Wisconsin Smokers Face Tax Increase - 3/12/09

Fourth Estate

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Vol. 40, No. 20

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay’s Award-Winning Student Newspaper

FEATURES

Wisconsin smokers face tax increase New budget cut means less money for faculty CHRIS MUELLER Fourth Estate

Kitty declawed The lady Phoenix emerges victorious over the UW-Milwaukee Panthers. Read all about it on pg. 4.

Fourth Estate file photo

Wisconsin smokers will soon see an increase in the cost of cigarettes after Gov. Jim Doyle’s, D-Wis., budget raised the state tax to $2.52 per pack beginning Sept. 1.

KAREN MEYER

Under Gov. Jim Doyle’s Proposed Budget:

Fourth Estate

Roll the dice Need a last minute spring break escape? Don’t know where to go? Get some ideas on pg. 8.

It’s so over Has society become so dependent on technology people can’t even break up without it? Find out what’s up on pg. 10.

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The wallets of Wisconsin smokers are about to get tighter as both the federal and state cigarette taxes are on the rise, and while smokers may be more inclined to quit, resources to help them do so are being cut. April 1 marks the beginning of the new federal cigarette tax, rising from 39 cents per pack to $1 as part of President Obama’s expansion of public health-care benefits for poor and workingclass families. Gov. Doyle’s, D-Wis., proposed budget calls to raise the Wisconsin cigarette tax by an additional 75 cents in an effort to promote smoking cessation in the general population. If approved by the Legislature, this would mean the state tax on a single pack of cigarettes would

• Raise the state cigarette tax from $1.77 to $2.52 per pack starting Sept. 1. • Raise the tax on moist snuff by 56 cents to $1.87 per ounce. • Raise the tax on other tobacco products to 71 percent of the manufacturer’s price, an increase of nearly 21 percentage points. Altogether, those three moves would increase taxes on tobacco users by $291 million in two years. • Enact a broad smoking ban that would prohibit smoking in workplaces including bars but not preempt local smoking bans that may have tougher provisions in place. Source: State of Wisconsin; Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

have tripled in the six years Doyle has been in office, bringing a 77 cent tax price tag up to $2.52, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Motives, however, are questioned when in the same proposal,

the two-term Democratic governor seeks to cut funding for programs that aim to help smokers quit by $1.8 million.

See Cigarette, pg. 3

UW-Green Bay faculty will not receive pay increases before 2011 under Gov. Doyle’s, D-Wis., proposed state budget, but could receive the right to collectively bargain, a right they have long been denied. In his address, Doyle said his budget does not provide for any pay raises for state employees, which includes all faculty in the UW System, and state workers should expect to pay more into both their health insurance and retirement funds, essentially making it a net loss in pay for state employees. “I recognize that these cuts are being felt by people who have done everything asked of them, people who have dedicated much of their lives to public service,” Doyle said. “The sacrifices that they will face are part of the effects of an economic downturn.” Doyle’s announcement regarding the salaries of state employees comes as a disappointment to many faculty members who point out that facDoyle ulty salaries at UWGB are already approximately 20 percent below national averages. Even among the other UW System’s four-year schools, UWGB faculty salaries average near the bottom.

See Faculty, pg. 3

American Indian mascots may soon be removed from schools KIMBERLEY SCHMITT Fourth Estate

American Indian mascots, logos and nicknames may soon become obsolete in Wisconsin high schools if the bill presented by Democratic lawmakers is successful. If passed, Wisconsin would be the first state to have a law capable of changing a school’s mascot. The bill would create a process for people to file complaints against race-based logos, mascots or nicknames in schools throughout the state. Once a complaint is filed the State Department of Public Instruction will hold a hearing. If the superintendent of public instruction rules the complaint as valid the school will then be required to phase-out the mascot within a year. Fines between $100 and $1,000 will be imposed if a school refuses to change its mascot. Rep. Jim Soletski, D-Green Bay, introduced the bill proposal to legislation.

“We in the legislature have come up with this method of conflict resolution for dealing with the situation,” he said. There are currently 39 schools in Wisconsin that have American Indian mascots and there are six in Northeast Wisconsin including Shiocton, Berlin, Stockbridge, Weyauwega-Fremont, Mishicot and Kewaunee. Roughly 29 schools have already changed their mascots, Soletski said. “Having Native American mascots creates problems in schools that do and do not have them as a mascot,” Soletski said. “Some people have been forced to leave communities because of the reactions they have received.” Luanne Funmaker, freshman psychology major, attended the Oneida Nation Tribal School. As a student, she competed against schools that had American Indian mascots. She encountered racism at many different schools.

2008 •

See Mascot, pg. 2

Fourth Estate • 2009

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2 • Fourth Estate • March 12, 2009

News Briefs State collects money for Real ID Law Campus power outage

Due to a set of power cables being damaged on March 2 that feed into Studio Arts, power will be shut off to parts of campus to make the necessary repairs. The power outage will be March 14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the following buildings: Studio Arts, Theatre Hall, Student Services and the University Union. These buildings will not be accessible to anybody during this outage. All of the entry doors to these buildings will not be unlocked until the repairs are completed and verified as necessary. The concourse connections will have caution tape placed across the corridor as a reminder that nobody should be in these buildings during this time.

Fourth Estate Staff EDITORIAL

Church Shooting in Illinois In front of Parishoners, Fred Winters, the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois was shot and killed the morning of March 8. Witnesses said the gunmen and Winters exchanged words before Winters was shot. Though no one knows what was said between the men, it is thought that Winters may have known the suspect. Parishoners tackled the suspect, who had pulled a knife following the shooting. Two parishoners were wounded and released while the suspect remains in the hospital. Obama and stem cells President Barack Obama has decided to overturn the Bush Administration’s policy on embryonic stem cell research. Obama’s order will direct the National Institute of Health to develop new guidelines for federal funding with embryonic stem cell research within four months. Supporters believe that this research can lead to breakthroughs or cures concerning Parkinson’s and many other illnesses. Detractors believe the research could lead to cloning and distractions from the present crisis of the economy.

From everyone at Fourth Estate Have a safe and relaxing spring break! We’ll see you March 26.

The Fourth Estate corrects factual errors promptly and courteously. If you have a correction or clarification, please call Editor-in-Chief Rachel Rivard at 920.465.2719, or e-mail [email protected].

Photo illustration by Chris Ware/MCT

Though the state has been collecting $10 per driver’s license for an anti-terrorism law, evidence shows no money has actually been given to the fund.

JOE LARKIN Fourth Estate

Gov. Doyle, D-Wis., approved a budget including extra fees for registering a new driver’s license. However, the program for which this fee is required is not included in the budget. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Governor Doyle has put no money toward complying with a federal antiterrorism law, even though the state has been collecting $10 per driver’s license to do so for over a year.” This anti-terrorism law is known as the Real ID Law. Under the Real ID Act of 2005, the Federal government hopes to strengthen border security and threat identification by requiring certain implementations be added to driver’s licenses issued by state agencies. Once in effect, any license that my does not hold the specifications will not be accepted. Under the law, individuals without a Real ID would be unable to enter

federal buildings, board airplanes or open bank accounts. Governor Doyle, along with other state leaders have voiced their concern over the cost and legality of the law. Because of this, the initial date of effect, May of 2008, has been postponed to 2011. While this law has not officially been put into practice, the fee has raised over 12.5 million dollars, none of which has been allocated towards restructuring the identification program. The Sentinel reported that Doyle is not abandoning the Real ID Law just that he is slowing efforts down, not stopping them. However, there are many who believe that if Governor Doyle is not using the money raised for the proposed law, the fee should be reduced to the original price. According to the Bay View Now, State Senator Mary Lazich agreed with U.S. Congressman James Sensenbrenner who authored the Real ID Bill: “I agree with Congressman Sensenbrenner. He says, ‘If he (Doyle) keeps the fee that was collected for Real ID and doesn’t

use it for that purpose, then he’s stealing money from people who got licenses or renewed licenses since the fee went up.’” She believes the program is necessary for security and that the fee should be used for what it was originally proposed. Along with Lazich, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that state representative Robin Vos, who is on the Joint Finance Committee, believes that the law should be followed to protect the citizens. “In my mind, the terrorist threat is no different today then it was a few years ago,” he said. However, according to State Senator Mark Miller, who is the Joint Finance Committee cochairman, Doyle made the right call. While discussions are being held over whether or not Doyle made the right call, the overall question for many taxpayers is where is this extra money going? To learn more about the real ID Bill visit legis.state.wi.us/lrb/ pubs/wb/08wb3.pdf.

Mascot/ Both sides weigh in on issues From pg. 1 Funmaker recalled after one game the opposing team refused to slap hands at the end of the game and the crowd yelled racist comments. “I was always just offended by it because the way schools portray mascots and Natives is not right,” she said. “It’s more or less they’re making fun of it.” Funmaker and her twin sister Raenne spoke at a press conference in Madison Feb. 24. They talked about eliminating racebased mascots in schools. “It is a good feeling when you realize people are out there and they feel the same way,” Funmaker said. People have expressed concern over American Indian mascots not only from personal experiences, but also with support from a variety of studies. The American Psychology Association conducted many studies showing the effect on both Native and non-Native students, which have influenced the bill, Soletski said. Some people feel they are honoring tribes by having American Indians as mascots, Soletski said. Schools use sacred American Indian traditions to enhance its athletic events, but don’t grasp that the things they are doing are wrong. Lisa Poupart, associate professor of humanistic studies and chair of first nations studies,

discussed a study done by Dr. Stephanie Fryberg. Fryberg’s study measured Native American’s self-esteem in grades kindergarten through twelfth, Poupart said. One discovery Fryberg made was the students had strong selfesteem scores prior to viewing certain images, but when they

Science is now saying it’s no longer a moral debate. It’s based on scientific fact that is grounded in Fryberg’s work. —LISA POUPART ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HUMANISTIC STUDIES AND CHAIR OF FIRST NATIONS STUDIES

viewed stereotypical images, such as Pocahontas, their self-esteem dropped dramatically. Some American Indians support these mascots. After Fryberg did the study, she discovered that

those American Indians who supported American Indian mascots began with a lower self-esteem than those who did not support the mascots. Fryberg also measured selfesteem of white college students by showing the same stereotypical American Indian images. After viewing those images, their self-esteem did the opposite of the American Indians’ and their scores rose dramatically. “Science is now saying it’s no longer a moral debate,” Poupart said. “It’s based on scientific fact that is grounded in Fryberg’s work.” Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have bills supporting the change in mascots, logos and nicknames of American Indians. Each will be voted on in its own house and the first to get passed will then be sent to the other house for a vote, Soletski said. If both houses of legislature pass the bill it will then move to the Governor’s desk where he will have the opportunity to sign it into law. “We have a fairly good opportunity to get it passed,” Soletski said. Funmaker is happy with what the bill holds for the future. In continuing support of the bill, she and her sister will be attending the legislative hearing March 17.

