Apparently, the beard wasn’t growing on him that much.

While I agree with my fellow staff member that “occasionally, we must don a little furriness to assert our true masculinity,” I value being clean-shaven. Here are some thoughts on not looking like I have a furry animal on my face.

The Biblical figure Samson needed his long hair to keep his strength. But, in many cases, the beard is not man’s best friend. Alexander the Great, the king of Macedon and famous Greek military leader, was unique among his contemporaries because he kept a clean face. He reportedly told his soldiers to do the same, out of fear that their combatants would grab hold of their beards to easily kill them.

St. John the Apostle is often depicted in art without a beard to represent his youth. If this really was the case nearly 2,000 years ago, then he was one smart disciple. Why blend in with the other 12 when you can stand out with a clean face?

And who said having a beard automatically meant wisdom? Peter, the “rock” on whom Christ would build His church, was consistently rebuked for saying the wrong things. Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection. Both are depicted in art as having beards, but lacked in the faith department. Meanwhile, John wrote a gospel, a few letters and a book about the end of the world. He even is referred to as the “beloved disciple,” which might mean he earned some brownie points from God for keeping a shaven look.

While a man may grow a beard to take pride in his masculinity, being clean-shaven also makes a statement to the ladies: I take pride in looking good, and I value the importance being well-groomed. A man can have confidence in his appearance by flaunting his youthful look. And I’m pretty sure the ladies would rather kiss a man’s smooth cheek rather than a scruffy one.

I’ll admit it – Mr. Bayer’s list of famous beard-wearers is impressive. But, I think I can top it with a list of clean-shaven figures: every U.S. president since William Howard Taft, the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, my father, Bob Noll, Mick Jagger, Fr. Niehoff, Babe Ruth, Seth Meyers, John Belushi, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Hercules (the Disney version), Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Aladdin and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Now, while I believe a clean face is the way to go, I concede that certain events warrant some amount of facial hair. “No-shave November” and “Jesus beard January” are perfect examples of months where a fast from shaving is necessary. If your favorite hockey team is in the Stanley Cup playoffs, then show solidarity with the players in growing out your beard, just as they do. Planning to spend some time camping in the woods? Your shaver is one thing I think you could live without for a bit.

So, even if growing a beard might be cool for a week, or a month, or a year, I highly suggest keeping your face baby-like. No need to grow up – and grow a beard – too quickly. Let your clean-shaven face shine for all to see.

If you don’t, then you might have a hairy situation on your hands.

Joe Paterno was someone I admired because of his longevity at the helm of Penn State football and his strong character. He seemed to be the model of what college sports was all about.

Check that – he seemed to be the model of what college sports should be about.

Winning was important and Joe did it a lot, eventually becoming the most victorious head football coach in Division I history with 409 victories over his 46-year tenure at Penn State. But academics, building better men and graduating players were the most significant goals for Joe. Penn State consistently held high player graduation rates among the nation’s largest universities.

He did a lot for Penn State and college football. I guess I would even say that he did it “the right way,” to steal a line that has been often used.

But in early November, the nation turned its eyes to Happy Valley with the indictment of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on sex crime charges. The stories were harder to read with each passing day. Eventually, the school’s board of trustees felt they had no option but to fire, among others, its legendary head football coach. Questions over Joe’s ability to take control of his team during the scandal and whether he sufficiently fulfilled his moral obligation were part of the reason the board dismissed him.

People’s raw anger and sadness came out. We saw a riot break out on national TV. More questions kept being asked, and the answers were – and still are – few and far between.

The dust has settled a bit, so it’s time to take a step back and ask, “What if?”

What if Joe Paterno had actually done more? What if he had followed up with his bosses to see what was being done? What if he refused to keep this issue in-house?

What has unfolded in the last few months is incredibly unfortunate … and could have been significantly minimized or prevented altogether.

This is a lesson for all of us. When we see something wrong, we have an obligation to ourselves and to others around us to speak up. If something isn’t being done, then we have to be the driving forces for change. Our Jesuit education here at John Carroll teaches us this very thing, to be “men and women for others.”

We saw men lose their reputations and careers for failing to use their power to do the right thing. And, ultimately, while players and fans lose a coach, the victims and their families have lost much more. Pray for them and for all victims of abuse.

Joe Paterno made a grave error in judgment by not following the matter past informing his bosses. We’re all human beings. We’re all imperfect. Everyone makes mistakes, some with a bigger impact than others. But that by no means excuses his actions, or – in this case – his inaction.

Right now, though, it’s time to let the judging be done by someone greater than all of us. Keep in mind the turbulent last few months, but don’t let them completely define what Joe did throughout his 85 years on earth.

Rest in peace, JoePa.

Instead of bringing a big-name artist to campus for the annual Spring Concert, SUPB’s executive board has created the Carroll Spring Series, an on-campus and off-campus string of concerts.

“We decided to change it up,” said Cassie Pacer, SUPB’s major events coordinator. “We want to satisfy the needs of everyone of various different genres.”

In years past, the Spring Concert Committee planned and held the concert in the DeCarlo Varsity Center, coordinating security, ticket sales and gym preparation – among other things – for the event. Past recent acts included T-Pain, Jack’s Mannequin, Sean Kingston, Chamillionaire, Minus the Bear and Neon Trees.

However, past concerts held at JCU have been very poorly attended. Only 400 attended in 2010.

This year, SUPB is buying tickets to concerts in Cleveland and providing them to students. More than likely, according to Student Union’s Vice President for Programming Taylor Horen, the tickets will be offered at a discounted rate. Students and local bands can also audition to take part in on-campus concerts that will take place throughout this semester. And will take place Feb. 6-8.

Pacer said the goal of the new series is to show JCU students Cleveland’s downtown life.

“A lot of students don’t really ever get the opportunity to get down there,” she said. “And then we want to bring Clevelanders to John Carroll.”

The concerts SUPB is planning to get tickets for include Eric Church on Feb. 24 at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center, The Black Keys on March 20 at Quicken Loans Arena and Hot Chelle Rae on April 18 at the House of Blues. SUPB is also trying to get tickets for the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert on June 2 at Quicken Loans Arena.

“We’ve kind of seen in the past two or three years that what we’ve been doing isn’t working, so we figure, ‘why not go down another route?’” said Horen. “[We] might as well try it out [and] take advantage of what we have in the area because Cleveland has so many music vendors and venues for great concerts like these […] And if we can spend our money on tickets for better concerts, we might as well do that.”

Horen also cited the experience of going to a concert as a reason for the change.

“When you have it in your school’s gym, you can have lights, you can have a lot of people there to try and create the atmosphere,” she said, “but I feel like it’s better when you’re around the public and at a different venue. Just being able to get off campus and go somewhere kind of helps us out. We don’t have to create the atmosphere. It’s [to] get people excited [and] whether they like the music or not, they’re going to want to go out somewhere.”

Junior Elizabeth Sangdahl said she’s excited about the change in concert format, particularly the opportunity to see The Black Keys in concert.

“This will be the one concert I really want to go to,” she said.

Sangdahl also is in favor of the on-campus concerts. “That could potentially be kind of cool,” she said.

Sophomore River Onwudinjo is skeptical of the off-campus idea.

“We don’t know what kind of seats they’re offering,” he said.

SUPB will also provide transportation in some form, either via RTA or a bus, according to Horen.

For more information regarding the series, or to audition for the on-campus part of the program, contact Pacer at .

“We were down in the office. We’d only been there maybe 15 minutes when someone came and got us,” Morton said.

The person said to head to the third floor, where Morton lives. When he arrived, he was in disbelief of what he saw.

“They took one of the trash cans that was filled with half-filled beer cans, puke [and] all that and threw it down the hall. That same night in the same area … they ripped down some lights, shattered a bunch of mirrors [and] ripped one of the water fountains off of the wall,” Morton said.

But those are not the only problems Murphy Hall – a place notorious for vandalism – has experienced this semester.

According to the John Carroll University Campus Crime Report, Campus Safety Services reported, at 11:53 p.m. on Nov. 16, the door handle to an outer exit of Murphy had been broken off. Lisa Brown, JCU’s director of residence life, said the crash bar – used to push to get out the door – had been broken off.

“Their removing [of the crash bar] left that door completely un-secure, so it caused a significant security risk for the rest of the building,” Brown said.

Recent acts of vandalism such as these have been a headache for other residents, RAs, maintenance workers and administrators. If the people committing the vandalism are not found, residents could also be feeling the pain in their wallets.

The housing agreement for students living on-campus during this academic year states, “Damages that occur to public areas (e.g. restrooms, lounges, study rooms, etc.) that are not attributable or chargeable to a specific individual or group shall be equally shared by the residents of the living area where those damages occur.”

Brown said the crash bar and hall trashing incidents each cost $1,500.

“Unless we find the individual responsible in that investigation – because it  [the investigation] has been recent because of Thanksgiving Break [and] is still very much ongoing – [the cost will] be dispersed through the entirety of Murphy,” she said.

Brown also said all Murphy residents have been notified via email and RAs will discuss it again during upcoming floor meetings.

However, charging residents for damage to their residence halls is not the first option the Office of Residence Life wants to look at.

“Our ideal is to hold the individual who did it, or individuals who did it, responsible,” Brown said. “If we don’t have that information, we are all responsible for what happens in our community. So we need to be aware and either stop it, report it or get someone there who can stop it.”

Senior Doug Morchak, who lives on the third floor of Hamlin Hall, is not happy he has to pay for the vandalism someone else caused.

“Two weeks in a row there were numerous ceiling tiles knocked down, in addition to an exit sign ripped down the one weekend exposing wires that run through the ceilings of third floor Hamlin,” Morchak said via email.

