OpinionsLewis Flyer

Brandon WallEditor-in-ChiefNatalie Schutz

News EditorNicole Zwartz

Assistant News EditorAdam OlszeskiOpinions EditorNicholas Kerr

Assistant Opinions Editor and Advertising

ManagerCarlo CalmaTempo Editor

Tamika ThompsonAssistant Tempo

EditorMeghan Callahan

Health EditorCopy Editor

Lisa OesterreicherAssistant Health Editor

Jason BeneventiSports Editor

Matt KralAssistant Sports Editor

Kristen MaloneyCopy EditorLuke Baker

Senior Layout Editor Online Editor-In-Chief

Steve BottgerLayout EditorJoe PetersonPhoto Editor

Doctor Rey RosalesAdvisor

page 6

Where We StandStaff Editorial

The Flyer Staff

The mission of the Flyer is to report news and to provide a forum for the discussion of issues relevant to the Lewis University community through the print medium in a manner consistent with the mission of Lewis and the accepted norms of American journalism.   The  opinions  expressed  in  the  Flyer  do  not  necessarily  reflect  those  of  the  faculty,  administration,  staff  or  students  of  Lewis  University. Nonstaff members may participate by writing a letter-to-the-editor. Letters should be oriented to current issues. Please include your full name and email address. Community members may submit information in a press release to lewisflyernews@gmail.com. 

Our Mission

Any comments: email LewisFlyerOpinion@gmail.com

Wrong is wrong,hate is hate

Lewis University was shaken by three individuals who hung a noose outside of their window and yelled hateful and harmful things at a minority on campus. The indi-viduals in question were arrested and charged with disorderly con-duct.

Is a noose insulting? Yes. Is it a shameful reminder of our past? Yes. Is it a hate crime? The Will County State’s Attorney’s office doesn’t think so. They reduced the charges to disorderly conduct.

Illinois defines a hate crime as “when by reason of the actual or perceived race, color, creed, reli-gion, ancestry, gender, sexual ori-entation, physical or mental dis-ability national origin of another individual or group of individuals, he commits assault, battery, aggra-vated assault, misdemeanor theft, criminal trespass to residence, misdemeanor criminal damage to property, criminal trespass to vehicle, criminal trespass to real property, mob action or disorderly conduct.”

Hate crimes in Illinois warrant a maximum prison sentence of three years for a first offense.

Disorderly conduct is generally defined, as acting in an unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another and to provoke a breach of the peace.

Being found guilty of this lesser charge in Illinois generally results in court supervision or probation, but it can result in up to one year in county jail.

The law states that disorderly conduct can be interpreted as a form of hate crime. Why, were the charges reduced? Was this the right decision?

There is no doubt the noose can, and has, been used a way to intimidate and instill fear. The noose played an important role in the darker corners of the United States’ past. Be-tween the end of Reconstruction and the be-ginning of the Great Depression, there were at least 2,000 recorded incidents of lynching.

Nooses became a symbol of fear for some and a symbol of pride for others.

Some might be quick to call this a bad decision, it shows we are not protecting the students. Others might say this was a good decision. Or they are young men that made a mistake. Three years in prison might sound like a mighty long time for hanging a piece of rope out a window.

There are simply too many variables and unknowns at this point to say which set of charges is more appropriate.

The three men who were arrested, and any-one else involved, understood the symbolism of the noose. Remember that they are also stu-dents of Lewis University and members of our community. We must not forget the mission statements here, which these confused young men have shown a disdain for.

“Justice: The affirmation of the equal dignity of every person and the promotion of personal

and social responsibility.”“Association: The process of

forming a community of mu-tual respect, collegiality, col-laboration and service.”

It is not our place to pass judgment or pretend that we are the Lewis Judicial Board. However, we hope that when the time comes to decide the future of the three men in rela-tion to Lewis University, that the board strongly considers the slap in the face that has been delivered to our Univer-sity mission statement.

The thought that these crimes were anything less than a hate crime is insulting those who have been harmed by these individuals’ alleged actions, as well as the victims of hate crimes in the past. Whether the perpetrators intended to cause harm, is not a question of de-bate. A noose is used for noth-ing other than to cause pain to a group or an individual. This act was clearly meant to cause fear or pain.

In many cases, this paper would be de-fending the individual’s right to freedom of speech, but in this case we simply cannot. The statement made was one solely of anger and hatred with the intent to cause pain, making a clear cut case of hate speech. Therefore, the individuals in question forfeited their rights because it infringed the rights and safety of ohers. This we can not stand for.

