The Preface - September 4, 2013

the prefaceIU South Bend’s official student

newspaper

Wednesday, September 4

2013

Inside

Fall fashion on campus

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Volleyball seasonbegins at IUSB

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By NICK WORT Staff Writer

IU South Bend’s tuition and hous-ing rates have slowly increased the last two years, creating mixed reac-tions and financial worry among some students. According to the IUSB web-site, the current cost of tuition is $207.55 per credit hour. This is a $2.94 increase from last year’s tu-ition rate and a $57.84 increase from the 2011-12 rates. For students tak-ing 15 credit hours per semester, this equals $3,113.25 a semester. Though less expensive than IU Bloomington’s tuition, which is $4459.40 per 15 credit-hour semes-ter according to their website, many students still feel this rate is too high.

Housing and tuition costs: Too much for students?

“No, it’s not fair,” said Rane Troy-er, a student living in campus hous-ing. “I mean, I know we’re getting our education, but we’re growing up still and we can’t afford that, and if we want to go to college, the time we spend at college doing home-work and stuff is going to take a lot of time. We’re not going to have as much time to work and actually get money, so we’re going to end up be-ing in a lot of debt once college has ended.” But not everybody agrees. “It’s a fair price,” said Lily Jimenez, another IUSB student. “Obviously, it would not hurt to cost less, es-pecially for those that live in hous-ing, because we do pay more,” she added. And some students do make the

decision to live in housing for some (or all) of their time at IUSB. According to the IUSB website, the cost of living in River Cross-ing Campus Housing ranges from $2,899 per semester (for a shared four bedroom apartment) to $4,382 per semester (for a single bedroom private dorm). This is a slight in-crease from last year, when the price range was between $2828 and $4274. Some students also feel that these rates are too high. “It’s nice to be able to just walk over, but you can find housing just as close,” said Kelsey Carmack, a River Crossing resident. “I know people who literally live right by the river and it’s the same walk. I’ll probably just live in an apartment

next year.” Troyer said that there have been quality issues in campus housing. “A lot of the chairs, carpet, and curtains are stained,” Troyer said, “and the walls have stains on them. It’s not in the best condition it could be in, and we pay a very large amount to actually live in these dorms. So, for it to be that expen-sive and for them to not keep up with the living standards you should be used to, it’s not really fair.” Not all opinions on housing and housing costs were negative, how-ever. “For me, compared to other schools, it’s fair,” said Madison Hofferth, another resident of River Crossing. “For the most part, it’s definitely worth it.”

SGA focus on grades and fees

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Tuition and Housing rates have increased again for the 2013-2014 school year.Preface archive photo

The Preface is expanding its online presence!See page 5

2 The Preface

The Preface is the official student newspaper of Indiana University South Bend, published every

Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters. The Preface

receives funding from the Student Government Association and

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Editor-in-Chief Sarah Duis

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Staff WritersAmanda Bennett

Courtney CatanzariteKelsie Ferguson Mackenzie Jarvis

Izza JatalaBridget Johnson

Dylan Lemert Danielle MillerTricia McCann

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The Preface1700 Mishawaka Ave

PO Box 7111 South Bend, IN 46634

Student Activities Center Room 220

By: MANDI STEFFEYStaff Writer

Lee Cohen, the newly-elected Student Government Association (SGA) president, said the wheels are already turning in the SGA office to better serve students this year. He is starting with one of his campaign promises. “One of the things I’ve been working on already, which I’m excited about, was one of my campaign promises when I was running,” Cohen said. “I want to improve knowledge about the student grade grievance program here. I talked to some of the people who are in charge of this process and we’re hopefully going to appoint one of our [SGA] members onto the official academic committee that reviews the grievances.” According to the IU South Bend registrar website, the grade grievance policy allows students to dispute a grade they disagree with, presenting the possibility for a grade change if the appeal makes its way to, and is approved by, the vice chancellor of academic affairs. “We’re going to start working on a way for us to assist individuals through that process,” Cohen said. “Basically to help them understand the procedures involved. We want to get the word out that students can actually do this. I don’t think a lot of students actually know about it.” He said the grade grievance process should be appealing to students because it gives them more potential control over their academic record. The SGA does not officially have the OK from administration to work on this program, but Cohen said it’s one of the most important things he hopes to improve on campus this year. He hopes to have flyers concerning the program posted around campus within the next two months.

