Campus gossip site runs dry
Transcription
Campus gossip site runs dry
sprinters bolt from lafayette campus... page 12 February 13, 2009 LAF spring concert act announced... page 5 the Lafayette volume 135 | number 15 The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania www.thelaf.com First Class Mail Easton, PA Postage Paid Permit No. 108 Campus gossip site runs dry by Casey Argento A popular website that thrived on student gossip and slander, testing the limits of free speech, has gone out of business, but another has stepped up and vows to take its place. Juicy Campus, the national anonymous gossip posting site for colleges, founded in 2007, was shut down February 5 due to lack of funds. The site’s initial purpose was to be a place for light-hearted campus gossip, but quickly escalated into a place for vicious discussions about fellow students’ ethnicity, race, sexual behavior, and more. According to CNN, Mike Ivester, 2005 Duke graduate, created the site for the purpose of “enabling online anonymous free speech on college campuses.” More than ~continued on page 3 with POPULAR photo by Jackie Parodi Although Lafayette received 11.6 percent fewer applications this year, the Admissions Office assures that the quality of the students applying are still the same as previous years. Admissions experiences 11.6 percent decrease in apps by A photo courtesy of wordpress.com Juicy Campus, the quickly growing gossip site, allowed students from all over the country to post their thoughts about fellow classmates anonymously. Kendall Davis diminished applicant pool at several private colleges and universities this year suggest the country’s economic woes are affecting students’ decision-making. Lafayette is no exception, with an 11.6 percent decrease in the volume compared to last year. Director of Admissions Carol Rowlands revealed that as of January 30, Lafayette had received 5,583 applications for the fall of 2009. On the same date last year, Lafayette, had received 6,314. “I believe our decline is directly related to current economic conditions and the lack of consumer confidence,” Rowlands said. “Many families are concerned about job losses and are reluctant to consider high priced institutions.” Fellow Pennsylvania liberal arts school Bucknell University also noticed a 5 percent decrease in overall applications. However, Bucknell Dean of Admissions Kurt Thiede acknowledged a surprising 19 percent increase in their Early Decisions numbers, which suggests the economy isn’t all that is at work this year. “I believe the current economic situation is a part of the issue,” Thiede said. “This doesn’t, however, address the significant increase in ED applications, particularly since more students are considering colleges with an eye on available financial aid resources.” In light of the significantly lower tuition rates at public schools, data suggests that more students are opting for a state ~continued on page 2 with WORD Despite economy, school optimistic for fundraising by L Zach Romano afayette has entered the early stages of a new capital campaign aimed at raising money to fund the objectives outlined in the College’s strategic plan. Despite the bad economic outlook, the college still has ambitious goals for the campaign. “The objectives of the Strategic Plan will be realized through new money,” explained James Dicker, Vice President of Development and College Relations. Original estimates for the campaign were set between three hundred and four hundred million dollars, but the state of the economy has led to estimates at the lower end of that scale. Some of the capital raised is used as the campaign plays itself out. Currently, the college is in the years and raises what turns out to “quiet leadership phase” of the cap- be about half of what the total efital camfort will paign. "Our goal is to secure twenty [faculty] g e n In this chairs through this campaign, and e r a t e . stage, the Accomwe've already secured eight." most loyal panied - James Dicker, V.P. of Develop- b y a n donors are apment and College Relations official proached. goal, The earthe efly phase typically lasts two to three fort then goes public. “My bet will be about three years until we enter the public phase,” predicts Dicker. Overall, capital campaigns characteristically last about seven years. Early results indicate that the recession is affecting donations, though not in the most predictable way. “This year, we’re receiving fewer gifts from the donors at ~continued on page 3 with CAMPUS Opinion the Lafayette Page 2 Our View Lafayette College’s master plan, while ambitious in an economic climate like this one, appears to be a very worthwhile project. The draft of the plan, posted in Our View Skillman is an editorial selected and debat- L i b r a r y does not ed by the editorial board, written after i n c l u d e a majority opinion many specifics, but is formed, and Lafayette approved by the editor. Our View is is certainly in need The Lafayette's of a face official opinion. lift. Although students have not been informed of the cost of the project, an investment in making the campus more pedestrian-friendly and aesthetically pleasing is a good choice. By investing in the area below the hill, the college can encourage students to interact more with downtown Easton. The plan will certainly be very expensive to accomplish and will likely take many years. The administration should not get too overzealous in fund raising until the economy has recovered enough to ensure the plan will be completed fully and effectively. February 13, 2009 Economy causes reduced admissions around country ~continued from page 1 to apply to col- years. “We expect that the curlege.” rent economic situation will get A l - worse before it gets better,” said t h o u g h e c o - Thiede. “We are monitoring the nomic influence situation carefully, anticipating may be swaying how this might impact our adcollege appli- missions…these are uncharted cants to apply to more affordable waters and we need to be prestate schools like Penn State, pared to respond to the chalor consider other financial op- lenges and opportunities sure tions, Rowlands said it would to come our way in the coming be unfortunate if students chose years.” to work for a few years to save Despite the numbers, Rowmoney or opted out of a college lands maintains that the quality education all together. “Colleges of the applicant pool for 2009 and universities are still provid- is comparable to those in recent ing need-based financial aid and years, “We are confident that a scholarships,” she said. Lafayette education is valued in With the future of the econom- the marketplace." ic crisis unknown it is likely that private schools like Bucknell and Lafayette could face an increasPenn State has received an increase in ing demand applications this year, especially from for financial in-state students who receive the aid packages benefits of diminished costs. in the next few "I believe our decline is directly related to current economic conditions and the lack of consumer confidence." - Carol Rowlands, Director of Admissions school education. Penn State has received an increase in applications this year, especially from in-state students who receive the benefits of diminished costs. In addition, Penn State Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Anne Rohrbach, noted that more students are requesting a campus other than