Mediation team competes in national tournament in Georgia

The Loras mediation team consists of six students and is led by faculty advisor Dr. Mary Lynn Neuhaus, a communica-tions professor. This past weekend, the team traveled to Gainesville, GA, in order to compete in the national competition along with other collegiate teams from across the nation.

Mediation is the process of facilitation by a neutral third party that aids two par-ties in a dispute with negotiation and vol-untary decision-making. The mediation process is used to solve disputes between two parties that wish to resolve their issue outside of the court system.

For college-level mediation, three to five students receive a two-page case. Stu-dents can take the role of an advocate, cli-ent or mediator. The client-advocate team competes against another client and advo-cate team from another university. They are evaluated by judges, who award them points based on oral advocacy, teamwork, creativity, listening, critical thinking skills and professionalism.

The mediation process consists of nu-merous smaller parts. There are a few dif-ferent types of gatherings that make up this process. A “conference” consists of having both parties in a room at the same time. There are also private meetings be-tween mediators and each party, and this is called a “caucus.”

Neuhaus has been the mediation team coach for 15 years, as long as the team has existed on campus. She decided to coach the mediation team after receiving exten-sive training in the area of mediation in the summer of 2000 in Chicago, where she attended courses at a law school and became certified as an instructor in alter-

nate dispute resolution. “We encounter conflict every day and for

many people it causes stress. Learning to solve problems and create alternatives is helpful and valued in the workplace,” Neu-haus said about the benefits of mediation.

The current Loras mediation team is composed of six students: seniors Mark Chapman, Gabbi Herrera and Mark Fuen-tebella, and sophomores Lucas Tully, Dal-las Knapp and Emily Decker.

This past weekend, the national portion of the International Intercollegiate Media-tion Tournament, sponsored by the Inter-National Academy of Dispute Resolution (INADR), took place at Brenau University in Gainesville, GA, a city about 75 minutes

northeast of Atlanta. There were 50 teams in attendance, including Loras, University of Dubuque and UW Platteville.

Each round of mediation has six people: two mediators from two separate teams, a defense side consisting of an advocate and client from one team, and a plaintiff side also consisting of an advocate and cli-ent from one team. There are two judges. Mediators are judged on how they handle everything.

They begin with opening statements that should include things like how the process works, building rapport, and re-maining completely neutral between the two parties. Then the advocates and cli-ents are judged on how well they represent

their certain parts, how well they support their case, and how creative they are in finding solutions.

Fuentebella joined the mediation team this year and enjoyed the experience of being a part of it.

“I like mediation because it allows for both parties in a conflict to walk away with something,” said Fuentebella. “In court cases, either the plaintiff or the defense can win the case. However, mediation al-lows for win-win outcomes.”

The team took first place in the Advo-cacy portion of the competition, and Neu-haus was awarded the International Coach of the Year award. Although the team did not advance to the international compe-tition, they plan to continue building a strong team dynamic next year.

“National championships are always nice, but as Mark Chapman said upon returning from nationals, he learned so much about himself — his ability to listen better, to persuade others and to critically think has improved,” Neuhaus said.

Any student interested can join the team, and should contact Neuhaus if they are interested or have additional ques-tions. Practices begin each year after Labor Day, and take place three times a week.

by CASSANDRA BUSCH | news editor

The mediation team traveled to Georgia to compete in the national portion of the International Intercollegiate Mediation Tournament.

photo CONTRIBUTED

18 schools attend Loras’ psychology conference

This past weekend Loras hosted the 24th Annual Tri-state Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference. The conference consisted of a career and graduate school panel, a keynote address, undergraduate research presentations, and a graduate school fair. In attendance were 192 students and 21 faculty from 18 different institutions.

“This was the largest and most repre-sentative of psychology programs that the conference has ever had,” psychology

professor Dr. Mary Johnson said. “The keynote speaker is nationally renowned for his personality research and that was particularly exciting.”

The keynote speaker and Loras alum, Dr. Randy Larsen, gave a captivating pre-sentation on the psychology of happiness. He dispelled a common myth stating that only 10 percent of our happiness is de-rived from circumstances, which includes income/wealth, gender, age, marriage, religion, education, and beauty.

“The keynote speaker was awesome.” said senior psychology student Nick Kas-ten. “The different research he analyzed before conducting his own study is a good example for the undergraduates.”

Another alum and recent presi-dent-elect of the Iowa Psychological Asso-ciation, Dr. Catalina D’Achiardi, provided

students with insights regarding the cur-rent status of careers in psychology.

Loras psychology students present-ed posters, visited with graduate school representatives, and benefited from all of the information provided in the keynote addresses.

“Seeing the work that other people are doing makes me both motivated and inspired to continue my own work in the field of Psychology,” sophomore psychol-ogy and spanish major Mary Phillips said. “In talking to the speakers, professors, and other students, I realized just how much excitement and passion exists in this field.”

The conference boasted record num-bers, and organizers hope that it will continue to grow in coming years, mak-ing a positive impact in more and more students’ lives.

by CLAIRA SIEVERDING | for the lorian

Highlights included keynote speaker Dr. Randy Larsen, alumni speakers and presentations from current psychology majors

photos by CLAIRA SIEVERDINGUndergraduate students are given the opportunity to explore the field of psychology further by presenting their own work, listening to keynote speakers, and visiting booths of graduate schools.

‘‘ “In court cases, either the plaintiff or the defense can win

the case. However, mediation allows for win-win outcomes.”

Mark Fuentebellaa senior on the mediation team,,

MEN’S SOCCER Duhawks prepare for

NCAA TournamentPage 7

November 13, 2014 — Vol. 93, Issue 7

TAYLOR SWIFT’S ‘1989’

Swift fully embraces her pop side in this

new albumPage5

Chemistry Carnival makes science fun

One-year anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda

Too often after a natural disaster, communities are aided for a short pe-riod of time with immediate recovery relief and then left alone to rebuild by themselves after it seems that the ma-jority of damage is restored. However, these places are in need for potentially years after the disaster actually occurs. UNICEF is an organization that does its best to follow through with the commu-nities that they aid, so that they can get back on their feet and restore quality of life to equal or better than before the disaster.

This week marks the one year anniversa-ry of Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Typhoon Yolanda, which struck the central Philippines last year in mid-No-vember. It was a Cate-gory 5 storm, one of the strongest storms ever recorded, and impacted the lives of more than 14 million people. Yolan-da brought winds over 200 m.p.h. along with torrential rain, which tore through the Philippines with a ven-geance. It displaced over four million people from their homes, some of whom are still living in temporary shelters.

Over the last year, humanitarian relief effort groups have been working tireless-ly to bring aid to those suffering in the Philippines. UNICEF has inoculated 1.3 million children against measles, helped to provide 1.3 million people clean wa-ter, given 500,000 children hygienic supplies, built 2,000 temporary learn-ing spaces, provided 620,000 children with school supplies and assisted more than 40,000 children with psychologi-cal support. More recently, the efforts of

UNICEF have shifted to more long-term efforts such as providing monetary help to 15,000 families to pay for basic ne-cessities, strengthening the healthcare system by distributing vaccinations, and improving sanitation by building latrines and more sanitation structures.

Many Filipinos are displeased with how their government has responded to the crisis, but thankfully these humani-tarian groups and other volunteers are stepping up to rebuild their communi-ties. The rural and more impoverished areas were hit especially hard, and these are the areas where too many are still homeless, lacking schools and proper sanitation. Many Filipinos have stepped up in their own communities to help lead restoration efforts.

Hundreds of local volunteers have been rebuilding latrines, installing fau-cets and building septic tanks in schools

and other public build-ings. These locations are essential to the Filipino communities in order to provide a safe place for children, and in ad-dition they could serve as possible safe places from future natural di-sasters.

There are addition-al long-term plans put in place by local and national governments as well throughout the country. In the city of Tacloban that was hit

especially hard, the government has a lo-cation to build an elevated road connect-ing the city to two coastal towns nearby that would serve as a dike to hopefully prevent such devastation from possible future disasters.

Although much has been done by UNICEF, the Red Cross, other human-itarian groups and the Filipinos them-selves to recover from this disaster, there is still much work to be done. It goes to prove just how long recovery can take from such a large-scale incident and also the importance of international par-ticipation in relief efforts such as what is going on in the Philippines.

by CASSANDRA BUSCH | news editor

This week marks the one year

anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan,

also known as Typhoon Yolanda, which struck the

central Philippines last year in mid-

November.

UNICEF and other international humanitarian groups continue to help rebuild areas of the Philippines that are still suffering from last year’s disaster

This past Saturday, the Loras student chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) hosted the first ever Chemistry Car-nival. During this three hour carnival, the St. Joseph Science Hall hosted elementary -aged children who participated in hands-on chemistry-related demonstrations and activities.

All of the activities were aimed to show how chemistry affects everyone’s life – from using sodium polyacrylate as a super-ab-sorber in diapers to testing for starch in food! There were five rooms total, each which had its own chemical theme, such as the “Chem-istry of Your Body” or “Green Chemistry.”

