TheCauldronMonday, february 8, 2010 *** eSTabLISHed 1929 *** ISSue 4 | FREE

The MelTing PoT

‘engaged learning’ goes way beyond The wordsby reid May

news

TasC: When you’re here, you’re familyby nikki Kochman

arTs & enTerTainMenT

ohayoCon:Anime convention and one reporter’s weekend from hellby Paul Kahan

sPorTsrivalry renewed:

Cleveland state and butlerVikes and Bulldogs Meet This Weekby robert ivory

opening statementsBy Justin Brenis

Showing Valentine’s Day

a Little LoveBy Jonathan Herzberger

weeKly evenTs Calendarby alexes spencer

Klein is CsU’s best ever:Senior Tops 25 Year Record

Volume 110 • Issue 4moNDAY, FeBRuARY 8, 2010

ContentsThe Melting Pot04 ‘Engaged learning’ goes way

beyond the words04 Looking for a New Apartment?

CSU Provides Support

News05 TASC: When you’re here, you’re

family05 Constructed from Ruin06 Stay Healthy This Flu Season06 Self-study for Accreditation

Arts & Entertainment11 Ohayocon:

Anime convention and one reporter’s weekend from hell

11 24 Hour Theater Project12 Concert Picks of the Week

Sports15 Who Really Cares About

the Olympics?15 “All-Star Preview”15 Rivalry Renewed:

Cleveland State and ButlerVikes and Bulldogs Meet This Week

16 Sports Flashback

Weekly Events CalendarBy Alexes SpencerSpeed dating, CAB Date Auction, Café Bellas Artes, Cupid’s CABaret, Haiti Fundraiser and much more.7

Opening StatementsBy Justin BrenisIf you haven’t already guessed, I am a “Lostie,” and my original intention was to share the thrill that was last Tuesday night’s season premiere with my fellow CSU Losties. However, it dawned on me when I sat down to write that a majority of people reading this wouldn’t know Jack, Locke, Kate, ‘Sawyer,’ or ‘Hurley’ from any other stranger on campus. It also occurred to me that I have no way of knowing who has seen the premiere, and if there is one thing a “LOST” fan hates, it’s spoilers.

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Darksiders: Wrath of WarThe Legend of Zelda, with a Post Apocalyptic Coat of Paint.By Pete Lindmark; intro by Justin Brenis

If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, Vigil Studio’s first major release has flattery down to an art. This adulation came in the form of Darksiders: Wrath of War. In this realm, the four horsemen of the apocalypse (War, Death, Famine, and Pestilence) play the role of justice, keeping the balance of light and dark in check.

10Klein is CSU’s Best Ever:Senior Tops 25 Year RecordBy Robert Ivory

If she had to prove it anymore, Cleveland State’s senior guard Kailey Klein became the Vikings’ all-time points scorer Saturday night at the Wolstein Center. “I’ve been trying to just let the game come to me over the past four years,” Klein said. “It’s paid off and I am honored.”

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The CauldronThE STaff

Editor-In-ChiefSamantha Shunk

Managing EditorReid May

advertising ManagerJayson Gerbec

Copy EditorKristen Mott

Copy EditorJustin Brenis

News EditorAlexes Spencer

arts & Entertainment EditorJonathan D. Herzberger

Sports EditorRob Ivory

Layout EditorSteve Thomas

Business ManagerAnne Werner

Student Media & Web SpecialistDaniel Lenhart

faculty advisorDr. Rodger Govea

As Cleveland State University’s student run, managed, and operated alternative

weekly paper, The Cauldron is dedicated to delivering information to the student and

professional body of CSU; doing so without bias, without constraints, and without fear.

Presenting news, entertainment, opinion and other media that originates

organically from within the student body, our distinctive media will organically flow

and adapt to suit that body’s needs.The Cauldron prints according to sound

journalistic principles of accuracy, account-ability, integrity, transparency and with a recognition of press freedom and student

expression.

The Cauldron shall remain a forum; maintaining a strong connection to the

diverse campus community, regarding but not limited to Cleveland State University,

the city of Cleveland, the United States, and the Global Community.

Mission stateMent

advertising Policy:For advertising inquiries e-mailus at cauldronadvertisements@

hotmail.com or contactJayson gerbec at (216) 687-2270

contact UsCleveland State University

4th Floor Cole CenterCleveland, Ohio 44115phone (216) 687-2270

fax (216) 687-5155www.csucauldron.com

Showing Valentine’s Day a Little LoveBy Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger8

You know, I’ve never had to write one of these Opening Statements before…

What can I possibly write about to interest you guys that doesn’t involve video games? In all fairness, I’ve been a bit preoccupied since last May—like many people have—with a disease I like to call “LOST”-fever. Yes, “LOST”-fever, a nine month ailment rampant from May to January/February, with side effects that typically include radical theory making, blogging, some fighting, a little crying, a habit of counting down the days until the next season premiere…and if you lack a constant, maybe even some time travel.

If you haven’t already guessed, I am a “Lostie,” and my original intention was to share the thrill that was last Tuesday night’s season premiere with my fellow CSU Losties. However, it dawned on me when I sat down to write that a majority of people reading this wouldn’t know Jack, Locke, Kate, ‘Sawyer,’ or ‘Hurley’ from any other stranger on campus. It also occurred to me that I have no way of knowing who has seen the premiere, and if there is one thing a “LOST” fan hates, it’s spoilers.

For those of you unfamiliar with “LOST,” you really

are missing out. If you are a fan of mystery, action, drama, comedy and big W.T.F. moments, than you really need to see this show. For those of you with too much school work on your plate, let me try and sum it up in…let’s see here…250 words or less.

(Deep breath)Oceanic flight 815 leaves Sydney for Los Angeles

on September 22, 2004. Onboard is a doctor, a fugitive, a con man, a lotto winner, a rock musician, a pregnant lady and a disabled man, just to name a few. Due to complications, they end up 1,000 miles off-course and crash-land on an Island, the plane tearing into three parts mid-air. After several days of getting to know one another they make resident doctor, Jack Shephard, their de facto leader and try to survive while waiting for rescue. Survival isn’t as easy as it seems however, with a mysterious monster romping through the jungle, a strange hatch with a very important purpose, and natives who are very clear on making it known that this Island is theirs. After 108 days, a freighter appears offshore and it is believed that they are there to rescue our survivors, but it doesn’t take long to understand this

is not the case. To protect the Island, mystical powers are tapped that move the Island, not just through space, but also through time. Lives are lost, bonds broken, but six survivors manage to make it home only to find life not as pleasant as they remember, and so they decide to return to the Island to find those who they left behind. Return is not made simple though when the six find themselves separated, some in 2007 and some in 1977…and to try and correct this time rift, they detonate a hydrogen bomb.

(And exhale) Damn, well that’s 250 words right there and as crazy

as that all may sound, that’s about as bare bones as you can get in describing the first five seasons. Ultimately, if that managed to pique your interest I promise you you’re going to love this show, and with all five seasons available on Hulu, ABC.com, and Netflix (instantly online), now is a great time to catch up while the final season, the one with all the answers, airs from February to May of this year.

So what are you waiting for? Namaste, and I’ll see you on the Island.

