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VOLUME 98ISSUE 87

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INSIDE

Food challenges in America

Review of Garrone’s ‘Reality’ PAGE 3

Witten takes our No. 4 spotPAGE 5

PAGE 2

Sunnis left out in Iran PAGE 4

Labor organizers gathered on the Hilltop Wednesday to discuss May Day, the religious traditions of workers rights, migrant workers and the impact of the Wal-Mart business model on workers.

The Workers Defense Project and the Embry Human Rights program hosted the event.

Dr. Georj Reiger, an SMU theology professor, said Moses and Jesus were some of the earliest examples of labor leaders in recorded history.

“Moses was also a man who led the slaves [to freedom]. So, he was one of the early labor leaders in history. One day he sees the slaves being abused; this is often what happens to people of privilege, we don’t really know what going on,” Reiger said.

In this way, Reiger said the SMU community is like Moses before he sees the suffering of the slaves.

Dr. Reiger also said that the story of Jesus held a narrative that supported worker’s rights.

“Jesus was born into a working class environment. He could have gone to Jerusalem and climbed the ladder. He doesn’t. He stays with the people until the end. He organizes them. He said, ‘blessed are you poor and woe to you who are rich.’ The Romans were not scared of him just because he was a powerful preacher, but because he was a skilled organizer,” Reiger said.

Dr. Reiger also talked about the modern church’s support of workers.

Both the Methodist and Catholic churches explicitly support the right to organize into unions.

Roberto Corona also spoke about the difficulties migrant workers face when trying to find a better life in America.

Corona said the passage through Mexico is a difficult and dangerous one. Eight of every ten women who attempt the passage are raped. In addition the migrants must ride on the tops of trains and avoid local police, who will brutally beat the migrants if they are caught,

according to Corona.Despite the risks, the migrants

feel that they are forced to make the journey.

“I cant go back and risk my children dying of hunger” one migrant said to Corona.

The migrants problems are not over once they reach America.

When they finally reach their destination it is hard to find work, because they do not have the documentation that would allow

ChRISTOphER SAULPhoto Editor

[email protected]

Workers speak up to defend rights

When SMU sophomore Taylor Goerke walks across campus to class, she scrolls through her phone to check her social media.

“I find myself unable to walk to class without checking my phone for new Facebook notifications or Snapchats,” Goerke said. “One time I actually ran into someone on the boulevard because I was so focused on the new photos I had been tagged in that I wasn’t paying attention.”

Students walk around campuses with their heads down scrolling through photos, newsfeeds and tweets on their iPhones. People stop speaking mid-conversation to pose for a “selfie” to send via Snapchat to a friend across the room.

Social media sites and applications are dominating the social life on college campuses and diminishing chances for personal, uninterrupted conversation.

“It’s definitely an addiction,” Goerke said. “It started out as an obsession with texting, but as sites like Facebook have popped up on cell phones, it’s a whole new ballgame.”

According to a Pew Research Center study, 67 percent of social media users use Facebook. Students rely on Facebook for the majority of their photo and event updates.

“For younger students, Facebook is the most popular,” SMU Adjunct Professor Steve Lee, who teaches Social Media and

Online Communication, said.Haylee Dawe, a sophomore

at Elon University in North Carolina agreed.

“It’s everything,” Dawe said. “It’s a way to be in the know with everything going on with friends at your school, but also at other schools. It helps me keep in touch with friends from all over.”

Lee said younger students overuse social media sites, but older students have learned to manage their use so that it is academically helpful.

Lee’s course teaches students interested in communication how to use social media strategically for business purposes.

“The focus [of the class] is on the strategic role each social media platform and function plays in both internal and external communications for the organization,” he said. “[Students] learn how to write, how to manage various platforms, and how to monitor and evaluate and report results back to senior management.”

SMU sophomore Schuyler Mack uses social media to advance her business. She uses a “DevouringDallas” account on the popular app Instagram to document her favorite restaurants in Dallas. She uploads photos of meals and uses the location capability to geographically tag the restaurant. The account has over 1,744 followers.

“It’s an easy advertisement…

CAROLINE hICkSContributing [email protected]

Social media obsession grows

Upon graduation, many students at Southern Methodist University want to earn a job “with purpose and tangible daily progress,” said SMU junior Connor Flynn, who wants a job he will be proud of.

Though he is confident that he can get a job after graduation, he worries whether that job will be a good one.

Everyone wants a job when they graduate from college. What most people don’t realize is how important it is to prepare each step to getting a job… any job.

Before graduating, hopefully a student will have applied for 10-20 positions in his or her desired field. If they are lucky enough, some companies will extend an invitation for an interview.

From a survey of 1,200 students who graduated from Southern Methodist University, 65-85 percent report being offered a job or acceptance to graduate school within six months of graduation. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, approximately two-thirds of 2012 seniors are expected to have a job right after graduation.

But now, times are looking bleak for college graduates, as The Huffington Post reported that nearly half of recent college graduates are employed with jobs that don’t require a college degree.

If an applicant has been invited for an interview, the company already likes the person, and wants to know more about them, according to Director of SMU’s Hegi Family Career Development Center Darin Ford.

In addition to dressing well and speaking comfortably, Ford said that being prepared is perhaps the most important thing someone can do when going into an interview.

An applicant needs to research the company and the people who are going to be interviewing them.

When researching the company, applicants need to know as much about its culture, competitors and partners. This way, during the interview, you can refer back to how well you know them and what they do.

When researching an interviewer, LinkedIn is a useful tool.

“You’re hoping to gain more of a relationship-oriented conversation with them,” Ford said, “so the more I know about you, then maybe I can pull you out of ‘interview mode,’ and the more I can pull you into dialogue, relationship and conversation.”

