www.wakemag.org
the u’s weekly student magazine
•
april
19-25, 2006
Staff Editorial Editor-in-Chief
Kay Steiger
Managing Editor
Lane Trisko
Athletics Editor
Craig Rentmeester
Athletics Assistant Athletics Staff Writers Campus Editor Campus Assistant Campus Staff Writers
Brian Tolentino Jeff Barthel Tyler Rushmeyer Jessica Mann Sarah Howard Rachel Drewelow Vincent Staupe
Literary Editor
Kim Gengler
Literary Assistant
Kel Sangster
S&V Editor
Michael Mitchell
S&V Assistant
Jenny Odegard
S&V Staff Writers
Erin Belling Haily Gostas Rachel LaBine
Film Critic Voices Editor Voices Assistant Voices Staff Writers
Chris Wilson Colleen Hellenbrand Cole Dennis Tom McNamara Nix Wurdak
Production production manager
Eric Price
art director
Sam Soule
photo editor
Brennan Vance
web editor cover artist graphic designers
illustrators
photographers
copy editors
office manager advertisting executive pr director
We’ve all been witness to graffiti of some kind; on storefronts, abandoned buildings, and concrete overpasses. Some call it art, while others call it vandalism. Is there a middle ground? Opportunities exist for those who fear the long arm of the law.
Andy Tyra Dave Hagen Kristin Drews Carina Enbody Shannon Licari Eric Price Jeremy “Shitful” Sengly Aaron Groh Alex Judkins Rachel LaBine Michael Mitchell Miranda Peterson Aaron Ridgeway Jeremy Sengly Nick Tchida Jessalynn Courtney Ryan Rodgers Brennan Vance Elizabeth Aulwes Clayton Benjamin Mary Cummings Kelly Frush
BUSINESS business manager
12 From Playing for Her Cat to Doing It All
Andy Tyra Tamara Swanson Jamie King Cassie Benson
distributors
Gwen McNamara Ryan Frailich Brennan Vance Chris Wilson
board of directors
James DeLong Paul Froiland Courtney Lewis Kathy Schlecht William Swanson
14 Putting Faces to Numbers It’s hard to know who’s digitally looking over your shoulder while you’re surfing the Internet. All the information you disclose on Facebook can be just the beginning of the kind of information others can find out about you … without you even knowing about it!
©2006
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alex Amend, Jeff Barthel, Alice Battey, Erin Belling, Sean Cudeck, Rachel Drewelow, Kim Gengler, Haily Gostas, Sarah Howard, Abbey Klepetka, Brian Kuchida, Jessica Mann, Michael Mitchell, Jenny Odegard, Craig Rentmeester, Tyler Rushmeyer, Kel Sangster, Vincent Staupe, Chris Wilson, Nix Wurdak
Established in 2002, The Wake is an independent weekly magazine, produced by and for students at the University of Minnesota. The Wake is a registered student organization.
The Wake was founded by Chris Ruen and James DeLong.
The Wake 1313 5th St. SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 Send letters to letters@wakemag.org Please include your name, year, and college. The Wake does not publish anonymous letters.
Volume 4, Issue 19
Letter from the Editor
Freshman year for cool people
This month we feature a story in our Campus section about Sexual Assault Awareness month. It occurred to me as I was editing the story, why have we come up with a euphemism for rape?
Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
That javelin thing looks dangerous Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A cultural bridge built with tampons Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Exhibit, first installment Literary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I didn’t elect nobody Sound & Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Happy 4/20! Bastard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
04 07 10 16 18 22
Although we have all become nauseatingly aware of the fact that one in four women is the victim of a form of sexual assault in college (thank you, Pieces of the Puzzle, you really prepared me for my four years here). The simple fact of the matter is that sexual assault just sounds a little nicer than rape. Perhaps rape is too harsh of a word. Perhaps we want to protect those accused of rape so we soften it. But why would we want to do that? Rape is the kind of thing that alters someone for the rest of her life. A piece of her as been stolen, and she will never be able to get it back. So why do we protect the word? It’s spring; our minds are filled with both the large load of work still to be done and the sunny weather that coaxes us from our seats
indoors. It’s important to keep in mind that although this is a season of light-heartedness, weighty matters still persist.
Kay Steiger
Editor-in-Chief
Liminal
Reading and Release Event
Celebrate the release of “Liminal,” a literary journal sponsored by The Wake Student Magazine. Copies of “Liminal” will be available at the reading, in addition to free Wake Tshirts for published writers and artists. We will also have free “Liminal” buttons, a drawing for gift certificates, and music. Please come join us.
7 p.m. on Friday, April 28 Manhattan Loft
802 Washington Ave. SE Minneapolis, MN 55455
4
Campus
April 19-25, 2006
Sand Boarding, Visiting Prisoners, Teaching English, Avoiding Diarrhea Unconventional first year by rachel drewelow The school year is coming to a close, and as many Superblock residents reflect on their “firstyear experience” they will find that it may or may not have included those four activities. Lindsey Rae Palmer, who opted to spend her first year out of high school volunteering in Peru, found that her unconventional first-year experience did in fact include those jaunts. After graduating from Washburn High School in Minneapolis in 2005, Palmer ditched promises of freshmen dorm life to jet off to an old Incan city in the Andes. Admitted to the university, Palmer decided instead to volunteer to teach English in Ayacucho, Peru with Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS), a volunteer abroad program. “I knew I wanted to do volunteer work somewhere and experience life on my own for a bit [before going to college],” Palmer says. Hoping to travel to New Orleans to help in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Palmer stumbled onto CCS’s Web page and “just felt drawn to Peru,” she says. “Three days later I hopped onto a plane.” She spent three months in Peru teaching English, working at a home for the elderly, playing with children at an orphanage, helping children at a special needs school and visiting women and their children at a prison before returning to Minneapolis last November. Smitten, Palmer couldn’t stay home long. “I fell in love with the country, the culture and the language, so I decided to return two months later [in January],” she explains. This time she traveled, unconnected to any organization, with her roommate from the CCS house to Lima, Peru— with plans to stay through August. Working with CCS was an “amazing and eye-opening experience,” Palmer says, but she wanted to try being “independent of the program.” During this trip, she is volunteering as an English tutor and working with a pro-
gram she began while traveling with CCS—an export embroidery business for women in a Peruvian prison. Though volunteering keeps her busy, Palmer says her days are less structured now that she is traveling independently. “The idea of an ‘average day,’ by definition, does not exist in my life over here,” she says. “I get up some days and go to the beach, take a walk in the city, go for a jog or sometimes have teaching appointments.” Like some go-getting university students who make time for intramurals, Palmer too dabbles in alternative sports. When traveling through a desert south of Lima, Palmer and some friends from California decided to try “sand boarding.” Palmer cites the experience as one of her fondest memories. “We rented a sand buggy, which looks like a tricked out golf cart,” she explains, “and drove through the huge sand mounds until we found a steep hill. We would then take our, also rented, snowboards and … you get the idea.” A less affectionate recollection of her travels, Palmer says, was becoming sick after eating a local dish with an unacquainted stomach. (Some dorm residents—unprepared for the all-you-can-eat vibe of the cafeterias—may have similar memories.) Palmer’s culprit was cebiche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish composed of raw fish, marinated in lime, salt and onion. “Absolutely delicious,” she says, “but deadly to an unaccustomed stomach. For your sake, I won’t include the details.” Palmer’s experience can be likened to typical college students on the home front in other ways as well. She spends many of her nights clubbing, she says. “I love to salsa, although I’m horrible at it!” she says. Also, like many freshman, Palmer is experiencing her first year away from home. “That, in and of itself, is its own life adjustment,” she says. She is also meeting people from all over the world, who come and go through the youth
hostel she is staying in. Though Palmer isn’t actually studying abroad nor earning college credit, “by default I am learning tons of Spanish!” she says. “I am learning here from life experience much more than I could ever get out of a text book,” she explains. Though Palmer says she is not homesick or ready to come back to the States, she is anxious to begin her college career this fall. “I am excited in a sense, but I am also afraid of getting back into the routine of typical American culture,” she explains. “As cliché as this sounds, I hope to come back with a better understanding of myself and the world,” Palmer says. She does plan to volunteer abroad again sometime as well. “It is an aspect of ignorance that can’t be broken without stepping outside of your immediate reality … a highly underrated life experience that everyone should have,” she explains. While some students are hunting for internships or jobs, registering for more courses or banking on relaxing at home, those panicking because they haven’t decided what to do with their summer yet should remember Palmer registered to go abroad three days before hightailing a jet to Peru.
