P

u

sh

ing fo

r diversity

Early exit

Women’s basketball falls

in HAAC quarterfinals

SPORTS, p. 8

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

Nathan Weinert

Editor-in-Chief

College

prepares

to honor

achievers

Achievement Day

festivities next week

continued on page 5

Corey Husak

Assignment Editor

continued on page 4

M

ove to N

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be decade aw

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Volume 22, Issue 19

Friday, February 29, 2008

The Student Voice of William Jewell College

PERSPECTIVES:

Voices of KC reflections, p. 3

CAMPUS:

Seniors pick Pryor legacy project, p. 4

TALK TO THE AND(Y):

Andy is a big deal, p. 7

“It may be 10 years before we

make the move.”

—Dr. David Sallee

President of the College

A wide range of passions and

expertise will be represented when

William Je well College honors

four alumni during the 64th annual

Achievement Day next week.

Chosen to receive the Citation for

Achievement are astrophysicist Dr.

William Sharp III, ’74; Walt Disney

costume designer Douglas Enderle,

’78; bank executive James Rucker, ’77;

and nurse practitioner Dr. Carolyn

Edison, ’74.

Presidential historian and author

Michael Beschloss will be the

featured speaker at the Achievement

Day dinner Thursday night and

will also speak on campus Thursday

afternoon.

Se veral events are planned as

part of the College’s celebration of

achievement. According to Dr. Chad

Jolly, vice president for Advancement,

Achievement Day has three purposes:

to honor alumni who have achieved

distinction, to provide an opportunity

for current students to receive

inspiration and advice from achievers

and to showcase the excellence of

William Jewell College to the K ansas

City community. “Different events

do different parts of this,” he said.

The first event scheduled as part

of the Achievement Day festivities

is a dinner and forum Wednesday

night, where student leaders will have

the opportunity to meet with the

honorees.

Thursday night, the festivities will

move to the Westin Crown Center

Hotel downtown, where Beschloss

will be the featured speaker at the

Achievement Day dinner at 7:30

p.m. Beschloss is the author of nine

books (including current best-seller

Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders

and How they Changed America,

1789-1989) and currently serves as

the presidential historian for NBC

News. “In an election year, it made

One desired “outcome” named in

William Jewell College’s Strategic

Plan is to move the school’s athletic

affiliation to the National Collegiate

Athletic Association from its

current place in the National

Association of Intercollegiate

Athletics. There is a great deal

of discussion in the highest

levels of the College about the

form the move will take, but it

is anything but a “done deal.” In

fact, Dr. David Sallee, president

of the College said that “it

may be 10 years before we make the

move.”

There are two divisional choices in

the NCAA the College is considering

at this moment, and a possible third

choice may be further down the

road for William Jewell. NCAA

Division II is a division in which

schools are able to give out a limited

number of athletic scholarships to

their student athletes. The division is

comprised of a mixture of mid-size

state-funded public institutions and

a slightly smaller number of private

colleges. NCAA Division III consists

largely of private institutions and

a significant proportion of public

universities in the mix as well. Schools

in Division III are not allowed to

dispense athletic scholarships to their

prospective athletic recruits, but some

Division III conferences do allow

certain “leadership” scholarships to be

given to athletes.

According to Sallee, “there doesn’t

seem to be a D-II conference we can

affiliate with… and D-III

currently has a moratorium

on new membership.” The

nearest D-II conference is the

Mid-America Intercollegiate

Athletic Association, a

conference which is made up

of schools like the University

of Central Missouri,

Northwest Missouri State

University and Truman State, which

all have much greater enrollments and

lower tuition than William Jewell.

College

sees

numerous

opportunities during

Multicultural Week

All in the fam

ily

In an effort to increase diversity awareness,

several William Jewell College student organizations

arranged campus-wide programs this week as a part

of Multicultural Week. On Tuesday night CUA and

UNITY brought Matt Glowacki (above), to speak to

the College about ableism, a form of discrimination

not often discussed. Glowacki, who was born without

legs, used clips f rom the popular television shows

South Park and Family Guy to explain to students the

importance of diversity.

Glowacki isn’t the only one taking the stage

during Multicultural Week as tonight The Vagina

Monologues returns for the second consecutive year.

Katherine Myers (right), rehearses for The Vagina

Monologues. Multicultural Week will wrap up with

the performances of The Vagina Monologues tonight

and tomorrow night at 7:30, as well as A Memory, A

Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer tomorrow at 2 p.m. All

performances will be held in Yates-Gill 221. Tickets

are $5 each, or $8 for a ticket to both The Vagina

Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and

A Prayer. T-shirts are also for sale for $10, with all

the proceeds from ticket and t-shirt sales going to

MOCSA, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter

Sexual Assault. The money will remain in the Kansas

City area to help victims of sexual violence through

intervention, treatment, advocacy and community

educational programming.

Kyle Rivas/Hilltop Monitor

Most families dream of having one professional athlete. For

the Nekuda family, this dream has come true twice over. On

page eight, learn how these two former Cardinal soccer play-

ers have taken their game to the next level.

Kyle Rivas / Hilltop Monitor

The Hilltop Monitor

Friday, February 29, 2008 • Volume 22 • Issue 19

Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved

The Hilltop Monitor is published by the students of William Jewell College, Liberty, Mo.

Subscriptions are available for $30.00 per year. Entered as First Class matter Sept. 27, 1911, in the post

office of Liberty, MO 64068, under the act of March 3, 1880. Editorial comment does not necessarily

reflect the views and policies of the College.

Editorial staff:

Nathan Weinert, Editor-in-Chief • Danielle Mills, Managing Editor

Rebekah Bouas, Assistant Editor • Kyle Rivas, Photo Editor • Jonathan Entzminger, Sports Editor

Corey Husak, Assignment Editor • Ashley Billinger, Copy Editor • Caitlin Tejeda, Copy Editor

Mark Davis, Cartoonist

Staff writers and photographers:

Ashton Botts, Kristina Brase, Chris Carr, Brie Clemens, Andy Kirk, Jesus Lopez,

Maura Metcalf-Kelly, Ajanta Raman, Courtney Roberts, Trisha Stan, Sarah Valledares, Alison Ward

Contact The Hilltop Monitor

Letters to the editor, story suggestions, ad inquiries, subscription re-

quests, or other correspondence can be sent to the following addresses:

e-mail: monitor@william.jewell.edu

phone: (816) 781-7700, ext. 5426

mail: WJC Box 1016, 500 College Hill, Liberty, MO 64068

website: http://www.thehilltopmonitor.com

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

February 29, 2008

. . . from the staff

Let us know

what you think

Letters to the Editor

monitor@william.

jewell.edu

Nathan Weinert

Editor-in-Chief

G

reat T

houghts

Famous Last W

ords

2

O

PINION

Danielle Mills

Managing Editor

The Hilltop Monitor

The Monitor is a member of the

Associated Collegiate Press and the

Missouri Collegiate Media Association

Ashley Billinger

Copy Editor

New policy’s scarlet letter

On Feb. 18, I was finally checking

my e-mail after a busy day when

I saw a message from Dr. Rick

Winslow, vice president for Student

Affairs and Enrollment. Enticed by

the subject of the e-mail, “Residential

Life Policy Changes for Fall of 2008,”

I immediately opened it under the

impression that the College had

perhaps decided to revise or do away

with visitation in the residence halls.

It was, after all, something that had

been discussed widely on campus.

I gave the e-mail a quick once-

over and confirmed my suspicion.

However, as I read more closely, I was

surprised and disturbed to learn that

the College had also decided that

students would be required to live on

campus during their first three years,

with very limited exceptions, effective

next fall.

Throughout my entire William

Jewell career I have lived off

campus with my parents. It was an

intentional choice on my part. Each

semester, my parents have signed

the affidavit swearing that I do

indeed live with them, and I have

done so happily. Although I was

commuting, my college experience

has generally been what I hoped

for. Thanks to my professors, I have

received an outstanding education.

I have made numerous friends and

become involved in a plethora of

organizations. Doing so may have

required additional effort because of

my commuter status, yet there is little

on this campus that has prevented

me, a commuter, from taking part in

the community.

In Winslow’s e-mail, he stated

that “research has found that students

who live on-campus within a college’s

residential community are healthier,

happier and more academically

successful.” Maybe it’s the accountant

in me, but I’d really like to see this

research. Was it William Jewell

students or students from another

institution? The vast majority of

the commuter students I know are

happy, productive members of the

community.

I’m not saying that being a

commuter is the best choice for

everyone. I’m not even saying that

it ’s better than living on campus.

However, I do think that, for some

people, it is the right decision. It is one

that should not be taken away from

them. If college is about preparing

people for the real world, then part

of that involves making one’s own

decisions, including those about how

and where to live.

One of the key arguments in favor

of changing the commuter policy

was that the percentage of students

living off campus increases as they

progress through their college career.

Why is this so? Did the College ask

this question when evaluating the

Residence Life policy? Why was the

solution to the problem to effectively

eliminate commuter students from

the campus? Wouldn’t it have been

better to have found a way to include

students who commute in the campus

community?

Under the new policy, first-years,

sophomores and juniors may be able

to commute if they follow an appeals

process. According to Winslow’s

e-mail, “Students can appeal the

policy if it is determined that living

on campus constitutes a ‘significant

financial burden’ to the student and/

or their family.” The significance of

the financial burden will be calculated

using a special formula. Though I

have many concerns with this part of

the new policy, my greatest concern

lies with how those students will be

identified on campus. Beginning in

the fall, it will be common knowledge

that if a traditional first-year,

sophomore or junior commutes, he or

she must not have the funds to pay

for campus housing. In other words,

everyone will know that they are the

poor kids. It’s like attaching a scarlet

letter to them, except instead of being

an A for adultery, it’s a P for poor.

For a campus already struggling with

socioeconomic divides, this is clearly

the wrong message to send.

I know of numerous commuter

students who are concerned about

the new policy. The general consensus

among them is that this should have

been grandfathered in. I agree with

them. It seems only fair to me that

the College should honor the old

policy for those who were admitted

under it.

Many commuters have expressed

apprehension about the financial

implications that this policy will

cause for them. This is a significant

and unanticipated expense for which

they have not budgeted. For those

individuals, the College should

provide financial aid in the form

of scholarships or grants, so that

all students may live on campus,

regardless of socioeconomic status.

I have been a commuter during my

time at William Jewell, and no one

besides my parents and me knows

why. That’s the way it should be.

Ashley Billinger can be reached at

billingera@william.jewell.edu

Over the course of her life, one

in four women and girls will be

sexually abused. Of those, one in

eight will have been raped. Only 16

percent of these incidents will ever

be reported. Tonight and tomorrow

night, the William Jewell College

community will have an opportunity

to fight back by attending a play.

Seems too easy to be true? It’s

not.

By attending The Vagina Monologues

tonight or tomorrow night or A

Memor y, A Monologue, A Rant and

a Prayer tomorrow afternoon, the

William Jewell community can help

stop the violence against women

and girls in Kansas City. All of the

money raised by ticket and t-shirt

sales will be going to MOCSA of

Kansas City. The Metropolitan

Organization to Counter Sexual

Assault seeks to alle viate the effects

of sexual assault and abuse through

prevention, education, intervention,

treatment and advocacy.

