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tan cardinal
otterbein university wednesday, feb. 29, 2012 vol. 93, issue 20 www.otterbein360.com
‘Spotlight!’ swings into Cowan
Annual dance concert calls jazz into the limelight set to sinatra:
Hayden Clifton and Lauren Kreischer jump, step and spin together to the energetic genre of music.
photo by blythe malone
Mike Cirelli
Editor-in-Chief
Lindsay Paulsen
News Editor
Katie Taggart
Assistant News Editor
Holly Takach
Opinion Editor
Sabrina Kohls Laina Thompson Ally Nagle
Assistant Opinion Editor Arts & Entertainment Editor
Katelyn Hanzel Donny Shallahamer Kristen Davis Blythe Malone Anna Schiffbauer Lindsey Hobbs
Sports Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Photography Editor Photography Editor Business Manager Web Editor
assistant editors Josh Adkins Steven Collins Leah Driscoll Dominic Poretta Kathleen Quigley contributing staff Monica Begazo AnaJaye’ Diggs Tyler Dubiak Morgan Hendrickson Sabrina Kohls Danielle Lanning Evan Matsumoto Katie McClain Jeremy Morgan Turp Ricketts Dennison Sleeper contact us 614-823-1159 TCeditor@otterbein360.com Tan & Cardinal Otterbein University Westerville, OH 43081 advertising For advertising information, contact Anna Schiffbauer at 614-823-1159 or by email at sales@otterbein360.com policies The views expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty and administration of Otterbein University. Opinions expressed in signed columns are those of the writer and not of the newspaper staff. Positions in unsigned editorials represent a consensus of the editorial staff. The first copy of the Tan & Cardinal is free to the public. Each additional copy is $0.50, and payment can be made at the office at 33 Collegeview, Westerville, OH 43081. Offenders will be prosecuted. The T&C staff would love to hear from you. Write a letter to the editor and tell us what you’re thinking. Letters to the editor are letters responding to a writer or an article published in the Tan & Cardinal. Please keep your letter to 300 words or less. It is at the discretion of the Tan & Cardinal staff as to whether or not the letter will be published. Letters attacking an individual will not be accepted. Letters must include the author’s first and last name, signature, phone number, address and affiliation to Otterbein University.
Loaded ballot on Super Tuesday Local and national issues up for the vote BY JEREMY MORGAN, ANAJAYE’ DIGGS AND JOSH ADKINS Contributing Writers
The fate of a Westerville City School District levy and November’s Republican Presidential nominee will be decided next week on Super Tuesday. Issue 10, a $6.71 million emergency operating levy, would allow the school district to operate with a balanced budget through June 30, 2015. The levy would cost property owners an additional $205.49 per year per $100,000 of home value, according to the Westerville City School District. It will raise $16.54 million annually and will expire at the end of 2017, unless voters renew it. Vice president of the Westerville Board of Education Denise Pope said that if Issue 10 fails to pass, the district will suffer. “Without voter approval, this will take our district to state minimums,” Pope said. According to the school district, new revenue will be generated as early as January 2013. Pope said that local government, vibrant businesses and strong schools are key. “If one of these is at risk, then the whole system is at risk,” she said. “Issue 10 is about … preserving our community, which is vital.” Pope has the support of Westerville City Council after a resolution to support the levy was passed unanimously at last week’s council meeting. While Westerville voters will have the chance to make change
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Voter How-To:
How do I vote absentee? Visit the Secretary of State’s website, click on “Vote by mail” and submit a written request for an absentee ballot to your county board of elections. It must be submitted by noon on the Saturday before the election, and the ballot
on a local level, the nation as a whole will be paying greater attention to the primary election for the Republican presidential nominee. Candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have waged war in recent primaries and are currently head-to-head in Ohio, a state historically crucial in winning the nomination. In a release last week, Romney announced the support of Congressman Steve LaTourette. “His support will be crucial as we take our message to Ohio and the nation in the months to come,” Romney said. LaTourette said that Romney is the only candidate who can defeat President Obama and create jobs for Ohioans. At a Toledo rally on Tuesday, Santorum asked attendees to help him “score a decisive victory” in Ohio, according to an article published in the Toledo Blade. According to a survey by the University of Cincinnati released on Tuesday, Santorum was ahead of Romney in Ohio by 11 points. In a release from the Associated Press, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced his support of Santorum because he believes that Santorum can win the race. “You have to give the American people a reason to vote for you, a reason to hope, a reason to believe that under your leadership, America will be better,” DeWine said. “Rick Santorum has done that.”
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must be postmarked no later than the day before the election. The website is http:// www.sos.state.oh.us/.
Where can I vote locally? For a full list of poll locations, visit the website for the Franklin County Board of Elections at http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov/.
inFormation CompileD by anaJaye’ DiGGs anD tUrp riCKetts
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wednesday, feb 29, 2012
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? News briefs from around campus
University Summit Meeting Feb. 21, 2012 •
There is a 2-3.5 percent projected increase in tuition for the next academic year. Acceptance rates have increased by 4 percent this year. Nursing applications have increased by 21 percent this year. In 2010, retention rates were 75.3 percent. Retention rates for 2011 have yet to be determined. Increasing male retention rates have been named a new goal, as well as reaching out to withdrawn students and researching students who thrive. The university gained 66 transfer students this year. The university has noted an increase in super-single dorm rooms around campus, which has led to greater revenue. Base salary increases have been named a priority. There are new goals to increase adult enrollment and summer graduates.
