letters for length and clarity. No anonymous letters will be printed.
Quick Quotes ”We understand that there is a social problem (with divorce), but now we’re seeing there is also environmental impact as well on the footprint.’” - Senator Steve Fielding, of Australia, explaining to a Senate hearing in the Australian capital of Canberra that divorce only made climate change worse.
“” “We’ve gone through a lot of Mullet Place signs. My only guess is that people are still in love with the ‘70s and ‘80s when the mullet haircut was prominent.” - Chris Pirlot, of the city Public Works Department in Green Bay, Wis., hypothesizing on why people keep stealing signs for Mullet Place.
“” “Excessive gaming is already seen as a public health issue” - Researchers said after a 12-year-old girl was diagnosed with “PlayStation palmar hidradentitis” after playing video games excessively.
Opinion Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 26, 2009 A7
Libertarians advocate societal equality Andrew Butler
A
Old Gold & Black columnist
s the issue of civil rights has emerged at the forefront of the modern political scene, it seems that fundamental disagreement about race-related issues has devolved into tenuous, opportunistic judgments of moral character. Those who have come under the heaviest fire from such judgments are the right-wing intellectuals, specifically libertarians. It has become a common left-wing bromide to write off libertarians as “racist” or “apathetic” because they do not subscribe to the identity politics embraced by most of today’s neoliberals. Yet such notions could not be farther from the truth. Most skepticism of the Right’s concern for minorities stems from their refusal to embrace nefarious liberal legislation ornamented as “civil rights” policy, such as lenience toward illegal immigrants and affirmative action policies in the workplace. Yet any principled libertarian will make abundantly clear that immigrants have for centuries been the lifeblood of this great nation. It is the natural, necessary diversity that arose from immigration in the 19th century that spearheaded the progress of America. However, granting amnesty to illegal immigrants does not uphold the values of America’s hitherto classically liberal immigration
policy. Rather, it reduces America to a doormat willing to be trampled upon by people who wish to reap its benefits and yet not pay taxes, learn English or stay in this country for the long term. Libertarians may be dubbed “apathetic,” but it is the New Left that is apathetic to these great sieges of the 21st century that are quickly draining our nation’s resources. Libertarians also suffer scorn for repudiating affirmative action policies, yet this is also a result of twisted logic. Affirmative action was designed to supposedly aid “under-represented minorities” who are trying to recover from America’s shamefully racist past. Yet affirmative action simply communicates to minorities that they are incapable of success on their own, and must depend upon government support. It also elevates certain people over others based on no other factors than the color of their skin. And yet those who oppose this are considered racist? Affirmative action must be seen for what it truly is: a de facto racism promulgated by special interest groups. Ask yourself: why is it that Asian-Americans are not considered by most companies or universities to be “underrepresented minorities,” when in reality they comprise only 4.4 percent of the entire population, as opposed to blacks, who make up 13.4 percent and Hispanics, who make up 14.8 percent? The answer: because they do not have
representatives with enough political clout to as harsher penalties for crack than pure cocaine, influence federal law. which have landed 67 percent of urban black The civil rights movement of the 1960s was Americans in prison, despite the fact that only a glorious battle fought in the name of civil 14 percent of them actually committed drugliberties; great leaders like Malcolm X and related crimes. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped to reverse the By upholding individual freedom, Paul and traditionalist paradigm of America. It is people countless other liberty-minded thinkers provide like these that libertarians revere. the utmost antithesis to racism. Sadly, the civil rights Libertarians view each movement has since lost all and every person as an Libertarians may be dubbed of its grandeur. It has become independent moral being, a sorry struggle for political not as a mere constituent of “apathetic,” but it is the New control. Civil rights leader an undifferentiated mass. Left that is apathetic to these Jesse Jackson pontificates In the words of philosopher great sieges of the 21st cenon behalf of the “AfricanAyn Rand: “anyone who American community,” yet tury that are quickly draining would deny the rights of the all this term implies is that all individual cannot claim to be our nation’s resources. black Americans, everywhere, the defenders of minorities.” think and act exactly alike. It is the spirit of the It is this kind of insidious individual, unfettered by any collective thought that first bred racist sentiment societal constraints, that has been the wellspring in America. of human progress throughout history. As former presidential candidate Ron Paul Yet it is precisely this spirit that the New once stated: “Libertarians are incapable of being Left would extinguish, with social policies racist, because racism is a collectivist idea.” that superficially regiment people and foster Paul himself came under severe criticism government dependence. They are the racists of last year for racist comments he allegedly our generation. made over a decade ago, yet Paul garnered an It is the libertarian who stands against them, exceedingly higher percentage of the black for he does not look around him and see race, vote than any other Republican candidate. but looks ahead of him and sees freedom. He was also the only presidential candidate to challenge the despicably racist drug laws, such Andrew Butler is a sophomore from Denville, N.J.
Seeking Middle Ground | Right Says
Can you Electoral college draw? provides fairness Do you have opinions? Do you know what is going on? Would you like to have cartoons published weekly and get paid for it? If so, then shoot Hannah Werthan, opinion editor, an e-mail at werthr7@wfu.edu.
Wake Forest University Z. Smith Reynolds Library
2.1 million
3.0 million
Number of books in university library
> 60%
FMLA Today | Bridging the gender gap
Gender gap concerns us globally Sanjay Talluri and Lacey Robinson Guest columnists
T
he customary way of life in Kenya yields a gender gap with profound implications. Due to the dearth of income, the young men and fathers have the ability to go to school and work while the mothers, older daughters and grandmothers assume menial, taxing responsibilities. For instance, it is their duty to fetch water from the nearest source. Often, as is the case in Kisesini, the closest water source is miles away. A twelve-mile daily roundtrip is certainly a daunting task, but one and one’s family cannot survive without water. This need-based journey in the arid climate is more punishing than it may readily appear. There are a lot of superstitions in the culture, a recent one of which promises healing of the HIV/AIDS disease through the rape of a virgin. Men in Kisesini understand that women fetch water, and the men await the women’s arrival in order to sexually assault them and cure their disease. This recent cultural understanding has proliferated the HIV/AIDS disease and leaves many children without parents. The grandmothers, or “nyanya,” assume responsibility for these orphans despite their inability to procure a livable income
due to age and lack of formal education. Professor Mary Niepold of the university’s journalism department founded The Nyanya Project a couple of years ago to empower and educate these grandmothers and their families. The nyanya, often unable to provide for the orphans and themselves, dedicate much time in an attempt to do so. One grandmother even had to work 20-hour shifts as a vendor in order to feed herself and the children in her care. Niepold worked with these women to develop skills such as bookkeeping that would help them earn more money from their jobs. Niepold also has helped develop programs that allow these grandmothers to employ an entrepreneurial approach to obtaining income. The Kisesini Project, for instance, will bring a well within a close range of the village, virtually mitigating the instance of rape and HIV/ AIDS proliferation within that area. Further, the nyanya will make money by charging a few shillings per visitor. Since the nyanya will run the water source, they can reinvest in their families and set an example for the young women in the village. The Kisesini Project and the many other undertakings of the Nyanya Project require funding. It costs about $50,000 to drill a well and $1,000 to build a shelter for just one family. Due to the vast number of people in need of this assistance, the Nyanya Project is rather costly. Helping others often is something that can really break the bank. However, hurting people you don’t even know is easier than
ever. Pornography in our culture is consumed as images and videos for the purpose of just a few minutes of sexual gratification. What isn’t considered is the often not depicted, physical and psychological harm that is done to the actors, the users and indirectly to everyone else in our society. Increasing violent tendencies in the demand for pornography has increased the physical harm done to the actors. Men using pornography can develop erectile dysfunction due to altered expectations of a “reallife” partner. The objectification of women has led to rape and body image issues for many women and young girls. Nonetheless, Internet pornography alone has grown to be a $2.8 billion per year industry and video sales constitute $12 billion per year spent in the United States alone. With this money, 280,000 wells could be drilled and 800,000 shelters in Africa could be built each year. A vast amount of people in need could be aided with money we spend on indulgence. Whether or not you believe you contribute to the profit of the pornography industry, remember that, through advertising, even a single click on a “free” porn site adds to the income of pornographers. At first glance, the cost of helping strangers may seem great, but we have no excuse not to be charitable as long as we pay so much for social degradation. Sanjay Talluri is a senior physics major from Mount Airy, N.C. Lacey Robinson is a senior politcal science major from New Bern, N.C. FLMA Today is a biweekly column dedicated to promoting gender equality on campus through educating the university community.
Vice-President and later as a U.S. senator, expounds this theory in his Disquisition on Civil Government. This document traces the roots of American politics back to their origins, and one cannot hope to understand our system without a thorough understanding of its contents. Josh Binney Calhoun’s argument is far too Old Gold & Black columnist elaborate to repeat here, but suffice it to say that the men who defined the s Alyssa Ray points out in principles on which Ray’s case rests her recent critique (“Voting would sooner give their lives than system should be changed, submit to the rule of the mob. Shortly Feb. 12), the debate over the Electoral after Calhoun’s death, when the College seems relatively insignificant sectional crisis reached its peak, many in comparison to the problems of them did. that our country and the Obama So, the question that is really raised Administration face. Nonetheless, by the debate over the Electoral the dispute is based in differing College is not whether it is fair, favors interpretations of some of the most small states or exaggerates the margin basic tenets of American political of victory, but whether it was meant philosophy, and its results have farto do these things. reaching consequences. In a system of government as There are certainly many practical complex as ours, where each group concerns that arise about the modern of people is meant to have an acute workings of an electoral system that check on the powers of all the others, has gone largely unchanged for two the Electoral College serves an centuries, and Ray addresses these in important role. In itself, it certainly turn. does not treat everyone equally, but Despite these finer points of neither does the representation in contention, her argument for the either house of Congress or the High abolition of the Electoral College Court. rests largely on the assumption that What modern liberals seem to be it violates “the American principle unable to understand is that, contrary of democracy;” to the idealist history in short, it isn’t we like to teach in fair. An educated In a system of government as our schools, that was historian or the way the Founding complex as ours, where each political scientist Fathers wanted it. group of people is meant will immediately Under the guise of see the flaw in being proponents of to have an acute check on this argument: our age-old “principle the powers of all others, the contrary to what of democracy,” liberals Electoral College serves an your fifth-grade of the last half-century teacher might have vigorously important role. have taught you, attacked every America is not and remaining institution never has been in our Federal System. a democracy. Actually, America is a They have claimed to be for freedom representative republic, a government of speech, except when you want to in which decisions are made by pray in school; they claim to be for anything but a show of hands. freedom of information, except when Ray defines democracy as “a you want to find out if your teenaged system of government determined daughter has procured an abortion; by majority rule.” When our and now they claim to be in favor of a Constitution was written, we had just “democratic” Electoral College. emerged from a long and costly war If you don’t like the fact that to obtain our independence from a occasionally our system is going to British government that refused to make it so that your guy doesn’t win defend us from the will of a popular the presidency, that’s fine. But let’s majority. Washington, Adams and please stop pretending that liberal Hamilton didn’t want the majority opposition to the Electoral College is within ten city blocks of being able to based on anything other than political control the government; in fact, it was expedience. Alyssa Ray asks us, “who knows majority rule that they feared most. where we would be if the majority Surely the Founding Fathers weren’t voice of the American public was going to replace one form of majority followed?” I must admit that I don’t rule with another. They wanted to know the answer to this question. ensure that no group of people could However, as a conservative who has force another onto an undesired more than a cursory knowledge of course. the workings of our revolutionary To provide the necessary safeguards, republican political system, I can tell they set up a complex and slowyou that the Founding Fathers would moving government in which every say this: it isn’t where we are that action was subject to the veto of the matters most, but how we got there. concurrent majority. The great South Carolina statesman Josh Binney is a sophomore economics John C. Calhoun, who served with major from Hampden, Mass. great distinction as Andrew Jackson’s
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A8 Thursday, February 26, 2009
Old Gold & Black Opinion
Increased regulation is not the solution Garrett Edel
Old Gold & Black columnist
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iranda Kelly’s article (“Better regulation needed, Feb. 12), calling for tougher FDA regulations, reeks of the sort of overreaction that has created the inefficient nanny state that we all, unfortunately, live in. Kelly does little to support her argument. She cites the “leaks in the roof that corroded into holes, bringing a cascade of stagnant water and bird waste” into the peanut butter. Is she suggesting that the FDA doesn’t have regulations against bird droppings in our Jif? Against pigeon poop in our Peter Pan? The salient problem is not that the FDA wasn’t regulating, but that the FDA wasn’t enforcing its regulations. If that peanut facility was properly inspected, the problem would have been fixed.