Some of the most popular activities in-cluded rock-candy making [an activity in which children could watch and learn about crystal formation] as well as silly putty syn-thesis [an activity where participants could make their own putty and learn about syn-thetic polymers at the same time].

In addition to these popular activities, over a dozen additional demonstrations re-mained. An “It’s not Magic, It’s Chemistry” show was also performed every hour by Dr. David Speckhard and Dr. Edward Maslows-ky. During this show, children were dazzled and amazed by demonstrations with liquid nitrogen, fiery explosions, and more. They also learned that the real “magic” behind these spectacular sights is actually chemis-try in action.

Though an exact count was not obtained,

an estimated 300-500 people attended this event. The ACS officers and their modera-tor, Dr. David Oostendorp, helped to exe-cute this event. However, this success would not have been possible without the amazing volunteers and ACS members who ran the hands on activities, nor would have it ex-isted without Dr. Christina Edwards, who came with original vision of the carnival and was the chief organizer of this event.

The funding from this event was also generously provided by the local ACS chap-ter. The Loras ACS and Chemistry depart-ment hope that this year’s success will lead to another carnival next year, with more chemistry to astound and excite.

by MORGAN REA | for the lorian

Giving Tree gives back to children in need

As the holiday season officially begins, the Loras College Social Work Council is again helping Christmas dreams come true through the Giving Tree.

“This year we wish to make sure every family who requests help for Christmas re-ceives it,” Giving Tree student coordinator Teage Browning explains.

The Giving Tree is an annual program which provides Christmas gifts to chil-dren, from newborns to teenagers, who’s families are in need and may not be able to afford even the necessi-ties. The program is ad-ministered by the Social Work Council, which is made up mostly of Social Work Majors, in conjunc-tion with Operation New View, a local community action agency. Operation New View first identifies and provides names and information about fami-lies and children in need to the Giving Tree pro-gram. Then, the Giving Tree provides vari-ous options for people to help the children in need.

First, participants can adopt a child from the Giving Tree, get the child’s information including their name, age, and clothing sizes, and then shop for the necessities and extra gifts if possible. Participants then re-

turn the gifts and the child’s information tag to Campus Ministry and the gifts are distributed to the child’s family just before the holidays.

Additionally, participants have the option of making a monetary donation. All dona-tions are used by the Social Work Council to purchase necessities for those children not adopted from the tree. If any money is left over, games and toys are purchased to make the child’s Christmas extra special.

Finally, participants can get involved in the Giving Tree by becoming part of the team that raises money and advertises the program. It is not necessary to be a social

work major to get involved.Last year the Giving

Tree helped over one hun-dred and sixty children have a wonderful holiday through the generosity of Loras students, faculty, staff, alumni, and oth-er Dubuque community members.

“In an ideal world, there would be no need for help,” said Browning. “As long as

there is a need, Giving Tree wishes to help Christmas dreams be met.”

For those interested in meeting these dreams this year, whether it be through do-nations of time to raise awareness of the Giv-ing Tree or donations of money to purchase gifts, please email Teage Browning at Teage.Browning@loras.edu.

by MAGGIE WELDIN | staff writer

photo by MORGAN REAElementary students participate in chemistry activities to learn about just how much chemistry affects their daily lives.

“This year, we wish to make sure every family who requests help for Christmas receives it,

Teage BrowningGiving Tree student coordinator,,

2 The Lorian Nov. 13, 2014 News

Allow me to indulge, dear readers, in the spirit of the season

as I dedicate this week’s letter [and I do consider them letters] to my dear friends of Room 347.

If heaven has Satur-days, I plan to spend them all sitting at a round table in a brilliant library with 30-foot wooden ladders and dark-wood shelves. And there I’d like to chat with some of the

best thinkers and authors of the past. How totally content I would be to merely sit and listen to the likes of Wilde, Camus, and Dostoyevsky, and ask them questions over some red wine.

For now I’ll spend my Saturdays hiking and spending time in my mind in the woods, a solid second best for sure. But, I still do think about what life would be like if I could spend my Saturdays in that library with those incredible minds. Saturdays are, after all, really great days.

But, Mondays are the best these days because they’re as close as I come to that dream. Every Monday at 5:15, I climb the stairs in Hoffmann Hall to a cozy, nearly forgotten room where I spend the next hour or so in an almost heavenly Saturday.

Now please, do hold with me until the end here. This isn’t a religious letter, and it could be most beneficial for those who are especially opposed to religious adherences. So, please, tuck any assumptions and judg-ments away for just a short while longer.

These meetings are formally referred to as Bible studies. And though we do, indeed, evaluate and discuss Biblical lines, we do so, so much more than that.

Picture this: this group is made up of, I kid you not, an atheist, an agnostic, a Mus-lim leader, some pretty die hard Catholics, at least one protestant, and couple of seek-ers. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, this sounds like the beginning of a very off-color joke. But I’ll tell you, these meetings, this group, is so very special and the conver-sations we’ve had enriched my own life so much. And, those who have come and gone because of distance, graduation, whatever,

have said similar things. Just this week I was randomly contacted

by two people who used to attend who told me they missed the group terribly and the discussions even more.

To use more contemporary vernacular, we are all really just a bunch of ‘randos’ who have no real reason to be together oth-er than the fact that we discovered through some coincidental grape vine that we have similar interests and a need for valuable and difficult conversation. And more, that we needed more diverse minds with which to have those conversations.

So, this isn’t a call to evangelize and recruit for this Bible study. As you’ve probably realized, we’re all really there to learn from one another, not to convert each other. I don’t think that any of us ever ex-pected that this small meeting would turn into what it has, or that it would grab the attention of the people that it has.

However, in retrospect, I can honestly say that these people have had the single biggest impact on the way that I think. And more importantly, the way that I love because of the culture that has manifested itself in that room, one that we all carry with us now.

I’m not sure if our facilitator knows it, but it’s a pretty understood thing between those of us who attend the study that his teachings have impacted all of us in unbe-lievable ways. Nowhere else on this campus have so many minds been opened and so many hearts brought together.

I’m a senior now and reflecting on my college career is something I’ve been doing a lot of. When I left for college, I wanted so badly to break free from the manufactured, mass-produced teachings of my generic high school education where we teach students to be producers, not thinkers. (Did you really think I’d make it to the end without mentioning social justice?).

Twice this week I’ve been told I have a beautiful mind, and that is probably the highest compliment I’ve ever been given, though not because I think it’s true. It’s the best because I know that if I have conveyed this in anyway, it is merely a reflection of the lessons I’ve taken from the beautiful minds in room 347. And that is a gift that goes far beyond any classroom.

It happened. There was a Republican wave and now

Congress is dominated by the Republican Party. But that’s OK, because there are only two more years until 2016, when Democrats have a much more favorable map and a second chance. Instead of talking about what the elections mean, or

forecasting into 2016, I would like to draw attention to something that has been under the radar in recent months, global warming. Much of the attention from the last election cycle had to deal with President Obama, the Affordable Care Act and where politicians stood on those issues.

In the 2016 cycle, I expect a rise in

global warming as a talking point. I expect this for a couple of reasons, one being the Democratic primaries for the presidential election. Primaries are generally host to politicians trying to appeal to its party’s base in order to get the nomination, followed by a run to the center in order to get the moderate vote. I am sure the 2016 cycle will be no different and will follow this same trend, so nominee hopefuls will all be trying to cast themselves as the most environmentally friendly candidate.

Another reason I see the issue returning to the stage is because of the Keystone Pipeline. During the president’s speech

as well as Sen. Mitch McConnell’s, there was talk of finding common ground upon which to compromise. One of those areas where common ground can be found is in the Keystone Pipeline. Sen. McConnell

knows, as does Obama, that there are enough votes in the Senate to pass the legislation allowing the pipeline.

When the pipeline starts to be debated on the floor, I bet that the environmental groups, ranching group and Native groups will all start to garner more media attention. To top it all off, another reason that global warming will

again enter the public debate is because of a change in leadership in the House. With the election of new House members and

the retirement of others, there is always a change in who leads what committee. One such change is happening to the environmental committee in the House; they are getting a new chairman — Jim Inhofe.

Inhofe is controversial because he is a climate-change denier, even going so far as to say that the Bible is proof that climate change is not real. As you can tell there is a clash of ideals; how can someone that doesn’t believe in climate change help prevent it? Well, that question is to be made into a campaign issue. Already the Democratic Party is setting up plans that center in on Inhofe’s comments as chairman, using his actions as a way to paint Republicans as sell-outs to big money and out of touch with the American people. Only time will tell whether or not the Democrats succeed in their objectives, but global warming will for sure come back into the limelight.

2016 cycle will yield pipeline debate

Dallas Knapp

‘KNAPP’ TIME

When the pipeline starts to be debated on the floor, I bet that the environmental groups, ranching groups, and Native groups will all start to garner more

media attention.

