The Eagle -- Jan. 25, 2011

$%#&'()*+,*'-#&.'!/0. .!12#*!+-3'(#+.'*(#+4567

!"#!"#$!

8)*1)&/+679+6:44 ;3<1%#+=7+>+?..1#+47

%&!!"#$!'($)(!*+',

YOUR

NEW AU?

PICTURED â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Proposed East Campus development on the current Nebraska Parking Lot

-%&!!"#$!'($)(!

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

NEWS

0#1/2'(

-./!"#$!

34/%56"#'7#58/%95-&:9 ';-$1/#-'<=56/''

IN THIS ISSUE

Eagle rants (3), Men’s club (5), Campus Plan (10), SUB (12)

OPINION

Staff editorials (8), Shapiro column (9)

SCENE

‘No Strings Attached’ (13), 9:30 club (15), Concert reviews (16)

SPORTS

Men’s basketball (20), Women’s basketball (20), Coach goes barefoot (18)

& (

NEED GUIDANCE?

SEND US YOUR QUERIES.

THE BLOGGERS OF ‘THE COMPASS’

'& WILL POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. COMPASS@THEEAGLEONLINE.COM )* TOP TWEETS “After holiday hiatus, i’m ready to begin another semester of tapping out tweets worthy of @TheEagleOnline’s ‘Top Tweets’” @colincjcampbell, Jan. 23

MISSION

The Eagle, a student-run newspaper at the American University, serves the community by reporting news involving the campus community and surrounding areas. The Eagle strives to be impartial in its reporting and believes firmly in its First Amendment rights.

SUBMISSION AND EDITORIAL POLICIES

All submissions become the property of The Eagle. Unsigned letters will not be published. The Eagle reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for length and clarity. Letters and columns may be published in print or online. Letters and columns are the opinion of the writer and not the newspaper. !"

The Eagle has a commitment to accuracy and clarity and will print any corrections or clarifications. To report a mistake, call the editor in chief at (202) 8851402 or e-mail editor@theeagleonline.com.

-=>%!"#$%&! since JAN. 11

1. AU readies for Westboro Baptist Church protest 2. Westboro Baptist Church protests AU campus, faces counter-protest of over 1,000 3. 19-year-old among Westboro protesters 4. Eagle rants (Jan. 10) 5. Staff Editorial: Shine the spotlight somewhere else

202-885-1402

Editor in Chief

Ethan Klapper

Managing Editor for News

Stefanie Dazio

Managing Editor for The Scene

Yohana Desta

Design Editor Assistant Design Editor

Ana Santos Lauren Landau

News Assistants

Marie Zoglo Paige Jones Kate Froehlich

Administration and Local News Editor

Leigh Giangreco

Sports Editor Sports Assistants

“The American U rally to reaffirm sanity was pretty awesome.” @ SilverShoelaces, Jan. 20

Sports@theeagleonline.com

Editorial & Opinion EdPage@theeagleonline.com

Photography

“@ AmericanU shuttle driver training session while I’m in the bus. Great. Can’t you run these during off-hours?” @kaydenh, Jan. 19

Design Design@theeagleonline.com

Web WebEditor@theeagleonline.com 202-885-3593

Business

Arts and Entertainment Editor

Hoai-Tran Bui

202-885-1410

Public Relations PublicRelations@theeagleonline.com

NEXT PAPER

Fax Line

202-885-1428

Website

www.theeagleonline.com

Mailing Address

Front page image credit: American University

TUESDAY 25

WEDNESDAY 26

THURSDAY 27

FRIDAY 28

Newspapers Past, Present and Future 8:15 - 9:15 p.m.

WHERE: Letts Formal Lounge WHAT: A panel discussion on the state of newspapers in American society and how journalism is evolving.

CONTACT: Adam Barnhart at barnhart@american. edu

Congresswoman Donna Edwards 6 – 9 p.m.

WHERE: MGC 5 WHAT: AU College Democrats invite this Maryland representative to speak to AU students.

CONTACT: AU College Dems at club@ aucollegedems.org.

First Five Years 5:30 – 9 p.m.

WHERE: Kogod School of Business Student Lounge WHAT: Seasoned professionals and aspiring executives discuss the challenges of rising in the corporate world and how to be successful while maintaining a balance between life and work.

CONTACT: Kogod Women in Business at kogodwomeninbusiness@gmail.com.

Colloquium on John Calhoun 5 – 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: MGC 200 WHAT: James Reed of College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University of Minnesota will give a lecture on John Calhoun.

CONTACT: Renee Souris at rs1192a@ american.edu.

252 Mary Graydon Center 4400 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016

SATURDAY 29 Witness: The Voices and Faces of Genocide 7:45 – 11 p.m.

WHERE: Kay Lounge A WHAT: A play written by past and present victims of genocide, CONTACT: Student Anti-Genocide Coalition at standatau@ gmail.com.

Maeve McDermott Madeline Wolfson Abby Fennewald

Assistant Blog Editor

Erin Greenawald Kira Kalush

Web Producer

Rachel Karas

Assistant Web Editor

Anna Scalamogna

Copy Editors

Rocio Gonzalez Marissa Cetin

BUSINESS STAFF

202-885-1414 (x3)

Classieds

Stephan Cho

Blog Editor

Business@theeagleonline.com

AdBox@theeagleonline.com

Kate Greubel Tyler Tomea Linda Barnhart

Multimedia Editor

Photos@theeagleonline.com

“So @Georgetown’s Pres. John DeGioia now has his own @ facebook fan page. How long before @AmericanU Pres Neil Kerwin does? @chrisgolden, Jan. 19

Sam Lindauer

Editorial Page Editor

Scene Assistants

TheScene@theeagleonline.com

Katherine Riddle

Student Life Editor

News@theeagleonline.com

Arts & Entertainment

Chris Droukas

Photo Editor

Music Editor

News

Charlie Szold

Senior Editor and Managing Editor for Web

Sports

FEB. 1

CAMPUS CALENDAR

Editor in Chief

!"

Editor@theeagleonline.com

“Never thought that moving off campus would make me miss TDR this much @AmericanU” @bachledova, Jan. 23

EDITORIAL STAFF

Business Manager Finance Manager Sales Director Public Relations Coordinator Ad Rep

Sam Yolen Bobby Jones Alexander Robinson Kasturi Puntambekar Jonathon Gaynes

SUNDAY 30 Alternative Spring Break: Kenya 8 – 10 p.m.

WHERE: MGC 205 WHAT: Pre-trip training for all students going on Alternative Spring Break Kenya: The Politics of Ethnicity.

CONTACT: Center for Community Engagement & Service

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

0/12'3

-./!"#$!

EAGLE RANTS ! My new year’s resolution is to not fall for your stupid crap anymore. Have a nice life. ! Why dost thou hateth me American? Tis cold and windy. Tis too much for thee to take. ! On the first day of class my professor tells us not to be vegetarians because according to her vegetarianism isn’t healthy. Too bad every single study on the subject says that vegetarianism IS the healthier choice (not to mention more moral). I totally lost all respect for this professor. !

My school doctor is soooo hot. Too bad she’s married. And too bad I had to see her for a questionable STD issue. ! @Balancing requirements: The same thing happened to me, I sent an e-mail to my adviser in October, November and December. Now I might not graduate on time. If I were even an INTERN and my boss sent me three emails dependent on $25,000, and I didn’t answer over a three month time span — I would be fired. ! Wonking in a Winter Wonderland.

To the person complaining about the “Tea” line in the holiday card — wow.

And conservatives say that feminists are too thinskinned.

not “too young.” Dating sites are an efficient way to meet someone you are compatible with. Why waste time on someone who just isn’t that into you and torture yourself with nights of “Do they like me?” “What did that text really mean?” ! I cheated on my boyfriend while abroad and now I don’t know what to do. I want to tell him, but I’m scared of ruining what we have. FML

Online dating is the way of the 21st century. Just like online socializing. If you think you’re too young, then go play board games in your room and let the rest of us horny and lonely people find happiness !

! To whoever is still complaining about the AUCC: They have answered your questions AND offered to meet with you. What more are you looking for? My student organization has had a great time working with this year’s AUCC leadership.

They’re a 100% improvement from last year! ! To the disgruntled DJ: maybe the reason you don’t get any money is because your money comes from the Media Board, which isn’t democratic and no one knows about.

!

! Too bad WBC’s signs won’t read “GOD HATES WONKS.” If they did, making the decision to counterprotest them would be just a little bit harder. ! Dear freshmen who wear lanyards around their necks with their keys and IDs attached: this is college, not summer-camp. ! I hate when professors want the class to sit in a circle. I can’t learn when I feel like at any moment I may be tagged in duckduck-goose. ! While I sit in class and pretend to take notes, I am actually silently ranking the guys in the class in order of who I would have sex with first. I really need to find a boyfriend.

! What’s with all the AU dating site haters? We are

! None of the grad schools I am applying to have rants.

Would it be pathetic to continue reading and ranting on AU’s eagle rants site after I graduate?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Abso-

on campus. Outtakes sucks.

! I am a smart, strong, beautiful, sexy, talented person. I wrote this message on a post-it note on my mirror, and I look at it every day.

Hopefully I will start to believe it soon.

!

Why does AU feel the need to write RSVP under all the events? I go to events on campus every day, have never once RSVPed, and this has never been an issue. AU: stop creating the illusion that guest speakers are invite only programs and start advocating for an open-audience approach!

! I miss the bestiality comments on AU’s juicy campus page. Ah, those were the good days. ! I walk around my apartment naked with the blinds open. I like to feel like people are admiring me.

!

I miss the bubble tea cafe

READ MORE EAGLE RANTS ONLINE.

! I am livid that I cannot connect to Eaglesecure on my iPod touch! This must be fixed immediately or I demand my tuition back. ! Are there really students stupid enough to buy textbooks at the campus bookstore? I have gotten all of my books off of Amazon every semester at AU for the past

CLASSIFIEDS

Cashiers Wanted FT/PT apply at Uptown Deli 7905 Norfolk Ave Bethesda MD 20814 301961-5787

! I consider myself a feminist but for emotional reasons I really want a guy to hold me and take care of me.

lutely not.

! Can we make Eagle Rants an every day thing? Or at least a running blog type of thing, so I can get my fix each day? Thanks.

! The Westboro thinks that we fornicate all day long? I wish! ! Dear hipsters and Justin Bieber, Stop appropriating lesbian culture. I have no idea who to hit on now. You are messing with my nonexistent game.

four years for a few dollars per book, most of them “new” or “like new” condition. I can’t decide whether to laugh at or feel sorry for the students who buy from the bookstore.

Sitters Wanted. $12 or more per hour.

Register free for jobs near campus or home. www.student-sitters.com

Bethesda’s New NY Style Jewish Deli Bagels, Cheesecake, Bialys ,Egg Creams, Huge sandwiches, Matzo Ball Soup, Rugelach, Black and White Cookies, Salads, Dr Browns Sodas, Breakfast, Lunch, Catering and More!

“Ess Till You Plotz”

UPTOWN DELI 7905 Norfolk Ave Bethesda MD 20814 301-961-5787 www.uptowndelibethesda.com AU Students receive a free 16oz soda with a valid student ID and purchase of any sandwich over $5.99 Offer good through 1-31-11 Not combined with any other offers. Must show valid ID

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

235 women rush sororities under faster process

By ROB COY Eagle Contributing Writer Nearly 73 percent of women rushing received invitations to a sorority this year, up four percent from last year, according to Curtis Burrill, AU’s coordinator of fraternity and sorority life.

Out of 235 women who started the process, 166 remained and attended preference events on the last day.

