The Alabamian Issue # 7

UM presents “Rent,” page 7

MONTEVALLO, ALABAMA

Review of Joe Crow Ryan and the Memphibians, page 6

VOL. 87, ISSUE 7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Festivities erupt on Main Street

BY PERRIN WINDHAM

On November Jennifer Corona

15, the city of Mon-

Farmers of America from Montevallo High School on foot and Thompson High School baseball team.

There were also various individuals part icipat ing in the parade.

There were people dressed as Native Americans going down the street to the beat of Montevallo High School Marching Band plays various their drums.

Christmas tunes.

Other floats included, Blain tevallo had their annual holiday parade. Graham, Tiny Mister for Relay for This year it was held in con- Life; Lillian Kate Buse, Baby Miss junction with the Art Walk. for Relay for Life; Savanna Smith, Along with the parade itself, those Little Miss Montevallo; Charli-Ann attending could walk up and down Baugh, Little Miss Montevallo; April Main Street and look at the various art Weaver, State Representative; and booths and see what they had to offer. Grand Marshal, Mike Dubberly.

There were many different floats Several churches took part in the representing different entities within parade, of different denominations the city of Montevallo and the sur- and from different parts of the city. rounding areas. Several schools were Montevallo Methodist preschool represented. Starting off the parade was present with the children dressed was Montevallo High School Marching like reindeer and wearing Santa hats.

Band playing various Christmas tunes. Dogwood Grove Baptist Church rode Following this was Staci Lawson, by chanting “We seek Jesus,” while homecoming queen of Montevallo, Montevallo First Baptist Church had a University of Montevallo Cheerleaders, float with children of the congregation Montevallo High School Girls Athlet- and signs with lights that said Noel. ics riding in the bed of a truck, Future Other church groups included Awa-

na clubs from Grace Baptist Church, St. Thomas Catholic Church, Southside Baptist Church, Faith Missionary Baptist Church, and Awana Baptist Church, the only group with a float that celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas.

There were many local businesses and organizations that participated as well.

Country radio station 102.5 The Bull, Tractor Supply Company, people of all ages in their uniforms from the Karate studio on Main Street, six trucks from Montevallo Fire and Rescue, Troop 224 Girl Scouts of Alabama, Boys and Girls Club of Montevallo, Critters by the Creek--who had dogs riding on the back of the truck--Shelby Starlets Baton Twirling, who twirled to songs like Mariah Carey’s “I Don’t Want a Lot for Christmas,” workers from American Village dressed in colonial uniforms and a truck from JD’s Furniture Warehouse, a new business in town that was opening the weekend after the parade.

Also in attendance were people from the Vallocycle program with students from UM, including Braxton Austin, Luna Shedrick and Allison Bartlett.

Also in the parade was a horse dressed as a reindeer, Montevallo Community Band with various Christmas selections, many vintage cars, including one driven by Bank Trust, Childcare Network driving a school bus, Joe’s Italian Restaurant from Alabaster, Encouragement Learning Foundation, Baseline Softball team, Montevallo Building Supply and Parnell Memorial Library with children dressed as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who. Ending the parade was Santa and Mrs. Clause riding on a semitrailer, with members from UM’s fraternity Alpha Tau Omega walking behind.

This year the parade coincided with Beaujolais Nouveau at Eclipse and the Artwalk.

Jennifer Corona

Colorado and Washington legalize marijuana

BY ALYSE HARTDEGEN

Elections are over and the country is settling back into a calmer state but not for long.

One milestone that came out of this past election is the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana in two states: Washington and Colorado.

Both states were two of 18 states that had previously legalized marijuana for medicinal use only. However, the federal law states that marijuana for any use is illegal, thus subjecting each of the 18 states to the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA. Their job is to fight the war on drugs, whether or not said drugs are legal in certain states. This has been a fighting point for each of these states since the 1990s, when states began to legalize medicinal use of the drug.

Beginning in 1978, 34 states had enacted laws stating the medical value of marijuana and began small programs to provide small amounts of the drug to patients.

Due to complicated federal regulations, though, these laws and the resulting programs were short-lived.

Inside

this week’s issue

Alabama was previously one of the states that had made steps towards legalizing medical marijuana, unsuccessfully.

Recently, two bills have been sent to legislature and declined.

Many students at the University of Montevallo feel that due to the common political leanings of Alabama, legalization of even medical marijuana is not realistic for some time to come.

In an interview, a sophomore at the University who wished to remain anonymous said, “I don’t know where everyone else stands on it, but it could be a possibility. I’d say there would be a lot more people that wouldn’t want it to happen here.”

Another student said, “Alabama is too backwards and stuck in the 20th century; it’s very hard for the state to change its ways because they stick to this certain set of beliefs that tends to be outdated.”

When asked what sort of regulations should be put in place if marijuana was legalized, one student very passionately said, “Seriously? What’s the point of putting more rules on it? That’s some-

thing that our president shouldn’t be thinking about. He needs to be focused on bigger problems. This shouldn’t be Announcers for the Christmas parade keep the onlookers entertained. our top priority; smoking weed should be the least of our priorities. America has always had better standards than that.”

Others who disagree

BY KOREY WILSON have said, “It should be [legalized]… It would ensuing branding camhelp out our economy, paign. A falcon perched especially if it were to on a simple “M,” the globe regulated in a simirious, unifying symbol of lar manner to alcohol.”

University of Montevallo.

Some of the states that Initially the student aphave already legalized it proval of the sign was low. have regulated it like alFormer student, Jescohol. To put it into the sica Carpenter even went economy would be so benso far as to post a video eficial. It would also hurt criticizing the logo. A the drug cartel, especially year has passed, boistercoming from Mexico.” ous criticisms of the logo She also had this to As it relates to High- problem, and in efforts have died down, and say on what sort of regu- er Education, Univer- to remedy this condition what does the univerlations should be pro- sity of Montevallo has the university launched sity have to show for it? vided: “There should be been called a “best a branding campaign led An interview with an age limit (18), there kept secret” by newspa- by Senior Vice President Johnston shed light on should be some sort of pers, such as the Shelby for Administrative Af- some of the benefits of regulation as far driving. County Reporter in a fairs Michelle Johnston. rallying behind a single I don’t know how they Sep. 22, 2011 article and On September 21, logo and putting Univerwould regulate it, but I books such as Peter L. 2011, UM students gath- sity of Montevallo in the would appreciate if peo- Arango’s, America’s Best ered on the quad to minds of more people. ple did not drive high.” Kept College Secrets. partake in the food and In response to being She continued, “I Though it is a flatter- fun that was provided asked about the need definitely feel like there ing title, “best kept se- at an event to unveil for the new logo and should be a tax on it. cret” is not a title condu- the new school logo. the branding campaign And some sort of licens- cive to getting graduating The event was an ef- Johnston had this to ing; very carefully han- seniors to UM’s campus. fort to inform the studled, very well licensed, UM administra- dent body, community SEE SECRETS, very well-labeled.” tors recognized this and state at large of the PAGE 3

Vi ewp o i n t s ........ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 N ews ................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 O n C a m p u s ......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Li fe s t y l e s.......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 S p o r t s . . ............. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Secrets don’t make friends

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VIEWPOINTS PAGE 2 | THE ALABAMIAN

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Brick street way of life I do not consider myself a prophet; I do not consider myself a prognosticator. But every now and again I can see something I know will do well, call it, and usually be right.

Transversely, I can also point out a stinker from a mile away.

In 2008, I predicted that the hiring of Gene Chizik for Auburn’s head coach wouldn’t end well, and, for most counts, I was right.

Aside from the asterisk worthy Year of the Cam, Chizik’s tenure at Auburn has been a dud. After losing every SEC game on the schedule, he was tossed just last week.

This is good for Auburn; they are a solid program that is one of the SEC’s most consistent, with a rabid fanbase and amazing traditions –that is, before some idiot tried to kill one of

them off. They deserve better than this, and I can’t wait to see them return to form.

Anyways, I feel the need to share with you my (unbiased) opinion on the hire.

I was so confident in my prediction that he was not the answer, and that so many great coaches should have been higher up on the list than he, that I posted the following on Facebook way back in 2008. Enjoy.

Notable qualified coaches that should have gotten Auburn Head Coaching position but were passed up: 1.) Turner Gill--Won at Buffalo. Need we say more?

2.) Steve Spurrier-Won at Duke. Need we say more?

3.) Jeff Bower--Southern Miss without him is terrible.

6.) Pat Dye 8.) Tommy Tuberville-

DREW GRANTHUM Alabamian Columnist

-Well, he did have a pretty good interview.

10.) Larry Blakeney 12.) Lou Holtz--If only the spit guards were larger.