I get a lot of questions about my vegetarianism.

I don’t really mind, honestly. I’m used to them. My dietary habits are extremely different than most people’s, and I think that this tends to fascinate. Some people are almost caustic, however, and they take their jokes too far. No, I am not a rabbit. No, I do not sneak pieces of meat when people aren’t with me. No, I am not dying from a lack of protein.

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was four years old. I’m the only one in my family that is, and I became one of my own free will. I was a big animal person when I was little [still am], and once I found out what meat was… gone were the chicken nuggets, hamburgers and hot dogs. Since it’s been so long, I don’t even really remember what it tastes like, and so I can’t really respond to the question, “Don’t you miss bacon?”

And no, no matter how confident you are that you will be able to convince/tease/trick me into eating meat, I won’t. Not even for $100 dollars.

As a funny side note, family on both sides have been butchers in the past, including my grandpa who even owned a meat shop. Every single time I see him, he asks if he can make me some bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Some people argue with me that by being a vegetarian, I’m disobeying God. I’ve been told that I’m sinning because God gave us the animals for the purpose of consuming them. People have told me that animals are placed on the earth to eat, and by refusing to do so I’m basically denying God’s gift. I could

respond with the quote from the Bible that says, “And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so.” [Genesis 1:29-30]. God gave us plants for food for humans and animals, just as much as he gave us the animals.

I really don’t think that God hates me for not eating hamburgers. At least, I hope not.

People become vegetarians for all sorts of reasons. Some include health related motivations, religious reasons, objection to the standards to which some animals are subjected to in the process, or they plain just don’t like meat. Whatever the reason, some vegetarians are very protective of their decision and feel that it is a very personal one that they would rather not discuss with others.

In my case, I’m usually always up for a lively debate about the pros and cons, unless I’m hungry, and you’re keeping me from my meal. I will get cranky if this is the case. But otherwise, I don’t mind the curiosity.

A little warning though, not everyone is as willing as me to talk about being a vegetarian, and we already get quite a bit of flak about it … you may find that although they don’t eat meat, vegetarians can have a pretty big bite.

‘Turn-ip’ for being a vegetarian

by CASSANDRA BUSCH|news editor

No bad deed goes unpunished Over the past three years, we have

spent a lot of time in the library. Sometimes, this means sitting hour after hour at a table, staring at our computer screen, desperate for human contact. Eventually, this longing to make eye-contact with somebody, anybody, actually motivates us to move away from our computer and take a lap around the library (or, if we are feeling ambitious, the ACC).

When we do this, we leave our laptop out. Sometimes we leave our phone out. Maybe we even leave our can of Pringles out. You have seen those tables in the library. The ones that sit empty for 10, 15, 60 minutes at a time. Papers, books and computers are there even though you haven’t seen a person around in quite a while.

No, we are not going to complain about those who hog prime real estate. We dread carrying our books around as much as the next person.

What we do want to do is highlight an

issue that we have noticed the past few weeks.

Why have our friends’ bikes, iPhones and purses been stolen?

Why is it that we can feel comfortable leaving a large chunk of our possessions unattended in the library for hours on end, but we cannot leave our bike in our garage? Or why is it that if someone misplaces their iPhone for a few minutes, it suddenly disappears?

We can’t seem to come to terms with the fact that, in public, we are able to leave everything so vulnerable. But the minute there is no one watching over us, it becomes ‘cool’ to steal.

This isn’t a scene from “Les Mis.” People aren’t stealing of loaf of bread from the café. Students’ valuables are most likely being stolen by other students.

Let’s get our act together. But for now, I’m thinking that I won’t be

leaving my phone (or the Pringles) lying around the library any time soon.

— Lorian staff

Editorial staff

‘MINER’ DETAIL

Kalli Miner

Ode to Room 347

co-executive editor: MARY AGNOLI

co-executive editor/ features editor:

COLIN HALBMAIERnews editor:

CASSANDRA BUSCHsports editor: RYAN GRAHAM

assistant features editor:SAMANTHA VATH

assistant news editor:ELLIE HORST

assistant sports editor:DREW BRASHAW

executive copy editor: HANNAH WAY

head copy editor:KAITLIN YAHR

copy editor:MARGARET SENTOVICHadvertising manager:

COLLEEN MULRY moderator:

TIM MANNING

Opinion The Lorian Nov. 13, 2014 3

4 The Lorian Nov. 13, 2014 Features The Lorian Nov. 13, 2014 5

Want to write for the Lorian?Ever wanted to see your name in print? Join our team of writers and make your dreams come true! Sophomores

and older get paid! If interested, let us know!

Colin HalbmaierColin.Halbmaier@loras.edu

Mary AgnoliMary.Agnoli@loras.edu

This has been lingering for some time, but it has to be said: Disney and Pixar have switched places in the animated film landscape. While Pixar has tarnished its reputation with sub-par (by their standards) films like “Cars 2,” Disney has righted the course it’s on. The remarkable string of films it has released this decade continues with “Big Hero 6,” proving that its acquisi-tion of Marvel wasn’t the kiss of death.

Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) is a teenage whiz kid who’s exceptionally smart but preoccupied with illegal bot fighting. That changes when his broth-er, Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney), encourages him to participate in an exposition that gets him into the college of his dreams. Shortly after, a fire leads to disaster and he falls into a depression. With the help of Tadashi’s creation, Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit), and a group of his friends, Hiro tracks down and fights a villain who’s using Hiro’s inventions for an evil plan.

The movie plays out better than it sounds. It does fall into some of the clichés of both Disney (dead par-ents and a group of entertaining sidekicks) and Marvel (loss of a loved one and origin stories) movies of yore. But the film successfully accommodates both sides of the coin in an entertaining way.

There are several components that push the movie almost into the stratosphere. One is the animation. We’ve had a string of films with extraordinary anima-

tion, including “The Lego Movie” and “How To Train Your Dragon 2.” “Big Hero 6” contains bright and colorful design, remarkable attention to detail, and exceptionally fluid animation.

Another is how the movie meets the happy middle between Disney and Marvel. The two aren’t a match made in heaven, but given the track record that Marvel has had since the acquisition, it’s hard to complain about their output. For those too young for the superhero movie institutions like the Batman or Spider-Man movies, this will be a quality introduc-tion. It’s not too scary or violent, and the writers do a good job of hitting the right tone. It’s wide appeal is something for the whole family to enjoy.

However, the true star of the show isn’t even human. Baymax, an inflatable healthcare robot, is so lovable that it’s almost too much. He’s not very bright and is sometimes painfully slow and socially awkward. Despite this, he’s big, fluffy, and just plain hug-able. If Disney decides to make shorts revolving around Baymax, don’t be surprised.

Big Hero 6 has competition at the Oscars this year. Will the brand recognition of Disney help it edge out “The Lego Movie” and “How to Train your Dragon 2?” It’s hard to tell, but this film is a worthy nominee. Keep your eyes peeled next year.

by NINO ERBA | staff writer

Working out to stay fit is on a lot of people’s minds. Going to the gym, lifting weights, running, swimming—these come to mind pret-ty fast when someone says that they want to get in shape. However, there’s a part of the body that’s often overlooked when it comes to being the best version of yourself: the brain.

The brain is the center of everything in your body, and it has a starring role in whatever you do. Because of this, the brain should be at the top of everyone’s list of body parts that need “exercise.” Many of our daily life choices are actually detrimental to our brain health. We all need to take a step back, learn a little about our pre-cious noggins, and do something to keep our minds sharp. Whether it is through diet, physical exercise, social time, or mental activities, there are plenty of ways to keep your brain moving and in good health.

Your diet has a key role in brain health. Like the rest of your body, your brain needs a good balance of nutrients to function properly. It needs nutritious food that encourages good blood flow, and is low in fat and cholesterol. If you eat foods that are traditionally thought of as “healthy” for your body and keeping your weight low, they are most likely good for your brain as well. Maintaining a healthy weight has been proven to keep your mind working well until a later age. There was a study conducted on 1,500 adults that discovered that obese middle age adults are twice as likely to develop dementia later in the lives. Adults that have high blood pressure and high cho-lesterol have six times the risk of dementia as well.

There have been studies conducted as well about foods that may help promote brain health. Fruit and vegetables with dark skins like kale, spinach, brussel sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, beets, eggplants, broccoli, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, plums, red grapes, cherries, etc. are all high in antioxidants, which are benefi-cial for good brain function. Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial as well, as well as nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pecans.

Social interactions are also important to keeping a mind sharp. Numerous studies have shown that activities combining physical, mental and social components are most beneficial towards brain health. One study of 800 people aged 75 years or older that had been physically, mentally, and socially active during their lives proved to have a lower risk for dementia. Activities that incorporate all of these facets include volunteering, certain clubs, traveling, being active in your work place.

