crescent September 2015 | University of Evansville | College Culture Upfront | issuu.com/uecrescent | $2.50
MAGAZINE
SMARTPHONES IN THE SERVICES Many think technology can distract believers, but it can actually help improve faith. | 10
A LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY
PARADIGM SHIFT
Having smartphones and Internet in our pockets has changed the way society functions. What are these changes, and what are the implications? | 20
THE PRICE OF A PICTURE Sexting seems to be a fact of life. But what happens when photos are leaked to humiliate? | 34
c e m o
H HOMECOMING AND FAMILY WEEKEND
g n i m
o c
d n e ek e W y l i m a
F d n a
5 1 0 2
Sept. 25 –27 Find out more about Family Weekend and register your family at www.evansville.edu/parents/ familyWeekendSchedule.cfm
Forever PURPLE Carnival for Students, Alumni, Families and other Aces Fans
Saturday, Sept. 26 Sponsored by SAB and Alumni and Parent Relations
2–6 p.m.
Student organization-sponsored games, booths, food and fun. Meet the Aces. H-Lot
2–4 p.m.
Aces Athletics Yard Sale Maikranz Family Gym Carson Center
3 p.m.
Women’s Soccer vs Loyola McCutchan Stadium Welcome Alumni! Special reunions include: • Class of 1965 • School of Public Health • Tau Kappa Epsilon • Sigma Phi Epsilon •Men and Women’s Soccer
Questions? Contact alumni@evansville.edu or 812–488–2586 2 |
6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer vs Drake with Homecoming royalty introduced McCutchan Stadium
8:15 p.m.
Forever Purple Fireworks. A UE first! McCutchan Stadium
8:30 p.m.
rePercussion, America’s premier drumming comedy show September 2015 | Crescent Magazine McCutchan Stadium
Contents
EDITORIAL
THIS MONTH
Writing Directors MARISA PATWA RYAN MURPHY
10
Society’s shift into one where everything seems to be going digitally means many people are using it in their religious lives as well.
Writers HALEY ALBERS GRAHAM CHATTIN KEZIAH COLLETON MCKENZIE ELLIS ALEX GOULD CHRISTINE GRAVELLE IAN HESLINGER DEJA JOHNSON RACHAEL MCGILL CHRIS NORRIS ANNA SHEFFER
20
26
COVER | Anna Sheffer & Graham Chattin
Technology & the Brain — Education is changing as technology finds its way into the classroom and affects how we learn.
30
COVER | Chris Norris & McKenzie Ellis
Necessary Networking — How people find jobs and the new jobs available today are being greatly influenced by social media.
34
TOBY KUHNKE
SEXUAL TENSION | Marisa Patwa
Photos have become a staple of social media, but sharing intimate pictures — sexting — is creating a new set of problems.
Copy Editors EMILY KRIEBLE ASHLEY MATTHEWS PAIGE WATTS
COVER | Marisa Patwa & Ryan Murphy
Social Disconnect — Everyone knows technology is changing the way we live. While some changes are happening gradually, the way we interact with others has also forever been changed.
EDITING Editing Director
WITHIN FAITH | Rachael McGill
44
A CLOSER LOOK | Haley Albers
A complex scientic discipline guides Lora Becker as she helps others learn about the interplay between the brain and behavior.
DEPARTMENTS 3 OUR VIEWPOINT 4 IN THE NEWS 6 INNOVATION 9 6 QUESTIONS 12 TRENDING TOPICS 14 FASCINATING PEOPLE 16 STATE OF AFFAIRS 19 THROUGH THE LENS 35 CAMPUS CRIME 36 OVERTIME 38 THE HOT CORNER 39 ATHLETES IN ACTION 40 BRAIN BOMB 41 WHO KNEW? 42 OFF THE WALL
CREATIVE Creative Director TROY BURGER
Photographers KATE SARBER MAKAYLA SEIFERT
Designers TRAVIS HASENOUR KAYLA SEIFERT
MARKETING & SALES Circulation Assistant PATRICK ROQUE
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HOW TO CONTACT US
Ridgway University Center, University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, Ind. 47722 Editorial e-mail: crescentmagazine@evansville.edu • Phone: (812) 488–2846 • FAX: (812) 488–2224 Marketing & Sales: (812) 488–2221 & 488–2223 • crescentadvertising@evansville.edu
CRESCENT MAGAZINE is the University of Evansville’s student magazine. It is written, edited and designed by and for UE students and published six times during the academic year. Circulation is 1,700, and it is distributed to 18 campus locations and housed online at www.issuu.com. It is funded through advertising sales and a subscription fee paid on behalf of students by the Student Government Association. Printed by Mar-Kel Printing, Newburgh, Ind. © 2015 Student Publications, University of Evansville. | LETTER SUBMISSIONS: Crescent Magazine welcomes letters from UE students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni, but material the CMEB regards as libelous, malicious and/or obscene will not be published. Letters should not exceed 250 words. For verification, letters must include the author’s name, class standing or title and email address. Crescent Magazine does not print anonymous letters or those that cannot be verified. Letters will be edited as needed. Email letters to crescentmagazine@evansville.edu, with “letter” written in the subject line. | EDITORIAL POLICY: Commentary expressed in unsigned editorials represents a consensus opinion of the magazine’s Editorial Board. Other columns, reviews, articles and advertising are not necessarily the opinion of the CMEB or other members of staff.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
yond small fines — fines that are likely paid by our parents. It’s much harder for people to care about things if they aren’t the ones paying for it. It’s easier to assume that taking care of our shared spaces is someone else’s responsibility instead of remembering to clean up after ourselves or not damaging property in the first place. And if something doesn’t belong to us, what gives someone the right to take it, vandalize it or neglect it? Just reading Campus Crime shows that there are people on campus who steal from others, vandalize others’ property and have a disregard for others’ belongings. Simply noticing these kinds of disrespectful behaviors is not enough. We need to do something about them, but confronting them is more difficult in practice than in theory. Perhaps we don’t say anything to others when we see these behaviors exhibited because we might be guilty of them too. Or maybe it’s because we don’t like confrontation. No matter the reason, the fact that we allow littering and the abuse of our shared living and other campus spaces shows how unaware many of us can be. College campuses are different than most places, so they must be treated differently. About 90 percent of the student population lives on or near campus. There are a lot of people crammed into a relatively small space, and we’re bound to step on each other’s toes every now and then. But because our campus functions as one large, densely populated common space, it takes the cooperation of every person to maintain a decent environment. No matter how uncomfortable it may make us, confronting disrespectful behavior in a respectful way is a necessary part of maintaining a clean, friendly environment based on a fundamental respect of campus property and the people who live here. Campus does not belong to one person; it belongs to everyone. We may only spend four years here, but for those four years, we have to live together. The price future students will pay for us not taking care of campus and its facilities will be far worse than a few fines charged to our student accounts.
OUR VIEWPOINT
R
esponses in this month’s “6 Questions” got us thinking about what students can do to make campus a cleaner, more welcoming place, free of petty crime. For students, litter is easy to overlook. Campus is so well groomed that students often don’t think about the time is actually takes Physical Plant workers to pick up trash. We were told that it is the first thing the crew does every day, spending an hour or so just picking up litter. But why should litter on campus even be a problem in the first place? Some people may blame campus visitors. Others may fault today’s lazy and disrespectful generation of students. Certainly that’s an overgeneralization, but if groundskeepers spend an hour each day just picking up trash, something must be wrong. Littering is only part of a larger campus problem — a respect problem. Everyone has probably seen it in action, but most haven’t done anything to stop it. And it happens everywhere. It happens in Ridgway Center when plates, cups and silverware go missing. It happens in the Bower-Suhrheinrich Library when we leave trash in study rooms or mark up books meant for everyone to use. It happens in residence halls when bathrooms and hallways are left a mess or furniture is damaged and walls are defaced. And it happens every time someone drops a cigarette butt or takes a shortcut to class through a flowerbed on the Front Oval or near the library. If you think about it, money spent maintaining campus facilities and grounds comes from students. So why don’t we care more about keeping our shared spaces clean and well kept? For most, the time spent on campus is fleeting. We only live here for four years or so. But many of us adopt a careless attitude because we know that if we leave trash behind, someone else will pick it up. That if we break something provided to us by UE, it will be repaired or replaced. While UE spends money on making campus a nice place for current and future students, we continue to treat many things poorly because, in most cases, there are no consequences be-
TIME TO
RESPECT
CAMPUS We’ve seen it. We’ve ignored it. Campus has a problem with people respecting it, and properly disposing of our trash is only part of the solution.
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IN THE NEWS
RYAN MURPHY
CAMPUS
MAKEOVER
Changes include a new policy, a remodeled library and updated wireless.
W
hile students found a number of differences when they arrived on campus late last month, changes with the highest profiles were the shift to a tobacco-free campus, renovations to the Bower-Suhrheinrich Library and upgrades to the wireless network. Campus adopted a tobacco-free policy Aug. 1. Not only are all tobacco products prohibited but so are electronic cigarettes and vapor pens. “There had been concerns about whether the existing policy was effective,” said Michael Tessier, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, who chaired the committee that wrote the new policy. “There was still a lot of concern that faculty members, students and staff were walking into secondhand smoke.” He said the new policy makes resources more available to smokers who want to quit using tobacco. Sodexo also added nicotine gum to Ace’s Place, and there is information on the website that includes cessation programs to make quitting easier. “People, overall, were very cooperative,” he said. “I’ve had several people say since the campus has gone tobacco-free, ‘I’ve thought about quitting.’” Tessier said the policy will be enforced by giving reminders to those who do not follow it. Repeat offenders will be reported to the appropriate supervisor. “It is not only Safety & Security’s job or a supervisor’s, but the community’s job,” he said. “It’s all about mutual respect.” For more information about the tobacco-free policy, visit evansville.edu/tobaccofree/. Long in need of a makeover, the library underwent a major facelift this summer and work continues. Workers from ARC Construction have been renovating the interior of the library since early May and installing exterior windows to provide natural light. There is now a more open feeling to the first two floors since the renovations focused on additional
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seating areas, study rooms and student workspaces. When the renovations are complete, 17 group study rooms will be available on the second and fourth floors. There are two new media rooms and six new collaborative stations with flat screen TVs where anyone can display information from their computers. In addition, the collection of older media items such as cassettes and albums will be more accessible. Steven Mussett, interim university librarian, said the goal of modernizing the spaces is to make the library more accommodating to students and the technology they rely on today, a major change from when the library was built in 1986. “We’re hoping that the design will help students to navigate better for those who haven’t been in such a big library before,” he said. “We our excited for the facilities for our students but also excited for ourselves.” The third and fourth floors are inaccessible until spring. All books will be housed on those floors, and if students need specific books until then, library workers will retrieve them. About $3.2 million of the projected cost has been raised. One of the biggest donations came from an alumni couple who gave $1 million. Mussett said the majority of the funding for the library renovations came from alumni donations. A major overhaul was also made to the wireless network. OTS worked this summer to install new equipment and update the wireless system. They directed their efforts first to where wireless and connectivity are needed most. “We wanted to make sure we had wireless up in residence halls before students came back,” said Michael Smith, director of OTS. He said the project replaced the network cables that run between all buildings and installed more than 150 new network switches. Workers also removed about 190 old ones.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
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Crescent Magazine | September 2015
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| 5
INNOVATION & SCIENCE
CRACKING THE photo by Kate Sarber
CANCER CODE HALEY ALBERS
C
uring cancer is pretty high up on many scientists’ to-do lists. While much progress has been made in recent years, there is still much to discover, and some of those discoveries are being made in UE’s own chemistry labs. Senior Abby Smith, a professional chemistry major who was named a 2015 Goldwater Scholar last spring and completed an internship in drug discovery this summer at Eli Lilly and Co., is working with Andy Lampkins, assistant professor of chemistry, to develop a smart therapeutic drug that will treat cancer in a new way. “The basic concept behind the smart therapeutic model is creating a drug that can simultaneously detect and treat disease,” Smith explained. Lampkins originally developed the project, which serves as the basic framework for Smith to build on. “We’ve had this in the hopper for a while now and have been waiting for the right student to come along and run with it,” Lampkins said. “When Abby came along, that’s
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“
when we really decided to take this project and throw our hat into the ring and run with it.” If the correct discoveries can be made, the drug would consist of three parts all attached to a central molecule: an affinity ligand that binds to a certain substance, a fluorescent tag to track it and the actual treatment itself. This kind of therapy could theoretically be useful to many kinds of diseases, but for now the main focus is on cancer treatment. “The problem with typical cancer treatment is a lack of specificity with the treatment,” Smith said, “and there are a lot of negative side effects. This treatment would hopefully help minimize those effects by only targeting the cancer cells.” Though Lampkins has provided direction and support, he credits Smith with the majority of the work. “She has really been the engine behind the synthetic efforts on this project,” he said. “She’s the one who rolls up her sleeves and makes [things happen] in the lab.” Smith and Lampkins have managed to
successfully attach one of the three parts — the fluorescent tag — but attaching the other two has proved difficult. Smith admits research involves a lot more failure than success, but that only makes the breakthroughs more rewarding. Developing a new drug means doing things that have never been done before, so the research duo has had to return to the drawing board a number of times. They have had to take steps back to think of new strategies, but they remain hopeful that this drug can be created. “Results this far have been really promising,” Lampkins said. “Abby has completed nearly all of our synthetic goals. From the fruits of her labor, we’ve seen that we should be able to finish the creation of these prototypes very soon.” Smith started working on the project in summer 2014, hoping it would help prepare her for a career in pharmaceutical research. “It got me started on it,” she said. “After working on this project now, I definitely know that this is something I want to do.”