This year, recruitment ran from Saturday to Monday, a day shorter than in previous years.

This accelerated pace is well overdue, according to Lauren Olson, the outgoing director of Panhellenic re-

0/12'3

-./!"#$!

cruitment.

Lack of space and high demand for it contributed to this shortened schedule, which is nothing new for recruitment.

Olson believes the shorter weekend contributed to the high number of bid acceptances.

Freshman Swathi Nuli of the College of Arts and Sciences dropped out after she did not receive an invitation to a sorority’s preference party.

Nuli said she felt hurried by the process, which contributed to her decision.

She didn’t believe she had enough time to really get to know the sisters, and felt

pressured to continue chatting with as many different sororities as possible at a rapid-fire pace.

Freshman Joni Agronin of the School of Communication said she would have preferred more time to interact with the sisters, but feels she was given enough information to make her decision to join Phi Sigma Sigma.

Freshman Sam Ferguson of CAS said that while she felt hurried through the process, it ended the stress sooner.

Ferguson said she felt that if there were any more time, she might have dropped out because of the extra stress. news@theeagleonline.com

Your club needs money.

Fraternity rush time reduced, future bros will choose by Feb. 4

By ANNA SCALAMOGNA Eagle Staff Writer

The Inter-Fraternity Council reduced the rush, or official recruitment, period for new members from three to two weeks this semester, moving rush events to weekends.

This change allows chapters to have more time to prepare for rush events, according to Matt Tweardy, IFC recruitment chair.

Rush officially began with “Meet the Greeks” on Jan. 23 and ends when bids are given out on Feb. 4.

“Meet the Greeks” is a fair with representatives from all AU fraternities that allows students to interact and meet fraternity brothers.

The shorter rush period allows new member education to start sooner, said

Tom Marro, IFC president. Potential brothers learn about their respective fraternities’ history, rules and traditions during new member education.

This allows new members to feel like a part of the fraternity sooner, according to Marro.

But rush events are more crammed this semester, Marro said. Those choosing to rush will have less time between events, especially if they plan on attending events for multiple fraternities.

In past semesters, there was one open rush event the first week, a second open rush event the second week and a closed event the third week. Any prospective new member can attend an open event, while closed events are by invitation only.

But this semester, two

open events will occur the first week and one closed event the second week. Rush events will be held on the weekends because of the shortened time period, according to Marro.

Curtis Burrill, coordinator of fraternity and sorority life, believes the shortened rush period will improve the retention of potential new members.

Over 200 male students are currently registered to participate in IFC recruitment this semester, according to Burrill.

Marro is doubtful that this will affect the number of students participating in the rush process.

“We might even get more [new members],” he said. ascalamogna@ theeagleonline.com

CAMPUS BRIEF SENIORS CHOOSE WIND TURBINE FOR GIFT

We want to give it to you.

If you’re a club leader, be sure to submit a budget no later than Monday, January 31st to be considered for funding during our January/February budget cycle.

Budget application coversheets are available outside our office (MGC 260) and on our website.

Completed budgets are due by 5 PM on Monday, January 31st to the Student Activities Front Desk (MGC 271).

For more information, please e-mail us at aucc@american.edu or check out our website, www.auclubcouncil.org

The Bender Parking Garage will feature a vertical axis wind turbine with the ability to provide energy for the Tavern, thanks to the recently announced senior class gift.

This first of its kind gift was created from a design by adjunct AU professor Terry Sankar, according to Senior Class President Amanda Krause.

The turbine was unveiled Jan. 21 in front of AU students at Ireland’s Four Fields in Cleveland Park. The event raised just over $60 in donations toward the goal of $22,000.

The other seriously considered option was installing a green roof on MGC. “The main reason we went with the turbine was because we decided as a council that it is more unique to us,” Krause said. “We knew that the University wanted to implement the green roof anyway. It would make a bigger difference if we could get this project moving.”

The wind turbine is largely funded by the Office of Sustainability, according to Andrew Toczydlowski, the coordinator of governance and leadership for Student Activities.

The turbine will be built whether or not the Class of 2011 fundraises the $22,000, Toczydlowski said. If additional funds are needed to close the gap, they will be taken from the Office of Sustainability’s budget.

-KATE FROEHLICH

VISIT THE INCUBATOR BLOGS.THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

AU’s WAMU, Capitol News Connection to cut ties due to station’s growth

By LAUREN LANDAU Eagle Staff Writer

The public radio station WAMU-FM will not renew its contract with Capitol News Connection when it expires April 30.

The AU-owned NPR member station no longer requires the services provided by Capitol News because the station has expanded its staff and is now capable of covering the news independently, according to Kay Summers, WAMU’s director of marketing and communications.

Capitol News provides WAMU with local and regional coverage of Congress in the form of segments called “news holes” that the radio station uses on-air. After the contract ends, WAMU will fill those holes with coverage from its local newsroom.

The decision will end a potential conflict of interest between the two parties, according to The Washington Post.

Melinda Wittstock, the founder and manager of Capitol News, is married to Mark McDonald, WAMU’s program director.

By ending its relationship with Capitol News, WAMU will have full editorial control over the content it broadcasts.

Summers said the arrangement between WAMU and Capitol News started in the fall of 2007 when the WAMU newsroom had a staff of only seven full-time employees and four people working part-time.

“It was a very small newsroom,” Summers said. “We didn’t have the local news resources to provide listeners with local and regional coverage of Congress, which is what Capitol News provided for us.”

Since 2007, WAMU has doubled its newsroom staff. The station now has 17 full-time and seven part-time employees and is capable of handling

0/12')

-./!"#$!

congressional coverage inhouse.

As a result of the pending separation, WAMU will no longer provide listeners with popular programs such as “Power Breakfast” or “This Week in Congress.” After the split, WAMU will fill the empty time slots with its own coverage.

Summers attributed the growth of WAMU’s news staff to the tremendous support that the station has received from the community.

“It’s important to remember that the reason we are able to make this change, the reason that the newsroom has grown at all, is because the station has been the beneficiary of such incredible support from our members and our corporate business partners in the community,” Summers said.

Summers said that News Director Jim Asendio also played a major role in advancing the WAMU newsroom.

Summers started working for WAMU over four years ago, within a month of Asendio’s arrival at the station. Since then, Summers said she watched Asendio turn the station around and build it into a vibrant news source.

“This is at a time when other media are cutting local news service and cutting those jobs,” Summers said. “To see him being able to add them and bolster that coverage and provide that service to the community has been really remarkable.”

WAMU will continue to increase its staff and coverage of local and regional news.

“In many ways we’ve only just begun,” Asendio said.

“This is not by any means the end of the line. This is very much, in my mind, the beginning of becoming a great newsroom.”

AU men’s club redefines masculinity

By STEPHEN FREDERICKS Eagle Contributing Writer

Every Tuesday night, seven AU men talk about issues relating to masculinity as part of a joint effort between the Student Government and Women’s Initiative.

The group, Men Creating Change, began meeting last semester as a discussion group in coordination with Men Can Stop Rape, a national organization that seeks to mobilize male youth in order to prevent violence against women.

The goal of the group is “to

help students examine and challenge masculinity as it relates to themselves and society,” said Daniel Rappaport, AU’s sexual assault health educator, who co-facilitates the discussions using programming provided

by Men Can Stop Rape.

Members of the group seek to “come to an idea of masculinity that works for them, not one that’s constructed by society,” Rappaport said.

Ultimately this reevaluation should “help them create healthier, safer and ultimately happier lives for them and the men and

women they care about,” he said.

Although women are not barred from meetings, the discussions are primarily oriented toward men, according to SG President Nate Bronstein.

A group like this is important to have on campus because many women feel threatened on a daily basis, Bronstein said.

“That’s inexcusable,” he said.

Bronstein said most programming designed to educate about and prevent violence against women is

directed primarily toward females, but it is important to “hit both sides of the issue,” and provide programming specifically aimed at men as well.

“Either our culture is moving forward together or not forward at all,” Bronstein said.

The group currently has about seven members and is looking to expand its membership and programming. news@theeagleonline.com

G W ’ s G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F E D U C AT I O N A N D H U M A N D E V E LO P M E N T

Higher Education Administration Balance Work and Graduate Studies.

Classes meet one weekend per month, which offers convenience and flexibility for working professionals: Master’s Degree: Classes meet on weekday evenings. A variety of part-time paid positions are available to help students gain experience in the field.

Doctoral Cohort track: Classes meet one weekend per month.

Doctoral Traditional track: Classes meet on weekday evenings.

Develop strong academic and administrative talents supported by a community focused on advancing research and careers.

Transform higher education as a leader of educational and governmental institutions.

Visit us online: gsehd.gwu.edu/HEA

llandau@theeagleonline. com

www.gwu.edu/gradapply G41728

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INSTITUTION.

Fellowship Opportunities Include: Career Services Counseling and Student Development Center Residence Life/Housing LGBT Resource Center Multicultural Affairs/ AOD Orientation Student Involvement and Leadership Development Enrollment Management, including Admissions, Financial Aid, Alumni Relations, and Academic Advising Fraternity/Sorority Life

Find out more today: 703.726.8254 hea@gwu.edu

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

0/12'3

-./!"#$!

Town Hall Meeting With AU President Neil Kerwin

An open forum to discuss:

•Strategic Plan •Campus Plan •Budget

CARMEN MASON / THE EAGLE

NO MORE MICKEY D’S — The University is looking for a recognizable chain to replace McDonald’s.

Asian Flavors to open soon, McDonald’s will close within a year

By RACHEL KARAS Eagle Staff Writer

After countless earlymorning McMuffins and late-night McFlurries, the golden arches are no longer lovin’ AU. McDonald’s will close once its 10-year lease expires Dec. 31, according to Dave Courter, director of auxiliary services.

Though Courter said the AU location does not have enough customer volume to support itself based on McDonald’s financial criteria, a spokesperson for the McDonald’s Corporation said there was no specific reason for their decision to close this location.

The University is looking for a nationally recognizable or regionally branded food operation, Courter said. Criteria for the new restaurant include operating hours and a price range that are similar to McDonald’s. Courter said no negotiations have started yet, but franchises are interested in the 10-year lease. “We have contacted over a dozen companies so far,” he said. “At least half have looked at the floor plan … and come over and looked at the space.” Courter said he hopes to identify which companies will enter negotiations by the end of March.

If multiple choices exist at the end of negotiations, a dining services team composed of students, faculty

and staff will make the final decision. Once a new tenant is confirmed, Auxiliary Services will set an official closing date with McDonald’s.

Courter believes the university can avoid future delays by finding a new tenant before McDonald’s closes, minimizing the time between occupancies. Asian Flavors will open within the next two weeks, according to Courter. Tom Gera, owner of Asian Flavors, expected to obtain the occupancy certificate this week, after the final inspection.

Gera also owns Megabytes, the American Cafe and the Katzen Café.

“This is a matter of days,” Courter said. “What’s left is not time-consuming.”

Asian Flavors did not meet its goal of opening before Thanksgiving due to delays in equipment installation, Courter said. The restaurant, which will occupy the space between TIGI Boutique and the UPS Store, began construction early last summer. “There have been a lot of delays in it,” Courter said. “[Gera’s] anxious to be open, we’re anxious to get it open.” Asian Flavors will serve Chinese, Thai and Mongolian food cooked fresh in front of customers to allow them to choose what goes into each dish, Gera said. rkaras@theeagleonline.com

Thursday, January 27, 2011 | 2:30-4:00 p.m. | Ward 1

Vamoose accepts EagleBucks for D.C.-area/N.Y. trips “They offer a comparable service for a better and higher price.”

