THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2012 | EDITION 50, ISSUE 3 | VALUE: $1.00

New challenge asks to eat more, weigh less

A look back at SGA resolutions

Fall theatre and dance preview

NKU students play club rugby

See News, p. 4

See News, p. 5

See Arts & Life, p. 6

See Sports, p. 11

Freshmen faced tough standards

The Northern Kentucky University class of 2016 might not be the largest, but they are some of the best, due to new NKU acceptance standards.

Melissa Gorbandt, director of admissions, said in 2005, NKU developed some com-prehension standards that reviewed only college prep courses and ACT/SAT results.

In 2006, the current stan-dards were created. A student applying to NKU had to have an ACT overall score of 20 (including at least an 18 in the English, mathematics and reading categories).

Along with the ACT score, students had to complete pre-college requirements (four courses of English, three courses of mathematics, three courses of social studies, two years of a foreign language, three courses of science and one science with a lab).

In the fall of 2011, Gorbandt said they were asked to limit the number of students with two or more academic defi-ciencies. This meant that if an applicant didn’t meet at least two of the above require-ments, they were not accepted into NKU.

Those students who do not meet NKU’s standards after high school graduation might have a chance to be a trans-

fer student at NKU down the road.

“Our main goal is to help those students that are not admitted to NKU to consider a community college that al-lows them to build a founda-tion of knowledge in English, mathematics and reading,” said Gorbandt. “Then we work with the students who might want to transfer to NKU at a later date.”

As to why this year’s fresh-man class is smaller, Gor-bandt thinks there are a few components to consider.

“Demographics in Ken-tucky are changing greatly. The number of high school seniors is decreasing every year. Demographics show us

that in 2012, 2013, 2014, we are expecting to see smaller freshmen college classes at our local institutions,” said Gorbandt.

According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, “along with much of the rest of the nation, Kentucky is poised to enter a new period characterized by much more stagnant growth in the production of high school graduates. After reach-ing a peak in 2008-2009, the state will see a sharp decline in the number of high school graduates each year through 2013-2014, assuming a con-tinuation of existing patterns of enrollment, progression and completion.”

WICHE predicts that be-tween 2008-2009 and 2013-2014, the number of high school graduates will drop 5.7 percent.

Along with demographics, Gorbandt said the limit of ac-cepted students with two or more academic deficiencies also decreases the total of in-coming freshmen.

“We are building the quality of our class,” Gorbandt said.

Due to the rough economy the last few years, Gorbandt thinks it might be affecting potential college members.

“NKU has worked very hard to keep tuition manageable for students,” Gorbandt said. “I think all state institutions are doing what they can to control costs for students.”

Kentucky in particular of-fers the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship. Ac-cording to Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Author-ity’s website, “the better stu-dents do in high school, the more they will earn toward college scholarships. Stu-dents must earn a 2.5 GPA in any year of high school while meeting the KEES curriculum requirements.”

“We’ve worked diligently to try to offer additional scholar-ship money for high academic achievers, we are trying to make education as affordable as possible,” Gorbandt said.

Tara DeringtonStaff writer

The 2016 freshmen class faced the university’s toughest admission standards. In 2011, NKU began limiting the students with two or more academic deficiencies.

Photo from The Northerner archives

New acceptance requirements brings one of the best classes

2 | OpEd SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

THEPODIUM:

Hurricane Isaac may have changed the plans for the 2012 Republican National Convention, but Mitt Romney was able to leave GOP supporters full of optimism for the upcoming presidential election.

The feeling in Tampa Bay for the RNC was im-mediately more enthusiastic than it was in St. Paul in 2008, mainly because Republicans feel they have selected a candidate that can defeat Barack Obama. The selection of John McCain and Sarah Palin in 2008 was not very popular among Republicans and the GOP seemed defeated in the 2008 election right when Obama received the Democratic nomination.

It seems that this election has a completely differ-ent feel to it already. I have noticed that America is starting to sober up from the Obama Kool-Aid and one key note speaker at the RNC showed he was living proof of this. Former Alabama Democratic Congressman Artur Davis, the man that introduced Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Conven-tion, admitted that he was once an “Obama Zom-bie,” but not anymore.

Davis called on all Democrats and Independents to “correct the mistake of 2008.” That is pretty powerful coming from a man that was once close to Obama. CNN and MSNBC did not air or even dis-cuss Davis’ speech and some believe it is due to the fact that Davis is an African-American. They also

failed to air or discuss the speech given by New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, who is also a once Democrat converted Repub-lican. I wonder why organizations who are

so quick to blast Republicans as racist and sexist would fail to cover these speeches.

One thing that stuck out to me during the RNC was the lack of negativity towards Obama. Romney has thus far run a very clean campaign, trying to focus on the issues and fixing America rather than take a jab at his opposition. If you have seen a nega-tive ad about Obama on TV, which there are some, you will notice that not one is paid for by Mitt Rom-ney. Yet Mr. Obama has spent millions on negative advertising in an attempt to drive voters away from Romney. Maybe he should look into telling us what his plans are for the next four years.

