What the toon doesn’t say about the tune: “I’m in the room, it’s a typical Tuesday night”

His monologues, normally filled with political rumblings and events involving Hillary Clinton, were hysterical. My favorite segment, “Headliners,” showed people’s hilarious lack of common sense in what they print. 

June 1, 2009, began a new era of late-night talk TV when Jay Leno stepped down as host of “The Tonight Show” to be replaced by new host Conan O’Brien, formerly of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” 

I remember a lot of my friends were really excited about the change and thought Conan would be much better than Leno. 

I didn’t think so. 

On the rare occasion I stayed up late enough to watch “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” I was not all that impressed. 

Granted, he was goofy, but his antics, mannerisms and jokes were just too weird for my taste. It was because of this that I didn’t think Conan would do well on “The Tonight Show.” 

NBC agreed. 

After awarding Conan and his staff a nice severance package, the network announced it would bring Leno back to “The Tonight Show” starting on March 1. 

This announcement is being met with large amounts of criticism from my peers, other “Coco” supporters, and numerous late-night talk hosts. For our parents, this brings back shades of Leno versus David Letterman when Johnny Carson retired at the beginning of the 1990s. 

Current “Late Night” host Jimmy Fallon probably said it best: “There have been three hosts of ‘Late Night.’ There’s been David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and me. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Dave and Conan, it’s that hosting this show is a one-way ticket to not hosting ‘The Tonight Show.’”

Conan is very good at what he does – being silly. As his time on “The Tonight Show” wore on, I grew to appreciate Conan a little more, but I still like Leno and his brand of humor. “The Tonight Show” is a better venue for him because people want to watch him when they go to bed, and I think for the majority of us, that isn’t at 10 p.m.  

The bad guy here is NBC, who has made an absolute mess of their successful late-night lineup. They should have stuck with Conan even though his ratings were not as good intially. 

Leno grabbed the ratings lead over Letterman in 1995 – three years after he started on “The Tonight Show.” 

Good shows sometimes take time to develop. But rather than wait, NBC decided to send Steve Carell to shred Conan’s company I.D.

The drama stirred up in all of this might be more than that created on “Jersey Shore.” Maybe NBC should fill that 10 p.m. slot with a new reality show. “Coco” and “The Chin” can live it up for the summer together in a nice beach house. 

It should be a fist-pumping good time.

The same could be said of students choosing their living spaces for next year. JCU students will begin this process very soon, according to Marie Perri, housing coordinator in the Office of Residence Life. 

Resident assistants have received intention cards from students already in preparation for the process. 

“The intention card, if you pick ‘live on [campus],’ is a trigger for us because we put that information in the system,” Perri said. “That allows you access to the online housing process.” 

On Jan. 29, students who chose to live on campus will receive access to the online process. Once in, they can fill out the housing application and accept the housing contract. However, once the contract has been accepted, it is binding. 

“You have to be sure you want to live on campus next year before you go ahead and accept the contract,” Perri said. 

Lottery numbers will be sent to students toward the end of March. After April 6, students will have the opportunity to actually choose their housing online. Seniority goes by the number of semesters spent on campus, not by credits or number of years spent in college. Those with five semesters or more will have the opportunity to choose during the first week, which will affect the availability of choices. 

“It’s supply and demand,” Perri said. “If a lot of rising sophomores are hoping to get singles, the supply of singles on campus just is not there. So the seniors and juniors get them and by the time it gets to sophomore selection, those opportunities are taken.” 

Perri has many ideas for rising sophomores regarding the process because this is their first time. 

First, picking your own roommate is very important if you plan to live in a double.

“It’s really the student’s job to secure [his or her] own roommate,” she said. 

If you are unable to secure one, the Office of Residence Life will have a folder available for displaced students to sign. Other students looking for roommates will look through the folder to find the best possible match based on your housing preferences. 

Also, Perri suggests that finding a roommate that is a good fit for you is better than finding a good dorm. 

“I wouldn’t be as concerned about the building as you should be about your roommate,” she said. “I think even if you’re in the building that you really wanted to be in, if you didn’t make a good roommate choice, it doesn’t help you.” 

She suggests having good conversations with potential roommates on their interests, especially if you’ve never lived with them before. While this may sound silly – a poor roommate choice could ruin your entire year.

Second, students picking specialty housing should not expect to get singles or super-singles. This is because those types of rooms are located only in certain dorms and the specialty housing preference trumps the room type preference. 

“If you say substance-free [on your preferences], you are going to substance-free,” Perri explained. “If you don’t have a roommate because you just picked single, you’re going to substance-free, but you’re not going to be able to pick a room.”

Third, all JCU students are required to live on campus for at least two years. The only way students can be released from this commitment is if they choose to commute from their main home address. 

Finally, rising sophomores should have a backup plan just in case their primary choice is taken by the time they can access the housing options. This is especially the case if rising sophomores want to live in a single room next year, but they are all taken by the time they can access the housing choices online.

According to Vice President of Student Affairs Mark McCarthy, the Foundation met with the Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J., president of JCU, before the beginning of the semester, wishing to give money to the University.

“[The foundation] came to JCU interested in helping and wanted to give a gift,” said McCarthy.

According to McCarthy, the Foundation was interested in the health and welfare of the students. He was then given the task of drafting a proposal for how the University would use the grant to promote mental and spiritual health on campus.

A portion of the grant has already been given to the Counseling Center to hire an additional counselor.

According to John Ropar, director of the counseling center, there was a 23 percent increase in students seeking help from the counseling center last year.

“The timing of this grant and the generosity of the donors couldn’t be better. The reasons for the increase in the number of students accessing

counseling services are complex and deserve all the attention that the field can give it, but the numbers don’t lie. More young people are struggling with emotional distress than ever,” said Ropar.

The grant will also be used to fund the Campus Connect Program: a Suicide Prevention Training for Gatekeepers, which the University first considered implementing last fall. This program provides training for students, faculty and administrators to increase awareness and gain skills in recognizing depression in others and preventing suicide.

The training will begin sometime this semester. Those who are in contact with students most will be the first to receive training. This includes student organization leaders, resident assistants, deans and the student affairs staff.

Once trained, these ‘gatekeepers’ will be able to recognize signs of depression and have a better understanding of how to confront someone and get them help.

“This helps us to provide direct service to the students who need it,” said McCarthy.

The University will also obtain mental health assessment and screening software, which will help in the diagnosis and treatment of depression and other mental health issues.

Additionally, the grant will be used to fund collaborative programming by the departments of Residence Life, Campus Ministry, Health Services and Recreation. These programs will focus on a myriad issues including community building, stress reduction, nutrition, spiritual wellness and risky alcohol use. JCU also hopes to sponsor a parent education program, increase awareness week campaigns and update the University’s Web site to include mental health resources.

Although Ropar wishes JCU students could avoid the increasing stress and pressure college students face, he realizes they are affected by these issues.

“I would like to think that John Carroll is somehow insulated from this fact, but we aren’t. Thoughtful contributions like we have received give us the chance to provide more services to more students,” said Ropar.

McCarthy agreed that the best way to help JCU students is to offer as much help as possible.

McCarthy said,  “There are many things we want to put into action. We are very thankful for the foundation’s help.”

Jim McDonough, a 1955 JCU alumnus, and his wife, Jacque, gifted $1 million to the University last month. The donation will be used for the President’s Opportunity Fund, which allots money to be spent on academic programs, campus renovations and other projects chosen at University President Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J.’s discretion.