• • • • • • • •
Board of Trustees Meeting Feb. 25, 2012 An updated plan was proposed to change the layout of Otterbein’s campus. This plan suggests: • New dorms and classrooms be placed in the Equine Center • Part of Grove St. will be closed down to help make Main St. the entrance • A new health center will be built • Renovations will be made to the athletic building The Church Relation Task Force plans to associate with churches around campus to try and increase religious and spiritual interest on campus. They also plan to create scholarships for Otterbein students. The final plan will be finished in May and more details on the Church Relation Task Force will be talked about in the next Board of Trustees meeting on May 18 through the 19. t&c
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Senate Meeting: Feb. 23, 2012
Minutes
t&c editorial staff
Senate Bill 11/12-8
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Senate Bill 11/12-9
news
Tan & Cardinal
Common Book
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Approval of minutes from Nov. 17, 2011 From the Faculty Development Committee: Proposal to change name of the Faculty Development Committee to Faculty-Scholar Development Committee – Second Reading
Proposal to grant an honorary degree to 2012 commencement speaker Peter Lee From Jennifer Bechtold, director for the Center for Center Involvement – “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
news
vol. 93, issue 20
www.otterbein360.com
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photo by blythe malone
mail time: The new system contains over 50 applications, including video chat and language translation tools.
Otterbein goes Google in March Information technology department plans for upcoming transition Otterbein’s initiative to switch to Google Apps is approaching after having been delayed for several months. The transition was anticipated to begin in December, but Jeff Kasson, the information technology director at Otterbein, is looking forward to beginning the transition within the coming months. “There were some technical and logistic problems to deal with, but we plan to migrate to Google in March,” Kasson said. The first set of Otterbein email accounts to be switched over will be the 2011 graduates and retired faculty and staff. After those transitions, all students will be switched to the new system alphabetically, and
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the entire transition is expected to be completed in a few months. Information Technology is easing into the transition by sending instructions and information about the program’s key features via email. These emails will include helpful links to videos that will provide tutorials for using the program. Many students on campus use Google, and Kasson said he believes that this will be an easy transition for most students, faculty and staff. An informational email from Kasson that was sent to students in the fall said that Google Apps contains over 50 applications. These include email, calendar, contacts, documents, instant messaging, audio and video chat, web sites, search, pictures, videos, mobile, blogs, language translation, maps, phone calling
and more tools that could be of use to students. Kasson said that the new Google account is a permanent account that can be used beyond graduation, and all emails, calendar appointments and settings will be automatically moved over. Why Google? “Google Apps for education is the premier communication and collaboration platform for higher education,” Kasson said in an email interview. “Google is a world leader in innovation and provides a full suite of applications that allow students, faculty and staff to live in an open, collaborative and productive digital environment. Google’s style is to provide a user-friendly and intuitive online experience,” Kasson said. Some aspects of student email will remain the same. For
POLICE REPORT
According to the Otterbein University Police Daily Crime Log, the following has been reported from Feb. 23-25.
2/23
A wallet and credit cards were stolen from Rike Center.
2/24
A bag of pretzels was stolen from the OtterDen.
example, email addresses will continue to end in “@otterbein. edu.” The new system will also provide features that Microsoft Outlook currently does not, including video chatting and compatibility with outside emails and other Google+ features.
“With the growing Otterbein community, we want to keep everyone together in hopes that they will use chat, video chat and other sharing features of Google to remain in contact,” Kasson said. t&c
1 Rike Center
5 Home Street Commons
2/25 Drugs and paraphernalia were found during a traffic stop on the intersection of Park Street and Grove Street.
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4. 2/25 A traffic stop found an underage, intoxicated person on the intersection of Park Street and University Street.
Clements Hall
5. 2/25 Alcohol was found in the Home Street Commons when someone filed a noise complaint. Park and Grove
6.
2/25
A door handle was broken at Clements Hall.
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Park and University inFormation CompileD by Katie taGGart
GraphiC by Kristen sapp
BY KATIE MCCLAIN Staff Writer
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2 OtterDen
news 4 Junior plants greener seeds Tan & Cardinal
wednesday, feb. 29, 2012
Otterbein student Kristen Giesting talks about life on the farm BY DANIELLE LANNING Staff Writer
For Kristen Giesting, trying to convince her parents to get a herd of milk goats seems like a typical request. The junior environmental science and biology double major grew up on 14 acres of land in Indiana, where she and her family owned a goat, a dog, a cat, three horses and a chicken. Giesting’s interest in environmental issues has motivated her to become a student leader in Otterbein’s Plan-It Earth after being a member for the past two years. Plan-It Earth is an environmental
birDs oF a Feather:
awareness organization that is currently sponsoring campuswide initiatives such as Nike Reuse-A-Shoe, Campus Conservation Nationals and Recyclemania. More information on these programs can be found below. Giesting is also involved in the Science Center community garden, which is located near the Equine Center. There are 20 different plants to grow, including some vegetables and a handful of herbs. She became interested in food issues after watching the documentary “Food Inc.,” which is about America’s current food industry. Giesting focuses her
photo proViDeD by Kristen GiestinG
This feathered friend loves the camera, as she poses in the arms of Otterbein junior Kristen Giesting.
