The Eagle -- Nov. 23, 2010

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AU to provide more resources for ROTC

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NEWS

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IN THIS ISSUE &

Police blotter / Eagle rants (3), Shuttle GPS (5), Santorum (6), CERF, ROTC (10)

OPINION

)

Staff editorial (7), D.C. Students Speak (8), Shapiro responses (9)

SCENE

Harry Potter (12), WVAU reviews (14), Abroad columns (15)

SPORTS

Men’s basketball (20), Volleyball (18)

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1. U.S. brainwashed to support military-industrial complex

“Class time... got a feeling focus levels are at an all-time low tonight. I’m on Turkey mode already. #stat525”

2. Got tenure? A guide to AU’s professor hiring and firing procedures

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3. Eagle rants (Nov. 15)

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5. Eagle rants (Nov. 18)

@'"%(./$%%'()*+"#$ 1. Dear Unpaid Internships: An Unlove Letter 2. Extracurricular Activities Dominate AU Home Opener 3. Barton’s Three Levels of Commitment

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4. Baked and Sprinkled: Hello Cupcake

DEC. 7

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5. Kids These Days

Front page photo credit: Ana Santos

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EAGLE RANTS Can someone make the SIS elevators a little less completely ridiculous? It’s hard for an electric box with a door to be dumb, but they do it. !

! So stoked to have a cool roommate next semester.

You know who you are. :) ! I am so sick of hearing about tenure being denied to the orchestra professor. Quit your complaining, there is obviously a reason he didn’t get it. And if the reason is because AU’s priorities don’t lie within the performing arts, than so be it.

I saw a student tearing down posters (that were posted on general posting boards) with the Palestinian flag on it and I am completely disgusted. I don’t care how you feel about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

You should at least respect those who have a different opinion than you. !

library ! 6:27 on a Thursday and there are no new Eagle Rants!! What is going on!

I thought new Eagle Rants come out on Mondays and Thursdays! It is now 6:28 that means there have been over 18 hours for the new Eagle Rants to be posted!

Come on, editors! You must feed my Eagle Rant addiction in a timely manner!!!! ! To the girl who kicked through the pile of leaves outside of Hurst the other day: I live vicariously through you

There should be a link on each Rants page to the previous week’s rants page, in case I miss last week’s rants.

(Blasphemy, am I right?)

! My boss assigned me to read Eagle Rants to “see what the students *really* think of us” this means: I get paid to read eagle rants.

Yesh.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You’re welcome.

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lot.

I miss my twin sister, a

Dear library-goers, The second floor of the library is the quiet floor! This doesn’t mean “Oh, I’ll be quiet until I decide to have a conversation with my friend.” This floor exists for a reason. BE QUIET or go upstairs!

Sincerely, The girl who lives in the !

Hi, I’m a hipster. I’m really cool. Much cooler than you. I wish there were other hipsters here that I could be friends with. But even if there were, they are probably just posers. No one else is a REAL hipster like me.

I’m special and unique. And I go “thrifting” because I’m cool like that. Wanna be my friend? Sorry, you aren’t hipster enough. And if you are, I’m a cooler hipster and I never liked you anyway. !

! “As if defining the relationship weren’t hard enough, try finding the appropriate context to bring it up. *sigh*” TWINS.

!

! Boy it would be nice to see an Eagle Editorial calling for transparency in the TENURE PROCESS!!!!!

I know it’s probably really really confusing on the weekends for you, kid, but see if you can try not to vomit in the dryer this time while my clothes are in there (Letts 6 resident). Also don’t pee all over the floor like a scumbag. !

! I don’t understand why you spend your time talking to me/stalking me on Facebook or texting/calling me when you have a perfectly good girlfriend at home.

Probably waiting for you.

Not sure if it’s just because we’re friends or if it’s because you and I both know I’ve been Great Gatsby pining for you for quite some time.

Either way, please stop with all the mixed signals, they’re making me dizzy...

POLICE BLOTTER

! Agreed. Please change the comment system back to the way it was. Requiring an email address has killed the readership and commentship of the newspaper.

EDITOR’S NOTE: No. If requiring people to prove that they’re real people is killing comments, then so be it. Under the old system one person could comment 100 times as 100 different people and no one would know. ! AU definitely needs a dating site. Why is this so hard?

I have been suggesting it for years. And apparently so have other people. It can be like match.com but for AU students only. Please Eagle!

I need a boyfriend so badly I’m about to start humping my teddy bear. ! Apparently I don’t have any social skills. Is there a how-to book I can read to fix this?

You don’t have Garrison CARR anymore stop shooting three pointers and actually go to the hoop!!!!! AU BASKETBALL please blow a team out and stop playing down to the competition.

-A BASKETBALL FAN !

! If AU thinks that it’s such a green school, why can’t we have free-range turkeys on campus during the week before Thanksgiving? Anyone else up for hunting down their Thanksgiving dinner?

Nov. 13 ! While Public Safety was handling an alcohol-related medical incident on the Letts-Anderson Quad, a student interfered by making comments to the sick individual and disrespectful comments about the officers.

Nov. 14 ! Public Safety, the Metropolitan Police Department and DCFD responded to a report of a sick individual in Anderson Hall. DCFD transported the individual to the hospital.

Nov. 15 ! A resident reported Nov. 15 an unidentified suspect entered her locked room on Nov. 6 at 5:30 a.m. while she was sleeping. Reportedly, the suspect crawled on the floor towards her laptop. She screamed and the suspect ran from her room.

Nov. 16 ! While conducting routine patrol, a resident assistant discovered a panic bar hanging off a door on the South side of Letts Hall. ! Two sororities were involved in a physical altercation on the walkway between the Battelle-Tompkins Building and the Mary Graydon Center after a fraternity/sorority life party in the Tavern. Three victims reported they were physically assaulted by the suspects.

DCFD transported a sick person to the hospital from the 4400 block of Wisconsin Avenue.

Nov. 17 ! Ink cartridges were reported missing from a Letts Hall room, which was left unsecured. ! Public Safety responded to a fire alarm in Clark Hall. The building was evacuated. Reportedly, the fire alarm activated when a

student attempted to roast marshmallows on a kitchen stove. No damage was reported. Facilities Management reset the alarm. DCFD was not contacted. ! While responding to a fire alarm in Clark Hall, Public Safety noticed an individual appeared to be intoxicated.

When asked, the individual indicated he had five shots of vodka. He indicated he started drinking at 10 p.m. in Hughes Hall. He would not disclose the names of friends with whom he drank.

A resident director responded. The individual was told to stay in his room. ! A bicycle was taken from a bike rack outside Anderson Hall.

READ MORE POLICE BLOTTER ONLINE.

! The AUCC gets defensive when you ask for transparency...

READ MORE EAGLE RANTS ONLINE.

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About 60 percent of AU students go abroad

Caribbean diplomats urge students to share knowledge

08-09 program has fthhighest percentage in U.S.

By LEIGH GIANGRECO

Eagle Staff Writer

By STEFANIE DAZIO Eagle Staff Writer

Nearly 60 percent of AU students studied abroad in the 2008-2009 academic year, the fifth-highest percentage in a list of the top 40 undergraduate U.S. programs.

That year, 828 AU students studied abroad, according to the Institute of International Education.

Study abroad participation decreased 0.8 percent nationally that year, according to the Institute’s annual “Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.”

This is the first national decrease in 25 years.

AU Abroad also saw a decrease in 08-09, because many students stayed in D.C. for the presidential election, according to AU’s website. Participation has increased since then.

Fifteen of the top 25 destinations in 08-09 were outside of Western Europe, and 19 were countries where English is not the primary language, according to the report. Twelve percent of all U.S. students abroad went to the United Kingdom that year.

AU had the highest percentage of students studying abroad in D.C. Georgetown University, ranked 10th on the list, sent 936 students abroad, which is about 53 percent of its students. George Washington University ranked 24th at 42.7 percent and sent 1,128 students.

Pepperdine University in California placed first on the list, with 73.3 percent.

The school sent 608 students abroad in 08-09. sdazio@theeagleonline.com

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ANA SANTOS / THE EAGLE

CARIBBEAN COUNSEL — From left to right, Ambassador Rhoda Jackson of the Bahamas, Ambassador Hubert Charles of Dominica, Minister Counselor Cheryl Gordon of Jamaica and Ambassador Michael Louis of St. Lucia discussed the ‘brain drain,’ the Caribbean economy and sustainability Friday at the third annual Caribbean Circle Ambassador Dinner.

MAKE YOUR SPRING BREAK MEANINGFUL Volunteer in Israel with JNF

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NO, BUT SERIOUSLY.

Shaping Israel’s Future Today For more information and to REGISTER visit www.jnf.org/springbreak or contact us at asb@jnf.org or 212-879-9305 x245

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A Bahamas government official implored students to bring their education and experience to the islands at Friday’s third annual Caribbean Circle Ambassador Dinner.

Dignitaries from Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, the Bahamas and Jamaica discussed the recent tragedies in the Caribbean, including the cholera outbreak in Haiti and the hurricane that hit St. Lucia.

“Try to work in some of the regional organizations that we have,” said Rhoda Jackson, the Bahamian ambassador to the U.S., who urged students to help develop the country’s information technology sector. “Even if it means only five years of your life.”

The officials also talked about the “brain drain,” a phenomenon in which many Caribbean students leave to study in the U.S. and other countries and don’t come back.

“In order to be competitive, you must have an educated

workforce,” said Gillian Bristol, Grenada’s ambassador to the U.S. The diplomats said their countries’ economies are not based solely on tourism and they are working to develop their agriculture, technology and sustainability sectors.

St. Lucia and Grenada are in the process of harnessing energy from geothermal springs that will help create clean energy.

Violent hurricanes recently tore through St. Lucia, causing flooding and severe crop damage.

“It’s a fact that countries, irrespective of where they are, tend to come together during a crisis,” said Minister Counselor Cheryl Gordon of Jamaica. “I think the history of small islands is that we tend to seek and reach out to one another because if you have scarce resources, those resources shrink further, so it makes sense to pool those resources. We’ve always helped each other with natural disasters.”

Jewish National Fund

HAPPY THANKSGIVING. WE PUT A TURKEY ON

PAGE 11 FOR YOU.

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Dav composts coffee grounds, works to reduce eco-footprint

By LAUREN LANDAU Eagle Staff Writer

The Davenport Lounge will never trash its used coffee grounds again, thanks to a new composting program.

The Dav started composting its used coffee grounds Thursday, according to Rebecca Regan, the Dav’s general manager. She said the coffee shop goes through about 250 pounds of coffee grounds and 100 pounds of espresso grounds a week.

In addition to reducing waste, composting can also result in environmental benefits such as richer and cleaner soil, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The used grounds are placed in two bins behind the Dav’s counter. Aramark employees collect the bins’ contents twice a day and deposit the grounds into a larger composting receptacle in the basement of the School of International Service building.

Facilities Management also deposits biodegradable materials such as grass clippings and leaves there.

Facilities Management ultimately collects the contents of the bin and ships them to a composting company. AU also purchases fertilizer from this company.

Regan said the Dav management hopes to expand the program this spring to include a larger bin in the coffee shop’s main area that students can use for compostable waste.

Most of the disposable products at the Dav are compostable, meaning that students will be able to toss their used straws, coffee sleeves and cups in the pile, along with their apple cores and orange peels. Currently, however, the Dav is just composting its coffee and espresso grounds.

The Dav also switched from disposable stirrers to metal spoons, and from pastry bags to reusable plates, Regan said.

They also now offer reusable mugs to customers so fewer disposable cups are used.

Alexandra Langton, a so-

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phomore in SIS and a Dav employee, said she supports the new composting program.

“The amount of waste we have is really exponential and this is just a step to reduce that waste, reduce our carbon footprint and to be friendly towards the environment,” Langton said.

Cassie Guerin, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, an Eco-Sense member and a frequent Dav customer, said that the coffee shop’s new project would educate students on environmental issues.

“I think awareness is the number one thing with environmental problems,” Guerin said. “I think that once people know, they care.”