Editor-in-Chief ........................... Rachel Rivard Managing Editor ....................... Maureen Malone News Editor ....................... Maureen Malone News Assistant ................................. Joe Larkin Sports Editor ................................. Scott Kirst Entertainment Editor ................................. Zac Martin Life Editor ...................... LeiLani Richards Opinion Editor ........................... Jake Aspenson 4Play Editor ....................... Nicole Angelucci Off the Wall Editor ................................ Nick Reilly Lead Copy Editor ................................. Katie Stilp Assistant Copy Editor ..................... Melissa Skenadore Web site Manager .......................... Tim Maylander Adviser................ Victoria Goff PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN Photography Editor ........................... Mark Schindel Layout Editor ......................... Joseph Scheiwe Page Designers: News.............. Maureen Malone Sports...................... Scott Kirst Entertainment.......... Zac Martin Center............. Joseph Scheiwe Life................ LeiLani Richards Opinion............. Jake Aspenson 4Play............. Nicole Angelucci Off the Wall........... Nick Reilly BUSINESS Business Manager ............................ Alicia Jahnke Advertising Manager ...................... Brandon Selissen The Fourth Estate is a not-forprofit newspaper serving primarily the students of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the surrounding Green Bay community. The 2008-09 staff takes pride in its commitment to excellence to the university and the community by setting and reaching for high standards of communication excellence. Fourth Estate University of Wisconsin-Green Bay University Union Suite 112D 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 www.fourthestatenewspaper.com

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March 12, 2009 • Fourth Estate • 3

Faculty/ UWGB staff concerned with future, finances after cuts From pg. 1 “Two years of zero pay increases are going to be devastating,” said Patricia Terry, associate professor of natural and applied sciences. “I already make less money now than I did five years ago because my pay increases have not kept up with inflation.” The effects of the new budget on UWGB have both faculty and administration worried about recruiting new professors, as well as retaining the ones currently employed. “We have long argued that competitive salaries are needed to recruit and retain the outstanding caliber of people we have at UW-Green Bay and other UW campuses,” said Interim Chancellor, David Ward, in an e-mail to UWGB faculty. “In that regard, the Governor’s announcement is disappointing.” “Both recruiting and retention are big problems,” said Peter Breznay, associate professor of information and computing science. “When you’re paid 20 percent less, then obviously the most talented and highest quality young faculty is not going to choose Wisconsin when they have offers from states where it is 20 percent more.” Clifford Abbot, professor of information and computing sciences and secretary of the faculty and academic staff, said this type of pay freeze is unusual, but not without precedent. As recently as 2003, Wisconsin

state spending was cut by $685 million, of which $250 million was taken from the UW System. In this case, the UW System represented only nine percent of the total state budget, but took 38 percent of the total cut in spending. The new budget would cut as much as $174 million from the UW System, which would likely mean higher tuition rates for students. “Tuition increases primarily happen because the legislature cuts the university’s budget,” Breznay said. “Every dollar the legislature cuts, the university has to turn around, look at students and say now you have to pay a dollar more.” While not providing any pay raises, the new budget would provide the enabling legislation needed to allow UW faculty to organize a union, which would give them the right to collectively bargain with the state on issues like the budget. “The right to be able to bargain collectively would give us the potential to be part of the decision-making process and not be the target every time the state needs to make budgetary cuts,” Terry said. Prior to the legislation included in this new budget, faculty in the UW System were the only state employees who did not have collective bargaining rights, which has faculty members feeling at a disadvantage. Breznay said the lack of collective bargaining has, over time, led to the problems being faced by

faculty members now and even if they do gain the right to form a union, they would still need time for it to become effective. “In the long term it might help, but of course the economy is in very dire straits at the moment, so in the short term, even if we gain this enabling legislation, it’s not going to cause any immediate improvement,” Breznay said. Terry said the timeframe required to implement a systemwide faculty union could take as long as a decade. The unionizing process would start first on a few select campuses and over time it would be spread onto other campuses within the system. “Once we’ve successfully done it on a couple of campuses, then scaling up to mount the other campuses in the UW system will be a little bit easier,” Terry said. Although the prospect of gaining collective bargaining rights is seen by many faculty members as a step in the right direction for the UW System and its relationship with state government, there remains a concern over the state’s financial commitment to the UW System and the effect it could have on the quality of education. “It is very important for Wisconsin, state politicians and the public to keep up the pressure that we must invest in education and make plans, so when the economy turns around, Wisconsin will be a state ready to take a bigger share in the knowledge economy,” Breznay said. Terry also supports this need

Photo by Maureen Malone/Fourth Estate

UW-Green Bay faculty will not receive a pay increase over the next two years, but will have the opportunity to unionize, according to Gov. Doyle, D-Wis., in the 2009-2011 budget. for a reinvestment in higher education. “At the end of the day, the quality of instruction is what happens when I’m in the classroom with 40 students and if you value that,

then you have to value the professor,” she said. “The solution to this crisis is for the state of Wisconsin to put its money where it’s mouth is regarding education.”

Cigarette/ State tax reaches third highest in country, smokers upset by news From pg. 1 This is in addition to the $2 million in cuts already being implemented in anti-tobacco grants this year to help ease the state’s budget burden. “The goal for me on the cigarettes is not revenue,” Doyle said in a Post-Crescent editorial board meeting March 4. “The goal is to have people stop.” The hike in cigarette taxes is projected to raise $291 million more on tobacco products over the next two years, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Paired with a $5.4 billion state deficit, some feel Doyle is trying to come up with money in any way possible. “This is huge,” said Mary Willems, owner of the Citgo gas station on Packerland Drive in Green Bay. “Here, a pack of cigarettes will be about $6.50. That’s a lot of money.” For pack-a-day smoker Michael Hoopman, this may mean spending over $2300 per year on cigarettes. “If money gets tight, I will have to limit cigarette purchases to special offers or buy them on the reservation where the tax rate is lower,” Hoopman said. Willems, along with many regular customers who have been burning through a pack-a-day for years, said she has seen first-hand that sometimes a strong addiction takes more than sheer willpower to overcome. “I think people are going to try and change their smoking habits but what we see here is people trying to quit for two or three weeks,” Willems said. “It’s an addiction and they have a really hard time, then are right back at it again.” Doyle’s proposed cut in funding affects anti-tobacco advertising and outreach programs to help people quit as well as preventative programs to stop youth from picking up the habit, according the SmokeFree Wisconsin. “The current state of the economy will not have much of an effect on smokers in the long run,” Hoopman said. “It will cause some people to quit in

order to save money, but others will start, restart or continue to smoke because of economy-related stress. You need something to intervene.” The hike in taxes has left not only smokers with a sour taste in their mouth, but non-smokers as well. Mitch Prichard of Green Bay has never inhaled a cigarette in his life, but said he nevertheless feels the situation seems a little off-kilter. “Wisconsin is in such a budget crisis, just like the rest of us,” Prichard said. “Politicians work the same way we do. They’re just looking to make any money they can, and tobacco is recession-proof. Nicotine is proven to be addictive, so why not tax the group who has so much trouble walking away? They’re going to pay up.” Prichard is a firm advocate of smoke-free environments. A recent alum of UW-Steven’s Point, he said he is proud to have gone to one of the first smoke-free university campuses in Wisconsin, and is also in favor of a state-wide smoking ban in bars and restaurants. On this issue at least, Prichard and Doyle seem to be on the same page. “All of my career I have been fighting big tobacco,” Doyle said to the Post-Crescent. “The purpose here is to stop kids from smoking, to help people quit, to improve public health and to drive down our state’s health care costs.” Once the federal and state increases go into effect, it is projected that more than 24,000 young teens will refrain from picking up the habit in the first place —as well as cause over 20,000 current smokers to quit, according to the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research. The projections also show that nearly 12,500 deaths related to smoking-induced health problems will be avoided. “When gasoline was high, I made a lot less out-of-town trips to see my family and friends,” Prichard said. “My roommates and I started carpooling even

though it was inconvenient at times. With cigarettes, I think people are going to do the same thing. Cut back, even though it may be inconvenient. Saving the money outweighs that, and in turn, saving your health.” While there are questions on whether the cigarette tax hike is revenue-driven or not, this is irrelevant to many who have had success quitting in the past. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, calls to the state’s quit line tripled when the Wisconsin cigarette tax was raised by $1 in January of 2008, bringing the smoking rate in the adult population below 20 percent for the first time in Wisconsin history. The quit line employs individual coaches who provide advice, personalized quit plans and even free trials of medication to help curb cravings. Raising tobacco taxes seems like a situation where everyone wins —the health of reformed smokers improves while raising money to ease the state deficit and reducing tobacco-related health care costs. Some, however, believe it is

Fourth Estate file photo

unfair to tax one potentially dangerous substance over another. By 2010, Wisconsin will have undergone three significant tax increases in cigarettes within a two-year period, while the tax on beer has remained untouched for 40 years. At just $2 per barrel, Wisconsin holds the third-lowest beer tax in the nation. “We are not trying to tax people into not drinking beer,” Doyle released in his statement to the Post-Crescent. “Frankly, we make a lot of beer in Wisconsin.”

At the same time, however, Wisconsin has one of the nation’s highest rates of drunken driving, binge drinking and related road deaths as well as health problems stemming for alcohol abuse. While Doyle said beer can be enjoyed in moderation, excessive drinking can be problematic. Tobacco, he went on to say, cannot in any way be used in a safe manner. The Quit Line is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week, at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

4 • Fourth Estate • March 12, 2009 UWGB ATHLETICS SOCCER BASKETBALL

GOLF SWIMMING & DIVING CROSS COUNTRY

VOLLEYBALL SKIING SOFTBALL TENNIS

For a complete schedule of UW-Green Bay sports events, go to www.uwgbathletics.com

Phoenix women tame Panthers, go undefeated in conference RYAN VAN HANDEL Fourth Estate

The Phoenix women’s basketball team closed out its regular season schedule March 3 against conference and in-state rival UW-Milwaukee. In front of a near capacity crowd of 3,627, the Phoenix secured its first 18-0 conference record in school and Horizon League history, defeating the Panthers 66-56. “That is something we take pride in,” senior forward Erin Templin said. “We are really proud of everyone for doing what they can.” The excitement began before the opening tip was even tossed, as senior center Lavesa Glover was honored for becoming part of the 1,000 point scoring club, joining fellow teammate senior guard Rachel Porath. “Thank you teammates past and present,” Glover said. “I’d give every one of you 1,000 points. You all made me the player I am.” When game time approached, the now 11-time conference champions were announced for the first time in-front of a roaring Kress Center crowd. With four graduating seniors on the team, guard Kati Harty, Templin, Glover and Porath, the Phoenix would not disappoint. After a 2-2 tie just into the first half, Glover went up for a lay-up. The lay-up was good and Glover was fouled, but missed the freethrow. The Phoenix then grabbed the rebound and Templin hit a 3-pointer to give the Phoenix a five point possession and a 7-2 lead. The five point lead was all the Phoenix would need never letting the Panthers back within five

points the rest of the game. Mid-way through the first half the Phoenix broke out to an 11 point lead, before taking a 42-32 lead into the half. In the first half the Phoenix shot 60 percent from the 3-point arch and 55 percent from the field. The second half was a different story, but the same result. The Phoenix broke out a 16 point lead mid-way through the second half after freshman forward Julie Wojta hit a bank 3-pointer from the corner. The Phoenix racked up a total of 11 3-point field goals in the game, shooing 44 percent from the arch. In the second half, the Phoenix fell from a scorching field goal percentage of 55 in the first half, to a dismal 19 percent. “We didn’t knock down a lot of shots that we should have,” Head Coach Matt Bollant said. “Overall we defended really well. The team fought defensively and did enough to help us win.” The Phoenix was able to force 14 turnovers in the second half, more than the Phoenix had the entire game, at 12. The Phoenix scored 10 points off those 14 turnovers and a total of 27 points off the 25 total turnovers from the Panthers. Late in the second half, the Phoenix would break out to a 19 point lead, before taking home the victory of 66-56. Templin would go on to put up a career high 20 points, shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 4-for6 from the 3-point line. Templin also had 11 rebounds to lead the Phoenix. The four graduating seniors will leave Green Bay with a record

of 105-24 overall in their four years here, including a 66-3 conference record. In the last three seasons, the Phoenix has gone 51-1 in conference play, in large credit to a senior class that ranks highly in several categories. “Their tough kids and they know how to play,” Bollant said. “You want kids that are fierce and competitive on the basketball court. Then off the court you want kind hearts and generosity towards others. They have that balance.” Harty ranks among the top 10 in career assist and steal totals. Templin will leave the Phoenix earning academic honor roll all four years. “I can’t be anymore grateful to be part of a team like this,” Templin said. Glover ranks second on the Phoenix single game scoring list, with a career high 34 points. Porath leaves Green Bay placed 12th on the all-time scoring list. She is one of three players to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 250 assist in a career. As of March 7, she sits second on the all-time 3-point list and before her career comes to a close, she could rank first in all three shooting categories. “I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else in the country,” Porath said. The Phoenix now has the conference tournament to take on, with the goal of dancing into the NCAA Tournament, after a disappointing miss last year. “Were not done yet,” Porath said. “We have a lot more basketball to play.”

Photo by Mark Schindel/Fourth Estate

Senior center Lavesa Glover goes for a layup against the UW-Milwaukee Panthers March 7.

Sophomore Tetschlag earns Horizon League Player of the Week SANJAY MURTHY Fourth Estate

Photo by Mark Schindel/Fourth Estate

Sophomore forward Kayla Tetschlag shoots a free throw against the UW-Milwaukee Panthers March 7.

Phoenix women’s basketball player sophomore forward Kayla Tetschlag received Horizon League Player of the Week Feb. 23 based on her performances in two games the week before. Tetschlag’s first performance for which she was honored started against UIC Feb. 19, by scoring 14 points. Tetschlag also had seven steals, a career high. “It’s nice to have someone come off the bench and have that kind of productivity,” senior guard Kati Harty said. “I went to watch her in high school and she has changed from high school and even from being a freshman to a sophomore this year. She has a great work ethic, so I don’t see her productivity going down.” Against Loyola two days later, Tetschlag scored a career high of 22 points. “It’s exciting,” Head Coach Matt Bollant said. “She’s the first player, I believe, who has scored over 20 points from the bench shooting for us and she does a lot for this team. I believe she is playing with a little more confidence than last season, like her foot-work and her scoring ability inside as well as outside from the three. She is playing at a higher level. Bollant also said practicing against the starters has helped her progress as a player. “One of the things I challenged her with lately is she plays with the white team in practice against the starters,” Bollant said. “She is their go-to player and the green team has trouble guarding her because she makes so many plays.