majors specifically on sustainable agriculture. She works to promote environmental awareness during the school year, but also continues her environmental studies during the summer. This past summer, she spent eight weeks on an internship with Jennifer Bennett, a professor in the biology and earth science department at Otterbein. They did research in microbiology, looking at the bacteria in Alum Creek to see if the bacteria are resistant to triclosan, which is used in antibacterial hand soaps. According to Giesting, the preliminary data supports evidence of bacteria photo proViDeD by Kristen GiestinG resistance. taKinG a Dip: With her fishing waders on, Giesting takes a look into the Her environmental efforts aquatic life swimming in the watery depths beneath her. carry over into her life beyond school at her home in Indiana. convince her parents to try new competition is between Garst, One of the horses she and her things that relate to sustainable DeVore and the Home Street family owns is at a nearby barn, agriculture. Commons. so she still gets to ride him while “I think my interest in all There were two baseline at Otterbein. aspects of environmentalism weeks to record the use of Her family also had six have really rubbed off on my electricity beforehand and will chickens, but are now down parents,” she said. be used to track improvements to only one because the others “My dad used to think we in electricity usage. The were eaten by their neighbor’s were a little crazy, but now he’s competition began Feb. 19 and dog. “We’re planning to get on board with many of our will continue until March 10. more chicks this year, and the ideas and is getting interested Recyclemania is another neighbors have a better fence in growing more of our own event that encourages recycling for their dog, so hopefully they food … I think the biggest as well as a competition against will survive this time around,” change is how we look at things. other colleges. The recycling Giesting said. So many things are not trash. is measured before pickup and Animals are not only a part Tons of things can be reused or recorded until March 31, which of her life now, but were also a recycled.” marks the end of the event. part of her childhood. Giesting’s enthusiasm for Last year, Otterbein was “My sister and I used to take recycling can also be seen in the ranked fourth out of the our goats for walks on a leash three campuswide initiatives she schools who participated in down to get the mail when we is involved in right now. Recyclemania. were little. My sister sewed a mail Nike Reuse-A-Shoe involves After graduating from pouch and we would strap it to gathering 500 pairs of old, worn- Otterbein, Giesting plans to (our goat) Samson’s back and out tennis shoes from anyone either go to graduate school for have him carry the mail back up on campus. There will be boxes environmental research or work to the house. One time, a guy around campus until March in sustainable agriculture. She driving down the road asked us 30 for drop off. After that, the said someday, she hopes to have what kind of a dog he was,” she shoes will be sent to Nike to her own organic, sustainable said. be recycled and used to make farm. Leaving her home was a big playgrounds, tracks and tennis “I admire farmers like adjustment for her since she courts. Joel Salatin that are raising grew up on 14 acres of land, and Giesting said that the Nike their animals in a way that is Westerville is the biggest city she Reuse-A-Shoe drive and Campus good for the environment, has lived in. Conservation Nationals are new healthier for people and takes “Living away from wide open projects that Plan-It Earth is the happiness of the animal spaces and trees was a change for participating in for the first time into consideration. Profit isn’t me … I spent some of my free this year and that both of these everything,” Giesting said. time as a freshman walking over projects are ultimately hosted by “I admire anyone, or any by Otterbein Lake and going in national groups. company, with enough integrity the woods.” Campus Conservation to do what is right simply When she does return home, Nationals is a national because it is right and not for any she brings her knowledge back competition that monitors personal or monetary gain.” home to her family and tries to electricity use. On campus, the t&c
vol. 93, issue 20
arts & entertainment
www.otterbein360.com
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Student improv act brings laughs to full house
Mainstage Improv received a standing ovation after performing a successful first show last Saturday evening BY LAINA THOMPSON Arts & Entertainment Editor
Last Saturday, the Philomathean Room was packed shoulderto-shoulder with people. Their laughter and applause shook the stained glass windows and filled the room. They were all there to see Mainstage Improv’s debut show. Even President Kathy Krendl was there. The improv troupe, which formed last semester, includes nine Otterbein students from the Theatre Department. Throughout the night, various members played several improv games. In the first game, called the dance game, three members took audience suggestions for a location. The Titanic was chosen and the game began. They then began to quickly retell the story of the Titanic by improvising the movie’s most memorable scenes.
While they did this, Sean Murphy, the head of Mainstage Improv, was in the back of the room playing music at various times. Whenever the music was played, the members in the scene had to take the action they were doing and then turn it into a dance. “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” by Das Racist, “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire,” by The Ink Spots and “I’m on a Boat” by The Lonely Island were some of the songs played in this scene. The standout moment in this scene was when Marina Pires, who was playing the part of the captain, hit the iceberg. She muttered an obscenity and held her hand to her mouth. The entire show ended with a game that all members participated in called improv survivor. The members took on a character of
their choice and improvised a scene set at CiCi’s Pizza. After they performed the scene, it was up to the audience to determine who was voted out of the scene by a round of applause. They would then play the scene again, improvising in new dialogue; however, the remaining players would have to fill in for the player that was voted out. After they did the scene again, they would vote someone else out until there was only one member remaining. This member had to do a one-person show of the scene. In Saturday’s case, it was Murphy. He handled the situation well, remembering each character and making the audience laugh his entire performance. The troupe was very witty. The members were able to come up with clever and funny things to say and do even though they
were given scene topics moments before. They all fed off each other’s styles and allowed the scenes to go for long periods of time without boring the audience. The troupe was also not afraid to say anything. Profanities were found in every scene, and they poked fun at subjects such as Jesus, pregnancy, wetting your pants, vibrators made of cottage cheese and stereotypes. Standout performers were Murphy with his crude humor; Joyah Spangler, who clearly had a long history of performing behind her and a promising future ahead; and Pascal Domicone. While Domicone seemed to have the least amount of performing time out of the group, his humor was always edgy and totally unexpected. He wasn’t afraid to humiliate himself and put himself out there for the laugh. He was the one to watch.