The Dav is not alone in its efforts, as Housing and Dining Programs and studentrun groups are also promoting environmental action, according to Regan.

TDR already composts its waste, she said.

Regan added that the Dav’s composting project is a pilot program and a way for Housing and Dining to branch out and get the whole school involved in increasing AU’s sustainability.

Composting opportunities might also extend to the residence halls, according to Guerin.

“Right now in Eco-Sense we’re trying to get composting bins in each of the dorm buildings on each floor, so at the end of the week they can take the composting and add it to that,” Guerin said.

The Dav is located in the new SIS building, which AU’s website says is expected to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

“When we were in the old building, the Davenport was the greenest thing about SIS, and now we’re trying to keep up,” Regan said. “SIS has inspired us to do everything we can, and to keep expanding our green initiatives.” llandau@theeagleonline.com

GPS allows students to track shuttles

By KAY DAKIN

Eagle Staff Writer Students can now check shuttle locations online.

Facilities Management launched a website this month that enables students to locate the shuttle on a realtime map. Each bus has a GPS system that sends data to the website at least every 30 seconds, according to Mark Feist, assistant director of Facilities Management.

A new passenger-counting electronic system will help Facilities Management determine how many shuttles are necessary at various hours, Feist said.

“It may mean adding more shuttles to a particular time slot if we find that the peak load has adjusted for whatever reasons,” he said.

The technology cost around $60,000 upfront, in addition to a $1,200 monthly fee for maintenance and data reports, according to Shuttle Operations Manager Alef Worku.

Feist believes the University will save money by providing more efficient shuttle service and reducing idle time.

“The value is that we are able to provide better service and more economical service insofar as making adjustments based on the information we receive,” Feist said.

Feist hopes students can locate a shuttle via text message by next year.

Students can visit www. american.edu/shuttles, click on a route and then the link to the map to locate a shuttle. kdakin@theeagleonline.com

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Where’s the shuttle? http://eagl.us/deJeF2

ANA SANTOS / THE EAGLE

A GREENER AU — President Neil Kerwin answered questions from AU community members on a number of campus issues, including sustainability, at Thursday’s town hall. Kerwin said the University plans to reduce bottled water use on campus by 2020.

Kerwin discusses environmental policies at town hall meeting

By PAIGE JONES Eagle Staff Writer

Sustainability concerns dominated Thursday’s town hall with President Neil Kerwin and Board of Trustee Chairman Gary Abramson.

Eco-Sense Vice President Alli Schultz questioned AU’s commitment to sustainability, particularly after many bottles of water were purchased for convocation.

Kerwin said the reduction of bottled water is one of the University’s goals for 2020, which many campus offices have already achieved.

“The plan that we have in place is posted on the website. We’ve all bet that the elimination of beveraged water would probably be minor, but symbolically

quite significant,” he said.

Eco-Sense President Jennifer Jones asked if Kerwin supported a $10 fee for undergraduate students as a contribution to the Clean Energy Revolving Fund to produce cleaner energy on campus.

“Fees are something we’ve always avoided if we can because we feel that it’s a form of tuition,” Kerwin said.

Students also asked about incorporating sustainability classes into the General Education program. “[We] have incidentally hired faculty who are interested in issues of sustainability, interested in issues of the environment, and have extraordinary expertise in those areas,” said Provost Scott Bass. pjones@theeagleonline.com

ALSO DISCUSSED.. ! Power outlets in the library: “We’re fully aware of the fact that the power outlet situation is inadequate for the amount of traffic the library is experiencing now,” Kerwin said. ! AU’s tenure policies: “I will pay very close attention to the [appeals process] file that comes forward to me, but I expect that file to reflect the existing procedures of the University,” Kerwin said. ! Possibility of pass/fail limitations on Gen Ed classes: “It’s a work in progress, and it’s much broader than the Gen Eds,” Bass said. “It’s the entire academic regulations that are being reviewed at this time.”

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Students to launch satire website

By ZACHARY COHEN

Eagle Contributing Writer

ANA SANTOS / THE EAGLE

BRING IT BACK — Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said the country needs to restore its conservative values at an AU College Republicans event Thursday.

Santorum considers 2012 presidential bid, will consider family rst

By LEIGH GIANGRECO Eagle Staff Writer

Former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum said as he considers a run for president in 2012, he is keeping his family in mind.

The former Pennsylvania politician said Thursday at a College Republicans event he might make an announcement sometime next year.

“I’m in no great hurry to engage this. You don’t get up in the morning and just say ‘Gee, I think I’ll run for president,’” he said. “I’ve been talking to my family about it because I’ve been traveling a lot, and people have been writing stories about it.”

Santorum said his 19-yearold daughter would be a major priority in his decision to run for the White House.

“How’s a 19 year-old girl, when [her] father is either running for president or from her perspective — God forbid — gets elected president, going to know if some guy likes her?” he said. “It’s a harder life. I say to my kids, the worst thing that can happen is if I win.”

Santorum said this midterm election was similar to past races. He said President Barack Obama is taking the country down the wrong path and echoed the current conservative call to restore America’s values.

“The ’94 election was about

Americans recognizing that the country was at risk,” he said.

Today’s risks, according to Santorum, include the large federal deficit, the passage of the health care bill and government encroachment.

He said the government’s role has expanded over the last 40 years, but especially under the current administration.

“Barack Obama likes to talk about that we are endowed with certain unalienable rights,” he said. “But he leaves out that sort of important word in that recitation, ‘that we are endowed by our creator.’”

Santorum said the recent health care bill eliminates individual citizens’ decisions in favor of government intervention.

“America is exceptional, and Americans are concerned that there’s a group of people in Washington who don’t believe that,” Santorum said.

Santorum also said politicians should align their religious beliefs with their platforms.

“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute,” Santorum said. “It has allowed politicians to say ‘I am privately this way, but publicly that way.’” lgiangreco@theeagleonline. com

Colbert Nation better duck. Eagle Droppings, a new satirical website that will take on AU, local, national and global topics, is swooping in to provide a campus-wide chuckle.

AU’s Media Board and Student Activities approved the new media source in October, which will start tickling the collective campus’ funny bone this spring.

Eagle Droppings’ trial stories, presented to the Media Board and Student Activities, included a satire where TDR chefs replaced the condiment mustard with mustard gas, left over from World War I munitions buried at AU. Eagle Droppings will be published exclusively online for its first year. However, the organization may explore print and broadcast media options in the future, according to Editor -inChief Greg Handelsman.

Eagle Droppings will provide an outlet for AU’s student satirists to publish their comedic news writings, according to School of Communication Professor Matthew McNevin, a faculty consultant to the website.

Handelsman previously interned at “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “Saturday Night Live” and Fox News.

“My experiences at three internships helped me to realize that I wanted to create a media organization on campus that can allow students to express their comedic side,” Handelsman said.

Eagle Droppings is currently seeking new writers, cartoonists and Web designers for the website.

If interested, e-mail american.eagledroppings@gmail. com. news@theeagleonline.com

Courtesy of EAGLE DROPPINGS

JUST DROPPING IN — Eagle Droppings will cover a wide range of AU, local and national issues with biting satire. The website is expected to launch in the spring.

What’s great about AU...

Is that if you like to debate politics, there’s a club for that.

And if you don’t like to debate politics, there’s a club for that.

And if you want to debate why exactly debating or not debating politics is a waste of time, there’s even a club for that.

Yup, there’s a club for just about anything.

Only at AU.

For more information, contact the AU Club Council at aucc@american.edu

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Don’t punish students over DADT ROTC students deserve access to the same resources as other student groups

Imagine that you joined a student group.

A club, an organization, whatever you want to call it — you wrote your name down on the sign-up sheet at the club fair and want to get involved. However, every time there is a meeting or an event, you have to trek across the city to attend. Sounds unfair, right?

This isn’t just a hypothetical scenario. Although not necessarily in the same group of student organizations as AU Dems or College Republicans, the ROTC groups on campus face this situation every day.

For training or classes they must commute to

different schools in the D.C. area because they are not allowed certain privileges here. While we can understand the University’s reservations against discrimination, we still believe that the price ROTC pays is unfair.

Those who have joined ROTC will one day serve our country and they deserve equal treatment. These men and women deserve our utmost respect for the sacrifices they plan to make for this country.

AU has also gained recognition as a veteranfriendly university. If we can acknowledge and laud our veterans, why can’t we do the same for

Real men aren’t afraid to stick up for women SMARTER THAN I LOOK

CONOR SHAPIRO I remember when I first transitioned to a vegetarian diet. As a fledgling convert, I quickly became a zealot, talking to/over anyone who’d listen about my change. I couldn’t suppress my excitement, and although I regret the overbearing tactic now, I did sway a timid supporter.

She wanted to learn more

about my rationale, so I lent her a couple books that influenced me. Surprisingly, a few weeks later she weaned herself off meat, although I sensed she remained skeptical. Her reluctance wasn’t based on ethical principles or familial pressure.

It wasn’t due to persistent cravings. It wasn’t even because of limited options at restaurants or overpriced tofu. Her ambivalence was because she didn’t want to be labeled a bohemian type.

I asked her what she meant.

“You know,” she responded, “Those people who don’t shave and have smelly dreadlocks. Because that’s

Those who have joined ROTC will one day serve our country and they deserve equal treatment.

those who plan to serve our country?

With that being said, we do understand where opponents to the move are coming from. AU has a diverse student population and allowing student groups with

discriminatory policies could open a Pandora’s box that is best kept closed. AU is a very LGBT friendly school, and for the administration to openly accept a group with a distinct anti-gay policy such as

so not me.”

That was true. She patterned her image a la Legally Blonde, not Miss Greenpeace.

Her perception of vegetarians was an untrue stereotype — one of social outcasts, misfits who reject the dominant culture and dress accordingly. I understood her reservation, but reassured her plenty of normal (whatever that means) people were vegetarians too.

Unfortunately the societal stigma that surrounds vegetarianism clouds feminism as well.

In Phoenix, where I grew up, most women avoid the label feminist like a creepy skeezeball at the bar. To them, feminism wasn’t the political, economic and social equality of the sexes. It was the bra-burning, pinwearing, angry misandry they saw portrayed on TV. Unwilling to recognize the diverse audience who con-

siders themselves feminists, they’d declare they were for equal rights, but you could take your feminism and leave it at the door, as if feminism was a nagging telemarketer.

You can only imagine how their boyfriends and husbands felt.

The word has been repulsively demonized. And it’s going to take courageous men to stand beside women — not only to restore the veracity of this manipulated word, but also to actuate the goals feminism champions.

Women can accomplish equality on their own, but they shouldn’t have to, and they shouldn’t have to wait for chauvinistic males dragging their feet like a tantrum-throwing toddler.

I recently attended a Women’s Initiative meeting on campus and was impressed with the female turnout.

Predictably, I was one of only three males in attend-

TALK BACK: E-MAIL EDITOR@THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

“don’t ask, don’t tell” will hurt this image.

However, we think that in this single instance, it is best to allow ROTC to officially participate on campus.

We believe that DADT is a policy that has no room in our military or our country. There are many men and women out there who would proudly serve our country, but cannot based on their sexual orientation. In addition, there are those service men and women who once helped to defend us and were unreasonably dismissed from service.

These individuals deserved to be praised, not forced to hide their true

selves. We eagerly await the day when this policy is done away with.

We hope that with such leading figures as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates advocating the repeal of DADT that the reality of this happening is not far off.

Until then, we hope the University administration takes into account that while ROTC does discriminate, those students involved do not necessarily share in that view, and as such deserve recognition of their sacrifices.

ance. I somewhat expected the gender disparity, yet the lack of males sparked memories of my community college meetings in conservative Arizona. Not exactly what I anticipated in liberal D.C. Many men are purposefully estranged from feminism because they fear it diminishes their masculinity. They fear they’ll be ridiculed by “the boys.”

There’s nothing implicit in masculinity that precludes support for feminism — in fact, the opposite is true. If a man is proud of his masculinity he should be comfortable in it. When he is comfortable with himself, he’ll understand men have a moral obligation to assist women, to be an accomplice in eliminating the remaining inequity they face.

