volume 41 issue 28

Are you a Shopaholic?PAGE 4

Student Experiences Studying AbroadPAGE 5

E Women’s Tennis

PAGE 10

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

www.ipfwcommunicator.org

Vol. 41Issue 28

Late Night Latte

Form IDS NewsWhile past Indiana state budgets have cut

about $300 million from public education in the past two years, forcing teacher layoffs and program cuts, Indiana’s new state budget might help restore education funding. In February, the Indiana Senate unveiled a $28.2 billion two-year spending plan that would keep most funding flat, including the state’s education funding. But last week, after discovering that Indiana will collect an additional $762 million more than previous projections, the Senate presented its new two-year budget proposal. The new budget will add $150 million for K-12 tuition support, full-day kindergarten and performance-based pay raises for classroom teachers. Here’s how the money breaks down:

Tuition support — $76.2 millionBy the end of the biennium, Indiana Republicans said they are hoping

to increase the average per-pupil spending to $6,334. The money will be distributed to all school corporations through the funding formula.

Full-day kindergarten — about $37 millionGov. Mitch Daniels said at a press conference that only 75 percent

of 5-year-olds have access to full-day kindergarten programs, and the new budget aims to change that. The additional money will be

provided to schools districts without the option in hopes to expand the program. Teacher merit pay — between $5 million and $10 million

School districts will craft their own plans on how to provide teachers with pay based on performance, but Daniels said he estimated that thousands

of teachers will be affected, depending on how the districts structure the criteria and how many teachers qualify. Other expenses

While the money has not yet been distributed, Daniels said he hopes the increase will help provide start-up funding for new public charter schools and non-English speaking programs. Complete budget amount

In all, the Senate budget plan allocates $7.3 billion to K-12 education spending in 2012 and $7.4 billion in 2013.

The Communicator | April 27, 2011

news2www.ipfwcommunicator.org

Michelle Sokol

Indiana Education to Receive $28.2 Billion

“By the end of the biennium, Indiana Republicans said they are hoping to increase the average per-pupil spending to $6,334...”

Senate budget plan allocates $7.3 billion to K-12 education spending in 2012 and $7.4 billion in 2013

For Valeen Tout and Blake Branning, owners of Peace Frog Coffeehouse on West Main, opening

their own business was something they have “always wanted” to do. “We were both working in New York and decided we wanted to do something that was a change. We both always wanted to open our own businesses,” Tout said. The coffeehouse, with its bright blue sign and historic building might even be part of a revitalization for entertainment for students. It will be open until 2:00 a.m. on the weekends. Branning says the coffeehouse has gotten “positive responses from younger people,” and those who “don’t feel like going to a bar,” or might be too young to gain admittance into one. Peace Frog will serve food, in addition to regular menu items, like mochas and macchiatos. Food selections include onion rings, loaded curly fries and the “Magical Mystery Tour,” which includes items like “mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and curly fries.” Their coffee roaster is Crazy Sisters and Branning says the process of how Peace Frog makes a cup is something that sets them apart. “We grind it [the coffee] right when we make it,” he said, adding that they want to make sure a cup if totally fresh, because some coffeehouse’s grind their beans an entire week before they actual make the coffee for a customer. The business will also host special themed nights, such as Wednesday Vinyl Night, where, “we just play records the whole night,” Branning said. Also featured on the walls will be the works of local artists.

When asked why he picked West Main for the location, Branning said, “It took us months. We knew exactly what we wanted as far as the decor--the vintage, shabby chic look. We looked at tons of locations in strip malls and plazas.” Butfinally,they decided that a historic house from the 1800s wouldmake a finespot for their dream business. “The big thing is that we just didn’t want to put it in a strip mall,” Branning said. “New York is just so saturated withthese cool places and Fort Wayne doesn’t have anything like this.” Tout and Branning met in New York and “used to frequent places like this [Peace Frog]. Once we decided weweregoingtogoforit,wefigureditwouldbebettertodoitouthere[FortWayne], because there weren’t as many places.” In the end, the pair set up Peace Frog, with its cobalt blue walls, to meet a need they thought they saw for a cozy, vintage coffeehouse that stays open way after most of the Fort Wayne shops have shut down for the night. The Peace Frog Coffeehouse is located at 1522 W. Main Street.

Coffee for CollegePeace Frog plans to be open later than mostKelly McLendon

weatherrundown Wednesday

63° / 42°Friday

56° / 45°Monday56° / 43°

Thursday48° / 39°

Sunday69° / 47°

Saturday72° / 54°

Tuesday59° /45°

IPFW senior Kenny Lahman, a cadet in the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) program, received the George C. Marshall Award for his academics, leadership and community involvement.

The award is given to the top 200 of the 4,000 cadets across the nation. Lahman is majoring in psychology and has been doing the ROTC for four years.

“My family is kind of a military family,” Lahman said. “It just seemed like a good opportunity.”

Recipients of the award attended

a ceremony held in Lexington, VA., at the Virginia Military Institute between April 17 and 20. At the ceremony, cadets had the opportunity

to meet with high-ranking military officials, including secretary of the army. Leaders from the army and Department of Defense also spoke to cadets on current national security policies and challenges they will encounter as new leaders in the army.

Lahman plans on finishing his pre-med

requisites and to later go into active duty in the army when he is finished

with school. Photo by unk.edu

The end of the semester is usually known for its stress. After all, the final exams count toward a major part of your final grade, and if you don’t study well for them, you cannot expect to do well.

