the prefaceIU South Bend’s official

student newspaper

Wednesday, September 12,

2012

INSI

DE Ben Franklin’s rules for life

Page 7

Go Green, not broke!Page 4

Enrollment rises

Page 8

By MALORY PECINAMultimedia Editor

Carrying a handful of textbooks with an extra bag on her shoulder for dance rehearsal, a certain IU South Bend senior takes pride in her crazy, busy schedule—and the shiny piece of jewelry that sits perfectly on her ring finger. When crossing paths with Steph-anie Phillips on campus, one would never guess her life is as busy as can be, considering the smile that’s wrapped across her face and her carefree spirit. However, Phillips is in the midst of her last semester before she’s completely done with her under-graduate career, all while balancing some significant life changes. In order to be done at the end of the semester, Phillips is enrolled in 17 credit hours while working full-time outside of school. As if that doesn’t seem like enough, she is also a lead in the IUSB Dance Company’s debut performance of Swan Lake. To top it off, Phillips is planning the wedding of her dreams, which is less than three weeks away! “When we picked the wedding date it seemed like it would be per-fect, now I have no idea what I was thinking making it in the middle of my last semester!” Phillips said. Phillips and her fiancé William Strutner, who is also in his last semester, met each other in class on campus a year ago and instantly fell for each other. The two were excited to start the next chapter of their lives together and didn’t want to be engaged longer than six months. Between all of her homework, balancing a full-time work schedule

Student Spotlight: Stephanie PhillipsFull-time student, employee, dancer and bride-to-be

and wedding planning, while trying to give it her all at dance rehearsal, Phillips feels like she has no time off. However, she truly feels like she’s finding joy in every moment of her life right now. “Everyone says to enjoy this time because the actual wedding will go by so quickly,” Phillips said. “At first I was really stressed out about it and everything else I had going on, but now I just try to enjoy every aspect of this craziness because I know the planning won’t last forever and the day will go by so fast.” While the college senior, ballerina, full-time worker and soon-to-be wife en-joys what she’s doing, she also has moments where she feels completely over-loaded. It is in those times that she realizes that, although she is stressed, she knows that the end of every day is only one day closer to marrying her best friend and love of her life. With a whirlwind of a life right now, Phillips knows that come De-cember, her life will be drastically different. She will be done with school, married, possibly still danc-ing and looking for a new job. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with all my extra time. I guess just really start living,” Phillips said. “And look forward to being able to sit next to my husband at the commencement ceremony in the spring because we will finally have the same last name!”

By JOE KUHARICStaff Writer

Students listened to Senator John Kerry, Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama speak during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the second American Democracy Proj-ect (ADP) viewing event Sept. 6 in the student lounge in the Student Activity Center. The event began at 8:30 p.m. around the time Kerry began to

Democratic National Convention event held on campus

give his speech. Kerry’s speech focused heavily on assaulting Senator Mitt Rom-ney’s tendency to have multiple positions on issues that are facing the nation. “I found it ironic that he was calling out Romney for flip-flop-ping,” said senior political science major and President of the IU South Bend Student Government Association, Hannah Dill. Kerry famously found himself under scrutiny for his flip-flopping

on issues during his unsuccessful bid for election against George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. Speakers at the Republican National Convention (RNC) were also aggressively placing blame on the other side. Notably, actor Clint Eastwood spoke to an empty chair which

Continued on page two

Preface Photo/MALORY PECINAStephanie Phillips may have a jam-packed schedule, but still finds time for a quick picture

2 The Preface

The Preface

The Preface is the official student newspaper of Indiana University South Bend, pub-

lished every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters. The Preface receives funding from the Student Government

Association and through advertising revenue.

The Preface is a student written, edited and designed publication.