University Park, the main campus. “We don’t have any conclusive information about how the economy is impacting student choices this year,” said Rohrbach. “However, we have been hearing from students, families, and high school counselors that cost and affordability are playing a larger part in the decision in where photo courtesy of lafayette.edu The Lafayette is looking for new writers! If interested, e-mail [email protected] On The Spot compiled by Jackie this week's question: parodi What would your ultimate Valentine's Day be? Andrew Schnall '10 Nina Skretkowicz '11 "A day in Billy Kingston's arms." "Ice Cream and movies with friends." Beth-Anne Lutes '10 Jeffrey Shoemaker '10 "A romantic evening at Club Beyond." "Heart shaped hash brownies." Address: The Lafayette Lafayette College Farinon Center Box 9470 Easton, PA 18042 the Lafayette Mark Mummert Luke Trovato www.thelaf.com [email protected] [email protected] Phone: (610) 330-5354 Fax: (610) 330-5724 Kenneth Briggs Editor-in-Chief Sports Editor Adriane Marcellus Managing Editor Jackie Parodi Jill Carey Photo Editor Web Manager Casey Argento Samantha Speer News Editor Ray Van Cleve Business Editor Assistant News Editor Eric Wilson Annmarie Dennehy Arts & Entertainment Editor Advertising Editor Editorial Policy Editorials appearing in The Lafayette represent a consensus of the majority of the Editorial Board. Those opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the administration of Lafayette College. Opinion & Letters to the Editor Policy Please limit opinion submissions to 700 words or less. Responses to articles and opinions fall under the category of Letters to the Editor. Please limit Letters to the Editor to 400 words or less. The Lafayette reserves the right to edit the length of opinion submissions and Letters to the Editor. Opinions and letters appearing in The Lafayette are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editorial staff, reporters, or advisor of The Lafayette. The Lafayette reserves the right to not print submissions which it considers unprintable. Anonymous letters will only be considered for print if they are signed and request anonymity, with a valid cause to do so. All such requests will be honored and held in the strictest confidence by the Editor. Advertising and Sponsoring Policy The Lafayette’s Editorial Board reserves the right to deny any advertisements based on content. For Faculty Advisor rates and information, please call the advertising staff. All columns and sponsored columns reflect the opinions and beliefs of the sponsoring group and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of The Lafayette Editorial Board. Subscription Policy Subscriptions for a full year of The Lafayette are $49, or $30 per semester. To subscribe, send a letter marked Attn: Subscriptions with payment to The Lafayette office. Changes of address should also be sent to that office. Theft Policy One copy of The Lafayette is free to each Lafayette student, administrator, faculty and staff member. Taking more than that number may be considered theft by The Lafayette. In such an event, the newspaper will seek to prosecute those individual(s) involved to the fullest extent possible. All articles are property of The Lafayette and may not be reproduced in any fashion without permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Titles For accuracy, college titles are cross-referenced with the Lafayette College online directory. February 13, 2009 News the Lafayette Page 3 Popular slander site shuts down from economy ~continued from page 1 also claims to practice regulation 500 college campuses around the of posts that are too threatening United States had active pages on or libelous, however it is too soon it, including Lafayette. to tell if these actions are being A new site, collegeacb.com, taken. is trying to fill the void left by Although the new site, owned juicycampus.com. After only a and operated by a freshman stufew days of existence, this new site dent at Wesleyan University, seems already has a Lafayette College to have been created with more inpage with posts. nocent intentions, it has a good pos The site’s mission statement sibility to slide down the same slips ay s : pery slope " T h e The anonymity offered by the site as Juicy College allowed students to share their true Campus. ACB or feelings, no matter how harsh, or dis- M a n y College lawsuits Anony- honest, they were. have been m o u s pursued Confession Board seeks to give by students who were particularly students a place to vent, rant, and harassed, but none of them have talk to college peers in an environbeen resolved. “Juicy Campus and ment free from social constraints similar Web sites are protected unand about subjects that might der the Communications Decency otherwise be taboo.” The site Act of 1996,” said an article on CNN. The act protects online publishers from liabilities caused by indecent comments made on their website. “It’s a hurtful website and it’s totally anonymous so you don’t know who’s posting about whom,” said Nicole Gramigna ’09. The anonymity offered by the site allowed students to share their true feelings, no matter how harsh, or dishonest, they were. Lafayette’s page on the website focused mostly on sorority and fraternity gossip. Although the page is no longer available, users in Lafayette campus said members of these social groups were ranked in categories such as “Hottest” and “Sluttiest,” for example. In these cases, individuals were mentioned both by first and last name and inappropriately commented on. “There were multiple posts about friends-or at least people I knew,” said Christine Reynolds ’11. “Even if the original post wasn’t something degrading, I feel like it would always end up being inappropriate by the end of the thread.” At other schools, juicy campus became a more serious problem. For example, sophomore at Ohio State University Jackie Kingston had more than 2,700 posts about her. The posts ranged from vicious comments about many aspects of her life and physical appearance to comments defending her. “The Lafayette community is lucky that it didn’t catch on as much as at other schools where people’s lives were ruined,” said Kate Pierce ’09. “I did think it was interesting the way [Juicy Campus] was getting popular,” Pierce said. “I think it comments on our generation and the way we like to have information out there, like with Facebook and reality TV. It has a lot to do with people and human interest in each other.” Even though she understands the popularity of the site, Pierce does not agree with what it evolved into. “The thing I hated about it was that it was so vicious,” she said. Campus begins capital campaign ~continued from page 1 the Pfenning Alumni Center, and the lowest levels,” says Dicker. the Acopian Engineering Center. “Fund raising is still pretty good, The last campaign was obviously but we’re raising it from fewer focused on facilities. “This campeople.” paign will be more about people “In the years leading up to the and programs,” says Dicker, though last campaign, we were raising there is still a strong capital compoabout 10 nent to million the curBesides adding faculty, Dicker esti- r e n t per year,” s a i d mates that $50 million will go towards e f f o r t . D i c k e r. expanding the endowment for finan- “ W h i l e “The last the last cial aid. few years c a m we have paign b e e n was 65 raising 18-20 