14.) Charles Barkley-Suddenly he’s a football expert?

17.) Phil Jackson-Surely greatness can rub off, right?

19.) Lambeau Fields 21.) Coach Carter 24.) Herman Boone 25.) Drew Granthum 26.) Gene Hackman-To quote a wise man: “Come to think of it, I would have hired another Gene. I would hire Gene Hackman.

He’s coached a high school basketball championship and led a bunch of replacement players to the playoffs in a fake league.”

27.) Chuck Norris-

-Tim Tebow was in college still.

34.) Smokey the Bear-Only he can stop forest fires. Which is more than AU’s defense stopped this year.

36.) Jim Mora--Playoff? We just wanna win a freakin’ Bowl!

57.) Billy Bob Thornton 76.) Jim Fassel 84.) James Malone 99.) Josh Ethridge 259.) Gene. Stallings.

435.) Aubie--He’s at least got a National Title of some sorts.

546.) Gene Chizik Of course this is “all in” good fun, folks. I hope this time Auburn gets someone who can turn them around and keep up their tradition.

On the bricks With Sammy Schiffman Name, Major, Year 1. Are you ready for exams?

2. What do you do to relieve stress?

3. What are you doing the weekend before finals?

4. How many hours a week do you study?

5. Where is your favorite place to study?

Zac Gallman, Art, Senior 1. Yes, strictly because I like to read.

2. Stare at reddit all day 3. Going out 4. 10 hours 5. Eclipse Thomas Woods, Finance, Sophomore 1. I will in a few days.

2. I like to get a good night’s sleep and hangout with friends.

3. Study Friday and Saturday and watch NFL on Sunday and relax 4. 14 hours 5. The basement of the ATO house Britney Miller, Elementary Education, Senior 1. No 2. Listen to music and work out 3. Adding finishing touches to my study guides and sleeping 4. At least an hour a day 5. Malone Center Steven Sortor, Chemistry, Sophomore 1. Yeah, I guess 2. Running and reading books 3. Relaxing 4. 4 or 5 hours 5. Upstairs in the library

Adam Pettway, Undecided, Freshman 1. Yes 2. Hangout in Napier basement and watch a little T.V. 3. A little studying and getting ready to go home 4. 3 hours 5. In my room Margaret Cosby, Social Work, Freshman 1. Yes 2. Listen to music 3. Look over my work and make sure I have everything down 4. 48 hours 5. In my room at my house Katie Barrett, Art Education, Sophomore 1. Yes 2. Going shopping 3. Studying 4. 12 hours 5. Library

Growing mustaches raises awareness

BY KYLE JONES, ASSISTANT EDITOR

The first of November marked the start of this year’s Movember, an international fundraising and awareness event for men’s cancer research.

Many people in academia are familiar with the “tradition” of No Shave November but what separates that from this global initiative is that by growing facial hair, you are changing the face of men’s health.

Movember began in Australia in 2003 when 30 friends got together to grow mustaches for fun. The next year four of the original 30 members got together to continue their tradition but this time they did it for a cause. That year, 450 participants raised $43,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Movember came to the US in 2007, with 2,127 participants raising over $740,000. This year, there will be official Movember campaigns in 21 countries.

In 2011, the US campaign saw more than 145,000 Americans growing and supporting the Mo, raising over $15 million for men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

All funds raised by

Internships: gateway to the real world

BY SYDNEY STOVER

Left, right. Left, right—step by step until it feels like a natural rhythm. All the while the mother holds her child’s hand until finally he can do it on his own.

This is the feeling that many people say they have when they first enter the workforce. After four years or more of sitting in a classroom going through “training,” one finally has to prove themselves at a job. Although there is one thing that makes it easier—an internship.

Internships are like a bridge that connects college and the real world. College provides an individual with all the rules and the behind the scenes materials, but it is an internship that provides an opportunity for an application of the learned skills.

It is a hands-on, “open-book” test— since you can ask questions. An internship presents a visual of the possible future with the chosen major.

It’s like a little taste of a big buffet—the real world. An internship is like shopping for a brand new outfit. You should always try on things before you buy them. An internship is a free trial before the big purchase. Internships are essential.

In the real world, most companies search for a prospective employee with experience of some type relating to the field. Full resumes with extracur-

ricular and honors societies and programs look good, but handson experience makes the prospect stand out.

Many people may ask, “How do I get an internship?” The first step to getting an internship is to identify what type of internship would suit you best.

After that has been identif ied, start researching companies.

Also talk to professors for more information and recommendations about certain companies.

Next target the possible internship site by contacting an intern coordinator or a general manager. Send him or her a cover letter and a resume.

Follow up and continue to stay in contact to receive an interview.

Once at the interview, be sure to show the manager how enthusiastic you are about receiving the placement at this particular site. Let him or her know that you are willing to take in everything that the company is willing to teach you. This interview is your way of letting the manager know that you have been trained in the field and are prepared to apply the knowledge that you have gained.

Follow these steps and always know that it just takes one foot in the door to get started on a great career.

“MoBros” go to Movember’s men’s health partners Prostate Cancer Foundation and the LI V ESTRONG Foundation which works to ensure that Movember funds are supporting innovative, world-class programs in three areas: awareness/education, sur vivorship and research.

The rules are simple, men start clean shaven on November 1 and grow mustaches for 30 days in an effort to become walking, talking billboards for men’s health, all while raising funds along the way. Movember provides a fun and interesting way to get men talking about their health, which can often be a difficult obstacle for males.

To get involved, visit movember.com to register and to set up your own MoSpace. I myself have been participating and will be documenting my progress via facebook and in each week’s issue of the online newspaper The Falcon, throughout the month of “Movember.” Help us reach our goal of $200 by visiting our team page at us.movember. c o m /t e a m /4 5 8 0 8 9 .

CONTACT INFORMATION:

The Alabamian Will Lyman House Station 6222 Montevallo, AL 35115 alabamian@montevallo.edu 205-665-6222 Editor-in-Chief Heather Buckner Assistant Editor Kyle Jones Business Manager Daniel Farris

Copy Editor & Columnist Drew Granthum Layout Editor Hannah Stein News Editor Andrew Mechum Entertainment Editor Sam Phillips Campus Life Editor Korey Wilson Sports Editor Jordon Semien Contributing Writers: Jacob Bobst Connor Bucy Kaitlee Daw Alyse Hartdegen Sammy Schiffman Reed Strength Sydney Stover Perrin Windham Photographer Jennifer Corona Adviser: Tiffany Roskamp-Bunt The Alabamian is published twice monthly. As the campus newspaper of the University of Montevallo, this paper dedicates itself to the accurate presentation of the news of the University community, to reporting the news of all segments of that community, students, faculty, administrators, the board of trustees, alumni, and friends of the University.

Further, it serves as a forum of opinion for the exchange of ideas among all its constituent groups. To that end, it operates without undue influence or control by any one of those constituent groups.

The opinions expressed on this page are not necessarily those of the university, its officials, its faculty, or the student body.

NEWS PAGE 3 | THE ALABAMIAN

Benghazi hearings look for answers

BY ANDREW MECHUM

denied these claims to HLN’s Kyra Phillips.

Several republicans including Sen. John McCain and Rep. Dan Rohrabacher have insisted that the administration have mislead the American people with regards to what happened in Libya.

“What is clear is that this administration, including the president himself, has intentionally misinformed, read that “lied,” to the American people in the aftermath of this tragedy,” said Rohrbacher.

The facts surrounding Benghazi have been slow to come to the surface, in part due to the national security aspect of the whole affair. And we can’t expect them to come any faster as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton isn’t scheduled to testify until early December.

Regardless of the outcome of the hearings, the Benghazi debacle has highlighted one of two possible issues facing the current administration: Either our intelligence community is inept and incapable of performing it’s job, resulting in inaccurate information being given to administration officials, or the administration sought to alter information given to the American public to bolster its pre-election image.

SECRETS: say, “People would hear things about Montevallo, but they wouldn’t know [the truth] about the university,” that many people’s knowledge of the University of Montevallo came from “anecdotal things,” and that “many people believe UM is a private institution.”

According to Johnston, in order to collect data about the strength of UM’s identity, the division of Academic Affairs surveyed prospective students, and the survey confirmed the suspicions of administrators. In response to the information, UM administrators “pieced together strategies based on the infor-

mation they gathered.”

In order to achieve the goal set by Theme 4, subsection c of the UM Strategic Plan of increasing enrollment to 3000 on-campus residents, Johnston stated that there is a need for “visual presentation” and a “strong recruiting team,” going on to say that UM recruiters often “start at square one” when it comes to convincing students to come to UM. The main detriment of being invisible is that it is hard for an organization to raise funds if people do not know who the organization is.