I told her you need to play like that when you play with our starters and playing with those top kids and play aggressively with confidence. I believe she is capable of doing great things.” Tetschlag also said she doesn’t expect to play like that all the time, but likes to take those opportunities and make the best of them. “It was a little out of the norm, but the circumstances worked out,” Tetschlag said. “We got into foul trouble so I got a little more playing time.” Tetschlag also said she is keeping her eye on the conference tournament. “We would love to win the conference tournament because we didn’t end the way we wanted last season,” Tetschlag said. Harty also said last year didn’t end up the way they’d hoped. “Last year was a disappointment for us and being one of four seniors, we all talked and knew we all wanted our dreams to come true this season. We have done everything from the start of summer to this offseason to meet all expectations to this point,” Harty said. The Phoenix has one of the topranked defenses in the conference and Tetschlag said the team has worked hard to achieve that. “I think as a team our defense has improved since the beginning of the season and I think overall we’ve gotten better,” Tetschlag said. “Individually everyone has put in the time to make our team better.” Tetschlag also said the team has added more shooting drills and that has improved her shooting

and everyone else as well. “I’m very confident that they will play up to their expectations seeing last year we didn’t and I think we have done a lot of things this year to change things and try to take the pressure off of them,” Bollant said. Bollant also said as long as the team does what they do best, they should find success. “I have to let them do what they do well, so it puts them into position for success,” Bollant said. “Green Bay has their way of cultures that were set up when I came in, so the smartest thing was to continue those cultures and let them play with confidence and be vocal.” The Phoenix will be losing four seniors at the end of this season in Harty, senior forward Erin Templin, senior center Lavesa Glover, and senior guard Rachel Porath. “The seniors have prepared us well by pushing us all year long,” Tetschlag said. “They have been here before, but they will be huge shoes to fill. They have taught us a lot and they care that the program does well in the future.” Harty remembered her freshman year when she had to watch the seniors give their speeches after their senior night game. “It’s sad, I remember four years ago watching the seniors give their speech and I thought, ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but all good things must come to an end,” Harty said. “It was a huge chapter in my life and I’m ready to start a new one. I’ll have the good memories.”

March 12, 2009 • Fourth Estate • 5

Tiger has returned, but needs time to get swing back RICHARD ROBBINS Fourth Estate Commentary

Tiger Woods made his first appearance of the 2009 season in Arizona for the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. This was his first event in almost eight months, following surgery to his left knee. Because he is Tiger Woods, the public expects the very best of him, even when he does not have the best in him. Woods lost in the second round to long-time journeymen Tim Clark, 4 and 2. Clark moved on, but it seemed the air was sucked out of the tournament because Woods had been eliminated. I thought it was unfair to Clark and the other 15 golfers who had advanced to the third round. What I also thought was not fair was people criticizing Woods for not winning and not moving on in a tournament he won a previous three times. Woods had the entire golfing world on a string last June when he won the U.S. Open in extra holes on one good knee. He made putts from different zip codes. He made chip shots from the bunkers. On every tee, after he striped a drive right down the heart of the fairway, he would wince and grab for his ailing left knee. There was no doubt Woods was not 100 percent. People expected that when he would come back from his time off, he would be and we would expect perfection from him. I do believe Woods was 100 percent when he lost to Clark, but

even though he was completely healthy he can’t win every tournament he plays in. Because he is Tiger Woods, people expect perfection from this human being. Woods has dominated the sport of golf since his first start in Milwaukee in August 1996, winning 65 times including 14 majors. We as golf fans expect Woods to be holding the trophy on Sunday afternoon no matter what the conditions. But we need to give the guy a break, especially coming from a lay off of almost eight months in a match play format where if you have one bad day you go home. Many thought he would come back in late March to play Arnold Palmers’ Bay Hill Invitational or even wait until early April to play in the Masters. These events, like most events on tour, are stroke play, but the WGC Accenture is played in match play format, where you only play one other professional straight up instead of battling the entire field. Woods did have a bad day. Clark played better and he moved on. Woods went home but he still is the No. 1 player in the world and losing one tournament will not cost him his top spot. Woods said, following his defeat to the hands of Clark, that his knee does in fact feel better than it did prior to his surgery in the summer of 2008. I have no doubt in my mind that he will have a great 2009 season. This one loss in the first tournament he played in is not as big of a deal as many people think.

Photo by Alan Smith/MCT

Tiger Woods may be back, but he shouldn’t be expected to be able to compete at his highest level quite yet. This was his first competitive golf tournament in almost eight months. I’m not making excuses for him, but he does deserve a break. Look for him to contend when he plays in Orlando, Fla., at Bay Hill in late March or in Augusta, Maine, in early April at the Masters and look for him to contend the rest of the 2009 season.

Woods is the greatest golfer ever to play and maybe the greatest athlete of our generation, but he can’t win every time he tees it up. Brett Favre didn’t win every game he played. Michael Jordan didn’t make every shot he took. Muhammad Ali even lost five times in his great career and Woods has not won every tournament he has played in.

No one should be saying he is washed up and past his prime because he didn’t win. Woods is back and everyone should be ready for what he is going to bring to the PGA tour this coming season.

Women place first, men fifth at Horizon League swim and dive championships SETH SPADING Contributor Commentary

The Phoenix women’s swimming and diving team earned their fifth-straight Horizon League title Feb. 28 at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Milwaukee. The men’s team also went on to place fifth for the second year in a row. The four-day event kicked off with a bang as a quartet of swimmers smashed the league record and school record in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of sophomore Alyssa Danielson, senior Danielle DeGrand, sophomore Shannon Demrow and sophomore Christine Spading took more than two seconds off the previous Horizon League record with a time of 1:32.59. The meet never slowed down in intensity as a number of records were smashed during the four day meet. Most of the Phoenix swimmers and divers reached personal bests in their events. The women’s team had scoring contributions from nearly everyone on the roster, with many swimmers qualifying for the top eight in their events. DeGrand was an individual champion, claiming the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 56.03 seconds. She also earned her fourth straight individual Horizon League title in the 200 yard individual medley with a time of 2:01.92, smashing the old conference record by more than two seconds and her own school standard by more than four seconds. Spading established two new school record times in her 50 and 100 freestyle events with times

of 23.52 and 50.84. The previous UW-Green Bay records for both of those events were set in 1994. Spading also swam in all four of the women’s first place relay teams, setting a new Horizon League record time in each. Junior Ashley Warzon successfully defended her 100 yard butterfly title and set a Horizon League Championship record and school standard in the process with a time of 54.98. She swam a halfsecond faster than the previous top mark, which she established in the morning’s preliminaries. Demrow earned many points for the Phoenix women, placing first in the 800 yard freestyle relay, third in the 200 yard freestyle and fifth in the 500 yard freestyle. The Phoenix women earned contributing points from their divers as well. Junior Lauren McGraw was the runner up for both the one and three meter diving events, while teammate sophomore Kayla Deters placed fourth in the three meter. A number of Phoenix achieved league honors for their efforts with the naming of Degrand as Female Swimmer of the Meet and Head Coach Jim Merner as Horizon League Women’s Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year. On the men’s side, the team placed fifth with 583 total points. The men’s meet was very competitive all four nights of the championship. Just over 100 points separated second through fifth, with Wright State posting 685 to place second. The Phoenix found itself breaking school records and getting personal best times, but not finishing first place in as many of their events. The men’s relays smashed records as the 200 free relay team of senior Cory Carlson, junior Alex Hill, sophomore Ryan Loy and sophomore Tim Scanlan posted a school record time and finished fourth

Photo by Seth Spading/Contributor

Phoenix swimmers, from left to right, sophomore Christine Spading, sophomore Shannon Demrow, junior Allison Thut and freshman Amy Burback celebrate their first place finish in the 800 yard freestyle. in an extremely fast race with a time of 1:21.24. Also, the men’s 800 freestyle relay team of Hill, Scanlan, sophomore Travis Mathers and junior Brendan Reilly broke a five year old UWGB record by nearly five seconds and finished at a close second with a time of 6:40.23. Individually, Mathers established a school record in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 9:26.56. However, when the waves settled, he found himself in fifth place for the event. Hill pulled off two first place finishes in the 100 and 200 yard freestyle events while claiming the school and conference records for both. In the meet’s final event, the 400 yard freestyle relay, the Phoenix quartet of Carlson, Hill, Scanlan and Loy broke a school record set last season and finished at a

competitive third with a time of 3:24.21. Led by freshman Daniel Pogue, the men’s diving team gave an outstanding performance in each of their events. Pogue finished in first place in both the one meter and three meter diving competitions with scores of 320.25 and 300.25. Senior Brandon Kuntz also contributed points with a third place finish on the one meter board. Pogue practiced diving independently the whole first semester, as he was ineligible for competition. Pogue was named Diver of the Year for his sweep of the diving events. The Phoenix enjoyed a loud fan base all four days at the championships. The proud Phoenix parents had long been planning their impact at the event by coordinating fan attire and team chants.

Feb. 26 marked Hawaiian night where parents could be seen in shorts and Hawaiian polo shirts despite the winter advisories throughout much of the state. The clothing themes continued Feb. 27 as the parents dressed like pirates with dreadlocks, skulls and bandanas. Feb. 28 concluded with Phoenix pride day with a number of fans, young and old alike, bearing face paint, body paint and green and red hair spray. UWGB was not the only school with a large fan base. By Friday and Saturday evening, the aquatic center was standing room only, with fans arriving an hour early to claim their seats. The Phoenix hope to return strong next year, graduating three swimmers on the women’s side and two on the men’s side.

6 • Fourth Estate • March 12, 2009

Comedy duo back for another season on HBO M.R.B. LA COUNT Fourth Estate

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie like to folk around. Originating from Wellington, New Zealand, these two make up Flight of the Conchords, a comedy music group. The band’s genre is mostly folk, although they have also created songs in the styles of hip-hop and electronic music. The band has described itself as, “New Zealand’s fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo a capella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo.” Flight of the Conchords formed in 1998 and achieved mainstream success in its native New Zealand. In 2005 the band was introduced to American television on HBO’s “One Night Stand,” a half-hour comedy special. Flight of the Concords debuted a self-titled television series on HBO in June 2007. The series follows the fictional lives of Clement and McKenzie, as the band tries to make it in New York City. The show also stars Rhys Darby as Murray, manager for Flight of the Conchords and Kristen Schaal as Mel, an obsessive fan. Despite the help of their parttime manager Murray, the band is unable to break through to mainstream success. Clement and McKenzie live a penniless life, just getting by playing gigs at local bars and airport lounges. Often the band goes long periods of time without any gigs at all. While adjusting to life in New York the band finds itself running into trouble. These incidents include racist grocers, muggers,

unfaithful women and negative body images. Though Murray, who is also employed with the New Zealand Consulate, tries to help Clement and McKenzie navigate their lives in New York, he too is a native New Zealander and is often just as lost. The duo also seeks the help of their friend Dave, played by Arj Barker. Although Dave is a New Yorker, his advice to Clement, McKenzie and Murray generally creates more problems. The band has only one fan, Mel. Her obsession with the band leads to the stalking of band members, creating clothing with unauthorized pictures of the band and watching the men from an unknown webcam setup in Clement and McKenzie’s apartment. Throughout the episodes, the band breaks into Flight of the Concord songs. These songs sometimes serve a narrative function or work as musical dialogue for another character on the show. Other times the songs provide a monologue, expressing the thoughts and feelings of a band member. During the band’s actual gigs on the show, the only song ever performed is “Who Likes to Rock the Party.” A song in which the phrase, “Who likes to rock the party? We like to rock the party,” is repeated, usually, until they are cut off. “Flight of the Conchords” first season consisted of twelve episodes and led to a self- titled album. The second season was set to air in 2008 but was postponed to 2009 due to delays created by the

Photo illustration by MCT

Flight of the Conchords has scheduled an upcoming music comedy tour for spring 2009. 2007-2008 writers strike. The second season debuted on January 18, 2009 on HBO and will consist of ten episodes. In an interview with Q Magazine, McKenzie and Clement said that the second season will likely be their last. “The second series seems to me like it would be a good end to the show,” McKenzie said. “I feel like another 10 (episodes)...that will be enough.” While the two men enjoy making the show, it is quickly sucking up their material. They also want

to prevent the humor from getting old and repetitive. In an interview with Maxim, Clement said, “Personally, I’d be happy just to make the show and have no one ever see it. That would be the perfect scenario.” Clement also emphasized how much effort went into creating the television series. He said, “We worked seven days a week for months in a row. Not only did we act in it and work on the scripts, but we also had to record the music. Plus, we did the incidental music. It seems crazy,

when I look back on it now.” This spring, Flight of the Conchords will start a U.S tour. It is scheduled to begin in April and run through the end of May. The tour is expected to feature 33 stops, including three in Wisconsin. April 26 the group will be playing at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison. Flight of the Conchords will also be playing two shows, May 2, at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee. For information on the band, television show and tour visit hbo.com/conchords.