The problem with typical cancer treatment is a lack of specificity.
“
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
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September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
Q&A
Questions Campus always looks great, even during the winter. But what goes into keeping the grounds and properties in great condition, and how can students help? BOB DALE Physical Plant Grounds Supervisor campus proper. We also own 100 off-campus properties, and when a tree limb comes down at one of those properties, we go take care of it. If there’s a hole in a driveway, we go take care of that. We maintain some off-campus athletic fields as well as the president’s house.
photo by Kate Sarber
Q: What would you say is the depart-
Q: Could you explain what exactly your department takes care of? A: I think our crew has a broader range of things they do than the average person knows about. They do anything from sidewalk work to parking lot repair, tree work and the landscape installations and maintenance. They also do the repair and maintenance of UE’s athletic fields. We’ve got some staff members who are very creative, and they do a lot of seasonal design work, too. We also do the seasonal outdoor lighting and Christmas decorations.
Q: What are the challenges your crew faces on campus? A: There are only seven of us, so we’re spread pretty thin. There are 75 acres on the
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
ment’s busiest time of year? A: Summer is certainly one of our busier times. If there’s construction, we are always the last guys in, and typically the construction work is not done until the last minute, yet we want it to look complete when everybody arrives back on campus. If you looked at it on average, I would say our busiest time is the April–May time frame, when everything hits all at once. Grass and weeds start to grow, all the beds need to be mulched, spring plantings have to be done. Baseball and softball are up and running, and soccer is doing spring season work. We’re also preparing for summer camps on campus.
Q: Where do all the flowers planted on campus come from? A: We built a greenhouse about three years ago because we recognized we spent a great deal of money on flowers for campus. By having our own greenhouse, we’re able to grow exactly what we want. We save a little money. Plus, we have it when we want it,
we have exactly what we want, the exact color and number we want.
Q: How does your crew deal with winter’s snow and ice? A: If everybody who reads this could take one thing from this interview, it would be how motivated the crew is when it comes to snow and ice. You’re talking about guys who get up and come into work at 3 a.m. before the snowplows have been out. They are going through conditions the average person would say are treacherous. They’re coming to work when everybody else is at home asleep because they know if the campus is closed, it’s their job to get it open. They’re here for 14 hours, knowing the snow and sleet are still coming down, and they are going to be back at 4 or 5 a.m. to start all over again. They’re an honorable group. They know it’s not perfect, but it’s much better than average.
Q: What can students do to make your jobs easier? A: The crew appreciates it when somebody says, “That looks nice. Thank you.” They appreciate it when someone uses a trash can. Our crew spends an hour every day picking up litter. It’s the first thing we do. And there is still going to be some litter during the day. That’s a constant battle for us, picking up litter. Cigarette butts were a big issue. Hopefully, that issue will go away.
| 9
WITHIN FAITH
RACHAEL MCGILL
SMARTPHONES
IN THE SERVICE With society’s shift into digital culture, spirituality also goes digital.
I
nstead of church bells or recitations, the beep of a smartphone is now a call to prayer. Thanks to technology, religion has also shifted with modern culture into the digital age. With the rise of smartphones and the Internet, faith is no longer expressed only inside a house of worship. About 64 percent of American adults own a smartphone, which means that more than half of Americans use apps every day, including those that are specifically spiritual apps. Some are concerned about technology crowding people’s schedules too much to allow time for faith, but many agree that technology, if used in the right way, can actually help people grow in their faith. For many students, smartphone use is an integral part of practicing their religion, whether during worship or in their own personal spiritual lives. Graduate student Jessica Stoens said many congregants in her church openly use their phones during services. “It’s funny when the service starts and everybody pulls out their smartphones to pull up Bible quotes [or] sermon notes,” she said, adding that many congregants find Bible studies, messages and sermon notes on the church’s app. Some places of worship may not condone the use of technology during services, but followers still use it for keeping tabs on their spiritual lives. Several apps for sacred texts, prayer journals, doctrine, meditation guides and other material help followers practice their faith in new ways. Junior Hassan Taki Eddin said he uses the app Athan, which notifies him of prayer times and includes a compass pointing toward Mecca. The app also has a map identifying mosques near one’s current location. In this way, worship can be more efficient. Priest Surendra Mishra, of the Tri-State Hindu Temple, noted technology’s ability to reach people. “We can use technology in the religious field for
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the benefit of all people because we can connect so many people in the world,” he said. “I use YouTube to listen to religious discourses. I use Google; I download books from the Internet since so many things are available.” But Mishra said with the rise in technology use, there runs the risk of unhealthy reliance. A 2015 Pew Center Research survey reports that 44 percent of smartphone users reported a situation in which they could not perform a task because they did not have their phones. Many see this as dependence getting out of hand, which can negatively affect spirituality. “IPhone, Internet, tablet, it’s part of life,” Mishra said. “Without technology, we can’t do anything. We cannot spend one day without technology because this is the technology age.” He and others worry that reliance on technology could turn into spiritual neglect, distancing people from the inner balance that faith can bring. But the risks depend on how the technology is used. “There are so many benefits and so many harmful things to technology,” Mishra said. “It depends on the people, what kind of people are using the technology.” Sophomore Amanda Alexander also said that while technology can advance society, reliance could bring consequences. She said she has found a way to function without technology during Lent. Her family sometimes partakes in a media fast in which they avoid excessive use of technology. “Once [I] got past a certain point, I appreciated time with family, with church and with God,” Alexander said. “I found I was more happy with who I am.” For better or for worse, it looks like technology plays a big role in modern spirituality, and that probably will not change anytime soon. “With the growth of technology, it becomes a bigger influence on all aspects of life, including religion,” Taki Eddin said. “There are no limits.”
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
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| 11
TRENDING TOPICS
Technology is always changing, but as consumers, why do we find it necessary to buy the newest gadget offered to us?
THE MIND OF TODAY’S
CONSUMER CHRISTINE GRAVELLE
G
uess Connect, Cintiq Companion 2, Kube, Lantronix Zano, Hubsan Nano Q4, Misfit Shine, OneWheel and the Snail W3D. With names that are difficult to remember, these are just a few of the new gadgets that were introduced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Getting us to remember these names and to find out what they do is the job of today’s techno-savvy marketers. Marketing today is an on-going relationship with consumers. From Facebook ads and Twitter posts to company blogs, the industry is finding ways to reach us. And they are succeeding. The Consumer Electronics Association reported that the average American household spent about $1,400 in 2012 on such things as HDTVs, cell phones, video game systems, computers and portable music devices. This translates to more than $165 billion. The world of technology has quickly become a game of leapfrog for consumers and a cash bonanza for manufacturers. Within months — even weeks — a company’s breakthrough product leaves your former state-ofthe-art device in the dust. With an out-of-date phone in one hand and an empty wallet in the other, what are consumers left to do in the eye of this technology storm? Being a part of this technologically savvy generation, it’s hard not to get caught up in the cycle of expensive new gadgets. Consumers feed this constantly changing industry, but one wonders if we need to buy in to every device and service that is offered to us. The real question might be: Why do we want these new things so badly? Susan
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Krauss Whitbourne, a professor of psychology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, wrote in a 2012 TIME article that many of us just cannot help it. We envision how the latest, greatest device will revolutionize our lives and then hand over our hardearned cash in order to get our hands on the new toy of the moment. Evidently consumers are driven to the newest and hottest gadgets because of their personality style. Researchers have found that each of us has our own level of craving for new things. They call this “novelty-seeking” or neophilia. Novelty-seeking exists within each of us in different levels. Identified by psychiatrist Robert Cloninger in the 1990s, novelty-seeking is an automatic emotional response, one of four basic personality characteristics. “Nothing reveals your personality more succinctly than your characteristic emotional reaction to novelty,” author Winifred Gallagher said. “It’s also the most important behavioral difference among individuals.” People with high levels of novelty-seeking behavior are drawn to new situations, experiences and, of course, possessions. They tend to make impulsive decisions and are highly concerned with seeking and getting rewards. Those high in novelty-seeking are also those on the lookout for the newest, highest-profile technological advances and are the first in line when the gadgets show up in stores. The “high” people experience while cradling their newest gadget is similar to the rush that occurs in the brain when any type of addiction is satisfied. Techno-gadgets are particularly appealing because they have ad-
dictive qualities, as any passionate player of video games will admit. Unfortunately, the “high” fades as the brain adapts and seeks the next rewarding novelty, which marketers are always working to take advantage of. Researchers have found that people’s tendency for novelty-seeking also depends on their upbringing, on their current surroundings and on their stage in life. By some estimates, the urge for novelty drops by half between the ages of 20 and 60. That means our urge is pretty high right now. For us, technology has been around our entire lives. It started with computers and transitioned to the iPhone. A computer was able to do everything the iPhone could, but the iPhone gave us the benefit of being portable and more convenient. And as more gadgets are developed and produced, we are finding that we want the convenience they offer. For example, while some analysts believe the Apple Watch and other smartwatches will fail, others see them as the devices of the future. In fact, deputy editor Bill Wasik of The New York Times Magazine wrote that he believes wearable technology will eventually be as popular as smartphones and will transform the way people experience the world. That is exactly what technology comes down to — convenience. Newer does not necessarily mean better, but it becomes up to the user to decide whether each new technological advance really offers ease in our lives. And regardless of one’s novelty-seeking behavior, heading into the future we will be faced with a lot of decisions concerning what technology is important to us and whether we are willing to pay for it or not.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
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UE BOOKSTORE
Ridgway University Center 812–488–2678 • evansville.bkstr.com RedShelf ebooks now available thru Sept. 10
• Monday–Thursday: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. • Friday: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m.–2 p.m. • Sunday: Closed Crescent Magazine | September 2015
New Year.
New Time.
#NeuDirections. Sleep in and still make it to church! UNIVERSITY WORSHIP 11 a.m.