Editor-in-Chief Sarah Duis

Managing Editor

Joseph Graf

Multimedia Editor Malory Pecina

Design Editor Cecelia Roeder

Advertising Manager Stephen Kowalski

Staff Writers Elisha Hostetler Mackenzie Jarvis

Joe Kuharic Taylor Lincoln Ryan Lohman

Alyssa MathieuDanielle Miller

Jessica Leigh Schliska Mandi SteffeySarah Ward

Columnists

Mandi Steffey

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Staff Advisor Ken Klimek

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stood in for Obama. Eastwood used the lack of a response from the chair for comedic effect as a tongue-in-cheek way of criticizing Obama’s actions and policies. “Both sides are going on the offensive,” said Brandon Rickey, president of the IUSB Political Sci-ence Club.

Continuedfrom page one

Dill continued by saying that the trend by politicians to continually point out the mistakes that others make is frustrating. Others like Mellissa Cain, a junior majoring in criminal justice, are disillusioned by what they see as empty promises. “I don’t think it’ll ever be back to the way it was [before the reces-sion]. But it could be a lot better than it is right now,” she said. Despite the aggressive personal attacks at both conventions, Dill

felt that it is still important for students to watch events like these to help better form their opinions for election. Several other students echoed Dill’s thought’s with their actions. Many of those in attendance for the viewing of the DNC had also been at the viewing of the RNC. There will be a voter registration drive at sponsored by the ADP on Sept. 25 and 26. There will be voting information tables available for students to browse Nov. 5 and

6—the day before and the day of the election. “I think the turn out for this election will be higher [than last year],” Rickey said. The ADP will also have a Con-stitution Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17 in front of the fountain on the campus mall. There will be free constitutions, trivia, food and games.

By SARAH DUIS Editor-in-Chief At approximately 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, the South Bend police responded to a call regarding a man with a gun walking toward campus on 20th street, according

IUSB police respond to call about armed man near campusto an IU South Bend campus-wide alert notification. The alert went on to state that South Bend and IUSB Police Of-ficers located two suspects on 20th street who fled on foot. They were apprehended after a short foot

pursuit. The person reported to have been armed was detained near Northside Hall, but was not found to be in possession of any weap-ons. A search of the grounds was conducted by police and no firearm

was located. The alert asked that if anyone finds a firearm on campus grounds not to touch it and to call IUSB police immediately at 574-520-4239.

Preface Photo/JOE KUHARICStudents gathered in the SAC to watch President Obama and others speak at the DNC on September 6

Wednesday, September 12 3

Sudoku Corner

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Solution on back

Easy Difficulty

Titan Talkby Malory Pacina

This week, we asked...

“What is the most challenging aspect of being back in school?

Preface Photos/MALORY PECINA

Sam Huisman, senior“There is nothing that’s super challenging or difficult for me—school is very enjoyable. I’m going to be a teacher so it’s good I like it and I’m actually waking up later for school then I was for work so it’s pretty nice.”

Leighton Schmitt, freshman“It’s all been easy so far. I don’t have a problem with keeping up with homework yet, but it’s been hard to make friends in class because everyone is new to me.”

Maria Hubbard, senior“Balancing work and school are hard because I’m working over 20 hours a week. I’m trying to get homework done without having to stay up really late at night.”

Matt Beck, senior“Dealing with financial aid has been a pain in my tuckus. I’m in high credit status and, because of that, am not able to go to Germany to study abroad like I’ve had planned for the past two years. Aside from financial aid, just being prepared and getting involved. With it being my last year I have a hard time wanting to be engaged.”

Marla Simpson, senior“Getting back into the routine of being in class and staying awake is difficult and so is getting used to comprehending a lot of information again. I like seeing the new faces and freshmen and being back on campus though.”

4 The Preface

Keeping eco-conscious on a budgetBy DANIELLE MILLERStaff Writer

“Reduce, reuse, recycle” is the mantra of the “going green” movement, but have you ever noticed that some environ-mentally-friendly products can also reduce your bank ac-count? Here are some simple ways to shrink your carbon footprint without shrinking your wallet:

Use household products as natural cleaners.

Vinegar has natural anti-bacterial properties and can be used like any all-purpose cleaner. Once dry, the odor disappears and at $1.50 per gallon, you pay a fraction of the cost of natural com-mercial cleaners.

