@northernermediathenortherner.comThe Northerner NKU’s independent student-run newspaperWednesday, December 7, 2011Edition 48, Issue 14 Value: 75 cents

Student Media staffers say goodbye

Tips to survive finals week

BOKC welcomes Roller Girls

See Views, p4 See A&L, p.10See Sports, p.19

Students fighting to keep federal financial aid

On Nov. 29, student body president Dustin Rob-inson sent an email to Northern Kentucky Uni-versity students requesting solidarity. Robinson championed for students to sign a petition posted on the Student Aid Alliance website.

The Student Aid Alliance was formed in 2007 and is composed of 75 higher education institutions. Al-liance’s goal is to reach out to our government to inform them of the continuing need for federal aid for students. According to the website, the Student Aid Alliance supports “Pell Grants, the campus-based programs (Supplemental Educational Op-portunity Grants [SEOG], Federal Work-Study, and Perkins Loans), Leveraging Educational Assis-tance Partnerships (LEAP), Federal Student Loans, Federal TRIO programs, GEAR UP, and graduate programs.”

According to Robinson, “[a]t NKU alone, there are 5,300 students (about 34% of NKU enrollment) who rely on Pell Grants.”

“Most of the way that I actually pay for college is through grants, because I’m in foster care. So what-ever grants I get, that’s less money the state has to pay for me to go to college,” said Michael Welsch, a freshman mechanical engineering major. Welsch signed the petition after a friend sent him the link urging him to sign.

In the article, “Loan Changes, Sans Congress,” by Libby A. Nelson published on Oct. 26, “President Obama today will announce a plan to consolidate federal student loans for millions of borrowers and expand income-based repayment for current stu-dents.”

According to a press release sent by the White House Office of Communications on Dec. 5, presi-dent Obama met with “White House senior of-ficials, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and a dozen college presidents and higher education thought leaders from across the country” to par-ticipate in a roundtable discussion of how to lower the price of higher education while simultaneously raising the quality.

Robinson said that while it is too late in the se-

mester to start large nationwide initiatives for fed-eral funding from NKU, both he and the Student Government Association have plans for action at the state level.

Robinson mentioned that he would like to start a petition similar to the Student Aid Alliances; but it would happen on a state level, since the bulk of the university budget is allocated by the state. He also mentioned that there is a Rally for Higher Educa-tion taking place on Feb. 7 in Frankfort.

According to Financial Aid’s Common Data Set statistics from 2009 to 2010, there were 9,930 full-time undergraduate students that were degree-seeking in 2010. Of that 9,930 applicants, 7,451 ap-plied for need-based financial aid. Of that number, 5,965 were qualified to receive financial need.

Olaniyi Zainabu, a junior communications ma-jor, said that even if the changes to federal funding did not affect her, she still sees the importance it holds to other students.

“Anything we can do to save [federal funding] now is going to be beneficial in the long-run,” Zain-abu said.

Nationwide petition could help students get the funds they need

Karli WoodManaging editor

Photo courtesy MCT Campus

The renowned evolutionary psy-chologist Steven Pinker recently pub-lished a new book - The Better Angels Of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, the thesis of which is that overall violence has declined in hu-man societies since the beginnings of civilization. This may not seem con-troversial, but if we reflect over some of the events of the twentieth century alone the thesis seems to become in-creasingly counterintuitive. Regard-less, Pinker maintains, one of the triumphs of human history is victory over an aspect of our own essential nature.

Through statistical analysis of what we know about early human hunter-gatherer societies, Pinker shows them for what they were – Violent. Homi-cide rates from blood feuds and other forms of disturbance were rampant. Warfare between different groups

over control of resources and territory were relatively common and although weapons were primitive, these con-flicts took a serious toll on the small human population of the time. As Pinker says, “It is easy to forget how dangerous life used to be, how deep-ly brutality was once woven into the fabric of daily existence.” Between the Middle Ages and the 20th century, he observes, homicide rates in Europe alone fell between 100 and 500 per-cent. Pinker measures violence rela-tive to population size, which some take issue with, but it is difficult to imagine another metric that could be used to accomplish what he is setting out to do.

In particular Pinker devotes time to deflating various popular views of human nature connected with the debate about violence, essentially those that hold that violence is an im-mutable aspect of human nature and the opposite, “noble savage” view of civilization as the corruptor of an in-nately peaceful and harmonious state

of nature. Both of these views, Pinker holds, are false and misleading. Hu-mans have a capacity for violence, but also for empathy, and human nature overall is complex and possessed of a number of different and sometimes conflicting tendencies. That empathy seems to have won out against the in-stinct for violence is the phenomenon that Pinker is attempting to explain, and so in a sense to map the evolution of what is often falsely referred to as a static – that is human nature.

Pinker’s definition of violence is, as he says, the same as the diction-ary. He points out that some tend to metaphorically extend the term to other kinds of objectionable activ-ity, like economic inequality, but that this confuses his task. Violence, for Pinker, can be the product of an in-dividual or a state, and rates of rape and murder go right along with casu-alties of war. The role of ideology in instigating violence is touched on and Pinker is quick to identify “demoniz-ing, utopian ideologies” as the motive

force behind some of the largest acts of state violence; contrasting them with more liberal (read: classical lib-eral) and secular societies based on human rights.

Numerous forces are identified as contributing to this sea change in human nature, some psychological and some the result of changes in the world and human society. Pinker identifies five “Inner Demons” and four “Better Angels,” psychological constructs that contribute to or re-tard violent behavior in humans. In addition to this he outlines five his-torical forces that have contributed to the rise of relative peace in the world, amongst which are the centralization of violence into the state and the rise of commerce.

Overall the argument, as is always the case with Pinker, was compelling and seems to provide the foundation for a cautious optimism that the tides of violence and cruelty - pervasive in human societies since their outset, may be rolling back for good.

OpEd Dec. 7, 20112Ju

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The evolution of peaceAaron Sprinkles Viewpoints Co-Editor

ViewsEdition 48, Issue 14 3

The NorthernerFounders Hall Rm 314Highland Heights, KY 41099Editor in Chief: (859) 572-5812Newsroom: (859) 572- 6677 or 5620Advertising: (859) 572-5232Fax: (859) 572-5772E-mail: northerner@nku.eduWeb site: www.thenortherner.com

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northernerstaff

furtherdetailsEntire content is copyright of The Northern-er and may not be reprinted without prior consent. Views expressed do not represent those of the administration, faculty or stu-dent body.The Northerner is considered a designated public forum. Student editors have author-ity to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The North-erner staff respects the right to a free and open dialogue as allowed under the First Amendment.

AD ASSISTANTAndrew Despotes[despotesa1@nku.edu]

COPY EDITOR Elizabeth Parsons[parsonse3@nku.edu]

VISUAL DESIGNER Emily Lindeau[lindeaue1@nku.edu]

VIEW POINTS EDITORSAaron Sprinkles [sprinklesa1@nku.edu] Chris McGee[mcgeec1@nku.edu]

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFCassie Stone[stonec2@nku.edu]

MANAGING EDITORKarli Wood[woodk3@nku.edu]

ADVISERJacque Day[dayj6@nku.edu]

STAFF WRITERSNick Jones[jonesn5@nku.edu]

Zachary Rogers[rogersz1@nku.edu]

Alex Fitzer[fitzerd1@nku.edu]

Kevin Erpenbeck[erpenbeckk1@nku.edu]

Matt NeuhausmNeuhausm1@nku.edu

COPY DESK CHIEFEmily Christman[christmane1@nku.edu]

NEWS EDITORClaire Higgins[higginsc1@nku.edu]

FEATURES EDITORBrandon Barb[barbb1@nku.edu]

SPORTS NEWS EDITORJohn Minor[minorj1@nku.edu]

A&E EDITOR Roxanna Blevins[blevinsr1@mymail.nku.edu]

PRESENTATION EDITORAlysha Durrett[durretta1@nku.edu]

WEB EDITORBrittany Granville[granvilleb1@nku.edu]

PHOTOGRAPHERKevin Jo[jok1@nku.edu]

VIDEOGRAPHERTravis Gibbons[gibbonsw1@nku.edu]

SPORTS FEATURES EDITORStephen Wilder[wilders3@nku.edu]

Chasei WallaceFreshman, Pre Nursing

"We go to our grand-parents house and have

dinner together."

Megan ReynoldsSenior, Biology and

Spanish

"Spending time with family."