The audience was very engaged in the show. When Murphy announced they just had a couple games left, the whole room groaned. When the show was over, everyone clapped and cheered and gave the troupe a standing ovation. The first improv comedy show went very well, not just in the eyes on the audience, but of the performers as well. “I’m very happy with how the show went. We had a pretty big audience, and the reaction was really positive. For our first show, I couldn’t be happier,” Murphy said. Due to scheduling, the troupe doesn’t plan on having a show in March, but hopes to do one in the first weeks of April. t&c
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calendar
Tan & Cardinal
March
wednesday, feb. 29, 2012
123 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 2324 25 26 2829 3031 Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Campus Events
▪ Disability and Classic Horror Cinema, 4 p.m., Towers 112 ▪ Dance Concert, 7:30 p.m., Cowan Hall
Friday
Saturday
Movie Releases
Campus Events
▪ “Dr. Seuss: The Lorax” ▪ “Project X” ▪ “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” ▪ “Being Flynn”
Sunday
patriCKpasty/FliCKer
Video Game Releases
Campus Events
▪ Faculty Recital Series: EOS Duo, 8 p.m., Battelle ▪ Baseball vs. Grove City, 1 p.m.
▪ “Ridge Race Unbound ▪ “X-Com” ▪ “MLB 12: The Show” ▪ “Mass Effect 3”
▪ Women and the New American Dream symposium ▪ Baseball vs. Wheaton, 3 p.m.
Movie Releases
▪ Softball vs. Roger Williams, 9 a.m. ▪ Baseball vs. Babson, 9 a.m. ▪ Softball vs. Washington, 11 a.m.
▪ “Jeff Who Lives At Home” ▪ “Casa de Mi Padre” ▪ “Detachment” ▪ “21 Jump Street”
CD Releases
▪ Adam Lambert “Trespassing” ▪ The Shins “Port of Morrow” ▪ Esperanza Spalding “Radio Music Society”
CD Releases
▪ All-American Rejects “Kids in the Street” ▪ Macy Gray “Covered” ▪ Madonna “MDNA”
▪ “Dancing With the Stars”
TV Premieres
▪ “Mad Men”
Campus Events
▪ Feminist Pride Day
Campus Events
TV Premieres
Campus Events
▪ Dance Concert, 8 p.m., Cowan Hall ▪ Baseball vs. Thiel, 1 p.m. ▪ Women’s tennis vs. Wilmington, 1 p.m.
Movie Releases Campus Events
Campus Events
▪ “The Raid” ▪ “The Deep Blue Sea” ▪ “The Hunger Games”
▪ March 21-22, countdown to commencement, gown pickup and ordering day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., bookstore
Campus Events ▪ “King Richard III,” 8 p.m., Campus Center Theatre ▪ Softball vs. Mt. St. Joseph, 3:30 p.m.
Share your information: Want to announce an event in the T&C? Just email us at arts@
otterbein360.com, and we’ll put it in the monthly calendar. Send it to us by the 25th of the previous month. You can also submit events to the calendar on www.otterbein360.com.
Campus Events ▪ “King Richard III,” 8 p.m., Campus Center Theatre
▪ “King Richard III,” 8 p.m., Campus Center Theatre ▪ Softball vs. Baldwin-Wallce, 1 p.m. ▪ Baseball vs. Ohio Christian, noon
Campus Events ▪ “King Richard III,” 8 p.m., Campus Center Theatre ▪ Baseball vs. Mount Union, 1 p.m.
Information compiled by Laina Thompson Information from amazon.com, imdb.com and otterbein.edu
vol. 93, issue 20
arts & entertainment
www.otterbein360.com
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photo by blythe malone
animal behaVior:
For this number, several dancers dressed in exotic, almost animal-like costumes leaped and twirled around the stage holding rainsticks and other similar instruments.
Sinatra sets the stage for dance concert Music from ’40s crooner mixed with jazz, tap and several other dance styles are included in this year’s show BY SARAH PATASHINSKY AND LAINA THOMPSON Staff Writer and Arts & Entertainment Editor
The smooth croon of Frank Sinatra and the clap of tap shoes can be heard throughout Cowan Hall as Otterbein students and staff prepare for the annual dance concert this upcoming weekend. The theme of this year’s dance concert ranges from Sinatra to Fosse and much more. This theme has given each choreographer freedom to do whatever he or she wants. “It’s a very diverse concert,” said junior musical theater major Lili Froehlich, a choreographer. The concert will include many different dance styles, some of which include jazz, tap, classical, ballet and modern, along with music from Frank Sinatra, classical music and a hint of Amy Winehouse. There are two acts with a total of nine pieces and 27 cast members, including two student choreographers. Froehlich has performed in past dance concerts throughout
her years here. “Choreography is one of my greatest passions, and though I am a musical theater major, I hope to have a career in it,” Froehlich said. “It is so wonderful that this opportunity even exists and that the faculty has put their faith in me to create my own piece. It is a wonderful feeling to see something that has been stuck in your head get brought to life right before your eyes, and then to have an audience for it. The audience is getting a view of my imagination,” she said. Froehlich will not be in the concert itself due to recent surgery on her ankle, but she is looking forward to watching her friends perform, even though it has been difficult watching everyone else. Sophomore musical theater major Anthony Murphy, the other choreographer, is working on the choreography for the bows at the end of the concert. He said he loves working on bows, but they are challenging. “The most people I ever choreographed was five people,” Murphy said. “Now there is, like, 30.”