SGA president focuses on grade grievance policy, student activity fee use

“I want nine out of ten people to know what it is and know that they have the option,” he said. Cohen says the process is available for both students who feel they have been graded unfairly and students who fail to withdraw from courses and in turn fail the class. “In most cases, with the students

who don’t know how to withdraw, the committee involved with the process almost always rules in favor of the student,” he said. “But in cases where a student feels like they got a grade they didn’t deserve, from my understanding, those don’t

always go in favor of the student. I would like to see more student representation and oversight in the process to make sure the students are being judged fairly.” Cohen said that he also hopes to tweak student group funding. He said that if the SGA coordinates their events with Titan Productions

and/or Student Life, the three groups can save money, which could ultimately lower the student activity fee that every student must pay. While he said it wasn’t official yet and that the effects wouldn’t be seen this year, it’s something that

he’s been thinking about. He said that lowering the student activity fee by even $5 would still be a triumph. “It might be $5, but still, that’s an extra meal. It still matters,” Cohen said. Changes like these are what Cohen said IUSB students should be caring about. He said by forming a relationship with the SGA, students may be able to influence where their money is being spent and how they can be better represented. He also said some of the student activity fee is used on sports and coach salaries. The IUSB administration is currently in the works of adding three new sports on campus. “The administration wants to pursue that, so I’d like to see them take full responsibility for that. We can take that money that’s being used and instead of paying for

salaries for coaches, we can use that money to increase student activities on campus,” Cohen said. “As a student, you’re having $120 dollars taken from you every year for that. That’s a lot of money. Students should want to know where that money’s being spent.” One way students can learn more about these issues is to attend an SGA meeting. “I really do encourage people to come out to the meetings. It would be a lot more fun,” Cohen said. “I would personally like to see more students coming to ask questions and to be involved in that. It would be a fun process.” SGA meetings are held weekly on Fridays at 1 p.m. in the Fireside meeting areas at the University Grill.

“I want nine out of ten people to know what it is and know that they have the option,” said SGA President Lee Cohen about the student grave grievance policy.

Student Government Assossiation meeting with Chancellor Terry Allison in attendance.Photo courtesy of Jeremy Eiler

Wednesday, September 4 3

Staff ProfileMelissa Seyboldt Fall Intern

Dear Preface reader,

I begin my fourth year at IU South Bend on a note I nev-er imagined hitting, or made an effort to hit: Actually being part of a campus organization. Groundbreaking! My first two years of class-es were taken at the Elkhart Center (the closeness to home was fantastic), and before my third year I declared my ma-jor in mass communications. At that point I was spend-ing more time on the South Bend campus for classes and studying, but I wasn’t in-volved with campus activities or my fellow students beyond conversation/study groups. My “horse blinders” were on and my attention was mainly set on the books. Aside from a good GPA, I was pretty dor-mant in the college realm.

Truthfully, it’s a bit ter-rifying to be in this posi-tion after staying somewhat disconnected from the uni-versity for so long, but I’m grateful that I won’t leave IUSB without getting more acquainted with the students and faculty, and staying more informed about events, big and small, that affect us. Even more exciting: I get to share that information and connection with you, the reader – even if you only read the headline (busted). I owe a shout-out to Ken Klimek, adviser for The Pref-ace and professor at IUSB, for helping me realize my potential as a journalist on a new level and recruiting me to write for the paper as an intern. It’s a small but impor-tant step taken! I guess I should include

some quirky random notes about myself … Well, off the top of my head: I still don’t know how to play euchre; I went without a cell phone for about three years starting in 2011 and (gasp!) survived to tell the tale; I’m a slow learner in most respects and have a tendency to drop my com-mon sense at the door (work-ing on that); and at 22 I still don’t fantasize about a partic-ular “dream job.” I also really like semi-colons; hard habit to break. Best wishes for a productive year at IUSB, Melissa Seyboldt (This intro was made possible in part by a large cup of cof-fee.)

