I walked into the Litt le Th eater on a Th ursday aft ernoon, not sure what to expect from the cast of “Th e Grace College Comedy Hour,” which, I have been informed, is actually 110 minutes long.

A sketch and improv show re-hearsal sounded a bit sketchy (pun intended). Various cast members sprawled about the squeaky chairs of the theater, and I sat in the back row to witness what kind of shenanigans would be displayed.

For those who do not under-stand what an improv show is, please refer to the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway.”

Th e improv show is directed by Paul Morales and will feature various borrowed ideas from “Whose Line” but the actual show will have all origi-nal scenes, with input from the audi-ence.

Audience input is one of the reasons that Morales says that people

should come see the show. “We will be taking suggestions from the audi-ence and every night we will even have a chance to get some people on stage,” said Morales.

I was a witness of this and was se-lected to go onstage with a friend, to be “human scenery” for a sketch with Ian Stephenson and Sam Neudeck. Stephenson and Neudeck posed us to portray scenery for the “Sesame Street” set. It was basically hilarious.

In another improv practice, Grace Gerber, Madisson Heinl, Ste-phenson and Neudeck were paired and portrayed Siamese twins, having to say the exact same thing at the ex-act same time. One of the best lines of the evening came from Stephenson and Neudeck as the twins, “Banana monkey purple phone!”

“People should come see this show because it’s going to be great,” Morales said. “Th e other directors and I, especially the cast, have put a ton of work into this show, and the people on stage are absolutely hilari-ous!”

Th e sketch portion of the show is directed by Brock Rhodes, Rachel Ladew and Eric Totheroh. Th e sketch-es are a mix of original pieces writt en by the three directors, rewrites of pieces from the show “Christi Mann’s Sketch Show,” two years ago and oth-er rewrites of diff erent sketches.

Th e show began as two random groups of people planning separate shows unknowingly.

“When we each found out about the other’s show, we decided we should talk and work something out because we didn’t want our shows to be competing against each other. Th erefore, we decided to make one big show out of both ideas,” said Rhodes.

Th e production takes place on Feb. 24 and 25, and also on March 1-3 at 8 p.m. in the Litt le Th eater. Ad-mission is free.

Th e cast includes Grace Gerber, Sam Neudeck, Cheryl Spencer, Ian Stephenson, Madisson Heinl, Daniel

SOUNDING BOARDTHE

the voice of Grace College students since 1953Volume 58 Issue No. 16 Winona Lake, Indiana

February 17, 2012

INDEXvolume 58, issue 16

Photo Briefspage 3

Dorm Focus: Beta Hallpage 4

The Student Unionpage 5

#stuff myprofsayspage 6

NOT QUITE READY:Senior art exhibit opens

The senior art exhibit, “Not Quite Ready” opened on Monday, Feb. 13. The artists’ reception will take place on Friday, Feb. 17, from 7-9 p.m. Senior art majors Emily Metcalf, Brandon Heim, Rebecca Burton, Brook Surgeon, Kaylyn Beck, Noelle Fink, Matt Litzinger, and Rachel Ladew all present four years of hard work.

Rachel Israel | Contributed Photo

BY HALEY BRADFIELDStaff Writer

Comedy hour to feature a

sketch and improv showBY MEGAN SNYDERStaff Writer

Th e Grace College Comedy Hour debuts on Feb. 23. Admission is free. Mad-isson Heinl, Daniel Cooper and Ian Stephenson present an improv game called “living scenery.”

Four years of hard work went on display in the Mount Memorial art gallery on Monday morning.

Th e senior art exhibit, “Not Quite Ready,” opened to campus, featuring the work of eight senior art students.

With the number of senior art students this year, the exhibits are di-vided into three parts throughout the rest of the semester.

Th e fi rst exhibit will be on dis-play in Mount Memorial from Feb. 13 until Feb. 24.

Th is exhibit includes the work of eight students: Kaylyn Beck, Brandon Heim, Rachel Ladew, Matt Litzinger, Noelle Fink, Emily Metcalf, Rebecca Burton, and Brook Surgeon.

Th ey present the works and me-dia they have developed in the last four years.

Th e students are excited about displaying their artwork. “I’ve re-ally loved the home I’ve found

at the Art Department of Grace,” said Emily Metcalf.

