Efforts to improve retention rates and student life for African-American students have been put on hold until at least April.

Northern Kentucky University is searching for a new director for the Offi ce of African-American Student Af-fairs and has frozen policy changes until the position is fi lled. The search to fi ll the vacant position of assistant director for the offi ce has also been put on hold.

Miya Simpson, associate dean and director of AASA, is stepping down Feb. 18 to return to her home in Vir-ginia to deal with a family situation. Her departure will leave the offi ce with only one full-time employee dedi-cated to student success and an administrative assis-tant. The offi ce handles programming and events for students, student support and student retention.

The AASA offi ce, which is largely responsible retain-ing black students, has been plagued with staff turn-around for more than a year. Students who need sup-port from the offi ce receive it without any consistency in who to reach out to or work with.

“It’s unfortunate we’ve had this turnover. [Simp-son’s] plan was to be here long-term,” said Dean of Students Jeffrey Waple, who oversees AASA.

During the fi rst few months of her tenure as AASA director, Simpson fi red two employees who had worked in the offi ce for several years. Blanche Prin-gle-Smith and Michael Griffi n, coordinators in the of-fi ce, were dismissed because they could not get along with new leadership, according to records obtained by The Northerner. Both employees contested their ter-minations and Simpson’s claims through grievances were ultimately denied by University President James Votruba.

The fi rings were controversial to students at the time, with several of them participating in protests and organizing support for the fi red staff members. AASA also struggled to fi ll the positions vacated by the terminations.

It was not until Oct. 28, 2010, almost nine months after Pringle-Smith and Griffi n were fi red, that one of the two positions was fi lled by Deborah Strahorn. This is her fi rst job after being a college student. When Simpson leaves, she and an administrative assistant

Wednesday, February 16, 2011/ Edition 47/ Issue 6/ Value: 50 centsthenortherner.com

The NorthernerRevolution, pg. 7

AASA: Policy changes on pauseJesse CallInterim editor-in-chief

insideTheNortherner

‘A Better Life’ goes into battle.Pg. 9

Golf teams get ready for spring.Pg. 11

Local Kroger closes for remodeling. Pg. 5

See PAUSE, p.6

“There is a pause in the total vision --not a step back.”

- Jeffrey Waple, dean of students

twitter.com/northernermedia

If you keep a movie paused long enough then the image on the screen ends up be-ing there forever. When you fi nally come back and push play, you might fi nd that the image has permanently burned in and all the new scenes are always cast be-hind that scar.

NKU’s Offi ce of African-American Student Affairs needs to push play. If we con-tinue to pause on our analy-sis about how to improve our retention and graduation rates, we are going to create a burn on our future image.

While our retention rates may not be the worst out of our peer institutions, they are nothing to brag about. Roughly 40 percent of stu-

dents who identify as Afri-can-American leave the uni-versity without completing their degree. AASA should take the forefront on examin-ing the causes of this failure and fi nd the best solu-tion that offers the f u l l e s t s u p -port to t h o s e w e h a v e w e l -c o m e d in to the N o r s e family.

We applaud AASA for press-ing on in this time of adversity. Challenges have come forth over and over

again and have created re-grettable scenarios that are, sometimes, out of the control of the university. Nonethe-less, students fi nd a place

that offers them hope and solutions and

the one-on-one mentor-

ing that so many of them w a n t or even n e e d . Howev-er, this

is only one of the

battles. In-dividual sup-

port is great but our retention

rates hint that systemic change within the univer-sity is something to seriously

consider and examine.AASA should lead this ex-

amination. From discussions I’ve had and from documents we have here in the offi ce, it was something that previ-ous staff members who have now been pushed out or fi red were ready, even eager, to take on. Whether or not the removal of those staff mem-bers was a good or bad thing is a discussion for another day. Either way, the passion they put into dealing with bringing a quick, systemic change to improve the qual-ity of life and the success of African-American students must be revived. If we con-tinue to wait until everything is perfect and everyone is in place then things might look nice, but no one will notice behind the burned image of our neglect.

OpEdEdition 47, Issue 6 3

AD MANAGERWilliam Fisher[fi sherw1@nku.edu]

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

contactinformation

furtherdetailsEntire content is copyright of The Northerner and may not be reprinted without prior con-sent. Views expressed do not represent those of the administration, faculty or student body.The Northerner is considered a designated public forum. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censor-ship or advance approval. The Northerner staff respects the right to a free and open dialogue as allowed under the First Amendment.

INTERIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJesse Call[callj1@nku.edu]

PRESENTATION EDITORKarli Wood[woodk3@nku.edu]

ADVISERGayle Brown[browng@nku.edu]

northernerstaff

STAFF WRITERSBrandon Barb[barbb1@nku.edu]

Derick Bischoff[bischoffd1@nku.edu]

Roxanna Blevins[blevinr1@mymail.nku.edu]

Cassie Stone[stonec2@nku.edu]

Danielle Wesley[wesleyd1@nku.edu]

COPY DESK CHIEFEmily Christman[christmane1@nku.edu]

FEATURES EDITORClaire Higgins[higginsc1@nku.edu]

SPORTS EDITORNick Jones[jonesn5@nku.edu]

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORJohn Minor[minorj1@nku.edu]

NEWS EDITORMatt Brewer[brewerm4@nku.edu]

A&E EDITOR Shawn Buckenmeyer[buckenmeys1@nku.edu]

PHOTO EDITORAlysha Durrett[durretta1@nku.edu]

AASA should push play

Editorial cartoon

Jesse CallInterim editor-in-chief

Illlustration by Walter Deller

Offi cials at Northern Ken-tucky University have more control over whether or not some students will continue receiving the Kentucky Edu-cational Excellence Scholar-ship, thanks to a Kentucky state law that went into effect in 2009.

Under the new law, stu-dents are subject to additional rules to remain eligible for the scholarship if their GPA falls below a 3.0 in their second year or later.

Commonly referred to as KEES, the program awards money to Kentucky’s college students based on their aca-demic achievement when they attended high school in Ken-tucky. It is funded by lottery sales and unclaimed lottery awards.

The law changed the eligi-bility requirement only for students who began receiving KEES money in the fall 2009 semester. Students who were receiving the scholarship pri-or to fall 2009 will still be sub-ject to the old requirements.

Eligibility requirements

for the fi rst year students re-ceive the scholarship have not changed; students must keep their GPA above 2.5.

The law’s change applies to students whose GPA falls between 2.5 and 2.99 after their fi rst year of receiving the scholarship. Under the old law, all students would re-ceive half of their KEES mon-ey, but now students must meet an “on track to graduate requirement” and enrollment standards.

The law does not specify what it means for a student to be on track to graduate.

Megan Cummins, the KEES coordinator for the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, said the new law allows each university in Ken-tucky to set its own “on track to graduate” requirement, leaving room for a discrep-ancy in standards across the state. KHEAA administers several fi nancial aid programs in Kentucky.

However, Leah Stewart, di-rector of student fi nancial as-sistance, explained via e-mail that Kentucky universities are “attempting to be consistent in implementing and enforc-ing this new legislation.”

According to a document provided by Stewart, students will need to have completed 48 credit hours after their sec-ond year to be considered on track to graduate. The docu-ment also states that there is no appeal process at NKU.

As long as students keep their GPA above 3.0, they will retain all of their KEES schol-arship. But they will lose half or all of their award if their GPA drops to 2.99 or below after their second academic year.

For students to retain all of their KEES scholarships, their GPA must be between 2.5 and 2.99 and they must meet NKU’s “on track to graduate requirement.”

If they do not meet the “on track to graduate require-ment,” full-time students are eligible for half of their KEES award, but part-time students will not receive any of their KEES money.

Cummins said most stu-dents just assume they will begin receiving their KEES award again once their GPA is above 2.5, but that is not the case. Once students raise their GPA, they must ask the fi nan-cial aid offi ce to resubmit their records for consideration.

The Kentucky Lottery Corp. awarded $214.4 million to Kentucky last year, which was almost 30 percent of lot-tery profi ts. Since 1999, the Kentucky Lottery has award-ed $1.55 billion to the KEES program, creating 1,185,085 scholarships for Kentucky students, according to the Kentucky Lottery’s website.

Lottery sales have dropped over the last year, and the lottery is projecting $9 mil-lion less will be allocated to Kentucky, meaning there will be less given to scholar-ship programs, such as KEES. However, the funds from un-claimed lottery tickets goes to KEES. In 2010, this amounted to $13.6 milion more for the scholarship program.

News February 16, 20114

NKU can take your KEESCassie StoneStaff writer

SGA defends freedom through resolutions

Some student leaders are concerned that the university could be displaying the Unit-ed States fl ag improperly.

A new resolution proposed by Student Government As-sociation members question procedures the university has in place regarding the fl ags located in the Central Plaza outside of W. Frank Steely Library.

Currently, Northern Ken-tucky University displays the

fl ags of the United States, the Commonwealth of Ken-tucky and the university at the Central Plaza location 24 hours a day.

According to the United States Flag Code, the fl ag may be left up overnight, but only if the fl ag is properly il-luminated.