Ford shared that it’s also important to be authentic and treat everyone with respect.

An interviewer can tell when the person they are talking to is trying too hard and embellishing the things they say.

It’s natural to get nervous when interviewing for a desirable job.

SMU first-year student Kathleen Bockman said she likes to “psych [herself] down” before interviewing, to make the interview seem like less of a big deal, so she doesn’t get nervous. Flynn uses humor to ease tension or anxiety during an interview, and advises having a really good joke to tell.

Selling yourself without bragging is a tricky line, according to Ford. You need to tell the interviewer, “this is why I deserve it,” by highlighting your skills and attributes, and make them know you want the job.

Ford assures that if you don’t stand out to the interviewer, or make them see that you are special, there will be no reason to be interested in you anymore. They are trying to find ways to

kELLY GILLILANDContributing Writer

[email protected]

STuDENT LIFE

Hegi Career centers offers job interview advice to graduates

ACTIvISm

CHRISTOPHER SAuL/The Daily Campus

The George W. Bush Presidential Library and museum opened its doors to the public to a crowd of hundreds Wednesday.

CHRISTOPHER SAuL/The Daily Campus

Labor activist Gene Lantz performs a musical history lesson on may Day.

GET ADVICE

SMU’s Hegi Family Career Development Center helps

students every day with their resumes, interview skills and job searches.

Any SMU student can visit the office in Hughes-Trigg Student Center for advice

about future careers, resumes, internships,

interviews and networking.

“Career Express” drop-in service is available

Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

CAREER

See SOCIAL page 6

See WORk page 6See JOB page 6

Bush Center opens to public

Less than one week after five living presidents joined the high-profile dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the center officially opened to the public on Wednesday.

The public opening did not draw as much media attention, but certainly drew a crowd.

The door’s opened at 9 a.m. to hundreds of people who lined SMU Boulevard to be some of the

first to tour the museum.“We opened up this morning

at 9 a.m. and not to sound cheesy, but it came together, there was a symphony and it was beautiful,” National Archives and Records Administration spokesman John Orrell said.

While many waited in line, the first members of the public to tour the museum were 43 children ranging in grade from kindergarten to high school.

Those students were surprised by George W. himself, who took pictures with the kids in the full-

scale Oval Office replica.Kenneth Bain, a 1982

SMU alumnus, stopped by to tour the museum on his alma mater’s campus.

“I’m looking forward to going through it and seeing what really happened, as opposed to what were told happened,” Bain said.

He said his favorite exhibits were the Decisions Points Theatre and the Oval Office.

According to library curator Amy Polley, to get the Oval Office to be almost an exact replica took a lot of research.

“We have the same patterns, the same furniture, we did recreations of all the art, so it really looks like the real thing,” Polley said.

Other exhibits feature Hurricane Katrina, the War on Terror and Bush’s domestic policies.

The library will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children 13-17 and are free for SMU students, faculty and staff.

JULIE FANChERAssignments Desk Editor

[email protected]

Police ReportsHilltop Happenings

may 11:25 a.m. Theft. 6000 Bishop Blvd. A theft was reported at this location. Open.

7:33 p.m. Theft. Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports. A student reported the theft of his cell phone. Open.

FRIDAYMay 3

SATURDAYMay 4

SUNDAYMay 5

Opera Free for All: Moments from Favorite Operas! in the Bob Hope Lobby at 1 p.m.

The Rep: Three Contemporary American Plays Performed in Rotat-ing Repertory in the Margo Jones Theatre at 8 p.m.

The Rep: Three Contemporary American Plays Performed in Rotat-ing Repertory in the Margo Jones Theatre at 2 and 8 p.m.

Night Market at the Flagpole from 6-9 p.m.

The Rep: Three Contemporary American Plays Performed in Rotat-ing Repertory in the Margo Jones Theatre at 2 p.m.

Have your own events coming up? Let us know at tinyurl.com/hilltop-happenings.

may 21:36 a.m. Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor. Boaz Hall. A student was referred to the Student Conduct Officer for underage drinking and having a fake ID. Another student was referred for a fake ID. Closed.

9:59 p.m. Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor/Possession of Alcohol by a Minor. A student was referred to the Student Conduct Officer for underage drinking and possession of alcohol. Closed.

3:34 p.m. Assault. McElvaney Hall. A student assaulted another student at this location. Closed.

2 FOOD The Daily Campus FRIDay n may 3, 2013

TRenD

An omelet composed of 12 eggs topped with beef brisket chili, salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese is an infamous menu item at Beth’s Cafe in Seattle.

This 5-pound omelet, presented in a pizza pan and served on top of a bed of hash browns and four pieces of toast, goes by the name of “Southwestern Exposure.”

SMU sophomore Clayton Moore tried to eat the omelet as part of a food challenge when he was back home last summer.

“It was delicious for the first few bites, but then the pure amount of carbs gets to you. I was only able to get through three-fourths of it,” Moore said.

This omelet is only one of the many food challenges captivating society today.

The motivation behind the increasing popularity of food challenges could be attributed to the prizes associated with winning, like earning a free meal, or solely because of the entertainment.

This trend has some health experts concerned.

In a nation battling obesity, the trend is sending a wrong

message, experts say.“These challenges perpetuate

America’s image of gluttony,” dietitian Holli Seethaler said.

Here in the Dallas area, more food challenges have surfaced in the restaurant industry recently.

The “Double Sumo Burger Challenge” at Frankie’s Sports Bar and Grill on McKinney Avenue consists of two 22-ounce beef patties, 8 ounces of cheese, lettuce and tomato served with 1 pound of French fries. This dish amounts to a whopping 5 pounds.