Image couresty of wikimedia.org4815162342

csucauldron.com Monday, February 8, 2010

The MelTing PoT‘Engaged learning’ goes way beyond the words | The city, spademan says, is a huge advantage for Cleveland state, because it allows us to do so many things. | Page 4

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<< Looking for a New apartment? CSU Provides SupportWith over 100 listings, you may find your new home. Whether you are looking to live in the city, a close neighborhood, or even further out in the suburbs, there is probably a place you will find to be a possibility.……Page 4

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OPEning StatEmEntSBy Justin Brenis, The Cauldron Copy Editor

Screenshot by Steve Thomas

Several weeks ago, I spent a little time reading “Engage Magazine,” which is published by Cleveland State University’s marketing department and pitched as a “look inside life at CSU.” The articles were interesting enough—one about a graduate assistant in the admissions office, another about a young man and what he keeps in his book bag (everything, apparently)—and it got me thinking:

Having been at Cleveland State since the fall semester of 2007, I was a witness to the gradual transformation from the era before “engaged learning” into our bright green-colored little piece of heaven, complete with new slogans, new signs and new everything else. That said, I have never known exactly why “engaged learning” came about.

I understand the concept, mind you, but the motives behind it were lost to me. I wondered, “is ‘engaged learning’ just a slogan that we created to draw new students to the campus before forgetting the purpose?” Admittedly, most of us have great professors, those who engage us left and right. Still other professors seem unaware of the intentions behind the credo, droning on before a class, words directed at the chalkboard, hardly acknowledging our existence. It is those types that made me question the idea, thinking maybe we had this great idea that only went as far as the admissions office and then got lost in the gears of a functioning University. After considering this for a time, I decided to track down the person responsible for the “engaged learning” concept and see exactly where the idea originated.

As it turns out, “engaged learning” was not simply devised as a ploy to attract students. In fact, according to Rob Spademan, the assistant vice president for university marketing and admissions, but more appropriately known as the man who coined the phrase “engaged learning,” it was “a combination of things.”

Spademan was hired on initially because the University saw need to step up their marketing game, especially considering things like “a difficult market, population decline and statistics that suggested that in 2010 high school graduation rates would be dropping.” One of the things that Spademan felt very strongly about when he interviewed with CSU was that “the University needed a way to distinguish itself from the pack and taglines, slogans, mottos or branding campaigns can tend to be short lived and almost trendy. I felt that it was worth us taking a look at that in a serious matter to position the University in a way to say more about it than just ‘Cleveland State University.’”

As a result, Spademan spent his first several months in interviews on and around campus. His idea, which stems from his background as a marketing specialist, was to speak with all sorts of people, on and off campus, and get a feel for what the University was all about. Essentially, Spademan called his work a “brand audit,” and his biggest conclusion was that the “reality was better than the perception.” What he means is that the real environment at Cleveland State was far better than what many people perceived it to be from the outside.

Conversations led to the discovery that there was “a spectrum of people who weren’t really in tune with what was happening here [at Cleveland State],” according to Spademan. At the same time, others kept talking about the reality at Cleveland State, “and the close knit nature of the community to the University, or, in other words, that we were really engaged.”

The city, Spademan says, is a huge advantage for Cleveland State, because it allows us to do so many things that cannot be done at rural Universities like Kent State University or Bowling Green. “As I went deeper and deeper with interviews that really became our strength,” Spademan said, continuing “that we could offer programs and that we could offer relationships, commitments and experiences that others could not because we were so engaged and tightly knit with the community.” This, Spademan felt, provided Cleveland State with a huge competitive advantage. Things like

the “city is our campus” ticket program, downtown living, sporting events and the like provide students at Cleveland State with an experience that is very unique—especially in Ohio (as far as major cities go).

As for the new “engaged learning” concept, part of the reason Spademan liked it was because he did not want Cleveland State’s motto to be a simple marketing slogan like those of so many other schools. “Most schools are like that,” Spademan said, and cited the saying ‘we transform lives,’ pointing out that every college transforms lives and there is no unique quality or critical aspect to the idea.

Spademan also acknowledged that while every college is engaged, the notion of “engaged learning” is something that you have to think about—it does not just leave you at the door—and even more importantly, Spademan liked “engaged learning” because it was something that everyone could own. “I think that’s why it’s so strong and why it’s really taken off is because people can grab a hold of it and really define it in their own context or in their own academic department or unit,” Spademan said. More importantly, Spademan adds, “the slogan says ‘hey, you don’t just sit there and listen to a professor in a one way conversation for four years’…you actually get to engage with them.”

“Engaged learning” also needed to be unique, Spademan said. To ensure that it was he was able to get a hold of a database of, “788 taglines from Universities around the country and only four of them, believe it or not, had the word ‘engage’ or ‘engaging’ in their line and nobody had ‘engaged learning,’ and that’s when I got really excited.”

The drivers of “engaged learning” are constantly adapting it to the changes within the University and the potential students who will come here. Part of that initiative is a recently started focus group, which will follow 12 freshmen through their four years of college and meet with them every semester. The other component is an annual effort to “re-evaluate with comparisons to other University campaigns,” according to Spademan. The brand, he says, is like a garden. You are constantly pruning, cutting, harvesting. They have to always ensure that “engaged learning” lives up to what it really is all about—a hands on learning environment that connects, students, teachers and real world ideas. The annual exercise—the “engaged learning” masterminds meet in February to discuss the concept—is to “consider the future.”

Part of that initiative is a new “knock your socks off” welcome center for prospective students being constructed in the lower level of the new Euclid Commons dormitory complex. This area will feature a wrapped doorway that will say “engage,” a wall of numbers with different happenings and facts from around the University, an iPad for prospective students to play with while they wait for the presentation and finally, a giant sign that says “engage” on the wall. Each part of the sign will have a profession on it and when you pull it off, the back will describe your program choices. “When you come here, your expectations are low. It’s that perception to reality thing. Today, we get ‘Wow, I had no idea this place was like that,” what I want to get is ‘Wow, I want to go here, I’ve changed my mind,” Spademan said

Alas, my concerns about “engaged learning” seem rather silly at this point. While others universities may claim to ‘transform lives’ as a simple ploy to get students through the door, Spademan has made it clear that Cleveland State means for “engaged learning” to go far beyond those motives.

What a great concept we have created here that it can be so possessed by all parts of the collegiate environment, from students and faculty, to everyone in our surrounding community and beyond. Considering the plans for new initiatives to expand the credo, Cleveland State looks primed to continue engaging additional students for years. I, for one, am excited to be a part of the process.

I hope this article engaged you.

Looking for a New apartment?CSU Provides SupportBy Samantha Shunk, The Cauldron Editor-in-Chief

Feeling that it is time to move out of your parents’ house or get out of the expensive dorms? Well then, you should check out the new CSU Off-Campus Housing website. The site is an easy way to find listings with varying distances from campus.

With over 100 listings, you may find your new home. Whether you are looking to live in the city, a close neighborhood, or even further out in the suburbs, there is probably a place you will find to be a possibility. The listings range from less than one tenth of a mile to thirteen and one half miles from campus. Besides the out of place listing for a property in Toledo that claims to be .8 miles from campus, the site is well put-together and inclusive.

Although the site does not always have as many pictures as rent.com and other apartment search sites, it does have more than enough information in regards to the properties. In addition, it has the search option to only look at properties that are situated less than a certain distance from CSU. Another quality of the website is that it lists features and utilities included in rent for each property that are important for students who are looking to live in an apartment for the first time.

This website is free for the university (so your tuition dollars are safe in this case) and provided by a newly established company. The President/CEO of Living Off Campus 101 LLC Michael Bumgarner said, “We build partnerships with universities across the country, and our job is to go in there and assist them in developing a new off campus housing website.” So far, Living Off Campus 101 LLC has developed sites with five different universities, all in Ohio, and an additional office in Texas is in the works. At CSU, the site became live only a few weeks ago, and it is looking good with so many listings.

Bumgarner explained, “We are kind of the middle man between the landlords and the university.” This is because the landlords can sign up online to be included on the site through Living Off Campus 101 LLC and the university just has to be willing to be in a

Continued on Page 13

4 • Monday, February 8, 2010

‘ENGAGED LEARNING’ GOES WAY BEYOND THE WORDSBy Reid May, The Cauldron Managing Editor

Image couresty of blog.cleveland.com

csucauldron.com Monday, February 8, 2010 • Page 5

news>>> Page 7 | Weekly Events Calendar | Hey! Don’t see your event here? E-mail cauldroneditors@gmail.com to ensure your club or group’s next event gets listed.