SGA members say that the university “does not have the proper illumina-tion required” for the fl ags to remain up at night in the Central Plaza. If there is not proper lighting for the United

States fl ag, it is required that it be brought down nightly.The student government proposed a resolution asking that the university provide the required adequate illu-mination of the fl ags at night.

Several resolutions were passed this week and student leaders are pleased with the work that has been carried out so far.

“I’m glad to see that there is a lot more stuff coming through and that students can see what we are doing,” said SGA President Kevin

Golden. “It’s not like we are all sitting here saying ‘Yes, No, Whatever.’ There is de-bate.”

One resolution caused more debate than others. The resolution regarding speech restrictions on cam-pus brought up questions about freedom of speech.

“[The proposal] is not simply just organizing vari-ous groups on campus,” said James Fahringer, senior the-atre student, who shared his opinion about the proposed resolution before student

leaders voted on the issue. “It gives the dean the authority to pick and choose who gets to speak on campus.”

Student leaders attempted to thwart his concerns with their beliefs that the policy will not regulate speech in a manner that is unconstitu-tional.

“If this policy is misused in anyway, I want to assure you that I would be the fi rst person to speak out against it and I am sure that everyone else here feels the same way,” said Senator Michael Adkins.

Matthew BrewerStaff writer

Students living on and around cam-pus are going to have to start traveling further to purchase groceries as the Kroger that is conveniently located di-rectly across the street from Callahan Hall will soon be closed for remodel-ling.

The store, located at 70 Martha Layne Collins Boulevard, will be clos-ing on Feb. 20 and is not expected to reopen until June. The exact date of the reopening is unknown and de-pends upon the progress of the con-struction.

“We are just going to remodel the in-terior,” said Store Manager Nick Greer. “The store is going to be brand new on the inside. It’s going to be nice.”

The age of the store was a main fac-tor in choosing to remodel the loca-tion. The store is not up to date with the technology that is used. With a brand new inside comes a new photo lab, a technology update, a brand new bank and pharmacy and also a larger book section. Many students are look-ing forward to the new store.

“I feel [the remodel] is a good idea,” said Ryan Hall, junior EMB major and Kroger shopper. “The Kroger we have now is pretty small compared to the ones around us. It would be nice to see more of a selection.”

Many of the Kroger staff members are excited about the upgrade, but some students who use the location

to buy groceries are concerned about what the store closing for the rest of the semester will mean to them.

“It kind of sucks because my car is broken right now and that’s where I buy my groceries,” said Mike Davis, freshman communication major and Callahan Hall resident. “I guess that the Dollar Tree is my best option to buy groceries now.”

The Kroger store remained open 24 hours a day and many students used it as a place to get their late night snacks when everything else closed down for the night.

“The people who want to get food at four in the morning are screwed,” said Taylor Bray, freshman social work major. “They wont be able to get any snacks because everything around here closes much earlier.”

Though there are many concerns about what students living on campus will do to buy groceries for themselves, Greer believes that the four month closure will pose very few problems to students who shop there.

“I don’t think it will affect students too much,” said Greer. “We will be closed for about four months and the

majority of students wont be on cam-pus for the last month and a half of the remodeling because they will already be out for summer break.”

The Kroger corporate headquarters is located in downtown Cincinnati and to many people it seems that there is a Kroger on just about every corner.

“It isn’t like we don’t have one fi ve minutes down the road anyway,” Hall said. “The effect will be minor. Kroger is within walking distance now, but even when they shut it down students can take advantage of car pooling and the TANK system.”

NewsEdition 47, Issue 6 5

One of the biggest factors in a student’s decision in choosing a college is the uni-versity’s average class size.

One of Northern Kentucky University’s main marketing points is small classes that average about 24 students. But Northern Kentucky Uni-versity students have no-ticed class sizes increasing

recently.“The number of students

that are required to take de-velopmental courses have decreased, which has made more students reach college-level courses quicker,” said NKU Provost Gail Wells. “This fl uctuation has result-ed in bigger class sizes.”

To combat increasing class sizes, NKU is going to start accepting fewer stu-dents who have academic

defi ciencies.Improvements to overall

academic achievement and co-curricular activities has drawn more students to the university. Wells said new buildings, such as Griffi n Hall, a new building that will house several departments including computer science, computer information tech-nology, and electronic me-dia and broadcasting, helps bring more students to NKU.

Griffi n Hall is set to open in the fall 2011 semester.

However, larger class sizes may result in bigger fears. People anticipating person-alized attention and a good education may feel an affect on the ability to obtain such values.