“For some people it’s fun to just have that one challenge in life, just to say you did. But, considering America is having an obesity epidemic, maybe the challenges should be limited or changed,” SMU sophomore Gina Haskins said.

Restaurants continuously reward their customers for finishing these enormous meals.

If you complete Frankie’s challenge in 30 minutes, your meal is free and you receive the following perks: a T-shirt, commemorative photo and your name on the wall.

Complete this challenge in an hour and you receive the perks, but you must pay for your meal.

“Although food challenges

are fun to watch, [they are] extremely unhealthy,” Sarah Wood, first year at the University of Arkansas, said.

“I think [they] definitely contribute to increasing obesity in the U.S.”

The “Full-O-Bull Platter” at Cowtown Diner in Fort Worth contains a 4-pound chicken fried steak, 10 slices of toast, 6 pounds of mashed potatoes and gravy.

This meal is valued at $70 and 10,000 calories. If you can finish it, it is free; however, no one has been able to do so yet.

“The Texas Slider Challenge” at Rooster’s Roadhouse in Denton is comprised of 18 barbeque sliders and 1 pound of cheese fries.

Finish them in less than 30 minutes and your meal is free.

No matter where the challenge may be, the trend seems to flourish because of two things: competition and reward.

“Not to eat in moderation, but the most is the best. Looking at restaurant portions, 2-3 times a normal size or meal calorie requirement, super sizing meals, BIG Gulp sodas. I guess it is a fun thing for young people to do once to say they did it,” Seethaler said.

Taking these things a step further is The Heart Attack

Grill. This American restaurant opened in Dallas in May 2011.

High-calorie menu items named after traumatic health conditions and waitresses’ nurse outfits helped shape the restaurant’s provocative, hospital theme.

Hamburgers ranging from 8 to 32 ounces of beef were called “Single,” “Double,” “Triple” and “Quadruple Bypass” burgers.

These burgers are topped with unadulterated bacon slices and served with a side of “Flatliner Fries,” that are cooked in pure lard.

However, the reward at The Heart Attack Grill is unlike any other restaurant.

Customers that weigh over 350 pounds are honored for their size and get to eat for free.

After merely six months,

Dallasites became conscious of the restaurant’s unhealthy impact, and The Heart Attack Grill closed in Oct. 2011.

SMU sophomore Claire Kelley said, “I think it’s disgusting that people are forcing themselves to eat insane amounts of food, especially considering how severe obesity and its health risks have become in America.”

Challenge accepted: the role of food in U.S. culture

courtesy of thrillist.comThe Full-O-Bull Platter at Cowtown Diner is one of many food challenges in the DFW metroplex.

GEENAH KRISHT Staff Writer

[email protected]

3ARTSThe Daily Campus FRIDAY n MAY 3, 2013

Even though reality television’s ratings are slowly on a downward trend, there’s no denying the impact of the programming format in our lives.

From “American Idol” to the overly obtrusive “Big Brother,” reality television has practically transformed the way we consume media.

In the Italian import, rightly named “Reality,” director Matteo Garrone follows his protagonist Luciano, played by Aniello Arena, as he vies to be on the Italian version of “Big Brother” and experiences the pitfalls that persist when you’re trying to get a camera to capture every frame of your life.

At its core, Garrone’s “Reality” is a cautionary dark, sometimes too dark, comedy that serves as a warning for those hoping to gain fame like Kim Kardashian.

Springing to life is the film’s lead Arena.

With an easy demeanor that slowly erodes as the quest for a fame-filled life takes its toll, Arena has a knack for making the audience feel for his character. Luciano is slowly going crazy and Arena wants you to not just know it, but to feel it as well.However, Arena’s efforts would have been in vain if it weren’t for the slick direction of Garrone.

Italian cinema is known for its quick pace and often cuts and Garrone stays true to his roots and he creates a lightning quick film from these aspects.

Also, it doesn’t hurt to have the picturesque Italy as

chASe wAdeStaff Writer

[email protected]

Fame bites back in Garrone’s ‘Reality’

Courtesy of Oscilloscope films

Aniello Arena and Giuseppina Cervizzi in Matteo Garrone’s film “Reality.”

your backdrop.The film’s supporting cast is quite

good, too. Particularly Loredana Simioli and Claudia Gerini.

Perhaps the only real problem with Garrone’s work is that, with the subject of reality television at its forefront, the content seems a bit old and dated. As previously mentioned, reality television’s ratings are seeing quite the decline, so an entire movie devoted to the subject can come across as stale.

However, there is an argument to be

made that “Reality,” much like “The Truman Show,” will stay relevant long after its commercial release.

For Garrone, “Reality” is a stellar follow up to the movie that made him famous, at least on American soil, “Gomorrah.”

Even though the two films are wildly different, they both carry Garrone’s distinct cinematic watermark. Could he be the next Fellini? Perhaps.

“Reality” opens at the Angelika Dallas today.

The story of teenagers growing tired of living with their overbearing parents is one that is familiar to many.

For Joe Toy in “The Kings of Summer,” life in suburbia grows unbearable enough that he decides to do something about it.

In the coming-of-age comedy, Joe, played by Nick Robinson, decides that he has reached his limit of living with his unhappy father and heads off into the woods in search of freedom.

Accompanying Joe on his quest for independence is his best friend, Patrick, played by Gabriel Basso, and their quirky new companion, Biaggio, played by Moises Arias.

Together, the trio secretly build a house in the woods of Ohio and fend for themselves by living off the land.

While the tale of angsty teenagers trying to find themselves is one that has been told before, “The Kings of Summer” is a modern day story about growing up that is both equally funny and touching.

The film’s director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, described the movie as ‘Stand By Me’ for a video game generation.