Mental stimulation is essential for good brain health as well. Ac-cording to the Alzheimer Association website, low levels of educa-tion have been associated with higher risk and earlier onset of Alz-heimer’s. Connections between brain cells are responsible for brain health, so it makes sense that the more education and mental activity someone has, the stronger the connection between brain cells will be. Activities that improve brain activity include reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles or sudokus, attending plays or lectures in the community or at Loras, gardening, or even just going for a walk.

Finally, physical exercise is necessary. Physical activity keeps blood pressure and stress low, reduces the risk of diabetes, stroke and heart attacks, increases blood flow, and even stimulates the pro-duction of new brain cells. To be most effective, it should be done regularly, and for at least 30 minutes a day. In addition, doing exer-cises that are aerobic improves consumption of oxygen, which bene-fits brain functions. Just make sure that the activities you choose in-clude protection for your head! Helmets and seatbelts are extremely important in protecting your brain.

The combination of these dietary, mental, physical and social components will help to keep your mind sharp for as long as possi-ble, and may help to prolong the onset of dementia of Alzheimer’s. Think about it! Your brain is responsible for everything you do, so it is so important to take care of it while you still can.

by CASSIE BUSCH | news editor

It’s telling that the two most powerful artists in the music world made their mark in vastly different ways with their recent albums. Beyonce shocked the world when she released her self-titled album without warning, and things haven’t been quite the same since. Taylor Swift took the traditional route of releasing singles before “1989” hit the shelves and iTunes, but she made the dramatic move to pull all of her music from Spotify, putting an emphasis on seemingly obsolete physical sales. Considering that streaming has become a norm in today’s music world, T-Swift’s is unexpected.

Apparently CD sales still matter, because “1989” sold more albums in its opening week than any al-bum since “The Eminem Show,” which was released in 2002. Expect it to sell more, especially with the Christmas season coming around. Of course, this isn’t the only big news about “1989.” This is Taylor’s first official “pop” album, even if her music was as much pop as it was country. Her previous album, “Red,” gave us songs that could only be called “pop,” especially the epic “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

Was it justified? Well, she did something in-credibly smart: she embraced the synth. “1989” is full of synthesizer, synth bass and drum machines. She hasn’t given up acoustic guitar yet though, as “How You Get the Girl” and “This Love” still use it, although both songs aren’t as organic as some of her previous songs like “Safe and Sound.”

All her new toys, however, are double-edged swords. As good as her synth fixation can sound, they need a strong or at least charismatic singer to provide cohesion, and while Taylor is definitely distinctive as a singer, she still needs work. Also, despite the amount of electronic instruments and reverb, “1989” doesn’t really sound like it dropped out of the titular year. It sounds too modern to stand alongside Paula Abdul or Gloria Estefan, whether it’s the lyrics or Taylor’s singing.

Her singing is still one of her biggest liabili-ties. While it’s too much to ask her to be Adele or Beyonce, you’d think that with her millions, she could pay for voice lessons instead of a penthouse in NYC. She has improved over time, but she still has the throaty, squeaky voice that can rub ears the

wrong way. The next time she ventures into new territory, she would do good to work out the kinks. Also problematic is her choices of tone: she sounds too robotic in some places, while on the unnecessary “Bad Blood”, she sounds uncomfortably nasty.

That said, Swift still manages to write some killer tunes. “Welcome to New York” is both catchy and uncomfortable, like a song you hear in the grocery store that hooks you, but doesn’t feel quite right. “Shake It Off” makes you wish Taylor would knock it off with her defensiveness, but its hooks are still steel-grade after all those radio plays, plus the Internet has produced a mashup video of that song with an actual aerobics video from the late 80s. What’s important is that she still can hit the bullseye: “Out of the Woods” is tremendous and proof that she should work with Jack Antonoff more often. “Wildest Dreams” finds her imitating Lana Del Rey, and it works, even it doesn’t ooze enough summertime sadness to be the real deal. “This Love” (the only song she wrote herself) and “Clean” (a collaboration with Imogen Heap) are lovely ballads that she should think about using for her future singles. That is, if her fans don’t land them on the Hot 100 as they are.

So, on a reinvention level, this album can’t touch previous pinnacles by artists like Madonna or Pink. Were Taylor to churn out an electronica record or a more punk album, that would be a transforma-tion. However, before Taylor can start going on her next world tour, doing any more commercials for Diet Coke, or even finding her next boyfriend-of-the-month, she needs to slow down and lay down the groundwork for her voice, both artistically and literally. She clearly has it in her to produce mature, outstanding work, but she needs to be consistent. And she also needs to realize that even some of the biggest superstars dramatically refine their voices as they grow. When she can achieve the kind of steps forward with her singing that Madonna, Pink and Beyonce achieved in their careers, perhaps she can be the phenomenon that so many people clearly see her as right now. Given how many albums she’ll sell with “1989,” her fans at the moment might not care as much. Let’s hope that as they grow up, Taylor will do the same.

by NINO ERBA | staff writer

From a rejected applicant for an internship at a non-profit, to Director of that same non-profit two years later, recent Loras graduate, Beth Kelchen, proves your degree does not dictate your job opportu-nities. She explains that her wide variety of experi-ences led her to her current position as Director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Dubuque County. Kelchen started at Loras College intending to work in the healthcare industry and graduated with a degree in Athletic Training. Looking back at her jour-ney, she realized that “the more experience I had, the more I enjoyed what I was doing and the less I saw myself sticking with my major,” which is a common obstacle for many college students.

Kelchen’s first college job was at her local swim-ming pool in Cedar Rapids. During her sophomore year, she was drawn to Dance Marathon and became an AmeriCorps member, donating time as the DM Community Outreach Co-Chair coordinating a variety of fundraisers within the community. While Kelchen dabbled in National Service, she still had her eye on the healthcare industry. With the goal of gaining some real world experience, she became a Patient Care Technician at St. Luke’s Hospital thanks to her ath-letic training background and personal connections. During the second semester of her sophomore year, she was informed of an internship with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, which is sponsored by UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital, through the CEL office’s Service Learning Coordinator, Maggie Baker. She applied, but was denied due to her conflicting schedule. Kelchen’s junior year began with admin-istrative assistant positions with both the Physical Education and Sports Studies office and the Campus Safety office.

The director of RSVP then emailed her informing her the intern position was open. Kelchen applied again, was offered the position, and accepted knowing it would combine her love of service with her interest in the healthcare field, since the program is sponsored

by the hospital. Because of her remarkable work ethic, Kelchen was asked to complete a second internship running the RSVP office while the Director was out on maternity leave. She accepted, knowing the variety of experience she could collect.

Kelchen has also held positions as a Green Iowa AmeriCorps member, an intern at United Clinical Laboratories, a Billing and Clerical Specialist at Mercy UCL Lab and an intern at the City f Dubuque Human Rights Department working on the Volun-teer Generation Fund Grant. It is her wide variety of experience that gave her the courage to apply to for the Director of RSVP position. She explained, “When I first applied for the position I wasn’t sure I would get it. The listing stated a minimum of 6 years of human service experience was needed and a degree in volunteer management or human services. I honestly think that my internship with RSVP paved the way for me to be able to obtain this position.”

Beth Kelchen is now happily married to Loras Alumni, Andy Kelchen, and is focused on her position as Director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Pro-gram. She has some great advice for future graduates looking to position themselves for a great job. She says:

1) Don’t be afraid to hear “no.” I was told no the first time I applied to be an intern with RSVP and now I am the Director.

2) Make meaningful connections and stay in touch with people you worked with. Keeping in touch is a simple way for you to stay in their mind and maybe they will think of you if a job happens to become available.

3) You can make a career out of something that is not your major. Believe me, it is possible. Education is great, even better is the experience you get from the real world. If you can combine what you learn with what you are working on and apply it in a way that is beneficial to the organization, you are really utilizing your education well.

by MAGGIE WELDIN | staff writer

by MYCHOLE PRICE | staff writer

Broke with Expensive Taste

The painfully long awaited rap album from the Har-lem native, Azealia Banks, has finally dropped. Most might recognize her for the catchy and controversial “212” that was released back in 2011. After that ex-ploded in the U.K and made waves here on the main-land, we expected another female rap sensation. Prob-lems with her record company and her social media presence had us waiting for a new album with baited breath. But she’s delivered, and has a lot to say.

This isn’t a traditional hip-hop album. Every track is based on a different genre. There is a bit of trap, jazzy hip-hop, house and a fusion of R&B. “Heavy Metal & Reflective” is clearly the turn up jam, with an ambience that’s enough to make any twerking-deficient individ-ual give it a try. The sounds are unexplainable but the drums that ricochet off one another is a sound to be heard. “Ice Princess” is a trap-inspired Frozen-themed rap. Azealia shows her hood side and with opening lyr-ics “I’m so cold I’m drippin icicles/I go and take yo man that **** might miss you/spent his whole com-mission on my neck and ear/to stand around me [you] need to have ya winter gear,” it’s clear she pulls no punches. That track is the most comprehensible due to

lack of tongue twisters.But with the Tokyo/NYC jazz fusion track “Desper-

ado,” your ears are teased by the spell binding lyrics reminiscent of 90’s hip-hop such as her second verse: “I be pretty, prissy, plenty plush and stuff/you be pig-gy-pissy, penny-crushed and crunched.” If you want to decipher that off the top of your head, go ahead. “Chasing Time” is a dance club track with a pleth-ora of singing styles, soaring vocally and then trail-ing over a synth chorus but still giving a dose of her rap that spits faster than a kid on a sugar high. “Miss Camraderie” is like racing on Super Mario’s Rainbow Road to an intergalactic rave trying to escape astro-naut police. It was a perfect ending to the album’s overall sound.