Opportunities Abroad Lend a hand Cross Cultural Solutions Volunteer programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Peru, Russia, Tanzania, and Thailand. Fees start at $2,389, depending on length of trip. Trips are 1-12 weeks long, choose from start dates throughout year. (Intern programs available also) www.crossculturalsolutions.org
Bring home the bacon Alliance Abroad Job placement programs in Australia, China, Chile, Costa Rica, England, France and New Zealand. Salaries from about $215/week to $620/week Program lengths and start dates vary (cultural immersion, group travel, and language immersion programs available also) www.allianceabroad.com
Spit some knowledge World Teach Recruits volunteers to teach for a summer or a year in Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Pohnpei, Poland, South Africa Fees from $1000 - $5990/year, $3990/all summer programs www.worldteach.org
Hug a tree Earthwatch Institute Recruits volunteers to work with researchers, studying each corner of the globe, in hopes of saving it. Over 140 expeditions include studying lemurs in Madagascar and crocodiles in Costa Rica. Fees and expedition dates and lengths vary. www.earthwatch.org
All of the above World Endeavors
aaron ridgeway
Study, volunteer and internship programs in Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica,aaron Ecuador, ridgeway England, France, Ghana, India, Italy, Jamaica, Nepal, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Philippines, Scotland, Spain or Thailand. Year, summer and semester programs available. Costs vary. www.worldendeavors.org
Campus
www.wakemag.org
Mystery Solved
5
Pizza joint reopens with a new Greek name
by sarah howard The second level of the Dinkydome screams food. There’s Espresso 22, Taco Johns, Little Taj Mahal and more. In this mix a pizza and pasta joint stands with food on display, but no sign to signify a name. It leads one to wonder, “What is that place?” The answer is Yianni’s Pizzeria and Pasta Bar. The restaurant has been open for a little more than a month and is run by 23-year-old John Nicklow, who took over the pizza place from his father, Tony. Yianni’s is a two-man operation, run by Nicklow with the help of his sole employee Joe Cerami, who met Nicklow through Tony. “I worked with his father, but didn’t meet him until about a month ago,” Cerami says. “Isn’t that funny?” “The pizza was already here and we already had a good customer base for pizza,” Nicklow says. The business, previously called Taste of Manhattan, had about 20 to 25 regulars and now that a 20-ingredient pasta bar has been added, “business has tripled,” he says. Nicklow changed the name to Yianni, which is Greek for John, in honor of his Greek heritage because, “It wasn’t operating as I wanted it to and I didn’t want it to be associated [with Taste].” As for the Dinkydome, which was originally built as a library for a bible college, “We can get more people up here [to the Dinkydome],” Nicklow says. The businesses are good and the owners are good people, Nicklow says. The Dinkydome has more potential than it’s given credit for. It may seem strange that a restaurant would open before it had a sign and menus, but not to Nicklow. “My father recommended closing until everything was together,” he says. But Nicklow “wanted to finalize ideas and hear customer input.” Once menus are finalized and printed, they’ll be passed out with orders to advertise the restau-
brennan vance
rant, he says. Nicklow now concentrates on getting everything running how he’d like it to. “There was major reorganization and cleaning to create the pasta bar and put in the display fridge,” Nicklow says. “Now you can watch when I cook.” Nicklow, a recent graduate of St. Mary’s University in Winona, has a degree in business management, and comes from local food royalty. His father came from Greece and opened Nicklow’s Cafe & Bar in Spring Lake Park and Santorini Taverna & Grill at 394 and 169 in St. Louis Park. John is also in charge of the reorganization of Mangia, a restaurant in the lower level of the Dinkydome along University Avenue. Mangia will re-
open in two months with a full bar and will serve pizza, pasta and wings. Yianni’s is currently “selling [food] much cheaper than we should to continue with business,” while Nicklow gets recipes and menus just perfect. “It’s kind of like my practice round,” he says. The best part? You don’t have to wait while everything is finalized. Yianni’s is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and takes checks and credit cards. Their most popular item is two slices of pizza with a soda at an unbeatable $4.75. The pasta bar is $4.95 for vegetarian—meat can be added for $1.50. So next time you are in the Dome, consider something new, cheap and absolutely delicious.
Rape Is More Than a Statistic Remember victims and survivors in April by jessica mann
brennan vance
Men teetered in high-heeled shoes at the beginning of April not only to advent the beginning of spring, but also to honor Sexual Assault Awareness month. The Aurora Center kicked off the month with “Take a Walk in Her Shoes” and passed out information about sexual assault while encouraging students and community members to take a walk down the Washington Avenue Bridge in high heels. One in four to five women experiences rape or attempted rape while in college, and 90 percent of college rape victims know their attacker, according to the National Institute of Justice. However, less than five percent of these victims will report the assault to police, the same study states. Numbers like these are what keeps organi-
zations like the U’s Aurora Center determined to make changes. But the Aurora Center’s main goal is not simply to file more police reports. Instead, they want to support survivors of sexual assault in whatever they choose to do—including not reporting the crime if that’s their decision—and attack the problem of sexual violence at its cultural and societal roots. To this end, the center is sponsoring and collaborating on a variety of events in April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. As an overall mission, “we’re here to empower people and support whatever decisions they make,” says Liz Borer, the legal advocacy and direct services co-coordinator for the center. “Sexual assault is an experience where a victim’s control was taken away from them by force, and an important step to recovery is helping them to regain that control in their lives and make their own decisions.” Helping victims recover is the focus of the staff and volunteer advocacy aspect of the Aurora Center’s program. The center recruits, trains, and
supervises volunteer peer advocates to staff a 24hour crisis line. All advocates have gone through extensive training and been certified by the state of Minnesota as sexual violence counselors. They are able to provide some counsel to victims who need to have their options outlined or, at the very least, an ear to listen. “We’re not counselors in the sense of therapists, but we are here for crisis intervention,” Borer says. “We do some aspects of counseling but we really just provide people options for what steps they can take next.” The center offers telephone or walk-in shortterm advocacy services for individuals, including information on legal options. Advocates will accompany a victim to the hospital, sit next to him or her at court, help file a police report, write a restraining order or file complaints with the university. The Aurora Center also provides resources for longer term counseling and support groups. The other major aspect of the center’s mission See Rape, Page 6
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Campus
April 19-25, 2006
Rape, continued from page 5
examines the difference between preventing sexual assault and reducing the risk of being sexually assaulted. Through educational presentations, advocates seek to educate the community and raise awareness about issues that still frequently seem too “taboo” to be addressed. To prevent sexual assault, the center focuses on the person whose actions define sexual assault—the perpetrator. People can reduce their risk of being sexually assaulted— and thus becoming victims—through a variety of methods, but stopping a perpetrator from assaulting a person is not the responsibility of the potential victim. Sexual assault is not the victim’s fault. “Sexual assault and relationship violence are the result of a culture that tolerates, supports and reinforces violence and we must change the culture to prevent violence in all forms. The Aurora Center believes that the best way to prevent sexual and relationship violence is to educate people to be respectful toward one another, show support for victims/survivors, and challenge violent behaviors and thus prevent possible perpetrators from committing a violent crime,” according to the center’s Web site. In order to achieve this goal, Aurora Center advocates provide peer and professional trainings and educational presentations on numerous issues relating to sexual and relationship violence. “In terms of our education program, we look at what’s going on in our culture that we have such high rates of violence against women,” Borer says. “We look at images in the media, particularly in advertising, that reflect this culture of violence and we really encourage men and women to work together as allies to interrupt this culture, to challenge sexist attitudes or sexist behaviors that ultimately lead up to violent actions.” Presentations and trainings for any classes, organizations or departments at the U are free of charge. “Sexual Assault Awareness Month is kind of a collaboration between these two aspects—advocacy and education—of our program,” Borer says. “This is just an opportunity for us to really get the word out about our program and to try to start the discussion about sexual assault and violence in our community.” Upcoming events include a conference on the relationship between tourism and child sex trafficking, “United Front for Children,” on April 21 and a portrayal by Pangea World Theater of the experiences of battered immigrant women, “Human Rights at Home,” on April 26. Both of these events will be at the Coffman Memorial Union Theater. Further information on Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexual assault statistics, advocacy services, volunteer opportunities at The Aurora Center, and more is available at www.umn.edu/aurora. The Aurora Center is located on the fourth floor of the Boynton Health Services Building on the East Bank, at 410 Church St. SE. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The number for the 24-hour crisis line is 612-626-9111.