Baking soda can be used as a paste mixed with water

to scour sinks, tubs and toilets. You can also use it to brighten your teeth, soften your skin and re-fresh carpets. At $7.00 for 13 pounds, you probably would have more then you could use in a year.The Environmental Pro-tection Agency website recommends that you “buy items in bulk or in con-centrated form” to reduce packaging waste.

Use fresh food instead of canned to reduce waste

and eat healthier and cheaper. Many times we are taken in by fancy labels, but when you buy bulk, you pay for the product and not the impressive labels.

Thrift shops are a way to save a ton of cash and to make

sure you hit on the “reuse” aspect of green living. Plato’s closet, Goodwill, The Salvation Army and Habitat for Human-ity are a few options to shop locally.

Before you throw something away, ask yourself if you can

fix it. Years ago, this was the norm. Go online and read through forums or manufactur-ers’ websites to see if you can learn to repair your vacuum or

small appliance. Just remember to always unplug these devices and follow safety guidelines. If you don’t want to try to fix it, donate it for spare parts and buy used.

Consider growing

some of your own food. Even if you live in a small apartment you can grow some vegetables and herbs in flower pots. For tips on container gardening, visit www.apartmenttherapy.com.

Sometimes you can get a discount for bringing your own

reusable bags or travel coffee mug depending on the store. If you are unsure, don’t be shy— just ask. Saving money is always in!

Preface Photo/DANIELLE MILLERSomething as inexpensive as a bottle of vinegar can be a green alternative to harsh chemical cleaners.

Wednesday, September 12 5

By: ALYSSA MATHIEU Staff Writer Every year at IU South Bend, Career Services hosts a series of talks that gives students the op-portunity to learn about different topics that can benefit them in their college life and future careers. On Thursday, Sept. 20, they will host an open event that will teach students how to use social media to their advantage. By attending the event, students can “learn the ins and outs of social media, how employers are using it and how it can affect your job search,” according to the event’s online information. It’s become the social norm to post everything and anything on social media websites without a thought of how it could affect cur-rent and future job prospects. This discussion will inform students on how companies are using social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter to track their employ-

“Social media & the job search: How NOT to get fired” Connect 4 success series hits on topic of growing concern

ees’ online activity, and how to prevent themselves from using it in such a way that could possibly lead to them losing their jobs. “When I went to IUSB they really ingrained in us how cautious we need to be on the content of our Facebook profiles. I never realized how important it was until I started working shortly after col-lege,” said Tuan Hesters, an IUSB alum. Hesters explained that his cur-rent place of employment has a special system in place that, if he were to use a couple of keywords in a post that were related to his company, the system would inform headquarters. They would then investigate the post on which these words were found and inform the specific location at which he worked. “You definitely have to be cau-tious. Just because it is your profile page doesn’t necessarily mean the information you share only goes to people connected to you,” said Hesters. The event will begin promptly at 3 p.m. on Sept. 20 in Fireside Room A in the Administration building. Students who are interested or have questions regarding the event or its topic should visit www.iusb.edu/career-services.

IUSB Volleyball UpdateWomen’s Volleyball - Sun, Sep. 9, 2012 at 11:40 AM

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Current Record 2-7

Titan loss: 25-18, 16-25, 25-23, 26-28 and 14-16

Stats: Krystle Troyer: 28 digs and 18 killsChloe McCotter:28 assists

Titans Vs. Aquinas

Next Game:Home September 12

Courtsey of iusbtitans.com

Photo courtesy of www.socialmediaweek.orgDon’t let Facebook or Twitter ruin your chance to snag that dream job!

6 The Preface

By MACKENZIE JARVISStaff Writer

The humid day corresponded well with Erin Britt’s discussion of her upcoming publication. Britt, a senior IU South Bend creative writing student, recently had her novella Celia accepted for publica-tion by the independent press, Rainstorm Press. Specific details could not be given for risk of spoiling the story, nor can the plot be prop-erly summed up without giving anything away. However, according to Britt, readers can look forward to a relatable story of a woman’s journey through marital issues and having her life fall apart. “Once you get into it there’s a lot you can relate to with the char-acter… even though her situation is unique—not a lot of people go through that type of situation in their marriage—you still feel for her,” said Britt. In addition to being relatable, Britt’s novella is a quick read at just over 50 pages long—something that could be easily read within a night, according to Britt. She began writing when she was 12-years-old—mostly poetry. It wasn’t until a class in the spring of 2011 at IUSB that she began to dabble in fiction. Her story came out of an assignment given in an upper-level English writing course instructed by Kelsey Parker. “The writing process was pretty much the class. By the time I was actually ready to have people see it, it had already been gone over pretty thoroughly,” Britt explained. Her novella went through multiple workshops throughout the course of the semester as well as critiques