In addition to their quest for independence, the boys experience the joys and challenges of manhood as they hunt and gather for food, grow thin beards, roughing it in the woods and eventually even test their friendship over a girl.

Also appearing in the film is Nick Offerman, who also plays the grumpy Ron Swanson in “Parks and Recreation.”

Offerman nails the role of Joe’s ornery father in the film while also providing comedic moments.

Patrick’s mother and father, played by Megan Mullally and Marc Evan Jackson, provide quite a bit of humor to the film with their overbearing antics.

Although the boys leave because they are unhappy, they do not necessarily have that great of a reason to be.

Both Joe and Patrick’s parents are not cruel or unlikable, but rather an example of the classic overbearing parental relationship that many teenagers can relate to.

They are the type of parents that are funny to watch, but make you glad they aren’t yours.

Vogt-Roberts said that the intention was to make the characters of the parents regular people that the audience could relate to.

“What I loved about the script was that we can make these parents ridiculous without having them be caricatures because everyone knows these parents,” Vogt-Roberts said.

Also adding laughs to the film is Arias’ eccentric character Biaggio, who essentially just shows up and tags along with Joe and Patrick in their journey.

When asked about his experience playing the oddball in the film, Arias says that quite a bit of improvising took place.

“I never blinked and I just thought of the most random things possible and just blurted them out,” Arias said of his acting methods.

The result was random behavior that added hilarious moments to the film as Biaggio says and does ridiculous things.

The film, which premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, has an indie vibe to it, yet it still appeals to a mass audience, categorizing it in a genre of its own.

“The Kings of Summer” opens in theaters on May 31, 2013.

couRTney SpAlTenA&E Editor

[email protected]

Courtesy of CBS Films

“The Kings of Summer” stars Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias and Nick Robinson on location in Ohio.

‘The Kings of Summer’ emerges as unique coming-of-age comedy

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FRIDAY n MAY 3, 2013

I have enjoyed the opportunity to engage in conversation with Brandon Bub this semester over a broad range of topics. It stands as a reminder to me that it is always refreshing to find others who want to ask ambitious questions and search for answers together even if we end up at divergent points.

There is no better place to find like-minded people than in a university setting. Challenging assumptions and breaking new ground intellectually and spiritually characterizes a meaningful collegiate experience. Instead of begrudgingly engaging in academic work (of which I myself am guilty), we should wholeheartedly embrace the chance to delve into big questions about love, God, morality and truth.

Bub and I have attempted to create bits of thought on these various topics, while sincerely holding onto our beliefs. We hold drastically different religious beliefs, yet we are able to come together to discuss common concerns of pursuing the good life.

Avoiding those who think differently, politically, religiously or otherwise, we severely hinder our own development and the wisdom and knowledge we may be able to lend to others.

I appreciate the Daily Campus giving us the space to have this discussion, which, admittedly, is not the typical content of the paper. This is probably due in no small part to our preconceived notions about the subjective and personal nature of religious beliefs.

However, they are not merely subjective and personal, but communal. Our beliefs affect others and often make claims that can be examined in light of reason and facts. Thus there is an imperative to make sure that what we believe not only feels good, sounds good or is reasonable to us, but manages to interact in civil ways with the beliefs of others.

While Bub and I, more or less, disagree or hold different views on everything we have discussed this semester, we can at least joke with one another about each other’s views, poke fun and challenge in congenial ways.

Generosity, compassion and a posture of humility pervade all of our discussions.

Richard Dawkins, Westboro Baptist Church and Islamic extremists lack the willingness to engage to understand, to love and to revel in the common human experience.

Instead, these parties seek to destroy the other with words or weapons, all of which are horribly violent and undignified. If what we have embarked on this semester stands for anything, I hope that it is for the opposite of violence and ignorance.

As people graduate, take their final exams, and transition into summer plans, I hope that every SMU student is encouraged about life itself. What we do, say and think is important. Every action bears tremendous weight for our moral and spiritual lives, so we must live with an understanding of both our own finitude and imperfections and also the purpose for which we were created.

Dearman is a junior majoring in political science and philosophy.

As our weekly column on religion draws to a conclusion, I thought it might be useful to reflect on why Michael and I took up this challenge in the first place.

Last semester, I was writing a weekly column in which I was a sort of lefty apologist. The idea was that every political issue has two sides worth debating and that both perspectives were equally valuable. I disagree wholeheartedly with this media perpetuated myth of “false balance,” so perhaps it was a bit hypocritical of me to participate in such a debate.

Moreover, I drew plenty of criticism. As a liberal, I’m used to people on this campus disagreeing with me. But beyond that, I could tell that I was boring a lot of my readers because I was more or less making the same point every week. Now, plenty of journalists get paid to say the same thing every other day; just look at Tom Friedman and Paul Krugman. However, if people really weren’t getting anything out of my polemics, I felt that such disconnect was a failure on my part.

Then, of course, my good friend and brother Michael confronted me, telling me he was sick of agreeing with the points I made every week and that he wanted to take me to task. So this semester, we decided to forego those insurmountable political discussions in favor of an equally insurmountable topic: religion.

Ostensibly, a weekly column where an atheist and a Christian have an intellectual sparring session might suffer from the same brand of “talking heads” syndrome that people mocked me for last semester. And indeed, I got considerable flak from my readers this time around about effectively saying the same thing every week again.

Perhaps one of the most

valuable lessons I learned from this exercise is that, at a certain point, there really is a gap that we atheists and Christians simply cannot bridge in our philosophical discussions. Like it or not, Michael and I will simply never agree about the meaning of life, or the nature of objective morality without the existence of God. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a civil and interesting conversation.

