more than just a note

"This is really wrong if we're going to live like this," Dr. McHugh said as tears streamed down her face. A terrible incident like this has affected the whole community of Wittenberg, but what are people doing about it? Many faculty are enraged by what has happened and felt it was necessary to devote class to bring awareness about this incident. Dr. McHugh not only shared her feelings with class as she became emotional, but she had students write out actions they wish to take to turn Witt into a better place. Is that really possible though? Will people change?

Many members of Wittenberg are only aware of the note that was left on the door in Tower Hall. However, it's been more than that. In Firestine, another note was left on an African American's door as well as in NewDorm above water fountains. It may have started out as a sick joke, but it turned serious very fast. Having Chapel hour is a great way to bring Witt together during a time like this, but what else will be done now? Is everyone just going to move on with hopes that people will change?

Hopefully, another incident won't happen like this, but this being the sixth incident this year that seems very unlikely. Every individual can help change this and bring the community together. It's terrible that something like this had to happen for us to realize this. So I ask, what's next?

is it really a big deal?

Is it a big deal that drugs are on Witt's campus? They are seen almost everywhere from movies, shows, magazines etc. It's almost given that they will be on a college campus when you have students partaking in the activities that we do. Almost every weekend when we're out drugs are being used-more so kids smoking weed. Is it a big deal? Not really. It's going to happen no matter where we are.

Other drugs are seen, but that too will happen. Some students believe that it's horrible and are shocked when walking into a room and you see kids doing a line of coke. If you really have a problem with it, don't return to that house. No need to report them. People are going to do what they want. If it's drugs, so be it. It's their lives!

The person behind the wheel: rough draft interview

It’s 10 p.m. on a Friday night. The phone is ringing off the hook because it’s raining outside and the intoxicated students don’t want to walk anywhere. The voice on the other end of the phone answers, “Wittenberg escort, how can we help you?”

No one ever stops and wonders who the voice on the other end is, but these people seem to always be there when we need them. One of many escort drivers, Mickey Murphy, who is a sophomore and has been working as an escort driver for almost a year, sure knows a lot about the service.

The 20 year old Business major is from Carmel, Indiana, and is thinking of pursing an Economics minor. Mickey was hired and trained last spring and officially started working with the escort service in the fall. With the excellent year he’s had, Mickey will become a student manager next year.

When asked about the busiest times for escorts, Mickey said, “They are when you expect them to be, Friday and Saturday nights. Wednesdays are also busy at times.” When the weather outside is nice, Wednesdays tend to be a lot more busy.

With the academic year coming to an end, students seem to be getting a little crazier. Mickey explained one of the funny stories he recently encountered, “A student once tried to give me a tip when I was dropping him off. He must have thought it was a cab or something.” Mickey said most of the time students are under the influence of alcohol and say stupid things, but he usually just ignores it.

“Once a guy called me to take him to a location, and within five minutes, he called me back to pick him up. It was just a little strange.”

Mickey’s favorite part of the job is working with the Wittenberg Police and Security. He says, “Everyone is very nice and willing to help out. I also like driving people around, especially when they are friendly.” However, on the other hand, people can be rather rude to the escort drivers.

When asked if he had ever gotten into an argument with a student, Mickey replied, “A couple of girls got very sassy with me. They were trying to fit five people into the car and I told them I could only take four at a time. They wouldn’t get out, but the guys they were with told them they had to and they ended up having to walk in the rain.” Mickey said his least favorite part of the job is dealing with people being rude and people who try to take advantage of the service.

The escort service has regulars that call almost every Friday and Saturday nights. Mickey said he can almost tell the exact time they will call. Also, he said, “I know a lot of times who I am talking to because I can remember their voice and put their name to it.” Mickey has gotten to know the regulars quite well and seems to have developed some sort of friendship with them.