Azealia Banks proves she can create music for all tastes. Whether or not she’s ripping new ones with her degrading lyrics or wants to uplift basic girls, she does it with a new spin and deserves credit. While all this time could have better contributed to fresh tracks, over-all she proves her wordplay challenges Nicki Minaj and devours Iggy Azalea. Hopefully this album can put her on the map more than her feuds on social media.

LorianLeven

Eleven Ways to Multi-task and Save Time for the Over-Involved Student

(AKA any Duhawk)

1. Clean your shower while you are in it. Before you clean yourself, wipe down the shower walls with that spray your mom left in your closet.

2. Waiting in line for CAB movie tickets or the Cafe to open? Orga-nize/delete old pictures or text conversations off your phone.

3. Call your parents while walking to class—that way you only have to talk for 10 minutes, but Mom will appreciate it enough to send a care package.

4. Going to the AWC to workout before class in the morning? Sleep in your workout gear! Don’t worry—no one will notice your wrinkly clothes while you’re squatting 350.

5. Made your roommates a 5-star meal? Do the dishes while it’s is cooking. (This also works if you’re microwaving ramen; wash the bowl from last night’s meal so you can repeat the process when you’re hungry again in 2 hours)

6. Have your Tweets read to you as you’re getting ready for class—you’ll be caught up on the drama and still look decent enough for a year-book picture.

7. Make an intramural team with your friends—hangout with friends as well as get some exercise!

8. Have a friend who is stressed about registering? Take them grocery shopping with you. It’s a chance to get them off campus, and they can vent to you while you’re making sure you have enough peanut butter to last until Mom’s next care package.

9. Fold your laundry during your favorite Netflix show or movie. When your roommate says you’re lazy, you can let them know you got your laundry done.

10. Read an assigned book/article while biking on a stationary bike—homework and health!

11. Write a Lorian article while reflecting on your week. Catharsis and recognition!

by ELLIE HORST | copy editor

BIG HERO 6Disney’s latest film reminds us who the king of animation is

Staying Fit is a

BRAIN GAME

SWIFT SURPRISES

‘No’ Your Way to the Top

Productivity enthusiasts everywhere are still trembling from the after-shocks of the Farmville Incident, during which millions of people across the planet put aside their responsibilities to tend to their crops and beg their neighbors for help. The concept of a timesink is nothing new, dating back to the earliest days of assisted procrastination. Today, games like Candy Crush dominate the distraction market, keeping men and women just like you and me from doing the duties assigned to us. It is an epi-demic beyond compare, and today, I am reluctant to admit that I have been infected.

I first discovered Clicker Heroes a few weeks ago when making my usual rounds on the internet. The premise is simple enough: fight monsters by clicking them, then spend your gold to upgrade your clicks and hire minions to click for you while you’re away. Like most games, it starts out small. Click a monster a few times to take away its measly ten lifepoints. Now, on the verge of reaching level 100, I face a monster with one sextillion lifepoints. Written out, that equates to 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 points of health to take care of. Where did it all go wrong?

It’s actually a carefully constructed system of work and rewards. In any timesink game, you begin feeling powerful. Upgrades are cheap and levels are easy. Slowly, they begin to turn up the difficulty. You’re still flying through the competition, but now you have to think and plan out your time. Before you know it, you’re waiting several hours for the next level to unlock, or sending Facebook invites to your friend asking for an extra life so you can beat just one more level on Candy Crush before you turn in for the night. It’s a vicious cycle, and one that is not easily broken. By that point you’re invested, and if the creators are lucky, willing to pay a dollar or two to make that long wait go away. The scary part is that it works; in its first fiscal quarter, Zynga, the creators of Farmville, reported that the game had generated about $235 million in revenue. That comes from in-game purchases and ad revenue. It’s estimated that only 1-3 per-cent of players actually pay, but simply by opening the page, you’re pay-ing them through ad revenue. That’s a lot, given the 236 million players they had in the beginning.

So why am I still playing Clicker Heroes? Truthfully, I don’t know. Part of me is stubborn. Part of me likes the feeling of success, even at the cost of my time. But in the end, I’m willing to bet that if you ask someone why they’re playing Candy Crush, they’ll look at you and shrug, making some kind of excuse about how it’s something to do. We say we’ll stop after the next level, but the next level never comes. It gets pushed back and redefined. We live in a world that wants to give our time away, and there are plenty of companies out there willing to turn that into their own profit. After all, it’s just clicks, right?

Wasting TimeTurning clicks into cash.

by COLIN HALBMAIER | co-executive editor

Mind & Soul The Lorian Nov. 13, 2014 6

The Lorian is beginning a column by Tricia Borelli, Director of Counseling Services. Here she will answer student questions concerning anything that relates to keeping it together while doing this crazy thing called college. Send questions or comments

to Ms. Borelli, Loras Box 100, or to the e-mail address tricia.borelli@loras.edu. All names of those sending questions will be kept confidential.

Too Close for Comfort

Dear Trish,I have a new friend at Loras who is starting to seem kind of “clingy.” He doesn’t

like his roommate, and therefore wants to hang out in my room all of the time. I have tried giving him hints about wanting some time in my room alone or doing things with other friend groups, but he is clearly not picking up on the hints or choosing not to. Any suggestions about how to tell him to give me some space without hurting his feelings? I really like him, and I’m afraid I’m going to start really NOT liking him soon.

-Help for the Needy

TIPS with

TRISH

Hey Duhawks! I hope the semester is going well for you. I want to share with you a scripture passage that has challenged me and now comforts me. I think it can do the same for you. I love the Gospel of St. John chapter 15. In verse 5, Jesus says, “Without me you can do nothing.” When I was younger I always had a problem with this Scripture. I thought, “Do I really need God for everything?” I could get up, take a shower, eat breakfast, study, go to class, be athletic, and ask a girl on a date presumably without of any God’s help. I always believed that he gave me the gifts to do all those things when I was younger. I always believed, “God helps those who help themselves.”

The older I get the more I think that phrase that we have heard in life isn’t all that true. If Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing,” I think he really meant. If God is good, then why do I think that he would make impositions on my life? If he is good, he wants my good. When the reality of God’s love

and God’s goodness for me took a greater hold of my heart, the scripture passage that bothered me has become one that gives me the greatest comfort and consolation.

To know that without God I can do nothing takes the pressure off life. It leads me to adopt a posture of spiritual receptivity instead of thinking that I have to make all the realities happen in my own life through my effort. This doesn’t mean that I become a natural and spiritual couch potato that takes no initiative in life. Rather, to know without God that I can do nothing inspires me to always desire God’s love. That takes work. It takes work when we need God for everything we do, from waking up to loving our neighbor.

I think that is one reason why it takes effort to acquire the habit of going to Sunday Mass every week. There are times in life when we deceive ourselves and think that we don’t need God. There are times when we want to tell God that we can handle our lives without his help. There are times when the consequence of Adam’s sin affects us, and puts the thought into our minds that God doesn’t have our greatest good in mind for our lives.

That’s why being open to God takes work. That’s why it takes consistency. That’s why we have to persevere. So let’s make an effort to be open to God. I know this is old fashioned, but let’s go to Sunday Mass no matter what. Let’s at least give the Lord one hour, and tell him that we need his help and grace. Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” He meant it. So let’s live in Christ!

What are you looking for? the life that is true life:

by FR. GROSS | for the Lorian

We Need God for EVERYTHINGThankfulness. Appreciation. Acknowl-

edgment. Gratitude. Have you ever really thought about what these words mean? Sure, when you’re asked what you’re thank-ful for, you probably respond something like this: “I’m thankful for my family, friends, a roof over my head, food in the refrigerator, clothes on my back, etc.” Some people may be thankful for good health or even their faith. Don’t get me wrong, these are all wonderful things to be thankful for and we should acknowledge and appreciate them, but have you ever thought about being thankful for struggles or dark/trying times?

This is not something I would have nor-mally thought about, but in light of some things that have happened in my life, I have become much more aware, take fewer things for granted, and try to accept an attitude of gratitude. I don’t wish struggles or dark times on anyone, nor am I always true to what I’m writing. I’m human, after all.