Next week’s feature - An Indepth Preview of Softball and Baseball seasons written by Sports Editor, Robert Ivory.

taSC: When you’re here, you’re familyBy Nikki Kochman, The Cauldron Contributing Writer

Although it is still early in the semester, first exams are approaching fast. Whether you need quick help with editing a paper or continuous tutoring in a class, TASC (Tutoring and Academic Success Center) is here to help!

Located in MC 105 is TASC’s walk-in tutoring for a quick fix of your homework problems. Four students are usually there between 11:00 a.m. until 3 p.m. to help you in a variety of subjects. (For a complete list visit www.csuohio.edu/academic/advising/tutoring/walkin.html)

When describing TASC, Eric Shilling, a tutor, said, “we’re like a family.” He said many students he helps often come back, not just to get tutoring, but to say hello.

Another TASC tutor takes it one step further in helping his students. He focuses on ESL (English as a second language) students by helping them learn English and American ways, often taking them on field trips around Cleveland.

New this semester to CSU is e-tutoring, for those students with difficult schedules who need help on the weekends or at night. You can log online (http://www.

etutoring.org/) at any time and submit a paper to be edited or Web cam chat to get help on math homework.

Upstairs in MC 401 is TASC’s headquarters. Walking into the room you can tell it’s a warm, comfortable atmosphere with the smell of coffee brewing for the students. At each of 12 tables sit a tutor awaiting on it’s next student. There are couches set up and a computer where you sign in for your appointment.

In order to be tutored up here you must sign a contract to meet regularly once a week, for an hour, with your designated tutor. With over 63 tutors working there, you are bound to find someone you can really enjoy learning from.

Tutors must have at least a 3.0 GPA, an A or B in the subject they would like to tutor in and be a full time student. Also, they must have great communication skills in order to be able to teach the subject and establish a connection with the students. Each tutor has their own style of teaching, often being able to tutor in multiple subjects.

TASC started in 2008, with the population of students doubling every semester. They now have 662 regular students.

TASC 3-D is this semester’s slogan using hands-on ways of learning. Alma Pitchford, a tutor who has been there since nearly the beginning, said she used color coded Legos to show a student how the format of a paper should be. They keep a variety of board games around the class to use, including Scrabble to teach ESL students English.

Julie Hills, assistant coordinator, stresses the importance of having a good student-tutor relationship saying “we’re really blessed with people.” She also mentioned how they are like one big family, similar to the Olive Garden slogan.

If you would like to apply to be a tutor, or be tutored, Hills said they can always accommodate.

TASC services are free for students. For more information, e-mail tutoring@csuohio.edu, call 216-687-2012, or visit http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/advising/tutoring/.

CONSTrUCTED frOM rUINBy Paul Kahan, The Cauldron Staff Writer

As Cleveland State University strives to make changes both cosmetically and functionally to our campus, one would wonder, aside from the new Student Center and new housing, what other changes CSU students can expect from the university in the coming year(s).

“One thing we’re excited about is the Farmer’s Market we will feature in front of the music building from May to October,” said Ed Schmittgen, Executive Director of Capitol Planning. The Farmer’s Market will feature tents of local farmers selling produce, as well as other foods, along with live music and tons of fun. It is slated to take place every single Thursday from May to October. The market will be a place where one can get fresh air in the summer and fall, buy fresh apples, or a slice of real homemade pie, all while listening to some soothing sounds.

Schmittgen also wished to reassure students that both the Student Center, and the new College of Education buildings were right on time for their summer and spring finish dates. But other happenings will include an expanded future residence hall where the current bookstore stands. Once it moves to its new location in the new Student Center, the current bookstore will be torn down and the expanded portion of the residence hall will be erected. Schmittgen also went on to explain that there are plans to move the marketing department, as well as a few other key offices to the proposed new residence hall.

One question most students had was that once the new student center was ready for business this summer, what will become of the makeshift student

center, the Main Classroom first floor? “The computers will be moved to the Student Center, as well as Mobile Campus. But the Midway Cafe will continue to maintain its current spot in the Main Classroom.” To replace Mobile Campus, Schmittgen would hint at the possibility of a bank, which could be used to make the campus more resident-friendly.

Schmittgen stressed the fact that not only was Cleveland State looking to build, but the mission at hand was also to take the eyesores that have in the past plagued CSU, and make not only the campus, but the city, look much more presentable as a result. “If you were to have been around the campus five years ago, and to just come back now, it would be a major shock to see how much has already improved,” Schmittgen adds.

Though inconvenienced by the rerouting of the innerlink, many students are excited about the future that CSU is trying to create with these projects. With the enthusiasm of Schmittgen, one can only imagine that the campus will continue to be improved on in both practicality and aesthetics. If the campus can improve this much in five years, future students will have much to look forward to.

If students would like to keep in touch with what exactly is going on with the campus’ obvious expansion, they can visit the architect home page. At http://www.csuohio.edu/offices/architect/, students are given the option to look at the status at some of the other projects they may not have noticed were even going on. Included are live streams of the construction of the new residence halls, the Student Center, and the College of Education.

Self-study for AccreditationBy Courtney Jones, The Cauldron Contributing Writer

This year Cleveland State is up for re-accreditation. Every ten years the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association re-evaluates whether or not Cleveland State should remain an accredited institution.

In order to become re-accredited, CSU must meet five criteria. The five requirements are mission and integrity, preparing for the future, student learning and effective teaching, engagement and service, and finally, acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge. The Associate Professor of Urban Education, Dr. R. D. Nordgren, said that the main focus of the North Central Association is to look for “quality in teaching, learning and student engagement.”

Before CSU is to be re-evaluated, the North Central Association requires that any institution within the

19 state region spend a total of two years producing a self study. The self study involves looking for changes that are overall better for the students. For instance, before Campus411 was available, there was the CSU shuffle where all of the same services provided by Campus411 were in different locations. Since having Campus411 made available, students are able to easily find the services that they need in one location rather than having to run around to various locations.

Another fairly new service that CSU has provided in the last ten years is the Tutoring & Academic Success Center, also referred to as TASC. With TASC available, students have the opportunity to have one-on-one tutoring, walk-in-tutoring in MC 105, success coaching, or supplemental instruction / structured learning assistance. CSU has provided many services in the past ten years that help the

students in their journey to getting a higher education. Cleveland State University is a growing institution that “has become much more student friendly,” stated Dr. R.D. Nordgren.

The demographics for the self study are composed of collected data from over 160 people including students, faculty and administration. There are no actual statistics involved in the self study; it just shows “how the university has changed and how it serves the community and its students,” said Dr. R. D. Nordgren. It is supposed to reflect the values, opinions and experiences of the entire community.

The self study itself was originally 350 pages long, but has since been reduced to 180 pages. It will be made available to all of those in the CSU community after it has been looked over by the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate.

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STAY HEALTHY THIS FLU SEASONBy Kristen Mott, The Cauldron Copy Editor

With flu season still in full swing, many people continue to worry about the H1N1 outbreak. Due to this concern, the Cleveland State Campus Health Services put together a presentation about H1N1 to answer any questions and further inform students about flu season.

The presentation was held in the Administrative Conference Room at the Rec Center on February 3 from 12-1 p.m. Lori Fortier, a Nurse Practitioner from Campus Health, led the presentation which consisted of facts about the H1N1 strain and symptoms of the virus.