Vice President for University Advancement, Doreen Riley, said that the administration has many suggestions for infrastructure improvements on campus, all of which require more funding than the donation provides.

The administration gave no specific project for which the money would be used, but have

some ideas.

“The Bohannon Science Center is sitting empty. We’d like to do something with that,” said Riley.

Earlier this month, JCU also received a commitment from an anonymous donor for a $4.45 million bequest to the University. The gift is to be used as scholarship money and will become part of the University’s endowment.

Riley said the donor hopes that her generosity will inspire others to make a gift to JCU.

“We have a culture of success here at Carroll. Our alumni understand that better than anyone. The fact that they are willing to dig in and help support us financially at this time is a product of their own experience at John Carroll,” said Niehoff in an e-mail. “Our alumni are living the Carroll Vision: learning, leadership and service. I am grateful for the generosity of our alumni, and I am encouraged to know that they wish to make a Jesuit education possible for others.”

Alumni donations at JCU are up 29 percent this year over the same period last year, according Riley.

“In this economy, that is excellent,” said Riley. “ It demonstrates how alumni care about their alma mater.”

Beginning June 1, 2009, there have been 4,037 alumni donations to date. This is up from 3,148 donations over the same time period last year. The average gift made to the University is $827.

“With the investments in the Advancement division over the last few years, they have been reaching out and reminding our alumni of our mission,” Niehoff said. “The main message is that Jesuit education is transformative and our students need their help–especially during these economic times–and this effort has helped support things like the Carroll Fund.”

Improvements in the Student Calling Center have been influential, as well. Implementation of new technology and the use of students as callers have been important to the increase in alumni giving, according to Riley.

“With the technology, we are able to double the amount of calls made per year,” said Hallie Gallagher, assistant director of annual giving.

Technology in the Student Calling Center also allow the automatic processing of credit cards and a system that automatically sends follow-up e-mails to anyone who answers the calls from the student callers.

However, the one thing this Gossip Girl has that nearly every girl seems to want is her gorgeous, golden hair. 

Comparably popular to “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston’s hairstyle, known as “the Rachel,” and the late Farrah Fawcett’s impeccable do, Blake’s luscious locks are desired by women of all ages.  

Not to mention, it can be achieved easily. 

“It’s not so much the haircut, it’s the way they style her hair that makes everybody want it,” said Tracey Valko, co-owner of Andrew John Salon in Pittsburgh, of Blake’s long, layered cut.   

Though the style is becoming wildly more popular, it still has a way to go to reach the status of its previous competitors, because it’s not something we haven’t seen before.  

Farrah Fawcett’s masterpiece style was light and feathery, something that hadn’t been done in the past.   

“The Rachel” was a new twist on straight hair, with a heavy top and piecey layers all over.  

As popular as Blake’s style is, her long golden tresses are more a new take on the blonde bombshell, high society Hollywood glamour look. 

It’s simply timeless. Valko said, “It kind of reminds me more of Farrah Fawcett because it was blonde and sexy, where the Rachel was more of the girl-next-door type. 

“It’s interesting because hair has been straight for so long, and now they’re going for a more wavy, sexy, Victoria’s Secret look,” she said. 

According to Valko, she’s had a countless number of requests for the ‘do’ in her own salon, and that it has been the most requested cut in Manhattan for the last six months. 

According to Valko, it’s also not just the cut and style, but the color that everyone seems to want.  

Aside from her luminous golden color, she also keeps brighter highlights soft and fine. 

Although the expensive-looking Gossip Girl style seems difficult to get, it’s actually quite easy to create, even without a professional stylist.  

Although the style looks great with any hair color, a long, layered cut is key. 

Valko said the style can easily be attained with either hot rollers or a large barrel curling iron, both of which can be found at a nearby drugstore.  

For those of you with naturally wavy hair, let your hair air dry in a bun at the base of your neck, then unravel the bun.

Once it dries, and touch it up with a curling iron to create well-defined curls throughout the bottom half of locks.  

As for the rest of us, just use a heat protecting serum (Frizz-Ease Thermal Protection Hair Serum by John Frieda, $14.99) and blow your hair dry instead of air drying for volume.  

If you need more thickness, extensions will do the trick.

Any large barrel iron will work, just as long as it gets and stays hot enough, as the same goes for any medium-to-large sized rollers.   

After you’ve finished styling you may want to add a touch of finishing spray to get Blake’s glossy, smooth look.   

“It’s not just the hairstyle, it’s having Blake’s Upper East Side lifestyle that women want,” said Valko.  

Now all you’ll need is a few pairs of killer designer heels and a glamorous New York City life.

The Carroll News commends Niehoff for the proactive approach he has taken with the alumni. Because of his efforts, alumni donations are up 29 percent from the fiscal year to date. In the past three years, JCU’s alumni donations have increased from 3,086 in 2008 to 3,148 in 2009 and 4,037 in 2010.  

The University will receive the McDonough donation in installments over a short period of time, which the administration could not specify.  

According to Doreen Riley, vice president of university advancement, there are several options for putting the money to work. However, all areas need some sort of additional funding. One suggestion, not official, is to use the money towards the abandoned Bohannon Science Center, which has been used sparingly since the construction of the Dolan Science Center’s opening in 2003. The administration did not give any specific details on what they would do with the Bohannon Science Center.

According to the administration, all the projects that are being looked into will require more than the $1 million. We, at The Carroll News, think the administration should open a dialogue with the students to see where they feel the money will be best spent. This would allow the administration to see how relevant their improvements are to the needs of the John Carroll community. 

The Carroll News feels that there needs to be more transparency and conversation between the student body and the administration in this allocation process. 

The other lump of money is coming from the bequest, which means the University will receive the money after the passing of the donor, and will be earmarked for student aid. It is the largest anonymous donation in the University’s 124-year history. 

When the University receives the money, a percentage of it, known as the “spending rate” will be allocated to student scholarships each year while the rest will be invested with the Endowment funds. These funds will help future students for many years, but will not necessarily benefit the current student body.

But this column, much like NBC, is not dedicated to O’Brien, because there was a bigger television event last Friday night.

“Hope for Haiti Now,” a two-hour telethon, was designed to bring together the largest stars to motivate donations. More than 16 million viewers tuned in to watch as George Clooney hosted an evening of big talent and even bigger donations.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the program aired on at least 11 networks. For the brief two hours, there were no politics, no stations bidding for the highest rating, and no one complaining about his or her $37 million signing bonus.

Some may argue that the reason there were so many viewers was because nothing else was on television to compete, but that doesn’t explain the inordinate amount of money raised that night.

“Hope for Haiti Now” raked in over $57 million and counting. I think it is incredible.

In 18 countries, the “Hope for Haiti Now” album is number one on the iTunes charts and the money collected from the sales is being added to the total from the telethon.

After a natural disaster, I expect Oprah to have a special and the President to make a speech, but I really like it when everyone gets involved. 

It is amazing to me that, in this time of economic crisis, we’re finding ways to donate millions to a country with whom we have little in common. It wouldn’t surprise me if John Carroll students were among those donating on Friday. 

If they weren’t watching the telethon, Jake’s Speakeasy was also collecting donations for Haiti relief efforts that night. Dan Krajcik organized a benefit dance to raise money for the cause. 