He said Res Life never specifically told him what he would have to pay, but his RA explained the floor would be charged $40-$50 per person if the responsible party or parties weren’t found.

“I’m refusing to pay for it,” Morchak said. “If John Carroll withholds me from classes, graduation, etc., that shows the true colors of the University. Men and women for others? Give me a break.”

Brown said that the residence halls serve as students’ home away from home. Students want to live in an environment that is respected and taken care of, and live with others who feel the same way.

“I always liken it to if you’re at your parents’ house; you’re not going to trash their house,” Brown said. “And this is the same thing – you’re at home here. This is the place where people are coming home, and they want to be able to sleep, study, and hang out with their friends in an environment that is conducive to all three of those.”

Living in the residence halls in also a learning experience, she said.

“You’re learning lots of amazing things in your classes, but you’re also – for many people – living on your own for your first time and learning how to navigate that level of independence that you haven’t had before,” Brown said. “Part of that is being a responsible member of the community and taking care of your surroundings.”

Living in community with other students in a residence hall is a privilege, Brown explained. Not only are residents responsible for their own actions, but also those of other residents in their community.

“We want to hold those who are accountable accountable, but the reality of the situation is that when you live in community, the actions you take impact others,” Brown said. “And so, when we have damage that needs to be fixed, we’ll first look for the person who has done it and that’s why we try to involve the community in that process.”

Morchak does not understand the logic behind Res Life’s policy.

“Even though it’s in the contract, how can you be responsible for all of the others on our floor? I can’t even be responsible for my roommate’s behavior, who I live with, let alone the others on the floor,” he said. “You can’t control the actions of others. School is too stressful to have to worry about other morons who have all the time in the world to rip down ceiling tiles. If John Carroll is so concerned about upholding the integrity of its residence halls, then invest in some security cameras, or get tighter on security and have CSS walk through the halls.”

Students who wish to report information related to vandalism in residence halls may contact their area coordinator or the CSS anonymous tipline. Those responsible for vandalism will likely face restitution – paying for the damage they caused – and go through the student conduct process.

“Part of being a responsible community member is not being a bystander. It’s sharing information, it’s talking – even if you perhaps weren’t home when something happened – with the people who were there,” Brown said. “It’s that positive pressure of, ‘I don’t want to be paying for the poor decision-making of someone else, so who knows what happened here?’”

The residents, who live in homes on Meadowbrook Boulevard from Warrensville Center Road to Miramar Boulevard and on Glendon Road from Washington Boulevard to Church of the Gesu, held a meeting with University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld and police chief Steven Hammett last Thursday evening to discuss the vandalism that has taken place to figure out ways to address the problems.

The meeting was the second one that has taken place with those residents, Infeld and Hammett. The first took place on Sept. 14.

Many of the 15 residents in attendance at the meeting expressed frustration with the University and its students.

One of them, whose husband graduated from JCU and attributes his life’s success to the Jesuits, said she will no longer financially support the University as long as the behavior continues.

She wished not to be identified by name for fear of retribution.

“These parents are paying 40-some thousand dollars a year for their kids to act like animals,” she said. “You better reconsider who you’re admitting as your students.”

Some neighbors don’t mind students having a good time, but say they need to be respectful of residents’ property.

“It’s more the fact of not what was destroyed, but the fact that those items were on somebody’s front porch and that meant that somebody came up to their front door,” said resident Megan Bayhurst. “It feels like it’s getting bolder and bolder. I have noticed it get worse over the years, and the size of the groups increases each year … Now it is literally an entire floor of Murphy [that] goes together to a party.”

Significant steps forward have been recently made in the relationship between JCU and University Heights, and unacceptable actions – like vandalism of neighbors’ property – will hurt that progress, say administrators.

“While we know there are only a few students who behave inappropriately, it is still not acceptable and will not be tolerated by the University, as it is not a good reflection on who we are, and our mission to be ‘men and women for others,’” said Dora Pruce, JCU’s director of government and community relations. “John Carroll seeks to bolster good will with the community, and when we pursue approval for campus improvements that largely benefit the student body, we need to be able to show that our students are respectful of our neighbors.”

Neighbors also brought up concerns of a lack of police presence during the weekend of Nov. 4 and 5, when a lot of the vandalism occurred. Hammett said University Heights police will make some improvements for the next weekend.

“It’s kind of difficult to predict these random acts,” he told the residents at the meeting. “We’ve identified the weekends that are most active and we know what they are.”

After this past weekend, when police stepped up their enforcement, Hammett said it was a quiet weekend.

“The activity was minimal this weekend,” he said. “We’re going do what we’ve been doing and we’ve added a few other twists that we hope will eliminate the problems that existed in the prior weeks.”

One of the initiatives by University Heights police is to patrol using unmarked cars.

“That’s one of the things that we did do that we’ll continue to do,” Hammett said.

Campus Safety Services was also involved – as they are every weekend, according to Hammett – in the increased patrolling this weekend. A mutual aid agreement between University Heights police and CSS, which should be finalized by the end of this year or beginning of next year according to Infeld, will assist both police forces in pooling their resources together.

“It’s a legally binding document. The purpose of it is it would enable us to have some jurisdiction to act beyond the campus. So, it’s typically adjacent streets or whatever is included – maybe Gesu, Miramar, Washington and the surrounding areas of campus,” said CSS Assistant Director Brian Hurd.

Sophomore Megan Landon couldn’t understand why students would vandalize residents’ homes.

“Do you have nothing better to do on a weekend than to wreck someone else’s stuff?” she said. “Don’t crush a child’s jack-o-lantern, that’s just soul-less.”

Freshman Karyn Adams said students are probably being stupid due to their drinking.

“It does not make it acceptable,” she said. “I don’t understand why we [students in general] are doing it.”

Students go through the Shaker Heights Municipal Court if they are caught for acts such as vandalism. Fines rank from $600-$1000, according to Hammett. Students go through a first offenders program, complete community service, go through drug or alcohol counseling if either substance was involved, donate to the Cleveland Food Bank and have a meeting with the dean of students. Hurd also said those caught vandalizing residents’ property could pay restitution if the resident wants them to. Students will additionally go through the University’s disciplinary process.

“[JCU has] a code of conduct that [students] sign,” Infeld explained to the residents at the meeting.

After meeting with numerous JCU administrators this past week, Infeld felt it best to not invite JCU to last Thursday’s meeting at City Hall with residents.

“I don’t think that that would be productive because I knew that people were very upset after last weekend,” she said. “I was concerned that we wouldn’t actually accomplish what I need to accomplish as the safety director of this city.”

At that meeting, one neighbor named Brian said he understands how college students think, but offered a statement at the meeting asking students not to destroy his or his neighbors’ property.

“These are kids. They’re college kids,” he said. “Drink your beer. Walk home. Leave us alone.”

“I wasn’t too upset until the officer told me he was writing me a citation,” Kovacs said via email. “At that point, I was rather upset, considering the thought of receiving a citation for making an illegal right hand turn. I tried explaining to the officer how I had no idea that the sign was present notifying drivers of the illegal right hand turn until I went back to look at the sign.”

The sign, posted on a utility pole at the northwest corner of the intersection, depicts a no right turn symbol. Below the symbol, the sign says the law is in effect from “7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday,” and is “strictly enforced.”

According to University Heights Police Chief Steven Hammett, the sign has been in place for approximately two decades to curtail traffic in the residential area. Hammett, who began his duties in August, said resident complaints played a part. He said the most recent complaint from a resident came approximately a week and a half ago.

“We do get complaints regularly,” he said. “[They say] that the traffic sign has been ignored and students are still making a right turn coming down their street.”

Timothy Peppard, director of Campus Safety Services, believes University Heights may be looking more for more offenders.

“There might be a little more enforcement going on. I don’t know that for sure,” he said.

However, Peppard said, he has not received complaints from students.

“To be honest, I have not heard from any students whatsoever,” he said. “But I have heard from other people that have had an acquaintance, or a visitor, or somebody coming to the campus for some kind of business that had been given a ticket.”

Kovacs couldn’t remember exactly how much his ticket was, but he said it was in the $200-$225 range.

“I was really pissed off at this point considering it was an absurd fine for such a petty violation,” he said. “I went to court and I remember paying an additional $25-$30 in court fees which made me even angrier. It was a very quick appearance at the courthouse, I think I was there for no more than five minutes.”

Peppard said he didn’t expect the traffic law to be a student issue.

“You don’t want students to get hit for $200, for goodness sakes,” he said. “But, more often than not, [students] figure [the law] out real quick.”

Hammett said the fines imposed on tickets are set by the Shaker Heights Municipal Court, which includes University Heights in its jurisdiction. A phone call to the court on Tuesday afternoon went right to voicemail, as the court was closed in the afternoon due to Election Day.

The Office of Admission, on its website, directs prospective students and their families to enter campus through the Carroll Gate, off North Park Boulevard. At another University webpage, jcu.edu/about/map.htm, visitors are directed to the gate at South Belvoir Boulevard. If the gate is closed, the directions tell visitors to continue down South Belvoir to Fairmount Boulevard. After taking a right on Fairmount, visitors should take the first right on to Hadleigh Road, veering left at the fork and continuing straight into Carroll Boulevard, where they turn right into the Carroll Gate.

“You sure don’t want somebody that’s coming here for the purpose of putting on a program or bringing their children with them to take a tour of the campus, or interview students for employment, or whatever to be put in that situation,” Peppard said. “The signs are big. It’s not like they aren’t visible or anything. It’s [just] not something you anticipate.”

Peppard believes there is a larger issue. Drivers can come down South Belvoir, make a legal U-turn and come back.

“I think that’s probably not the safest thing to do,” Peppard said. “People go down, go past the intersection and turn around and come back. I wish you could turn right [at Carroll Boulevard] personally.”