Romney was greeted with thunderous applause at the RNC and he graciously accepted the Republican nomination for presidency. Romney posed a ques-tion to the American people about this upcoming election, “look at where we are now and think, are we better off than we were four years ago?” With the economy still struggling, a national debt that has doubled and a higher unemployment rate than in 2008, the answer to that question is simple: no.

Romney outlined his and Paul Ryan’s five big plans for the future of America. First, they called for America to become energy independent by taking full advantage of using our own coal, oil, gas, nucle-ar and renewable energies. This would create jobs in America and help stimulate our internal econo-my. Second, he called for Americans to pursue edu-cation so that they can learn skills to better their

own lives. He wants to make education a priority for Americans so that they can get an affordable college education. Third, he called for new trade agreements with other nations. This would benefit our economy as well as the global economy. Fourth, he called for America to balance its budget so that the value of the dollar won’t diminish. President Obama has not passed a single federal budget since he was elected in 2008. And last, Romney called for the lifting of taxes on American businesses so that they can flourish and create more jobs in America.

Romney also favored repealing Obamacare, which was recently upheld by the Supreme Court. Obamacare forces men and women of the United States military to pay a premium rate for health coverage. It also forces those without health cover-age to pay taxes for health care. Romney wants to get rid of Obamacare so that it doesn’t deplete all of the funding for Medicare.

There is no denying that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have caused Republicans all over the coun-try to believe in America again. Romney and Ryan pose a real threat to Obama’s re-election and recent polls suggest that this race is a lot closer than the 2008 presidential race. Two University of Colorado professors that have accurately projected the win-ner of every presidential election since 1980, have projected that Mitt Romney will be victorious in November. With the election still months away, the presidential race is growing ever closer and until Nov. 6 we won’t have an answer as to how it turns out.

Kevin WardContributing writer

Convention restores hope to Republican party

EDITION 50, ISSUE 3 Views | 3

Kyle HoltonSophomore

EMB

“I probably won’t get to see any plays this fall,

but I wish everyone good luck with perfor-

mances. ”

Jessica BorchersJuniorEnglish

“I want to see them all! I love theatre and used to be a theatre major and since I switched I admire it more.”

Vincent CunninghamSenior

Public relations

“I would love to see Grease. I have never

seen it live, and it’s all around entertaining. ”

rnpCompiled byEmily Lindeau

What fall theater production are you

most looking forward to?

norse poll responses

The NorthernerFounders Hall Rm 314Highland Heights, KY 41099Editor in Chief: (859) 572-5812Newsroom: (859) 572- 6677 or 5620Advertising: (859) 572-5232Fax: (859) 572-5772E-mail: northerner@nku.eduWeb site: www.thenortherner.com

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furtherdetailsEntire content is copyright of The Northern-er and may not be reprinted without prior consent. Views expressed do not represent those of the administration, faculty or stu-dent body.The Northerner is considered a designated public forum. Student editors have author-ity to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The North-erner staff respects the right to a free and open dialogue as allowed under the First Amendment.

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEAndrew Despotes[despotesa1@nku.edu]

PHOTO EDITOR Samantha Hayden[haydens1@nku.edu]

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFClaire Higgins[higginsc1@nku.edu]

MANAGING EDITORBrandon Barb[barbb1@nku.edu]

ADVISERMichele Day[daymi@nku.edu]

STAFF WRITERS

Caitlin Centner[centnerc1@nku.edu]

Brook Clifford[cliffords1@nku.edu]

Tara Derington[deringtont1@nku.edu]

Stephen Marck[marcks1@nku.edu]

John Minor[minorj1@nku.edu]

Maggie Pund[pundm1@nku.edu]

Kevin Schultz[schultzk2@nku.edu]

Kyle Sebree[sebreek1@nku.edu]

COPY DESK CHIEFMary-Kate Gnotek[gnotekm1@nku.edu]

SPORTS EDITORStephen Wilder[wilders3@nku.edu]

PRESENTATION EDITOREmily Lindeau[lindeaue1@nku.edu]

WEB EDITORBrittany Granville[granvilleb1@nku.edu] PHOTOGRAPHER

Kody Kahle[kahlek1@nku.edu]

Drivers frustrated with gravel lots, high parking pass pricesStaff editorial

Nia SlaughterSenior

Criminal justice

“I want to see Grease, it’s a widely known

musical and I would love to see how NKU students portray it.”

With all of Northern Kentucky University’s recent updates and changes, the administra-tion seems to neglect parking lot renovation every year, even though parking passes cost students as much as $210 and full-time faculty $335.

The one complaint that is guaranteed to return with students at the beginning of the school year is parking in gravel lots and the fact that the cost of passes is too high.

Based on the current prices and NKU’s stu-dent population, the university and parking services are bringing in around $3 million in student parking pass sales alone. Paving a gravel lot should only cost the university around $500,000. This does not add up. As

students who had to pay the $210, we want to know where the $3 million is going — and why it’s not going towards paving the gravel lots.

Gravel lots are inconvenient to drivers; the rocks and dust can damage car paint, which could lead to extra outside costs for repairs. It does not seem reasonable for parking services to charge over $200 if the lots we are parking in could potentially harm our cars.