H1N1 was first discovered in April 2009 and since then has spread to 43 countries. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the virus has caused roughly 8,000 – 16,000 deaths. These staggering numbers often scare people, but when compared to the CDC’s approximation of 36,000 deaths per year due to the seasonal flu, the numbers seem less severe.

It is also important to note that the extent of the outbreak has drastically decreased. Last month, only five pediatric deaths were reported due to the swine flu. Although the outbreak is on the decline, the strain is still very prominent. Fortier stated that “most flu circulating is the H1N1 strain.”

One reason H1N1 is so difficult to diagnose is because the warning signs are very similar to the seasonal flu. Symptoms include a fever usually over 100 degrees, sore throat, headache, cough, fatigue and nausea. People suffering from these symptoms are encouraged to stay home and away from other people as much as possible, drink plenty of fluids and use over-the-counter medicines to alleviate the pain. Most people do not need to seek medical treatment unless they are experiencing severe symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath, or pain in the chest and abdomen.

A second presentation was put together by Eileen Guttman, a certified Nurse Practitioner from Campus Health, which discussed tips on how to stay healthy and prevent the flu. Major factors affecting our immune system include sleep, diet and nutrition, and stress levels. Guttman advised students to wash their hands frequently and use hand sanitizers, eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep and try to stay away from people who are sick.

Flu season lasts until May. The CDC website confirms that, “Flu activity, caused by either 2009 H1N1 or seasonal flu viruses, may rise and fall, but it’s expected to continue for several more months.”

Fortier frequently stressed the fact that vaccines are still available. “The vaccine takes up to two weeks to be effective, so the sooner the better,” commented Fortier. The vaccine is completely free to students and only takes a few minutes to receive.

For more information, contact the Health & Wellness Center at 216-687-3649.

Weekly event CalendarBy Alexes Spencer, The Cauldron News Editor

Monday, February 8, 2010 • 7

02/08MoNdAy02/10

WEdNESdAy

02/12 FridAy02/09TuESdAy

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Fast Track Snack Attack in MC Atrium starting at 11. Free Chipotle. Viking Expeditions info available in MC Atrium from 11 - 2.

Reclaiming the Classroom as a Territory of Hope: Responding to the Mis-Education of Our Youth lecture in MC 135 at noon.

Speed dating on 3rd floor of Fenn Tower starting at 7 p.m.

CAB Date Auction in MC Auditorium from 6-8 p.m. Proceeds go toward relief efforts in Haiti.

Café Bellas Artes at Mather Mansion starting at 6:30 p.m.

Cupid’s CABaret at Bricco starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person or $15 per couple.

WEEkloNg EvENTSHaiti Fundraiser in the Business Building from 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. daily.

Hey! Don’t see your event here? E-mail cauldroneditors@gmail.com to ensure your club or group’s next event gets listed.

02/13SATurdAy

“O, know'st thou not his looks are my soul's food?Pity the dearth that I have pined in,

By longing for that food so long a time.Didst thou but know the inly touch of love,

Thou wouldst as soon go kindle fire with snowAs seek to quench the fire of love with words.”

Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act II, Scene VII

William Shakespeare

IMAGE COURTESY OF JESUS-PASSION.COM

Showing Valentine’s Day a Little LoveBy Jonathan Herzberger, The Cauldron Arts & Entertainment Editor

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ince time immemorial, mankind has been absolutely busy with the job of keeping mankind around. Whatever our history of war and violence might have to say about us, looking back also reveals an equally rich a history of love and affection.

And no, I don’t mean sex. Well, okay. I don’t just mean sex.

Whatever modern pragmatists may say about our historical mate-selection processes, and however true many of the unglamorous realities have proven, the fact remains: sometimes you can’t get someone out of your head – and this is ridiculously well-documented; romantic poetry is old. When our ancestors were cobbling together the first sets of stone tools, you can bet that somebody used them to carve whatever passed for initials back then into a tree, alongside the emblematic representation of their chosen paramour.

And yes, that is a lot of syllables to say that we humans are a romantic bunch, but you’re in college now; suck it up. So here we are, 2010, and we in the United States are no different – in fact, we have a holiday dedicated to the concept of romantic love.

In theory.

“Now, wait just a minute,” you say, being a helpful reader who engages your humble narrator in imaginary conversation so that he can hurdle over his writer’s block. “I thought this was going to be a mushy, sappy, fluffy article, about how in love I am? Mr. Killstring, I feel so betrayed.”

First of all, I’m glad we’re on a first-moniker basis. Secondly, far be it from me to open with a Shakespeare quote, and then ignore it. Though we have the snow to try it with, attempting to actually set it on fire is not the smartest idea. Attempting to tell someone they’re “not in love” is just about as practical.

So, okay. People fall in love, it’s great – go love. Hoo-ray.

And now we find ourselves on the doorstep of a holiday dedicated solely to the celebration, if not outright glorification of the notion of romantic love. But what is Valentine’s Day, exactly? The question would seem pretty straightforward – right? A day set aside to be mushy, in honor of a Catholic saint of some sort. So let’s go back further – St. Valentine; who precisely the hell are you, and why should we care? You’d think somebody would know the answer – the

man’s a bona fide saint, with a multi-billion dollar holiday named after him. Finding out just who Valentine was should be easy, right?

Boy, you’d think that.The truth is, nobody’s really quite sure.

When Pope Gelasius I christened the Feast of Saint Valentine at the end of the fifth century, he referred to Valentine as part of a group “whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God.” So basically, even he didn’t know.

Still, good enough for the Gel-Man (Catholic hate-mail can be addressed to cauldroneditors@gmail.com, Attn: Killstring) to declare Valentine the Patron Saint of Lovers – which I think we can all agree, would be pretty nice to have on your resume.

So no, we don’t know exactly who he was, but historians seem to agree on three theories as being fairly likely. Everyone seems to agree that he lived sometime around the third century in Rome, and did something that fell under a particularly sexy brand of awesome. Some say that he was killed for helping Christians escape Roman prisons where there was torturing, murder, and all sorts of unpleasant mistreatment. I suppose that’s romantic, though it’s a pretty big step

S

3

9from there to heart-shaped chocolates. Unless the Romans pulled his heart out, in which case, I will feel exponentially less comfortable buying said chocolates in the future. Thankfully, that little tidbit is lost to history.

Other accounts suggest that while in prison, our hero fell in love with a young girl – occasionally identified as the jailer’s daughter – and before his execution, he wrote her a letter, ending with “From your Valentine.” And then they killed him.

Which is sweet in its way, but also more than a little morbid.

So, do we have any accounts that don’t creepily fetishize our romantic hero? Thankfully, yes. The most commonly accepted version is significantly more palatable – come with me, if you will, to the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius, ever the pragmatist, decided that single men made for better soldiers than someone with a wife and family back home, so he opted to make marriage illegal for young men.

Valentine wasn’t having it. So our boy went rogue, becoming a Stealth Love Commando – performing guerrilla marriages under constant threat of capture, imprisonment, torture, and every sort of threat that third-century Rome could cook up. Which, for the record, was a lot.

Eventually, Claudius’s men discovered Valentine’s actions, and the Roman Death Squad (they had ‘em) captured the renegade matrimonial miscreant, severely beating him with clubs, and on February 14 of 270 A.D, beheaded him. Karma, if one believes in such things, seemed to have Val’s side, as that’s also the year that Claudius Gothicus passed away. In January.

All apologies to the many brilliant Roman Catholic historians – but that’s some fuzzy math.

If this Valentine did exist – which he very well could have – he didn’t die at the hands of Claudius’s goons in the middle of February 270 – because Claudius didn’t have any goons left, being dead. The most likely explanation for this is the common-but-rarely-admitted practice of replacing traditional Pagan holidays with newly-minted Christian ones by the young Catholic Church.