Upcoming Events 04/19 • Men Ending Rape 310 anderson hall, 3pm
04/20 • Increasing Sustainability at the U of M: Fair Trade and Waste Reduction coffman union, 10am
04/20 • Friends or Foes? Social Relationships Among Female Chimpanzees: A Lecture by Anne Pusey 125 nolte center, 4pm
04/20 • Turkish Culture Through Turkish Art northstar ballroom, st. paul s.c., 6:30pm
04/21 • The Universal Hunger for Liberty: Why the Clash of Civilizations is not Inevitable 25 mondale hall, 12:15pm
04/24 • The Death of Milosevic and the Future of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: A Lecture by Thomas Emmert 125 nolte center, 3:30pm
04/24 • The Professionalization of Youth Sports, Dan Gould, Ph.D.: The Tucker Center Spring 2006 Distinguished Lecture cowles auditorium, h.h.h. center, 7pm
04/25 • Many American Crossings: Mexican Immigration and Mexican American Internal Migration in Comparative Perspective 120 andersen library, 1pm
04/25 • Who Speaks for the People: Coming to Terms with American Populist Culture minnesota history center, 7pm
www.wakemag.org
Runners, Jumpers
Athletics
7
Throwers
and
U of M Track and Field By jeff barthel
Brennan Vance
The Men’s Team
The Women’s Team
The 2006 U of M men’s track and field team, coached for the eleventh year by Phil Lundin, looks to recapture its Big Ten outdoor championship form of three years ago. Leading this year’s Gopher men’s unit has been senior thrower, Karl Erickson. A 23-year-old from Zumbro Falls, Minn., Erickson has accomplished a lot during his four-plus years with the Gophers. Recently, the four-time All-American earned himself Big Ten Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors in both of the team’s first two weeks of outdoor competitions. The Gopher men begin outdoors after an indoor season in which they finished second (behind Wisconsin) in the Big Ten and featured three runners at nationals., senior runner Trent Riter and All-American high jumper Kevin Netzer will set the pace through the remainder of the Gophers’ spring schedule. While this year’s team may lack a superb distance runner, Erickson and company should help lead Lundin’s 2006 Gophers toward a strong finish. This 2006 team will not have distance runners the caliber of former standouts Adam Steele and Mitch Potter — first and third place finishers in the 2003 NCAA nationals 400-meter, respectively. However, this team does have a quality runner in Riter. Steele —though graduated — has remained present, serving as a volunteer coach to the team. So, Riter (a team captain from Shoreview, Minn.) and the rest of the U runners can perhaps benefit from some of Steele’s superior competitive running knowledge. Riter competed twice at the NCAA nationals in the 800-meters and will enter late April with hopes to improve on what is already the third-best 800m time in school history: 1 minute and 48.2 seconds. Netzer, also a team captain, will look to topple his career-best jump of 7 feet, ¾ inches this spring. A senior athlete from Rib Lake, Wisc., Netzer played a key role in Minnesota’s second place Big Ten indoor finish. His jump of 7 feet, ½ inches placed first among his conference competitors. The accomplishment marked the third time Netzer’s been able to achieve a Big Ten high jumping crown. Minnesota’s next competition is April 26 though 28 in Des Moines, IA, home of the 96th annual Drake Relays. A competition featuring many of the nations’ top teams, and big crowds (last year’s Drake Relays attendance of 5,100 marked its 40th consecutive sellout) should be tell of Minnesota’s 2006 outdoor season success.
The Gophers women track and field squad looks primed for its outdoor schedule. Led by head coach Gary Wilson, the Minnesota women look to have a successful spring as they attempt to expound on the record-breaking, national-ranking indoor success they achieved during winter competition. During Minnesota’s ’05-‘06 indoor season, which ended with the NCAA nationals March 11 and 12 in Fayetteville, Ark., one of Wilson’s Golden Gopher athletes earned herself an NCAA national title, another young U woman broke her own Minnesota pentathlon record, and a special foursome of Gophers set new precedents with a special distance relay effort. Wilson’s women earned the highest national ranking in the university’s program history for their indoor season; 12th. Of Wilson’s talented group of women, a particular freshman athlete has risen above and beyond the competition. Rosemount native Heather Dorniden earned an NCAA national title by running the 800-meter dash in 2 minutes and 5.64 seconds. The outstanding achievement marked Minnesota’s first national record time. Dorniden, who took part in a recordbreaking U of M relay team as well, was named Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year. Another young female talent who flourished at nationals was Minnesota sophomore Liz Roehrig. A native of Chilton, Wisc., Roehrig turned in a pentathlon effort at the NCAAs that placed sixth there, but broke her own U of M record by 116 points. She earned a total of 4,115 points, with the bulk of her points coming from a high jump effort of 5 feet, 9 ½ inches. The other big feat for Minnesota at nationals was a distance medley relay finish of 11 minutes, 7.27 seconds. Dorniden, Jamie Cheever, Kadian Douglas and Emily Brown accomplished this time in earning All-American honors and becoming only the second Minnesota relay team to do so. With these record-breaking efforts, expect Wilson’s Gopher women to have a lot of success in its spring season schedule. The U women prepare for the Drake Relays Apr. 27-29 and will be eying the outdoor nationals in Sacramento, Calif. this June.
Athletics
Climbing Rocks!
8
April 19-25, 2006
A first-hand account from a first time climber By craig rentmeester
As I walked into the St. Paul Gymnasium, I was second-guessing my choice to do this story. The only experiences I’ve had with heights is with ladders, bungee jumping and a ropes course. I had never really climbed anything of significant height before. But I decided to give it a whirl. Here is what to expect the first time taking on the St. Paul climbing wall. After checking in at the front desk and paying $4 for the climbing wall, day pass, I started my walk to the course. Upon arrival, I introduced myself to the college-aged girl whom would eventually be my wall climbing assistant. I asked her what seemed like logical questions: “Has there been any kind of equipment failure in the past?” She laughed a little and replied no. Then she had me sign a waiver, the standard do-at-your-own-risk type, and helped me find the necessary equipment: a harness and pair of shoes that fit. The shoes were narrow, with little support: obviously meant for climbing. I struggled to put the harness on; I don’t think anyone gets it correct on the first try. Once I had the harness and shoes on, I was ready to be roped up. I learned the acceptable way of tying a figure-eight knot as well as some other type of knot that I can’t remember. The rope was knotted in two spots to my harness, then went to the top of the wall, came back down to my assistant and was strapped to her as well. I felt pretty safe, but it seemed a bit sketchy that my 200-pound frame would be supported by a girl 80 to 90 pounds lighter. Thankfully, I remembered how pulley systems worked from physics class, which calmed my
nerves. After talking about basic climbing strategy with my assistant for a couple minutes, I was ready for my first climb. I decided to scale the easiest side of the wall, which was relatively flat. It had fairly large places to put my hands and feet but nevertheless it challenged me. I made my way rather swiftly and within minutes I was slapping the top of the wall. This was my high point of the afternoon. Then I decided to try the medium difficulty section. I made it about two-thirds of the way up before I had no idea of where to go. Before plummeting back to the ground I had the climbing assistant take my picture — it is always a good idea to get your photo taken in a pretty difficult section so you look like a badass. My helper then decided it would be a good idea for me to try the most difficult section to get a feel for it. This was intense; the places for my feet were between an inch and two inches long and about a half inch away from the wall. I struggled to get between six and eight feet up the wall before calling it a day. My fingers were burning about ten minutes into the excursion and my arms shook frequently due to insufficient upper body strength. Overall, I had a blast climbing the wall and would recommend it to everyone. The only downside to the climbing wall is that there are treadmills facing the wall. So if you’re self-conscious, beware that people will most likely be watching as you try your luck at the wall.
Ryan Rodgers
What wall? The climbing wall in Saint Paul is 25 feet tall and has five top ropes; basically five different ropes to climb with. The climbing wall has more than 900 square feet of climbing surface. It costs $4 for a day pass at the climbing wall in St. Paul. There is also a bouldering wall at the St. Paul Gymnasium and at the Rec Center on the East Bank of the Minneapolis campus. A bouldering wall is more life-like without big, defined areas for a climber to put there feet and hands. For information about the climbing or bouldering walls, call (612) 625-8790
Athletics
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9
NFL Draft Three Gophers look to cash in By tyler rushmeyer With the annual spring football game approaching for the current Gopher football team, a few former Gophers are looking to continue their football careers in the professional ranks. In preparation for the draft, The Wake takes a look at three Gopher alumni with a good chance to find themselves in a NFL uniform next year and talks with their former coaches, Guards and Centers Coach Gordon Shaw and Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning, to learn more about the former players and what their futures may hold.
Greg Eslinger
Mark Setterstrom A four-year starter from 2002-2005 who also started 49 straight games, Setterstrom is predicted to be selected in the fourth or fifth round. He was a first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2004 and 2005. The Wake: What was your experience like working with both Eslinger and Setterstrom? Shaw: It was really a great journey. They came in here as true freshman and really didn’t know the system or the techniques; but just watching those two players grow in that first year and how much better they got from week to week, game to game, was really rewarding as a coach knowing that you were helping those guys achieve the goals that they wanted. The one thing that was unique about both Greg and Mark was that a lot of people would think that after starting for two years that they would kind of take a rest and say ‘well I’ve seen this, I’ve seen that, I’ve done this, I’ve done that,’ but they never had that mindset. They always continued to work to become better football players and just kept the gas pedal at full throttle throughout their entire careers The Wake: What were their best assets/ strengths when playing for the university? Shaw: Greg’s was his first-and-second step quickness and speed. He also had a great ability to block players in the open field. Mark had tremendous lower-body strength and great balance.