The end of the semester is also known for its ritual of having students fill out professor evaluations. While working on studying for finals, writing double-digit papers and prepping for 20-minute long presentations, it’s easy to have feelings of animosity toward the very people who dumped all that work and stress on you in the first place: professors. Those who are overcome with the stress of an enormous workload tend to fill out negative evaluations.

However, it’s not just the workload aspect but also how the professor chooses to teach his/her class that students have to evaluate as well. Sometimes students don’t always say what’s really on their minds when it comes to how they really feel toward their professors.

“I don’t really think [evaluations] make much of a difference. [I give] a slap on the wrist for the bad profs and a pat on the back for the good ones,” sophomore Austin Barron said.

According to the academic journal, College Teaching, “Tough Love,” confrontation is needed in more places than in interpersonal counseling,” author Eugene Tram wrote. “A lack of candor in our classrooms is undermining the rigorous training of our nation’s future business and technical leaders, and we need to be concerned about it.”

The failure to write your suggestions as to how these kinds of professors can improve could hurt the class after you. Then again, sometimes the evaluations don’t ask the right questions.

“Each course is different and thus the professor teaches differently,” sophomore Kim Gregory said.

There is also no guarantee the professors who have room for improvement will heed the advice of their students.

“I think most teachers stick to what they always do for two reasons: One, because that’s how they’ve done it for a while, and two, they know you won’t pick them again as a professor for a different class,” Gregory said.

Evaluations are used to help the college improve in the areas that need it and the very people that can help them achieve that goal are the students.

-Professor Suzanne LaVere of the History Department was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship from the University of Notre Dame. “Only one such award is given each year. Competition is from across the United States and Canada,” said Barb Blauvelt of the History Department.

- Angela Centurioni was named the 2011 IPFW Student Employee of the Year.

- United Sexualities sponsored the Day of Silence on April 21. “On the National Day of Silence, hundreds of thousands of students nationwide take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in their schools,” said Wesley Haffenden, a member of United Sexualities.

- April 25 to April 29 is “Bike to School” Week.

The Communicator | April 27, 2011 www.ipfwcommunicator.org

news&politics 3

Kelly McLendon

Colin McCallister

Katy Anderson

Campus News Students Evaluate Professor Evaluations

IPFW Student Received George C. Marshall Award

During election week at IPFW, Fort Wayne Republican mayoral candidate Eric Doden stopped by to walk around campus with student Jamal Robinson. Doden has been busy on the campaign trail since he announced his candidacy in early J a n u a r y , talking and l i s t e n i n g to as many Fort Wayne residents as possible.

I n d e e d , Doden said it’s incredibly important to him to “engage with the young people” in Fort Wayne and share with them his vision for the city.

“The students and young people in Fort Wayne can - and should - be our city’s future. We need to help make Fort Wayne a great place to live again, because we want those graduating from our city’s colleges and universities to stay, work and live here,” Doden said.

Similar to IPFW student candidates, he said it’s just as important to hear what others want for their city as it is to share with

him his ideas.Around campus student

engagement with elections wasn’t as high as some had hoped. While many candidates have put flyers up, held question-and-answer forums and had started going out and speaking to students directly, many students

still did not seem to catch the campaign bug. This lack of interest is s o m e t h i n g Doden hopes to reverse.

“I would really like to see more young, talented, aggressive future leaders in our community,” he said.

One of Doden’s goals is to promote Fort Wayne on a national scale and make Fort Wayne more than a great place to raise a family, but also the best place to start and grow a business.

“It is important that we pursue excellence as a community,” he said. “We should not settle for anything less.”

Doden thinks the entrepreneurship and determination of IPFW’s students is something that can push out community to the next level.


student issues4www.ipfwcommunicator.org

Devin Middleton

When Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic first came out, her chic-lit fans didn’t realize just how close to home she hit with the musings of one Rebecca Bloomwood, shopaholic extraordinaire. What makes this book so good is the fact that it’s true on so many levels, to the point where it stops being funny and starts being scary.

Finally I knew I wasn’t the only one who’s heart began racing when standing in front of my favorite store and a seeing a big sign that says ’50% off’! And let’s face it, we are all guilty for at least once using the excuse “But I will wear this so many times that, if I divide the price by the times I wear it, it will in fact be really cheap!” Although, I have to admit, I did think I was one of the rare ones who called a new Polo sweater ‘an investment’.

So, how can we define a shopaholic? Can you outline a list of symptoms of shopaholism? Let’s look at what is happening inside the head of a shopaholic when the little voices are telling him/her to shop. Other than the abovementioned wear-on-average excuse, its-an-investment reasoning, and heart-racing as indicator, see if you suffer from any of these other symptoms:

Walking into a mall makes you happy. Walking into a store makes you happier. You would describe the space as filled with positive energy. Two things happen when

you near the cash register; a small, evil voice in your head is telling you to feel guilty for spending so much money. Then another, louder voice, shushes it with one of the very logical explanations-- it’s a bargain, you look fab in it, you will wear it forever, the quality is totally worth the money, or it’s therapeutic. And speaking of therapeutic…

When the word shopping starts making you feel guilty, it turns into retail therapy-- for when you feel down, sad, or even just blah. Or the other extreme, it’s a way to reward yourself for accomplishing something.

Another symptom is if you use word love in the context of shoes. And bags, and shirts, and dresses, and accessories. The words “I fell in love” have come out of your mouth or have gone through your mind when seeing something in a store shelf that made everything else around it positively fade. In fact, I think that a Calvin Klein watch doesn’t just make everything fade, but it might even glow. Just a little. Just enough to make me want to buy it. Right now.