Hammett does not see the traffic law being lifted in the near future.

“In the morning, you would have a significant increase in traffic, and I believe in the evening probably between 3 and 5 [p.m.], you’d have a significant amount of traffic on a residential street. That’s a lot of traffic,” he said. “And our complaints [that we get] would drastically increase.”

The entire situation left Kovacs with a sour opinion of the University Heights Police Department.

“I’ve never been more angry about receiving a ticket,” he said.

“You’re a girl and you’re walking around campus at midnight – it’s a little freaky,” Novak said.

Sophomore Kate Pifer had an embarrassing experience to describe how much light marks her path on campus.

“I was right in front of Pacelli [Hall] and I went to give my friend a hug, and I realized it wasn’t my friend,” she said.

Carol Dietz, John Carroll University’s associate vice president of facilities, said that as part of recent campus improvement projects, new lights have been in the works. During the summer, a consulting group came to campus to discuss housing, but also identified a need for additional campus lighting.

“New parking lot and sidewalk lighting will be installed in the new surface lot in the Bohannon [Science Center] footprint and along the Hamlin Quad as part of the project,” Dietz said via email. “These lights are LEDs. Students will find that they provide more light as well as being energy efficient.”

Following a meeting with students, according to Dietz, JCU President the Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J., told the facilities department of the need for a light in the area of Rodman Drive, between Rodman Hall and the O’Malley Center.

“Facilities is in the process of ordering and installing a new light fixture in this area,” Dietz said. “The lead time for this light is eight weeks, so it should be installed before the end of the semester.”

Assistant Director of Campus Safety Services Brian Hurd, along with Student Union senators from the Committee on Facilities and Security and Mike Roeder, JCU’s manager of facilities services, plan to walk through campus at night every semester and identify issues with lighting. Sophomore Student Union Senator Deirdre Byrne, who serves as chair of the Committee on Facilities and Security, said she hopes the walkthrough will take place in the coming weeks.

“What I heard [from students] was that the lights were flickering on and off, and they’re just inconsistent,” Byrne said. “[When students are] walking back from the library late at night, it’s really dark. It’s a question of safety.”

Dietz said the upcoming walkthrough will be a great time for students to give their input.

“Making our campus more attractive, comfortable and safer for our students is an important goal,” she said. “A collaborative process between the Student Union and [the] facilities [department] is a great way to address our needs.”

Development work to update lighting across campus was done in 2005, according to Dietz.

“This was before I joined John Carroll,” she said. “We have not looked at this lately. Attention to lighting has just recently surfaced as an interest.”

Recent campus construction projects, according to Hurd, has affected outdoor lighting.

“Some lighting has been removed and new is being added,” he said, “and the power was cut off in certain areas.”

The bottom line, according to Byrne, is that students feel safe when walking around campus.

“We want to find where students are walking at night and be able to make their walk a nice, [lit] walk,” she said. “[Students] pay to go to this school, they want to know that they are going be able to go back their dorm safely because that’s their home. This [entire] campus is their home.”

“I think it’s great that John Carroll is having this,” Stiles said of the forum. “To me, ultimately issues aside, the deepening and enriching of the democratic process [is] the most important thing that’s going on tonight.”

Dora Pruce, JCU’s director of government and community relations, agreed, and said the event benefits not only JCU administrators and students, but also the entire University Heights community.

“I feel that it’s part of our civic duty as a university to host forums like this,” Pruce said.

Seven of the nine candidates running attended the forum: Pamela Cameron, Tom Cozzens, Dan Hanna, Conor McLaughlin, Kevin Patrick Murphy, Steven Sims and Adele Zucker. Candidates Al August and Steven Bennett were unable to attend. Murphy and Sims are incumbents on council.

The forum began with short opening statements from each candidate, and was followed by a question-and-answer period. Attendees wrote their questions on note cards, which were passed to Stiles. She then read the questions to the candidates, who each had 30 seconds to answer. After the question-and-answer period, the candidates each gave a one minute closing statement.

The questions asked included the potential sharing of police and fire services with other neighboring municipalities, the importance of attending council meetings, the City’s relationship with JCU and how each can better communicate, relations between council and Mayor Susan Infeld and what each felt the most important issue was facing the City.

Infeld said that the group dynamic on council would change with the addition of new members. A lack of respect towards each other is causing tension on council, she believes.

“I think that would be a positive thing to have the group dynamic of the city council change,” Infeld said.

She later said, “The level of civility is lacking [currently] … I’m expecting with the new mix of council members that the level of civility will improve.”

Infeld is endorsing Zucker, Cozzens and Cameron, who are running together, even though voters elect them individually. She referenced Zucker’s 20 years of experience in city government, Cozzens’ service on the City’s zoning board and Cameron’s involvement in the public school system as reasons she endorsed the trio.

“The candidates that I have endorsed are very much in favor of helping the University grow and prosper and be as strong as it can be,” Infeld said.

Sophomore Bryan Kroetsch attended the forum. He hopes the City and University can repair the growing rift between them.

“I think that’s certainly something that’s most important,” Kroetsch said. “The meeting tonight was definitely about the community getting information, but I think that the council members might also need to recognize that the 3,000 students that go here are also residents of this community and we would like to be heard and appreciated. So I would like them to resolve their rift with the school, for sure.”

The deadline for voter registration in Ohio is this Tuesday, Oct. 11. Students can register by visiting sites.jcu.edu/civicengagement.

Bethany was 3 years old in November 1995, when her father and grandmother went to a bank in Collinwood, on Cleveland’s east side, to take out a loan on a recently purchased house. Tony Luketic was a police officer for University Circle at the time.

“[That was] the first time and only time my dad has ever left the house unarmed,” Bethany said.

Tony, who was off duty, and his mother were waiting in line when a man walked in and demanded money from the teller. The teller couldn’t get the money out quick enough, and the robber began to harass her with his gun. Tony intervened and a struggle ensued.

“He ended up shooting my dad in the leg,” Bethany said.

Tony threw the gun out of the way, and his mother went to pick it up. But the hot gun burned her hand, and she dropped it. The robber shot Tony’s mother in the stomach. Another struggle ensued as the robber attempted to aim the gun again at Tony’s mother. Tony was shot in the arm, leaving him disabled.

“[The gunman] was going for the heart, but missed and got him in the shoulder,” Bethany said. “My dad’s arm was held on by his sweatshirt and the leather coat he was wearing.”

The robber then put the gun to Tony’s head and pulled the trigger, but it was empty.

Tony’s mother recovered from her injuries, but Tony, who now works as a parole officer, still suffers from pain caused that day to his left leg and left arm.

“My dad still can’t use his arm fully, he still has pains,” Bethany said. “He went through physical therapy numerous times. He’s had multiple operations on both his leg and his arm. I think he’s had seven leg operations. And his arm is almost all metal.”

Tony, a 1990 alumnus of JCU, was the first recipient of the Campion Shield, which is awarded to those in the JCU community who demonstrate heroism, in 1995.

Ollie Tate, the bank robber, was arrested and sentenced to prison. Now, at age 79, he is up for parole for the second time since he was convicted, Bethany was told by her dad.

“He’s like, ‘We need to write letters again,’” Bethany said.

So Bethany went to the Web to spread the word to support her family. The Facebook event, “Letter For My Father,” was started Sept. 16 and will continue until Nov. 30. She hopes that all the letters will be sent to the Ohio Office of Victim Services then because Tate’s parole hearing will most likely take place in December.

“The first time [he was up for parole] he was denied because of these letters, [and this time] we’re hoping for the same thing,” Bethany said.

According to Bethany, she has received 2,000 hits on Facebook and lots of media coverage. The Facebook event lists 236 people “attending” and 1,440 people “awaiting reply” as of Tuesday night.

One of those “attending,” junior Brooke Wunderly, knows Bethany through their work together on JCU EMS. She plans on writing a letter in support of the Luketic family.

“Bethany is one of my good friends,” Wunderly said. “I’m going to do exactly what she wants us to do.”

The amount of activity on the Facebook event page has astounded Bethany.

“Everyone’s posting on it constantly,” she said. “I’ve gotten Facebook friend requests from police stations, different FOP [fraternal order of police] lodges, [and] different seminars from all over the world.”

Bethany asked Student Union at a recent meeting to collectively write a letter, but President Rita Rochford said that it would be best for individuals to write letters than as a group.

“After discussion with several people involved and in Senate, we determined that the issue at hand is so personal in nature that it is more appropriate to come from individuals than from the student body as a whole,” Rochford said. “With that said, I hope that all those affected will find peace.”

All the attention the Facebook event and story has received has encouraged Tony’s mother to talk about the ordeal for the first time.

“She’s never said a word about it since [it happened],” Bethany said. “And, when she saw it on the news and she got all her phone calls from her friends, she said, ‘I want to talk. I want to write a letter.’”

Executive Vice President Greg Petsche said at SU’s Sept. 13 meeting that the bill to continue the program was $1500. He believed the money could be better spent in other areas.

In order to receive discounts at local businesses through SSC, JCU students needed to present their University-issued ID card, print out a coupon from the SSC website or tell participating vendors they were JCU students. Dozens of nearby establishments participate in the programs: Dave’s Cosmic Subs offer $5 sub sandwiches, the North Park Grille (formerly the Brew ’N Bistro) gave a 10 percent discount on regular menu items and non-alcoholic drinks, Whole Foods Market offers a buy-one-get-one-free deal on pizza and Jack’s Deli, on Cedar Road, takes 50 percent off all sandwich meals.

Petsche said the main reason for discontinuing SU’s relationship with SSC is the cost benefit. Paying a third-party entity to obtain discounts for students made no sense when it could be done by SU, he explained.