Neu Chapel Everyone is welcome | 13
photo by Kate Sarber
FASCINATING PEOPLE
FULLY IMMERSED IN CULTURE HALEY ALBERS
14 |
S
ome people are a little more passionate about their hobbies than others. Senior Kane Stratman’s love for Russia might not be a full-blown obsession, but it’s pretty close. The biology major is pursuing a minor in Russian and jokingly calls himself a Communist. He’s been to Ukraine twice and spent this summer studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia. Stratman said it all began when he needed to meet UE’s foreign language requirement and did not want to take Spanish again. “I’d played a lot of Russian music in band and figured, ‘What the hell?’” he said. “I fell in love with it — the language, the culture, the history.” He continued on past the required six credit hours and now has six semesters of Russian under his belt. While at Harlaxton in fall 2013, he took a trip to Ukraine to practice the language since there aren’t many opportunities for that in Evansville or Grantham, England. He liked Ukraine so much that he decided to make another trip there that semester. And it just happened to put him there when many Ukrainians were rioting and protesting Russian rule. Stratman traveled again this summer to study in St. Petersburg, taking 10 hours of Russian language and litera-
“
ture courses while immersing himself in the culture. “I have a communist pin that I bought [in Ukraine],” he said, “and I like to wear it on communist holidays as a joke.” Stratman said he likes his privacy far too much to actually be a Communist, but he believes there are a few things America could learn from Russia. “I think their appreciation for their own literature and history is something we don’t seem to have here,” he said. “American culture is so material, it seems like, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but we don’t seem to be as invested in our cultural history as they are.” Stratman does have other interests. He keeps busy with biology coursework and enjoys golfing and performing with the Symphony Orchestra in his free time. In addition to upright bass and piano, he can play the Bayan accordion and balalaika — two primarily Russian instruments. Stratman could be mistaken for a professor because of his fondness for tweed, and his intellectual interests fit the image. “I don’t have a Facebook,” he said. “So I spend all the time that I would spend on that studying grammar and playing accordion instead.”
“
I fell in love with it.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
A WOMAN ON A MISSION RYAN MURPHY
U photo by Kate Sarber
ganda isn’t the first place many think of when deciding on a summer trip. But Madeline Stone is evidently not like most people since she spent time ths summer there with Fields of Dreams Uganda Inc. “Best part of the summer was that trip, definitely,” she said. The exercise science major has gone on U.S. mission trips before, but when she heard about this experience from a member of her church, she was interested enough to look into it
and travel overseas for a week. While in Uganda, Stone said she trained men to set standards for themselves. This “integrity training” was practiced across the program’s nine Ugandan partner schools. “That was the main focus of the trip,” she said, “but we did get to spend time with the kids.” Part of that time was spent watching a tournament day, where schools took part in soccer matches, music and dancing. Fields of Dreams Uganda is the December destination for the women’s soccer team.
LAUGH LIKE YOU MEAN IT
W
hether it’s playing icebreaker games or practicing squeaky dolphin voices, sophomore Caleb Chesnut takes his fun seriously. He works especially hard at being as entertaining as possible. “I’m not afraid to embarrass myself or be weird,” he said. “My friends in high school used to joke that I’d have a hard time making friends because I’m so weird, but that hasn’t been the case here.” The Newton, Ill., native is an honors student, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and an Orientation Leader, enjoying the sense of family that comes with that role. One of Chesnut’s favorite things to do is perform with his fraternity at philanthropy-sponsored events. He was pretty busy last year, taking
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
part in Zeta Tau Alpha’s “Big Man on Campus,” Alpha Omicron Pi’s “Survival of the Fittest,” Phi Mu’s “Rock4-Riley” and Musical Madness, where he won best actor for his role as Aquaman’s sidekick. Chesnut plans to use his biology major as a first step to becoming an optometrist. But for now, he puts a lot of work into his campus roles — sometimes instead of studying, he admits — because he loves to make people laugh. He said he enjoys it so much he doesn’t even get nervous anymore. Chesnut’s friendly attitude also comes across even when he’s not on stage. Rarely seen without a smile, he said he doesn’t have bad days. “I just want to be one of those people that people want to be around,” he said. “Being negative isn’t going to help anything, so why waste your time?”
photo by Kate Sarber
HALEY ALBERS
| 15
STATE OF AFFAIRS
For our generation, now more than ever before is the time to have the race conversation that most see as too hot to touch.
STAND UP, RISE UP,
SPEAK UP KEZIAH COLLETON
A
43-year-old man died in July 2014 after NYPD officers placed him in a choke-hold that had been banned by the department in 1993. A South Carolina cop was charged in April with the murder of a 50-year-old man after video captured the officer shooting at the man’s back eight times as he ran away following a traffic stop over a broken taillight. A shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., in June leaves nine dead. The shooter sat with his victims at a Bible study session prior to gunning them done and then fleeing. All the victims were black. These incidences and others, such as the video that surfaced in March showing members of the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter singing a racist chant, have gained national attention. Besides the national impact of those incidences, not enough discussion has taken place about the underlying issues surrounding them. As adults, we cannot be ignorant to the realities of the world we live in, since racial matters directly affect us all. Conversations about race and diversity are ones people are afraid to have. Some are fearful of appearing ignorant; others are fearful they will be seen as racist. Joining religion and politics, race has become the topic not to be discussed in the company of others. But the purpose of this column is to discuss racial issues, and for me — a woman who has experienced things you probably haven’t based on the color of her skin and who may interpret things differently based on her ethnicity — to give my opinion about them.
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When it comes to diversity, it is important to understand the plight of the other side — the side that is different from you. There is a real gap between the opportunities afforded whites and minorities. And these divides can cause minorities to feel a sense of resentment and exclusion. For example, the New York Civil Liberties Union reported that in 2013 almost 84 percent of the people stopped by police in the state of New York were Latino and black. ABC’s Chicago affiliate reported in March that according to the ACLU, Chicago police stop more people than NYPD officers do, and most of those stopped are black. Arrest rates are lopsided everywhere. A USA TODAY analysis of arrest records showed that at least 1,580 police departments in the U.S. arrest blacks at rates even more skewed than those in Ferguson, Mo. The review also showed that blacks are more likely than others to be arrested for almost every type of crime. Blacks are arrested at higher rates for crimes as serious as murder and assault, and as minor as loitering and marijuana possession. Those differences are easier to measure than they are to explain. They could be bias related or a result of education or economic gaps. Whatever the reason, blacks are more likely to be arrested than any other U.S. racial group. While some may not agree, the U.S. is tarnished because of our on-going racial problems. A 2012 Associated Press poll even revealed that 51 percent of Americans still express anti-black beliefs. Racism exists, and while the problem won’t be solved in six columns, it is at least a place to start the conver-
sation in order to gain a better understanding of how things that happen today have a different affect on blacks and other races than they do on whites. We can no longer sit by and pretend that racism is a thing of the past. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination, it would be naive to pretend that remnants no longer exist. America’s racial divide has often been fueled by ignorance, stereotypes, prejudices, pent-up emotions and hate. Having an open mind is crucial to overcoming the divide, and understanding that diversity is necessary to further societal growth is essential. For this conversation to work, people must be willing to learn how these issues affect others without letting their biases get in the way. And the blame game needs to end. It is not the fault of one race or another that problems still exist. Anyone has the potential to be racist. There is a misconception that whites are the only ones who can be racist. This is not the case. Being of mixed race, it is easy for me to not feel “black enough” or to seem “pro-white.” But let’s be clear: I’m not pro-white or pro-black. I’m pro-people. “Real change comes from having enough comfort to be really honest and say something very uncomfortable,” first lady Michelle Obama told The New York Times in 2008. That statement still holds true today. The truth may hurt, but in order for change to occur, we must be honest about what is happening in the U.S. today, honest with how we feel about it and say and hear things that may make us uncomfortable. Through honest conversation, change can happen.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
Lunch and Lead is a weekly leadership discussion series open to all students, faculty, staff and guests of the University of Evansville. Following the kickoff luncheon, bring your lunch and enjoy weekly Ted Talks-style presentations followed by discussion with question and answer.
Lunch and Lead
SERIES
kicks off at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15 in Eykamp Hall 252. Presenters: UELA graduates Lunch provided RSVP to cf107@evansville.edu by Sept. 9 Topic: Servant Leadership For future dates, visit www.evansville.edu /studentengagement/leadership LunchAndLead.cfm Crescent Magazine | September 2015
ake m n a c k c i l c 1 e c n e r e f f i e d th rvice and ce | Social se Tri-State Allian nization that serves orga educational uthwestern munities of so the LGBT com Kentucky and southern tern Indiana, wes Youth Group fers a weekly Illinois. TSA of e for LGBT people plac that is a safe eir straight of 21 and th e ag e th under s to meet. lie ends and al supporting fri
Human Rights Campaign | Works to achieve equality for LGBT Americans. hrc.org It Gets Better | Communicates to LGBT youth that it gets better, and creates and inspires the changes needed to make it better. itgetsbetter.org Outsports | Online magazine that covers LGBT issues and personalities in amateur and professional sports as part of SB Nation. outsports.com PFLAG | Unites people who are LGBTQ with families, friends and allies, and is committed to advancing equality and full societal affirmation of LGBTQ people. community.pflag.org facebook.com/PflagEvansville Trans Lifeline | Provides services to trans and gender nonconforming people in crisis. 877–565–8860 translifeline.org
TRI-STATE ALLIANCE
Serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities of the Tri-State since 1980
(812) 480-0204 | www.tsagl.org facebook.com/tristatealliance | #tsaglbt
Trevor Project | Provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to questioning LGBTQ people ages 13–24. 866–488–7386 thetrevorproject.org
| 17
calling all superheroes IO N S T A RT T A
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$
sunday, Sept. 27
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eastland mall Team Sign-Ups End Sept. 11
See what’s available at www.komenevansville.org
facebook.com/evansvillekomen #capeforthecure • 812–962–2202 • komenevansville.org Artwork designed by Richard Martin & Bryan Bretz
18 |
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing realtime help to those facing the disease. Since 1982, Komen has funded more than $800 million in research and provided than $1.6 billion in September 2015 more | Crescent Magazine funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs.
WELCOME
THROUGH THE LENS
MAKAYLA SEIFERT
Mini-week gets everything going. As usual, upperclass volunteers worked in shifts to help those new to campus get settled in their residence halls. But much of their shifts were spent in down time during what seemed like the smallest move-in most could remember. For the freshman service project, volunteers visted more than 20 sites to help local nonprofits with everything from gardening to painting. And with such cool temperatures, no one whined about the weather. But by far it was hynotist Bruce McDonald who was once again the crowd pleaser, as students filled Shanklin Theatre to witness the shenanigans of their fellow freshmen.