“I like small classes be-cause it’s more person-able and I get more atten-tion from the teacher,” said freshman Kentra Harris.

“It was one of the reasons I chose to come to NKU.”

Danielle WesleyStaff writer

NKU battles increasing class sizes

Matt BrewerNews editor

Local Kroger to close temporarily

Photos by Aly DurrettThe Kroger in Cold Spring has a notice up that it will be closing on February 20 for renovations. Unfortunately the management at Kroger would not allow any photos of the areas to be renovated. The Kroger will reopen in June, though the exact date is unknown.

News February 16, 20116AASA TimelinePAUSE, continued from page one

Feb. 2011: Willa Green steps in as

interim director, but only on a part-time basis while the university does a national search for a

new director.

Feb. 2011: Due to personal

family issues, Miya Simpson, AASA director, announces that she will have to leave NKU on Feb. 18. Her departure leaves only one full-time coordinator in the offi ce.

2010: Zebulon Davenport, vice

president of student affairs, does not hire anyone to replace the

terminated employees until one of the positions is fi lled in Oct.

2010.

Feb. 2010: A few days later,

Michael Griffi n, the only remaining

coordinator in the AASA offi ce, is also fi red after Dr. Simpson claims he

cannot get along with her.

Feb. 2010: Blanche Pringle-Smith

is fi red for “lack of cooperation with the new leadership” not long after the hire of Miya Simpson as AASA

director.

Northerner Archives

will be the only full-time staff members in the offi ce.

“Deb Strahorn has been hold-ing that offi ce together for a couple of months,” Waple said. “We are thankful that Deborah joined us and she’s really stepped up to the plate.”

However, Waple said he has re-sponded to the issue by providing a “transition team” to help maintain a level of service to students.

Willa Green, who currently serves in the Student Achievement Center, will serve as acting direc-tor, but only part-time by giving 20 hours to the AASA offi ce each week. Additionally, NKU Hous-ing employees Arnie Slaughter and Destiny Harper will also work part-time in the offi ce.

Harper previously fi lled in at the offi ce on a part-time basis af-ter Pringle-Smith and Griffi n were dismissed.

“If anyone, perhaps, thought this was a Band-Aid solution, it isn’t,” Green said. “We are continuing to do programming.” She added that all events planned for Black His-tory Month are moving forward as planned and work is continuing in the student support program, NKU R.O.C.K.S.

“The priority is to maintain con-sistency,” Green said. The search for a new permanent director is al-ready underway and Waple said he expects to fi ll the position in April 2011.

Green said that while she will be working to plan more events for fall 2011, her work as interim di-rector will not include examining or analyzing the way NKU’s poli-cies may be negatively impacting black students.

“That would wait until a new di-rector is named,” Green said. How-ever, Green said she is willing to work with Waple if a policy affect-ing black students comes forward and needs to be addressed.

Waple echoed this sentiment, saying that long-term planning on how to increase retention rates for black will not be the focus during this interim period.

“There is a pause in the total vi-sion — not a step back,” Waple

said. He said that Simpson had only just begun to look at develop-ing a long-term plan for retention rates before the family issues that led to her departure began.

The goal is to develop a four-year plan, one that looks not only at re-taining students from their fi rst to second years, but also up to gradu-ation. However, Waple and Green both said they feel that the new full-time director should be the one leading that vision.

Waple also said that the search for the assistant director of the of-fi ce has also been paused so that the incoming director can have in-put on the selection of that person. That position was only recently ad-vertised to the public, despite be-ing vacant for almost a year.

Part of the delay was attributed to Simpson’s desire to create the new position and make sure it had the job description she desired.

While students have indicated concern for the frequent turnover in the AASA offi ce, many have ex-pressed support for Simpson in her departure.

“It is unfortunate that Dr. Simp-son has to leave us after spending such a short time in the Offi ce of AASA,” said Black United Students President Nicole Jones. “She came in at a very challenging time for the offi ce and handled herself respect-fully. Dr. Simpson has a great spirit and I, personally, am disheartened to see her go.”

Jones is also hopeful that the “transition team” put in place by Waple will provide the right amount of support to NKU stu-dents.

“They have not failed yet in their attempts to get people in the offi ce that are truly here for the students and this unforeseen circumstance was out of their control,” Jones said.

From the fall 2009 to fall 2010 semesters, nearly 40 percent of students identifying as African-Americans left the university. Re-tention rates for African-Ameri-cans have stayed about the same in the last three years and the univer-sity says it has a goal of improving that rate.