Even more importantly, these weekly discussions have proven to me just how often we can agree in spite of our differences. In the years since Michael and I have become friends, it is positively frightening how often I have found myself agreeing with him about contemporary ethical issues. Christians and atheists have quite a bit they might never agree about, but we share a common denominator: a fundamentally human search for the good life. Even when we most vehemently clash, the universal nature of the human condition ties us together.

Lastly, I found this opportunity valuable because it was a chance for me to air a perspective that often goes ignored. Lefties have their own TV network; atheists, on the other hand, are not able to make their voices heard unless they are particularly loud and obnoxious (a certain Oxford biologist comes to mind). I wanted to show people that rational nonbelievers do exist and they have a voice worth expressing.

I have no doubt Michael and I will continue these debates. Whether or not they take the form of more Daily Campus op-eds is up in the air. Regardless, I’m proud of the discussions we had. I stand by all the pieces I wrote, and I have found each of Michael’s opinions especially valuable. I hope our readers found our exchanges as enlightening as I did.

Bub is a junior majoring in English, political science and history.

BRANDON BuBContributing [email protected]

MIChAEL DEARMANContributing Writer

[email protected]

Students reflect on a semester of debatingDEbATE

Walk through the streets of Tehran, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and you will come across several churches and synagogues. What you will not encounter, however, is a Sunni Muslim mosque to accommodate the over one million Sunni Muslims in the capital city. Due to the fact that Iran is an “Islamic” Republic, when it comes to religious persecution, the world highlights the oppression of non-Muslim minorities: the Christians, the Jews and the Baha’is. However, time and time again, the Sunni Muslims of Iran, which make up 10 percent of the entire population, are overlooked and unheard, as they continue to be persecuted and denied basic human rights.

One of the key issues in Iran is the government’s consistent manipulation of religion in order to maintain power. Iran is based on a theocratic constitution where ulama, or Shia Muslim clergy, are free to interpret the law arbitrarily and inconsistently. This opens the doors for suppression of religious freedoms that, by law, are supposed to be guaranteed. The Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, holds extensive power over the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, and controls the military and security forces of the state. This Shia Muslim monopoly over the state gives rise to many human rights violations, specifically ones that directly persecute religious minorities in Iran.

Although Sunni Muslims are legally granted the freedom to practice their religion, such laws are not enforced. The fact that Sunni Muslims have repeatedly been denied the right to build a mosque in Tehran, or even gather for communal prayers, is evidence that although they are Muslim, Sunnis do not benefit

greatly from living in an Islamic Republic. Furthermore, Sunni religious clerics are repeatedly targeted on the insubstantial basis of being a threat to national security, insulting the president, or insulting the supreme leader.

Sunnis are also limited in government participation, and candidates for the presidency are purposely overlooked, as that position is reserved for a candidate of the Shia Muslim faith, the official religion of the country. Simply being a Muslim in Iran does not qualify a person to run for presidency, thus reinforcing the dominance of one sect over the other.

Ethnicity also magnifies the oppression of Sunni Muslims in the largely Persian populated Iran. Because the constitution grants freedom to all Iranian citizens, the interpretation of the law often neglects minority ethnic groups. Many Sunnis are Kurdish, Baluchi, or Turkmen, leaving them to suffer from an overlapping discrimination that is based on both religion and ethnicity.

The issue we witness in Iran, as we do in many other countries in the Middle East, is the monopoly of power for one ideological, ethnic or religious group at the expense of others. Once a specific group attains power, they manipulate the system in order to maintain a stronghold over the country. I am not suggesting that we strip all power from the Shia Muslim majority. Nor am I proposing we place all of the power in the hands of the Sunni Muslims. I am simply advocating for a distribution of power, as well as a consistent and just interpretation of the law, that will guarantee basic human rights for all human beings who live in Iran, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.

Orfaly is a first year majoring in human rights and political science.

kARMA ORfALyContributing [email protected]

Sunni Muslims left out in Iran

RELIGION

CARTooN

Courtesy of MCT Campus

FIRING LINE

Protesting against Bush, not his libraryPeople dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods masking their faces lined up near the SMU Blvd and 75 intersection this morning. No. It wasn’t

Halloween. It was the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library.The Bush Center has attracted much controversy, and rightly so as Bush left many questions unanswered. Did he not learn in school that war creates

more terror and so a “war on terror” would be counterproductive? Bush led America in killing thousands of civilians in two wars in eight years, a country that prides itself for its incomparable humanitarianism. For that reason, a protestor called Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld “guilty of war crimes” and demanded their arrest. However, as a student, I’m anticipating my visit to the presidential center. I want to learn more about the abuses at the military detention centers such as Abu Gharaib, Guantanamo Bay and others, the collateral damage in the wars and the use of torture on the illegally detained prisoners.

I wonder if the library tells how Bush spun semantics and prosecuted people as “enemy combatants,” thereby denying them the right to habeas corpus. I wonder if the library tells the whole truth.

I hope my apprehensions prove wrong, and the Bust center does not turn out to be a “crime against the mind,” as one protestor described it.

—Yusra Jabeen, SMU Junior

Stop asking for money As an SMU graduate, I recently received a letter urging me to donate to the SMU Scholarship Fund. Apparently 80 percent of SMU undergraduates receive aid packages that average $24,200 per student. Rather than beaming with pride, these statistics leave me confused. If SMU can afford to give away that much money – over $55 million in 2012 as the website boasts - then how can it justify the cost of tuition? It seems to me that if the administration quit raising prices each year, there would be more families who could afford tuition and the need for aid would be reduced. I recognize that SMU is a cog in the wheel of a competitive nationwide university system in which prestige is prized above all; no school wants to be considered a lower-cost option. And why should administrators cut costs when student loans and charitable donations continue to make up the difference between what they charge and what even a well-off family can reasonably afford? The only “problem” this system presents for universities is the scramble to spend enough money to justify additional tuition invoices and solicitations. The result is obvious: ever-more opulent buildings, more es-teemed faculty and endlessly upgraded student services. It seems that donating money is simply tossing money into a black hole that enables what should be unsustainable tuition increases. This cycle punishes families who strive to save for college and threatens to bankrupt a generation of students with the increas-ing burden of student loans. I think I can find a more worthy cause to support with my limited charitable dollars.