The grim fact of the matter is that when enough food to feed 300 million people churns through the system, it is statistically certain that no matter what regulations are put in place, someone’s going to end up with some bird stool in their Skippy. It is unreasonable to expect that the food supply will never have problems like the Peanut Butter Debacle. The United States already has the safest food in the world. Look at Europe: they have more mad cows than a rodeo. The tough reality of the law of large numbers is not sufficient justification for new laws. The populist fear-mongers, bloviating about the scurge of our now rancid Reese’s Pieces, our now putrid PB & J, must not be allowed to burden an already strained system with more regulations. Consider one of the FDA’s other responsibilities to see how more regulation hurts
those who are supposed to be protected. John Stossel, that august, mustached crusader for the consumer, cited one egregious instance of FDA sophistry: they heralded the approval of a new heart medication that would now save the lives thousands of people over the next year. Why, Stossel asks, did no reporters at the press conference ask: “Doesn’t that mean you guys killed thousands of people last year while it was going through your approval process?” The unfortunate truth is that this example can be multiplied many times over, and not just with the FDA. Consider the money lost by workers paying people to help figure out their needlessly complicated tax returns! Companies dump millions of dollars that could translate in better salaries for their employees, cheaper products for consumers, or higher stock prices for retirement funds, into making sure they
comply with the regulatory bureaucracy. I’ll gladly join in with the rest in condemning these peanut peddlers for their slovenly ways, and of course we’re all better off with the FDA keeping our drugs safe and our food fecal free. But let’s not go around concentrating even more power in the government than is already there, spending more money on suspect programs, and creating a new labyrinth of ineffectual rules that could just as easily hurt us as help us. We cannot afford to pretend that we live in a world without tradeoffs. And as for Kelly’s denigration of those who wish for less government and not more, I submit that nothing is more patriotic than the wish that one’s fellow man should be as free as possible. Garrett Edel is a junior mathematical-economics major from Delran, N.J.
Mouth of a Millennial | Voices from the Arch Society
Recent stimulus bill was very poorly constructed Madeline Eckenrode
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Guest columnist
hen, on Feb. 17, President Obama signed into law a $787 billion federal stimulus package, the American public greeted it with various reactions; chief among them, though, seemed puzzlement. After all, the bill had been written and passed in less than two weeks – very few lawmakers read the bill before voting on it. It seems safe to say that very few Americans knew its exact contents, either. The following are a few ruminations on the stimulus bill, gathered at the last meeting of the Arch Society. Although Barack Obama has voiced his ardent support for public transportation, the only money the stimulus plan
includes for financing any venture under that category is $8 billion that is earmarked for a light rail system project. Multiple states are competing for the money, but the likely winner will probably be Nevada. House Majority Leader Harry Reid has thrown his weight behind a magneticlevitation railroad route from Las Vegas to Disneyland (in Anaheim). Obviously, this seems counterproductive — a massive amount of money that could be used to upgrade and expand bus lines and subway systems and encourage public transportation rider-ship across America, thereby decreasing American spending on foreign oil and decreasing carbon emissions, etc. is instead being spent on a single project that will benefit a rather small, concentrated population. On the other hand, the budget of the public education system (which Obama promised many times in his campaign would be improved
during his presidency) will be more than doubled this year (to around $200 billion). But because there is no supraorganizational body overseeing where and how the money is spent on the state level, this scenario is shaping up to be like one in which a lottery winner squanders all his money on Ferraris, cigar boats, a snow machine and an above-ground pool filled with gelatin. Currently, economists are doubtful about how effective the stimulus package will be in achieving its goal. Any extra money that Americans happen to come by will be used to pay living expenses — the rest will probably be saved. This tendency toward saving could devastate the economy. As Americans close their pocketbooks, businesses will fail, jobs will be lost and it will become even more difficult for America to recover from the effects of failing markets, skyrocketing national debt, rising inflation and the other ails that we’re
currently experiencing. On a macrolevel, saving is bad, but on a personal level, saving is important for financial security and therefore very desirable. So should there be a movement away from consumerism in America? Is it possible for our society to embrace frugality when most Americans seem to believe that a high-def flat screen is the God-given right of every individual? In one important arena, namely the housing market, a less materialistic attitude could go a long way toward improving America’s competitiveness on a global scale during the next 20 years. For the past decade, our economy has been perched on a real estate bubble. As that bubble has burst, serious problems have ensued — since people can no longer sell their homes at desirable prices, they are putting off moving, which decreases the flexibility and vitality of our workforce. There are serious downsides to
owning a home, especially in today’s economy, but chief among these is that it involves the accrual of a large amount of debt, debt which most consumers are not well-positioned to manage. If people were to rent instead of buy, it would encourage smarter, more high-density land-use; it would enable people to remain debt-free and would not limit their mobility. Still, the stimulus plan has a first-time home buyer tax credit. Why encourage money to be poured into real estate when it was so obvious that that was part of what pushed us into our current quagmire? We’ll have to wait to see how the stimulus plays out. From where we’re sitting though, it doesn’t look good. Madeline Eckenrode is a sophomore from Lancaster, Penn. Mouth of a Millennial is a compilation of students’ opinions voiced during meetings of the Arch Society.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Reveche: Sophomore tennis player Kat Reveche talks about how she got involved in tennis and who she models her game after. Page B2.
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{ UPCOMING GAMES } WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: 3/01 v. Florida State 3/05 v. ACC Tourney 3/06 v. ACC Tourney BASEBALL: 2/27 v. Miami (OH) 2/28 v. Miami (OH) 2/28 v. Fairleigh D. WOMEN’S TENNIS: 2/28 @ Indiana 3/01 @ Notre Dame 3/07 v. UNC-Chapel Hill MEN’S BASKETBALL: 2/26 v. N.C. State 2/28 @ Virginia 3/03 @ Maryland MEN’S TENNIS: 2/27 @ Louisville 3/07 @ Michigan 3/12 @ E. Tenn. St. TRACK: 2/26 ACC Championship 2/27 ACC Championship 2/28 ACC Championship
{ NATIONAL STAGE } Ball St. offers Love position on coaching staff When Ball St. wide receiver Dante Love suffered a cervical spine fracture last Sept. 20 against Indiana and was temporarily paralyzed, doctors said he would never play football again. That doesn’t mean he won’t be involved in the game he still longs to play. Ball St. Head Coach Stan Parrish said Love will join the Cardinals’ coaching staff as a volunteer student assistant in the fall as he finishes his undergraduate degree. Last season Love’s relationship with the team never wavered; in fact, former coach Brady Hoke and then-offensive coordinator Parrish encouraged it. He rejoined his team prior to its game against Eastern Michigan on Oct. 25, and as the weeks went on he began to work with the receivers during practices and to help the coaches from the press box during games. Parrish said the next year will be a trial run for Love and that if he wants to continue coaching, Parrish said that Love will have a job.
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B L A C K
Five games, five wins to start season By Steven Johns | Staff writer
Wake Forest Appalachian St.
innings. The pitching was a weak point last year, but it is off to a great start this season. In the second game of the weekend invitational, Wake Forest rebounded from an early deficit to beat Akron 16-15 on a walk-off single. In the second inning, Akron put up 10 runs against the Deacs, nine of which came against junior Alex Wiesner. The big blow in the second inning came when Akron’s Brandon White launched a three-run homerun deep over the fence. Despite the nine run deficit, the Demon Deacons’ bats never went to sleep. In the bottom of the second the Deacs put up six of their own, highlighted by freshman Shane Kroker’s grand slam to left-center field and senior Evan Ocheltree’s solo home-run to left field. Akron, however, responded with four runs in the third and one run in the fourth to make the game 15-9. Those runs, however, would be the last the Zips would get as the Wake Forest bullpen was finally able to shut down the Akron offense. The Deacs kept crawling back, scoring runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth. In the bottom of the ninth, Kroker and sophomore Mike Murray each singled to put runners on first and second. With the winning run in scoring position, Ocheltree came up to bat. After getting down 0-1, Ocheltree lined a single past the first basement, driving in Kroker to win the game 16-15. This victory showed the guts and determination of the Demon Deacons.
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As the winter slowly begins to fade away, the Demon Deacons are taking to the diamond and are off to an undefeated 5-0 start, their best since 1998. The Demon Deacons started off this season with a sweep over the Akron Zips. On Friday, Feb. 20 the Deacons rode the backs of their freshmen stars to an 11-2 victory. Freshman pitcher Austin Stadler made his first collegiate start for the Deacs and pitched well. Stadler dominated the Zips, who were in the second game of a day-night double header, by striking out seven batters. “I thought Austin threw strikes: that’s the difference. If he doesn’t throw strikes then it’s a completely different makeup of the game,” Head Coach Rick Rembielak said. Stadler also helped out the Deacs at the plate, going 4-5 with four RBIs to lead the Deacs to their 11-2 rout. “I just saw the ball well; saw it and swung,” said Stadler. Freshman third baseman Carlos Lopez got involved early as well, hitting the first home run of the season for the Demon Deacons. Lopez sent the first pitch he saw in his college career over the left-center wall to put the Deacs up 6-0 in the first inning. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the Feb. 20 game was the excellent pitching by Stadler, freshman Daniel Marrs and sophomore Brandon Johnson. Marrs struck out six in only two and two thirds See Baseball, Page B3
Rachel Cameron/Old Gold & Black
Freshman Daniel Marrs pitches in the Deacons’ 15-3 win over Appalachian State. Marrs threw five scoreless innings.