million, so we are percent capital and 35 percent starting from a bigger base.” programs, this one may be the op “There’s not a suitcase with posite.” $400 million,” says Dicker. “Our goal is to secure twenty [faculty] chairs through this campaign, and we’ve already secured eight.” Besides adding faculty, Dicker estimates that $50 million will go towards expanding the endowment for financial aid. The one major building project will be a new and/or updated life sciences building that could total between forty and fifty million dollars. The last capital campaign took place during the relatively prosperous years of 1995 to 2001 and pulled in $213 million. This effort manifested itself in the photo by Holden Ferry Hugel Science Money raised in the capital campaign will go Center, Oeschele to renovation projects, as well as financial Hall, Keefe Hall, aid and the endowment. photo courtesy of abcnews.com Public Safety Crime Log 2/02/09 through 2/08/09 02/02/09 Tamper with Fire Apparatus 02/02/09 Tamper with Fire Appartus At 1:06 PM employee reported a fire extinguisher had been tampered with at Monroe Street (600 block) Incident under investigation. (P. Pels) At 2:14 PM employee reported a fire extingusher had been tampered with at Monroe Street (600 block) Incident under investigation. (C. Snyder) 02/06/09 Theft At 2:44 PM a student reported the theft of his cell phone from Pardee Hall. Incident under investigation. (P. Pels) 02/06/09 Purch, Consume, Poss, Trans of Liquor At 1:30 AM Sarah Dally, Box 9078 was cited for underage consumption and public drunkenness outside of Gates and Mckeen. Referred to the Dean of Students (S. Schleig) 02/07/09 Poss of a Controlled Substance At 4:29 PM, Two non-students were apprehended by the North Third Street stairs for possession of a controlled substance. Referred to Easton Police Department (S. Schleig) 02/07/09 Purch, Consume, Poss, Trans of Liquor At 1:23 PM, responded to a complaint in Gates Hall. Student was under 21 and had alcoholic beverages in his room. Referred to Dean of Students. (T. Marina) 02/07/09 Criminal Mischeif At 3:37 PM, Officer discovered a Street Sign damaged at High Street and North Campus Lane. Incident under investigation (K. Heil) 02/07/09 Assault At 4:35 PM , male student reported he was assaulted by another male student in 4 West Campus (DU) on 02/06/09 at 12:30 AM. Student did not wish to press charges at the time. (S. Schleig) 02/08/09 Purch, Consume, Poss, Trans of Liquor At 2:35 AM Sifiso Takirambudde, Box 8734 was cited for underage consumption at Phi Gamma Delta. Referred to Dean of Students. (B. Martino/K. Heil) This security log is compiled by the Office of Public Safety and submitted to The Lafayette. It is an account of all crimes handled by Public Safety officers and does not cover non-criminal reports. All reports printed here have been listed and also submitted to the Easton Police Department. Page 4 the Lafayette News February 13, 2009 Genocide survivors share their stories Glenn Chabora Rwandan genocide. In 1994, Murekatete lost her mother, father, six brothers and he fight against hatred took sisters, her grandmother, and sevup a new banner on Tues- eral aunts in just 100 days to gangs day when two survivors of two and militias. Her life was almost different genocides--the 1994 lost when she was discovered by Rwandan genocide and the Ho- a militia group while hiding out locaust- -spoke about their expe- in a residence of a sympathetic riences in front of a full audience person. She, like many others, in Oechsle Hall. The two sur- was hunted down because she was vivors ethnicalshared "It is better to work through preven- ly Tutsi t h e i r tion than intervention because by that in a land inspirawhose time it would be already too late." tional majority - Jacqueline Murekatete populas t o r i e s, a n d tion was asked Hutu. Lafayette students to reject One of the hardest things to get genocide and to voice their con- over, she said, was that most of cerns over genocides currently the people who killed her family happening around the world. were members of her town and The room was crowded, and even neighbors. many were forced to stand or sit “Unfortunately for me, [the on the floor. Rwandan massacre] was not a “Race, religious, and ethnic nightmare, it was a reality,” she hatreds are not exclusive to said. “How could my neighbors one country,” said Jacqueline turn against us?” Murekatete, survivor of the The second speaker, David by T Gewitzman, was a holocaust survivor who survived by hiding in a Polish farm. Geritzman hid underneath a pig sty, was used for slave labor, was captured and almost executed by police, and hoarded into a ghetto. Yet, despite his harrowing ideals, what he remember s most about his ordeal is all of the people who helped him along the way. “To keep educated,” Gewitzphoto by Dana Duca man said, “Jews Genocide survivors talk to students about their own experiences. Jacqueline o p e n e d c l a n - Murekatete witnessed Rwandan genocide, and David Gewitzman is a survivor of destine schools. the Holocaust. Jewish and Christian teachers risked exter- Jews by teaching at night so that World War II. “The Italians opened their arms and showed mination at Treblinka for helping we wouldn’t fall behind.” H e g a v e me that life was worth living,” thanks to a he said. Polish farmer Both Murekatete and Gewitzwho hid his man felt sharing their experibrother and ences was very important. “We t o a n o t h e r set ourselves on a mission to far mer who speak for those who cannot speak hid him and and to inoculate everyone from some mem- a bad disease called hatred,” b e r s o f h i s Gewitzman said. was responsible for dismantling the for incoming students, laptops and college’s policy f a m i l y i n a Their mission was best summed computer teaching space in Pardee desktops are both “valid options” on student com- hole under- up at the end by Murekatete: “ It Hall. “There’s a chance that there for incoming students, though puters are incon- neath a pigsty is better to work through prevenmay again be a classroom with “last year over 90 percent of firstgruous and need so that they tion than intervention because computers installed in Pardee that year students reported bringing to be resolved. would not be by that time it would be already could too late.” “We should have caught. a laptop.” be used some kind of lap- H e a l s o When asked whether they Laptops for both "If you're just doing research [with a a r e i n top loan policy thanked Ital- harbor any anger towards those s t a f f desktop] you're solid, but when you no way a that would let ians he lived involved, both survivors said they training need a laptop in class it's an issue." you take it out of with brief ly had decided to move on with mandate. and for the library. And after leaving their lives, and they did want to B u t - Alex Struck '10 regular courses should to Poland after be burdened by anger. for Struck, classes stipulate that lapwho had -- but that depends on the avail- to go to quite a bit of trouble to tops are required ability of funding.” beforehand.” find a laptop for his class, the prob According to ITS website’s FAQ lem of not having a laptop and the Computer classrooms no longer available for class reservation by T Brittany Maugeri hough the campus is increasingly wireless, the college website only recommends a personal computer for incoming students, but does not require