Elizabeth GeorgeClass of 2006

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To respond to any pieces on our opinion page, tweet us at

@thedailycampus with the hashtag #hilltoptweets.

5SPORTSThe Daily Campus FRIDAY n MAY 3, 2013

top 10

If the Cowboys have been the model of inconsistency over the past decade, there is one player on the team who cannot be stereotyped into that same mold, and that is Dallas all-time receiving leader, Tight End Jason Witten.

Over the past decade, Witten has become the best player at his position in the National Football League with combinations as a major receiving threat, a blocker and a tutor to younger players on how to become a pro.

Drafted in the third round out of the University of Tennessee, the 30-year old Witten took a slow start in his rookie year and turned it around for an explosive sophomore campaign, tallying 87 receptions for 980 yards and six touchdowns.

From that point forward, Witten never gained less than 750 yards and never caught less than 64 passes. He is the model of productivity for a position

filled with incredible athletes throughout the league.

Quarterback Tony Romo can certainly attest to Witten’s abilities. The connection from number 9 to number 82 has developed into one of the most deadly combinations in the league.

The two have been in attack mode since Romo became the Cowboys’ starter in 2006, as seen by Witten’s 6,864 yards and 31 touchdowns since that season.

Although Witten’s ability to get inside the end zone has never been his strong suite, the 6-foot-6-inch, 260-pound tight end has a knack for getting open through some of the best route-running in the league by any skill position player. He’s right where the quarterback needs him to be at just the right time.

Witten also has a competitive drive that is second to none. After suffering a lacerated spleen in a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders last year, Witten powered through the pain to start for the Cowboys against the Super Bowl champion Giants on opening night.

Although he didn’t make much of an impact in the first matchup against New York with just two catches for 10 yards, Witten saved his best performance as a pro for the rematch in Dallas.

As the Cowboys attempted to make a huge comeback in front of their home crowd in Arlington, Romo found Witten a record 18 times for 167 yards. The effort put Witten in the NFL’s history books with the most catches by a tight end in a single game.

The former Volunteer has no shortage of records to look through after a superb 2012 season. Witten will be a serious threat to catch more passes than any other tight end in history, as he is currently third all-time, but will also be in the mix for the Cowboys record of most receiving yards.

Witten’s 44 touchdowns, 8,948 yards and 806 receptions are lofty figures to say the least, but Witten will have plenty of time to make these stats mean even more if he can help lead the Cowboys back to the promise land in the playoffs.

Number four: Jason WittenMaTThew COSTaAssociate Sports Editor

[email protected]

Think about the way a typical NFL team owner prepares for the NFL Draft on the morning of the draft. Maybe he meets with his president and general manager to review their prospective picks and refine their strategy toward filling all their needs. That’s what I would do if I were an owner.

But Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is not your typical executive. Unless he wants to stand in front of a mirror, he doesn’t meet with his president and his general manager. That’s because Jones is owner, president, and general manager of his Cowboys.

So instead of meeting with nonexistent people on the morning of the 2013 NFL Draft, Jones thought it best to attend the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center to see all five living presidents on the campus of SMU.

That night, he proceeded to make draft decisions that are laughable at best, making sure his team again fails to make the

playoffs and his franchise slowly loses its fan base.

But let’s examine how exactly Jerry Jones screwed up his picks in the NFL Draft.

They originally had the 18th overall pick, and could have used it to draft a good safety or defensive tackle, two positions where they need players. Instead, Jones gave the pick to the 49ers in exchange for the 31 and 74 overall picks. If he had a good strategy to go along with the trade, then people might have praised him for his bold move and knowledgeable insight. But we’re dealing with Jerry Jones, someone who is too stubborn to admit that he needs a general manager to help him with situations exactly like this.

Jones picked Travis Frederick, an offensive tackle out of Wisconsin. Frederick will most likely start in the first game of the upcoming season, but is not the caliber of a player who should be chosen in the first round.

Let’s go back to that 18th overall pick that the Cowboys traded away. The 49ers used that to pick Eric Reid, a safety out

of LSU. The Cowboys need a safety too and Reid could have been a day one starter for them. Theoretically, Jones could have picked Reid at No. 18, then traded up to an earlier second-round pick and most likely gotten Frederick too. Then the Cowboys could have focused on filling a gap in the defensive line, a position for which they didn’t even draft a player this year.

Jones did pick up two solid players in his second — and third-round picks with Gavin Escobar and Terrence Willams, who could both develop into starters.

But it left the Cowboys with J.J. Wilcox as their top best defensive back draft pick. Wilcox could compete for a starting job, but the missed opportunity from not landing Reid in the first round makes this pick underwhelming.

The Cowboys need to address their defensive line problem if they don’t want to be ranked 22 in opponent’s rushing yards again. They will have to make some offseason trades to supplement it or face another season of mediocrity.

ChRiS waRleyContributing [email protected]

opINIoN

Cowboys, Jerry Jones give away another pick after day one trade

Cowboys tight End Jason Witten making an acrobatic catch for Dallas inside Cowboys Stadium. Courtesy of Ap/ photo Illustration by Demetrio teniente

FIRINg lINE

Collins coming out will be meaningless without more productivityDon’t get me wrong, what the 34-year old Jason Collins did this past week was a gigantic step forward towards

acceptance throughout the sports landscape, but without him staying on an NBA roster, his heroism will be meaningless.