Deacs can’t conquer Cameron Rumors
swirl around Vick return By L.K. Davey | Staff writer
{ BY THE NUMBERS }
73-196
the hits-at-bats the Deacons have so far this season
points per game Chris Paul is averaging this season
PRESS BOX
number of turnovers for the Deacs in the first half against Duke
the number of Deacons named to the Academic AllACC Cross Country team number of runs the baseball team has scored in their five wins
{ DEAC OF THE WEEK }
Senior rightfielder Evan Ocheltree played a big part in the Diamond Deacons opening the season 5-0. In the five games Ocheltree is batting .450 with one double, two home runs and six RBIs. He has scored 11 runs thus far. The Richmond, Va., native had two hits in the Deacs’ opening game of the season. He also scored a teamhigh three runs in the 11-2 rout of Ocheltree Akron. As a junior, Ocheltree hit .278 with five home runs and 30 RBIs in 46 games. He also led the team in triples with four.
{ SPORTS WORDS } “[Tiger Woods is] the man, he’s the king, he’s it. Our Tour’s cool, but it’s really cool with him. I guarantee you that he wins. You think he’s coming out 180,000 percent? He’s not coming out going, ‘Let’s see how I do.’ He’s still Tiger.”
– Rocco Mediate
After two years off the field and one year in prison, Michael Vick will return to the free world this summer on July 20. Although this does not necessarily mean that he will be returned to the NFL, for all intents and purposes we’ll go ahead and assume that he’s getting the a-okay from Rodger Goodell and will be eligible to play in the 2009 season. This seems to be the general feeling on the matter, so much so that in an interview on the Falcon’s official Web site two weeks ago, Falcons’ general manager Thomas Dimitroff expressed that in regards to the quarterback, “we’ve decided to seek a trade of his contractual rights to another NFL club.” As an Atlanta native, I am personally thrilled to see Vick hit the road. Aside from the whole dog-fighting ordeal, Vick was talented but his skill-level was blown way out of proportion. Last season was a comforting reminder to Falcons and fans that we are not dependent on this single player. But I digress. With his release and evident pawn-off, the big question on the horizon is “Where is Vick going?” What team will be willing to look beyond the time-off and prison sentence to nab the 28-year-old quarterback and playmaker? Looking at the headlines, it looks like several teams want Vick. Specifically, rumors about the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings have been swirling throughout news reports and blogs alike. The 49ers especially are in serious need of a good quarterback and could definitely use Vick’s skills. The Seahawks’ head coach Jim Mora has strong Atlanta connections, so he would be well versed in how Vick plays already, and the Vikings always need more people on offense. However, keep in mind that the Seahawks are working under Tim Ruskell, who wants to keep a team with a clean record. After the Leroy Hill arrest, they are going to be preoccupied with whether or not their standards will allow franchising their linebacker before even considering a convicted Vick. Also, the 49ers and the Raiders are really pushing toward building a new stadium in the Santa Clara area. According to the San Jose Business Journal last Saturday, Feb. 21, “The Santa Clara City Council could vote [Feb, 24] to expand the environmental review of the San Francisco 49ers proposed stadium to look at the potential impact of a second team using the facility.” Stadiums require lots of
FROM THE
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A T : w w w. o l d g o l d a n d b l a c k . c o m ogbsport@wfu.edu
Haowei Tong/Old Gold & Black
Junior Chas McFarland dunks over Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal in the Deacs’ 87-69 win on Feb. 18. McFarland added six points in the Deacs’ loss to Duke. By Martin Rickman | Staff writer
Wake Forest Duke
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It was hard to tell which was hotter in Wake Forest’s 91 to 101 loss to Duke on Sunday, Feb. 22: Cameron Indoor or Gerald Henderson’s shooting. Cameron was blistering, but the Blue Devil guard had a career high with 35 points on 11 of 15 shooting. He was helped out by Jon Scheyer, who had 30 points. The Deacs just could not get any defensive stops against Duke as the Blue Devils shot 54.1 percent and had 27 points off free throws. “If someone said we were going to score 91 points and we’d lose,” Head Coach Dino Gaudio said, “I would have called them a liar.” Sophomore Jeff Teague did his best to keep Wake Forest in it, scoring 28 points and sparking a late first half run that cut the Blue Devils’ 22 point lead down to 11 at the break. Junior Ish Smith played another good game, driving right past Duke defenders and finding his teammates with great passes. He finished with 12 points and five assists. The Deacs were hindered by 20 turnovers, 16 of which came in the first half. The turnovers were a result of lazy passes and suspect ball handling against the Blue Devils’ press, allowing Duke to build their lead as the Demon Deacons trailed most of the game. Sophomore James Johnson, who had four turnovers in the first half, seemed out of sync early on, but established himself in the second half and was unstoppable, finishing a number of tough layups where he received
a lot of contact but no call. He had 26 points and 11 rebounds. “I think the difference in the game was in the first half we had too many turnovers,” Gaudio said. “We talk a lot about no turnovers for touchdowns. The analogy we give is when a quarterback turns it over in the flat, he’s running for a touchdown. They had several turnovers for touchdowns — we turned it over too much and that was the difference in the game.” Johnson and the rest of the Deacs got into the lane at will in the second half, with 52 points in the paint, but could never quite overcome the deficit despite cutting the Blue Devils’ lead to two midway through the second half. After making their second half surge, the Blue Devils then scored eight of their next 10 points off free throws. Freshman Al-Farouq Aminu had a tough game. He finished with seven points and six rebounds, but had four turnovers and seemed out of it on the defensive end, at one time forgetting to box out on a key rebound, which led to him being pulled out of the game. “I thought the game was so incredibly fast and it was not a game for our big guys,” said Gaudio. “Earlier in the game, Farouq needed to adjust to the pace of the game. He’ll learn, he’s just a freshman. Everyone canonizes some of those kids when they come in, but he’s a terrific player for us and I’m really glad we have him. It was a learning experience — tough place to play of course.” The loss dropped the Deacs to 13th in the AP poll and 14th in the ESPN Coaches Poll. The Deacs play again Thursday, Feb. 26 against N.C. State, with a chance to get revenge for the loss on Feb. 11 at the RBC Center, before playing Virginia in Charlottesville on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
See Pressbox, Page B4
B2 Thursday, February 26, 2009
Old Gold & Black Sports
Kat Reveche For sophomore Kat Reveche tennis is a family affair, with a dad and older sister serving aces as well. On the court, Reveche is ready to raise the Deacs’ ranking this spring.
By Lizzie Rosen | Senior editor How did you decide to come to wake? I learned about Wake Forest after being contacted by (Head Coach) Chad Skorupka. I didn’t know much about the school, but immediately wanted to come here after my recruiting trip. How did you get involved in tennis? My dad is a tennis pro and my older sister played competitively as well. So it was just natural for me to follow in their shoes. If you weren’t playing tennis right now, what do you think you would be doing? I would definitely still be going to college right now, but probably just as a regular student instead of a student-athlete. What has been your favorite moment of the season thus far? Cheering on the sidelines when Sierra (Poske) clinched the match against University of Denver. What are your personal and team goals for this season? To avoid any injuries as much as possible and to improve our team ranking. Who, if anyone, do you model your game after? Ana Ivanovic How do you keep yourself focused in a match when you get down? I take several deep breaths to calm down and try to restart my game. What is your favorite surface to play on and why? I was raised playing on hard courts, so I’m a little biased. If you could play a match with anyone, who would it be and why? Roger Federer. It would be an honor losing to him. If you could play another sport, what would it be and why? I would maybe give beach volleyball a try, because it’s really entertaining to watch. What is the one thing from home you miss most while at school? I would have to say my bed. The dorm room mattresses are not nearly as comfortable. Do you have any personal rituals before a match? No, not really. What is your favorite Cookout milkshake? Oreo with Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Teague and Johnson named to midseason Naismith Trophy list
Deac Notes
Sophomores James Johnson and Jeff Teague have been named as mid-season candidates for the 2009 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The nomination list included 30 players from around the country. The award is the most prestigious national basketball award and is given annually to the men’s college basketball player of the year. Wake Forest is one of just six schools with two players on the mid-season Naismith list, along with Connecticut, Duke, Louisville, UNC-Chapel Hill and Pittsburgh. On March 22, CBS will announce the four Naismith Trophy finalists during its first round coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Photo courtesy of Media Relations Graphic by Bobby O’Connor/ Old Gold & Black
Five Deacs participate at NFL Scouting Combine
Mullikin honored as ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Five Wake Forest football players took part in the invitation-only NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., which wrapped up Tuesday, Feb. 24. Wake’s invited players include linebackers Aaron Curry and Stanley Arnoux, cornerback Alphonso Smith, safety Chip Vaughn and punter/placekicker Sam Swank. Some experts have Curry as high as one on their draft boards, but no one will find out until the NFL draft starts on Saturday, April 25, in New York City.
Graduate student Natalie Mullikin has been named the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Scholar Athlete of the Year by the ACC office. Mullikin also earned Academic All-ACC honor for the fourth-straight year. Sophomore Kristen White joined Mullikin on the Academic All-ACC team as she earned the distinction for the first time in her career. To be eligible for consideration, a studentathlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average.
Sports Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 26, 2009 B3
Women’s tennis upsets two top-25 ranked teams By Zachary Halpern | Contributing writer
Wake Forest Texas A&M
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In a jam-packed weekend, the No. 31 ranked Wake Forest Women’s Tennis Team made a statement as they defeated No. 24 William & Mary and No. 25 Texas A&M. They continue to build upon an impressive start, improving to 8-1 after this weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 21 the Lady Deacs defeated William & Mary 5-2. Wake got off to a quick start by sweeping all three of their doubles matches to start singles competition already ahead 1-0.