one. However, computer classrooms that were once available for in-class use can no longer be reserved, and professors do not have the option to rely on students to bring laptops with them. Earlier this semester, Alex Struck ‘10 was in a class where his professor was looking to use a computer classroom for weekly writing exercises. The professor had used rooms stocked with multiple desktop computers and a printer in the past, but when he tried this semester, he was told that there were no longer any available for weekly reservations. Since Struck is the only one in his class without a laptop computer, the class is not able to do the in-class essays. Struck explains that he prefers his laptop, and says that this is usually not an issue. “If you’re just doing more research you’re solid, but when you need a laptop in class it’s an issue.” According to Terese Heidenwolf, Associate photo by Holden Ferry Director of Informational Computer classrooms in buildings like Pardee Hall and Skillman Library are no longer Services in Skillman Liavailable for weekly class reservations. brary, the provost’s office Come write for The Lafayette! Meetings: Monday 9 p.m. Farinon 105 February 13, 2009 Arts and Entertainment the Lafayette Page 5 Girl Talk headlines LAF spring concert by Allison Reuben O n April 29, Lafayette Activities Forum will be hosting DJ Girl Talk with opening acts Code Red and Black Violin for the annual spring concert. Girl Talk is the stage name for Greg Gillis, a Pittsburg, Pennsylvania native who specializes in mash-up remixes in which he combines elements from up to a dozen songs to form a new one. Although Gillis’ music has raised a piracy controversy because he samples from multiple songs, he has also garnered much critical acclaim; his most recent album “Feed the Animals” was ranked number 24 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 50 albums of 2008. Opening acts Code Red and Black Violin have enjoyed similarly favorable reviews, but their musical style differs greatly from Girl Talk. Code Red, who will be making their second appearance at Lafayette, is a reggae group comprised of musicians with Jamaican roots who hail from the Southern Florida area. They photo courtesy of wordpress.com Greg Gillis a.k.a. Girl Talk will bring his eclectic music talents to campus this Spring. are known for their unique blend a great concert that the school of roots, reggae and alternative would enjoy, as well as being well suited for the budget during the music. Black Violin has an equally current economic situation.” unique sound combining their T h o m s e n a d d e d t h at “ we passion of the classical violin with decided to put on more of a their love of Hip Hop and R&B Hip-Hop show this year with music. The duo is a three-time Code Red, Black Violin and Girl winner of the esteemed Apollo Talk in hopes to tap into student Theater Amateur Night competi- groups on campus that typically have not gone to spring concerts tion. Although the three acts have in the past.” enjoyed much commercial success, students of Lafayette have mixed feelings about the band choices. Ashley Gareau ’09 is disappointed with the selection of Girl Talk over other more popular bands, saying “when I heard Girl Talk was coming to our school, I thought they meant Stephanie Tanner’s band from Full House. I wish we had a band I knew.” Other students such as Alexandra Davies-Lazarte ’09 are simply looking forward to having a spring concert, “I’m excited even though I don’t know much about who they are. This looks like it will be a fun way to spend the night with friends.” Despite the skepticism surrounding this year’s act, LAF photo courtesy of winthrop.edu music chairs Steve Melnic ’09 Black Violin combines the and Brian Thomsen ’11 stand classical sound of violins with the by their decision. Melnic said, modern beats of hip hop. “we worked very closely with student government to create Joseph introduces the spoken word to campus Sean Ryon as a child, a subject he discussed in his live performance. “I have a background in West African and ast week, spoken word artist tap dance,” said Joseph. “I first Marc Bamuthi Joseph came used movement as an exercise in to Lafayette and introduced the my classes to make [the meaning community to the art form with a of the] words more accessible, but Thursday workshop and a Friday then began to integrate dance into performance called “The Spoken my performances. It’s like the words World” at the Williams Center for carry the literal meaning, but the the Arts. body carries the metaphorical mean Born in Queens, New York, but ing.” raised in Oakland, California, Marc Prior to his Friday performance, Bamuthi Joseph wrote poetry for Joseph held a spoken word seminar years before beginning his profes- on Thursday in Farinon’s Marlo sional spoRoom ken word where career in "I am inspired by personal conflicts he led at1998. He relative to a global consciousness." tendees has gone - Marc Bamuthi Joseph through on to earn a numnumerous ber of distinctions in the artistic com- writing and dance exercises. In one munity, winning both the San writing exercise, he asked particiFrancisco Poetry Grand Slam and pants to identify and analyze their the National Poetry Slam as part of preconceived notions of people to Team San Francisco. facilitate a receptive artistic environ Since the 1950’s, spoken word ment. “It seemed like people were poetry has been a staple of artistic very open to share their stuff,” said expression. Despite the spoken Elliot Colgan ’12. Many of Joseph’s word’s respect throughout the ar- exercises during the seminar dealt tistic community at large, it lacked directly with personal and social significant public popularity for consciousness. much of its history. That is, until “I am inspired by personal conflicts Joseph stepped onto the scene. relative to a global consciousness,” Joseph revolutionized spoken said Joseph. “[I deal a lot with] my word performance by incorporat- growth and experience in terms of ing dance and movement into his large scale social issues like the envipoetry. He first began tap dancing ronment and patriarchy.” by L Joseph’s performance echoed exercises taught in his seminar, both in respects to dance elements and subject matter. He began the performance with a haunting poem detailing the evolution of racism. “I wouldn’t normally say I’d love to see spoken word, but halfway through [the performance], it felt more like he was telling a story,” said Colgan. Not all of Joseph’s performance was marked with such a serious tone. In one of his poems, he deals with the pervasiveness of hip-hop throughout the world, relating his misguided experiences in a Japanese hip-hop club, saying “I was invisible, another guy too old to be at the club.” The most shocking and memorable poems of the night came at the end of the performance, when Joseph related a dream he had in which the musician Prince relates to him the true history of the Mona Lisa. With a dead-on impression of Prince, he re-interprets Mona Lisa as a waitress in a small diner, lusted over by the greatest minds ever to exist, but only satisfied by a nerdy and rather self-absorbed da Vinci. photo courtesy of farm1.static.flickr.com Marc Bamuthi Joseph combines dance and spoken word in captivating performances. Page 6 Arts and Entertainment the Lafayette February 13, 2009 ODDS AND ENDS Valentine's Day Youtube Videos Need a pick me up this Valentine's Day? Type these titles into your Youtube browser for guaranteed laughs. 