Student Erin Britt’s novella accepted for publicationfrom Parker. Britt’s success in publishing one of her first works of fiction attests to her natural ability to write in this form. Britt mentioned that this is undoubtedly related to her having always been an avid reader. “I’m a reader. I devour books,” said Britt, adding that she will read anything from shampoo labels to novels—with the exception of romance fiction. There is no doubt that a strong emotional reaction took place upon hearing about the success of her first attempt at publishing her novella. “I screamed for like, three days,” said Britt, her face lit up with enthusiasm. Britt came to know of Rain-storm Press through a friend who writes anthologies for them. Though the independent press specializes in horror and dark fan-tasy, Britt found that they accepted novella length manuscripts of any subject matter. Within a week of sending in her manuscript, Britt was offered a contract. “I’m still in the middle of the process. I’m just enjoying it,” she said, commenting on her publica-tion journey so far. According to Britt, Celia is due to be out by next July at the latest, but she hopes to see it available for purchase by Christmas. “It would make a great stocking stuffer,” she said. In the meantime, fellow students will have to anticipate Britt’s novella. Celia will be available in paper-back and e-book format through the Rainstorm Press website and at www.amazon.com.

Preface Photo/MACKENZIE JARVISIUSB Student Erin Britt’s Novella Celia was recently published through Rainstorm

Press and may be available as soon as Christmas

Wednesday, September 12 7

By JOHN BALDWIN Guest Columnist Are you happy? I’m not talking about a transitory euphoria that comes from getting the new iPhone, a first kiss, seeing lower digits on the scale or even landing that dream job after graduation. I’m talking about a genuine and durable satisfaction that comes in knowing that you are inching ever closer to becoming the very best version of yourself that you can be. Immediately following spring finals, I threw my tent, bike and yoga mat in the car and set out on a camping trip with my boys. My agenda was simple: rest, exercise, spend some quality time with my sons, reacquaint myself with nature and indulge in some volitional reading for a change. I tackled a classic that had been eluding me for quite some time— Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. Apart from knowing he was a “Founding Father” or recognizing his iconic visage on the $100 bill, my understanding of this man was pretty scant. Here are some things I learned about him—perhaps each alone being sufficient reason to capture our historical attention. First, like all of us, he was a scholar, receiving honorary degrees from the College of William of Mary, the University of St. Andrews, and the University of Oxford. He was an entrepreneur, starting a string of successful enterprises—most notably his printing and newspaper ventures. Such success today might have landed him on the cover of Forbes or Wired. Franklin was a voracious reader, often completing one book per night –and by candlelight no less. He also wrote a number of influen-tial letters, “self-help” columns, po-litical essays and an autobiography. He invented, among other things, the bifocal lens, the potbelly stove and the lightning rod. He was a vegetarian when practi-cally nobody was. He composed music, played many instruments and even invented one that any indie-rockin’ hipster would be proud of—the glass armonica. He conducted groundbreak-ing research on the properties of electricity. These efforts earned him the British Royal Society Co-pley Medal and an induction into