Watchmen brings vigilantism to the big screen NICK REILLY Fourth Estate Editorial

“Watchmen” is one of the most beloved graphic novels ever written, in addition to being one of the most revered. Anyone attempting to film this graphic novel has everything stacked against them, however director Zach Snyder makes a decent attempt by not trying to render a blockbuster, but a faithful adaptation. This review will focus mainly on the movie itself, not the storyline, since most people reading this review will be somewhat familiar with the source material. For those who aren’t, “Watchman” might be considered the “Ulysses” of graphic novels, the watershed publication that left its mark on

everything else that followed. This is not a kid’s movie. This is not Iron Man. This is Batman with impotence. This is Superman questioning whether life is really all that miraculous. This movie at times makes “The Dark Knight” seem chipper. “Watchmen” features antiheroes in the truest sense of the word. These are complex characters with lots of emotional baggage in a time when mask vigilantism is outlawed and nuclear fear has reached a fever pitch. Don’t go in expecting to see a lot of cool action sequences with the good guy beating the bad guy for a happy ending. And don’t go in expecting all of these damaged characters to be healed magically during some fuzzy-screened resolution.

Photo illustration by MCT

“Watchmen” character Nite Owl II releases some hooded justice on an unsuspecting inmate. Silk Spectre II prefers to watch.

Gritty and graphic, the film is firmly placed in the era of the late 80s when nuclear Armageddon was at least more conceivable than total economic collapse. There are no more super-villains, just an obsolete, psychologically damaged bunch of aging masked heroes dealing with a world were notions of good and evil where left behind in movie serials. The movie opens with the murder of aged superhero The Comedian, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, which leads to an investigation by one of the remaining members of the “Watchmen” crime-fighting group named Rorschach, played byJackie Earle Haley. The movie takes off from there, with a conspiracy to kill off the remaining masked heroes, looming nuclear war and many flashbacks. As far as being faithful to the book, “Watchmen” most definitely is, to a fault. Snyder seems so intent on staying faithful to the graphic novel that he forgets to remain faithful to his medium. A film must be kinetic; there should be no breathing room when quelling a mob. One of the problems was that when some lines that I’m sure most people had characters scream when reading the graphic novel were said by the actors in a calm voice. When a pregnant woman is shot and a God figure does nothing to prevent it, that’s an intense situation. If you’re human, you’re not talking in a calm voice, even if you pulled the trigger. I know this is heavy material, but heavy doesn’t necessarily translate to heavy handed or somber.

See Heroes, pg. 7

REVIEWS OF EVERYTHING GREEN BAY

Renting made easy at Redbox locations NICOLE ANGELUCCI Fourth Estate Editorial

America’s favorite past time is baseball. Green Bay’s favorite past time is rooting on the Packers and my favorite past time is renting a good flick. My friends like to call me a movie fanatic. I love renting a movie and watching it over and over until I know it like the back of my hand. There is one thing that keeps me from renting and that is cost. There are plenty of places to rent movies, but not many places where you can rent for cheap. Sure, there are great introductory offers like half off for the first 30 days but after the 30 days you’re paying $3 to rent a movie. Then Redbox came along and swept me off of my feet. I am absolutely in love with this genius invention. Who would have thought that it would only cost $1 for a new release? I certainly didn’t think it could happen. If you don’t know what a Redbox is or how it is used, you have been living in a cave. Redbox is located outside of almost every Walgreens. There are over 12,000 Redbox locations. Redbox has new releases listed on the box and also lists when movies will be available. Using a Redbox is almost as easy as finding one. Choose rent a movie on the touch screen and

search among the new releases or by title. Once you have picked your favorites, you’re ready to check out. Redbox takes credit or debit cards, not cash. Swipe the card, enter your Zip code and you’re all set. Rentals are good for one day and must be returned by 9 p.m. the next night. If it isn’t returned by that time Redbox simply charges an extra $1 to your account. You return the rental just like you rented it. Press return movie on the touch screen and insert the movie. You can return the movie to any Redbox, not just the one you rented from. Be courteous and clean the movie before returning it. The DVD’s case provides cleaning directions. There are a few other things you should know about Redbox. Its Web site is redbox.com. At the Web site you can reserve the movies you would like to rent at the nearest Redbox. If a movie is scratched or skips scenes you can just call the number on the case and Redbox will refund the money for the movie or give you two free Redbox rentals. Redbox makes my favorite past time easier and cheaper to enjoy. Using a Redbox is easier than walking through a movie store. It is also cheaper than the introductory prices at most movie stores, making it possible to rent a movie every night if I want to.



March 12, 2009 • Fourth Estate • 7

Local businesses prepare for St. Patrick’s Day TESIA VAN RITE Fourth Estate

Local bars prepare for the Irish and non-Irish crowds who will come together on St. Patrick’s Day to take part in the nationally celebrated holiday of Ireland. Food and drink specials, music and other events will be in effect during the day and continuing through the night at various downtown locations. Knuckles Sports Bar and Grill on Washington Street, formerly Maloney’s Pub, will have great deals on drinks and will start the holiday off by putting Irish flavor into the entire day’s menu. “We’ll be opening up at 6 a.m. and we’re doing a corned beef hash with scrambled eggs breakfast for $3.95,” said Tom Dally, a Knuckles employee. Students can also stop by for free Lucky Charms cereal with green milk. Breakfast items will be available from 6-11 a.m. “For dinner, its corned beef and cabbage, Shepherd’s Pie, a Jameson Burger and a Reuben,” Dally said. Chuck McCarrell, who owns Knuckles along with his wife Lynn, ensures that the Irish excitement won’t end with the food. There will be plenty of other things going on through the night, complete with beads and party hats.

“We figure it’s only St. Patty’s day once a year so you gotta go for it,” McCarrell said. Students will have an opportunity to have a St. Patrick’s Day they may not remember, but certainly won’t want to forget. “We’re Irish so we gotta get hyped up,” McCarrell said. Drink specials will run all day and night to allow everyone the advantage of discounted prices. “We’ll have shots of Jameson, Guinness, and Irish Bombs for $2.75, pitchers of domestic beer, green or regular, for $3 from 6-11 a.m. and $4 from 11 a.m.-close,” McCarrell said. Starting at breakfast, Knuckles will be giving away various prizes every hour. “We’ll be giving away over $500 worth of quarter barrels, party bar tabs, Knucklehead Club memberships, things like that,” McCarrell said. “So all you have to do to win that stuff is be here and sign up.” St. Brendan’s Pub, located in St. Brendan’s Inn on Washington Street, also has special events planned for the day. Every year, people from all over come to Green Bay to spend their St. Patrick’s Day at this Irish inn. “We have a lot of food, a tent outside with music, and we’ll even have some bagpipers at some point in the day,” said Dan Joppe, St. Brendan’s bar manager. The morning will start out hon-

oring the Irish in a traditional way and the night will get louder as it gets later. “There will be a priest here and we do a blessing of the shamrocks at 9:30 a.m.,” Joppe said. “The bar will then open at 10 a.m. and the music in the tent starts at 3 p.m. We’ve got a band called Poor Man’s Labor, which is a traditional Irish band.” Most of the day will accommodate all ages, which will enable underage students to get in on the fun. For those coming out to drink, the partying will continue to grow all the way up until bar close. “Once we’re done serving food, which is around 8 p.m., it will be 21 and over,” Joppe said. Later the band, Five Card Studs, from Milwaukee will play some upbeat Las Vegas-style music at St. Brendan’s Pub. The band’s performance will be free of charge. Shenanigans Pub on Main Street will also be taking part in the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. College students pack this place each year, as this Irish pub shows off its St. Patty’s pride year-round. Chris Boncher, one of the owners of Shenanigans, said there will be shot and drink specials going on throughout the entire night, including green beer and 16 oz. Bud aluminum bottles. “There’s a big bone-yard glass you can drink out of,” Boncher said. “The shot girls are gonna be

Photo by Kari Merchant/Fourth Estate

There is a little Irish in everybody as St. Patrick’s Day approaches. There are plenty of places for students to celebrate in the area, whether alcohol is in the plans or not. here. There will be green beads, and lots of other stuff going on.” Shenanigans’ customers will also have a chance to win a trip to Ireland. The give-aways don’t end there, as there will be more specials and events arranged as St. Patrick’s Day approaches. “It’s always a crazy night,” said Boncher.

For more information on Shenanigans Pub, visit shenanigansonmain.com. To learn more about St. Brendan’s Inn, try saintbrendansinn.com. Knuckles Sports Bar and Grill can be found on Facebook.com.

Kiss me I’m Irish: St. Patty’s Day kicks off spring break NICOLE ANGELUCCI Fourth Estate Editorial

Photo by Kari Merchant/Fourth Estate

Area taverns ready themselves for St. Patrick’s Day festivities with giveaways, drink specials and live entertainment for the big day.

Heroes/ Character issues

Photo illustration by MCT

“Watchmen” anti-heroes raise questions about heroism in today’s society.

Continued from page 6 Another problem is the casting of Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias. When I think of Alexander the Great, Ramses II or any other enigmatic alpha male with delusions of grandeur, I don’t think of Charles Ryder from “Brideshead Revisited.” Matthew Goode may be a good actor, but he is not the stereotypical superhero. Ozymandias embodies the stereotype of the thick-necked macho man. Goode doesn’t look like he bulked up at all, yet he is able to throw Rorschach around the room with one hand. This implies that Ozymandias has some special ability, which contradicts the fact

that these masked heroes are basically regular people. Also, a little subtly would have been better in regards to his character and his motives, in addition to a better voice coach, as his disappearing reappearing British accent makes Veidt seem like euro trash. Goode had the superiority complex, but he was too unlikable. We aren’t supposed to dislike Veidt until the end of the movie. The rest of the cast was very good. Rorschach, the growling, uncompromising vigilante is best represented by Haley, whose low rasp of a voice is a cross between Clint Eastwood and Freddy Kruger. Billy, Crudup who plays the naked, blue super being Dr.

Spring Break is a day away and St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner. Many will leave the chill of Green Bay to go south where warm weather awaits. Meanwhile, the rest of us will be sticking around and beating the cold with drinks on our favorite Irish holiday. St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is predominately a religious holiday and most businesses shut down for the day. Restaurants and pubs stay open for those who want to party. We all know the Irish can party. Clovers or shamrocks are abundant in Ireland and are associated with Christianity. Four-leaf clovers actually do exist but are rare and the obscure plant is considered a good luck charm. There is about one four-leaf clover to every 10,000 threeleaved clovers. Leprechauns are a St. Patrick’s Day myth. Leprechauns are not as nice as the Lucky Charms Leprechaun seems. They are said to look like old men shoemakers and appear to be unfriendly. The little Leprechauns don’t search for their pot Manhattan also makes the part his own by portraying him as both dubious toward life and subtly saddened by the course his life has taken. Not necessarily what his graphic novel counterpart would feel, but Crudup gives a good performance because we don’t really mind the change, it all works. The movie is very nostalgic, from the boomer era soundtrack to the subject matter, but that works for the film. The graphic novel is a classic, any anachronistic film adaptation would be meaningless. With scenes like Nite Owl II overcoming his impotence to the Lenard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and the cartoon sound effects which stop just short of producing a colorful “POW!” on screen, to the elevated melodrama, this movie seems almost like its laughing at the idea of filming this story, which might be the biggest practical joke. This was an enjoyable movie. If you’ve read the graphic novel, you’ll enjoy seeing all the characters on screen without too much Hollywood intrusion. If you haven’t read the graphic novel, enjoy a hero movie where both the world and its heroes need rescuing.

of gold at the end of a rainbow. They receive gold pieces from fairies for the work they do. The Irish say you can catch a Leprechaun if you listen for the sound of their little hammers. The tradition of wearing green was started by the children of Ireland. Green is a color on the nation’s flag along with white and orange. If Irishmen don’t wear green tradition says they are supposed to be pinched. The Irish also wear orange on St. Patrick’s Day and wear green clover pins. The Irish enjoy corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. Many restaurants in Green Bay also serve this Irish tradition. Other foods the Irish serve are Guinness bread, Irish soda bread and oatmeal cookies. In Green Bay we celebrate sort of the same. Everyone wears green even if they aren’t Irish. Some even consider St. Patrick’s Day the first green of spring. Other than wearing green and looking even more like a Packers fan, we drink. In the spirit of the Irish and amazing livers we drink green beer at a good ole’ fashion Irish pub. Anywhere you go, St. Patty’s Day is a holiday that will be celebrated by all, especially me.