If you aren’t yet convinced you have a problem --or you need confirmation-- You know that photo in your phone of the really gorgeous BCBG Max Azria summer dress that you really shouldn’t be considering buying? And the shoes you saw in Macy’s that were simply perfect? Yep, the first step is to admit you have a problem. The second is to get (retail) therapy.

Selena Jankulonska

Eric Doden Visits Campus

IN THE MIND OF A SHOPAHOLIC

bags, and shirts, and dresses, and accessories

“The students and young people in Fort Wayne can - and

should - be our city’s future.”

Spending any length of time in this city, you may find yourself wondering “… is this it?” If you dream about exotic locations beyond the four walls of Fort Wayne, consider this an invitation to take action. Wherever your heart yearns to lead you, know that getting there may be within reach thanks to IPFW’s Office of International Education.

Current student and world traveler Lyndsy Patterson’s journey of a lifetime will be coming to an end as she returns home this May from a year-long study abroad program.

After completing the fall and spring semesters in Aix-en-Provence, France, Patterson has this to say about her experience: “I have never learned so much in my life. I will not die with curious eyes.”

Patterson says her adventure changed the way she views the world.“I feel bad for people who come to the U.S. and don’t know English …

when you butcher a language you sound foolish and I just wanted to let people know that I was worth their time. You are on a rollercoaster; you don’t fit in to this new, big world some days,” she says.

Although, she says her encounter with a different language and culture made her feel thankful.

Former students, Jen Hancock and Nathan Gatchell both traveled to Spain before they graduated from IPFW. Hancock traveled to Salamanca in summer 2008 and Gatchell spend a year in Madrid during 2007-2008. Both feel their travels were beneficial.

“It helped expand my cultural horizons a bit further beyond what one might encounter in the Midwest,” says Gatchell.

Both attribute cultural immersion as a major aid in learning the Spanish language.

Hancock even bemoans, “While my skills did improve, it would’ve been much more beneficial to stay there longer.”

There are numerous gains with respect to the job market that study abroad may afford.

Angela Mapes Turner, a graduate of Franklin College, says the benefits from her trip to Madrid in 2004 have helped her career immensely.

“I’m a newspaper reporter, and when my job sends me into an unfamiliar place or situation, I think ‘Of course I can handle this. I made it through Spain on my own when I was 20 years old.’ It also helped my Spanish, which helped me get hired in the first place,” she says.

The Communicator | April 27, 2011 www.ipfwcommunicator.org

opinion

Imagine a small group of students being in charge of allocating over one million dollars of your money. These students are elected by other students not based on their qualifications, but on who they know.

According to the Indiana-Purdue Student Government Association’s Web site, “Indiana-Purdue Student Government Association (IPSGA) is granted funding from IPFW to support student activities on campus, travel and funding request[s] for organizations, and a chance for students to become involved in [and] receive work-life experience while attending school.”

Every year, students select a student body president and three vice presidents in charge of legislation, finance and student activities. A trend for student government candidates over the past few years has been to run

on a “straight ticket,” or in other words, running with a group of three other candidates.

This trend picked up in 2008, and each year all the candidates who were selected were from the same ticket. Like in years past, this strategy appeared to influence many of the voters, such as IPFW freshman Abbey Crowell.

“They [candidates] were asking people to vote for them,” Crowell said. “They were the only people who had honestly talked to me about it so I voted for them.”

Crowell was also given a post card featuring all the candidates on the straight ticket so she could remember who to vote for.

This year however, voters appeared to be somewhat more nuanced in their voting. Between April 11 and 15, IPFW held its student body elections. Despite the utter lack of financial transparency in this year’s student government, Terel Lynn was re-elected as Student Body

President, but by a small margin of less than 60 votes. However, the rest of his ticket, who of which were incumbents, failed to win re-election.

With Lynn not having the rest of his ticket elected with him, he is sure to be more accountable to the executive branch and the student body.

Kody Tinnel was elected as Vice President of Finance after defeating incumbent Eric Smith by more than 60 percent of the vote. Tinnel has previously held positions as Student Body President and Vice President of Legislation. His experience and knowledge of the student government workings will help bring more legitimacy to the office.

Joe Magistri was overwhelmingly elected as Vice President of Legislation, as he received 52 percent of the vote in a three-way race. Magistri was active in student government this year and became well-known

for his knowledge of the IPSGA Constitution and challenging those who he felt were violating its rules.

Wesley Haffenden was elected as Vice President of Student Programming. Haffenden offers experience in his involvement with the Judicial Court.

Tinnel, Magistri and Haffenden will all serve as much-needed watchdogs of the IPFW student government. Though student government in general has a reputation for being nothing more than a popularity contest, responsible and accountable leaders must be elected. A million dollars is a lot of money.

One fact that is interesting to note is that there was a lower turnout this year than in years prior. In the 2006-2007 election, only 336 students voted. In 2008-2009, that number skyrocketed to 1,700. This year, however, only 1,416 students voted, which is roughly 10 percent of the student population.