February 15, you see, was when Lupercalia was

celebrated – a fertility and purification festival, which was thought to be important in cleansing a city. Lupercalia was celebrated, well, a lot. Faunus/Pan, and Lupa, the she-wolf who raised Romulus and Remus – for the mythologically challenged, they were brothers, sons of the god of war, and responsible for founding Rome. Well, Romulus was responsible; Remus got killed with a shovel.

Anyway. It was a good time, as far as such festivals went. Sacrifice two goats and a dog, flay some strips from their flesh, and gently whack crops and women with them. And regardless of how much fun that might be, it’s not difficult to see why the Pope might want to coax people away from that.

So where does that leave us – good people of the modern times – how does one celebrate this holiday in good conscience in the year 2010? Certainly not by dropping hundreds of dollars on flowers and chocolate – that doesn’t make a lick of

sense. Probably not by caressing our beloved (or some lucky stranger) with strips of bloody goat-flesh – PETA will be all over that, and with good reason. Do we write letters to underage girls, while sitting on death row? I hope not – not only does that exclude those of us who are neither pedophiles nor convicted criminals, its... yeah.

I’m starting to feel just a little dirty even thinking about it.

Really, when one breaks it down, there’s only one sensible, logical celebration of this revered holiday – and it’s happening. Not in many places, indeed, in precious few – but it is happening. Think about it: the government, and reigning religious authority has decreed that marriage is illegal for a certain demographic. In some places, performing said ceremony risks at the very least, a severe beating, if not much worse.

But somewhere, this February, Stealth Love Commandos – or, you know, clergy – are performing same-gender marriages, regardless of the danger from activist groups, and the much more prevalent social

stigma from what is apparently a majority of U.S. Citizens – at least those of voting age.

And they do it anyway. Because they believe in love.

So this Valentine’s day, take some time out from whatever you’re doing -

or not doing. Whether you’re alone, or in the middle of months-old

plans involving the orchestra, ballroom dancing, and a

botanical garden’s worth of flowers – take some time,

just a moment or two, and consider what that might be like. Think about the true spirit of Valentine’s Day. And remember that love can be more powerful than armies, than death squads – love can be stronger than the law itself.

And if you’re anything like me, think about how cheap all that chocolate’s going to be on the 15th.IMAGE COURTESY OF CATHOLICTRADITION.ORG

IMAGE COURTESY OF DEAECATE.IT

Image couresty of play3-live.com

csucauldron.com Monday, February 8, 2010

ArTs & enTerTAinMenT>>> Check online for upcoming podcasts, exclusive stories & interviews at csucauldron.com or follow us on twiiter at twiiter.com/thecauldron | Carpe Diem!

DarksiDers: Wrath of War The Legend of Zelda, with a Post Apocalyptic Coat of Paint.

By Pete Lindmark; intro by Justin Brenis, The Cauldron Contributing Writer, Copy Editor

10

If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, Vigil Studio’s first major release

has flattery down to an art. This adulation came in the form

of Darksiders: Wrath of War. In this realm, the

four horsemen of the apocalypse (War, Death, Famine, and Pestilence) play the role of justice, keeping the balance of light and dark in check. The game starts with one of these horsemen, War, coincidentally

enough, being summoned in the middle of an epic battle between angels and demons.

He is the big, bad-ass entity that one would think of when they think

‘Horseman of the Apocalypse’ forcing angel and demon alike to

take pause before continuing the fight against each other, and eventually against War himself. Sure enough, like a storied game mechanic from the days of lore, all of War’s powers and bad-ass persona are pilfered by some unknown entity, and he is struck

down by a huge demon that obviously becomes the final boss of the game, or so we are led to believe. Therefore the overarching story of the game, which may not actually matter, is one of betrayal and

revenge. I say the story might not actually matter because

this isn’t the type of game that one plays to immerse themselves in the story of—at least not any more than

one would play Fallout 3 looking for a quick, mindless game. The plot also isn’t anything groundbreaking; an all powerful being gets

betrayed and then decides to cut a bloody swath through everything with a pulse until he

finds his betrayer and kills him in some equally

abusive manner. The weapons are just plain fun though. Sure

most of them are ‘borrowed’ from other games that Darksiders ‘pays homage to’ but it uses them in such a way that they are all relevant and important in some manner throughout the game. Most of them seem to be based ‘loosely’ on those found in some of the great action/adventure games of the recent past.

You start with a sword that despite its being ‘all-powerful’ is more or less broken and you are told to restore its lost power. However you do find out later on that you could have spent hours and hours playing with your two alternate weapons instead. Then, shortly before the game ends, you have to rebuild an even more all-powerful sword in order to decapitate the final boss. Sounds a little like Ninja Gaiden, right? You also pick up random tools as the game progresses that should remind you of any Legend of Zelda game.

Instead of that annoying fairy Navi, you’re followed around for the entirety of the game by a much more sadistic fairy voiced by The Joker himself—Mark Hamill! But wait, there’s more. Instead of a ‘boomerang’ you find a Crossblade, War’s version of Link’s horsey Epona is named Ruin, and remember the hookshot? (my favorite of Link’s goodies) Well now its been given a new coat of paint and has become the Abysmal Chain.

Finally, Darksiders flatters God of War by ‘borrowing’ its quicktime events (QTE) that War can use to slay any baddie who meets the end of his blade. It’s fully possible to obliterate any and everything without using these moves, but if you can’t kill an angel by punching him in the gut, slicing off his wings, and impaling him, why kill an angel at all? (Editor’s note: it is these kinds of questions that keep me up at night) (Copy Editor’s note: Also, who doesn’t love a good QTE every now and again…and again…and again?)

All that being said, this game is a blast. The only times it slowed down was when I decided to grind for achievements or felt like riding my horsey around the wasteland that War likes to call home. Vigil Studios did an amazing job, considering this game marks their premiere into an already established market. So many companies consistently produce terrible game after terrible game; it’s refreshing for the new kid on the block to put out something of quality.

Continued on Page 13

Hey there folks, just thought it was worth noting that this week’s Pixel Perfect review is not written by me, but by a fellow authority on gaming, and very close friend of mine, Pete Lindmark. The reason Pete offered to bail me out is because I

made the foolish boast last week that I would most certainly have a review of Mass Effect 2 for you this week…and now I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. Seriously, I deserve to be punished, Krogan-style for

even thinking it was a possibility…I blame BioWare for releasing this massive game only a week into the school year. Anyway I’m going to go get back to finishing that game (currently on hour 25+ and

nowhere near done if you were curious) and leave you to this excellent review. Keep your eyes peeled next week for Mass Effect 2!

Concert Picks of the Week.……Page 12

Monday, February 8, 2010 • 11

OhayOCOn:Anime convention and one

reporter’s weekend from hellBy Paul Kahan, The Cauldron Staff Writer

Normally, walking in to a room filled with cartoon geeks on a Saturday night would be something of a welcomed change. I mean, with most of my weekends blurring by with work, naps, and the occasional outrageous activity, I never get a chance to exercise my inner-geek. Well, once I got my wish, I found myself daydreaming about backbreaking labor, sleeping all day, and hazy drunken debauchery. Ohayocon, the yearly anime convention, taking place in Columbus, Ohio, was just too much.

I will admit, walking in to an event, almost strictly for anime lovers, when not particularly sharing a passion for the genre was what we in the business may call ‘a bit foolish,’ but this wound up being an understatement. Let me paint a picture. Take 3 floors of a hotel, fill every little bit of it with thousands of costumed nerds of all ages (mostly around 16-24), then, throw in the fact that there are only 4 elevators, for roughly 19 floors, almost all containing said anime nerds. Never have I experienced 20 minute waits to get to an elevator. Thus the rule, “once your out, your out,” became commonplace amongst the people staying at the Hyatt Regency.