“Basically, we’re cutting out a middleman in order to get a better benefit,” he said. “Then the vendor knows that we’re invested in it. It’s not just some third-party company that’s looking into it. It’s the student themselves that want it.”

He also said the hits to the SSC website from JCU users were minimal.

Petsche estimated that in about a month, SU would roll out its own discount program for students. He said he plans to work with the Senate’s Committee on Community Affairs and Service to develop the program. Flyers listing participating businesses and discounts would be distributed to students, Petsche said. He would also tie in the shuttle service offered by the Office of Student Activities to include businesses at the stops as part of the program.

“Hopefully, we’ll build a better positive relationship with the vendors,” Petsche said. “It’ll be, not only a way for students to get something out of it, we’ll be helping the community. We’ll be putting more money into [local businesses].”

SU has not paid the $1,500 bill it received in June to continue partnering with SSC. As of Tuesday night, the SSC website listing discounts to JCU students was still up. Petsche anticipates the website will be taken down once he notifies the company that the University will no longer be participating in their discount program.

According to Petsche, how to use the $1500 will be up to SU, and part of the money will probably be used to promote the new student discount program. In his opinion, the class senators should use the remaining money to reach out to the constituents in their classes.

“I think students sometimes don’t associate as much with the Student Union, and so that’s something that we’re placing at the forefront,” he said. “We want to make sure that [class senators] are being utilized in that people feel comfortable coming to them and us (the executive board).”

“We didn’t have a tournament in Ohio other than the one we hosted,” said Brent Brossmann, debate coach and professor in the Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theatre Arts.

The individual policy debate rounds include eight speeches, four cross-examination periods and in-round preparation time. All told, one round could take up to two and a half hours.

But, this year, the debate team is trying out a new style.

Instead of team policy debate, in which JCU has traditionally taken part, the team will begin arguing in the format of Lincoln-Douglas Debate for this school year only. Where policy debate involved a team of two competitors versus another two-member team, Lincoln-Douglas is a one-on-one debate. A round of Lincoln-Douglas also only takes a little over an hour, as it includes five speeches, two cross-examination periods and in-round preparation time.

“At the college level, [Lincoln-Douglas is] still policy,” said Brossmann of the types of arguments required in the rounds. “But the debates are much shorter.”

This year, college Lincoln-Douglas debaters around the country will argue whether the United States should substantially change its trade policy and/or practices with China.

According to Brossmann, one difference that will be radical for the team is the switch from debate partners to competing solo. The opportunity to work with a partner, he said, allows for collaboration of ideas in more detail and provides help.

“There’s lots of reasons to have a partner,” Brossmann said. “There are also some problems with a partner. One of the problems that we’ve been facing a lot in recent years is when a partner goes away for a tournament and someone else is left stranded. In a lot of tournaments, that can’t happen, and so either they have to debate one-on-two or they don’t get to debate at all, which is really unfortunate.”

Brossmann said the decision was made by himself and the team.

“We talked in some detail and laid out some options, and this is what we tried to do,” he said. “It was a group decision.”

As a result of the change, the team can attend tournaments in Ohio that they couldn’t before because they were participating in a different debate style. Brossmann said the team can go to Bowling Green State University, Otterbein College, Ohio University and The Ohio State University for competitions.

The debaters are open to the change, according to Brossmann. Sophomore debater Emily Stolfer is looking to improve her persuasive skills with the new format.

“I was kind of excited because I like variation on different activities and it would allow me to experience a different way of debating – more persuasive and less evidence-based,” she said. “I cannot knock anything until I try it.”

Despite the change, the debaters are also looking forward to a productive season.

“L-D debate is still debate,” said freshman debater Noel Massarelli. “I am very optimistic for this upcoming season and think that we, as a team, will have a lot of success.”

Brossmann also hopes the switch to Lincoln-Douglas will allow his debaters to get involved in different individual events, such as prose, poetry and extemporaneous speaking.

“It’s also possible for us to take some folks who are interested in just doing the individual events and not debating,” he said.

The debate team is trying their Lincoln-Douglas experiment for this year only, Brossmann cautioned.

“We don’t know what we’re going to do next year,” he said. “But, for this year, we’d like to find out what this style of debate is all about [and] whether or not it does a better job of meeting our needs.”

The team will begin its season next weekend at Western Kentucky University, which has claimed the past two national championships in Lincoln-Douglas. The team will then travel to Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. for their second tournament on Oct. 1 and 2. Brossmann said Lafayette had competitors in the national semifinals last year.

“We’re going to start right off the bat with the best of the best and see how we compete,” he said.

To inquire about the debate team, contact Brossmann at .

According to an email sent by University President the Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J. to faculty, staff, administrators and students on Aug. 19, North Park Boulevard will be renamed John Carroll Boulevard. University Heights City Council unanimously approved the name change at a special meeting it held that Friday morning.

The portion of North Park Boulevard that is affected stretches from the entrance of the University in front of Dolan Center for Science and Technology, down towards Fairmount Circle. Shaker Heights City Council has yet to approve the name change for its small portion of North Park Boulevard in front of the shopping center.

Renaming the street is likely to pass in Shaker Heights, according to University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld.

“That was the sense that I have had in talking to Shaker is that it is very likely to be approved,” she said.

Dora Pruce, JCU’s director of government and community relations, said she expects the University to be on Shaker Heights City Council’s Sept. 26 meeting agenda.

“We are hopeful that they will also pass the name change,” she said.

The renaming took immediate effect once University Heights City Council approved the change. The next step, according to Pruce, is working with the City to determining the address number.

“We went from 20700 North Park [Blvd.] to John Carroll Blvd., but what’s going to be our address?” she said. “That’s actually for the City to determine, and then the City makes that recommendation to the Postal Service.”

Pruce estimates the process should be quick, and the new address will be approved by the Postal Service by the end of this semester.

The University presented a list of priorities, including the street name change, to University Heights City Council’s University Affairs Committee in 2008.

“We sought to rename the street to identify it with John Carroll University for branding purposes, to better facilitate visitors and prospective students to locate the campus and to give continuity and the feel of entering a university campus community from Fairmount Circle,” Pruce said in an email. “The renaming will benefit the University’s recruitment and enrollment efforts.”

JCU brought the issue up again this year in conjunction with the 125th anniversary of its founding, said Pruce.

“We thought it appropriate to request the renaming again of the City as we celebrate our 125th year,” she said.

North Park Boulevard veers to the right after passing Pizzazz On the Circle and turns into Carroll Boulevard. Pruce said that the name change should not confuse drivers.

“The city of University Heights is the entity that vetted all possible concerns the renaming would have,” she said.

With a change in address, the University will have to make adjustments to its stationery, Office of Admission brochures and promotional material. JCU is also paying for the new street signs.

“The cost to the University is minimal and any investment will be returned through the benefit the University will receive in branding,” Pruce said.

Infeld believes the name change will be good advertising for the University in an area that she describes as safe and family-friendly.

“I think it’s charming to rename North Park [as] John Carroll Boulevard,” Infeld said.

She said that throughout the years, as she has run the streets near campus, numerous cars have stopped her asking for directions to JCU. Infeld said giving directions can be confusing, given the curving roads, changing street names and prevalence of streets going in and around Fairmount Circle.

“It’s so much easier to tell people the street that says John Carroll Boulevard will take you to John Carroll instead of going through what I’ve had to go through for years,” she said.

For most of you, this year will be your first time living away from home. Sure, you can still call your parents (and I highly suggest doing so because they probably want updates to their $40,000-plus per-year investment), but this is YOUR time to learn, grow and spend sleepless nights cramming for tests and writing research papers.

I like to call freshman year “a whole lot of awkward” because you encounter a whole lot of awkward situations. For example, you might be walking to class one day and you want to say hi to someone, but they turn their head away at the point you both make eye contact. Feeling like an idiot after that is natural.

So, to help you out, I thought back to my freshman year (which actually doesn’t seem that long ago) to offer you advice on how to not just survive, but thrive in your first year at JCU. Sure, you’ll still have a few awkward situations and screw-ups, but I hope to give you at least a few pointers on living your first year in University Heights.

Speaking of UH, here’s a word about our neighbors. Many of them love us; they value living next to an institution of higher learning. A few don’t like us, and some others can’t understand why a university would want to fully use its stadium. Bottom line, be nice to our neighbors. Employ the Golden Rule.

A former editor in chief of The CN once re-enforced an unspoken rule of our pristine campus in a column he wrote. Never, ever walk across the Quad to get to class. Ever. Even if you’re late – professors would prefer tardiness over expecting the Quad to bail you out, he wrote. The Quad is reserved for soaking up rays, friendly gridiron battles and high-quality games of bro-quet (yes, that’s croquet for bros) between the gentlemen of campus. Snowball fights are also a favorite when “Old Man Winter shows his ugly face.”

On a more serious note, if you ever need help of any kind, don’t ever be afraid to ask. Freshman year is a big period of adjustment, and sometimes it’s just hard. What sets JCU apart from a lot of other schools is that the professors care deeply about your development inside and outside of the classroom.

We upperclassmen have been in your shoes before – we know what you’re going through and we too can lend a hand. Your resident assistant and the University Counseling Center are also good resources.

Finally, I encourage you to get involved in something – a club, activity or service opportunity.

Show off your talents, or try something completely new. College is about broadening your horizons and meeting people. An extracurricular will also help take your mind off the stress academia sometimes brings.

If you’re having trouble finding something to do, I hear there’s an award-winning college newspaper that’s always looking for talented writers and creative minds.

After Easter Break, Java City, located on the ground floor of Grasselli Library, will be open during lunch hours from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. starting on April 26.