Senior Sierra Poske was able to knock off the No. 70 ranked Ragini Acharya, 6-0, 7-5, while her teammate junior Sasha Kulikova also defeated a ranked opponent when she beat the No. 86 ranked Katarina Zoricic 6-2, 6-4. Sophomores Emilee Malvehy and Katarina Reveche helped to seal the deal on the team’s first top 25 victory this season with their singles wins. Malvehy defeated Klaudyna Kasztelaniec, 7-6, 6-1, and Reveche beat Barbara Zidek, 6-1, 6-1. The next day the Lady Deacs returned to the Indoor Tennis Center in Winston-Salem, this time to face No. 25 Texas A&M. Wake did not get off to a great start and Texas A&M quickly took advantage by winning the doubles point to go ahead 1-0. But then the Deacs began their comeback with No. 4 singles player senior Christian Tara tying the
score with a convincing win over Sheri Olivier, 6-4, 6-0. Malvehy and freshman Ryann Cutillo also were victorious. Malvahy defeated Christi Liles in three sets, 7-6, 0-6, 6-0. Cutillo also took her match to three sets, ultimately beating Lauren Santacroce, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Poske secured the win with her victory over Morgan Frank in another long three set match, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Reveche also won, beating Stephanie Davidson, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. Finally, at the No. 1 singles position Kulikova’s match against Elze Potgeiter was suspended. Kulikova took the first set 5-7 and held a 3-0 advantage in the third set after dropping the second set 6-0. “The weekend was really exciting obviously because of our results, but also because it gave
us the confidence that we can compete with the best teams and have the endurance to win in long matches,” Malvehy said. “Our coaches have been running us a lot this season, so I think that has improved our speed and stamina to perform at our best, especially if we have singles matches that go over three hours” “It was really good for our team to get two top 25 wins this weekend because our season is only going to get harder in the upcoming weeks, Poske said. “These wins gave us some positive momentum.” The Lady Deacs take on Indiana next on Saturday, Feb. 28 as they travel to Bloomington, Ind. Following that contest, the team will make the five hour trip north to South Bend, Ind. where on Sunday, March 1 they will take on the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Men’s tennis loses two close matches Baseball: Deacs showcase young talent Continued from Page B1
“Being down 10-1 in the second inning and coming back and doing what we did; that’s pretty special” Ocheltree said. “We knew we weren’t out of it. We were very calm, relaxed at the plate and knew we had a chance.” In the second game of the Saturday, Feb. 21 doubleheader, the Deacs routed Old Dominion 10-3. Senior pitcher Brad Kledzik pitched phenomenally, going 6.2 innings allowing zero earned runs and striking out 10 Monarchs. “After the pitching staff didn’t really hold up our end of the bargain the first game (of the double header), it was really important to me and the entire staff itself to make sure we came out strong” Kledzik said. The 10 strikeouts was a career high for Kledzik and paved the way to an easy victory. Ocheltree had another brilliant game, going two for three with his second opposite field home run of the season. In the final game of the weekend, Wake Forest took down Marshall in a 10 inning 7-6 victory to go 4-0 in the invitational. In a very sloppy game by both teams, the Deacs managed to overcome their five errors to get the victory. Freshman starting pitcher Michael Dimock pitched well given the amount of errors he and his teammates made. Dimock was able to go 5.1 innings while giving up five runs, only two of which were earned. Fortunately for the Deacs, Marshall also had a bad day in the Kledzik field, making five errors of their own. The most costly error for the Thundering Herd was on the final play of the game when third baseman Josh Valle let a dribbler off of the bat of Mike Murray go through his legs, allowing senior Dustin Hood to score the game’s winning run. The Deacs took on the Appalachian State Mountaineers Tuesday, Feb. 24 and came out with yet another victory to improve their record to 5-0. Wake Forest obtained a 15-3 win due to a quick start. In the bottom of the first inning, the Deacs put together three hits and took advantage of an Appalachian State error to score four runs. The hot bats continued in the second as the Deacons got back-to-back-to-back hits to add three more runs to the score. The Deacs cruised from there to seal the victory. In this game freshman starter Daniel Marrs threw five shutout innings to get his first collegiate win. The Deacons are rolling at the beginning of the season and are getting help from everybody, but especially their many freshmen. “I actually thought (the freshmen) played extremely well. I thought they handled everything very well. It was exciting,” Rembielak said. Not only have freshmen like Stadler, Kroker and Marrs helped the team to a 5-0 start, but the pitching staff has been great. With the exception of the second Akron game, the Deacs have been able to limit the number of hits by the opposition and are winning as a result. If the staff continues to pitch well and the bats stay hot, the Deacs have the chance to win many games, including those coming up in this week’s Wake Forest Baseball Tournament presented by Hampton Inn and Sleep Inn. The Deacs return to action Friday, Feb. 27 against Miami University.
Club Swimming By Scott Wilson | Contributing writer At Wake Forest, students, faculty and administration alike take pride in the “Work Forest” moniker because of the present and future benefits provided from a rigorous academic environment. But the heavy workload can create stress levels that demand outlets offering more than weekend parties alone provide. Welcome to the world of club sports, which provides the perfect outlet for active students, offering more serious competition than intramurals without the heavy time commitments of intercollegiate sports.
Haowei Tong/Old Gold & Black
Sophomore Jonathon Wolff, who posted one of Wake’s three wins in the recent match at Wisconsin, backhands a ball. Wolff defeated the Badgers’ Michael Muskievicz 7-5, 7-6. By Alex Leopold | Staff writer
Wake Forest Wisconsin
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The No. 21 men’s tennis dropped two tight contests to Big Ten foes over the weekend but have reason for optimism: next week’s return of sophomore Ian Atkinson. Atkinson was once the highest ranked player in England for the under-18 age group, but has been ineligible to play for the last year. “We have been short-handed,” Coach Jeff Zinn said. “As a coach, you never want to use excuses but here we have a guy who is arguably one of our best players, if not our best player, and he has not been able to play through a quirk in the NCAA rules. Now we finally have him eligible.” The first match of the weekend road trip pitted the Deacons against the No. 60 University of Minnesota. “There were five inches of snow falling as we are playing,” Zinn said. There were over 700 people at the match. The place was going crazy.
The conditions were rough. The facility that we are playing at was a little bit different ... No breaks from anybody: facilities management, the umpires, nobody.” The Deacons dropped the initial doubles point and did not do enough in singles to overcome a 5-2 defeat. Things could have been different. “Corey (Parr) lost a close three-set match if he wins that in three sets I am pretty sure David Hopkins wins that match because he is tough as nails,” Zinn said. He was quick to say that these types of conditions will only help the team. “I think that helps for the long run. If a kid can come through (those conditions), and say ‘wow, I have seen everything,’ then the next time it happens, they are going to handle it a little better.” The Deacons suffered an even narrower defeat at the hands of No. 43 University of Wisconsin. With the match tied at 3-3, it came down to junior Jason Morgenstern at the No. 6 singles position, who held a 4-2 lead in the decisive third set. “Those are things that hopefully do not haunt us,” Zinn said.
The Badgers were also able to end the Deacons’ undefeated and No. 1 ranked doubles duo of Parr and sophomore Steven Forman who dropped an 8-4 decision to the fired-up Wisconsin pairing. “I think they will stay up there just because they are so far ahead in rankings points and above everybody,” Zinn said. “It is inevitable that they will take some losses. In an eight-game pro set anything can happen.” Forman and Parr, as well as the rest of the squad, will have to learn to prersevere even when they are not hitting the ball well. “There is going to be a day where we are not at our best and the other team is playing out of their minds,” Zinn said. “We have to be ready for that. The really good teams win even when they are off. They find a way to win. As a team we have to find that.” The weekend loses set the Deacons back to an overall record of 5-4, but the team is looking forward to the rest of their challenging road matches including next week’s clash against the University of Louisville.
For the Amateur
There is no better place to get involved in club sports than at Wake, whose club sports program is consistently rated among the nation’s best. The club swimming program at Wake Forest gives students a great opportunity to become involved in club sports without an overbearing time commitment. The program, currently headed by senior Jason Preslar and senior Holly Antony, is comprised of mostly undergraduates with several graduate and law students sprinkled in. According to Preslar, the club’s structure is minimal, with practices offered four times a week – Monday and Wednesday: 7-8:30p.m., Tuesday and Thursday: 6-7p.m. – in Reynolds Gym. Participants attend practices according to their convenience and interest.
“It’s a very laid back club. Although, if someone wanted to take the initiative and commit to serious training, that option I certainly open to them,” Preslar said. Swimmers attend a handful of meets each semester, depending on club interest. These meets include the annual winter invitational at Elon and the East Coast Club Championships, which are held at the 1996 Olympic pool at Georgia Tech. Another highlight of the season occurs in April when the team makes their annual trip to Jacksonville, Fla., for a meet with University of North Florida. Each semester, the club chooses from additional invitational meets offered at campuses such as Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Virginia and University of Georgia.
With the return of Atkinson, the team will be looking to create cohesiveness in their doubles pairings that will help them earn crucial doubles points. The doubles losses have come as a sort of surprise. “Quite frankly, I didn’t think we would lose a doubles match this season,” Zinn said. “Now again, (we) have Ian. He is just a huge weapon in doubles. He is 6’4 and (has) an albatross’ wing span. He is going to make a difference in doubles.” The team had been highly touted without Atkinson. Zinn said that every match they have played so far has been the other team’s Super Bowl, as the Deacons had received a pre-season top-10 ranking. This has made it particularly tough to pick up difficult road victories in foreign environments. In Atkinson’s return, Zinn believes that their team may just have found their “magic potion” that will give them their swagger back. After all, “All of this stuff was preseason,” Zinn said. “We are a real team now.” “We can play with anybody. We can beat anybody.”
With the important championship meets not occurring until after spring break, the club swimming team looks to prepare in the upcoming days prior to break, although they did swim at an invitational meet at UVA over the weekend. F o r more information about the club swimming team contact either Jason Preslar at presaj5@ w f u . e d u or Holly Antony at antohm5@wfu. edu.
B4 Thursday, February 26, 2009
Old Gold & Black Sports
W. basketball drops two in ACC Pressbox: By Gary Pasqualicchio | Staff writer
Wake Forest Duke
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At times this season, the women’s basketball team has looked like a squad deserving of a trip to the NCAA field of 64. Heading into their final three regular season games at 5-6 in the ACC, the team likely only needed two wins to make their case for March. The only problem is that seemingly for every big win the Lady Deacs have had, there has been a setback loss. The showdown in Blacksburg, Va., on Feb. 22 with the Virginia Tech is a prime example. The Lady Deacs headed into the game coming off a 66-44 home win over the Hokies a week before. But, the Hokies won the Feb. 22 showdown 79-54, a 47 point turnaround from the first time these two teams met. The win was only the second for the Hokies in the ACC. Some of the team’s struggles in that outing can be attributed to senior forward Corinne Groves who was playing her first game after being out with an illness. Groves battled for eight points and two rebounds in 22 minutes. While youth has been an issue at times, freshman Secily Ray led the team in both scoring and rebounding with 17 and five, respectively.
