The roots for the Loras Parkway, formally known as Cox Street, will be planted in the next few weeks, with construc-tion starting soon, and continuing for several years.

The initial tasks of Phase One of the 4-part project will be conducted by the Loras Physical Plant. This phase will in-clude bringing in gravel and preparing for the safety of stu-dents by setting up signs. One of the signs will be not un-like those that adorned the Cafe last year; they will show what the completed project will look like. While the finished product is years away, Phase One is extremely important to the longevity of the Parkway. Phase One tasks include in-stalling drainage waterways, planting various vegeta-tion and foliage, and generally bolstering the infra-structure of the area. The goal is for the area to be completely sustainable.

The overall cost of Phase One will be a hair over 550,000 dollars, and every dime used for the project will be paid for through individual gifts and grants from corporations and organizations.

Loras is still accepting and reviewing contracting bids for the lengthy project. Therefore, completion estimates for Phase One land sometime before the end of the academic year, (2012) but President Jim Collins says all estimates are just that — educated guesses.

“When you have a government grant there’s a series of

processes and protocols you have to follow,” he said. “For instance, we have to submit three different bids to construc-tion engineers, and from that, select the lowest cost provider. It’s more laborious than a private grant, and that’s why the completion date must be fluid.”

The construction will not interrupt the everyday bustle between upper and lower campus. John McDermott, direc-tor of the Physical Plant, says if there are, for whatever rea-son, blockages to the street and main passages, the footbridge above Cox Street will remain untouched and fully functional.

The lower ACC parking lot will also be unaffected from the first wave of construction. Construction work will be going on during normal daytime hours, so students must be wary of equipment and workers going about their duties. President Collins doesn’t see any need to be worried.

“We’ll provide a safe zone,” he said. “I hope students and community members are respectful of the workers’ proper-

ty. I don’t think we will have any issues with that.” With the closure to the southern part of Cox

Street, points have been raised about the mainte-nance to the rather steep northern section, which allows access to Kirkwood St., Angella St., W. 17th St., the Graber Sports Complex, and the Athletic

Wellness Canter’s parking lot. The City of Dubuque has reviewed the situation, and they will indeed pay greater attention to the snow removal and salting process

on the rather steep incline that makes up the winter main-tenance schedule.

Keep track of Myduhawk.com, LCTV, and the Lorian for further updates when they become available.

Senior Class President Nicholas Sat-terlee needs your help.

It is a tradition at Loras that the grad-uating seniors offer a Senior Class Gift; a way for Loras graduates to give back to their soon to be alma mater, exem-plify the disposition of responsible con-tributing, and leave a little bit of a lega-cy along the way.

The Class of 2012 will be no excep-tion, as Senior Class President Nich-olas Satterlee prepares to lead the ef-fort.

“In the past, seniors have always given a senior class gift,” says Satter-lee. “My goal for the gift is to get what the students want. I want to hear feed-back from the students. If the [Senior Class] officers and I come up with an idea and it’s not what our constituents want, we’re not going to get the fund-ing to get the job done. This needs to be about the students. I want to push our seniors this year to talk to their class of-ficers and work to develop some really good ideas.”

In kicking off this endeavor, it is clear to see that Satterlee and the other Senior class officers are taking the populist ap-proach and creating a legacy by the stu-dents, for the students, an approach that will, no doubt, be a popular one.

So what can seniors look forward to as this process moves forward?

“We’re going to have a revealing of the gift in November or December, along with a class social,” says Satter-lee. It’s a good opportunity for us to get together as a class, socialize, and bid farewell to the December graduates.”

“The reality of Student Senate is that we can’t do anything unless students are engaged,” says Satterlee. “The real-ity is, unless we hear from the seniors, we won’t be able to make this senior gift a reality.”

In the end, it is all up to the Class of 2012 to develop the senior class gift to “be more.”

Ideas for the senior class gift may be sent to Senior Class President Nicholas Satterlee at Nicholas.Satterlee@loras.edu or Senior Class Vice President Aar-on Junge at Aaron.Junge@loras.edu.

by PATRICK O’GRADYstaff writer

by NICK JOOSexecutive editor

Picture-perfect parkway

Calling all seniors

A weekly publication by Loras College students Vol. 90, Issue 2 Sept. 15, 2011

Language lessons lessen gaps

iillustration courtesy of LORAS COLLEGEAn architectural rendering of a portion of the Loras Parkway, from the corner of Loras Boulevard. The smokestack will stay in its current location

photo by MEGhAN DELANEY

Parking lot ... or boat dock?On one July night, the Dubuque area received more than 15 inches of rain in about 10 hours. Turn to Page 2 for more.

9/11 caused many to take a step back and group fellow Americans. Those who were our friends and neighbors turned into our “enemies” because these neighbors prac-ticed Islam and knew Arabic. It has been ten years since the tragic incident.

Life has given way to new hope to many Americans since that day. Everything else in the U.S. seems to have evolved for the better for most citizens. However, there is group in America who are disrespected and stereotyped; they are our Islamic neighbors. In airports they are singled out for practicing their God-given rights for simply talk-ing in their native tongue. Authorities react to the Arabic language like an emergency alarm. Passengers take a step backward at the sight of a person in burqa.

As diversity is being introduced to the Dubuque com-munity, Loras College, a liberal Arts institute has taken an approach to assist. The school is introducing Arabic classes for students. John Eby, history teacher and director of the honors program says students have the responsibility to en-gage in a meaningful way with the diversity of the world. The most important factor in that is listening and learning, prerequisites to Jesus’ command to “love thy neighbor.”

The Arabic language, taught by Dr. Shaykh Ali, at Lo-ras is accessible to the entire student body and faculty. It is not a traditional class, so there will be no credit given for attending this class. The cost for taking this exotic class is extremely low compared to other classes offered at Loras. Eby encourages everyone to give it a shot.

“Students will be able to learn to recognize and read words in Arabic. Grammar in the class is not a major fo-cus for this semester, which can be a relief to many of our students. Along with Arabic, Quran is also being taught in the campus.”

Eby’s motive, shared along with many other college stu-dents, is to come to the class to nurture their friendships and to learn even more on how to love God.

“Our Quran discussions have, without a doubt. enriched my Christian faith and identity,” said Eby.

by DEEPA SAGARstaff writer

The primary goal for the reconstruction of Cox Street is to be completely sustainable

Debra Sazama is an assistant professor in the division of physical education and sports studies and is also the physical-education

program coordinator. She received her undergrad and master’s degree in health and physical education from the University of Wyoming, and is currently working on his doctoral degree in curriculum and

instruction at UNI.

What most excites you about being at Loras?The opportunity that I have to impact students and help them realize their potential and also the opportunity to learn from my colleagues.

Q.What are you looking forward to bringing to Loras?Enthusiasm, and helping students realize that they can really influence society, no matter what their majors are.

What is something that many people on campus would not know about you? Something interesting?Most people don’t know that my mom and I are going on our 25th annual fishing trip, canoe, 3 bps, and 5 fish poles and that’s it, to Canada.

Debra SazamaHOMETOWN:

Shawano, Wis.POsiTiON:

Assistant professor of physical education

and sports studies

Meet the staff

by TiM O’BRiEN

At first, July 27, seemed like any oth-er day in Dubuque for junior Meghan Delaney. Originally from Grayslake, Il-linois, she was staying at Loras over the summer taking classes.

On this Wednesday afternoon, Del-aney drove to Hy-Vee where she met her roommate, junior Hannah Kauffold. Al-though the plan had been just to shop and then return to the Lynch and McCar-thy apartments, one look outside made the two think otherwise.

“We ended up having dinner in Hy-Vee,” Delaney said. “It was storming and hailing, and the trees were blowing like crazy.”

During a brief break in the storm, the two made a dash for their car, but opted not to return to their apart-ment.

“We were driving back up to school when we heard that there was a tornado watch,” Delaney said. “Then we both had the thought: ‘our apartment is all windows.’”

The two planned to head to a friend’s house with less glass. But first Delaney and Kauffold attempted to return to the apartment and see if their other roommates would like to accompany them. “I tried to turn into the NAC parking lot,” Delaney said, “but I slammed on the breaks because I realize there were three people

wading, literally wading, in the water in the parking lot.”

They then headed to the friend’s house on Alta Vista St. where they witnessed one of the worst rain storms in Dubuque history. “It was ridiculous,” Delaney said. “There was literally just a wall of clouds and a wall of lightning. We looked out at the street one time, and the water was just rushing down the hill. I’d never seen anything like it.”

And neither had Dubuque. Over the course of 12 hours, 14 inches of rain had fallen on this unprepared city.

“Highway 52 North was closed for days and so were a lot of main streets,” first-year Elizabeth Kunkel said. Hail-ing from just over the Wisconsin Bridge, Kunkel witnessed things from a different

perspective. “It seemed just like any other storm,” she admits. “It wasn’t until after that we realized the full damages.”

Basements flooded, sewage leaked into the streets and people’s homes, cars floated away, and East Dubuque (the flat end of the city) was under water. In any other town with flatter terrain, the damages would have been much more extensive. If not for the slopes covering the majority of Dubuque, the rain water would have sat in one place, completely flooding the city.

For once, Loras students should be thankful for the hills that de-fine the campus.

by MARY AGNOLi news editor

The storm of the century?

duhawk.com

news

2Sept. 15, 2011

A day without the stress of homework, a chance to meet new people, a night away from campus, and a way to spend time out-side that doesn’t involve walking to class; these phrases summarize the Paideia spon-sored camping trip at Pike’s Peak State Park this past weekend.