It is hard to believe that parking services has $3 million worth of fees and unexpected re-pairs to pay, especially when paving the lots is what students are asking for, and asking on a yearly basis.

NKU takes pride in its students and turns to them for advice on many things, but when it comes to the complaints and wishes for better parking accommodations it appears they are falling on deaf ears.

Technology is forever on the rise and Americans are always finding new ways to make life easier for every-one. While in college, students have access to new tech-nology, such as eTextbooks, an online version of text-books used in classes.

eTextbooks are made for a lot of reasons — so stu-dents don’t have to lug textbooks to and from class ev-ery day and they can access their books from virtually anywhere.

Students at Northern Kentucky University are still new to the idea of eTextbooks, but those who do use them find both pros and cons.

“On my Nook study, eTextbooks are a little compli-cated to work,” Nathan Garbig, a freshman at NKU, said. “Sometimes I’ll hit one button and it’ll flip ten pages. I always feel like I’m going to miss something.”

The Chronicle of Higher Education conducted a study with several colleges/universities and came to a conclu-sion that eTextbooks are clumsy and hard for students to use. The study showed that students didn’t think that they helped them interact better in the class or with the professor, which is part of what they are aiming to do.

“I like the feel of having a physical textbook,” Brent Lamping, freshman at NKU, said. “It’s just a hassle be-cause if I was on the computer, I feel like I would get extremely side tracked and start doing other things.”

Sophomore Matthew Wallin agrees, “I think it would bother me to not be able to flip a page,” he said. “But if you’re really into media, I think it would be really cool because it’s all right there on your laptop.”

While some students see the downsides to eText-books, they have found they enjoy the new technology.

“I don’t have to worry about the heavy weight, I could read a few chapters anywhere,” student Motaz Alsaman said. “It’s a new and different way, I couldn’t get use to it at first and it requires internet access.”

Although a lot of general education classes have the books available online, it is hard to find more specific books once you get deeper into major classes.

“The textbook in our class, Human Nutrition, is not available as an eTextbook,” Cynthia Blocksom, human nutrition professor, said. “I wish it was an option for an eTextbook, because for some students it is a more desir-able format.”

“Most of my engineering courses, if not all of them, don’t have an eBook available. I wish we were able to get them as eBooks,” Alsaman said.

Another advantage of eTextbooks is they cost less than regular textbooks. The on-campus bookstore ad-vertises that students can save money by buying eBooks.

“One of my eTextbooks was $20 less than it would have been if I had bought the hard copy,” Garbig said. “It can really add up and end up saving you a lot of mon-ey.”

4 | News SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Challenge asks campus to eat more

Students unsure about eBook technology

Northern Kentucky University’s Wellness Center is doing a campus-wide challenge asking students, fac-ulty and staff to “eat more, weigh less and give back.” Rachel Bishop, student wellness manager, said anyone can par-ticipate in the Great Plate Challenge.

The challenge asks participants to eat more fruits and vegetables in order to naturally weigh less. The challenge goes beyond self benefits. The larger idea of the challenge is to “give back.” Through this challenge participants can contrib-ute to the greater goal, which is to have fresh produce donations given to the Brighton Center in Cincinnati.

“Unlike other campaigns we’re not doing a weigh-in to track how much weight you’ve lost,” Bishop said. “The giving back component is when the campus meets certain goals, Green B.E.A.N. Delivery will donate fresh pro-duce to the Brighton Center.”

“Most food pantries get non-perish-able items, so there’s now a partner-

ship existent where they [The Brighton Center] will get a stream of produce at certain times so that it’s always fresh,” Bishop said.

Bishop added that the challenge is about a lifestyle change, unlike fad di-ets. Participants can better themselves while making a positive impact on oth-ers lives as well.

Brett Mueller, a senior media infor-

matics major, said being busy affects his dietary decisions. “Sometimes fast food is the more convenient option,” he said.

Bishop said being busy is a concern for a lot of students, or they just don’t know where to find healthy options on campus. To help navigate where healthy options are offered, NKU din-ing will have cues that point out which

foods will count towards the challenge.Bishop encourages all faculty, staff

and students to participate whether they want to lose weight or not. The challenge also encourages student or-ganizations to get involved and utilize it within their chapters.

“The Student Wellness Advisory Committee has decided to give an award dedicated to this challenge at the Student Organization Celebration Awards and part of that award is en-couraging members of your organiza-tion to do healthy acts,” Bishop said.

There will be one registration table in the Student Union plaza Sept. 10-12 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. During the regis-tration event participants will receive fresh produce, a plate and the instruc-tions.

Visit www.wellness.nku.edu for more information on the Great Plate Chal-lenge. Register online for the chal-lenge Sept. 10-12. Participants will start tracking points on Sept. 14 and stop on Oct. 11.