By MANDI STEFFEYColumnist

During the blaz-ing inferno of fall Welcome Week, I ran into an interesting fellow in a Black Flag T-shirt by the name of Nick Wort. Upon further questioning, I found out that aside from being a general badass, Wort, who is a sophomore here at IU South Bend, has a long musical history and has even performed solo at one of Titan Production’s open mic nights. Wort’s band, The Strychnines, is made up of members from different parts of Michiana. “We got the name for the band from a song from some old shitty garage rock band,” said Wort. “I also think it’s the name of some kind of poison.” The band is made up of Wort (vocals and guitar), Jonn Thomas (guitar), Jared Lemon (drums) and a few different bassists. Wort and Thomas have been playing in vari-ous music projects for years, and Lemon was actually a semiprofes-sional jazz drummer before joining The Strychnines. Like their lineup, their sound, described by Wort himself, is a mixture of things. “It’s like garage rock meets old punk with some 70s rock added,” he said. Wort said the band writes most of their own material. “I get inspiration from just dig-ging through old records at thrift stores,” said Wort. “We’re influ-enced by so many different groups, but I’d have to say Iggy Pop, New York Dolls, The Venturas, The Sonics, The Libertines and The Clash are the groups that influence our band’s style the most.” Even though most of the music is written by Wort and Thomas, the band typically ends their sets with a fast version of “My Generation” by The Who that “usually ends up with someone getting kicked.” The band hasn’t been together long. In fact, they formed at the beginning of the summer of 2012. While The Strychnines don’t have

Music profile: Nick Wort and his band The Strychnines

Guest column series: “Titans of Virtue”

any recordings right now, Wort said they will begin recording an EP as soon as September 15. Their short time together, though, has yielded some rather interesting stories. “We’ve played some horrible gigs,” Wort said. “We played at this really terrible dive bar in Fort Wayne. The stage and audience area were all fenced in, and it was across the street from a biker bar where the ‘Devils Diciples’ meet. I’m pretty sure they kill people,” he laughed. There’s definitely a grungy, charming quality to Wort. Aside from being a musician, he enjoys writing and is into collecting re-cords and “weird stuff,” which, as he informed me, includes a voodoo doll. He’s a self-professed unem-ployed English major, but that doesn’t seem to get him down. When asked of what he plans to do with his future, his answer was frank. “Good question,” he said. Wort then went on to say he’d like to eventually write for a music magazine after college. As far as his music career goes, he’s remaining optimistic. “I’ll take it as far as it can go, even if that’s not very far,” said Wort. “We’re just doing this for fun. I know I’ll be playing music for the rest of my life.” For more information about The Strychnines, e-mail the band at strychnines@hotmail.com.

the esteemed French Academy of Sciences. He served as a Colonel in sup-port of the British Army during the French and Indian War. In addition to founding the first lending library, he founded a uni-versity and churches from various denominations. He was a renowned swimmer, and even wrote a book about it. He was a founding representa-tive to the Continental Congress, and later nurtured diplomatic ties with the France, our fledgling nation’s most formidable and stra-tegic ally at the time. So basically, Benjamin Franklin was a badass! One man, in one lifetime, did all of this and more. Franklin was not born of any prime aristocratic or intellectual stock. He was just a poor and lowly high school dropout who never even attended college. One ques-tion stuck with me while reading his autobiography: Why the enor-mous success? About half-way through (46% for you Kindle users), I uncovered a gem that I think was the great-est contributor to his greatness. During his teen years, Franklin immersed himself in the classical virtues of Greek and Roman so-ciety. At age twenty, he “conceiv’d the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.” Franklin set out to make virtue the rule of his conduct, not the ex-ception, by incrementally develop-ing the 13 virtues he deemed most

valuable. Herein lies the secret to Franklin’s success— a steady and deliberate approach to becoming virtuous. If “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” his system was his map. Over the course of his life, though he did not attain moral per-fection, he did make great strides at becoming the best version of himself that he could be. Franklin claimed that “virtue and happiness are mother and daughter.” Notice he didn’t say social acceptance, or power, fame, sex, riches or even intimate love beget genuine happiness—and Ben indulged in all of these. While all those other things may be side dishes, virtuous living is the main course. After spending a few weeks now on Franklin’s system, I believe that he may have been onto something. Over the course of the semes-ter—and with the help of a few of my colleagues—I will dedicate one weekly column to each of Frank-lin’s 13 virtues. I invite you to also adopt Frank-lin’s project along with us. Frank-lin’s document is available online and by smartphone app. Simply search “Ben Franklin’s 13 Virtues.” So will you join me? I find it comforting to think that by Christmas, and with a little effort each day, we can each be better and happier versions of ourselves. First up next week is temper-ance.