Safety first. Freshman Sam Bacurn dons a pair of clear glasses as he cuts wood for new benches at Methodist Temple. | MaKayla Seifert
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
Making it as easy as possible, juniors Ashley Knoblauch and Nikki Greer lug a plastic tub of belongings up to a new student’s room. | Kate Sarber
During the hypnotic part of the weekend, freshmen Jacob Baugh, Kenny Rusk, Justin Trevino and Sienna Crews let loose as they mimic their favorite presidents doing ballet during the show. | Kate Sarber
| 19
COVER STORY
W
e hear every day that technology is eventually going to cause the downfall of society. This argument has been going on for some time, but is it actually true? Whether society is really going to collapse will be debated until it actually collaspes, but it’s undeniable that technology, such as the Internet and smartphones, has changed the way we do everything. Talking face-to-face has turned into texting, which has turned into Snapchatting. Paper handouts in class have turned into emails and PowerPoint presentations. Resumes have turned into PDFs and LinkedIn profiles. Slowly but surely, all facets of life have become digitized. Some of these changes happened gradually, and most college-age people can’t remember a time when things were any different. Others have happened suddenly within the
20 |
last few years. We can see our world changing in front of our eyes, but what does it all mean? This is a question we asked ourselves last March as we wrote about various aspects of technology in the opinion piece “Paying Attention to Detail” and in the news story “Connecting with the World.” We began by pointing out that people don’t pay attention to the world around them because of smartphones, but through research, we found that the answer was much more nuanced. People have shorter attention spans and talk less to the people in front of them, but they also absorb more short-form information through platforms like Twitter and Yik Yak and communicate with people all over the world through social media. Pew Research Center reported that as of January 2014, 89 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds use
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
PARADIGM SHIFTS Modern technology is reshaping society in ways that are exciting and terrifying all at the same time.
some form of social media, and 98 percent of that age group have cell phones. Columbia University psychologist Betsy Sparrow also found that having the Internet at our fingertips has changed the way our brains work. We remember how to find information instead of the information itself. Also, Business Insider reported that more than 277 million people had LinkedIn accounts as of March 2014 and 94 percent of employment recruiters use some form of social media to find suitable employees. These statistics and many others show that every day the physical world is being replaced more and more with the digital one. So where do we stand? Is society headed toward a space-age, all-digital future? These questions and more were on our minds as we
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
planned this issue, and we decided the topic deserved a much deeper look and more space allocated to it than a typical news story would allow. There simply is more than one issue with technology and more than one type of technology. After all, technology affects every aspect of our lives, from dating to schoolwork to the media we consume. It even affects our personalities. The following three areas were the main things we wanted to explore: the way we form and maintain relationships, how technology affects our brain development and the way we learn, and how we go about finding career opportunities in an ever-changing hiring world. Information gathered both confirmed and defied our expectations and assumptions about the ways technology impacts us all. The paradigm has, in fact, shifted.
| 21
COVER STORY
RELATIONSHIPS
SOCIAL
intimacy
The rules are changing as far as relationships are concerned. But is that a bad thing?.
MARISA PATWA & RYAN MURPHY
I %
12
found it easier to send a sext than say it in
PERSON
48% 45% WOMEN
MEN
have sent a sext to a partner
22 |
live in constant fear of accidentally mentioning something I only know about you because I stalked you on the Internet.” “I got a match on Tinder. I guess you could say things are getting pretty serious.” “Nice. She sent me a winky-face emoji. We must be dating.” “I’m ready to take our relationship to the next level by appearing with you in a Facebook profile picture.” “If you really loved me, you would say it on your Facebook wall.” “Where have you been? No email, you didn’t text me, not a clue on your blog, you didn’t update your Facebook status. No tweet. It’s like you fell off the face of the Earth.” “Today’s relationship rule: You can touch each other but not each other’s phones.” “I broke up with him.” “Really? How did he cope with it?” “He doesn’t know yet. Twitter is down.” “My phone battery can last longer than most relationships these days.” “Warning! Facebook may lead to adultery. Twitter will end your relationship in 140 characters or less. Instagram leads to infertility, and Ello leads to loneliness.” While these actual meme quotes are amus-
ing, if people really think about it, they do represent how we are approaching and conducting relationships as we wade through the rubbish to find partners and keep friends. Relationships develop in different ways in the electronic world. Gone are the days where meeting someone — and the subsequent wooing and courting that goes along with it — takes place like it did with our parents. Growth in technology has changed all relationships. People form them to connect with others on many levels — from casual hookups to romantic encounters, from mere acquaintances to deeper friendships. And technology has left a permanent mark on every aspect of those connections. It used to be seen as a desperate move, but more and more people are using dating websites. There are hundreds of dating services, and although most sites charge a fee, there are some free ones. The Pew Research Center reported that 11 percent of respondents of a 2013 survey said they had used either an online dating site, such as Match.com, eHarmony or Plenty of Fish, or a mobile dating app in their quest for a partner. While Cosmopolitan isn’t always a legiti-
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
73
55
%
%
consider posting
emotional DRAMA a
unfriend their EXES
TURN-OFF
mate resource on many things, the magazine did report that there are six ways technology has changed dating, and they seem to make sense. Because social media makes it easier to meet people, we have a tendency to trade up, knowing that someone better may be just a click away. But because it is so easy to find new people online, we aren’t as committed to relationships as we used to be. But they also often result in us dating outside of our “type.” Because we are exposed to so many more people, we find far more eligible people. Cosmo also said the stakes and the risk of rejection are lower. If someone doesn’t call us back, that hurts. But if that person doesn’t text or tweet you back, the general feeling is, “So what?” We simply move on since online relationships require less effort. Then there’s kink. People are more likely to explore their fetishes since there is a site for every taste and fantasy. Plus, we can hide behind the online wall to do it. And finally, there’s the ugly truth. We are more likely to snoop on our partner because we can. The result is that we become more paranoid about the comings and goings of that partner.
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
consider asking someone to
So, at least initially, there is less risk when meeting someone online, partially because it is how we are used to communicating. It is a fact that Americans prefer to communicate digitally rather than in-person. A 2012 Time study verified just that when researchers found that more than half of those surveyed preferred using some type of electronic device as a way to communicate — no matter the type of relationship. Texting has even become the most common way to break up with someone. Tim O’Brien, a former UE assistant professor of sociology who currently teaches at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said technology has changed the way we communicate to the point where people are dependent on it as their main way to socialize. “We communicate more efficiently,” he said. “We can reach a much larger network of people more effectively and more reliantly, but maybe the nature of the communication is more superficial.” While studies show that people are actually becoming more social and more interactive with others, the style of communication has changed. We are not meeting face-to-face as often, and we don’t feel as connected to
1in5
WOMEN ;)
wait for the MAN to text first
1in10
MEN
;)
wait for the WOMAN to text first
| 23
COVER STORY
the people at the other end of our communication as we do when we’re face-to-face. “Rather than face-to-face interaction, we prefer mediated communication,” Paul Booth, an assistant professor of media and cinema studies at DePaul, told Social Work Today. “We’d rather email than meet; we’d rather text than talk on the phone.” So while we communicate more, the communication is buffered — safer — and we feel we can say whatever we want about ourselves, even if it is not totally true. And information people find out about others is not always an accurate representation. “People curate images of themselves,” O’Brien said. “They show their best self.” People can also choose which images they want to post online and people never look as good in reality as they do in their profile pictures. They can show the best version of themselves but not the truest version. “It puts on a false image,” junior Candice Reed said. “You don’t have the ability to filter yourself in person, and it is silly that people go to all of that effort to do that.” But they do, and it has even become the subject of reality television. Based on the 2010 documentary, MTV’s “Catfish: The TV Show” chronicles couples who have only corresponded online and when they finally meet for the first time in person. Most of the time one of them turns out to be completely different than their online profile. But even before face-to-face meetings, people usually begin to explore the person they are interested in by way of their social networking accounts. It is common to see what Facebook accounts reveal about them, whether they have a Twitter account or if you can see them on Instagram. Lab 42, a marketing research company, confirmed this when it found that after meeting someone, 11 percent of people research the person immediately on Twitter, while 26 percent Google the person’s name and 57 percent send a Facebook friend request. We know that through social networking, people can scroll through someone’s page and find out things such as a person’s favorite movies, books and sports teams. It seems for many to be the best approach for getting to know someone rather than having to suffer through an uncomfortable first date or enduring small talk when hanging out with a new acquaintance for the first time. Many think these electronic “get-to-know-
24 |
51
%
you” conversations create a false sense of inhave FLIRTED timacy because with research a people simsomeone online new date on of of ply don’t build Twitter Facebook Facebook relationships users users through online have had a sexual or erotic interaction and RELATIONSHIP online conversation. But Nancy Baym, a principal researcher at of of Microsoft, disagrees. She believes digital comTwitter Facebook users users munication actually enhances relationships and the more people communicate use Skype or of singles think FaceTime to using your with others using digital devices, the communicate phone on a date more likely they are to communicate with a date. is not cool with others in person. “The evidence consistently shows that the more you communicate with people using devices, the more likely you are to communicate with those people face to face,” she told Boston’s NPR af- phone. I feel it improves communication.” filiate. While texting does present some disadvanTruly, not all relationships formed online tages, it is the most popular form of commuare superficial. Some people find true friends nication for college-age students and has its online, from best friends to significant othadvantages for those in relationships. ers. And it’s becoming more common for peoIt certainly removes barriers found with ple to stay in contact because of social media. face-to-face conversations and phone calls, From friends to couples, the ability to stay and a 2013 Brigham Young University study connected makes a difference. discovered that texting allows couples to send In fact, a 2013 study published in the jour- confirming, affectionate messages to each othnal Proceedings of the National Academy of er. The conclusions also indicated that texting Sciences found that people who start their recan be an effective tool for maintaining and lationships online are less likely to split, with stimulating relationships in other ways, too. more than a third of recent marriages starting Regardless as to whether you believe startas a relationship on a social networking site. ing a relationship via social media is a good “Societally, we are going to increasingly idea or not, Nicholas D. Bowman, an asmeet more of our romantic partners online sistant professor of communication studies as we establish more of an online presence at West Virginia University, said the same in terms of social media,” said Caitlin Moldthings that cause a bad online relationship vay, a dating industry senior analyst for IBIS likely are the same things that cause a bad reWorld, a market research firm. “I do think lationship in real life — only the location has mobile dating is going to be the main driver changed. of this growth.” The bottom line is that people are changMoldvay makes a good point, and the Pew ing the way they communicate, and social meCenter report backs it up since 41 percent of dia and mobile apps are how people are do18–29 year olds in serious relationships felt ing it. They will continue to be an important closer to their partner because they were able part of today’s human experience, replacing to text or talk online frequently. for most the other popular communication Junior Kelsey Fields has been in a long technologies that preceded them. distance relationship with her boyfriend for “We must remember that social media is more than three years. She is grateful for really only a decade old,” Booth said. “As sotechnology and not sure what she would do cial media becomes more normalized, we’ll without it. stop seeing it as changing things and start “We text a lot during the day,” she said. seeing it as the way things are. We’ll change “We also Skype quite a bit and talk on the and adapt.”
30%
53%
46%
27%
22%
70%
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
It All
Starts
HERE Learn more or apply TODAY for fall semester 2016 or spring semester 2017 study abroad
To advertise in Crescent Magazine, call us today at (812) 488–2221 or 488–2846 or email us at crescentadvertising@evansville.edu
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simply NEWMAN
Newman Club Picnic at the Evansville Otters Game 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 Bosse Field
SPECIAL EVENTS
WELCOME TO THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE. Sunday Catholic Mass 1 p.m. Neu Chapel Monday Weekly Dinner 5 p.m. Newman Center, 1901 Lincoln Ave.
Walk for the Poor 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 Evansville State Hospital, Lincoln & Vann
across from Koch Center
Wednesday Faith Exploration with Saint Meinrad Seminarians 4:30–6 p.m. | Study Break at Jazzman’s 6–7 p.m. | Dinner in Ridgway 7 p.m. | Evening Event at Newman Center
National Catholic Collegiate Conference Nov. 19–21 Indianapolis Also being planned… October Blood Drive • Small Group Scripture Studies
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
WEEKLY EVENTS
Fall Retreat Oct. 2–3 Mount Saint Joseph Maple Mount, Ky.
Wednesday Catholic Mass 9:30 p.m. Neu Chapel @uenewman University of Evansville Newman Catholic Student Center “May We Pray For You?”
Kristel Riffert, Campus Minister kriffert@evdio.org • (812) 760–8610
| 25
COVER STORY
LEARNING ANNA SHEFFER & GRAHAM CHATTIN
E
veryone has special memories from when they were in school — recess, detention, field trips and pizza every Friday. But as technology evolves, people’s memories of school are changing to include iPads and on-
technology &
will not be able to access it again, but those who know they will have access to the information in the future are more likely to remember where it is saved and how they can find it again.