Ayisha RanfordSophomore, Pre Athletic

Training

"We go to my granddads on Christmas Eve."

rnpCompiled by

Brandon Barb

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

norse poll responses

Zac MillsSenior, Music Education

"Seeing family and all the Christmas concerts

I do."

More debt for students not the answer to college costs

There’s a lot of talk right now about federal student financial aid funding, ranging from the House of Representatives subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training all the way down to Northern Kentucky University’s Stu-dent Government Association.

Recently, SGA President Dustin Robinson be-seeched students to sign a petition sponsored by the Student Aid Alliance that calls for protection the of funding for federal grants and loans.

The most recent conversation on the Hill looked at ways colleges and universities can help their students save money by cutting the cost of higher education.

According to Jane V. Wellman from the Delta Project, a nonprofit policy research organization that focuses on higher education finance, public colleges and universities have been facing state budget cuts and reacted by raising student tuition and freezing faculty salaries while cutting various other administrative, staff and faculty positions across the university. Wellman testified in a Nov. 30 House subcommittee hearing.

NKU is one of those universities that has faced state budget cuts, and, according to various ad-ministrators, has cut from its operating expenses and frozen some salaries as it has increased stu-dent tuition.

NKU President James Votruba said in spring convocation that the university has lost $6 mil-lion in state appropriations since 2008.

To combat that, he said the university has re-duced the number of employees in administra-tion and lowered operating costs.

But even as universities are struggling to stay solvent in the face of the greatest financial crisis

since the Great Depression, the federal govern-ment is facing the same problem.

There isn’t enough money to go around, and someone has to decide where to make cuts. Fed-eral student financial aid is one place some legis-lators are looking.

While federal student aid is vital to ensuring more students have access to higher education, the answer to this problem lies not with pushing more money into the system, but with changing how tuition prices are set.

Wellman testified that if colleges and universi-ties found ways to make tuition more affordable, more students would be able to enroll in college and retention and graduation rates would in-crease as well.

Plus, the cost per student would decline, saving the university even more money, absolving the need for more federal financial aid, and relieving the burden on an already-strained federal budget.

While NKU has taken many measures to cut the university budget in several areas, the university can still do more to helps save students money.

For example, some colleges are beginning to of-fer three-year bachelor’s degrees that offer tuition discounts for enrolling in the program. Others of-fer tiered discounts that grow with each year the student is enrolled.

Some may think these seem like simple-mind-ed solutions that have no grounding. However, all business systems are a matter of trial-and-error. The education system is no different. NKU is al-ways talking about community involvement and striving for a higher quality for all. If this truly is going to be the mantra, making an education more accessible needs to be at the top of the pri-ority list.

Staff Editorial

It’s hard to believe, but I’ll be leaving this campus of concrete and rebar; our beloved Concrete Jungle. It’s been a long, long five and a half years, but then again that seems to be too short. This campus has changed significantly since I started in Fall of ‘06. Two new buildings and a few less parking lots, and D-1 on the horizon, new professors and advisors in, and the old ones out. I’ll surely and sorely miss this campus, as it was my escape from the humdrum and monotony of my hometown in South Eastern Indiana. Close to the City, but not too far from home. Any who, enough about my doldrums, this is a cause for celebration!

Norse Code Radio! What a collection of words! I joined the “illustrious ranks” as I so have always called it, back in Fall of ’08. I started my online radio show “Hour of the Dinosaur” on “Norsecoderadio.com, NKU’s Only Student Run, Online Radio Station (not WNKU Dinomites!)” with the hopes of having a radio show that centered itself around a dinosaur obsessed young man, who used the show title moniker as an excuse to play classic rock and old punk music. The format and program deviated from its original idea, but nonetheless was a hit (as far as I can gather). I garnered a listening audience that included the NKU campus, Southern California, Central Florida, scat-tered small pockets in Indiana, Cincinnati, and even as

far as Eastern Europe and South Korea among others. I have enjoyed being a DJ the past three years or so,

but I’m sad that it is ending next Thursday afternoon at 4:30 PM EST. I’ll be signing off at that time, for the last time on NCR, and it will be bittersweet. I will also be resigning as General Manager of Norse Code Ra-dio after 1 year of hard work getting the station back on track and organized after being moved for the sev-enth time in nine years (or so I am told) from the third floor of UC to the third floor of Founders Hall. Since I have been part of NCR for 3 or 4 years, we have moved twice, but now we are settled snuggly (hopefully) in Founders Hall, that is if the powers that be don’t de-cide to move us abruptly and without notice like last summer (2010). We have also have found sound as-sistance from various staff and faculty, such as Bob McCoy, Matt Baker, and Chris Strobel.

So my message to the student body would have to be this. Tune into NCR as much as you can and when you can! Also read The Northerner, and support Student Media at NKU by listening and reading our mediums. Doing so supports free speech and creative expression. I would also like to thank, Jacque Day (our current ad-visor) for her support and advice. With the advice and tutelage of Jacque, we now have on-air ads, newsread-ers, and a more organized radio station. Also I would like to thank Gayle Brown, our former advisor, who initially hired me.

So I hope all of you, the student body, faculty, and

staff take the time to listen and support college radio and print media, and thanks for your support, positive or otherwise. Jeffonia “Miss Ebony J” Wynn will soon take over my position as general manager, and I wish her, the NCR staff, and all of Student Media the best of luck.

Views Dec. 7, 20114

Farewells:All the thinking and planning and dreaming of what I

would say on the day I finally got to write my farewell edi-torial has done me absolutely no good. I’m sitting at my desk Tuesday night, about two hours from deadline with a stack of flats that need editing and I have no idea what to say.

Who knew goodbye would be so hard?This semester has shown me and my staff a set of chal-

lenges that we met head-on, and conquered. I’ve never been so proud to work with a group of people as I have been with this motley crew of editors, designers and re-porters. Each individual brings their own personality to Student Media’s offices, brightening my day even when I jokingly fire someone for the 10th time in one day.

But with the highs, come the lows. We’ve made mistakes and had to correct them. We’ve

lost a trusted adviser and had to get used to a new one. We’ve fought the administration to get even the most be-nign facts.

We’ve taken personal attacks when someone didn’t like a story we ran. We’ve been accused of reporting false information by the very people who wouldn’t return our phone calls and emails begging for more information. But don’t think I’m complaining -- its all in a day’s work.

For every time someone tried to discredit us, we’ve re-

ceived a thank you from someone in the campus commu-nity for having the guts to chase down a story. For every time someone tried to keep information from us, we’ve managed to write a great story anyway -- and created posi-tive change.

But even though I have twice the number of gray hairs I did pre-March 23 when I took this desk, I wouldn’t trade one minute of anything.

Love us or hate us (or have no opinion at all), we bust our asses every week to try to bring students not just news they want to read, but news they need to know.

As for thank-yous, I should begin with my parents. They gave me my drive and determination, and whenever things seemed to get to be too much, they knew just what to say to keep me going.

Aside from my family, so many people at NKU have helped me. Without professors like Mary Cupito and advisers like Gayle Brown, I would have dropped out of school years ago. And without people like Jacque Day, this semester would have done me in.

From the day I started out a scared-to-death newsie hiding out in Room 4 of the old University Center offices, to today when I try to hide behind my cluttered up desk with piles of newspapers sliding off it, I’ll treasure every memory.

But first, I’ll get to the pile of flats that need editing and put my last issue to bed.

-30-

Photo by Aly Durrett

Charlie “DJ Chuck” MattinglyGeneral manager of Norse Code Radio

Cassie StoneEditor-in-chief

Photo by Aly Durrett

ViewsEdition 48, Issue 14 5

Members of Student Media say their good-byes as they prepare to graduate

Finally. It’s that time. I’ve gone through count-less panic attacks, hundreds of flashcards, too much stress and too many awful professors. But I’ve had an amazing number of really awesome ones.

I want to thank Dr. Barclay Green for giving me the courage to become a published author. He restored my faith and confidence in writing. My experience as his student and young grasshopper has been nothing but groovy times. He’s one of those professors who actually gives a crap about us. Barclay has pushed me to exercise them smarts I didn’t even know I had up there. I learned to like Shakespeare, despite my fear of the unknown (It was mostly his mustache. I feared that mustache). Barclay is witty and brilliant. Take him as your professor. Love what he do.