My sophomore year here at Loras was the beginning of my recognition of how important thankfulness and gratitude are. Over fall free days of that year, we moved my grandpa into assisted living. While it was difficult to see him leave his house, I was thankful that he was still around and relatively healthy, as well as for the additional help and care he would get in his new home. He didn’t spend much time in assisted living before falling and ending up in a nursing home before passing away. Obviously at the time, I didn’t see any good in this situation, but looking back, I have so many things to be grateful for. The first was that I had the opportunity to spend 19 years getting to know my grandpa and learning from him. The second was that he lived to be 87 and was relatively healthy the entire time. The third was that I got the chance to see him one last time before he passed away. In addition to these three things, I have de-veloped a deeper appreciation for my family, both immediate and extended as well as my lineage.

Later in my sophomore year, my grandpa on the other side of my family passed away unexpectedly. This one was a bit harder to take than the first one just because it was so unexpected. I again learned about grat-

itude. His passing reinforced the ideas of be-ing grateful for the time I had with him, his relatively good health, and being able to see him [along with the entirety of my extended family] before he passed away.

Following the death of my two grandpas, I was really struggling with a lot of different things – life, faith, school, friends, etc. I men-tioned earlier about being grateful for my struggles, and despite how incredibly difficult and trying these times in my life were, I am more and more grateful for them each day. These struggles, along with others that aren’t mentioned here, have made me who I am to-day. They have allowed me to be more sensi-tive to others, more empathetic, more under-standing, and how important it can be to “just be” with someone who is struggling. I have learned to be grateful for the wonderful com-munity we have here at Loras and how lucky I am to attend such an incredible institution. It took a while for me to see, but after being

told repeatedly to look at how blessed I was, my eyes were opened. I had been looking at my situation the wrong way.

When I was stressed about school, it was pointed out that I should be grateful to be attending a school where I was taking classes difficult to stress me out. When I was struggling with faith, it was pointed out that we grow through struggles and that I should be grateful to have so many opportunities to grow in my faith as well as have knowledgeable and helpful

resources to go to with my questions. When I was struggling with life in general or with friends, it was pointed out that things had to go right first in order for things to go wrong and that I should be grateful.

I may have gotten tired of hearing this phrase, that I should be grateful for my strug-gles because it meant that something had to be going right, but it has sunk in. As I reflect back on the struggles of my past as well as my cur-rent struggles, I try very hard to try to see the good or at least one or two things to be thank-ful for in a situation. It hasn’t been easy and probably won’t get any easier in the future, but that isn’t going to stop me from trying my best to see where I can be grateful in every sit-uation. This holiday season I encourage you to be intentional about what you’re thankful for and look beyond the typical answers to the question “What are you thankful for?”

Rethink what it means to be ‘thankful’

by JACKIE RUSS |staff writer

I have learned to be grateful for the wonderful community we

have here at Loras and how

lucky I am to attend such

an incredible institution.

MASS TIMESat Christ the King

5:15 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

9 p.m. Wednesday8 p.m. Sunday

ADORATIONat St. Joseph’s Chapel

9 to 10 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday thru Friday

Trish says:Sounds like a little a case of dependency. Someone who is

dependent may not be okay with spending time alone or may not see value in spending time with other people. Other signs of this can include persons who are overly trusting or “overshare” and tell all when giving personal information. People who have unhealthy boundaries also tend to not be able to read social cues very well; so “hints,” as you put it, will likely not work because he doesn’t recognize them. He likely has some insecurities and self-doubt.

I appreciate that you are being sensitive to your friend, but the truth is, you need to be assertive. Assertiveness is a learnable skill and a mode of communication. It is when you are respectful of yourself and respectful of the other person. This is different than being passive which is only taking into account the feelings of others and not yourself. You are being rather passive in this situation. The reverse, or aggressiveness, is when a person only takes into account their own feelings and not the feelings or rights of others. If you are not direct with someone about their tendency towards neediness, your feelings of annoyance towards the person will only increase and can lead to aggressiveness.

Assertive communication is truly the best way to handle this situation. Sit down and talk to you friend using “I” statements like, “I really like hanging out with you but I also like my space.” Or, “I am overwhelmed because I’m not used to spending so much time with people. I would like it more if we could make time to study together or go eat in the café in the evenings.” If you can talk to the friend, one on one, it will be better for both of you and likely save the friendship. The more the person feels secure about the friendship and themselves, the more comfortable and less clingy they are likely to become.

Good luck.

Sports The Lorian Nov. 13, 2014 7

I spent this past Sunday evening sitting snugly on my

couch, watching joyfully as The Packers whipped the Bears like rented mules. Although my wonderful wife, Jenni, was sitting right by my side, the two of us may just as well have been on different planets.

Had an uninitiated passerby gazed into our living room window at any point during those three rapturous hours, he would have seen me bouncing around in my seat with a big, dopey grin on my face, engaged in a spirited one-sided conversation with the television screen. All the while, my wife sat perfectly calm and motionless beside me – earbuds firmly implanted, and eyes glued to season 4 of “Portlandia” on her tablet. The aforementioned hypothetical voyeur would likely assume that one of us was crazy.

I’ve got news for you, creep: you’d be right. You see, Jenni isn’t a sports fan.

My mind began to wander a little bit as the game wore on – as one’s mind is wont to do when the score is 42-0 by halftime – and I began to imagine how my life would be different if my better half shared my passion for sport. To that end, I give you “5 Perks of Being Married to a Sports-Hater”:5. I only have to buy one ticket

I know what you’re thinking: “But Drew, you’re a high-profile sports writer – surely you don’t need a ticket to get in to a football game.” Unfortunately, however, a homemade media credential with The Lorian’s logo on it doesn’t carry much weight outside of the Iowa Conference.

Have you priced tickets to an NFL game recently? And I’m not talking about teams like the Minnesota Vikings – I mean for teams that people would actually pay to watch. It’s insane. Throw in the price of a beer and a hot dog and pretty soon we’re talking about a serious monetary investment. If my wife cared enough about sports to accompany me to the game, I’d be financially ruined.

More often than not, I prefer to watch the game at home anyway, and when I do…4. There’s never any argument about which game to watch on TV

We’ve all been in this situation before: you’re watching intently as your favorite team battles it out against a bitter rival, when someone in the room chimes in with: “Can we watch the Chiefs game instead? I have Jamaal Charles on my fantasy team.” Or worse yet: “C’mon, the World Series is on, let’s watch it!”

Not in my house. Sure, I might have to

DREW’S VIEWS

Drew Brashawasst. sports editor

5 perks of marrying a sports hater

Wartburg 3, Loras 2 (2 OT) 1 2 OT OT F

No. 7 Loras (15-2-2) 0 2 0 0 2No. 22 Wartburg (12-3-5) 1 1 0 1 3*Wartburg wins on penalty kicks, 5-4

Iowa Conference Championship

44:55 WART Tyler Salzwedel77:49 LOR Mike Pizzello (Tom Fluegel)79:50 WART Zubeen Azari (Jay Tegge)85:53 LOR Calvin Miller

Playoff PreviewStatistic Loras Westminster

Scoring offense 18th (2.79) 13th (3.05)Goals against 93rd (0.97) 111th (1.02)Assists per game 26th (2.05) 18th (2.21)Save percentage 263rd (73.2%) 259th (73.3%)Win percentage 16th (84.2%) 121st (60.5%)

Loras at Augustana

Women ........................ Event ............................. MenAugustana ............400-Medley Relay ............ AugustanaL: M.K. Maher ...............1,000-Free .............L: Michael KrolA: Allie Patch ..................200-Free .............. A: Chris WilsonA: Nicole Olsen ...............50-Free ......................L: Ike CaseyA: Emma Novak ..............200-IM...........A: Adam BernardiA: M. McGregor ...........1-Mtr Dive ..........A: Josh WielingaL: Kim Breaux .................. 100-Fly ............... A: Chris WilsonA: Jamie Graf ..................100-Free .....................L: Ike CaseyL: M.K. Maher ................ 100-Back ............A: F. HernandezL: Lexie Mollahan .........500-Free .........A: Adam BernardiA: M. McGregor ...........3-Mtr Dive ..........A: Josh WielingaA: Jordan Johnson .... 100-Breast .........A: Ian DisteldorfAugustana ............... 400-Free Relay ............... AugustanaA: 130, L: 87 ................. Final Score ................. A: 152, L: 67

Swimmers struggle at AuggieMen and women fall to 2-1 after falling in Rock Island

by DUSTIN DAWSON | sportswriterThe Duhawks traveled to Augustana

College this past Friday in quest of earning their third win in as many tries.

This feat would be no easy task howev-er, as the Vikings came in ready to swim. Augustana started the year out with an in-vitational in Bloomington, IL, but this was its first head-to-head match up of the year and they didn’t disappoint.

Both teams saw their first loss of the year , as the men fell 152-67, and the women, 130-87. The results of the latest meet don’t tell the whole story.

“We had several season (and at least one lifetime) best t imes,” said head coach Doug Colin.

D e s p i t e s o m e strong individual

performances, it was a lack of depth that proved to be the Duhawks’ Achilles heel.

“We swam fairly well, but we just didn’t have the numbers that Augustana had,” said Coach Colin.