NewsEdition 47, Issue 6 7

Imagine starting a life at college 6,200 miles away from home, from friends, from family — from a revolution. For Mohab Tawila, a Northern Kentucky University student from Cairo, Egypt, this is reality.

20-year-old Tawila has been at-tending NKU since fall 2009, but his family and his heart are still in Egypt, especially during this cru-cial point in the country’s history.

“I really want to be a part of this because I think it’s a historical moment for my country. I want to tell my children about this,” Tawila said.

On Jan. 25, as many as 20,000 Egyptian citizens spilled into the streets of Cairo to protest the gov-ernment and now ex-president Hosni Mubarak. According to the Associated Press, the recent unrest in Tunisia and a Facebook page sparked the revolution that demanded presidential term lim-its, higher minimum wage, gov-ernment reform and an end to police brutality.

On Feb. 11, after 18 days of pro-test, President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from power. “We, as Egyptians, reached the result that we wanted,” Tawila said. “This is just the beginning, and the upcoming months will be the real transformation of the coun-try.”

The protests began as peaceful ones, but the police and military soon intervened. The govern-ment shut off all Internet access for Egyptians, which was one of the most terrifying parts for Tawila because he could not keep in contact with his parents who live very near Cairo.

“You could feel the corruption in everyday life in Egypt,” Tawila said. “Before this protest took place, the offi cers, people were scared to death of them; they

were very, very brutal.”The release of 17,000 inmates

was also terrifying for Tawila and his family. The government released the prisoners, although U.S. news stated they escaped.

“You can see some videos on the YouTube that people posted that show the government of-fi cials letting those people go on the street,” Tawila said. “The gov-ernment itself is doing that.”

Tawila had no contact with his family during the prisoner re-lease. Because his family lives so close to Cairo, his parents had to take shifts guarding their house with no weapons to protect them-selves.

“And my father’s an old guy,” Tawila said with a laugh. “Like, he wouldn’t be able to stand a fi ght against people who don’t have a heart and are crazy.”

Now, with Internet access re-stored, Tawila knows his family is all right, as he talks with them on Blackberry Messenger and on Facebook. Apart from his family and friends, Tawila relies on the Internet and TV to get his news. He’s impressed with American channels in their accuracy and ability to continue to give unbi-ased reports.

Tawila said he never expected this to happen to Egypt because Egyptians are often stereotyped as lazy and scared of change, which is why Mubarak was able to hold power for 30 years with-out revolt.

“But it did,” Tawila said. “And it’s amazing.”

To Tawila, one of the most amazing parts of the revolution is that united all of Egypt: “Actors, richest people in Egypt, poorest people in Egypt, Christians, Mus-lims.”

Now, when Tawila returns to Cairo in May, he will not only be arriving in a free country, but also a new country that he and many Egyptians have never known.

Student cut off from a revolution

Claire HigginsFeatures editor

(Top) NKU student Mohab Tawila watches news about Egypt from his dorm room. (Bottom) After President Mubarak steps down as President of Egypt, protesters in Tahrir Square celebrate the success of their protests.

An Egyptian man waves the flag of Egypt in celebration of the stepping down of their unpopular president.

Egypt photos and facts courtesy MCT Campus

“I want to tell my children abut this...This is just the beginning.”-NKU student Mohab Tawlia

Top photo by Claire Higgins

The Egyptian Protests:18 days of peaceful and violent protests led a president of 30 years, Hosni Mubarak, to step down from power on Feb. 11.

What Egyptians Want:• Amend constitution to allow forfree and fair elections• Lift 1981 emergency law thatbans public assembly, lets policearrest and hold people indefi nitely• Release the thousands held inadministrative detention withoutcharge

News February 16, 20118

HappeningsSociety of Professional JournalistsWhen: 3:30 p.m.Where: FH 301A great opportunity for those interested in journalism or networking with other profes-sionals. They will be planning future events, plus free pizza!

Soul Food SundayWhen: 2:30 p.m.Where: Student Baptist UnionEnjoy a good old-fashioned (free) Sunday dinner!

W.A.T.E.RWhen: 5-7 p.m.Where: SU Multipurpose RoomEnjoy lively performances by your fellow students. Acts range from singing and danc-ing, spoken word and R&B, to rock ‘n’ roll, etc.

6th Annual The Fight For Air ClimbWhen 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.Where: Carew Tower, CincyThe American Lung Associa-tion will be hosting a stair-climbing challenge to raise money and promote lung health.

Spring All-Campus Letter-Writing PartyWhen: 7-9 p.m.Where: UC cafeteriaHelp Up ‘til Dawn raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Re-search Hospital by registering for the All-Campus Letter-Writing Party!