Dr. John Alberti. He’s just that guy you wish was your dad instead. No, I’m not a crazy — it’s just fact. He’s passionate about film and dedicated to his stu-dents. He’s a person you’ll remember. After advising appointments in his office, all of my doubts about my future and about succeeding are gone. He’s also one of those teachers who can take some student’s idiot question about lettuce and bring it right back around to our discussion on “The Godfather.” This

man is a magic man. Meet him.Dr. Bob Wallace. He knows his stuff. He even

knows the title of every Dickinson poem — which are just numbered. I know this because some douche bag kid thought it would be funny to steal his notes one day. And Wallace knew it all. The joke was on you, note-stealin’ jerkhole. For seriously, Wallace sees beauty in everything, especially art. I’ve never been an art person, but he likes it and thinks I’m good at it and that’s cool with me. He’s just a sweet guy who remembers your name and asks about your semester because he cares. Shake this man’s hand. Ask how his semester is going.

John Gibson. Thank you. You’re always fun and willing to listen to students and respect the request to not make anymore “Star Wars” references in your lectures. You show awesome movies in class, and you love chatting with your students. Thanks for letting me write about Titanic a bunch and encouraging my writing always. I always try to make you proud, Mr. Gibson. Students, take some classes with him. You’ll learn fun things. Mm-buh-bye.

My friends, you guys rule. Thanks, The Northern-er. For putting me through hell and kicking my ass every week. You made my life suck, but I also want to take you on a date because you’re wise and wonder-ful. I enjoyed our abusive relationship.

These people and this newspaper, my parents and grandparents are the reasons why I’m going to look like an idiot in my cap and gown next week. Thank you.

And NKU, if you don’t lay concrete down in those parking lots, I’m coming in on a helicopter and drop-ping bouncy castles instead. At least our tires won’t get ripped up in a bouncy castle.

Emily ChristmanCopy desk chief

Photo by Aly Durrett

Informatics continues search for new dean, hosts finalists

Northern Kentucky University will host campus visits for the two final-ists in the running for the Dean of Informatics position. Kevin Kirby, the interim dean, and Dennis Ad-ams from the University of Houston are scheduled to visit the university from Dec. 5 through Dec. 13.

Latino Student Affairs to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe

The Office of Latino Student Af-fairs is hosting a special program and mass to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe at noon Dec. 8 in the University Center chapel. The fol-

lowing programs will continue in the University Center cafeteria and will conclude with a social in Univer-sity Center 207 at 2 p.m. For more information about the celebration, contact Diane Maldonado at maldo-nadod1@nku.edu.

Steely Library extending nightly hours for finals week

To accommodate the extra study time most students need during the finals, Steely Library is offering ex-tended hours from Dec. 4 through Dec. 8 and Dec. 11 through Dec. 14. During these days, the library will be open until 2 a.m. For more informa-tion about Steely Library’s extended

hours, contact the public services desk at 859-572-5457.

State named seventh partner in national learning initiative

Kentucky was recently named the seventh official state partner in the national initiative, Liberal Educa-tion and America’s Promise: Ex-cellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College. The Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Kentucky Council on Post-secondary Education, as well as the colleges taking part in the initiative, “are working to clarify what com-mon learning outcomes all Kentucky college students should be able to demonstrate,” according to a press release. “The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education sought to become a LEAP partner state because the goals of LEAP are so congruent with our new 2011-15 strategic agenda for Kentucky post-

secondary and adult education,” said Robert King, president of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.

54-hour entrepreneurship project planned at NKU

Northern Kentucky University will host a Startup Weekend for entre-preneurs in Griffin Hall on Jan. 13-15, 2012. Startup Weekends last 54 hours, in which “hackers, hustlers and designers” spend the weekend pitching ideas and putting those ideas into action with business plans and demo prototypes. Startup Week-ends are specifically designed for en-trepreneurs interested in receiving feedback on an idea, looking for a co-founder, or who want to learn a new skill. Northern Kentucky CEO awards one scholarship to cover the cost of registration. For more infor-mation about the scholarship, email hulettj1@nku.edu.

News Dec. 7, 20116

Senate preps for break

Across the University

With two more unanimously passed resolutions under its belt and multiple new members, the Northern Kentucky University Student Govern-ment Association has seen an unexpected turn-around as the semester comes to a close, even in President Dustin Robinson’s eyes.

“Overall, I think that this has been an amazingly successful semester,” Robinson said after listing off the organization’s accomplishments this semester. The list of 15 to 20 items included resolutions, part-nerships and increased participation. For Robin-son, the list was surprising, because “he didn’t ex-pect it to be this long.”

NKU President James Votruba also approved SGA’s recent resolution asking for more funding for Health, Counseling and Prevention Services to hire a new staff member. The Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Lisa Rhine said in an email state-ment that the need for increasing the staff has been a long-standing, identified need by the Division of Student Affairs and the University.

Rhine was not available for further comment at the time of publication.

Ken Kline, NKU senior budget director, said the funds for a new staff member in Health, Counsel-

ing, Prevention Services have “been made avail-able.” Kline did not provide any more information about where or how the funding fits into the univer-sity budget after request for an interview.

After the resignation of two executive board po-sitions, the secretary for public relations and the legislative liaison, the senate voted to appoint the replacements. Senator Chanell Karr was appointed as the secretary for public relations and Senator Chuck Rust will be the legislative liaison at the start of the spring semester.

With Karr’s appointment to the executive board, another senator appointment will take place in the spring. For more information about applying, visit the SGA office in Student Union 330 or http://sga.nku.edu.

In addition to two position appointments, SGA unanimously passed their two most recent resolu-tions -- one to improve commuter meal plans and one to increase the student fee allocation board funding.

The commuter meal plan resolution, which asks the university to add options that include plans that offer three and five meals per week, plus Flex dol-lars, passed without debate from the senate.

However, the remaining resolution, which asks the university to increase funding allotted to the student fee allocation board by $60,000, saw more

debate than usual from Senators Joseph Fons and Chaz Edwards.

Before SGA voted to approve the resolution, Fons requested to lower the requested $60,000, because it is “a little excessive,” “unrealistic” and “not fea-sible.” Edwards agreed and said the number should be smaller so it is “easier to swallow” by the admin-istration.

Senator Holdan Markland said the requested $60,000 is “immaterial” in comparison to NKU’s current budget. Dean of Students Jeffrey Waple also said the senate has “gotta start somewhere” for the university to consider their request. Waple ad-vised SGA to aim high.

After the debate, the resolution passed unani-mously and will now continue to move through ad-ministrative channels.

Claire HigginsNews editor

Student gov’t makes a comeback before the semester’s end

NewsEdition 48, Issue 14 7

Dec. 11:50 a.m. A noise complaint was re-ceived in Callahan Hall, and two were cited for underage possession of alco-hol.2:28 a.m. A person was pulled over for failing to stop at a stop sign on Campbell Drive and was arrested for a DUI.9:24 a.m. Two vehicles were in-volved in an accident in Lot I. There were no injuries.1:05 p.m. Individual reported that his unlocked vehicle was damaged as someone stole property from it.1:30 p.m. Received report of van-dalism to a parked car — tire was slashed.1:30 p.m. Received report of vandal-ism to a parked car — the passenger mirror was knocked off.7:34 p.m. A purse was reported sto-

len from a parked vehicle in the Wel-come Center Garage.10:15 p.m. Two vehicles were involved in an accident on Johns Hill Road. There were no inju-ries.

Dec. 22:46 a.m. Subject was ar-rested for speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol on US 27.10:18 a.m. Two people were found in possession of marijua-na and a glass pipe in Norse Hall. A citation was issued.10:51 a.m. A laptop was reported stolen from a room in Norse Hall.

Dec. 33:57 p.m. While doing a room check in Kentucky Hall, an officer noticed the leg of an NKU Parking saw horse under a bed.

University Police BeatLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The death of a 9-year-

old Todd County girl, who was fatally bludgeoned by her adoptive brother after a history of alleged

abuse in the home, wasn’t counted in the state’s annual report on child abuse deaths.

The report last Thursday said that 18 other children died from abuse or neglect during

the fiscal year that ended June 30. The Todd County girl, Amy Dye, died Feb. 4.

Louisville Republican Sen. Julie Den-ton asked whether the report was sound, if Amy’s death wasn’t included, The Cou-rier-Journal reported (http://cjky.it/td-JNW8).

Kentucky Youth Advocates Executive Director Terry Brooks, also questioned

the value of the report and wondered whether other deaths were omitted.

Cabinet for Health and Family Services spokes-woman Gwenda Bond said officials don’t believe they are required to include the death under the law that defines abuse and neglect.