So what does one do at an anime convention? I’m still not completely sure after spending three days amongst the chaos, but here’s what I’ve gathered..

1. COSTUMES. COSTUMES. COSTUMES.

One thing I’ve absolutely gathered from this experience, is if you don’t come dressed in your finest costume, as if it were your last Halloween, expect a sad and lonely trip. The main focus of many Ohayocon attendees was to collect as many pictures as possible, of cool (not always original) costumes. Despite most costumes being of obscure anime characters, there were a plethora of of other things such as superheroes, Internet memes (there was a pedobear, it made life so much better), adult swim cartoon characters, and of course a few original creations. Some of these costumes looked like they cost a fortune or had tons of man hours put in to them. One of the kids I went with, decided to go as the Joker. Instead of just walking around in costume, he decided to take on the Joker persona the whole weekend (this is know as cosplaying). Oh boy. It was completely impossible to walk anywhere with him. Wherever he went, people wanted pictures, and it eventually got on my nerves to here him spout out the same rotation of Joker lines he had memorized. But what I didn’t appretiate, those attending Ohayocon sure did. After browsing the Ohayocon message board, I found several comments about the ‘awesome joker,’ referring to my friend (including several marriage proposals!).

I attempted a search for praise of that handsome, overweight, bald guy, in the Between the Buried and Me hoodie but I was sad to find that my ‘I-don’t-give-a-damn’ costume, went unappreciated. Oh well!

2. PaNELS

Now this was one of the more fun aspects of Ohayocon. There were several conference rooms throughout the hotel/convention center, set up for various forms of activities and discussion. Some rooms completely dedicated to gaming with cards (such as magic, warhammer, yu-gi-oh, pokemon, you get the drift..), workshops (mostly things such as karate, drawing, fan fiction), and of course anime discussion.

3. hENTaI

It was everywhere. Not cool. I refused to look.. ok I looked! But not for too long. (Editor’s note: do not Google this on a whim. You have been warned.)

4. VIDEO GaMES

Now this was my favorite part! For all 3 days, there were 4 rooms completely dedicated to any kind of video game you could think of. 24 HOURS. Now as an insomniac, I have to say, it was quite a relief to see Rock Band 2, was playable at all times, never an instrument open. There is nothing quite as satisfying to playing bass at 4:30 in the morning to Pretty Fly by the Offspring, in front of about 50 people.

5. SLEEP

Just kidding. That actually never happened. I couldn’t tell if I was seeing things or not by Sunday, because well, there were child molester bears, and kids in kimonos running amuck. How do you really tell?

6. BUyING ThINGS

The third floor of the con had a marketplace that was open 10am to 7pm, which was filled with the uniform geek merchandise. T-shirts, weapons (real weapons!), video games, dvd’s, hentai, more costumes, art, hentai, and more hentai.

Was Ohayocon nearly as bad as I have complained it to be? Probably not. But going without a costume really did suck a lot of the fun out of it. Plus the lack of sleep and inability to get back to my room within 10 minutes really killed it for me. Perhaps it was also the fact there was no true appreciation towards the culture behind anime that made it such a downer of a trip. So am I going back? Hell no.

But if you ever decide to make the trip, at least you’ll have some idea what to expect.

Images couresty of ohayocon.org

24 hOur thEatEr PrOjECt

By Derek BumgardnerThe Cauldron Contributing Writer

The 24 Hour Theater Project is something that has been growing in popularity in recent years, but it was Lou Wallace who envisioned bringing the concept to our campus. Of course, it was nearly two years ago that he mentioned it in a theater department meeting. In the two years since, limitations in time and student interest seemed as if it had stopped the idea in its tracks. It was not until this past December that it was given new life.

Jack Matuszewski had always liked the idea, but finally decided to do something about it. He first went to the executive board of the Student Theatrical Guild of Excellence for direction, where he was told to make it happen. From there, a signup sheet was posted and very soon had generated twenty to thirty people interested in participating.

From there they began writing, casting, rehearsing… right? Not exactly. The unique characteristic of a 24 Hour Theater Project is that everything – from the plot idea to the final outcome – is actually done in 24 uninterrupted hours. The only thing Matuszewski knew as of Thursday afternoon was that the writing team would be provided with prompts from three people – Theatrical Arts Department director Dr. Michael Mauldin, Technical Director Don McBride, and acting professor Holly Holsinger. These prompts were to be cohesive in some way, and were all to be implemented in the final product. The group received the prompts at 8:00 pm Friday night. After combining the three prompts, “In 24 hours, humanity will disappear,” was the core idea given to the four groups of writers. Assisted by Mike Geither, the head of the writing department, and Michael Oatman, a CSU graduate, the four teams created basic plots, characters, and settings overnight. After a potluck breakfast, the actors began rehearsing at 8:00 am Saturday.

At CSU’s Factory Theater, a large crowd filed in as the doors were opened at about 7:50 pm Saturday night. What followed was brilliant. After a brief introduction by producer Charles Hargrave, the audience met three survivors of World War III in “Star-spangled,” written by Katie Wallace and directed by Justin Steck. An argument between self-centered America and China, who accused her of being a bully, was broken up by Haiti, who tried to convey to them both how lucky they were just to be alive. After China and Haiti die in their sleep, America commits suicide never having had the chance to apologize.

“Human Theatrics,” written by Tim Collingwood and directed by Matuszewski featured a look at the complicated relationship between a director, her assistant, and an auditioning actress, played by Brittany Gaul, whose depiction of her character was my favorite part of the piece.

Continued on Page 13

ConCert piCks of the Week By Alexes Spencer, The Cauldron News Editor & Jonathan “Killstring” Herzberger, The Cauldron Arts & Entertainment Editor

Are you unsatisfied with the quality of these concert picks? More to choose from awaits you here.

OThEr ShOWS ThIS WEEK:

2/9 Dave hause @ Grog Shop, $8

2/9 Winds of Plague w/ for Today @ Peabody’s, $17

2/10 four year Strong w/Strike anywhere @ Grog Shop, $14

2/11 The Great american Beast @ Peabody’s, $10

2/11 free Clinic Benefit show w/Carlos Jones & the Plus Band @ Beachland Ballroom, $10

2/12 (216) @ Peabody’s, $12

2/12 Scott Lucas (Local h) & The Married Men @ Grog Shop, $8

2/13 Killswitch Engage w/ The Devil Wears Prada, Dark Tranquility @ House of Blues, $32

02/13 The Whiskey Daredevils w/Uncle Scratch’s Gospel Revival @ Beachland Ballroom

JoNAThAN’S PiCk

02/13 Scary Kids Scaring Kids w/ The Sleeping, Affiance and Cicada Sunrise @ Peabody’s

AlExES’S PiCk

Image couresty of irreference.comOnTOur nOw!

12 • Monday, February 8, 2010

Oh! Hi, reader. I didn’t see you there. How rude you must have thought me. There you sit,

anxiously awaiting your concert picks, and here I sit reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”

paying you so little mind.

I will make it up to you, without further adieu, by revealing to you that which you are

most eager to here, the concert picks of the week.

I’m not going to lie. This is going to be the most biased pick I’ve ever written (you know, aside from the 3 or 4 times I’ve recommended my favorite band, Emery). If two of the bands playing this show were not friends of mine, I would be telling you to skip the SKSK farewell tour and haul your ass down to House of Blues on the night of this show, as the show that will be taking place there is guaranteed to be SICK.

However, for a little less money (a good $17 less), you can catch the final Scary Kids Scaring Kids tour when it passes through Cleveland. I’ve seen Scary Kids Scaring Kids more times than I ever intended to, so I can assure you that their showmanship and live quality are both top notch. On top of that, they’re playing with The Sleeping, whose grooves I’ve never been able to resist.