The fact that these chargers were diminished from that of a hate crime by law enforcement officials is unacceptable. It does not coincide with the ideas of this institution or the ideas of the United States constitution. Individual’s rights were limited by the acts of other and the proper measures need to be taken. Don’t let this slide with a slap on the wrist. Full measures need to be used. A boundary was crossed, and now we can not go back.

Photo provided by: http://thecreativeforum.com

page 7OpinionsApri 24, 2009

www.lewisflyer.com

It is rapeA f t e r

overhear-ing exchanges and some very close conversa-tions with my friends, it has recently come to my attention that students are not taking the severity of sexual assault and alcohol seri-ously at Lewis University.

My main point in writing this is—if one is intoxicated, they cannot give consent for sex. Therefore, it is rape.

It is not the victims’ fault if they were drunk at the time nor is it their fault that they were in a relationship of any kind with the person who they became a victim to.

If there is no consent, it is rape. I, like many, never imagined that I would

know anyone that was raped. I thought that only happened to girls who lived utterly scan-dalous lifestyles with some kind of proverbial ticking clock around their neck before “it” happened. However, I have realized that this false perception; myself and many college students sadly could have not be farther from the truth.

Rape is not something anyone should ever joke about. It will not just happen as someone is walking through a dark parking lot. In fact, rape can happen to anyone, most likely be-hind closed doors and in the arms of someone that they know and possibly even trust.

College students have the horrible disad-vantage of having alcohol so pertinent in their lives. Therefore, it may seem ordinary to go to a party, drink too much and not remember the rest of the story—until a student wakes up and realizes they only vaguely know the per-son they are lying in bed naked with. When one gets intoxicated, it does not act as an in-vitation for consent- free sex.

They can only guess what happened. If one

person remembers and was aware of what was happening; took advantage of the situa-tion while the other was noticeably drunk, it is rape.

I’m going to go out on a ledge and say this happens quite a bit at Lewis as well as col-leges in general.

Why don’t we hear about it more?Maybe the victims are embarrassed and

think it is their fault since they were drinking so they don’t call it rape. Maybe the victims can’t exactly piece together what happened, but they’re almost positive that they had sex, so they don’t call it rape. Maybe they figure “What the heck?” They had sex before, so this doesn’t mean that much….right...so they don’t call it rape.

But it is rape.Yet, it can really hurt. Maybe not today.

Maybe not tomorrow. But maybe later when that person wants to settle down and they think of that person they took advantage of or that took advantage of them—either way, pas-sionate sex that is consent free and commit-ment free will hurt emotionally some time.

But it is rape and therefore there is hope and help here and Lewis and elsewhere. The Center for Health and Counseling can help one go through the legal, judicial or emo-tional (whatever the victim wants to go through…it’s TOTALLY up to them) proce-dures to deal with these issues. Local Guard-ian Angel Community Services in Joliet also offers services for sexual assault victims free of charge.

For more information, please contact the confidential Center for Health and Counsel-ing at 815-836-5455 or Guardian Angel Ser-vices at www.guardianangelhome.org.

Natalie SchutzNews Editor

When discussing politics, the topic of gun control is a hot debate. The liberal stance on guns is to restrict, restrict and restrict them. Their argument makes absolutely no sense.

Liberals desire more gun laws. They believe by creating stricter gun laws, it will be harder to obtain and use them. However, it is a constitutional right for Americans to bear arms.

You hear these liberals whining all the time about how it is their right to have abortions. In other words, they believe that you can murder an inno-cent baby, while thinking they can fight against an American’s second amend-ment right to bear arms.

First of all, the “right” to have an abor-tion is not stated in the Constitution, but the right to bear arms is mentioned. Sec-ond, liberals are advocating the killing of babies, while they fight tooth and nail so people cannot own guns for protection and hunting. More babies are killed from abortions than there have ever been from murders in the United States. Doesn’t that make liberals look rather insensitive to-ward human life?

Liberals obviously are not receiving the

correct information on gun owners and gun policies. People own guns for protection, hunting and range shooting. I know people who have guns for every one of these mo-tives. People should be allowed to own guns. As a woman, I feel the need to own a gun, especially when I will be living on my own. I need protection, and I would feel safer knowing I have a gun. In addition, I know how to use it if I am in harm’s way. Wouldn’t you feel safer knowing your mom or sister has a gun to protect herself too?