According to the World Health

Organization, sexual violence has

devastating effects on women’s

physical and mental health, both

immediately and long-term. These

consequences include: sexually

transmitted infections, unintended

pregnancies and subsequent unsafe

abortions, and other injuries. Women

often experience post-traumatic

stress disorders, depression and

often attempt suicide. Women who

have been victims of sexual violence

are frequently rejected by their

partners, families and communities.

Sadly, these facts alone and the

possibility of reversing these realities is

not enough to convince many people

to support the Vagina Monologues at

William Jewell.

As I sat in the Union over the last

two weeks selling tickets and t-shirts,

I heard a number of excuses as to why

people were not attending The Vagina

Monologues.

“ Isn’t it just a bunch of male-

bashing?”

“ Too offensive.”

“ It’ll be too uncomfortable to sit

and listen to women talk about their

va-jay-jays.”

Obviously, there are a lot of

misconceptions about the content

in this play. Only one of the three

excuses holds some truth. First, The

Vagina Monologues are not just a

bunch of women standing around

blaming men for everything. They

are, however, exploring issues faced

by women every day in a manner

designed to make the audience think.

Second, there is offensive language in

the play. I would know, I get to say

some words that will surely make my

parents blush. But, this language is

the language used by real women and

the goal of The Vagina Monologues is

to represent the lives of real women.

The last excuse is true. These plays

will be uncomfortable, and for good

reason. These issues are not easy to

talk about and they are not easy to

listen to. If we think we are ever going

to solve these problems, we first have

to talk about them.

As a member of The Vagina

Monologues cast and a volunteer at

MOCSA, I’ve seen the devastating

effects of sexual violence and the

passion this group of women and

men has to ensure that no one is

forced to endure this violence again.

I think everyone should attend a

performance because the purpose of

the play is to illustrate the atrocities

women and girls face every day.

“Sweep under the rug” is too kind

of a phrase to what we do to these

incidents. All too often we ostracize

women, don’t believe women and we

blame the women themselves for the

unspeakable crimes they were forced

to suffer. This is unacceptable.

We as a College have the

opportunity to be a part of the

solution. Don’t miss it.

Danielle Mills can be reached at

millse@william.jewell.edu.

If there’s one thing on campus that

students have found more excuses to

avoid than the Vagina Monologues, it’s

the senior giving campaign. Perhaps

the only thing harder to sell than a

performance with the audacity to

use the proper anatomical name for

female genitalia in its title (oh, the

horror!) is the idea that students who

already feel impoverished by their

William Jewell education should dig

deeper into their pockets to give even

after their time at the College is over.

It’s understandable that most

students feel that they’ve already

given enough to the College. It’s

not hard to see why students are so

adamant about not handing over

another check the day they graduate

when they’ve already given thousands

of dollars at William Jewell.

If it’s not how much they’ve

already spent, other complaints are

heard. Whether it’s dorms that can

scarcely be described as cutting edge,

administrative decisions resulting

in baldness-inducing levels of head

scratching, or anger about that one

time the Monitor ran a story that took

a critical view of your favorite campus

organization, it’s easy to find a reason

not to give—particularly for seniors

who are unsure of the next step after

graduation and facing an uncertain

financial future.

Excuses not to give are numerous,

yet are flawed.

First, the sticker price of a William

Jewell education only tells part of the

story. Almost all students are the

recipients of financial aid, with most

receiving significant scholarships and

grants. Even those paying full price

are paying the College far less than

the actual cost of their William Jewell

education. The gap between the

College’s income from tuition and

fees and the actual cost of running

the College is millions of dollars each

and e ver y year. A William Jewell

education isn’t cheap by any means,

but its continued affordability is

dependent on the support of alumni

and others to close this gap.

Second, every donation makes a

difference, and not just in the touchy-

feely, if-ever yone-does-just-a-little-

bit-we’ll-change-the-world sort of

way (although if ever y senior gave

just $10 it would mean thousands of

dollars in support for the College).

Magazines ranking colleges and

foundations that provide grants

look at alumni giving to determine

whether or not those who have

gone before view the College as a

worthy investment. High alumni

giving demonstrates a high level of

satisfaction with the William Jewell

experience. In turn, this leads to the

College being more highly ranked

and being more competitive for

grants and other funding to improve

the College.

If you need a self-interested reason

to give, here it is: As the College’s

ranking and reputation improves,

the value of your degree increases.

Think of it your donation as a small

insurance policy on the considerable

investment you’ve already made in

your William Jewell education.

Finally, while this alone makes

the decision to give easy enough, my

decision to give isn’t about how my

gift will benefit me. I give because

I’m grateful for everything the

College has done for me, and want

future students to have even greater

opportunities.

Why do I give? I give because of

all of the experiences that my time at

the College has made possible. I give

because of the people at Jewell who

have shaped my life and made the

Jewell journey so rewarding. I give

because I want to see the institution

continue to thrive and succeed. I give

because it ’s my vote of confidence

in the direction that the College is

going.

The Senior Giving Campaign

provides all seniors with the

opportunity to give back to the

College which has given them so

much. It’s time for seniors who

haven’t given to stop making excuses

and start making a difference.

Nathan Weinert can be reached at

weinertn@william.jewell.edu.

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

Tea Time with Trisha

by Trisha Stan

Maura Metcalf-Kelly

Staff Wr iter

February 29, 2008

3

P

ERSPECTIVES &

N

EWS

The Hilltop Monitor

College declines to replace guitars damaged by heat

E

ntErtain

M

E

As an Episcopalian, I listened with special interest

Wednesday morning to Mother Susan McCann, who

worked logically and lyrically through four ideas that

undergird the mission and ministry of all Episcopalians:

(1) the prospect of Death, with St. Paul’s assurance

that nothing, not even it, “shall separate us from the

love of God”; (2) this hope for a future state when we

will “dwell in God’s glorious kingdom” made present,

immediate, as when we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy

will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”; (3) our being called upon, then, to

recreate, with Jesus Christ as our teacher and model, “God’s peaceable kingdom

in the present moment”; and (4) Jesus’s revealing the nature of that kingdom

as “God-centered, just, radically welcoming, radically reconciling, and radically

inclusive.”

Mother Susan went on to suggest certain characteristics of Episcopalians,

characteristics, always astonishing to me in their honesty and reasonableness,

that derive directly from those foundational beliefs. She noted that it wouldn’t

occur to us to ask whether someone’s been “saved,” since we were, are being, and

shall be saved, “not by our own actions, but through Christ’s redeeming love and

the power and love of God.” In other words, it seems to me, while some perceive

their “being saved” as located in a particular moment in time and as contingent

upon their own choice and actions—and use, then, the question as a means of

drawing lines between insiders and outsiders—Episcopalians recognize God’s

love as unmerited and outside time and therefore instrumental in the collapsing

of such divisions. Similarly, because Episcopalians “would never claim to fully

know the mind of God”—a startlingly candid admission, one that necessarily

leads to humility—God can continue to reveal himself to us: “there is always

more to know, more to love about God.” And following this logic, this openness

and honesty and humility, comes the belief, as Mother Susan articulated, and I

share, that “Jesus Christ is not the only path to God. But he is the path I know;

the one whom I love; the one I seek to follow.” And so, of course, “our mission

and ministry is not to seek to convert to Christianity those who follow other

paths to God, but instead to be agents of God’s reconciling love,” all of which

makes perfect sense if, as Oxford biblical scholar Paul Fiddes once remarked,

our starting point is that God created life: we, inevitably, seek return to him in

a range of ways. I’d add, a bit testily, and ironic because of that, that coercion

and colonization are perhaps less reflective of the kingdom of God than this

inclusion and reconciliation.

So what is an Episcopalian to do? The work God has given us to do. Mother

Susan paraphrased Micah--to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with

God. And to “help usher in God’s kingdom on earth, where the hungr y are fed,

the stranger is welcomed, the sick are cared for.” We ourselves are fortified and

sustained for that work when we approach God’s holy altar—“a table radically

welcome to all”—to receive the sacred meal we call Holy Eucharist.

That Mother Susan spoke of radical welcome, radical inclusivity, and radical

reconciliation is significant, given the etymology of that word, its denotative

sense of rootedness and its connotative sense of revolution. Welcome, inclusivity,

and reconciliation are indeed qualities of an essential and ultimate reality—that

of God’s kingdom—that can be established here and now in our broken world.

Dr. Mark Walters is Oxbridge professor of English language and literature.

Staff Reflection

Student Reflection

Any seniors who were in Chapel this week might have

been particularly struck by Mother Susan McCann’s

emphasis on the need “to do the work God has given

us to do,” a refrain from the Episcopal liturgy. Most of

the seniors I know, myself included, are developing a

panicked sense that we don’t know what the work is that

we should do after we graduate, and even if we did know, it isn’t likely that we

could find an opportunity to do it in the middle of an economic recession. From

a religious standpoint, however, Mother McCann made it clear that doing God’s

work in the world—working to create the kingdom of heaven on earth—is the

single most important concern of the Episcopal faith community. As she said,

we can never fully know the mind of God, although he is continually revealing

himself to us. As all college students know, what one believes to be the truth

can change in startling ways through growth and experience, and it is therefore

dangerous to insist too strongly on points of doctrine while ignoring God’s

purpose for our faith. We should not concern ourselves with the end times but

with the here and now, the “in-between time,” since this is the time we are given

in which to carry out God’s work. I was moved by Mother McCann’s description

of this work as “filling the hunger of the world,” as trite as that might sound,

because she did not simply draw a parallel between physical and spiritual hunger

but specifically detailed the myriad types of “ hunger” suffered by people around

the world: hunger for food, hunger for peace, hunger for racial/sexual/economic

equality, hunger for companionship. When you look at it that way, there really is

a lot of work to be done and a lot of way s in which to do it.

Equally important, however, is the inspiration for doing this work. The

Episcopal Church’s emphasis on social change might sound like a lot of

humanistic do-good, feel-good rhetoric if one forgets or ignores that it stems

from the transforming love of Jesus Christ, which makes it possible to work

for change in a world that seems hopelessly bent toward destruction. Mother

McCann also underlined this point very well, stating that it was Jesus who

showed us what the kingdom of God would look like and Jesus who first allowed

it to “break in” to this world. Her description of God’s kingdom as “radically

welcoming, radically reconciling, radically inclusive” reminds us that God’s love

is radical, and it never works in the way we expect it to. Instead of worry ing about

whether other people are living up to what we perceive to be God’s expectations,

all we need to do is accept God’s unifying love and act on it in whatever way is

available to us. As Mother McCann said, “If you can envision the kingdom of

God on earth, you can work toward it.”

Lisa Laney is a senior Oxbridge English language and literature major.

Next week’s Religious Voice:

Fatimeh El-Sherif

Student, School of Law, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Chapel is Wednesday at 10:15 in Gano.