Apparently around $1500 was collected at the dance that night. I have been incredibly impressed by the generosity exhibited during the past two weeks. One of my friends told me he gave his most recent paycheck in its entirety to a Haiti relief effort.

Another friend told me about Jen Ziemke, an assistant political science professor at JCU, who is donating her time to help with crisis mapping. The Web site could be used to help volunteers locate Haitians and bring them the supplies they need. 

JCU alumnus, Michael Henry, is giving even more than donations. He is the International Projects Manager for Cross International and his current job description involves working directly with the Haitian people. 

When in today’s society it seems as though everything is a competition and there is always something remedial to complain about, it is comforting to know that at least, when we need to, we can come together.

According to The New York Times, Allergan, the company that has created Latisse, originally used the formula for glaucoma eye drops.  

Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve and impairs vision.  

As a side effect, Latisse tended to make the patient’s eyelashes longer and fuller due to the active ingredient bimatoprost. 

Research suggests that bimatoprost increases the percent of hairs in the growth phase.

 “I think a lot of my friends would use this because they wear fake lashes so often,” said senior Anna McGuire.

Allergan decided to market these drops as an eyelash lengthener, because of people’s desire for improved lashes.

Although the product is expensive ($120 for a monthly dose), analysts claim that there is a huge market for a product of its kind. Five billion dollars a year is spent on mascara worldwide.    

The Latisse Web site claims that you will see results in just four weeks and full results will occur in 12-16 weeks; but, like any routine, Latisse must be applied consistently for great results.   

“This treatment seems so appealing because many believe long and full lashes are pretty,” said senior Alyssa Spall. 

To ensure results, one drop of solution must be applied to the applicator, which should then be brushed along the inner part of the lash line to the outer part.  

Only the sterile applicators provided should be used for application and Latisse should not be applied to the lower eyelid. 

According to Dr. Jeffrey Poole,  his patients find Latisse advantageous. “My patients have been thrilled with Latisse, being both very effective and rapid in onset. I have had virtually no complaints from patients to date, beyond some occasional eyelid irritation,” he said. 

In a clinical study done by Allergan, 78 percent of participants experienced a significant increase in overall eyelash prominence in 16 weeks. In that study, eyelashes typically grew 25 percent longer, 106 percent thicker and 18 percent darker. 

“People would say to me ‘Are you wearing false eyelashes?’ Even my own mother asked,” said Cindy Ross, vice president for sales at Young Pharmaceuticals in Wethersfield, Conn., who participated in the Latisse clinical trial. 

However, the product takes time to work effectively, so the site recommends that its users have patience and don’t overuse the solution which may cause eye redness or itchiness.  Four percent of patients experienced this side effect in the initial trials.  

Latisse solution can also cause less common side effects, including skin darkening, increased brown iris pigmentation, eye irritation, dry eyes or redness of the eyelid.   

“The incidence of side effects, such as pigmentation of the eye or surrounding skin is exceptionally rare,” said Dr. Christine Brown.  “The most common side effect is redness, which is a transient problem. Latisse works well, especially under the supervision of a dermatologist.” 

It is also important to note that when this medication is stopped, the eyelashes will return back to the way they looked before using the product.  

Therefore, maintaining the Latisse treatment could get very pricey. 

“Having long lashes is great and I am always trying to find new mascaras to make my eye lashes look their absolute best,” said junior Gizelle Tohme. “A lengthener sounds superb, but I would not spend $120 on it.” 

However, there are products similar to Latisse that are within a college student’s budget.  

Some of the over-the-counter lash boosting serums are: RapidLash Eyelash and Eyebrow Renewal Serum ($44.00),  L’Oreal Renewal Lash Serum ($21.74), or Ardell Lash Growth Accelerator ($3.99).  

None of these serums require a prescription and can be found at local drugstores.

As with all products, everyone reacts differently to certain ingredients that may be used.  

If using any of the products discussed causes a change in vision or any type of negative eye reaction, one should immediately discontinue the use of the product and seek their doctor’s advice right away.

While many in support of this decision view it as a rightful extension of freedom of speech that had been denied for decades, others in dissent worry that with this newfound power, the role of corporations will disenfranchise the individual voter.  

Kevin Snape, a political science professor at John Carroll University, said, “The implication of equating speech to money, under this ruling is then if you do not have money then you seemingly do not have speech.”  

In addition to this he said, “It potentially and dramatically changes the balance of power between the individual and corporation, and now we need to find a new balance point for fundraising.”

According to The New York Times, President Barack Obama expressed his dismay over the decision, stating that this ruling is “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”

Countering these criticisms, the majority opinion of the Supreme Court ardently maintains that the prior statutes restricting corporation and union contributions unconstitutional.  

Many, like Roberts, argue that during an election, the ability to speak matters most. Therefore, hindrances to doing so, especially in this case, are a violation of the freedom of speech protected by the Constitution.

The Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision provides corporations and labor unions with the constitutional right of freedom of speech. 

In reaching this conclusion after first hearing arguments and then inviting both parties back for an uncharacteristic second hearing, the court overturned two legal precedents designed to regulate the role of business in elections.  

This judgment becomes even more significant when applying it to the seemingly narrow scope of the case brought before the Supreme Court involving an anti-Hillary Clinton documentary called “Hillary: The Movie.”

The Federal Elections Commission had limited the ability of Citizens United, the group producing the film, from advertising their documentary during the 2008 Presidential Primary season; thus, sparking the legal battle.  

While some speculated the ruling would be in relation to the bipartisan McCain-Feingold law that prohibits soft money contributions to national parties to use towards advertising in favor of, or opposing specific candidates, the result had larger ramifications.  

The ruling, while addressing the specific issue at hand, went further to apply that in all instances, corporations should be guaranteed freedom of speech. 

The Court ruled that since money is an extension of speech, corporations have a right to use their profits to support their interests. In response to this arguably broad ruling, Snape said, “This is one of the biggest examples of judicial activism since Roe v. Wade.”

The Supreme Court was left fervently divided over the outcome, with the “conservative wing,” composed of Justices John Roberts,  Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy, writing the majority opinion, while  the “liberal wing,” composed of  Justices John Paul Stevens, Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, wrote the dissenting opinion.

Stevens, perhaps the most adamantly opposed to the ruling, expressed his disagreement in a 90-page dissent.  This decision also highlights the impact of Justice Kennedy as a “sway” vote in issues as controversial as this.

Although many leading Democrats, including President Obama, are opposed to the unfettered freedom corporations are now able to exploit in the political arena, Congress will be left with little current legislation to work with in terms of developing campaign finance reform.

We call them catastrophes, but really they’re sports catastrophes. There are certainly people that would argue that there are few things that happen in sports that are truly catastrophes, and they’re probably right. Others may be offended that I put the words sports and catastrophes next to each other because they feel those two words have no relation to each other. To those people, I present the city of New Orleans.

Obviously, their one-word catastrophe, Katrina, far outweighs any athletic setback. Some 1,800 people lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands of people had their lives altered in August of 2005. What their football team is doing certainly doesn’t make everything return to normal, but it can’t hurt.

In Cleveland, we had an owner that moved the team because our stadium was in such bad shape. I wonder what he would have thought of the Louisiana Superdome after the roof was torn off by the forceful winds. 

Luckily for the people of New Orleans, Saints owner Tom Benson was patient and the team stayed. In their first season returning to the newly-renovated Superdome post-Katrina, they made it all the way to the 2007 NFC Championship Game.