Laurence Maroney Maroney is a likely first-rounder who finished second in Minnesota rushing history behind Darrell Thompson with 3,933 yards. He also racked up 32 touchdowns in his Gopher career. Maroney set the single-season rushing record with 1,464 yards in 2005 when he was named third-team AllAmerican. He, along with Marion Barber and Gary Russell, helped Minnesota become the first team in NCAA history with two running backs gaining over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons. Maroney was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2004, and 2005, after earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2003.
The Wake: What was your experience like working with Laurence Maroney? Browning: It was definitely rewarding. He’s a good honest kid with a great work ethic and came ready to practice everyday. The Wake: What was his strongest asset/ strength when playing for the university? Browning: Just his great work habits; he was always looking to become a better football player. The Wake: What do you think Maroney brings to an NFL team and what do you think his prospects are for the draft? Browning: He has tremendous football ability. In my opinion, he’s the best pure running back in the draft. He’s the total package; he can run inside, he can run outside, he can pass-protect and he can catch the ball in the open field and by draft time I think he’ll be running at a solid 225-230 lb. [Maroney was listed at 205 lb. last season for the Gophers.] His draft stock is definitely rising. The Wake: How is he feeling about the draft? Browning: Well, he’s been visiting six, seven, eight teams, and he’s visiting another one today. He’s really making an impression. Right now, he’s just anxious for draft day to get here, but he’s very confident. The NFL draft takes place on April 29 to 30 in New York City. It consists of seven rounds with 261 players being snatched up by 32 teams. Tune into ESPN for full coverage. Other former Gophers to keep a watch on include Jared Ellerson, Jakari Wallace, Anthony Montgomery, and Kyle McKenzie.
nick tchida
A four-year starter from 2002-2005 who started 49 straight games, Eslinger is predicted to go in the third or fourth round. This Bismarck, N.D. native racked up awards throughout his collegiate career. He was a two-time All-American (2003, 2005) and a three-time, first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2003, 2004 and 2005. As a senior, Eslinger was named the 2005 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and won the Outland Trophy, given to college football’s best interior lineman, as well as the Dave Rimington Trophy, awarded to college football’s top center.
He always knew where to push and where to pull when he was engaged with a defender to get the job done. The Wake: What do you think Eslinger brings to an NFL team? Setterstrom? And what do you think their prospects are for the draft? Shaw: Greg has all the things that make a tremendous football player. A great work ethic, unquestionable character, a burning desire within himself to always be a better football player, and (he is) a very coachable individual. A lot of people are going to look at the package and say ‘well, [his numbers don’t] fit in the NFL.’ But there’s a lot of guys walking around on a muscle beach in California and on the East Coast that can bench the world or run a 4.5 [sec. 40 yard], but if they don’t have those intangibles, then they’re not going to make it in the NFL, because it’s a very competitive business. Mark has all those same characteristics. He’s a tireless worker, very coachable, and a very good student, not only in the classroom, but on the football field. Mark’s not going to run a fast 40 or vertical jump 35 inches, but when the play’s over with, very seldom are you going to see the guy he was suppose to block in on the play. I’ve been coaching for 31 years now and I learned a long time ago the draft is a funny, fickle thing. I feel very comfortable in saying they’re draftable players. My only hope for them is that whatever team does take them, they’re taking them knowing those other things about [intangibles] and not taking them just to take a spin around the block to see if they’re a good player or not. The Wake: How are they feeling about the draft? Shaw: Both of them have a really good perspective on it. Greg’s always been a very realistic individual. Mark has the added advantage of having a brother [Chad Setterstrom] that’s currently in the NFL, who has kind of filled him in, let him know how fickle things can be.
Upcoming Events 04/19 • Baseball vs. Northern Iowa Siebert field, 3pm
04/21 • Softball vs. Illinois jane sage cowles Stadium, 6pm
04/22 • Women’s Tennis vs. Illinois baseline tennis center, 11am
04/22 • Softball vs. Illinois jane sage cowles Stadium, noon
04/23 • Women’s Tennis vs. Purdue baseline tennis center, noon
04/23 • Softball vs. Northwestern jane sage cowles Stadium, noon
04/26 • Softball vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay jane sage cowles Stadium, 4pm
04/26 • Baseball vs. South Dakota State Metrodome, 6:30pm
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Voices
April 19-25
It’s That Time of the Month Tampons and a universal humanity Alex Judkins
Growing up in the southwest corner of Minnesota left me unexposed to lentils and bitter yogurt—I ate “hot-dish,” which is anything but exotic. The people in my hometown were mostly white and Lutheran. That’s not to say I wasn’t exposed to other cultures. Nobles County, the next county to the south of my farm, has 11 percent of Minnesota’s growing Hispanic population. They were drawn to the area by the now closed Campbell’s soup plant. Still, I had never been confronted with more cultural differences than when my college roommate, Ashama, turned out to be from India. Our lifestyles clashed like curry and cows’ milk, yet our differences eventually faded as we got to know one another. We were thrown together by need, as is usually the case in college. I was subletting for a friend, who had also—by the way—included Ashama in the arrangement. I was surprised. Nobody had told me, or Laura my other roommate, there would be a third living in the extra bedroom of the new and sterile apartment. But I was also optimistic. Ashama seemed nice and her crisp, almost British, accent thrilled me. At first, the arrangement seemed to work brilliantly. Ashama was friendly. Offering me her special sweet tea, we would watch television together and talk about each other’s backgrounds. Soon I realized how traditional, and different, Ashama’s upbringing was compared to mine. The school she had attended was taught only in English, despite India’s 18 official languages and Ashama’s native language of Hindi. She told me she could read English better then her native tongue. The school also monitored student’s abilities early on and placed them in career tracks. Ashama had been chosen for the sciences and was trying to earn her Ph.D. in physical therapy. That kind of pressure seemed restrictive to me and other differences became obvious as the summer progressed. For one thing, she accepted customs I found incomprehensible. Ashama talked about her love life and how involved her parents were. They had to approve of her future husband and could even pick one for her. I had never known anyone who could enter an arranged marriage. My Western opinion immediately fired and I said, “How could anyone share their life with a stranger?” Ashama, exasperated, explained the practice was going out of
favor but some families still expected it—including hers. Another strange custom was India’s caste system, which was so ingrained in Ashama’s values. Upon my asking about a typical day back home, Ashama told me since her family was in an upper caste, they didn’t eat until eight. Only lower caste families ate at five or six because they had to get up early for their labor jobs. Those in India’s whitecollar group went to work later. For me this basic lifestyle difference between castes amounted to segregation. I imagined separate meal times meant separate lives and a closed, restricted society. As the hot days continued, the tensions between Ashama and I switched from odd to irritating. Specifically, Ashama’s cooking really got under my nose. I remember the smell of curry clinging to my clothing. I remember opening the window to suck in the untainted air. I often burned candles
I felt like a mom. Or a sister. Or, simply, one woman helping another. like a pyromaniac to cover the smell. Then there were the phone calls. Ringing woke me at two in the morning, with strange accents on the other end. Ashama’s family and friends called incessantly. Many times I couldn’t understand the other person and they would get upset, demanding to know where Ashama was. Exhausted by it, Laura and I wouldn’t answer the phone. But the calls still came. Once the phone rang thirteen times before the person hung up. Looking back on the summer, I realize these tensions were normal. Ashama never intended any animosity and the tensions I experienced could have happened with anyone. In fact, they taught me how to live and deal with other people. One afternoon where our differences faded comes to mind in particular. Ashama had been taking swimming lessons because no one had taught her to swim back home.
That week, though, she had a problem: Her menstrual period was in full swing. And she didn’t know what to do. Ashama turned to Laura and me for help. As she spoke of her dilemma I remembered my own first experience with tampons. I could also feel the red rise on my face. But I knew how to help. I went into the bathroom and got a tampon and the instructions that come in box. Laura and I described what to do and where to put what. We showed her the light of superior feminine hygiene products. I could tell Ashama was embarrassed, but so was I. A bridge came between us. I felt like a mom. Or a sister. Or, simply, one woman helping another. Ashama was able to go to the swimming lesson. I didn’t ask how the process went for her—I just couldn’t go there—but I think she was grateful. It may seem like a small thing, but it was the stuff of understanding. And as our months together progressed, we taught each other a few more incidentals. I showed her how to bake cookies. She taught me how to make spicy flat bread. In the end, the only real difference between us was the culture that reared us. Thankfully that faded as we got to know each other, even though I still can’t stand the smell of curry.