In past years, the perfomers in the dance concert have been heavy on the upperclassmen, but this year several freshmen are on the bill. “It’s really exciting to see the work they have been doing and what they bring to the table,” said Stella Kane, the artistic director of the show. A lot of work goes into this annual display of dance. “I think the concert is a great reflection of the training and diverse nature of what we teach here at Otterbein and the quality of the dance students,” Kane said.
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Dance 2012: Spotlight!
Cowan Hall Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m.
photo by blythe malone
stretCh:
Hayden Clifton and Lauren Kreischer twirl to Frank Sinatra.
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opinion
Tan & Cardinal
wednesday, feb. 29, 2012
Searching for the easiest way out Researching for papers has become as quick and simple as pressing a button
money hoGs:
Campaign funding is crucial to the success of presidential candidates.
photo From FliCKr/401K
Footing the campaign bill
Sophomore examines the sources funding presidential candidates
Money fuels and directs American politics. Candidates cannot run for president if they don’t have the money, and people aren’t going to give them money unless they can get something out of it in return. It is important DENNISON to understand SLEEPER who is giving our candidates money and why they are doing so because it gives us insight into the actions they might take as president and who it is they’re really fighting for. The two main sources candidates receive funding from are super political action committees (PACs) and people called “bundlers.” A bundler is somebody who raises money from other people in support of a candidate and often receives benefits such as a position in the party or other privileges. Legally, super PAC funders do not have to reveal themselves to the public, and at this point no Republican candidate has released all of their bundlers’ information. According to the Open Secrets Blog, a website dedicated to keep politicians and their spending transparent, the majority of Mitt Romney’s funding comes from special interest groups in the business and energy sector.
Romney is heavily pro-business and his financing shows how dedicated he is to ensure corporate success. Romney has spent the majority of his funding on ads attacking his fellow candidates, a common trend among this year’s candidates. Newt Gingrich has relied heavily on just one man, Sheldon Adelson, for the majority of his funding. Adelson is a Republican billionaire casino owner who said, “Why is it fair that I should be paying a higher percentage of taxes than anyone else?” Most of the rest of his funding comes from extremely wealthy businessmen who gave over $500,000 at once. This seems to show that Gingrich prioritizes the wealthy few rather than the majority of Americans. A lot of the candidates’ funding this year has come from small, wealthy special interest groups. The danger in this is that it limits the power of the American people to change anything when our president has to pay back the favors he used to get the job. Thanks to laws that largely protect the identities of donors, the race for the presidency has become increasingly reliant on who can raise the most money, and we often have no idea who is providing the money or why. The Huffington Post reported that this is because of the Supreme Court decision in
the Citizens United case to allow undocumented and unlimited funding for candidates. Super PAC donations are anonymous, unlimited and tax-exempt. This has created huge problems as money and corporate interests have to be placed above the interests of the average American. Because the donations are tax-exempt, there have been cases where groups send money through the super PAC but the money never actually gets to a candidate. In a convoluted way that I don’t really understand but smarter people with calculators do, this is a form of money laundering, and it illustrates just how corrupt our system of funding is. The real power in this country is being held by those with the money to pay for a candidate, and if we don’t know who is paying for whom, then we don’t know what our candidate will do once in office. Many congressmen and other groups have been pushing for the Supreme Court to change these laws, but nothing has been done yet. Until something happens, our government is in danger of being nothing more than a bidding war.
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DENNISON SLEEPER IS A SOPHOMORE PUBLIC RELATIONS MAJOR AND A CONTRIBUTING WRITER FOR THE t&c.
Search engines, like Google, have diminished the value of research in college-level papers. Even though Otterbein students have access to websites like EBSCO and LexisNexis, I often see students pull Google up on HOLLY their computTAKACH ers to search for something. I recognized my dependency on Google when I had to research someone for one of my classes who, when Googled, only came up with results for genealogy websites. No articles or anything online mentioned who he was. (Apparently ministers from the late 1700s aren’t a popular topic to write about.) So, I ventured down to the library and started looking through books that were so old they fell apart in my hands as I searched for the total of five pages of literature I was able to find on him. But, without help from the library, I wouldn’t have known where to look. And I think this stems from my dependency on Google — I’m so used to having results almost instantaneously at my fingertips that I’ve lost all desire for looking through the library. Sure, I learned the Dewey Decimal System back in the third grade with everyone else, but that information never stuck with me because I never had to use it. Additionally, search engines have made the research in our papers more about ease than quality. I’ll be the first to admit that if what I’m looking for doesn’t pop up on the first few pages of results on Google that I rephrase what I’m searching for until I get what I want. And I’m not alone on this. “I usually go about three pages into the topic, unless I’m really
into the subject, then I might go four or five. But that’s rare,” said Bri Amposta, a freshman global studies major. Overall, I think that we have trouble finding information because we’re just looking for evidence to support what we want to say or that is specific to our topic, as opposed to researching and drawing our conclusions from that. This leads to the issue of the quality of the material we use in our papers. If we’re just using information we’re finding from Google, how do we know what sources are truly legitimate? Sure, you can tell with some of the larger Internet entities, but anyone can purchase a domain name, write information and make it appear authentic. In order to determine if a website is credible, Amposta said, “I feel a source is legitimate if, at the bottom of the website, they have a copyright, and books are usually always legitimate.” But Kerry Strayer, associate professor of communications at Otterbein, said, “I don’t think enough students have a great sense of what are credible sites and what are less credible sites.” When using Google, students are left to figure out on their own whether a source is legitimate. But, if you use a website like LexisNexis, you’re sure to be pulling articles from reputable journals. In regard to the advantage of using the websites provided by Otterbein, Strayer said, “the search is scholarly versus popular. If you know the type of citations you need, it helps you get the good ones.” Taking that extra moment to figure out EBSCO will not only make your research more accurate, but will also increase the credibility of your paper. t&c HOLLY TAKACH IS A SOPHOMORE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR AND OPINION EDITOR FOR THE t&c.