Illinois does not allow people to carry concealed weapons. Carrying a concealed

weapon is the only policy that has been proven to deter mass murder. “In a com-prehensive study of all public, multiple-shooting incidents in America between 1977 and 1999, the estimable economists John Lott Jr. and William Landes found that concealed-carry laws were the only laws that had any beneficial effect on saving lives. States that allowed citizens to carry concealed handguns reduced multiple-shooting attacks by 60 percent and reduced the death and injury from these attacks by nearly 80 percent,” said Ann Coulter.

Just think, if you were at a mall and

some crazy person started open-ing fire on everyone or was holding someone hostage with a knife, no one would be able to stop the perpetrator. If concealed weapons were allowed, the madness would end and save hu-man lives.

With all these compelling argu-ments, it comes down to the fact that the right to bear arms is in the Consti-tution. Therefore, it should never be altered. The restrictions on guns need to stop, along with the hypocrisy of the liberals pretending to care about human lives by protecting them from gun owners.

Gun owners ultimately save lives, deter murder and prevent harm to individuals—while the liberals are

promoting the death of millions of babies. Obviously, their agenda is not for human life, but to change what has made this na-tion so great.

You should take pride in living in such an envied country, where millions of peo-ple all over the world want to live here to obtain freedom. Our nation is known for its freedom, so no one shall infringe on our right to bear arms. Don’t forget the prin-ciples our United States of America was founded on.

The right to bear arms

Dear faculty/staff,I am an overachiever. By reading my byline, you probably quickly

know if you’ve had me in class or in an extracurricular. I constantly had my hand in the air. I always got my work in on time. I e-mailed you constantly before the final project was due. You rarely had complaints about my work and I worked hard to get an A in your class.

Aren’t I the kind of student that you always hope for?Then why, dear faculty/staff member, does it feel that I suffer for being an

overachiever in your class or extracurricular? Why am I expected to pick up the slack of others?

Instead of understanding my condition, it seems you add to it. You recom-mend me for time-consuming committees, honor societies, workshops, classes, etc. You tell me I do such good work and yet you tell me to do more, more, more.

Yet, realize I do not have time. Overachievers are overwhelmed, even though we’d never admit to it.

Yes, I am an overachiever, but do you realize how much extra time and effort it takes to be one?

Do you think I want to be one? No, I really don’t. Rather, for some prob-ably psychological reason I strive to please people, so when you give me all those special projects, things to look into, and supposed “resume builders” (my resume is already three pages, I don’t need it), I really only want a “good job” and a good grade instead.

Give it instead to the student that really needs something on their resume and will take great pride in that committee invitation; the student that will call their parents will in excitement when you recommend them for something.

But please not me, Ms. Overachiever. Those banquets always serve the same food and get in the way of little social time I have left.

I mean sure, I like recognition as much as the next person. Yet, I don’t con-sider recognition to be boring ceremonies, societies that cost money with few benefits, or special projects that just eat up more of my precious time.

I realize what you’re trying to do is full of good, but frankly I need to learn to say no or I never will.

I know you say that I need the experience. You say that in this economy that I need all the help I can get. Yet, I’m not worried.

Maybe I’ll use that unemployment time to be an underachiever. I’ll have a less stressful job that fully doesn’t utilize my skills; One where I don’t have to think too hard or dress up too much. Maybe I’ll be able to think about myself for once during that time and what I actually want to do and what makes me happy instead of trying to help out everyone around me.

No, I’m not worried. I think the world will always have a place for little ol’ overachievers like me. Hopefully it’s just a place I enjoy and not one someone tells me I should enjoy or one that is the most beneficial to enjoy.

Thanks for your time (I wish I had more),Natalie Schutz

Have mercy for the over-achiever

Natalie SchutzNews Editor

Danielle ThompsonGuest Writer

Natalie Schutz can be contacted atnatalie.schutz@gmail.com

Any comments: email LewisFlyerOpinion@gmail.com

Photo provided by: flickr.com

I humbly disagree with my esteemed colleague’s view on the fans of Chicago Cubs.

Yes, we love to drink. Get over it. When you are sitting in the stands in 95 degree heat with that July sun beating down, you would want a beer or seven too. Yes, the bleachers are rowdy. That is the point, for better or for worse. Complaining about people getting tanked in the bleachers would be like me complaining about fireworks after a home run.