By TAYLOR PAIGE NEFFStaff Writer

Some students take the oppor-tunity to travel abroad through vari-ous international programs. Alycia Gondocs traveled to Mexico in 2012, then returned again this past summer, but this time, on her own.

Gondocs, who graduates in De-cember with a double major in English and Spanish, spent two months of her summer in Oaxaca, Oaxaca in Mexico. “I learned an incredible amount about the history of the city and state, as well as the many different cultures that coexist and shape the

region,” Gondocs said. She started to plan to return to Oaxaca during the early weeks of the spring 2013 semester and learned that by going back for an independent study, she would be able to graduate early. “There’s really no substitution for immersion, and I knew from

Student Alycia Gondocs spends summer in Oaxaca, Mexico (again)my previous experience that Oaxaca is the perfect place to live and study for a few months.” In those few, short months, Gondocs was able to grow immensely in the language by speaking it and thinking about it daily. Gondocs lived in Oaxaca with the same host family she stayed with in 2012, Mariela and Carlos. She said she felt like she was coming home; but now that she is back in the States, she’s already thinking about going back. “I would love to return to Mexico after I graduate,” Gondocs said. Though she said she doesn’t have a concrete plan set in place, her dream is to find a way to live in Oaxaca for an undesignated period of time. “I would like to continue my edu-cation and obtain my TESL/TEFL certificate. English is an incredibly difficult language to learn, and I’d like to help ease that transition as best I can. I’d also love to travel some more!” she said. Gondocs also shared one of her most memorable moments during the summer. She spent some time in the mountains of La Sierra Norte

de Oaxaca and literally walked through the clouds. “Our guide was amazing, and we spent about eight hours in the mountains,” she said. “One of the highlights of the trip is definitely the cloud forest. As we ascended the mountain, we eventually broke through the bottom of the clouds and were able to walk around in the middle of them. The forest was hauntingly beautiful – completely silent and dim with the mist from the clouds, everything seemed ethe-real and almost preternatural.” While every study abroad expe-rience is different, Gondocs’ travels in Mexico reflect the potential that lies within studying another culture.. “Living in a country different from your own is an incredible ex-perience,” Gondocs said, “and I wouldn’t trade my time in Mexico for anything!”

Photo courtesy of Alycia Gondocs

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Kyle Sagarsee (Going over notes in the study lounge upstairs)

“This building is fantastic. I love that you can grab a Starbucks coffee. I also re-ally appreciate all the atten-tion that was put into the education classrooms.”

4 The Preface

By Traci Bremer, cartoonist

iusb adventures

TitanTalk

Kourtney Berringer (left) and

Taylor Sahlhoff (right) (Strolling out of class downstairs)Berringer: “Since I’m an art major, I think the arts class-rooms are really cool. They’re really nice.”Sahlhoff: “I like the building a lot. It smells nice.”

“What do you think of the new Education and Arts Building?”

this week, we asked...

By: MANDI STEFFEYStaff Writer

Kelly Nesbitt (Listening to music at a new table outside the building)“I love it. It’s so easy to find my classes.”

Katherine Stantee (Studying on one of the new couches upstairs in the study

lounge)“One of the things I really like is that some of the chairs in this building have wheels on them. Some teachers have told me that they pushed for that so students can arrange them into circles to study in a group if they want.”

Wednesday, September 4 5

By: NATALIE MILLS Photographer

Colorful pants are the perfect way to brighten any outfit. Even Kate Middleton has been spotted in them! One way to wear this trend is shown perfectly by Emily Strilich, a senior psychology major. A simple top makes the look fin-ished but not overwhelming. “I’m a bargain hunter,” said Emily about her shopping tendencies. A second good way to wear this trend is with a printed top. Either way, you’re sure to stand out.