And while that might not entail full-fledged activism, it should at least include association with feminism.

Women have made monumental progress. But they still have a long way to go.

They deserve increased male support to chisel away at the mountain of sexism they face. And like vegetarianism, feminism endures a battle of linguistic manipulation weighing it down. A movement always has more credibility and clout the broader the audience. When straights march beside gays, when whites march beside blacks, etc., objectives can be expedited. For too long men (and women) have eschewed feminism because of its distorted image, it’s time to change that perception and take it back.

Count me in.

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

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The problem with xing today D.C. Students Speak aims to without regard for tomorrow amp up students’ ANC voice GIVE ME LIBERTY

MICHAEL STUBEL The majority of the Democrats and Republicans that populate this city’s institutions are career professionals and public servants. For the most part, their expertise has served us well. Yet my worry is that maybe, somewhere, there is another Abraham

growing feeling that the same sort of waist trimming should be applied here in Washington.

To close the annual budget deficit and reduce the national debt, shared sacrifice is a necessity. It’s ludicrous to think that we could have continued our tired tradition of more spending, more borrowing and less taxes without paying a price. The cruelty of making promises we can’t keep is immeasurable.

The co-chairs of President Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Re-

Lincoln’s story is the story of this nation and what it should be — but isn’t anymore.

Lincoln. Someone we would mock, someone who didn’t go to an Ivy League school, someone who made it on his or her own.

Like Lincoln, they could change everything. They could right the wrongs and redraw America’s path forward. Realistically, even Lincoln couldn’t make it today, and that saddens me deeply.

Lincoln’s story is the story of this nation and what it should be — but isn’t anymore. There will be no more Lincolns because our political system punishes those who are willing to speak the truth and make the tough decisions.

Who’s brave enough to put tomorrow before today?

Families across the country have spent the past two years altering their spending habits.

Some have taken on another job, others have downsized to smaller homes. People are doing more with less, as they shop for the best deals and cut entertainment costs. There’s a

sponsibility and Reform, former Republican Senator Alan Simpson and Clinton White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, recently released their proposal for addressing our fiscal mess. Their blueprint, which is separate from the commission’s larger report due out Dec. 1, calls for spending caps on major domestic and defense programs. They want a simplified tax code that reduces overall rates and closes loopholes. On health care, they emphasize malpractice reform and longterm cost containment. Retirement pensions for federal workers would be slashed and the Social Security age would be raised to achieve the program’s solvency. Everybody would take a hit.

Although predictable, partisan reaction to the proposal was distressing. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared the terms “unacceptable.” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said that the

co-chairs had essentially told working Americans to “drop dead.” To those politicians who subscribe to his no-tax pledge, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, warned that the plan didn’t pass the test. Here’s a timeless rule to help you cut through the political haze: Any idea, policy, or proposal that conservatives and liberals bash is probably the best course of action.

Selling a plan in Congress that lays out nearly $4 trillion in deficit reduction through 2020 will be infinitely difficult. The co-chairs knew that they were asking so much of legislators who, for so long, had done so little. The purpose was to start a discussion, to get people, as New York Times columnist David Brooks put it, “to look beyond their short-term financial interest to see the long-term national threat.” Right now, politicians have no incentives to make the hard bargains.

They are elected to produce immediate results, so few find supporting unpopular cuts or tax hikes very worthwhile.

In the current environment, I don’t have much hope for the recommendations of the president’s commission. I do believe that the group’s report, coupled with emerging plans from other fiscal commissions in the policy realm, will successfully raise the tenor of the debate over how we want to leave the world to our children and grandchildren. I doubt that something along the lines of Brazil’s Fiscal Crimes Law, which bars politicians who overspend from running for reelection, will catch on in the U.S. I’m waiting for a show of bravery from leaders who want to tackle these problems before a grave meltdown puts everyone on notice.

Michael Stubel is a senior in the School of Public Affairs and the School of Communication and a moderate Republican columnist. edpage@theeagleonline. com

OP-ED This month, Deon Jones, Tyler Sardonis and the A Voice 4 U campaign made major progress not just for the AU community, but also for student activism throughout D.C. Although Sardonis’ run ultimately fell short, Jones has (most likely) won and succeeded in finally securing students a seat on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D. In addition to proving the power of organized students, his January swearing-in will, when taken with Georgetown University’s recently elected commissioner Jake Sticka’s induction to ANC 2E, represent the first time in D.C.’s history that more than one university has been represented within the local ANC system.

We cannot, however, rest upon this achievement. Between AU, Georgetown, George Washington University, Howard University, Catholic University of America, Trinity College, Gallaudet University and the University of D.C., students represent nearly 15 percent of D.C.’s population.

Yet even after A Voice 4 U’s efforts, students still only hold two ANC seats — less than 1 percent of the 276 citywide total.

Clearly, a serious underrepresentation of students is at work. Worse, though, is that this issue is not just theoretically problematic. ANCs wield enough power that this underrepresentation results in very practical dilemmas for students District-wide.

ANCs have very publicly abused the campus plan review power allotted to them by Washington’s Office of Planning to force universities into restricting student rights in return for approval of their ex-

pansion plans, as AU saw with the recent expansion of its Student Conduct Code. This is a very real problem, and one that can be at least mitigated by the election of student commissioners. However, the visibility of this problem has obscured issues that may in reality be even more pressing.

Among these problems is the existence 61Ds, police resource-draining, resumewrecking arrest records handed out as citations to first-time offenders for little more than incidental noise. Students are also faced with zoning regulations that result in the empowerment of slumlords and the closing of student-populated eateries and businesses. These skewed public policies are a direct result of our inability as students to have our voice heard within city government.

Although the results of A Voice 4 U will certainly strengthen this voice, there is still work to be done before we are truly heard. It was with this work in mind that our organization, DC Students Speak, came into being.

Founded last year, DC Students Speak aims to connect students throughout the District, find common goals amongst us, and advocate for these objectives within city government. We will become the sustainable, long-term infrastructure that allows students throughout this city to gain the representation they deserve. Our organization, through a variety of initiatives, focuses on the most practical route to gaining that representation: the election of students citywide to ANCs. Taking A Voice 4 U and 1996’s Campaign Georgetown as models, we have identified

11 ANC single-member districts within D.C. that despite being populated by student majorities are represented by neighbor commissioners.

If we ever hope to have fair representation in this city and achieve essential, shared policy goals this cannot remain true.

In order to ensure that it does not, we have begun organizing. Georgetown already has an active chapter of our organization, while chapters at AU, GW, CUA, and Trinity are all in the early stages of development. As A Voice 4 U quickly learned, neighbor commissioners fight hard and can sometimes fight dirty. We can only overcome their power monopoly if we fight smart and fight unified.

With this in mind, we ask today for your help. Check out our website, where we aggregate news from every D.C. school so you can learn about issues affecting students throughout the city. Follow us on Twitter. Fan us on Facebook. Share this article with your friends and come out to the town halls that we are planning on D.C. campuses in the new year.

If we come together now, two years from today we will not be waking up to just two student ANC commissioners, but a broad and representational coalition that stretches from Howard’s Hilltop to Georgetown’s, from American’s Bender to Catholic’s Basilica. With your help, we can achieve our goals and give the D.C. student community the political representation it so desperately needs.

Scott Stirrett, Co-chair of D.C. Students Speak

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LETTERS IN RESPONSE TO CONOR SHAPIRO’S COLUMN ON THE MILITARY

Supporting the troops outside of Soldiers deserve our respect and the ‘military-industrial complex’ thanks, not our scorn Last week, columnist Conor Shapiro insinuated that supporting the troops is a process carried out by the brainwashed masses — masses acting not as thinking, caring individuals, but as the unsuspecting henchmen of carefully crafted, age-old government plots and relentless propaganda. Though I disagree with him on several points, I thank him for bringing such issues to the forefront.

I concede that too often, the media promulgates a “with us or against us” message that does a disservice to the troops, and that, even more often, the “I support the troops” rhetoric is unfounded and self-serving. However, to expand upon his claims, I offer my own story as an active supporter of the troops.

I joined the on-campus group “Veterans of American University” as a disillusioned, anti-war, leftleaning moderate. I came not to be brainwashed, but, conversely, to learn.

If I were to have any clout and justification in opposing the war, I felt I needed more than the easy, overused “military-industrial complex” arguments we swallow from the far left just as easily as some adapt the “support the war” mentality from the far right.

Who were these men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan?

What were their motives?

How had they become part of the big, scary military machine? Over time, the veterans I met became my closest friends, but gave me no easy answers to those pressing questions.

Instead, they showed me that they were remarkably varied, and that they cut across class, gender, political and religious lines. So what tied them together?

What made such a vibrant, diverse community thrive through the toughest of times, and what made

them worth actively supporting?

That is the only answer that did come easily.

These men and women had internalized timeless military values of loyalty, camaraderie, sacrifice and selflessness. Mr. Shapiro would perhaps argue they show nothing more than blind loyalty to the state, but that is where we differ.

Most veterans express their loyalty on a personto-person scale, not to any big machine. Surprisingly, most learned respect for their fellow man through their wartime experiences.

They usually did not sacrifice for higher authority.

They enlisted for different reasons. They do know, though, that they have what it takes to risk it all to save another. How many of us can truly say that, especially when tested under fire?

AU has many organizations that champion “sisterhood” and “brotherhood.” The veterans embody those qualities and live by them every day. I have never known friends as committed, thoughtful and selfless, most of whom, might I add, are deeply indebted to the foreigners they met overseas. They do not see “the enemy” as distinctly as we expect. Instead, their complicated experiences have taught them see nuance, redemption and humanity in each individual.

To me, Veterans Day is not about worshipping the flag or the military.

It celebrates those brave enough to take a bullet for a friend, to leave behind their loved ones to fulfill responsibilities and commitments, or to live with the scars of wrongs they may have committed along the way. I support the holiday because of what my best friends have taught me. I stand for them because they so gladly stand for me.

Perhaps instead of regurgitating token buzzwords and vilifying institutions, it is more valuable to form opinions after genuine interaction with those who have seen it from the inside. To support someone through unimaginable pain, as these soldiers often experience upon return, is not rehearsing some government plot, but is being a friend to a fellow man in need.

Additionally, perhaps to make sweeping claims as broad as Mr. Shapiro’s is to expose lack of experience regarding the ideology he attacks. I point to the Jack Nicholson quote from his closing argument, which may not be the most meaningful source. I hope people understand my motives before attacking my ideals, and I challenge those who refuse to or agree to support troops to first get to know them on a personal level. Only then will they see that there is no such thing as a “right” or “wrong” war — nothing is that simple. Instead, they will glimpse the true human toll of combat.

That understanding may lead us all to reform our opinions into something far more analytical, intelligent and productive.

To conclude: I invite the entire AU community, especially Mr. Shapiro, to the Veterans of American University meetings, in which we encourage honest, open dialogue and accept diversity of thought and opinion from veterans and civilians alike.

Hopefully, we can all learn something from each other. The situation about which Mr. Shapiro wrote may be dire, but I hope he will join us in fighting to constructively change it.

Katie Gale is the vicepresident of Veterans of American University and the AUSG Director of Military Affairs.

In light of the recent article about the military-industrial complex, I felt it necessary to bring some alternative views to light.

In the column “U.S. brainwashed to support militaryindustrial complex,” the author fails to accurately describe the military-industrial complex and instead directs his anger at the spread of generic views about the military. The “military-industrial complex” refers to the complex relationship between the government and the industrial sector in order to facilitate contracts and research for the armed forces. Instead, the article focuses on the prevalence of commercial forms of support for soldiers, whether it is deals with restaurants or the ads the military itself puts out to court volunteers.

While some may criticize the abundance of the military support in the media and pop culture, I say, why not? These men and women voluntarily gave up a normal life to protect our right to bemoan the abundance of military images all around us. Voltaire, the French philosopher, said roughly, “I may not like what you say, but I will fight for your right to say it.” In this country we have the amazing right to say whatever we believe so long as it does not cause direct harm to another person. This right is denied to hundreds of millions of people around the world, but

we are lucky enough to have a military who answers to civilian control to protect and guard this right and others like it. Unlike some militaries, ours is one who doesn’t forget what they are fighting for.