Another way Johnston is promoting UM is by

placing ads on Pandora.

Dr. Johnston said that there has been “enormous traffic from the Pandora ads,” and as a result from the whole campa ig n— accord ing to numbers published by UM’s division of institutional research and planning—UM freshman enrollment for 2011 is 507 as opposed to 2010’s 432, a 17 percent increase.

A year has passed, results have been achieved and boisterous criticism of the log has died down. Now all that’s left is to determine whether or not the results were worth the time and effort spent to achieve them.

Main Street boasts new business

BY HEATHER BUCKNER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Main Street now boasts one more small business—JD’s Furniture Warehouse, which opened Saturday November 17.

While furniture stores are generally inconsequential to students, Manager Darlene Brasher was sure to note JD’s significance to people on and around campus.

“We do offer student packages,” she began. “The costs vary, but packages can start as low as $500, depending on your individual needs. They could include bedding and dinettes—for example, maybe a twin-sized bed, some lamps or maybe a loveseat.”

JD’s grand opening will be January 4 between 3 and 5 p.m. There will be several singing groups,

door prizes and other various JD’s is open Monday through drawings to entertain customers. Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Prizes in the drawings could closing at 6 p.m. on Wednesinclude anything from a Texas days and closed on Sundays.

Roadhouse gift certificate to a twinor full-sized bed.

“We’ll also be having a drawing at the end of January for a memory foam mattress— open to students only,” said Brasher.

Right now, students who present their ID receive 25 percent off their total purchase JD’s Furniture Warehouse opened on Main and free delivery. Street November 17.

We’re your one-stop shop pharmacy. photo developing, snack & candy health & beauty aids

3990 Hwy. 25 Montevallo, AL 35115 205.665.1261

20%

off

Closed hearings were held by both the Senate and House November 16 to get to the bottom of what happened leading up to and following the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.

Former CIA Director David Petraeus was present to answer questions from lawmakers on when and what the CIA knew and what they did with that information.

Petraeus stepped down as director of the CIA five days prior to his testimony after revealing he had an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell. Rumors circulated that the FBI investigation that uncovered Petraeus’ affair and his subsequent resignation were somehow linked to the attack in Benghazi. However Petraeus

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

to UM students with this coupon not valid on prescriptions and sale items expires 12/31/12

ON CAMPUS PAGE 4 | THE ALABAMIAN

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Bricks: UM’s history laid out ON AIR WITH TYNE COWANS

BY SYDNEY STOVER

BY JACOB BOBST

The bricks of Montevallo are an icon of the university, a tradition and a national historic landmark. Many students and faculty then feel that they give the campus an aesthetic unlike any other.

We see them every day--we love them, we trip over them. But do we know them?

According to school archivist Carey Heatherly, the fact that we have bricks at all is simply because they were available when material was needed to build.

Everything needed to mass produce bricks was already available because of the building efforts of Edmund King, the original owner of King House.

When the need for a building material arrived, King had his slaves make bricks in Shoal Creek. When it came time for Montevallo to be established as the Alabama Girls Industrial School, they already had enough bricks for “a brick-making empire” in the area, Heatherly said.

While some of the buildings, such as Reynolds Hall, were already here and made of brick, the new buildings--such as Main Hall--were built with brick not only because it was readily available but also because they matched the aesthetic. The college has made an effort to continue that aesthetic ever since.

The buildings were erected in brick but not the original paths.

It wasn’t until the late 1920s that the effort to pave the school’s walkways began. The paving started as a slow process and continued until around 1935, when the town of Montevallo, as well as the campus, were the beneficiaries of the New Deal and the workers from the Works Progress Administration came to town. They went to work immediately to build brick paths alongside other renovations to the campus.

Not only did the new brick streets take care of walkways that were like streams, but it also allowed the university to boast about having paved streets, which were a rarity at the time.

Of course, not all of campus is paved in brick. As you may have noticed, the part of campus around Farmer Hall and Comer Hall are paved in a more traditional manner. According to Heatherly, the primary reason is that it’s easier. The Montevallo Brick and Tile Company

was originally responsible for supplying the campus its custom bricks, but they went out of business around the 1950s. So now, a firm in Pennsylvania provides the university its replacements, but it can be a difficult process.

“It’s not like going to Lowe’s or anything,” said Heatherly.

We can all agree that the bricks are beautiful, but are they safe?

The bricks cover most of the campus, and many students and faculty have tripped over them at one point or another. They have also been known to frustrate the female portion of our campus who attempt to wear high heels.

“I mean, they definitely defer me from wearing heels,” said Sophomore and SGA member Tanya Hoang. “And it definitely defers me from getting a bicycle--the bricks aren’t made for people to bike on. That’s the reason that I don’t bike around the campus.”

However, Kat Spanier of Vallocycle claims that you can bike safely if proper attention and care is taken.

On one of their recent tours going throughout campus and the town, only one of the 50 bikes fell, and it was due to a minor maintenance issue that was promptly fixed.

“I guess just living at Montevallo and starting this new organization, we just know the bricks are going to be there, and we know it’s a good organization anyway. I urge anyone who worries about it to call me and I’ll take them on a personal tour anywhere they feel uncomfortable riding,” she said.

She continued, “a nice big brick out in the middle of the road is definitely a safety issue if you’re not looking. Having been at Montevallo for four years, I’m kind of trained to look at the ground. That’s just a habit here. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t fallen over at least once.”

It’s true. Many students have reported tripping on a brick.

However, the only injuries ever reported in all of Montevallo’s long history have been minor, according to Director of Health Ser vices Eleanor Davis.

Safe or not, Montevallo’s bricks are actually a National Historic Landmark, which means they’re likely here to stay.

A word from SGA

BY JAMES MACON SKILLMAN

The Student Government Association exists to serve the students on campus. The senators represent different groups of students on campus.

The SGA meets two Wednesdays every month at 4:30 p.m. Students are encouraged to attend; exact dates have been recorded in every copy of the fledgling.

In the November 7 meeting of the Senate, SGA President Ashley Lowe discussed the renovations to the local lake. She said soon the lake will offer a variety of rentable water sport equipment such as kayaks.

She also reviewed the plan for the movement of the bookstore to the Alabama Power Building this coming February.

Tanya Hoang, the UPC coordinator, briefly discussed the recent events that the UPC put on and urged the congress and the students to continue coming to the UPC sponsored programs on campus.

No new legislation was presented to the senate on November 7.

The senators are always looking to hear feedback from the students and would greatly appreciate ideas for future legislation to help improve the campus experience.

Kathleen Kryger discussed the upcoming televised basketball game event. February 16 the Montevallo basketball team will be filmed and broadcast on a local network; more information will come as the date draws closer.

The senate was proud to induct Emmit Astrige as the new housing senator. This is the first time a housing senator has served on the senate; the SGA has high hopes for this new position.

The next senate sessions were scheduled for November 28 and December 5. Students are always encouraged to come watch the senate as it deliberates. The sessions are open to all students.

In addition, the senators are actively seeking student feedback in the form of constituent reports. Please help the SGA by contacting your representatives and participating in a constituent meeting or filling out a constituent report.

Bubbly, bright and hopeful are three words to describe Mass Communication alumna Tyne Cowans.

Cowans graduated on May 5, 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication. Like many seniors, Cowans felt the pressure of graduating and not knowing exactly what she wanted to do after school. She would have a degree-but what about the job?

What about doing what she loved and was passionate about? These questions ran throughout Cowans’s mind.

In the beginning of her college career, Cowans had her mind made up to have a career in radio, but somewhere along the way she lost this dream.

She became so focused on passing the classes that she lost sight of the bigger picture.

In February 2012, Cowans began an internship with the radio station

95.7 Jamz. She worked from 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the morning show.

As an intern, Cowans had to stay up-todate on current news articles and come up with a list of ideas for the on air personalities.

During the first few weeks, Cowans admits she was out of her element, so she just sat back and observed in the beginning. It was a different world for her- overwhelming but exciting.

“We’re like newborn babies. We’ve been in college for four years,” Cowans said.

Soon, however, she gained the motivation to ask questions.

“I wanted to absorb it all. I showed my face, asked questions and sat with different people,” Cowans said. “I was just interning and everybody knew my name.”

Cowans made herself known; she had found her passion again.

“I had a newfound love for radio,” Cowans said.

After graduation, Cowans remained an intern until August when she hired on as a staff member. At that moment, Cowans knew that her hard work and faith had paid off.

Cowans believes that being an intern helped her to get her foot in the door.

“In the real world, you have to step up,” Cowans said, as a lesson from her internship.

Although Cowans is happy to be part of the staff at 97.5 Jamz, her ultimate goal is to be a radio personality.