Child’s death not counted in state’s abuse records

News Dec. 7, 20118

Thanks to the wonderful natural phenomenon known as “rain” and the fact that many structures on Northern Kentucky University’s campus have flat roofing, students should be on the look-out for falling water, even while indoors.

Students who have classes in Found-er’s Hall, Landrum, Steely Library and even the recently built Griffin Hall have reportedly experienced leakage.

“These buildings are 20, 25 or 30 years old, so we are always actively searching for and correcting leaks,” said NKU facilities manager Larry Blake. “The thing is, that we can find and stop one leak in one area; and if it rains hard the next day, then we may find a brand new one that opened up right next to it that needs to be fixed.”

Griffin Hall was an exception to the campus leak trends, as the cause of the leak in the atrium was a faulty drain installation, not a hole in the roof. The drain job was still under warranty and has, therefore, been financially covered and resolved by the original contractors, Turner Construction.

“Anything new is going to have some glitches,” Blake said. “But that’s fixed now, and [Griffin Hall] isn’t expected to have any of the same problems the other older facilities have.”

According to the facilities manage-

ment office, $400,000 was funded for repairs to facilities last year, and Blake said he expects that figure to stay rough-ly the same for the coming year.

Blake assures that NKU’s mainte-nance team is working on locating and

correcting these problems as quickly as they can. But he also suggests that if stu-dents find or experience any leaks that they should alert the facilities manage-ment office so that they may hasten the repair process.

Zachary RogersStaff writer

Leaky roofs and rain don’t mixFour of the university’s buildings leak, but for different reasons

Illustration by Brittany GranvilleThe recent rainfall that swamped Northern Kentucky University caused leakage in multiple buildings across campus. Founders Hall, Landrum and Steely Library have leaky roofs because of their design. Griffin Hall is also experiencing leaks, but from a faulty drain installation.

This semester, three pedestrians have been struck by vehicles on Kenton Drive. In both instances, dri-ers blamed foggy windows.

According to the police report, Megan Brauer struck Eddie McSurley with her car on Kenton Drive between Griffin Hall and the Kenton Drive parking garage

In the report, Brauer stated that the heat in her car was not working, but she began driving down Kenton Dr. with her foggy windshield regardless.

According to NKU Chief of Police Jason Willis, Brauer is not being charged for the collision. For her to be charged with a misdemeanor, an officer would have had to witness the collision.

McSurley and his friend Daniel Shelton were crossing Kenton Dr. when Shelton saw the car coming, but it wasn’t slowing down. He jumped out

of the way. The next thing he heard was McSurley screaming. He then watched as McSurley was flung from the vehicle, according to the report.

McSurley said he was “thrown about 10 or so feet” when walking to an executive meeting for his fraternity. Once he landed, McSurley was sure he didn’t have any broken bones or life-threatening injuries.

“Can’t say I was afraid,” McSurley said. “I’ve nev-er been hit by a car, but I have had similar injuries.”

He was complaining of pain in his left elbow and in his leg below the knee, according to the police report. McSurley was transported to the emergency room, where X-rays were taken, but he was “mainly okay.”

“There needs to be some kind of street or caution light where I was hit,” McSurley said.

Willis said the evaluation of lighting on campus is an ongoing process, and he is “still looking at ways to make campus safer.”

The biggest problem is drivers’ inattention, ac-cording to Willis. Willis and staff of the department of public safety are trying to educate pedestrians and drivers. Willis is in the process of setting up meetings to educate students about traffic safety.

“Drivers need to anticipate that there are going to be pedestrians in the road,” Willis said.

Brandon BarbFeatures editor

Driver blames foggy windows for collision, again

Photo by Aly DurrettBrauer’s car at the scene after the accident. The victim suggests a “caution light” on Kenton Dr., where the accident happened.

The anthropology, sociology and philosophy department at Northern Kentucky University has experienced some changes and conflict during this fall semester, and the search for a new chair is now moving toward the top of the list.

As of July 1, David Dunevant was appointed interim chair for the an-thropology, sociology and philosophy department. The previous chair, NKU philosophy professor Terry Pence, stepped down from the position in spring 2011 after seven years, accord-ing to Samuel Zachary, dean of the college of arts and sciences.

The anthropology, sociology and philosophy department is in the pro-cess of conducting an external search for a permanent chair holder to step in after Dunevant’s one-year position ends.

For Dunevant, it is a “unique situ-ation coming in from another dis-cipline into a department that’s not where you’ve lived and worked for most of your career.”

Dunevant has been at NKU for 27 years in various teaching and higher administrative positions in fine arts.

From 1997 to 2001, he was chair of fine arts and was the assistant chair until July 1. His experience on the ad-ministrative side of higher education was one of the factors that he said made him a good fit for the interim position.

Zachary said he considered Dune-vant for the position for four main reasons. Dunevant was a good candi-date, according to Zachary, because of his former chair position, the simi-larity between the fine arts depart-ment and the anthropology, sociology and philosophy department, his chair position in the Arts and Sciences Cur-riculum Committee, and his duration at the university.

The size and make-up of the fine arts department is very similar to the anthropology, sociology and philoso-phy department. Both departments have multiple programs within them, each of which have coordinators, and one chair at the head of the depart-ment.

The approach of going outside of the department to search for a new chair is to get a new perspective, Du-nevant speculated, much like how the department is approaching the per-manent chair position. By searching externally, the department can bring

in “new energy and new ideas” that will ultimately help the department grow, Dunevant said.

“It’s an opportunity to bring some-one in that hasn’t lived in the situa-tion for a while,” he said. “You get that clean start, the clean slate; they don’t have any preconceived notions about people.”

Zachary added that someone from outside the university stops the de-partment from becoming “too home-spun.” It is also a way to “revitalize” the department with different experi-ential backgrounds.

The search committee, headed by sociology professor Joan Ferrante, is looking for a candidate with a disci-pline specialty in sociology or anthro-pology, Zachary said.

The experience as chair has not been without its challenges for Du-nevant. Problems within the depart-ment always end up on the chair’s desk, he said. “That’s just the nature of the position, I guess.”

When the problems do land in Du-nevant’s lap, he works to troubleshoot the “family’s” tiffs. “Departments are like families, so you have the squab-bles and the discussions and kinds of things that families have, as well,” he said.

As the semester winds down, Dune-vant said his first semester as interim chair of the department has worked well and the changes have been posi-tive.

NewsEdition 48, Issue 14 9

A Northern Kentucky University student sent a letter Nov. 16 to the chair of the English de-partment, the dean of students and the assistant dean of arts and sciences to express her discom-fort about the dismissal of her English professor.

In her letter, freshman English major Jennifer Smith wrote how Angela Hesson is a “rare gem” amongst educators. “She challenged her students yet made them feel like they could approach her. I am truly sad that we have lost and exceptional teacher,” Smith wrote.

Smith decided to write the letter and investi-gate Hesson’s situation when Hesson didn’t come back to classes after she announced she would be gone for an unknown number of days when her mother passed away.

“No one told us what was going on,” Smith

said. ”I went to the English department office and asked them to tell her to reach me. That is when I found out she was fired.”

Dr. John Cullick, chair of the English depart-ment, informed Smith’s English 101 class of Hesson’s dismissal and four other students ap-proached him in late October.

Hesson, who majored in English at the univer-sity and has a master’s degree from University of Cincinnati, was a full-time professor at NKU for more than 11 years and worked until Oct. 24.

She had four classes in the fall 2011 semester.According to RateMyProfessor.com, Hesson

has an average of 4.8 out of 5 in quality and 4.9 out of 5 in helpfulness.

“Since Hesson left, class isn’t the same,” Smith said. “She is a professor even outside of class.”

Cullick said he is not currently allowed to talk about the subject with a third party.

Smith has also talked about the situation with Steve Meier, associate dean of students, who said he was unaware of the situation.

“If we pay tuition, we should be allowed to be more involved and informed about firing and hir-ing professors,” Smith said.

Hesson said she is not allowed to talk about her situation, but did say, “I love NKU. It was a place where I thought I could make my best job as a teacher.”

“It’s good for students to express their opin-ions to university administrators,” Cullick said. “Students need to let us know about their experi-ences with classes and professors. Of course, we always hope those experiences will be positive, but it’s important for us to hear students’ critical responses as well.”

Hesson also said of her dismissal, “It’s a begin-ning, not an ending.”

Georgina AlamillaContributing writer

Students question English prof. dismissal

Music professor takes on new roleClaire HigginsNews editor

David Dunevant (pictured) is the interim chair for the anthropology, sociology and philosophy department as the search continues for a chair.