Campus style watch: Three students rock back-to-school fashion

Dig out your grandma’s old fabric swatches. Vintage floral patterns can be seen all over this year, and nothing has a more feminine look to it. Elaine Jackson, a sopho-more studying biology, shows off a great floral dress with a pretty see-through collar. The entire outfit is topped off with a thin leather belt, which is just enough to break up the print and give her an incredible shape. “My style is easy. I picked this dress because I knew it was going to be hot,” Elaine said.

Opposites do attract! Plaid on the bottom is a trend the women are conquering, especially when paired with a delicate blouse. Hailey Hennessy, a senior in general studies, has matched the two together classically. The studs on the collar are the perfect addition to counteract the gentleness of the shirt. “I like to be pretty with a little mixture of boy style and a little nerdy,” Hailey said.

Preface photos/NATALIE MILLS

The Preface is always looking for better ways to reach the student body and the IU South Bend community. We’re excited to announce our new website: www.iusbpreface.net

The new website is easier to navigate and simplified visually. By using WordPress, The Preface will be able to interact with our readers in a bet-ter way. Keep an eye out to see some of these new features!

Readers can continue to find stories, photos, and additional content on our social media sites. You can also like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and also discover our new Instagram account.

The Preface: New school year, new website

The PrefaceOnline

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6 The Preface

ClarkChristina

By: CHRISTINA CLARK Columnist

“We’re hiring! $10.74 per hour!” If you’re looking to be a high-powered lawyer you might not want to take that wage (though getting your foot in the door at a good firm sometimes takes sac-rifices), but imagine making that wage in an entry-level position. You wouldn’t sniff so much at it then. According to raisethemini-mumwage.com, $10.74 per hour would be a reality if minimum wage had followed inflation over the years. An increase of $3.49 per hour would be all it takes to catch minimum wage up with inflation. Yes folks, $7.25 an hour is a little low, even for “just flipping burgers.” Al Jazeera America’s Domi-nica Lim went out to speak to some strikers in New York City, and found a handful willing to speak to the press about their reasons for striking. A couple of people that they interviewed re-ally stood out to me, as I have worked in the food industry as well. Justin McQueen and Rynwetta Bennett, co-workers from a Wendy’s restaurant, spoke about the lack of mobility in their cur-rent positions. “There are no chances to move up,” Bennett told Al Jazeera. “Raising the wage to $15 an hour will allow me to make what I deserve, because I know how to do every posi-tion. I have many skills, but I only get a 10 cent raise every six months.” Bennett adds that she gets a lot of motivation from work. According to the article, she’s has been working in fast food for almost seven years. Having such a personal in-terview with strikers gives a very different view of these people. I hear many brush off minimum wagers with phrases like, “If they wanted to make more they should have worked harder,” or “Why don’t they want to get ahead in life? Go back to school.”

Three dollars and forty nine cents

I think what is lost is the fact that once upon a time, not too many years ago, minimum wage was also a living wage. It reminds me of a day I joined the Occupy South Bend movement on the pavement in downtown South Bend, and a man yelled at me to “get a job.” If I hadn’t been so incensed by the demeaning manner of his voice, I would have let him know that, at the time, I was working three jobs and was still barely making ends meet. I had a pro-fessional license in the beauty industry and was on the road to re-enrolling at IU South Bend, but was facing funding issues. “Get a job?” How offensive. There is great pride in one’s work, no matter if others’ per-ceive it as “lowly” labor. There is a certain level of pride in work done on any level. In America, working is having a purpose, a place to go during the day to support the life one wants to live during the rest of their time. The term “minimum wage,” we have come to believe, means earning enough to make the minimum acceptable living stan-dard in America. But if work-ing minimum wage isn’t enough to eventually move ahead with careful financial planning, then how might one advance in so-ciety? The recent strike for $15 per hour seems extremely high to some of those I know, and I understand that, especially being a worker in the salon industry where commission pay is stan-dard. (When you’re busy, money is great. If there is a lull, there is no pay.) I think the point of the strike is that there needs to be a rec-ognition of the dedication and hard work of people, and to give them a better quality of life. If it is a matter of respect, even a slight increase would at least be a nod to the hard work put onto some of our least paid workers.