Wake would cut the Hokie lead to 9 on a three pointer in the final minute of the first half, but that’s as close as they would get. The Hokies cruised to a 25 point win shooting 65.2 percent and out-rebounded Wake by 18. The Lady Deacs needed a win on Feb. 25 when the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils visited the Joel. The game got off to a slow start with only one basket scored from both teams in the first 3:57. The Duke full-court press gave the Deacon guards fits, forcing 14 first half turnovers. A layup by Ray cut the lead to 33-19 with little time left on the clock, but a clutch three pointer by Kathleen Scheer of Duke increased their halftime lead to 17. A 17-6 Duke run to start the second half and continued shooting woes (11-36 in the half ) eventually led to an 83-50 loss. Deacon Head Coach Mike Petersen was not thrilled with his team’s performance. “You can’t beat a team like Duke if you don’t make shots,” he said. “We just didn’t make shots.” However, he praised the girls’ effort, especially toward the beginning of the game. The losses drop the Deacs to 5-8 in the conference, putting them in either the eighth or ninth spot heading into the final game before the conference tournament. The team will close out the season
Vick may be traded to Bears Continued from Page B1
Connor Swarbrick/Old Gold & Black
Sophomore Camille Collier takes a three over a Duke defender in the Deacs loss Feb. 25. back at the Joel against conferenceleading Florida State on March 1. That’s the kind of quality win the Deacs so desperately crave to further stake their tournament claim. “These last two losses haven’t helped our chances,” Petersen said when asked about his teams NCAA “bubble” changes. He pointed out that as of this week, ESPN had the Lady Deacs as one of the “Last Four Out.” He believes that his team needs a win against the Seminoles to end the regular season and another in the
first round of the ACC tournament to make the NCAA tournament. “They’re different (than Duke). They’re not a full-court pressure team, they’re more of a half-court team. They have a lot of length and they are first in our conference,” Petersen said of Florida State. He told his team that these last two losses do not define who they are. They have a body of work that puts them in the Top 60 of the RPI rankings and will look to come out strong against Florida State.
money to build, and a good chunk of that will come from public funds. There is no way that the 49ers will risk losing the stadium by picking up such a high-profile, high-risk player as Vick. The Vikings already have Tavaris Jackson and seem interested in Texans’ backup Sage Rosenfels. So where should Vick go? I highly doubt that the Falcons want him gone so badly that they’d trade him to a division opponent. He also won’t go to a team with a franchised quarterback, or one with a coach that is too new to handle the high-profile player. I think the most likely candidate would be the Chicago Bears. The Bears still need a steady quarterback, and manager Jerry Angelo is experienced enough that he could handle taking on Vick. Even the location would be a good fit; Chicago, a major metropolis, will keep some of the limelight off of Vick, and help him rebuild his game as well as his image under the radar. The NFL’s decision on the matter, as well as the Falcon’s continued legal discussions on Vick’s contract, will be key players in seeing how these events turn out. But I would imagine that Vick will be traded before released as a free agent, he’s a solid quarterback with a quality record on the field, regardless of his jail time.
Track and field gears up for ACC Championships at VT By John Harrison | Staff writer
In their final event before the ACC Championships, sophomore Aaron Payne and junior Caroline Vaughn highlighted a successful showing for the Wake Forest men’s and women’s track and field teams at the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg, Va. Vaughn led the way for the women, breaking her own school record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.51 in the finals to finish sixth in the
event. The time broke her previous school record of 8.53, which she set at the Virginia Tech Elite meet just two weeks earlier. “Setting the new school record last weekend gives me great confidence going in to the upcoming conference meet,” Vaughn said. “I plan on running a smart race next weekend and hopefully breaking the record again at the ACCs.” Freshman Sarah Brobeck also had a memorable performance for the second time in as many weeks. Recording personal bests in both weight throw and
shot put, she took 12th and eighth in the events, respectively. Her weight throw mark of 42-08.75 and shot put toss of 40-00.50 each surpassed personal bests she set last week at the New York Armory Duals. On the men’s side, Payne leapt a personal-best 6-04.25 in the high jump finals to take fifth overall. He notched the career high in his first attempt of the day, topping his previous best of 6-03.05. In the men’s 400m dash, senior Phillip Warsaw and freshman Lee Johnson also posted the best times
of their college careers. Warsaw crossed the line in a time of 49.64 to finish 16th in the competition, while Johnson finished with a time of 51.52. “It was really great to get out there and have a strong race,” Warsaw said. “At this point in the year, it is all about momentum. Having a good race like that before our championship meet really gives me a lot of confidence about my ability to compete this week.” The Deacons return to Blacksburg on Feb. 26 for the start of the ACC Championships.
Female Alcohol Users Needed for Research Study If you are between the ages of 21-29 and drink alcohol at least once per month, you may be eligible to participate in an ongoing research study examining the effects of multiple drinks in a short time on decision making and simulated driving ability. A time commitment of approximately 6 hours over 2 sessions at WFU Health Sciences is required to complete the study. All subjects will receive compensation. For more information call 713-DRUG
L IFE
Check out the winners from the Giles Harris music competition. Page B7.
INSIDE: He’s Just Not That Into You: Stars stand out in this harshly titled chick flick. Page B8.
T H U R S DAY , F E B R UA RY 2 6 , 2 0 0 9 PA G E
B5 ONLINE
Bring on the Spring! O L D
G O L D
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A T : w w w. o l d g o l d a n d b l a c k . c o m ogblife@wfu.edu
B L A C K
With the warmer weather on its way, local options for outdoor activities abound
By Samantha Hoback | Staff writer With spring just around the corner, warmer weather is settling in. It’s time to pack up the heavy winter coats, scarves, gloves and hats in favor of a more temperate wardrobe. Warmer weather means more options for fun things to do around campus and Winston-Salem. Starbucks, Campus Grounds and other popular hotspots on campus have served us well throughout the chilly winter, providing hot coffee and cozy chairs to help us escape the cold. But with Spring Solstice less than a month away, students are eager to venture outdoors. In addition to all of the fun activities that occur on campus in the spring, such as Springfest, Shag on the Mag and Wake ‘N Shake, there are many other fun things to do in Winston-Salem and the surrounding community. Outdoor shopping is a student favorite. Shopping areas, such as Reynolda Village, are great places to spend time on the weekends. Just a short walk or drive from campus, Reynolda Village features popular shops like Monkee’s and M. Christopher’s, sweet treats from Simplyummy and Mayberry Ice Cream and Sandwich Shoppe, a relaxing spa experience at European Touch and other fun venders. Downtown Winston also offers an alternative to Hanes Mall. There is an eclectic mix of retail stores offering something for everyone. From The B-String, a guitar and amp retailer, to Patina, selling gifts, apparel and home décor, the shopping in Downtown Winston is another hidden treasure of this multicultural city. If you are willing to drive a little bit, the new Shops at Friendly Center, located on Friendly Avenue in Greensboro, is an outdoor shopping area with a wide variety of retailers to cater to everyone: among the stores are Ann Taylor, White House Black Market, DSW Shoes and the ever popular J.Crew. Although a thirty-minute drive from campus, the Shops a t Friendly Center are a great place to go as spring approaches. Tired of eating at the Pit? Looking for an alternative to Benson and Subway? As the weather gets warmer, the weekends are the perfect time to go out to eat and enjoy the outdoor seating at local resturants. Many restaurants, including The Village Tavern, Rose’s Deli, Bleu Restaurant & Bar and The Old Fourth Street Filling Station, have patio or outdoor seating. And what is dinner without dessert? Nothing is more satisfying than ice cream when the weather is nice. Winston-Salem has many ice cream shops to choose from. If you are in the mood for something decadent, Cold Stone Creamery is the place to go.
Looking for something on the lighter side? Zach’s Famous Frozen Yogurt offers freshly made flavors and creative toppings at a reasonable price. For those who enjoy something more eclectic, Wolfie’s Gourmet Frozen Custard on Fourth Street or Café Gelato on Reynolda Road offer a fun twist to the traditional frozen dessert. And for those who like the traditional soda-shop style, there’s Mayberry’s at Reynolda Village and Blue Ridge Ice Cream on Stratford. Another great way to take advantage of the warm spring weather is to go enjoy the great outdoors. Winston-Salem is surrounded by beautiful mountains, a great lake and numerous recreational facilities that provide the campus adventurers a chance to connect with nature. Hanes Park and Polo Park are great places to spend an afternoon kicking around a soccer ball, enjoying a picnic lunch or tossing a Frisbee. Students can go hiking on the paved trails of Salem Creek and Lake Trail, which runs from Peters Creek Parkway to Salem Lake. Pilot Mountain State Park is another great place to go hiking and enjoy the outdoors. About 20 minutes from campus, Pilot Mountain is a National Natural Landmark where visitors can take horseback rides and hike throughout the seven-mile woodland park, taking in the sites of the 1,400-foot Pilot Mountain pinnacle. Dan River Adventures, located just thirty minutes from WinstonSalem, offers canoeing, kayaking and tubing at reasonable rates. Getting a group together for a weekend rafting trip is a fun and inexpensive way to enjoy the warm spring weather. If your idea of an adventure doesn’t include spending time in the great outdoors, Winston-Salem has several alternatives. A Great Escape, located behind
Upper Crust Pizza on Silas Creek Parkway, features Go Karts, mini-golf, paintball, bumper cars and an arcade. For about $10, students can enjoy a round of putt-putt and a ride around the Go-Kart track and receive ten tokens for the arcade. A Great Escape offers a fun night out on a college-student budget. If you’re looking for spectator sports once basketball season ends, look no further than the new Wake Forest Baseball Park. The Demon Deacons are gearing up for a busy season of baseball, and what better way to enjoy the warm weather than to go out to the ballgame? The team plays William & Mary at 2:30 p.m. on March 1 at home, followed by UNC-Wilmington at 6 p.m. on March 3 at home. Spring Fever has sprung on campus. With Spring Break only a week away, students are itching to break out of campus and enjoy the warm weather that comes this time of the year. Winston-Salem and the surrounding areas have so much to offer, from great shopping to fantastic dining options and everything in between. There are activities for the adventurers and the money-conscious students, the sports fans and the cultural connoisseurs, and they are all located just outside our gates.