– Aaron Long, Housing and Dining Programs coordinator

By ELIJAH MERCER

Eagle Contributing Writer The Vamoose Bus fleet now accepts EagleBucks to pay for service between New York City and the greater D.C. metro area.

Students can now go directly to the Vamoose website. Tickets are $30 each way.

“We think that you are our right demographic, you are in our right location to get the bus and we know that you students like to travel to New York City,” said Carol Anderson, a Vamoose marketing and promotions representative.

“We think we are a perfect mode of transportation for you to get back and forth to New York City.”

Vamoose started working with AU’s technology provider in October. The company worked to make their website compatible with EagleBucks for two months, Anderson said.

“They don’t overbook their buses, so you all don’t get treated like cattle,” said Aaron Long, AU’s Housing and Dining Programs coordinator. “They offer a comparable service for a better and higher price.”

The Vamoose fleet operates between New York, Bethesda, Md., Arlington, Va., and Lorton, Va. news@theeagleonline. com

FELICIA AFUAN / THE EAGLE

LET’S VAMOOSE! — AU students can now use their EagleBucks account to purchase a bus ticket to New York City.

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

0/12'3

-./!"#$!

Next year’s SG president could get raise Senate bill proposes increase in salary, required hours

By ZACHARY COHEN Eagle Staff Writer

Next year’s Student Government president stands to make $2,500 more for the entire year if the Undergraduate Senate passes a new bill this semester.

The speaker of the Senate would receive a salary for the first time next year, under this bill.

The past three presidents have been the lowest paid in the SG’s six-year history because of legislation passed by former President Seth Cutter, according to current SG President Nate Bronstein.

“It’s important that we have high-quality individuals who are compensated fairly,” said Taylor Yeates, a class of 2013 senator and the bill’s author.

Currently, the SG presi-

dent is paid to work 20 hours per week over the summer and 18 hours a week over the academic year for a total compensation of $8,500. The speaker is not currently a paid position.

The president would be paid $11,000 for the year, under this bill. He or she would need to serve 25 hours a week during the academic year and 40 hours a week over the summer.

The speaker would be paid $1,500 to hold 10 office hours per week during the academic year.

The money will come from the SG General Budget, according to Yeates.

The SG allocates over $600,000 every year, Yeates said. This money is generally paid out to various sub-sections of the SG. There are restrictions,

due to AU’s non-profit status, on how much money can be spent on salaries.

“Under non-profit law we are not allowed to spend more than 15 percent on stipends. We spend something like 11 percent,” Yeates said.

Bronstein is not compensated for overtime.

“I average about 50 to 60 hours a week,” Bronstein said. “So everything beyond 20 hours I’m not being paid for.”

Former SG President Andy MacCracken said it is important to properly pay executives for their work.

“If you don’t have any type of compensation involved, you limit who can run and hold a position,” he said. “Unless someone wants to hold down another job, they really can’t do student government at

the same time.”

But Bronstein said there’s a downside to increasing the compensation.

“I have mixed feelings about it because when you’re paying these positions, you’re also pulling money from other places,” he said.

Current Speaker Eric Reath said most executives need to log hours over the summer and it costs a significant amount of money for students to stay in D.C. to prepare for the academic year.

The bill “sets the expectations for compensation over the summer, more than anything else. There is summer pay for executives so they can stay here. The cost of living in D.C. is absolutely absurd,” Reath said.

Reath said he spends about 10 hours a week on

his job.

“We are a volunteer organization. But with the responsibilities that our Student Government has, I think it’s only fair that the people who run the organization get paid,” he said.

The Budget Committee and the Compensation Task Force are currently considering the bill. It will move to the Senate after the members of these committees make their recommendations. zcohen@theeagleonline. com

!"#$%"&'#" Used textbooks save up to 25% over

Other SG execs could be affected This bill also pertains to the salaries of other members of the SG’s executive branch.

The chief of staff, the programming director of Women’s Initiative, the director of Bike Lending and the director of Communications & Marketing would be paid a regular salary of $3,500 and would be required to work 18 office hours per week during the academic year. These positions were previously only paid stipends of no more than $2,500 out of a fund specifically designated to pay those who did not receive a paycheck.

The director of the Student Advocacy Center and the director of Design would no longer be required to work summer hours. Their salary would be decreased to $3,500 and their office hours to 18 hours per week during the academic year.

The chair of the Judicial Board and the chair of the Board of Elections would be paid $750 for their services.

The vice president, secretary, comptroller, director of the Women’s Initiative, director of the Kennedy Political Union and director of the Student Union Board would continue to be paid $8,500 over the course of a calendar year and would maintain the required 20 office hours per week during the summer and 18 hours per week during the academic year.

The director of Information Technology would continue to work 18 hours per week during the academic year and receive a salary of $3,500.

the price of new

VISIT THE INCUBATOR AU Campus Store Butler Pavilion | www.american.bkstr.com 412_JBTS11

BLOGS.THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

!"#$#!$

-

Giving compensation where it is due New bill to adjust salaries for SG executives starts with a solid premise but overreaches We, the underpaid and unpaid staffers of The Eagle, understand what it is like to not be compensated for the amount of time and effort we pour into this beloved publication. Aside from the glory of seeing our name in a byline or in the staff box, we get little compensation for our hours logged here.

So we can, in a way, empathize with our Student Government officials that are underpaid for the work they do.

The Undergraduate Senate is in the process of creating a bill that would increase the pay of several SG executives and create a salary for the speaker of the Senate next year. The salaries of the past three

SG presidents have been the lowest since its inception six years ago, while requiring the same level of commitment. While we do have some issues with the new bill, we are generally behind the goal of increasing the SG president’s salary to reflect his or her hard work and efforts.

Many of the top SG executives receive a salary for their hours logged during the semester and over the summer, which is often the equivalent of a fulltime job. Currently, the SG president position salary pays about the same as a 20 hour-perweek job, when in reality, the time that President Nate Bronstein

We encourage the SG to give the checks where the checks are due, but to wisely consider where exactly they are due.

puts in much more than that. While his salary at this time is nothing to sneeze at for those of us with unpaid internships or minor babysitting gigs, it does not fairly compensate Bronstein for all of his work. While Bronstein

will remain unaffected by these changes, we believe that future presidents will also deserve a requisite salary.

Our one point of contention with this bill is the decision to now make the speaker of the Senate a paid posi-

tion. In comparison to the SG executives, the speaker’s time commitments are less demanding and do not extend year-round. In addition, to pay the speaker but not the rest of the Senate body is unfair to those that have dedicated their time to this institution. All of these elected representatives of our student body put in time and effort and unfortunately we cannot pay them all for what they do.

To turn the speaker position into a paid one is not fair to these other senators who don’t see financial compensation for their work or to those SG officials who put in far more work for an equal amount of pay.

Our views on these pay increases have nothing to do with those currently holding these positions — the changes, if approved, won’t go into effect until next year anyway. We base our evaluations off of the position itself.

We believe it is not fair for those positions that require much less of those who hold them to receive similar benefits to those who work more.

We encourage the SG to give the checks where the checks are due, but to wisely consider where exactly they are due.

AU gets counter-protest just right Tip of the hat to those responsible for planning ‘Rally to Reafrm Sanity’ On Friday, Jan. 14, AU was a university to be proud of. In the face of a small group with messages of hate and with the media spotlight upon us, we had several options. We could have responded in kind to the Westboro Baptist Church’s statements of hate and hurled invectives across the thin police tape. We could

have all come up with somewhere else to be and left them to rant at cars passing by on Massachusetts Ave. Instead, we organized a peaceful protest that displayed our campus’ unity for the world to see.

Although the Westboro Baptist Church protesters were reportedly unimpressed by

our counter-protest, we believe that our response to their appearance was dignified and skillfully executed.

They came here to whip us up into a fervor over their hateful and crazy words. They succeeded, but we won.

As a school known for its political activity and love of protests (really, who hasn’t gone to at

least one in their years here?), to not have responded in some manner to the group’s offensive presence on our doorstep was unimaginable and unrealistic.

But rather than play into their hands, we took the higher road and assembled peacefully and joyfully.

We tip our hats to Jonathan Lipton, Tara

TALK BACK: E-MAIL EDITOR@THEEAGLEONLINE.COM BLOGS.THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

Culp-Ressler, Student Government President Nate Bronstein, AU Queers and Allies, On a Sensual Note, Dime a Dozen, AU Methodists and all others that played a key role in the “Rally to Reaffirm Sanity.” The rally was well done, smoothly run and organized in less than a week.

We commend and

thank you for helping show the Westboro Baptist Church that we are not perverts and brats with broken moral compasses, but rather loyal and loving individuals that band together when most needed. edpage@ theeagleonline.com

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

Roosevelt Institute tackles future challenges with a blueprint for America’s future What do the reports from the President’s Fiscal Commission and all the competing budget plans teach us?

Americans are searching for answers to questions about our future. What will we invest in, how will we strengthen our communities and overcome the host of challenges we face? The recession, heightened economic insecurity, and a changing world have us asking, “What will the period of American economic growth look like?”

How will we strengthen

questions about the American economy, as well as education, energy policy, foreign policy, our democracy, social justice and health care. Through the Roosevelt’s Campus Network’s Think 2040 program, thousands have contributed to a shared vision for “2040 — A Blueprint for the Millennial America.” Released recently, the Blueprint paints a vision of an America that invests in jobs and infrastructure, that curbs the federal debt, and that strengthens a flexible social safety “trampoline”

Who will invest in new companies and Americans’ ideas? our country’s fiscal future while investing in our people? Who will invest in new companies and Americans’ ideas? Commentators like David Brooks, Thomas Friedman, and Joe Stiglitz have put forth their visions.

Deficit hawks, social security advocates, and now, even the President’s Fiscal Commission have weighed in.

The truth is, however, that new workers, entrepreneurs and leaders will be the ones to define our future in new terms. And the generation of Americans that stands to inherit the consequences of our actions has put forth a plan of their own.

The largest-ever generation of Americans — the Millennial generation, born between 1980 and 2000 — has designed the future that they want to inherit. A movement of young people nationwide convened in communities across the country and online to articulate their values and priorities and provide concrete answers to the

012#23#'4

-./!"#$!

to better respond to the 21st century challenges Millennials face.

Think 2040 participants identified rising debt, economic instability and chronic unemployment as key challenges to address.

The Blueprint highlights key priorities for America’s future to rebound and eventually flourish. In order for every American to have the opportunity to thrive, we must build a “trampoline” society that bounces people who fall behind back to economic stability, through fostering entrepreneurship, increased community ownership and a reformed banking system. Millennials want to start with local change, which embodies their bottom-up philosophy toward spurring America back to prosperity.

Best of all, in communities nationwide, young people are already working to achieve their Millennial America. Millennials across the United States are remak-

ing America to reflect the values and priorities of the generation, and most importantly, the needs of the communities they live in.

Local economies have always shaped the American dream. Even in this “information age,” local endeavors are at the center of youth efforts to reshape America’s future. For example, the Roosevelt Institute at AU is collaborating with local businesses, teachers, nonprofits in order to reach full employment in the D.C. area through the Chesapeake Bay Green Jobs Corps initiative.

This community-focused approach stands at the core of the Roosevelt Campus Network’s mission to engage, empower, and promote the next generation of progressive leaders. Through the Roosevelt Campus Network, the nation’s largest student policy organization, young people engage identify challenges in their cities, states, and nation, then campaign around their own policy solutions to solve them — a sort of grassroots, student-driven think tank that fosters the next generation of American activists and thought-leaders.