Collins cannot remain a simple memory of one guy who came out. He needs to have a team and become a productive member, not just a player to show off how progressive a team’s owner is.

—Matthew Costa, SMU junior

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Sudoku 05/03/13

© 2011 Michael Mepham. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.For solutions to our Sodoku puzzles, checkout our website at www.smudailycampus.com/puzzles.

By Michael Mepham

ACROSS1 Tricky stroke6 Don’t deny

11 Fr. address14 Belief of more

than a billion15 It’s tossed16 Jets coach Ryan17 Watts of “The

Impossible”18 Supporter #120 Hip-hop Dr.21 Carp23 Word with power

or panel24 Supporter #227 In transit28 Chosen groups29 Fiber source31 Portable digs32 Traveling

Wilburys co-founder Jeff

33 Nancy Drew’sguy

34 Sherpa’s sighting37 Clichéd film

assistant39 Volume control?42 Old-style shade44 Minnesota’s St.

__ College48 Wood protectors50 Prison in 1971

news52 “I __ stupid!”53 Supporter #355 Like wall phones57 Come to __58 Abbr. used for

brevity59 Supporters 1, 2

and 361 Asian capital63 Shakespearean

adverb64 Aces65 It may be

historical66 Deg. for Tim

Whatley on“Seinfeld”

67 Things foundaround thehouse

68 Nephew ofDonald

DOWN1 Outlook2 In most instances3 Red liqueur4 “The Lord of the

Rings” Hobbit5 Political fugitive6 Chest chambers7 Hang on a line8 Landlocked

Europeancountry

9 Qualifying suffix10 Consequently11 Magic Eraser

spokesman12 Mishmash13 Put to vigorous

use19 Bite22 Hwys.25 One who may

object: Abbr.26 Egg foo __30 Former Prizm

maker32 One who can see

what you mean35 Appraisal no.36 Overflow38 Scholarship-

offering federal gp.

39 Inhaled, with“down”

40 Had a big hit41 Moves quickly43 Leads45 As good as

ever46 Salon solvent47 Where you might

be with thispuzzle’s 59-Across?

49 Embittered50 N.L. city51 Pledged, in a

way54 Continues56 Unrestrained

indulgence60 Portfolio

letters62 Lettered

Bklyn.thoroughfare

By Norm Guggenbiller 5/3/13

(c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 5/3/13

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

NEWS The Daily Campus

[because] the format is easy to scroll through, you don’t have to navigate to other pages to see more photos,” Mack said.

In a society where instant gratification is everything, Instagram fulfills the needs of college students who want to see everyone’s photos quickly.

“I check Instagram all the time,” Dawe said. “It’s easy to walk to class and scroll through to see what people are up to, without taking the time to look through individual’s albums on Facebook.”

Instagram, recently bought by Facebook, is so popular that other apps are copying the format of it.

An app called Vine allows users to film segments of their surroundings and compound them into a short video. The videos are formatted much like the photos on Instagram, where users scroll down one page and see everyone’s posts.

“Vine is a little ridiculous,” Dawe said. “Seeing everyone’s pictures is enough, but now we’re privy to their every action and can see it on our cell phone screens.

But even if people think it’s creepy or unnecessary, it will catch on like wildfire, just like the other apps have.”

It is this notion that makes these apps so successful and popular on college campuses. Students want to be in the technological know, so once they hear about an advancement, they are likely to want to check it out.

The idea of fast paced socializing applies to the Snapchat app, which also allows users to send a picture that will show for one to 10 seconds and then disappear.

“A picture’s worth a thousand words,” Standard said. “Students are busy but it’s easy to connect on the go with Snapchat.”

The increasing rate of new applications hitting the market means there’s an app to fit every user’s social media style. However, as the rate increases, personal relationships may be suffering.

“Sometimes I miss the days when we could have fun with friends without having to stop to document every funny occurrence on Twitter,” Dawe said.

Goerke, however, thinks

Twitter provides more of a variety to the world of social media.

“I like reading people’s tweets rather than just stalking their pictures,” she said. “I catch myself laughing out loud reading people’s thoughts. I don’t think it’s creepy because it’s fun to share hilarious sightings and events throughout the day, as long as you don’t include too much personal information.”

Twitter also serves as a news center for college students. The fast pace nature of the app makes it a good source for getting the most recent news first. Depending on what users choose to follow, they can read about anything from entertainment news from their favorite celebrity to political news from CNN.

“I get a lot of my news from Twitter and Facebook,” Standard said. “I’m already on it to connect with friends, plus I can learn about what’s going on in the world, so I’m killing two birds with one stone and saving time.”

Sites such as Pinterest and StumbleUpon provide college students with the opportunity to wander mindlessly online through pictures and sites of interest

to them. They may pose as a distraction during class.

“It’s really easy to log into Pinterest and then accidentally spend hours at a time pinning cute clothes or scrolling through recipe ideas,” Goerke said. “Most of my classes require a laptop, which means the temptation to Pin during a long lecture is even greater.”

Social media provides students with a wealth of information and the ability to keep up with friends constantly. In this ever-changing society, it’s safe to say these apps aren’t going anywhere and will only be increasing in numbers.

“College students have seamlessly adopted social media use in their personal lives. They have learned how to use it to keep up with friends, family and news,” Lee said.

When asked if sites like Facebook will be around forever, Dawe laughed.

“Yes, of course,” she said. “It has become a way of life for close to every college student. The campus dynamic and social scene would be completely different without it.”

6 FRIDAY n mAY 3, 2013

The DART is not safe according to SMU students and faculty who either ride it regularly, or have in the past.