MAY GRADUATES Ceremony Information Date: Time: Place:

May 16, 2009 11:30 a.m. Kress Events Center PARTICIPANTS MUST:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Go to www.uwgb.edu/sis. Log in as you normally do. In the Academics section, select Apply for Graduation (or Update Graduation Information, as appropriate). Enter information to participate in ceremony. Click on Save at the bottom. Click on Graduation Confirmation.

Caps and gowns may be purchased at the Phoenix Bookstore 4/2930 & 5/1 (sizes guaranteed on those dates) or online at www.thephoenixbookstore.com as of 4/1. Guest tickets and honor cords will be available for pickup in the Provost Office, CL 835, beginning April 1. Deadline for getting your name in the ceremony program book is April 17. Final signup deadline is May 8. Questions? Contact Jan Snyder @ 465-2082 Or visit the website at www.uwgb.edu/commencement

The places y RACHEL RIVARD Fourth Estate Editorial

Who said you have to go somewhere out of the country to have a great spring break? With the growing violence in Mexico and other countries south of the border, a trip to somewhere within the safe walls of the U.S. is sounding better and better. During winter break, I was lucky enough to be taken on a free trip to Florida. I am aware that Florida is the cliché destination for spring breakers, but it’s got a lot to offer. If you travel far enough south, you are pretty much guaranteed a beautiful, sunny and warm week. I spent a day in Ft. Lauderdale on a deep-

sea fishing excursion. It was the best weather I had ever experienced in January. There were miles of beautiful beaches, shops and bars. What I enjoyed most, however, was catching a fish that was almost bigger than me. If you happen to get bored lying on the beach all day, there are the many Disney parks to choose from to sneak in a few thrill rides. I went to several of the parks while I was in Florida, and the best by far was Universal Studios. It’s a toss up whether the best ride was the 3-D Superman or the Return of the Mummy, but both are worth the ticket prices to get in for a day. If you decide to go to a park or two, make sure to dress in layers – especially if

Photos by Rachel Rivard/Fourth Estate

Starting above, from left to right: The castle from Magic Kingdom lights up in different colors at night. Dolfins are just one of many sea creatures from SeaWorld. The Ft. Lauderdale coastline at dusk. Flamingos get their pink color from eating shrimp, and when they sleep, they stand on only one leg.

you decide to hop on a wet ride. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than walking around in soaked clothes, no matter how nice the weather is. Another great experience on my trip was the Cirque de Soleil. I had never experienced such dramatic and exotic feats such as the ones the troupe performed – from tightrope and trapeze to acrobatics and clowning around – words cannot do it justice. It’s an experience everyone should have at least once. A trip to Florida is safer, cheaper and is sure to show you a good time – no matter what your ideal vacation consists of.

you could go MAUREEN MALONE Fourth Estate Editorial

I’m someone who loves hot weather, which is probably why Las Vegas suits me so well. I have a few must-see places for travelers, starting with Caesar’s Palace. Here you can see how over the top Las Vegas really is. The hotel is monstrous and to fully appreciate it you can take a walk through the hotel gardens. The paths will weave and wind around the grounds, taking you past statues of famous Roman replicas. During my walk I came across a beautifully decorated Buddha shrine, an odd addition to the roman theme. The friend I was with was in need of refreshments, so we headed inside. Taking

Photos by Maureen Malone/Fourth Estate

Clockwise starting at the top:

Catch a glimps of Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Hotel. Rise above the strip in the Eiffel Tower in front of the Paris Hotel. Find the oddly placed Buddha among the Romaninspired layout at Caesar’s Palace Take in all the neon as you walk down the strip.

a seat in the nearest lounge, we found ourselves a spot with the full view of the casino. A martini each and $30 later, we continued our exploration of Rome. As we wandered through the hotel, we stopped in front of two 16-foot-tall doors with a sign that read, “Closed until further notice.” The doors, however, were unlocked, a clear invitation to nosey travelers. These doors led to the Roman bath-inspired pool area. Though we’d have loved to stay, the jingling of security guard keys scared us out the backdoor. Your next stop needs to be the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel. A fully choreographed display of lights and water jets synced with well-known symphonies, upbeat 50s and 60s classics and show tunes. I remember standing at ground level looking on as these jets

reached up to windows on the 36th floor. My view, however, cost far less than the $500-pernight price tag for those rooms. Speaking of spectacular views, work your way down to Paris. Here you can take a ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. As you stand 460 feet over the strip, you’ll have a full view of everything Las Vegas. After you descend back to Earth make your way past the Arc de Triomphe. The replica of this famous French landmark serves as your brief history lesson. Inscribed on the monument are the names and dates of Napoleon’s victories. There are a number of hot spots and wellhidden secrets waiting for you to discover in the desert. Book your last-minute spring break jaunt to Las Vegas for a completely new experience.

10 • Fourth Estate • March 12, 2009



Gossip — true or not true, it displays insecurity KATIE STILP Fourth Estate

At some point in life, we’ve all dealt with gossip. Whether we are the topic of conversation, the person spreading the gossip or the one hearing it, gossip has become a part of American culture. Its effects and functions are often thought of negatively, however, gossip can be positive. “Most, if not all of us, engage in gossip, so we’re all affected by it, but you can be affected in good and bad ways,” said Christine Smith, an associate professor of human development who has researched gossip. Marlene Regan, senior counselor at the counseling and health center, agrees and said gossip not only affects the people involved, but also those close to the individuals. For example, if two co-workers are talking about another co-worker, the gossip may affect the work environment and other workers who are not directly involved with the gossip. Gossip has three main functions, Smith said. The first is to provide information. “If you go into a new work environment, you’d want to know what the gossip is so you know who to go to and who not to go to for information,” Smith said. Gossip also gives people an opportunity to get closer to one another. “It’s sort of an ‘I’m going to share this with you. I’ve now shown you that you’re my friend and someone I can trust with confidence,’” Smith said. Third, gossip gives people downward social comparison. “Basically, we talk about others to make ourselves feel better,” Smith said. “It’s like ‘do you know what so-and-so did?’ and I feel better because I didn’t do that.” Gossip can also be used for relational aggression, Smith said, which is what is commonly thought of when thinking of gossip. “I’m going to talk about you and spread rumors about you so I can get back at you,” Smith said. Gossip typically happens in new situations, but it can happen everywhere, even in politics. “We think of gossip that goes on in small communities, things like that, but gossip is huge in politics,” Smith said. “Anytime people are feeling insecure, anytime information is uncertain and they don’t know what to do, you’re going to find gossip.”

Smith said someone who is the target of gossip should think about why he or she is being gossiped about and remember that people engage in gossip because they want to feel better about themselves. The best way to stop gossip from happening is by not keeping secrets, Smith said. “The more information you try to not let out, the more likely is that it will get out,” Smith said. “If you can be as open and honest and provide as much informaPhoto by Mark schindel/Fourth Estate tion as you can, you aren’t Gossip has become a part of American culture. Its effects and functions are often tho- going to have as much gossip.” ought of negatively. However, it can be positive. Smith also warns that people who spread gossip often Smith said the amount of gossip that happens through- become targets of gossip as well. She advises gossipers to out an individual’s life can come and go. look at the reasons why they are spreading gossip. “In times of insecurity, you may have higher rates of “Think about how you think it will affect those other gossip and some people do gossip more than others,” Smith people and also think about your source and what the said. “People who are insecure may gossip more or people information is,” Smith said. who are just more outgoing may gossip more because they Regan said people should also think about whether they talk more socially so it’s often related to social environ- what to engage in gossip or not when they receive informaments. It depends on where you are at different points in tion that may or may not be true. your life.” “It stops at the person who receives it,” Regan said. “You Gossip can have many negative effects, such as impact- can either hear it and make a decision about what you’re ing a person’s ability to trust. It can be damaging psychol- going to do with it and that ends with that person or you ogy, Regan said. pass it on. If you’re choosing to pass it on, you have to make “How a person is affected depends on what is said, who a decision about why you’re choosing to do it.” they are as a person and how they’re able to manage or Regan said if talking to the person or people spreading respond to that,” Regan said. the gossip does not work or is not feasible and the gossip Regan said if gossip is persistent, it can have long-term is damaging, it is best to go to someone higher up. For effects and cause individuals to take it out on themselves. example, if the gossip is occurring at work, go to a supervi“Sometimes people take it personally,” Regan said. “I sor or if the gossip is happening at school, go to the Dean don’t want to make things sound extreme, but if it causes of Students. things like stress, anxiety, depression, it could result in Another way to deal with gossip is to ignore it, Regan how they cope with it, whether it’s through seeing a coun- said. selor, managing it through using substance or through “Know it’s not accurate and move forward,” Regan said. other needs.” “There’s not much else you can do.”

Breaking up in the 21st century should be done in person JOE LARKIN Fourth Estate

There are many ways of breaking up, but there are some thath could be skipped. For generations, couples have decided rightfully or wrongfully to terminate their relationships, but in the early 21st century, high tech capabilities give us the ability to get out of responsibility and lack

scene and tell them I don’t want to lead you along; you can do better.” Though phone breakups have been a part of the relationship-ending culture for decades, the text messaging and Facebook endings seem to portray a lack of personal connection. “It’s just a cowardly way of getting out of it,” Long said. “They’re just doing it to get out of a confrontation. The worst one, I think, is when a person has someone break up for you.” Nikki West, a junior environmental science major, had been dating since October. Her boyfriend lived right below her, however, they didn’t meet face-to- face to discuss the end of their relationship. They broke up on the phone and agreed officially on Facebook that they were broken up. “I broke up with my last boyfriend by driving three hours and doing it in person,” West said. “I would rather have had this last relationship happen face to face.” Though West has a very low opinion of men

I think it’s hurting us, as you encourage technology more, the less and less personal things get. —CHARISSA MORAN JUNIOR HUMAN BIOLOGY MAJOR Photo by Gentry Mullen/MCT

When deciding to break up with the one you’re with, have the courtesy to do it face-to-face.

bravery when walking away. Tanner Long, a freshman business major, has two serious relationships and a couple other minor relationships. For him, there is a specific way of ending on the right note. “Basically call and say you need to talk,” he said. “I take them to a public place if I think they are going to make a

at this time, she does have advice. Listen to your friends and break up face-to- face. Like Long, Charissa Moran, a junior human biology major, said she always made time to call boyfriends and schedule a time to talk and give them the best reason possible. Not meeting faceto-face was not an option. “I think it’s cowardly because you must have

cared about the person if you entered into a relationship with them and then you’re too afraid to meet with them face-to-face,” Moran said. Moran believed technology and generational differences have a lot to do with the new break up methods. Some are feasible; however, she feels the majority are hurtful. “Breaking up on the phone isn’t as bad because at least you can hear their voice and respond,” she said. “I think it’s hurting us, as you encourage technology more, the less and less personal things get.” For Moran and others like her, there would be only one solution for an inappropriate break up. Catch up with the person and talk with them face-to-face. It’s the responsible thing to do.