By: CECELIA ROEDER Design Editor

IU South Bend will celebrate one of the most famous playwrights of all time with this year’s campus theme: “Much Ado about Will: 450 Years of Shakespeare and Counting” The campus theme began in the 2003-04 school year as a general education initiative. Each year, one or two faculty oversees events re-lated to the theme. Campus theme coordinators Julie Elliot, associate librarian and coordinator of public relations and outreach, and Randy Colborn, associate professor of theatre, worked together to fill the 2013-14 school year with Shake-spearian events and performances. The theatre season at IUSB will consist of productions written or inspired by the famous Eng-lish playwright: “King Lear,” “The Complete Works of William Shake-speare Abridged,” a children’s pro-duction of “A Midsummer Night’s

Much Ado about the campus theme

Dream,” and a musical “Kiss Me Kate,” which is based off of “The Taming of The Shrew.” Tristan Conner, a junior with a ma-jor in theatre, explained the theme’s significance. “The campus theme shows how Shakespeare is still an influence in today’s world,” Conner said. “Many movies today are based off Shake-speare’s plays. Take ‘Thor’ for ex-ample. ‘Thor’ is based off a side plot in ‘King Lear,’” Conner explained. The plot of “King Lear” features an angry, illegitimate younger son, not unlike the jealously of Loki in “Thor.” “Much Ado about Will” will cel-ebrate the works of Shakespeare beyond the theatre department. El-liot explained that there are many other activities planned throughout the year. One of the biggest events will be on April 23, “the supposed birthday of Shakespeare,” Elliot said. “At 2 p.m. on the campus mall,

we’ll be reciting Sonnet 18. We asked Chancellor Allison which sonnet was his favorite, and he picked this,” Elliot said. Another event planned around the campus theme is a traveling ex-hibit coming to the library in April. “We’ll be featuring a national exhibit from the Library of Medi-cine,” Elliot said. Called “And There’s the Humor of It,” the ex-hibit will feature the medical refer-ences in Shakespeare’s plays. Other planned events include a recitation of sonnets at Chancellor Allison’s official installation in Oc-tober and the opportunity to write and record Shakespeare-themed ra-dio plays, A of list of official events can be seen in the table below. To find out more about the cam-pus theme or Shakespeare, check out the official Facebook page at facebook.com/onesonnetonecam-pus.

• A Shakespeare theater season (Fall: King Lear & Complete Works of Shake-speare Abridged. Spring: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (children’s play) and Kiss Me Kate)

• Winner of Bard Madness, As You Like It, performed as a radio play• Opportunities to write and record Shakespeare-themed radio essays• “And There’s The Humor of it: Shakespeare and the Four Humors” – a travel-

ing exhibit from the National Library of Medicine (Library 5th floor, April 2014)• One Sonnet, One Campus – April 23, 2014. Celebrate the Bard’s 450th birth-

day through the art of memorizing and reciting Sonnet 18 (the Chancellor’s favorite) in the company of your peers

• Michael Potts – Broadway actor, star of the Book of Mormon & The Wire. March 31- April 2