Nuclear Cooooookie Crisp | Not for the faint of heart
Family trips prove to be full of lessons and car issues Austin H. Jones Staff columnist
My Intro to the Bible professor recently said that the prophets of old were like the columnists of today. Continuing my usual, prevailing apprehension of stepping on people’s toes, I’m going to attempt to eschew the condemnation of the Church-going types and write an unconventional article. Here’s a truer than true, outrageous story about my friend Katie and her family from Florida: Her family used to take six-week motor home trips every summer. One summer, when she was a wee little girl of 11, they were travelling
to the economically booming world power of Canada to buy a computer without sales tax. Their Barth Motor Home with a 1992 Honda Accord on the back – light blue – ended up breaking down in every single state. By the time they got to New York, they had a priest bless the motor home, and he asked her mother if she was Catholic. She, being an honest Protestant, simply said, “No.” The motor home broke down in Vermont. Anyway, earlier in the trip, they were passing through North Carolina and were on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the brakes gave out. So her dad is slamming his foot on the brakes and honking the horn, and he’s got his arm out the window and he’s yelling. I never asked Katie what her dad was yelling, but I can imagine that even if she remembered, I wouldn’t be able to get the exact quote printed. They barreled down the mountain (I
But, as the story goes, it was mainly know several Coloradans who would say they were hills), and flew through because he had almost killed her dog… and secondarily due to her maternal three or four stoplights. Her mom made all of the children instincts. That night they opted to leave the lay on the floor – and the dog, Abby. motor home (a And she took good choice, I her sister Molly, think), and took who was an infant, I’m not sure if this story has the Honda off the and she put her in much of a moral, except maybe back. her car seat and something like, “Trust not in the Her dad was in wrapped a towel the driver’s seat, around her head prayers of a Bishop if thou art and Abby logically and put her in the RV’s closet so she not Catholic.” Or, “Money burning rode in the pasa hole in one’s pocket is better senger seat, with wouldn’t fly around her mom and the if they went off the than burning one’s money in a four children in the cliff – good parmotel oven.” back. They found a enting at its finest. motel not far away. They came down A specific about the to the bottom location here that of the mountain (hill), and her dad came to a huge in- seems very relevant to the situation is tersection – a four way stop light inter- that it was a dry county. I guess they ended up saving money section – and turned the motor home around in circles until it lost enough on “medical expenses.” They drove the Honda into Virginia momentum to stop at a Park & Ride. Her mom was justified in being pissed before her dad realized that he had left all the cash he was using for the trip at her dad for the rest of the night.
in the oven in the motel room. That’s logical, right? Anyway, they drove back the three hours to the motel to get the money and continued the rest of the trip in the Honda. Katie insists that there are a lot of lessons which can be learned from this story. I’m not sure if this story has much of a moral, except maybe something like, “Trust not in the prayers of a Bishop if thou art not Catholic.” Or, “Money burning a hole in one’s pocket is better than burning one’s money in a motel oven.” Or even, “One needs not brakes when one has family, love and dogs.” But I think that we should all try to avoid generalizing the message of this story. Sometimes we get too caught up in “general pictures” and “overarching themes” and come back to the specifics of this story in particular. I will leave you with this mantra: avoiding sales tax can lead to brake outages and motel fiascos when driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
B6 Thursday, February 26, 2009
Old Gold & Black Life
He Said | Sex for the opposite sex, same sex and every sex in-between
The first date’s joys and undeniable jitters Jay Lowrey
Outback out on DVD
Walt Disney received a record 64 Oscar nominations.
On March 3, explore the land down under with Baz Luhrmann’s Australia on DVD. The Drover, played by Hugh Jackman, is joined by English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) on the ride of a lifetime. Together they struggle to herd 2,000 stampeding heads of cattle across hundreds of miles of treacherous Australian terrain. With a historical background, a little rugged action and plenty of dramatic romance, watch as the Drover and Ashley’s two very different worlds collide.
Top 10 useless college courses Here at the university, all of our course options seem to have at least some practical use, but that is not the case everywhere. Check out these ridiculous class options.
1. David Beckham Studies 2. Parapsychology 3. UFOlogy 4. Phallus Studies 5. Surfing Studies 6. Queer Musicology 7. Learning from Youtube 8. Star Trek Studies 9. The Science of Harry Potter 10. Golf Management
Student Union Spotlight
Staff columnist
Two weeks ago I began a new endeavor here at He Said, finding all you wonderful people a great and sexually healthy relationship by the end of the school year. Last week I described how to meet someone and get that first date. This week I am going to talk about that first date and all the joys and jitters that go with it. So, you’ve made the date with Mr. or Mrs. Right, but chances are a few days will pass between the initial meeting and the first date. What do you do in the mean time? Well, you could sit around your room and be a nervous wreck (as I have done in the past) or you could just forget you even have a date.
Think about it this way, would you be freaking out over dinner with an old friend? No, in fact you would probably be pretty excited. Excitement is a great thing, but carried too far it can lead to inflated expectations and blows to self-confidence. Keep your expectations low and your dreams simple, and you are already halfway to a great, chill evening with your special someone. Where should you go on your date? Well, dinner and a movie is the standard, and it’s the standard for a reason. Dinner is a time to get to know each other and exchange stories, goals, interests and jokes. But what if the dinner is super awkward? Well, that’s where the movie comes in. The beautiful thing about a movie is that there is no talking allowed. If the date is going poorly, by this point of the evening you probably won’t want to talk anyway, but if you two are sitting through a movie there will be no awkward silences to
fill with pleasant small talk or creepy innuendos. Now it’s the big night. Wear something nice that looks good on you, but also keep it casual. First dates are awkward enough, don’t make your date feel even more awkward by overdressing and outglamming him or her. If you initiated the date, then do all the planning, picking up and paying. Girl or guy, same sex or opposite sex, if you did the inviting then take ownership of it and treat him or her as your guest. Yeah, chivalry may be dead, but for some it is a major turn on (myself included). You’ve had the dinner, you’ve had the movie, you’ve had the awkward small talk and the flirtatious glances. Now it’s that time of the date that separates the boys from the men. The good-night kiss. I love to kiss and a good first date kiss is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Everything still feels new, the other person is dreamy and although you’d like to go ahead and do a little hori-
zontal bump and grind, kissing is probably the most sexy thing you can do on a first date (we’ll get to the sex soon enough). So, the real question is: to kiss or not to kiss? Unless the date was super awkward and you never want to see the person again (which happens more than you would think, trust me), I would say go for the kiss. The first kiss is a great barometer for the rest of the relationship. If sparks fly during the first kiss then sparks will probably fly just about everywhere else. First date chemistry cannot be underestimated for one second. If it feels right, make a second date. For me, what comes next is the hardest part. Learn how to survive the waiting game, next time on “He Said.”
“He Said” is a bi-weekly column that presents one guy’s perspective on the college sex scene. You may contact him with your feedback or ideas at lowrjs7@ wfu.edu.
Surrender to Sudoku Check back next week for the solution to this week’s problem. If you hadn’t noticed, we like to keep people waiting in suspense.
Solution from 1/15
Movie Review | He’s Just Not That Into You
Love story incorporates realistic plot twists By Eleanor Smith | Staff writer
Check back each week to see what events Student Union is hosting at the university. Third Eye Blind Concert Wednesday, March 25 8 p.m. Davis Field Student Government Carnival Thursday, March 26 2 p.m. Davis Field Shag on the Mag Friday, March 27 10 p.m. Manchester Plaza
Drink of the Week New Orleans King
Maybe you missed out on Mardi Gras and all the hoopla on Canal Street, but it’s not too late. Celebrate a little late with this tasty treat. 5 oz. grapefruit juice 1.5 oz. vodka coarse salt Coat the rim of your glass with the salt. Mix the vodka and grapefruit juice together in a separate glass with ice. Pour the blend into the salt rimmed glass. Throw on some bead necklaces and enjoy your drink with a little king cake.
This week, women across the world lined up outside the local box office awaiting the arrival of the new movie He’s Just Not That Into You. Armed with movie tickets and pop-corn, these ladies were eager to discover the secrets of the opposite sex. The movie He’s Just Not That Into You is actually based off of the self-help book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. No doubt, some women out there may openly admit to perusing the self-help aisles at Barnes & Noble, for He’s Just Not That eye-opening relationship Into You literature. But for relationStarring | Ginnifer Goodwin, ship cynics, Jennifer Anniston and Ben Affleck who are suspiDirector | Ken Kwapis cious of a $25 Who’s it for? | Fans of the bestbook claimselling book and humorous ing to solve romantic comedies life problems, don’t Running Time | 1 hr. 49 min. be deterred by Rating | (out of 5) the premise of this story. As I walked into a room full of estrogen, I was fully prepared for a fusion of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Sex and the City. But on the contrary, the movie was not an impractical love story at all. Many of the situations were surprisingly realistic and refreshing. The story begins by following several different women, all of whom are either in a relationship, trying to get out of one, or, of course, looking for one. These twenty- and thirty- somethings navigate their way through their relationships. From hopeless romances to disastrous marriages, these women (and men) seem to come across every relationship road-block. The principle character, Gigi, is played by Ginnifer Goodwin. Goodwin is most memorable for her role in Mona Lisa Smile, when she played the frumpy, hopeless romantic Connie. Her character in He’s Just Not That Into You isn’t much different. She’s obsessive when it comes to relationships, which ends up driving most of her suitors away. Goodwin’s character is aggravating and almost sad. And while an exaggeration of relationship-obsessed women, the exaggeration is not far from the truth. It is only when she meets Alex, a random bartender (played by Justin Long), that Gigi starts understanding the rules of dating and relationships. Of course, we all know a Gigi. At times, her reasoning will make you want to
Photo courtesy of Flower Films
With its star-studded cast, He’s Just Not That Into You offers a funny, relatable, take on dating relationships and falling in love. scream and shake her, or even turn to the friend sitting next to you and say “you know, you should really be listening to this...” But thankfully, Gigi is not the only character in play. The award winning cast includes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly and Scarlet Johanson, to name a few. And, rest assured, not all of the characters are quite as agitating as Goodwin. Nevertheless, the film is still surprisingly refreshing and true when it comes to relationships. Don’t get me wrong, the same “everyone’s in love with someone” soap-opera phenomenon still exists. I mean, could you expect anything less from the writers of Sex and the City? But this romantic comedy takes an interesting twist as viewers watch the heroines’ relationships suffer. Both Connelly and Aniston play characters in loving, long-lasting relationships, or so it appears. While Connelly discovers the perils of marriage, Aniston wishes for
more than just a promise ring. Connelly’s character becomes a crazy, house-renovating, controlling wife, which eventually leads her husband into an affair. But her desire for a sound relationship makes her unaware of her delusional relationship with her husband. Meanwhile, Aniston’s character is more straightforward with her significant other, played by Affleck. While Affleck views marriage as a pathetic attempt to stabilize a relationship, Aniston wants to make their promise to one another public. The two part ways, but not for long. But of course, despite its cringe-worthy moments and episodes of failed relationships, without its title, this film would be another cookie-cutter romantic comedy. So while the authors and directors of the movie may want you to believe that He’s Just Not That Into You, really he is, and you’ll leave feeling mushygushy, the sign of a true dream-factory romantic comedy.