“We’ll offer a lot of the same grab-and-go stuff that we have at the Inn Between with the sandwiches, the salads, fruit cups [and] parfaits, along with the normal Java City lineup with the coffee drinks, and the smoothies and that kind of stuff,” Dubay said. “[We’re looking to have] at least one kind of soup too.”

Sophomore chemistry major Chase Banyots has never had a problem getting to Schott Dining Hall for lunch from the Dolan Center for Science and Technology, but he said it would be nice to have that convenience.

“It’d be good to get a cup of coffee in the afternoon instead of having to go to Einstein’s, which is really packed,” Banyots said.

Dubay noted that that side of campus does not have a lunch spot for students and faculty.

“[We’re] kind of targeting the library and Dolan to see if we can capture some more business on that side of campus,” he said. “If it does take off, then we have a place we might want to open up, or [with the] projects going on with Hamlin Quad over the summer, it might be used more next year as far as practices go and everything else [going on].”

Sophomore Alex Stultz said her science major friends would like having a lunch option on that side of campus when spending the day in Dolan Science Center.

“I think for the science people it’ll be beneficial,” she said.

Starting next year, Schott Dining Hall will open on weekends at 9 a.m. for continental breakfast, which will include bagels, Danishes, muffins, other breakfast breads, waffles, cereal, fruit, granola and yogurt. Brunch will continue to begin at 11 a.m.

“We’re adding another two more meal periods into the week,” Dubay said. “So you can swipe for breakfast and then swipe again for lunch.”

Freshman Abby Glass said she would like the change.

“I get up early to get work done,” she said. “It’s nice to have that option open.”

Schott Dining Hall will also stay open on Saturday night until 7 p.m. next year, instead of its current closing time at 6 p.m. By changing the closing time, the cafeteria will close at 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.

“No going back and forth between 6 and 7 [p.m.],” Dubay said. “It’s confusing.”

Another meal plan option will be offered next year, which will include 125 meals-you-care-to-eat per semester and $200 in plus points. The plan costs $2,090 per semester.

“All meal plans next year will have some kind of money attached to them [in the form of] plus points,” Dubay said.

Sophomore Christina Getz said more plus points on a weekly meal plan would be beneficial.

They are always around to offer wise advice. They make the best food. They offer comfort when you need it.

My grandfather loved to have the family over every Sunday evening for dinner at his house. We cousins would usually be playing board games or card games (recently the favorite has been Apples to Apples), or doing last-minute homework. My parents, aunts, uncles and Grandpa would be talking politics at the dinner table.

The meal often ended with a smorgasbord of Grandpa’s favorite ice creams: mint chocolate chip, panda paws, moose tracks, peanut butter cup and butter pecan. Sometimes an aunt would bring over one of Grandpa’s other favorite desserts: either peach or pecan pie. On those nights, Grandpa would grin like a kid in a candy shop.

Every time one of us came to visit Grandpa, he was sure to offer us a root beer or ginger ale, and a cookie. If we turned down his offer, he insisted that he make us a sandwich.

Many years – and Sunday dinners later – I was leaving for college. While many of my peers were eager to go off to school, I was both excited and nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. What if I hated it? Will I find friends? The future looked scary.

So when I needed a calm voice to tell me everything was going to be okay, I went to see Grandpa.

His answer to my nervousness was what he told all of his grandkids, “Keep up the good work.”

Make sure you do what you’re there for and “fill the space between your ears.”

Why do I bring up all of these stories? They help me remember my grandfather and all the great times our family spent with him.

Grandpa passed away in the middle of February. It was hard for me to grasp that the last time I saw him alive was over Christmas break. Looking at him in his casket – no matter how much I knew that his death was eventually going to come – was hard to bear.

If there’s any lesson I learned from the time I spent with my grandfather, it’s to cherish the moments you spend with your family. Remember every moment – from watching Notre Dame football and Indians games with Grandpa, to taking him to get a haircut – because it keeps the spirit of that individual alive. Let the lessons your grandparents give you influence how you live life, because they’ve probably been there and they’ve probably done that.

Whenever I see the Indians losing (like being down 14-0) or Notre Dame try to come back from a huge deficit, I’m going to ask Grandpa for a little divine intervention. Hopefully, Grandpa has enough pull with the big man upstairs.

When the going gets tough, the homework keeps piling up and the stress increases, I just think of what kind of encouragement Grandpa would give me.

Just “keep up the good work.”

underrepresented students. The search for a new director to replace Janetta Hammock, who left earlier this school year, is also underway.

OMA will now become the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion and will move into the Lombardo Student Center, in a space that has yet to be determined.

According to Vice President for Student Affairs Mark McCarthy, many voices were consulted to make the adjustments.

“Sherri Crahen, dean of students, and I engaged students, faculty, administrators, staff and alumni in a series of focus groups last semester to learn more about their experiences with OMA and their ideas for how the office might best serve the needs of students from historically underrepresented groups at John Carroll,” he said in an e-mail. “We also consulted with colleagues at other Jesuit and private universities to learn about how [they are similarly] organized.”

As a result of the feedback received, new focuses were developed. Among these were providing educational programs and services for the student body, creating a sense of belonging for and working to recruit and retain students from historically underrepresented students, providing opportunities on campus for students to engage in leadership and cultural experiences and promoting personal growth of students based on understanding of identities.

Sophomore Curtis Walker, former African American Alliance president, likes the direction the University is taking with the change in name.

“I believe the new name expands the organization’s ‘umbrella,’ reaching out towards more students,” Walker said. “With the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the name alone implied to many students that it was solely for minority students. This new direction of re-naming the office ‘The Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion’ now gives off a more welcoming meaning to me and for all students.”

Walker said the administration was also very receptive to the suggestions of students that participated in the focus groups.

“Every opinion, concern and possible resolution from students was jotted down and addressed in one way or another,” he said. “Whether these were feelings of concern about underrepresented groups being forgotten about or feelings of optimism toward a new direction, the administration wanted all students to feel comfortable in a place where they spend over $40,000 to attend every year just like everyone else.”

Crahen believes that the transition period presented an opportunity to take a step back, gather input and look at how to tweak what is already in place.

“We were intentional with our language in talking about students from underrepresented groups,” she said. “But we did that on purpose because this office not only serves students of color but there can be students from other underrepresented groups that aren’t necessarily students of color that this office would serve.”

During this school year, OMA has been staffed, in part, by Crahen and Assistant Dean of Students Donna Byrnes. Crahen said OMA has not been utilized the same way this year as in past years when Hammock and former secretary Marlo Henderson staffed the office.

“Some students of color had a really strong connection with Marlo Henderson,” Crahen said. “When Marlo left, that was really hard for them, which is totally understandable. She was great.”

Walker said he has not visited the office as much this year.

“Last year, I used the office frequently, being president of John Carroll’s African American Alliance,” he said. “They were always there to help me with whatever I needed for the organization, but also to help me as an individual, making sure I was on top of everything in my life. This year, it has been different. I still visit the office, but not as much. A great part of it is due to me not being president of AAA anymore and another part is because I’m still getting used to the new, yet temporary personnel in the office.”

Crahen said she and Byrnes have learned a lot from students during the time they have spent working in the office. She believes that student leaders in organizations representing students of color face the same challenges as many other student organizations.

“Some of the student leadership are involved in many activities along in addition to their academics, and it’s difficult to balance everything,” Crahen said. “[Another challenge is] getting students to come to the programs.”

In terms of inclusiveness on campus of historically underrepresented groups, Crahen believes the University community needs to do more.

“We have quite a bit of work to do,” she said. “Students from underrepresented groups probably feel pretty good about the academic experience that they have here [and] the quality of the faculty. But I think if you talk to them about the social experience here, it’s much more challenging because we still hear stories about acts of intolerance that happen on this campus, outside the classroom, and we still hear stories about what it feels like to be the only student of color in a class.”

Walker said that in the time he has been a student at JCU, he feels the University has done a good job promoting diversity.

“The University has held many events for cultural holidays and has always recognized their achievements,” he said. “With this new direction, I feel we can go even further in joining these underrepresented groups with everyone else.”

Candidates from across the country were able to apply for the position for director of the new center up until April 1. The search committee will meet and identify six to eight candidates to interview by phone next week, according to Crahen. During the week after Easter, three to four candidates will be brought to campus for interviews.

Crahen said students would be involved in the process to pick the new director, such as having lunch and participating in an open forum with the candidates.

In the job description, qualifications required for the position were a Master’s Degree in student personnel administration, higher education administration and related fields. The candidates were also required to have “at least five years of progressively responsible experience in higher education with significant experience supervising staff and directing a program or service area,” according to the description.

According to SUPB Major Events Coordinator Meghan Everett, a minimum of 1,100 people attended this year’s concert compared to approximately 400 attendees at last year’s concert, which featured Chamillionaire and Sean Kingston.

One possible reason for the increased attendance was that the concert was free to all JCU students with a valid University identification card.

Spring Concert Co-Chair Erin Flaherty said it was originally a goal of the committee to make the concert more economically accessible to students.

“When we were informed that it was allowable within SUPB’s budget to make the concert free to students, of course we were excited at the opportunity,” she said.

The total budget had not been spent, and therefore, the concert was made free to all JCU students with valid IDs.

Students that already purchased tickets before the announcement was made were given a voucher in exchange for their ticket at the door. They could exchange that voucher for their money back between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. the following Monday in the offices of Campus Safety Services. The vouchers were only accepted for one day because it was deemed unsafe to have people sitting with a large amount of money for multiple days.

According to Everett, both Kappa Kappa Gamma and Gamma Phi Beta had events during the concert. Flaherty said the committee has no control over when other organizations plan their events.

“We blocked off four possible dates for the concert last spring,” said Flaherty. “It is unfortunate that other organizations should schedule dances and club activities on top of the concert, but we work around the availability of the Varsity Gym.”