The bottom line: Millennials are speaking for themselves about the future that they want to inherit. We are looking to our leaders to listen. We are looking to our communities, America’s thought-leaders, and activists for guidance and support as we pursue our vision. We are hoping to learn from the past, build toward the future, and design an America reflective of our values and our priorities.

We are your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors, your co-workers and your best bet at overcoming the 21st century challenges that we face with a comprehensive vision we can get behind, support, implement and achieve.

Aaron Goldstein is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and the president of the Roosevelt Institute. Learn more at www.think2040.org. edpage@theeagleonline. com

Emphasizing the need for compassion SMARTER THAN I LOOK

CONOR SHAPIRO The experience is common.

Everyone has their own version. Mine happened a few nights ago eating pizza in Tenleytown. Chowing down with an old friend, we commiserated about the economy and how it looks as grim as a middle seat on a plane between Westboro Baptist Church parishioners. She groaned about her inability to amply provide for herself. She has a secure job with benefits, but she seems to have plateaued and is frustrated about her lack of discretionary income.

When I started prodding her about her recent infatuation with Ayn Rand, she countered with an attack on illegal immigrants and welfare recipients that would make Glenn Beck appear sane. To me, nothing exemplifies the liberal/conservative divide in this country more than a person’s interpretation of rich and poor.

The crux of her argument was as follows: I get up early, I work hard, why should I have to pay for some indolent addict? If I can do it, why can’t they? As a generalization, I assume most conservatives wouldn’t reject this mantra.

I implored her to have some empathy for the poor, who depend on support to make it

through the day. She was obstinate. I told her life on welfare is no glamorous Miami Beach stroll. No one wakes up wanting to be poor. “Still,” she claimed, “I disagree on principle; we’re just enabling their lives of destitution and dependence.”

I asked how she knew the meaning of hard work. She beamed. It was practically in her blood, acquired from her tight-knit family. She began working at 16 and hadn’t stopped since. Her parents instilled in her an admirable trait of self-sufficiency. OK, I said, humor me and put yourself in a different hypothetical upbringing. One where your Dad was absent, your Mother was drunk and you spent your entire impoverished childhood fending for yourself.

She interjected, “Then I would work my butt off and find a way out.”

How? No one ever taught you the value of hard work.

You accrued no experience working jobs and your most formative years were spent developing bad habits.

This is where the disconnect becomes most apparent.

Empathy is only extended so far. She applied her present mentality to the hypothetical scenario. She can’t do that. She would be a completely different woman with a different value set under my faux example. How can you expect someone to work hard, when they were never taught the meaning and rewards of hard work?

She was lucky to have good teachers and a strong familial presence assisting her along her journey. Others aren’t as fortunate.

She scoffed.

In reality, she’s partially correct. Some folks exploit the system. Some are genuinely lazy and are capable of holding jobs but won’t.

So what? Help them anyway.

We can do worse than buying a stranger lunch. It’s a societal failing that we deride these recipients rather than give them the benefit of the doubt.

Instead of asking, how can we help, we righteously proclaim: Do it yourself.

I laud the few who maneuvered their way through rough childhoods to become financially independent. But it’s wrong to uniformly assume all are equipped with the same capacities or values. Even twins end up differently. Instead of lambasting the real culprits — greedy bats swooping over Wall Street or the bloated defense budget — fingers are pointed at those struggling the most. It’s appalling, and a direct result of disseminated scapegoating via wealthy influences like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

There’s a beautiful poem by Mother Theresa titled, “Anyway.” I recommend it to all my conservative pals. Lazy or not, let’s help them anyway.

Conor Shapiro is a graduate student in the School of International Service and a liberal columnist.

TRENDING TOPICS D.C. and Bethesda Chevy Chase Restaurant Weeks. It’s hard to argue with a three-course "tolunch for $15 (who’s up for Jaleo?) to the bitter cold. There’s just no reason for it to feel like six degrees outside on a Friday # night when we actually have the time and opportunity to leave the indoors. We brook no argument with a more respectable 20 degrees for winter. delayed opening due to the ice last week. It’s no Snowpocalypse, but it’s a decent warm"toup.a(Hear that, Mother Nature? You’d better deliver again this year.) the natural disasters occurring recently — floods in Australia, Brazil and South Africa ! we checked, it’s only 2011. #toandalldead birds falling from the sky. Last time to the near end of January and another month of winter complete (only two more until " spring!). This can also be viewed as a bad thing, since it puts some of us one month closer to that ever-looming specter called “graduation.”

January 25, 2011

REEVES FIELD BLEACHERS

WATKINS SITE

POB SITE BEEGHLY ADDITION

­ Academic Addition ­ 60,000 gfa (5 levels) ­ 75’

SPORTS CENTER ANNEX REPLACEMENT

Enrollment growth Administrators believe AU enrollment will increase by 13 percent in the next 10 years, mostly in graduate and law students. The total enrollment would rise from 10,298 to 13,600 students.

AVENUE

­ Academic Addition ­ 36,000 gfa (3 levels) ­ 36’

USETTS

PUBLIC SAFETY SITE

GARAGE SITE

RO

New East Campus, revised Tenley Campus and additions to Beeghly, Kay, Nebraksa Hall, MGC proposed

­ Athletic Facility ­ 25,000 gfa (1 level) ­ 24’

SOUTH HALL

­ Residential ­ 110,000 gfa (6 levels) ­ 62’

KATZEN WEST

MULTIPURPOSE GYMNASIUM

­ Athletic Addition ­ 6,000 gfa (1 level) ­ 15’

but with tripled rooms and a lease with the Berkshire Apartments, currently 4,083 undergraduates live in campus facilities.

The Campus Plan calls for on-campus housing to expand to 4,100 total beds.

MASSACH

AU releases Campus Plan for community review

News 10

theEAGLE

CK

WO

OD

MARY GRAYDON ADDITION

PA RK WA Y

­ Campus Life Addition ­ 20,000 gfa (4 levels) ­ 60’

KAY SPIRITUAL LIFE CENTER ADDITION

­ Campus Life Addition ­ 5,000 gfa (1 level) ­ 15’

NEBRASKA HALL ADDITION ­ Residential ­ 50,000 gfa (3 levels) ­ 40’

CLARK SITE

NEBRASKA AVENUE WARD CIRCLE

EAST CAMPUS

WM EXIC O

By STEFANIE DAZIO

­ Retail, Academic / Administrative, Residential ­ 328,000 gfa ­ 34’ / 54’ / 62’ ­ Parking Spaces Total 500 +/­

PROPOSED BUILDING SITES

FUTURE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

NE

Eagle Staff Writer

N

After months of debate, AU released its 10-year Campus Plan Monday detailing the school’s proposed plans for 750,000 square feet of new buildings, additions and renovations.

The University must submit the plan to the Zoning Commission for approval.

Of the 400,000 square feet of redevelopment approved in the 2001 Campus Plan, only 94,700 square feet of it has been built.

The plan leaves room for later development on sites like the Katzen Arts Center and the Watkins Building.

Plans for these locations have not yet been processed.

East Campus The most controversial part of the plan, the new East Campus, would include six buildings and an underground parking garage on what is currently the Nebraska Parking Lot. Residents complained during AU/neighborhood meetings that the campus was too close to nearby apartment complexes. Neighbors were also worried that increased numbers of students crossing Nebraska Avenue to reach Main Campus would pose safety concerns. The campus would house 765 students, an Admissions Welcome Center and retail spaces.

Nebraska Hall addition AU proposes to add 120

CAMPUS PLAN DRAFT DRAWINGS, MAIN CAMPUS College of Law. Capital Hall would be renovated and the new buildings would be four- to fivestories tall. The plan says this move for WCL will give law students better access to public transportation than the current location on Massachusetts Avenue in Spring Valley. There would no longer be housing on Tenley Campus.

Parking The plan proposes to reduce surface parking on campus, as the number of parked vehicles has declined 3.1 percent per year since 1999.

WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW TENLEY CAMPUS - Academic / Administrative - 244,000 gfa

CAMPUS PLAN DRAFT DRAWINGS, WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW/TENLEY CAMPUS beds in apartment-style dorms to the residence hall.

of AU’s diverse community,” according to the plan.

South Hall This brand-new six-story residence hall would house 200 students near the Letts and Anderson buildings.

Mary Graydon Center addition This addition to the south end of the building, near the McKinley Building, would include more office space, dining facilities and event space. Like the current building, it would be four stories, with a terrace and three above-ground floors.

Beeghly Building addition A five-story addition to the chemistry building would allow AU to house all science instruction and research in one building.

Kay Spiritual Life Center addition This addition to the north end of the building, on the Massachusetts Avenue side, would “support the needs

Reeves Field Bleachers, Multipurpose Gymnasium and Sports Center Annex replacement New Reeves Field bleachers, to increase the total capacity from 800 to 2,800,

would require the main campus road to be redesigned and the Osborn Building to be demolished. The gym would be built on the existing outdoor tennis courts and the Sports Center Annex addition would connect to the current Sports Center Annex.

Washington College of Law/ Tenley Campus A problem point for the Tenleytown Historical Society because of the current buildings’ age and history, the University proposes to demolish all of Tenley Campus except Capital Hall to make a new home for the Washington

Housing In this plan, AU proposes changing its housing requirement. In 2001, the Zoning Commission required the school to house 85 percent of freshmen and sophomores and two-thirds of undergraduates in University facilities.

But in the current plan, AU asks that the total percentage of students housed on-campus be lowered to 55 percent, from two-thirds of students, because of “community resistance” to the East Campus and other new dorms. But AU says it would house 100 percent of freshmen and sophomores, up from the current 85 percent.

AU’s dorms are designed to house 3,533 students,

Community response Meetings with community members, both at AU and local Advisory Neighborhood Commission meetings, have become tense at times. AU-sponsored meetings even required a mediator to be present. Community feedback contributed to some changes in the plan.

Changes included: n Reduction of the total proposed construction and renovation from 1,200,000 to 750,000 square feet n Removal of several proposed buildings n Reduction of the Tenley Campus/Washington College of Law development n East Campus: reduction of beds from 1,000 to 765, movement of housing and building placement, addition of academic/administrative building to provide a buffer to separate student housing from Westover Place residences and movement of the New Mexico Avenue driveway away from the Westover Place boundary n Reduction of total number of University beds from 4,900 to 4,100 Next steps AU officials will meet with local ANCs in February to receive more feedback from the community. The school plans to file its plan with the Zoning Commission in early March and administrators believe Zoning Commission hearings will begin in May or June. sdazio@theeagleonline.com

MORE COVERAGE TO COME

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

0/12',,

-./!"#$!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK RACHEL SLATTERY DELAYED CLASSES Morning classes were cancelled last Tuesday after a snowfall the previous evening. The sidewalks, roads, and plants on campus were covered in ice, as captured by Eagle photographer Rachel Slattery. Some students enjoyed a few rare extra hours of sleep.

Send submissions to photos@theeagleonline. com

-./!"#$!

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather is worried about the future of his profession.

In a speech here Monday night, Rather said the increasingly biased media will threaten the U.S. “A free and independent press is the red beating heart of democracy and freedom,” he said.

Find the article online tomorrow at www.theeagleonline.com

RACHEL DEVOR / THE EAGLE

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

0/12',(

-./!"#$!

SUB $11k over budget after Cee Lo Green show

By ZACHARY COHEN Eagle Staff Writer

RACHEL HOWARD / THE EAGLE

Barista brings avor, favorite drinks to Dav

By KATE FAHERTY Eagle Staff Writer

The next time you pick up an Americano from the Davenport, take a second to see who’s holding your cup of caffeine. It could be the petite, raven-haired sophomore Sai Kuchibhotla.