March 12, 2009 • Fourth Estate • 11

Connecting to the community KATELYN SANTY Fourth Estate

People who have volunteered at a nursing home, helped build a house for someone in need, mentored a young child, or given their time at a homeless shelter are not alone. According to a 2006 article from NationalService.gov, 3.3 million college students chose to volunteer in their communities. Volunteer opportunities for students range from blood drives to mentoring youth and being a literacy tutor. Christine Hillier, a junior education major, has seen the effects of volunteers through her job with the YMCA. Hillier works at a Green Bay elementary school with an after school program. During the program, students have time to do their homework and do hands-on activities with the staff. “The main thing volunteers do for us is to help us spread out with the kids and give more one-on-one attention,” Hillier said. Volunteers allow the YMCA to hold more programs, Hillier said. “There are evening programs offered for the kids too,” Hillier said. “The more volunteers they have, the more they can offer those programs and the better they’ll be.” In addition to youth program volunteer opportunities, UW-Green Bay has several student organizations dedicated to service. Sammy Olesiak, a sophomore human biology major, is a member of Habitat for Humanity, an organization aimed at building houses for those in need. As a member of Habitat for Humanity Olesiak has traveled to Missouri twice to build homes in hurricanedamaged areas. “The first time I went you could really see the hurricane damage,” Olesiak said. “The second time you could see some things were different and some were the same. One thing that was really nice on the trips was to see the

families who would be living in the houses.” Jamie Froh, a senior education major, has also been involved in service through organizations. “I’ve been involved through National Honor Society, with blood drives and nursing home visits, and I did a lot of service through the 4-H program,” Froh said. For Froh, service has become second nature over the years. “It’s always been a large part of my life,” Froh said. “It’s just natural.” The Web site for the Office of Student Life explains the benefits of getting involved in service, including better time management and interpersonal skills, feeling a connection to the university and other students and performing better academically. The students agreed there are many benefits to contributing to the community and the individual. “If the kids and the parents see me out in the community doing things, helping them, and helping them help others, it sends such a strong message that we’re all in this together,” Froh said. Olesiak learned new skills from her work with Habitat for Humanity as well. “I learned so many things by building the houses and Photo by/Mark Schindel/Fourth Estate there’s just a great feeling of seeing the house completed,” she said. Volunteering is beneficial to the community and the At the YMCA, Hillier said the volunteers make a notice- people involved. able impact on the children. “As staff, we try to let them know we really appreciate them because it really does make a difference,” Hillier Froh is currently completing her student teaching and said. “It makes our job a little easier. It really helps the will graduate in May. kids, just knowing more people are there who care about “It’s definitely a bonus to have your volunteer hours them.” on an application or resume, but ultimately it helps me In addition to the intrinsic benefits of service, volun- to connect to the community I will be teaching in,” Froh teering is valuable on a job or graduate school application. said. “I knew I needed service for my application to medical To find out more about volunteer opportunities availschool because they look for it,” Olesiak said. “Getting able to students, visit uwgb.edu/stulife/volunteer. involved has been really awesome and I get to meet new people.”

Live it up before you settle down Don’t be tied down to a lost cause LEILANI RICHARDS Fourth Estate

Everyone has a different take on relationships based on personality. Some prefer to be an independent free spirit and others cannot fathom being alone. I consider myself to be an independent person and a complicated mix of both personality types. In the area of relationships, I always seem to be with someone. I never intend on starting anything; it just happens. I by no means need a person, but I enjoy having a person in my life who I care about and can grow from. Unfortunatley, the majority of the people I end up with seem to be a waste of time. However, on the plus side, you live and you learn. From each person I have

gathered more about myself and hopefully improved my character flaws. In doing so, I feel a majority of people can tell when something is meant to be and when you seem to be killing time. Without a doubt, being solo enables you to do you. On the flip side, being tied down can be a pain, but if the person is irreplacable, hold on to them. To those who seem to be killing time, don’t. Life is too short. College years are exploratory and you learn about yourself. Wasting time with a lost cause will hinder you from meeting people worth wild. You have your whole life to be tied down. Don’t settle for anything less than the best.

SAM ROSE

Fourth Perspective It seems like common knowledge how I personally feel about relationships at this time in my life. I think it’s really important to test the waters before you jump in. I’m aware there are different personality types and this needs to be taken into consideration. Some people, myself included, live for their independence and enjoy the experiences life presents them. Other people are more dependent on others and feel lost when single. Isn’t it crazy when someone gets out of a long- term relationship and just happens to meet someone immediately after? They justify their relationship with how amazing

question: is it better to play the field Different strokes for different folks or pop the Get question? BRYAN HULBERT Fourth Perspective

Whether you decide to get tied up or decide to get tied down during college is as much a personal choice as where you decide to go to college. Whichever path you choose to follow make sure you’re happy. I can’t stress this enough. It doesn’t matter if you are single, or dating, so long as you are happy with your choice. There are advantages of getting involved in college. One of the main advantages is you are around a large pool of new people. I know many people who have met their husband or wife in college. They have been successful and gone on to buy houses, have children and live out the American dream as we call it. This is not to say that there are not difficulties in getting involved in college because most certainly there are.

Those who choose not to get tied down in college would say the biggest advantage is just that they are not tied down. They have the freedom to do almost anything they please. They can go out, party, study and meet people whenever and wherever they want. This is not always possible for those involved with someone else. This is something to remember. If you’re looking for college to be a part of life where you meet new people and make great friendships, which will probably last forever, then maybe being tied down isn’t necessarily for you. However, if you are the kind of person who is accepting of restrictions, then perhaps you should be looking to get tied down. Who knows, you may just get tied up.

the person they’re dating is, yet when they break up they toss them aside like yesterday’s lunch and are already munching on today’s. I would like to keep the people in my life that I encounter and consider amazing. To be fair, I know of one couple who has successfully dated through college and are still happily together as well as maybe one relationship between a couple of my friends who I think might make it. When you graduate and peace out of Green Bay and you’re looking back at your college experience, are you going to regret not having a serious relationship? Or are you going to regret that huge waste of time, emotion and energy? Even more so, will you regret all of those beautiful and intelligent people you let walk by while you were tied down to a lost cause?

crazy before you’re in love

JOSH PALUBICKI Fourth Perspective

College is an exploratory adventure. You need to discover yourself and that’s much easier without having to think of someone else with every move you make. Whether it’s through classes, organizations or parties, you begin to find out what matters to you. The stages of this process are most easily defined by the years in school. Freshman year is crazy. You finally have your freedom and want to take full advantage of it. Combined with inexperience, this year is full of fun and bad choices. If you aren’t in a relationship at this point, I wouldn’t start one. There are too many mistakes to be made and it’ll probably end badly. Sophomore year is different only because you have experience. You’ve attained the knowledge to not make as many rash and stupid decisions, but you’re still exploring,

so don’t settle down yet. Being in a relationship freshman and sophomore year is probably one of the biggest regrets some people have. It inhibits your chance to go out and get crazy. There are the couples that last through those years, but they’re rare and usually run into a lot of trouble. Junior and senior years are when you should start to look for a relationship. You’ve made your mistakes, learned from them and are confident about the person you’re looking for. Also, upperclassmen are responsible enough to handle what it takes for a serious relationship. It’s OK to date while in college, just make sure you’re ready for it and that you’ve allowed yourself to make the necessary mistakes. It’s a learning process everyone must go through before they can take on the responsibility of being someone’s someone.

Disclaimer: All statements/opinions expressed are solely those of the writers and do not reflect the views of the Fourth Estate. The writers do not hold professional degrees in psychology and advice comes solely from personal experience.

12 • Fourth Estate • March 12, 2009

Crossword

Ask the Research Guy

By MCT

ACROSS 1 School orgs. 5 Sample 10 Type of fencing foil 14 Set of antlers 15 Studio sign 16 Large wine casks 17 __ homo (Behold the man!) 18 French historian 19 Org. of court players 20 Start of a Johnny Carson quip 23 Ambulance grp. 24 Court 25 Peer Gynt’s mother 26 Mary of “Where Eagles Dare” 28 Evil spirit: var. 30 Tux adjuster 32 Part 2 of quip 36 Filmmaker Riefenstahl 39 Prohibit 40 Precinct 41 Part 3 of quip 46 Actor Cesar 47 Placate 51 Wee hrs. 52 Cries of discomfort 54 Corn serving 55 Carpool-lane letters 56 End of quip 60 Show contempt 61 Medical prefix 62 Pressing device 63 Window ledge 64 Miscue 65 Female equine 66 Corduroy rib 67 Passe 68 Chopped DOWN 1 Hunted and killed 2 Puget Sound port 3 Blame 4 Keel extension 5 Italian ice cream 6 Wind: pref. 7 Spanish health 8 Royal headband 9 Che’s first name 10 Sewing case 11 Of skin eruptions 12 Crown a king 13 NASA partner 21 Cuddly George Lucas creature 22 Sport 27 Mother of Brunhilde 29 Augusta’s state 31 Twin Falls state 33 Hoopsters’ org.

Q: I like to study at the library but find it impossible to get one of those rooms with a computer.  It seems they are always occupied.  I know the sign says they are for groups to use, but what about us single users?  What options do we have? A: The library has heard this comment more frequently in the last semester.  To assist you in your research and study needs, we are now taking reservations for four of our project rooms.  Located on 5th and 6th floors, these rooms can be reserved by groups or individuals for up to two hours.  If you have a preferred study time or need to meet with a group at a specific time of day, reserve the space in advance.  Reservations can be made by calling 465-2333 or by stopping at the Library Plaza Desk.  You can pick your key up at this desk on your way into the library.  When you are done, simply drop the key back at the Plaza Desk.  Be sure you get your key back on time; late keys will incur typical reserve fines.  For those who don’t have a reservation, the other six project rooms will remain on a first come first served basis with priority given to groups.

Last week’s answers

E-mail us at [email protected] with any suggestions you’d like to see.



34 35 36 37 38 42 43 44 45 48

Rather or Blocker Opposite of ESE Dr. Zhivago’s love Me, myself and I problem Blockhead Disney sci-fi film Greetings Singer of M.I.T. One-third of a WWII movie? Chest

Horoscopes



49 50 53 54 57 58 59 60

M. de Balzac Leveled First president of South Africa Swashbuckler Flynn Adjective-forming suffix Juanita’s other Capital of Peru Vane dir.

By MCT

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) Today is a 7 — Postpone big decisions and heartfelt declarations for a while longer. You’re still in the information-gathering phase. To know what you can get, figure out what other people want. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Today is a 7 — If you’re running into a lot of resistance, put that project on hold. Give yourself a couple of days to regain objectivity. You’re so close to the problem, you can’t see what’s going on. Gemini (May 21-June 21) Today is a 7 — The controversy rages. Listen and maintain objectivity. When you do choose a side, have the facts to back up your argument. Know what you’re talking about. Cancer (June 22-July 22) Today is a 7 — Tell the pushy salespeople that you’ll get back to them. Read all the fine print in the contracts you’re asked to sign. Better yet, don’t sign a thing until Thursday or Friday.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Today is a 7 — Act like you know what you’re doing, even if you’re not entirely sure. Your cool, confident facade does a lot to sway opinions. Keep the people calm and they’re more likely to follow along. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Today is a 7 — The plan isn’t working as well as you’d hoped. You’re encountering resistance. Nobody wants to compromise, leaving you in a difficult spot. This may take a while, so chill. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Today is a 7 — Be careful; tempers are short. Jealousy could also be a factor. It’s best not to flirt. You don’t want to start an argument between two people you love. Don’t even try to explain. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Today is a 7 — The person who’s shouting the loudest isn’t necessarily right. The opposite is more likely true, from your point of view. Be patient with a person who tends to be a whiner.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Today is a 6 — Listen to both sides of the debate, presented by people who feel passionately about their point of view. These folks are more interesting than the ones who won’t pick a side to defend. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Today is a 7 — Paying off old debts is about to get more difficult. You may have to update your skills to get the jobs that pay the best. Start by figuring out what that will be six months from now. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Today is a 7 — Ignore a person who seems to be trying to get you all riled up. If you don’t agree, just leave it at that. Don’t try to work it out. Postpone the entire discussion until a more favorable time. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Today is a 6 — Watch out for breakage, changes in plans and random urgencies. Don’t let somebody else’s problem give you a heart attack. You’ll be glad to help, if you’re treated well. If not, don’t.

Q: I’m supposed to find information on the policies and political stance on issues of the Social Democratic Party in Germany. The Wikipedia entry on the SPD has a link to their Web site … but it’s all in German and I can’t find any information in English. What else can I try? A: Here are a couple of suggestions. First, although it is a bit dated you can look at the information and suggested sources about the SPD, or officially the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, included in the Germany entry in the World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties in our Reference Collection on the 3rd floor. The news portion of the Lexis Nexis Academic database has lots of current articles in English from foreign news sources, and has pretty good coverage of the SPD. And don’t give up on the official Web site just because you don’t speak German. Yahoo’s Babel

Fish service at http://babelfish. yahoo.com/ allows you to translate either a block of text or a Web site from one language to another. No, it’s not a perfect translation, and no, it doesn’t do every single language, but hey it’s free and helps you understand the gist of a page. Q: I can never find anything when I need to look on the 4th floor, even though the magazines are supposed to be in alphabetical order. What is up with that? A: Mmm, yes, it can be a tricky proposition. A lot of things are, or can be, up with that. For starters: Be sure you have the correct title (your citation). That will save you from roaming the “Jo” area, looking for the Journal of the American Medical Association, when the title of that entity is actually JAMA. Next, disregard articles such as a, an and the at the beginning of a journal title and head, for example, to the S’s to locate The Shakespeare Newsletter. Then follow the words and letters that are within the title as though they held the key to a sacred text (which well they might, come to think of it). A “Journal for Whatever” is going to be in a totally different area than a “Journal of Whatever,” or even a “Journal of the whatever.” Finally, beyond that, if you have problems, ask one of us. We’re here and we’re glad to help. Q: Well, what about the newspapers, then? They start with Post-Crescent and end with Die Zeit. A: LOL, yes they do, and thank you for two excellent examples of publisher trickery and librarian exactitude. If you check our catalog, you will see that “Post Crescent” is a variant title for the Appleton Post Crescent. And your German prof, or one of the librarians, will tell you die is German for the. Submit questions for this column to [email protected]. Questions will be answered by a librarian either through this column or directly to you. Specific research questions should continue to be sent to [email protected].