Kappa Kappa Gamma member Becca Magyar said that had the Spring Concert not been the same day as the sorority’s formal, she would have attended.

“Because it was free, yes,” she said.

Li’l Sibs Weekend, sponsored by the Residence Hall Association, was also taking place on campus. Freshman Lauren Laughlin would have gone to the concert had her siblings not been visiting.

“I had my three and five year-old siblings and the concert was past their bedtime,” she said.

Flaherty said that the variety in artists the committee picks for each year’s concert seems to please concertgoers.

“The campus seems to respond well when we vary the artist selection year to year, so the mood and energy seemed to be very high and responsive when the concert was announced,” she said.

Junior Carrie Vollentine said she was a little disappointed when the band choices for the concert were announced.

“I had heard of Minus the Bear, so I was kind of excited,” she said.

Vollentine had not bought a ticket before the announcement that admission would be free for students with valid University IDs.

“I don’t think I would have gone had I had to purchase a ticket,” she said.

At the concert, she was disappointed with Minus the Bear’s performance, but “Neon Trees made up for that.”

“Their performance quality was so much more lively,” Vollentine said.

According to an e-mail sent on March 17 to faculty, staff, administrators and students by Jonathan Smith, vice president and executive assistant to the president, the University began the demolition process by removing the interior materials of Bohannon in an environmentally friendly way.

“The removal of interior materials was recently completed and much was salvaged and sold for scrap,” he said. “We have tracked all the material removed and, as part of our sustainability policy, have been able to divert much of this material from local landfills.”

In order to take down Bohannon, the University had to obtain permission from University Heights.

“We have recently reached an agreement with UH, which included our plans for Bohannon and the restoration of Hamlin Quad,” said Carol Dietz, JCU’s associate vice president of facilities. “Overall, the City and the University are very pleased to be working together and move forward in a positive way.”

After the building is taken down, the space will be converted into an approximately 260 space parking area and rain gardens. According to Smith’s e-mail, the campus would see a net gain of 180 parking spaces as a result of the work, which will take six to eight weeks to complete.

“The area will be designed to meet new environmental and ecological standards to reduce storm water runoff,” he said. “If you can be proud of a parking area, this will be the one.”

Dietz explained that new regulations mandate requirements “on the quantity and quality of storm water runoff from impervious surfaces.”

The University has been working with a landscape architect and local civil engineering firm to ensure the project meets the mandates.

“Six to eight rain gardens will be located within the parking area. They will contain trees/bushes or flowering plants as well as several feet of soil and gravel that act to retain and filter the rainwater before it is discharged into the storm sewer,” she said in an e-mail. “Similarly, the west side of the parking lot, adjacent to the Hamlin Quad will contain a bio swale, [which is] a strip of vegetation and natural grasses above a soil and gravel mix that will hold and filter runoff water before it enters the storm water system.”

Hamlin Quad will also undergo grading and sloping, drainage improvements and installation of an irrigation system. The field will be a regulation-size practice area for sports teams to practice on and lessen the use of Wasmer Field at Don Shula Stadium.

“Not only will this provide practice space but it will also bring back the activity level that many remember on Hamlin Quad, along with creating an alternate location for other major outdoor campus events,” Smith said.

Smith acknowledged that the construction schedule this summer is ambitious, and not everything may be completed in time.

“The additional parking may not be ready for the start of school,” he said. “It is likely that we will need to provide some shuttle service to campus until the project is completed.”

The project was financed through benefactor gifts to the University.

“Just as the gifts that made Bohannon possible and created a building that provided the University more than 40 years of service, I am sure that these enhancements will offer years of benefits to the University,” Smith said.

“We thought it was a prank or fire drill and tried to ignore it,” Pansky said. “She [Hamilton-Cotter] was going to check it out and then I heard a splash, which was immediately followed by expletives from each of us.”

They found that their room, on the Kappa Delta sorority floor, had become a mini lake.

The basement of Hamlin Hall, including the Kappa Delta floor, suffered from approximately 1-2 inches of flooding early Monday morning. The cause of the flooding was a backed-up storm sewer near South Belvoir Boulevard.

“Historically, we’ve waited until we’ve had problems,” said Bernard Beyer, JCU’s director of physical plant, about when sewers and drains were cleaned.

Beyer said the plan is to put the drain lines on schedule for jetting periodically, possibly every 3-4 years. Jetting involves spraying water at high pressure to remove blockages in the lines.

“Hopefully we’ll get them before they plug again,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kappa Delta floor residents were waking up to flooded rooms.

“Your foot was completely underwater,” junior Taylor Greene said.

Greene also was concerned about the safety hazards posed in their surroundings.

“The fact that we were wading in two inches of water with the power still on and electrical appliances on the floor blows my mind,” she said. “The water surrounding one of my power strips was literally boiling. A fire or electrical surge could have easily occurred, endangering us all.”

Campus Safety Services, Murphy Hall area coordinator Pat Caruso and Kappa Delta floor resident assistant Emily Gorndt all assisted the residents. After gathering a few belongings to get them through the day, the floor’s residents were ushered to vacant rooms in the basement of Murphy Hall.

“They gave us all rooms in the basement of Murphy so we could keep our stuff there and change, and if we weren’t able to be back in our rooms by that night, [we] could opt to sleep there,” Hamilton-Cotter said. “They said they wouldn’t send an e-mail to teachers about the situation and so if we couldn’t go to class, because almost everyone’s books and backpacks had been ruined, it was on us to get excused by our teachers.”

Others lost more valuable possessions, such as electronic devices. Junior Brittany Grist said her television and printer were damaged in flooding.

“Not a lot of stuff was on my floor, thankfully, because I had just cleaned my room,” she said. “But, the TV was kind of nice to watch.”

Many of the other Kappa Deltas lost iPods, computers, computer chargers and cell phones as a result of the water damage.

Anne Kowalski, the area coordinator of Hamlin and Campion Halls, sent numerous e-mails to the residents updating them on the situation, the last one at 2:22 p.m. The last sentence of the e-mail stated, “Since this is beyond the control of the Office of Residence Life, you are responsible for damages that may have been caused by the water.  Please talk to your parents to see what your homeowners insurance covers and what your deductible is to see if it’s even worth claiming the items.”

According to this school year’s Housing Contract, “JCU will assume no responsibility for the theft, destruction or loss of money, valuables or other personal property belonging to, or in the custody of student for any reason, whether such losses occur in student rooms, storage rooms, public areas, elsewhere in the hall, or in baggage related to shipment or storage. Student is encouraged to carry personal property insurance.” The same applies for next school year’s Housing Contract.

The Kappa Delta floor residents were not pleased.

“I felt her e-mail was abrupt and not supportive,” Pansky said. “Many residents are in distress and upset and there was no recognition of that fact. These girls have to rely on their parents’ insurance to replace laptops, phones, textbooks, etc. And let’s face it, not everyone has that opportunity to rely on.”

Hamilton-Cotter went to the Office of Residence Life to explain the situation among their floor mates.

“The only help that was given to me was a printed out copy of the housing contract everyone signs with the liability clause circled, excusing John Carroll of any responsibility,” she said. “They also said that if we wanted further help, since we are a Greek floor, maybe our sorority had some kind of coverage.”

After the residents left their floor, the power was shut off. According to Heather Losneck, director of Residence Life, the facilities department worked to pump the water out of the floor. The jetting of the sewer was completed around 1 p.m., according to maintenance supervisor Gary Paoletta.

“Housekeeping and a contractor came in to extract the rest of the water from student rooms and clean the floors, all student area rugs were extracted, cleaned and deodorized and taken to the Dolan Science Center garage to dry out,” Losneck said.  “Myself, Mike Roeder and Richard Flagg from Facilities went into each student room and bagged wet clothes and shoes, moved all items off the floor, and basically prepared each room to be cleaned. Students were able to go back into their rooms about 1:30 p.m. [Monday] and the power to the electrical outlets was turned back on about 3 p.m.”

According to Greene, CSS had knowledge of a leak in the basement of Hamlin earlier that morning, but failed to notify all of the residents on the Kappa Delta floor.

“CSS had known about a leak of some kind in the basement at 2 a.m. I know this because my roommate talked to a CSS [officer] in the hall at this time as they were walking down the hall,” she said. “They seemed to be dealing with the situation so she went to bed. They didn’t give her any more information or warn us about the leak. When I woke up at 5 a.m., the other girls on the floor and my RA were taking control over the situation while CSS stood there. It was the residents and the RA bringing up concerns of safety and electrical issues, not CSS.”

Overall, the residents of the Hamlin basement are disappointed with the University’s response.

“I am very glad that they did such a fast job of getting the water out and helping with our wet stuff so quickly, but beyond that, the support from the school has been almost nothing,” Hamilton-Cotter said. “In no way are they helping or advising us about what to do with all of the damages. We have to leave to go on Spring Break in four days, and I have no idea how everything will get taken care of in time.”

They were, however, quick to praise their RA, Gorndt.

“Our RA, Emily, handled everything very well and was very helpful,” said sophomore Amanda Cook.

Hamlin was not the only place on campus affected by flooding. The boiler room in the basement of Dolan Hall flooded due to a sump pump failing to operate. The problem was also corrected on Monday. The JCU Mail and Copy centers also experienced some minor flooding due to tree roots in the sewer system and a build-up of water at the bottom of that driveway in front of the doors.

A Facebook profile page mirroring the Facemash.com concept was created on Feb. 3 here at John Carroll University. The page is under the alias “Dan Loster.”

The creator calls himself “Dan Loster” and only agreed to an interview with The Carroll News if he did not have to give his real name. The interview was conducted on Facebook.

According to the profile’s creator, he drew inspiration to make the profile page after watching “The Social Network.”