Photo courtesy of David Dunevant

News Dec. 7, 201110

The semester is winding down and coming to an end. This means winter break, snow, time spent with family and a big holiday celebration.

Don’t get your hopes up yet, students. There is still one big obstacle standing in the way of free-dom. It is called finals week, otherwise known as hell on earth.

It’s one of the most stressful weeks students go through in college, especially for those who are looking forward to upcoming graduation. In ad-dition to dealing with jobs, family and friends, finals week only adds to the stress of college life.

Some students have developed their own ways to combat the hectic week. Brian Leibreich, a se-nior at NKU, said he goes out to the country to relax the weekend before finals begin.

“I go to my family’s farm just outside of Maysville, Ky.,” Leibreich said. “There is no TV, cell phone service, Internet or any other distrac-tions. During that time, I just study and enjoy the weather to relax and prepare for the week to come.”

But once finals week hits, Leibreich said he struggles with getting enough sleep.

“When I had three exams in three days, I ended up getting a max of five hours’ sleep between the three nights before the exams,” he said. Accord-ing to Leibreich, it was always fun on that final night after the last test to go home and just sleep.

Ally Weimer, a junior at NKU, uses a rather un-common method for stress relief.

“I, personally, clean when stressed. So during finals week, I already know I’ll be cleaning a lot, along with studying,” Weimer said.

Additionally, Weimer said that after a long night of studying, she does what some college stu-dents do on the weekend to help release stress or to celebrate their accomplishments of that week.

“I also drink some at the end of the night after studying to reward myself,” Weimer said.

In addition to finding their own routine to knock down stress levels, students can also do well on finals by eating healthily during finals week. On Thursday, Dec. 8 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., the Feast for Finals, a program run by NKU Well-ness Center’s Student Advisory Committee, will offer the opportunity for stressed-out students to come and study with friends and eat healthy foods.

The committee will be at the event, which takes place in Norse Commons, inviting students to join 10-minute Chillax Yoga stretches.

Also, information about the many stress-re-ducing food options available for students under pressure will be posted around campus during fi-nals week.

In order to open up more time for study, Steely Library’s hours have been extended.

From Dec. 4 through Dec. 14, the library will be open Sunday through Thursday until 2 a.m., until 5:30 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Kevin EveslageContributing writer

Preparation for finals in full swing across campusHow students stay stress-free during busy week

Students are having to find creative ways to afford the supplies required to achieve success while in college. They are making cut-backs in necessary areas that could hurt their educational outcome — their textbooks. Seven out of ten students are electing not to purchase the required text-books in the past year because of price and economic woes.

“I spent a ridiculous amount of money on books my first two years of college,” junior Morgan Helton said. “I’m done with strug-gling to afford them; now I’m picky about which ones I’ll actually buy.”

According to CollegeBoard, a nonprofit website that works to college prepared-ness, students spend an average of $1,137 on books and supplies. Federal legislation oversees that this number fits into the aver-age college student’s budget. But even some professors think this number is too high.

“I remember what it was like when I was in college years ago and having my dad have to buy my textbooks at one point, but I think it’s gotten worse,” Northern Ken-tucky University professor Matt Baker said.

Elio DiStaola, director of public and cam-pus relations for the Follett Higher Edu-cation Group, said that is why bookstores came up with alternate options.

“At the bookstore, books for sale are based on a simple equation, the original price from the publisher, plus an agreed upon contractual margin between the store and the school. Since pricing depends largely on the cost from the publisher, we’ve created programs like Rent-A-Text,” DiStaola said.

Programs like Rent-A-Text save students an estimated $120 million a year.

“I always rent my textbooks now,” soph-omore Lindsey Harris said. “I think my books cost about $600 to buy, and I rented all of them for about $250.”

NKU students can rent books on campus for only a percentage of the total book cost.

Crystal HarrisContributing writer

$tudent$ find way$ to cut co$t of textbook$

Illustration courtesy of MCT CampusFinals week, the culmination of everything learned throughout the semester, causes stress and anxiety. NKU students offer their tips for staying calm, cool and collected.

Arts & LifeEdition 48, Issue 14 11

For many college students, the pressures of life, be it family or a necessary job to make ends meet, can make earning a college degree on the first try harder than ever. But in 2007, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Edu-cation created Project Graduate, a program to get students who left college prematurely back into school.

Project Graduate is also part of a statewide initiative to increase Kentucky graduation rates by 2020, according to Associate Direc-tor of NKU’s Program for Adult-Centered Education (PACE) Debbie Poweleit. She said that currently there are not enough high school graduates to meet the projected goal of 3,149 completed bachelor’s degrees by 2020, so PACE is focusing more on getting former students back into class.

Since Project Graduate’s inception in 2007, 10 Kentucky institutions have adopted the program to help former students get back into college and complete a degree.

To be an eligible candidate for Project Graduate, students must have 80 credit hours already completed and have been out of school for at least four years. The institu-tion that the student attended before coming

to NKU does not matter, unless the student wants to be eligible for the Project Graduate Scholarship.

The only $1,000 scholarship available to one Project Graduate student per year re-quires that the student have 80 credit hours completed, be a Kentucky resident and list NKU as the last institution attended.

Poweleit said the scholarship is divided up over four semesters. “It’s not much,” but it helps with books and extra expenses that come with being a student, she said.

At NKU, Poweleit and PACE work to help returning students decide which path to take. The department guides students in the right direction to complete their degree or help choose a new one, then assists in choosing what classes to take to reach that goal.

The students who return to NKU are usu-ally adults in their 30s or 40s. Many are fin-ishing up their degrees because their previ-ous attempt was interrupted due to children or families, or they realize a degree could ad-vance their careers, Poweleit said.

Since Project Graduate began at NKU, sev-eral hundred students have returned and completed their degrees, and an even higher number has reached out to PACE for more information about the program, according to Poweleit.

Claire HigginsNews editor

University looks to non traditional students to meet state grad quotaProject Graduate encourages former students to return to complete degrees

The Young Democrats of Northern Kentucky University are traveling to Washington, D.C., in spring 2012. The group’s members, along with mem-bers of NKU’s Common Ground and NKY Equality Now, hope to get stu-dents more involved in politics and experience the historical significance of the city, according to Vice Presi-dent of Young Democrats Sarah Haas.

Haas, a senior political science ma-jor and the organizer, said the visit is an educational opportunity for politi-cally minded individuals to connect and expand their knowledge of the capital city. Students participating in the trip will leave after classes on March 16 and return the evening of March 19. The groups will travel by bus and spend two nights in a hotel.

While in D.C., students will take a tour of the White House, visit the Capitol and Supreme Court buildings and go to the world-famous Smithso-nian Museum. Students will also have the opportunity to visit many monu-ments and the National Mall.

Haas began planning the trip with

President Michael Loch, a junior in-tegrative studies major, in September and has extended an invitation to all campus groups to join them in D.C.

“I want people to become more in-volved in the political process and learn more about it, which is why I’m excited for the groups who aren’t as involved [compared to Young Demo-crats] in politics to be joining us,” Haas said.

Members from the NKU chapter of the NAACP and NKU Latino Student Affairs will also be participants.

Loch, who is in charge of financial planning for the trip, is organizing events to raise money for the months leading to their departure.

“College Democrats [Young Demo-crats] are working on getting a fund-raiser started. But we sometimes get opportunities to work concessions at [Bank of Kentucky Center] events if we can get a group of people to work them,” Loch said.

Seeing the city offers a different kind of learning experience for stu-dents, according to Haas.

“Going to tour the White House, seeing all the monuments and all the

important places of history, it’s a great opportunity for students to learn about our nation’s capital,” Haas said.

For more information, contact Sara Haas at haass1@mymail.nku.edu. A

$75 deposit is due by the end of the semester. The trip is estimated to cost a total of $180; however, Haas and Loch hope to lower the price to $140 by the time of departure.

News Dec. 7, 201112

Students have chance to visit the capitalAnna KathmanContributing writer

NKU’s Young Democrats will travel to Washington D.C. in Spring 2012 with Common Ground and Equality Now to tour the Capitol Building (pictured above) the White House and other landmarks.

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

On Dec. 5, The Northerner received a tip that two graduate students, Ja-son Cisper and Braden Bishop, had taken an estimated “couple hundred dollars” worth of meal vouchers for Jimmy Johns from the Athletic De-partment at Northern Kentucky Uni-versity.