Yes, there are a whole lot of hokey curses and urban legends sur-rounding the Cubs, and there is a certain sect of Cubdom that will complain about them. However, the mass propagation of ‘Goat curs-es’ and ‘Bartman Effects’ are not Cubs fans, it is the media (who loves a good loser story) and anti-Cubs fans.

Our ivy is awesome, deal with it. Besides, it is better than a bar in the outfield!

There are any number of reasons the Cubs are better than the White Sox. We probably win more games and out-perform our South town friends (but don’t ask me, I’m just a dumb Cubs fan; I don’t pay at-tention to statistics). However, at the risk of alienating fans on both sides of the argument, I will admit that Sox fans are generally better looking and that Sox players’ names make better names for dogs than Cubs players’ names.

page 8 OpinionsApril 24, 2009

www.lewisflyer.com

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It’s a man’s canister. You might confuse this with an ordinary canister used to hold normal things like water, other beverages or food products. But no this is not just a can-ister. Its a man’s Canister. A MANISTER!!! This is the man’s canister. It holds all of your manly things in the most manly of ways, so they are ready for you manliness when ever your manly needs need to be met.

Manister

April in Chicago has arrived. One day, it is a beautiful, sun-ny 70 degree day. The next day is 40 degrees, cold and rainy. Amongst this indecisive weather is the start baseball--or as we in Chicago know it as, the great rivalry.

Once again, Chicago has two favorite teams. “The Go Go White Sox and whoever plays the ....”

Ah, yes. I enjoy a promoting this Crosstown brawl. In fact, I live for this time of year. I visit The Cel practically once a week, and I usually pick any verbal argument that I can with Cubs fans.

But something has recently been troubling me. I am not an-ticipating stirring up a heated argument with Cubs fans the way I used to. In some cases, I even have found myself try-ing to avoid the topic. I guess, in a way, it’s grown old to me. I’m tired of hearing the same argument over and over and over again.

You all know which ar-gument I am referring to. It moves in a circular motion. It is guided by one point (which is usually factually inaccu-rate). As a Sox fan, you are educated and know statistics, you rebuttal, but the Cubs fan is still stuck on that one origi-nal point that made no sense in the first place.

I have come to a realization over the years. Cubs fans lack logic....

1) Cubs fans confuse the words ballpark with bar. Yes, I understand it might be diffi-cult for one who lacks logic to distinguish between the two.

After all, they both start with the letters “B” “A.” However, there is a difference! True, we Sox fans enjoy our Miller Lite and Bullpen Bar. However, we pay attention and know that there is an actual ball game going on! Cubs fans show up for the “bar” in the bleachers, don’t pay attention to calls in the game and simply forget that there is a game going on.

2) Cubs fans are unable to process statistics, figures or any type of factual knowledge about the game of baseball it-self. Cubs fans either inherit this logic-lacking gene (the “Cub”) gene, or they develop overtime through consuming massive amounts of Old Style. Ask them about batting aver-ages, winning percentages or a pitcher’s ERA. Chances are, they will be rusty on this infor-mation for their own team—let alone being able to combat back, and know these statistics for the White Sox. As a White Sox fan, you are always ready to win a Crosstown verbal argument based solely upon facts. Therefore, you’ve done your homework, and you know these statistics for the Cubs.

3) “There’s always next year.” They’ve been quoting this line for the past century. If next year hasn’t shown up yet, will it ever? Give it up! The goat, Bartman…these curses stay true, and the Cubs can-not overcome them. Face it, the Cubs have not won a sin-gle postseason game since the Bartman incident, and they’ve been in the playoffs twice since then! The Cubs are obviously a glorified minor league team

who deserve to be stripped of their major league title. Face it, next year is never going to come.

4) Did you see the nets holding the concrete up above your head? This is my favor-ite argument… Cubs fans will rip on The Cel and act com-pletely negligent to their own ballpark’s disarray. Yes, Old Comiskey was beautiful, but it was starting to age. We did what many sensible ball clubs have done—built a new sta-dium. And The Cel is our new, magnificent home. Cubs fans, your stadium is 95 years old. It can’t hold up forever. In addi-tion, it has nothing special go-ing for it. Oh, yes, I’m sorry… The ivy. IT’S A WEED! In ad-dition, baseballs have become stuck in those damn things. Oh yeah, that’s right, you don’t care about the actual game of baseball, so the interference of an overgrown weed wouldn’t matter to you.