1) Chimpanzee riding on a segway 2) David after dentist 3) Fat guy put a ring on it 4) Usain Bolt celebrates early 5) "Forever"- by Jesse and the Rippers What's Your Sign? y a D s ' e n i t n e l a V YOUR WEEKLY (2/13 - 2/19) HOROSCOPE by Psychic Sam Aries: (March 21- April 20) Lately, you've been nervous to take that next step in your relationship. Nobody likes to get hurt. Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith. Have some confidence and go for what you want. Taurus: (April 21 - May 21) During the week, while love is all around you, soak it in. Make sure to let your friends and family know that you care about them. Sometimes a hug is all someone needs in order to brighten their day. Gemini: (May 22 - June 21) With Valentine's Day approaching, you may find yourself drawn to a coworker or one of your friends. Make sure you evaluate the situation before doing something you can't take back. However, flowers or chocolate are a good place to start. Cancer: (June 22 - July 23) Have some fun this week. Whether or not you have a significant other in your life, take a chance to spend time with the people you love the most. One way or another, spending time with your friends and family will be a good time. Leo: (July 24 - Aug. 23) Remember: "you can't make your bed and lie in it too." While you may be receiving undue amounts of attention early in the week, you shouldn't take this for granted. Make sure you show your appreciation to those who deserve it. Virgo: (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23) With the start of this week, you may begin to feel overwhelmed with everything going on in your life. Eat some chocolate and take some time to enjoy those 'secret admirers' you have hanging around. They won't be there forever. n o i t i Ed Sagittarius: (Nov. 23 - Dec.21) While lately you've been doing your best to move forward with your life and not look back, you may want to make an exception to that. Take a chance on someone you may have known back in your childhood-you never know what good things could happen. Capricorn: (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20) Lately you have felt like no one has taken any special interest in you. Keep your eyes open-you may just have some secret admirers popping up in places you would least expect. Aquarius: Libra: (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23) Sometimes the reward is worth the risk taken for it. However, this week you should be careful not to take too many risks with your heart. In some cases, it may make the most sense to just go with the flow. Scorpio: (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) Lately you've been quite the busy beaver. Soon things will start to slow down. Let your hair down and have some fun with your friends. Things will start to heat up soon enough-in more ways than one. (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) Frustrated desires and obstacles to getting closer to your significant other or crush can evoke anger in you. Take a breath and realize that there are others out there in your position. Step back and look at the bigger picture. You'll find a better way to approach things. Pisces: (Feb. 20 - March 20) The mood to break away from the normal path and do something radical shouldn't be ignored. Instead of your usual Valentine's Day activities, find something new and exciting to do with your loved ones. You never know what will come of new places and new faces. Arts and Entertainment February 13, 2009 the Lafayette Page 7 Diane Reeves jazzes up the Williams Center bRett billinGS Grammy Award. Part of the reason Reeves came to perritically acclaimed jazz form at Lafayette was singer Dianne Reeves per- thanks to a special formed in front of a packed bond she shares with crowd at the Williams Cen- a r t i s t - i n - re s i d e n c e ter for the Arts last Saturday Mulgrew Miller; they night. With songs that covered a worked together on myriad of styles and influences, four albums. Miller Ms. Reeves’ concert was an admires Reeves for incredible show from a master her finely tuned jazz perfor mer. Ms. Reeves con- talent, “Jazz is a munected with her audience with sical language and it beautiful vocals and thoughtful has to be learned...It’s lyrics; as she sang in her opening not very different from number, “[Do] whatever makes English...you have to you feel good. It’s okay, we like learn the vocabulary... even the greatest muit that way.” Reeves had the audience in sicians learned from the palm of her hand from the someone else.” Reeve’s history in second she came on stage and music reaches back to maintained control with her when she and Miller broad range. Reeves could be first met at the Wichgentle and tender at one moita Jazz Festival in ment and powerful and incred1974 where Reeves ibly impressive the next. w a s t h e n t o uring She also displayed her perwith The Clark Terry sonality and charm by telling Group. Since then, stories of working with George she has recorded 18 albums. Clooney on the movie Good Night Overall, the Reeves concert and Good Luck. The soundtrack was everything jazz is meant to ear ned Ms. Reeves a 2006 be: intimate and unpretentious, "Do whatever makes you feel good. It's e n t e r t a i n i n g and mesmerizok, we like it that way." ing. by C - Diane Reeves photo courtesy of wordpress.com Diane Reeves dazzled the crowd in her Williams Center performance. Interested in writing for arts? Come to the arts meeting! Mondays at 9 p.m. in Farinon 105. Page 8 the Lafayette Arts and Entertainment February 13, 2009 Valentine's Day dates for singles and couples vs The single night by The couples night by Adriane Marcellus W ith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, procrastinating couples are running out of choices for their dates if they haven’t made plans already. Here are some creative, cost effective ways to celebrate the holiday. T he Lafayette Initiative is bringing back the date. Several sororities are selling candy to send to your sweetie. You walk into Farinon and ISA hands you a red carnation for your special someone. Throughout the week the campus has been bombarded with reminders of the upcoming lover’s holiday. Between the cards, the candy, and the flowers, if you’ve got a special someone, Valentine’s Day is great, but if you’re single it can be one of the worst days of the year. Well, at least until this year. Luckily if you don’t have a date The Lafayette has got you covered when it comes to the celebrating single. Here’s your singles Valentine’s Day guide to things to do this February 14 you don’t have to feel lame about. Beth Wraase Cookie Date Baking cookies is a great way to get to know your date. Take the bus to WalMart and find disposable cookie sheets if you don’t already have coo king supplies. If you are feeling ambitiou s you can buy cookie-making ingredie nts (recipes can be found online or at http ://allrecipes.com, but there is no sham e in taking the easy way out with Toll house break-and-bake refrigerated coo kie dough. Find colored icing and spri nkles or anything you want to put inside the sugar cookies and bake away. Onc e they’re finished in the oven, let them cool off and get your decorating sup plies ready. Decorate the cookies with your date, draw a heart on a cookie in red icing, or send a message to you r date. Happy baking! photo