“I feel like I’m a mini Oprah,” Cowans said.

“My friends always tell me, ‘Tyne, you’re so funny.’”

She said even her professors could tell that she was destined to be in the media.

“Tyne was an excellent student and a very personable young woman,” Dr. Susan Thompson said of her.

Kid’z Klub gives back

BY KAITLEE DAW

Sunday afternoon on campus is normally a time for relaxing--used for napping, writing papers or just hanging out on the quad.

But a group of students at the University of Montevallo decided they wanted to do more with their free time; they wanted to give back to their community.

While the university is constantly emphasizing the importance of connections between the school and the town, such as the campus’ recent move to Main Street, it is rare that Montevallo students actually leave campus and get involved in the community.

However, a group of students involved in Ecclesia Campus Ministries want to change that.

Since October 13, students involved with the Missions Team in Ecclesia have been hosting a “Kid’z Klub” on Sunday afternoons, in which they spend time with children living in Monteval lo--coloring, snacking and playing.

The point is to build connections between the students and the town and to “give back,” according to Audrey Barron, a member of Ecclesia and leader of the missions team. “We hope to form relationships with the people of Montevallo and bless them in any way we are able to,” said Barron.

Free time for college students is usually pretty limited, but those who choose to participate sacrifice their Sunday afternoons to get involved.

Every other Sunday af-

ternoon, students donate time from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. to teach the kids Bible stories, make crafts and play.

Kid’s Klub is about more than just volunteer hours for the students participating, however.

“We believe it has the power to change lives,” said Ashley Gray, a sophomore and Kid’z Klub worker. “Love goes so far in a child’s life.”

Kelly Redding, a junior, is also involved with Kid’z Klub.

“Our goal is to reach kids with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and see their lives transformed with this hope,” Redding said.

“The missions team in Ecclesia wanted to do something to bless the Montevallo community that would give us an avenue to share the Gospel with as many people as would listen,” Barron explained.

The students responsible for planning the event have received support and interest from other students, as well.

“When we presented the idea, many people showed interest and helped tremendously with getting the word out to the community,” Barron said.

Not only are the students giving their time and resources, but they said they’re gaining a lot, as well.

“I have gained a lot of happiness from seeing the joy on kids’ faces when the ‘big kids’ come out to play with them. It is priceless!,” Gray said. “Also, I have learned a lot about how to actually plan and

organize an event this big.

I expect it to be a blast for the kids and the volunteers. Maybe even more fun for the volunteers!”

While many students choose to go into Birmingham to volunteer, the students organizing Kid’z Klub specifically wanted to it to take place in Montevallo.

“Our team chose Montevallo because we wanted to give back to the community that we take so much from,” Barron explained.

“We chose Montevallo because we wanted the community to see their college students getting connected,” Redding explains.

University involvement with the community has definitely expanded in the past few years through events such as the Artwalk, the community garden and the recent addition of Montevallo on Main. Community involvement is something that has clearly become important to the university, and Kid’z Klub is just another way for students to bring the University and the city of Montevallo closer together.

Students who want to participate can come to Ecclesia Campus Ministry, which meets every Thursday night in Comer Auditorium at 8 p.m. No background or special skills are needed.

“The goal of Kid’z Klub is to spread the Gospel to the Montevallo community,” said Barron. “We just hope to form relationships with the participants and be involved in their lives.”

Make a wish and dance the night away

BY ALYSE HARTDEGEN

Chi Omega held a new kind of philanthropy event on Nov 1. affectionately titled Tacky Prom.

The event was open to all Montevallo students.

All proceeds went to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

The night consisted of a prize raffle, a competition for tacky prom king and queen and dancing the night away in the tackiest of formal wear.

Tacky Prom king and queen were decided based on the tackiest dressed candidates.

The Tacky Prom king winner was Zack Hill and queen was Kate Leventry.

Overall Chi Omega was rewardAlyse Hartdegen ed for their efforts--the sisters managed Tacky prom king and queen to raise over $600 for their philanthropy. share a dance

LIFESTYLES PAGE 5 | THE ALABAMIAN

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

A healthy “¡Dos!” of Green Day

BY REED STRENGTH

September’s “¡Uno!,” the first offering of Green Day’s new trilogy of albums, came out on a sour note.

Lead singer-songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong had been admitted to rehab days before the album’s release after a drunken rant at the iHeart Radio Festival.

The album failed to relieve the harsh news of the singer’s issues, instead showing a band straining for the simplistic teenage abandon found on their past successes.

In 2008, the Foxboro Hot Tubs, a Green Day side project, released an alcohol fueled batch of garage tunes called “Stop, Drop, and Roll!!!!” The album was a thirty minute slice of riffed out garage rock, a pleasant respite from the rock operas “American Idiot” and the awful “21st Century Breakdown.”

While the side project has yet to release a new album, they debuted a new song in 2010 entitled “F--- Time” at their live shows. The band reportedly liked the song so much that they played it over ten times at a very drunken club show.

That song is found on “¡Dos!”- the second album of Green Day’s trilogy- and it sets the “wild party mood” that Armstrong hinted at in interviews about the album. Beefy drums and an old school riff announce that the band is barely on its feet but are having a great time in the process.

The slightly psych rocked “Wow! That’s Loud” starts with a bright guitar lead of Jason White’s that later serves as a melody sung bridge.

“Lady Cobra” is a thundering quick jam announcing a she-devil’s arrival.

Unfortunately, the welcome is unwanted. Where their strangest blunder was the disco flecked “Kill the DJ,” “¡Dos!” takes the Ke$ha sounding formula even further with a rap song entitled “Nightlife.” Where Armstrong was energetic on “Lady Cobra,” he turns sluggish on his vocal parts as if sucked dry by the rapping temptress.

With a trilogy, there’s room to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. However, “Nightlife” would be

better served as a laughable B-side than a proper album cut. Lines like “hope there’s more in your pants than a bus route” and “gonna make a move before I get bored/if you wanna explore my vocal chord” are just plain gross.

While Green Day will never act their age, a big problem on “¡Uno!” was the aging rock star-isms of the music videos and lyrics. The forced sexiness of “Make Out Party” and “Nightlife” constantly remind that these dudes started in “nineteen eighty f---ing eight” and refuse to let go of how young, wild and free they once were.

The retro rocking “Stray Heart” is a great example of this, with Armstrong ensuring an ex that he’s as heartbroken as she is. The songs that break from the constant images of wild parties are better for it.

The sobered “Lazy Bones” starts with a Strokes-like riff that skyrockets into a thundering warning about depression and apathy. “Stop When the Red Lights Flash” repeats a gnashing guitar riff as Armstrong promises to “make you surrender.” On the opposite end of the spectrum is the tender “Amy,” a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse.

“Now you’re too young for the golden age/’cause the record bins been replaced/twenty-seven gone without a trace/and you walked away from your drink” croons Armstrong over a plucked guitar line. The album begins and ends with Armstrong by himself. While longtime producer Rob Cavallo mostly keeps things massive and rocket fueled, “See You Tonight” and “Amy” are scaled back in sound to an almost demo-like quality.

While this year saw a better and sexier rock n’ roll record with Divine Fits’ debut album, Green Day finally succeed on reducing their once world-sized problems to short jams about the excesses of the good life.

With Billie Joe sitting out the next few months in rehab, this maybe the wildest we hear the band in a long time.

In defense of the desktop

BY CONNOR BUCY

Back in 2010, search engine gi- top computer an excellent work and ant Google made the prediction that, play center, combining media, gamgiven three years time, the desk- ing and computing into one space. top computer would be “irrelevant.”

While making the most out of Now, two years later, it seems the desktop requires perhaps more as though Google’s prediction than a basic understanding of hardis coming true, at least partially. ware, the reward far exceeds the cost.

Desktop sales among consumers are This brings me to my next declining as more people are choos- point: The cost in dollars. ing laptops as their workhorse devices.