5

Alysen Wade

Katy Anderson

STUDY ABROAD: Page 11

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

IPFW Student Elections

Photo Courtesy of Lyndsy Patterson

A 2011 Popularity Contest

APPLICANTS MUST BE WILLING TO SHOW EXAMPLES OF WORK AND BE FLUENT IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR AND INDESIGN. www.ipfwcommunicator.org

The lights go down and a phone rings. Usually not something you want to hear while sitting in a movie theater, but the call was coming from on screen. Phone calls are a common niche in Wes Craven’s “Scream” franchise and have become anticipated by the audience. When someone gets a call in a Craven film, something bad usually follows. The story of “Scream 4” doesn’t stray too far from the original films. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is still trying to piece her life back together after the events of the original Woodsboro murders and everything else that followed. She has written a book and is visiting Woodsboro as her “last stop on her book tour, and first stop on the rest of her life.” However, unbeknownst to her, the Ghostface Killer has

also returned and wants revenge on Sidney for leaving Woodsboro. Once Ghostface announces his arrival

back to Woodsboro, heads begin to roll. “Scream 4” really benefits from the return of the original three

actors: Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox. The young cast is hip, cool and sexy much like the

original. Cameos by actors such as Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell were hilarious and perfectly used. The only gripe one might have is the question of where the “Scream” franchise will go from here. Craven has said he wants to do another trilogy with a new cast but this most recent installment leaves the audience wondering how he will do that. That small issue aside, “Scream 4” is a perfect addition to the “Scream” family. It stays loyal to the original and to quote the latest one, “the first rule of a remake is to never mess with the original.”

The movie makes fun of itself and the horror genre in general which is something that hasn’t been done since the original.

Jon Garner

Lady Gaga delivers biblical references over a pulsating synth beat. She sings the chorus in opera fashion just to add even more unique qualities to the single. The lyrics may stir some controversy, but her metaphors are clear pop culture references that say a lot more about society than most dance, pop acts.

Devin Middleton

This is some very fine folk music. Listening to this makes me want to climb a mountain and wear sandals. The vocals are beautiful, being handled by both a male and female, while the music follows a basic guitar and piano lead, with drums coming in partially throughout. Just plain beautiful.

This will probably become a ladies’ night anthem. The verses are delivered in a nonchalant fashion, while a bit more emphasis is made in the choruses. The beat is pretty basic - it stays minimal, with a simple drum beat and a few guitar chords until a light synth lead comes into play.

Violins haunt the song, as Stalley and Ross take turns speaking on their impression of what life has offered them so far. Stalley uses lowered vocals to darken his verses even more. This is the perfect song to have a late night drive to.

This song is very long. It’s actually two separate songs put together. The first part is slow but still club-friendly with its underlying synth. The second part switches to a bluesy guitar melody. The lyrics reflect each mood, going from fun lyrics about meeting women to the more personal lyrics about the special one he finds.

Theophilus has always reminded me of Kid Cudi if he were born in the 1980s. Catchy choruses and a sparkly beat. He rhymes with charisma and sings in a smooth tone. Sara Quin gives the perfect touch of loveliness to the already warm melody.

Just what the hipsters ordered: new age disco music with a beat you can’t help but dance to.

The Weekend - The Pary & The After Party

Stalley - Lincoln Way Nights ft Rick Ross

Oh My - Run This Town

The Wilderness of Manitoba - Orono Park

Lady Gaga - Judas

c x

Theophilus London - Why Even Try ft Sara Quin

Toro Y Moi - Still Sound

As most bands, Miles High had came from rough

beginnings - band mates quitting, fallings out, new directions, new venues, etc. Finally, band members Miles Boyd, Andy Murfield, Ryano Moreno, Tyler Meehan and John McKnight seem to have struck a working order of things. Their CD, “Freaks and Losers,” is funk/rock/reggae with a hip hop feel; however the band is constantly changing and trying new things.“Now it’s a bit different,” said Boyd, lead singer and guitarist. “We call it skanky southern funk.” Influence and inspiration comes from a whole slew of artists that seem a little out of the ordinary when grouped together - groups like Red Hot Chili Peppers, ACDC, Dave Matthews, Rage Against the Machine, Sublime and Kings of Leon. Still, the out-of-the-box style seems to be working for Miles High. The sound is solid and chilled-out, featuring saxophone and moving back-and-forth between song and rap. It’s a welcome soundtrack for a party or bar atmosphere, or even for some music to listen to while studying. It’s hard not to bob your head while listening to the grungy, dirty-funk title track of “Freaks and Losers.” The main venues Miles High typically plays are bars, particularly Mad Anthony’s in Auburn or Traxside in Garrett. However, they’re branching out and looking for new opportunities, including a possible tour of the Midwest by this summer.

May 5, the band will kick off Columbia Street West’s Battle of the Bands with a 20 minute set - a great

way to get exposure in Fort Wayne. Only two bands from that night will make it to the next round, so audience support is important. Final winners will be invited to lay

down some tracks at a Sweetwater studio and will be given a cash prize.

Having a successful band where most of the members hold multiple jobs and must balance school is extremely challenging. Often, they play until 3:30 a.m. and once all is torn down and everyone is home, the time is close to 5 a.m. Working around everyone’s schedules for practices and gigs is a heavy task too. However, the drive to keep it up is strong. “I truthfully feel … that we can make it as far as we are willing to work for it,” said Boyd. “I hope our band is world famous, just like anyone else, but not just for our music. The message we hope to display is that rock and roll still exists. “[Bands] take originality, teamwork and friendship to become legends … and music is more than a sound or a catchy groove. It’s pure emotion and soul.” Overall, Miles High is a bit of fresh air in the local music arena. They provide a sound that is familiar enough to be easily-liked, yet unique enough not to fall through the cracks. To check out Miles High’s music, check out their Facebook page. Samples of their music

and information on CD sales can be found at reverb nation.com/mileshigh2010.