5) Location, location…. Oh yes, how many times have we all heard about the “dirty” southside. In the words of a Cubs fan, “I might get shot if I come to your stadium.” Well, I have been to The Cel countless times, and I never feared for my life. Oh yeah, and until the recent housing crisis, Bridge-port was one of the few places in the city where housing val-ues were rapidly rising.

I pity these individuals. I’ve tried to help them see the light, but they’ll never learn....

Of the Cubs...

...and the SoxMeghan CallahanHealth Editor

Meghan Callahan can be contacted at meghan214@yahoo.com

Brandon WallEditor-in-Chief

Brandon Wall can be contacted at thewalldo@gmail.com

This "thing" (due to a lack of a better word" has prevented any resident stu-dents from parking in the side parking lot near lot MM. Why is this blocked off for this object? Why is this "thing" just sit-ting there taking up our parketing spaces?

Photo provided by: Natalie Schutz

What’s up with this, Lewis?

The whole country seems to be “outrage central” this week over the AIG bonuses. The whole situ-ation has me shaking my head at people. We have seen more proof that the bailouts were a dumb idea. To this point, Democratic Party governance seems to be a mockery of intelligence. And all of a sudden, the American public seems like their counterparts from late 17th and early 18th century France.

If companies did not receive bailouts, one of two things would happen, either a total collapse of the company or an organized bankruptcy. If AIG was denied a bailout, they would either be nonexistent or a federal judge would have voided their labor contracts. Thus, the bonuses would have never been paid, despite the fact that Congress loves to get on its high horse and talk about pulling the money from the company.

At this point, if AIG goes under with a boatload of tax dollars, they now have it worse for the economy than what it originally was.

Hopefully, Congress learns from its mistakes be-fore they give a larger chunk of our tax dollars to the auto companies. However, I am not holding my breath as the United States Congress seems to be the only entity that is impervious to Pavel’s logic.

In the last two elections, the Democrats have promised that if elected we would see the most ethi-cal legislative and executive branches—ever. Thus far, the result of that promise is in an epic failure. After saying he had no involvement in protecting the bonuses in through the stimulus package, Senate banking committee chairman, Chris Dodd, admitted that he did write the language into the bill, only be-cause the Treasury Department told him to.

The only problem with this is that Secretary Gei-thner claimed that he did not know about the bo-nuses until a week before they went out. He later had to admit that he was lying.

But what will it take for President Obama to see that he is incompetent? I hate to see what it will

take for him to see that he needs a new guy to sign the lower right hand corner of dollars. In the 13th season that South Park has been on the air, perhaps no parody was more accurate than a scene in last week’s episode. The Treasury Department was de-ciding what to do by seeing where a chicken running with its head chopped off would land on a Wheel of Fortune type wheel.

The last thing I have become weary of over this is angst of populist anger. This was expressed in the House by a bill taxing the bonuses at 90 percent. There is one little problem with that, it’s a bill of at-tainder (taxing only certain people). It is unconstitu-tional, as the founders wanted to make sure the gov-ernment could not be an instrument against people. There have been rallies and protests for people that demanded that the AIG executives give the money back.

Executives of the company should realize that for public relations sake, they should give back that money. They are under no legal guise to do so, they had contracts, and the government did nothing to in-terfere with them as a part of the bailout. If a legal contract can be voided by the winds of time, at any time are we honestly a free society to do business? We have seen an increase in death threats against these people. Some of these threats go beyond kill-ing the individuals alone, whole families are includ-ed in threats.

It has always riled me up when somebody says that somebody makes too much money. This is America, the only promise we get is an equal op-portunity at success, not a guarantee of one.

All of the countries that have tried that are now either gone or are in worse shape than we are. Stat-ism economics has never created wealth or prosper-ity; it has only spread poverty and despair. Can we think about this before we pull out the guillotines on people?

I want to live on campus but....

www.lewisflyer.com page 9OpinionsApril 24, 2009

www.lewisflyer.com

Nicholas KerrAssistant Opinions Editor

Nicholas Kerr can be contacted atchifan3887@yahoo.com

I am 21 years old. I spent a few years living in dormitories when I attended Eastern Illinois University, but by the time I transferred to Lewis, I felt as if I outgrew the whole ‘dorm’ thing. At EIU and virtually every other college campus in the country, there is afford-able apartment living either on campus or close enough to make sense to live there.

As far as I know, that option does not exist at Lewis University. And that is a shame because as much as I love mom and dad, I would have loved the chance to live in an apartment with friends for the end of my Lewis career.