Don’t get me wrong, war is a terrible, terrible thing. I bemoan the loss of life and destruction it causes. But when people attempt to blow up buildings and hijack planes, I have no sympathy to spare.

When I was in fifth and sixth grade, my mother would take me to peace protests because she believed they were an educational experience. Before that, I had no idea what to believe, and I instantly became pro-peace. Then I attended a very conservative high-school and met my best friends. One has a dad who served for two decades with the Marine Corps. Another of my friends from cross-country joined before he turned an adult and is currently in Afghanistan. Finally, a young man I consider to be a second brother decided to enlist in the Army and is currently trying for the Rangers. They are deeply rooted in military tradition. I got to witness both sides of the issue and have been able to make an informed opinion about the issue of the military in our society.

My first realization is that these men really are heroes. I can say with complete assur-

ance that I would be scared out of my mind in a warzone.

At my high school, we were known to be jerks to the other side, taunting their players and getting rowdy. But when the national anthem played, it fell completely silent. Everyone stood to respect these men and women, not because we are blindly following some mysterious panel of corporate leaders, but because these soldiers deserve our thanks.

In regards to the military complex, it is too simple to say it is all bad or all good. The relationship between the government and industry does indeed need to be overhauled.

We need more oversight to reduce costs and increase transparency. We need to focus less on imaginary forces of the future and instead focus on the issues we face now. But it is not all bad — without this complex most sectors, including aviation, medical, communications and more, would not be the same.

All I ask is that when we consider this inflammatory issue, we take the time to constructively fix the issues and not insult the men and women who give us the right to disagree with one another.

Adam Cook, Freshman, School of International Service

TRENDING TOPICS to the AMC Uptown for a Thursday night of thorough entertainment. Not only did we get to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” at midnight, we also saw multiple adults reliving a childhood they didn’t necessarily experience, had “Rita Skeeter” creep us out, witnessed the film disintegrate before our eyes and ended the night with free passes we may use to go see it again.

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to the random power outage on parts of campus Sunday night. Those of us who lost assignments, lost their minds or were temporarily trapped in the library elevator were not amused.

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to Black Friday sales. Bust out your warmest jacket and your comfiest shoes. It’s going to get crazy, but it’s totally worth it for that new whatever you’ve been waiting to get on sale.

to no school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday! And much better food than TDR or the Easy Mac we all have in our cupboards (don’t lie, it’s that time of year).

to not seeing friends this month, unless you happen to run into them in the library or in class.

School is sucking our souls slowly and savagely. (Even in light of this, we can still be extremely witty on occasion.)

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CERF low on funds, asks for $10 fee Only $5,000 raised so far, needs $100,000

By ALLIE MOONEY Eagle Staff Writer

The Student Government will ask the University’s budget committee to add a one-time, $10 fee onto next year’s tuition to help the Clean Energy Revolving Fund meet its goal of raising $100,000.

The fee would generate about $60,000 for the fund, according to Jennifer Jones, the SG’s environmental policy director.

CERF, which was created last year, works through purchasing sustainable technology and then putting the energy savings back into the fund.

In order to be fully functional, the fund needs at least $100,000. There is only about $5,000 in the fund now, Jones said.

“People have been talking about a number of different ways of having [the fee] in the budget,” she said. “I am going to talk about having a one-time $10 fee that is separate from Student Activities fee.”

Jones said previous fundraisers included a dance last spring. Future events concerned with sustainability may include a large event in April.

Jones is also looking into large grants that would fill the fund immediately.

The Board of Trustees will vote on AU’s budget in February, approving all fees and allocations for the University. amooney@theeagleonline. com

ANA SANTOS / THE EAGLE

ATTENTION — ROTC cadets wait for instructions during their physical training session Monday morning at Georgetown University. The cadets will be able to use AU fitness facilities next semester.

AU to allow ROTC new privileges Cadets will have access to AU gym and fields

By ALLIE MOONEY Eagle Staff Writer

AU ROTC will be allowed to use certain campus facilities next semester after simultaneous efforts by the AU administration and Student Government to loosen restrictions on the military program.

ROTC cadets will be able to use fitness facilities here and AU will offer military science classes, if space is available.

The Undergraduate Senate passed a bill Sunday to recommend the administration look into making changes to policies that currently deny AU ROTC cadets group access to AU fitness facilities for physical training and prohibit use of AUTO vans for ROTC transportation, among other things.

But the administration has already begun the process of making some of these changes for the spring semester, according to Phyllis Peres, vice

provost and interim dean for Academic Affairs.

The Army ROTC consortium allows ROTC candidates to take military science classes at Georgetown University. The consortium includes Georgetown, George Washington University, Catholic University of America and AU. The Hoya Battalion for Army ROTC, which consists of about 40 AU students, is based at Georgetown. The Air Force ROTC has about 15 AU students and is based at Howard.

There is no agreement in the works to make the AU ROTC cadets into their own formally recognized AU battalion, Peres said.

“We are not advocating that ROTC be recognized on campus as an organization,” said Brett Atanasio, the bill’s sponsor. “We are advocating that American University students that pay their tuition and pay their student activity fees be

allowed to have access to the same resources that all other American University students can use.”

Policy changes Currently, ROTC candidates cannot use the AU fitness facilities for their required physical training. However, Peres said next semester they will be able to do so.

The Army cadets now wake up at 5 a.m. three to six days a week to use Georgetown’s facilities, using their own transportation to get there.

“This means upperclassmen members of the AU platoon have to drive all 40 cadets in their personal vehicles to and from Georgetown,” Atanasio said.

The SG bill recommended the cadets be allowed to use the SG’s AUTO vans, for both the physical training and ROTC consortium classes at Georgetown, GW and Catholic.

The AUTO vans are available to all clubs, but since ROTC is an academic program, it cannot be recognized as a club.

In addition to the program’s mandatory physical training, ROTC cadets must participate in a four-year, two-part academic program that teaches military skills and knowledge, on top of regular AU course requirements.

The bill recommended military science professors be al-

lowed to teach at AU. AU will allow military science classes to be taught here through the Army ROTC consortium, if classroom space is available, Peres said.

The bill also said ROTC cadets do not have an AU point person and recommended there be someone who can be responsible for ROTC affairs.

Peres will fill this role in the spring semester.

“You cannot punish students for a federal law that they have no control over,” Atanasio said at the Senate meeting.

Queers and Allies was not involved in the drafting of the bill. They asked the bill be tabled at the meeting Sunday, but it was passed anyway.

Two senators abstained from voting because they felt there needed to be further Queers and Allies input.

Reform focuses on student equality The bill saw serious Senate debate Sunday over the ROTC program’s connection to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

The SG bill ignores the policy completely because senators said the issue is about student equality at AU, not sexual orientation.

“I think it is an absurd position to take, to ignore ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” said Tonei Glavinic, executive director of Queers and Allies. “You can’t ignore the fact the SG is requesting expanded resources for an organization that discriminates against a significant number of AU students.”

The bill says the SG committee understands that there are individuals who believe “don’t ask, don’t tell” violates AU’s anti-discrimination policy, but it is “disingenuous” to hold students accountable for the law.

Reactions Army ROTC cadets and officials are pleased with these changes.

“The steps contained in the bill will help alleviate the many hardships experienced by our American University cadets in their participation in our program,” said retired Lt. Cmdr. J.K. Morningstar, an assistant professor of military science at Georgetown, in an e-mail.

The SG bill has been in the works for about eight months.

The SG committee that developed the bill has been on-andoff for about three years, and this is the most substantial bill they have ever produced.

“Today we made a tremendous step and a really historic push on behalf of ROTC,” Atanasio said at the end of the Senate meeting. amooney@theeagleonline. com

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AU area considered ‘high crime’ Delays stall grievance process Report says over 25 crimes occur in area per year

By ANNA SCALAMOGNA Eagle Staff Writer

Sectors around AU have been designated as high crime areas, according to a report released earlier this month.

The District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute report classified census blocks, or the smallest unit measured by the U.S. Census Bureau, in the District into five categories based on the average number of crimes in each area from 2000-2009.

The block including AU and one of its surrounding blocks are part of the highest category, with 25 or more crimes per year.

“This is really common for college campuses,” said Meagan Cahill, an author of the report. “There’s a high number [of crimes], but they are minor.”

Census blocks are bound by physical features such as roads and vary in size.

Larger blocks may include

parks or green spaces and do not necessarily follow typical block pattern.

AU’s campus makes up most of one of the designated high crime blocks. Within this block, 63 percent of the overall crime was due to theft, 20 percent due to burglaries and 10 percent was theft from an automobile, according to Cahill.

Approximately 20 percent of census blocks in the District fall into the two top “high crime” categories, with 10 or more crimes per year. These account for more than 60 percent of the crime that occurs in the District.

The report measures crimes including homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and theft from a motor vehicle.

The census block encompassing main campus is bordered by Massachusetts Avenue, Nebraska Avenue, Rockwood Parkway, Glen-

brook Road, Quebec Street and University Avenue.

The other block designated as high crime includes the Berkshire Apartments and is bordered by Massachusetts Avenue, Nebraska Avenue, Van Ness Street, Wisconsin Avenue, and 39th Street.

Crime on AU’s campus is not just from those within the school community. It could come from anyone who wanders onto campus, said Public Safety Lt. Rima Sifri.

“Within each block you are talking about a small city,” said Sifri. “It’s an open campus.”

Sifri said theft accounts for the largest number of crimes on campus. In 2009 there was one on-campus robbery and 31 on-campus burglaries, according to the 2010 Annual Security Report. ascalamogna@ theeagleonline.com

Final seat filled on Faculty Senate committee

By LINDA BARNHART Eagle Staff Writer

The Faculty Senate committee that hears grievances held elections months later than normal this year.

The delay was caused by revisions to the Faculty Manual and difficulty in finding a candidate to fill the final seat of the committee, according to current Faculty Senate Chair Leigh Riddick.

The final seat was filled two weeks ago.

The late formation did not have anything to do with any particular grievance, Riddick said in an e-mail. It is always difficult to find faculty to sit on the committee.

Three professors were denied tenure last spring, and at least two have filed grievances.

The committee is comprised of seven members

who serve three-year terms, which are staggered so that only a few seats come up for election every year.

Only one vacancy appeared on the committee for the current year, but all seven members must be appointed before the committee can officially exist and conduct business, said Scott Parker, former chair of the committee.

Town hall The tenure appeal and grievance process was addressed at last week’s town hall meeting with AU President Neil Kerwin and Board of Trustee Chairman Gary Abramson.

Students at the meeting asked Kerwin to address the grievance of Professor Jesus “Manny” Berard, AU’s orchestra director who was denied tenure in May. Kerwin would not address the specific case, but instead

spoke on the overall tenure and appeals process.

“As the final authority in a case of appeal, I have to maintain not only my objectivity in the matter, but I have to ensure the file on which I’m basing my decision is consistent with existing University regulations,” he said.

Kerwin said he would pay “very, very close attention” to any file directed to him.

If the committee forwards the appeal, it is then heard by the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate’s report is then forwarded to Kerwin.

Kerwin does not have the power to directly appoint or remove faculty from positions at the University.

“I’m a firm believer that this process [has] worked to the great advantage of this University in most of the cases I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“Is it infallible? Of course not. That’s what the appeals process is for.”

Staff writers Paige Jones and Stefanie Dazio contributed to this report. lbarnhart@theeagleonline. com

TURKEY HANDPRINT COLORING CONTEST Color in the turkey and drop it off at The Eagle ofce (MGC 252) by December 5th.

We’ll print the most creative one in the next issue!

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Photo by JAAP BUITENDIJK

‘HARRY’ SITUATION — The seventh “Harry Potter” film only brings the first half of the seventh novel to the big screen, but still manages to serve as a satisfying film, as well as a set-up for the summer’s big finale. The actors have improved, as have the CGI battles that peppered earlier movies, but it’s the film’s slow, careful pace that makes it truly memorable.