by Andrew Kotsopey Treat yourself lk in sadness when u’re single, but why su yo if le ab ser mi be n tine’s Day. When Valentine’s Day ca ll be saving this Valen u’ yo ey on m e th all n get pricey when you can celebrate tine’s Day splurge ca len Va l ica typ ur yo , about $30, and if you break it down uet can set you back uq bo se ro ple tri a st add another $25. you’re attached. Ju tes you can expect to ola oc ch g n in as rch pu der $30. If you pla you’re planning on ng a meal for two un di fin u k yo luc for od ck Go fli 0 for a Going on a date? d at least another $2 ad ie ov m ne a eo th m wi so g ial spec to end your evenin , when you’ve got a n all is said and done he W y you’re single; te. pp da ha ur be yo y, d an Valentine’s Da is th So ll. bi fty he 00 in your pocket. you’ ll also have a will have an extra $1 u yo t bu te da a ve ing special. you might not ha single self to someth lf se ur yo at tre d an Take your money See a movie Save the romance for the lovebirds. Meet up with some friends movie. But don’t wa and go to a ste your time watch ing a love story when movies are coming ou so many new t this weekend. If ho rror is your genre of in suspense as hockey choice watch -masked killer Jason Voorhees waits to us on a group of college e his machete students in Friday Th e 13th, coming to th If blood and gore is eater s Friday. not your style, chec k out Isla Fisher in Shopaholic, a drama wi Confessions of a th a happy ending. You could also save head to Limburg Th so me cash and eater for the showin g of comedy School 7p.m. and 10p.m. Sa Da ze playing at turday. Turn on the TV game check out the NBA It’s NBA All-star weekend. For the love of the three point contest. See Skills competition, slam dunk contest and the st for the third year in if Jason Kapono can win the three point conte dunk champ. The a row and if Dwight Howard can repeat as slam can also catch a glimpse action begins at 8p.m. Saturday on TNT. You ntic comedies you’ll of your celebrity crush in one of the many roma be sure to find on TV this weekend. Movie Night Skillman Librar y th your date? Go to wi zy co t ge d an titles. Skillman Want to snug gle up ovie from over 4000 m a t lec se d an ne eo antic comedies, with your special som cumentaries to rom do m fro es oic ch of ry-adventure has a wide variety e City and the myste th & x Se e lik ns tio isi aWa and each including new acqu film, head over to W ur yo en os ch e u’v yo e Enjoy a quiet Transsiberian. Onc y or snack to share. nd ca ite or fav ur yo t for a sweet ending of you can pick ou and good company d, foo od go , m fil night in with a good Day. to your Valentine’s Board Game Night Feel like getting a little competitive? Gilbert’s Café has a wide selection board and card games of to make the night intere stin g. Bring some friends an enjoy smoothies all aro d und or go with just your date and order something share before choosing to your game. From Apple s to Apples to Connect Gilbert’s has plenty of Four, options for some fun ga me -playing. Creative coup can raise the stakes by ha les ving prizes for the winner, from the classic Valentin Day candy Hershey’s Ki e’s sses to your own uniqu e awards. Childhood Fun Date that’s not your cup of y is always a fun idea, but if Going to the Crayola Factor e. Pick up a coloring Crayola Store with your dat tea, go down the hill to the your date’s artsy ored pencils and get to know book and some crayons or col your crayons—after lines? Don’t forget to share side. Do they stay inside the garten. w your best friend in kinder all, that’s how you got to kno Celebrate with friends Believe it or not, you’re not the only single per son on cam pus. According to the U.S. Census Bureau mo re than 80 million people wil l spend Valentine’s Day sin gle. So thi s Va len tin e's day gat her a gro up of sin gle frie nds and invite them over for a single s only party and celebrate being solo together. Also kee p in mind that the holiday doesn’t have to be jus t for lovers. Make valentine's with friends. No w is also a perfect time to tell your friends how much you care. Make a frie nd a valentine to remind the m how much they mean to you. photo courtesy of funagain.com Sports February 13, 2009 the Lafayette Page 9 Former Leopards Gym gets technology upgrade look for success at other schools photo by Meredith Skiba The two new Expresso bikes help enhance exercise by simulating an outdoor riding environment students interact with. Students can also compete against other riders in racing challenges. photo courtesy of Athletic Communications Former Leopards' defensive end, who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of high school. Jeff Katz has decided to transfer to Amherst College and play Division III football. Hollis recently and said Hollis ~ continued from page 12 Katz’s former roommate and misses the Lafayette team. teammate Jeff Cumming ’10 Clayton said part of the said Katz was looking for a place sprinters’ decision to leave was where he would have more play- due to the departure of former ing time. Last semester, Katz assistant coach Kareem Jackson, applied to transfer to Amherst, who was in charge of sprints, Cumming said. Cumming also jumps and hurdles at Lafayette. said Katz had originally been “[Austin and Hollis] both were recruited by the school for foot- pretty close with [Jackson], so ball before he chose Lafayette when he left I think that they and thus had previous interac- became less interested in contions with the school. “[Katz] tinuing athletics [at Lafayette].” was looking something a little Clayton also said that the loss of different—something on another the two sprinters will make the level,” Cumming said. Cumming team smaller, and it is a loss of two pehas been rennial in contact with "[Jeff Katz] was looking for something scoring Katz re- a little different--something on another athletes Clayc e n t l y level." and said - Jeff Cumming '10 ton also said the K atz is t e a m enjoying will miss Hollis’s positive athis new school. Austin and Hollis, two of titude, but he does not feel the Lafayette Track & Field’s for- same way about Austin. “[Holmer sprinters, have also found lis] was also a pretty solid role new homes at University of model and leader,” Clayton said. South Carolina and University “[Austin’s] attitude—especially of Delaware, respectively. Past closer to her leaving— will not teammates of the athletes say be missed however.” the girls made the switch for a Buzzell said the loss of the sprinters will have an impact on number of reasons. Former teammate Jessica Buz- the team, but it is something the zell ’09 said Austin had indicated Leopards can overcome. “Both she was looking for a school with girls were tremendous competimore athletic competition. Kyle tors and big contributors to the Clayton ’10 also said Austin was team, so when they left people looking for a bigger school. Buz- were under the impression that zell said Hollis’ departure was the girls team would be nothing more tentative and she “truly did without them,” she said. not want to leave [the team].” Buzzell has been in contact with ~ continued from page 12 The Expresso Bikes are different than any of the other machines in the gym. They provide users with a virtual experience while getting a workout. “It’s sort of like a video game,” said Ohms. The color screen captures the view one would have if biking outdoors. The bike also requires more full