I understand it is not economically feasible to be going around building a bunch of buildings right now, but on-campus apartment style living is something Lewis should give some serious consid-eration.

This isn’t a knock against dormitory style living. When I lived in the dorms at EIU, I enjoyed myself and the bonding experience that came with it. But there comes a time in a student’s life where they don’t want to be bound by Resident Assistants.

I’m sure there are plenty of legal considerations involved with apartment-style living on campus, but I think that the good would outweigh the issues concerned with making it happen.

In an unscientific survey of one (me), the results were over-whelmingly in support of the idea. I have spoken with several other upperclassmen, and they all expressed at least tepid interest in the idea.

On many other college campuses, apartment buildings pop up like rabbits and die off like an unwanted pet Easter Bunny. Having apartments on campus and available to students would no doubt lead to a dramatic increase in resident students – depending on how many are built, of course.

With so many commuter students, there has to be a good portion of them that would be interested in living on campus in apart-ments. It might be too late for me to take advantage of it (unless they somehow are built before August), but for future generations of upper classmen stuck living at home, I urge Lewis University to investigate building apartments on campus!

Brandon Wall can be contacted at thewalldo@gmail.com

Brandon WallEditor in Chief

South Park got Secretary Geithner right

Adam OlszeskiOpinions Editor

Adam Olszeski can be contacted at luswimmer010@gmail.com

The human being is a creature of habits. And no matter what, it is hard for us to break out of that simple routine of the everyday. We are creatures of repetition; governed by the simple formu-las that fill our day to day. Wake up, go to practice, breakfast, then class, take a nap, get some lunch, go to class, go to class, go to prac-tice, get food, hang out, get food, do homework, go to sleep and do it all again. I do that every day. I can not stray from this because it is my habit and my schedule, and that is the way my life goes.

I discovered this today when I planned on skipping my mid-morning/afternoon nap to write this very article. I sat down at my computer and began too.... surf the internet. I sat there just wasting my time instead of doing my article. I tried opening Word.

I typed a few sentences, deleted half of them, and.... went back to surfing the Web. After another 10-15 wasted minutes I was like forget this I am taking my nap. As I was falling asleep I came up with a brilliant idea. I wouldn’t set an alarm and wake up and write my article then, skipping my second class of the day, but alas it did not happen. I woke up 6 minutes before class and laid there trying to convince myself not to go. I failed there as well. I pulled myself out of bed and made it to class 3-5 minutes late just like I do everyday. No matter how I tried I could not break out of my daily routine.

I looked into and it seems that I am not the only one in the world that has this trouble. Leading re-searchers have discovered that human beings become accus-

tomed to doing things in a certain order and rarely stray from their daily patterns. People will go so far as to sit in the same spot on the train and at meal times, and park in the same spot daily. People get so entranced into a certain routine that straying from may even cause mild anxiety for some.

I find it amazing that we as a species fall into such orderly lives that we can’t even break out of a simple routine. No matter how I tried I couldn’t write this article until right this instance because this is always the time I set aside to write for the paper. I had al-ways thought that I was a free spirit, do as I will kind of guy, and for the most part I still think I am, I have no qualms about spontane-ous trips or last minute decisions to go to the movies, but only dur-ing my free time. My day is the

way it is because that is the opti-mal layout for me. And no matter how much I have to do and how little time I have to do it in, it is almost impossible for me to stray from that schedule.

I thought to myself this could not be healthy. I should be willing to have more freedom than this, right? Well it’s not unhealthy, but it’s not healthy either. Those same specialists said that it was impor-tant to mix up the daily routine. Sit someplace different, go to class early, and mix up the sched-ule, because the different order causes stimulation to the brain. It makes us think and increases brain activity. In essence it makes us smarter. For those who want to take this to an extreme the study suggested that we even mix up the hand we use and to do simple tasks, like bathing, with our eyes

closed.But all in all I think having a

routine, or a set schedule is a good idea. It provides continuity in ones life and helps build struc-ture; which leads a better manage-ment of ones time and energies. If you do better on your homework at night, what is the point of doing it during the day? We as humans might be creatures of habit, but we are all also wired differently too and having a schedule helps us make sure that we can get the things done that we need to in an optimal fashion while working at what is the best part of the day for us. Don’t get me wrong I am go-ing to start mixing it up from time to time, but I think my schedule is a good thing and my habits are working out for me quite well.

Habits, rituals, whatever you want to call it

page 10 OpinionsApril 24, 2009

www.lewisflyer.com

Thank you, thank you. Well, where do I start?