Movie Night: “For Col-ored Girls”When: 7:08 p.m.Where: SU 104 B & CA screening of the hit fi lm, as part of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Skee-Wee week.

Apollo NightWhen: 7–9 p.m.Where: Greaves HallThe Apollo is a big, loud party where brave contestants might be cheered or booed. Come and show your support. Sponsored by BUS.

MLK Commemoration & Candle light vigilWhen: 6-8 p.m.Where: UC 270 in Otto BudigA commemoration of the work and life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as presented by Alpha Phi Alpha.

February 16

February 22February 21February 20February 20

February18February 17February 17

Just

for

laug

hs Move over, Cyndi Lauper, girls aren’t the only ones who just wan-na have fun. The six-man pop punk band A Better Life are in it for a good time.

“All our shows are like parties,” guitarist Griffin Ross said.

A Better Life, influenced by bands including Taking Back Sunday, Brand New and The Wonder Years, played Saturday at Mad Hatter in Covington as a contestant in a Bat-tle of the Bands. The Saturday show earned the band a spot in the final round. A Better Life, however, does not limit themselves to playing local venues.

“We will play anywhere,” singer Trey McDermott said. “We even drove all the way to St. Louis to play in a basement.”

The members of the band have been playing music since they were in middle school and high school, but they came together to form A Better Life about a year ago. They were originally called Get A Life, but were inadvertently renamed by their

unofficial manager, Tony Ryan.“I was hyping them to someone,

and I got the name wrong,” Ryan said. “I told [singer] Ben [Durden] about it, and he liked it.”

Although the name change was an accident, McDermott thinks it’s fit-ting.

“That’s what we’re striving for is a better life,” McDermott said. “It’s in our message and a lot of our lyrics. It’s kind of the theme of the band.”

With three members of the band pursuing degrees at Northern Ken-tucky University, it can be difficult to find time to play, but they find a way to make it work.

“We try to have two band practices a week,” McDermott said. “It’s hard sometimes, scheduling practices be-tween school and work.”

A Better Life is currently in the process of finishing up a free five-song EP. The EP, according to Mc-Dermott and Ross, should be on the web next month, soon to be followed by five more tracks.

A Better Life will be playing in the final round of the Battle of the Bands at Mad Hatter March 5. The show will start at 6 p.m. and costs $10. In addition to making an EP

and playing the Battle of the Bands, A Better Life opens for Balance and Composure and Make Do and Mend March 14 at Fogarty’s in Cheviot. The show will begin at 8 p.m. and open to all ages.

For more information about A Better Life, check out their Face-book page, or go to www.abetter-lifeky.com.

A&EEdition 47, Issue 6 9

If you’re looking for a quick, off campus lunch at an afford-able price, try Bellevue Bistro.

Bellevue Bistro is conve-niently located on Fairfi eld Ave., in the business district of Bellevue, Ky., a short drive from I-471, and offers unique breakfast and lunch dishes at affordable prices.

The bistro does not of-fer a parking lot, but even at lunchtime a curbside parking space is never far away.

The service was fast as a

waitress approached the ta-ble right away to take drink orders. The drink menu in-cludes bottled beer, coffee, hot tea, iced tea and a drink called “The Bomb,” which the waitress explained is com-posed of raspberry fl avor, tea, and lemonade. Drinks were quickly delivered and the res-taurant makes sure to give the appropriate time for guest to look over the menu before ordering.

The lunch menu offers sand-wiches, salads, and soups. The bistro grill sounded very appealing, offering mozza-rella, fresh basil leaves, toma-toes and a house vinaigrette, on ciabatta. The waitress also said that The Tuscan is a very

popular sandwich. However, the veggie wrap won over all the other options. At $7.95, it was one of the more expensive sandwiches on the menu, but cheese, black beans, brown rice, sour cream, and sweet chili sauce on a whole wheat tortilla sounded too good to pass up.

Overall, the waitress was very helpful and friendly and makes guests feel at home, al-though she had not been fully trained on the ingredients of every dish on the menu.

In spite of the lunch rush, the restaurant had a very comfortable, laid back feel to it. The walls are painted a warm, golden orange and are adorned by art by local art-

ists. The waitress later told me that the art is provided by a different artist every month, and it is for sale. I also no-ticed Star Wars kitsch around the room, including a clock on the wall and Star Wars space ships and action fi gures on shelves and door frames around the room.

The food arrived within ten minutes. Neither accuracy or presentation were compro-mised in favor of speed.

It seemed like the sweet chili sauce and sour cream would be on the veggie wrap already, but they were served on the side, giving the option to try the wrap both with and without them.