body movement than the upright bikes, requiring users to steer with their arms. This allows for users to get the full biking experience, more so than those on the stationary or upright bikes. “I feel like an idiot steering a bike while everyone else is working out,” said Ohms. The Expresso Bikes also allows users to race others, including the cyclist next to them, and to log and save their times into the machine. Howell said the reaction to the bikes has been positive. “They’re entertaining and motivating,” she said. Ohms agrees, explaining that the various features of the bikes help to take one’s mind off of the physical activity, “The distraction helps,” she said. Daniel Stefan ’10 said the new bikes help make him more motivated to exercise. “[The Expresso Bikes] make biking a lot of fun by enticing you to be competitive and pass other racers,” he said. The bikes also feature games where players can guide the bike toward objectives such as collecting coins to get a certain score. Stefan said the games also add to the enjoyable experience of using the new bikes. “The games also make using the bikes more fun,” Stefan said. “They give you something to do to pass the time besides just pedaling.” Howell would not reveal the price for the two bikes, but did say they were more expensive than the previous ones. “The bikes before were over eight years old, so based on normal inflation [the cost probably increased],” said Howell. Howell and the rest of the sports center staff will take students’ requests into consideration when the next equipment evaluation occurs. “We will have to look at what we need to replace and it won’t happen until next year,” said Howell. “We never add; we only replace.” Leopards falter in second half ~ continued from page 12 was one of many Lafayette defenders who didn’t have an answer for Holy Cross forward Andrew Keister. Keister dominated the game with 16 points on 7-7 shooting, to go along with 11 rebounds and two steals. The Leopards will look to get back on the winning track when they face Navy in Annapolis, Maryland on Saturday. Earlier this season, Lafayette beat the Midshipmen at home 84-69 thanks to 23 points from Brown. The Leopard’s players said they need to put their recent slide behind them in order to try to get back on the winning track. “We can’t do anything now about the games we’ve lost recently, we just need to get a win next time we step on the floor,” said Willen. “To turn around the season we will need to start winning more close games, taking better care of the ball, and finding ways to get stops on defense.” photo by Billy Kingston The men's basketball team will need to improve its defense and eliminate turnovers in order to stop its losing streak. The Leopards will get a chance to right the ship tomorrow against Navy, a team they beat by 15 points earlier this season. Page 10 the Lafayette Sports February 13, 2009 Crew team holds annual ergathon photo by luke troVAto The Lafayette club crew team held its annual ergathon in Farinon this week. Team members took turns manning the ergometer machines, which simulate the rowing experience and give the rowers a chance to get some practice on dry land. The pleasant weather on Wednesday allowed the ergathon to move outside for part of the event, giving the team a change of scenery. Mintz looks to lead Leopards' turnaround ~ continued from page 11 while fighting for the rebound on the missed foul shot. Mintz sank his two free throws with one minute remaining, giving the Leopards a five point lead that Colgate could not come back on. Mintz said his main goal for this year is to help his achieve a quick turnaround from its recent struggles. “For the rest of the season I hope we can go on a little run and be ready for the Patriot League tournament in March,” Mintz said. “Obviously I’d love it if we won the tournament and made it to the NCAA’s.” After he g raduates from Lafayette, Mintz’s aspirations include playing basketball overseas and attending graduate school for physiotherapy in Toronto, Canada. SPORTSWRITERS WANTED! Meetings every Monday at 9 p.m. in Farinon 105 Sports February 13, 2009 Proud of our Pards the Lafayette Page 11 Women's basketball cannot overcome first half deficit Each week, Lafayette athletes do great things on the playing field that earn them extra recognition. In the past few weeks, this star made the news for his outstanding accomplishments. photo courtesy of Athletic Communications Leopards forward Jared Mintz '11 is second in the Patriot League with a 55.8 field goal percentage. addition, he leads the team with one block per game. These performances have placed Mintz second in the league for his field lthough Jared Mintz ‘11 goal percentage with is 55.8 may have been slowed by percent. injuries in his freshman year, he Head Men’s Basketball Coach has taken the fast road to success Fran O’Hanlon has taken noin his sophomore basketball sea- tice of Mintz’s improvements. son at Lafayette. “I’ve improved “[Mintz] is someone we can a lot in terms of being more always throw to,” O’Hanlon comfortable with the speed of said. “He scores for us from the game at this level of play and the inside which is unusual for I am generally more confident a center player. He plays with in my abilities,” Mintz said. “I great poise and is one of our guess that is attributed to this better playmakers.” being my second year and that I As a forward, Mintz achieved play every day in practice against the first double-double of his good competition. The coaches career in the recent game against have also helped me out a lot.” Navy. In this game he scored The a career biology high 17 m a j o r "[Jared Mintz '11] plays with great p o i n t s f r o m poise and is one of our better play- a n d T o - makers." 10 reronto, -Men's Basketball Coach Fran O'Hanlon bounds. Canada T w o is most games interested in how the human later, when competing against body works which helped him Farleigh Dickinson, he scored 15 rehabilitate successfully after points in the second half alone. his injury, so that he is able to Mintz also proved he could consistently help the team this come through in the clutch in year. a 69-62 win over Colgate this Since the start of league play, year. With one minute remainMintz has averaged 10.4 points ing and the Leopards up three, and 4.3 rebounds per game and Colgate was shooting its second has converted 58.1 percent of free throw, and Mintz drew a foul his shots in 43 attempts. In ~ continued on page 10 with MINTZ by A Kaela Mahon photo by Dana Duca The women's basketball team committed 17 turnovers and gave up 40 points in the second half. Luke Trovato The Leopards continued to have trouble shooting for the rest of the half, as they went into the locker room trailing 42-23. The Leopards shot slightly better in the second half—43 percent compared to 38 percent—but were unable to get much closer as the team committed 17 second half turnovers and allowed Holy Cross to shoot 52 percent, including 4-9 from three point range. The Crusaders also did a better job taking care of the ball in the to 62-52 thanks to strong play by Spicer, Wright, and Sarah McGorry ’12. he women’s basketball team Unfortunately, the Leopards started out with a solid efcould not get any closer than ten fort against Holy Cross, holding points as Holy Cross went on a a 15-14 ten minutes into the first 18-9 run, putting the game out half before Holy Cross went on of reach for Lafayette. a 17-0 run to build a lead that Wright led the Leopards with Lafayette could not overcome. 