Life Old Gold & Black
Thursday, February 26, 2009 B7
Restaurant Review | Elizabeth’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria
Restaurant serves delicious food, lackluster service By CeCe Brooks | Contributing editor
entire, empty restaurant. When our waitress did come over, I said I had not Would I recommend Elizabeth’s Italian decided what I wanted yet. She then told Restaurant & Pizzeria to a fellow univer- me that I had to order by 9:30 p.m. or sity student? Well, that depends on what else they wouldn’t make it. exactly you are looking for. If you are Okay, I’ve worked at a restaurant so I simply in need of a cheap alternative to know it’s frustrating when people come the Pit and Benson and do not have that in close to closing, but I don’t think I high of standards, was ever that abrupt. Elizabeth’s is perYour best bet, I’d say, Elizabeth’s fectly adequate. would be one of their Location | 2824 University Dr. With its inexpizzas. pensive pricing Hours | 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon. - Thurs. My friend ordered 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri. - Sat. and wide variety a small pizza (which of menu items, I can really be shared by 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. would recommend Serving | Italian dishes two) with a few topit for a quick weekpings for about $10. night meal. How- Dress | Casual I think this is the best ever, if you are more Price Range | $10 - $20 deal for the quality of partial to nicer Italfood you’re getting. (out of 5) ian venues (and Rating | I ordered the small by nicer I mean sausage stromboli for Olive Garden), less than $8, but it was Elizabeth’s might not be your glass of about as impressive as the strombolis I Chianti. used to get at the Pit. When I made my dinner plans for the One of the better things about Elizanight, I looked at the hours and saw that beth’s is the variety. There is a large menu they were open till 10 p.m. I had a long that not only has your standard Italian day and lot of things to do, so I decided items such as pizza, pasta, calzones, etc., that I would go at 9 p.m. Apparently this but it also has Philly cheese steak sandwas unsatisfactory to our waitress and wiches and burgers if one of your party the sole cook still working. has an aversion to Italian food. My friend and I arrived about 9:15 The service was relatively quick, but p.m., we seated ourselves despite the fact considering we were literally the only that there was no sign telling us to do so. customers and they were dying to get We did because no one acknowledged out of there, I can’t say whether or not that we had come in even though there this is always the case. As part of the were only two other customers in the whole closing-down mess, our waitress
Photo courtesy of italian-recipes.com
Elizabeth’s Italian restaurant is a good place for a quick, inexpensive bite of well-made Italian food, but beware of grouchy waiters if arriving toward closing time. was also a bit lacking. We had to wait several minutes for drink refills (despite being the only table she had) because she was too distracted counting up her cash for the night. Again, I’ve worked
in a restaurant; I know the frustrations of last-minute customers, but they’re still paying customers. You can’t just be impolite and hasty because they prefer to eat in the later portion of the restaurant’s open
hours. Overall, for a weeknight out on a college student budget, Elizabeth’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria is definitely suitable, just don’t expect to be seeing any great Zagat reviews anytime soon.
Event Review | Giles-Harris Competition
Album review | Live 2.0
Spoken album speaks volumes Music competitions display talent By Ae’Jay Mitchell | Staff writer
In his poem “Dawn,” Dunbar gives an innate beauty to the written word by describing dawn as the blush of the moon kissed by “an angle, robed in spotless white.” Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” shows the power that a live band can give to the written words of Abel Meeropol. But can poetry, without music, find beauty merely in the spoken? Oveous Maximus’ recently released album Live 2.0 offers a profound yes to that question. Deemed “the music and voice we’ve all been waiting for” by fans, Oveous Maximus’ Live 2.0 was released in 2008 featuring 19 new tracks under the supervision of MOCCARTS. Throughout the CD, there are clips of an interview he gave for Choice FM UK on one of his trips to London. These interludes constantly remind the listener of his need for this artistry, giving an answer to why he finds the spoken word to be his music of salvation. He says “a tragedy” began his passion as a spoken word artist. His only brother committed suicide in October of 2002, a pain for which he immersed himself in writing to survive. In “Salcedos Breakdown,” Maximus uses rhythmic explorations to announce his view on the objectification of the female. He uses vernacular speech and setting to connect with the actively responding audience. Through his words, he debunks
By Elizabeth Martin | Staff writer
men who “disrespect the her, and she, and we, for we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for she who carried us nine months.” The power in his speech moves one to believe that the creator of earth was indeed a female. “Gangstacism” soulfully redefines the idea of being a “gangsta” in America. He calls upon gangstacism as a means to actively confront the American system that he sees. He uses this poem as social commentary for his ideas on taxes, the wealth gap and religious degradation that he feels plagues our nation. He gives an inviting, yet deliberate rhythm for which anyone can groove, even those tired from dancing Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” dance. The album then moves to a “slow song” which touches the unseen core of sexuality and love. “The Art of Making” becomes a beautifully woven duet of sensuality and communication, one where sweat becomes a translucent pool of water to which the identity of both partners merges into one. The man becomes a lost soul “looking for direction in the path of her legs and thighs,” as a distinct vocal waltz rumbles the microphone. “Options in the Media” becomes a protest song against America’s use of the media as a tool to perpetuate stereotypes of whom and what the true America is. Through this poem, Maximus becomes the Edwin Starr of the 21st century, but instead of
asking “War! What is it good for,” Maximus asks, “Media! What is it good for?” A question he leaves the audience to decide. In tracks eight through 17, Maximus returns to the use of music. Though not depending entirely on the spoken word standing alone, he gives lyrics of power that penetrate the core. This part of the CD also offers collaboration with Indio, Tshka, Natalie Petterson and two works featuring his deceased brother, Ziiinc Blue, entitled “Fruits” and “He was 15.” These works create a perfect blend of music, social commentary and power that has not fully been seen on the current popular culture scene. Maximus closes the album with a live recording of “Dulce de Leche” from the historic Apollo Theatre. Dulce de leche is a dessert sauce that is made by slowly heating sweetened milk and becomes a metaphor for the strength and endurance of the woman in Maximus’ poem. He speaks again of the lack of appreciation for the woman and of the greed the man exhibits when simply wanting to taste the sweetness of the “dulce de leche.” Maximus’ CD ends again with homage to the woman, for whom he would not be alive to create this musical production of words. Oveous Maximus’ Live 2.0 can be purchased through MOCCAARTS at moccarts.com, or through Oveous Maximus’s personal Myspace page: www. myspace.com/oveous.
A phenomenal display of talent took place on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Brendle Recital Hall. The Christopher Giles and Lucille S. Harris Competitions in Musical Performance included 34 students who participated in five hours of performance, including the Open Competition for all instruments and voice and the separate Piano Competition. The event was directed by Louis Goldstein, professor of music, and Kathryn Levy, lecturer. Both donors and students feel indebted to Maureen Lister for her unwavering support in the execution of this event and her unending encouragement of the music students as they prepared. Paul and Sara Sinal, founders of the competition, began the event in 1977 after graduating in 1967. Paul Sinal studied piano with Christopher Giles, and was extremely appreciative of the support of both Giles and fellow faculty pianist Lucille Harris as he pursued his piano studies as a non-music major. Wanting to draw more attention to the excellence of the small music department, the Sinals founded the competition in honor of these two professors who had such a profound impact on their students. Giles passed away in 1995, but his gift of teaching continues through this competition. Harris commented on the “unusually high level of performance” this year, a statement of significance considering she has faithfully attended all 32 years of the competition. Harris echoed the sentiments of Paul Sinal, who expressed his delight over how the competition “has grown and taken on a life of its own.” She recounted the first Giles-Harris Competition, held in 1977 in the basement of Wingate Hall with a handful of student performers. Other donors value this annual event and fund prizes to honor loved ones by encouraging students to develop their musical gifts. Student after student displayed remarkable poise and musicality with a variety of works, all performed from memory. Stunning performances throughout the day included enchanting vocalists and charming flutists as well as a
phenomenal harpist (senior Jacqueline Ely) and trumpet player (freshman Matthew Martin), all of which left the audience eager to hear more. The Sakowicz prize for Outstanding Performance by a Non-Music Major went to sophomore Andre Ta Nguyen, who skillfully navigated the lively Poulenc Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. Freshman guitarist John Kossler captured the audience with the haunting melody of a work by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), only to proceed with an effortless negotiation of an extremely intricate work by Hector Villa-Lobos (1887-1959), winning fourth prize in the Open Competition. Third place was awarded to sophomore Elizabeth Hartley for an impressive performance of an exuberant alto saxophone sonata by Paul Creston (1906-1985). Freshman John Jacob Eichhorn received second place for an incredibly musical performance of two ethereal works of Koh Okumura (b. 1973). First place in the Open Competition was awarded to junior Daniel Ruehr for a stunning performance of Prokofief ’s spirited Sonata for Violin and Piano in F Minor, Op. 80 with accompanist Joanne Inkman, lecturer. Every note dripped with enthusiasm as the vivacity of Ruehr’s playing in combination with the poignant chords of Prokofief left the hall reverberating with the thrill of such an inspirational performance. Students in the Piano Competition played a work of Bach and a piece of their choice. Freshman Fraser Song chose Chopin’s Etude in C-sharp minor, and delivered a spellbinding performance that won him the Virts Award for Pianistic Expressiveness. An interpretation of a work of Debussy by freshman Tiancheng Phil You earned the Cecelia Merritt Wyatt second place award. The melancholy theme of Chopin’s Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52 in the hands of senior Jason Paquette hinted of the professional level of performance to follow. Paquette captured the essence of this enormous work and began with a navigation of a Bach A-flat Major Prelude (BWV 682), earning the Sinal Prize for first place in the piano competition. Judges were reputable, professional musicians from surrounding universities. As a whole, the competition served as an impressive representation of the university’s musical talent.
College Couture | Looking good without breaking the bank
Not even Fashion Week immune to troubles of struggling economy Caroline Hallemann Staff columnist
I feel like everywhere I go, the recession is inescapable. Every time you turn around it’s getting mentioned on the news, in your classes and in daily conversations with friends. No one is immune to the financial problems of the day, and everyone is tightening their proverbial belt, including the fashion industry. While their belt might still be a Japanese-style black silk obi, a la Cynthia Rowley, it continues to clinch tighter daily.