Listening to Religious

Voices of Kansas City

“Listening to Religious Voices of Kansas City” is a Chapel series

examining religious plurality from the point of view of several faith

traditions. Each week during the series, the Monitor will run a brief

review of the speaker’s remarks, and a reflection from a

William Jewell College student and faculty member.

The Very Rev. Susan McCann

Grace Episcopal Church, Liberty, Mo.

The Very Rev. Susan McCann spoke Wednesday of

how Episcopalians view the charge of Christians to

be “co-creators” with Christ and to feed the hungry,

including those with non-physical hungers. “When

God’s kingdom is on earth as it is in heaven, no one will hunger,” McCann said.

“Jesus said ‘feed my sheep.’ What hunger will you feed today?”

This Week’s Speaker

Dr. Mark

Walters

Lisa Laney

The 2008 Academy Awards

featured a number of European accents

on the stage receiving statues of little

gold men. In fact, all of this year’s

most prestigious acting awards went

to Europeans, a fact that the BBC

was proud to announce. Of course, all

actors were acting in films produced in

the United States and won an award

from a U.S. awards show.

It is easy to forget that other

countries are capable of producing

their own entertainment. Ever y once

in a while, a musical genius like the

Beatles, Coldplay or Amy Winehouse

or cinematic masterpieces such as Love

Actually will leap across the pond into

the American consciousness, but these

events are rare, and we Americans, as

the center of the world, forget that

they existed before they crossed the

ocean.

This side of the Atlantic, however,

does not have the same sort of

foreign filter. Everything that is (or

was) popular in the United States

is inescapable here. In fact, I am

currently listening to LeAnn Rimes

on Q103, “Cambridge’s best mix.” My

first few weeks here, the culture shock

was almost non-existent because

American culture was here long before

I arrived. While travelling around

Europe, if I got a little homesick I

could find comfort in the fact that I

knew all of the lyrics to the N*SYNC

songs played at the stores in the Czech

Republic and could recognize the

Mariah Carey song the accordionist

on the Paris Metro was playing. One

of the most entertaining nights of

winter break involved drunk German

guy s on a train singing Lenny Kravitz’s

“Fly Away” and the Bloodhound

Gang’s “The Roof is on Fire” in highly

amusing attempts at English.

The prevalence of U.S. pop culture,

however, does not impair England’s

ability to maintain its own. I had to

search for it a bit, but it is here, alive

and rocking, and justifiably more

concerned with its own quality and

keeping the inhabitants of this little

island entertained than with world

domination.

England, I have realiz ed, gets the

best of both (old and new) worlds

of culture. It develops its own

entertainment while importing the

best (and the very worst) of the United

States’. Since discovering them, I have

developed opinions on Britain’s music

and television, which I will now share

with you.

Music: There is a very good reason

that the United States has had

periodic British musical invasions

since the Beatles. British music rocks.

Well, it mostly “pops.” Britain excels

at Britpop, which is possibly why it is

named after them. Although Britpop

refers specifically to the independent,

quasi-anti-grunge movement in the

1990s, bands like Oasis and Blur, I feel

that the phrase adequately expresses

today’s British music. Britpop:

Britons, singing pop music. The

popular music here consists mostly of

independent(esque) bands who write

infectious tunes with catchy melodies

and sometimes thoughtful lyrics.

While the UK Top 40 is cluttered with

hits from the U.S., catchy UK gems

are scattered throughout. This week,

the number one spot belongs to Welsh

singer-songwriter Duffy. I consulted

Ryan Seacrest and American Top 40

to find that her catchy “Mercy” does

not even appear on the chart, although

it has been overplayed here for weeks

now. My new favorite Brit boy band is

probably Scouting for Girls, with hits

such as “Elvis Ain’t Dead” and “She’s

so Lovely (and she’s 30!)” that can stay

superglued in your head for days. You

should YouTube them. If you dare.

The Brits can also produce soulful

songstresses such as Amy Winehouse

and Adele, who is a beautiful big

girl worthy of Brit-Award-Winning

Mika’s appreciation.

Television: While in the United

States, I had always noticed (for

their sexy accents) and appreciated

the few British musical artists who

managed to invade the states, but I

never noticed an entire TV show with

British Accents, except for W hose Line

is it Anyway?, which played late at

night on Comedy Central. There is a

reason for this.

British TV=the BBC. The British

Broadcasting Company is possibly the

Best Broadcasting Company, ready to

produce innovative new takes on game

shows, documentaries and mini-series.

There seems to be something missing

in the drama department, however. I

decided to view a random sampling

of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

night shows and found mostly prime-

time soap operas.

While the United States does its

prime-time soaps (Grey’s Anatomy,

Desperate Housewives) in style, Britain

does them as soaps, except with

unattractive actors, many of whom

cannot speak understandable English.

I had no idea what was going on, not

because I had not been watching the

drama of the hopelessly complicated

story unfold over the last twelve

years, but because the actors were

speaking some form of English that

was completely incomprehensible to

my American ears. Emily Mauldin,

Garner Brinkmeyer and I could play

the fun “foreign language translation

game” on a show that was supposedly

in English.

The non-dramas on the BBC are

excellent, however. Known for their

pioneering original series ideas, the

BBC’s shows are sometimes adapted

into American shows—Changing

Rooms becomes Trading Spaces. The

game shows, as well, are innovative.

My random sampling of TV included

the BrainBox Challenge, which is a

quiz show that tests not one’s ability

to memorize and recall trivia, but uses

IQ-test like challenges to test the way

you think. I watched a Cambridge

first year mathematician (mathmo)

completely obliterate his opponents,

naturally. Some of the regular

programming features are a bit odd.

One show was about gardens around

the world—Brits love to garden—and

the episode I happened to catch was

on American Gardens. Apparently,

Kansas is a garden. All of it is a

beautiful, tasteful delight to the senses.

The Brits are a little craz y.

The worst thing about British

television is that it has no commercials.

The BBC runs on licensing fees—if

you have a TV, you must pay a fee to

the BBC so that they might continue

to deliver quality programming

without the inconvenience of adverts.

However, I find commercials anything

but inconvenient. When else am I to

do my homework while watching TV?

When can I go grab a snack, or go to

the bathroom or discuss the continuing

incompressibility of the soap opera

plot with my friends? I don’t have

the attention span to watch an entire

program, as I grew up on commercial-

ridden, stop-paying attention-every-

five-minutes U.S. TV. I think that this

has had an enormous impact on our

respective cultures. Americans don’t

have an attention span because of their

television commercials, and Brits do

because they don’t have that luxury.

And now for something completely

different: One thing that England

(occasionally) has that is new to me

is earthquakes. I survived my first

earthquake Wednesday night. I just

needed to share that with you. You

may now return to your scheduled

reading.

Trisha Stan is spending the year

studying at Cambridge University in

England. She can be reached at

stant@william.jewell.edu.

Ostensibly to prevent the pipes

f rom freezing, William Jewell

College’s dorms and f raternity houses

were set on medium or high heat for

the duration of the students’ three-

week winter break. Upon returning,

students unlocked their doors and

were hit with a stifling wave of pent-

up heat that dissipated with the

help of some open windows. Other

students were met with difficulties

that were not quite as solvable.

“ We walked into the [fraternity]

house, and it felt like it was 195

degrees in there,” Jason Steenstr y,

sophomore Lambda Chi Alpha, said.

“ Every candle that wasn’t in a glass

container was completely melted and

had spilled over ever ything, and three

[of our] guitars were completely

destroyed.”

Guy Brown, senior, Brant

Burleson, sophomore, and Steenstry

returned from their winter vacations

to guitars that had been bent out of

shape by the intense heat built up

in their rooms over the three-week

period. “The necks [of the guitars]

were bent so much that the strings

were actually hitting them,” says

Steenstr y. “Now my guitar just makes

this horrible twangy sound when I

try to play it.”

“ We all left our heat on the low

setting that it was supposed to be on,”

Brown said. “And when we got back,

our thermostats were set literally as

high as they could go.”

Burleson, whose $550 guitar

was warped to the point that it was

unsalvageable, took up the matter

with Ernie Stufflebean, assistant

dean of Student Affairs and director

of Residence Life. “I did look into the

matter with the staff, and everything

was done correctly,” says Stufflebean.

“ We have a policy under the insurance

section of the student handbook that

says we are not financially responsible

for stolen or damaged goods in the

residence areas.”

“It’s ridiculous,” Steenstry said.

“ We were told what temperature

to set our thermostats on, and we

set them. We wouldn’t have left our

guitars in the house if we had known

they planned on cranking up the heat

that high.”

For now, the issue still hangs

in the air, along with a warning to

budding young musicians: take your

instruments home with you for

spring break, or find a safe place to

store them other than your dorm.

Maura Metcalf-Kelly can be reached

at metcalf-kelly@william.jewell.edu.

Two William Jewell College

seniors and their professor traveled

to San Diego, Calif., to participate

in the Small Business Institution

Conference Feb. 14-17. Having

worked on their project since the

beginning of the spring semester,

Sara Estes, an accounting and

business administration major, Brian

Place, a business major with an

emphasis on marketing and Linda

Bell, professor of accounting, made a

20-minute presentation. While many

of their fellow presenters discussed

entrepreneurship, the William Jewell

team addressed the impact of business

on the community. “ It was a really

good experience to present in f ront

of professors f rom various schools,”

Estes said. “ The presentation went

great, and I really feel like our project

made a difference in the community.”

In association with Students In

Free Enterprise, the students created

and participated in the Money Farm

project, which began in fall 2006 to

help raise awareness about the need

for financial education within local

schools and to increase publicity

for the newly established M and I

Bank. In fall 2007, William Jewell

students conducted research in all

37 third grade classes within Liberty

public schools. V isiting each class

once a week for four weeks, the

SIFE members worked to increase

and tested the elementary students’

financial knowledge. “It was really fun

working with the kids,” Estes said.

“They really enjoyed having college

students there, and I felt like they

related well to us because we were

younger and closer to their age.”

William Jewell students will be

continuing the Money Farm project

throughout the remainder of the

semester. They will be offering the

same financial lessons at three local

private schools during March and

April.

Caitlin Tejeda can be reached at

tejedac@william.jewell.edu.

Caitlin Tejeda

Copy Editor

Student project makes a community difference

The women of Alpha Gamma Delta are excited to congratulate two

of their chapter’s juniors, Elizabeth Bonney and Brittany Edwards,

who were selected as finalists in the running for the 2008 Truman

Scholarship Award. The chapter wishes them the best of luck as they

continue on their way to achieving such a prestigious honor.

The chapter also will host two philanthropy events throughout the

spring semester, including a campus-wide dodge ball tournament on

Wednesday, April 9, which will raise money for the Alpha Gamma

Delta Foundation.

The second event will take place on Sunday, April 13, when the

chapter will host the fourth annual Debbie McElwain Memorial 5K

Run/Walk in honor and memory of Debbie McElwain, a William

Jewell student and member of Alpha Gamma Delta who was killed by

a drunk driver in a tragic car accident in 2004. All proceeds will benefit

the Kansas City Special Olympics.