Photo from the Miles High Band

Scream 4 is a Scream

Freaks and Losers: Local Band Gears Up for Battle of the BandsLindsay Sprunger

Arts&EntertainmentThe Communicator | April 27, 2011

6-7

Music Movies Theater

FlawlessVictory“Mortal Kombat” is back toits true form after years of

franchise mismanagement. The reboot of the 1990sfighting game was the choice for many teenagerscrammedintodarkmuskyarcades. Now, playerscan experience the gamefromthecomfortoftheirownhomes. “Mortal Kom-bat” centers around twogroupsoffighterswhoareengaged in a tournamentforthefateofEarth.Thestorymodeisthebesttheseries has had in years.Theplayertakestheroleofmultiplecharactersontherosterforthreefightsof two rounds. Beyondthe occasional lame lineofdialogue,theonlyflowin story mode was thatit didn’t allow for thegame’s signature fatali-ties. However, fatali-tiesdoplaya role in themultiplayer modes. On-linemultiplayerappearedto be pretty solid but Ihadputmoretimeinthegame’s newer or revisedmodes. There is a coolfeaturewheretheplayer’savatarattachedtotheiron-line account watches twootherplayersfightwhiletheywaittheirturn. Oneofthemodesthathasbeenrevampedisthe challenge towerwhere the player utilizes differ-entfighterstoaccomplishaseriesoftaskstoreachanendgoal.Thereareafewothermodeslike“TestYourMight”and“TestYourLuck”whichallowplayersto

takepartinotherscenarios. Asforgameplay,itpleasantlyhasaplethoraofoptionsfornewusersaswellasveterans.Therearetrainingmodesandfivedifferentlevelsofdifficultytoallowplayerstohonetheirskills.Thenuances,com-

bosandfatalitieswilltakesometimefornewplayerstolearnbutwilldefinitelypayoff. Thegameisthebestlookingfightinggameonthemarket.ThenewX-raymodeallowsplayerstoseetheinternaldamagetheyareinflictingontheiroppo-nent-itreallyaddstothevisceralexperience.

Fatalities return, the finishing moves at theend of matches are inventive and gory, but it’s thebackgroundsofthearenasthatreallydemonstratehowfartheserieshascome. Overall,“MortalKombat”isspectacularand

alotoffunforveteransand newcomers alike.Hopefully the gamewill have a healthystream of download-able content to allowthe game to maintainitsfreshness. 5outof5 HugeSuccess “Portal 2” is the se-quel to Valve’s criti-cally acclaimed “Por-tal,” a physics-basedpuzzle game that waspackaged into 2007’s“TheOrangeBox,”theconsole port of “Half-Life 2,” the two ex-pansions to that gameand the multiplayeronly “Team Fortress2.”At that time, “Por-tal” was just a bonusto an already greatdeal, but turned out tobe theflagship titleonthedisc.Astand-alonedownloadable expan-sion wasn’t enoughto completely tell the

story. As mentioned, the

gameisbasedaroundphysics-basedpuzzles that theplayermustsolveutilizinga“portal”gunthatallowstheenvironmenttobemanipulated. While the single player experience iswherethegamepicksupfromthefirst,theco-opiswhatthefanshavereallybeenwaitingforandwherethegame

The Communicator | April 27, 2011www.ipfwcommunicator.org

student issues 8

Preston Patillo

The words “public” and “speaking” put togethertendtoelicitfeelingsofoverwhelmingfearinmanypeople.Andinanticipationoftheendoftheschool

year, many find themselves counting the seconds until those daunting fiveminuteswhen itwillbe their turn tostandup infrontof theclassanddoaspeech,presentationorreport.Hereareafewthingsthatwillhelptogetthroughthedifficulttimebeforeandduringapresentation:Practice.Practiceinfrontoffriendsandaskthemtogiveanhonest,constructivecritiqueofthepresentation.Payattentionto“ums.”Oftenwhenwespeak,wedon’trealizejusthowmanytimeswesay“um”or“uh,”butinaspeechthosetendtojumpupandpokesomeone’seyeout.Minimizethembykeepingcalmandnotlosingyourtrainofthought.Don’ttrytomemorizeeverything.Aftereachpractice,tryandremovetheflufffromnotes.Keepdoingthisuntilonlybasicideasareonthenotes.Youjustneed triggerwords to rememberwhat youwant to talk about.Don’t try torememberexactlywhatyouwanttosay,onlywhatyouwanttotalkabout.Breathe. Don’t stress to the point where you’re struggling to breathe andgivingyourheartaworkout.Presentationscanseemscary,butpracticemakesperfect.Knowwhatyouwanttotalkabout,takeafewdeepbreathsandfacetheaudiencewithoutexpectingthemtoexpectanythingfromyou.Whennervousaboutfacingyouraudience:Imaginetheskinnytallkidinthegreen shirt is celery, and the redhead in the back is a tomato.Or choose adifferenttopic-thezooforexample.YoucanevenconvinceyourselftheguyintheblackhoodielookslikeaDeathEater.Findwhatworks-concentratingonsomethingastrivialandsillyasfindingresemblancebetweenthepeopleinfrontofyouandyourgrandmother’sgardenwillmakeyouatleastchuckleandwilldefinitelytakeyourmindoffanxiety.