Nine students took advantage of this oppor-tunity, including seven first-years and two se-niors. Dr. Eby, director of the honors program, chaperoned the trek.

The students had a variety of reasons for deciding to go. Some simply wanted to meet new friends.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to get closer to the people I met at Chairete,” first-year Laura Hebbeln said, referring to the Honors launch program that was the day pri-or to Launch into Loras. “Now that school has started I feel like I’ve lost some of those re-lationships because we don’t have any class-es together.”

Others had different motivations.“I signed up because I thought it would

be a lot of fun and I didn’t want to spend the weekend just studying,” added first-year Tri-cia McCarthy.

Were these expectations met? According to the students, they absolutely were.

“I feel like I got to know the other girls bet-ter as well as Dr. Eby,” said Hebbeln. “He has good musical tastes.”

Besides hiking, seeing American Indi-an burial mounds, roasting marshmallows over the campfire, sleeping under the stars, and watching the sunrise over the Mississip-pi River, the students helped out at the camp-ground by clearing a hiking trail.

“Even when we were doing the service work we were still having a great time,” ad-mits McCarthy. “My favorite moment was fi-nally figuring out the stick dance,” she said, referring to a game played around the camp-fire that left most of its participants frustrat-ed for hours.

The one downside from the trip? “The spi-ders,” Hebbeln said.

Despite the profuse amount of arachnids covering the camp grounds, the trip was a big success. “I thought that the camping trip was super fun,” McCarthy said, “anyone who has the opportunity in the future to go definitely should.

TRi-sTATE ‘HuRRicANE’Rain totals on the fateful night

re-wrote the record books

Dubuque rain totals on July 27: 7.5 in. previous record: 3.1 in.

Dubuque rain totals on July 28 : 3.3 in. previous record: 2.3 in.

Dubuque 24-hour rain total : 10.6 in. previous record: 9.0 in.

Dubuque July rainfall total : 16.0 in. previous record: 15.5in.*all totals courtesy of National Weather Service

Honors program heads outdoors

by MARY AGNOLi news editor

photo by RAJENDRA THAKuRATHi

9/11 PRAYERS

Sophomore Betsy Schmitz helps hang prayer flags outside Wahlert Hall to honor the 9/11 victims as Loras marks the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks.

9 Paideia students escape campus and get their hands dirty during a camping trip

photo by EMiLY NELsONFirst-year Tricia McCarthy helps remove invasive material from a hiking path at Pike’s Peak.

swer. However, a memo about the current work-study program stated that “many years have passed since the student employment program has been analyzed … (and] any changes to the program would take effect next academic year (2012-2013) …”

Carroll said most programs are reviewed every seven years to ensure that they are meeting goals, are efficient, and to potential-ly recognize inefficacies.

“This review committee,” Carroll said will be formed to have “clarity of purpose, clari-fy the programs policies and have coherence in a decentralized program.” It is not being formed necessarily for budgetary purpos-es; it is a practical analysis of how the pro-gram runs. She is exploring the possibility of having a campus-wide conversation to allow input from many different people, and the changes, if any, would be made clear.

The review committee has not been formed yet, but Carroll said that it will most likely consist of a group of department heads and students. Invitations to this committee will be sent within the next couple of weeks. If any student wishes to be a part of this com-mittee, they should contact Mary Ellen Car-roll at: maryellen.carroll@loras.edu.

The committee should reaffirm the stu-dent-employment program as one that both assists students in paying for college as well as gives them real-world job experiences.

It is clear that many students are not sat-isfied with the laptops provided by Loras. They do not know what the technology fee is going toward and are unaware of how they benefit from a laptop campus. Stu-dents often grow up with a certain type of computer and are not used to the change in brands. Most of all, students want answers to the questions such as: “Why do I have to get a computer Loras says I have to get?” Or, “What is our tech fee actually cover-ing?” Or, “Why is my computer as heavy as a brick?” There are multiple reasons Lo-ras chooses Lenovo, and why our tech fee is the way it is.

A laptop campus saves time and money. It is similar to the ‘standardization’ concept of Henry Ford, the founder of Ford motor company and sponsor of the development of the assembly line. He made things sim-ple. Every Model-T car he made was the same, and one could choose any color of the car so long as it was black. Every auto-body shop could repair the car easily and it was a cheap, efficient way to make a dura-ble car. The Loras laptop system is an ex-ample of this same system.

“With the support the tech center pro-

vides, we can’t beat it.” Chief technology officer, Tom Kruse admits. “It’s the most efficient way for Loras College to run our technology.” It is so much easier to sup-port everyone when every computer is alike inside and out.

If everyone had their own computer, the software and anti-virus would have to be purchased by each individual. Legal-ly speaking, the tech center could not put software on everyone’s computers if Lo-ras did not own them. Also, new computer labs would have to be established for engi-neering, foreign languages, etc. that would take away from classroom space. Advisers would also have to be present in each lab. “All of these things decrease our tech sig-nificantly,” Kruse said.

The fact that often goes unnoticed is that the tech fee students pay every semester, approximately $475, only pays for a frac-tion of the technology budget. It covers many factors such as software, e-mail, la-bor fees, anti-virus, e-mail, laptop, eLearn, printers, network storage, wireless internet, and warranty, it covers several small logis-tics students are not aware of, as well.

“Having the laptops all the same is con-venient, and figuring out the problems for the help desk is probably easier,” first-

year Erin O’Donovan said. It is true that the support the help desk provides is much better because students have the same lap-tops. It makes the technology servicing that much easier. Furthermore, students do not have to take their computers else-where if something is wrong; the help desk is right on campus and is already covered by our tech fee.

If a computer is broken somehow, which does not happen as often as we think, the fee is $75 which is certainly cheap com-pared to alternative services. The Leno-vo computers that we have are very dura-ble; the hardware is made with metal in-stead of cheap plastic. Students are able to put them in their book bags without harm-ing them and “the wear and tear on them is almost unnoticeable because they hold up so nicely.”

The laptops may be a bit heavy, but the truth is, someone could stand on one with-out hurting it. When Kruse attends Leno-vo conferences they display the durability of the computers by having people stand on the lids of the computers. Considering students usually have many books in their backpacks as well, the laptops’ durability is tested daily at Loras with favorable re-sults.

What is Alcoholism?Alcoholism, or alcohol

dependence, is a disease that includes four main symptoms:

1) Craving --A strong need, or urge, to drink.

2) Loss of control --Not being able to stop drinking once

drinking has begun.3) Physical dependence

— Withdrawal symptoms (nausea, sweating, shakiness,

and anxiety) when not drinking.4) Tolerance --The need

to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get “high.”

More information can be found at http://collegedrinkingprevention.gov/CollegeStudents/Default.aspx.

Pro-tech yourself: Benefits of a ‘laptop campus’

Work-study shakeup?The rules have not changed, dean says

illustration by AYUSH SUBEDI

Is there a jobs shortage at Loras? Why are students only allowed to clock 15 hours per week? Why are there so many new rules? These pressing questions are on the minds of many students.

“There is not a jobs shortage at Loras Col-lege,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of experiential learning.

Carroll noted that some departments can-cel jobs from year to year, but, as a whole, Loras is not offering fewer jobs this year. In fact, there still are job openings and open shifts in the Food Service Department.

She said the college sponsors a large work-study program: Federal work study on and off campus, on campus non-federal work study, and students who receive stipend pay. Because of the great size of the program, which spreads itself thin among many de-partments, there is a need for uniformity in its policies.

The currently enforced policies are not new, Carroll said. They have been in place for years, but because of the decentralization of the program, not all of the policies were enforced. That is why earlier this month a memo was sent out to many of the student employment supervisors asking them to ad-here to the policies that are in place.

These policies include, but are not limit-ed to, a 15-hour work week, termination of students who falsify work hours, and the im-portance that students track and submit their work hours on time. The rules aim to pro-vide coherency among the departments of the program and to prevent any problems during Loras’ yearly audit.

Carroll said the 15-hour work week is not a policy that was implemented as a money-saving solution in a downtrodden economy. Rather, the aim of the policy is to ensure that students can make sufficient money and still be able to devote adequate time to studies.

When Carroll asked fellow faculty mem-bers when the student employment program was last reviewed, she could not get an an-

by NIck SENtovIcHstaff writer

duhawk.com3

Sept. 15, 2011 news/opinion

by EmmA SmItHstaff writer

A common misconception is that alcohol and college life go hand-in- hand — a rite of passage. It often

is associated with students’ social life. However, when done in excess, drinking

is very detrimental to one’s health. The definition of binge drinking is 4-5 drinks in one sitting, no matter how long that ‘sitting’ lasts. One of the major dangers of binge drinking is alcohol poisoning.

Would students know if their classmates had alcohol poisoning? Do they realize that when their friend cannot walk straight or is disoriented, they more than likely have alcohol poisoning? According to collegedrinkingprevention.gov, the major symptoms include:

• Mental confusion or stupor, or person cannot be roused

• Vomiting• Seizures• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths

per minute)• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more

between breaths)• Hypothermia (low body temperature),

bluish skin color, palenessWith homecoming around the corner,

think before you drink. The unseen dangers of alcohol can cause more damages than one might ever expect. It is not only that young people are drinking, but when they drink in a way that puts them at a higher risk for alcohol-related problems. Research shows that people tend to drink the heaviest in their late teens and early- to mid-20s.

The Loras College Handbook says this about alcohol on campus: there is no alcohol permitted (regardless of student age) in the traditional residence halls. Students, (regardless of age), may not possess and/or display empty alcohol containers. Containers will be considered evidence of use and/or consumption and may be confiscated and not returned.