Logo provided by the Wellness Center

Photo provided by MCT Campus

Wellness Center’s push to eat healthier helps students and communityCaitlin CentnerStaff writer

Brook CliffordStaff writer

EDITION 50, ISSUE 3 News | 5

A look back at student government’s work

Acr

oss

the

Univ

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ity

STEM grant leads to new student program

Northern Kentucky University recently re-ceived a $600,000 grant to establish a pro-gram that will recruit, retain and graduate “financially needy, academically talented stu-dents” in the STEM discipline. The National Science Foundation Scholarships in STEM grant will contribute to Project SOAR. The key elements of the program will include fac-ulty mentors, a year-long freshman seminar; STEM learning and living communities, op-portunities for research, internships and co-ops, entrepreneurship training and academic support services.

Fan photo contest winner takes home season tickets

Northern Kentucky University Athletics an-nounced the winners of the first #NorseNation fan photo contest. The first place winner, Tom

Ratterman, received the most Facebook likes for his Norse-based photo and a pair of 2012-2013 basketball season tickets. The top ten winners will receive gift certificates for NKU spirit gear. To see the winning photos, visit www.Facebook.com/nkunorse.

Co-op search workshop todayNorthern Kentucky University offers stu-

dents the opportunity to co-op and intern through Norse Recruiting. The Career De-velopment Center is hosting a workshop, Co-Op Search Strategies, today at 4:45 p.m. in Student Union room 105. Students can also search more job opportunities through Norse Recruiting’s site: www.myinterfase.com/nku/student.

Freshmen service retreat scheduledThe Freshman Service Leadership is taking

an annual retreat to Cedar Ridge Camp in Lou-

isville, Ky. The retreat is Sept. 21-22. The event is limited to 40 freshmen and is a competi-tive program, according to an N3 announce-ment. The fee to attend the retreat is $50. Apply online at www.orgsync.com/20958/forms/50211.

New director for SBDC announcedThe Northern Kentucky University Small

Business Development Center announced Rebecca Volpe as its new director. As direc-tor, Volpe, a Michigan native, will manage the center and provide consulting services, semi-nars and workshops to assist entrepreneurs and existing businesses. The Small Business Development Center provides seminars and no-cost, one-on-one business consultation to small business owners in Boone, Campbell, Kenton, Gallatin, Grant and Pendleton coun-ties.

A week off for SGA, due to the Labor Day holiday, has meant a week away from student govern-ment business for the rest of the NKU community, leaving time to reflect on some of the influen-tial changes that SGA has made on the lives of NKU students, faculty, administrators and sur-rounding residents.

Student Government Associa-tion has been an organization at Northern Kentucky Univer-sity for over 40 years with the aim, according to the organiza-tion’s website, “to continuously improve NKU and to develop all students as responsible and involved members and leaders of the Greater Cincinnati area.”

SGA has made many attempts

to improve things on campus with an aim to help the student life at NKU via proposals of res-olutions, group rallies, surveys, community outreach and more.

Some of the attempts from SGA that have proved success-ful are the extension of library hours at Steely Library, the large turnout at the Rally for Higher Education in Frankfort last spring and the building of the James C. and Rachel M. Votruba Student Union.

A chronological listing and explanation of more of SGA’s successes at NKU can be found on the timeline to the right. While SGA has had many ideas on ways to improve campus, not all are able to be put into effect, due to the need of approval from higher authority.

Kevin SchultzStaff writer

SGA TIMELINESGA resolution (passed in spring 2003) leading to the eventual construc-tion of the Student Union (finished spring 2008).

SGA resolution (passed in 2011-2012) leading

to the eventual renam-ing of the Student

Union to the James C. and Rachel M. Votruba Student Union (put into

place in spring 2012).

SGA led a three-bus caravan of NKU students representing the highest student turnout of any higher education institution to Frankfort’s Rally for Higher Education to take a stand against budget cuts to-ward higher education institutions and to educate students on how state budget cuts affect them (in February 2012).

SGA resolution (passed in 2009-2010) leading to

design plans for a reno-vated Campus Recreation

Center and intramural field complex (plans released in

fall 2012).SGA resolutions (passed in 2010-2011) leading to the extension of Steely Library hours from opening at 8 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday (put into place April 2011).

SGA resolution (passed in 2011-2012) leading to the option to view midterm grades for all students.

SGA resolution (passed in 2011- 2012) leading to the installation of a wireless printing area which will potentially be located in the newly constructed Student Success Center (when construction comes to a close in spring 2013). SGA proposed the idea (in 2011-

2012) and held a contest for a new All Card design leading to the implementation of the newly designed All Card at NKU, start-ing with the class of 2016 (sum-mer/fall 2012).

GreaseNov. 29-Dec. 9Corbett Theatre

“Grease is the word” as the fall theater schedule will close with the Broadway and West End war horse written in 1971 by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The crowd favorite will be di-rected by theatre and dance lecturer Michael Hatton, who also directed a film to stage adaptation of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at NKU in 2010. This will be the first NKU production of “Grease” since the mid-90s.

“We’re looking forward to producing this great show again and giving it a fresh twist and a little new life,” Hatton said.