Preston Plays Mortal Kombat and Portal 2

Overcoming the Fear of Presentations

Selena Jankulovska

Photo Courtesy of

reallyshines.Ittakesplacerightaftertheendofthesingleplayergame.Thereisalotofjoythatplayerscangetfromworkingtogethertosolvethesepuzzles.Whilethepuzzlesinbothpartsofthegamecanbedifficultattime,itdoesn’trequireaMensaInternationalmembershiptocomplete. ThegameplayisveryintuitiveandI’drecommendthisasastartinggamefornewcomerstotheform.Graphically,Valvegameshaveneverbeenveryimpressive,but“Portal2”isprobablythebest. Overall,“Portal2”isagameI’drecommendtovirtuallyeveryone.It’sagreattitletogetpeoplewhowanttostartplayingintoitwithoutmotiongam-ing.Theonlydownsidetothewholegameisitslengthasonceit’soveryou’llwantmore. 4outof5

G u i t a r sand ampli-

fiers line a dimly lit room. Postersof bands and music charts cover thewalls and music equipment obscuresthe floor. Sitting on a stool in themiddle of this makeshift studio, aguitarist practices his passion, music. This scene is common-place here. Every day, 19-year-oldMichael Mote practices guitar forhours. Running through musicalscales and chords, his goal, to learnall there is to know about the guitar. For any musician, practice isthekey.Duringthecourseofeachday,hoursofplaying is required tomastertheir instrument.While thismaybe aburdenforsome,Motehasfoundittobe therapy.This guitaristwants to beknownasamusician,notasavictim. On Dec. 18, 2009, Mote’slife was forever changed. At about12:30 a.m., he was awakened by po-lice at his bedroom door. Immediate-ly he was told that his father, KevinMote,wasdead andhismother,Nor-ma Jean Mote, was in custody. Ac-cording to the police report, NormaJean waited until Kevin was asleep.Oncehewas,shegrabbedanaxeandstruck himwith it, killing him in hissleep. The motive is still not known.

“Itwasjustanotherday,”Motesaidofthedayleadinguptothemurder.“[MyParents]seemedfinewitheachother.” Mote’snextcoupleofdayswerefilledwithquestionsofwhathappenedandwhy from police, socialworkers,reporters, family and friends. Thesequestions, like Mote, had very fewanswers .The onlythingclearwas thatMote’s fa-ther wasdead andhismotherwas re-sponsible.W h e nMotewasfinallyable tostopanswer-ingquestions,hegottodotheonethingthatmadehimfeelbetter,playguitar. “I played it as soon as Igot it,” Mote said. “I played forhours. It felt the same. Playingguitar feels the same as always.” Fromthatmomenton,Mote’sinterestinguitarandmusicingeneraldeveloped into what he described asan obsession. He said that hours andentire dayswere spent playingguitar.His appetite formusicwas insatiable,

which Mote said hasn’t gone away. Whenhelistenstomusic,Motesayshebecomesabsorbed.Thestruc-tureandtechniquesusedinmusicfas-cinatehim.Thisfascinationhasledhimtopursueadegreeinmusictechnology,whichwillenablehimtoworkinstu-diosasbothamusicianandengineer.Motewantstoproducehisownmusicandgethisnameoutthereasamusician. Motehasbeenable toputhispassiontoworkbyplayinginaband.Theband,Sever,ismadeupofhisbestfriendsandwhathecalls“hisfamily.”

Two ofhis bandm a t e s ,K a l -dian andBrandonRogers ,have be-come his“ u n o f -f i c i a l l yadopted”

brothers. The Rogers’ parents, Mi-chelle and DeWayne Rogers, havetaken the role of surrogate parents. ThatDecember night in 2009was the last time that Mote felt likea teenager. With both of his parentsgone,hehadtoassumetheadultrole.Hisparents’estatewentunderhiscon-trol,alongwiththeresponsibilitiesthatcamewith it.Bills needed to be paidand decisions had to be made aboutthe house, the cars and other familybelongings. One decision that Mote

was thankful he didn’t have to makewaswhattodowiththefamily’svan.Like the house, the van wasn’t paidoff and he didn’t have the means topay for it. To his surprise, an anony-mous person paid off the van. Al-though he is not sure howmuchwasowed, the gift was very generous. Unfortunately, Mote didn’thave the money to make the housepayments, so the bank seized it. Thesolemn task of removing the fam-ily’sbelongingswashis.Withthelossof the house, he had to say goodbyeto his home of more than 10 years. Mote has found a new homeat the Rogers’ house. This workswell for him because their garagealso serves as the make-shift studiowhere Mote and his band practice.Since his father’s death, Mote saidhe’s found comfort with the Rogers. Over the year and a halfthat has passed since Mote’s fatherwas murdered, Michelle Rogers’ re-lationship with Mote has grown.Her admiration for him has as well. “Mike is the kind of personthathasaknackforturningsomethingnegativeintosomethingpositive,”Mi-chelle said. “Watching him play putsme in awe because he is so good af-ter playing for such a short time.” Mote’smusicaljourneybeganthreeyearsagowhenhewenttoaconcertfeaturinghisfavoritebandsatthetime. Formoreofthisstoryvisitwww.ipfw-communicator.org.


student issues9www.ipfwcommunicator.org

Michael Butler

Louisa Danielson

Campus Police to Boost Student Housing SecurityNext fall,

the IPFWstudent housing community will seea new resident: a police substationin the Cole Commons building.The substation will serve as aminiaturepolicedepartmentforthesurrounding student housing areaandwillbeasecondarystationforthecampuspolice.