opinion
vol. 93, issue 20
www.otterbein360.com
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thUmbs Up thUmbs DoWn BY HOLLY TAKACH Opinion Editor
That glorious moment when there’s an open
washer when you go to do your laundry at a reasonable hour.
Fifteen people responded to the poll on the T&C’s new sex column, “Between the sheets,” on Otterbein360.com. Not only did we get a positive response, but we’re excited we had more than three people respond. photo by Kristen DaVis
memorable memoir:
Sometimes it’s nice to get out of your head and delve into the depths of someone else’s life scribbled across the pages.
Real-life stories trump tall tales Freshman notices a rising trend in the popularity of writing and reading memoirs
Throughout history, people have loved reading novels. Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell and J.K. Rowling wrote what are considered some of the best fictional works. In recent years, though, SABRINA the memoir has KOHLS taken its relatable emotional backgrounds and forged ahead of the novel. I’m currently in an honors course that deals strictly with memoirs. The first book we read was called “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. After reading the first few chapters, the class agreed that each event that took place in Walls’ life was more heart-wrenching because we all knew it had actually taken place. With novels, I’ve been able to connect with the characters on
a deeper level, and even feel like I’ve understood them better than some of the people around me. But the memoirs I’ve read just instill that “mutual” understanding within me at an even higher level. I remember reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” in 10th grade and talking about how Harper Lee had based a large portion of the novel off her personal experiences, though the book ended up being published as a novel. My intrigue at the thought of someone seeing all of the events described firsthand went up tenfold. Aside from “The Hunger Games,” I see many of my friends reading works by David Sedaris, Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey and even Hollywood “celebrities” like Paris Hilton or Snooki of “Jersey Shore.” What seems to be the driving force in memoirs’ recent popu-
larity is the fact that Americans, and the population in general, are intensely curious about other people. (And partially that our lives are so boring that we need to read the juicy parts of other people’s mess-ups.) When all anyone does is watch shows like “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” read magazines devoted to Brad and Angelina’s love life and devote all of their precious Thursday evenings to “Jersdays,” why wouldn’t book lovers follow suit? The New York Times book review called Tina Fey’s book, “Bossypants,” a “spiky blend of humor, introspection, critical thinking and Nora Ephron-isms for a new generation.” Fey’s collection of personal stories has sold 1 million copies since its release last April and currently sits comfortably on The New York Times Best Seller list at No. 6.
And while books such as Jodi Picoult’s recent “Sing You Home” continue to appear at the very top of New York Times and USA Today book lists, memoirs seem to have grabbed America’s short attention span and held it, at least for now. Maybe what Americans really want is to be involved in someone else’s life so that they don’t have to worry about how mundane their own lives can be. Anyone can “write” a memoir — even Ms. Hilton. This just gives us everyday people something more to focus on — whether it’s the stupidity of many celebrities or the brilliance and wit of others. Real people are tangible. And in a society obsessed with objects, that’s what we crave. t&c SABRINA KOHLS IS A FRESHMAN JOURNALISM MAJOR AND A CONTRIBUTING WRITER FOR THE
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Zumba classes. Sure, my “dancing” looks more
like the jerky puppet choreography *NSYNC did for their “Bye, Bye, Bye” video, but I’m too busy laughing to notice the workout.
If we were still on quarters, we’d be halfway done with this term.
The wireless refuses to work in my room, and the Ethernet is temperamental. C’mon Internet, I just want to watch Netflix … I mean, do homework.
In a moment of procrastination, I went to the
“Like a Little” website, only to be disappointed it’s barely updated. People, you need to anonymously flirt so I can have a distraction.