If your daily routine includes a trek to the coffee shop, chances are Kuchibhotla already knows your order.

“We have regular customers, a lot of professors,” she said.

“We know what they’ll get and have it ready when they walk in.”

Since the Dav moved into the new School of International Service building last year, Kuchibhotla, 19, has noticed a change in the flow of customers.

In the old Dav, employees could predict when to expect a rush of people. But now, sleepy students often hang out or study there, keeping the flow of customers constant and the staff always busy.

Although the new Dav is larger, Kuchibhotla believes it still has the same vibe. All that it’s missing, for now, are the memories stored in bookshelves and couches of the old Dav. The most popular drinks are still lattes, chai drinks and its famous 50-cent Americano, she said.

“Students like the Americano because it’s so cheap, the perfect drink for college students.

It’s the cheapest drink we have,” she said.

Kuchibhotla has worked at the Dav for nearly a year now.

“It doesn’t feel like a job,” she said. “Because it’s fun and I like the other staff members.”

This barista’s favorite drink is a chocolate chai with coconut syrup. Kuchibhotla enjoys experimenting with making and trying new drinks.

Kuchibhotla began working at the Dav last spring through the Federal Work Study program, which sets limitations on the number of hours students can work.

“My least favorite part of working at the Dav is that I only get to work three days each week,” she said. “I love my job.”

She is studying international economic development in the SIS and specializing in South Asia and Latin America.

When she’s not brewing the next pot, Kuchibhotla spends much her time working at the Hughes Hall front desk, studying in the library or just hanging out in the Dav. She also holds many leadership positions in campus organizations, including ones on the Relay for Life team, the SIS Undergraduate Council and AU’s Peacebuilding and Development Institute.

“My favorite aspect about AU is how involved and passionate the students are here,” she said. kfaherty@theeagleonline.com

ANA SANTOS / THE EAGLE

STUDYING THE ART OF PROTESTS? — Zach Phelps-Roper, 19, is a nursing major at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. Phelps-Roper, along with three other family members in the Westboro Baptist Church, protested AU on Jan. 14.

19-year-old among Westboro Baptist Church protestors

By STEFANIE DAZIO Eagle Staff Writer

Zach Phelps-Roper stood on one side of campus Jan. 14 and AU students stood on the other.

The 19-year-old protested AU with three other members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a group known for picketing soldiers’ funerals and their stance on homosexuality.

A nursing major at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., he could have easily crossed the barrier and blended in with the students.

“I would be just like you,” he said. “If not for the mercy of God.” Phelps-Roper doesn’t often talk about his activities at the Westboro Baptist Church with his Washburn University peers, a school three miles from his house.

“Generally I just get negative feedback,” he said.

Phelps-Roper, who commutes to school, described himself as an introvert.

“I can do what I have to do to serve the Lord and get an education,” he said.

“I don’t spend my time hanging out at school all day.”

But it’s still “awkward” to hear students talking about their weekend plans.

“I don’t have friendships with people outside the church,” he said.

Like other members of his family, he hopes to become a nurse after college. He said that his job requires him to be objective when dealing with patients.

“I like to help people,” he said. “If Hitler got injured and I was his nurse, I would just help him.”

Phelps-Roper said not all members of the church

stay true to the message.

Some pack up and leave in the middle of the night, including a peer only a few months older than him.

Phelps-Ropers used to find it strange when people left the church but now realizes it is inevitable.

Phelps-Roper feels said he feels sorry for AU students who he thinks are wasting their lives.

“By the fact that they were out there, misusing his people — God’s people — by arguing with us, harassing us, throwing the eggs. It doesn’t look good for them,” he said. “They’re just headed straight for hell.”

“That sucks, it really sucks,” he added. sdazio@theeagleonline. com

The Student Union Board exceeded its annual budget by about $11,000 due to changes made just days before the Jan. 14 Cee Lo Green concert, according to Student Government officials.

Green’s agents told SUB two days before the concert they wanted Green’s entire band to perform, contrary to initial plans that only Green would be performing with just a DJ, said SG Vice President Maia Tagami.

Production costs increased for the event because SUB ordered a projector screen, projector and a media server before they knew Green was bringing a band.

SUB called Event Tech, the company that rented out the larger stage and the large visual screen, after business hours to cancel the projection system, but Event Tech could not get back to them in time until after SUB had agreed to have the band play, according to Cornell.

Changes could not be made that close to the show, according to Mike Aug, the vice president of sales and marketing at Event Tech. It was too late to issue a refund.

“At the last minute we scrambled to meet their [Cee Lo Green’s and SUB’s] needs, at which point gear had been prepped and loaded on the truck,” Aug said. “In fact, a lot of it was already being loaded into the venue.”

SUB Director Greg Cornell knew having the band would increase production costs. However, he also determined that cutting other aspects of production, including a large visual screen that Green originally requested, would eventually save SUB !

see SUB on page 17

$%&'%()*+,-*+.//

!"#!"#$#

/0

Courtesy of DALE ROBINETT

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS — Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman join forces for a romantic comedy that fizzles on the big screen. Portman plays Emma, a stone-cold doctor and Kutcher plays Adam, an aspiring writer. Together they embark on an attempt to achieve the perfect friends-with-benefits situation. The film was directed by Ivan Reitman of “Ghostbusters” fame.

‘No Strings Attached’ spins predictable romcom tale Runtime: 110 minutes Grade: C Scene Says: Lacks chemistry, oozes sex appeal.

By GEOFFREY BEEBE

Eagle Contributing Writer With such a serious start to the New Year news-wise, a light-hearted Ivan Reitman film is much needed.

It’s to our benefit that there just so happens to be such a film in the release of “No Strings Attached,” starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.

Emma (Portman) is a doctor with a cold demeanor, and the film quickly establishes her difficulty handling the emotions of others. Adam (Kutcher) is the production assistant of a television program similar to “High School Musical,” but aspires to be a writer.

In addition, Adam lives in the shadow of his father, a famous TV actor.

Through a number of highly unlikely encounters, Emma and Adam ‘run into’ each other. These encounters seem precarious plot-wise, but since they serve to introduce certain characters, the audience is forced to forgive these situations that ultimately don’t distract from the overall story.

After a session of drinking and drunk-dialing booty calls, Adam finds himself naked at Emma’s.

One thing leads to another, and the two friends end up sleeping together.

Shortly after, Emma proposes a ‘friends with benefits’ situation, which Adam is happy to accept.

Anyone familiar with Ivan Reitman films would

be quick to point out that the funniest parts are the banter between the characters in the film. The same comic genius and timing have stayed true over Reitman’s career and shine in “No Strings Attached.”

Don’t confuse “No Strings Attached” for a breakthrough comedy.

There are classic romantic comedy clichés like a relationship montage, quirky friends (guilty for both Emma and Adam alike), one person ‘suddenly’ realizing that they love the other and going out of their way to find them. It’s not that these clichés are a bad thing, and in many occasions, these tropes can be done in new ways, cleverly or completely

subverted. However, this film does not provide that – also typical of Ivan Reitman.

No one watches “No Strings Attached” for the fantastic acting of Ashton Kutcher, who removes his clothes frequently throughout the film. Portman had a more difficult challenge in the film portraying a medical doctor with an inability to emote as a relatable female character. As a result, she seemed inconsistently emotional throughout the film. If you’re looking for quality acting, you’ll notice it. Otherwise, her

iTunes

shaky performance can be overlooked. (It is Natalie Portman, after all).

In the end, if you want to watch a film full of yucks, “No Strings Attached” is a decent cinematic experience. Kutcher and Portman deliver some cringe-worthy dialogue like champs.

In short, go see it for fun, not for its contribution to cinema. thescene@theeagleonline. com

Watch the trailer on iTunes: http://eagl.us/hThH45

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

01/#/',2

-./!"#$!

Ricky Gervais steals show, skewers celebrity audience

By MAEVE MCDERMOTT Eagle Staff Writer

As enjoyable as movies are, the winter award-show whirl is hardly worth watching anymore.

Starlets parade around the red carpet; Joan Rivers shows off her baffling new plastic surgery; Brangelina … exists … and then the actual awards ceremony drags on for a mind-boggling amount of time.

This year’s Golden Globes, Oscar’s less classy cousin, usually doesn’t amount to much.

“The Social Network” was the “big winner of the night” with a whopping four Globes, Robert DeNiro won a lifetime achievement award (presumably for his tour-de-force turn in “Little Fockers”) and “Boardwalk Empire” robbed “Mad Men” of a few statues. Yet this year’s awards show was different from past ones. The

real winner of the night was Ricky Gervais.

Everyone knows who Ricky Gervais is: chubby, brash, the creator of the hallowed British “The Office.”

If you draw a blank in terms of what Gervais has been up to lately, you’d be forgiven.

Gervais has been popping up in scene-stealing comedy bits at awards shows for a while now — his stunt at the 2008 Emmys, where he demanded that Steve Carrell relinquish his award will always be hilarious — and gave a solid performance hosting last year’s Globes.

At the 2010 awards, Gervais was provocative without really shocking anyone, and pulled off enough Mel Gibson jokes to be invited back to host the Globes in 2011.

Gervais is responsible for a few funny-yet-unremarkable movies — “Ghost Town” and “The Invention of Lying” to name a few. He created “Extras,” a fantas-

tic comedy show that has sadly since ended and currently has an animated TV show on HBO based on his podcast series. Gervais is a high-profile comedy star, certainly, but he’s never been one of the main players in American comedy.

However, things may very well change after his merciless performance at the 2011 Globes, which has received more buzz lately than all the Globe winners combined.

This year, Gervais wasn’t content with simply lobbing Paul McCartney jokes to the audience. Instead, Gervais took full advantage of his free hosting reins and brutally skewered, well, everyone.

He made fun of the “Sex And The City” ladies/Cher/ Bruce Willis for their age, Jorge Garcia for his weight, Charlie Sheen for his drinking, Robert Downey Jr. for !

see GERVAIS on page 17

Courtesy of FAITH SAGAILLE

CELEBRITY GURU — Self-made millionaire Russell Simmons has published a second book, ambitiously titled, “Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All.” The star lays down rules for how to gain spiritual wealth.

Hip-hop mogul shows path to enlightenment with new book

By FAITH SAGAILLE

Eagle Contributing Writer

We Deliver Monday — Thursday 25% off for AU students (with valid ID) after 8:30 every night

PETE’S NEW HAVEN STYLE PIZZA Columbia Heights 202-332-PETE (7383) Tenleytown-Friendship Heights 202-237-PETE (7383) Hours of Operation: 11AM-10PM Sunday-Thursday 11AM-11PM Friday & Saturday

Arriving at the Grey Goose Mansion in his signature Yankee cap and Air Force Ones, Russell Simmons sets out to promote his latest book, “Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All,” co-written with Chris Morrow.

Simmons, a hip-hop mogul and co-founder of Def Jam Records is an influential figure in modern business and culture. He believes that many can learn from the work ethic of individuals within the hip-hop industry.

“Super Rich” doesn’t deal with money or material possessions. Instead, it focuses on spiritual wealth and enlightenment.

Simmons is considered an American pioneer. His vision as an entrepreneur has influenced music, fashion and television. His first book, “Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success,” co-authored with Chris Morrow, is a New York Times Bestseller that

has received praise from a bevy of critics, among them Oprah Winfrey.

For a man who has it all, his second book is now about needing nothing.

The concept can sound ludicrous but Simmons believes needing nothing is the reason he is wealthy. Finding a passion and then working hard is the key to success, Simmons said.

In a society dominated by materialistic wants, Simmons believes people lose focus in achieving true happiness.