Alpha Gamma Delta

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

Rebekah Bouas

Assistant Editor

Pryor seniors sack plastic bags in

favor of polypropylene and canvas

February 29, 2008

4

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The Hilltop Monitor

Jesus Lopez

Staff Writer

TH

E G

REEK LETTERS

ZTA • AGD • ADPI • DZ • LXA • FIJI • SN • KA

Paid Advertisement

Text and pictures submitted to Monitor by Greek Council

Zeta Tau Alpha

The women of Zeta Tau Alpha would like to thank

all the organizations who contributed to the bake-off

at the basketball game Feb. 11 as well as those who

purchased a rose for Valentine’s Day. The total proceeds

of $475 will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

ZTA continued to serve with a visit to Children’s Mercy

Hospital’s pediatrics unit . Also, Zeta held its annual

Scholarship Banquet honoring the chapter’s scholastic

achievement including the nine women who earned a

4.0 GPA and the 19 women who earned a 3.5 or higher

GPA.

The Gamma Nu chapter of Alpha Delta Pi is happy to announce

that quota was reached earlier this February! The chapter also

received the elite Diamond Four Point Award at District Leadership

Conference. Members also participated in the very successful annual

T.A.K.E Defense Foundation Workshop and Fashion Show that

educated over 7,000 people in simple self-defense methods. In March,

Gamma Nu will hold their annual Black Diamond Formal, during

which members will honor their graduating seniors. Gamma Nu is

also planning several big events, including heading up Relay for Life

in April and hosting Rock the Vote later this fall.

Delta Zeta

In the month of February the women of Delta

Zeta were involved in two philanthropic events.

To brighten children’s Valentine’s Day, they

decorated cards for the children at Children’s

Mercy hospital. They also entered the Zeta Tau

Alpha Bake-off to support the breast cancer

foundation. Delta Zeta plans on supporting Relay

for Life again this year by entering four teams.

They encourage other groups on campus to get

involved in Relay for Life. If you don’t have a

team to join, feel free to contact a Delta Zeta and

join one of their teams.

Kappa Alpha

The gentlemen of the Kappa

Alpha Order are off to a busy

semester. They recently acquired two

new pledges, freshman Jonathan

Arndt of Wellington-Napoleon and

freshman Chad Kirkland of Liberty.

The chapter recently traveled to

Westminster University in Fulton,

Mo, for the Chiles Province Council

where they met with other chapters

from around the state. Congratulations

to Travis Milne, the new Province

Undergraduate Chairman, and to

Wilby Alley, the new Vice President

of Order of Omega. Finally, the

brothers are looking forward to Old

South this spring and to the All-

Greek paintball tournament they will

be hosting soon.

Lambda Chi Alpha

The men of Lambda Chi Alpha

are gearing up for a busy rest of the

semester. March starts off with the

first annual family weekend which

will feature bowling and an auction

for charity. Over Spring Break, Joel

Melgren will be going to New York

to assist in the CSM sponsored

mission trip.

The rest of March will be preparing

for upcoming events, such as Teeter-

Totter-a-Thon with the women

of Delta Zeta, the Faculty/Staff

Appreciation Dinner and alumni

weekend will close out the semester.

Other news f rom Lambda Chi

Alpha includes the success of the

annual Date Auction, which was

held Feb. 4 and raised $1,550 for the

North American Food Drive, the

official philanthropy for Lambda Chi

Alpha.

Alpha Delta Pi

Last week the Pryor Leadership

Studies class of 2008 decided to

pursue “A Day Without a Disposable

Bag” as their legacy project.

The project’s main goal is for K ansas

City to pass an ordinance prohibiting

the use of disposable bags on April

19. The legislation is currently being

drafted by a resolution committee led

by seniors Christina Pryor and Kate

Prather. For the first annual “A Day

Without a Disposable Bag Day,” the

25 members of the Pryor Legacy class

will travel to 10 different locations in

the Kansas City area where plastic

bags are normally used and distribute

polypropylene or canvas bags, which

are healthier for the environment.

“Most people are unaware of the fact

that there’s an alternative,” Pr yor said.

“Plastic bags take about 1000 years to

decompose.”

In addition, the project’s

education committee, headed by

seniors Rachel Vig and Julie Duncan,

will be designing materials to teach

area public school students about

the benefits of reducing their use of

disposable plastic bags. The group also

plans to attend Kansas City’s annual

Earthfest on April 19. Earthfest is a

large Earth Day celebration where

various corporations f rom the K ansas

City area showcase their efforts to

preserve the environment.

The current senior Pryor class

hopes that such a large undertaking

will draw on the support of both the

Pr yor Leadership department and

William Jewell alumni who have

completed their own Pryor legacy

projects. “ We’re going to meet with

the Pryor alumni to tr y to get support.

They’ve always been ver y willing to

assist,” Christina Pryor said.

Various alternative projects had

been discussed before the group

settled on “A Day Without a

Disposable Bag,” including a five-

step program to help transition the

College into a more environmentally

friendly campus. Another strong

candidate for the Pryor legacy project

was providing aid to nearby McCoy

Elementary School, located in

northeast Kansas City.

According to the Kansas City

Public Schools website, of the 300

children who attend McCoy, roughly

85 percent qualify for free or reduced

price meals. “ We wanted to help

them with things the school needed,

like painting walls, getting school

supplies and just general educational

materials that [McCoy Elementary

School] lack[s],” Pryor said.

In the end, Pr yor said the group

chose “A Day Without a Disposable

Bag” because it enables the average

person to effect change. “ We chose it

because it ’s a way everyone can make

a difference. It’s something we can

each do ever yday,” she said.

Jesus Lopez can be reached at

lopezj@william.jewell.edu.

Van Tilburg departs College

Mark Van Tilburg, executive

director of College Relations, stepped

down Tuesday. The separation was

effective immediately.

Dr. Chad Jolly, vice president

for Institutional Advancement,

said William Jewell College is not

immediately beginning a search for

Van Tilburg’s replacement.

“ We have not opened a search

for an Executive Director of College

Relations at this time,” he said.

While the position will not

immediately be filled, Jolly said

the Office of College Relations

would continue to be responsive to

the College community during the

transition. “We are committed to

moving forward in a manner that

allows us to best serve the Jewell

community and optimally position

the College,” he said.

Van Tilburg had served as executive

director since 2002. Before coming

to William Je well he had served

as director of marketing at Rider

University in Lawrenceville, N.J.,

and as director of communications

and marketing at the University of

Pittsburgh—Bradford.

—Nathan Weinert

“To move to the MIAA, we would

have to do dramatic upgrades (to

our athletic facilities)” Dr. Jim Redd,

director of athletics, said. “ We have

good facilities, but it’s different here.”

The current moratorium on new

membership in D-III will not be

lifted before the current members

meet again in January 2009. However,

larger changes could be announced at

that meeting than just the lifting of

the moratorium. Sur veys were mailed

to the heads of ever y member school

asking for their thoughts about a

possible realignment in D-III which

could potentially create a D-III-AA

subdivision or even move some of

the members of the now ver y large

422-member Division III into a new

Division IV. The surveys must be

returned by today, and the results will

be made public on March 26.

“Most D-III schools are private,

many feel public schools in D-

III have an advantage over private

schools,” Redd said. “Some leaning

toward D-IV are looking to de-

emphasize athletics.” However, there

is significant opposition to splitting

D-III among its member schools, so

none of this talk is definite. William

Jewell’s athletic and administrative

groups will be watching the unfolding

events very closely.

To join any division in the NCAA,

the College would have to go through

an application process, followed by a

trial membership period in which

the College would be inspected

and reviewed by representatives of

the NCAA until it is allowed full

membership status, so the College

is not likely to re-affiliate during

the career of any student currently

enrolled in the College.

William Je well’s athletes generally

use buses to travel to games, and they

are generally able to return to campus

on the same day in which they left.

Because there are few D-III schools

within a reasonable driving distance of

campus, and because joining any D-

III conference would require William

Jewell to play away games at schools

very far from the Hill, it might not be

possible for William Jewell to join D-

III under the current circumstances.

Joining one of the current D-III

conferences may require students to

miss more class time, the College to

spend much more money on travel

costs or both.

“Whether in D-II or D-III,

almost a new conference would have

to be formed for us to join.” Redd

said. “ We are not dissatisfied with the

NAIA… since we want to become

more nationally recognized, we think

the NCAA will give us more exposure

on a national level.”

Whatever the College ultimately

decides, it is important that “ we

be with schools of like mission and

similar entrance requirements,” Redd

said. “ We want to make the best

decision for William Jewell College

for all concerned.” Many future

decisions will depend on what shape

NCAA Division III takes and on

what other colleges may follow the

College’s lead in making a similar

realignment.

“ The general view of the athletic

staff is that they would like to be

in a similar condition (in regard to

scholarships) to what we are in now.”

Redd said. It is very important to the

athletic staff that they are able to be

the “educator-coaches” that they see

themselves as now, in that they are

role models who are interested and

very involved in the full development

of their student-athletes. “ Whatever

level we play, we want to give our best

effort, maintain our scholar-athlete

approach and develop the total

person through sport and exercise,”

Redd concluded.

Corey Husak can be reached at

husakc@william.jewell.edu

NCAA

Continued from page 1

Patrick Sallee spoke to an audience

in the Pryor Center on Wednesday

night. Sallee’s presentation was

part of an ongoing non-profit lead-

ership speaker series sponsored by

American Humanics. Sallee works

for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Photo by Kyle Rivas /

Hilltop Monitor

Non-profit

message

When applying for college, a

prospective student considers many

things – cost, programs, etc. For

many students, religion also plays a

role in the decision process. A school’s

religious affiliation, or lack thereof,

can attract or repel students. Until

2003, William Jewell College was

affiliated with the Missouri Baptist

Convention, but the College has since

‘lost’ that affiliation. William Jewell

College still has strong religious

ties, but the College has managed to

attract students of different faiths.

Dr. Andy Pratt, William Jewell’s

Chaplain and vice president for

Religious Ministries, explained the

relationship the College had with

the Missouri Baptist Convention.

According to Pratt, this relationship

could be described most accurately as

a “working relationship,” as it worked

on the level of an agreement as opposed

to a legal contract. At the most basic

level, the church provided the school

with funding while William Jewell in

turn provided services for the church.

While it was not required that the

student body be Southern Baptist,

approximately half of the faculty did

need to be. The relationship ended

when the Convention requested more

power, specifically over the College’s

charter, and was refused by the Board

of Trustees.

Since the arrangement with the

church did not involve a religious

requirement for the student body, the

change in the religious diversity at

William Jewell could be considered

one of quality, rather than quantity.

Pratt estimates that in the past 20 to

25 years only 30-35 percent of the

student population has consisted of

Baptists, although most attending

are of a Christian denomination.

This has not changed much. What

has changed is the type of students

William Jewell attracts and the way

religion is handled.

“[People] feel more comfortable

to be themselves,” Pratt said. “ There

is more openness in conversations.”