“Th e professors have off ered both guidance and crazy senses of humor to always keep things fun and interesting,” added Metcalf.

Art professors J.D. Woods and Tim Young are proud of the senior exhibits and their students’ work and the time invested, especially with all the schedule changes at Grace this past year.

“It’s defi nitely been more of a challenge,” said Woods speaking about the eight-week sessions, “to get so much information to sink in in a shorter time, but an advantage is how both the faculty and students become more focused on one piece at a time.”

Natalie Huebner, the art gallery assistant, witnessed the focus and de-votion of the students.

Huebner agrees that the eight-week scheduling has posed an inter-esting challenge where time is con-

Octavia Lehman | Sounding Board Photo

CONTINUED on page 2

CONTINUED on page 2

Westy Grille closed soon aft er Subconnection opened on campus, swapping cheeseburgers for sub sand-wiches and salads.

Aft er being empty for a year and a half and out of the control of Alpha Dining, the Westy Basement Com-mitt ee is trying to put the Grille to good use.

From 7-10 p.m. on Feb. 24, the Westy Basement Committ ee will host a gaming competition.

From 7-8 p.m., the event will be open for any regular games played for fun. Th e gaming competition begins at 8 p.m.

For a small fee, students can enter the competition and win prizes

as they batt le their way through the brackets to the top.

Food and drinks will be avail-able during the event. A portion of the money will be used for a prize and to buy posters to enhance the Grille’s at-mosphere. Any left over money will go toward future projects for the Grille area.

Th e fee for this event has yet to be determined, but the event page on Facebook will announce the cost in a few days.

Th e Westy Basement Commit-tee started in the fall of 2011 aft er RD Janelle Ditmer approached Westy sen-ate representative Katie Graham about making “bett er usage of the space.”

Th e committ ee is looking for people to allow them to use their game

consoles for the event. Any game console is welcome

and will be returned aft er the event. If you are willing to allow the commit-

tee to use your console, please contact Graham or Kay DeVries or post a com-ment on the event page on Facebook.

2THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 17, 2012

CAMPUS NEWS

InBrief

SOUNDING BOARDTHE

the voice of Grace College students since 1953

The Sounding Board is a weekly publication of Grace Student Organizations and the Journalism Classes at Grace College. The Sounding Board exists to glorify God by impacting people’s lives with relevant and timely news that connects them with the campus and the greater com-munity, by providing excellent education in the field of journalism and by acting as a medium of student expression. Editorials and opinions are those of student journalists and do not necessarily represent the official view of the administration of Grace College. All copy, art, and photog-raphy are property of The Sounding Board and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the editor. Letters/replies are encouraged and must be signed. Letters are limited to 250 words and The Sounding Board reserves the right to print and edit for length and content as neces-sary. The Sounding Board is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and is printed in cooperation with The Papers, Inc. Please send emails to: soundingboard@grace.edu.

Grace College, 200 Seminary Dr., Winona Lake, IN 46590

Staff Writers: Mary Ellen Dunn Megan Snyder Whitney WorthenMariJean Wegert Katie Graham Alex LernerHaley Bradfield Rachel Miner Paul MoralesJoy Martin Rachel Scoles

Advisor: Dr. Sauders

Editor-in-Chief: Octavia LehmanCopy Editor: Ethan ShecklerSports Editor: Zane Gard

Layout Editor: Josh DillmanPhotography Editor: Cassie GareissWeb Editor: Jonathan Haag

Westy committee to host

a gaming competitionBY WHITNEY WORTHENStaff Writer

cerned. “We have been working to pro-

vide more opportunities for intern-ships and experience through the applied learning program and that seems to be going well,” said Hueb-ner.

Th e three exhibits have been di-vided up mostly by their media or by the student’s major.

Th e two senior exhibits to fol-low “Not Quite Ready” will be held accordingly, with the second one in March and the third in April.

A reception for “Not Quite Ready” will be held on the main fl oor of Mount Memorial on Friday, Feb. 17, from 7-9p.m.

A table of food and drinks will be set up and the artists will be on hand to answer questions regarding their pieces or work.

“Not Quite Ready,” remains open Feb. 13 until Feb. 24, regularly on weekdays from 9-5 p.m.