I’ve known people who have gone Tech blogs and news magazines are all through multiple laptops in the approxiabuzz with the “post-PC era,” a term mate five year span that I’ve owned my coined by Apple, Inc. to describe the desktop (which also speaks volumes on movement to mobile devices in lieu of the desktop’s reliability, given proper the personal computers of yesteryear. care). This isn’t to say that they were However, as an avid desktop user, the careless users, laptops are simply more idea that the desktop, and indeed the PC expendable than desktops. Notebooks as a platform, is dying is strange to me. are much more likely to require reMy faithful desktop computer, a Fran- pairs or, more frequently, replacements. kenstein of various parts from various A desktop, given that the user builds brands joined together into a high per- it him/herself, can be purchased for forming machine, is a constant in my day- around $600, if one knows how to shop. to-day life, and I don’t see that changing A decent laptop, however, generally anytime soon- for a variety of reasons. runs around $800 to $1,000+, dependFirst off, desktop computers simply ing on the brand name on the device. offer greater potential for power than In addition, when a user finds his/ laptops do, provided one knows how to herself in need of a faster, stronger mabuild one. I know, I know- laptops are chine, a desktop is simple and fairly cheap getting more powerful, ARM processors to upgrade. Other devices are nearly imare getting better, etc, but hear me out. possible to alter and are usually built to The sheer volume of a desktop be obsolete when a new model is out. makes it the more suitable device for Simply put, I am a desktop user beprocessor-intensive tasks such as de- cause I value modularity and the best sign, digital art and gaming. While one possible performance for my money. certainly can run Photoshop on a lapWhile laptops are definitely the go-to top, I can’t recommend it, as I’ve never device for a user who needs portability, seen it done without some degree of lag. I prefer to have a strong home base for In addition, such tasks often cause all of my real work and gaming. Even laptops to heat up due to their small- though I take my tablet everywhere and er size and lack of an extensive cool- even use it for lecture notes here and ing system. You don’t see anyone there, at the end of the day, I still find trying to squeeze a liquid-cooled myself at my desktop for anything else. heat-pipe into a laptop and for good Whether I’m gaming, working or just reason. It isn’t going to happen. watching television shows, my desktop I also find myself rarely even play- delivers the best experience for all three. ing gaming consoles, even though I own an Xbox 360, as my computer generally has the same games available and can run them on higher graphical settings, along with offering downloadable user-created modifications and content.

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LIFESTYLES PAGE 6 | THE ALABAMIAN

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Computing on a budget: a look at Google’s new Chromebook

BY CONNOR BUCY

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If you’re looking to purchase a new laptop on a college student budget, Google and Samsung may have just the device.

The two companies have teamed up to build the new ARM-based Chromebook, an ultrabook starting at the seemingly crazy low price of $249. This low price, at first, might sound suspicious. Such a cheap price for a laptop brings to mind the horrors of poor quality control, malfunctioning hardware and disappointment.

However, the new Series 3 Chromebook doesn’t suffer from the usual symptoms that sometimes come with affordability.

For starters, some may wonder what exactly a “Chromebook” is.

Simply put, it’s a laptop running Google’s own Linux-based operating system, ChromeOS. ChromeOS is an open-source project designed to work mainly with web applications. Essentially, the applications of the operating system are integrated into the web browser, Google Chrome. This means the Chromebook is very web-centric, depending on a working internet connection for many tasks.

While earlier models suffered from a lack of

offline usability, the Series 3 attempts to remedy this by allowing users to work with many applications in an offline mode.

ChromeOS’s appeal is in its simplicity and its integration with the Google ecosystem, allowing seamless connection with Google’s cloud services such as Google Drive.

Purchasing a Chromebook will get you a free 100 gigabytes on Google Drive, an incentive to jump into Google’s cloud and a major perk to buying the device.

Physically, the Chomebook certainly doesn’t feel like a $249 piece of hardware.

It’s an incredibly compact device, weighing in at 2.5 pounds with a thickness of less than 18 millimeters.

It’s also quite stylish, almost resembling a Macbook Air or an HP ultrabook with its silver casing.

Internally, the Series 3 sports an Exynos 5 ARM processor, 2 gigabytes of DDR3L memory and 16 gigabytes of solid state drive space. While the SSD might seem small, the 100 gigabytes of space on the Google Drive seem to be given as a trade-off.

The Series 3 also gets approximately six hours of battery life, keeping the user mobile and cord-free.

The display isn’t a massive innovation, featuring an 11.6” matte surface at a resolution of 1366 x 768, but it is fairly nice--albeit a little on the dim side.

For developers and modders, the Series 3 Chromebook offers a cheap experiment-friendly device. Although not widely advertised, ChomeOS is Linux-based, meaning that installing various distributions of Linux software is entirely possible.

Already, developers are finding ways to port over fully-functional operating systems such as Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora.

These options make the Series 3 a much more attractive option for a more experienced user or a programmer looking to get more use out of the device, both online and offline.

What makes the Chromebook such an attractive modding platform is that regardless of what might go wrong, all of the user’s data is still stored on the Cloud and the device is easily restorable.

At $249, the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook is a tough deal to beat. Out of the box, the device has its limitations. Users accustomed to Windows or Mac OS X will find that their usual programs aren’t compatible with the Chromebook, and many applications will require a working internet connection in order to see full use.

However, for the average user looking to find a cheap alternative to throwing down $800 plus on an ultrabook, the Chromebook presents a viable option.

Those who feel “Loveless” may feel love again

CLOSED SUNDAY

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A Crow is not a Memphibian

BY REED STRENGTH

On the night of Nov. 1, I was waiting for the first set of the night at Eclipse with patron saint, Willy the cat, who had chosen my lap to procure warmth in a rare sign of affection.

Joe Crow Ryan was scheduled to play at 8 p.m.

Eight o’clock passed, and I continued to contemplate the cold night air with Willy. Eventually, he had enough of my presence and lightly jumped off my lap to saunter into the bushes.

It was fifteen minutes after the show was scheduled to start, and still I heard nothing. With Willy’s warmth gone, and my cup of coffee thoroughly diminished, I decided to head inside to get a fresh cup.

Turns out I was late.

Ryan was seated and in mid-song; the crowd was seated, with a few sitting on the floor close to Ryan.

He was a scrappy old fellow, his hair and beard long and gray. He wore a white coat with a patterned shirt underneath. A gold chain hung from his neck.

Settled, I focused on Ryan. Instead of plucking his banjo, he strummed it like a ukulele. He whistled a small melody into a microphone. Eventually the whistle grew into a rough yowl. The four people sitting in front of him lapped up his strange tune.

Between songs, Ryan told the crowd stories about himself. He explained that he was a New York subway musician and at one time had been homeless. He was very warm and friendly,

more a performer and raconteur than musician.

Ryan played a medley of covers and original songs. What he lacked in voice and ability, he made up for in charm and character. He sang an ode to “man boobs,” lamenting the troubles the unfortunate flabs bring.

His best moment was the serious tune, “My Arrest.”

Crow gave the background to the song before beginning. He explained that he had been arrested by NYPD warrant agents after they’d busted into his apartment, suspecting his roommate of being an Occupier.

The audience looked on with rapt attention.

Something about the song was anthemic, like the old protest songs of the sixties.

While Crow may never find mainstream success, his quirky and heartfelt set won me, and the rest of the audience, over.

The Memphibians were up next and took the stage quietly. A Floridian folk band, their set was divided between light stoned folk songs and more intense, angsty numbers.

The distinctions in tune types came from the two singers, Andrew Felts and James Arthur Baylee III. Baylee’s numbers began the set. His voice was a tough sell, shaky with an unapologetic southern twang. Earlier in the night, the band’s snare drum stand broke, so drummer Kevin Lee Newbury had a make-shift snare

made out of towels and a plastic box. One of the band’s secret weapons and saving graces was Katie D’elia, a keyboardist and French horn player.

D’elia’s horn added a pleasant layer that helped smooth over Baylee’s rougher moments. Lines like “ain’t nothin’ lonely about bein’ alone” were accentuated by the opposing sounds, the horn adding a sort of triumphant element to Baylee’s rough declarations.

Felts’ subtle electric guitar playing added another, edgier layer to the band’s sound.

Felts looked a cross between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Jason Segall.

As he sang and played, his voice would rise from gruff growls to screaming. His lyrics contained the blue collar philosophical musing of Isaac Brock, but his delivery was evocative of Conor Oberst.

The audience was so warm that the band played several extended encores.

What at first seemed like obliged surprise began to wane into excessive showboating. The show should’ve ended on drummer/guitarist Kevin Lee Newbury’s harrowing acoustic number about the grips of a syringe-induced drug.

Instead, Baylee squeezed out a solo number for the thinned audience. Playing alone removed the layers that softened his untuneful voice, and the song put an unfortunate damper on an otherwise victorious show.

Kevin Shields, the guitarist and cosinger/songwriter of 90’s shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine, announced via an NME interview that his band would release new material this year.

My Bloody Valentine was formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1983. The band’s first album, “Isn’t Anything?” was released in 1988. The band released their last and most popular album “Loveless” in 1991. The band went through several years of inactivity after the release of “Loveless,” the members splitting to contribute to other projects.

The group reunited in 2007, playing various festivals. The band performed at and curated the 2008 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in New York. Rumors of the band releasing a new album surfaced in 2007 but were never met with material.

In the NME interview, Shields announced that the album would be available by December. The singer plans to release it via his website. A

new EP is also to be released in 2013.