The Northerner contacted Chris Hafling, the associate athletic direc-tor for Internal Operations. Hafling

said he had no knowledge of the inci-dent, but directed The Northerner to Scott Eaton, athletics director.

Initially, Eaton said he also had no knowledge of the incident, but would call back after obtaining further in-formation.

The next day, Eaton contacted The Northerner and said, “In regards to the two individuals that you shared yesterday, I can confirm that there was an incident that was reported to us.”

According to Eaton, the situation

had been handled, but further infor-mation could not be released, as it was a “personnel issue,” with both students serving as graduate assis-tants in the program and currently graduate students.

Jason Willis, NKU police chief, said there was not an exact dollar amount attached to the stolen vouchers.

“It came down to more of an ethi-cal issue than a financial issue,” Willis said.

According to both Willis and Eaton, the incident happened and was re-

ported about a month ago. Willis also said that Eaton and the

department had the option to make a formal report or handle it internally – they chose to handle the matter in-ternally.

Both Eaton and Willis would not say what actions had been taken against the students since it is viewed as a personnel issue rather than theft with no official police report created.

“The action that we took was quick and equal to what was reported to us,” Eaton said.

Grad students caught stealing couponsTwo former athletes take meal vouchers from Athletic Dept., handled internally

Karli WoodManaging editor

Visit thenortherner.comfor more information

Gonna miss us during the break? Stay updated with what’s going on here at NKU. Go to thenortherner.com for exclusive content, featured stories and more.

Arts & Life14 Dec. 7, 2011

Before taking on eating chal-lenges, contenders should be aware of the risks. The Major League of Eating (MLE) is the organization that oversees the entire major eat-ing competitions worldwide. They strongly discourage competitive eating “home training.”

They cite that competitive eat-ing should be

for people 18 years and older and should only be done in su-pervised con-

ditions with medical tech-nicians pres-ent. The MLE sees competi-tive eating as a sport that needs training

just as much as any other sport.

Eating com-petitions seem more like a new trend since shows like “Man vs. Food”

have become popular. Na-than’s Fa-mous Hot

Dog Eating Contest has

been held at

Coney Island since 1916. Though this year in July, the American Medical Association (AMA) actual-ly denounced the annual challenge.

The AMA reported “competitive speed eating as an unhealthy eat-ing practice with potential adverse consequences.” That didn’t seem to stop the champion, Joey Chest-nut, from competing. He won the challenge this year, downing 62 hot dogs in only 10 minutes -- and for anyone counting the calories, it happens to be around 18,414.

The most typical side effect of try-ing food challenges is vomiting be-cause the stomach has been filled to such capacity, it can no longer con-tain all the food.

Those still feeling brave have been warned. And with that, here are the top five craziest food chal-lenges in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.

1. Joe’s Giant Cheeseburger held at Joe’s Diner in Over-the-Rhine

This challenge is a burger, but not just any burger. The burger it-self weighs in at three pounds. It is topped with six fried eggs, 12 pieces of bacon, 12 slices of cheese, a ton of tomatoes, lettuce and onions. To top it all off, you must also eat a side of fries. The entire meal comes in at roughly seven pounds and must be eaten in 30 minutes, so hope you are a fast eater.

If you are able to defeat this chal-lenge, your meal comes free and you also get a t-shirt (and bragging rights, of course). 1203 Sycamore St. 513-421-5637 http://www.joes-dineronsycamore.com

2. When Pigs Fly Challenge held at By Golly’s in Milford

Get out your calculators. There is a lot going on for this challenge. One pound of bacon, one pound of ham, one pound of pulled pork cov-ered in barbeque sauce, lettuce and tomatoes and topped with cheddar cheese. Think that’s all? No, not quite. You also have to finish two sides: a whopping pound of macaro-ni and cheese and a quarter pound of coleslaw. You have 45 minutes if you dare to complete. The entire meal weighs in at around five and a half pounds. 714 Lila Ave. 513-248-4444 http://www.bygollys.com

3. Spaghetti and Meatball Challenge held at Padrino in Milford

For those who don’t get overly excited over burgers, how about an Italian night out? The spaghetti meatball challenge starts you off at two pounds of spaghetti. They top that off with one pound of meat-balls and one pound of marinara and garlic knots. If you complete it, it’s free. They give you 45 minutes and have one requirement: No ex-cusing yourself from the table.

111 Main St. 513-965-0100 http://www.padrinoitalian.com

4. Willie’s Challenger Menu held by Willie’s Sports Cafe in multiple Willie’s locations

Okay, here we go again with the burgers. Calculators ready? Good. You have one of two options for this challenge. The first option is the Triple Bypass Burger. This is made up of three one-pound pat-ties, an entire pound of bacon, one-half pound of cheese and then the

ultimate topper. Instead of bread holding this whole monstrosity to-gether, Willie’s has opted for two grilled cheese sandwiches instead. Why not?…Right? Of course, no one stops there; you also have to finish a huge side of fries. Weighing in at five pounds, you have a little bit longer to finish it (one hour). If you opt for the second challenge, you will be choosing the Hit King Chal-lenge. This is the speed challenge. Twelve wings that are insanely hot and 14 minutes to finish it.

5054 Glencrossing in Westwood 513-922-3377 http://www.wil-liesonline.com

5. Raniero’s 24-inch Pizza Challenge

You didn’t think we were going to end this whole thing and not list our local pizza favorite did you? Ra-niero’s has a challenge of their own, and it’s no easy task. This pizza is 24 inches in diameter, and you get one 20-oz cup of water. You can have a partner help assist you in this challenge, which would prob-ably be your best plan of action. Doesn’t sound too bad, hunh? Well, there’s a twist, you have 10 min-utes. This might be the challenge to start you off on your road to food domination. And best of all, you get to bring a buddy.

If you feel brave and hungry, these challenges should be enough to get you started if you feel so in-clined -- or lose a bet and this is your punishment. Either way, if you are feeling up to it and attempt it, please let us at The Northerner know! Good Luck. Most would say you will need it!

eating challengesRachel MartinContributing writer

Northern Kentucky University alumnus Samuel T. Phillips has been using a typewriter for about six months. He mostly uses it to type short stories and poetry, which he posts online and reads to rooms full of people. Phillips wants to share his story, and he wants to give others a place to share their experi-ences, through poetry, music and other forms of ar-tistic expression.

Phillips, who graduated from NKU in 2009 with a bachelor’s in English, organizes an open mic group called Wild Onion. Wild Onion is held at Groove Coffee House, in Covington, the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Phillips said that Wild Onion is a laid back group composed of about 10-15 regular participants. The intimacy of the small group lends itself to what Phil-lips describes as an open forum, featuring poetry, short stories, monologues, novel excerpts and mu-sic.

“People are pretty much open to listening to ev-erything, whether it’s raunchy, or flowery, or avant-garde,” Phillips said.

In the four months that he has been going to Wild Onion, 21-year-old Covington resident Colin An-drews has heard everything from rant-style poetry to hip-hop style rhymes. According to Andrews about half the group is made up of poets and the other half musicians.

The first time he attended a Wild Onion open mic, the room was so full, people were standing in the hallway, and each person only got about 10 minutes to perform.

Jared Presley, 26, would like to extend the time of the Wild Onion sessions. Because open mics of-ten take place in bars, they continue later into the night than Wild Onion. However, Presley said that the coffee shop setting fosters a more nurturing at-mosphere and attentive crowd than a bar.

According to Phillips, people at Wild Onion are open to responses from one another. Audience members often give feedback about things they like or find interesting about performances.

Phillips has also been trying to get people to come to the coffee shop around 5 p.m. on days when the group meets for a workshop. The workshop provides an opportunity to share work and get feedback on a more individual basis and is especially aimed at newcomers.

In addition to organizing Wild Onion, Phillips has also been working on a nonfiction manuscript he said “reads as a collection of short stories,” which he plans to send out to publishers this month. Phil-lips also plans to return to Denver, where he stopped during a tour he did in 2010. Phillips does not expect to stay in Denver permanently; but he hopes that while he is there, he will be able to grow as a writer.

For more information about Phillips and Wild On-ion, visit his website at http://www.samueltphillips.com.

Arts & LifeEdition 48, Issue 14 15

Wild Onion not a typical open micRoxanna BlevinsA&E editor

Photo courtesy of Sam PhillipsSam Phillips organizes an open mic group called Wild Onion. The group is an open forum that includes poetry and monologues.