The information page describes the profile as helping to distinguish “the hottest girls at Juan Carroll.” The creator set up a bracket that compares female students side-by-side and asks the friends of the page to cast their vote when new “match-ups” are posted. The bracket is modeled after the bracket used in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championship tournaments.

To determine whom to feature on the profile page, the creator and his friends went through Facebook profiles of JCU students and selected 64 women who they thought were at similar levels of attractiveness. The pictures of the students featured were taken from their Facebook profiles without their knowledge. One female student requested that she not be featured, and so the creator of the profile decided to honor her request. However, no other girls have asked that their picture be taken off the site, according to the profile’s creator.

When the voting is complete, the collaborators of the profile plan to reveal their identity and announce the students with the most votes, according to the profile’s main creator.

A majority of the 64 women selected are freshmen at JCU, but nine are considered “all-star upperclassmen,” according to one comment on the page by the creator.

Freshman Gabriella Kreuz believes the profile objectifies women.

“I feel like it’s degrading,” she said. “Whoever made it obviously is a lowlife.”

The creator said his goal was not to offend anyone, and he tries to screen disrespectful comments that have been made on the comment threads or voting. To avoid degrading comments, the creator consistently reminds the voters to “be nice” or “be kind” when casting their votes.

Freshman Chuck Mule, who is a friend of “Dan Loster” on Facebook, understands how it could have a negative impact on the women featured.

“I think it is a funny idea, but it’s mean. Some of the girls in it may not be happy with it,” said Mule.

Junior Anna Barnes, one of the upperclassmen featured on the page, feels that it is an immature way for the creators to express themselves. She first heard about the page from her sorority sisters and freshmen friends, but she never gave consent to have her picture placed on the profile.

“I think this unfortunately condones people to place too much emphasis on the physical appearance of others,” said Barnes. “Personally, I hope no one puts too much weight in this; I think it could lead to a lot of hurt feelings.”

The creator said he meant no harm in creating the profile page.

He said, “I did not create Dan to offend any women at this fine institution. We are here to help crown Ms. Juan Carroll and see what our fellow men think of our fellow female students.”

He acknowledged that several other sites exist online that do similar comparisons, and even Facebook has picture comparison applications.

John Ropar, director of the University Counseling Center, said the profile is unbecoming of what JCU stands for.

“That type of thing diminishes women,” he said. “It would be detrimental to the campus community in general. I love John Carroll. I graduated in ’72. I’ve been here for 18 years. It’s disappointing to think that somebody would start an initiative of this sort.”

In response to “Dan Loster,” a “Danielle Loster” profile page was created on Feb. 11. “Danielle Loster” is an open profile and can be viewed by anyone who has a Facebook account, however you must be a friend of the profile in order to vote on photos of male students. As of 9:40 p.m. Tuesday evening, “Danielle Loster” had not posted any photos of male students.

Both profiles wanted 60 friends before they began the voting. The creator of “Dan Loster” told The Carroll News he reached 60 friends the night he created the profile. “Dan Loster” now has 155 friends as of midnight Wednesday morning. “Danielle Loster” had 66 friends as of 12:50 a.m. on Feb. 14, and 103 friends as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning.

An attempt to reach the creator of the “Danielle Loster” profile page by The Carroll News was unsuccessful.

Both profile pages run the risk of getting shut down as long as they continue using aliases. According to the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities on the Terms page, a user “will not provide any false personal information on Facebook.” By creating a profile and using Facebook, both the creators of “Dan Loster” and “Danielle Loster” agree to the statement. If a user violates “the letter of spirit of” the statement, “we [Facebook] can stop providing all or part of Facebook to you.”

My heart began to sink when Green Bay was up 14-0 in the first quarter. I groaned when the TV commentators said the Packers had scored 21 points off of the three Pittsburgh turnovers. I put my head in my hands when Mike Wallace couldn’t quite reach the fourth down pass from Ben Roethlisberger to effectively end the game (and the refs got it right; there was no pass interference on that play).

I couldn’t watch the celebrations, the post-game interviews or analysis. I could hear the cheers of Browns fans rooting for the Packers in my head: “Thank God the Steelers didn’t win.”

People back home in Erie ask me how I handle all the Browns fans while going to school in Cleveland, and I tell them that it really isn’t that bad. There are some rare moments where it’s tough, like Dec 10, 2009.

Steelers fans are pretty confident each week of the NFL season that their team is going to win. Why shouldn’t we be? Pittsburgh has a good core of players. Ben Roethlisberger has a history of coming up in the clutch. Rashard Mendenhall is growing into the physical running back the Steelers depend on to win games. The wide receivers each bring a different skill to the table, whether it’s effective blocking, speed or clutch catches.

“The Steel Curtain” is legendary for physical, defensive play, and giving opposing offenses nightmares. Troy Polamalu, even though he was not himself Sunday, is the quarterback of the defense. Linebackers Lamarr Woodley, James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons give credence to the term “Blitzburgh.” Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel (who last week had an epic beard) feast on quarterbacks and offensive linemen.

The Steelers also have a habit of shutting up loudmouth teams who come into Heinz Field thinking they can win. As a result, the Ravens and Jets were sitting on their couches watching Super Bowl XLV.

As a Polamalu jersey-wearing, Terrible Towel swinging fan, I enjoy watching the Steelers knowing the Rooney family are the owners. You want to talk about stability? Cleveland native Chuck Noll, former Browns player Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin have been the only three coaches the Steelers have needed since 1969. Since 1947, Pittsburgh has appeared in the playoffs 26 times, winning their division 20 times. The team has won the AFC championship game eight times and own six Super Bowl titles, more than any other team. The Rooney family has owned the Steelers for their entire existence. It’s the stability of the franchise that promotes its success.

Don’t worry, Browns fans. Your team will make the playoffs soon. Mike Holmgren will not steer you wrong.

Many Steelers fans joined you in anger when a certain individual, who will remain nameless, picked up and moved the team to Baltimore. They rejoiced when the Browns came back to Cleveland and renewed a classic rivalry. Some will stand and applaud when the Browns make the playoffs. I know I will (unless it’s at the Steelers’ expense).

As for this season, it was a good one. Unfortunately, the Steelers came up just short.

But enough pouting. The Penguins have a Stanley Cup to win.

To cap off the week, author and human trafficking survivor Theresa Flores will speak about the subject and her experiences tonight at 7 p.m. in the LSC Conference Room. Tomorrow night, the Carroll Cinema Society will show “Taken” at 8 p.m. at the Dolan Center for Science and Technology’s Donahue Auditorium.

Flores is the director of awareness and training at Gracehaven House, an organization that provides aid for girls who have been forced into the commercial sex trade. She also runs a website, traffickfree.com, that promotes efforts against human trafficking.

In a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon, Flores defined human trafficking as the use of blackmail, threats or manipulation on a person to force them into labor or commercial sex.

“And then [the traffickers are] making money off of them,” she said.

Padilla said that trafficking is more prevalent than ever.

“It is happening throughout the world, even in the United States [and] even in Ohio,” she said.

It’s the locations that make Ohio a hotbed for human trafficking activity.

“Ohio has many universities and colleges, is within close proximity to borders and has many truck stops [and] lots of interstate highways, which make it one of the top states for trafficking,” Padilla said.

A U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report said that between January 2007 and September 2008, 38 human trafficking task forces funded by the federal government investigated 1,229 suspected cases. Less than 10 percent were confirmed cases of human trafficking, while 10 percent still had yet to be confirmed.

According to a report by the Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission and the state attorney general’s office, Ohio is both a destination and place of origin for victims of human trafficking. A hotbed of activity regarding the issue is Toledo, where, according to the Northwest Ohio Innocence Lost Task Force, the city ranks fourth in the country in terms of number of arrests, investigations and rescues of domestic sex trafficking victims.

Flores asserts Cleveland may have a significant trafficking problem.

“I think, personally, that Cleveland might have a bigger problem because it has the most amount of strip clubs than any of the other cities in Ohio,” she said. “There is a correlation.”

Flores also recalled a story of a girl who was taken from another state and dropped off by Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, near the train tracks by the Ford Motor Company plant in Brook Park.

“[She] was told, ‘You’ve worked in a strip club before. You’ve had sex with people. You might as well do the two together,’” Flores said. “And [her captive(s)] just left her there.”

Flores was the victim of trafficking at age 15, when she lived in an upscale suburb of Detroit. According to a 2009 article on today.msnbc.msn.com, she was raped by a high school classmate. Cousins of the classmate photographed the rape and threatened to expose the photos unless she sold her body to them and others. Two years later, her father was moved to another job. Her family moved and the abuse ended.

She said in the article that at the time, she asked herself, “Who’s going to believe me if I told them that these guys are doing this? The psychological torture that they put you under is nothing that an adult can even imagine. From a kid’s perspective, it’s fear and psychological torture and shame all together.”

Padilla said that politicians need to focus on the issue because of its prevalence in the state.

“State politicians should care, because it is unacceptable that over 1,000 people from Ohio are being forced into slavery every year,” she said. “Slavery should not be occurring to anyone, especially not hundreds of years after it was abolished. I am just asking that they do what is in their power to both recognize the issue of human trafficking, and to abide by their legislative mandate to free these people. Because currently, most escape when they die.”

Vice President for Finance Richard Mausser, explained that many schools have a history of raising tuition due to supporting the workforce.

“Most of the costs associated with running a university are labor-intensive related,” he said. “Here at John Carroll, roughly 65 to 70 percent of our total costs are compensation-related. If there are to be increases given to those individuals, that obviously drives part of the tuition increase.”

Health benefits, insurance and day-to-day operation costs also factor into the equation. A dramatic increase that Mausser continually sees is keeping current with the University’s technological needs. Constant upgrades to the University’s wireless systems, and bandwidth draw needed to support changing technology that students bring with them to school, are costly.