Any games, activities or equipment that promotes the excessive use of alcohol (i.e., beer pong tables, items used in drinking games) are not permitted on Loras property.

Loras reserves the right to adjudicate off-campus behavior. Students represent this college at all times whether on campus or off, and therefore may be held accountable for off campus behaviors that do not meet the behavioral expectations set forth in the Student Handbook.

Read the handbook, know the rules. Most of all, be safe.

The baffling, scary power of alcohol

by tASSIE crEwSstaff writer

‘‘ there is not a jobs shortage at Loras.

Mary Ellen Carrollassociate vice president for

academic affairs and dean of experiential learning,,

duhawk.com

opinion

4Sept. 15, 2011

Normally I try to be an optimistic person when I

think about our society and the direction its going. In many ways we are progressing ever further into the future, daily life improving in multitudes of ways. And then there are those moments I come to realize just how demented and screwed up people

really are. These moments come to me at my job at a grocery store here in Dubuque. Here is a list of the bizarre and interesting things that have made me officially lose my faith in mankind:

Intelligence• A man comes into the store, walks into

the bakery, and asks “Where’s the bread at?” Oh, I don’t know, the meat department?

Fashion• An old man comes into the store wearing

black women’s business clothing and tall black stilettos but no wig or makeup. Drag Queens are wonderful, half-ass Drag Queens are embarrassing.

• Obese women come in wearing clothes 10 sizes too small and jiggle to the background music.

• When the same obese women come in with shirts cut too low and pants too baggy, I’m not Clinton or Stacy from “What Not to Wear,” but I’m sure if a person can tell if your carpet matches your drapes, you have problems, honey.

Hygiene• A woman decides to do her shopping

after freshly unloading her urine into her pants. I guess she wanted to keep her legs warm?

• A man gets the runs in his pants and decides shopping is the more relevant task at hand. Guess the suffocating people near him don’t register.

Manners• People enter the Chinese buffet line

and hang over the protective glass, waving their dirt covered hands over the food and drooling like animals. Orange chicken really does taste better with a fresh loogie plopped into it. Thankfully, we beat them back.

• An 80-year-old man comes in with his 50-year-old, washed up French girl-toy and starts ripping on the cuisine.

Like I said, I try to be an optimist, but endless situations like these have made me somewhat grim when it comes to society. If ever we needed an army of personal baby-sitters, this is the time. Human dignity is in the balance. And its pants look wet …

Last week, with all the pomp and circumstance of a State of the Union, and just in time for

kickoff at Lambeau Field, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress introducing his new jobs plan, entitled the American Jobs Act. In a speech marked by his trademark campaign trail tone and often urging, if not demanding, that legislators “pass it right away,” the president expressed his feelings of urgency and frustration with the current economic climate and the

political process in a manner typical to that of a president disillusioned by a Republican Congress.

The American Jobs Act is a combination of private sector tax cuts, programs to “rebuild America,” various stimulus incentives for employers to hire unemployed workers, and tax cuts for individual citizens. With a plan heavy on tax-cutting rhetoric, President Obama could almost be mistaken for a fiscal conservative, but this American Jobs Act is no major shift to the right for the president.

House Republicans have their own view of the proposal: in a newly released plan with the goal of “empowering families, small businesses and entrepreneurs,” Republicans are taking steps to review government regulations, reform the tax code, and increase the value of American entrepreneurial ability, all with the goal of reducing the national deficit. On CNBC, House Republican economic guru Paul Ryan (R-WI) said he and House Republicans are looking to “remove some uncertainty from business,” adding that “temporary stimulus doesn’t work. It’s ‘sugar high’ economics.”

It is hard to disagree. There is certainly common ground to be had and Rep.

Paul Ryan is the first to admit that. There is confidence on Capitol Hill that some compromise can be reached in terms of corporate tax reform and unemployment reform, but the buck seems to stop there. Obama’s plan to reconstruct America’s “crumbling infrastructure” smells of the “shovel ready” jobs from his previous stimulus plan; jobs that he admits may not have been as ‘shovel ready’ as initially thought.

Obama showed progress in terms of real solutions to the economic woes of America Thursday night, but it was a graduation from an economic tricycle to training wheels rather than to a two-wheeler. Paying for his plan by encouraging the post-debt deal Super Committee to cut more spending is encouraging, but remains vague. Economically, Obama has a long way to go before he can ride around the block with the big kids.

True economic leadership is being shown by the Republicans. Ryan said, “All of this stimulus hasn’t worked; it’s temporary. It gives you a debt hangover at the end of the day.” House Republicans are adamant that cutting payroll taxes is no substitute for fundamental tax reform. While Ryan admits there is nothing wrong with “letting people keep more of their own money,” Republican solutions would provide a degree of consistency and confidence that Obama’s vague and temporary plans simply have not been able to do.

Obama may have the advantage of a speech at a joint session of Congress, but true economic leadership is still being shown by the Republican Party.

Leadership comes from Republicans

editorial

Most students really do not like the Loras laptop program. They prefer Macs, or their own snazzy computer; but really, we have a pretty great program. We are not charged astronomical fees for repairs or maintenance (most of that can be done on campus with very little inconvenience to the student) and the overall cost is much cheaper than having your own laptop, printer, software/hardware, and all the other bells-and-whistles that go along with them. Also, in case you are the incredibly fortunate student that has never had to go to the tech center, everyone on that staff is helpful.

When compared with other people in the technological support career path, our center gets a perfect 10. Nearly every other person that tries to help with techn problems (and trust me, there are dozens) hates their job. The Loras staff is always smiling and helpful (that goes for every other person on campus as well) and never shows whether they think you are actually incompetent on technology. One member of our editorial staff can break a computer simply by looking at it. No joke.

But the point is, we have the laptops and that is not changing. With that said, this is the issue: we pay for the laptops and sign a contract, leasing the laptops from the school. Technically, they are ours. But Loras leases them for the purpose of supplementing our learning. Taking notes, using online programs, discussion boards, and a whole host of other activities are expected: this does not include Facebook and gaming. We are all frequent users of Facebook and many free online gaming sites (I need bubble shooter in my life to stay sane), but there is a time and a place for that. Class is not the time. A classroom is not the place.

We all frequently fall prey to these websites, so we are not saying that we are better than any other Facebook user out there; but our teachers dedicate themselves to our higher education, an education with a price sticker of $34,000. Everyone in the student body hears the call of the Internet — it is as tempting as the cookies in the Cafe — but out of respect for our teachers and your own learning, please resist the temptation.

— The Lorian editorial staff

co-executive editors ................................... Nick JOOs ............................................... and raJeNdra thakurathiphoto editor ....................................... keLseY BerGaNnews editor...........................................MarY aGNOLifeatures editor ......................................surYa PaNdeYsports editor ...............................................Jack MetZcopy editors ....................................... MONica shaFFer

and haNNah waYadvertising manager ....................eLiZaBeth BraNNONmoderator .............................................tiM MaNNiNG

Editorial staff

Tech center’s service trumps laptop gripes

Patrick O’Grady

read aNd riGHt

Man, society is so scary

Brett rOBBins

rockiN’ robbiNs

In 9th grade, my biology teacher informed me I am missing something. As it turns out, that something was a large part of my final chromosome. The difference between X and Y was fated to determine many things about me: greater body size, muscle development, sex, and a general disposition towards things “masculine.” Contrary to Brett Robbins (“The Complete Idiocy of Masculinity” – Lorian 9-8-11), I argue that masculinity is a rational state in men which is both founded in nature, and which provides an indispensable service to society.

Mr. Robbins — and everyone else who has taken sociology 101 — will be quick to tell me that masculinity is socially con-structed. For the question of whether masculinity is beneficial to society, that is irrelevant. Society is not disconnected from reality; it is founded in nature. Masculinity — even if so con-structed — is also founded in nature, and in the nature of the

man’s body. Mr. Robbins, though, treats us to the surprising revelation that men who try to consciously live their mas-culinity are not only idiots, but also made of the same stuff as “dictators, rapists, murderers, criminals, and every other lowlife scum walking the earth.” In response to his negative, I would like to give another, more positive view of masculinity focused on three points. Channeled Aggression: Generally speaking ,men are more aggressive than women. It does not further anthropology to deny this, so we must find ways that it can benefit society if properly channeled. Two of these ways are protecting the weaker and pursuing justice — traits necessary for society. But aggression is mortal sin according to Mr. Robbins — which is odd because his article is so saturated with aggression that it was practically dripping sarcasm onto my carpet. I assume Mr. Robbins believes there is an injustice, and so he (aggressively) attacks it. He is more masculine than he thinks. Self Control: In order to be an effective protector, a man cannot satisfy every desire. Mr. Robbins understands this, but he contradicts himself. At first, he says men should be absolutely expressive; anything less is “being a sociopath… er… I mean, restricted emotions.” In his next point, though, he says men do in fact need to “restrict” their emotions — at least

their sexual impulses and desire for exclusive success. I can agree with him that men must restrain themselves from tak-ing advantage of another; rational masculinity demands the man to be in control of himself so that he may be a protector of others, and of society in general. Stability: The man who wants to live his masculinity must be a sign of dependable strength. The man’s body is generally larg-er, stronger, and able to protect and secure. This is natural, and it is natural that the man’s perception of his role should mirror this physical reality. Mr. Robbins spills a lot of ink describing the way some men dress, but why these particular men embody masculinity is left in the air. Rational masculinity calls the man to responsible care of himself, so as to be a stable figure. Looking back, I can see that when I was a child, the bodies of my parents communicated important — but different — things to me. My mother’s body said “I can comfort you, and shelter you.” My father’s said “I can protect you, and you can depend on me.” These are natural, complementary messages. There are many points where I agree with Mr. Robbins; we both condemn bigotry, lack of control, and self-centeredness, but the response to them is to encourage, in a man, the traits of stability, self-control, and properly channeled aggression, not to deny his natural and rational masculinity.

letter from ZacharY daLY

What does it mean to be a man?

letter to tHe editor

duhawk.com

opinion

5Sept. 15, 2011

Everyone knows what happened ten years ago last Sunday, so I will not start with that. But ten years have changed this country. Al-

Qaida, the Taliban and the War on Terror are known to us, but I wonder if they are not understood anymore. Osama bin Laden is a familiar name but I was surprised how quickly the news of his death was forgotten. Airport security has come under scrutiny for being too invasive and taking too long.