Cleveland’s own Affiance will join the show, adding some spicy local flavor, and this show also gives you the chance to support a few of your fellow students who make up the band, Cicada Sunrise. What more could you want for $15, CSU?

While agreeing with my Texan compatriot; you should go see The Devil Wears Prada @ the House of Blues on the 13th, I promise you won’t regret it - I likewise have to give this week’s nod to somebody else. In this case, I find it impossible to ignore this particular group of dirty, filthy rockabilly cats. Forget what you know about “Punk Rock” - this show will have you swapping stories with ancient cowboys, reeking of bourbon regardless of whether you drink or not, and possibly inspire you to pick a fight with a stranger on the way home - you know, so they can feel as alive as you happen to. The Whiskey Daredevils are a particular brand of low-rent that really needs experienced first-hand. Calm and quiet this is not - think less Carl Perkins, and more Alley Cats in a Switchblade Fight.

Openers Uncle Scratch are quite possibly the most Rock n’ Roll band you will ever see. What does that even mean? Go to the show and find out.

Monday, February 8, 2010 • 13

Looking for a New apartment?Continued from Page 4

partnership with the company. Now, if you are thinking that you want to get an apartment, but you know you cannot afford it alone, then the new site can help because it has message boards that you can post that you are looking for a roommate. Also, you can post if you want to sublease your place, sell furniture, sell textbooks, or sell anything, really. Bumgarner said with respect to this feature that “we really worked hard with the university in making this a one-stop shop.” The best part about this is that it is free for students, and you will not have to send your goods to your buyer since they will be at CSU as well.

Graduating college in 2007, Bumgarner has recent experience being a student trying to find great housing, and he said, “The student perspective was a big part of how we came up with the different features of this website.” With someone so close to our place in life, he and his company strive to provide what the students want. If you are in the market for a new place, check it out.

Continued from Page 10 My one big gripe with the game is that everything with a pulse tries to hamstring

or stop War, except the other three horsemen. They are nowhere to be found. Maybe the big boss that War and his horsemen friends answer to decided to send them on vacation while they kicked War in the teeth for photocopying his butt or spiking the eggnog at the Horseman LLC company Christmas party.

Sure it takes a lot from other games and tries, not always too successfully, to improve on them, but try to find me a game that doesn’t borrow any ideas from previous greats. Go ahead, I dare you. This game is by no means a Buy It title, but it will give any gamer a very pleasurable weekend of gameplay, affording him or her a good 7 to 10 hours of punching, stabbing, and shooting while we wait patiently for the next installment of God of War or Legend of Zelda.

Try it!

Darksiders: Wrath of War

24 Hour Theater Project

14

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Please call 216-687-2270 or email cauldronadvertisements@hotmail.com

Continued from Page 11The third piece showed a hero and a villain who must work together to save to

earth and the life in it that they both apparently care for so much. In “The Bad Guy,” written and directed by Eric Perusek and Isaiah Isaac, however, even the intercession of an angel is not enough to make these two archetypes work together peacefully.

In my opinion, “Word” was the perfect ending to a very fascinating but also very dark group of pieces. Written and directed by Amy Schwabauer and John Paul Soto, it utilized the audience as the group of people to whom an angel, played by Burnetta Hood-Fisher, was directly speaking. The world had ended, and lucky for those of us in the audience, we were in heaven. The angel was simply there to explain just what had happened. She drew us into a flashback depicting how she had tried to save our species just hours before. All she had to do was cause one human to say “I love you.” But as she soon found, humans’ minds are far too crowded with Beyonce and Lil’ John to have any space left over for any meaningful communication.

The project turned out very well, especially when one considers the time frame in which it was completed. It also shows that students on our campus have a lot of important subjects on their minds, and it would do us all good to listen to what they have to say. At this point in time, it is not yet too late for us all to learn to work together and communicate more efficiently.

sPorTsMonday, February 8, 2010

Check online for upcoming podcasts and exclusive sports content!

From the staff at The Cauldron!A truly unstoppable force.

csucauldron.com

KLEIN IS CSU’S BEST EVEr:Senior Tops 25 year recordBy Robert Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor

If she had to prove it anymore, Cleveland State’s senior guard Kailey Klein became the Vikings’ all-time points scorer Saturday night at the Wolstein Center.

“I’ve been trying to just let the game come to me over the past four years,” Klein said. “It’s paid off and I am honored.”

Combined with her 21 points Thursday night against the UIC Flames (9-11; 6-3 HL), which the Vikings won 62-51, Klein scored her 1,850th point to tie Dianne Foster on a free throw at the 12:34 mark of the first half against the Loyola Ramblers. Klein said jokingly after the game that she did not want to break the record on a free throw, but two possessions later, at 11:08, Klein put up a layup under the basket to put her over the top as Angel Roque was credited with the assist.

“I noticed that it came from Angel and she has been here since I was a freshman, so it added to it,” Klein remarked about the historical points. “Just having someone that has been here through the losses and who has helped established the program, to have her get me the ball that broke the record was even better.”

A note on that, Angel can be seen on the pictures (only at csucauldron.com) smiling while Kailey’s shot went into the air.

But Klein went right back to work after the layup; “When that was over, I wasn’t even thinking about it.” To prove her point, Klein scored another layup to get the Vikings back within two, then hit a three pointer less than a minute after her last basket, giving Cleveland State the 20-17 lead. “I was just focused on the game.”

Kailey finished the first half with 17 points, which was more than half of the Vikings 31, as they trailed 32-31 at the half. She finished with a game high 31 points, finishing with 1,876 career points in an impressive day that included those 31 points, plus 14 rebounds (six of which were offensive), a block, an assist as she played all 40 minutes of the game.

“I don’t think she has come out of very many games,” Peterson-Abiad said after the game. “She is playing good defense. That has been not her strength.”

But the Vikings did, however, drop the critical game to the Ramblers (11-10; 6-5 HL) 74-64, as the Vikings fell to .500, 11-11; but are 6-5 in the Horizon League. “It doesn’t take anything away from my record, but it kinda hits right here that we didn’t win,” Klein said ask she pumped her heart.

“I don’t want to skip past the point that this was a tremendous night for Kailey,” Cleveland State women’s head coach Kate Peterson-Abiad said after Saturday’s game. “She did everything well tonight. I want to set the loss aside and that what Kailey has done at Cleveland State is remarkable.” Peterson-Abiad also said about her star: “I feel blessed and honored that she broke (the record) here.”

Kailey has been the top scorer for the Vikings ever since she stepped onto the downtown campus. When she began at the Wolstein Center, she became only the fifth freshmen in school history to lead the team in scoring, also she was the first Viking to earn Horizon League newcomer of the Year award and was on the all-newcomer team after her freshman year.

“I think you have to put kids into positions to be successful,” Peterson Abiad said of the success Peterson has had with first Dominique Butler, who finished her career last year with 1,158 points which is good enough for 11th on the all-time scoring list. Then Kailey Klein, and possibly Shawnita Garland, who has already passed 750 points and has one year left.

Sophomore year she was runner-up as league Player of the Year as she scored the CSU single-season record 654 points, breaking the old mark of 635 by Dianne Foster (1982-83). Also in her sophomore year, she ranked second in the league in scoring (19.8), as she reached double figures in scoring in 30-of-33 contest. She also set school-records with 211 free throws made and 253 free throws attempted. She did tie a career high with 33 points on three different occasions that year, and finally she was named the Most Valuable Player of Horizon League Championship after scoring 67 points in three games, the second highest point total in tournament

history.Not to mention she led the Vikes to their first NCAA

Tournament appearance, as Klein scored 16 versus the Stanford Cardinals. And last year she was named Co-Player of the Year as she became only the third player in school history to earn league Player of the Year honors and the first since 1999-00.