Seventh ‘Potter’ lm displays growth of franchise Runtime: 146 minutes Grade: A Scene Says: Best. Harry Potter. Ever.

By HOAI-TRAN BUI

Eagle Contributing Writer It’s easy to be disappointed by a Harry Potter movie, especially if you’re a dedicated fan like the ones that lined up for the midnight premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.”

There were fans who dressed up as Xenophilius and Luna Lovegood and fans who camped out since midnight the night before and would have likely rioted

if the movie was less than amazing. However, this film may be the first Harry Potter movie to translate beautifully to the big screen. It’s a fitting beginning to the conclusion of a series that began 13 years ago. “[The end of the series] feels bittersweet because Harry Potter was always a part of my childhood,” said Maeve McDermott, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs. “It was sad getting to the end of the last book and knowing there wouldn’t be another one.”

Part one of the last film carries through that feeling of hesitant anticipation. Bleak, dark and visually luscious, “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” depicts none of the iconic hallmarks of the previous Potter films that are associated with the childhood nostalgia of Harry Potter.

The three main characters, Harry, Ron and Hermione, never return to the safe haven of Hogwarts, and are instead thrust into the real world.

The film seems completely dissociated from the rest of the Potter films. At one point it’s a thriller, at another it’s a chase movie and even has a dash of horror (people were literally screaming during the Bathilda Bagshot scene).

There was an extreme sense of urgency throughout the film, which makes the two and a half hours fly by.

The cinematography was

a wonder to watch, contrasting wide-open outdoor shots, with crowded, modern cityscapes, and the oldfashioned magical world buildings. The grim atmosphere pervaded throughout the film, injecting a sense of raw vulnerability to the characters and a new depth to Harry Potter altogether.

A character could die at any time or betray Harry with the flip of a coin.

One of the best and most pleasantly surprising things in the movie was how the filmmakers depicted the telling of the story of the Deathly Hallows. The sequence was animated, with Tim Burton-esque characters that produced a haunting and enchanting quality.

The acting in the film has also improved a great deal.

Daniel Radcliffe no longer looks vapid all the time, Emma Watson raises her

eyebrows less and Rupert Grint gets much more screen time to depict Ron’s anxiety and growing tension. They seemed greatly invested in their characters.

In the previous Potter movies, the numerous characters and elaborate Hogwarts settings seemed to constrict their acting, where the visual spectacle was more important than the characters.

However “Deathly Hallows: Part 1” was just about Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The only major flaw of the film was how the relationship between Harry and Hermione was explored. The unique portrayal of their mutual platonic friendship was the best part of their relationship. However, the addition of the scene where

iTunes

Harry tries to comfort Hermione after Ron leaves hints at a bit more. It makes sense — the producers of the film are self-confessed HarryHermione shippers, but it still takes away from the dynamic between the three friends.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” is by far the best Harry Potter film to date. It has few flaws that are easily overcome by its strengths. The film matches the greatness of the novel, and even perhaps improves upon it. It is a genuinely good film, and should not be pushed aside as just another CGI-laden, spectacle-driven Harry Potter movie. thescene@theeagleonline. com

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

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National Gallery fountain freezes for festive District skating season

By HOAI-TRAN BUI

Eagle Contributing Writer It’s that time of year again.

The sundresses are packed away and the bulky jackets are pulled out of closets as the changing red and yellow leaves excuse the darkening skies.

And yet, the air is crisp enough for the fountain at the center of the National Gallery of Art’s Sculpture Garden to literally turn to ice.

As you walk into the garden, the labyrinthine pathway leads you through the aesthetically pleasing sculptures and works of art. The trees and flowers heighten the experience of being immersed in art. The pathway starts to approach the rink, and you can hear the sounds of people laughing and falling. You pass by the Pavilion Cafe, where people are starting to crowd inside and avoid the outdoor tables as it gets chillier.

Once you reach the ice

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rink, it is both crowded and isolated. The rink, which is made from the large fountain that sits in the middle of the Sculpture Garden, is surrounded by the artistic sculptures and foliage, separating it from the rest of the world. Seeing so many people there is both surprising and pleasing, as they add life and joy to the beautiful but lifeless sculptures that surround them.

The ice rink officially opened to the public this year on Nov. 13. The rink has attracted thousands of visitors since it first opened in 2000, and remains a staple of the D.C. winter season. Located on the National Mall between 7th and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue Northwest, it is the perfect location for both tourists and locals to enjoy a cold winter’s day. The ice skating season will continue through mid-March, weather permitting.

Skaters may have access to all the skating lessons, hot chocolate and guided tours

they want, but the real attractions are the surrounding sculptures and view.

The Sculpture Garden has been an artistic treasure for years, and includes seventeen works from the Gallery’s growing collection, as well as loaned works on special exhibitions.

As the sun sets earlier and the days grow shorter, the lights that encircle the ice rink are much appreciated, both for practical and aesthetic reasons. They illuminate the rink and the faces of the skaters as they skate to the beat of the pop music that is played 24/7.

Despite being in such a public place, going to the ice rink is a surprisingly intimate experience. The grandeur of the surrounding buildings is softened by the beautiful foliage and sculptures. The works of art add an almost surreal feeling to the festive environment. thescene@theeagleonline. com

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Read more about ‘Bella’ and self-publishing: http://eagl.us/9jUfpb

CHRIS DROUKAS / THE EAGLE

TEAM ‘BELLA’ — SOC adjunct Professor Steve Piacente has taken to the web to build anticipation for his self-published novel “Bella.” Piacente has made YouTube videos to market directly to interested readers.

Prof builds buzz for book

By GEOFFREY BEEBE

Eagle Contributing Writer

EYE-OPENER

WEEKEND BRUNCH

C AFE • BAR • B O O K S TO RE OPEN EARLY & LATE 7 DAYS • 24 HRS FRI & SAT BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER “BEST BOOKSTORE” –Washington City Paper, Washington Post’s expressnightout.com, Washington Blade

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Deciding to read a book by a new author is a daunting task. Who among us would have found, let alone read “The Da Vinci Code” or “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” if not for the buzz surrounding each book?

SOC adjunct professor Steve Piacente is tackling this problem with the release of his self-published novel “Bella.”

“Bella” is a gritty story of a military cover-up. Isabella “Bella” Moss knows for certain that the circumstances surrounding her husband Hank’s death are riddled with lies and treachery. According to the Army, Hank was killed by a homemade grenade, but Bella believed that the government had a hand in it.

“An Army officer decides to cover up the truth about Hank Moss’ death,” Piacente said. “That decision affects everyone from Hank’s widow, Bella, to Dan Patragno, the reporter she lures into

the investigation. I’ve always been fascinated by the ethical decisions people make when no one is watching, particularly people in positions of authority.”

The story is told from the perspective of Dan Patragno, a Tampa-based journalist working in a D.C. bureau.

Piacente used his prior career in journalism to help develop the character and theme of the book.

Ethical choices play a huge role in this book. The convergence between journalism’s ethical boundaries and self-imposed personal ones creates a delicious subplot, which makes this book an excellent read.

Another excellent touch is the dialogue. While many books trend towards simple back-and-forth conversation, Piacente adds the right amount of flavor to the text.

Every character serves a useful purpose, if only to serve as a moral compass.

However, what truly makes “Bella” remarkable is that it is a self-published novel.

“When you decide to selfpublish, you take on a hun-

dred tasks that we never expected — everything from conceiving and designing a cover, to the font, layout and size of your book,” Piacente said. “And that doesn’t begin to address the marketing piece. In short, technology has made it possible to bypass traditional agents and win over potential readers.”

Piacente has his own website, is on Twitter and makes YouTube videos. In the YouTube videos Piacente has created a movie trailer for his books, not a dry rehashing of the plot. Nothing is given away, but more flavor for the book is disseminated to the reader. In this age of direct contact with people, Piacente felt it would be a better avenue to go “straight to the reader.”

“I think we’ve come up with some creative ways to separate ourselves from the glut of book websites competing for readers’ time and attention,” Piacente said.

“Bella” is now available on Amazon.com. thescene@theeagleonline. com

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WVAU REVIEWS Every other week The Eagle asks the assistant music directors and DJs at WVAU what they’re currently listening to. Here’s what they’re recommending. Check out WVAU.org to listen.

Bikini – RIP JDS (The India Trading Company/Lefse Records) OK, their name is Bikini, so naturally this EP is going to make you nostalgic for those lazy, more carefree days of summer. Warm, looping electro-pop layers and faraway vocals make for some excellent distorted dance pop. Sample-based and textured, it makes you want to dance in that twirly, spazzy hippie way, if you know what I mean. The N.Y. duo appropriately describes their sound as “J.D. Salinger on MDMA.” Recommended if you like: Neon Indian, Panda Bear, MGMT Recommended tracks: 3, 4, 5

-Carrie Walters

N.E.R.D. – Nothing (Interscope) N.E.R.D. is so far out of the box that anything that they do doesn’t even seem to surprise people anymore. “Nothing,” the band’s fourth studio album blends elements of electronic, hip-hop, rock, and funk. With only two features — one from the recently re-incarcerated T.I. and the other from Nelly Furtado — “Nothing” is more a showcase about the instrumentation. Their latest single, “Hypnotize U,” has production help from Daft Punk. The band has also seemed to take criticisms about their lyrical content to heart. On the track “Life as a Fish,” Pharrell sings about evolution and the environment in ways that would make even Captain Planet teary-eyed. Have no doubt that N.E.R.D. takes their albums about partying and women as seriously as they do the environment.

Recommended if you like: The Neptunes, Chester French, Lupe Fiasco Recommended tracks: 1, 2, 6, 8

-Kevin Kunitake

Rye Rye ft. M.I.A. — Sunshine (single) Baltimore rapper Rye Rye has collaborated with Blaqstarr and Diplo, toured with M.I.A. and Afrikan Boy, appeared on various remixes, and birthed a baby boy — all since the age of 16. Now at 19 years old, her debut album, “Go! Pop! Bang!,” was released Nov. 11. Rye Rye is signed to M.I.A.’s label N.E.E.T. and Maya makes a guest appearance on the first single, “Sunshine.” The track has an entrancing beat, schoolyard hand-claps and chants, a swaggering bass-line, and quirky synths. It’s like a less cluttered and more swanky version of Rye Rye’s previous single with M.I.A., “Bang.” On “Sunshine,” M.I.A. brings the hook and catchy “dum dum dum” backup-vocals while Rye Rye’s verses bring undeniable swagger and confidence. This quirky, dissonant track is addictive and hopefully a reflection of the upcoming album.

Recommended if you like: M.I.A., Diplo, Santogold, Nicki Minaj

-Emily White

Pomegranates — One of Us (Afternoon Records) The third full album by Pomegranates, “One of Us,” is characterized by dreamy lyrics, hazy ambient backgrounds and sparkling instrumentation. The album bounces almost schizophrenically between soft and dreamy tunes to songs with a harder beat and groove. It’s sweet, accessible and simple. Joey Cook’s falsetto shimmers over the lush melodies. Fuzzed-out guitars, slinky bass, and soft piano create a dream-pop/chillwave landscape both energetic and relaxed.

Recommended if you like: Wavves, Deerhunter, Surfer Blood, The Flaming Lips Recommended Tracks: 2, 3, 7, 8

-Emily White

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Mussel Bar serves great shellfish but otherwise weak

By KELLY HOLLIDAY Eagle Staff Writer

Much like pandas and football, mussels are slowly but surely becoming an obsession among D.C. natives.

The mollusk gained popularity in 2007 with the opening of Robert Wiedmaier’s Brasserie Beck and is now featured prominently on the menu of Wiedmaier’s most recent culinary venture, Mussel Bar. Modeled after Wiedmaier’s favorite Belgian bistro, Mussel Bar features over 100 types of beer, frites, salads, pastas, hot sandwiches, wood-fired “tarts” and of course, mussels. The “Blue Bay” Prince Edward Island mussels come in nine different varieties, including red Indonesian curry with peanut essence, Provencal with tomatoes, garlic, capers and basil and wild “shroom,” with pancetta, Parmesan and truffle cream.