The words “God Bless America” used to be everywhere but these days have become considered too politically incorrect. There was a big fuss about the 2002 Martin Scorsese movie Gangs of New York still having the towers in (it was filmed before it happened). Scorsese decided to keep it in, arguing that the movie was about those who built up New York City, not those who tried to take her down. Other movies set before 9/11 have been allegedly digitally restored to remove the iconic towers. Once we flew our flags high and proud but now stories of homeowner’s associates across the country allegedly telling their members to take down their flag and flagpole are all too familiar.

Sometimes, I wonder if we have forgotten how different our lives were ten years ago.

Eric, my younger brother, adored airplanes. He is still able to identify planes at sight. As a reward for getting good grades, my Mom would take us to the airport to the departure gates just to watch the planes take off and land. It was a real treat for us. We used to sit by the gate to wait for Dad to come home from his business trips, competing to see who would see him first.

The only bad guys we knew of with were either in stories or in lands we had never seen or heard of. During the Bosnia-Herzegovinian war, our morning prayers at school were for it to end peacefully and for the victims to find comfort. But it did not mean anything to us grade-schoolers. Nor, I think, to the adults. We might as well have been going over homework. As a seventh grader, I did not have to worry about much. In fact, the morning it happened, I was hoping my Michelle Kwan lucky charm was going to help me ace my math test that day.

Of course I remember it. Who would not? It was beautiful outside, a day to stay out and play. Not a cloud in the sky. At first I thought it was a tragic accident. I think everybody did. But everything changed when people were saying the word terrorist. I did not know what it meant and had to ask my teacher. The rest of the day was spent in a daze. If anything, I was afraid that my lucky charm was somehow responsible. Of course I know better now. I remember my friends worrying that a plane was going to crash into our school. Of course it did not.

I think my school did a good job in handling it afterward. We canceled our volleyball game that evening. We did not turn on our televisions but the pictures were visible all over the Internet. Our teachers gathered us together in one room and explained that we were safe.

Our TV was set on CNN when I got home. Mom still keeps it set on the news even today. I was getting ready to take my dog on a walk when I happened to look at the screen. It was taped footage of the plane hitting the second tower. I knew the real meaning of the word hatred then. It is a sobering revelation to anybody, especially a twelve year old.

A sense of patriotism filled our school like the rest of the country. We all wore red, white and blue ribbons. When we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, I felt taller. I was an American. And I was so proud to be one.

In ten years life has changed. A new generation has arrived, either too small or not even born for that day. It is something in a textbook to them. I suspect that now, these same children are asking their Moms and Dads what happened that day. Maybe you have already been asked.

And we should not forget. Not that we will.Write down your memories. Get them on tape.

Record a video. It will remind others that 9/11 was not just an event in a textbook or a date on the calendar. It was a day when everything changed.

What do you think?What do you think about

the technology fee?

Sandra Moorejunior

I have had bad luck with the laptops. I am in the help desk at least once a month. I have had better luck with Dell.

Tricia MccarThyfirst-year

I didn’t really mind it. I used my family’s laptop, but I un-derstand why other students don’t like it.

nang T. Khaisenior

I would rather have a discount program to choose any laptop.

henry Songsophomore

Lenovo Thinkpad is great and there is always the help desk.

STeve Loranfirst-year

It’s worth it to be the same.

Tori coopersenior

Too much, you could buy a laptop every semester with

the price you pay in fees..

hannah Konzensophomore

Kinda OK, because you don’t worry about

getting one before joining Loras..

JoSeph WoLTerjunior

It’s a lot of stuff out of my hands, so it’s much

easier. There’s a lot you can get out of it, too..

STephen BrandTsenior

I don’t mind. I can go to the help desk whenever

to fix my computer.

Lorna paMBa sophomore

It’s worth it because it’s not just the laptop, but also the software.

Sara caSTiLLojunior

We have the help desk, technology, accessories, but

it is expensive.

SaJJan K. csophomore

It’s a good laptop that gets upgraded every 2 years.

Can we ‘move on’ from 9/11?

by EMILY JAHNKEspecial to the Lorian

On day one there was one; on day 30 there were millions. There is a disease raging through the world, and the only thing moving faster is the rumors surrounding it. In a matter of days, an invisible assailant brings the world to its knees. The horrific virus is rearing its fatal yet undetectable head seemingly in every major city, infecting the wealthy and impoverished, healthy and unhealthy, powerful and insignificant alike. Everyone is thrown into the same bastion of madness.

Fortunately, the movie does not show much of the wicked pandemonium, for that becomes cumbersome, unoriginal, and repetitive after a while. Rather, the movie is rich with subtle insinuations. And through them, we are brought into this anxious conundrum that is tantalizing, morose, and hopeless. By dealing with details and basic science of an epidemic situation, this fictitious world becomes increasingly real. The epidemic becomes a possibility. Consequently, once a global epidemic ravaging the world seems plausible to the audience, we are in essence worrying about our own lives.

The opening seconds are as stark and restrained as the rest of the movie. We see a black screen and hear a cough. Then the visual comes on screen and we see the culprit: a woman sitting at an upscale bar paying for her drink. As we see the gentlemen receive and handle her money, we are invited to speculate upon the millions of potentially harmful germs occupying the money. That woman is Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), a resident of Minnesota. She, however, is quite far from the states, travelling on business in Hong Kong. By the time she arrives home, she is showing

alarming symptoms, and the following day she dies. Grappling with shock and engulfed in despair, her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) returns from the hospital only to find his stepson dead. Soon after, we are introduced to several doctors who are the first to grasp the gravity of the situation. The movie escalates as the deaths mount, and the desperation of these key players grow.

The movie offers interesting angles to this global drama. Mitch, the middle-aged husband and father, gets his family leveled in a 24 hour period; Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne), head of the Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.), is instrumental in slowing the spread of the disease

but he is accused of abusing his power; Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) is willing to put herself in close proximity to the victims in hopes of finding a cure; Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law), a popular journalist and blogger, propagates conspiracy theories about the entire situation, throwing fuel on the circling rumors. These four and a few others give us insight into

the numerous viewpoints, keeping the plot interesting after the shock value wanes.

It was by no means a perfect movie. There was a definite lack in originality, which is more a fault of the genre than the movie itself. Furthermore, the final third of the movie became repetitive because the plot failed to thicken or escalate. Nevertheless, it is a disaster movie that portrays realistic characters in a surreal situation. They are the foundation; they are the suspense. Some will die while others will have to cope with these deaths. If they’re going to survive, if they’re going to cure it, they have to keep themselves together as the world falls apart.

duhawk.com6

Sept. 15, 2011

duhawk.com7

Sept. 15, 2011

As the lingering famine devastates the land of Africa, people across the world are horrified, yet mesmerized by the unimaginable misfortune plaguing these depraved souls. We cannot come close to understanding such a disaster.

These realities are so harsh that we cannot possibly relate, yet that does not mean, as a country, we cannot make a difference. Similar to the tsunami that wreaked havoc in Japan and the earthquake that utterly devastated Haiti, the overwhelming famine has united people across the globe to work together to restore some sort of order. If it were not for the quick response, the situation would be much worse.

The region of Africa affected is “the horn,” the northeastern portion—namely, Somalia. Thousands are dead, hundreds of thousands are starving, and nearly one million have fled the most affected area. The U.N. declared that an astounding 11 million Africans all over East Africa are or will be in need of food as famine aggravates. The WFP, UNICEF, the UN, the U.S. and countless other entities have come forward to respond to this tragedy.

On Aug 10, as the famine was beginning to lay waste to the land, the UN announced that $1.3 billion will be needed to cope with the catastrophe. That figure was in addition to the $1.1 billion already doled out from various countries and organizations. The fascist groups in the area complicate the matters further. Countries donating money to Somalia are points of great contention because

much of the money ends up in the hands of violent men. For this reason, tens of thousands of Somalians are fleeing to Kenya and Ethiopia, putting a major strain on the food supply in these countries. Fortunately, countless organizations have set up refugee camps in these countries to manage this sudden immigration.

In all this horror, in all this destruction, in all this death, there is some good news. The UN is focused on improving Somalia’s agricultural programs. They are hopeful that with the proper steps, a famine this ghastly will soon be overcome. Ethiopia, although certainly impacted by the drought, has not experienced the ramifications to the same degree Somalia has because improvements were made to their agriculture in the last several years. Of course, it is not all mother nature’s fault. As mentioned earlier, certain militia groups have intensified the famine. Thus the UN is also attempting to create a more sustainable and peaceful region.

As for us, who are across the ocean, we can only hope and pray that as many lives as

possible are saved. If you are considering donating in some way, do the little research necessary to make sure that the

organization gets the aid to those who need it. Often times, it is so easy for anyone

privileged to take for granted the benefits of their lifestyle. That is not something to feel guilty

about in and of itself. However, these blessings should not be squandered; these people should be kept in the hearts and minds of everyone.

by MATTHEW KOCHfeatures writer

needs food and prayers Contagion: Catch the fever

by MATTHEW KOCHfeatures writer

features

by EMILY FULLstaff writer

Tenth Avenue North @ LORAS

In the spring of 2000, at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida a small band was beginning to take shape. As they began to perform, the music they were writing from their dorm rooms began to reach many people at youth conferences through competitions and other events.