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sports
Tan & Cardinal
wednesday, feb. 29, 2012
The new season brings high hopes for Otterbein BY EVAN MATSUMOTO AND TYLER DUBIAK Staff Writers
Baseball Coming from a disappointing 2011 season, the Otterbein baseball team looks to a solid pitching rotation and competition at every position to push back into the national spotlight. “Overall, in terms of our expectations, it was a little bit of a disappointment,” head coach George Powell said. “(Otterbein) had a run of 10 straight years of being in the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament … Last year we thought we had the pieces to do it, we were just inconsistent and really didn’t start playing well until the end of the year.” The Cardinals have a strong returning pitching staff led by
batter Up:
senior Dustin Reuter. Reuter, a product of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, pitched a win last season against DI Cincinnati. “Dustin Reuter is a kid who went down there and beat Cincinnati last year. (He) has a lot of ability and really falls in line with some of the really good starters we’ve had in this program,” Powell said. “I’m excited about the energy we have, especially our underclassmen. They have proven they are here to compete,” junior Wes Meadows said. Adam Schwartz, Evan Whitten, Steve Swiger, Marcus Caplin and Josh Young are just some of the underclassmen battling for a starting spot. The younger talent is led by a deep junior class including Dom Porretta, David Cydrus and Matt Frey. With the return of junior Wes Meadows from an ankle
injury, the team regains valuable experience. As a freshman, Meadows hit .342 with 41 runs and 28 runs batted in while earning Second Team All-OAC honors. “Wes is probably one of the best players in the conference,” Powell said. “He had a great summer and then a terrible injury; it’s just a miracle where he is now. Nobody thought he would be where he is. It’s a credit to him and who he is as a person.” The depth of the team allows the Cards to move players around and pushes them to compete for starting spots. “I expect us to win the OAC this year. The talent has always been there, but I think our team is determined to win,” Meadows said. Otterbein opened up with a sweep this past Sunday against Centre and has a four-game home stand starting March 3.
photo by Kristen sapp
Junior Scott Staarman analyzes the incoming pitch to hopefully score a run for the Cardinals.
photo by Kristen sapp
For the point:
Senior Steven Albert looks to score a point.
Softball Finishing its 2011 season at 23-15, the Otterbein softball team aims to play better in conference after it finished with an OAC record of 8-10 last year. With 10 of 28 women entering their second season, the sophomores make up a large part of the roster. The team is filled with an assortment of players, which should add to the success this year. Interim head coach Liz Allum said, “Each young lady brings a different type of leadership: experience, vocal, game sense, even humor.” Outfielder Laura Basford started all 38 games as a freshman and earned Third Team All-OAC honors. Basford also set the Otterbein single-season record of runs scored and triples with 45 and eight, respectively. The pitching core is made up of sophomores Maggie McMahan, Kelsey Long and Chelsea Burns, as well as senior Natalie Zwicker. In 2011, Zwicker posted a 2.09 ERA, which ranked as the lowest in the OAC. Also in the senior class is utility player Liz Holthaus and outfielder Casey Clarridge.
Holthaus is a three-year letter winner and earned Academic AllOAC honors. Clarridge is also a three-year letter winner and earned First Team All-OAC and First Team All-Region honors and was a Second Team Academic All-American. The team has been working to build upon the foundation which coach Christine Steines and Allum have created. “Now that we have that, coupled with the experience we gained last year, we’re going to put a lot of pressure on teams and make a name for ourselves. In short: It’s on,” Allum said. The ladies’ main focus may be winning a championship, but that does not stop them from giving back to the community. The team participates in a community service project at least once a month and has adopted the project as part of the team’s mission statement. “It’s an incredible platform to impact people in a positive way, and our players see the value of that,” Allum said. The ladies start their season with a 10-game set to be played over five days in Kissimmee, Fla. starting March 11.
sports
vol. 93, issue 20 Continued from page 10
Women’s Golf The women’s golf team looks to build upon the success of this past fall season, in which they had two first-place finishes. There is only one senior on the team, Heidi Mitchell, who had two top-five finishes in the fall of 2011 and posted an 89.4 stroke average with a low round of 83. Allie Pulos and Christine Foppe are the two juniors on the team. Pulos averaged 89 strokes over the fall season and shot a season-low 85. Foppe averaged 90.1 strokes and shot a low of 82 strokes at the Wittenberg Pat Clouse Invitational. Freshmen Airaka Bernacchi and Kathryn Rogers, along with sophomore transfer Marie McGinnis, who led the team with an 86.4 stroke average, will add to the women’s efforts to compete like they did early in the fall season. The first matches of the spring season are scheduled for a trip to Tampa, Fla., March 14-16.
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For coverage of the Westerville State of the Community address and a photo gallery of the Otterbein Hunt Seat Team, visit Otterbein360.com. Don’t forget to send your weekly Cardinal Complaints to webeditor@otterbein360.com by Friday.
Men’s Golf With a pair of first-place finishes and a second-place finish in the fall season, the men’s golf team looks to continue its dominance this spring. The team has two seniors; Westerville natives Brock Neighbors and Taylor Ford will be leading the team along with fifthyear player Ben Adams. Adams posted a 75.7 stroke average along with a low round of 70 at Wittenberg and two top10 finishes. Ford tied for 11th at the 2010 Fall OAC Championship while averaging 80.3 strokes and recording a low of 76. Neighbors had three top-five finishes, a 73.9 stroke average in the fall of 2010 and a tournamentlow 69 at the Mount Union fall invitational. Sage Engel, Matt Mosca, Nicholas Rhodes and John Stefanik make up the large sophomore class. The Jekyll Island Invitational in Jekyll Island, Georgia, is hosting Otterbein’s first spring match March 16-18. “We are all very excited for this spring. I think all of us believe that if we practice hard and play to our potential, we can expect to be competing in Orlando for the national championship in May.” Neighbors said.
www.otterbein360.com
ForWarD Vision:
photo by Kristen sapp
Sophomore Drew Watson carries the ball up the field.