Overall, Mickey is very pleased with his job. He enjoys working and it’s a time where he can get away from schoolwork. Often making Mickey laugh, the late night phone calls are a never-ending source of entertainment. He recalls one phone call he will never forget. “A women called and said her clutch was stolen and left in a car. We had recently dropped her off at a location and she must have been too intoxicated to remember.” So the next time an escort gives you a ride, make sure to be friendly and remember you don’t have to tip!

feature story rough draft

The other Crazy Cat Lady

Most people would consider the strange, non sociable lady with excessive amounts of cats to be the ‘crazy cat lady.’ A sophomore here at Wittenberg may seem strange when it comes to cats, but she has her own way of being different from the other predictable cat ladies.

Alex Pammer seems like the ordinary college girl, but once you get her started on cats there’s no turning back from there. When communicating with one of her many kitties she owns, named Jinglekit, she made up her own special language. English wasn’t enough for Alex, so she developed a language she believes jinglekit can understand and responds to.

Being away from her cats while she’s at school puts an emotional damper on Alex’s life. Instead of just missing her cats, Alex will try and play with the cats that are all over Witt’s campus. Going out of her away after a night of drinking, Alex thought it would be a good idea to steal and house one of the stray cats. After capturing the kitty and feeding it lasagna for dinner, she realized it wasn’t just a stray cat. It in fact had a collar around its neck and turned out to be someone else’s cat.

After the cat got sick in the middle of the night and Alex’s roommate woke up to a terrible stench in the room, she returned the cat back to outside. When Alex awoke to find the cat missing, she went searching for it, but it was nowhere to be found.

Having pictures of all her cats in her phone and a bumper sticker on the back of her car saying, “ I love my cats,” isn’t enough. Alex recently made a special trip home to attend a pet expo, which included events such as acro- kitties and rock cats. Alex admitted, “The pet expo was the highlight of my week, and I look forward to going to it each year.” One of the first times she attended the pet expo she saw her dream cat, the mainecoon breed. Alex hopes to fulfill her dream of buying one some day, which the sale prices start around $800.

Cats are a big part of Alex’s life and she most likely knows more about them than most people on this campus. Any odd questions about cats that need answered, just ask her. So the next time you see a person chasing after cats using a weird language, don’t be alarmed, it’s probably just Alex.

rough draft:column

A 3:00 a.m. phone call every two months, an e-mail every so often, and sometimes a Facebook message. This isn’t the relationship I would choose for my brother and me. The choice of joining the United States Air Force was one hundred percent his, but not being able to see my brother for a year at a time isn’t something I rather enjoy, especially when he couldn’t even see me graduate from high school.

For nearly a decade, U.S. military forces have been engaged in combat in two far-away lands. In Afghanistan, 949 Americans have died since military operations began there on October 7, 2001. My brother recently returned from a five month deployment to Iraq. There, 4,391 Americans have died since military operations began on March 19, 2003. Many question the wisdom of our military presence in both countries. Soldiers as young as 19 have been killed in the two wars, and it certain that more lives will be lost before our troops are brought home. For me, it’s personal.

President Obama recently announced his new war strategy to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by more than 30,000 to a total of more than 100,000. In addition to the president’s planned 30,000 surge, NATO has pledged 7,000 new troops. By July 2011, the U.S. will begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan, but the time table for completely ending our combat operations there remains uncertain. Regardless, long after combat troops have left the country, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has promised an ongoing civilian commitment to Afghanistan.

As the sister of an Air Force airman, sending more troops to Afghanistan sounds absurd. According to President Obama, the new goal is "a complete drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq ... to zero by December 31, 2011.” Promises of bringing the troops home are long overdue, and for the family members of those in uniform, the constant fear is that the promises of our political leaders will be broken.

The surge is causing even greater stress to U.S. forces, as many members of the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy have faced multiple deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Having recently returned to the states, my brother may be receiving orders any day now deploying him to Afghanistan.

A childhood friend of my family recently just switched roles with my brother. Seth Large enlisted in the Army soon after graduating from high school. Having been back in the states for several months to be with his wife and young child, he recently got deployed back to Iraq. Having the chance to talk to him briefly, Seth told me, “ it sucks here, and I would give anything to be back home right now.”