THE BRAIN 85 % 73
%
of students say technology saves them time when studying
of students say they would not be able to study without technology
26 |
line snow days, and schools themselves are changing as well. Technology is shaping the way we learn, especially in the classroom. Students nowadays are digital natives, meaning they grew up having access to the Internet, laptops and smartphones. Growing up with this technology has altered the way our brains work and has created a divide between digital natives and their parents, the digital immigrants. Our short-term memory is better as a result of using new technology, but our attention span has suffered. “In general, the more technology use you have, the less memory use you see because you let technology do it for you,” said CoChair Beth Hennon Peters, associate professor of psychology. The use of technology has implications not only for education, but also for the structure of people’s brains. A 2011 study published in Science Magazine reported that having Google constantly at our fingertips is changing the way we retain information. The study found that people are more likely to remember information if they think they
The way students learn is changing. Can we keep up with all of the advancements?
Hennon Peters said search engines free up parts of the brain for other processes. With less energy used for memory, the brain can devote more attention to analysis or organization. But this doesn’t mean our species is good at multitasking. “You’re better off being drunk off your ass and driving than talking on your cell phone (and driving),” Hennon Peters said. “You’re not putting your full focus on the task.” A classroom or study area with technology can also be full of distractions, such as when students try to study with the TV on in the background. Studying, like driving, is best done with your full attention. And computers sometimes become more of a distraction than an aide. Hennon Peters said with technology, people are able to access information without having to store it in their memories. All one needs to know is what search terms to use. “Being able to find out what to look up is the real skillset,” she said. It is true that we retain less information, but that does not mean skills like critical thinking, which cannot be replaced with
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
search engines, are not important. Hennon Peters said that while factoids such as names and dates can be easily looked up, Google cannot teach students how to grasp a concept. Derek Jones, assistant professor of philosophy and director of cognitive science, noted that there are some benefits to increasing technology in daily life and the classroom. “We seem to be getting better at quickly picking up and transmitting information,” he said. People see this in action all the time when a meme goes viral, but this new way of thinking has its drawbacks. Complex ideas that would involve more time and focus to understand are more difficult for youth than their older counterparts. “We’re getting worse at carefully and thoroughly thinking through ideas,” Jones said. PowerPoint and word processing software have made certain aspects of class easier, but because of the rapid evolution of technology, not everyone can keep up with the latest advancements. This leads to a disparity in what people know how to do across generations. Jones said because technology is being introduced into classrooms faster than we can keep up with, some faculty might not know how to use all the features of the technology. This leads to teachers trying to accommodate the technology rather than fully adopt it. “We are trying to fit ourselves to the tools rather than the other way around,” he said. Other problems arise when students and their professors don’t use the same generation of technology. Students may not take teachers seriously if they use outdated equipment, and many professors don’t trust modern technology like smartphones because they allow for cheating, even if most students are using them appropriately. “From the professor’s perspective, it seems like you are paying more attention to the technology than to us,” Hennon Peters said. And sometimes professors’ attempts to use technology might do more harm than good. Hennon said if professors try to use technology they are not familiar with, they can lose students’ attention. Ultimately, it is better to use less technology in the classroom than to struggle to keep up with students when the technology is unfamiliar. Jones also said professors should use technology as an aide rather than relying solely
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
on it. If instructors rely too heavily on technology such as PowerPoint, students are not challenged in the classroom, and they absorb the information passively instead of actively. Jones referred to this as “death by PowerPoint.” But technology can also encourage discussion and is an engaging way to introof college educators believe that duce new material if profesVIDEO, BLOGS, PODCASTS & WIKIS sors use outlets such as online discussion boards. are necessary teaching tools The Washington Post reported that the way we skim articles online to find information quickly has made it harder to focus on long texts and complicated sentences. Readers find themselves trying to search a novel for key phrases like they would with the “Find” feature on a computer, the result of a brain that has become trained of students say their of students say their to jump around LAPTOP is TEXTBOOKS are rather than sit still and focus for long periods of time. ITEM IN THEIR BACKPACK Matthew Knoester, assistant professor of education, said technology can also adversely affect social relationships in the classroom. “The crux of education is about relationships,” he said. This relationship is between students and teachers. Computers can help facilitate relationships, but they shouldn’t be a replacement for them. of FACULTY use One unique way technology is shaping the future of education is social media during class through online education. You do not need to sit in a classroom to learn anymore. Information is available at the press of a button. % Most colleges offer online courses — the amount of time students that can be taught by professors halfspend each class on their laptops way across the country, while YouTube browsing content not related to tutorials and instructional videos teach course work viewers everything from Photoshop to
67
%
27% 10%
THE MOST IMPORTANT
2/3
25
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COVER STORY
American history. Websites like Khan Academy can also help students work through difficult homework problems. Some see these online classrooms as the way of the future, which may or may not be a good thing. Online colleges such as the University of Phoenix have become more popular, and some say they may replace traditional brick and mortar schools. But Knoester doubts this. While online colleges have grown, they also have a low student retention rate, and they can’t help students with tasks like building a resume. The New Yorker reported that students are less motivated to finish courses in the absence of a real teacher, and many who do finish their courses do not pass. But technology isn’t all bad in terms of education. In classrooms, teachers can use different software or other devices as aides to their lessons. This can be especially useful for students with learning disabilities. Literacy software can help dyslexic students break down words into phonemes — units of sound — and recognize them more easily. Word prediction software can improve students’ spelling. Debbie Brenton, disability services coordinator, said UE uses a variety of software to help students with disabilities, including text-to-speech software, software that can magnify text and wireless microphone systems that can magnify lecturers’ voices. Even iPads can be used to help students with disabilities. She said technology that enables students to take notes on their own can encourage independence and help them even after graduation. “Once a student graduates and is out of college, their disability doesn’t go away,” Brenton said. Even students who do not have disabilities can benefit from some of the same technology. Brenton said tools like audiobooks and smartpens, which record lectures, can help students better absorb material if they are auditory learners. But even pre-loaded computer software can be beneficial. “All the things built into computers al-
28 |
Stude n engag ts prefer m o re ed tea techn over the us ching ol e discu ogy, such a of s s i o ns s s em a in intera ction nd greater ars, overa c l as s ll .
59
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of students claim that LECTURES are becoming increasingly UNENGAGING
ready — all those things make students better writers already,” Brenton said. “Any time you can hear back what you’re writing, it’s going to make you a better writer.” Technology is definitely leading to great % % % % strides in education, but that doesn’t mean the entire structure of education will change. While equipment like iPads and computers Students who Students who Students who Students who use digital use digital use digital can help students learn in new and different use digital devices for devices for ways, it can go out-of-date quickly and some- devices for devices for writing papers doing research taking notes presentations times become a distraction. In the end, it will be humans at fault if they cannot get their own technology to work properly for them. “The computer can be a friend, and it can be a foe,” Brenton said. “It takes restraint and of college educators use discipline to SOCIAL NETWORKING know when to connect with students it’s helping you and when it’s beAverage number of TEXTS ing a distraction.”
82 81 70 65
31
%
2.4
each student sends during a class
Nearly 1/3 of all students in higher education are taking at least one online course.
2x
More than
5.6 MILLION students study online
More than twice as many undergraduates attend the University of Phoenix online than those who attend an Ivy League College
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
student alumni ambassadors Now Accepting New Members • Provides student leadership opportunities. • Fosters communication, awareness and interaction between students and alumni. • Tradition of philanthropy awareness and
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Crescent Magazine | September 2015
| 29
COVER STORY
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
necessary
NETWORKING Being more connected with the world means better links between businesses and clients, entrepreneurs and audiences.
CHRIS NORRIS & MCKENZIE ELLIS
I
t sounds like an Internet scam, but it’s true: An unidentified woman made an estimated $4.9 million last year just by opening children’s toys. The woman, known only by the username “DC Toys Collector,” records herself unboxing Disney and other brand-name toys and uploads the videos to YouTube, where she averages 380 million views a month. OpenSlate, which compiles video statistics and advertising data about YouTube content, reported her channel even brought in more views and ad revenue than Taylor Swift’s Vevo-produced channel on the Google-owned site. Channels like DC’s are examples of how the Internet has changed not only the way people do their jobs, but also the types of jobs people do. It is now easier than ever before to turn a hobby into a career, often a lucrative one. Probably the most popular new profession involves being a social networking expert. It may not sound important, but having someone to manage at least the company Twitter and Facebook accounts is becoming essential in the business world. “Most companies today have people who are involved in helping manage their web or social experience outside their four walls,” said Kent Parker, an investor and business management executive with Venture Capital and a 1983 UE alumnus. Increasing online presence means the potential for customer interactions is unprecedented. Brands strive
30 |
for humanization, and it takes skill to make connections with consumers. This means more work-related opportunities for students. “Your generation is great at social media,” said Sethlyn Morgan, director of the School of Business Administration’s Center for Career Success, “because you’ve grown up with it.” Even if you don’t see yourself using social media as part of your use job, these popular platforms are becoming increasingly important in finding a job of any kind. Communicating with a company’s social media presence and putting forth a professional image on your use own means having a direct connection to a potential employer. Jane Friedman, who teaches digital media and publishing at the University of Virginia and is a 1998 UE alumna, said being acuse tive on at least one social media platform is essential to being successful, whether you’re seeking an audience or a job in general. And specialized services like LinkedIn have changed the very landscape of the job search. Morgan said she asks students all the time if they have a well-tended LinkedIn page.
% 93LinkedIn
of companies
66%Facebook
of companies
54%Twitter
of companies
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
“That’s your resume,” she said. “That’s [an employer’s] first impression of you.” Among other things, LinkedIn makes it easier for students to create professional connections. At UE, having a LinkedIn account gives students access to more than 13,000 alumni and a search option that can be filtered by job title and location. Students can also follow specific companies so they will be notified when positions become available. By eliminating the issue of proximity, online job searches can almost limitlessly extend a person’s potential career options. “I have students that interview in California, Florida, North Carolina,” Morgan said. “They’re meeting these people virtually.” UE has areas set up in Bower-Suhrheinrich Library and the School of Business Administration for virtual interviews. These rooms allow students to present themselves in a professional environment. “[The Internet is] definitely making interaction possible with people you otherwise wouldn’t meet,” Morgan said. Unfortunately, being able to find more job openings means other people are finding and applying for those same positions. And Parker said it is a two-way street, since employers are looking for the same potential employees. This increased competition makes expanding your visibility important. But visibility has its challenges, and it is easy to stand out for all the wrong reasons. “Google search your name,” Morgan said. “If anything harmful comes up, try to get it down. It’s so easy to access any of that. Being mindful of that is very important as well.” Posts can be deleted and pictures taken down, but the Internet is transparent and unforgiving. When information becomes visible to just about anyone, it can be impossible to remove it completely from both the Internet and the minds of the public. “In the era of the cloud, there is no hiding from the crowd,” Parker said. Services like Glassdoor let employees anonymously post their opinions about their companies, good or bad. The review of one unhappy employee can have an unparalleled impact on a company. Customer reviews, as well, are increasing the power of visibility. This can help or hinder companies when trying to overcome the skepticism many Internet users have about new businesses. Morgan said companies can use their fan base as ambassadors of their brand, but every interaction is at the mercy of the Internet’s transparency. “If you screw somebody over, they’re going to go all over social media and call you out,” said Frances Cadora, adjunct professor of art, who sells handmade jewelry on her site, studiofran.com. “That’s why people trust you.”