The story is set in 1959 and tells the tale of the rebel rous-ing students of Rydell High School. Danny Zuko is a member of the T-Birds, a greaser gang of good-timers who soup up hot rods when not chasing poodle skirts. He spends his summer vacation falling in love with a knockout blonde named Sandy Dumbrowski. After discovering they go to the same high school, the young lovers fight to work around each other’s superficial differences.

“It’s truly going to be a feast for the eyes and ears as you watch this uber-talented company take on one of the most be-loved musicals of all time,” said Hatton. “Your feet will be tap-ping in no time and you’ll be begging to do the hand jive baby!”

For one last dose of hot “Summer Nights” in the middle of autumn weather, be sure to check this one out.

You Can’t Take It With YouSept. 27-Oct. 7Corbett TheatreThe starting gun for the season lineup will usher

in “You Can’t Take it With You”, a comedic play written by George Kaufman and Moss Hart in 1936. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play will be directed by theatre and dance professor, Mike King.

The classic story, which spawned an Academy Award-winning film adaptation in 1938, will be the first of three classic plays to be revived at NKU this fall.

The play focuses on the love between a man from a rich, aristocratic heritage and a woman from a cordial yet eccentric family. The zany Sycamore family is headed by a grandfather who lovingly al-lows his screwball family to do as they please. The one normal family member, Alice, is in love with Tony of the wealthy Kirby family. “The play provides great ensemble acting op-

portunities for student performers involved,” said King. “It’s also a crowd pleasing comedy classic that should be popular with our audience.”

When a simple dinner date between both fami-lies is kept, sparks begin to fly. Will the bickering between the two clans be enough to keep the young lovers away from the altar?

FALL Line up

GreaseNov. 29-Dec. 9Corbett Theatre

“Grease is the word” as the fall theater schedule will close with the Broadway and West End war horse written in 1971 by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The crowd favorite will be di-rected by theatre and dance lecturer Michael Hatton, who also directed a film to stage adaptation of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at NKU in 2010. This will be the first NKU production of “Grease” since the mid-90s.

“We’re looking forward to producing this great show again and giving it a fresh twist and a little new life,” Hatton said.

The story is set in 1959 and tells the tale of the rebel rous-ing students of Rydell High School. Danny Zuko is a member of the T-Birds, a greaser gang of good-timers who soup up hot rods when not chasing poodle skirts. He spends his summer vacation falling in love with a knockout blonde named Sandy Dumbrowski. After discovering they go to the same high school, the young lovers fight to work around each other’s superficial differences.

“It’s truly going to be a feast for the eyes and ears as you watch this uber-talented company take on one of the most be-loved musicals of all time,” said Hatton. “Your feet will be tap-ping in no time and you’ll be begging to do the hand jive baby!”

For one last dose of hot “Summer Nights” in the middle of autumn weather, be sure to check this one out.

Royal GambitOct. 25-Nov. 4Robert & Rosemary Strauss Theatre

The life of Henry VIII and his wives will be the

heart of this 1957 Hermann Gresseiker play. The-

atre and dance professor Sandra Forman is set to

direct. Rehearsals are set to take place Sept. 24.

“I have wanted to direct this play since I first

saw it in 1963,” said Forman.

The five-act play will outline the history of the

prominent, narcissistic King Henry VIII and his

parade of marriages to six different women. Cath-

erine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour,

Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine

Parr will all be present as audiences witness the

charm and subsequent wrath of Henry VIII.

The play is known to be an actor’s showcase

that relies more on raw acting ability than the use

of stage props. “It’s a history play about Henry VIII and his

six wives and how relevant their lives are to the

modern times,” Forman said.

w

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A family of high-society snobs, a cavalcade of royally abused wives and two teens from opposite sides of the tracks will take center stage at Northern Kentucky University this fall as the Department of Theatre and Dance prepares to saddle up for a season of (occa-sionally dysfunctional) love stories.

Kyle SebreeStaff writer

ADM

IT O

NEFALL Line up

8 | Arts & Life SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

WHATTo dothis weekend...

Women prep for sorority recruitmentOne student readies herself for another attempt at Greek life

After Chi Omega sorority resigned from the charter-ing process at Northern Kentucky University, some were skeptical but 25 women who participated in Chi O’s recruitment in Spring 2012 have decided to partici-pate in this year’s formal fall recruitment.

Included in the 25 women is Chanell Karr, a junior public relations major. Karr participated in formal fall recruitment in 2011 as a sophomore, but when she didn’t find her match she turned to the Chi Omega re-cruitment process. Although the sorority’s plans went awry, Karr is certain that the third time’s the charm.

“I think that last year I was trying to please other peo-ple, but this year I need to be true to myself and make choices that will most positively affect myself, the chap-ter and the university,” Karr said.

Kimberly Vance, assistant director of Student Life, told the women who went through Chi O’s recruitment not to get discouraged.

“As an incentive to go through with fall recruitment, they waived our recruitment fees,” Karr said.

According to Vance, doing so cost the Panhellenic Council about $750. “It was the right thing to do and Panhellenic is happy to do it,” she said.

Vance mentioned that this year the potential new members (PNM) will take an assessment test called iValU that focuses on their values to help find things that connect them to the chapters. This is the first year PNMs will take an assessment.