It was excellent either way,

and while restaurants often serve condiments and sauces in tiny portions, at Bellev-ue Bistro it was the perfect amount.

The condiments were not the only thing served in de-cent portions. The wrap and chips also leave diners feeling pleasantly full.

This restaurant is worth enjoying over and over again. The restaurant is also open for breakfast and offers some exciting options. For those who are not big fans of the morning hours, breakfast is served late on weekends.

For hours, menus and con-tact information, go to http://www.enjoybellevuebistro.com.

Roxanna BlevinsStaff writer

Bellevue Bistro serves up quick, delicious lunch

Roxanna BlevinsStaff writer

Band battles to success

Photo provided by A Better LifeA Better Life (L-R Griffin Ross, Nick Hales, Trey McDermott, Ben Durden, Ryan Doyle, Conner Martin). Three members are currently students at NKU.

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Sports February 16, 201110

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Two former Norse will join pitchers and catchers as they report to their respected organi-zations for Major League Base-ball Spring Training.

NKU alumni Nathan Jones and Josh Lueke were added to the 40-man rosters of their Ma-jor League Baseball clubs. The Chicago White Sox added Jones to their 40-man squad, while Lueke was added to the Seattle Mariners’ expanded roster.

Jones pitched for the Norse for three years before being se-lected by the White Sox in the fi fth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Jones had a 6-5 record

with two saves and a 3.81 ERA in 82 2/3 innings pitched dur-ing his collegiate career.

He started his career in the minors with the role as a start-ing pitcher for his fi rst two seasons. After struggling as a starter, he was moved to the bullpen for the 2009 season. He posted a 3.31 ERA in 68 innings pitched.

He moved back to the starting rotation in 2010, and with the White Sox’ Advanced-A team Winston Salem, he put together an 11-6 record with a 4.08 ERA in 28 starts.

According to the White Sox’s blog, South Side Sox, Jones is the 26th best prospect in the White Sox’s farm system.

Lueke joined the Norse for the 2007 season after trans-ferring from St. Catharine. He went 3-6 with a 4.32 ERA in 10 starts. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 16th round of the 2007 draft. Lueke was converted into a closer in the professional ranks.

Lueke began the 2010 season in Texas system playing Class-A ball for the Hickory Crawdads. He was called up to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.

Lueke was sent to Seattle in July as part of the trade that sent the 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Rangers.

When Lueke arrived in the Rangers organization, he stayed at the Double-A level and went

to the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. After a strong showing for West Tennessee, he was pro-moted to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, where he fi nished the season.

For the four different teams, Lueke complied a 1.86 ERA with a record 5-2 in 63 innings. He also added 17 saves.

According to the Mariner’s blog, Pro Ball NW, Lueke has the best blend of late-inning stuff, and is the most polished among relief prospects.

Due to being on the 40-man roster, both players are eligible to join their respective Major League clubs at any time during the 2011 season. If either one does so, he would be just the

third Norse alumnus to play in the Major Leagues.

“It’s really nice for the pro-gram,” said Norse head base-ball coach Todd Asalon. “Every kid wants to play in the majors, so when they see they have a chance, it is good.”

The other two were relief pitchers Chris Hook and Scott Wiggins. A Norse from 1987 to 1989, Hook played the 1995 and 1996 season with the San Fran-cisco Giants, going 5-2 with a 5.89 ERA in 55 relief appear-ances. Wiggins played at NKU from 1995 to 1997, and was a September call-up for the To-ronto Blue Jays in 2002, mak-ing three relief appearances.

John MinorAssistant sports editor

Former Norse make 40-man MLB rosterSportsEdition 47, Issue 6 11

The Northern Kentucky University men’s and wom-en’s golf team prepare for the spring session of their season, and are looking to make some noise in the Great Lakes Val-ley Conference.

After the fall season, both teams have an idea of what they need to work on, and have been using the winter to prepare for the spring.

“We are trying to improve on our thought process on the golf course and not to throw away shots,” said head coach Daryl Landrum. “We have also have been working on our putting.”

The men are the defend-ing Great Lakes Valley Con-

ference champions and are entering the spring as one of the favorites to win the con-ference again. NKU received three votes in the national poll to rank 50th in the coun-try. The GLVC teams ahead of them are Indianapolis (16th), Drury (30th), Missouri-St. Louis (40th) and Bellarmine (46th).

The NCAA Midwest/South Central Super Regional will be super tough this year. In addition to Indianapolis, three other teams in the su-per regional are in the top 25 including Central Oklahoma, ranking 5th; Abilene Chris-tian, ranking 6th; and Central Missouri, ranking 19th. There are also six other teams in the Super Regionals that come into this season placing ranks

in the top 50.“The region is very tough

and we are defi nitely one of the the top teams.” Landrum said. “There are eight or nine teams that can win it.”