This time, the Saints won the NFC Championship Game, and they’ll get their chance to take on the Colts in the Super Bowl. The city has something to celebrate. 

There were undoubtedly fans rooting for the Minnesota Vikings to knock off the Saints last Sunday, catapulting the legendary Brett Favre into another Super Bowl. People thought it would be such an incredible story to see the 40-year-old Favre come out of semi-retirement to lead his team to the title game against Peyton Manning, arguably the NFL’s biggest star – and it would have been.

But how about a team that had nowhere to play just a few seasons ago coming all the way back to win the sport’s most coveted prize. That’s not too shabby of a storyline either. Of course, it’s not going to be easy to knock off mighty Manning and the Colts, the designated favorite by the bookmakers in Las Vegas. 

New Orleans, however, is used to defeating the odds.

Sony Pictures officially announced on Jan. 11, that the studio was pulling out of its plans to make “Spider-Man 4,” along with firing most of the original cast and crew from the previous films.

According to Sony, audiences will see Spider-Man as he is in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics: deep in high school angst. 

The main reasons behind the film’s cancellation were director Sam Raimi’s dislike of the idea for the screenplay and his inability to come up with a decent story by the film’s release deadline of May 2011. 

According to Deadline Hollywood, Raimi was “very vocal inside Sony that he hated [the screenplay].” Raimi then told Sony he couldn’t meet their date of release. “I can’t go forward creatively,” he said.

Once he gave the word, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios decided to start the whole franchise over instead of trying to hire a new director.  The new film, to be released  

in the summer of 2012, is set to be written by Jamie Vanderbilt (screenwriter of David Fincher’s “Zodiac”) and expected to have an entirely new group of actors. 

“I am kind of disappointed because I don’t think anyone can play Spider-Man other than Tobey Maguire, who has been doing it for three movies,” said sophomore Jack Kirwin.  “But if the reboot is as good as the past movies, I wouldn’t care too much.” 

According to the official Sony press release, when the next Spider-Man hits theaters, Peter Parker is going back to high school.

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced they are “moving forward with a plot that focuses on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises.” 

“I was anticipating the fourth film by Raimi, but I’m hoping the new film will reboot the franchise for the better,” said Kirwin. 

Spider-Man would not be the first superhero to get such a drastic cinematic makeover.  

The Batman franchise endured a similar reboot with Christopher Nolan’s 2005 “Batman Begins.” 

The highly successful sequel, “The Dark Knight” would not have existed if Warner Bros. had gone on with the series after 1997’s disastrous “Batman and Robin.”

After the horrific box office failure of “Batman and Robin,” the continuation of director Joel Schumacher’s vision was promptly cancelled.

The new film was created to make way for a reboot which would go back to the first years of the dark knight. 

As of now, there is no official statement for the development of  Spider-Man’s new cast. 

Rumors are running rampant for casting options, which definitely include popular teenage actors like Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz, Ed Westwick, Zac Efron, Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Pattinson, Michael Cera and Anton Yelchin. 

“What I like about the Spider-Man franchise is how it did not  have big names cheapening it,” said freshman Matthew Smith. 

“It was not about seeing the movie because it stars Johnny Depp or Zac Efron. Now they are just name-dropping,” he said. 

This will be one of the first times a complete overhaul has been enacted for a financially successful series. 

The previous three films were international blockbusters, whose combined worldwide gross was   nearly $2.5 billion, according to movie web site, Box Office Mojo. 

Even the third film, which was universally panned by critics and audiences, still managed to rake in nearly $900 million worldwide, making it the 15th highest-grossing film of all time. 

Still, casting of this saga’s reboot remains a prominent concern for fans of Spider-Man, with many worried about who will play the lead role.

“With the wrong choice [in casting the new film], the saga could lose the entire fan base, the people who would actually watch all of these films,” said Smith. 

“The success or failure of the this popular series reboot will fringe on the male lead who they pick to play Spider-Man,” he said.

Sophomore guard Corey Shontz

As the snow accumulated in University Heights, it seemed to slow down more than just the traffic on Cedar Road. The Blue Streaks lost four out of five games between Dec. 9 and Jan. 2, two of them coming in the OAC.  

“We weren’t playing close to the same level as we were last year,” said senior point guard Chris Zajac. “It was a big wakeup call that we still had a lot of work to do if we want to get where we want to be this year.”  

One of the disadvantages to having the same team back from the previous season is that many of the conference teams are more familiar with the makeup of the Blue Streaks.  

“Everyone is used to playing against us this year because it was the same team as last year,” said senior guard Brian Dandrea. “It makes the way we prepare for our games now that much more critical.”

JCU has recently showed signs of righting their ship. After suffering their third conference loss to Heidelberg at home on Jan. 13, the Blue Streaks went on the road the following Saturday to Ohio Northern, a team expected to contend with the Blue Streaks for the OAC championship, and handed the Polar Bears a 92-59 defeat.  

Sophomore point guard Corey Shontz led the way with team highs of 20 points and six assists. Sophomore center Matt Crozier backed up his classmate with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Zajac, and fellow senior Tyler Kirsch also reached double digits, scoring 11 points each. JCU nailed 10 of 20 from beyond the arc while keeping the Polar Bears at a frigid three of 19.  

“That was a big win for us,” Shontz  said after the game. “Hopefully we can use the momentum built today to get us back where we need to be.”  

The Blue Streaks traveled to Marietta College this past Saturday as they opened up the second half of their conference schedule.  Marietta was coming fresh off of a 17-point victory against conference leader Wilmington.  

Marietta carried that momentum into the game as JCU dug themselves an early hole and trailed by eight at the half. 

However, JCU would limit its mistakes in the second half. They turned the ball over just four times in the final 20 minutes and held Marietta guard Trevor Halter to just six points after he netted 16 in the first half. Senior forward Rudy Kirbus hit three of four from beyond the arc for a team-high 11 points. Shontz was the only other Blue Streak in double figures with 10.

“Big win on the road,” said Kirbus afterwards. “We’ve struggled a little bit this year with overcoming deficits. It was huge boost for us mentally to be able to get a win today when things weren’t really going our way.”  

More important than that individual win was the fact that it keeps JCU in a tight race for the regular season conference crown. John Carroll, along with Ohio Northern and Heidelberg, all have conference records of 7-3. Wilmington’s loss dropped them to 8-2.  

John Carroll will get a chance to avenge its early season, triple overtime loss at Wilmington on Feb. 6 when the Quakers come to the DeCarlo Varsity Center.  

“We can’t even look at that right now, as much as we might want to,” said Kirsch. “Every game is a must win.  We have to use each game to reestablish our team identity.” 

They can start doing that this Saturday when they travel to New Concord, Ohio to take on the Muskies from Muskingum College, who they defeated on Dec. 5.

I’m really getting freaked out by the fact that suddenly I’m relating better with my 39-year-old sister than my 15-year-old nephew. We both hit up great deals at New York & Company and spent the holidays comparing prices of pencil skirts. 

On my way home the other day I drove past a friend’s home and actually said aloud, “They really need to paint that house.” I knew at that moment that I was in fact becoming more mature. Weird. 

Lately, I have been trying to reverse this process with little actions like wearing Batman belts to formal parties and balancing on curbs whenever I walk somewhere. But then I had an epiphany. 