The assessment is provided by Phired Up Produc-tions, a company that focuses on education, growth and retention for organizations. Vance said that every year chapters lose members for various reasons, but

through this assessment she’s hoping retention will be positively affected.

Melanie Ansara, a Gamma Chi, said the iValU as-sessments have already been helpful. “I’m a huge fan. It helps a lot of my girls open up and puts things into perspective for them.”

She then explained that her Gamma Chi group had a discussion and the women all seemed to be very open with each other.

“We want it to be legitimate. We want it to be sin-cere,” Vance said. “What do you value and how can you

get involved within the organization?”She explained that at age 18 it’s hard to know who

you are, what you want to become and what your deep-est values are. Vance also mentioned that being in col-lege and getting involved is a balancing act.

Karr said that if she had gone through recruitment as a freshman she didn’t think she would have been ready. Freshman year she took on two or three student orga-nizations and then sophomore year took on leadership roles within.

“Greek life will be great because there are so many leaders in greek life,” Karr said. “I look up to them in so many ways. There are so many famous people and leaders in the world that have been in greek life.”

Alpha Omicron Pi will be joining NKU Greek Life this fall. They will be at orientation Sept. 6 for a brief presentation. Shortly after the conclusion of formal fall recruitment we will be seeing more of them on campus Vance said.

“There are a lot of alumni in the area that are excited. I think it’s going to be a more positive outcome, but I’ll always wonder if we could have done something better with Chi Omega,” Vance said.

Ashley Schilffarth, a Gamma Chi, said she wished Chi Omega had handled things better in regards to withdrawing from the chartering process. “I think we did the best we could as a Panhellenic community and I hope their actions don’t reflect on us,” she said.

Both Ansara and Schilffarth agree that the women of AOII have been nice and handled everything appropri-ately thus far.

Registration for recruitment ended on Sept. 3 so that the assessments will be completed by Sept. 6, which marks Meet Your Gamma Chi Night.

Photo by Emily LindeauSorority recruitment at NKU begins Sept. 6 with Meet Your Gamma Chi Night. Bid day takes place on Sept. 10.

ScopeOut Telescope FestivalSept. 8, noon - 11 p.m.Cincinnati Observatory, 3489 Observa-

tory Place, CincinnatiScopeOut is an opportunity for peo-

ple of all ages to look at astronomical equipment offered by local and national vendors. Activities include classes, edu-cational materials for teachers, kids spacecrafts, safe viewing of the sun, tours of the observatory buildings and door prizes.

Price: $7/adults, $5/kids for main displays, suggested $5 donation for viewing through old telescopes from 9-11 p.m.

More info: www.cincinnatiobserva-tory.org/

Club KissSept. 8, 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.Pulse Nightclub, 700 West Pete Rose

Way, CincinnatiDrink specials ($4 Three Olives vod-

ka) for 21 and up, still open to 18 and up. Music provided by DJ Sab.

Price: $15 ages 18 and up men, $10 ages 18 and up women, $5 ages 21 and up; free ages 21 and up women before 10 p.m.

More info: www.pulsenightclub.com

MetricSept. 9, 7 p.m.Madison Theater, 730 Madison Avenue,

CovingtonA band that blends psychedlia, electro

and rock music together will take the

Madison’s stage Sunday night. Show is all ages.

Price: $28.50More info and tickets: www.ilovemet-

ric.com, www.madisontheateronline.com

Frank Smith with Mike Oberst of The Tillers

Sept. 9, 10 p.m.MOTR Pub, 1345 Main Street, CincinnatiHailing from Boston, Frank Smith

(the band) is bringing their countryish, rootsy, folk-rock sound to downtown Cincinnati. Show begins at 10 p.m., must be 21.

Price: FreeMore info: www.franksmithmusic.

com/news/

Have a chance to get off campus this week? Check out the nightlife and events happening in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Caitlin CentnerStaff writer

EDITION 50, ISSUE 3 Arts & Life | 9

The Northern Kentucky University art galleries in the Fine Arts Building kicked off their yearly art exhibition on Aug. 21 with a showcase of contemporary art-work created by artists hailing from In-dia. The exhibit, titled “The Art of Story Telling: Traditional and Contemporary Works from India,” is a collection of pieces that are owned and sold by the exhibit’s curator, Radha Chandrashek-aran.

Chandrashekaran, who received her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Fine Arts from the Art Academy of Cincinnati, taught at NKU last year and explained how most of the artwork being shown is a collection of pieces from a previous showing.

“These were some of the works which were left with me,” Chandrashekaran said. “And I couldn’t ship them any-where. NKU then asked if I could have an exhibition of these works.”

While all of the artwork is on sale, al-most half of the gallery was originally purchased by Chandranshekaran herself to help struggling artists in India.

“When I met them, they were so poor,” Chandrashekaran said. “I felt that they were traditional artists and that I learned a lot from them and that I should help them so I purchased their work. I didn’t have any money, but it was such a beautiful art form of telling sto-ries.”