MBV’s catalogue was reissued this year in the UK. In addition to remastered versions of the band’s two proper albums, a two disc collection of EP’s entitled “EPs 19881991” was also released on Sony records.

As far as the sound of the new album, Shields says “Based on the very, very few people who’ve heard stuff--some engineers, the band, and that’s about it--some people think it’s stranger than ‘Loveless.’ I don’t.

I feel like it really frees us up, and in the bigger picture it’s 100 percent necessary.”

Shields commented on the pressure of following up the twenty one-year-old “Loveless,” stating that he doesn’t “care about all of that.” “It’s a record that’s going to mean something to a significant amount of people who really liked us. The rest, I don’t really care about.” Shields stated.

The band will play the new material during their headlining set at the Tokyo Rocks Festival in May 2013.

Music Review: Lana del Rey’s “Paradise”

BY SAMUEL PHILLIPS, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Pop songstress Lana del Rey seems to follow a recent trend in pop music towards glamorous, old-school style female crooners and balladeers like Adele and Florence Welch, but with the interesting twist that just about everyone seems to hate her.

The backlash against del Rey’s sultry torch songs and smoky ballads is surprising considering this shift in the pop listening public, with electronic, performative divas giving way to cabaret throwbacks. Yet del Rey seems to provoke a visceral resistance in people.

They see her as phony and insincere, a corporate product dressed up as a self-made success.

To be sure, everything about del Rey, from her stage name to her do-it-yourself aesthetic, is totally manufactured.

The persona that finally brought her fame is only the latest in a string of attempts to break into the business. Still, to criticize a pop star for having a constructed image should be a fruit too lowhanging for even the most jaded hipster.

Del Rey’s musical output is an odd amalgam of self-consciously retro arrangements against lyrics that are distinctly 2012. Paradise, an EP coinciding with the re-release of the singer’s breakthrough album Born to Die, centers sonically on a cover of 1950 popular standard “Blue Velvet,” a single promoted by an ad for H&M designed to mirror David Lynch’s film of the same name.

This contrast illustrates del Rey well. She performs at a crossroads between commercialism and pop culture, repurposing the ar-

tifacts of post-modern art in order to sell a product. The actual singing is incidental to the whole affair, and it shows on the recording.

Mimicking Isabella Rossellini’s iconic performance, del Rey trudges through the number sounding like a soulless lounge singer. This is the kind of performance you might hear live in a smoky bar and think, “Oh, she sounds alot like the original.” Del Rey offers nothing by way of interpretation, but perhaps the audience is not asking for it.

The other seven tracks follow musically in this mold but depart lyrically. Del Rey’s lyrics tend to clash strangely against her sound. They are peppered with banal observations and casual profanity. They seem to suggest a woman totally subjugated to male attention and willing to do anything to get it.

Listen too close and you start to feel that del Rey is trying to exorcise her Electra complex on the record, yet her voice never betrays a hint of emotion. This is the conflict at the heart of her image--she projects frailty and classic beauty, but the product never lives up to the hype.

Listeners leave Paradise with no new insight into music, del Rey or themselves.

Nothing of substance is to be gained from this record. It is the most perfect example of meaningless pop music I have ever heard. Still, there will be an audience for it. Those who enjoy the music heard over the idle chatter in a bar that may only exist in the movies may find something to enjoy here, but it surely will not be much.

LIFESTYLES PAGE 7 | THE ALABAMIAN

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

CRITERION AT CARMICHAEL

“The Seventh Seal” SAMUEL PHILLIPS Entertainment Editor

Criterion at Carmichael is a column devoted to exploring Carmichael Library’s collection of DVDs from the Criterion Collection, “a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films.” “The Seventh Seal” is Criterion spine #11.

Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish master known to cinephiles as one of the true masters of film and to everyone else as that guy Woody Allen really likes, considered “The Seventh Seal” to be a flawed product, expecting more experimental fare like Persona to be his legacy as a filmmaker.

Having never particularly liked Persona, I find “The Seventh Seal” one of the most lovely, rhapsodic works in world cinema, possessing unparalleled atmosphere and pacing.

The key to the film’s success is its visual motif.

The image of the hooded Death playing chess against Max von Sydow has become iconic, one of those images so often parodied that most people would know it without recognizing “The Seventh Seal” at all.

The black and white aes-

thetics extend from the chessboard to the film’s composition in general, up to and including the nearfinal shot of the dance of death, with the frame bisected by the horizon as a line of indistinguishable figures edges along the line, light and dark playing against one another.

Bergman is unconcerned with accurately recreating the Middle Ages in any meaningful way, instead blending hundreds of years of imagery into a pre-Disney mélange of ideas that, for the audience, simply evokes “medieval.”

The peasants are grimy, the knights are haggard and distant and the priests are corrupt. These ideas come across clearly through a simple, gorgeous production designed to get at the core of human experience through the lens of history.

The film is ostensibly about the black plague, but when Death finally comes to claim the cast of characters, the audience understands that this disease is simply a placeholder for some larger idea, and when a young couple is given the chance to escape, they represent not just escape from disease, but the renewal of life and the importance of youth.

These themes are the business of “The Seventh Seal,” and if Bergman expresses them, he need not be bothered with historical accuracy. He evokes the atmosphere of Chaucer flawlessly, and the specifics fade into the background.

There are few better examples of film as art rather than documentary. When, for instance, Mel Gibson claims his latest film is rooted in historic fact, the film’s merits become rooted in its accuracy, pushing aesthetic and thematic quality to the back. Bergman, on the other hand, makes no pretensions to recreating the Middle Ages in fact, and so succeeds recreating them in spirit.

“The Seventh Seal” established Bergman’s reputation and cemented his place as a filmmaking legend. The image of Death as a pale, robe-clad, chessplaying demon alone has been parodied in every medium imaginable. Bergman’s original, though, retains a certain distinction and charm even in the face of familiarity through trope mutation.

Bergman’s strength as a director lay in his ability to construct an environment, visually and thematically, that absorbed his audience entirely, and no film does it better than the darkly optimistic “The Seventh Seal.”

The cast of “Rent” performs the musical’s final piece, “Finale B.”

UM theatre presents “Rent”

BY JENNIFER CORONA

The University of Montevallo’s production of Rent-originally produced by Billy Aronson and written by Jonathan Larson- grabbed at the hearts of audience members and showed the true talent of Montevallo’s theater company.

The show ran November 15 through 18 and sold out every night.

The show was held in Reynolds Theater, offering a small, personal atmosphere, which gave it a more intimate tone. The matinee show on Sunday had more parents and grandparents in the audience than students. Since Rent has what could be considered a scandalous plot, I was excited to see the reaction this crowd had.

After a 20 minute delay, the music started, and I was lost in Alphabet City.

The reactions of the elderly men sitting in front of me were no longer my concern.

Rent is the story of a group of artists, musicians and assorted bohemians and their battles with pov-

erty, drug addiction and AIDS. Each member of the cast brought the emotion, the voice and the sass of the characters of Rent.

As the plot unfolds, so do a series of love stories between the characters, with varying results. As gutwrenching as the trials of the outside world are for each of them, these relationships are just as heartbreaking.

Of course, the plot would be nothing without the songs, and those songs would be nothing without the voices of the cast.

Caylan Sallas and Melissa Lawler were amazing performing “Without You,” as were Korey Wilson and Barrington McQueen on “I’ll Cover You.” Unfortunately, Lawler’s solo, “Out Tonight,” was not as smooth, with Lawler struggling to hit the high notes and giving a generally rocky performance.

The highlight of the show came with the ensemble number “La Vie Boheme,” blending casually humorous choreography, risqué lyrics

and cheeky touches from the actors almost flawlessly.

The choreography was always en pointe, with the cast never missing a beat.

“The Tango Maureen,” an awkwardly comic duet between Taylor Lamm and Bailey Gaskin, paired skillful vocals with a flawless tango.

Hannah Mansfield kept the audience engaged in her over-the-top “Over the Moon,” exhorting the crowd to join her in cries of “Moo!” Rent has always been one of my favorite musicals. Although I have never seen it performed professionally, I feel like the UM cast gave me the same chills I would get seeing it on Broadway.

As for the older crowd at the matinee show, no one walked out and they all seemed to have nothing but good things to say when the show was over.

Rent is the kind of show that can transcend boundaries, and UM’s cast brought it to life in a way that spoke to everyone- from freshmen to grandparents.

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SPORTS PAGE 8 | THE ALABAMIAN

NCAA changes to make college playoffs fair

BY JORDON SEMIEN

In two years time, NCAA Football as we know it will change forever (or at least the next 12 years) when the much anticipated BCS Playoff system takes effect.