Eleven years later, after getting a re-cord deal, creating multiple award win-ning albums, and touring the country, they are now preparing to bring their experi-ence, message, and music to Loras College as Tenth Avenue North. Named after the street where their music began, Tenth Ave-nue North is a musically diverse, contem-porary Christian band.

This type of music is something Loras students have been interested in and ask-ing for from the Loras College Activities Board (CAB) to bring here.

CAB president Erin Sexton said, “It was heavily requested over the years to bring in a Christian artist and it was finally time to see if we could do something about it. We contacted a few different artists and Tenth Avenue North was available and

willing.”One of the students who is an advocate

for bringing in a Christian group is the se-nior class vice-president Aaron Junge.

“They are a musically diverse band that is capable of really transcending the trap of a catchy tune and some feel-good lyr-ics that don’t challenge or open a person to growing,” says Junge. “I think that’s the danger in Christian music, to try and break it all down to an easily digestible message that just ends up flat, empty and lukewarm. Music plays on the deepest parts of the hu-man spirit, so to use that is a real gift. The band has many songs that reflect on the profound love of God and it’s what makes them stand above so many other artists.”

Many similar comments and interest about the band have been stated on Tenth Avenue North’s webpage www.tenthave-nuenorth.com, about their visit to Loras. Some from as far as Missouri have already declared their desire to make sure the tick-ets aren’t sold out for the upcoming event.

As the main act of the Welcome Back picnic here, Tenth Avenue North is also bringing special guests Rachel Smith and

AJ Cheek as part of their opening act. Dif-ferent than hip hop, country, and even rap, the band is bringing a new variety of mu-sic on campus.

Junge adds, “I hope people come to peace with the idea that Christian mu-sic is not simply about the ‘warm fuzzies’ but it really is a means of engaging ques-tions about the human person through the almost universal language of music.” He further adds, “If the message is something that is ultimately of God, and the artists are exercising their gifts, then that catch-ing force of the Gospel is also present.”

Along with the concert, campus ministry will be co-sponsoring the event by provid-ing lawn games, food, ice cream, encour-aging everyone to meet other people in the Fieldhouse lawn before the concert begins.

On Friday the 16th, the Fieldhouse doors will open at 7 p.m., and Tenth Av-enue North will take the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are free with a Loras ID and will be available in Student Life, and tabling outside the cafe. Tickets for the public are only $10.

St. Joseph’s auditorium in Hoffmann Hall has been full of entertainment within the first month of school. Last night was no exception.

Haitian dancers from the Resurrection Dance Team came to Loras to entertain the audience. It was their fourth perfor-mance for the day. Through their dances the men gave their audiences a taste of Haitian life through traditional dances set

to modern style. Their stories are portrayed not with words, but with emotions expressed in through dance.

The team’s hope was to raise a meager $500 dollars to aid the rebuilding of two boys-homes that were reduced to the rubble after the 2010 earthquake that affected many Haitians. The Loras and Dubuque community members who attended the show raised just two dollars short of $2,000.

Dancing to resurrect Haitiby LEAH CHAPMAN

features writer

The Prayer: This dance was an opening prayer asking for God to welcome everyone into the performance and giving them thanks for being there.

The Shoe Shiner: It’s not un-common to see a young boy ring-ing his bell asking for people to come and get their shoes shined. In this dance, 11-years-old Didi (the youngest dancer of the Res-urrection Dance Team) shines the shoes of a rich man who, when his shoes are done, refuses to pay the child. To learn more of this story and how it turns out, you can purchase “Shine,” the book about Didi’s life as a shoe shiner. All proceeds from the book pur-chase will go toward rebuilding the boys homes in Haiti.

Traditional Dance: Men dancing with their traditional Haitian attire.

The Farmers: Farming is a very important career in Haiti, but it’s not the same as in Iowa. There are not nearly as many pieces of heavy machinery to uti-lize, so much of the work is done by hand and on foot. Even though, many Haitians go without money, food, clean water, clothes, etc. They still seem to enjoy life, often reflected in their cheerful faces.

Captive: Chained up and left in a cell to rot, this Haitian finds him-self in luck. One of the guards has left his knife and conch, which the captive uses to alarm friends. With the help of a stranger, the captive overtakes the guard and becomes free.

The Drummer who survived: Bill is an employee at one of the boys’ homes in Haiti that came crashing down in the earthquake. When the earth started to shake, he was on the roof of the seven story building where the boys’ home was held. He was thrown 80 feet to a cement slab on the ground. Miraculously, he survived and continues to lead the dancers in his traditional Haitian beats. In the above picture, an audience member is seen assisting him in his beats.

graphics by AYUSH SUBEDI

all photos by LEAH CHAPMAN

SOMALIA

duhawk.com

24x 9+ 2÷

5+3-8+

2-

4-6x60x

2

The following books are for sale.1. “Excel 2007” by Shelly Cashman Quasney

(needed for class Data Analysis) for $80

2. “Principles of Accounting 2” by Libby Phillips Whitecotton (needed for class Accounting 2) for $120 [Contact Nick (515 229 1171]

Rules:Your aim is to fill up each column and row with numbers 1 to 6 with-

out repeating any of the numbers.At the same time, each heavily outlined cages must produce the math-

ematical operation indicated in the top corner.

Dr.MikeBoyd,the director of the Counseling Center, answers student questions concerning anything that relates to keeping it together while doing this crazy thing called college.

Speech class fearsHey Mike,

I have to take public speaking and have always been terrified of it. What do I do?-Tongue-tied

Mikesays:You do not see this guy giving speeches do you? Public speaking is daunting to most

of us. What we usually fear is that we are being judged. Whatever we criticize most in ourselves, we are sure the audience will discover and criticize, too. Add to this all the physical reactions to this fear, hyperventilation, blushing, choked breathing, sweating enough water to float a ship, and either desert dry mouth or drooling, and you become convinced that the best bet is to skip class.

The good news is that there are many things that you can do to reduce this tension and fear. Most importantly, realize how universal it is. As such, it is often discussed in detail in public speaking classes. The others in the class are not judging you. They are too worried about you judging them. Talk to the instructor before the class starts. Try the ideas they suggest. If nothing works see someone at the counseling center. We avoid public speaking too, but have some ways of helping people who must do it.

Good Luck!Mike

Two too many?Hey Mike,I like two girls. One is my girlfriend and the other is just a friend. I think I like my

friend more, but am scared to break up with my girlfriend. What do I do?-Stuck

Mikesays:If you have really emotionally moved away from your girl, then she is no longer your

girl. Be honest with her about your feelings. To stay with her out of fear of being alone is selfish. To stay only because you do not want to go through the process of breaking up is cowardly. And to stay only because you are afraid of hurting her is not respecting her strength. Talk to her even if it hurts and you will both be better for it.

There is no guarantee that she will not be angry with you. Most of us have been dumped at some time and expressed unkind thoughts towards the person who did the dumping. We got over it and if the truth be known, are better for it.

A comment on friendships. They are as valuable as loves. A good friend over a long time will be much more valuable than a lot of lovers. So feeling close to your friend is normal, regardless of what you decide concerning your girlfriend.

Mike

Boydology

Courtesy of kenken.com

E-mail questions to Michael.Boyd@loras.edu. All names of those sending questions will be kept confidential.

Fist Full of Homework by JoHn Clark

2 45631

613524

152346526413

431265

364152

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

KENKEN

fun

8Sept. 15, 2011

I’m selling the following books.1. “Chemistry for engineering students” by Brown

and Holme,Second edition for $802. “Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches,The riddles of

culture” by Marvin Harris for $134. “Citing Sources with MLA documentation” by

Pearson for $5 [Contact Janak.panthi@loras.edu]

The following books are on sale:1. Electronic Media Management by Peter K. Pringle and

Michael F. Starr for $50

2. Committing to Peace: Successful Settlements of Civil Wars by Barbara F. Walter for $30

3. I’m also looking for a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/ 3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens. [Please contact 563 845 1483]

LORIAN

CLASSIFIEDS

by SARA PENNEBECKERstaff writer

by COLIN HALBMAIERassistant features editor

BLACK AND WHITE-RAJ

duhawk.com

Sept. 8, 2011 opinion

9Lorian ’Leven

... in case you’re losing your sanitySeptember is a hectic month

for college students. It is too easy to feel overwhelmed. That must be why most of September’s calendar looks more like a series of stress-relieving activities — or trips down memory lane — than anything else. Nonetheless, every day is a holiday. I especially like the last one:

SEPt.18: NAtIONAL PLAy-DOH DAyLet’s be honest, how many of us

grew up with Play-Doh? Pick up a cup of it at the store; it’s still less than a buck.

SEPt. 21: WORLD GRAtItuDE DAyNo matter how stressful our lives

may seem, we all have plenty to be thankful for. Take a moment to be grateful for the little things in life, maybe even thank the staff in the Cafe.

SEPt. 21: INtERNAtIONAL BANANA FEStIvAL

Whether you call them bananas, plantains, or банан, this is a day to celebrate everyone’s favorite potassium-filled fruit. Just remember not to eat too many, thus risking the possibility of potassium poisoning!

SEPt. 22: HOBBIt DAyPay tribute to one of J.R.R.