What will help the Norse is the selection of golf courses this year. The Super Regional will be played at Cherry Blos-som Golf Course in George-town, Ky., which is like a home course for them. Also, the NCAA Division II Cham-pionship will be played at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Ford City, Ala.

”With the GLVC Tourna-ment being played at Cherry Blossom, it is our ticket to nationals,” Cody Moore, a senior, said. “And from the NCAA Tournament preview in the fall, we know we can

play that golf course well.”In the fall, NKU ranked

second in the GLVC behind Indianapolis in scoring aver-age. The Norse were led by se-nior Danny Lewis who led the GLVC in scoring average and junior Jeremy Martin who was sixth in the conference.

The women’s team enters the spring with a young team trying to improve in the con-ference. They fi nished seventh out of ten teams in scoring average in the GLVC, so they know they have a lot of work ahead of them. Sophomore Rachel Brown led the Norse in scoring average in the fall and looks for the team to get better.

“The number-one thing is consistency and [we] try to score the same low score

when we go out,” Brown said. “We want to improve on our start in the fall.”

The Norse will have to bat-tle with rank-13 Drury, rank-21 Indianapolis and rank-29 Missouri-St. Louis. Those three teams have established themselves at the top of the GLVC by fi nishing as the top three teams in scoring aver-age in the fall. Also, the top ten golfers from the GLVC in scoring average all come from one of those three teams.

The men’s spring will begin on Feb. 27 at the Golfweek Invitational in Orlando, Fla., with their fi rst home match March 19-20 at their own Spring Host Invitational. The women’s golf team will begin the spring on March 26-27 at the NKU Spring Fling.

John MinorAssistant sports editor

Golf teams prepare for spring swing

Northern Kentucky University’s softball season is creeping up fast. The Norse have been picked to fi nish fourth in the Eastern Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Lew-is University has been picked to win the East, with Quincy University and University of Indianapolis rounding out the top three.

Returning for the Norse this sea-son will be senior pitcher/infi elder April Ehlers, who led the Norse last season with a 1.65 ERA and com-piled a 15-14 record. She currently sits with 672 career strikeouts, and will have a chance to break Krystal Lewallen’s school record of 836 ca-reer strikeouts.

Also returning to the circle for the Norse will be sophomore pitcher Emily Schwaeble. She fi nished the year just behind Ehlers with a 1.70 ERA, and only dropped two deci-sions while grabbing 11 wins.

Junior infi elder Jessica Farris will be the leading stick returning for the Norse. Farris led the team with a .366 average and also tied for the

team lead with 44 runs scored last season.

With the entire pitching staff from last season returning, the Norse will expect pitching to be a team strength, according to head coach Kathy Stew-art.

“Our pitching staff is very good,” Stewart said. “We have all of our play-ers returning. I’m expecting April Ehlers and Emily Schwaeble to step up. Chelsie Roy will get her chances too, and she is quite the competitor.”

While the Norse won’t be without veteran leadership this season, Stew-art also believes that the nine new-comers on the team will also step up this season.

“They have a good work ethic,” Stewart said. “They’re buying in. It’s an impressive class, and they just need to continue to do the things that they’re doing.”

While there are six returning start-ers, every member of the team will have a chance to compete for playing time, according to Stewart.

“It’s been a while since we have had twenty players and competition makes you better because nobody gets complacent,” Stewart said. “If

we don’t have enough players, they get very comfortable and may not work as hard. Everybody has to stay on their toes.”

While Stewart was confi dent that she will have a competitive team this season, she understands the GLVC will be a strong conference.

“There is a lot of parity in our con-ference now,” Stewart said. “Any conference game is tough. At this level, if you play, you play to win.”

The Norse has its vision focused on Lewis University, according to Stew-art.

“Our nemesis right now is Lewis,” Stewart said. “We were runners up to them for the conference champion-ship.”

NKU’s fi rst game will be at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 18 against West Georgia at Charger Chillout in Decatur, Ala. The fi rst conference game will begin at 1 p.m. March 12 against Rockhurst on in Kansas City, Mo.

The Norse fi nished last season with a 35-20 overall record, 19-8 in con-ference play and fourth in the fi nal conference standings. Indianapolis claimed the regular season champi-onship.

Photo by Stephen WilderAriana Gei competes for playing time for the upcoming softball season.

Softball fi nds strength in pitchingStephen WilderContributing writer