The 19 pieces in the gallery are a mix-ture of both contemporary and tradi-tional art. They tell a range of stories

such as a little fish at his birthday party, to a more somber tone of the trouble in the Middle East. Even the artists them-selves vary, ranging in age from over 50 to one artist who is 11 years old. The va-riety allows students and faculty to see the broad range of art that India has to offer.

David Knight, the director of exhibi-tion and collection at NKU, is assisting Chandrashekaran with the execution of the exhibit. Students do not have to pay for admission to the galleries he ex-plains. They are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. so students are free to admire the work at their lei-sure, as well as complete an assignment for one of their classes.

“The English department and Uni-versity 101 classes use our galleries a lot for writing experience,” Knight said. “It broadens our aspect on campus and even regionally.”

Although the exhibit has already been open for a couple weeks, a reception is planned on Sept. 6 from 5-7 p.m. After that, the gallery will remain in place un-til Sept. 21.

Knight is already planning the next exhibit though — an international photo gallery is scheduled to open sometime in October that will feature 144 photo-graphs.

“Basically,” Knight said, “every place that typically exhibits artwork in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky regional area will have a photo-based exhibit in the month of October. Our exhibit will be a big deal. Most of the photographers, as well as their work, are well known.”

Stephen MarckStaff writer

Photos by Stephen MarckFine Arts exhibits kick off with traditional and contemporary Indian storytelling art. Pieces include art from former NKU professor and curator’s own collection.

Local curator’s collection helps expose students to modern and

traditional Indian culture

10 | Arts & Life SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

This weekend marks the 34th annual Oktoberfest in Covington’s MainStrasse Village and this year looks to be its fin-est yet. The German heritage festival will take place across six blocks around Covington’s Main Street area starting at 5 p.m. this Friday and going throughout the weekend until Sunday night.

Keeping with tradition, MainStrasse launches its annual festival the weekend

after Labor Day as a way to mark the end of summer and begin the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area’s celebration of its German heritage.

MainStrasse’s Oktoberfest celebration will continue this year with its traditional events including an offering of a wide ar-ray of traditional German food as well as other palatable international dishes. In addition, there will be live music from an assortment of genres – classic rock, blues, country, traditional German music – set up on four different stages within the

event perimeters. The festival includes fun for kids as

well, with various rides and attractions set up in nearby Goebel Park located just a block over from the center of Main-Strasse (Sixth Street and Main Street in Covington). This year will once again fea-ture MainStrasse’s “Get Your Chalk On,” the Saturday drawing contest where at-tendees can show off their artistic chalk-ing talents with a chance to win various cash prizes.

“Arts and crafts are a big part of our fes-tival,” said MainStrasse Association co-ordinator Donna Kremer, who has been a part of the Oktoberfest celebration for the past few years. “Our tree-lined prom-enade is [also] one of our big pluses,” she said

The center of MainStrasse contains a shady boulevard that stretches for three blocks perpendicular to Main Street, of-fering a perfect atmosphere to enjoy arts, crafts, beverages and food. “Everyone can find something that they like,” Kremer said. “It’s a great place to come as couples, as singles, as families; there’s something for everyone.”

For college students, Oktoberfest at MainStrasse offers a chance for enter-

tainment off campus. Night lifers, music lovers and thrill seekers will have plenty to engage in during the three-day extrav-aganza.

MainStrasse has an eclectic range of bars and, set up specifically for Oktober-fest, a biergarten near the main perfor-mance stage. Festival rides will be set up in the Fifth Street parking lot around the corner from Goebel Park.

“MainStrasse is an environment with a great aura for everyone to enjoy,” said Krysten Stein, a communication profes-sor, who is teaching public speaking at NKU this fall. Stein, who has been to the festival in the past, plans on attending it again this year.

“Oktoberfest brings an eclectic and di-verse array of food and drinks, perfect for a weekend event,” she said.

Those driving to the event can park for free in the IRS parking lot located in walk-ing distance from Main Street. The event is expected to draw an estimated 125,000 people, so there will be plenty of food and beverages to go around from various ven-dors all weekend long. The opening cer-emony begins at the Goose Girl Fountain at 6 p.m. Friday, and the fun and enter-tainment will last all weekend.

Michael TopmillerContributing writer

Oktoberfest returns to nKY this weekend

The 34th annual Oktoberfest in Covington’s MainStrasse Village will provide guests with live music, German beer and food, arts and crafts and entertainment this weekend, Friday through Sunday.

EDITION 50, ISSUE 3 Sports | 11

Members of the Northern Kentucky Grubs Rug-by Football club are preparing for their upcoming season and although the team is not affiliated with Northern Kentucky University, the team consists of several players who are current or former NKU stu-dents.

The Grubs are a member of the Ohio Rugby Union and started play in fall 2004. Chris Libbert will coach the team for the first time this year since he last coached the Grubs seven years ago. Libbert said his main focus is to get familiar with his team and pre-pare them for their first game.

“I want to give them a crash course in a very short time to get them ready for the first game,” Libbert said. “I’ve been around rugby for 20 plus years and I’m going to dump as much knowledge on them as I can.”