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Lacrosse
Head coach Mark Anderson, who is in his fourth season, looks to improve from last season’s record of 1-2. One of the team’s most impactful players, Ryan Shutt, returns this year as a sophomore after winning All-OAC honors as a freshman last year. The team includes two seniors, Steven Albert and Ryan Roberts. Their next match will be their home opener against Wilmington March 3 at 1 p.m.
The women’s lacrosse team will be entering their program’s first year here at Otterbein. The university named Stephani Schmidt the head coach in December 2010, and she is ready to start the program off on the right foot. “I look forward to the challenge to grow the program into one that can one day be competitive in Ohio and the West region.” The team consists mainly of freshmen and sophomores; however, there are two juniors and one senior on the roster as well. The women’s team will look to the 19 players on the roster to start the program off. Their season opener will take place at Otterbein against Oberlin March 10 at 11 a.m.
Women’s Tennis Pat Anderson, the head coach, enters her 16th season and will use her experience from winning the 2003 OAC tournament to help improve the team overall. One of their biggest returning starters this year is sophomore Julie Stroyne, who won OAC Player of the Year last year. The team will also look to their three returning seniors, Cassie Brungarth, Christine Kuester and Angela Sammons, to help improve on the season. “We’re excited about the upcoming season. We have been working very hard and we are confident we will be competitive for the OAC Championships,” Brungarth said. Their next match will be against Wilmington here at Otterbein March 3 at 1 p.m.
Hey you! Yes, you reading the newspaper. Did you know that WOBN streams online for your convenience? 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on www.wobn.net. Just click “Listen LIVE” and follow the instructions. Or, you can always catch us on the dial at 97.5-FM.
Men’s Lacrosse The men’s lacrosse team will be entering its third year at Otterbein, and many of the players believe that this team can get the program’s first winning record. Coach Hartnett believes in his team. “We have the talent and the leadership to make it into the playoffs. Now we just have to go out and accomplish it,” he said. The team will take to the field in its season opener against Centre in Danville, Ky., March 10.
t&c
Shows not to be missed: Cardinal Sports Wrap Mondays, 9-11pm The Whoa Show - Wednesdays, 6-7pm Working for the Weekend Fridays, 6-7pm
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Tan & Cardinal
sports
wednesday, feb. 29, 2012
Never to be outworked
Junior Kristen Bennett’s work ethic helps her compete on all levels AND
BY ALLY NAGLE MORGAN HENDRICKSON Sports Editor and Staff Writer
The sacrifices and commitment that are required to play two college sports can crumble even the most dedicated athlete. But after enduring the yearround training, three knee surgeries and the months of rehab that followed, Kristen Bennett can still be found circling Otterbein’s track and playing on the volleyball court. Playing both volleyball and track, working at an internship and having a job on top of it has consumed her schedule. Being a dual-sport athlete is not a common accomplishment. Bennett, however, has made the challenge appear easy, as she has excelled in both sports. This past volleyball season, she was named Second Team All-OAC and earned Academic All-America for her efforts. In track, Bennett is consistently setting records. This past weekend at the OAC Championships, she set both the school record and the OAC record for long jump. Her jump of 18.925 is good enough to sit her at sixth nationally for long jump this year. Bennett will compete in Iowa March 9 for the NCAA Championships. She remains humble about all of her accomplishments and accredits teammates and coaches for her successes. “I really feel blessed to have been surrounded by great teammates and coaches in both volleyball and track. Without their help and support, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish my goals,” Bennett said. Bennett is passing her volleyball knowledge to younger players in the area, as she coaches a club volleyball team for The Volleyball Academy. “It is the greatest feeling to see improvement from the girls on my volleyball team. I love it when I hear them say, ‘I did it!’ about something they didn’t think they could do,” Bennett said. She is not only focused on sports, but also has a strong academic drive. “I am graduating a semester early,” she said.
aboVe the rest:
photo by brUCe bayman
Bennett has set numerous records in the long jump.
“I transferred from Xavier, and a lot of my credits transferred over.” She also recently got an internship with 10TV News. She was given the chance to be a reporter on a story dealing with lead being found in certain lipstick brands. “I had to call professionals and ask people on the street what they thought about it. Being behind the scenes of news is a lot different than what you see on TV,” Bennett said. Her future possesses many opportunities, one of which includes the possibility of a move to Texas. “I love Texas. I have family there. It is a fun atmosphere, and I do not like the cold either,” she said. Along with the move, she is excited to pursue her career. “I am very excited to begin my professional career and approach it much like my athletic career — not letting anybody outwork me,” Bennett said. It may be possible to think that Bennett is all work and no play, but she finds the time to be with her friends and do some of her favorite things.
New Zealand is her place of choice to visit. “Every photo I see of New Zealand is absolutely breathtaking, and I would love to see such natural beauty,” Bennett said. Along with her favorite place to travel, she also loves reading with her friends. Mystery and action books capture her attention the most. During the summers, she can be found reading outside. “I usually read two-three books a week,” Bennett said. Other than reading, a favorite hobby of hers is staying in shape and being active. The summer before starting college, Bennett signed herself up for a triathalon with her uncle. “I never felt more accomplished, training for the triathalon and everything on my own.” It may appear to you after reading this that Bennett appears to be a superwoman, and to many she is. Sophomore education major Liz Palmer, Bennett’s best friend and volleyball teammate, said, “Kristen is a fantastic individual, and I know we can expect even bigger things from her in the future.”
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