Getting old is going to be sweet. Sure the adult thing may not be that exciting, but becoming a senior citizen sure will be. Think about it. You have the whole respect your elders thing going for you, so you can get away with whatever you want. There is a poem by Jenny Joseph called “When I Am An Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple” that speaks of the brilliance I am talking about. Let’s take a gander, shall we? 

“I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells.” How awesome would it be seeing an old woman laughing slyly in the corner as thousands evacuate the theater during a particularly awful movie.

 “And run my stick along the public railings
/And make up for the sobriety of my youth.” I can definitely see myself dragging my cane, which I purchased specifically for this purpose, across every fence I see. Wrought iron, wood, whatever it’s getting clanked. Plus, “making up for the sobriety of my youth” holds a lot of entertaining possibilities considering it will be free of worry about the potential photos that will end up on Facebook the next day. 

“I shall go out in my slippers in the rain/
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens/
And learn to spit.” Classic and classy, I’m totally for it. 

These lines give me hope for my senior citizenship. They inspired me to make a few old lady vows of my own. Here’s what I have so far: I shall eat stewed tomatoes daily, but throw prunes at whoever tries to give them to me. I shall stare at people on public transportation until they volunteer their seat or conversation. I shall remove my teeth at inappropriate times. I shall exaggerate the stories of my youth and take full advantage of senior discounts everywhere I go. 

I have also compiled a list of the many perks of being old. These are just the obvious ones: discounts at the movies, practically free Bob Evans cuisine, bridge games (which are really just a cover for drinking and talking about dirty things with my friends), young boys carrying my groceries to my car, retirement, also known as the entire day to watch soaps and trash TV, grandkids, and immunity from criticism. 

There are the less obvious perks as well, electric scooters, free snow and lawn care, that really cool old person smell, a sudden inherent obsession with game-show hosts, and an excuse to buy moth balls. What could be better? I know I’m pumped. 

So here’s to getting older, to the wrinkles, the old lady perms, the Depends and the false teeth. Here’s to growing old but not up and to the days when we can “make up for the sobriety of our youth.

JCU has begun to collect money and other donations for Haiti which will be sent to the Jesuit Refugee Service. The Jesuit Refugee Service aids those who are forcibly displaced and refugees from events such as natural disasters.  

The Carroll News commends JCU for its efforts and commitment to the Jesuit mission. The school is accepting donations at various locations around campus including Campus Ministry, Center for Service and Social Action, and the atrium, to name a few. This past Saturday there was a dance at Jake’s Speakeasy to raise money for the victims.  Despite the underwhelming amount of publicity for the event, there was a large turnout. 

However, the University can do better. We feel they need to engage the student body in a more proactive way. The lack of presence in key student areas such as the atrium has been a disappointment and there needs to be more interaction with the school. 

We recommend that students or FSA volunteers walk around the cafeteria during meal hours and ask students for small donations. Students in the Boler School of Business could also use their marketing skills to form a plan to raise money or hold student and community-wide events to collect donations. There are other methods of raising money which have been seen at local universities. 

For example, Cleveland State University has taken a more personal angle by approaching its student body in all high-traffic areas. CSU maybe be bigger, but we feel that JCU still has the ability to do better. We feel that with all of our available resources, the University can do more to make a difference.

I don’t know exactly what happened to the world since the end of last semester, but it seems everyone lost their moral compass and decided it would be cool to walk around with their pants around their ankles. From television, to professional sports, to those who don’t have belts, nobody was safe from being caught with their pants down, and, thanks to Gen. Larry Platt’s memorable appearance on “American Idol,” we were all made aware of this epidemic.

NBC decided that contracts are as much of a joke as their ratings, and are ousting Conan O’Brien from “The Tonight Show” and giving it back to Jay Leno. This is largely due to the fact that Leno’s 10 p.m. show ratings were about as impressive as the number of people who turn in the answers to The CN’s sudoku (which on any given week can be less than one).

Larry Platt would not approve.

Some people I know say I’m a hypocrite because I’m against NBC’s decision to switch back to Leno. They ask me, “Doesn’t a story about one guy holding a timeslot for a significant period of time and then handing it over for roughly seven months before taking it back from his successor sound familiar to you?”

I don’t know if my friends are implying that the columnist who held this real estate for the last 13 issues, Max Flessner, is the Conan to my Leno, but I do know that if any of you try to call me “The Chin” I’ll punch you in the jeans.

While “The Tonight Show” fiasco isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of things, an NBA player keeping guns in his team’s locker room is Ron Burgundy status – it’s kind of a big deal.

It pains me to see Washington Wizards’ star Gilbert Arenas, the man who infamously described one of his buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointers by saying “My swag was phenomenal,” do something this dumb.

If you’re unfamiliar with his situation, Arenas brought a few unloaded guns into his team’s locker room and, in an argument with one of his teammates over a gambling debt, suggested that he would use one of his guns to resolve it.

After an equally-violent retort from his teammate, Arenas left several guns in front of his teammate’s locker with a note that said “pick one.”

Again, Larry Platt would not approve.

Usually I support not taking things seriously, goofing off at inappropriate times, and showing a lack of appreciation for authority, but when Arenas pointed his fingers at teammates as mock guns during the pregame warm-ups in Philadelphia, even I couldn’t justify trying to defend him anymore. He has since been suspended for that incident.

I’ve gone through a similar situation here in the newsroom when arguing over the editing of a certain piece (that may or may not have had my name and picture attached to it) with Editor in Chief Katie Sheridan. We were debating over the use of several choice words and when it came time for her to check over the page I took four red pens and left them on her desk then wrote “pick one” on a Post-It note.

Larry Platt might approve.

Luckily for me, there aren’t any laws against bringing writing instruments into the newsroom, otherwise I’d probably have been suspended and replaced by Leno or Flessner.

 “I spent nearly $500 on my textbooks this semester at the bookstore. It’s the biggest rip-off in college,” said sophomore Odell Brown. “We already pay a lot of money to go here and it’s unfair that we have to spend enormous amounts of money on books that we only use for four months.” 

Other JCU students are choosing not to buy their books from the bookstore, instead purchasing them second-hand through popular Web sites such as Amazon.com. 

Another option some students are using is renting textbooks rather than purchasing them, which can be done through Web sites like Chegg.com. 

Many textbooks on Chegg cost less than half of what the JCU Bookstore is charging students, and once students no longer need the textbooks they just send them back without shipping costs.

Sophomore Emily Cassidy rented her books from Chegg and also bought some from Amazon.  

“My books through the bookstore would have cost over $600. Through these Web sites I got all of my books for less than $200 and they were all in really good condition,” she said.

Freshman Laura Kisthardt used Chegg, too. 

“I didn’t buy any of my books at the bookstore. I always try to get the cheapest possible book, and my book from Chegg would have been $60 used or $80 new if I had gotten it from the Bookstore,” said Kisthardt. 

Many students are frustrated because some classes require frequently updated editions of textbooks with access codes for online programs that accompany the textbook, and as a result students cannot purchase used or earlier editions of those textbooks. 

Joseph Miller, a professor in the communications department at JCU, said that textbook pricing is complicated and that pricing policies differ between departments. 

“One book we use for CO 100 is used in all sections, but that text is printed specifically for JCU because it has a part we alone include and use. It is also shrink-wrapped to keep costs as low as possible for students,” said Miller.

He added that certain textbooks require frequent updating. 