But Klein’s senior year may be the sweetest of them all. With being one of the greatest players in school history, some impressive records could fall before the end of the year for Klein. After Saturday’s game with the Ramblers, Klein is just 124 points shy of becoming the third player in Horizon League history to score 2,000 career points. Klein has started in 103 games as a Viking, which is good enough for 3rd in school history; number one is just ten starts away (113) and Klein could break if the Vikings make it to the Horizon League Championship Game on Sunday, March 14.

Klein could also be the first Viking since Debra Taylor (1987-91) to have the most points scored on the team four years in a row. CSU greats like Diane Foster, Sue Hlavacek, and Audra Cook cannot hold that same accomplishment. Hlavacek did do it, but did not do it consecutively.

“I came here (Cleveland State) for a reason, I felt it was the perfect fit for me,” Klein said of here recruitment of CSU. “I am so honored just to be a part of it and to say that I go to Cleveland State.” Peterson knows that the name Kailey Klein will not go away anytime soon: “Her name is going to be around for a long, long time.”

The Vikings now take to the road as they travel to Valparaiso, Butler, and Youngstown State. Their next home match will be their last home stand of the year, as they welcome the current leaders of the Horizon League, Detroit on February 25.

Despite setting the all-time scoring record in Cleveland State women’s basketball history, Klein has one thing on her mind; “We just have to come to practice on Monday and work hard and get were we want to be.”

14

Photography by Robert Ivory

Monday, February 8, 2010 • 15

rIVaLry rENEWED: Cleveland State and Butler

By Robert Ivory, The Cauldron Sports Editor

The Cleveland State basketball squad has not had an easy time against the current leaders of the Horizon League. In fact, during the last decade, Butler has beaten CSU 17 out of 21 times, yet the Vikings remain more confident than ever.

That confidence comes from the motivation that Coach Waters has instilled in not only his players and his assistant coaches, but in the entire Vikings nation.

“We pride ourselves in taking care of our home court,” junior guard Norris Cole said.

That theme: “Protect This House,” has been the single reason why the Vikings have become so deadly in the Horizon League this year as the Vikes have won their first five contests at home in the Horizon League with their latest win coming against in-state rival Youngstown State, 77-69 last week.

Last year’s matchups against the Bulldogs had to be the best series that the Vikings have been involved with in awhile. Despite dropping both regular season decisions, the Vikings were able to get their ticket punched to the big dance with a win over Butler on the Bulldogs’ home court. That win over Butler gave the Vikings their second trip to the NCAA Tournament as well as the Vikings’ first ever Horizon League Championship.

On December 4, 2008, the Vikings took the Bulldogs into the half winning 27-20 at the Wolstein Center. But it would be a Zach Hahn of Butler who would hit a three-pointer as time expired to give Butler the win. The Vikings could not hit anything from the floor, as they went 15-58 (.259), yet the highest scorers of the night belonged to the Vikings as Cedric Jackson and George Tandy had 11 and 10 points, respectively, as they led all scorers in the game.

Less than three months later, the Vikings again looked like they were going to upset the nationally ranked team as the Vikings scored a dozen straight points to take a two point lead with four minutes left to go. Cleveland State would be plagued, yet again, by a last minute shot the Vikings fell to Butler. Ronald Nored got an offensive rebound and put the Bulldogs up by two with just 53 seconds to go. Vikings’ Norris Cole had a chance with a three pointer, but missed and the Vikes dropped another close one, 58-56.

After beating Detroit, UIC, and Green Bay in the Horizon League Championship, it was a rematch of the 2007-2008 Horizon League semi-Finals Game as the Vikes and the Bulldogs squared off again at the Hinkle FieldHouse.

This time, the Vikings would not let their fans down.

Cedric Jackson scored 19 points and added eight assists and seven rebounds as the Vikings would beat Butler for their first trip to the big dance since 1986. Jackson, who would be named the tournament’s MVP, would be one of three Vikes to score in double digits (Montgomery and Bullock as well). That 57-54 win would be the Vikings’ 25th win of the year which would tie the second-highest season total in school history.

Now that we have changed decades and the Vikings’ program has been on the rise, it is time for the Cleveland State community to come out in full force and help the team ‘Protect This House.’ With less than a week away to the best rivalry in the Horizon League, it is time to paint the Bulldogs Viking green with envy.

WhO rEaLLy CarES aBOUT ThE

OLyMPICS?By Samantha Shunk,

The Cauldron Editor-in-ChiefSo, some may say that the Olympics are the most

important tradition both in, and for, the world. But, with so much international game-play outside of the Olympics, is this tradition really necessary anymore? NBC says yes!

This winter, NBC plans to run 800 hours of coverage of the Vancouver Olympics according to TNS Media Intelligence, more than double that of the coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino. NBC even states that they expect to lose money with all the coverage, so the Winter Olympics must be extremely important to the company.

In today’s world, I do not see too many (read: any) people feeling the need to watch 800 hours of Olympic coverage. As I found with the Beijing Olympics in 2008, it is so easy to just tune in for the events that you care to watch. In my case, rowing and gymnastics. Looking for the figure skating and snowboarding with the family this time. A look at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics website shows that this will again be the case as there are tabs to choose which sports you care about with all the information you could ever want.

Pick and choose your favorite events, and record them on your DVR or TiVo or tune in for the live coverage. Whatever the case, it is a way that the world is brought together to watch the finest athletes of all our nations, so show you care, even for just a few of those 800 hours. Only we can keep the Olympics alive!

The Opening Ceremony will take place this Friday, February 12th, so tune in if you find yourself free at 6pm, but if not, then you can always watch it on YouTube. And, if you are interested in finding more details about the games, visit www.vancouver2010.com.

“all-Star Preview”By William Wodka,

The Cauldron Contributing Writer

With the NBA season just a little over half-way finished the All-Star break is coming, adding some tight competition to the already amazing 2009-2010 season and a chance to see the bright young stars show their skills.The rosters for both the Eastern and Western teams playing on February 14th are monstrous. There are four players playing for the East that are just less-than seven feet tall including: Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. This can also be said for the West as well, with the likes of Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzski registering in at seven feet.

The All-Star game is always a high-flying-thrill-ride as the teams go up and down the court racking up the points. Most of the All-Star games end with both teams reaching the 120’s. If you are one of those fans that likes a lot of scoring this is surely the game for you. However, the game itself is not the only fun event that goes on for these all-stars; the whole weekend is devoted to all the players having a good time. One competition that through the years has become the pinnacle of the all-star weekend is the dunk contest. Though our own Lebron James is not competing in the event, the players get a chance to show off what they do in their free-time...try to think of different tricks. There was some backlash that James is not competing this year, but the reason, according to James, involved the forms that he had to fill out to enter being confusing for him. Maybe next year he can get those forms right and enter the contest. Who knows maybe they can add a run-down block contest that he can enter.

The All-Star game is looking to have a lot of firsts as well. Many of the player reserves are first time All-Stars including Kevin Durant, and NBA commissioner David Stern is calling for this game to have the biggest crowd in All-Star game history.

After the All-Star game is when the “real” season begins. There are a lot of key fights going on for the seventh and eighth positions in the East. The Cavs look to be on pace to tie or excel their record from last year and are currently first in the wins department for the league. Currently the leagues are being dominated by James and Kobe Bryant, who is also putting up a spectacular season. They will likely fight for the MVP award again this year and maybe for the NBA championship as well.

All-Star weekend is surely going to be one that any sports fan will be watching, and as for the rest of the season - buckle up because it is going to be a thrill ride that everyone will enjoy.

image courtesy of thetruthsports.com

image courtesy of dailystab.com

SportsFlashback

Monday, February 8, 2010

Cleveland State University mascot, circa 1986