I’d like to thank God because without the big man upstairs, I wouldn’t be here. And my family, yes you didn’t help me pay for col-lege, but you have allowed me to stay in the guest room, rent free.

Now, I would like to thank Dr. David An-derson, Dr. Rey Rosales and the peppiest of the pep in Lisa O’Toole because that’s the right thing to do and everybody else is for that matter. I didn’t want to look like a schle-miel. No seriously, they helped me become a better writer, journalist and reporter.

What can I say, big-ups to Brandon who is the raddest, swankiest Editor in Chief who epitomizes the phrase, “cooler than the other side of the pillow.” Luke Baker, Luke, king of the whole online thing, one plastic bag at a time. And hey Jason, what can I say, you let me write anything I wanted to for sports which included articles that had absolutely nothing to do with Lewis. And how could I forget Meghan, oh sh%t you must have just sat down, who helped me create the moni-ker I was born to ride and die with, the Love Guru.

In the end, I’m fairly pleased with the education I received at Lewis University and the people I’ve meet along the way on my journey to the middle.

Goodbye, Seniors!When I first

stepped foot on Lewis’ campus back

in 2007, I didn’t know what to make of it. It was a complete “360” from what I was used to at NIU.

I hoped for better opportunities upon beginning my journalistic career here. Before attending Lewis, I never wrote for a paper, but I was ambitious. I hoped that I would have the opportunity to have some work published. I never thought that I would be an editor by the end of my first year full year.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my family and friends for always supporting me. Thanks mom and dad for your advice throughout the years. I would also like to thank Todd for his love and support despite stressful production weeks. Also, thank you Karolin for always offering your ex-pert medical opinion to me when I was in need of an article.

Thank you Flyer staff of past and present! Tim, thank you so much for being a mentor and helping

me become an editor. I missed you down in the Office this year. You always made laugh, and there was never a dull mo-ment while you and Brendan were around. I hope that Health received your “seal of approval” this year.

Luke, thanks for always making Health look amazing! My section would definitely be lacking if it didn’t have your expertise. Furthermore, thank you for always contributing. Whether it was through articles, photos or multimedia—you have always been there to lend a helping hand to my sec-tion. You’re a wonderful friend, and you’ve been a blast to

work with!Marty, thank you for being a great friend and mentor

when I was first starting at Lewis. I missed you this year, but I’m happy that you’re succeeding out there in the “real world.” You’ve always been there for me, and you’ll always have a friend in me!

Ervin, you are a great “Love Guru.” I’ve had so much fun with you in the Office!

Matt, take care of Health next year! I’m sure you’ll be great at it! I’m going to miss you, thanks for buying all of the puppets!

Brandon, you were an amazing EIC! I’m sure you’ll do a great job next year!

Natalie, Shelley and Lisa—the three of you have helped me out tremendously! I would be lost without having an as-sistant! Your contributions were always very valuable!

I’d also like to thank Kristen, Brendan, Margaret, Jason, Carlo, Leslie and Adam. It’s been great working with all of you! I am going to miss all of the good times that I experi-enced in the Flyer Office. Thank you for the great memo-ries!

Thank you Dr. Anderson and Dr. Rosales for your guid-ance throughout these past two years. You’ve both helped me grow as a writer, and you both have been extremely sup-portive.

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone on campus who has graciously offered up their time for interviews through-out the past two years—especially, Jill Siegfried, Dr. John Greenwood and Dr. Shulamith Mellmann.

This is the end. I can’t believe that I am already graduating. To think that about two years ago, I had not even known that Lewis University even existed.

Before I came to Lewis, I switched my major a couple of times-trying to find my niche at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills. I went from wanting to be an English teacher, a psychologist, a 3D animation designer, an advertiser and finally I figured out I wanted to be a journalist. Some would say that I was a little indecisive.

As soon as I came to Lewis, friendly faces and warm smiles greeted me. Not only was Lewis close to home, but I really liked the atmosphere a lot. Coming in though, as with any new experience, it was slightly awkward. Suddenly, I was this new face dropped into my core curriculum classes with people who I never met before. Other people kept looking back at me like I was an alien, or that’s what it seemed like.

I knew I wanted to join the newspaper at Lewis, but I didn’t know exactly how to ap-proach. Fortunately for me, when I joined the Flyer, the school paper was in the midst of a catastrophe and collapsing like a Jenga tower. This was my opportunity. Dave Ander-son, who seemed very stressed out about the dilemma the Flyer was in, was very eager to sign me up as a layout editor. I had a lot of experience prior to that from Moraine Valley.