“It’s for the safety of ourhousing residents,” said IPFWPoliceChiefJeffDavis.

Right now, the substation isbeingwiredtoaccommodatepolicefilesandinformationresources.

“We just have to get theconnectionsfromthecity,”saidDavis.

The substationwill bewiredwithfiber optics insteadofT1 lines,whichshouldallowinformationtobeprocessedmore quickly. Then, the location willbe inspected by representatives fromthe Indiana State Police Department tomake sure everything is done according toregulation.Only after everythinghaspassedinspectionwillthesubstationbeabletoopenasapartoftheIPFWpolicedepartment.

Atthistime,therearecampuspoliceofficersassignedtotheindividualstudenthousingbuildings.EachofficeralsomeetsfrequentlywiththeResidentAssistants.

Therearealsonewgates,whichcanbeclosedacrosstheTrierRoadentrancetothestudenthousingparkinglots.

“We’re more worried aboutwho comes into the communitythanwhogoesout,”notedDavis.

The policy for visitors tothe student housing area is thatvisitors must register as guestsby 8 p.m. Any unregisteredvisiting guests will be expectedto leave by 11 p.m. Registeredguestsarerecordedonanofficialdatabaseby thestudenthousingadministratorsandifasuspiciouscharacterisseenandisn’tlistedonthe guest registry, policemay askthatpersontoleave.Further, campus police are

receiving updated insignias andjackets. The new insignias, whichdisplaythepolicelabelandasimplifiedIndiana state seal, are designed toincreasethevisibilityofcampusofficers.“We brand as police officers,” said

Davis.“Wewantpeopletoknowwehavefullpolicepowers.”“Our employees are dedicated to this

department and this university,” Daviscontinued.“Wewanttomakethiscampusassafe

aspossible.”

Drawing courtesy of Campus Police

Guitar Therapy

“I played it as soon as I got it,” Mote said. “I played for hours. It felt the same. Playing gui-tar feels the same as always...”

One week ago, it was

confirmed that Dane Fife, IPFW Men’s Basketball Head Coach, was leaving the university to accept an assistant coaching position at Michigan State University. Taking his place is Fife’s assistant, Tony Jasick. Jasick was an assistant head coach under Fife for each of the six seasons Fife was Head Coach, playing a big role in the successful progress of the program. This past season IPFW posted an 18-12 record, a best for the program. Announcing the move for the University was

IPFW Athletic Director Tommy Bell. Bell first acknowledged the large crowd by calling it “a special occasion.” Bell also wished nothing but the best to Dane Fife and his wife Blaire, who were not at the press conference. Bell’s final statement before introducing the new head coach seemed to have a little more emphasis than his others, saying “Our basketball program was never broken, and it did not

need to be fixed.” Zach Plackemeier, former IPFW guard under Fife says, “he’s gotta do what is best for him, I think it’s a good move.” Current player, and a key item in next years’ season, John Peckinpaaugh acknowledged his former coach by saying, “you know, coach Fife gave me a great opportunity to come here and play for three years, and I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me. Coach Jasick has helped me with my game a lot and i’m really excited to play for him next year!” When asked if Coach Jasick was

going to make him wear the head gear next season, Peckinpaugh simply laughed saying, “I hope not, that one is up to the doctors.” Jasick took the podium as Head Coach for the first time to a standing ovation from incoming players, current players, former players, friends and family. Jasick was humbled by the large welcoming and cracked the first joke of his head coaching career by telling the players, “take it easy, you’ll all get to play!” The crowd settled and Jasick opened by saying “it’s a great day to be at IPFW.” He followed later saying “I think we have the players now and recruits coming in that will take us to the next level.” “When you’re in the coaching profession, there’s not a lot of these opportunitites out there. There will obviously be some changes (in style of play) based on our roster, you know, our roster is going to look a little different than it did last year, which means we have to have some flexibility on how we play.” When asking Jasick what the students should be excited about, he made it plain and simple. ”We are going to continue to grow with the students. Our students are the biggest key in this whole deal. We have to turn the Coliseum into the toughest place to play in the league, and they’ve been great, its grown every year. The students need to know that I am their biggest fan and I look forward to seeing them out at the Coliseum getting after people.”

The IPFW women’s tennis team is on their way to the NCAA

tournament. For the second year in a row, the Dons have made it into the Tourney. The team earned their ticket into the tournament by defeating the No. 3 seed, the Kangaroos of UMCK. As coach Burns said, "We are so excited to represent our school and conference in the NCAA tournament.” The game took place last Saturday at Fort Wayne’s Pine Ridge Racquet and Fitness Club. The Dons crushed UMKC 4-0. In the double matches spot, No.1 ended up unfinished as UMKC’s Eva Dalvai and Chelsea Horner

battled IPFW’s Amy Recht and Ingrid Ballus, 7-3. IPFW won Spot No.2, as Dons Caterina Kiefer and Alex Forsyth overcame Kangaroos Laura Bouet and Suzan Lisenby, 8-4. Finally in spot No.3 Yuka Kobayashi and teammate Raquel Vescovi crushed Gabby Pintos and Jilian Yakominich, 8-2. In the single match, the Dons kept up the momentum in order to reach their season goal. Spot No. 1 was unfinished as UMKC’s Dalvai played Dons Recht, 6-3, 4-3. Spot No.2 was also unfinished as IPFW’s Ballus took on Bouet, 6-3, 2-1. Spot No. 3 was a victory for IPFW as Vescovi creamed Horner, 6-0, 6-2. In spot No.4 Dons Kiefer crushed

UMKC’s Lisenby, 6-3, 6-0. IPFW’s tennis player Kobayashi overcame Kangaroos Yakominich, 6-1, 6-1, in spot No.5. The last spot No.6 was unfinished as Dons Forsyth played Pintos, 6-2, 4-1. The IPFW tennis Dons will try to do better this year in the Tourney. Last year they made it to the 1st round. Unfortunately , the team fell 4-0 to No.5 seed, Notre Dame. The women’s tennis team will find out their opponent to this year’s NCAA tournament on May 3. Live coverage of the NCAA Selection Show will be aired at NCAA.com starting at 5:00 p.m.