[email protected] CLASSIFIEDS The Woods Pub and Grill, close to campus, is looking for part-time servers and bartenders who would continue into summer break. Please contact [email protected] for futher information or to request an application.

To purchase ad space in the Fourth Estate or classified space in this section, contact Alicia Jahnke or Brandon Selissen at 4e@ uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2715.



March 12, 2009 • Fourth Estate • 13

News Briefs Hand waves good-bye to SGA, Boner rises to the challenge Former SGA president Jeremiah Hand has stepped down amid allegations of cronyism and petty theft. He will be replaced by Vice-President Bill Boner, who pledges to “bring decency back to the student organization.” Boner’s first course of action will be to limit the power of the Public Safety Office, especially in regards to their tricky drug busts, which some are calling rigged. Boner refers to the sting operation where he had been grabbed on the street and coerced into producing a white substance from his lapel. The white substance was actually white and from the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico, a trendy trinket which many are currently carrying on their person. As for the former president, it has been confirmed that Hand will be doing freelance reporting with an embedded investigation in Chicxulub south of the border, before advancing north to feel out Lake Titicaca. Sheep disappear from campus The many sheep sightings which have been occurring around campus, including the alleged stampede on John M. Rose Hall, have now been followed with a period of normalcy, as there can be no sheep found within a 30 mile radius from campus. Officials are stumped as to where the sheep could have gone, especially since recent photographic evidence confirms that sheep had been grazing near the entrance to the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. Information on where the sheep are now, including a history of sheep on and around campus, can be found at uwgb.edu/ sheepshead. Economy falls off cliff, lands in ugly tree Warren Buffet has been an eyewitness to the economy’s recent fall off a cliff, according to AP Business. Buffet reported “seeing the economy falter at first, then take a header off of a cliff I could have sworn was no deeper than $150 billion deep a second ago, now it’s looking to be about $1 trillion.” Buffet went on to give an account of how the economy seemed to hit every branch, outcrop and promontory on the way down, notably knocking loose a number of cacti which have been known to lend water but have been recently hording it due to a water deficit. The economy narrowly missed hitting a famous outcrop that is part of the GM-Chrysler Formation, however a boulder from the AIG formation quickly followed in its wake, causing a slight avalanche. It took 13 weeks to dig out the economy. The economy was immediately rushed to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where it remains in critical condition.

!

D RE

C

SO N E

The End is Nigh

New computer virus gives college students crumby Outlook, Word NICHOLAS REILLY Off the Wall

It seems once again Microsoft Works has proven itself to be an oxymoron. A new glitch in Microsoft Vista has been causing rampant misunderstandings in both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook. The new virus seems to target the spell check and grammar check programs in Word and Outlook, making such subtle changes as switching the “i” and the “e” in any word that contains those two adjacent characters, and replacing “there” with one of its variants whenever it’s typed. The virus has also been known to randomly drop words like “that” or “very” at least once per paragraph, while spaces after a period have begun to vary from two to five. “It’s a serious problem,” said Caroline Goebbels, Campus Grammar Coordinator. “Student papers have dropped to a ninth grade reading level. That’s almost two grades lower than previous years.” The problem is especially trou-

bling to many teachers who have assigned end of the year term papers. “I don’t look forward to grading all of these” said an unnamed professor. “This virus has been getting worse over the years, to the point where we might as well have all the student strap on a blue vest right now.” “We don’t have time for remedial computer programming,” said Campus Help Desk representative Joseph Goering. “We just don’t have the resources to fix all of these grammatical problems in every student’s account. This is something that should been fixed in high school.” Goering went on to speculate that the virus began spreading in high schools, where it went undetected for three years before someone thought to investigate the computers. There are similar problems being experienced in Outlook, in addition to address book confusions which inexplicably add cc:’s to personal e-mails. Students are encouraged to watch their cc: line, as the virus may insert random addresses.

Another problem with the virus involves Internet Explorer, as anyone who visits uwgb.edu/students outside of campus will have meatspin.com bookmarked on their browser. The virus was also known to set the goatse Web site as the desktop background whenever one visits wikipedia.org, but this has proven to actually be a deterrent installed by the Campus Help Desk. There is as of this writing no real solution yet, as the Campus Help Desk says trying to fill a gap in Microsoft’s programming is like trying to fix a leak in a sieve. There are guidelines for students and a workshop scheduled for this coming Wednesday in IS1080 Lab E from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Students are asked to watch their homonyms and remember that “i” comes before “e” except after “c.” It is believed that the virus may cause random number to be placed in Microsoft Excel, but this is in rare cases, so student are asked to watch their data input and report any inconsistencies. Microsoft Publisher has also been affected by the virus, but

merit, as Kovacs is no stranger to controversy. In the past, he has been alleged to slash the tires of drivers without parking decals. In addition, during his first week as a Public Safety official, Kovacs was alleged to have caught a student parking in the visitor

lot during school hours. He tied him up and left him in front of the Traffic office with an $8 citation taped to his forehead. None of these charges has ever come to fruition, however. Kovacs has already sparked controversy, claiming that there

Photo by Clint Austin/MCT

Students visibly distressed over the computer virus that messes up spel chek. since nobody uses it anymore, the issue hasn’t been addressed.

Recent faculty appointments leave many asking “Who watches the Public Safety Officials?” NICHOLAS REILLY Off the Wall

It was reported last week that the current Director of Public Safety, Hugh G. Rection, would be steping down for retirement. The chancellor’s office spent the last few days considering replacements and we can now confirm that Walter Kovacs will fill the position following spring break. This is seen as a controversial choice by some, as Kovacs’ hardline, no nonsense, uncompromising attitude toward public safety has made him many enemies. “I wouldn’t trust him [Kovacs] to keep his own views out of consideration when writing a ticket,” said Laurie Juspeczyk, parking office employee. “He only sees the black and white of parking violations.” Juspeczyk refers to the protocols removing the appeal process for parking tickets. And also to the fact that he wears a black and white nylon stocking over his face. SGA president Bill Boner has already made plans to challenge the appointment, claiming that Kovacs “once gave me a ticket for not having my permit. It fell off. What was I supposed to do? Then later, he comes back and gives me another ticket. What the eff, man? I was in class all day. The student body deserves better than this, he can’t treat us this way. $16, man . . .” These accusations do have their

Photo Illustration by Nick Reilly

Here is a candid photo of incoming Director of Public Safety Walter Kovacs attempting to quell a riot caused by Phoenix Women’s Basket Ball Team’s recent assertion of being the best on earth.

Corrections In an article in the March 5 issue of the Fourth Estate referring to yeast contamination at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen located twenty miles off campus, Lord Chesterfield Snapdragon McFisticuffs III, head baker was quoted as saying the cause of the recent inflammation was due to a deficit of ebzen sauce “and all the rest of whom for which to whensonever of partially indeterminate bio-chemical degradation

seek the path to sudsy yellow nozzle of their foaming nocturnal parametric digital whole-wheat inter-faith geothermal terpsichorean ejectamenta,” he had actually been referring to the “steaming, hot black screaming iridescent naugahyde python screaming steam roller” involved in the pressing process. The Fourth Estate regrets the confusion.

will be a zero tolerance policy for traffic offenders, the new policy being “Never compromise, even in the face of On his web site, Kovacs has been issuing a number of statements about his philosophy in regard to public safety, including this excerpt from his blog on Oct. 12 when Kovacs was still assigned to Traffic patrol: “The campus is extended gutters and the gutters are full of blood and when the drains finally scab over, all the vermin will drown. The accumulated filth of all their reckless driving and parking violations will foam up about their waists and all the whores and student drivers will look up and shout ‘Save us!’ and I’ll look down and whisper ‘No, you still have an unpaid parking citation.” Kovacs’ appointment is coming under fire by the same groups which opposed the appointment of Dr. Jon Osterman to the physics department on the grounds that he has since his instatement never worn clothing. “It’s quite distracting,” said Juspeczyk. Osterman has also come under fire for comments regarding Student Life, insisting that the concept is not all that unique. He also questioned it, asking whether the campus would really benefit from a natural gas pipeline or a Gordon Lightfoot concert. Dr. Osterman could not be reached for comment.

A carrot is as close as a rabbit gets to a diamond

14 • Fourth Estate • March 12, 2009 SPEAK OUT

All items on the Opinion pages—cartoons, commentaries and letters to the editor—reflect the opinion of the author, not of the Fourth Estate. The Fourth Estate welcomes comments, suggestions, letters to the editor and submissions.

Walking a mile in another woman’s hijab RHOMYLLY FORBES

Commentary [email protected]

Most days I look like what I am: a scruffy middle-aged college student, wife and mom. A couple of Saturdays ago, I looked like someone else -- a Muslim woman. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, since 9/11, Muslims in America have been harassed more than any other group. It also shouldn’t be any surprise that Muslim women, with their distinctive head coverings required by religious custom, sometimes religious law, have been the victims of most of the harassment. What would it be like to spend a day resembling a devoted adherent to the most misunderstood and feared religion in the United States? I thought I had some understanding of this. I’ve considered myself a member of a non-mainstream faith for over twenty years. But unless I choose to wear a pentacle the size of Flavor Flav’s clock on the outside of my T-shirt you’d never know I was Pagan. Muslim women aren’t so lucky.

Fortunately, there aren’t too many in America that are required to wear the allbody-covering burqua, but most still wear some form of a hijab – a combination of under-hood and all-enveloping scarf that at minimum covers a woman’s hair, shoulders and chest. These items are easily available online along with instructions for the various scarf styles. Amira is the shortest of the three most popular options. The other two are the shayla, which is a long shawl-like rectangle, and the Turkish or square scarf. The shayla scarf looked like the easiest for a novice like me and that’s what I chose. A couple Saturdays ago my 4-year-old daughter and I made plans to go to the Maritime Museum and then eat lunch at Burger King. I was in a hijab with two bobby pins keeping my bangs from peeking out and a steel bar’s-worth of safety pins firmly attaching the shayla scarf on my head in the face of Wisconsin winter winds. I did toss a baseball cap into the front seat of the car in case I lost my nerve and didn’t want to display my now-messy bangs to the unsuspecting public. I was as ready as I would ever be. I wish I had some lurid tales of being spat upon or shoved or even beaten up in pursuit of journalistic truth, but I don’t.

The cashier who took our entrance fee at the museum was quite polite. She said, “It’s a good thing you came this morning. The winds are really supposed to pick up this afternoon.” On our way out an hour later I noticed she did not say the same thing to the family who was now paying to get in. I can only assume she was concerned that all the fabric on my head would either blow off or stay on and make me airborne. I couldn’t blame her. I was worried about the same thing. People tended to stare at us more than they usually would. In fact, under ordinary circumstances I don’t notice people staring at me or if they even do. And yes, the stares could definitely be described as hostile. A little boy in a stroller took one look at me and started to scream. His mother tried to cover it by saying, “He’s so excited to see another little kid,” but I knew better. Any mother can tell the difference between an excited scream and a terrified scream. Plus the look of fear on his face gave him away. For some reason this was the most painful moment in the whole experiment. Every once in a while I’d see my reflection in a glass exhibit case. Sometimes I didn’t even recognize myself. Mostly I could see the little boy’s fear reflected in my own eyes.

Things weren’t much better at Burger King. Children literally stopped in their tracks and stared at me. Considering how much their parents were pretending not to look, I think the adults would have done the same thing if good manners hadn’t prevented them. One nice man, however, did make a point of jumping up and coming halfway across the restaurant to hold the door open for me as I struggled with it. I’d heard that women in hijabs were often treated perfectly politely by non-Muslim men. Now I have to agree. It didn’t take long for me to have had quite enough of the continual stares and whispers and I hustled my kid out the door as soon as possible. We hadn’t even gotten out of the Burger King parking lot before the underscarf and the shayla shawl were off my head. I tried not to think about Muslim women for whom this is a normal part of their lives all day, every day, for decades. I couldn’t handle wearing mine for more than two hours. I went home and cried. It’s sad that a parent can’t take her kid to the museum and Burger King in peace if the parent somehow stands out as a hated minority. The mom in the hijab deserves to be treated just like everyone else. Just like me. Just like you.