Wednesday, September 12 8

Sudoku Solution

Enrollment rates up from last year

By KELSIE FERGUSON Staff Writer Can you imagine what IU South Bend’s campus looked like in the fall of 1972? Well for starters, it would have only 5,339 students who, combined, were enrolled in 47,576 credit hours. Forty years lat-er we currently have 8,490 students enrolled in 70,540 credit hours. “We still have room to grow, however,” said Registrar Jeff John-ston. He hopes to eventually see an enrollment of 10,000 students here on campus. Enrollment is up this academic year by 1.25 percent compared to last fall. However, the number of credit hours those students are enrolled in is down 1.09 percent. Johnston explains why. “This is due to the increasing level of high school students taking college courses through IUSB,” he said. Seniors will typically only take one or two courses, thus lower-ing credit hour enrollment while increasing the student body. IUSB enrollment has improved from last fall’s statistics. This time last year, our fall enrollment was down 2.39 percent and our credit hours down 3.48 percent. Enrollment is expected to stabi-lize soon, according to Johnston. He explained that we’ve tightened our admissions criteria, even asking some students to go to Ivy Tech first. Ideally, IUSB would have almost all full-time students here at IUSB, but according to Johnston, “We need to support all students, and some can only enroll part-time.” The ascending numbers and overall growth of IUSB’s student body, despite the economic crisis, is a reassuring sign of strength in the university’s ability to attract students.

By JESSICA SCHLISKA Staff Writer

The question starts at a young age: What do you want to do when you grow up? Most children give generalized answers—astronaut, president, a princess. As time goes by, the question becomes more goal-oriented: Where do you want to go to college, what do you want to study? These questions seem so simple, but for most college students, deciding a major is far from easy. Freshman Grace Dalton said the most difficult aspect of choosing a major is not knowing what she really likes doing. “I don’t want to get a degree and then be in a job I hate,” she said. IU South Bend’s Career Services

Event preview: Academic Majors Fair

Office (COS) is making an effort to help Dalton and other unde-cided students. On Friday, Sept 14, they will hold the annual Academic Majors Fair, an event that has been held for about five years. The Academic Majors Fair is an opportunity for students to meet with faculty members and other undergraduates about the academic path they want to pursue. “All the people that are sitting next to you are in the same boat as you are,” said Career Counselor Meagan Thornburg. “You’re all trying to learn together.” Thornburg explained that the Academic Majors Fair is unique to other COS events in that the faculty and staff that representing their departments are not look-ing to sell students on something, but more or less guide them in the direction that best fits their goals. The process can be related to speed-dating; instead of gathering information to find that perfect someone, students will be speaking with staff members and advisors in hopes of finding their perfect

major. After hearing from the deans of each school on campus, attendees will choose three departments that

interest them or that they would like to learn more about. There will be tables staffed by faculty mem-bers where students will sit down with other classmates and have 20 minutes to ask questions and discuss their field of interest. After the 20 minutes are up, students will rotate to another department of interest, and the time clock will start again. Thornburg insisted that the con-versations are meant to be casual and non-intimidating. “It’s meant to pull them more and more into the university, and help them be more excited for be-

Can’t decide what to major in? Career Services can help

Registrar confirms 1.25 percent increase

ing here,” she said. Thornburg also suggests that students prepare for the event in two ways: decide what major fits

best and then inquire what jobs are available in the field, or choose what career best suits your personality and distinguish which major that falls in. “Hopefully, a stu-dent will take the time to explore their op-tions and really get to know themselves and

what majors are out there, what majors are going to work best for what they’re looking for and what their personalities are suited for,” said Thornburg. The Academic Majors Fair will be held in the Student Activities Center from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 14. Pizza and refresh-ments will be offered after the event, when students will be able to individually speak with any of the over 50 faculty members attending. A brochure with department contact information will also be handed out. For more information, visit www.iusb.edu/career-services/events/.

“All the people that are sitting next to you are in the same boat as you are. You’re all try-ing to learn together.” -IUSB Career Counselor Meagan Thornburg.