The Grace College Comedy Hour debuts on Feb. 23

Scott Schloss | Sounding Board Photo

In October, Westminster Hall hosted the Westy Masquerade. The Westy Basement Committee is looking for ways to improve the space.

From Front:

Art exhibit

opens

Octavia Lehman | Sounding Board Photo

Paul Morales directs the improv portion of the “Grace College Comedy Hour” with actors Cheryl Spencer and Eric Totheroh.

Cooper, Tyler Umpleby and the di-rectors of the shows.

Rhodes has one fi nal plea for people to come to the show: “Each show will have diff erent scenes and

diff erent cast members. Our shows are like snowfl akes! So anyone who likes snowfl akes and laughing should probably come to the Grace edition of ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ and

‘Saturday Night Live.’ Oh, and on another note, this show will once and for all explain what happened to the Grace Music Department.”

Soccer Fundraiser

The women’s soccer team

will host a fundraiser at

the Pizza Hut on Detroit

Street on Monday, Feb. 20

from 5-9 p.m. All gratuity

will support the women’s

soccer team and their

mission trip to the Cayman

Islands during Spring

Break.

Stand up for your

Sisters

Alpha dorm will host

“Stand Up for your Sisters”

on Wednesday Feb. 22

at 9 p.m. in McClain

Auditorium. The event

will include a panel that

focuses on common

struggles that many

women have and will

include an activity aimed

at helping women realize

they are not alone in their

struggles. The event is for

women all across campus.

An Evening of Worship

Students are invited to

an evening of worship

on Thursday, Feb. 23

at 9:15 p.m. in McClain

Auditorium. The event is

led by Vachal Moore Jr. and

faculty leader Dr. Norris.

The Grace College

Comedy Hour

The Grace College Comedy

Hour features a student led

sketch and improv show

that lasts 110 minutes!

Come and enjoy the Grace

version of “Whose Line Is

It Anways” and “Saturday

Night Live.” Admission is

free. Show dates are Feb.

23 and 24, and March

1-3 at 8 p.m. in the Little

Theatre.

3THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 17, 2012

CAMPUS NEWS

NIGHT INSAB hosted a “Girl’s Night In” on Feb. 10 com-

plete with makeovers, fancy desserts, and a

showing of the fi lm, “The Princess Diaries.”

Elsewhere on campus, GIP hosted its fi rst Futsal

tournament. Futsal, a variant of soccer, features

two teams of fi ve players, one of whom is the

goalkeeper. Unlimited substitutions are allowed.

Futsal is played mainly indoors.

photography by Cassie Gareiss

“One”: it is the chapel theme; it is what Christians are supposed to be. And it is the goal of Grace College’s new Black Student Association, ac-cording to group member Rodney Kelly.

Th e BSA began in October of this school year, headed by the asso-ciation’s president Britt any Nelson.

According to Nelson, the BSA brings “awareness of the African American culture to Grace College.”

Carlos Tellez, faculty advisor to the group, explained, “I think there is a need for all of us to understand one another at Grace...at the same time, there is a need for students who share a common background to have activities that are specifi cally geared for those students.”

Th e BSA hopes to foster unity through mutual understanding and is open to students of all ethnicities who are interested in African Ameri-can culture. As Nelson put it, “We

can learn from each other.” When people learn about each

other’s backgrounds, they can begin to understand one another’s actions, Kelly said.

Part of building that unity in-volves breaking stereotypes. “Th ere are a lot of misconceptions about Af-rican American culture,” said group member LJ Anthony.

Kelly mentioned that African Americans are oft en stereotyped as always loud or fi ghting. He said the BSA is about gett ing “behind the scenes” and helping students “to re-ally understand where we come from and what we’re capable of.”

Th e BSA is under Mosaic, a cam-pus organization that also launched this school year. Mosaic leader Zoe Rozsa described it as an “umbrella” organization, similar to Serve.

Mosaic’s goal is both “to con-nect international or exchange stu-dents into the community” and “to reach inward and educate the campus about outward things,” said Rozsa.

Tellez said that a club like the

BSA has been discussed for quite some time, but it took Mosaic’s in-frastructure to help make that dream a reality. “Once we put Mosaic in place, a more central structure that would be a catalyst for clubs that had to do with intercultural issues, it be-came easier to actually make the BSA happen,” he said.