“A lot of people in America don’t realize how much beauty comes from the work itself,” Simmons said. “People are more concerned with the end result. They want to go somewhere fast. Happiness comes from working to do what you love.”

Simmons said the most successful people often start at the bottom.

“All these experiences and successful American stories of hard work are of people who started out sweeping in front of stores, then took over the register and built a

chain of stores,” Simmons said.

Simmons, a practicing Yogi and Buddhist, holds spirituality in high regard. The hiphop mogul says his book describes how to discover the true wealth located in an individual’s consciousness.

“The only benefit in life is to evolve spiritually,” Simmons said. “Success and wealth comes from happiness within. It sounds easy but the noise on the outside separates you from it. Block out the noise and focus.”

Simmons said his guidebook mixes spiritual essence, streets-smarts and corporate thinking that can be helpful to young people starting out in the job market.

“As an intern or starting a job, go in there with a happy, giving spirit. Good givers are great getters,” Simmons said.

With the unemployment rate still hovering above 9 percent, Simmons urges college students not to be fearful.

“The anxiety isn’t helpful in !

see SIMMONS on page 17

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

01/#/',)

-./!"#$!

9:30 club still shines in D.C.’s music constellation

By ALEX MORPHEW

Eagle Contributing Writer

ANIRUDH KOUL / FLICKR

WORTH HIS WEIGHT IN GOLD — Although he is best known for classics such as ‘Police Academy,’ Bobcat Goldthwait has recently enjoyed success as a director and stand-up comedian.

Bobcat claws way into District comedy scene

By SETH ROSE

Eagle Contributing Writer Robert Francis “Bobcat” Goldthwait is a comedian best known for his roles in campy ‘80s classics such as “Police Academy,” his antics on the late night talk show circuit in the ‘90s and his bizarre stand-up style featuring a warbling voice and loud, unpredictable mannerisms.

This distinct style has made him one of the most recognizable comedians of all time and a legend in his own right. Last week Bobcat put on a 3-day show at the Arlington Drafthouse, a venue known for putting on an array of hilarious comedians.

Bobcat’s post-millennial career has been more focused on directing films

such as “World’s Greatest Dad” and “Sleeping Dogs Lie,” all of which have been well-received by critics. In an interview with The Eagle, Goldthwait reflected on his career.

“I always loved George Carlin and Andy Kaufman, but I think a lot of my ideas about comedy came from my dad,” Goldthwait said about his comedic influences. “He used to do things like take a mayonnaise jar and put it in the middle of the floor, then get on top of a counter and threaten to dive into it. Or pretend like he was going to drive a motorcycle into the above ground pool. He was sort of a beer-fueled, terrorist daredevil.”

Goldthwait had a bit of experience with the late night talk show circuit

in the ‘90s, appearing as a guest on shows such as “The Ben Stiller Show” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.”

“I directed ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ for a few years, so I am of course biased,” Goldthwait said. “Taking Jimmy out of the equation, I have a newfound love for Andy Cohen on Bravo. I love his late night show hard.”

Despite his “unconventional” on-stage personality and reputation, Goldthwait is confident his audience takes him more seriously today. “I think the world recognizes me as an auteur now! Even if they act surprised that I’m not too ‘simple’ to read a menu.” !

see BOBCAT on page 17

Students at AU may be academically driven and politically active but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to have fun.

Venture to the 9:30 club on U Street any given night and there is bound to be a handful of music-loving AU students enjoying the advantages of D.C. living.

Since 1980, the 9:30 club has been a D.C. staple, attracting artists from Tom Jones to Justin Timberlake.

“The best part [about the 9:30 club] is that you can’t define the demographic it caters to,” said Audrey Schaefer, the venue’s spokeswoman. “We have every type of show from cutting-edge, in-the-moment, edgy, mother-wouldnever-want-you-to-go-to to adult, sophisticated, funky and friendly.”

The venue has a widespread reputation for good music, good food and an intimate setting, with two floors of prime sight lines to the stage and a 1,200person capacity. The club boasts a 70-item menu that serves everything from paninis to nachos, along with a variety of vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.

The signature 9:30 club cupcakes are a must-have, not only for patrons of the venue, but for visiting musicians as well who receive free cupcakes in their dressing rooms before every show. “[The 9:30 club] worked with a bakery for a year to get what [it] thought was the perfect recipe for our signature cupcakes,” Schaefer said about the devil’s food cupcakes with a butter cream center, chocolate frosting, ganache and the venue’s logo piped in white as the finishing touch.

But while the cupcakes may be a perk, the real attraction of the 9:30 club is its music.

With one of the best sound systems in D.C., the venue draws performers from across the globe with its reputation for launching the musical careers of countless artists. David Grohl of Scream, Them Crooked Vultures, Foo Fighters and Nirvana was discovered at the 9:30 club during his days playing for Dain Bramage.

The Killers played the 9:30 club even before releasing their first album

from ticket and bar sales to the Yele Haiti Foundation and Partners in Health Organization.

The 30-year-old venue has been named “Nightclub of the Year” four times by Pollstar and regularly tops the list of top ticket-selling U.S. clubs. From Bob Dylan to P!nk, the club has made its mark by catering to old and young alike.

“When Tom Jones came to play, you would think only older people would

“The best part [about the 9:30 club] is that you can’t define the demographic it caters to ...”

—Audrey Schaefer, 9:30 club spokeswoman

“Hot Fuss” and Kings of Leon performed at the venue in 2007, a year before their album achieved chart success in the U.S. The 9:30 club is not exclusive about who it chooses to feature, especially when it comes to supporting the local music scene, according to Schaefer. Wale, a hip-hop artist from D.C., played some of his earliest shows at the venue and has since gone to tour with M.I.A. Justin Jones, a singer-songwriter from Virginia, has not only opened at the 9:30 club but is the first artist to sign with 9:30 Records, a new label launched by the club’s coowner Seth Hurwitz.

The venue also helps out in times of emergency.

A year ago, the 9:30 club opened its doors for a concert benefiting Haiti. The club donated all $36,000 of the concert’s proceeds

come, but really there were the people who grew up with him and their kids and their kids so there were three generations at one show,” Schaefer said.

For the spring semester, the 9:30 club has posted a concert calendar that would make any venue jealous. The wildly popular Girl Talk and Jimmy Eat World will be performing as well as alternative bands like Deerhoof and Slightly Stoopid.

For those pinching pennies, Schaefer offers a word of advice: It is cheaper to buy tickets at the box office than pay for online fees and shipping. But the 9:30 club has proven to be a venue that bands love to play and people love to attend. And that is priceless. thescene@theeagleonline. com

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,, NICK

JONATHAN

STAHL JACKSON

CHRISTOPHER M.

CLARK

CONCERT REVIEWS

BEAU

GARRETT

Das Racist “AN EMOTIONALLY UNFLINCHING PORTRAIT OF INSECURE YOUNG MEN.” –Stephen Holden, THE NEW YORK TIMES

“STYLISHLY DIRECTED.” “PSYCHO NOIR.” –THE NYC MOVIE GURU

“BELLIGERENT.” –THE ONION A.V. CLUB

01/#/',2

-./!"#$!

–NEW YORK PRESS

“PERVERSE.” –VARIETY

KALAMITY WHAT’S WHAT’S TEARING TEARING YOU YOU UP UP INSIDE? INSIDE? KALAMITYMOVIE.COM

WEST END CINEMA

23rd St, NW (btwn M and N) 202/419-FILM

CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR CALL FOR SHOWTIMES

SUB

ADVERTISE IN -./!"#$! business@theeagleonline.com

‘Das’appointing show from Brooklyn hip-hop trio

By STEPHAN CHO Eagle Staff Writer

Cold weather and anticipation made for a friendly and intimate atmosphere as the doors opened at the Rock & Roll Hotel on Jan. 14.

Attendees mingled on the upper floor while throwing back cans of PBR. Generic hip-hop beats played ubiquitously to set the mood. And small groups of college-age boys stood outside hoping to scalp some last-minute tickets to the sold out show.

But on the ground floor through the cordoned stage area where the artists were still prepping with sound check, there came the explosively familiar sounds of a song that would be the highlight of the evening.

It was the chorus of “Who’s That? Brooown!” a track by Brooklyn trio Das Racist and the first song off their mixtape, “Shut Up, Dude.” In a genre as mercurial as hiphop, it would still be an understatement to call the group an enigma. Think of them as sort of a blend of Gorillaz, Kid Cudi and the Harold and Kumar movies — stoner rap with a tinge of social commentary and racial satire but without all the annoying and excessive preaching. Even their name is multi-layered, being both a reference to influential hip-hop duo Das EFX as well as a street way of exclaiming “That’s racist!”

They’ve garnered substantial attention and popularity through the Internet and word of mouth, releasing their music for free on their website, www.dasracist.net, and making most of their money through live shows.

The two frontmen, Himanshu “Heems” Suri and Victor Vasquez, met while studying at Wesleyan University and are joined by their hype-

man Ashok “Dap” Kondabolu. Having embarked on their musical career in 2008, they’ve since become nothing short of local legends in the boroughs of New York City.

Their style can possibly be summed up in the following snippet off their track “All Tan Everything” from their mixtape “Sit Down, Man”: “Do the booty-ooty-alleyoop/Scooby-Doo doo on the Bally so my fanny’s cute/I’m my own identical cousin, just call me Patty Duke.”

The song playfully swerves through a number of nonsequiturs while blithely making statements about racial identity and life as a minority in America. While it’s clear that they’re not the types to take themselves too seriously, there’s something about their delivery and charisma that makes them so much fun to listen to.

But for all the praise Das Racist deserves for their accomplishments through music and self-made marketing, their live show at the Hotel sadly did little to uphold expectations. They decided to cut down on costs by opting out of a DJ. And perhaps it was because of this that they seemed to have overcompensated on sound by shouting as a group, obscuring their lyrics into a garbled mess.

That isn’t to say that it wasn’t a fun show. Heems, who was clearly intoxicated by the time he got up on stage, would do the most to keep the crowd energized, whether it was by crowd surfing or dancing in a drunken stupor as Victor and Dap sang along to tracks like “Shorty Said.” While the lyrics were unintelligible, the ground-shaking beats would do more than enough to sustain the room’s energy.

Their act was admittedly unfulfilling as it clocked in at barely 50 minutes, but it was still a marvel to witness in person. As they play their live shows, Das Racist isn’t necessarily the kind of group you’ll appreciate more when considering their history, but understanding their humble beginnings could possibly make their music all the more worthwhile to listen to. scho@theeagleonline.com

Tokyo Police Club

Trio of indie rock bands sell out 9:30 club

By MADELINE WOLFSON and NICO CHAPAIN

Eagle Staff Writer and Eagle Contributing Writer Under the watchful gaze of a President Barack Obama cardboard cut-out that presided over the 9:30 club’s stage, Springfield, Mo.-outfit Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin took the stage under considerable pressure.

Although arguably the most seasoned of the bands that rocked D.C.’s most prestigious venue Thursday night (their first album “Broom” came out in 2004), they were opening for Two Door Cinema Club, one of the biggest bands to come out of 2010, as well as Tokyo Police Club, whose sophomore album “Champ” was a success.

And with front man Philip Dickey’s subdued onstage demeanor, at times seeming downright bashful talking to the crowd, it seemed like SSLYBY was simply going to help pass the time before the real party began.

However, on the second song, “Sink/Let It Sway”, the band’s age and experience really began to shine through. Hitting highlights from sophomore album “Pershing” with standouts like “Think I Wanna Die”, and even dedicating “Modern Mysteries” to President Abraham Lincoln, and even revisiting songs from their debut alum Broom like the excellent “House Fire”, SSLYBY undeniably rocked.