HappeningsDecember 7

December 11

December 7

December 8

December 8

December 16

STEM Ugly Sweater Christmas PartyWhen: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Where: Griffin Hall Lobby What: Take a break before finals and come have some fun. There will be food, games, music, and prizes and a canned food drive for Inter Parish Ministries.

NKU Men’s Basketball vs. Urbana When: 5 p.m. Where: BOKCWhat: The Norse face off against the Blue Knights of Urbana University.

NKU Women’s Basketball vs. Georgetown (KY) When: 7 p.m. Where: BOKC What: NKU Athletics will announce the winners of the “Throw Your Norse Up” photo competition.

Six@Six When: 6 p.m. Where: Behringer-Crawford Museum What: “Connecting Through Chemistry: Scientific Discover-ies and Inspiring the Future.” NKU’s Dr. Heather Bullen is hosting the event, which is free for students.

Feast for Finals When: 8 p.m. Where: Norse Commons What: Karaoke, yoga, ornament decorating, and lots of prizes. Free breakfast will be served at 9 p.m. Sponsored by Housing, Chartwells, APB, Wellness, and the Association of Campus Residents.

Book Signing Event When: 9 a.m.- noonWhere: 310 Fairfield Ave., Bel-levue, KY 41073 What: J.S. Bailey, a resident of Amelia, Ohio, will be available to sign copies of her suspense book, “The Land Beyond the Portal.”

December 7NKU Philharmonic Orchestra Concert When: 7 p.m. Where: Greaves Concert Hall What: $5 general / $3 student with ID. A multi-disciplinary presentation on the unique confluence of the arts that took place in France at the turn of the 20th century.

December 8Virgin of Guadalupe When: Noon Where: University Chapel What: Mass will be held, fol-lowed by a presentation in the UC Cafeteria. At 2 p.m. there will be a social in UC 204. For more information, please contact Diane Maldonado at 859-572-6013.

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

challenges

Arts & Life Dec. 7, 201116

With Christmas approaching, the holiday shop-ping season has begun. This is a time to behold the many fights between crazies over on-sale waffle makers, screaming kids in the toy aisle, and desperate spouses suffering migraines as they search for that perfect gift for their signifi-cant other.

Black Friday. Hell Day for retail stores. The fo-cus has shifted to battles over cheap flat screens so severe, people are whippin’ out pepper spray and their fightin’ words — happy holidays indeed.

Navigating those traffic-jammed streets and department stores can be difficult. For that mat-ter, here are a five easy rules to survive the holi-day season while saving time, money and frus-tration during the month of tinsel and wrapping paper.

Rule one: Stay away from every mall and

department store. When it comes to holiday shopping, only go out once, stay in the house for the rest of the time. Battling through wave after wave of mothers toting bags full of gifts is tir-ing and can drive a person crazy. Plan all of your shopping either for one full day or go at it online. But shipping is always another issue. Don’t ven-ture out into the cold and madness of the stores and enjoy the peace and quiet in the comfort of your warm home.

Rule two: Drown out every single piece of Christmas music. Artists make holiday al-bums to make an extra buck or two. Because of this, we are all subject to horrendous Christmas cover songs. Take some ear plugs with you into the store on your single shopping day (see first rule). This will replace the terrible techno covers of carols and the temper tantrums at the same time. It kills two turtle doves with one stone.

Rule three. This tip is more so for college students. Enjoy the relaxation time. The so-

lution is to stock up on food, books, movies and video games. Say goodbye to endless boredom and your mind’s tendency to go stir crazy.

Rule four: A homemade gift is more meaningful than an overly expensive gift. Plus, you save some money. Simple enough.

Fifth and final rule: Learn how to drive in the snow. There is nothing worse than get-ting stuck behind a driver that slows down to a crawl because a snowflake hit their windshield. Don’t hit your brakes going down a hill when it is snowing (that actually makes your slide). Make sure your tires are ready to take on icy roads. And keep your windows clear with wiper blades and wiper fluid. Don’t forget to defrost your car win-dows so Kenton Dr. doesn’t turn into Frogger.

So there you have it. Five rules that should keep you sane through the holiday months, no guaran-tees. So sit back, sip some cocoa, stay warm by the fireplace, catch up on some sleep and enjoy your time off. Enjoy the holidays.

Brandon BarbFeatures editor

Five rules to survive the holidays

Courtesy of MCT Campus

Helpful guidelines to help you make it through to the New Year

The holiday season is a stressful time. With having to deal with large crowds, traffic jams and strange family members it is hard to get through the time between Thanksgiving and New Years with-out having a breakdown. The five rules to survive the holidays include: staying away from malls and department stores, using ear plugs to drown out Christmas music and enjoying the time off.

Arts & LifeEdition 48, Issue 14 17

Christmas is right around the corner. Every-body is looking forward to the holiday, because people enjoy spending time with their loved ones and exchanging presents. For international stu-dents who are away from home, it could be a lonely time. However, everyone finds their own ways to spend the holidays.

Omi Na, an exchange student from South Ko-rea, is taking a trip to Las Vegas with her friend for Christmas.

“Most Americans are traveling to their homes to celebrate Christmas with their families. If I just stay here, it would be really lonely. So I de-cided to travel to have a nice Christmas,” she said.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, Na went to her American friend’s house.

“My friend invited me to her place and had dinner and played card games with her family.

We had such a good time there,” Na said.Felix Blitheness, an exchange student from

Germany, is planning to travel to Miami, Florida with his friends for Christmas.

“I have no family to spend Christmas with in America, so it’s better to travel,” Blitheness said.

He spent Thanksgiving with his host family.“I live with a home stay family. We had the tur-

key and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, and we watched the football match together. It was pretty cool, because they gave me a chance of ex-periencing American culture,” Blitheness said.

Clemence Binon, a freshman from Belgium, stayed in her dorm for Thanksgiving break. “I and my roommate did nothing special for Thanksgiv-ing. We just had dinner together,” Binon said.

Binon will visit Belgium for Christmas vacation to spend time with her family. “I’m so excited to go back home, because I wouldn’t feel lonely. I will have my family with me,” she said.

Seunghwan Lee, an exchange student from South Korea, was invited to an American pro-fessor’s house with his friends on Thanksgiving

Day. “We played, passing around a Frisbee and video games. They treated us warmly,” Lee said.

Lee also said that during Christmas, he will spend time with his Korean friends in Kentucky. “I’ll go skiing with my friends and have dinner with them in my dorm.” Lee said.

Kenneth Rhee, an associate professor of man-agement originally from South Korea, has lived in America since he was 12 years old. He has family in the U.S.

Rhee had Thanksgiving dinner and a celebra-tion with his brother’s family. “My brother and his family came over to here and baked the tur-key. It was really good,” Rhee said.

Rhee said he is going to have Christmas din-ner and is planning to do some research during Christmas break.“I’ll try to write a paper during Christmas days so I would be really busy, and Christmas is pretty much American,” Rhee said.

Rhee also celebrates the Chinese Lunar New Year on Jan. 1.

“We have special Korean food for New Years, which is so traditional Korean,” Rhee said.

Kyung mi ShimContributing writer

in a home away from homeInternational students celebrate the holidays in unique ways, compared to their stateside counterparts

FINDINGHoliday Spiritthe

Sports Dec. 7, 201118

The American Cornhole Association, locally based out of Milford, Ohio, is hosting a tournament on Jan. 21, 2012. Northern Kentucky University students are strongly encouraged to participate in the event.

The tournament, known as “Cornhole on the Levee Winter Classic,” will be located at Newport on the Levee from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will be an indoor event. It is the first time the association has partnered up with Newport on the Levee. This event is one of the many held by the association.

“We’ve taken backyard cornhole and tailgating cornhole to the next level,” said Kortney Borow-itz, sales and event coordinator for the association. “What I like to tell people is that the American Cornhole Association is similar to the NBA or the NFL.”

“Cornhole on the Levee Winter Classic” will con-sist of eight total tournaments throughout the day. Teams are able to participate in one tournament at the cost of $15 per game or two for $20.

Teams that would like to play more than one game have the option of playing at from 1 to 3 p.m., 2 to 4 p.m., 5 to 7 p.m. or 6 to 8 p.m.

All of the tournaments are single elimination and teams are allowed to enter as many as they desire.

Borowitz said that it would be wonderful for NKU students to attend these events on a regular basis.

“If [students] have their own outlets, such as stu-dent organizations, the band, fraternities or what-ever it may be, it’d be great for them to get their friends together and come on out,” Borowitz said.

Students can follow the American Cornhole As-sociation on Facebook and Twitter, and get more information by going to the website http://www.AmericanCornhole.com. The American Cornhole Association will also send out fliers to the public.