19 points and McGorry had 12 The Leopards dropped their sixth points, three rebounds, and two league game 82-64 despite 41 steals. Alexandra Serowoky ’12 second-half points. also had a solid game, finishing The Leopards came out quickly with six points, nine rebounds as two baskets by Jessica and two assists. Spicer ’09 gave Lafayette For the game, Lafayette a 5 - 3 l e a d . Wi t h t h e For the game, Lafayette shot 40.6 per- shot 40.6 percent from the Leopards down 14-9, the cent from the field and just 20 percent field and just 20 percent team got two baskets from from beyond the arc. from beyond the arc. The Amanda Smith ’10 and Leopards only attempted 13 one from LeKeisha Wright free throws in the game— ’11 to take a 15-14, but that was second half, turning it over just hitting eight of them—as opthe last time Lafayette would be six times compared to eleven in posed to Holy Cross, who went in front for the rest of the game. the first half. 19-21. Rebounding and strong three The Leopards and Crusaders The Leopards will look to try point shooting, coupled with traded baskets in the beginning of to turn up the intensity and play three missed shots and two turn- the second half before the Leop- like they did during the 21-7 run overs by the Leopards, allowed ards started to step it up on both in order to earn a league victory Holy Cross to go on its run, ends of the floor. Trailing 55-31 over Navy at home tomorrow scoring 17 straight points before with 13 minutes left, Lafayette afternoon. a Wright jumper cut the deficit to went on a 21-7 run over the next 31-17 seven minutes, cutting the deficit by T Leopard Spotting February 13, 2009 Home Game Dates Women's Basketball vs. Navy, 10/14 1:00 p.m. Weekend Weather reprinted from www.weather.com Friday: MOSTLY SUNNY low: 24° | high: 45° Saturday: snow showers low: 26° | high: 40° Sunday: Volume 135 Number 15 partly cloudy low: 25° | high: 41° Me n ' s b a s k e t b a l l d ro p s a not h e r l ea g u e c o n te st by Eric Goldwein T photo courtesy of Athletic Communications Former Lafayette track and field sprinter Janica Austin transferred to the University of South Carolina this semester Leopards lose key athletes via transfer of their status as the top two sprinters on the team. Katz, a former minor league baseball pitcher and defensive hree prominent Lafayette end for the Lafayette football athletes have left the school team, now calls Amherst College to join programs at other schools. home. He is planning on playing Former Lafayette sophomores for the school’s NCAA Division Jeff Katz, Janica Austin and Asia III team. Last season, Amherst’s Hollis did not return this semes- team went 5-3, ending its season ter, but are currently enrolled at with a 10th place ranking in the other schools. The loss of Hollis New England Division III Footand Austin is a significant blow to ball poll. the women’s track team because ~ continued on page 9 with FORMER by Kristen Greaney T Gym bikes provide innovative exercise by W Emily Exton alking into the gym after winter break had many fitness fans wondering: where did some of the familiar machines go, and what’s up with this new equipment? “At first I was surprised to see bikes with a T.V. screen,” said frequent gym goer Steffanie Ohms ’09. The two bikes with T.V. screens are called Expresso Bikes, and they make up the most recent addition to the Kirby Sports Center. Assistant Director of Recreation Services Karen Howell explained the process of reevaluating the gym’s equipment annually. “We replace equipment for maintenance issues and try to keep it updated,” Howell said. The new bikes were acquired as replacements for two upright bikes, which were each over eight years old. According to Howell, the process of purchasing new equipment only occurs if there is a need to replace something older or broken. ~ continued on page 9 with GYM he Leopards continued their slide down the Patriot League standings with a tough loss against the league-leading Holy Cross Crusaders by a score of 64-50. Their sixth consecutive loss puts the Leopards in seventh place in the Patriot League standings with a 2-6 league record. The Leopards recent slide has taken its toll on the team. “It’s been a frustrating season,” said guard Michael Gruner ’10. “We’ve been close in a lot of games but we haven’t been able to get over the hump.” Despite the 14-point margin at the end of the game, this was a very winnable game for the Leopards, who went into halftime with the game tied at 30. Unfortunately, the game slipped away in the second half, as the team began to lose focus on both ends of the floor. “Holy Cross went on a little run and we seemed to lose focus," said Gruner. “We just need to close out games better.” Forward Ryan Willen ’12 broke the scoring just 16 seconds into the game with a three point shot, but this was the biggest lead the Leopards saw all game. Nonetheless, the Leopards were able to keep the game close in the first half thanks to three point shooting and lock-down defense. Led by guard Andrew Brown ’09 who is now Lafayette’s all time three-point leader with 274 over his career, the Leopards scored half of their first half points from three point land. Gruner said Brown’s breaking of the record caps off the strong four years Brown has had on College Hill. “It’s incredible,” Gruner said. “It’s a testament to the kind of career he’s had here at Lafayette.” Unfortunately, Brown went cold after scoring nine points in a span of under two minutes, finishing the game with 12 points and five turnovers. The Leopards failed to keep up their defensive energy in the second half as Holy Cross started to take control of the game. After guard Jeff Kari ’10 hit a three pointer to put the Leopards on top 37-34, Holy Cross went on an 11-0 run, capped off by three pointers from forward Alex Vander Baan and photo by Billy Kingston The men's basketball team was shut down in the second half, scoring just 20 points in a home loss to Holy Cross Saturday. guard Andrew Beinart. This eightpoint cushion was enough for the Crusaders, who are now on a four game winning streak. Despite several comeback attempts, the Leopards were unable to put together a big run in the second half because of their inability to take care of the basketball. Willen, who led the team with 17 points and 7 rebounds, agreed that this was a tale of two halves. “In the second half [Holy Cross] picked up their defensive pressure and made it difficult for us to get some of the easy shots we were finding in the first half,” he said. “Also, in the first half we took care of the ball very well. In the second half we were a little more careless with a few possessions.” Brown, along with the entire Lafayette backcourt, struggled against the athletic Holy Cross defense. The starting backcourt of Brown, Gruner and Kari combined for 7-28 shooting and ten turnovers. Center Marek Koltun ’10, starting in place of the injured Jared Mintz ’11, played a solid game in the middle, controlling the paint with three offensive rebounds and seven total. The big man though, ~ continued on page 9 with LEOPARDS Lafayette Leopards :: Score Card :: Week of February 13, 2009 Men's Basketball vs. Holy Cross L 64-50 Women's Basketball vs. Colgate L 62-61 Women's Baseketball at Holy Cross L 82-64 Men's basketball at Colgate L 71-54