Yesterday, Student Senate

sponsored a religious diversity night.

In f ront of a crowd of students and

Religious diversity panel reflects

direction of campus diversity

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

February 29, 2008

5

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The Hilltop Monitor

Caitlin Tejeda

Copy Editor

Achievement Day

Story continued from Page 1

faculty, a panel of four William

Jewell students represented their

faith. Chris Carr, senior, spoke first,

representing the Muslim faith. Carr

was not born in a Muslim family

but was raised Catholic. He defines

his coming to the Muslim faith as a

“quest for spirituality.” In his school,

he was told, “Don’t question. Just

believe.” He preferred to find his own

way, and through his exploration, he

discovered his faith.

Anna Chandler was up next,

representing Judaism. She relates a

stor y of the Talmud about a heathen

who claims he will convert to Judaism

if the Torah can be explained to him

within the time he is able to stand on

one foot without falling. A rabbi tells

him, “ What you would consider cruel,

do not do to your neighbor. That is the

Torah, the rest is all commentary. Now

go study.” She spoke of compassion

to the sick and the poor. Chandler

also spoke of the inherent discussion

involved. She claimed that if you can

read a page in the Torah and agree

with everything, you are not reading

it closely enough. Help others and

make your own decisions - these two

strong components she claimed were

a part of her faith.

Annie Papineau spoke from an

atheist perspective. Ironically, her

journey had similar tones to both

of those who came before her. Like

Carr, Papineau started out from a

religious background. She spoke of

the hatred she faced for not fitting

into the ‘Christian’ perspective and

for having a gay brother.

Finally, Elizabeth Bonney spoke

for the Christian faith. At a Catholic

high school, she found herself

questioning her faith and theirs. She

was pushed to find answers, and her

faith became stronger for it. Her start

at William Jewell was difficult. She

had trouble finding a place she could

fit, but she finally joined a group that

allowed her to discuss doubt in faith

and gained her ability to discuss her

religion. Bonney said that she believes

there are many pathways to God and

that Christianity is simply her’s.

The floor was then opened for

questions. Each of the panelists

mentioned that it was difficult being

of a different religion and attending

William Jewell. Everything f rom the

fact that sororities require you to swear

on the Bible, the lack of kosher food

items at lunch, current political climes

and even the expectation to know

Bible verses created struggles for the

students. Carr, however, thought that

there was a shift in the perspectives

here for the better. “People judge me

as Chris, not as Chris the Muslim.”

Brie Clemens can be reached at

clemensb@william.jewell.edu.

Multicultural Week con-

fronted the College with

diversity in se veral areas.

Donna Ross (left) speaks

to an audience in the

Union on Monday night.

Ross spoke about trans-

gender issues. Ross’s pre-

sentation was sponsored

by P.E.A.C.E. Allies. CUA

and UNITY presented

Matt Glowacki (right) on

Tuesday. Glowacki used

South Park and Family Guy

to speak to the audience

about issues of diversity.

All photos by Kyle Rivas /

Hilltop Monitor.

Brie Clemens

Staff Writer

sense to have a presidential historian

come, particularly with his new book

out—Presidential Courage,” Jolly said.

Beschloss will also speak on campus

Thursday at 1 p.m. in YGCU 212.

“Beschloss being on campus was

something we were able to make

happen. It’s something we always try

to make happen, but it’s always up to

our speaker whether they can do it or

not,” Jolly said.

Honorees also will be recognized

Friday at convocation in Gano at

10:15 a.m. and they will be formally

presented with their Citations for

Achievement at that time. Students are

invited to attend the convocation and

stand with honorees who are involved

in the same majors and activities as the

honorees. A reception for honorees

and members of the community will

be held in White Atrium immediately

after the convocation. A lunch for

honorees and their guests will follow.

Jolly said that the honorees were

chosen by a committee made up of

members of the Board of Trustees,

alumni, faculty and staff.

“ There’s a nominating process

that’s open to all graduates of the

College, faculty, staff and students,” he

said. Nominees are put on a master list

which is sent to past recipients of the

Citation for Achievement who vote

on nominees. “There’s a committee

who then looks at their feedback, and

selects the slate for a particular year,”

Jolly said. While approximately four

alumni are honored each year, there

is no official policy on the number of

honorees. “In some sense, there’s no

set guideline for how many people

from different fields or eras [will be

chosen],” Jolly said.

The 2008 class of Achievement

Day honorees represent a wide range

of accomplishments, both in Kansas

City and across the country. Edison

was a graduate of the first nursing

class at William Jewell. She is a retired

advanced pediatric nurse practitioner

at Children’s Mercy Hospital and a

former associate professor of nursing

at the College. Enderle is a senior

costume designer for Walt Disney

Entertainment, has been a “cast

member” with Disney since 1982 and

received an Emmy in 1992. Rucker is

chairman and chief executive officer

of Commonwealth Bank and Trust

Company in Louisville, Ky. Sharp

served as chief technologist and

engineering manager for the Space

Systems Division of ITT Corporation.

Before going to ITT, Sharp was a

research scientist and project director

at the University of Michigan, where

he conducted the first successful

measurements of the composition and

temperature necessary to understand

oxygen-hydrogen chemistry in the

upper atmosphere.

This year’s festivities mark the 64th

anniversary of Achievement Day. The

celebration was the brainchild of P.

Casper Harvey, professor of English

and director of public relations, who

noticed the large number of William

Jewell students selected for inclusion

in Who’s Who. The celebration has

occurred annually since 1944. The

Citation for Achievement is the

highest non-degree honor awarded by

the College.

Nathan Weinert can be reached at

weinertn@william.jewell.edu.

William Jewell College’s master

housing plan will soon take another

step forward with the ground-

breaking of the sorority complex and

Greek common. The building’s state-

of-the-art layout includes suite-style

dorms, public lounges, private study

rooms, kitchenettes, laundry facilities

and a fitness center. The complex also

will have a common meeting room,

which will be large enough to host not

only Greek-sponsored events such as

Panhellenic/Inter-Fraternity Council

meetings and Recruitment activities,

but also campus-wide events such as

guest lectures.

Mayela Esser, regional development

director for the Office of Advancement,

is in charge of fundraising for the

project, and is optimistic about the

project’s support. Just as the College

provided initial funding for the

construction of fraternity row, William

Jewell also contributed over four

million dollars to the sorority complex

and Greek common when the project

began in 2005. Over the last few

years, the College has received signed

pledges or monetary gifts from alumni,

who are then offered the opportunity

to name a particular suite or common

area within the building. The name of

the complex will be determined by an

anonymous donor who pledged a gift

in 2006.

In addition to alumni involvement,

a fundraising event held last spring

allowed undergraduate sorority

members to show their support for the

project. The fundraiser “ was very well

received,” Esser said. “It shows that

the sorority women of the College are

excited and want to be a part of the

project.”

The College also received a one

million dollar Challenge Grant, which

the Administration applied for in

October 2007.

Currently, the Administration

needs $350,000 more in signed

pledges to begin work on the project.

In order to raise the remaining funds,

sorority alumnae are being encouraged

to participate in a program called

“Sisterhood Suites.” The program

allows five women to make a joint

contribution of $25,000, with each

woman donating $1,000 per year for

five consecutive years. In exchange for

their monetar y support, a suite plaque

will be named in honor of the group,

allowing the women to leave a legacy

within the complex.

College officials hope to raise the

remaining balance and break ground

by the end of the spring semester. If all

goes accordingly, the College aims to

open the complex in fall 2009.

Each wing of the sorority complex

and Greek common will be equipped

with 16 suite-style rooms, allowing

32 women from each sorority to

live there. Each house also will have

a private entrance, kitchenette and

staircase. While each wing of Semple

offers a small common room that

serves as both an area for chapter

meetings and casual socializing, the

sorority complex and Greek common

will provide each sorority with two

separate areas: a chapter room for

group meetings and ritual traditions,

and a social lounge for socializing and

entertainment purposes.

Along with the office of Residence

Life, those designing the complex

are eager to get the College’s sorority

members involved and want each

wing to represent the personalities

of the women who will live there. To

allow the women a chance to put their

own personal touches on their private

houses, each sorority is being allowed

to form an eight person committee

who will be allowed to meet with the

complex designers to representation

the wants of their organizations. “It’s

neat that the building will be different

for every sorority,” Esser said. “They

will all have a beautiful base to start

from, and they will then be allowed to

make their house unique to them.”

The meeting room located in the

center of the building allows for “cross

interactions between the sororities,”

Esser said. “Many alumni say that one

of the most unique things about Greek

life at Jewell is that sororities interact

with each other. Some women are best

friends with women from different

sororities.”

Along with the Administration,

the College’s Greek women are

extremely optimistic about their new

and improved residential future. “All

of the girls are so excited,” senior

Kate Wooldridge, the president of the

Panhellenic Council, said. “We hope

it will not only raise enthusiasm for

Greek life on campus but also help out

with future recruitment numbers.”

Esser is sure that the sorority

complex and Greek common will

benefit not only the Greek community,

but the entire campus. When the

women are allowed to move into the

complex, the College then will be able

to begin updating Semple, which is

now 51 years old. What Esser calls “a

domino effect” will then take place as,

one by one, each residential building

will receive modern renovations.

Esser hopes that students are not

discouraged by the project’s timeline.

“It seems a long time away, but it goes

by fast,” she said. Esser also added

that when the project was begun in

2005, the original timeline projected

the building to open in 2010, so the

administration is actually “a year ahead

of schedule.”

Caitlin Tejeda can be reached at

tejedac@william.jewell.edu.

Progress continues on

sorority complex project

A week of diversity at Jewell

Multicultural Week con-

cludes this weekend with

a production of The Vagina

Monologues and A Memory,

a Monologue, a Rant and a

Prayer. The productions are

designed to raise awareness

of violence against women.

Alyssa Emery (left) per-

forms her monologue.

Emery also performed

in last year’s production.

Nicole Collier, (right) re-

hearses her monologue.

The Monologues will be

performed tonight and to-

morrow at 7:30 p.m., while

MMRP will be performed

tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.

Vern Barnet, religion columnist for the Kansas City Star, speaks at the Stu-

dent Senate religious diversity panel last night. Students from a variety of

faith traditions were speakers on the panel. Kyle Rivas / Hilltop Monitor

Airam Mason, adjunct yoga instructor, rocks

out on her guitar at a recent concert with her

band, Mad Libby.

courtesy photo

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

Symphonic Band and Chapel

Choir perform free concert

February 29, 2008

6

C

OMMUNITY

The Hilltop Monitor

Instructors live out music in

their extracurricular lives

Maura Metcalf-Kelly

Staff Writer

Jesus Lopez

Staff Writer

C

O

L

L

E

G

E

U

N

I

O

N

3

N

I

G

H

T

S

T

A

N

D

Meg Allison:

singer/songwriter

Tonight in the Cage @ 8

Free!

The Vagina Monologues:

Tomorrow

Yates 221@ 7:30 p.m.

$5

CUA/CSM movie night:

Cry the Beloved Country

Sunday

Gano @ 7 p.m.