Tolkien’s most famous mythical creations with a “Lord of the Rings” marathon! If you’re not much of a movie person, sit down and read the “Lord of the Rings” prequel, “The Hobbit.”

SEPtEMBER 22: DEAR DIARy DAyEveryone’s got secrets they’d

like to spill, but they can’t just yell them from the rooftops. Instead, confide in Mr. (or Ms.) Diary. If you’re too embarrassed to call it a diary, call it a journal.

SEPt. 23: CHECKERS DAyIf you can’t find a friend to

play in the traditional way, don’t worry. There are plenty of online checkers sites.

SEPt. 25: NAtIONAL COMIC BOOK DAyIf you’re lucky, you might come

across a comic book store that’s giving away free goodies this day. Comic book nerds, unite!

SEPt. 26: NAtIONAL PANCAKE DAyEveryone loves pancakes,

whether they’re blueberry, chocolate chip, or any other strange flavor you can think of. Pig out at the nearest IHOP, which is about three miles away.

SEPt. 26: NAtIONAL GOOD NEIGHBOR DAy

Take a moment today to brighten someone’s day.

SEPt. 27: CRuSH A CAN DAyThe campus doesn’t seem to

have much litter, thanks to an awesome student body, and campus facilitator. In the rare event you find a can of some kind on campus, feel free to crush it beneath your feet (or if you’re particularly strange, feel free to crush it with your head). Then pick it up and dispose of it appropriately, of course.

SEPt. 28: ASK A StuPID QuEStION DAy

Here’s the perfect day to prove teachers wrong. We’ve been told for years that there’s no such thing as a stupid question, so let’s put that theory to the test.

To interconnect in today’s world, students must learn to appreciate other cultures and develop the

skills necessary to live effectively in a global environment. The versatility and complexity of computers has fascinated me ever since my childhood and at the root of my desire to pursue a career in computer science, in the summer of 2010 I flew to the United States to expand my educational experience.

Embracing this international learning opportunity, I got a chance to experience the diversity of community, thought, and culture in a global environment. It was my first time leaving Nepal, and I found myself in a first world country. The United States has a well-developed infrastructure, high productivity, and automobiles play a great role in American culture. Being one of the world’s most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, about half of Americans today live in what is known as the suburbs.

I was born, raised, and still live in the same middle class Nepalese society. My house is in a village where people have time; time to play in the river, to sit in a circle laughing, to spend time with families who deeply respect their elders

and love their children. Although it is one of the world’s least developed and poorest countries, Nepal defers from other poverty stricken areas due to its wealth of natural resources. This causes many people to be farmers; providing them with food, shelter, and irrigation. Much of the country has no electricity, even the major city Kathmandu experiences 14 hours of forced blackouts every day. At times, food and family are all we have. We do not own the latest amenities and children do not beg for the newest toys. Children play with broken tires and imagination. We do not really know what BMWs are, but we do know “Namaste”- one warm and welcoming word which means “I bow to the common spiritual divinity in you, I know that place in you in which the entire universe dwells, I know that place

in you which is of love, of truth, of light and of peace. When you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, we are One”.

I would like to redress the nation’s ill, and uplift the living standards of people living there. The majority of people in Nepal do not even have a job and those lucky enough to find one make an average of less than a dollar a day. In such a situation, the character and morality of the nation suffers.

One reason for the vast amount of people looking for employment is the large scale migration from villages to town an≠≠≠d from towns to foreign land. I would attempt to make village life satisfactory and attractive enough so that villagers would not want to seek their fortunes in cities. As there are lots of applications in the field of computers, I could bring new technologies which would provide employment opportunities.

I believe I will make a difference in the world through my dedication for making Nepal a better place to live because I wake up each day with a renewed sense of purpose, an eagerness to learn, and a strong belief that I would achieve my ultimate goal.

The essay won the 2011 LewerMark Scholarship held by Lewer Agency.

Each year, a few Loras students are selected for the Valder Social Justice Award which provides a

scholarship for students to experience a summer of service devoted to working for social justice.

As a recipient, I chose an organization in Madison, WI called National Association of Social Workers-WI Chapter (NASW-WI). One of the main activities the organization does is lobby on a state level, which for anyone unfamiliar with the political climate in WI in the last seven months, meant there was lots to be done this summer.

The political climate was fascinating to not only observe, but also to participate in. I learned so much about social change, the difficulties it faces, and how it truly takes an entire group of people to make it happen.

Social change, as I came to realize, entails encountering numerous challenges and difficulties, but can be the beginning of a beautiful thing when passionate and determined people put their minds together.

The most interesting part of all of this for me was where I found these people. Yes, they were in the Capitol, and sometimes in fancy suits at the coalition meetings I attended, but more often than not I found them in so called, “unconventional” places. I found them on the streets, in coffee shops, and other unexpected places.

I saw them in the homeless, and the man that was on a hunger strike. I saw it in young adults who spent probably as much time, if not more than me, in the Capitol. They were relentless in their protesting, and yet I saw such passion and determination that I was reminded of the potential of our generation to make a difference.

I witnessed the power in the people, and saw a passion in them that many had thought prior to February had died in our generation. It is inspiring to see people care, and fired up about making their voice be heard.

As a generation that will soon inherit this country, we will be faced with many decisions. What will we do to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come and what will we be remembered for?

I challenge you to find your passion, something you believe in, and commit yourself to the cause. It does not have to be something conventional like volunteering at a homeless shelter, or even as ambitious as working to become the next Nobel Peace Prize winner (more power to you if that is your goal), but something you are truly interested in.

Just think: If everyone took 10-20 minutes out of their week dedicated to a cause of their choice. To say the least, the implications would be pretty impressive.

We all have an opportunity and a choice to make- the decision is yours. How will you spend your time, and what kind of world do you want the next generation to inherit?

‘Power in the people’

International education helps open some amazing doors

by SMRItI SHAKyAspecial to the Lorian

At times, food and family are all we have. We do not

own the latest amenities and children do not beg for the newest toys. Children play

with broken tires and imagination.

The men and women’s cross coun-try teams left the starting line for the first time this season last Saturday while competing at the Luther All-American Invite in Decorah.

The men took 4th place overall and the women placed 10th in a meet that Coach Bob Schultz had described last week as something to just get everyone’s “feet wet.”

The men made a splash placing 4th place overall in a 20 team race that in-cluded some very tough competition.

“I was very happy that we finished as high as we did,” said Schultz. “Finishing behind 3 of the top 20 teams in the coun-try and beating St. Thomas, a team that is ranked number 30 in the nation and beat-ing Luther, the defending Iowa Confer-ence Champions on their home course.”

Senior Dan McDermott led the charge for the Duhawks finishing 13th overall with a time of 21:04. Junior Austin Steil and first-year Steve Loran finished with-in four seconds of one another awarding them 21st and 27th overall, respectively.

Junior Chris Higgins (32nd) and first-year Rob Howe (34th) rounded out the scoring for the Duhawks with times of 21:29 and 21:32.

Also finishing in the top 7 for the Duhawks were first-years Ty Wittman (43rd) and Ryan Sheeran (45th). The Duhawks final tally added up to 127 to take a 4th place finish home, 14 points ahead of the 5th place finisher.

“I was really impressed with our fresh-men (Loran, Howe, Wittman, and Sheer-an) who all made our top 7 in their first collegiate race,” said Schultz. “We have a great group back so for them to do that in their first college cross country meet is very promising.”

The women took home a 10th place finish out of a field of 15, defeating con-ference rivals Coe and Dubuque.

“Our women got out very conserva-tive, which is what we wanted to do,” said Schultz. “With the race being a bit shorter, at a 5K instead of a 6K, we did not move up as much as we will the sec-ond half of the season when we are run-ning a 6K.”

Despite being a little out of their ele-ment due to the length of the course, the Duhawks posted some very good finish-es at the site of the 2011 IIAC Champi-onships course.

Senior Genna Kinley finished first overall for the Duhawks with a time of 20:17 good enough for a 29th overall fin-ish in the field. Sophomore Mary Rector crossed the finish line 12 seconds later to finish 41st overall.

Finishing 6th and 7th overall for Loras were juniors Maria Kalb and first-year Hallie Martin.

“Genna Kinley ran a strong race, lead-ing our team. This was her first time run-ning as number 1 for the Duhawks,” said Schultz. “Katie Flogel is much improved from last year and also a couple of our freshmen, Becky Hilby and Hallie Mar-tin had really nice collegiate debuts.”

For the team to continually improve, Coach Schultz believes that the team needs to get out more aggressively and stay together a little longer each race.

On Saturday, the men and women will compete at the National Catholic Cham-pionships where the women brought home a 6th place overall finish last year in the 25 team field; and coach Schultz is confident that both teams can move up a place or two in the standings this year.

Men finish 4th behind 3 top-20 teams in the IIAC; Women defeat Coe & UD

Runners get their feet wet at big Luther meet

The women’s tennis team has a few fresh faces — and just one senior — so it was im-portant for the athletes to get a few matches under their built, followed by some more prac-tice time to continue developing their game.

This past weekend, the team had a quick turn-around with a doubleheader on Saturday and another match on Sunday.

The Duhawks played a tough stretch of three conference opponents: Simpson, Cen-tral, and Coe College, losing all three of the matches, but junior Rachel Weglarz still sees the team progressing even if it does not trans-late in the box scores.

“Although we haven’t been winning a lot of matches, every time we play we get better. We have a small team so we all get a lot of playing time, which is nice,” said Weglarz.

Against Simpson each athlete was able to win a few games, but could not close on their opposition in the end.

Senior Ale Ruales had the closest game as the number one singles competitor for Loras, taking her second set to force a tiebreaker, los-ing 7-5.