At this point, this system is set to take the top four conference champions, as selected by a committee of “experts,” led by former editor, NCAA Final Four director and Big East Conference board member, Bill Hancock.

Those four teams then play in two “semifinal” matches on neutral fields, with the winners playing each other for the right to be crowned the national champion.

And that readers, is as far as we’ve gotten.

Those details are the only ones to be settled in this BCS mess so far.

Yes, there have been broadcasting deals made and bowl game bargains struck, but, with less than two years and counting until D-Day, we’re no closer to finalizing the system than when we started.

Questions still remain as to A) how the selection committee will decide who had the more accomplished season to qualify for the postseason, B) what’s to become of the BCS bowl games we’ve come to know and love (or tolerate, depending on your viewpoint), and C) what are we going to do about Notre Dame?!

In all honesty, the only question to truly be answered is the most important one to the bureau-

crats of College Football: Where’s the money?

The committee approved a new “Revenue Sharing” plan, designed to reward the conferences and schools who excel in the classroom--not just on the field. This means schools that put a higher standard on education (i.e. Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Duke) will receive more conference and NCAA funding than those whose motto is “Football First” (i.e. Alabama, USC, Ohio State).

But again, fans are still calling for answers to committee statements about the impending changes.

“We’ll have four teams picked by a committee.”

Alright, who’s on the committee and by what criteria will they judge the teams?

“We’ll create three ‘contract bowls’ and three ‘host bowls’ and the highest-ranked champion from the five conferences that are not in contract bowls will be guaranteed a spot in a host bowl.”

Now, there’s no sure fire way to try to clarify this one, but let’s try this: the three contract bowls are for the big conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12), and the three host bowls are for the little guys (Conference USA, Sun Belt, MWC). The highest ranked champion out of the little guys gets an invite to be fodder for the big dogs.

The question here: why are a total of six “extra” bowl games necessary for a four school playoff system?

It may be hard to wrap your head around it… but these are some of the

easier answered questions.

There are still the issues regarding how further conference realignment will affect the system, along with the possible addition of “at least” two more playoff seeds, creating a full six team playoff for the BCS title.

And then there’s the continuing battle between SEC commissioner Mike Slive and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who, still to this day, cannot see eye to eye on almost any issue on the docket. Both are interested in keeping the integrity of their conferences intact, yet they could not care less what happens to the other.

The conflict has gone on to the point that other conference commissioners have begun taking sides in the battle; a practice that could break down the playoff system before it even begins.

However, the main truth to remember is this: it worked. They might be completely inept at moments, but the NCAA and the BCS have heard our cries and have started on the road to giving us a playoff. It might not be exactly what everyone wants, but, then again, that’s just good business. In almost any business venture, not everyone is going to be happy, not everyone will come along quietly.

So circle your calendars, make two, three or even eighteen memos and start the countdown to the first Saturday of August 2014: the day change comes to stay.

Alabamian MVP of the week

BY JORDON SEMIEN

Name: Manyi Ati Sport: Volleyball Major: Psychology/Social Work Year: Junior Accomplishments: This week’s MVP award goes to Manyi Ati, a Junior middle hitter for the university’s Volleyball team.

Ati went on a dominating run over the last week of the season, netting three straight matches with double digit kills and finishing last week with a .432 hitting percentage and 37 kills.

Ati registered her 1,000th career kill in a 3-0 win over UNC-Pembroke, part of a seasonending doubleheader; the second match against West Florida will count as a loss, but Ati finished with 12 more kills and 16 total attacks. Her week started with 15 kills against Francis Marion.

Ati was a driving

force this season, helping to carry the team to Peach Belt tournament.

A first round exit ended the team’s season, but next year’s campaign looks very promising.

Congratu lat ions again to Manyi Ati, our MVP of the Week.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Women’s basketball prepares for season

BY JORDON SEMIEN

It’s showtime once again as the women’s Basketball team readies for what should be an exciting year.

The Falcon’s are coming off an 11-16 season and a fifth place finish in the Peach Belt Western Division. In Coach Hilbrich’s first season at the helm, the Falcons made the cut for their second straight PBC tournament, raising many eyebrows and letting the competition know that they’re here to stay.

This year, they look to expand on that success and try for the program’s first trip to the NCAA Division II tournament.

It’ll be rough sailing for the team early on, as they try to navigate a vaunted Peach Belt schedule while trying to replace the likes of Tiffany McClure, Davia Harris and Shavonne Seymore among others.

Coach Hilbrich will rely heavily on returning players sophomore Taylor Beverly, Senior Trena Moore-Smith, Senior forward Alex Strickland and Senior Zena Nasilos-

ki to embrace their new leadership roles both on and off the court, and be the example of what trusting her coaching strategies can bring you.

Trena Moore-Smith is the true f loor general for this team, coming off a season with 74 total assists and 4.8 points a game. She’s matched by returning guard Zena Nasiloski and her 6.8 rebounds a game average, and Taylor Beverly’s team leading 10.6 points a game.

One can look forward to seeing the new recruiting class Coach Hilbrich has put together in action, headlined by senior transfer Carolyn Tate, Junior transfer Shay Bonner and Freshman Jarrisa Green, among others.

Their time with Coach Hilbrich may be limited, but it’s guaranteed that by the end of the season, they’ll reach their potential and then some.

The start of the season also marks the start of Coach Hilbrich’s sec-

ond year as head of the program, and one can bet she looks to improve leaps and bounds over last year’s successful campaign. Her toughest challenges will be against conference foes Armstrong Atlantic, Clayton State and defending PBC tournament champs USC-Aiken, a game she said she personally looks forward to.

USC-Aiken was Coach Hilbrich’s first “real” head coaching job before Montevallo, and to go back there with a real chance to not only shake up the PBC landscape but also show how far she’s come since then is an opportunity she, and the team, will surely take.

The Falcons have started the season 0 for their first 3, but, as we all know too well, it’s a long season and anything can happen.

Be sure to stop by montevallofalcons.com for all the in-game stats and keep up with The Alabamian for all your UM Falcons news.

is now accepting applications and articles.

Editor: Heather Buckner • Alabamian@montevallo.edu Assistant Editor: Kyle Jones • kjones21@forum.montevallo.edu

SPORTS PAGE 9 | THE ALABAMIAN

Love thy neighbor until game day

BY JORDON SEMIEN

It’s that time of year again, readers: a time where we settle in with friends and family, recount both old times and new and look back on the year so far and find all that we are thankful for.

As sports fans, there’s one thing in particular that we should all be thankful for at this time of year.

No, it’s not championships, nor is it winning records, star players, Hall of Fame coaches or the like.

The one thing every sports fan should be thankful for is…their rival.

The best thing to ever happen to fans, and franchises for that matter, is the advent of rivalry games. Be they Alabama/ Auburn, Army/Navy, Yankees/Red Sox or even Cowboys/Giants, without a healthy rival, sports can be excruciatingly painful.

Who else do we compare ourselves to? Who else is there that knows just the right way to get under your skin and virtually destroy you from the inside out?

But what most people don’t know is that rivalries come in different categories.

First is the Rivalry of History. This occurs when two teams share a common history, where they have met and battled against each other since, in the minds of their fans, “the dawn of time.”

One of the most revered rivalries of all time is the annual meetings between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The

rivalry had always been there, Boston the hard luck, lovable loser bucking up to the “Evil Empire” New York, but one instance changed their fates forever.

Imagine a time when the Yankees were the basement dwellers and the Red Sox were the “Evil Empire,” all thanks to one man: George Herman Ruth, a.k.a “The Great Bambino.” The year was 1918; Babe Ruth was a struggling pitcher for the Sox, and they looked to cut ties with him. Along came the unassuming Yankees, not looking to make any waves, just improve their team; Sox owner Harry Frazee then sold Ruth to the Yankees for enough cash to fund a Broadway musical.

Fast forward a century or two, the Yankees are one of the most revered franchises in sports, the Red Sox finally “reversed the curse” in 2004 and Frazee’s musical never got off the ground.

The moral here, you ask? W hen selling a future hall of famer to your mortal rival… don’t.

Next there’s the Rivalry of Proximity. As the name suggests, this rivalry is sparked by the old western saying, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”

The best example of this type of bad blood is NCAA Basketball’s North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. Sure, they share the

same area and sometimes the same fans, but that’s where the comparisons end; these two hate each other more than Republicans and Democrats during an election year.

Often called the “Battle for Tobacco Road,” just eight miles apart, more than ninety years of bad blood unites the two schools two times a year.

And lastly, there is the Rivalry of Imitation. In this rivalry, the old saying “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” goes out the window faster than the opening whistle.

Possibly the most well known rivalry of imitation is the New England Patriots and the New York Jets. The Patriots have in the last decade been known as the NFL’s upper crust, the closest thing to American royalty--other than the Kennedy family.