No where was this more evident than New York Fashion Week 2009. I suppose the Hollywood cliché of “the show must go on” applies to fashion designers as well because a bad economy didn’t seem to stop New York Fashion Week from happening. Instead, it seems to have reverted the runway back to focusing on what is actually important: the clothes. In recent years, Fashion Week has been more about the celeb-studded after party than the designs. Admirably, many designers opted to downsize their runway activities in order to reduce the number of people they would need to fire in this poor economy. Marc Jacobs cut his guest list by just over a thousand people. Several designers decided to share tents in order to save, while others, including both Betsey Johnson and Vera Wang, opted to reveal their new lines in the more intimate venue of their showrooms. New York designer Marc Bouwer even
went so far as to show his clothes entirely digitally through an online runway. In order to keep in the spirit of years past, designers and organizers of the famed Mercedes fashion extravaganza asked the invitees to do a little bit more this year. Several after parties requested their guests to BYOB. And “gasp” some shows even opted to put a price tag on their tickets. While shocking to Fashion Week alums used to being indulged and pampered at no cost to them, in reality, it is a fiscally wise decision. It’s hard to believe, but the cost of putting on just one of these runway performances can run well into six figures. This may not even including the cost of the clothes themselves. Like everyone in America should be doing, designers are learning to cut corners, whether it be fewer models on the runway or asking their guests to bring their own bubbly.
Most importantly, Fashion Week’s clothes reflected the troubling times. Designers seemed to make a conscious effort to create less ostentatious pieces to suit the sober economic state. More subdued colors filled the runway with just a little something special to make the wearer feel gorgeous. People who can still afford lavish designer goods aren’t looking to advertise their prosperity when others are suffering. Bold and flashy labels are not going to sell this season. People are becoming more conscientious of the image that exorbitant fashion portrays, and designers reflect this need for more subtle basics. One plus for consumers watching their pocketbooks – the price of designer goods has gone down significantly this season. While you won’t find Forever 21 prices from top name designers, and in all reality, runway looks are out of the typical college fashionista’s budget, fashion
designers do recognize the need for a price deflation this year. The majority of what the consumer pays for is the name to begin with, so why not shave off a few hundred dollars to make everyone happy. Mara Hoffman, one of the designers who decided to share tent this year at Fashion Week, decided to keep prices low in an effort not to lose sales. Alexander Wang managed to keep each piece in his collection under $1,000 with most averaging around $400. I know $400 sounds like quite a bit for one article of clothing, but in the world of high end fashion, that is quite the bargain. As cheesy as it sounds, I think America can extract a lesson much larger than just the top style trends from this year’s Fashion Week at Bryant Park. Cutting corners cost-wise is not the end of the world. Just because you have to tighten your belt, doesn’t mean it can’t be a stylish one. It simply makes you get creative.
B8 Thursday, February 26, 2009
Old Gold & Black Life
Event Review | Trumpeter Alison Balsom
Secrest Artist Series brings world-renowned trumpeter By Katherine Perfetto | Contributing writer
On Feb. 19, university students and members of the Winston-Salem community packed Brendle Recital Hall in anticipation of Alison Balsom, a critically acclaimed British trumpet player. Her audience was so large, three extra rows of chairs had to be placed on the stage to accommodate the full house. After having been to numerous concerts during my time at the university, I was greatly surprised by the community’s interest in this particular concert and anxiously awaited its start. Only moments after Balsom began her first piece, I knew why she had gained so much attention. Her technique was flawless and her tone was so pure it sounded as though she was singing. That night, Balsom’s two hour performance literally took my breath away. Balsom began playing the trumpet at an early age and has played for some of Britain’s most prestigious orchestras over the years. This year she was named best Young British Performer at the Classical Brit Awards and was appointed visiting professor of the trumpet to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She performs with a small ensemble consisting of Grammy-nominated violinist Jesse Mills, cellist Raman Ramakrishnan and pianist Benjamin Hochnan. The first piece that this group played was J.S. Bach’s version
of Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major, originally written for the violin but arranged for the trumpet and organ. The first movement, Allegro, was incredibly powerful and festive and was a strong introduction to what was to come throughout the concert. The second movement was a softer, slower movement. Her style was so smooth that for a moment, if I closed by eyes, I forgot that I was at a trumpet concert altogether, but rather listening to a soothing vocalist. The final movement returned to the high energy of the first but with a much lighter, lively tone. The second piece, entitled Concerto in E-flat for Trumpet and Strings was composed by Johann Baptist Neruda. Neruda was a Czech composer who wrote over 100 works primarily for the Corno da Caccia, or the “hunting horn”. This piece was very similar to the first, also consisting of three movements alternating between upbeat and longer tones. Balsom’s ability to draw the audience’s attention was phenomenal. Her attention to phrase length and dynamics was incredible and made the audience wonder what was coming next. The first half of the concert completed with Trumpet Sonata in D major, Z 850 by Henry Purcell, the first English composer to write music for the trumpet, and Suite in D Major, HWV 349 by George Frederick Handel. The latter is commonly known as “the Water Music Suite” and was written as a peace offering for the king.
After a brief intermission, the second half of the concert moved away from the classical pieces and into the 20th century with more modern trumpet pieces. While the first half of the concert focused more on tone quality, the second half showed off Balsom’s incredible technique. The first piece, Concert Etude in G Minor for Trumpet O. 49 by Alexander Goedicke, showcased a technique called double-tonguing which allows for the artist to rapidly articulate notes. This appears in the next piece, Legende by George Enescu, as well, but increases in difficulty with tripletonguing throughout long chromatic runs. Seven Spanish Folk Songs by Maneul de Falla was next in the program. Each of the seven movements represented various regions of Spain. Each also expressed an emotion such as the joy and pains of love or the comfort in a mother’s lullaby, all of which Balsom evoked through her sound. The final two pieces, both by Ástor Piazzolla, were entitled Oblivion and Libertango. Oblivion was composed in the tango medium, however, this is not its traditional form. Instead, it is considered Nuevo Tango and contains noticeable elements of classical and jazz. The piece contained a great deal of dissonance that created an eerie feeling reverberating off the walls of the recital hall. Overall, I feel that Balsom was one of the most talented musicians I
Photo courtesy of alisonbalsom.com
British trumpeter Alison Balsom blew audience members away with her flawless playing and smooth sound. have ever seen. I feel privileged to have been able to see such a wonderful concert. It was such an honor to have been in the presence of such a passionate artist. But please, most definitely do not
solely take my opinion on her playing skills. Visit www.alisonbalsom.com to watch videos from her performances and get information about her recent awards and CDs.
What You Didn’t Know | By Caldwell Tanner
Book Review | Angelhead
Book creatively captures the realities of schizophrenia By Ashton Astbusy Asst. news editor
If you’re like me, a person who does in fact enjoy reading a good novel but has the attention span of a five-year-old in Disney World, then I have a book that will stimulate your mind while n e v e r ceasing to keep your A.D.D. at bay. Angelhead: My B r o t h e r’s Descent into Madness (come on, even the title can grab your consideration) by Greg Bottoms is a work of creative non-fiction that chronicles the journey of Bottoms’ older brother Michael and the loss of his mind and reason to the firm grip of schizophrenia. For those of you who do not know, schizophrenia is a severe and disabling brain disorder characterized by abnormalities
in the perception or expression of reality. It is most commonly understood as something that creates manifestations of auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech or thinking. Bottoms states in his author’s note that his intention in writing this factual record of his brother’s life has merely been to “capture the experience of schizophrenia” in anecdotal form. Angelhead opens forcefully with Bottoms’ eyewitness account of Michael’s first instance of a psychotic disconnect from reality after dropping six hits of acid at an Ozzy Osbourne concert at the age of 14. Standing in the doorway of his brother’s bedroom as an overweight, lazy, discontented 10-year-old boy, a young Bottoms watches with a mix of horror and intrigue as his brother claims to see the face of God in his suburban bedroom window. The scene exerts even more of a powerful force upon the arrival of Bottoms’ parents. While Mrs. Bottoms sobs into her hands, Mr. Bottoms displays a
rare, yet profound sensitivity as he treks across Michael’s disheveled room. Ignoring the broken glass strewn across the floor and the consequential blood flowing from his bare feet, Mr. Bottoms holds on dearly to his eldest son in an attempt to bring him back down to earth. From that point forward, Michael experiences a downward descent into a world that is demarcated by the consistent whisperings of God, heavy drug use, mysterious habits and behavior and abrupt, frightening violent tendencies. In the backdrop of Michael’s insanity are the guises adapted by the Bottoms family. As a means of conveying normalcy in a house, they are forced to lock their doors at night in anticipation and fear of Michael’s volatile and precarious nature. Bottoms’ parents concentrate much effort into creating the perfect image of a faultless middle-class, suburban paradise in order to combat the brokenness of their son. Simultaneously, Angelhead follows the struggle of the Bottoms family to eliminate any traces
of the lower-class background they left behind upon their relocation to the Chesapeake suburbs. Shirking behind the perfection of their community, which is defined by big colonial homes on plush green cul-desacs, the smell of the salt air of the Chesapeake Bay, neighborhood picnics and county fairs, the Bottoms attempt to veil the odd and flawed proceedings of Michael that are contrastingly delineated by appearances from God, the sacrifice of snakes, crazed Bible rants, hallucinations, and the frequent use of drugs and violence. With its non-fictional depiction of a family’s struggle to coexist with a young man who has lost all Bottoms sense of himself, Angelhead engulfs you into a realm in which fear, bizarre and illogical happenings, and paranoia are the norms. Bottoms does not strive to sugarcoat the terrible consequences of Michael’s schizophrenia in his descriptions of
the gruesome events assigned to Michael’s life. In reviewing Bottoms’ terrifying yet illuminating anecdotes concerning Michael’s various suicide attempts and even attempts to kill his own family, all attributed to the voices and hallucinations that govern Michael’s mind, one must keep reminding oneself that Angelhead is indeed a factual record, and not a fictional prose. When reading Bottoms’ accounts of his brother’s attempt to consume a bottle of Drano, confess to a murder he did not commit and beat Bottoms into pulp in the backyard, I was almost forced to put the book down. I was astonished, and at times disgusted, by the foreign and gruesome details before my eyes. There is a strong sense of empathy in Bottoms’ passages concerning the multiple sickly instances of abominable rape and sexual abuse of his brother. His dilapidated and twisted physiological state makes him
all the more prone to manipulation and neglect. In addition to chronicling Michael’s “descent into madness,” Angelhead simultaneously records the author’s ascent into maturity. By following Bottoms’ transformation from a unmotivated, drug-dependent, disconnected boy, we see him evolve into an educated, enlightened, profoundly moving author and adult. Although his brother’s mind has been lost to a disorder that has fragmented his reality and reason, Bottoms yields much success in overcoming this harsh upbringing. The terrible memories he conveys in his piece eventually transition into appreciating the greater goods that surpass the essentiality of getting high to feel alive. Bottoms’ story teaches us that there does exist a light at the end of the tunnel, regardless of how faint it may seem. Bottoms received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Virginia and currently teaches non-fiction writing at the University of Vermont.