“Not only do shipping costs add to the overall pricing of textbooks, but getting reproduction rights to produce pictures in certain textbooks raises prices as well. There are many issues involved in text selection and pricing,” he said.

The JCU Bookstore is a leased enterprise that is privately owned and operated by the Follett Company. Follett specializes in bookstores for private universities.

Follett announced this week that it is going to start a pilot program to rent certain textbooks at Loyola University Chicago; however, it is uncertain whether JCU will decide to start renting textbooks in the future. Bookstore Manager Jim Traverse was unavailable to comment. 

John Carroll’s Bookstore’s Web site currently has eBooks that are available for students to download as either PDF files or audio files, but some students think that these prices are still quite expensive and would rather just purchase the textbook or borrow it from the library. 

Sophomore Megan Muhar said, “I would rather just buy the textbooks from the Bookstore than download them. Although they’re quite expensive, you can find some used textbooks that are quite cheap through kids who have taken the class and are trying to sell them back. That’s usually how I try and get some of my books.”

Although the textbooks at the JCU Bookstore are expensive, in some cases, students have to acknowledge company costs surrounding publishing and re-selling rights, as well as shipping costs from the Follett Company to the Bookstore. In many ways, the issue of college textbook prices is complicated.  

Nevertheless, more and more students are finding ways to save themselves money and still get the textbooks that they need for their classes. 

With Web sites like Chegg and Amazon growing in popularity by the day, as well as the availability of used textbooks at the JCU Bookstore, the stress of buying expensive textbooks may soon be a thing of the past.

Its report listed declines in freedom for 40 countries, representing the longest continuous period of decline for global freedom in the nearly 40-year history of the report, while also noting that the number of electoral democracies had decreased by three to its lowest level since 1995.

Meanwhile, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has been reminded that democracy is much more than just giving people the right to vote. Not only have the Iraqi and Afghan governments failed to deliver basic services such as education and health care, they’re also struggling to establish law and order. The resulting chaos and corruption has many citizens in both countries complaining that life is no better now than it was under the authoritarian governments of Saddam Hussein or the Taliban.

During the presidency of George W. Bush, the promotion of democratic principles seemed to be at the core of U.S. foreign policy. However, after the global backlash that followed the United States’ attempts to impose democracy on Iraq and Afghaninstan, democracy promotion seems to have taken a back seat on the agenda.

But it was the method, not the goal, that caused the backlash, and there are other ways of promoting democracy. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Republican candidate John McCain proposed the formation of a League of Democracies. Instead of trying to spread democracy to other countries, the primary focus of this group would be to strengthen young or unstable democracies, particularly those in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.

Consisting of the strongest economies in the world, the League could pool together its resources to strengthen the political institutions of budding democracies and allow them to take part in a robust free trade partnership.

While it would primarily have an economic function, it could also offer a new role for an increasingly redundant NATO, which could be expanded to include democracies all across the globe, including Australia, Japan and South Korea. It could also help to fight terrorism in democratic countries like Indonesia, India and Lebanon.

By focusing on countries that are already democratic but may lack a stable economy or political system, a League of Democracies could quickly establish a strong democratic presence in all corners of the world, including countries like Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Turkey, Israel and a number of former communist countries in Eastern Europe

During the Cold War, democracy and capitalism didn’t defeat communism militarily – it outperformed it economically. By once again utilizing the resources and economic strength of democratic, capitalist societies, the United States can lead the way in reversing the democratic decline and promoting political rights and civil liberties.

Bernet Hall, according to the Office of Residence Life, is the most sought-after residence hall on campus. This is because it has a bathroom and living area in each apartment-style suite. It can house 100 students in two, four and six-person suites. 

However, residents Andrew Ware and Mike Seitz suggest one need for the hall. 

“More washers and dryers,” Seitz said. “We’ve got three of each, one of which works at a time usually.” 

Even though they like the apartment-style living, they also advise checking out each living area.

“Definitely take a look at the rooms before you choose because you’ve got some rooms that are really small and some that are a lot larger,” Ware said. 

Another option for upperclassmen is Dolan Hall. This co-ed dorm contains primarily super-singles rooms, which are former doubles rooms with more space and an extra wardrobe. 

“It’s close to everything,” said resident Lauren Beatty. “[Although] if you have a roommate, it’s really small. But you can [arrange] your room so it doesn’t seem too small.” 

The thing Beatty liked most in Dolan was the people on her floor. 

“The people that I live with and the people that live here are my really good friends,” she said. 

Millor Hall is similar to freshman dorm Sutowski Hall and can house almost 250 students. It is close to many important campus buildings, which is a plus for resident Kristen O’Brien.

“It is nice to be able to leave my dorm a couple minutes later than my friends in Hamlin [or] Campion have to,” she said. “I can get anywhere on campus quickly.” 

O’Brien suggests living on a floor with friends and not rooming near the noisy common areas.

Sophomore Kim Bennett, a resident of Hamlin Hall, likes having a big room, but feels dorm life can sometimes be noisy. 

“It varies,” she said. “Most of the time it’s pretty quiet.” 

One option students have is specialty housing, which includes substance-free floors, special floors for students in the honors program, ROTC, the entrepreneur program, and seven Greek organizations. 

Honors floor resident Rebecca Bartlett found both pros and cons to living in Campion. 

“It’s quiet and the rooms are bigger,” the freshman said. “[But] it’s across the street, so it’s more walking and I have to carry more stuff with me.”

 The John Carroll University wrestling team had a busy Winter Break, first traveling to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to compete in the 2009 Citrus Open, hosted by Cardinal Gibbons High School. 

The Blue Streaks, paced by senior Ben Adams, finished fourth out of the twelve competing teams. Adams won the 184-pound bracket in convincing fashion, beating Josh Wake of Oneonta 8-4. 

Freshman David Malkus, sophomore Sean Gill and senior Travis Hammer all placed fourth in their respective weight classes. 

Also placing were freshman Connor Suba and junior Jim Nemunaitis, who each walked away with a fifth-place finish.

The Rev. Robert Niehoff, S.J., who had been in Florida for the holiday, attended part of the tournament, a gesture that did not go unnoticed to Blue Streak wrestlers.

“Everybody really appreciated that. He even led us in a team prayer,” said Hammer. “It was all pretty cool.”

After taking a two-week break from competition, JCU opened the 2010 calendar year with the Budd Whitehill Duals in Williamsport, Pa.

Despite numerous injuries, the Blue Streaks were able to finish 2-2, winning dual matches against Hunter and Muskingum, and losing to Lycoming and Ohio Northern. 

Malkus and Adams finished the tournament undefeated at 4-0, with Nemunaitis and senior Alec Barker tallying three wins each. Senior Matt Narducci, who was limited due to injury, won both of his matches. 

Narducci was one of the Blue Streaks that was hampered by injury, but Hammer didn’t seem terribly worried about the injury bug affecting the team.

“We’ve had to change the lineup around a bit, but I don’t think we’re in any trouble as far as OACs are concerned,” he said.

Following the Budd Whitehill Duals, JCU returned to conference competition for the first time since Dec. 8, when they traveled to Wilmington College on Jan. 19.

JCU edged out the Quakers, 30-12, and picked up their first conference win of the season.

Coach Kerry Volkmann’s squad picked up victories from Malkus, Suba, Gill, Hammer, Adams, Nemunatis and sophomore Vinny Pizzuli.