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
3of 4
For any professional endeavor, an online image is crucial, now more than ever before. And a social media presence helps distinguish a new business from an established one. Cadora said she actually makes about 90 percent of her sales through her Facebook page, where people see pictures of work she has done for other clients. She said similar products can be found in stores, but sohiring managers cial media makes a personal connection, and without & recruiters that connection, she would not have a business. “Why social media works is the story behind it and candidates’ the person behind it,” she said. social profiles Once you make that connection, the ways to interact with consumers are changing as well. “The Internet allows you to really just find your people,” Friedman said. “You don’t have to be ignorant of who is on the other side.” This means entrepreneurs and businesses can instantly receive information on demographics and customer feedback instead of having to wait, so changes can be made immediately if need be. As the technological landscape grows, companies candidates have to adapt by taking their business to where people spend the majority of their online time. “Everyone is addicted to their phones,” Cadora based on something they found in said. “I do most of my shopping — except for my grosocial profiles cery shopping — on my phone.” Businesses are now allowing employees to use their smartphones to complete orders when before they had to go through their company’s system onsite. But this increased connectivity creates a new issue. When you can be connected to anyone and anyof companies thing from anyuse social media where, what keeps for recruiting you from working all the time? “Even when you’re supposed to be on vacation, you’re accessible,” Parker said. “As a result, I think that as we progress forward, we’re going to find that people manage their work life kind of 24/7.” While working from home is possible for some, it is not yet an accepted norm in the business world. “This concept of freelancing, I think it impacts a small subset of the total number of workers of companies say successfully today,” Parker said. say it takes that candidate with While the job market is social media nearly free from geographic con-
CHECK
1of 3
REJECTED
92
%
20% 42% LESS TIME to hire
new employees
73%
HIRED
QUALITY has improved
| 31
COVER STORY
straints, actual work is not as limitless. It all depends on where a recent graduate is willing to go. Companies vary in policy, but most will eventually want to meet you in person. “While [the Internet] is a great tool, it doesn’t always replace a human interaction,” Morgan said. But Parker suggests that we may soon enter into an era where this will change, and working freelance may become a much more common subset of the workforce. Companies might have a core group of full-time, on-site employees but tap into networks or guilds of professional workers for their particular skills. But a future filled with self-employed professional workers may stretch the connectivity of technology too far. “There’s also something to b e said about being deeply connected and in tune as part of an organization,” Parker said. “An organization is really the people.” In general, the Internet is improving the possibilities for those looking to sell their specialties or start their own businesses. It is easier to identify better ways business can be done by tapping into social media’s potential. “I’ve never seen a better time for entrepreneurship,” Parker said. The biggest shift, for artists in particular, is the ability to be “self-producing,” as Friedman calls it. Instead of having to impress an agent or executive, creative people of all types can, for example, just post music videos to YouTube or publish their novels through Amazon or other e-publishers. “You don’t have to get past a gatekeeper to get to your audience,” Friedman said. Self-producing used to have a stigma of not being good enough to warrant a company-employed producer, but Friedman said these days that way of thinking favors prestige over exposure. Even a little success through blogs or social media is more reach than you would get through something like publishing in a literary journal. Cadora said being able to sell her products herself has been more lucrative than putting her creations in the hands of a retail enterprise because salespeople don’t care as much as she does. “I’ve had stuff in galleries, and it just sits there,” she said. “As soon as I get home and post it, it sells.” Online followers can easily become a focus group as well as investors through crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, the world’s larg-
32 |
est funding platform for creative projects. This allows audiences to have a say in the development of a work of art or a new product. Companies can post two designs for a toy, and followers can vote on which one they would buy. When making jewelry, Cadora collaborates with her clients to create custom work that fits their requests. She has to figure out how to make them happy, and they correspond by selecting different aspects of the product. Friedman said she sees collaboration becoming more common, even potentially reaching the point where everything will be collaborative. She said the idea of the “original genius” — one person who can create something from scratch — is disappearing, and people are realizing how helpful group work can be, whether it’s writing a novel or designing a car. Collaboration doesn’t even have to be between people who know they’re working together anymore. Friedman used memes and mashups as examples of someone creating something and other people appropriating it and making it their own. She said people are being more active in creating things like this because it’s so much easier to get your work out to others. “Everybody is publishing something, even if it’s only 140 characters,” Friedman said. Of course, just because the Internet allows you to market your product right alongside some big name artists does not mean you get the same exposure. You still have to pay for advertising to link your product on other sites, or you can spend countless hours self-promoting. Friedman said she blogged for more than two years before seeing a real response to her writing. And Cadora said it took her five years to build her business into a legitimate venture. “You’ve got to have another job to support yourself,” she said. “At five years, you either shut your doors — if you haven’t already — or you start making money.” Whether you’re looking for a job or trying to increase your customer base, the Internet has redefined the way you do it. The most important thing is to take advantage of the communication. “It’s definitely a more direct relationship than we’ve ever had,” Friedman said, “which I see as good.”
those on
200
Countries and territories have LinkedIn available in 20 languages
70%
users outside US
39 million
students and recent college graduates on LinkedIn
Profiles with a photo are times more likely to be viewed
14
2
new LinkedIn members per second
More than
347 MILLION registered members
13%
of millennials use LinkedIn
1 billion total endorsements
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
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Pick up your copy of the
2015at theLINC student
Organizations Fair 4–7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4
Ridgway Center, East Terrace Full-time students* get their yearbook FREE. Just give us your name, we’ll give you a book! *Must have paid the student activity both semesters of the 2014–15 academic year to be eligible for a free copy of the book.
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the LINC
Still going strong after 93 years. Crescent Magazine | September 2015
| 33
SEXUAL TENSION
MARISA PATWA
THE PRICE
OF A PICTURE W People continue to leak intimate photos online to humiliate others.
hen Annmarie Chiarini, victim services director for the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, broke up with her boyfriend in 2010, he retaliated by trying to sell her nude photos on eBay and posting them on a porn site. She calls herself a lucky victim of revenge porn — the posting of someone else’s explicit photos without their consent — because she was able to get her photos removed quickly. “For many, many others that is not the case,” she said. “There was one woman who I helped who, when she looked up her name with ‘sex’ or ‘porn’ next to it, would get 70,000 hits.” But what are the reasons behind revenge porn, and what is being done to help victims? Many people who sext view it as a form of intimacy and a way to communicate better with their partner. Apps like Tinder, Grindr and Snapchat make it easy to send and receive naked pictures in an instant. But even a picture exchanged between two consenting adults could end up in the wrong hands. A 2011 University of Rhode Island survey revealed that 56 percent of students said they had received intimate images. And although 73 percent of those texts were sent to a romantic partner, almost 20 percent of those who received the messages with intimate images then forwarded them on to someone else. Maggie Stevenson, assistant professor of psychology, said once the intimacy between a couple is broken, men may want to cause harm and shame to their ex-partner. “It could in some ways be because they feel their masculinity was threatened,” she said, “and they want to reinstate their own dominance.” Although high school girls and college-age women are at the highest risk for being targets of revenge porn, males can also be victimized. Disney star Dylan Sprouse had a nude selfie circulate in 2013 after an
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ex-girlfriend leaked it, but the public responded to his pictures with humor, support and love. Female victims are often shamed and blamed for their actions. That doesn’t usually happen to men who do the same. After her ordeal, Chiarini became involved with endrevengeporn.com, a website dedicated to providing legal referrals and advice to victims. She said the website has gotten two to seven emails a day for the past three years from women worldwide seeking help. As of today, 17 states have passed legislation criminalizing revenge porn, and 20 states have pending bills. In Illinois, posting revenge porn is a felony that carries a $5,000 fine and two years in jail. But in Indiana, revenge porn is not a crime and it is much harder to pursue legal action. Stevenson said the only option a victim has in Indiana is to sue the person who posted the pictures in civil court. But she said those being sued often use their First Amendment rights as an argument, making it harder to get a judgment. Victims can also file civil actions against the sites that hosted the images. But section 230 of the FCC’s Decency Act makes this difficult since it states that site owners are not responsible for the content users may post. Plus, many sites are not U.S.-owned sites. But there have been some successful cases. Kevin Bollaert, former owner of the revenge porn website ugotposted.com, was sentenced in February to 18 years in prison. And a woman in Texas was awarded $500,000 in 2014 after her ex-boyfriend posted a video of her he had recorded during a Skype call. Although good progress has been made in helping victims, there is still a long way to go. When it comes to sexting, Chiarini believes people should do as they wish but they should be aware of the consequences. “I would never censor anyone’s sexuality,” she said. “My advice to women is to follow your instincts, and to men, don’t be an asshole.”
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
campus crime
The following information was compiled from criminal offense reports filed March 22–Aug. 15 in Safety & Security.
Aug. 13 – Purse stolen from a vehicle parked in Lincoln Park apartments. Loss reported at $280. Aug. 3 – iPhone stolen from a vehicle parked in G-lot. Loss reported at $600. Aug. 1 – Students found climbing out of a Phi Gamma Delta house window. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. July 6 – Hood of vehicle parked on the Front Oval damaged. Loss not reported. June 29 – Designer sunglasses reported stolen from a vehicle parked in J-lot. Loss reported at $150. June 27 – Students found intoxicated in A-lot. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. June 26 – Cell phone and case reported stolen from the basketball practice facility during a high school basketball tournament. Loss reported at $280. June 24 – Headphones reported stolen from a basketball practice facility office. Loss reported at $150. June 16 – Windows broken in the Auxiliary Support Facility near the cross-country teams’ locker rooms. Loss not reported. June 14 – Students found urinating outside near the Phi Kappa Tau house. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. — Student found intoxicated near the Phi Kappa Tau house. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action June 13 – Students found intoxicated on the Front Oval. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. June 10 – Money reported stolen from a summer camp concession table outside of McCutchan Stadium. Loss reported at $20. May 28 – Student reports bike stolen from the Koch Center bike rack near the greenhouse. Loss not reported. May 22 – Fire intentionally started outside of Graves Hall and inside and outside of Bower-Suhrheinrich Library. Investigation ongoing. Loss not reported. May 19 – Student reports iPod, tools and other items stolen from vehicle parked in C-lot. Loss reported at $250. May 13 – Credit cards stolen from a
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
Ridgway Center desk and used by the thief. Loss not reported. May 12 – Wallet reported lost by a student earlier in the semester found in a Schroeder Hall second floor room. Loss reported at $250. May 7 – Student found intoxicated outside Hale Hall. Evansville Police called. Student arrested. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. May 6 – Banner flags reported stolen from McCutchan Stadium. Loss reported at $250. May 4 – Recycling bin reported stolen from the Weinbach Apartments. Loss reported at $20. May 2 – Student reports vehicle damaged while parked in G-lot. Loss not reported. April 29 – Student found intoxicated in McCutchan Stadium. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 26 – Student found intoxicated in C-lot. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 21 – Student found intoxicated and passed out near McCutchan Stadium. Evansville Police called. Student arrested. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 19 – Student found intoxicated in a Moore Hall first floor bathroom. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 18 – Students found intoxicated while riding bicycles near Graves Hall. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. — Student found intoxicated on Hale Hall second floor. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. — Student found intoxicated in H-lot. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 17 – Student found intoxicated outside the Lambda Chi Alpha house. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 12 – Student reports vehicle broken into while parked on Rotherwood. Loss not reported.
April 11 – Students found intoxicated in the Lambda Chi Alpha parking lot. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 10 – Two flags stolen from the McCutchan Stadium press box. Loss not reported. — Students found intoxicated at the Lambda Chi Alpha house. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. — Student urinated on the Safety & Security vehicle. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. April 2 – Student found urinating outside of North Hall. Referred to the vice president for Student Affairs for disciplinary action. — Plaque stolen from Clifford Circle on the Front Oval. Loss not reported. March 30 – Student reports bike stolen from the Carson Center bike rack located near the front entrance. Loss reported at $200. March 29 – Student reports vehicle damaged while parked in the Weinbach Apartments lot. Loss not reported. March 25 – Bike reported stolen from the Powell Hall bike rack. Loss not reported.
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OVERTIME
This soccer player shows the humility needed to be a team player, despite her personal success.