For newcomers, the classic is the best place to start: with a savory blend of garlic, shallots, sauvignon blanc and a dollop of fresh cream, these mussels will please any palette. The aroma is mouthwatering. Sure, you will taste and smell like garlic for days, but the sweet, plump mussels and the intense wine flavor make it all worth it.

While the mussels dominate the menu, the true stars of the place are the frites.

They’re a gourmet take on the classic french fry, lightly battered and fried deep golden brown until they’ve died and gone to heaven.

The frites come in either classic or vanilla sweet potato, and are paired with a trio of mayonnaise dipping sauces. Make like a true Belgian and try the mayos, as they complete the musselfrite experience.

While it is now standard to serve more than one choice of entrée on a menu, Mussel Bar should have stuck with what it does best. The salads, sandwiches and tarts are treated as mere afterthoughts (food critic Tom

Sietsema of the Washington Post panned them in a particularly scathing review), only offered to those who don’t prefer the menu’s signature item. The pork belly and mussel, tomato and Gruyere tart is uninteresting and the uninspired steakfrites should really only be executed across the street at Mon Ami Gabi.

The desserts menu is perhaps the most disappointing of all: with only four selections to choose from (two of which are different ice creams), it’s a course worth skipping. However, the pasta carbonara, with combination of nutty Parmesan, salty pork belly, bucatini pasta and a poached egg is delicious. Skip the other lackluster dishes and try the pasta with an order of frites on the side. Mussel Bar also serves breakfast, featuring crepes and omelets, but with the absence of mussels, there’s really no point.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere at Mussel Bar doesn’t compensate for its lackluster entrees. Don’t expect to carry on a conversation with anyone if you hit Mussel Bar around dinnertime or happy hour, as the young bar crawlers are obnoxiously loud. Try experiencing Mussel Bar on an early Friday evening or a late lunch on Saturday, when the crowds part and the service is on par.

The prices aren’t all that great, either. The $16 mussels and frites combo are well worth the price, but the tarts and entrees go for a stiff $15 each. The selection of beers is vast (this underage reporter was unable to taste any of the brews), but the going rate for a glass is around $7. Our recommendation? Head to Mussel Bar for an afternoon bite, order a large bowl of steamed mussels and enjoy the peace and quiet. kholliday@theeagleonline. com

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Abroad experience only whets appetite for travel CROSS-CULTURAL DISPATCH

PARIS, FRANCE

By YANIV NAHON This is not a column about my semester abroad at its end. I still have a month left in Paris, and plan on living it to its fullest. However, this past weekend I realized just how short that month was and how much time has passed since I went on my self-imposed European exile. My momentum has shifted. I have started to feel the gravity pull that is home slowing me down and drawing me back. I’ve finally realized that I am going home.

This realization opened up a new train of thought for me. After living abroad for four months, I began to wonder if life back home would be very different. It will obviously be strange and annoying that I will once again be unable to legally drink. I don’t know how I

feel about being relegated to the legal status of a child in that sense, mental maturity notwithstanding.

However, I think the greatest change will be in my attitude towards going out, and my social life in general. In Paris, the question is never, “Do I go out tonight?” but, “Where do I go out tonight?”

All of the students abroad in Paris, regardless of nationality, realize that our shared time in Paris is not lasting, and that we all need to make the most of this fleeting window. There is a certain character to this sense of ‘carpe noctum’ that I feel can be easily packed and transported to the States. The feeling that life must be lived to its fullest because of its temporary nature is obviously one that can be applied whether you are in living in Paris for only four months or living in America for years.

It is 6:30 a.m. on my train back from Amsterdam and I look at the window, idly wondering about friends back home. I wonder how their lives are going. I remember what time it is back in D.C. and I wonder how many of them are pulling

all-nighters. This train has Wi-Fi, and friends on allnighters are usually a great source of conversation when you are six hours ahead of all of your friends. I realize how soon I will be seeing them again, and I wonder if anything has changed that much in four months. I am torn between the desire for everything to be new, different and exciting when I get home and the desire to return to everything the way I left it. I know I will probably get neither.

I am also simultaneously torn between the desire to go home and the desire to stay in Europe. I feel like there is so much I have not yet done. Cities I have not traveled to, languages I have not heard, beers not enjoyed. I know for a fact that I will come back to Europe at some point now. I have realized how much can be done with 100 Euros, a friend or two and a backpack, and I fully plan on doing it all. Á nous doux maintenant! thescene@theeagleonline. com

MICHAEL W. RICHARDSON / THE EAGLE

COMING HOME — As abroad students start cotemplating their return, having new experiences seem more urgent than ever. But for many, the missed opprtunities are only a reason to go back.

Courtesy of JEANIE GORDON

GOING BROGUE — Edinburgh is a city unlike any other on the UK mainland. Nestled in the mountains of Scotland, the city offers equal parts natural vistas and calm civilization.

Edinburgh offers quiet weekend away from London craziness CROSS-CULTURAL DISPATCH

LONDON, ENGLAND

By OLIVIA STITILIS Though any sort of exploring I do in London usually ends up qualifying as an adventure (whether I planned it that way or not), my first real European adventure took place this past weekend when I headed north to Edinburgh, Scotland.

The weekend was one of many travel firsts. I took my first overnight eight hour bus ride (Advil PM really does work wonders), stayed in my first hostel, used my ‘backpacking’ backpack for the first time and finally got to see men in kilts.

Edinburgh provided a much-needed break from the sometimes exhausting, fast paced environment of London. Still a major city, Edinburgh is much smaller and much greener than London.

I was able to see the city in its entirety without taking any sort of public transportation. Small cobblestone streets packed with cashmere, fudge and kilt stores line the major tourist road, The Royal Mile. Two of Ed-

inburgh’s most famous attractions, the Edinburgh Palace and Holyrood Park, occupy its opposite ends.

Unlike the parks I have found in London, the 650acre Holyrood Park was full of large hills, actual climbers and the promise of amazing views of Edinburgh the higher and higher you climbed. Though my attempt to hike was not much more than an attempt (pea coats and leather boots are not the best hiking apparel), it was still great to breathe fresh air and be around so much nature.

Adjacent to the park is the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The palace is open to the public throughout the year except when the Royal Family is in residence or Queen Elizabeth makes her annual summer visit. Conveniently, no royalty was around last weekend and I was able to take full advantage of a tour of the palace, as well as the Holyrood Abbey next door.

Edinburgh is also the perfect destination for devoted Harry Potter fans like myself. Though I did get to see the bed where the Queen sleeps during her summers, it was way more exciting and debatably the highlight of my entire trip to go to the café where J.K. Rowling first wrote Harry Potter.

The Elephant House has amazing views of the hills of Edinburgh, tons of tables

which seemed perfect for writing international bestselling novels and perhaps the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Needless to say it was challenging for me to leave. I even took pictures of the bathrooms (you would have too, don’t lie).

I also dragged my poor non-Harry Potter obsessed friend with me to a nearby graveyard where Rowling found some of the most famous names in her books, most noteworthy, McGonagall. Not usually a fan of graveyards, it was thrilling to think how a pop culture phenomenon started right on the very grounds I was walking on.

A change of scenery can always provide insight.

Traveling to Edinburgh was wonderful and relaxing, but it did make me realize how much I love living in London. As I got off the bus in London at the lovely hour of 6:30 a.m., I could not help thinking how nice it was to be back.

Walking to my hall from the nearest tube stop as London was just starting to wake up, I truly no longer felt like an outsider. I felt like I was home. For right now ‘home’ is not Connecticut or D.C., but London. thescene@theeagleonline. com

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Solo sex for women: Ending the societal stigma THE SEX WONKS

RYAN CARTER AND TARA CULP-RESSLER Going solo Despite the fact that Christine O’Donnell has publicly condemned it, we’re pretty sure masturbation isn’t a foreign concept to most college students. Why do you think everyone wears flip-flops in the communal showers, anyway?

Although many people start experimenting with masturbation long before college, the conversation about solo sex is still relevant. There can be a gender divide surrounding self-pleasure, and we want to shatter the illusion it’s just for the boys.

Getting rid of the societal stigma “I rarely masturbate, maybe once every couple months,” a female senior in the School of Communication told us.

She owns a vibrator, but has only attempted to use it once.

“To be honest, I really haven’t quite figured it out yet, and nothing about it feels that great,” she said.

“I think you have to get to a point where you’re really comfortable with your body and how it works. I’m not quite up to that level of expertise, so masturbation still scares me a little.”

We’re betting a lot of her fellow students can relate.

Feeling unsure about the ins and outs of self-pleasure is completely normal and understandable. We don’t want to belittle these reservations. Everyone’s sexuality develops differently. But we do want to encourage some healthy exploration.

When we asked how this senior could get more comfortable with masturbation, she suggested reconsidering some societal stereotypes.

“I think some of the stigma of female masturbation needs to be taken away,” she said. “It still seems like sort

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of a ‘dirty’ thing, which probably makes me feel more uncomfortable about it.”

She added that male masturbation is often normalized, while it can remain somewhat of a taboo for women.

“I think most guys would consider it weird if another guy never masturbated, but the same doesn’t go for girls.

While some girls do talk about it, I think a lot don’t even go there,” she said.

Improving your sex life Even though female masturbation may not function as the same rite of passage during puberty as male

There can be a gender divide surrounding self-pleasure, and we want to shatter the illusion it’s just for the boys.

masturbation often does, it’s obviously an equally normal sexual activity. No woman should ever feel “dirty” about her body or her sexuality, especially when some healthy self-loving can lead to an even better sex life with her partner(s).

It’s true. You can masturbate your way to better sex.

“I started experimenting with masturbation after I first had sex,” a female senior in the School of International Service told us. “Now, it makes it easier to get off because I know where my ‘pleasure buttons’ are.”

It makes sense — if you know your own body well, then you’ll know what works for you when you’re with a partner. Once you’re comfortable and competent enough with solo sex, you will be fully ready to translate those skills into partnered sex.

Check out D.C.-area resources Just because you’re experimenting with solo sex doesn’t mean you have to figure it out all on your own.

Especially for those who feel unsure about masturbation, educational literature can be really helpful. Check out the Women’s Initiative office and the Women’s Resource Center on MGC 2, which both have books on sexuality available for student use. One of our favorites is “I Heart Female Orgasm” by Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller (it will change your life — trust us).

Once you’re ready to start trying some things out, don’t be shy about exploring your body or this city.

Head over to a D.C.-area sex shop for more pleasure-related tools. Pleasure Place in Georgetown, Leather Rack in Dupont Circle, and Secret Pleasures Boutique on U Street are all good places to start.

The second female senior highly recommends Secret Pleasures.

“I love it because the employees ask you questions and are so helpful. You just describe what you want, and they can show you options and give you descriptions of everything. And it’s a classy place!”

So whatever your gender identification may be, don’t be afraid to take some alone time! Getting up close and personal with yourself is where great sex starts.

As always, e-mail Tara and Ryan with any of your questions, comments and sex shop tips. sexwonks@theeagleonline. com

TUESDAY 23

SCENE CALENDAR WEDNESDAY 24

THURSDAY 25

“Phantom of the Paradise” 8 p.m.

WHERE: The Passenger, 1021 7th St. NW METRO: Metro Center (red, blue and orange lines) WHAT: The Washington Psychotronic Film Society, a group of film lovers with an affinity for the strange, are always welcoming guests and new members to their weekly screenings. “Phantom of the Paradise” is a 1974 satirical musical directed by Brian De Palma that is loosely based on the Phantom of the Opera.

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

The DC Improv Comedy School Cast 6 p.m.

WHERE: DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave NW METRO: Farragut North (red line) WHAT: Hosted by comedian Shawn Westfall, the DICSC are the District’s very own improvisational comedy troupe, still going strong as they enter their sixth year of monthly performances.

COST: $10 CONTACT: www.dcimprov.com

Donavon Frankenreiter 8 p.m.