The Flyer allowed me to create unbelievable bonds and friendships. Before I ever got involved in journalism, I found it a little more difficult to talk to people. Journalism challenged me, as did the Flyer. I threw myself into the fire and said, “the heck with it.” Because I took that risk, I met some of the greatest, respectable people ever.

The teachers at Lewis taught me so much valuable material that will definitely help me in my future endeavors. My advisors, David Anderson and Rey Rosales, have not only been my advisors, but also were like mentors and good friends. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to be the Senior Layout Editor and Online Editor in Chief this year. I won quite a few awards this year, but I feel that it would not have been possible without them.

I will always treasure the days I spent at Lewis. The people here are good people. The teachers care about providing quality education. Thank you all so much! Hopefully I can stay in touch with some of you over the years. These have been some of the best years of my life. Farewell everyone!

Ervin OlsonThe Love Guru

Lisa OesterreicherAssistant Health Editor

Luke BakerOnline Editor in Chief

Meghan CallahanHealth Editor

I’ll always look back fondly on the past four years I have

spent at Lewis because my years at Lewis made me who I am today. The four years were accompanied by personal experi-ences, classes that really made me think (which I love), fantas-tic teachers, and great friends.

I started as a member of the Flyer my freshman year, and continued to be on staff up until this very last issue. Being on the Flyer staff allowed me to go in so many different directions, starting at News Editor and ending with Assistant Health Editor and Online Public Relations.

Hayley, Shannon, Jen and Erin: I know you’ve graduated from Lewis but if you read this, I want you to know that you made my first few years at Lewis so much fun, and I loved working on the Flyer with all of you.

Meghan, you’re a great Health Editor and I loved being your assistant, however short-lived it was! I will forever appreciate your die-hard White Sox enthusiasm. Brandon and Luke, editor in chiefs, you were so much fun to work with. You both rein-vented the Flyer in your own ways to make it ten times better.

Thank you to Rey and Dave, you were there every step of the way. I remember my first class with each of you—I can’t be-lieve it’s been four years. Not only have you been great teach-ers, but you have been mentors for the past four years. Thanks to my professors Natalie Page and Lisa O’Toole as well.

I will never forget working in the Flyer office till 3 a.m., the music discussions, the Office parties (I have to mention the Of-fice somewhere in here) or that crazy video we made for Multi-media Journalism. It’s time to move on, but I will never forget my memories of Lewis.

Eighteen months ago, I decided to transfer from Saint Xavier University to Lewis University to expand my Journalism education. Now the time has come again to say goodbye to another university as I will be graduat-ing at the end of this semester.

I would first like to thank my fellow students and staff members of The Flyer. When I left SXU, my biggest worry was leaving behind a wonderful group of people who in three semesters helped me transform from a timid journalist who had to step up to the plate and assume the role of News Editor sooner than I was ready for to lead a key department of a newspaper with complete confidence in my abilities.

I thought for all the gains I was making with my transfer that I would be giving up working with a great staff. I am lucky that I got the privilege to work with a second staff of hardworking and dedicated people who can mix doing serious work while having what is likely an overabundance of fun while doing it.

Second of all, I would like to thank my Journalism professors during my time here at Lewis. I would first like to thank Dr. David Anderson, who I had the most classes with and who was my advisor during my time here at Lewis. Dr. Anderson gave me the leeway to let me write about my inter- ests during my intro to journalism class last semester which made a very m u n d a n e class for me be more bearable. Your exams were very thorough and while all that writing could be unbearable at times made sure that I had to ap- ply all that I learned in your classes. Hopefully, you continue to m a k e a quick recovery from your recent health issues.

Thank you Dr. Rey Rosales for the opportunity to try some-thing new on a newspaper staff, letting me handle the Flyer’s advertising this year. It has been an enjoyable experience that

has opened up some interesting ideas for career choices as I head into the real world. Also no one is better than

you for coming up with great funny or gruesome story prompt for class exercises. Good luck with the next phase of your career.

I would also like to thank Dr. Lisa O’Toole, for making the most challenging aspect of my writing and the class I feared taking most here at Lewis, copy editing, a

rather en- joyable experience that really benefited me.

Nicholas KerrAssistant Opinions Editor

www.lewisflyer.com page 11OpinionsApril 24, 2009

www.lewisflyer.com

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