Quinn BallingerContributing Writer

Men’s Basketball

The men now have a perfect 7-0 record. On Dec. 1, NKU defeated Saint Joseph’s College 82-70. Junior guard/forward Eshaunte Jones came off the bench to score 20 points, including five 3-point-ers. On Dec. 3, the Norse defeated Indi-anapolis, 80-63. The Norse were led by senior guard Tony Rack with 19 points. Jones led the team in scoring again this time with 25 points, including seven 3-pointers, against Ohio Midwestern in a 96-52 victory on Dec. 6.

Women’s Basketball

The women had mixed results in their first Great Lake Valley Conference games of the season. The Norse defeated Saint Joseph’s 106-101 in triple overtime on Dec. 1. Senior guard Casse Mogan set a school record for points in a game by scoring 37 points. They dropped their next game on Dec. 3 against Indianapo-lis 55-44. Junior guard Jaimie Hamlet came off the bench to lead the team with 14 points. The team is now 4-2 on the season.

Norse Force

Norse Force will announce the winner of the “Throw Your Norse Up” competition at the women’s basketball game against Georgetown College on Dec. 7. Students can wear ugly holiday sweaters to the game for a chance to win prizes. On Dec. 8, there will be a pep rally at the Bank of Kentucky Center from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sports Shorts

Cornhole event coming to Levee

Photos courtesy of Kortney BorowitzDerrick King and Matt Guy (above), the five-time reigning king of Cornhole, square off at the 2011 Tailgate Bash benefiting Easter Seals Work Resource on Fountain Square. Frank Geers (right) competes in a tournament organized by the association.

Northern Kentucky University has added another form of entertainment to The Bank of Kentucky Center, as the Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls have skated their way to the arena.

The Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls is a flat track roller derby league, owned by the skaters. The league con-sists of two teams, the Blackouts and the Shiners. The skaters in the league do not yet know which team’s roster they will be a part of, as each roster has yet to be announced.

In May of 2006, the league initi-ated their first season in the Florence Fundome. After completing the 2008 season, they continued to grow from their initial fan base, and eventually moved to the Midwest Sports Com-plex in Florence. As the league con-tinued to grow, the Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls determined that the com-plex became too small as well, and a change of venues was once again pushed forward.

On Nov. 1, an agreement was reached concerning the league using the Bank of Kentucky Center. The league thinks this is the perfect ven-ue to accommodate the fans and will help them continue to flourish.

“Teams that go from a small venue to a large arena, like the Bank of Ken-tucky Center, will not only help their league grow but will also help roller derby grow in general,” said Richelle Davis, a skater with the league.

Davis (nicknamed “Silverose”), a blocker on the Blackouts team a year ago, will be starting her fourth season in May 2012. Davis did not know how to skate when she first started. After her first skating lesson, it did not take long for Davis to become attached to the sport.

“I didn’t even know about the sport of roller derby, so I didn’t really have any set goals when I joined,” Da-vis said. “I really had to start from

scratch by learning how to skate on my first day. After that, I just fell in love with the sport.”

Another skater who fell in love with roller derby was Natalie Gard-ner, (nicknamed “Natural Disaster”), the Blackouts team captain last year. Gardner is a pivot/blocker who has been with the league for four years. She found out about the Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls through a friend when she attended a match. Gardner was so enthralled, she de-cided she wanted to be a part of the team.

“I had played sports all through-out my life, and I had always joked around about being built for roller derby,” Gardner said. “I was never a skater though, so I went to rinks dur-ing little grade-school parties to prac-tice skating. After that, I tried out and actually made the team.”

Not only does Gardner admire the toughness of the sport, but also loves the trust she shares with her teammates.

“With playing as many dif-ferent sports that I have, the as-pect I enjoy the most is being part of a team,” Gardner said. “I absolutely love all the girls we have on our team. Their personalities and backgrounds are so different from one another; and when you can get [around] 50 di-verse women to all come together and be centered on something they’re all passionate about, that’s really awe-some.”

One thing the group of women will all be working towards in the future is being nationally recognized and ranked amongst the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association. The Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls are currently in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association Ap-prentice, a program affiliate of the association. The team wants to com-pete nationally and be a regular com-petitor in the association.

“A move to the Bank of Kentucky Center will bring us more recogni-tion amongst the league, and draw in more fans as we look to compete na-tionally,” Davis said. “We should be making that move into the national level at the start of next season, which will be good timing for us.”

As the league makes the move to a college campus, they are looking to

bring in more student fans. Both Davis and Gardner think with

the move to a

bigger and closer facility, the level of the up-close-and-personal feel with the sport will draw more and more college students to their matches.

“It’s the best 3-D experience you can possibly have,” Gardner said. “You’ll have live action happening right in front of your face and have the pos-sibility of a roller girl be thrown right into your lap. It’s such a fun experi-ence to be a part of.”

For more information on the Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls,

visit http://www.black-n-blue-

grass.com.

SportsEdition 48, Issue 14 19

Roller derby takes over BOKC

Kevin ErpenbeckStaff writer

Black-n-Bluegrass hopes new venue draws in fans from NKU

Photos courtesy of Richelle Davis “Neva Shakeababy” (above left) is a jammer for the Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls. The league, consisting of two teams, will compete in The Bank of Kentucky Center. “Smashin’ Punk’n” (be-low front), a jammer, graduated from NKU in 2007. The season begins in May 2012.

Sports Dec. 7, 201120

Northern Kentucky University’s potential move to Division I will not come without a cost.

The transition comes with a price tag of about $3.5 million. According to NKU Athletic Direc-tor Scott Eaton, the university has that amount prepared in order to “do it right.”

Of that $3.5 million, NKU estimated that $1.78 million would be from the general fund, which consists of tuition and state-funds.

Eaton said the funds would be raised over five years, beginning this year. The general fund is made up of tuition dollars and state funding.

He said the money will not be replaced, but is being shifted to Athletics. Eaton said the funds are earmarked for students but are now going to be earmarked for student athletes.

The university would take $646,000 from oth-er university budgets, such as housing, dining services or already-existing scholarships, to be used for athletics.

New athletic department revenues are expect-ed to reach $819,000 and would be brought in by tickets, sponsorships and donations.

“Built into that is a $300,000 dollar contin-gency that we have for unexpected increases,”

Eaton said. “Such as, let’s say one of our coaches leaves and we have to go ahead and hire a new coach at a much higher salary or something like that.”

Eaton said that adds up to the $3.5 million needed to fund Division-I athletics.

“That is after year five,” Eaton said. “That doesn’t mean we are adding that much this year. It is going to be, gradually, over time.”

He said NKU’s expenses will be staggered and that it is a gradual phase-in.

Eaton said from this year on, NKU only has to add another $500,000 from the general fund.

“I think we will financially profit right away,” Eaton said. “The expectations are that we will be bringing in new athletic revenues, basically after we make the announcement.”

Eaton said not only are the marketing and de-partment staff in the athletic department work-ing hard but the university advancement and de-velopment people are working on it, as well.

“We’ll be launching a capital campaign that will help us raise some funds for this move, and it will be an institutional endeavor, so our expec-tations are going to be that we will show some new revenue sources coming in right away,” Ea-ton said.

He said additional revenues are going to come from private donors, corporate sponsorships, tickets and season-ticket sales.

Eaton said he does not have an argument against anyone who believes NKU is not ready to make the move or who feels like it cannot af-ford it, because everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

“I can tell you that we have worked very hard,” Eaton said. “We have pulled in a couple of differ-ent consulting agencies to help us to see if we are ready for this move and how we could afford to go ahead and fund it properly. ... We met with all the faculty, all the staff, students and community leaders. We reached out to everyone in the cam-pus community to go ahead and get their take on the move to Division-I, and there was a great deal of support for this move. The biggest reser-vation is that it would not come at the expense of some of the other key institutional priorities, which it is not. That has been the caveat.”

Eaton said he thinks NKU will just continue to move forward.

“We have worked out the strategic plan, and we are looking forward to implement it and make ourselves the best Division I program that we can be,” Eaton said.

Stephen WilderSports features editor

Breakdown of Division-I budgetTo fund the move, athletics will pull some funds from other depts

General fund dollars

Brought in by tickets, sponsorships and donations

Re-purposed funds

Contingency funds

Total cost =$3.5 million

$1.78 million(50.21%)

$819,000 (23.10%)

$646,000 (18.22%)

$300,000(8.46%)