“That’s a huge level of consumption that I’m not sure is always recognized,” Mausser said.

He explained that the costs of running an institution are rising faster than the ability to recoup them, at least through tuition.

“We’re a tuition-dependent institution,” Mausser said. “Most of our revenue comes from tuition, room and board.”

Three other sources of revenue – investment return, gifts and grants and government funding – have suffered within the last three years.

“Three years ago, we were getting [a] significant amount of state aid for students,” Mausser said. “Next year, it essentially is gone.”

The endowment has not recovered from the economic meltdown of two years ago, and fundraising continues to be a challenge in the not-for-profit world because foundations and donors are feeling the same financial pinch.

“All of that in the aggregate kind of rolls into driving tuition rates,” Mausser said.

Even though fundraising has been somewhat challenging, Mausser said the University has bucked the trend.

“We’re very fortunate in that we have [a] very loyal and strong donor base,” he said. “Our giving was actually up last year.”

Regardless, undergraduate students will see an increase in tuition, room and board and fees. Along with the $30,660 in tuition per year, room and board fees will jump $400 to $9,150. The Student Activity Fee and Student Health Services Fee will stay at $400 and $250, respectively, while the Student Technology Fee will jump $50 to $400. Altogether, the total cost will jump $1,860, or 4.8 percent, to $40,860 per year.

Mausser said that a trade-off exists in order for JCU to continue providing a quality educational experience.

“To cut back on dollars in order to balance a budget or keep a tuition rate low would adversely affect the quality from whatever perspective you want to measure it and we choose not to do that,” he said. “In one sense, we need to raise tuition in order to maintain quality. That’s what we’ve done continuously, and it shows in our students.”

Vice President of Enrollment Brian Williams said that JCU is careful with increasing tuition because of the effect it has on students’ families.

“My advocacy for students and the planning that goes into it is, ‘What is the least increase we can have that will not impact students, that will ensure enrollment, but ensure we have the resources to run the institution?’” he said. “And it’s the balance of all those perspectives that is difficult to find and is not taken lightly.”

Williams explained that anytime a family has a concern about financial aid, they should contact the financial aid staff.

“This is the time of year where current students should be thinking about that,” he said. “It’s the new year – parents are thinking about filing taxes now. So filing your taxes and filing your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) should go hand-in-hand.”

The University’s goal is to begin awarding returning students with financial aid awards by early March, right in time for registration for the 2011 fall semester.

According to Williams, there has not been an explicit increase in the University’s financial aid budget. Regardless, the financial aid staff is committed to making sure students stay at John Carroll, he said.

“[For] families whose situations have changed, we do have an appeals process and a financial aid structure that helps students stay enrolled,” Williams explained. There are also other ways include institutional aid, borrowing opportunities, and outside scholarships.

Williams said there is a link between setting tuition and enrollment numbers.

“So to the extent that you don’t reach your freshman class, we look at the overall enrollment to help meet the budget and the goals of the institution,” he said.

However, according to Williams, the University is in position to meet its goal of 700 students in the class of 2015. Through Feb. 1, Williams said the University is 7 to 9 percent ahead in applications sent compared to last year and 15 percent ahead in offers of acceptance extended to potential freshman class members.

He said JCU has been committed to cost-saving measures, but a fine line exists to make sure essential services are still provided to students and that enrollment is not hurt.

“If we’re not staying a great institution and students leave, and students don’t choose this school because we’re not offering what everyone else is, that’s a tough line to find the solution to tuition by cutting costs because then you’re impacting the student experience in ways that we don’t want to,” Williams said.

“I was really happy that we could host this event at John Carroll so that our students and faculty could share the experience of meeting these journalists,” she said. 

The guests, who work in various radio and television outlets in the Kyrgyz Republic, came as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program through the U.S. Department of State and, locally, through the Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA). According to Buchanan, the CCWA and SPJ have a close relationship through Richard Hendrickson, a part-time associate professor in the Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theatre Arts. The guests were joined by, among others, John Carroll students, WJCU-FM director and adjunct associate professor Mark Krieger and WCPN-FM host and producer David Wellman. 

Journalists from Japan visited JCU in the summer of 2009 through the same SPJ-CCWA partnership. 

“But they came during the summer break, when students weren’t around to share in the experience,” Buchanan said. 

The journalists shared stories about their experiences in the business and talked about their individual jobs at different media enterprises. 

Lola Kulinova, the founder and director of Volna Issyk-Kulya TV and Radio Company, explained that even though her radio station was not able to obtain a license from the government to broadcast, they were on the air for nearly an hour from another station. 

“And we highlighted the issues within that one hour on the air – the issues of gender equality, the rights of immigrants, and also various comments encouraging the development of a democratic society,” she said through an interpreter. 

Gulmira Osmonova, the executive director of Mediamost Public Foundation in the Talas province in the northwest part of the country, explained that her radio station, which launched in July 2007, is similar to community radio. The station uses a network of village reporters to gather news. Osmonova, Krieger and Wellman discussed the comparisons between their forms of community radio at Mediamost, WJCU-FM and WCPN-FM. 

Ulukbubu Amirova works as the program director of Radio Salam in Batken, in the south. The radio station was set up to air unbiased reports to target youth living in the area. The station, which is run completely by young people, will celebrate its tenth anniversary in April of this year. Radio Salam, which was set up by non-journalists, who learned everything by trial-and-error, according to Amirova. 

“We were basically imitating what we saw or what we heard on airwaves,” she said. “We didn’t know a jingle was called a jingle. We knew that there had to be something preceding the newscast, so we made up jingles of our own.” 

Buchanan liked that Amirova sang the jingle Radio Salam used. 

“I loved it when Amirova sang the jingle they had produced for Radio Salam, and it was clear that other members of the delegation were very familiar with it,” she said. 

Bekmamat Kochkonov, the technical director of Public TVR Company EITR, has been a broadcaster for 15 years. The station is the second largest national broadcaster in the Kyrgyz Republic and was designated a public broadcasting station in December 2005 by the president.

Buchanan observed that other countries do not enjoy freedom of speech rights like those in the United States. 

“Broadcasters in other countries work under very different conditions than we experience here, where the First Amendment guarantees us many rights,” she said. “Kyrgyzstan has a history of Soviet intervention and censorship, which is why each of the independent radio and television stations the delegation came from is so young.”

Overall, Buchanan thought the event was a success. 

“I felt we had a wonderful visit, learned something, shared it with students and faculty, and really brought an interesting event to the department,” she said.

Carol Dietz, JCU’s associate vice president of facilities, said the track has been unusable for meets for a number of years because of poor drainage and ripples in the track surface.

“It’s a huge improvement,” she said.

Members of the track and field teams expressed concerns that they would receive a lesser grade of track. Dietz said the University, through the department of athletics and finance office, budgeted the project as a replacement for the turf and track.

“The track coaches, quite frankly, have been wined and dined by a lot of the manufacturers’ reps for some really high-end products, like what they use in Olympic stadiums,” she said. “Unfortunately, they think they should have what they have at the Olympics and all I’m saying is that’s not what we have now. [The project] was never budgeted for that.”

JCU Director of Athletics and Recreation Laurie Massa said that while budget constraints may prevent the University from getting the highest-end products, the results should impress.

“The scope of this project and the improvements for all programs involved should alleviate any feelings of disappointment,” she said.

Dietz said the University is working with a track consultant to help them specify different products for the track. The consultant was a former Olympian.

“He would never recommend to us a product that was subpar,” Dietz said. “We would never put anything in that wasn’t NCAA approved.”

The long jump and other field areas may also be moved to another location within the facility, said Dietz.

According to Massa, individuals and groups involved in the planning process include club sports and recreation, soccer, football, track and field and equipment and athletic training. Coaches for sports that use the field have provided input about what kind of turf they liked at different schools they have competed against. According to some, the current turf at Shula Stadium is in poor shape.

“The turf was coming apart at all the seams and it was becoming a hazard to the players,” said Hector Marinaro, head coach of JCU’s men’s soccer team. “The new turf will give a truer bounce. The old turf gave off a dead bounce.”

Along with a new playing surface for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the dimensions of the soccer playing field will change. NCAA rules give a range of dimensions that fields must fall between. Currently, the soccer field is 120 yards long and 68 yards wide. After installation of the new turf, the field will be set at 115 yards long and 72 yards wide.

“The wider surface will enable us to spread teams out offensively and, hopefully, create more gaps in the defense, which will lead to more scoring,” Marinaro said.

Dietz and Massa believe students will like the new improvements once the work is complete.

“I think it’s really going to improve the student experience whether you just do intramurals, club sports, or regulation varsity sports because everything will be new,” Dietz said.

Massa also noted that the men’s and women’s track and field teams will be able to host meets at Don Shula Stadium.

“The improvements will provide us the opportunity to host track meets for the first time in years, and provide safe practice and competitive venues for a variety of varsity, club and intramural activities,” she said. “When the improvements are complete, the intent would be to host multiple events at the stadium. The design firm has assured us that the specifications are NCAA and OAC compliant, and the product choices meet specifications as well.”

Marinaro said he expects students will get a thrill out of soccer games on the new turf.

“With the shorter and wider field, I think scoring will be up and will make for more entertaining games for the students attending our games,” he said.

The improvements to the track and field at Shula Stadium will also help recruiting efforts.

“When you tell a recruit that JCU is spending [a significant amount of money] renovating the field that they will be using, it really carries some weight,” Marinaro said. “Who doesn’t want to play on a brand new, state-of-the-art field?”

Due to the improvements, JCU plans to close Shula Stadium in late April and re-open it in early August in time for the start of fall sports practices, Dietz said.