Kim is a Voices guest writer and welcomes your comments at letters@wakemag.org
kim gengler
Voices
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Is Number 62 Here Today? First and last names become a privacy issue
Jeremy Sengly
Hi, My Name is _____________. If we have to have numbers, I claim 62. Recently, in my political science course, I got schooled in U of M privacy policy. In the classroom we regularly sign an attendance sheet. The sheet, which is passed from one student to another around the classroom, contains the first and last names of everyone in the class and apparently, is an infringement of our rights. By letting the other students know our names we are putting ourselves on the line to be victims of stalking, online predation or any other of a list of possible crimes. Following this rule, it is not
okay for a professor to call any student by their full name, or, for example, Janet one day and Ms. Jackson (if the professor is nasty) the other. We had to sign a consent form. It was silly. What does it matter if someone in my class knows my whole name? What’s in a name? Right around the time I was conceived, my mother was studying biology in France with a male work partner, while my father was tending the homestead in Vermont. My mom came home and, shortly thereafter, revealed that she was knocked up. Skeptical, my father perpetually teased that he couldn’t be the father. My mother scoffed at his accusation and then insisted that I have a French first name. Interesting, eh? Apparently, my mother simply loved the French culture. Further, she apparently loved my father. Donc, je ne suis pas français, mais je m’appelle Nicole. My grandmother, Eleonora Wurdak, was perhaps the most genuinely kind person I have ever known. My father was born and raised in Austria and only moved to the United States when he married my mother. We were rarely able to fly and visit her, thus my grandma is a bit of a mystery to me. She wore a wig. This is what I remember of my grandma. She wore a wig and didn’t speak English very well. Her face was decorated with deep wrinkles, serving as evidence of a lifetime of laughter. I remember that she gave me cookies when I would visit, even though I was a fat kid. I appreciated that. And once, I remember walking down a paved path through the woods immediately after it rained with my father and grandmother. The walkway was covered with a near-solid layer of snails, who, presumably, were also out for a stroll. It was impossible to take a step without treading on one and hearing a crack-squish, revealing the demise of yet another snail. I can list off nearly every Wurdak in the world. Most of them are in Austria and most are my relatives. Across the ocean, I have a cousin who is a pilot for Austrian airlines, one who is a fashion designer, an uncle who looks like Mozart, an aunt who can make a peach cobbler that is tastier than
a lover’s kiss, and, peering far back into my family tree, I am related to a saint. Personally, I have no avian skills, perpetually wear my pajamas in public, resemble no one of fame, can’t cook, and ain’t no saint, but, as a Wurdak, I can claim a part of their glory. I sound my name proudly, as proof that, though I may not be very cool, I am related to people who are. I am Nicole Eleonora Wurdak and I am proud of each letter, each syllable of my name. To force me into nominal anonymity is to take away so much that I pride myself in. So, yes, you might be saving me from potential stalking by protecting this privacy, but some secrets I just don’t want to have to keep. One can’t help but worry about this progression of privacy. Without our names, we lose a bit of who we are. At a university already plagued with claims of impersonality, these steps seem frightful in a futuristic sort of way. It doesn’t seem entirely implausible that eventually our names will be replaced with numbers, or bar codes or tiny chips implanted in our arms. Should the situation arise, I still claim the number 62.
Nix is a Voices staff writer and welcomes your comments at letters@wakemag.org.
nix wurdak
Photo Poll: What is the best way to support/nurture cultural differences within a community (such as the U of M)? • Jessalynn Courtney
Jordan Lee McNiven
I think that it is real difficult to simply install cultural diversity. The university can throw understanding at the students, and can tell them to be culturally aware, but cultural diversity is internal, and somewhat unconscious. So the only thing the university can really do is promote awareness about cultural awareness, and not cultural diversity itself. So there’s that.
Levi Baer
The university should recruit ethnically diverse peoples to attend.
Meghan Dussel
First, overall, as a whole, each person— each “group of people” needs to be more accepting: just in general.
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Sean Klontz
The university should create monthly events that promote different ethnicities.
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Feature
April 19-25, 2006
from playing for her cat jessalynn courtney
Feature
www.wakemag.org
O
n a day when you feel like you’re losing touch with what it is that makes you human, there is nothing that peels back the emotional layers more effectively than perusing through your high school CD collection. No matter what your taste, there was something that you discovered when you were thirteen that broke your heart and tangled it back together. Years later, when you smooth out the scratches with your shirt sleeve and push play, you are reminded of just how raw that connection can be. Though it was released just this year, Jenny Dalton’s Fleur De Lily made me feel like I had unearthed one of those long forgotten albums. She’s a twist of Tori with a splash of the Cranberries chased with a chilled glass of Kate Bush and with a tenderness and honesty all her own. The songs on this album are intimate and courageously candid, many of which were inspired by Dalton’s relationship with an American soldier deployed for a year in the Iraq War. She details the
most private heartache about a very public situation with unedited bravery. “I forget that it’s a diary entry,” says Dalton. “People relate to it in completely different ways.” The album art’s vintage design is evocative of the 1940s wartime era, making the album resonate with the timelessness and intrigue of a trunk of dusty photographs. The Fleur De Lily CD release party at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown showcased Dalton’s elegant vocals and passionate keyboard backed by members of Cloud Cult (who also contributed to the album). Their combined effect was unremitting and unavoidably visceral. They could have formed one beautiful living creature, the guitars and drums as two breathing lungs and a pounding heart, and Dalton as the tongue and teeth, delivering immutable truths of heartbreak and hope. Her presence was at once vulnerable and fearless. The evening’s lineup (which also featured performances from These Modern Socks and Coach Said Not To) attracted a diverse crowd, and every set of eyes glistened as Dalton wove her story
of two war-torn lovers. Lyrics like “Siamese, you and me / Iraqi sky, another blade to separate us” show her unbounded honesty that gives her widespread appeal. Her performance was as delicate as it was driven, delivered with an endearing humbleness. “This is my first encore,” she confided, smiling coyly. With such a powerful album to support and cries of, “Jenny Dalton kicks ass!” from theback row, Dalton stands to see quite a few more. “I really was just banging on the keys,” says Dalton of her earliest childhood experiments in piano. “I loved it, and I thought it was the most beautiful sounding thing ever. Eventually I got this tiny little Casio keyboard and started writing music right away.” Dalton has no formal training as a pianist. “The first song I picked up by ear was ‘Chariots of Fire.’ After that I just kept playing by ear and making up my own little riffs.” Dalton seeks inspiration as a regular habit. “When you take out of the creative bank account you have to put something back in. A lot of songs have come out just from driving around, or going to a used bookstore and just grabbing weird books off the shelf. I go for a lot of walks.” Dalton is also an avid supporter of local music. “I go to a lot of shows.” She lists some of her favorite local performers as Cloud Cult, Thunder in the Valley and Mark Mallman.
to doing it all:: jenny dalton
Dalton has been paying her dues at local coffee shops and dive bars for years. “I’ve done the meat raffles,” she giggles, scrunching up her tiny nose. “I’d be playing for a blue collar crowd who’d been drinking there since two in the afternoon, and I’m thinking, oh great, these people are going to throw their beer bottles at me.” Dalton’s not sporting any scars, though. With a sound so decidedly classic, she has always been well-received, even among the most unconventional of crowds. She recalls how terrified she was at her first open mike night at the Terminal Bar. “Before that I was just playing for my cat ...” Her drive has paid off and her ambitions are clearer than ever. “In the next five years, I’ll hopefully put out at least three, or four, or five CDs. I’d like to keep doing more CDs as often as I can. I’d like to be touring a lot more. It’d be nice to do this for a living.” By day, Dalton works in communications at the university and runs her own record label, Glossy Shoebox Productions. “I like doing it all,” she says. Fans are taking notice, and this Minneapolis artist has prompted an outpouring of support nationally and internationally. She is currently scheduling live performances in New York City and London. If you’d like to catch Jenny Dalton live and local, she will be performing with a full band at Mayslacks on April 29.
debuts new album at varsity theater
rachel labine
by erin belling
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Feature
April 19–25, 2006
Feature
www.wakemag.org
At the university’s Lobby Day, two students meet with lawmakers who may determine their financial future. The school bus behind Coffman Union slowly fills with those primed to go to the capital. Some are dressed up in suits; others opt to wear their maroon and gold. But all have intentions of having their voices heard at a time when tuition at the U seems to be in a never-ending upward spiral, and the end of the debate over whether or not the Gophers will get their own stadium seems as far away as the time students can expect to pay off loans. MSA President Emily Serafy Cox, standing at the head of the bus, reveals what to expect upon arriving at the state capital. Students need to meet with the student leader assigned to each district and pick up a packet of information that reveals which representative or senator to meet with and covers key talking points about issues concerning the U. For her part, Serafy Cox feels that Lobby Day is an important tool to raise U visibility in the lawmakers’ eyes. “Anytime you get students and legislators in the same room together, it helps the legislators know how important it is to fund higher education,” Serafy Cox says. Freshman Amy Krumholz and Sophomore Karin Dumke, sitting together near the front of the bus, listen intently to the directions that Serafy Cox is giving, before continuing to talk in the quick but comfortable way found between longtime friends. “I hope that there will be other people from our district,” Amy says, “Even though I doubt that there will be.”