It didn’t matter that a lot of the crowd didn’t know the words to the songs, when Dickey switched instruments with drummer Jonathan James, and shortly thereafter broke his drumsticks, you could see this was a band just hitting its stride and having fun while doing it.

Most of the audience was there to see Two Door Cinema Club. Even before they began one group of people were leading others in “Uh-oh-uh-uh-oh”, the chanting found at the beginning of one of their most popular songs, “I Can Talk.” And when they came on, the party really began.

Starting with album opener “Cigarettes in the Theatre,” the whole room sang along as frontman Alex Tremble began, “It starts in the theatre/It starts in the theatre/A night of encounters/If I hadn’t been there/If not for a cigarette.” Indeed, the crowd knew the words to every song.

On stand out “What You Know,” Tremble began with a slowed-down version of the chorus, crooning, “I can’t tell just what you want,” before waiting for the audience to sing back, “You don’t want to be alone/you don’t want to be alone.” Two Door managed to make their way through the whole of their debut album, “Tourist History,” while still managing to pepper the set list with old songs like “Kids” and “Costume Party,” and even a fantastic new song, “Handshakes.”

And the whole time the audience ate it up, responding to calls from the band to dance harder to songs like “Undercover Martyn” and “You’re Not Stubborn.” As for the band, they seemed like a totally new group compared to their show at the Black Cat a couple of months ago. On 9:30’s stage, with a whole light show, they seemed to have made the full transition from a small Irish indie band to something more. Silhouetted against deep blue lighting,

fog and bright white backing lights, they looked like true rock stars.

With the crowd thinning as the Two Door Cinema Club fan base left, one’s expectations for Canada’s Tokyo Police Club were mixed. It seemed as though Two Door had stolen the show and Tokyo Police Club was left to mop up the remains.

However those of us who stayed were treated to one of the best live shows seen in some time. Tokyo Police Club really showed what experience could do, putting on a what was essentially a best hits collection.

With old favorites like “Nature of the Experiment” and “Citizens of Tomorrow” from their debut EP, “Lessons In Crime,” singles from “Elephant Shell” like “Tessellate” and “Graves,” there was not a single lull in the set. Opener “Favourite Colour,” off their most recent album, “Champ,” had everybody singing along to the chorus, “Tell me what’s/What’s your favorite color/and tell me how/How’s your younger brother.”

Whereas SSLYBY seemed nervous and Two Door Cinema Club put on a good show but lacked any strong crowd interaction, Tokyo Police Club seemed at ease on the stage, bantering with the audience, cracking jokes and leading everybody in an all around excellent set before coming back on stage for an encore with Two Door in tow and asking the audience to go back in time to 2001 “when 3-D glasses were still red and blue,” before both bands launched into a cover of the Strokes’ “Last Night” that had the whole club dancing. thescene@theeagleonline. com

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,, !

from GERVAIS on page 14

his drug use, unnamed “famous scientologists” for being gay, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie for agreeing to make ‘The Tourist,” Tim Allen for being Tim Allen and the list goes on. It was a night full of stone-cold reaction shots of the Globes’ celebrity audience, who let out collective groans at Gervais’s jabs.

Robert Downey Jr. successfully summed up Gervais’s performance when he took the stage to present an award, saying, “Aside from the fact that it’s been hugely mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones, I’d say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far, wouldn’t you?”

Downey Jr. was completely correct. Gervais’s performance was squirmworthy, petty, politically incorrect and at times even cruel. Looking at the impact it will have on his career, it was also surprisingly astute. Instead of replicating his funny-yetunremarkable 2010 hosting turn, he went for the Globes’ jugular in a fearless performance. Ricky successfully pissed off half of Hollywood, cementing his status as a renegade comedian.

Supposedly, Golden Globes executives have commented that Gervais crossed the line, magazines are predicting that he’ll never host an awards show again and the head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association stated that he wouldn’t jump to qualify any of Gervais’s future movies for the awards.

But after Gervais’s hosting stunt, he doesn’t need them or any other uptight Hollywood players outraged by his performance.

It was a brilliant and buzzworthy career move that will ensure his survival in the industry for years to come.

01/#/',2

-./!"#$! !

from SIMMONS on page 14

achieving the things you think you want,” Simmons said. “And to be fearless means living in the moment. So operate with the freedom of needing nothing. Choose to be a hard worker. These practices are a way to clear the mind of clutter so that you can see that truth.”

“Super Rich” is available at a bookstore near you. thescene@theeagleonline. com

!

from SUB on page 12

money.

Green’s management offered to waive the artist’s fee for the band, says Cornell.

If Green’s agent had given the SG more advance notice of the change, Tagami said, the deficit could have been avoided.

Funds from a special SG fund will be used to offset the $11,000.

There will have to be cuts in SUB’s plans for the rest of the semester to make up for the losses, Tagami said.

Student Activities is now reviewing the SUB’s account balance. Director of Student Activities Karen Gerlach said in e-mail that

!

from BOBCAT on page 15

Goldthwait has had a long, illustrious career as both a stand-up comedian and as a movie director.

“I love making my own movies,” Goldthwait said.

“I’m about to start a new one, and I will freely admit that I prefer it to stand-up.

I mean, it’s great to travel around and pay the bills, but getting to write a movie and con my friends into acting in it is the best.” thescene@theeagleonline. com sudden changes to production costs happen.

These changes are normal in the music production industry and unavoidable, Tagami said.

SUB signed a contract with Green months before the concert. Certain contractual details could not be disclosed due to confidentiality agreements, including how much Cee Lo Green was paid for the performance.

“There was no gross negligence in the spending.

There were simply unforeseen costs that could not be avoided,” said Taylor Yeates, the SG budget chairman. zcohen@theeagleonline. com

TUESDAY 25

SCENE CALENDAR WEDNESDAY 26

THURSDAY 27

Bloodsucking Freaks 8 p.m.

WHERE: The Passenger, 1021 7th St. NW METRO: Metro Center (red, blue and orange lines) WHAT: The Washington Psychotronic Film Society is a group of film lovers who offer weekly screenings to obscure, off-beat films both new and old. For its final January screening, the society is showing the 1976 grindhouse film, “Bloodsucking Freaks,” which follows the demented Master Sardu and his theater of horror. .

COST: Free ($2 suggested donation) CONTACT: www.wpfs.org

Twin Peaks 7 p.m.

WHERE: Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE METRO: Union Station (red line) WHAT: The Rock and Roll Hotel is playing a free threeepisode screening of the David Lynch series, “Twin Peaks,” as part of their regular “WTF WEDNESDAYS!” Drinks are $3 and burgers are half price.

COST: Free CONTACT: www.rockandrollhoteldc. com

Donnell Rawlings 8 p.m.

WHERE: D.C. Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW METRO: Farragut North (red line) WHAT: Better known as one of the regular castmates of “Chapelle’s Show,” Donnell “Ashy Larry” Rawlings is bringing his “Ashy to Classy” Tour to the District, discussing the different aspects of his life and how he wishes he were more “classy.”

COST: $20 CONTACT: www.dcimprov.com

FRIDAY 28

SATURDAY 29

SUNDAY 30

The Moderate 9 p.m.

WHERE: Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW METRO: U Street/AfricanAmerican War Memorial/ Cardozo (green and yellow lines) WHAT: The Moderate are a couple of North Carolina natives based in D.C. that are known for combining alt-rock with a blues-y twang. They’re joined by Junior League Band and Oh So Peligroso at the Black Cat. COST: $12 CONTACT: www.blackcatdc.com

Detox Retox 8 p.m.

WHERE: Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE METRO: Union Station (red line) WHAT: Post-punk band Detox Retox are joined by fellow District locals Loose Lips, Cobra Collective and Dead Heart Bloom.

COST: $10 CONTACT: www.rockandrollhoteldc. com

Lissie 8 p.m.

WHERE: 9:30 club, 815 V St. NW METRO: U Street/AfricanAmerican War Memorial/ Cardozo (green and yellow lines) WHAT: Elizabeth Maurus is an indie folk artist from Illinois. Her debut album, “Catching a Tiger,” was met with near universal acclaim.

She’s joined by Dylan LeBlanc at the 9:30 club to play her hit singles from the album such as “In Sleep” and “Cuckoo.”

COST: $15 CONTACT: www.930.com

MONDAY 31

mmcdermott@ theeagleonline.com

-./!"#$!

Cee Lo Green performs at AU http://eagl.us/gOz2Qj

Joan of Arc 9 p.m.

WHERE: Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW METRO: U Street/African-American War Memorial/Cardozo (green and yellow lines) WHAT: Throughout Illinois-rock-band Joan of Arc’s extensive career, the group has dabbled in a number of different styles, collecting fans with a multitude of musical palettes. Joan of Arc is joined by Pillars and Tongues at the Black Cat. COST: $12 CONTACT: www.blackcatdc.com

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,, !

012%-3',4

-./!"#$!

from EAGLES on page 20

Yencho. Dobbs put the nail in the coffin after she hit a three pointer that expanded the lead to a commanding 30 points.

“I think it’s really great that we got to exploit all the type of players that we have,” Yencho said.

“We have a lot of different kinds of scorers and it was really great to see how well we all work together.”

Within the last two minutes of the game, freshman guard Ti’Asia McGeorge came up big with backto-back three pointers to further expand an already large lead. In the end, the Eagles won by 31 points.

Corkery said the team played more aggressively after the Army loss.

“It wasn’t about what we were doing but how we were doing it,” he said.

“We really tried to emphasize that and that was really our focal point.”

The Eagles have won five of their last six games going into Wednesday night’s game against Patriot League rival Navy.

In the Patriot League stands, AU is third behind conference leader Navy and United States Military Academy. sports@theeagleonline. com

STANDINGS

Peace Corps at AU Learn how you can use your degree and experience to impact the lives of others ...and your own.

Life is calling.

How far will you go?

Second Half AU:38 HC:22 Final AU:84 HC:53 TEAM PL Overall Navy 5-0 12-7 Army 4-1 10-9 America 4-11 4-5 Holy Cross 2-3 6-14 Bucknell 2-3 5-12 Lehigh 1-4 1-9 Colgate 1-4 6-13 Lafayette 1-4 8-12

Information Session MGC - 247 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

1.800.424.8580 www.peacecorps.gov

MIKE DEFABO / THE EAGLE

GRABBING AIR — Freshman guard Geleisa George goes up for a shot in AU’s victory over the College of the Holy Cross on Saturday.

Strack finished the 84-53 win with 18 points as well as four boards and two steals.

Head Coach Jeff Jones bares his soles for Samaritan’s Feet

By KATE GREUBEL

First Half AU: 46 HC:31

Wed., January 26

Eagle Staff Writer

Head Coach Jeff Jones followed his players out onto the court for their Patriot League game against the United States Military Academy last Wednesday.

As Jones approached the bench, he stepped from the polished wood of the court onto a black mat that spanned the length of five AU fold-up chairs. Jones took his customary seat at the middle of the five chairs, curled his toes and lifted his heels — almost as if grabbing at the mat.

Jones was barefoot.

Wednesday’s game marked the third straight season in which Jones coached a conference game

shoeless in support of Samaritan’s Feet’s “Barefoot Coaching Movement.”

“Samaritan’s Feet does great work, not only in the United States, but throughout the world by distributing shoes,” Jones said.

The non-profit organization helps impoverished children throughout the world by washing their feet and providing them with new shoes.

Jones, who is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors, first learned about the organization from fellow board member Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Head Coach Ron Hunter, who was the first to coach barefoot.