ACTIVITIES

Bridget Gray

Spoken word poet

Wednesday,

March 5

8:30-9:30 p.m.

Gano

Free

happenings

off the

H

IL

L

this weekend

Sunday

Saturday

Friday

All Weekend

Bodies Revealed exhibit opens at

Union Station.

Fox Hollow Hiking Trail

in Swope Park

8th Annual Blackout. features live music, poetry

readings, a DJ, a film screening and a fashion

show. The finale of Black History Month. Only

black attire allowed, and it must be “stylish and

upscale.” 21+, 7pm, $5-$20 Screenland Theater

A Benevolent Act: Four

Short Plays by Local

Playwrights

8pm, $6

Lawrence Arts Center

Frank Hyde

book-signing

6pm

Barnes & Noble

Town Center Plaza

Darkside of the Force

Star Wars villain clad

hard rock band

10pm, $7

Record Bar

Bingo Night

Theme is Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Starts at 6 p.m. and goes for 10 rounds. Sharp’s

also offers happy-hour prices from 6 to 8 p.m.

Sharp’s 63rd St. Grill

Corbin Theatre Gala

and Auction.

“Roaring ‘20s theme.”

Music by Corbin Big

Band. Charleston

lessons available. $25.

Meg and Dia, The

Color Fred, Dead Girls

Ruin Everything, Ken-

nedy Luck Club

$12

The Granada

Brew Jam at 75th St.

Brewery

8pm-close

National Corn Tortilla Day Celebration

Corona Cantina #1, Legends at Village West

Lunch and dinner diners will get a free bag of

chips from Lil Guy (limit one per check).

Tonight Gano will host a joint

concert by the William Jewell

Symphonic Band and Chapel Choir.

Led by director Phil Schaefer, the

band will start the night with “The

Earl of Oxford” by 18th Century

English composer William Byrd. “The

Earl” was composed under a different

name before the printing press

became common in England. Having

been commissioned to compose a

song for a prominent English family,

Byrd recovered bits of what had been

named “Marche Before The Battell”

and put the piece down on paper with

it’s modern name.

The band also will perform a

piece from contemporary English

composer Phillipe Sparke entitled

“Kaleidoscope.” Spark was

commissioned to write the piece

by the town of Brigg, Switzerland,

to celebrate it’s 100th anniversary.

The song’s name comes from the

composer’s decision to incorporate

examples of well-known music from

Brigg into one unified piece. “What

he did was take small bits of their

traditional songs and worked them

into a whole,” Schaefer said. “The way

he unified the diverse sounds is a lot

like the different way s we see color in

a kaleidoscope, hence the name.”

The final piece the band will perform

tonight is “Mezquita de Cordoba” by

Julie Ann Girox. “Mez quita,” which

translates to “mosque” in English,

recounts the history of a mosque in

Cordoba that serves three different

faiths: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

The different religions have left a

lasting impression on the architecture,

community and music of the church.

“[Mesquita] takes the listener through

the history by way of the melodies

and scales of the three different

faiths,” said Schaefer. “It’s one of the

more interesting pieces we’ll play that

night.”

After the band leaves the stage,

the Chapel Choir, led by Dr. Suzanne

Hatcher, assistant professor of music,

will perform. The choir will start the

night with “Dominus Vobiscum”

or “Lord be with you,” a song by a

friend of Hatcher’s, Haitian composer

Sydney Guillaume.

Twenty-five year old Guillaume

has been composing since he was

in high school. He attended the

University of Miami where he met

Hatcher. “[ We] were in the University

of Miami Frost Chorale (the top choir

of the University) when we were both

study ing there. I was working on my

bachelor’s degree in composition

and I believe she was working on

her doctorate degree in conducting,”

Guillaume said.

“Dominus Vobiscum,” like

Guillaume’s other works, incorporates

Haitian rhythms with modern lyrical

style to expose the audience to the

author’s unique culture. “I tend to

incorporate Haitian rhythms in most

of my compositions, mainly because

Haitian choral music is rare and also

because I hope my music will create an

awareness to Haiti’s beautiful culture

that exists amidst the economic and

political turmoil,” Guillaume said.

In addition, the choir will perform

an arrangement of “The Road Home,”

“In Remembrance” featuring piano

and French Horn and “Lamentations

of Jeremiah” by Z. Randall Stroope.

Hatcher said that one of the most

interesting aspects of the Stroope

piece is its dramatic mood shifts. “The

song goes back and forth from wailing

to ver y rhythmic intense, almost

anger,” said Hatcher. “Lamentations

of Jeremiah” will be sung with piano

accompaniment by Dr. Calvin

Permenter, professor of music.

Hatcher was confident her choir

could do the pieces justice. “In the two

years that I’ve been here, this is the

best sound I’ve gotten thus far.”

The Symphonic Band and Chapel

Choir concert will be held tonight

at 7:30 in Gano. There is no cost

for admission, and students are

encouraged to bring guests.

“I think the public will enjoy the

concert,” Shaefer said. “ The music is

varied, and there will be a host of new

sounds. We look forward to being a

part of the concert with the [Chapel]

Choir.”

Jesus Lopez can be reached at

lopezj@william.jewell.edu.

Though the ROCK BAND

phenomena has taken otherwise

chronically apathetic college students

by storm, a pair of William Jewell

College’s professors are still making

music the old fashioned way. When

Tim Dzubay, adjunct professor

of written communications, and

Airam Mason, adjunct yoga

instructor, aren’t teaching their

courses, they often perform with

their bands.

Dzubay’s band, Watching

the Coroner, formed in 2004,

characterizing their genre

as metal or “noise core.” The

professor plays guitar and sings

back-up vocals. At 35, Dzubay is

the oldest member of his band.

“I’m definitely an anomaly, as

far as my age,” he said. “I’m at a

different stage of life than the

other guys in the band are.” While

the other musicians are married

with children, the professor

has “different responsibilities,”

between his classes at Je well and

jobs on other campuses. Because

of this, Dzubay is rarely on campus

and hasn’t integrated much into

the Jewell faculty. However, Dzubay’s

most devoted fans are generally

his students, the ver y people who

“probably shouldn’t come [to the

shows],” he said.

Teenagers are the band’s largest

source of income. “Kids love the

stuff we play,” Dzubay says. The

band predominately stays away from

Kansas City venues, preferring to

dabble in smaller towns all around

Missouri. “ We’ve played in some

pretty weird places,” Dzubay says.

“One time the band was playing at

this old bar in Linn Creek, and it

felt like somebody’s house out in the

middle of nowhere. I felt like I was in

the bayou,” he said.

The band is accustomed to a

surprisingly large gathering from

teenagers in small towns, according

to Dzubay. “ The place was full--

there was just a bunch of metal kids

rocking out in the middle of freaking

nowhere,” he said.

The band draws on a ver y specific

audience because of its genre. “Heavy

stuff isn’t for everybody,” Dzubay said.

“I definitely listen to heavier stuff, and

the older I get, the more weird my

musical tastes get. I’ve been listening

to the [heavy metal band], the Tony

Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza.”

Dzubay said. However, his affinity for

heavy metal isn’t insatiable. “ When

I’m working, I’ll listen to Jack Johnson

or something lighter like that. I’m not

opposed to it by any means.”

Mason’s rock and roll band Mad

Libby was established in 2005. Like

Dzubay, Mason is the oldest member

of her band but by no means the

least energetic. Mason plays base and

sings vocals with fellow female band

members Jennifer Roswold and Katie

Sweeny, accompanied by drummer

Jeff Carta and lead guitarist Bojan

Mihajlovic.

Mason acknowledged that music is

largely “a male-dominated industry,”

and a challenge for a female-f ronted

band to crack. She loves overcoming

audience expectations and allowing

them to see female musicians who are

talented and confident. “It’s so cool.

It ’s just these three women kicking

it.”

About lead singer and lyricist

Roswold, “she writes the grooviest

music, stuff you can’t stand still to.

the rest of the band just follows

what Jen’s laid down, and we each

add our own flair to it,” Mason

said.

Though Mason plays music

because she is passionate about it,

she also has a head for the business

side of the band. “There’s a lot of

strategy [to the music industry],”

Mason said. “ You don’t get money

if you don’t understand how it

works, how to get into the good

venues and play shows with more

publicized bands. We look for

clubs that are hip and can support

a rock and roll band.”

The yoga instructor never

forgets the reason she and the

other members of the band formed

Mad Libby in the first place. “ We

don’t bring this prickliness to it.

It ’s fun, we party. If you don’t bring

a playfulness into [the shows], it

won’t work,” Mason said. Mason

promised an explosive show on April

4, advising those attending to “bring

their earplugs.”

Watching the Coroner next

performs at The Surge in Joplin,

Mo. The band can be found at www.

myspace.com/watchingthecoroner

“Mad Libby” next performs on

April 4 at Davey’s Uptown in Kansas

City. The band can be found at www.

myspace.com/madlibby

Maura Metcalf-Kelly can be reached

at metcalf-kelly@william.jewell.edu.

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

Vantage Point

IS IT WORTH IT?

We review, you decide...

by Andy Kirk

talk

to

the

and(y)

(world tour)

February 29, 2008

7

E

NTERTAINMENT

The Hilltop Monitor

Persepolis

Mark Davis

You’ve

Been

Sassed!

Words of Wisdom from the SassMaster

Dear SassMaster,

I’m an attractive girl. I have a

good body, with a good head on my

shoulders. A lot of guys happen to

lust over me, which is fine. I walk in

a place and guys go gah-gah! I have a

great easy-to-love personality that can

light up a room! I’m smart, nice and

respectful. Guys tend to call me the

total package. But my problems are

as follows: Whenever I go on dates

it always turns sexual. Why do they

always want to hook up? I mean, I

don’t look easy. I’ve put my foot down

and said things like, “Hey I really don’t

want to move things too fast.” And

they’ll go, “Oh, I totally understand...

whenever you’re comfortable. This

can definitely wait, baby,” and then

I never hear from them again! How

do I keep them interested in more

than one night? Is that all men want

from me, sex? Is there any hope for a

young girl wanting a LTR? And why

are guys such jerks when it comes to

approaching me at bars and clubs? I

am stumped! Help!

Sincerely,

Sexy, Smart, Yet Still Single

Dear SSYSS,

Could it be your insufferable

personality? Your bloated self-image?

Your kill-me-now before-I-spend-

one-more-minute-with-you ego?

The only reason I let you yammer on

is to give you the chance to see how

you come across, and to ask you this

question: Would you go out with

someone who’d write a letter like

that? If I went out with someone

who thought God had a picture of

them on His night dresser, I’d run so

fast my body wouldn’t be able to keep

up with my feet. So, yes, people only

see you in a sexual light. So, what

does a narcissist do when they find

out they ’re not dateable? Put down

that hand mirror and I’ll tell you.