In the spirit of education, the BSA will be hosting a number of events in the upcoming months.

First up is the Color Progres-sion Experience, which Nelson lik-ened to a history fair, on February 16 in McClain Auditorium.

Th e BSA will set up booths that off er information on African Ameri-can history and African American heroes who are not as well-known as Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks.

Other events include a Taste of Home on March 3, which off ers stu-dents a sampling of soul food such as fried chicken, mac ‘n cheese, greens, cakes, and cookies.

Th e BSA also hopes to host a

once-monthly movie night begin-ning in March.

History, food, and movies are just the tools for achieving the BSA’s mission. Anthony summed it up, “Th e BSA is to be used as an instru-ment of unity amongst campus.”

Unity, he said, makes people “more eff ective for Christ,” said Anthony.

If you would like more informa-tion about the Black Student Asso-ciation or to become a member, con-tact Britt any Nelson at nelsonbk@grace.edu.

4THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 17, 2012

CAMPUS NEWSBlack Student Assocation forms fi rst Grace chapterBY RACHEL SCOLESStaff Writer

Cassie Gareiss | Sounding Board Photo

Members of the BSA include Rodney Kelly, Dominque Jackson, Brittany Nelson and LJ Anthony.

Beta is good. Th is is something we all know to be true. But have you ever asked yourself why? As a Beta resident, I was lucky to fi nd the an-swer. It’s not the building itself, even though it could probably withstand a nuclear att ack. It’s not necessarily the location, even though we have a great view of Kent.

Th e wisdom of why Beta is good was passed down from Aaron Crabtree to Peter Wolff . A group of Beta guys were supposed to deco-rate a location of the old gym for a hall dinner. All the halls decorated their own eating sections. Th e wom-

en were spending lots of time being intricate with decorations and the Beta men were playing basketball.

During the last minutes, the men realized they needed to put things up. So an RA at the time de-cided to write “Beta is Good” on a big piece of paper. And that is the answer. Beta is good today because of the people who call it home.

Let’s start with our fearless leader, Peter Wolff . Wolff is a young RD and easily connects with the residents. He spent his sophomore year living in Beta. He is just an-other one of the men. He just hap-pens to be the man who knows what he is doing. Wolff is a man of God who inspires us to be great. He is

oft en harshly honest, but as much as it can hurt, the man speaks truth. Even when we have those boring hall meetings, Wolff ’s personality makes them worth listening to. Wolff dedicates time to us, even when the

conversations turn awkward. He has graced us with his outlook on Beta.

“Beta is always seen as the ram-bunctious dorm, but I doubt it is any more than the other dorms; it just doesn’t get damaged as easily,” Wolff said.

“Th e atmosphere has been one of social and spiritual stimula-tion. It is cool to see guys from all kinds of backgrounds be forced to live together and have the same conversations and arguments I had as a student, but still growing in the fundamental areas.”

Men take responsibility for their actions and examine the way they treat women and challenge themselves. “I have seen men be open and vulnerable and fi nd ac-countability,” Wolff said. “Beta is good because of the people who live here.”

Th e RA s are a step down the ladder from Wolff . Th ere are six RA s in Beta, one for each hall. Jim-

my Elsner and Vince Sell are on the fi rst fl oor, Nate Zuercher and Brock Rhodes reign on the second fl oor and Josh Brown and Ethyn Brum-baugh watch over third fl oor. Th ese are all great guys who just love to sit and talk. Whether one of them is your RA or not, they are all friendly and outgoing and will lead you to God.

Finally, what makes Beta really good are the hall-mates. In the short period I have lived in Beta, I have met more solid men here than in my entire hometown. It can be four in the morning and you can have the best conversation of your life. Th e guys are giving, the RA s are loving, and Wolff is always watching.

DORM FOCUS: Behind the scenes in Beta Hall

BY CHRIS TULLEYContributing Writer

Scott Schloss | Sounding Board Photo

“Beta could

probably withstand

a nuclear attack.”

DID YOU KNOW?Tales from the vault:

from the Sounding

Board archives

Beta Hall residents enjoy the evening watching basketball in Beta basement.