For more information contact Meleia Egger at 202-692-1055 or megger@peacecorps.gov.

ADVERTISE IN -./!"#$!

BUSINESS@THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

Jones was struck by the passion in Hunter’s voice when he talked about a trip to South America where he distributed shoes with some of his players. “[Hunter] made the statement that he loves coaching, but if he was told he had to choose between one or the other, he would continue his work with Samaritan’s Feet,” Jones said.

“Having heard that, I was certainly willing to take part in any way.”

Jones’ relationship with Samaritan’s Feet grew when the organization’s D.C. coordinator contacted him.

When Jones first approached the Athletics Department about coaching barefoot three years ago, they were immediately on board with the idea, he said.

This year, the department took the annual event one step further by inviting the cheer and dance teams to also remove their shoes for the game versus Army.

“I didn’t know they were doing it until I walked out onto the court and saw that they were,” Jones said.

“I thought, ‘this is great.’ I think that shows that this is a now team effort.”

In addition to the University’s support for Samaritan’s Feet on the court, Jones led his team in distributing over 500 shoes to children on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The team spent four hours on Jan. 17 at Central Union Mission, a faith-based homeless shelter in Northwest D.C. “The whole point of it was to reach out to others and show that American University basketball cares,” said junior guard Troy Brewer.

Jones said he enjoyed watching his players “light up when they were interacting with the little kids,” and said it was nice to hear from others that his players are a “great group of guys.”

Jones’ passion for the or-

ganization rubbed off on a number of the athletes during the time they spent with families at the shelter.

“At least three of our players, Monday after we were finished, actually thanked me for giving them the opportunity,” Jones said.

“I think we certainly got more out of the opportunity than even the folks that were receiving the shoes.”

Sophomore Blake Jolivette was one of the men’s basketball players who embraced the experience.

When Jolivette first learned about the shoe distribution, he was excited to have time within his hectic schedule to work with others.

“From a team standpoint, when we are given the opportunity to volunteer we jump at it,” Jolivette said.

“We love helping people, and personally I love helping people. “ !

see COACH on page 19

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

012%-3',4

-./!"#$! !

RACHEL DEVOR / THE EAGLE

BEST FOOT FORWARD — Men’s basketball Head Coach Jeff Jones looks on during Wednesday’s game. Jones went barefoot while coaching to bring attention to the charity, Samaritan’s Feet.

DeSean Jackson to the Redskins and Matt Cassel still a bench warmer: ‘What If’ scenarios for NFL superstars

By TYLER TOMEA Eagle Staff Writer

Aaron Rodgers has made the jump from “really good” to “elite” quarterback this postseason. And I think every San Francisco 49ers fan just threw this paper (or their computer) against the wall after reading that last sentence.

Instead of drafting Rodgers with the top pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, San Francisco treated its fans to six years of Alex Smith and gave me a perfect segue into this column-the NFL’s biggest “What If ” scenarios: What If Minnesota Didn’t Self-Destruct In The 2010 NFC Championship Game?

The Vikings winning this game gives us two weeks of Brett Favre Super Bowl coverage. A terrifying thought, but it was one minute away from happening. It also provides Favre with the perfect send-off and doesn’t force him to come back for his 46th season.

The anti-Favre sentiment among most football fans also swings the public’s full support behind Peyton Manning. How does this affect the game? Probably not that much, but it’s a bit tougher to win when everyone outside of Indianapolis is rooting for the Saints.

Remember, that might have been Manning’s last chance for the all-important second title, as the Colts’ window of opportunity has nearly slammed shut. This was evident in this year’s playoffs, when he threw to someone named Blair White on the game’s most crucial play.

A Vikings-Colts showdown also robs us of one of the best feel-good stories in recent memory, and one of the best “go for broke” calls in Super Bowl history. And this is the last time you will see the words “Brett Favre” in this column. I promise.

What If The Redskins Had Drafted DeSean Jackson?

Wait a minute, you’re telling me the Redskins made a bad decision on draft

day?!? During the 2008 NFL Draft, Washington selected Devin Thomas at No. 34 and took Fred Davis at No. 48. Jackson was taken the pick after Davis by Philadelphia, which makes the blunder 10,000 times worse.

Jackson made two Pro Bowls in his first three years and was the league’s most dangerous deep threat/punt returner. The Redskins waived Thomas after less than three seasons, while Davis was Chris Cooley’s backup and once told Brian Murphy of Hail! Magazine, “I didn’t even talk to [the Redskins] or work out for them,” prior to being drafted.

Let’s move on.

What If Tom Brady Doesn’t Tear His ACL and MCL In The 2008 Season Opener?

The Patriots were not going 16-0 again, but you have to remember Brady was coming off one of the greatest seasons in league history. The team still hadn’t traded Richard Seymour and Tedy Bruschi,

Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau all signed on for one last run.

If the Pats won 11 games with Matt Cassel starting for the first time, 13-14 victories would be all but guaranteed with Brady.

Add in the revenge factor from the previous year, a motivated Randy Moss and it looks like Bill Belichick missed out on his best chance at a fourth championship.

Also, Matt Cassel never gets a chance to become a starting quarterback in the league. He was a seventhround draft pick who had thrown 33 college passes, and he played behind a great quarterback who never got injured. He was destined to be Jim Sorgi 2.0.

What If Arizona Stopped Pittsburgh’s Final Drive in Super Bowl XLIII? The Cardinals were one defensive stop away from winning the Super Bowl.

After seeing what happened this season, it’ll be another 10 years before we

see that sentence in print again.

If the Cardinals held on to the 23-20 victory, there’s no way Kurt Warner returns to the team in 2009. This gives Arizona the opportunity to trade for Cassel, but most likely pushes the Cards decline up one year.

As for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger’s failure to lead a game-winning drive evens his Super Bowl record at 1-1 with an ugly combined stat line (30-51, 379 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT).

This unfairly starts the questions of whether or not he’s a big-time player and if his championship was dependent on his defense.

Also, Mike Tomlin faces criticism for not being able to win multiple championships with the strong team he inherited and Pittsburgh fans wonder how the heck they lost to the Cardinals.

Let’s hope this isn’t the last football column for a while with a lockout looming. ttomea@theeagleonline. com

from COACH on page 18

While at Central Union Mission, Jolivette had “ordinary” conversations with the kids, asking them their names and what they wanted to be when they grow up. He said he enjoyed “knowing that I may have played a little hand in making their day better.”

Jones spent most of Wednesday’s 64-60 victory over Army on his feet, leading his team. There was no sign that his lack of shoes resulted in conservative coaching, for he spent as much time off the mat as he did on.

“Honestly during the game we couldn’t really pay attention to him being barefoot,” Brewer said.

“I am sure he didn’t even realize he was barefoot at times.”

Whether he realized he was barefoot or not, Jones said the act had important “symbolic” meaning.

His pale feet pacing back and forth across the pitchblack mat, Jones was a visual reminder to the audience of the millions of people around the world who spend each day without shoes. kgreubel@theeagleonline. com

ADVERTISE IN -./!"#$!

BUSINESS@THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

!"#$"%&'()*'(+,,

(+

!"#$%!

Women’s basketball wins big against Patriot League foe “We wanted to make a statement in this game to let everyone know that we are not going away.”

—Lisa Strack, junior guard

By SAM RAPHELSON Eagle Contributing Writer

Whitney Fremeau of Holy Cross had a team-high 12 points. Fremeau was the only Crusader who scored in double figures.

“The Army loss was a really tough one and we knew coming in to practice that we had to forget about it and focus on Holy Cross,” Strack said. “We wanted to make a statement in this game to let everyone know that we are not going away.”

At the start of the first half, the Eagles and Crusaders were evenly matched, with impressive defense from both teams.

A three-pointer by Yencho gave AU a solid 46-31 lead going into the second half.

At the start of the second half, AU continued to expand their lead by utilizing players from the bench. About halfway through the period, freshman Geleisa George had a crucial steal that resulted in a layup by ! see EAGLES on page 18

After a disappointing loss at Army on Wednesday, the AU women’s basketball team bounced back and defeated The College of the Holy Cross 84-53 Saturday.

RACHEL DEVOR / THE EAGLE The Eagles put forth an exceptional offensive efGOING UP— Forward Stephen Lumpkins puts up a shot in a game from earlier this season. He led AU with 20 points in Saturday’s league win. fort shooting over 60 percent from the field. The team had 11 turnovers and 19 assists.

“I’m just really proud of The Eagles finished the Moldoveanu, Holy Cross

By ERIC SALTZMAN the way that we shared countered with an 8-1 run, game shooting 43 percent Eagle Staff Writer the ball and how unselfish giving the Crusaders a 15-11 from the field. The Crusadthis team is,” Head Coach ers hit 41 percent of their The AU Eagles beat the Col- lead. AU would fight their Matt Corkery said. “This field goals. The Eagles outlege of Holy Cross Crusaders way back with baskets from is a team that cares about rebounded the Crusaders 36 60-57 on the road, for their Lumpkins and sophomore each other and they want guard Daniel Munoz to tie to 35. third straight win Saturday. to give the ball away when In addition to the win, Forwards Stephen Lump- the game. A flurry of scores it’s appropriate and we saw Lumpkins recorded his 500th from Hendra and Lumpkins kins and Vlad Moldoveanu that today.” career rebound. Lumpkins is teamed up to provide more would give AU the lead and Junior guard Lisa Strack the 27th player in AU men’s First Half than half of the Eagles’ scor- they would not look back for led AU with a game-high basketball history to record AU: 27 HC:24 ing in the conference victo- the rest of the first half. The 18 points as well as four 500 rebounds. After the ry. Lumpkins lead the team Eagles led by as many as five rebounds and two steals. game, Lumpkins career total Second Half with 20 points in addition points during this stretch Senior forward Liz Leer currently sits at 507 putting AU:33 HC:33 to grabbing 10 rebounds. and took a 27-24 lead into scored 11 points.

Alexis him six rebounds behind Final Moldoveanu scored 14 points the locker room at the end of Dobbs and Ashley Yencho former Eagles Jim Shickora AU:60 HC:57 and senior guard Nick Hen- the half. both contributed 10 points.

‘64 and Daryl Holmes ‘90 for Holy Cross started the secdra contributed eight points ond half on a tear and took 25th on the all time list.

Team PL Overall and four steals.

The win pushes the EaBucknell 5-0 14-7 Holy Cross’s leading scor- back the lead from the Eagles record to 14-6 with a American 4-1 14-6 ers were Andrew Keister gles 39-33. But Lumpkins 4-1 record in Patriot League Holy Cross 3-2 4-15 and Devin Brown who both and the rest of the AU team play. AU is currently second Army 2-3 10-10 scored 14 for the game. Jun- continued to fight back. Afin the Patriot League.

Lehigh 2-3 11-9 ior guard Troy Brewer and ter keeping within striking The Eagles continue their distance, AU went on a 7-0 Lafayette 2-3 7-13 freshman forward Tony Patriot league play on Navy 1-4 6-15 Wroblicky provided support run to put themselves ahead.

Wednesday when they travel Colgate 1-4 3-16 for the Eagles with their re- Holy Cross would keep the to Annapolis, Md. to play the game tight in the fi nal minbounding game as each fin-."/0',(1 United States Naval Acadished the contest with five utes after they pulled within two with just 31 seconds left emy. rebounds.

After the Eagles started the in the game. However, the sports@theeagleonline.com game with a 10-7 advantage Eagles were able to hold off the late run from the Cruthanks to the scoring combination of Lumpkins and saders and get the win.

Lumpkins leads Eagles past Holy Cross STANDINGS

PHOTO OF THE WEEK