For the next few weeks try this

experiment: 1) don’t talk about

yourself. Great minds talk about

ideas, average minds talk about

things, and small minds talk

about themselves. If somebody

turns the subject to you, say

something quick and turn the

attention back to them, as in,

“I’d much rather hear about you.” 2)

Be interested, not interesting. Nothing

makes a person feel more connected

and valued than when you show a

sincere interest in what they do, feel

and like. I know. I fake interest all the

time and get all kinds of dates. 3) Do a

dialogue, not a monologue. If you want

the conversation to pop you gotta let

the speech fizzle. Basically, it comes

down to this: If you want guys to be as

interested in your heart as they are in

other things beneath your shirt, then

stop acting as if God’s snapping your

picture every time there’s lightning in

the sky.

Sincerely,

The SassMaster

Dear SassMaster,

I am not a fan of the Vagina

Monologues. I don’t understand why

women feel like they have to go on

and on about their bodies. I mean,

they have all of the same freedoms

as men, and yet they still go on about

wanting more. We are in a new age

of discrimination. Straight, white,

Christian, heterosexual men are the

subject of the most discrimination

from society. Can you please give me

some insight on what to do about this

new slap in the face to men?

Sincerely,

Boy’s Insight about Sexism

Dear BIAS,

I am not really sure what to say to

you. I am at an utter loss for words,

and let me tell you that this is a rare

situation. So let me give you something

that might not overload your narrow-

minded brain: numbers. One in ever y

six American women has been a victims

of a completed or attempted rape in

their lifetime (Rape, Abuse, & Incest

National Network). Women only earn

76.5 percent of what men make (U.S.

Department of Labor) and yet they

are better educated than men, earning

more bachelors and master degrees

than men since 1982 (National Center

for Education Statistics). You still feel

women are on an equal setting as you?

You are a fool, and worse yet, you

are a classic example of internalized

privilege. You feel as though you are

owed something? Please, you ain’t

owed any thing. In our society, you

have the highest paying jobs, are least

likely to be fired, least likely to be

raped, etc. You got the cake and you

have eaten it. What more could you

possibly want? In all seriousness, you

are beyond my help. As I think about

it, you are neither worth my time nor

anyone else’s. You probably won’t have

anyone to love you and if they are

foolish enough to, you will run them

off with your displays of chauvinism.

In reality, you are just sad.

“ You’ve Been Sassed ” is an occasional

feature of The Hilltop Monitor.

While the SassMaster’s advice is honest,

answers are intended for entertainment

only. Need some advice that only yo’

mama could give? Send questions to

somesassyadvice@gmail.com, or add

“SassMaster at Jewell” on Facebook.

It’s difficult to pinpoint the

moment when I finally realized I was

fat. Much like the frog who placidly

sits in a pot of gradually boiling water

until it slowly simmers to death, I ate,

blissfully unaware that each French

fry or snack cake was one waddle

closer to doom and its accompanying

man-breasts. There were many red

flags that should have triggered some

kind of alarm to get in shape (if we’re

going back to the frog analogy, I was

on a slow boil for over a decade), but

the only red things that ever caught

my attention were the tomato sauce

on stuffed crust pizzas and “Pull ‘N’

Peel” Twizzlers.

Before I start talking about my

own personal Rocky Road to medical

obesity, I’ve got to make several things

clear. First, please know that as much

as I love attention, this is all in good

fun and not a cry for help. If I wanted

pity, I’d go to Curves. And second,

the point of this column eventually

will emerge like the glorious cream

center of a Hostess cupcake—you just

have to eat through the dry, tasteless

background information surrounding

it before you’re satisfied.

So, back to the original question:

when was the defining moment

where I realized I was fat? It wasn’t

always this way. I was born two

months prematurely. I entered the

world not as a healthy child, but as

a sickly, underweight stick figure (in

other words, I was well on my way

to making it big as a supermodel).

I bounced back from the lingering

effects of my illness-prone infancy to

become a normal, active child, until

it all went wrong in puberty. My hips

widened to prepare for the imaginar y

children I would never push through

my nonexistent birth canal. The

quintessential middle-school hairstyle

for boys—the bowl cut—no longer fit

my fattening face.

In eighth grade, I found out

what “lovehandles” were when the

Australian foreign exchange student

told me I had some of the biggest ones

he ’d ever seen. What was happening

to me?! The awkwardness continued

into high school, when my squat

frame, combined with my short, spiky

hair and unflattering button-down

shirts, made me look like an honest-

to-God butch. Add braces, severe

acne and best f riends who stressed

that a winning personality was key

for people who looked like me, and

my self-esteem plummeted to Sylvia

Plath depths (although I get the last

laugh because they’re all pregnant).

College was amazing. I began

to find happiness and inner peace,

although I also found that I couldn’t

fasten my jeans anymore, thanks

to late night QuikTrip runs and

various delicacies from Becky in the

Jewell cafeteria. Keep in mind that

during this entire period, I wasn’t

too worried about eating too many

muffins or the subsequent muffin top

I developed. After all, I still had my

face. When I return to Jewell, look at

my face. There’s a reason why I call

it The Moneymaker. That was, until

my Adam’s apple began to disappear

in Facebook pictures, to be slowly

replaced by an extra chin, and then

another. Stretch marks appeared out

of nowhere. Even my eyelids began to

weigh themselves down.

However, I now realize I was not

fat until one particular afternoon last

July as I was sitting in a hot tub in

Los Angeles, Calif. For my Point

Foundation Scholarship, I attended

a weekend retreat at a hotel where

Point Scholars met, socialized and

discussed ideas for positive change—

in addition to seeing whose six-pack

was the most defined. As I sat in the

Jacuzzi between a guy who would

later become the October 2007 cover

model for Instinct Magazine and

another guy who would go on to

become T.R. Knight’s latest boyfriend

(not kidding, I totally know him), I

decided that I was fat. It was the best

thing that ever happened to me.

Let ’s break it down. I’m kind of

a stud and a half already. You think

I haven’t noticed all of you watching

my pigeon-toed strut across the Quad

with lusty thoughts. You think I don’t

see you undress me with your eyes,

even though none of you are that

subtle. It’s okay, though, because I’ve

learned to control my sex appeal.

Now, think about what would

happen if I started exercising in

addition to showering regularly and

controlling my noxious foot odor.

As it stands, my hottness potential

is raw and untapped, like Alaskan oil

reserves, but if I used exercising as a

pipeline. . .

I have decided that England will

be the site of my hottness revolution.

My body was one of the major

reasons why I decided to study here

in the first place: fish and chips,

bangers and mash, blood pudding.

The food is absolutely horrendous!

Not to mention that I’m locked up

in an isolated castle and the nearest

Chipotle is thousands of miles away. I

can’t even get to McDonald’s without

taking a taxi. But, what would happen

if I started exercising in addition to

not eating junk food? What a novel

idea!

I’m speaking as if I’m about to

embark on a new adventure, when

in actuality, I’ve been working out

consistently for the past several weeks.

Surprise! I wanted to keep it a secret,

because the last time I proclaimed

that I would get in shape for a column

idea two years ago, I sprinted away

from the gym after suffering the

humiliation of approaching the bench

press from the wrong direction. Plus,

everyone is getting in shape with the

new workout center in the basement

of Ely—I needed to prove that I, too,

could demonstrate discipline and

motivation in an area outside of being

on game shows or hosting beauty

pageants.

To work out for the first time ever is

a bizarre experience. Even as I loudly

reassured my workout companions,

Merryl Terry and Celeste Roos, that I

was a complete virgin to treadmills (I

had been to third base with the bench

press), I still felt self-conscious and

awkward. Fortunately, they were both

incredibly patient and understanding,

even as I could not comprehend why

I was not showing signs of weight

loss within the first hour of my

workout. Perhaps they also received

sadistic pleasure from watching me

flail about during crunches. That’s

another thing: although everyone

who goes to the gym says that no one

else cares what you look like, everyone

is constantly evaluating the amount

of weight you lift or how sweaty your

armpits get. So what if I use the little

pink dumbbells designed for little

girls? Arnold Schwarzenegger had to

start some where.

The real test will be when I return

to the United States. Will I still be as

motivated to travel to a gym with all

new people to judge? Can I restrain

myself from regressing back into

unhealthy eating habits when I’m

reintroduced to fast food in the U.S.?

The answer is probably not. But I’ve

never made it this far before, and I’m

firmly resolved and highly motivated

to continue this pattern of exercise

excellen—ooh, look an Oreo.

Andy Kirk is spending the spring

semester studying at Harlaxton College

in England. He can be reached at

kirka@william.jewell.edu.

I decided to let the viewing/reading public decide what movie I saw this

week, since honestly, other than Be Kind, Rewind, there really wasn’t a movie

I wanted to see enough to fight over. They seemed to be in agreement that

Vantage Point looked good so I found some previews, read a basic synopsis

(so I wouldn’t be completely unprepared for whatever the movie was about)

and headed off to the theater to see just how thrilling this 2008 “thriller

film” (as Wikipedia called it) would actually be.

For those of you who haven’t seen the previe ws or haven’t even heard of

this movie, I’ll give you the quick breakdown: it follows eight different people’s

stor ylines, all surrounding the same timeframe and event, and goes through them one by one, slowly revealing more

about the story and getting more intense every time. The event is the assassination of the President at a peace confer-

ence in Spain. The main characters it follows include a camera crew, a Secret Service agent, an American man vacation-

ing in Europe, a Spanish policeman, the President himself and those behind the assassination and bombings.

My first problem with the film comes in the way they “rewound” the film to restart from a different vantage point

every time. I leaned over to my friend and jokingly said after the first rewind that I bet the entire movie would do that

until we got through all eight vantage points. We laughed for a while, and then it happened again…and again… and

again… The rewind sequence repeated seven times to start over from a different vantage point. This bothers me for two

reasons: the first is because I end up ruining movies by joking around all the time. Whenever this happens, it irritates

me because I feel like the creators took about as much time developing the concept as I did making the joke. The second

reason is because this concept of rewinding time has been done well without being cheesy in the past. The movie Go! is

a great example of that. So when other movies come in and ruin that plot de vice, it rubs me the wrong way.

My second problem with Vantage Point was in the way the director tried to build suspense by letting everyone but

the vie wer see major plot developments until later down the line. Maybe it’s just an issue that I have, but when every

character in the film knows and sees things that I don’t get to know or see until way later in the movie, it irritates me

to no end. Instead of being suspenseful or thrilling, I just over-analyze what has happened so far, where the plot could

be going, and instead of having a fun experience, I end up trying to piece together the puzzle before they just give me

the pre-made, glued together one they did earlier.

No matter how frustrating the first half of the movie was, the second half was definitely worth watching. It actually

becomes quite suspenseful (even though the trailers give away a major twist which they shouldn’t have even hinted at),

very entertaining, and the second half went by twice as fast as the first because it finally pulled me into the story. By the

end of the movie, I’d almost forgiven some of the big flaws which distracted me so much earlier. Even so, I just can’t

get to the point of completely letting them go. It was at least entertaining, and sometimes an average, yet entertaining

movie is just what we all need.