The three doubles matches ended in losses for the team at 8-3, 8-4, and 8-2, respectively.

Loras’ most competitive dual was against Central College as they were able to push a few matches to the third set.

Ale Ruales started out the day against Cen-tral with a 3-6 victory but then dropped the next set 6-4 before playing a back-and-forth game before losing 10-7 in the final set.

The bright spot for the team came from sophomore Est Mungai who took the 6th sin-gles match and after dropping her first match 1-6 came back firing to win convincingly 6-3 and 10-1.

“We are a very young team and I see a lot of potential. All of the sophomores (Rebecca Weglarz, Emily Morrison, and Est Mungai) have really stepped up in their level of play since last year which is great,” Weglarz said. “Also, our one and only incoming first-year, Caroline Rainey, has been a wonderful addi-tion to the team. Her competitiveness, espe-cially in doubles, has been really great for the team as a whole.”

Going into Sunday, with two losses behind them from Saturday, the team did not fare much better against Coe.

“This last week alone we had 7 matches over the course of one week, with not a lot of practice time in between,” said Weglarz. “I feel that our team did a great job keeping up their energy through all of the matches, but it really tired us all out.”

The Duhawks managed to win a total of nine games throughout the nine match-ups, with their best chance coming from Caroline Rainey.

Loras’ record now falls to 1-9, and 0-5 in conference.

The women get just about a week’s worth of rest and practice to prepare for their next match-up on September 20, at 3:30 p.m. at St. Ambrose University; and Weglarz sees that benefitting the team greatly.

“Because almost all of our matches have taken place in the first few weeks of our sea-son, it’s been hard to be able to practice in be-tween matches. However, now we have a bit of a break from match play and can start work-ing on improving some things before confer-ence.”

Coach sees improvement from his young Duhawks

by JACK METZsports editor

After last week’s meet at Buena Vista was cut short by the large amounts of rain, the women were ready to take the course at Wartburg.

In fact, they were even more confident af-ter they had a very solid showing for their first round.

“We were a little bummed out that the round got canceled last weekend,” said ju-nior Abby Potts. “Because it seemed like ev-eryone was playing well.”

The Duhawks placed 16th of the 20 teams at the Fall Invite with a four shot improve-ment from the first day on the final round.

The women were excited about the im-provement they made from last year.

They already know what they need to do to improve for the rest of the season which puts them one step ahead of the competition already.

“We all have the ability to perform well and exceed our expectations,” said Potts. “A good week of practice will be the best way to prepare for the Midwest Classic.”

Potts led the way for the women, shooting a 24 over par followed by junior Christina Jackson who shot a 37 over par.

The scores were good for a share of 30th and 59th place, respectively, for the week-end.

The women were right with everyone in what appeared to be a very close race for first. In fact there was only a 33 point dif-ference between 6 places and only 8 points separating the top five teams from that prized first place spot.

“I am so proud of my teammates,” said Potts. “We are still a young team, and the im-provement we have made from last year has been outstanding. I cannot wait to see what is in store for us.”

Along with Potts and Jackson’s impressive score, the team was able to put up a pretty impressive score line with sophomore Kath-ryn Belanger shooting a 40 over par, sopho-more Megan Gregg shooting a 45 over par, and freshman Lauren Gonner shooting a 50 over par.

“This weekend we are playing a course unfamiliar to all of us,” said Potts. “All we can do is go into this weekend with positive attitudes and confidence in our game.

Not knowing the course they will be play-ing on is a disadvantage, but with enthusi-asm and the ability to improve, the team is well on their way to another successful year in the conference.

The women have been able to maintain and even improve upon some of the scores from last week which is what they will want to see more of this weekend at the Division III Midwest Classic hosted by UW-River Falls that will take place Saturday and Sun-day.

The youthful women’s team look to keep improving on its results as it prepares for Division III Midwest Classic

by JULIAN GALLOsportswriter

Golf on par for growth

Women’s tennis looks to benefit from break

photo by MARLON TORRESSenior Dan McDermott finished 13th this weekend finishing just over 21 minutes at the Luther All-American Invite in Decorah.

by RYAN BINSFIELDsportswriter

sports

duhawk.com10

Sept. 15, 2011

UpCOMING DATESn Friday, Sept. 16, at

3:30 p.m. @ National Catholic Championships - Notre Dame

n Sept. 24, at 10 a.m. @ Roy Griak Invitational — Univ. of Minnesota

n Oct. 8, at 11 a.m. @ Dan Houston Invitational — Wartburg College

update for M/W Cross Country

‘‘I was very happy that we finished as high as we did behind 3 of

the top 20 teams in the country and beating St. Thomas, a team that is ranked number 30 in the

nation and beating Luther.

Bob Schultz,cross country coach ,,

duhawk.com

sports

11Sept. 15, 2011

photo by Leah SedeLLe Chapman

Senior Jessica Kern beats her opponent as she heads the ball back to Loras.

Coming off a big victory Sunday, the men’s soccer team was ready to push the pace in their first night game Tuesday at the Rock Bowl.

On Sunday, junior Brad Joiner nailed a 15-yard shot in the 61st min-ute of play to lift Loras to a 2-1 lead against Macalester. It turned out to be the game-winner.

On Tuesday night, Loras played host to the University of Wiscon-sin-Platteville. It didn’t take long for the Duhawks to get on the board, as sophomore Dan Figura continued his early season heroics.

Figura got a head on the ball dur-ing a Kevin Cavers corner kick and redirected into the Miners net just three minutes into the game. It was the third goal of the young season for the center back.

However, the Duhawks did not stay jubilant for long, and UW-P soon tied the knotted the match at 1.

Loras struggled to regain its rhythm over the next 10 minutes of play as Platteville settled into a con-servative style of play that temporar-ily frustrated Loras.

But Joiner again provided Loras with a big lift.

After senior Donald St. George was through on the left side, he sent a ball back across toward the penal-ty spot. Chris Comstock got a shot blocked by the keeper, but Joiner was ready for the rebound and nailed a right-footed shot past the diving

keeper, 2-1Loras would have possession for

much of the match, and the Miner defense was put to the test a number of times, but UW-P also was oppor-tunistic, and the Miners snuck by the Loras defense to tie the match at 2.

St. George had an opportunity in the 30th minute of play, but the Min-ers’ keeper Jared Kuehl was in posi-tion, and no harm was done.

With less than 15 minutes left in the half, Loras would get back to the attacking, and Platteville would get back to the defending.

Pekovitch and Berkowitz would get their workouts in, as each would be called upon to throw into sub-stitute Sean Lewis to try to create a flick-on situation.

While the different opportunities tested keeper Kuehl, the Duhawks were not able to convert, and the half ended 2-2.

After the up-and-down first half, however, the second half was a dif-ferent story. The Duhawks domi-nated UW-P in the second half, and Johnny Rummelhart and St. George scored the decisive goals.

That isn’t to say UW-P was going down easy. It took nearly 15 minutes into the second half for the Duhawks to break the stranglehold, but a time-ly substitution by Coach Dan Rothert propelled Loras back into the lead for the third time in the match.

St. George got his first goal of the year with a nice strike from distance to beat the Platteville goalkeeper.

The senior captain received the ball at the top of the 18 and posi-tioned himself for a left-footed win-ner from the upper-left corner.

Loras now is 4-1-1 on the young season.

After notching its 4th win of the season, Loras revs up for a tournament it will host this weekend at the Rock Bowl

2nd-half surge boosts Duhawks

The offensive combination of Jayne Es-linger and Tonya Lohmeyer proved to be too much for the Macalester Scots to han-dle.

In the 42nd minute, Loras earned a free kick from 25 yards out. Eslinger lined up the shot and sent it screaming off the post. Confusion ensued on the field and in the stands as to what the reasoning was for the referee’s whistle.

“I originally thought it was an off-sides call,” said Eslinger.

But to the crowd’s delight, the referee determined that the shot banked off the crossbar and fell just enough into the net to be considered a goal. With just minutes away before halftime, the goal seemed to deflate Macalester’s spirits.

Following the 15-minute intermission, Loras returned to work, pestering Macal-ester goalkeeper Rosie Glenn-Finer with shots. But very much like the first half, Loras could not add to their score, and Ma-calester could not break through the defen-sive tandem of Kinsey Campbell and Ra-chel Rieger.

Then, in the 81st minute, Tonya Lohm-eyer received a touch from Danielle Vu-jovic and sent her kick to the back of the twine, sealing the game for the Duhawks.

Duhawk goalkeeper Katie Chambers pitched her first shutout of the season after turning away four shots from the Scots.

Loras returns to the Rock Bowl this weekend for the Loras/UW-P Invitational, and will take on the University of Nebras-ka-Omaha at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Women’s soccer team knocks off unbeaten Macalester squad

by JIm napRSTeKsportswriter

The volleyball team will embrace the opportunity to play at home this weekend after playing its first 10 matches on the road.

On Friday, Loras was pitted against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, which was hosting the tournament, and Monmouth College. In a tough five sets, Loras dropped its first match to the host, UW-Platteville. The Duhawks were able to take the first two sets by a total of sev-en points, and the Miners stormed back in the 3rd and 4th sets to tie the match score and the momentum, which led them to a 3-2 match win.

Loras responded, however, by taking the next three sets against Monmouth Col-lege to even their record for the weekend.

Juniors Regan Riley and Kenzie Goed-ken led the Duhawks in kills with 15 and 13, respectively.

Saturday did not start off on the right foot for Loras and they were blanked by Millikin, three sets to none. The lone high point was senior Kaity Frost’s 9 kills.