Both students are from the Winona area. Amy is studying elementary education and Karin is studying American Sign Language, and after seeing an email advertising Lobby Day, they say they decided to go because they are most concerned with getting a Gophers stadium on campus. The bus arrives on the windy steps of the capital and the pair climbs up the hill to the rotunda inside to gather their folders, complete with the lists of legislators they are scheduled to meet. They decide to “fudge it a bit” and go meet legislators according to Amy’s schedule—Sen. Steve Murphy at 1 p.m. They head outside to the steps of the capital where many people are congregating and holding up district numbers on paper plates. They strain around to look for their district leader, the wind whipping their hair. No one is to be found holding up a 28 or a 31, their respective district numbers, so, after consulting with someone wearing an “ask me” sticker, they decide to head up to Sen. Murphy’s office by themselves, and soon find themselves sitting in a side room, waiting for the senator to arrive. Karin whispers to Amy, who’s perusing the talking points in her folder, “I have no idea who he is!” “Yeah, we’re not wearing business suits,” Amy whispers back, noting several well dressed interns darting in and out of the office, “So this is really awkward.” But then, Sen. Murphy quickly comes in, shakes their hands and sits down, looking comfortable in a tweed jacket and green tie and prepared to answer any questions the students may have.
“We’re here to talk about the University of Minnesota,” Karin says, “And to see if you’re in favor of more funding, new buildings and a Gopher stadium.” The senator then describes how he thinks that a Gopher Stadium is a “good thing” for the University but that it’s “not the most important thing the U does.” He adds that higher education is a very important issue, and his plan to help that, which he admits is an unpopular one, would be to “lop off” the last year of high school, and add a year to college to give students a “good solid base” of education. With the cheers of the rally echoing through the cavernous corridors of the capital during their session, Amy and Karin thank the senator for his time, and rush off to meet with the next legislator on their list, Rep. Gene Pelowski, Jr., representing district 31A in Winona. Rep. Pelowski not only fulfills a position in the House of Representatives, but also teaches political science courses at Winona High School. As a former student of his, Amy and Karin are eager to head over to the State Office Building, where Pelowski’s office is. In an instance that describes the diverse communities that lobby at the capital on any given day, while quickly walking through the tunnel that connects the capital to the State Office Building, the students pass a group of people wearing Viking’s football jerseys, undoubtedly lobbying to their respective legislators for a new Viking’s stadium. “We’re Packers fans,” Karin guiltily whispers as they walk by. Finally, they reach Rep. Pelowski’s office, and decide to write him a note because he is away at
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that moment. Just as they are leaving, the representative warmly greets the students in the hallway, and ushers them into his office, inviting them to take chocolate from his Winona State University jars. After exchanging pleasant inquires about the students’ families, the representative asked them the purpose of their lobbying today. When the students talk about stadiums and new buildings on campus, Pelowski gently interrupts them. He says that he would like to see the growing amount of student debt as the only issue students should fight for right now, adding that he wishes students would walk around with T-shirts stating how much they were in debt, and how long it would take for them to pay it off, adding “a face to the numbers” instead of adding new stadiums and buildings. After recommending to his former students that they head over to the capital and observe him and the other representatives in session at 3 p.m., Karin and Amy again traverse the tunnel among the welldressed lawmakers heading to session. The students remark that it appeared to be a good day for them at the capital. They sit down in the gallery overlooking the House of Representatives, with other students from the Twin Cities campus, while below them, bills and budgets are being debated. The U Lobby Day brought only about 200 students to the state capital in an effort to, as Rep. Pelowski said, put a face to the laws and budgets the legislators create that affect the welfare of students statewide. If the remarks of Sen. Murphy and Rep. Pelowski are of any indication, more must be done. After all, as Sen. Murphy remarked with a sense of urgency to the students, “It’s your generation” and it’s time to make higher education a priority in Minnesota.
Literary
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T
he museum was quiet. The
April 19-25, 2006
Exhibit part one
The
by sean cudeck
rooms echoed softly with the wandering steps of the last patrons. It was closing time,
but there were always a few stubborn people, who waited to leave until the last possible moment, a few who wanted their money’s worth. The security guards checked their watches, waiting until it would be appropriate to be pushy. Coffee had stopped dripping in the café, and the ticket takers lazily tapped their feet against the floor. But when the stranger came, he came fast. The doors flew inward with the force of his entry, and an air of mad, desperate energy flowed in behind him. He looked normal, is what they said. They didn’t know what else to say. The image of his face slipped away from them, just beyond their grasp. What did he look like? He was…I don’t know, just normal, like you could just walk right by him without noticing. Was he tall? No, but he wasn’t short. Was he fat? Skinny? No. No. How was he dressed? Um… What color was his hair? It was… maybe kind of dark. Or it could have been light. I don’t remember. That’s what they said, after it was over. They didn’t remember. Except for his eyes. Nobody had trouble remembering the eyes. That was the one thing about him that wasn’t normal, they all said. His eyes, they were gray. Not gray like light blue, or pale green, or faded brown. Gray. Like smoke or fog, steel or stone. Gray. They remembered that. He slid recklessly across the smooth wooden floor, madly skidding as he changed direction. His limbs swung wide for balance, but his eyes were focused, and a smile stretched across his lips. That was the other thing they remembered, in a hazy, distant way. They couldn’t picture his face, but from the time he entered to the time he left, they said, he never stopped smiling. If they had been given a moment, the staff behind the reception desk would have regained their composure, and politely asked the frantic stranger to leave. If the ticket-takers, standing on either side of the lobby’s glass doors, had seen him coming, they might have stood in his way. But it was too late for that. He was there and gone, his body already propelled into the museum just as everyone thought, Who is this guy? They paused a beat. The echo of the lobby’s smooth wooden floor died out, the echo on the gallery’s cool stone picked up, and then with one voice, the staff began to shout. It was too late. He was gone. As the stunted crackle of walky-talkies sprang up behind him, he rocketed towards his destination. He didn’t mount the stairs so much as collide with them. A couple, coming down the steps to leave, was thrown aside,
miranda peterson
split apart. They joined in the yelling of the staff. All over the museum, the guards perked up their ears, raised their radios to their lips to respond to the anxious warnings of the lobby staff. They began to walk briskly towards the stairwell. Their faces wore dutiful looks of concern. Each guard went to their respective landing, to cut him off. But they were also a step too slow, and the guards on the second floor, just as they arrived, reported the sound of running footsteps in the gallery, fading. They turned and pursued, as the other guards came clattering down to join them. Paintings rose and fell on either side of him, muted white pedestals stood in his way. He dodged them, barely slowing, and ran on. All around him were faces, gazing down from the curled madness of their frames. Some were dead, and some had never lived, and their expressions, captured in frozen, riotous paint seemed to change at his approach. Some had been cast in sadness, some in anger, some in bliss. But were they really? Had this vast array of human emotion been one emotion all along? Maybe, as legions of faithful had stepped before them, looked and left, there had been some trick of the light that masked this new expression. Some stood, or sat, posed. Some were locked in struggle, some twisted in pain. They lay slack with depression, writhed in ecstasy, brimmed with victory and defeat. But now, as they looked down on the stranger, they seemed different. What was it that had lain behind their eyes so long, unnoticed? Satisfaction? And what, despite the surface posturing of their
faces, was that enigmatic expression that tinged their lips? Was it a smile? He ran through the rooms, through the thinned crowds. He passed two janitors, sitting idly with their mops, and as he passed them he waved. They caught the fleeting image of deep gray eyes and a smile, surprisingly they waved back. The guards split up and spread through every gallery, roaming in teams. The remaining museumgoers regarded them quizzically as they searched, surprised at how many of guards suddenly seemed to be there. Had there been that many before? They were an angry, faceless army, rustling their red jackets and buzzing their black radios as they impotently searched. They were sure they had him cornered, checked every nook, every hole, every possible hiding place. They asked the patrons if they had seen him. Yes, he went that way, and each guard who followed a pointing finger strode headfirst into another who had done the same. Where was he? They had covered the stairs. They had filled every room on the floor. Where was he? Then the guards in the most isolated corner heard a clang. They peered into a secluded hallway, at a door marked Emergency Exit. Shouting, much louder than they needed to, they used their walky-talkies to relay the news to their peers and went barreling through the door. The pounding of the stranger’s steps was multiplied beneath him by the rushing feet of his pursuers. The dust of the disused staircase flowed behind him as he ran. The narrow shaft of the stairwell
snatched his rhythmic steps from the air, vibrated them, echoed them against the walls. For a moment, as the stranger approached the end of this climb, and his pursuers began theirs, the noise took on a terrible physical force, a violent, shaking solidification between their ears, a space without thought or feeling or anything but noise. They clutched at their heads. Then the stranger was through the door and the noise was just footsteps. The guards, panting, struggled up the stairs after him, and the stranger was another level higher. The people on the third floor had heard the commotion below them, had paused and cocked their heads to the side. The stranger’s arrival broke in on their listening and wondering, and startled them, but he ignored their stares. Their heads swiveled on frozen bodies as they watched his frantic, smiling progress through the room and past them into an empty gallery and out of sight. When, seconds later, both stairways erupted with red uniformed bodies, the patrons pointed them in the right direction. But the first room branched off into others, which branched into others in turn, and the stranger was speeding through the maze ahead of them. There were relics all around him. Relics form every forgotten age, from every corner of the earth. The gilded, impotent wealth of the dead rested with tired poise at every turn. The objects, the weapons and tools and luxuries of the past, shared a common gleam, a capturing of the golden lights that shone down on them. It gave them a strange sheen of similarity, as if the times and cultures of their origin didn’t exist, as if, beneath the surface, they were separate parts of the same unknowable whole. Why did they quiver, as the stranger ran past? Were his footfalls so heavy? And what was that peculiar trick of the light, as it shone from their shaking surfaces? What gave them that air of dark and quiet anticipation? The guards followed after, arms pumping and heads bobbing. They began as one group, more numerous then it seemed they were a moment ago, more than it seemed one museum would need. And at every turn and junction, they branched out like an angry red flood. The size of each split group seemed no smaller than the original whole, dividing but not diminishing. There were no more stairs on this floor, other than the ones they came from themselves. There were no more exits or escapes. They knew it was only a matter of time before he was cornered and they had him. They kept running. Every room was searched, cleared, sterilized, one by one. After each room was found empty of all but tired, curious spectators, the guards flew more zealously to the next. Soon there was only one left. The red tide slid in form three directions and stopped, just in time to avoid the glittering field of glass that had been scattered across the floor from the broken window. And while they bellowed into their radios, while they left a group at the window to guard against his return, while the rest stamped quickly back toward the stairwells, there was no longer any doubt of his destination. They knew that he was up there. They recognized him now. And they worried that it was almost too late.