Persepolis is the beautiful biographical story of Marjane Satrapi, a young woman growing

up during the Iranian revolution. The movie is based on a series of graphic novels, which

shows in the striking animation. Predominately black and white, the lines are sharp with

no gradient shading. The contrast is striking and very appealing. There are several scenes

in particular in which a young Satrapi is being taught about the complex workings of her

countr y’s government, and she pictures them as very whimsical paper puppet shows.

The story’s main appeal is its amazing ability to show several sides to life. It follows

Marjane Satrapi throughout her life, from when she was a young child obsessed with Bruce

Lee to a teenager enjoying the punk crowd of V ienna to a grown woman coming home to

a changed world. There are scenes of havoc, death and war, but there are also scenes about

music, puberty and sex. Even Satrapi’s own life is shown with a good helping of humor

and shame. She is shown at times to be selfish, just as she is shown to be loving. At no time is she simplified to the role

of “ victim.” It is a refreshing take on the religious war movie. I laughed more than I cried, but I left the theater with a

greater understanding of what her life, and the lives of those around her, is like.

Satrapi’s grandmother is a constant source of wisdom and humor throughout the film, and guides the audience

just as much as her granddaughter through her biting comments. She was a particular favorite of mine amongst the

characters because she was just as likely to give advice about staying honest as she was how to keep your breasts firm

as you age.

Overall, it is a sweet story about life, e ver y aspect of it. I would recommend it to anyone, provided of course that they

don’t mind subtitles as the movie is in French. If you’re still aiming to see all the Oscar nominees, you should note that

it was nominated for best animated picture, though it lost out to Ratatouille. You can see it at Regal Cinemas Kansas

City 18 and AMC Theaters Barr ywoods 24.

Brie Clemens

www.thehilltopmonitor.com

Jonathan Entzminger

Sports Editor

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February 29, 2008

8

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The Hilltop Monitor

Nekudas take on new challenges as players and coaches after being drafted by the pros

DO NOT PRINT!!!--JE

Kyle Rivas/Hilltop Monitor

Allan and Kevin Nekuda wanted to get a college education before playing professional soccer.

Last month Kevin was drafted by the Orlando Sharks. Allan is a reserve player for the Kansas

City Wizards. Both brothers coach metro area youth teams.

Baseball defends conference title

Tennis teams

break serve

Ajanta Raman

Staff Wr iter As warm weather approaches, the men’s baseball team has

been training and preparing for the first home game of the

season, played today against the College of the Ozarks. Just eight games into

the season, the team’s record is 5-3.

Head coach Mike Stockton said that “this is a very similar type team to last

year’s.” The team this year consists of “a handful of junior college transfers and

first-year students that are meshing well with the returning players.”

The “group of guys that we brought in this year are the perfect fit for our

team,” Zach Kohan, senior infielder said. “ They are all willing to buy into the

systems that we implement and know that the best way to earn respect is to put

Last month, Kevin Nekuda followed the

path his older brother Allan Nekuda ‘06 when

he was drafted by the Major Indoor Soccer

League. Such an entrance into the professional

world of sports is not a surprise to Allan, who

said that Kevin has “always played at a high

level.”

“When either one of us succeeded, the other

would try to match it,” Allan said. “[In] what

ever we would do, we would try to push each

other. Whether [it’s] being on the same team

or practicing against each other, we do what we

do to continue to excel, and that ’s probably the

biggest thing—we push each other more than

anybody else.”

Kevin got news of his draft from assistant

men’s and women’s soccer coach Jefferson

Roblee by way of a phone message, which

according to him, was out of the ordinar y.

“I heard it first from Jefferson Roblee,”

Kevin said. “He called me and told me. My

phone just rang and I got a voice message. I

thought ‘oh that’s weird’ and so I checked it

and it said to ‘check your email.’”

According to the Nekuda brothers’ father,

Larry Nekuda, Allan started playing soccer at

the age of four, and Kevin began when he was

three years old. As they grew older, Larr y began

coaching and playing soccer with his sons and

built a room in the basement of his house for

Allan and Kevin to play indoor soccer.

“They had a lot of drive and a lot of

motivation,” Larr y Nekuda said. “ They played

other sports, but they were a little more into

soccer than anything else.”

Growing up, Allan and Kevin played

baseball and football, but when Allan stuck

with soccer, Kevin followed.

“I have looked up to him all my life, and

he definitely pushed me and got me going into

soccer I’d say,” Kevin said.

Allan recalls being able to pick up the

game of soccer ver y easily and chose it over

other sports because it gave him a personal

advantage.

“I could have been good at basketball, but I

really wouldn’t have had a future. I wasn’t big

enough to play football, and soccer was good

for me because I could really excel at it.”

Both Nekuda brothers listed each other as

the most influential person in his life. Allan

said that he would not be in the position he

is in right now without playing against Kevin

growing up. He also listed soccer-phenomenon

Ronaldo de Assís Moreira, known in the world

of sports as Ronaldinho, and Tiger Woods as

his two favorite athletes. Kevin has no favorite,

but enjoys watching athletes play the game of

soccer. “I just like them all, actually,” he said

Outside of the world of soccer, the biggest

and most important piece of Allans and Ke vin’s

life is education. As youth soccer coaches,

both are dedicated to their respective teams

and make it a priority to teach education over

athletics to their players. Both men pointed

out that talent can be very valuable until an

athlete has an injur y.

“If some sort of injury happens, there’s

really nothing to fall back on if you don’t have

a good education,” Kevin said.

The Nekuda brothers are passionate about

the issue of education and believe that athletes

should take advantage of it when given college

scholarships. Allan recalls being pushed

more by his parents to go to college and get

an education although he had the skills at a

young age to take a different route and play

professionally. He applies the same idea of

academics before athletics as a coach.

“I coach a team of high school sophomores,

and I’ve coached them since they were 11 years

old,” Allan said. “I do my best to promote not

just the soccer part, but my goal as a coach is

to get them college scholarships and… to get

them on the right track, doing the right thing,

and not just being a good soccer player. It’s

about being a good student so they’re actually

eligible to get into good colleges.”

While at William Jewell, Allan and Kevin

racked up some impressive numbers and were

members of the 2006 team that won the Heart

of America Athletic Conference championship

with an undefeated record of 9-0. Allan left

Jewell with a record of 52 career assists, a

personal best of 44 goals and 2006 National

Association of Intercollegiate Athletics first

team All-American honors. Kevin, led the

men’s soccer team in assists during the 2007

season and was ranked 13

th

in the NAIA with

.063 assists per game.

“It’s remarkable for where they came from,”

Larry Nekuda said. “More importantly, they

got a good education.”

Jonathan Entzminger can be reached at

entzmingerj@william.jewell.edu

your head down and work hard. Right now we are still figuring

out how to play our style of baseball on a consistent basis.”

Until now, the weather has been on the colder side, so the team

has been preparing for the games inside the Mabee Center.

“It’s not easy to practice inside all January and February

and then go to Texas and Arkansas and play against teams that

practice outside everyday,” Stockton said.

The indoor practices focused on learning “our systems that

we think are important to winning ballgames—things like

base running, different defenses and different types of offense,”

Stockton said.

“Our goals are to get better everyday, so if we are playing our

best baseball come May, we should have a chance to be there in

the end.”

Last year, the team won the Heart of America Athletic

Conference, so “I think our first goal is to defend our Conference

title,” Kohan said. Kohan said the team has been “devoted to

hitting and pitching, obviously, but we spend a lot of time going

over bunt defense and pick-off plays.”

As soon as the weather gets warm enough, the team will move

outside to the football field. “We take a lot of ground balls and

work on defensive drills,” Kohan said.

The team as a whole is “selfless. They all want the same things,”

Stockton said. For each game, Stockton uses the strategy of

hustling the opponent in every phase of the game. “ We don’t

focus at all on the teams that we play. We are confident in our

team,” Kohan said. “ We know that if we play against the grain

then we will have the best chance of winning.”

With the season just beginning, “we are learning from early

mistakes,” Stockton said. “I think we are going to start to play

some really good ball.” All the losses have been by one run and

“this forces you to learn from ever y mistake that was made. Every

time that we play a game, we are challenged by Coach to learn

from our past mistakes and continue to play better baseball,”

Kohan said.

“ We just trust that all our hard work and preparation will

come through when we play. We try and play a certain brand

of baseball: stealing bases, putting pressure on the defense and

attacking opportunities instead of letting the game come to us,”

Kohan said.

The home opener is against the College of the Ozarks, who

“always (has) a good team and give(s) us a good test early in the

season,” Kohan said.

Kohan has “a lot of confidence in our club this year. Once we

are able to hit on all the cylinders I know that we can make some

waves on the national level. We understand that winning is a

function of team chemistr y.”

Ajanta Raman can be reached at ramana@william.jewell.edu

Corey Husak

Assignment Editor

William Jewell College’s men’s tennis team has

started the season with a record of 3-1, including a

win over “a very good Friends College team,” head

coach, Paul Worstell said. It was the first time Jewell

had won the match-up in four years. Currently,

Jewell’s men’s program has two undefeated singles

players, sophomores Cody Pflugradt and Cole

Stretch.

The women’s team has a record of 2-2. So far,

they have been playing without one of their better

players, Sydnee Mela whom they will be without

until women’s basketball finishes. “Benedictine will

be a very good test to see where we are to start the

season,” Worstell said. Right now, “ we have a very

strong number one and number two doubles team

who gets us started off very well e ver y match,”

Worstell said. That includes the team of senior

Alison Cobb and first-year Nikki Chambers who

placed sixth in nationals last fall and who was

ranked #15 in the nation at the beginning of the

season.

“The great thing about Alison is that she has

been to nationals every year here,” Worstell said.

He added that she is the only woman in the

school’s histor y to do so and that she provides an

excellent role model for her partner, Nikki, to learn

from.

Northwest Missouri State will be the next

opponent for the men’s team, which should pose

a great test for the Cardinals. “Cody (Pflugradt)

is one reason why I scheduled the match with

Northwest,” Worstell said. “ He transferred from

there and had done great there. Now he has come

in and been a true leader, and I thought it would

be fun to have this match.” Kyle Taylor is a first-

year “ who has worlds of potential and will turn out

to be a great player,” and who will gain experience

from the Cardinal’s schedule.

The men’s and women’s teams already are

looking forward to their spring break trip to

Hawaii, where they will face strong competition.

“ They have worked hard for the trip and have

fundraised the whole thing,” Worstell said. “It

should be an experience no one will ever forget.”

Corey Husak can be reached at

husakc@william.jewell.edu

William Jewell’s baseball team will attempt to defend their conference

title this season with their first home game, today.

Kyle Rivas/Hilltop Monitor

N

ekuda brothers take on professional

soccer leagues

Women’s basketball suffers tournament loss

The women’s basketball team may have ended its season last night with a 74-64 loss in the quarterfinals of the Heart of America Athletic Confer-

ence tournament. Although seeded third in the tournament and ranked 19th in the nation, the team was defeated by sixth seed Missouri Valley.

If the Lady Cardinals do not receive an at-large bid to the national tournament, they will lose one senior from the team, as senior Heidi Winkler

will graduate in May. The Lady Cardinals moved to 22-9 on the season with the defeat.