My brother’s route back to the states first took him to Kuwait, where he was stuck for much longer than anticipated. While in Kuwait, he and the other members of his unit were forced to sleep in tents for a couple of weeks. From Kuwait, he was flown to Germany, and after a brief stop there, he endured the long flight to U.S. soil, landing in Maine for an overnight stay before flying to Florida for a bus ride back to his air base in southern Georgia. Although he was granted a short leave, he has not been home in nearly two years. His service and sacrifice are not unique, but I cannot help but feel that they are under-appreciated. Two wars at a price of 5,340 American lives. How many more must die?

review rough draft

“I’ve never had one of these before. “

“What, a room to yourself?”

“…A bed.”

A change from the teary eyed movie, “My Dog Skip,” director John Lee Hancock took a chance and produced the remarkable, uplifting movie, “The Blind Side”, based off the book by Michael Lewis. This true story of a boy who came from nothing had his world changed when he met Leigh Anne Tuohy. He went from a boy who everyone thought would amount to nothing, to a star football player and becoming a part of a family that he never had.

Nominated and won the best performance by an actress in a leading role, Sandra Bullock played the passionate character of Leigh Anne Tuohy. Leigh Anne evolved as an empathetic person who couldn’t resist taking in the broken African American boy, even when it was made clear that it was the wrong thing to do. Taking a chance and going against what everyone thought, Leigh Anne saw a different side of Michael and believed in him when no one else did. Actor and singer, Tim McGraw played the comical husband who never doubted his wife’s feelings.

Big Mike, played by the inspiring actor Quinton Aaron, was not just any ordinary teenage boy. After being accepted and taking in by the Tuohy family, Big Mike really showed audiences what it meant to be thankful and to not take life for granted. By protecting his adorable “little brother,” S.J. played by Jae Head, Big Mike didn’t let harm get in the way of his new family.

By having his new family’s back at all times, Big Mike took that knowledge and applied it out on the football field with the help of Leigh Anne and S.J. Hard work and dedication was needed, but success was on its way.

This well deserved movie was nominated for best picture of the year, with scenes that left audience members in laughs, tears, or joy, even when some parts dragged on for a little too long.

This 128-minute film really showed what protecting and loving your family was about. Rated PG-13 even with some language context, this movie is suitable for all ages. Suggesting seeing the “The Blind Side” will leave everyone with their hearts touched and happy being part of a family.

Poll Story

Sex, drugs and risky business are not what come to mind when thinking of Wittenberg University. From the outside, Wittenberg seems like a prestigious, small private school. However, when being on the inside of the bubble, the truth comes out.

A non-scientific poll was conducted last week of 45 males and 73 females with various questions about the secret sins students partake in. According to the poll, 87 percent of males and 53 percent of females have come to class under the influence. Being a Lutheran school, many would think that coming to class under the influence of drugs or alcohol was unacceptable, but on student’s minds class was just not enough.

Wittenberg University takes their academic honor code with cheating very seriously. However, 84 percent of males and 78 percent of females have cheated in school. Most students think that getting caught with cheating isn’t likely; so a great deal of the student body participates in it. Along with that, 56 percent of males and 42 percent of females have cheated on their girlfriends or boyfriends. Not just cheating in school is what students are doing now days.

On a more intimate level, students engage in sexual intercourse quite often. Twenty-two percent of males and 16 percent of females have had a three some. When not having sexual intercourse students are partaking in sexting. Seventy-six percent of males and 66 percent of females have done so. A sophomore male said, the craziest thing he’s ever done was, “ I had sex in a pool with a girl while 30 people were watching us.”

Students here seem innocent and crazy about their studies, but the truth is they are more interested in the sex, drugs, and partying. A junior female said the most risky thing she’s done that nobody knows is, “ I’ve tried coke, but a lot people know that about me.”

A good majority of students here have shoplifted. Among the favorites are things such as, clothes, condoms, alcohol, food, and lip-gloss. Not being so risky, most students have not dined and dashed. Only 27 percent of males and 8 percent of females have done so. Students weren’t being so rebellious when it came to eating out.

With all the crazy stories, it’s safe to say Wittenberg students know how to have a good time by jumping into a giraffe’s cage or “making love in the club at McMurray’s.”