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Sound&Vision The Elected? By Who?
brennan vance
April 19-25, 2006
By jenny odegard Blake Sennett’s thin, sweaty mustache and greasy, all-encompassing bangs overwhelmed the microphone April 10 at First Avenue. As he belted out the lyrics to yet another pop melody layered heavily with depressing lyrics about his parents and some girlfriend, I thought, “I’m so glad I didn’t pay for this.” The night wore on, and so did The Elected. Sennett’s mustache became thinner and sweatier, and his songs more and more predictable. They all sounded nice, but every three songs or so I would think, “Didn’t they play this already?” For all I know, they could have been doing some sort of reprise set. All things considered, The Elected sounded as much as the boy-half of Rilo Kiley would: frustrated yet twangy, with a hint of autumn melancholy. Their second album with Sub Pop, Sun, Sun, Sun sounds sort of like Bright Eyes in a field of wildflowers: wistful, yet maintaining credible levels of sorrow. Expected, I guess, considering Sennett spent a few years under the wing of Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes’ cornerstone member. It seems that despite his new label, Sennett’s alt-country heart still aches for Omaha. No matter how cheery the name of the album is, I’m afraid Sennett and company found themselves in a rut. Alright, I’ll be the one to say it: Sennett is much better off sticking with Jenny Lewis, Rilo Kiley’s heart throb/powerhouse vocalist. Her solo project sounds like Rilo Kiley distilled down to its more delicate elements, which The Elected unquestionably misses.
Lead singer Emily Haines drew the crowd in with her white one-piece jumpsuit and variation of the robot. The evening’s main act, Metric, managed to take the crowd from bored and somewhat nostalgic to ready for the all-night dance party. Their sound was huge for having just four people on stage, and lead singer Emily Haines drew the crowd in with her white one-piece jumpsuit and variation of the robot. Formed in Brooklyn in 1998, Metric sounds like new wave experimental pop. They recorded their latest album, Live It Out in their home studio in Toronto. With a peer group containing members of Broken Social Scene and Stars, the band’s sound reflects the ways in which sound and atmosphere is being played with in the Toronto scene. The best part of this combination is that Metric manages to maintain a separate identity and aesthetic, while other bands seemed to have become so intermingled it’s hard to tell one where ends and another begins. As the crowd drew on the pulse of the bass line, they seemed to forget all about earlier in the evening, when creative rhythm was the last thing on the menu. Kudos to Metric for bringing the good mood, and the fun show. As for The Elected, I’m not sure if they’ll be my band of choice in the future.
Sound & Vison
www.wakemag.org
19
MFA students exhibit top work at the U
The Best of the Best by haily gostas For the Master of Fine Arts Exhibitions at the university’s Katherine E. Nash Gallery, a vision is a vision no matter how twisted. The piece entitled “Surreal Fantastic” is not artist Jonathan Bridges’ favorite by any means. In fact, he finds it to be the most random of his selections. And still, there is something undeniable about it. “Surreal Fantastic” is, after all, an image depicting two nondescript clay bodies sculpted by Bridges in a rather compromising position. To top it off, his head is superimposed over both. “A woman who saw it said it best,” smiles the Kansas native. “No one knows you better than yourself when you’re getting fucked.” Bridges is one of five graduate students with work on display at the Nash, each with their own distinct message to send. The exhibit also features Ryan Chamberlain, Patricia Healy McMeans, Eric William Carroll, and Kirsten Peterson. “An MFA is like an artist’s Ph.D.,” gallery director Nick Shanks explains. “This is the chance for the public to see some really cutting-edge visual work.” Bridges’ sculptures specifically follow these themes of the beauty beneath the grotesque. The haunting “Guardians of Possibility,” meant as a 21st-century interpretation of ancient Chinese tomb gardens, combine the most graceful and strange of mediums (porcelain, crystals, flush valve seals, taxidermic eyes) with a terrifying exquisiteness. “I try to examine what’s behind the more unpleasant parts of life,” he continues. “I want to make elegance out of something wicked.” Patty Healy McMeans, whose white-on-white drawings upon satin canvas, subtle beaded pearl stitching, and screen-printing ink images suggest a quietly blinding world, hopes to achieve similar reactions of understanding. “Much of my work operates from a place of phenomena, that ‘a-ha!’ moment,” she muses. “It’s meant as a slow discovery.” Eric Carroll, both a photography student and teacher at the university, started creating the work on display through his research in the technological history of the photographic industry. “I like to start out with ‘real’ three-dimensional experiences, compress them with photography, and then bring them back to 3D through various studio practices, as a way to get to more universal feelings of loss, change, nostalgia, and obsolescence,”
he says. Carroll’s massive “One Year of Taking Pictures—or A Proposed Alternative to the Recent Scrapbooking Craze” is framed by two walls lined with thousands of photographs scooped out of the dumpsters of one-hour photo shops in the last year. The photographic identities are dispelled by 35 mm holes driven through their centers, and in the center of his display are poles speared with stacks of more photos categorized by Landscape, Weddings, Travel, Holidays, and so forth. “Some people think this is a violent act, but I think photography can be that way,” Carroll says. “It’s all about interpretation.” Bridges agrees wholeheartedly. “I feel the point of the artist, of myself and the other people here at the gallery, is to help others imagine what we dream.” The Katherine E. Nash Gallery presents five Master of Fine Arts exhibitions in a show that opens March 28 and runs through April 20, 2006. All events at the Nash are free and open to the general public. jessalynN courtney
Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Film Festival Highlights Opening Night Gala: On Thursday, April 20, the festival opens with a screening of Al Franken: God Spoke. The documentary about Franken was recently shown at the South by Southwest Festival, and is making its Midwest premiere at the opening night gala at the Riverview Theater. Franken and directors Nick Doob and Chris Hegedus will be at the event. Filmmaker Spotlight: Arturo Ripstein This year, the festival has chosen to spotlight the work of Mexican director Arturo Ripstein, showing four of his films. Los Heroes y el Tiempo, El Imperio de la Fortuna, La Perdicion
de los Hombres, and Profundo Carmesi were the Ripstein films selected for the festival. Closing Night Gala: The Minneapolis / St. Paul International Film Festival will close on Sunday, April 30 with the Minnesota premiere of Sweet Land. The film, written and directed by St. Paul filmmaker Ali Selim, has been critically acclaimed and well received at film festivals around the nation. The viewing will be at the Riverview Theater at 7:00 P.M. The Minneapolis / St. Paul International Film Festival runs from April 20-30 at various theaters in the metro
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Sound & Vision
April 19-25, 2006
Bedlam Theatre Lives Up to Its Name Raising Hell on the West Bank
AARON GROH
By michael mitchell With no flashy marquee to announce itself, the Bedlam Theatre took me a while to find, but you know you’re in for an entertaining night when your first task is to find the venue. Located behind Palmer’s Bar, in the shadow of the Riverside Plaza housing complex, the small theater is easy to miss. The West Bank is home to a staggering number of performance centers, but none of them have the edge you’ll find at the Bedlam. John Francis Bueche, co-artistic director at the theater, says the Bedlam occupies a “unique niche” in the West Bank in its ability to bridge the local community and the reputation of professional theater. On April 1, the Bedlam Theatre hosted a variety show like no other: the April Fool’s Romp. A mixture of sketch comedy, video art, puppetry, live music and rodent costumes, the romp was unpredictable at every turn—just like the audience. An informal B.Y.O.B. policy that evening ensured an inebriated crowd of bikers, punks and hippies at the Bedlam. Cans of beer and 40-ounce bottles were as conspicuous as they were abundant. And as the night went on, the laughs got louder to the delight of the performers and viewers alike.