Assualt weapon ban infringes on our Second Amendment rights BEN EVENSON Commentary

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Before the presidential election of 2008, firearms were being bought in record numbers. People were afraid if Barack Obama became president he was going bring back the assault weapons ban that was in effect between 1994 and 2004. It was reported Obama was going to raise the prices on ammunition 500 percent. Most of all, people were afraid Obama was against the second amendment. The assault weapons ban prohibits the manufacturing of detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifles with standard attachments, such as a pistol-type grip and adjustable-length, folding stock or a flash suppressor. The ban included a ten-round limit on magazines for rifles that are sold to citizens for private use. A study required by Congress found the 1994 law was virtually useless. Why? Not (as the anti-gunners claim) because it was so poorly written that it allowed some guns to be made with pistol-type grips and others to be made with flash suppressors. Instead the study pointed out, “banned weapons and magazines were never used in more than a modest fraction of all gun

murders” in the first place according to a story written in the February 2009 issue of American Rifleman. I believe the assault weapon ban is ridiculous. My father owns a .223 rifle we use for hunting fox and coyotes. This gun is not considered an assault weapon even though it has a magazine that can hold 25 rounds. If the gun had a pistol grip, it would be considered an assault weapon. This example shows how confusing a law can be. Once the 1994-2004 ban has gone away this is no longer a problem for us anymore. President Obama is once again speaking about bringing back the assault weapons ban. We are once again left in limbo at to which guns can be used and what can’t. This ban would mean that citizens would no longer be able to purchase assault weapons. The .223 my father owns is the only firearm in our home that could possibly be considered an assault rifle. Some people might ask what citizens would need an assault weapon for? A lot of assault weapons are purchased for hunting, recreational shooting and for protection. Hunting is the major reason we own guns in our home. We don’t feel the need to purchase an assault weapon for protection from anything. If a burglar would break into our home I believe the other firearms we have would be enough for us to protect ourselves. Some people are in recreational shoot-

ing leagues that are held at gun clubs all around Wisconsin and the rest of the country. These shooting league participants use hand guns, shot guns and rifles, some of which are considered assault rifles, to shoot targets and hone their skills as a shooter. These leagues are a great way to spend time with friends shooting guns and not killing anything. Assault weapons allow these shooters to use more rounds in a small amount of time in order for them to get a better score depending on how well they hit the target. Raising a tax on ammunition by 500 percent could possibly be one of the dumbest things I have heard in a long time. What does increasing the ammunition price do? Do people think raising the price on ammunition is going to stop crime? All it does is charge American citizens more money in order for them to use their fire arms. It does nothing to stop crime. Crime is still going to happen no matter how much the price is raised on ammunition or firearms. There are crimes committed by people who buy their ammunition and firearms from stores. There are also crimes committed by people who buy their ammunition and firearms off the street. If people stop buying ammunition and firearms in stores they will still be able to buy them off the street. There is no way you can stop crimes committed with

firearms just by raising the ammunition prices. The last issue most people are worried about ties in with everything I have talked about so far: the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is what protects a citizen’s right to own and bear arms. This means citizens should be able to own and buy ammunition and firearms without being regulated by the government as to what and how many of each they are able to own. I believe the assault weapons ban is denying citizens of this great country their Second Amendment rights to own an assault weapon. Each person in this country has privileges they are granted for being good people. If you are a criminal then the privileges are taken away. If you are good then you keep these privileges and shouldn’t have to worry about the government taking them away. Obama is now officially the President of the United States. He has not yet acted upon the 500 percent tax raise on ammunition or the assault weapons ban. It is possible sometime in the near future he could do one or both of these things. For the sake of being a free country I hope he doesn’t do either and leaves the country as it is now. Everyone with a clean record is entitled to own a firearm and that is how it should stay.

Letter to the editor Will the Real Phoenix Phanatics Please Stand Up? What do the University of Duke, University of North Carolina, University of Kentucky, and University of California Los Angeles have in common? Beside unprecedented success on the basketball court and national championships, these great universities have wild and crazy student sections. Why is it so important to have a loud and obnoxious fan base? Do these shameless students really play a role in the games? I would contend they do. Why else would there be ‘home-court advantage?’ The atmosphere provided by students is an essential part of intimidating the opposing team, and making enough noise to confuse players as they try to run plays, shoot free throws or simply communicate to one another. In fact, a story recently aired on ESPN about a Cameron

Crazy who was the sole cause for a North Carolina player to miss his two free throws. As Jackie Manuel stepped up to the charity stripe, the Duke student section sat down, except for Patrick King. He stripped out of his clothes until he was wearing only a blue Speedo. As Manuel began to shoot his freethrows, King began to dance, gyrating his body and getting in Manuel’s head, causing him to miss both throws. Manuel admitted later the fan got in his head and distracted him. The point here is not to encourage a student to strip out of his or her clothes at a UW-Green Bay basketball game. Students need to live up to the phrase printed on the green T-shirts given out at the Butler and UW-Milwaukee games: Phoenix Phanatic. For those two games, the students were unbelievable. In other games since then, the attendance and noise level has been less than stellar. The representation of the student body in recent games has been pathetic. At a recent women’s game, every

section was on its feet for the opening tip-off, except for the student section. This seems like a problem to me. The student section is the heart and soul of a college team’s fan base, so as students and supporters of the Phoenix, we need to step up and get to these games, especially with post-season play drawing near. Our teams have given us something to cheer about all year. We have not returned the favor and done the cheering. I encourage students to come and support our teams as they make a push to play late into post-season. Get out to the Kress Center and the Resch Center, and show what home-court advantage really is. Go Phoenix!

DAN CHOJNACKI Student

Letters to the editor must be received on or before the Thursday prior to their intended publication date. Letters can be e-mailed to [email protected]. Letters should not be more than 300 words and must identify the author. Submissions will be edited for spelling and grammar. All submissions received will be published, assuming they abide by the aforementioned guidelines.

March 12, 2009 • Fourth Estate • 15

College guys should stop using love to get sex KURT KRAUSS

Commentary

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Spring break is here. We’ve all been looking forward to it. For the guys at UW-Green Bay and other universities, our imaginations are filled with all the things this big week has in store for us. We’re having visions of days in Cancun with a hot sun, beach parties and cold beer. We picture our daytimes filled with booze and volleyball. At night, getting boozed up and getting laid in a swank hotel. Apparently sex and alcohol go really well together. I hate to be the one to shatter what seems like a picture-perfect vacation, but there’s a reality that needs to be addressed. Right now there is a girl on this campus who is feeling scared and alone. Another is feeling inadequate and rejected. And a third is stressing out, pushing herself beyond anything healthy, to be someone she’s not. There are many others who are walking this campus angry and hurt. Guys, do we see them? How do we respond? We hear plenty about relationships, breakups, sex, contraception, unexpected pregnancies and STDs. Many among us have experienced at least some of these. These are the topics presented during most workshops and clinics on this campus. We hear so much about these things they seem uninteresting. Much of what we hear is becoming simply theoretical, and we’re losing the reality of what the situation really is. The reality is that every person on this campus is looking for love. We all desire to love and be loved, but a majority of the time we’re missing the mark. We are so hung up on love as the emotion, the attraction between two people, that we forget the deepest essence of love. Because the English language is very limited in defining love, not only do we get criticized by other foreign languages, we also use the same word,love, to describe many different things.

The Greek language has four words describing different kinds of love. With us, the two types of love most often confused in relationships are eros and agape. Eros is the desire and attraction type of love, while agape is the deep love of really discovering the other person in a relationship. A successful relationship needs both. Often we allow ourselves to be consumed with the erotic form of love, and when we base our relationships on it we are not really loving the other person at all. There’s a saying that states, “Women will use sex to get love, men will use love to have sex.” Each of us has a dignity which goes far beyond us as just sexual beings. The deepest love is what we’re all looking for. It is being concerned with the people we care about, to know that they are loved, important and safe. This true love is being honestly concerned with their best interests. When a man loves his family, he will do anything and everything in his power to protect them. This is love. We have this love for our family and friends, and that same love needs to be at the core of our dating relationships. Otherwise, even if it is not our intention, we are just using one another to fulfill our sexual desires. This is not true love. It is something we settle with. Truly caring for that special person in our lives, respecting them, seeing them for who they really are, not simply accepting them at that but cherishing them for who they are, is what love is. Guys, are we showing this kind of love now? Are we willing to start? If we aren’t, we are adding to the crisis. Every woman on this campus is a daughter, many are sisters, and some are mothers. Every man on this campus has a mother, some have sisters, and some have daughters. Would you ever be comfortable with other guys having sex with your mother, sister or daughter, knowing that they don’t have this deep respect and love for them? You would be sick to your stomach. As men, even if we personally don’t pressure a girl into having sex, our attitudes and expectations do. In our minds, if having sex is normal for every college relation-

Illustration by Claudine Hellmuth/MCT

True romance and understanding your partner is more rewarding than a one night stand. ship, then we automatically assume there’s something wrong with the couples on this campus who choose to wait. These couples who choose to wait are on to something. With the pressures and stresses to succeed on the college level, what woman here needs an unexpected pregnancy? What woman needs the panic of discovering she’s contracted a virus? What woman should ever have to second guess her decision to save herself for marriage? Guys, if we are truly loving and respecting these amazing women we’ve been blessed with, would some

Gov. Doyle should give smokers a break ADAM BIEMERET

Commentary



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My mom, two uncles and my grandparents were smokers back when I was growing up. After I started school, I was bombarded by the anti-smoking propaganda and started saying stuff at home about the evils of smoking. My grandparents quit, but my mom kept smoking. For years we bugged her about how bad smoking was and how important it is to quit. My brother, sister and second step-dad joined the crusade. But it seemed that the more we bothered her, the more she smoked. Finally, at 16, I had to know what the big deal was. I stole a cigarette out of my mom’s pack, went out and lit up. What a buzz. In the first two puffs I understood. Smoking rocked. The next day I went to the Shell station by Preble High School and bought my first pack. I shared the buzz with my circle of friends and soon we were among the millions of Americans known as smokers. Lawmakers in California have banned smoking in all public places and some people would like to see that ban here in Wisconsin. The only people who seem to be on our side are the bar owners who have seen what a smoking ban can do for business. Now Gov. Jim Doyle has decided to take matters into his own hands. Last year he added a tax increase of $1 per pack, but there are still people who are smoking. Doyle, savior of the smoker’s soul, decided more needs to be done. In his new budget proposal Doyle wants another 75-cent increase. You’d think this was because of the economy or to make Doyle more pocket money like the true ID increase. But Doyle said in a press conference his true reasons were altruistic. “The goal is to have people stop,” Doyle said. “So that’s why you have to have these really sharp tax increases, because if you just did a tax increase of a penny or five pennies or something like that on cigarettes, it doesn’t have any effect on behavior.” Since when is it Doyle’s job to affect the behavior

of law abiding smokers? Smokers are a minority today in America and face discrimination daily. Even in establishments where smoking is perfectly acceptable, smokers are subjected to dirty looks and comments about how bad it is. Now our elected officials feel the need to punish smokers by raising our taxes. Times are hard enough without having to budget even more for my cigarettes, but I will. You can’t make a smoker quit. As I learned from my mom, the more you bug smokers about their habit, the more they want to smoke. When someone brings up smoking to me I instantly get a craving. My mouth begins to water, I get butterflies in my stomach and I can’t wait to light up. When I went to basic training I was forced to quit. Six weeks later the first thing I did was buy a pack. Since then I’ve tried to quit cold turkey. It didn’t work. I got the patch from the V.A. and found it was a waste of tax payer money. I even tried Zyban, the miracle quit smoking drug. Zyban is actually Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant that messes with the chemistry in your brain. It didn’t make me want to quit smoking and it didn’t make me happier. Sure, some of these products work for some people, but you have to want to quit. If you don’t really want to be a non-smoker, you’ll never be one. Truth is I never wanted to quit. I like to smoke. It’s just becoming too expensive to support the smoking habit of my girlfriend and myself. Rather than quit we’ve cut back, but not on smoking. That’s the thing about smokers. We make sacrifices on nonessentials to make sure we have a cigarette when we need one. And we’re not afraid beg when we have to. On the flip side smokers are usually quick to help out a smoker in need. Smoking relieves stress, calms people down and acts as a comfort. I know it’s bad for me, but I don’t care. It’s something that I enjoy. When I stop enjoying it I’ll quit, but for now I don’t want to. Maybe Gov. Doyle should concentrate on fixing the economic problems in our state rather than punishing people who haven’t done anything wrong. Smoking isn’t evil and neither are all smokers. Smokers aren’t going to quit just because we’re being bullied. There are ways to retaliate. Remember, smokers are voters too.

of these major issues of today, such as abortion, be issues at all? I believe every man and woman on this campus has a heart that really needs to be filled with true love. This is what we’re searching for, and unfortunately not getting most of the time. It’s time to man up, and be real men to these women, this campus, and this world need us to be.

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