Mass transit was raised as an issue on campus during the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center last week.

Students were asked by the administration to park almost 10 miles away from campus and use DART to get to their classes.

According to DART police statistics, the average daily ridership overall is 76,056, and 112 violent crimes occurred on the rails in 2012, three of which reported as a homicide and two sexual assaults. The others were robberies or aggravated assaults.

Alysia Hall is a victim of what she described as “an attack.” She now sees the DART as a mode of transportation that is good overall but says that her feelings on the transit system are mixed.

“I do feel safe,” Hall said, “Except for at night. I wouldn’t ride it alone at night.”

SMU professor Ben Voth, who commutes via DART, said that police officers have come aboard the train at Mockingbird Station several times and given safety talks to passengers.

“I appreciate [the talks]. It enforces the idea that there are risks,” Voth said. “That being said, I’ve never felt so unsafe that I didn’t go on DART.”

Mark Ball, the public information officer for DART, said that while there are some problems with mass

transportation, things are getting safer.

“Our 2012 customer satisfaction survey shows [that respondents tend] to support our police efforts. Eight in 10 passengers are satisfied with DART, and more than 60 percent believe we are doing better than a year ago. Also, nearly nine in 10 said that they are likely to continue using DART in the future.”

Ball also said that in comparison to other mass transit authorities around the country DART is doing a much better job at keeping customers safe.

Although violent crime might be the most significant issue that SMU students experience while riding the DART, hostile police officers have also been a factor in the reluctance to ride.

SMU sophomore Dakota Warde-Levie had an unpleasant encounter with DART police that she said permanently soured her view of the system.

Earlier this semester, she and a friend purchased tickets to ride the DART downtown for a school field trip.

Shortly after boarding the train, a ticket-taker appeared in their car and demanded that they present their tickets.

The tickets, which were bought at the station, were apparently not what the official wanted to see.

“We assumed that it would be just like a movie ticket,” Warde-Levie said, “where as long as you had your student I.D. and your ticket, everything was fine.”

Warde-Levie’s mother, Sandra Warde-White, added that she took pictures of the machines.

“It is completely unclear

that you must have DART identification for the type of ticket that they bought,” Warde-White said.

Warde-White has filed a formal complaint with DART, but has yet to hear back from them.

Ball said that the fare enforcement officers have the unpopular task of writing tickets to individuals using the system illegally.

“Most of the time our [fare enforcement officers] keep their cool and are professional,” Ball said.

Despite the risks, DART

is still viewed as an attractive form of transportation for SMU students.

“I use the DART two to three times a week,” Hall said. “Its on time. It gets you where you need to be.”

Professor Voth agreed.“I’m missing traffic and I can

do work,” Voth said. “It seems convenient and I don’t have to deal with parking.”

In addition to the ease of use and ability to get work done on the train, DART says that the average rider saves about $9,000 annually by taking the DART and leaving the car in the garage.

Students wary of DART, still rideChRISTOphER SAUL

Photo [email protected]

mETROPOLITAN

Continued from page 1

weed out anyone they can.The National Association

of Colleges and Employers surveyed employers regarding universal skills exemplified in an ideal employee. According to Ford, you should be able to provide real examples of how you personify these five qualities, which can be summed up with the acronym, VISTA: Verbal communication skills, Initiative, Strong Work Ethic, Team Work, Analytical Ability.

If an applicant shows that they have two or three of these skills, it would benefit him or her to weave them into an interview.

“Know who you are and practice how you’re going to say

it,” Ford said.During an interview, potential

employers will ask if you have any questions. Have questions prepared to ask your interviewer. Ford notes that if you don’t, it looks like you didn’t do your research on the company and came to the interview unprepared.

Showing up on time or late is a definite deal breaker, Ford said.

“This is a reflection of how you will behave when you work there,” Ford said.

Ford advises applicants to arrive absolutely no later than five minutes before the scheduled interview time.

Arriving early projects an overall organized and professional demeanor to interviewers.

them to work like any American citizen. Without the proper documentation most are relegated to day labor, which is sporadic employment at best.

“They have no other option, so they wait out by the street corner and hope that someone will have a job for them,” Corona said.

Speaking on behalf of unionized workers was United Food Workers member John Beret.

Beret recently led an action against Wal-Mart, where he and others passed out leaflets criticizing Wal-Mart’s employment policies. Beret said that the way the scheduling works allows the company to avoid giving benefits to full-time employees and allows them to punish employees who speak out against the policy. Beret recounts going door-to-door attempting to

raise interest in unionizing, and has been met with fierce resistance from people who are scared that they will lose their jobs.

Dr. Reiger’s wife Rosemarie also spoke to the inequality of the current system, and that it is getting worse.

“The average CEO makes 380 times what their average employee makes. Mike Dukes [CEO of Wal-Mart] makes $20 million a year, what do his employees make? $10 an hour?” Beret said.

An interesting moment of the night was a combined history lesson and musical performance by labor activist Gene Lantz.

After singing from a play he wrote, he talked about the future of unions.

“As long as the workers are not in control, everything that we have won we can lose,” Lantz said. “Right now, we are losing.”

Continued from page 1

JoB: Ford offers interview advice

Continued from page 1

WorK: Laborers take action

SoCiaL: New applications ease communication, distract

CHRISTOPHER SAuL/The Daily Campus

DART police report an average of more than 76,000 daily train riders.

CHRISTOPHER SAuL/The Daily Campus

The DART ticket purchasing machines have caused some confusion.

The Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life invites you to join us in Perkins Chapel on Sunday, May 5th at 11:00am for

SENIOR CHAPEL

where we will be honoring those students graduating this May.

SENIOR STUDENT SPEAKERS: Blake McJunkin

Leah Barnett Blake Rankin