According to NKU senior psychology major Bryan Snapp, the team has been in the rebuilding process the last few years after some of the veteran players left the team and have been replaced with younger players who are new to the sport.

“I started off knowing nothing about rugby and became a player under the older guys,” Snapp said. “The older guys have left and now I’m teaching the younger ones.”

Another player who has been around the sport for a while is NKU junior Eric Wright, who is majoring in business/entrepreneurship. He has played for the

Grubs for close to six years and was a member of the first Northern Kentucky Gentlemen team, which con-sisted of high school players in the area.

“I want to help the young guys catch up to us and get on the same page. And also to utilize our new coach who has years and years of experience,” Wright said.

One of the newcomers to the team is Charlie Cor-nett, a freshman at NKU majoring in entrepreneur-ship. Cornett said he wrestled and played football in high school and saw rugby as a sport that may come naturally to him.

“I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just wanted a sport to do. I think I’m catching on pretty quick,” Cornett said.

The Grubs play their home games at Cline Elemen-tary School in Cold Spring, Ky. They will start their season with two home games against Queen City on Sept. 15 and Rugby Ranch on Sept. 22.

Snapp and Wright are in the process of getting a rugby group formed on campus. Wright said they wanted to “expand both the knowledge of rugby and the team’s fan base.”

There have been attempts to get a NKU rugby club team in the past, but none have exceeded. Snapp said it would be hard to find enough people to play for a team, but there might be a chance for one down the road after the group has started to expand interest and involvement.

For more information on the rugby group, contact Wright at wrighte2@nku.edu or Snapp at snappb1@nku.edu.

The Northern Kentucky Grubs rugby team kicks off their season with two home games on Sept. 15 and Sept. 22 at Cline Elementary School in Cold Spring, Ky.

Photo by John Minor

Erik Kloeker is a senior at NKU and he holds three world records, one of which is in axe juggling.

Photo courtetsy of Eric Evers

John MinorStaff writer

Northern Kentucky Univer-sity senior marketing major Erik Kloeker broke his third world re-cord by juggling axes with a total of 86 catches on Aug. 30 at Newport on the Levee. He also holds world records for upside-down juggling and being the youngest sword swallower.

Kloeker started juggling in 2003 after he saw an act at the state fair that had a couple of jugglers in it.

“I just thought to myself, I can do that,” Kloeker said. “So I went home and started practicing.”

Kloeker is also a member of Pickled Brothers Circus, which his brother started.

Kloeker has broken the upside-down juggling record in three dif-ferent countries. The Guinness World Records TV show brought him to Italy and China to re-break the record there.

Kloeker said getting in touch with Guinness was a long process.

“They are a hard company to get a hold of,” Kloeker said. “Eventu-ally, an agent contacted us and was looking for people who have bro-ken world records and they found our website.”

Kloeker’s brother, Travis Fessler,

said Eric has been juggling since he was about 13 years old.

“All that leads up to this,” Fes-sler said. “He has been training almost every day since he started juggling.”

Fessler said Pickled Brothers Cir-cus does these shows to get public-ity for upcoming events.

The next event Kloeker will be a part of is the Old West Festival starting Sept. 8, and going on until Oct. 7, in Williamsburg, Ohio.

More information about the Pickled Brothers Circus and the Old West Festival can be found at www.pickledbrothers.com and www.oldwestfestival.com.

Stephen WilderSports editor

nKY rugby team draws student players

Senior juggles way to world record

The Grubs begin a new season with a new coach after rebuilding

12 | Sports SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

After a long, muggy night, Northern Ken-tucky University’s women’s soccer team lost to the Xavier Musketeers in overtime. It was the Norse’s first regular-season home game since becoming a member of Division I.

In overtime, the first team to score the “golden goal” wins and there are two 10 minute periods. If neither team scores, the game will result in a tie. Each team was scoreless until the end overtime, when Xavier sophomore midfielder, Margaret Woods, came into the game and hit the game-winning goal.

Both teams struggled to get a close shot in overtime, until the last two minutes, when Woods got an assist by her teammate se-nior midfielder/defender, Leslie Twehues, to seal the deal. The teams combined for a total of 22 shots, with 11 apiece.

Sophomore midfielder/defender, Kelsey Zwergel, led the Norse with five shots, in-

cluding two late-game attempts toward the end of regulation.

Zwergel said it is tough to lose in over-time after putting so much effort into 90 minutes. “We just have to come back and be ready to play [the] next game,” she said.

NKU head coach Bob Sheehan said Zw-ergel created some great opportunities for the Norse.

“Kelsey was tremendous,” Sheehan said. “She brings it everyday in practice.”

The total number of attendance was 1,210, which is the largest amount for a women’s soccer game so far at the NKU Soccer Sta-dium.

The student section let its presence be known the entire game, especially toward the end.

Zwergel said the fan support was a little nerve-racking at first, but she got used to it.

The loss puts the Norse at 1-4 overall. Next, NKU will go on the road Sept. 9 to face Murray State University at 2 p.m.

Stephen WilderSports editor

First Di home game ends in loss for womenMusketeers defeat Norse in overtime

Photos by Samantha Hayden