The teams start this week of practice off in unknown territory following their first losses of the season. Practice will be im-portant these next couple weeks in order for the Duhawks to rebound.

“We will prepare the same way we do ev-ery week and that is with hard work,” said Coach Colin.

The Duhawks get a well-deserved break this Friday, as the next time they return to the pool will be a home meet against Simpson College on Nov. 21. Simpson has yet to compete in a head-on-head match-up, but will open its season this Friday against con-ference opponent Coe College.

by FRANK FERNANDEZ | sportswriterAfter a bye in the Iowa Conference tour-

nament, the Duhawks looked to capture their fifth consecutive tournament cham-pionship. Their quest began with a match-up against the University of Dubuque Spartans.

The Duhawks struck first in the 68th minute, when junior Tyler Kruikshank sent a ball into the box. The shot caromed off a defender, right to the feet of soph-omore Kyler Olsen. Moving to his right, Olsen beat three Spartan defenders and sent his shot into the upper 90 to give the Duhawks a 1-0 advantage.

The Spartans did not waste time equal-izing the score. In the 77th minute, Bran-don Wiley fired a left-footed shot past sophomore goalie Adam Roloff to even the game at 1-1. With the score now tied, it would be a dogfight until the horn sound-ed.

With no goals from either side, the game moved into overtime. In the 98th minute, first-year Spencer Moore sent a long ball over the Spartan defense that found the feet of Tyler Kruikshank. He sent a one-touch pass to junior Bryan Irwin who blasted the winner top shelf to send the Duhawks to the conference championship game.

The stage was set for the Iowa Con-ference Championship Game between the Duhawks and the Wartburg Knights. These rivals were facing off for the second time in the last four games, with the Duhawks taking the f irst m a t c h - u p 3 - 1 . Much like that first game, Wartburg was able to take the

early advantage. Tyler Salzwedel corralled the ball in the penalty area and beat Adam Roloff to take the 1-0 lead.

The Duhawks finally got their equaliz-er when Tom Fluegel laid the ball off to Pizzello, who beat two defenders and sent the shot home to tie it at one. This lead wouldn’t last for long, however, as Wart-burg received a free kick after a yellow card on Calvin Miller. Kevin Krueger’s free kick found Jay Tegge who set up Zubeen Azari for the goal.

Azari nearly added a second goal when he took a chance in the 81st minute, but Adam Roloff was able to stretch out and make the save. Building off that defensive effort, Calvin Miller was able to equal the score with a header.

With the scored tied at two at the end of regulation, the Duhawks were head-ing into overtime for the second straight game.

Both teams had chances in the two overtime periods, but were unable to cash in for a goal. The game now headed to penalty kicks to decide an Iowa Con-ference Champion. The Duhawks con-verted on their first three PK’s by Simon, Fluegel, and Olson and the Knights an-swered with three successful PK’s of their own. Tied at 3, sophomore Jonah Jacke stepped up for the Duhawks. His shot was turned aside by Austin Boyke and gave the Knights the momentum, leading to the game-winning goal by Brady Ander-son and a conference championship for the Wartburg Knights.

Coach Dan Rothert did not seem to be too worried after the loss.

“It was tough to end the conference tournament like that, would’ve liked to see a victory, but mental errors held us back,” he said “We know there are little things to fix, and we will improve before the NCAA tournament.”

Even with a loss to Wartburg, the Du-hawks were given an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. As the top seed in the North Region, Loras will also host the

regional round, w h i c h t a k e s place Nov. 15-16.

Loras will be-gin tournament play Saturday against Westmin-ster College (MO) in the Rock Bowl.

It’s playoff time

photo by KATHERINE EDWARDSJunior forward Richard Lenke fights for the ball during the Duhawks’ 2-1 win over the University of Dubuque during the semifinals of the conference tournament.

do some lobbying occasionally in order to put a game on the TV at all - but when I do, it’s the game that I want to watch. There can be no conflicts of interest when one party is entirely uninterested.

Also, because of Jenni’s complete and utter apathy towards all things athletic… 3. I never have to explain anything

Similar situation to the previous scenario: you’re locked in to an important NFL game on the television when, suddenly, Jon Gruden says something that makes your girlfriend’s/wife’s/sister’s/mother’s head explode. While you struggle futilely to explain what “Spider2 Y Banana” means, your favorite team makes the play of the year to win (or lose) the game, and you missed it.

Thanks to my wife’s total abhorrence of sports, this fate will never befall me. Even if she wanted to, Jenni could not care any less than she does about zone blocking schemes, infield fly rules, or two-line passes.

Even if Jenni feigned enough interest in these things that she asked me to explain them to her, I could tell her whatever I wanted, because in our home, on matters relating to sports…2. I’m always right

There are no dissenting opinions in the Brashaw household as it pertains to sports. If I say a coach should have opted to go for it on fourth-and-forever in the first half, then that’s what should have happened. If I say Phil Mickelson shanked a drive because his shirt was coming slightly untucked, then that’s the cause. If, in the midst of a rage fueled tirade, I say that Kirk Ferentz should be fired and publicly flogged, then that’s what’s up. My word is law. Regardless of how outlandish an assertion I make, the response is always the same: “That’s nice, Dear.”

But lest my dictatorial, omniscient authority go to my head, Jenni provides a very nice check, because…1. She keeps things in perspective for me

Before Jenni and I met, I was a man who let his emotions get the better of him. A Packers or Hawkeyes loss almost always meant a week of anger and frustration for me. I never went so far as to put holes in walls, but I wasn’t the most pleasant fellow to be around when things didn’t go my team’s way. Jenni simply will not tolerate that kind behavior from a grown man, and it has actually led me to a more enjoyable viewing experience. I used to freak out; now I just watch.

While it’s certainly important for a married couple to have mutual interests, there’s something to be said for separate spheres. To paraphrase a line from a famous Seinfeld episode, it’s good to be master of one’s own domain.

8 The Lorian Nov. 13, 2014 Sports

The Angelo Effect

COACH’S CORNER

GRAH

AM SL

AM

Ryan GRahamsports editor

Loras 22, Luther 20Loras (3-6, 2-4) 15 0 7 0 22Luther (4-5, 1-5) 13 0 0 7 20

Robert Kelly 18-33, 162 yards, 2 TD, 2 INTCalvin Smith 14 carries, 60 yardsNate Even 5 receptions, 34 yards, TDCalvin Harridge 17 tacklesJ.P. Awe 10 tackles, 2 sacks

LOR 11:42 Carrier 30 yds from Kelly (Quigley kick) 7 0LUT 9:27 Vos 4 yds from Sirios (Knutson kick) 7 7LOR 9:15 K. Smith 90-yd kickoff return (Vatch run) 15 7LUT 1:11 Cooper 25-yd run (kick blocked) 15 13

LOR 7:26 Even 8 yds from Kelly (Quigley kick) 22 13

LUT 12:29 Vos 9-yd run (Knutson kick) 22 20

1st quarter Lor Lut

3rd quarter Lor Lut

4th quarter Lor Lut

2014 Chuck Porter Open ResultsWeight .....................................Champion(s)125 .......................................................Vincent Elizalde (Loras)133 ............................................................... Nick Miceli (MSOE)141 .......................................Nick Steger, Troy Valdez (Loras)149 ..................................Jimmy Davis, Evan Weaver (Loras)157 ......................................................... Steven DeWitt (Loras)165 ...........................................Manuel Mendoza (Dubuque)174 ......................................Jordan Richardson (Augustana)184 .................. Thomas Reyhons, Eric Timko (Augustana)197 ............................................ Jose Luis Hernandez (MSOE)285 ....................Jack Seamen, John Schraidt (Augustana)

You watched it. I watched it. Last Sunday night, the

Chicago Bears got absolutely dismantled by the Green Bay Packers. This wasn’t your normal, everyday loss either. It was bad. Real bad. 55-14 doesn’t seem to give justice to how horribly the Bears were shat on last weekend. They were outclassed, out-manned and just plain bad.

All season, the story has been about the Bears failing to live up

to expectations. Last season, they had the second-best scoring offense in the league. Their defense was garbage, but with the addition of a few new pieces, many of us thought, “Hey, if the defense gets a little better and the offense stays the same, we could be looking at a 10-6 season!” Instead, the offense got worse, as did the defense (somehow), and ten weeks into the season, the Bears are 3-6. I’m beginning to think that our high expectations were misplaced. The fact of the matter is—the Bears just aren’t very good at football.

They’ve allowed 50-plus points two games in a row. They have the worst defense in football. Their offense has been below average at best. Two of their three wins came against the hapless Falcons and the LOLJets. Their only quality win came against the San Francisco 49ers, in a game they likely would’ve lost if it wasn’t for Colin Kaepernick’s four interceptions that allowed the Bears to come back from a 20-7 deficit.

So who’s to blame? Some have pointed the finger at Marc Trestman and

the coaching staff. Others want to blame Jay Cutler and his lack of PASHUN. Some idiot meatballs even decided to harass Trestman’s daughters on Twitter for their favorite team’s recent shortcomings. [Bangs head on keyboard.]