Up next for the Blue Streaks is the Wheaton College Invitational in Naperville, Ill. The tournament begins tomorrow and will conclude on Saturday.

Swimming & Diving

 Before returning to the pool to take on Oberlin College on Friday evening, the last time the John Carroll University swimming and diving program competed was the weekend of Dec. 4, when they hosted the Carroll Classic.

After spending time training in Florida over the holiday, both the men’s and women’s teams returned to action and suffered defeats to the Oberlin program. However, both teams rebounded on Saturday afternoon with victories over Hiram College.

In the men’s victory over the Terriers, the outcome would not be determined until the very final race. The Blue Streaks entered the final event, the 400-meter Free Relay, trailing by two points.

Luckily, a pair of JCU quartets touched the wall before the foursome from Hiram was able to do so, propelling the Blue Streaks to victory.

The first foursome, consisting of sophomore Jimmy Ranallo, freshman Drew Edson, senior David Perchinske and freshman Tony Russo clocked in at 3:55.70.

The second unit, freshman David Telling, sophomore Andy Petraska, freshman Ryan Kasunic and senior Ryan Tipping finished in 4:06.81, still one second faster than Hiram’s “A” squad.

It wouldn’t be so close on the women’s squad as JCU came out on top, 161-121.

Freshman Rachel Mizner led the charge, picking up three individual victories in addition to anchoring the victorious 400-meter Medley Relay team.

She was victorious in the 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter Free events.

Freshman Julia Adams, who led off for the victorious 400-meter Medley Relay team, also picked up individual victories in the 100-meter and 200-meter Backstroke events.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be in action this Saturday when they host crosstown rival Baldwin-Wallace College in the Johnson Natatorium. The action will get underway at 1 p.m.

Hockey

 Tough times continue for the John Carroll University club hockey team as they have dropped five straight games.

 The team will look to rebound against IUP and Pittsburgh this weekend. Both games are away, with the next home game not for another two weeks, against Washington & Jefferson on Feb. 13.

That same day John Carroll University alumnus Michael Henry arrived in Haiti to begin HIV and AIDS work with the faith-based organization Cross International. As Projects Officer, Henry was focused on providing support to the Haitians, but his work was quickly redefined.

The organization’s priority then became rescuing people trapped in rubble, getting food and water to communities, and providing medical care to the injured.

According to Henry, the most realistic way for people to help the Haitians is through financial support and raising awareness.

“The media has done a phenomenal job [in bringing attention to the situation], but how long will the fundraising last?” said Henry.

Currently, the JCU community is in the midst of raising funds to help the cause.

Watching the news coverage of the earthquake prompted sophomore Dan Krajcik to organize a dance to raise money.

“I thought [the dance] was a good idea to raise money and would be easy to plan,” said Krajcik.

The dance took place at Jake’s Speakeasy on Saturday, Jan. 23. There was a required $5 donation to attend the event, but Krajcik said many donated more. The event generated more than $1500.

“I’m happy a lot of people came. People said they had a good time and it raised a lot of money,” said Krajcik.

Krajcik plans to donate the proceeds to UNICEF, which helps children misplaced by the earthquake.

Campus Ministry is also collecting check and cash donations, which it will give to Jesuit Relief Services. Donations can be made at various locations around campus, including the Campus Ministry Office, Center for Service and Social Action, the reception desk in Rodman Hall, the Dolan Science Center atrium and in front of the bookstore.

Students also have the opportunity to donate to the Haitian Relief fund during a special all-student mass at Gesu Church on Jan. 31 at 8 p.m., in which there will be a special collection for Haiti.

Another way students can help is through fasting. Students can choose to fast for one meal, sacrificing a meal swipe. Aramark, JCU’s food service, has agreed to donate the cost of the sacrificed meal swipe to the John Carroll Haitian Relief Fund. The date on which students can do this will soon be determined by the Student Union.

According to Henry, there are other important ways to help as well.

“The most important and significant thing that the JCU community could do is pray – for the victims of the earthquake, people of Haiti and the safety of the aid workers there,” said Henry.

Prayer was one of the first actions of the JCU community. A prayer service was held on Jan. 19 for the people of Haiti.

Campus Ministry is continuing to offer prayers for those affected by the earthquake.

Director of Campus Ministry John Scarano said, “Campus Ministry will collect names of family and friends of the JCU community who have been impacted by the earthquake.  We will place the names in St. Francis chapel and remember them in prayer in the upcoming weeks and months.”

Additionally, Jen Ziemke, a political science professor at JCU, is using the method of crisis mapping to help locate victims of the earthquake. Ziemke and other crisis mappers use text messages, twitter feeds and other electronic modes of communication to locate people in Haiti and send help to them.

In a radio interview with National Public Radio affiliate WCPN, Ziemke said, “We comb for any information that we can geo-reference and place in real time on maps so that disaster responders can get to the places people need it most.”

While these efforts are ongoing, Scarano feels students will get more involved in the coming weeks. Because the earthquake occurred while JCU was on break, Scarano believes that it will take some time for students to organize more efforts to help Haiti.

Scarano said, “Many groups have yet to meet for the first time.  I fully expect our students to come up with many proposed projects to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.”

From the opening tip JCU displayed their superior talent as they were able to get into the locker room with a commanding 25-point lead. 

The Blue Streaks were hot from all over the court as they shot nearly 58 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. 

“We were able to get a lot of defensive rebounds and get out in transition,” said junior Lee Jennings. “That was key for us.”

Seniors Caitlin Sureck and Whitney Hamilton, along with Jennings, each contributed over 20 points in the game.

“When we all play together and are at our best, we really click,” Sureck said. “That’s exactly what happened in the game.”

As an extra bonus, everyone in attendance was rewarded with free chips and salsa from Chipotle, a giveaway for the team going over the century mark.

With the win, JCU pulls into fourth place in Ohio Athletic Conference standings with a league record of 6-4.

This win to open the semester came on the heels of a holiday break that was full of presents for the team as they went 5-2 over the month-long hiatus from classes. 

Included in those wins were three big conference wins over Heidelberg, Otterbein and Marietta. 

Jennings received conference “Player of the Week” honors after notching her first career triple-double against the Marietta Pioneers on Dec. 31. 

Only a month remains in the regular season for the Blue Streaks. Being slated as the fourth seed would assure the team of a home game in the opening round of the conference tournament if they are able to remain solid with their play.

“We need to keep winning,” Jennings said. “Every game is important at this point.”

The upcoming week will be especially important in determining the squad’s ranking in the post-season tournament as they face-off against Baldwin-Wallace College and Mount Union College, two teams currently ahead of JCU in the OAC standings, in what are sure to be difficult road contests.

“Those two games are huge for us in determining where we will finish in the rankings,” Sureck said. “We need to play hard and consistent for 40 minutes.”

Although freshmen are mainly confined to the dorms, many sophomores, juniors and seniors take part in a wide variety of housing options.  Among these options is a newly-developed program known as the Living Simply Community.

The Living Simply program was inspired by a mission trip that seniors Andy Trares and Theresa Prabucki took to El Salvador in the spring of 2008. During the trip, the students led very simplistic lives and worked as a community to accomplish their daily tasks.

Reflecting back on the trip, Trares said, “It was a really great experience for us.” With this sentiment in mind, they contacted Campus Ministry Director John Scarano and put together the program. It debuted last semester with four seniors, two juniors and two sophomores.