Bueche describes the romps as, “A celebration of the radical-activist heart of our theater enterprise.” The first of the variety shows was in 1998 and, as Bueche noted, “Romps’ll sell out by word of mouth.” The house was full early in the evening, and when all the seats were occupied, latecomers sat on the floor with no complaints. The night began with a live “broadcast” of the fake news show WYASKY, in which anchors read headlines and ran video clips on the day’s top stories. Anchors targeted the War in Iraq and immigration policy in the satire, and proved that the Bedlam has no qualms about being outspoken. WYASKY is a recurring skit, and served as entertaining filler between the night’s other performances. Following the first news segment was the evening’s most unexpected act: a trio of people in rodent costumes. Armed with homemade drums, the furry creatures emerged from backstage and performed their not-so-coordinated drumming sequence to the delight of the crowd. Using only gestures and the occasional squeal, the papier-maché adorned performers earned some of the biggest laughs of the night with their innovative slapstickstyle routine. Regular Bedlam Theatre players took the stage throughout the night in the WYASKY news seg-
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ments, an ongoing game of Celebrity Jeopardy (á la Saturday Night Live) and a 15-minute reenactment of the movie Rocky. While the other acts of the evening were astonishing, it was these skits, with their inside jokes about the Bedlam, that resonated most with the crowd of regulars. “Our loyal following sustains the whole thing,” notes Bueche. “There’s been long stretches in the past that we’ve survived without a whole media presence.” And it was obvious that April Fool’s Day at the Bedlam was like a holiday with extended family. So much so that the second to last event of the evening was a marriage ceremony. When Ivan and Kelly recounted their romance and exchanged vows, I witnessed the most bizarre crowd reaction I’d ever seen. Granted, it’s hard to take seriously a marriage at a theater on a night of practical jokes (it was April Fool’s Day, after all), but no one seemed to be laughing as the ceremony was nearly cut short by a barrage of beer cans from angry audience members. Perhaps they protested the institution of marriage, but the violent reaction to the ritual on stage was disconcerting to say the least. But true to the world of theater, the show went on. About the only way to recover from the near chaos of a wedding is an awesome set by a group
of highly skilled musicians. Enter: the Blackthorns. Armed with classical string instruments, a hard rock rhythm section, banjos and accordions, the Blackthorns have one of the darkest, most original sounds of any local band. And though they were plagued that evening by technical difficulties, they still managed to get through an entire set, even agreeing to play a one-song encore. They were the perfect sendoff after an evening of chaotic entertainment Those who caught the April Fool’s Romp were witness to one of the great expositions of local talent in a variety of mediums. And while the Bedlam Theatre maintains a year-round schedule of events, there’s something about the romps that accurately evokes the theater’s namesake in a way that nothing else could. Bedlam Theatre’s next production is West Bank Story which begins a run at the Mixed Blood Theater on June 2. Check www.bedlamtheatre.org for upcoming events and future romps.
Fall 2006
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Sound & Vision
www.wakemag.org
Album Reviews
Built to Spill
The Flaming Lips
The Appleseed Cast
You In Reverse
At War with the Mystics
Peregine
By Alex Amend
By chris wilson
brian kushida
I was listening to “Traces,” the second track on the new Built to Spill album, and trying to figure out why they included some guy saying, “Who is Mike Town?” in the background. But it’s not that bad, I thought, it’s just strange. And after all, it is Built To Spill; there must be some reason. Then I heard it again on the following track “Liar,” and realized I am a fool. The real reason is that I have peeked, opened early. I stole the album and Mike Town is an electronic watermark. So there. I’m a thief, but it’s only because I am impatient. I own the older albums and I have seen Built To Spill in concert twice and Doug Martsch by himself once. I love this band, and I want to strangle this wise-ass who thought it cool to dub himself in. Fortunately, this watermark occurs in only four of the 10 tracks. And the sheer volume and eloquence of these tracks buries it like a mountain. You In Reverse is different from the earlier albums. It is heavier, dirtier, louder. Of course this applies only to the guitars and rhythm, since Martsch’s singing never leaves that sweetheart Neil Young-like tone. What we get is a powerful album. Only two songs run under five minutes, allowing serious motion and build-up in the longer tracks. The final song, “The Wait,” embodies the best of their “popibilities,” putting a heart shaped bass line on the end of this combustible album; a perfect piece of music to court this spring season. It’s too bad that we’ll have to wait until September (and for Doug’s retina to reattach!) to hear this music live. At least in this album, we’ll have something to hold on to.
The evolution of the Flaming Lips’ music is nearly as trippy as the music itself. Starting out as a lo-fi indie rock band and progressing to fuzzedout psychedelia, most recently they’ve been doing some of the best pop-friendly atmospheric noise orchestrations you’re likely to find. Half the fun of listening to their newest album, At War with the Mystics, is finding out what sound the band is taking on now. The thing is, there is no one sound to this album. It opens with a catchy ’60s-esque psyched-up singalong about the dangers of power, both personal and political. Immediately we’re transported to the ’80s with an electro-funk masterpiece that would make Prince himself proud. Titled “Free Radicals” (the best chemistry puns to ever grace the music industry), the song is a full frontal blast against fanaticism of all types. What ties these songs and the rest of the album together is the no holds barred lyrics taking on current events. Pop princesses (Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani by name) get theirs, as do superficial minds and rogue politicians. Calling this a political album would severely insult the massive scope of Lips’ singer and songwriter Wayne Coyne’s lyrics here. The only weak spot on the album is about halfway through when things start to sound a little like their previous albums, specifically Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and The Soft Bulletin. “Vein of Stars” is the prime culprit, with not enough going on musically and predictable but vague lyrics. But with so many ear pleasing moments like the explosion of pure sonic goodness halfway through “My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion” and the way “It Overtakes Me” leads perfectly into the crazy-catchy, pop-done-right-it’s-scary “Mr. Ambulance Driver,” one weak song is forgivable on an album of well played lyricism and amazing musical variety.
The Appleseed Cast is no stranger to concept albums. Their seventh CD, Peregrine, shows yet again why the Lawrence, KS-based quartet continue to do it better than anyone out there. Peregrine goes like this: in a wooded rural area a deranged father copes with murdering his daughter. She returns in the afterlife as a ghost to haunt him, and he struggles to live with the weight of her death on his shoulders. Later, in a type of mercy killing, a peregrine falcon ends the father’s misery. Pretty heavy stuff, but what about the music? This time around the Appleseed Cast brings it fervently, aggressively and, at times, delicately. Singer/guitarist Christopher Crisci’s echoed vocals set the scene over distortion-filled, pounding tracks “Mountain Halo” and “February.” Softer tracks “Ceremony” and “An Orange and a Blue” exhibit the band’s penchant of spaciously layered, arpeggio-laden instrumental tracks that 2001’s Low Level Owl executed to artistic perfection. In the epic finale, “The Clock and the Storm,” a barrage of knife-cut riffs, screaming guitars, and thundering drums escalates to a breaking point. Peregrine’s success lays in the amalgamation of their past work to the present, giving the band an evolving identity. To their credit, they have managed to combine pieces of nearly each of their albums to create a culminating work that current fans can enjoy. And for those who are new to the Appleseed Cast: what are you waiting for?
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22
Bastard
April 19-25, 2006
This Week in UofM History • April 20, 1977 • University freshman, James Burnman, went with his friends down by the Mississippi river on a beautiful spring afternoon to celebrate 4/20, the sacred international holiday celebrating the marijuana and its myriad of benefits … like making things seem profound, and food taste better. However, James was unfamiliar with the term “4/20,” and thought he was just going for a nice leisurely stroll with his buds down by the river. When the clock hit 4:20 and his friends lit a joint, James realized he would be asked to smoke weed. When the joint was passed his way, he declined saying “No thanks. I don’t need drugs to get high.” This marked the historic first time someone used that excuse not to do drugs. This statement led to the “get high on life” craze that ravaged a generation of youth.
hilary falk