The fact of the matter is— the man who deserves the brunt of the blame isn’t even employed by the Bears. If we’re out here pointing fingers, the first one should be directed at Jerry Angelo.

As I’ve said before, Angelo, the team’s former General Manager, set the Bears back ten years. Ten years of ineptitude. Ten years of wasted draft classes. Ten years of awful contracts. Ten years of people looking around saying, “Wait, this guy still has a job?”

In the NFL, the best teams build through the draft. It’s not always about finding superstars. Sometimes, it’s about creating depth. According to an article from the Boston Globe, among the 53 players on the Bears’ current roster, only 11 were originally drafted by the Bears. This is the lowest total in the NFL. Other teams on the bottom of this list include the Buccaneers (1-8), the Raiders (0-9) and the Jaguars (1-9). At the top of this list, we find the Packers (6-3), the 49ers (5-4), the Seahawks (6-3) and the Patriots (7-2).

Do you sense a trend? Angelo’s incompetency might not have affected the

Bears in the early 2000’s, when they still had one of the top defenses in the league stacked with solid veterans. But guys retire (a la Brian Urlacher). Guys get old (a la Lance Briggs). Guys get hurt (a la Charles Tillman). Then what? Who do you have waiting in the ranks? Who’s your next Brian Urlacher? Briggs? Tillman? The true effect of Angelo’s incompetence is finally coming to a head this season. After years of clinging to their veteran leadership, those veterans are gone. That leadership is gone. Now what you’re left with is a hodgepodge of castoffs and journeymen that have been pieced together in a last-ditch effort to assemble something that remotely resembles a football team.

Let’s take a look at the numbers, shall we? Of Jerry Angelo’s 82 draft picks dating back to 2002, only 21 are still in the NFL. Of those 21, a grand total of five are still on the Bears. Those players include: Lance Briggs (possible Hall-of-Famer, but old now), Charles Tillman (same deal as Briggs, also injured), Matt Forte (OK, nice pick), Stephen Paea (Ehhh) and Christ Conte (Bad). Sure, Angelo did have a few hits, but that’s still a retention rate of only 6.1 percent. Not good.

Now let’s take a look at the Green Bay Packers draft classes from the same time frame. Among their 88 draft picks from 2002-2011, 34 are still in the NFL, while 19 continue to call Green Bay home. That’s close to a 22% retention rate, without even considering the draft picks from 2012-2014 that are still with the team. We’re talking about guys like Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Clay Matthews. Not only that, the Packers have built up their depth as well with guys like James Starks, Andrew Quarless and Matt Flynn.

Angelo may be long gone, but his spirit still haunts Halas Hall. Stop blaming Trestman and Cutler. What do you expect them to do? Look who they have around them. Ten whole years and all they have to show for it are two old guys, a solid running back, an underachieving nose tackle and arguably the worst safety in the NFL.

Good luck with that.

Duhawks conquer the NorseLoras gets a much-needed win on Senior Day

by DREW BRASHAW|asst. sports editor Head Coach Steve Helminiak called

it “a moment of truth.”Pinned down on their own 2-yard

line, clinging to a 2-point lead with five and a half minutes to play, the Duhawks knew exactly what needed to be done.

On 3rd-and-8 from the Loras 4-yard line, first-year quarterback Robert Kelly hit senior wideout Nate Even for 12 yards and a first down to move the Duhawks out of the shadow of their own goalpost. Senior running back Calvin Smith added a 21-yard rush for another Duhawk first down. The drive stalled out at the Loras 37, but it chiseled 3:29 off of the clock and allowed the Duhawks to flip the field

with sophomore Jeremy Peters’ 41-yard punt to the Luther 22-yard line with just over two minutes left in the game.

“It was so important for us to get out of there,” Helminiak said. “I told the guys it was a moment of truth when we got out of the 1-yard line and got almost to midfield and bur-ied them with that punt. We talked about it all week long — (Luther’s) not a team that can play from behind because of what they do. With a min-ute or two minutes left on the clock, they are not comfortable throwing the football. It takes them completely out of their element.”

The head coach couldn’t have been more right. Luther (4-5, 1-5 IIAC) managed only 12 yards on their final possession before turning the ball over on downs, and the Duhawks (3-6, 2-4 IIAC) held on for a 22-20 victory on Senior Day at the Rock Bowl.

“This was a huge win for us, espe-cially where we’re at as a program,” said Helminiak. “We’ve got ten se-niors that are working their tails off. They’ve been through so much adver-sity, and to finish it with a win in the Rock Bowl is huge. It’s big for the pro-gram and it’s big for those guys. It’s a memory they’ll never forget.”

Senior Day was much more than a ceremonial event for the outgoing class of Duhawks — every senior in the lineup contributed to the Loras victory. Senior defensive backs Mike Canevello, Dave Pirkle, and Tucker Brady were instrumental in bottling up Luther’s potent triple-option running attack and creating negative

yardage plays. Pirkle’s third-quar-ter strip of Luther’s J.J. Sirios, and Brady’s subsequent fumble recov-ery, set up an 8-yard Kelly-to-Even touchdown pass to make the score 22-13.

Even, who missed significant play-ing time last season with a fractured clavicle, will return to the Duhawks next season to play out his final year of eligibility. The senior wide receiv-er stands on the cusp of breaking the Duhawks’ single-season records for receptions and receiving yards, need-ing only four catches and eight yards in Loras’ season finale to eclipse the respective marks.

“I’ve got to thank the offensive line-men. They’ve been doing a great job,” Even said when asked about his stellar season. “Bob Kelly and Dylan Jones have both been throwing me the ball this year, and they’ve been doing fan-tastic. With the new offense this year, it’s just been great.”

The standout receiver will relish the opportunity for another season in a much-improved offense. “I’ve been waiting three or four years for this,” said Even. “I’m glad I’ll be able to come back for one more year and really stick it out. I think we’re going in the right direction.”

Loras football will close out its 2014 season this Saturday with a trip to Waverly to take on #5 Wartburg. The undefeated Knights locked up at least a share of the Iowa Conference Championship with last week’s 41-10 drubbing of the Simpson College Storm and are automatic qualifiers for the NCAA tournament.

Loras wrestlers shine in opener

by DREW BRASHAW|asst. sports editorThe Duhawks’ season got off to

an explosive start last weekend as Loras notched first-place finishes in four weight classes at the Knox Col-lege-Chuck Porter Invitational.

But don’t look for head coach Ran-dy Steward to be handing out laurels any time soon.

“In my mind it was critical for us to perform well in our first competi-tion,” Steward said. “It enables our kids to see some reward for the hard work and time they’ve put in. That be-ing said, I’ve stressed to the team that it was a good start – we now need to build on that start.”

Based on their debut performance,

this year’s team has a solid foundation on which to build.

First-year 125-pounder Vincent Elizalde got the fireworks started for the Duhawks, earning a tech fall and a major in his first two matches of the tournament. Elizalde dispatched two more opponents on his way to the fi-nals of his weight bracket, where he won a 7-4 decision over University of Dubuque’s Joey Cisternos to claim the championship.

“Vincent Elizalde had a solid first performance, that’s why we recruited him,” said Steward, adding, “As with the team, it was a good start for him personally. I look forward to watching his progress.”

Junior Nick Steger and first-year Troy Valdez were each awarded first-round byes in the 141-lb. bracket. Both wrestlers earned two pin-fall victories en route to an impressive all-Duhawk final. Steger and Valdez opted not to wrestle one another to decide first and second places, and the teammates were named co-champions.

It was déjà vu at 149, as sophomore Evan Weaver and first-year Jimmy Davis advanced through their respec-tive sides of the bracket to earn anoth-er Duhawk co-championship.

“We’re very pleased with the 1-2 finishes at 141 and 149,” Coach Stew-ard said. “It shows that we have some quality depth at those particular weight classes. While I am happy with that, I won’t be satisfied until we have that quality depth at every weight class.”

Far and away the most dominant performance of the tournament was turned in by senior Steven DeWitt. The top-seeded 157-pounder earned technical falls in all four of his match-es, including a 20-2 smothering of Truman State’s Roark Whittington in the finals.

Senior Joe Butler advanced to the finals of the 174lb. bracket, earning a fast pin-fall and two decisions be-fore losing 10-6 in the championship round to Augustana’s top-seeded Jor-dan Richardson for a second-place finish.

James Buss, Loras’ defending Na-tional Champion at heavyweight, did not compete. The top-ranked junior was held out of action with an illness.

The Duhawk matmen look to con-tinue their early-season success this weekend, as they travel to Decorah to compete in the Luther Open.

A Loras defender takes out the Luther pitch-

man during the Duhawks’ 22-20

win over the Norse. Loras held

Luther’s triple-option offense to

238 yards rushing, a far stretch from the 350 that they averaged coming

into the game. photo courtesy of

JIM NAPRSTEK