In 2004, a feud developed be-tween Gamma A and Beta over a rumor that Gamma A had stolen the “Beta Flag.”

The rumor was started by Gam-ma C, who had actually stolen the

fl ag themselves. “As you can imagine, the boys of

Beta were none too patient in get-ting it back. So, about 80 of them went over to Gamma A to ‘ask’ for it back,” Crabtree said.

The incident, which has come to be known as the “90 Man March,” quickly degenerated into a peculiar sort of brawl, in which the Gamma A residents responded to the “March” by fi ghting back with whatever they

could fi nd, including a tub of mar-garine, according to Crabtree.

The “March” was ended by the Winona Lake police, after which the boys of Beta returned to their build-ing for a “dorm meeting.”

In this age of technology, we all have the opportunity to make our opinions and talents known. Th e creators of both the Twitt er account, Grace_Problems, and the satire blog, Th e Student Union, know this to be true. Th ey both use computers, phones, etc., to expound on what is happening at Grace and to provide entertainment.

Grace_Problems is a twitt er account run anonymously with the goal of making changes at Grace College through tweeting about problems.

In the words of the representa-tive of Grace_Problems, the account was created because “we hope to change the game and to build a bet-ter campus and college experience for the average student.”

Students may also fi nd the account under the name Alva J. McClain. Th is is the name of the founder of our college and seminary. McClain Hall was named aft er him.

On the choice of the name, the spokesperson said, “Alva J. McClain was a ‘game-changer’ at Ashland College and a key component in starting Grace, and that is what we ultimately want the twitt er account to be, through humor, critiques, and

the voice of the students, a game-changer and builder at Grace.”

Some students really appreci-ate their humor and their ambitions. Danielle Lorenz, a junior and avid “tweeter,” thinks that they are very funny, and “it is good because they talk about things that aren’t oft en talked about,” Lorenz said.

Other students do not appreci-ate their direction. Joshua Hamlett , a junior, said the main problem is that “students are complaining to one another rather than giving con-

structive criticism.”A staff member, Dave McCall,

has mixed feelings on the matt er. “I like that GP exposes things that typically get suppressed but dislike its one-sidedness,” McCall said. “It defi nitely doesn’t give balance.”

Grace_Problems believe their

account will change the campus because of the number of people (students, staff , and faculty) who follow them. Students are engaged in changing their campus, according to the spokesperson.

Th e fact that it is a medium for students to voice their concerns adds to their anonymity. Th ey do not plan on revealing who they are because “this account is bigger than any one individual and should rep-resent the entire studentbody, as a whole.”

Another medium on campus for entertainment is the satire blog , “Th e Student Union.”

Created one night as a result of boredom, this blog has grown with a large following (over 2,600 page views so far).

Th e spokesperson said, “Our

goal was, and is, to provide Grace with a light and humorous outlook on events around campus, whether true, fi ctional, or embellished.”

Due to negative feedback when using names of students, they have chosen to change their names (they do, however, include the names of faculty and staff ).

As another anonymous page, the spokesperson explains, “Th is is not because we feel we have some-thing to hide, but we just believe it is more interesting to our readers if our identity is unknown.”

Th ese writers are eager for their work to be read. Th ey att empted to have a paper copy to hand out (but could not continue due to costs). Th ey are also planning contests, so keep a lookout on their Twitt er and Facebook pages.

As the writers get older the spokesperson stated, “As graduation grows closer, we will evaluate and strategically plan for our future as a team. We may be looking into bring-ing additional writers on to contin-ue the legacy the Student Union has created.”

Th ese are two avenues that students can interact with, fi nd entertainment in, voice their own opinions and thoughts on, and build community within.

5THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 17, 2012

FEATURES

“I don’ think it’s that big of a deal. People are

just blowing it out of proportion.”

—Colin Maisonnueve,Sophomore

What do you think about Grace_Problems?

Q.Q.

A.A. photographs by Cassie Gareiss

It can be annoying. Sometimes it’s funny but people have to be care-ful with what they say.