Image courtesy of Julie Elliot

Wednesday, September 4 7

Midwest Karate Academy3612 Mishawaka Avenue

South Bend, Indiana 46615288-2258

The Way of Harmony

合気道 AikidoClasses Begin Thursday,

September 12th, 2013

Thursdays 6:00-7:30Saturdays 9:00-10:00

Call for information & free brochure

Sensei: Kris Gavender - Studied Aikido 5 years in Japan

Sensei: Jerry Wroblewski - 8th Dan Shorin Ryu Karate

By: TRICIA MCCANN Staff Writer

Looking to support student ath-letes this semester? IU South Bend’s very own Titan volleyball team is heating up the court with a jump, hop and a spike. Starting the school year with a 1-4 record, the women’s volleyball team is looking forward and determined for success. With a strong group of women this season, the term “team-work” could not be overused when describing the atmosphere and at-titude they have toward each other. Defensive specialist Jessica To-billo, describes how hard they work with “practice every day for at least two hours if not three.” Striving to represent the school and its athlet-ics, many of the women have a pos-itive outlook on playing the game. With the teams coming in for a hug after every round and words of encouragement, Tobillo describes them as being really close. “We are almost sisters,” she said. Having a volleyball team means a lot to these students. “I think it’s great because a lot of people come and support our games and I think it builds a big community for all the people that live on campus,” said player Kier-stynn Combs. “Our team is special because we come together as a fam-ily and learn from each other and we grow. We all have to learn to play well together and I think we are starting to do that.” With 19 games left in the season, the team shows no signs of slowing down. During practice, it is not un-common to see the players support-ing each another and giving positive

Titan volleyball team prepares for fall season

feedback to their fellow teammates. Encouraging each and every one of them is Coach Jamie Ashmore-Pott. This is Ashmore-Pott’s third sea-son with the varsity team. She keeps a watchful eye on them as they reen-act game scenarios during practice. She says phrases like, “I like what you did there but maybe a bit higher next time?” and “Great job, you were right where you needed to be”. “They are all very positive peo-ple,” she says of the players. “I believe in a positive atmosphere, I don’t always feel negative makes the players want to work hard. When you’re positive in teaching I think

they want to learn more.” Ashmore-Potts is hoping for full stadiums this year. “We support students and stu-dents should support student ath-letes,” she says. “The team this year

has high energy it’s a really fun team to watch. They’re a good team and we are hoping for success.” The next home game will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in the Student Activites Center against

the University of Saint Francis. The game will be held at the Student Ac-tivities Center at 7 p.m.

solution on page 8

SUDOKU

The volleyball team practicing in the Student Activities Center during the first week of school.Preface photo/NATALIE MILLS

Wednesday, September 4 8

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GEEKS UNITE! Event to be held on Sept. 6 and 7 Local artists celebrate love for character art Bicycle Gallery & Body Art will host GEEKS UNITE!, an event where local artists will display character art dedicated to their favorite comic, movie, and video game characters. The event will kick off at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 at The Bi-cycle Gallery in South Bend. The event will continue at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7. Tattoo artists Half Pint and Aaron Ryan and piercer Noel Spring will be in attendance of-fering their services. For more information visit facebook.com/Bicycle.Gallery.and.Body.Art or email [email protected].

Rain Barrel Ball Greening the Bend raising money for green spaces in South Bend Greening the Bend is raising funds for a public-accessible green roof garden that will be installed on the top of the Cen-tury Center in South Bend and the South Bend Museum of Art. The Rain Barrel Ball will include auctions of rain barrels painted by local artists, women at St. Margaret’s House and local school children. Dinner, live and silent auc-tions, a ballroom dance exhibi-tion and open ballroom dancing are all included in the night’s event. The Rain Barrel Ball will be from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Century Center Discov-ery Ballroom. Individual tickets are $100. For more info visit www.greeningthebend.org.

Entertainment calandar:

Sudoku solution

Brick House Burlesque Show Everything ’80s Brick House Burlesque is host-ing their third First Friday After Dark show at The State The-atre in downtown South Bend on Friday, Sept. 6. The Brick House Burlesque are celebrating everything ‘80s and encourag-ing patrons to dress in full ‘80s attire. Anyone 18 and older may attend but must be 21 with a valid ID to drink. Doors will open at 8 p.m. with the show kicking off at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advanced from South Bend Brew Works or $15 at the door. For more info visit http://www.downtownsouth-bend.com.

The Color Purple A musical From Sept. 6 to Sept. 15, the South Bend Civic Theatre will show a production of “The Color Purple,” a musical journey of one woman’s discovery. The musical is based on the origi-nal novel and film and infuses gospel, jazz, African and blues styles of music. For show times and ticket information visit www.sbct.org.

Activities around South BendHighlights from Welcome Week

For more photos, visit www.iusbpreface.net

Preface photos/NATALIE MILLS