A TRUE
SYMBOL OF
SELFLESSNESS IAN HESLINGER
H
umility is a trait not a lot of people truly possess, especially athletes who bask in the glory and attention that comes with being a superstar. But midfielder Bronwyn Boswell has no problem deflecting praise and thanking others for her success, even though she is a superstar. Her selflessness defines who she is and how she plays the game. Boswell grew up in Frisco, Texas, playing a variety of sports, but soccer was always her first love. Her father, a soccer player himself, coached her and her two siblings. Having a coach at home helped her to become a standout at Centennial High School. A four-year starter, Boswell was also named her district’s player of the year for two consecutive seasons. She considered pursuing cross-country in college, but soccer was always on the forefront of her mind. “I just loved it,” Boswell said. “I felt really passionate about it. You’re best at the thing that you love.” Starting every game her freshman year and making an immediate impact, Boswell was named to the all-MVC freshman team in 2013. She led the Aces in scoring last season with nine goals, ranking fifth in the conference, and she scored seven game-winning goals, the third best in the nation.
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One of her most impressive goals came last fall against Tennessee Tech when she volleyed the ball over an opponent’s head and kicked it out of the air to score. Coach Krista McKendree called it the best goal she had seen all season. Despite her success and impressive skills, Boswell is always trying to improve. She said she learns from her mistakes and believes she is more aware because of them. “I take full responsibility if I make an error,” she said. “I think most of my (better) plays come from making up for my mistakes.” Those plays have often resulted in chances for her teammates to score. Being aware of your role on a team is important, even if it isn’t the most glorious. Boswell believes her position is about creating opportunities for others instead of herself. “She’s very selfless,” defender Emily Griebel said. “She’s a very smart player on the field. She’s a leader, and she’s encouraging too.” Boswell tries to help her teammates improve, and she is willing to do whatever is necessary for the good of the team. “I just try to see what’s in the best interests of others,” she said. “I want to see others succeed. I want to see my team strong.”
Much of the team’s bonding comes from working together. Women’s soccer practices year-round, and McKendree believes Boswell’s work ethic is second to none. “She goes above and beyond,” she said. “You have to work harder than the people around you, than the other team, in order to be great.” Boswell works just as hard academically and it shows. She was named last year to the MVC scholar-athlete first team and the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team. “It’s a big reason why I’m here,” she said. “I really take my grades seriously. We’re student-athletes. We’re not just here for soccer — we’re here for academics too.” The junior exercise science major’s goals include furthering her education and becoming a physical therapist when her playing career is over. But she hopes to have more playing time before that happens. “I would love the opportunity to play after college,” she said. “I think a lot of people are rooting for me.” Until then, she will focus on being a student-athlete who knows how to work hard and have a little fun along the way. Living a life full of energy is all she knows. “She has the same enthusiasm for everything that she does,” McKendree said.
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She has the same enthusiasm for everything that she does.
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September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
photo by Kate Sarber
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
| 37
THE HOT CORNER
Women remain on the sidelines during men’s sporting events, while men continue to dominate the broadcast booth.
MORE THAN A SIDELINE
ATTRACTION ALEX GOULD
M
ost sports fans are familiar with Al Michaels, Brent Musburger, Joe Buck and Marv Albert. We know them for their sports wisdom and their ability to do the play-by-play as we watch our favorite games each season. But rarely do we think of the women in the industry who are just as knowledgeable. While many women who wanted to have a career in sports found they could get into the profession, getting on-air time to cover men’s sports was more difficult. Yes, a few women have been given the chance to call men’s games. Others have been given the chance to do play-by-play for women’s sports and have been doing on-air sideline reporting for years. We even have women sports anchors. But women have long been deprived of the chance to be the person in the booth calling the game. Why is that? What separates the way women call games from the way men do? Some say women lack credibility. Others say they can’t announce men’s sports because they’ve never played them. Others believe women are just not as knowledgeable, and these points have been debated for years. Many, such as ESPN radio host Sarah Spain, believe women should be given a fair chance to broadcast men’s sports and share the knowledge they have about the games. “There is nothing in the DNA of a woman that prevents her from understanding the Cover 2 [zone] or knowing which guy on the hometown squad should be batting cleanup,” Spain wrote in a 2013 ESPNW commentary. Women have basically been kept on the sidelines, where they provide pre-game anal-
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ysis, conduct before and after interviews and make a few on-air appearances during games. Many also question women’s credibility. It is still unclear as to how audiences really feel about women calling men’s games, but they seem to be accepted by viewers when it comes to broadcasting women’s games. Others don’t think they know enough about the sports they are covering because they never played them. But neither have many male sportscasters. Many respected announcers, such as Michaels and Bob Costas, although they have always loved sports, did not while growing up play the sports they have gained their reputations on. For Cindy Brunson, a former ESPN SportsCenter anchor, the only requirement should be whether the analyst knows what he or she is talking about. “For me, respect is earned by a journalist demonstrating knowledge, interest and passion,” she told SportsTVJobs.com writer Pamela Modarelli Hegner. “Fans and people in the industry can sniff out knowledge and passion and will dismiss people quickly who don’t have one or both.” If a woman has gained the knowledge and understands the sports she is covering — along with having passion and drive — then she should be given the chance to showcase her skills in the broadcast booth. “The three most important things for a sportscaster are knowledge of the game, a passion for sports and the profession, and the stamina to struggle,” said veteran Lesley Visser, who with other women professionals hosts CBS Sports’ “We Need To Talk.” It is also an unfortunate fact that women
are hired in broadcast sports because of how they look. Female analysts have to “look the part” in order to “get the part.” When googling “female sportscasters,” it resulted in top links to such pages as the “10 of the Sexiest Female Sportscasters,” and the “Top 10 Most Beautiful Female Sportscasters.” This just reinforces that women are hired based on how they look. NFL sideline reporter Pam Oliver held the No. 1 position at FOX Sports with Buck and former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman for 19 years when she was told that Erin Andrews would replace her. “It’s not difficult to notice that the new on-air people there are all young, blond and ‘hot,’” she wrote. Oliver, 54, took the high road when Andrews replaced her, but shouldn’t experience trump youth and younger looks? And how long will it be before Andrews is replaced now that she is 37? With sports being dominated by male viewership, it is no wonder that networks keep younger, good-looking women reporters on board. But veterans like Linda Cohn, 55, Hannah Storm, 53, and Suzy Kolber, 51, just to name a few, shouldn’t be replaced just because they are getting older. While the talented Beth Mowins started calling college football for ESPN in 2005, many still stick with the outdated thought that sports is a man’s world and women shouldn’t butt in. Unfortunately, women sportscasters must meet a higher standard than men. With any luck, the next generation of sports fans will grow up seeing and hearing women in every role.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
ATHLETES IN ACTION
KATE SARBER
SHIFT &TURN Making great manuevers.
Although it’s sometimes hard to hear over the crowd, the movement on the field during an Aces game at McCutchan Stadium is easy to follow if you speak the language. Shifting and turning are moves the players shout to one another to catch an opponent off guard and slip past the defense. While the Aces lost their final preseason game Aug. 23 to IUPUI, they welcome three teams to McCutchan for their ProRehab Aces Soccer Classic this weekend. The Aces face Air Force at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4 and Belmont at 2 p.m. Sept. 6. There’s no doubt there will be a little shifting and some fast turns going on.
Quick on his feet, forward Desmond Dolphy finds his way past IUPUI midfielders Kristian Martinez and Harold Agyeman-Prempeh as referee Matt McIntyre watches the action. | MaKayla Seifert
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
Defenders Vince DiPrimio (16) and forward Ian McGarth (8) look to block the ball from IUPUI forward Emanuel Usen (10). Goalkeeper Matthew Keller (0) and defender Kyle Brown (26) ready themselves behind IUPUI midfielder Kristian Martinez (6) as midfielder Cameron Cool (14) and defender Chris Shuck (2) watch the play unfold. | Kate Sarber
| 39
BRAIN BOMB
THE FIRST SUPERCOMPUTER The most complex organ in the human body and the most infamous
Why we itch is perplexing even to scientists, especially because it delays healing of wounds. But one theory is that scratching signals the brain to release endorphins to block the sensation of other pains.
fried food at the Fall Festival, the brain has amazed us for ages. We have learned more about it in the last decade than in the centuries before. With a continuously changing structure, the brain controls our digestion, keeps us balanced and makes a great zombie snack. Not bad for a pink, veiny, three-pound blob with the consistency of tofu.
The average cat brains weigh 30 grams, while elephant brains weigh 6,000 grams and adult human brains weigh about 1,400 grams.
Out of ideas? Take a nap! Sleep is our body’s way of restoring itself, and the brain is most active while dreaming.
Contrary to the myth, we use more than 10 percent of our brain. The entire brain is used throughout the day, except for when you’re taking a test.
Size may actually matter. Albert Einstein’s brain was normal in size, but the region responsible for math was 35 percent larger than average. Laughing is a common, effortless act, but laughing actually uses five different regions of our brain. That’s no joke. Though the brain has no pain receptors, we still have a painful sensation during a brain freeze. It is actually a type of shortterm headache caused by a contraction and dilation of the brain’s anterior cerebral artery.
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Worried you might be zombie bait? In a hemispherectomy, patients have half their brains removed. The operation is surprisingly effective in treating several maladies and will leave zombies hungry. While it only makes up 2 percent of our body mass, the brain requires 20 percent of both our oxygen and blood flow. Loss of oxygen for 10 minutes can result in permanent brain damage.
There are 100 billion neurons in your brain, generating enough energy to power a low-wattage light bulb. These are what give us such bright ideas.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
WHO KNEW?
DOES IT REALLY SOUND BETTER? From the mid to late 1900s, vinyl records were praised for their warm, fuzzy tone. Today, the combination of digital streaming and compressed MP3 files are the norm, but in the last decade vinyl sales have risen from just under 1 million to 8 million in the U.S. So why are they still a trend? With a decent vinyl player and a good needle, it’s the only playback format that sounds authentic. Vinyl can come with crackles, pops and records that skip, and that’s what people love about the vinyl experience.
WHY CAN’T I USE MY PHONE? There is nothing like standing in the cold wearing a coat, hat and gloves and pulling out your phone only to fail miserably trying to unlock it. Today’s touch screens are built with capacitive sensing, which means the glass is covered in a layer of conductive film, and when your finger touches it, you distort the screen’s electro-
IS ROBOPOCALYPSE EVEN POSSIBLE? It’s inevitable that humans will one day create artificial intelligence with thinking abilities beyond our own. But for now, we still have the upper hand. For now.
WHY DO WE
CALL THEM BUGS? The computer term “bug” was coined when a moth was found inside a computer in 1947, but the term was also used for other early electronic problems.
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
static field. Each time you touch one or more points on the screen, there is a voltage drop from your finger, completing the circuit. But the screens do not respond to nonconductive materials like gloves. Sorry to say, but this means you will have to choose between nonfrostbitten fingers and Snapchat on a cold day.
IS IT HOT IN HERE? Like people, computers overheat. To prevent computers from shutting down from extensive use, cooling fans were made. They draw hot air away from particularly hot electrical components.
IS MY PHONE REALLY GOING TO KILL ME? The magic behind cell phones is radiofrequency waves, which falls between radio waves and microwaves. Signals are sent and received by cell towers from these waves, which generate nonionizing radiation. Some are concerned about the radiation, but these waves are only damaging at high energy levels that cell phones do not reach.
| 41
OFF THE WALL
DOTM
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
the man bun. what can you do with your do? In recent months, the man bun has become as popular as beards. The sight of a man bun is enough to cause a visceral response. And whether you feel disgust or desire, you have to know why. The hairstyle on its own might result in looking more feminine than masculine, but men often grow full, wild beards to counter the effect. The result is a bun that shows a man sympathetic to the heart accompanied by a beard that shows a man dominant among his peers. Of course, advocates of the man bun have taken to the Internet. YouTube is filled with thousands of tutorials showing how easy it is to make, and HAIRSTYLEONPOINT.COM offers three different ways to style a bun. Naturally, hipsters knew about the hairstyle before anyone else, popularizing it as an alternative.