WHERE: 9:30 club, 815 V St. N.W. METRO: U Street/AfricanAmerican War Memorial/ Cardozo (green and yellow lines) WHAT: Frankenreiter perhaps got his first in with the music business in the mid80s as a professional surfer when he met songwriter Jack Johnson. He began pursuing a musical career in the late ‘90s and has a number of albums to his credit.

COST: $20 – $21 CONTACT: www.930.com

FRIDAY 26

SATURDAY 27

SUNDAY 28

Iration 8 p.m.

WHERE: Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St NE METRO: Union Station (red line) WHAT: Santa Barbara band Iration is joined by The Movement, The Green and Groundscore. These bands are able to blend garage rock and reggae, touting devoted followings in their respective hometowns.

COST: $10 – $12 CONTACT: www.rockandrollhoteldc. com

Right Round 11 p.m.

WHERE: Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW METRO: U Street/AfricanAmerican War Memorial/ Cardozo (green and yellow lines) WHAT: The Black Cat is celebrating its monthly Right Round event on the Backstage. If the title wasn’t a dead giveaway, DJ lil’e will be playing her mix of ‘80s alt-pop dance tracks.

COST: $7 CONTACT: www.blackcatdc.com

7 Door Sedan 9 p.m.

WHERE: Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW METRO: U Street/AfricanAmerican War Memorial/ Cardozo (green and yellow lines) WHAT: 7 Door Sedan is a D.C.-based indie band that began performing mainly in the D.C. metro area since 2007. They’re joined by King Mixer at the Black Cat Backstage.

COST: $8 CONTACT: www.blackcatdc.com

MONDAY 29 Brandon Flowers 7 p.m.

WHERE: 9:30 club, 815 V St. N.W. METRO: U Street/African-American War Memorial/Cardozo (green and yellow lines) WHAT: Brandon Flowers popularized synth-rock as the frontman of the incredibly successful Las Vegas band The Killers. While his band is on hiatus, he’s been working on promoting his debut solo album, Flamingo.

COST: $30 CONTACT: www.930.com

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AU students take a hike: A guide to D.C. area climbs

By ANNA CHAPIN Compass Blogger

As far as American cities go, I would argue that D.C. is among the more livable.

We’re blessed with an abundance of green space and walkable streets. However, there might come a time during your four years at AU when you find you desire a “higher tree-to-person ratio,” as one friend recently put it. Luckily for you, the District of Columbia is sandwiched between two beautiful states that offer an abundance of rural hiking opportunities.

Getting out of the city means traveling past the reaches of the Metro, so you’ll need a car for these adventures. If you’re car-less and can’t borrow one from a friend, make use of AU’s Zipcar service, which is now available to anyone over age 18 with a driver’s license.

Assateague Island: 3 hours from D.C. Assateague may not exactly be in D.C.’s backyard, but if you’re willing to make the trek to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, you will be duly rewarded. This narrow barrier island features salt marshes, coastal forests and miles upon miles of beach to explore, not to mention the possibility of spotting a wild pony or two. Assateague is wild and windswept during the off-season. It might not be for you if your idea of a beach involves tropical drinks and lounge chairs, but if you’re truly craving an escape from urban life, this is your place.

Shenandoah National Park: 1.5 hours from D.C. Shenandoah is considered to be among the East Coast’s grandest National Parks, for good reason. Winding along the top of the mountain ridge, scenic Skyline Drive alone makes a visit to Shen-

ANNA CHAPIN / THE EAGLE

Courtesy of bradipo / Flickr

SAIL AWAY, SAIL AWAY — Incubator blogger Anna Chapin braves the shores of Maryland and cliffs of D.C. in search of a hiking adventure. For a great escape, leave the Metro behind.

BRINGIN’ HOME THE BACON — AU’s students value D.C. for its internship opportunities. In this ironic take on lover letters, one blogger questions why her work is not worth financial compensation.

andoah worth your time.

The park also features over 500 miles of hiking trails, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Try out the Little Devil’s Staircase if you want to test the limits of your aerobic fitness, as well as the limits of your gluteus maximus muscle. (Post-hike, my butt was sore for days.)

Calvert Cliffs State Park: 1.5 hours from D.C. Calvert Cliffs isn’t so much a hiking destination as a geological and paleontological wonder. If you like the idea of combing a beach for shark teeth and 15 million-year-old fossils, then a trip to Calvert Cliffs should hold some appeal. The rock that makes up the cliffs themselves is soft enough to crush between your fingers, so watch where you place your hands and feet or you could be in for quite a surprise. It’s a quiet and lightlytrafficked park, even on the weekends.

Catoctin Mountain Park: 1-1.5 hours from D.C. Located just north of Frederick, Md., this park features 25 miles of trails and many

scenic overlooks. The EightMile Loop trail will give you several hours on the mountain and makes for a nice, quick day trip. Be sure to stop at the visitors’ center on your way in and grab a trail map, because many of the trails are not marked well.

Great Falls: 30 minutes from D.C. The closest and probably the most popular hiking destination for AU students, Great Falls, offers several pursuits to suit your fancy.

Stroll along the C&O Canal Towpath, scramble over rocks on the Billy Goat trail, or just sit and observe the daring white water kayakers battling it out on the Potomac.

Here is one final tip: Avoid weekend afternoons if you want to stay away from the crowds, especially at popular destinations like Shenandoah. Take advantage of your student schedule and try for a weekday trip if you can fit it in. You’ll be rewarded by far fewer people and a lot more silence. blogs@theeagleonline.com

Unpaid internships garner little love in student’s letter

By KAITLIN CARPENTER Compass Blogger

Dear Unpaid Internships, I appreciate the benefits you would like to bestow upon my future career, I really do, but there is one tiny detail we must discuss.

Yes, students who complete internships are more likely to get a job, and a better one, too. Yes, internships can provide valuable learning experiences and build important social connections. But when it comes time to apply for a job in the real world, should I be penalized if I instead chose to spend my working hours somewhere that paid?

Restaurants might not have casual Fridays or top-notch air conditioning, but I have yet to come across one that asks their servers to work for free. As a proud member of The Rent Is Too Damn High Party, I would like to take this moment to commend any employer who actually pays their employees.

And then there’s you, Unpaid Internships.

Even when we evaluate you per the U.S. Department of Labor standards, I don’t understand why I don’t deserve to be paid. Allow me to reiterate those standards: For you, little students, an internship is training, It’s you, not us, who should be gaining, And we can’t hire you to replace a real employee, Nor can you actually benefit the company, And when you leave we can’t promise a job, But we’re always glad you can “work” here for free!

Pathetic attempts at rhyming aside, one of the actual standards clearly and unambiguously states, “The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.” I’m

sure every intern feels that they’ve impeded company operations because the company was so busy providing the intern with skills and knowledge and office coffee.

Additionally, aren’t you worried that the only students who will benefit from your goodwill and training, will be upper-class kids who can afford to not have a paying job? Maybe you’re not worried about that … but you should at least consider the lack of diversity (financial and otherwise) among your interns, or you’re going to end up with all Wonder Bread and no sandwich.

On an unrelated note, I apologize, but I will be unable to apply for you this year.

I heard that the pizza place on the corner is hiring, and it’s a (paying) opportunity I can’t pass up.

Quixotically Yours, Kaitlin C. blogs@theeagleonline.com

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Eagles falls to No. 21 University of Maryland Terrapins

By SAM RAPHELSON

Eagle Contributing Writer

MARK NATALE/THE EAGLE

CHAMPS — The AU volleyball team raises the Patriot League Championship trophy after defeating Colgate University in straight sets on Sunday. The Eagles have now been crowned Patriot League Champions nine of the past 10 years.

AU reclaims Patriot League Championship with straight set victory over Colgate

By MARK NATALE

Eagle Contributing Writer The AU volleyball team (29-2) battled to a Patriot League Championship this weekend, after defeating Bucknell, 3-0 in the semifinal round and Colgate University 3-0 in the final.

AU defeated Colgate 25-17, 25-19 and 25-21.

After relinquishing its streak of eight straight Patriot League titles to Army last year, AU took back its spot at the top of the league with a dominating win over Colgate.

“It feels wonderful to win, especially [since] we didn’t win last year,” senior Magdalena Tekiel said. “The emotions are a lot stronger because we won this year and we got back our trophy.”

Bucknell In the semifinal game against Bucknell, AU relied on a dominating performance from Angelina Waterman, vaulting herself back to the top of the Eagles offense with 14 kills. Tekiel contrib-

uted to the attack, serving up three aces in the game.

AU’s defense was solid throughout the game with Deborah Frantz and Waterman pulling up nine digs each. The team had eight total blocks in the game.

Freshman Juliana Crum sparked the offense in the third set, when AU struggled to put away the Bison.

Crum’s five kills were timely in lifting the Eagles past Bucknell.

Colgate In the final, the Eagles took on third-seeded Colgate and started strong early. Coach Barry Goldberg used a different lineup in the second game, playing sophomores Krysta Cicala for junior Alexandra Hammer and Bianca Richardson for freshman Virginia Fitch.

“We gave Bianca some rest and we knew that she would come back hungry today and she did,” Goldberg said.

The Eagles got off to an early 12-5 lead in the first set, reaching a 25-17 final behind a strong attack from Tekiel and Waterman.

The second set was more of a struggle for the Eagles, going back and forth with the Raiders until finally separating themselves with an 18-15 lead and capitalizing on the late advantage.

AU managed to squeeze by a tough Colgate attack with a 25-19 victory. With a new service order for the second set, Goldberg was looking to get an advantage at the net against Colgate’s strong defenders.

Falling behind early in the third set, 4-1, AU needed to come back strong, and did just that, squeezing just past Colgate, 6-5. The teams continued to go back and forth until AU got within five points of the win. With victory in sight, the Eagles’ momentum lifted the team to the end of the game, winning 25-21.

“We played really well defensively,” Goldberg said.

“I think Deborah Frantz is the unsung hero for us. She seemed to control the back row really well for us.”

Tekiel led the team with 13 kills and a .404 hitting percentage, with Waterman not

far behind, blasting 10 kills past the Colgate defense and hitting .389.

“We went into the game really wanting to play steady,” Katerina Cinkova said. “No matter through the ups and downs. We were both fighting hard for the same thing.

We overcame what they were pushing back at us.”

Cinkova, Waterman and Tekiel were named to the all-tournament team, along with two other players from Colgate and one each from Army and Bucknell. Waterman was named MVP of the tournament.

“It feels really good to be recognized for all the work that I did this weekend,” Waterman said. “It’s a really great experience. I’m really happy — surprised and happy.”

With the win, the Eagles have now tied the 1994 team’s record 23-straight victories. AU will now wait for the volleyball NCAA selection show next Sunday to find out its matchup in the NCAA tournament. sports@theeagleonline.com

The University of Maryland Terrapins defeated the AU women’s basketball team on Sunday 78-52 after the Eagles failed to shut down the Terps’ offense.

“We didn’t have much success slowing down Maryland’s transition offense early in the game,” Head Coach Matt Corkery told AU Athletics.

“Combine that with our offensive struggles, and we got down early.”

The Eagles allowed Maryland to start out with an 8-0 lead in the first half before Alexis Dobbs hit a three-pointer. The next points for AU came from Lisa Strack, but not until after the Terps expanded their lead to 23-3 in the first four minutes.

With less than four minutes to play in the first half, Ashley Yencho took advantage of a free throw opportunity and Liz Leer and Dobbs also scored. Yencho further cut Maryland’s lead with a layup, narrowing the score to 32-16.

The 7-0 streak by the Eagles was short lived, however, and the Terps scored 12 of the next 14 points.

The half ended with the Eagles down 44-20.

Things did not improve for the Eagles in the second half.

The Terps further penetrated the AU defense by scoring an uninterrupted 11 points at the start of the second half. This streak was eventually stopped by a rebound and layup from Stephanie Anya with 13:10 remaining.

The Eagles did however produce an 8-2 run midway through the half. The game ended with a final score of 7852.

Despite the loss, Dobbs and Strack both scored 13 points.

Furthermore, Dobbs set a new career high in points as she went 4 for 10 shooting from the floor and 3 for 6 from deep.