It has been designed to minimize the luxuries that students would normally have in their residence and maximize the role that the students play in their own community. The program is committed to five core values: hospitality, spirituality, sustainability, community and conscientiousness.

According to Prabucki, these values were “the product of three long nights of thinking.”

Although all eight members agreed on the basic principles of the community, both Trares and Prabucki agreed that coming to a consensus on a concrete statement like this was a learning experience. This communal learning experience is one of the most beneficial parts of the program.

“Everyone is doing something in the community,” said Trares. The Fatima Family Center, the Domestic Violence Center, and the Catholic Workers Storefront are just some of the service projects these students have helped.

Because of the emphasis on conscientiousness, being environmentally-friendly is a very important facet of this program. Even in the first week of the new semester, Prabucki said she has already studied by candlelight.

In addition to turning the lights off whenever possible, the students try to keep all appliances unplugged unless they are actively using them.  Because of this seemingly primitive lifestyle, the electricity and heating bills were as low as one third of other duplexes on Warrensville Center Road.

This spring, Trares looks forward to starting a garden in the backyard, where they will be able to grow some of their own food. This addition will compliment the worm compost that they already keep in their basement for organic waste.

Although it seems like this lifestyle demands a great deal of sacrifice, Prabucki said, “I don’t think of it as much as giving up as it is being more mindful.” The focus is on simplicity.

“We take the attitude that we’re all just asking people to simplify their lives,” said Trares.

As college students, almost everyone in the group has computers and cell phones; however, they do try to limit their use to academic work and communications. “There is more chance for solitude [than regular dorms offer]ÉI can be more reflective in my own life,” said Prabucki, “Now we can use our time to focus and be in tune to ourselves.”

The deadline to participate in this program next year is quickly approaching. The application process only requires two reference letters and several responses to community based questions. In order to ensure that students who do not qualify still have plenty of time to apply for other housing, everything is due on Feb. 5. The application form can be found on the Campus Ministry section of JCU’s Web site, and any questions should be directed to John Scarano.

Because this is still a very young program, the opportunity for growth is great. “Looking forward, [we really hope] it’s going to reinvent itself and evolve,” said Trares.

But the most important thing to remember is that it all depends on the students who participate. Whether you choose this as an immersion experience right in Cleveland or just an interesting way to simplify your life, the rewards are limitless. And if that isn’t incentive enough, Prabucki said, “At least it smells better than Murphy.”

However, with his stunning victory on Jan. 18, Brown has burst onto the national political scene. The impact of his election victory extends beyond the borders of Massachusetts, as Brown has become the crucial 41st Republican in the United States Senate. 

Brown was able to secure a victory over the heavily favored Democratic candidate Martha Coakley with 52 percent of the vote. Coakley, Massachusetts’ attorney general, had been expected by political pundits to win the Senate seat, which was held by the late Edward Kennedy for nearly 47 years until his passing in late August. 

Leading up to the final weeks of the campaign, Coakley had held demanding leads in numerous polling figures. However, her lead began to steadily decline as the Coakley campaign committed a number of gaffes. 

For example, in the final debate among Massachusetts Senate Candidates, Coakley implied that, in essence, Afghanistan was free of terrorists. Brown was quick to criticize this belief, portraying Coakley as misguided on areas of foreign policy. 

Coakley’s other slip-up occurred during a local radio talk show interview, when she accidentally confused Curt Schilling, a beloved Boston Red Sox icon and a Brown supporter, for a New York Yankees fan. This misstep badly hurt Coakley as she tried to win over the support of the diehard Bostonian sports fans. 

With Coakley not appearing as strong of a candidate as she was earlier in the campaign, the likeable Brown was able to increase his popularity among Massachusetts’ voters. Using the appeal of being a regular guy who drove to his campaign locations in his pickup truck, independent voters began to flock toward Brown. 

Despite a last minute visit on the Sunday before Election Day from President Barack Obama, Coakley was unable to motivate her base to the polls. This allowed Brown to gather enough support from independents and moderates to become the first Republican to hold a senate seat in of Massachusetts since 1972. 

During his victory speech, Brown addressed his fellow politicians in Washington, particularly the Democrats. He said, “I hope they are paying close attention because tonight the independent voice of Massachusetts has spoken.” The arrival of Brown to the Senate has created a compelling situation as Obama and the Democrats try to make good on top domestic priority of health care reform, and then try to pass climate change legislation. 

Brown has already stated that he will not support the current versions of health care reform, and his opposition as the 41st Republican Senator rids the Democrats of their once supermajority of 60 votes. With the inability to enact cloture and end a potential Republican filibuster, Democrats will either have to alter their approach to receive bipartisan support or once again accept the disappointment of not delivering on health care reform. 

In addition to the issue of health care, Brown’s victory carries with it a number of further implications. According to CNN, Republican Chairman Michael Steele said, “The message of lower taxes, smaller government, and fiscal responsibility clearly resonated with independent-minded voters in Massachusetts.” 

The White House was quick to respond, signaling that it will continue to fight in their pursuit of health care reform, creating more jobs, helping the middle class, and improving the environment. 

Speaking with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos,  Obama said, “The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office. People are angry and frustrated.” 

There is no denying the fact that without a supermajority in the Senate and with midterm elections right around the corner, the White House’s task is indeed tougher. 

According to Larry Schwab, a political science professor at John Carroll University, “Scott Brown’s victory has a big impact on the Democrats’ agenda and even on the 2010 congressional elections. The victory has energized the Republican Party and base.”

Outgoing President Matt Hiznay wished Papa success for the next year. He said, “I have full faith and confidence [in Papa].” 

After the Presidential Oath was administered, Papa took the podium for her inaugural address. 

Papa plans to lead the Student Union by focusing on two Cs: community and communication. 

“It is my hope that a more cohesive campus community will lead to an increase in school spirit and student involvement,” said Papa.

According to Papa, increasing and improving communication with students will be a major goal of hers as president. 

“No longer will students be able to say they do not know what the Student Union does or that they do not know what is going on, on campus. Communication will be clear, concise and available in a variety of different mediums. I plan on keeping students informed in every way I possibly can,” she said.

Papa hopes that this sense of community will extend to the city of University Heights as well. She wants to encourage students to become more involved in the city in which they live.

“I will communicate often with Mayor Infeld, and I will encourage open dialogue with students and other residents of University Heights,” said Papa.

Papa not only hopes to connect with the student body and the city, but to also reinforce the responsibility of her fellow student government members. 

She said, “I promise to hold the newly elected Senate and Executive Board to high standards and demand nothing but their best work while serving the John Carroll community.” 

Papa is looking forward to working with the new Senate and Executive Board. According to Papa, many have already come to her with new ideas for the upcoming year.

“A number of them have already come forward with ideas and their enthusiasm is invigorating. I am pledging to keep this excitement alive and steady throughout my term. I will continue to lead by example and encourage Senators to make themselves available and recognized leaders on campus,” Papa said. 

Finally, Papa hopes to serve the John Carroll University community and its students.

Papa said, “As the 88th president I am honored to serve the John Carroll community. I am excited to be a tireless voice for the student body, and I will continue to bring energy and a positive attitude while serving as a living example of the John Carroll mission.”

Student Union Class of 2010 President Shaylyn Mahoney has worked with Papa in Student Union for two years. 

“I think that she will be an outstanding president,” said Mahoney. “She is very responsible but also energetic. She really wants to work with the students as a leader but also on a peer to peer basis.”