But positive responses to the man bun are not universal. Some see the long hair required for the bun as a flash warning that reads “jobless.” People have gone so far as to blame the hairstyle on laziness among youth that is crippling society. Man buns will doom us all. Whether there is truth to the claim or not, haters of the bun are not dependent on the argument of laziness alone. There is the unavoidable fact that, without hair product, the style is dependent upon a man leaving his hair unwashed and allowing it to just grow — for 18 months. But in spite of this, there is simply no denying the allure of the man bun. Whichever style a man chooses for his bun, he can expect the result to be the same. And those out of favor with the man bun must simply wait for the trend to die down.
really awful pick up lines ~ “I wish I was your DERIVATIVE so I could lie tangent to your curves.” ~ “Girl, are you like that weird MOLE I found? Cause I could stay up all
TIDBIT
night worrying about you.” ~ “Are you Google? Because I’ve just FOUND what I’ve been searching for.” ~ “I don’t know what Quidditch position you PLAY, but you look like a keeper.” ~ “I’m not trying to IMPRESS you or anything, but...I’m Batman!” ~ “Are you FULL of beryllium, gold and titanium? Because you are BE-AU-TI-Full.” ~ “I’m writing a term paper on the FINER things in life, and I was wondering if I could interview you.” ~ “Do you have any RAISINS? No? How about a date?”
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David Bowie’s eyes look like they’re two different colors, but it’s not genetic. His left pupil has been dilated since the eye got damaged in a fight.
chile-citrus margarita
You’ve had tequila, but have you had tequila with jalapenos soaked in it? MARTHASTEWART.COM says that’s how you start making this drink. Once you soak your peppers and tequila in a jar for two days, strain the tequila and mix it with triple sec, agave and lime and orange juices in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it up, garnish the glass with salt and add a lime wedge to complete the treat. It’s a spicy take on Mexican liquor, and you know it’s authentic because it comes from Martha.
ingredients: 3 oz. chile-lime tequi-
la | 1 oz. triple sec | 2 tsp. agave | 2 oz. lime juice | 2 oz. orange juice | salt
heard it here “People is more important than anything, even grammar.”
“Magic” mushrooms may make you feel far out, but they actually cause increased brain connectivity in areas that don’t normally see a lot of action.
– writer Dan Harmon
Most Muppets are left-handed because most right-handed Muppeteers choose to operate the puppets’ heads with their dominant hand.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
people tweet the damndest things I just watched a squirrel bury a nut in my front yard. I’m going to dig it up and replace it with a Cadbury egg. That’ll blow his lil mind.
— @AKcrazy18 I think my cats hate people as much as I do. Every time the doorbell rings, they hide under the bed with me.
—@cheeky__gal Just back from my first rap battle. Complete disaster. I thought it was a nap battle, and when the other guy saw my pajamas, I was doomed.
—@dyldonot Press the cube root of the 11th digit of pi divided by .5 and double if you’d like to speak with a customer service representative.
—@KentWGraham My cow Rosie won three blue ribbons at last year’s 4H show so I have pretty high hopes for her at this year’s chili cook off.
Things that make us Crazy SHUT UP AND BE HAPPY
BACK TO THE GRIND
Sure, travel can be stressful. Forgetting luggage, falling behind schedule and spending long hours in a car with others can put anyone on edge. But when it comes down to it, you are still on vacation, so stop complaining. You could be stuck at home working like everyone else not in school.
September is a tough month — it’s such an in-between. The back-to-school excitement has died down, and there’s not much to look forward to until Halloween. It’s hard to get into school mode when it still feels like summer outside, but once Syllabus Day is over, professors start getting down to business, and we have no choice but to buckle down and study.
SOMETHING’S IN THE AIR Hot weather isn’t too bad — until you add a 98 percent humidity factor. Then it wreaks havoc on our hair, puts sweat stains on all our clothes and makes it feel 20 degrees hotter outside than it really is. So while it might be just gorgeous in California, we’re still working up a sweat in Evansville, where the phrase “dry heat” means nothing.
—@BrandonBrown522
SOCIAL MEDIA MUSH We get it; you love your significant other. But is it necessary to post it on Facebook every day? There’s nothing wrong with a little social media love, but please keep the kissing emojis and sickening pet names off our newsfeeds. Some things are better expressed in a private message, or you know, actually face-to-face.
REMEMBER WHEN... …FRUIT GUSHERS were your snack of choice? These juicy gummies were a big hit with kids in the ‘90s, despite strange commercials portraying consumers’ heads turning into giant fruits. Also popular were Gushers’ sibling-snacks, Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Roll-Ups. …you wore a SCRUNCHIE every day? No ponytail was complete without one of these big, brightly colored fabric bands around it. You could get them in every color or print imaginable, or even buy a kit and learn how to make your own. …you could solve mysteries with Mary-Kate and Ashley? “THE ADVENTURES OF MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY” (1994–1997) featured everyone’s favorite twins solving mysteries like “The Case of the Sea World Adventure” and “The Case of the Hotel Who-Done-It.” Whether you read the books or watched the movies on VHS, if the twins were on the cover, you knew it was going to be good. …paper FORTUNE TELLERS were the best way to predict your future? Knowing how to fold these paper oracles, also called cootie catchers, made you instantly cool, and it was even better if you wrote good predictions inside. Everyone wants to hear that they’re going to marry Justin Timberlake or Melissa Joan Hart. …the Kratt brothers taught you about exotic animals with help from a friendly lemur? “ZOBOOMAFOO,” a show running on PBS from 1999 to 2001, featured Martin and Chris Kratt meeting their friend at the Animal Junction for adventures. The brothers have a new show on PBS these days called “Wild Kratts,” but it just isn’t the same without Zoboomafoo, who passed away last year. RIP Zoboo.
The Fugate family of Eastern Kentucky had blue skin, the result of a rare blood disorder that spread through familial intermarriage.
Crescent Magazine | September 2015
Nobody can hear you scream in space since there is no air to carry sound waves. You also can’t cry without gravity to form the tears.
In the 18th century, you could pay your admission to the Tower Menagerie in London with a cat or dog that would be used to feed the lions.
Britain changed from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, losing 11 days in the process. There is no British history from Sept. 3 to 13.
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A CLOSER LOOK
photo by Kate Sarber
TRY A LITTLE FRIENDLINESS HALEY ALBERS
I
t takes a special kind of professor to teach material as complex as the brain, and it just so happens that Lora Becker, associate professor of psychology, is perfect for the job. Through her passion she gets students to love neuroscience too. “She just gets so excited about what she’s teaching,” junior Kay Sheets said. “It just radiates off her. So you can’t help but get excited about it too.” Becker received a dual bachelor of science in biology and psychology from Wright State (Ohio) before heading to SUNY-Binghamton to earn her master of science in psychology and doctorate in behavioral neuroscience. After coming to UE in 1999, Becker became director of the neuroscience program and started leading research on phytoestrogen levels in mammals. Her friendly attitude and energy made her a hit with students. While Becker enjoys baking, watching history documentaries and making bobbin lace in her occasional free time, she said her favorite thing to do is teach.
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“I never see my job as ‘free time’ and ‘onthe-job time’ because I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” Becker said. “So it all blends together. I’m always thinking about how a class went, or how to approach a topic, or how to help better prepare students for their careers. I guess that makes me a self-proclaimed workaholic.” Becker said the moment she really knew she wanted to teach was when she was serving as a teaching assistant in graduate school and saw the impact she was having on students’ learning. “I saw someone’s face change because they got the concept, and that’s when I was hooked,” she said. Now Becker strives to help other students get to that breakthrough moment. “When I’m lecturing, I’m watching the students’ faces to see if they’re confused,” Becker said. “It’s the wrinkle factor between the eyebrows. I’ll re-explain it in a way that makes sense to them.” Becker is known for telling stories about
her life that relate to course material, so students get to know her well. “Being an extreme extrovert, there’s not much people don’t know about me,” she joked. This sharing goes both ways. Sheets said one of the best things about Becker is how much she cares about her students. She recalled a time when she had trouble registering for courses and went to Becker’s office in tears. The Beavercreek, Ohio, native handled it with her usual good humor. “She told me, ‘Sit down, here’s some playdough, and we’ll figure this out,’” Sheets said. “She actually cares. I know a lot of professors care about their students, but I honestly think she cares the most.” Sheets met Becker while touring UE and was surprised when Becker recognized her at the freshman convocation ceremony. “She’s the reason I came here,” she said. “After meeting her and hearing how she teaches, there was no way I could go to any other neuro teacher.”
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She just gets so excited about what she’s teaching. it just radiates off her.
September 2015 | Crescent Magazine
WINTER INTERSESSION 2015 3 credits. 3 weeks. entirely online.
12.17.15 to 1.8.16 Register for Winter Intersession at the same time you register for Spring Semester courses. Registration begins Nov. 2, 2015. For more information visit www.evansville.edu/registrar
Y
CAREER
our won’t come to you End-to-End Career Development Services: • Career assessment and major exploration • Job/internship/co-op/graduate school search assistance • Help with résumés/CVs/cover letters/personal statements • On-campus interviewing • Networking/social media utilization • Job posting/résumé sharing web-based system — UE JobLink • Career fairs/events/programming • Mentoring program/alumni connections – UE Connect
Gene Wells Senior Director, Career Development
Linda Wulf Associate Director, Career Development
Dianna Cundiff Associate Director, Career Development
Connect with the Center for Career Development on Social Media facebook.com/UECareerCenter • @UE Careers • pinterest.com/uecareer/ • youtube.com/user/uecareerservices
Join the UE Center for Career Development group on LinkedIn
Abby Michel Assistant Director, Career Development
Ridgway University Center, second floor • (812) 488–1083 evansville.edu/careercenter • career@evansville.edu UPCOMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER 2015 16 Seasonal and Part-Time Job Fair, Ridgway Center East Terrace 16 Humanities and Social Sciences Internship Showcase, Eykamp Hall 16 Humanities and Social Sciences Night, Eykamp Hall 17 Student-Alumni Mentoring Kick-off, Eykamp Hall 24 Accounting Interview Day, Indianapolis 24 Graduate Expo, IUPUI 30 Graduate School Fair, East Terrace OCTOBER 2015 4–5 The Big Ten+ Graduate School Exposition, Purdue University
7 Engineering Speed Networking Event, Eykamp Hall 8 Law Day, Indiana University, Bloomington 14 World of Opportunity-TSWTN, Eykamp Hall 15 Student-Alumni Mentor Speaker Series Luncheon, Eykamp Hall 20 Health Careers Fair, Student Fitness Center 28 Indiana Means Business! Career Fair, Indianapolis NOVEMBER 2015 12 Student-Alumni Mentor Speaker Series Luncheon, Eykamp Hall JANUARY 2016 27 Engineering Career Forum, Eykamp Hall
FEBRUARY 2016 17 Student-Alumni Mentor Speaker Series
Emily Fiedler Director, Employer Development
Luncheon, Eykamp Hall 18 Career Expo, Indianapolis 23 UE Career Day, Carson Center MARCH 2016 16 Student-Alumni Mentor Speaker Series Luncheon, Eykamp Hall 30 EXSS Forum, Eykamp Hall 30 Summer and Part-Time Job Fair,
Alison Morris-McDonald Coordinator, Employer Relations
Ridgway Center East Terrace APRIL 2016 7 Student-Alumni Mentor Program Closing Dinner, Biaggi’s 12 Teacher Recruitment Fair, USI 22 Teacher Candidate Interview Day, Hendricks County Fairgrounds, Avon, Ind.
Donna Schmitt Senior Administrative Assistant