Strack also had five rebounds and went 4 for 8 shooting from the field.

Alyssa Thomas, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and four steals, carried the win for Maryland. The Terps shot 53.3 percent from the field while AU shot 29.3 percent. Maryland also had 40 rebounds to AU’s 29.

The Eagles hope to perform better next weekend in the three-day World Vision Classic in Lubbock, Texas. AU will play against Sam Houston State on Friday night followed

by Texas Tech Saturday afternoon. They will wrap up the series against Charleston Southern on Sunday at 1 p.m. sports@theeagleonline.com

Flag football garners following on campus

By KATE GREUBEL Eagle Staff Writer

AU’s football team may still be undefeated — because it does not exist — but that does not mean that the pigskin isn’t tossed around on campus.

Every fall hundreds of students sign-up to play intramural flag football, one of the most popular intramural sports that AU offers.

This fall, 24 flag football teams were formed to compete in intramural games, each playing with specific

goals in mind: have fun, stay fit, win bragging rights and play in the National Campus Championship Series for flag football held each November.

Whatever a team’s goal, one thing is for sure: Everyone has fun.

“I think flag football is unique,” AU Intramural Coordinator Chris Gromley said. “It’s outdoors, and it’s nice a break from studying.”

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intramural sports and said that flag football is one sport that he does not have to pull teeth to get people to participate. Students appear to like the fact that flag football focuses on playing well as a team, not just well individually.

“I think a lot of people just like the idea of flag football,” Gromley said.

“It is probably one of our nation’s best team-building exercises, just because of how the sport is organized. It is not like basketball or baseball where one player can make an impact without help from teammates.”

Each year, AU’s intramural flag football season starts in early September and runs until mid-November. Teams compete in one of three leagues: -Eagle, the all-men’s competitive league -Clawed, a non-competitive men’s league -Women, an all-women’s competitive league. Sixteen teams competed in the Eagle league this season, which was divided into four divisions. Five teams played in Clawed, and six teams came out for the women’s league.

Member of the all-women’s team, All the Single Ladies — comprised of the women’s club soccer team and friends — sophomore Rachel Black said she sees many women playing intramural flag football because it is a sport that females often aren’t given the opportunity to play.

“For girls, flag football is something new,” Black said. “It brings a different dynamic to AU in general because it allows you to do something that you weren’t given the opportunity to do in high school. “ All the Single Ladies’ team captain, junior Michelle Pinter-Petrillo, said that many women’s teams start at the same playing level.

“Everyone is learning at the same time,” PinterPetrillo said. “It is geared to have fun rather than to be competitive.”

There is no cap on the number of players each team can have, and Gromley said most teams are comprised of students involved in the same club

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“Delta Gamma turned in a roster of 32 girls, and we hoped all of them would come out,” Gromley said.

“SPA Leadership generally has big numbers on their roster and a number of other groups do as well.”

Students are also encouraged to sign up to referee games. Student referees need no prior experience, are trained at the beginning of each season by Gromley and are paid.

The men’s and women’s teams that win AU’s tournament earn championship T-shirts and are offered the opportunity to play, all expenses paid, in the NCCS Regional Flag Football Championship, held at the University of Maryland College Park.

Other AU teams can also compete at the University of Maryland, but the players must pay the tournament fees out of their pocket.

This year, Delta Tau Delta was the winner of AU’s men’s competitive division, team All The Single Ladies swept the women’s

tournament.

Delta Tau Delta finished its regular season 7-0 and competed in the NCCS Regional Tournament for the second time this year.

Quarterback and team captain senior Topher Anuzis said his fraternity has had one or two teams play every intramural sport for as long as he can remember.

“We have an eclectic mix of guys,” Anuzis said. “I just love playing sports, and a lot of them are the same.”

All the Single Ladies went 5-0 for the regular season and also qualified for the tournament at UMD for the second year in a row.

Both Delta Tau Delta and All the Single Ladies played three round robin games at the Regional Tournament over the weekend of Nov. 13. Although neither team won a game, they both enjoyed the experience.

“It was a very fun environment,” Pinter-Petrillo said. “We will totally be back next year.” kgreubel@theeagleonline. com

Talent, not morals, dictate Michael Vick’s return to football SIDELINE SCHOLAR

BEN LASKY On Monday Night Football last week, as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Pop Warner Redskins, the announcers began a conversation about Michael Vick’s return to the NFL. They discussed Eagles’ Head Coach Andy Reid’s decision to give Vick a second chance, mentioning that both of Reid’s sons have dealt with their own legal troubles over the last few years. While that makes for a nice story, it is naïve to think that the Philadelphia QB was signed as some sort of social statement.

The Eagles signed Michael

Vick because of his talent. He was signed because he was perhaps the best athlete the sport had ever seen before he went to jail. Quite simply, he was brought to Philadelphia because the Eagles thought he put them in a better position to succeed.

If someone with far less talent than Vick had gone to prison for 23 months, there’s no chance he would have gotten a contract right away. So it’s not about second chances. It’s about second chances for talented players.

This is true throughout the league. Terrell Owens has worn out his welcome everywhere he’s played, yet he continues to get contract offers.

In his case, he’s had a second, third and fourth chance, with chance number five coming up real soon.

Do you think a third-string defensive tackle would even

be able to keep his employer on the phone for five seconds if he started complaining about how he disapproves of the new defensive scheme?

The typical reaction from a general manager or coach would be, “I’m sorry you feel that way. Good luck with your next team.” Now, the Albert Haynesworth situation is mostly about money, but if the Redskins didn’t think he could be productive in some way, he wouldn’t still be with the team.

There are plenty of free agents available right now that are looking for second chances one way or another.

Jamarcus Russell is looking for a second chance coming off of an arrest for illegal codeine possession. The reason that he’s not getting one is because he’s been awful on the field.

It’s simple, if an athlete is even remotely talented, he will get chance after chance after chance in the NFL. This is evidenced by the career of Adam “Pacman” Jones. Jones has been arrested seven times dating back to college and teams are still willing to take a chance on him. The strange part about this is that Jones hasn’t been particularly good in his career.

It takes place in all of the major sports. Manny Ramirez just stops playing baseball after a while everywhere he goes, yet continues to receive contract offers. Sean Avery was released by the Dallas Stars in 2009 after he made comments about a player on the Calgary Flames falling in love with his “sloppy seconds,” because the player was dating Avery’s former girlfriend. The Rangers quickly signed Avery, who had success with the team the previous year. In the NBA, Ron Artest continues to be employed because he’s a former defensive player of the year.

Andy Reid’s job is to win.

And part of winning is putting the best talent you possibly can on the field. His job is not to create a fluff piece about redemption for a TV network. Vick deserves a second chance, but the belief that the Eagles signed him so that he could redeem himself in some way is insane. Sports is a business, and nothing sells better than winning. blasky@theeagleonline.com

THIS WEEK’S SCORES Volleyball Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball

AU: 25 25 25 Bucknell: 17 13 21 AU: Colgate: AU: FAU:

25 25 25 17 19 21 82 72

AU: 52 Maryland: 78

Four reasons why NASCAR deserves your attention THE FANATIC

MICHAEL GARDNER It has been officially three months since I arrived on the campus of American University, and to my surprise, I have not met one person out of the 6,000 plus students in the enrollment who like NASCAR. New York Jets fans, Phillies fans, but no Dale Jr. fans.

I, for one, am glad that I have been able to hang on to my love of the 800 horsepower, fire-spitting machines since I got hooked 13 years ago.

Since Sunday was the final race of the 2010 season, this is a perfect time to prepare for Daytona next February. Here are four simple things to keep in mind for novice NASCAR fans.

The Chase is not a good thing In 2004, NASCAR CEO Brian France wanted to create a “playoff ” like atmosphere for the drivers by taking whoever, after 26 of the 36 races, was in the top 10 in the point standings and giving those 10 drivers a shot at winning the championship by competing in the final 10 races. The problem with The Chase is that it does not award consistent drivers. If someone is on a hot streak at the midway point of the season and doesn’t make The Chase, then all of his momentum is lost.

Pick a favorite driver, then the rest is easy

For example, say you choose Kyle Busch as your favorite driver next year. His fans will probably see him win a few races and make some new rivals. Picking a favorite driver will give you some vested interest in the sport. If you have a favorite team, it is second nature to feel the highs and lows. In NASCAR there is also the element of teammates and rivals. Usually, the driver you select is part of a multi-car team, so teamwork is integral to the sport even though people think of it as solitary.

Respect Dale Earnhardt Jr. You don’t have to like him, but do not say he is your least favorite driver or else Junior Nation will get you. By that, I mean if you sit behind a Dale Jr. fan during a race and boo him, chances are you will get involved in some form of confrontation. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not untouchable, but he is a symbol of the sport. He grew up in Kannapolis, N.C., worked his way to the top and carries a prestigious name.

Disrespecting someone like that is like hating Babe Ruth.

Try to go to a race next year, it is quite the experience Going to a NASCAR race is like going to a state fair. There is a lot of fried food, always something to do, a lot of standing or walking around and you will meet and see very interesting people from all walks of life. It is one of the best ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Having gone to multiple races, I have had my share of toothless, tattooed fans and proper gentlemen attending races. sports@theeagleonline.com

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ROLLIN’— Junior guard Troy Brewer finishes an alley-oop in Wednesday’s win over the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks. AU picked up another win Saturday at Florida Atlantic University.

Eagles pick up fourth straight win on Lumpkins and Moldoveanu performances

By TYLER TOMEA Eagle Staff Writer

Vlad Moldoveanu and Stephen Lumpkins combined for 44 points as the Eagles withstood a strong secondhalf charge from Florida Atlantic University to defeat the Owls 82-72 on Saturday in Boca Raton, Fla. Moldoveanu scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Lumpkins registered a double-double with 22 points and 15 boards in the victory.

Junior guard Troy Brewer added 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks for the Eagles, who have now opened the 2010-11 campaign with four straight wins.

Guard Greg Gantt paced the Owls with 18 points on 6 for 12 shooting from the field.

After trailing 6-4 following the first media timeout, AU went on a 16-2 run to build its first double-digit lead of the game. Brewer started the spurt with one of his four first-half three pointers, and ended it by again hitting from long range to give the Eagles a 20-8 lead eight minutes into the game.

Brewer made all five shots

he attempted in the first half, and his three-pointer with less than six minutes to go until halftime put the Eagles up 3622. Daniel Munoz followed with two free throws to extend the AU advantage to 16.

Leading 40-29, the Eagles closed the opening 20 minutes on a 7-1 run to take a 4730 lead going into the locker room.

After only scoring 23 points in the first half on Wednesday, the Eagles more than doubled that output on Saturday. Brewer led all scorers at the break with 14 points, while AU shot 55 percent from the field and went 7 for 11 on three point shots. The Owls struggled to find an offensive rhythm, going 6 for 28 in the opening half.

When Munoz made a layup to extend the Eagles’ lead to 22 early in the second half, it looked like AU had everything under control. But after the half FAU began a furious rally that nearly resulted in a victory for the Owls.

Following a layup at the 17:45 mark of the second half, the Eagles would only score six points over the next nine minutes, allowing the Owls back

into the game. Alex Tucker scored seven points and Kore White had six during a key 194 FAU run that made it 58-51 AU with 8:40 remaining. Just over two minutes later, forward Brett Royster hit two free throws to pull the Owls within three at 64-61.

With FAU trailing by five with 4:31 to play Tucker, who tallied 14 points, would hit two free throws and a layup to cut the deficit to one at 69-68. But Lumpkins responded with a layup and Moldoveanu nailed two free throws to push the lead to five.

The clincher came when Lumpkins, who spearheaded an AU attack that outscored FAU 38-22 in the paint, hit a layup to put his team up 7772 with 56 seconds remaining.

Lumpkins, Moldoveanu and Brewer would then combine for five free throws down the stretch to secure the 82-72 victory.

The Eagles will play at Howard University on Nov. 23, before returning home to face Columbia University on Nov. 28. ttomea@theeagleonline.com