Both photos from www.gomastodons.com

The Communicator April 27, 2011sports10www.ipfwcommunicator.org

Logan Pea

Women’s Tennis on the way to NCAA tournament

Courtenay Dibble

Jasick named new coach

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KELLY McLENDONADVERTISING MANAGER BILL RICHMANGRAPHIC DESIGNER Monica GerdemanArt Director Mitch ColagrossiCOPY EDITOR Kristan MenschSPORTS EDITOR LOGAN PEA A&E EDITOR Lindsay Sprunger WEB EDITOR CRAIG LLOYDPUBLISHER MATT McCLURE

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The Communicator | April 27, 2011www.ipfwcommunicator.org

Letter to the Editor 11

CONTACT

EDITORIAL POLICY

A publication of Indiana-Purdue Student Newpapers, Inc.

Editorials are the opinion of The Communicator. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IPFW, its employees or its student body. A column is solely the opinion of its author.

The Communicator welcomes responses. Letters to the Editor must be signed, dated and accompanied by a current address, telephone number and class standing/major or title (if applicable). Letters not meeting these requirements will not be considered for publication.

All submissions made via e-mail will be verified by telephone or in person. Addresses and telephone numbers will not be published.

Submissions must be typed and no more than 700 words.The editorial board of The Communicator reserves the right to

edit all submissions for length, grammar, style, and clarity. Letters deemed potentially libelous by the editorial board will not be published under any circumstances.

EDITORIAL STAFF

Letter to the Editor,

I just finished reading Kelly McLendon’s opinion from April 20,2011 (“Why College Feels Like a Scam”) and feel compelled to respond with a few words from a professor’s perspective.

Kelly, although you may feel like you are entitled to a job, nobody is, especially one that is both local and of high quality. You claimed that “everybody always says if you go to college and get a degree,” then a “job will be waiting.” Certainly, earning a degree from an accredited university will help you land a good job, but I do not know of anyone who would guarantee that it would lead to the job of your dreams, especially in this economy.

College helps you improve your skill set, hone your ability to communicate, and increase your critical thinking. After college, it is up to you to market yourself and find a job. Along those lines, allow me to make a few suggestions. First, be willing to leave Fort Wayne. Most of my colleagues at IPFW moved here from outside the area simply for the job. If you want that dream job, then you must be willing torelocate.

Second, unless you plan on going into comedy or talk radio, it is best to avoid hyperbole. You wrote that “everybody always say” that a college degree would lead to a job. No, everybody does not always say that. Furthermore, you implied that only “one percent” of graduates get good jobs. This is also untrue. You are clearly frustrated, but this is no reason to exaggerate in an open letter that will be read by hundreds of other people.

Lastly, quit whining and take some personal responsibility. In your letter you blamed your teachers, your guidance counselors, and your parents, but nowhere in the letter did you assume any responsibility for your current joblessness. A stronger, more reflective letter would have identified ways in which you could have strengthened your resume while a student, by studying abroad for instance, or participating in more internships, becoming proficient in another language, or working harder to raise your GPA. Instead, you chose to complain and blame others--and what employer would want to hire someone who resorts to that?

David G. Schuster,Department of History

No doubt there can be obstacles while studying in other countries. Joseph Brennan, an IU graduate who studied in Greece in summer

2002, describes his frustrations when some of his credits wouldn’t transfer: “Bureaucracy was the greatest impediment to my realizing the full potential of my stay. I was jealous of other students who got to do Study Travel … or take other courses in other parts of Greece that were off-limits to me because I was affiliated with IU.”

As a result, Brennan recommends self-guided travel as a viable means of independent study: “You can get a lot of information online, from guidebooks and through connections you may already have who live or have traveled in Europe. You don’t need bureaucrats.”

One of the biggest deterrents for students interested in study abroad programs is cost. Most of the students interviewed admonished that scholarship opportunities and loans were needed to cover their budgets, and that living expenses were great. Gatchell estimates an extra $1,000 per month just to pay for the cost of living. Though, financial aid does apply,

and all of the students agreed the expense was well worth the experience.Ashley Simmons, International Programs Assistant Director, says her

job is to help students expand their global opportunities. She desires to help IPFW students “make their mark on the world,” but she does advise that “not everyone is ready to go overseas.” Having experience with academically-focused travels in seven countries, Simmons describes the ideal candidate as being flexible and able to exercise common sense and good judgment. Her main focus is helping students find classes that will transfer back, as well as locating scholarship opportunities.

Next time you find yourself wondering what life might be like on the other side of the globe, look no further than the Office of International Education, Kettler 269, and be among the 25 students who are already scheduled to travel to countries all over the world.

Take the advice of Lyndsy Patterson: “I never thought that this would be something that I would get to do … but life throws itself at you sometimes - you just gotta hop on board.”

STUDY ABROADFrom Page 05


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