Contrastingly, since the hiring of head coach Rex Ryan four years ago, the Jets haven’t just settled into a self-destructive nose dive, but they have slowly become the back end of almost every NFL joke.

Why you ask? Because they tried to be something they aren’t. They tried to change their team history and model a franchise more like New England.

From restructuring the offense to even the way they conduct business, the Jets have tried to imitate the Patriots at every turn.

The best way to run a

team is to know what you are and what you are not.

The Jets were always known as the “dirty work” team, ready to put their noses to the grind; now they’ve dedicated themselves to being the next big headline… be it good news or bad.

So now, readers, as has become customary with our little excursions, let’s assign some homework.

Here at our happy little university in Montevallo, in the direct middle of the state of Alabama (a state that knows a thing or two about rivalries) just whom may we consider a true, natural, “We just don’t like each other” rival?

The most popular answer is the University of Alabama-Huntsville--for good reason.

Of the three types of rivalries, they match up to the big two: Proximity and History.

The History aspect comes from our shared time in the Gulf South Conference; Proximity is solved by simply being in the same state.

It may not be as angry as the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech’s “clean, old fashioned hate” or as paramount as the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, but one can’t deny that it’s always a good time when our schools lock horns for another duel.

So let’s all raise a glass and toast our rival…before or after you win by twenty.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Men’s basketball tips-off

BY JORDON SEMIEN

It’s that time of year again here on the campus of Montevallo. The leaves change, weather gets colder, and students, faculty and fans alike ready for the start of what should be another great season of Falcon Basketball. The Men’s Basketball team is coming off a stunning season, averaging seventy-eight points per game last season, on their way to a record of 29 wins, 8 losses, and winning the NCAA Division II south region and a NCAA Division II title game appearance.

Before the season even began, the team received major awards, including Drico Hightower being named to the Peach Belt Conference’s preseason All-Conference team on Oct.10. To add to the accolades, at the start of the season, the Falcons were ranked No. 11 in the nation by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and No. 4 in the Regional poles.

The powers that be in the PBC’s front office chose Montevallo by two votes over Augusta State as the favorites to defend their Peach Belt crown; the two vote margin is the closest vote in fifteen years. This is the first time in the school’s first four years in the Peach Belt being named the preseason favorite, and with this year’s squad, it’s easy to see why voters say the Falcon’s are the team to fear.

One of the main focuses of the season will be how to replace the talent and leadership that graduated in the spring. The Falcons lose the likes of DeMarcus Catch-

ings, Antoine Davis, Jervon Jackson, and “Mr. Everything” D.J. Rivera, years of experience and leadership that fueled last year’s run.

However, Coach Young has seven outstanding players returning to this year’s squad: names like Jeff Hefner, Drico Hightower, Marvin Fitzgerald, Ryan May, Danny Cummins, Jonas Brown, and Travis DeShazior.

Coach will count on his returning seniors to mentor the new recruits to the team, headlined by junior college transfer Troran Brown, out of Phoenix, Arizona. The six-foot-two guard is a pure scorer; he averaged 20.4 points a game while shooting 52% from the floor and dished out 4.1 assists a game as a freshman. Needless to say, it should be a joy to watch him grow under Coach Young’s guidance.

Though the graduated students will be missed on campus, the returning seniors along with the new recruits are ready to lead the charge as the team looks to fight a vaunted PBC schedule. The Falcons finished the preseason 1-2, but that record doesn’t show the sheer guts and determination displayed playing D-I opponents Ole’ Miss and Purdue.

It’s a long road back to the NCAA tourney, but with Coach Danny Young in his tenth season with the school, it’s a road that looks easier by the mile.

Keep up with the Falcons by checking montevallofalcons.com regularly, along with The Alabamian for future articles and insights.

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STEPHENS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

November events NOV 1

2

2 PM ΛΧΑ Pumpkin Fest

6 PM Volleyball- SAC*

Main Quad

5 PM Montage release party- Student Life Center 6 PM IFC Chili Cook-Off

Becoming Sculpture

1 PM Volleyball- SAC* 9 PM Eskimeaux//Isiduo// Fatplastik- Eclipse 10 PM Bobby Legg

Student Life Center

7 PM Korean Culture Club Comer 208

7:30 PM Chamber Singers and University Chorus

Main St. Tavern

LeBaron Recital Hall*

4

8 AM Out of the DarknessWalk 3 PM LiveText Refresher Workshop 8 PM The Walking Dead Student Life Center*

5

6

Intramural basketball starts 5 PM Wine tasting/

7 PM NAME Java and Jazz- Student Retreat, $3 7 PM Spectrum- Farmer

Meeting Room

8:30 PM Anime Club

8 AM preregistration 7 8 for seniors starts 3:30 PM Building Green 11 AM BCM Cafe Escape Jobs in Alabama, Justin Overton- Comer Auditorium BCM 4:30 PM SGA Senate Mtg 7 PM XΩ Tacky Prom

Election results- Eclipse 6 PM UPC Comedian Theo Von- Anna Irvin* 7:30 PM Election Results Morgan 203 Student Life Center 6 PM Senior Elite

Student Retreat, $5

7 PM BCM Common Ground- BCM 8 PM Trivia Night

LeBaron Recital Hall

Harman 218

7 PM Spoken Nerd// Buzzkill- Eclipse

11 7 PM Daniel Birdsong,12 8 PM Sigma Alpha Iota baritone senior recital LeBaron Recital Hall Musicale- LeBaron 7 PM Spectrum- Farmer Recital Hall* Meeting Room 8 PM The Walking Dead 7 PM Geocaching 101 Student Life Center*

13

8 AM preregistration for sophomores starts 4 PM UPC Ultimate Blowout Event- Anna Irvin*

Carmichael Library Ground Floor* 7 PM Men’s Basketball

8 PM The Eeries//Dommel SAC* Mosel- Eclipse 8 PM BCM Resonate BCM 8:30 PM Anime Club

14

11 AM BCM Cafe Escape

BCM

5:30 PM Women’s Basketball- SAC* 7 PM World Hunger Banquet- Student Retreat

18

19

8 PM Poetry Slam Eclipse

8 AM preregistration 15 for all undergrad 3 PM ArtWalk 4 PM Nouveau Beaujolais Night- Eclipse 6 PM Christmas parade 7:30 PM Jazz Ensemble

11 AM Volleyball- SAC* 10 3 PM Brass Ensemble concert- LeBaron Recital Hall 3:30 PM Volleyball- SAC* 7 PM Crazy Stupid Love Student Life Center* 10 PM Holy Youth// Porcharitas- Eclipse 10 PM Brent Harrison Main St. Tavern

16

7:30 PM Guest Artist LeBaron Recital Hall*

7:30 PM RENT

Reynolds Studio Theatre*

17

5 PM Woodwind Workshop concert- LeBaron Recital Hall* 10 PM Jerome Walls Main St. Tavern

7:30 PM RENT

Reynolds Studio Theatre*

TBA*

7:30 PM RENT

Reynolds Studio Theatre*

Harman 218

2 PM RENT

9

8 AM preregistration for juniors starts 6 PM ΦM Miss Carnation Pageant- Myrick Gym, $5 7 PM Volleyball- SAC* 7 PM Richard Perry, tuba LeBaron Recital Hall

Eclipse

3 Piano Day 12 PM Shuttles to Alabaster

20

Thanksgiving holidays 21 University closed

Classes end at 1:45 6 PM Sigma Tau Delta Reynolds Studio Theatre* Speed dating- Eclipse 7 PM Men’s Basketball 8 PM The Walking Dead 7:30 PM Chamber Ensemble SAC* Student Life Center* LeBaron Recital Hall*

Thanksgiving University closed

22

23

Thanksgiving holidays University closed

24

8:30 PM Anime Club Harman 218

25

26

12 PM History Day

27

Carmichael Library lobby

7:30 PM Choral Christmas Concert- American Village, $5 8 PM BCM Resonate Worship- BCM

Line

28

29

11 AM BCM Cafe Escape BCM

30

7:30 PM Opera Scenes LeBaron Recital Hall

3:30 PM SGA Exec Mtg SGA Conference Room

10

4:30 PM SGA Senate Mtg Morgan 203

7 PM UPC Silent Disco Student Life Center

g Line, “Any Meal, Any Time” is available for use on communications and does not always have to be artsis DIN greek life local outreach sports student life/other The Font fine used Black.

DEC 1

12 PM Shuttles to Alabaster Becoming Sculpture

7 PM Movie

Student Life Center

7 PM Sherlock Holmes Interest Meeting- Hill House 7:30 PM Opera Scenes LeBaron Recital Hall

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