The weekend did end on a high note, however, as Loras took Edgewood to the hardwood, winning three sets to one. Riley tied Loras’ second best kill total with 27.

Riley felt as if the Duhawks ended the weekend on a high note: “We’re mak-ing progress; that’s the best part, and we showed spurts of great volleyball which shows that we have really high potential for this year,” said Riley.

Most recently, the Duhawks returned to the Iowa Conference play on Tuesday evening versus neighborhood rival, Uni-versity of Dubuque.

All five matches were closely contest-ed, and Loras persevered by winning the second, third and fifth sets .

Paving the way for the Duhawks was Frost with 19 kills, senior Julie Rogers with 43 assists, and Riley with 22 digs.

“Communication is key in volleyball, and I think that it is something we need to work on and that will definitely help our game,” said Riley.

Loras hosts Wartburg on Friday night in the AWC. The match will be one of four home matches that the Duhawks have all season long.

The Duhawks lift their conference record to 2-0

by JIm napRSTeKsportswriter

Volleyball team beats rival UD in 5-set thriller

2 goals too many for opponent

photo by JIm napRSTeKDonald St. George lines up for a kick Tuesday night. The senior scored a second-half goal to help the Duhawks beat the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 4-2, Tuesday night at the Rock Bowl.

by mIChaeL SpLITTGeRBeRsportswriter

update for Women’s soccer

oveRaLL ReCoRd3-2

nexT maTCh aT home

n Saturday, Sept. 17, at

11:00 a.m., vs. Nebraska Wesleyan Univ.

@ the Rock Bowln September 18, at 12:00 p.m., vs.

St. Norbert College@ the Rock Bowl

(Loras/UW-Platteville Inv.)n September 21, at 7:30 p.m., vs.

Augustana College

update for Volleyball

oveRaLL ReCoRd5-5; (2-0)

nexT maTCh aT homen Friday, Sept. 16, at

7:30 p.m., vs. Wartburg College, @ the AWC

n Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. vs. Nebraska Wesleyan University @ the AWC

nexT maTCh on The Roadn Sept. 23, at 4 p.m., vs. Trinity

Christian College8 p.m, @ University of Chicago

(Gargoyle Classic - Univ. of Chicago)

duhawk.com

sports

12Sept. 15, 2011

It was a day that coach Paul Mierkiewicz had been anticipating for almost nine months as he took to the Rock Bowl as the Duhawks’ new head coach.

Of course it did not have the same feeling as once being a player and ar-riving on the field by coming down the hill, but being able to take his team onto Bob Bierie football field was a special moment as Loras col-lected its first victory beating Rock-ford College, 48-17.

Opening up the scoring for the Du-hawks on the special day was run-ning back Billy Kass, who wasted no time taking a carry 34 yards into the end zone within the first two minutes of the game.

Kass, who finished the game with 165 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, was happy to be part of the first win for coach Mierkiewicz.

“Coach Merk spends a lot of time working hard to prepare us for Sat-urdays. It felt great to get that first win for him at his alma mater in the Rock Bowl,” said Kass. “He really knows what it takes to win football games, and I think it will become a trend while he is the head coach here at Loras.”

One of the keys going into the game for the Duhawks was to protect their quarterback, Vaughn Gesing, better than they had in the past.

In the first game of the season, Elmhurst was able to get to the quar-terback six times, but on Saturday the offensive line only allowed one sack and added some scoring punch as ju-nior Michael Donnelly recovered a Kass fumble in the end zone to give the team a comfortable lead.

“The line opened up some big holes for Javan and me to run through. They made it a really good day to be a running back leading to a lot of suc-cess on the ground,” said Kass. “As a team we gave a great overall effort. We have a few things that need to be touched up, but it should all get fixed during practice this week leading up to the UD game.”

The running game would prove

to be the focal point of the offense as sophomore Javan Aimable would contribute 124 yards of his own as well as an 82-yard scamper down the field to add on a late game score.

The team as a whole netted 300 yards on the ground, and although that number might come back down to a more average amount, the run game will only be helped with this week’s return of junior running back Ryan Baez for the game against Uni-versity of Dubuque.

“He’s going to come out with some fire and really add some energy to our team, and more specifically to our running game,” said Kass. “With Baez back it will add another weap-on to our offense and his contribution should give us a great amount of suc-cess the remainder of this season.”

The defensive unit for the Du-hawks did not have as great of a start to the season against Elmhurst.

But a lot of that had to do with an inability of the offense to move down the field that led to the defense staying on the field for a long period of time.

Coach Mierkiewicz said he was looking for the defense to tackle bet-ter and to force more punts on to the opponent.

The message was well received as the team forced Rockford to punt six times, forced five fumbles with Ryan Steckel and Kyle Kirchoff both re-covering one, and intercepting the opposition three times.

Zach Myers led the team with 11 total tackles, followed by Da-vid Pirkle, who picked up defensive player of the week honors with nine total tackles as well as a forced fum-ble, one pass deflection and two in-

terceptions in the victory.Quarterback Vaughn Gesing did

not find himself in too many pass-ing situations with the success on the running game, but he made the most of his completions while collecting 146 yards through the air.

Gesing completed 9 passes on 18 attempts, with three of those com-pletions going for touchdowns, two to Gavin Kaiser and one to Brendan Oates.

This weekend the rivalry that is all too familiar in the city of Dubuque regains its traction as the Duhawks, 1-1, take the short trip to the Univer-sity of Dubuque, 2-0, to kick off the Iowa Conference schedule.

“They have a high powered of-fense and have done well in their first 2 games this year. There needs to be a sense of urgency this week during practice. I expect everyone to come out and really work hard to make sure they are prepared come 6 o’clock on Saturday,” said Kass. “It’s important we have a great week of practice to make sure this weekend is a success-ful one.”

Loras leads the overall series 28-7 against its cross-town rival, but UD won’t be a push-over this year

by JACK METZsports editor

‘‘The line opened up some big holes for Javan and myself to run through. They made it a

really good day to be a running back leading to a lot of success on the ground.

Billy Kassjunior running back,,

BiggEsT KEysCoach Mierkiewicz and

Kass emphasized two factors for this weekend:

n Offensively put the team in manageable situations, stay away from penalties, and continue to protect the QB.

n Manage all the energy and excitement that is expected with the rivalry and be get to work quickly.

X-fACTorn It will be interesting to

watch how Ryan Baez will match up in his first game this season, missing the first two to injury. Kass has been impressive in his place and said he owes a lot to Baez helping him with the adjustment from receiver to running back. Baez had 532 yards from scrimmage last season and two touchdowns.

outlook against university of Dubuque

sports eDitorial

It does not matter that in the days leading up to the beginning of the football season we saw the best running backs in the league receive record-breaking contract extensions for a player at their position. After one week of NFL action one thing is still clear: the league is a quarterback-driven league.

Even though Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson signed contacts for 30 and 36 million guaranteed, it

still came down to the quarterbacks, making 48.5 million in guarantees, to put up the big numbers.

In a week where we saw 14 quarterbacks throw over 300 yards, while only seven running backs ran over 100 yards, Tom Brady’s performance was just unreal.

Brady put up 517 yards on Monday night. A number only 37 yards shy of the most passing yards in a game, a record that is 60 years old.

Brady added a 99-yard pass completion to his night, and he also put his name into the record books with Monday night opponent. He and Dolphins’ quarterback Chad Henne threw for most combined passing yards ever in a game combining Brady’s 517 with Henne’s 416 for a total of 933 yards.

In the NFC South, we were able to see the four quarterbacks throw for over 1400 yards combined, yet all four of the teams loss their games.

There were five games, the Patriots-Dolphins, Packers-Saints, Falcons-Bears, Panthers-Cardinals, and Jets-Cowboys, where both quarterbacks threw for over 300 passing yards.

It looks like last week’s panic- how we would no longer see successful returns with the new kicking rule implementation-was premature.

There were three kickoffs returned to the house: one of 108 yards by

Randall Cobb of the Packers on Thursday night, one of 103 by Percy Harvin of the Vikings on Sunday, and one of 102 by the 49ers Ted Ginn Jr., who also added to the performance 59 seconds later with a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown.

If that was not enough for us in one week of football, we also saw our first meltdown of the season courtesy of ‘America’s team’ the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo almost single-handedly lost the game for the Cowboys.

Romo, ahead by seven points with nine minutes left in the game, saw a running lane and, as I was watching it, the only thing I could be reminded of was when Romo fumbled a hold on a field goal a few years back and had to run. The end result? Him failing and, in this week’s case, fumbling it.

With a minute left in the game, Romo tried to throw a pass to an injured Dez Bryant, and instead, completed it to the best cornerback in the game Darelle Revis to set up a game winning field goal for the Jets, which begs the question what was he even thinking throwing it to that side with that much time left?

To add salt to the wound, with eight seconds left Romo was not ready for snap from the shotgun position, and it hit him in the chest escaping any chance of a possible comeback.

I could only wish I was at the Cowboys facilities for Monday’s film session.

Week one should only be a sign of what is to come during this season. I can only say how glad I am to see football back in action, and week two cannot come soon enough.

Jack Metz

Jack

’s s

mac

k

NFL: What we learned

Just one week into the season, some QBs put their names in the record books, with incredible numbers through the air

photo by JiM NAPrsTEKSenior Gavin Kaiser grabs a pass from quarterback Vaughn Gesing during Saturday’s 48-17 victory against Rockford. Kaiser caught three passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns.

Coach Mierkiewicz picks up his first win, prepares for UD

One NFL week in the books and

we have already seen half the

quarterbacks in the league throw

for over 300 yards, new game records

being set and kickoffs returned for touchdowns