—Kayla Salchert, Freshman

“Freedom of speech!”—Ben Cahill,

Freshman

“Some of the tweets are disrespectful. They can be humorous and truthful; if a prospective student were to see them then it might

be discouraging. “— Hannah Kemerly,

Freshman

“I think it’s kinda funny. Some may be taken too far, but if you can take a

joke then it’s funny. “ — Abby Paulson,

Freshman

Anonymous blog and twitter

account attracts student attentionBY KATIE GRAHAMStaff Writer

TWEET ROLL

@Grace_Problems

Gentleman, it is now Febru-

ary 15th. Let the season for

a cost-eff ective relationship

commence.

Feb. 15

The President is in the building.

#HailtotheChief.

Feb. 8

If you think 8 am class is a

problem, Google “Sudan.”

Feb. 2

There should be a constant

showing of a movie starring

Kirk Cameron in Philathea,

so we can keep on popular

culture.

Feb. 6

@Grace_Problems

@Grace_Problems

@Grace_Problems

“I like that GP exposes things that

typically get suppressed but dis-

like its one-sidedness. It defi nitely

doesn’t give balance.”

-Dave McCall

The Student Union:Headlines from the

satire blog

“Alpha to

revolutionize how

you view food.”

“New luxury

dorm set to

open in 2012.”

“Freshman fi nds

Christ through

t-shirt.”gcstudentunion.blogspot.com Sep. 9Sep. 13Jan. 22

6THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 17, 2012

ARTS & CULTURE

#stuff myprofsays#stuff myprofsaysDr. Harmon (Understanding the New Testament)- “Death to the portal, long live moodle!” Dr. Peugh (Teamwork and Leadership) - “Let them dump. Even let them vomit! ...and don’t try to clean it up.” - “I don’t want you to fi nish this class knowing something in your head but not doing it.”

Dr. LaGioia (Theological Systems) - “God’s pretty exciting. If he came in this room we’d all have a heart attack.” - “If we’re to preach about the existence of hell, we should have tears in our eyes because we are overwhelmed with the weight of it.”

What They Would Say | Stephen Hartman

Dog Dayz | Stephanie JohnstonCharlotte’s Imaginary Friends | Allison Hagedon

If I were single, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy would give me hope. Th ey’re not classically att ractive. Tom Hardy’s teeth are all jacked up and the man cannot stand up straight. He’s got a weird, Quasimodo thing going on. Chris Pine’s eyes are beautiful and blue and huge, but somehow they make his forehead look even bigger. And his hair doesn’t help. Th e top of his head looks like some sort of metaphysical sphere that just goes on and on.

Maybe these are shallow

and mean and pointless things to harp on. But in a world where Channing Tatum and Bradley Cooper are huge, unstoppable magnets of female att ention, these two dudes have panache, fl air, and style. Th ey’re hysterical and witt y and so much fun to watch. Pine and Hardy play two CIA spies fi ghting over the same girl.

Reese Witherspoon, as always, brings such charm and grace to her role as the object of their manipulative and adorable aff ections. She’s one of

the most underused actresses in Hollywood. Th is should be rectifi ed immediately.

Th is movie totally embraces its cheesiness, but in all the right ways. Th e token villain chews scenery with his sneer and his intense, malevolent expressions, and is in the movie just enough to supply some prett y sweet action scenes. Take your spouse, girl- or boyfriend, your dog, or anybody else you can fi nd, and go watch this incredibly delightful movie.

This Means War: Cutest spy-movie ever

Imagine that the Jason Bourne trilogy has a litt le fi lm-brother. Litt le-movie-brother is charming, smart, sexy, and totally capable as a doppelganger of his big brother… but you know the Jason Bourne trilogy. You have been hanging out since 2002. Th at’s ten years of you and the Bourne. And though you like litt le-movie-brother, you feel a litt le sad for him that he hasn’t branched out into doing his own thing yet.

Th at’s what watching “Safe House” is like. It’s more than mildly derivative of every other

spy movie that’s ever been made, but Denzel Washington does a lot to elevate the acting-cali-ber requirements for the other cast members. It was nice to see Ryan Reynolds play a character that was something other than Ryan-Reynolds-with-beard, or Ryan-Reynolds-with-sword, or Ryan-Reynolds-insert-minor-change-here. I think that had a lot to do with Washington’s presence in the fi lm.

“Safe House” is really a lot of Washington doing what he does best: being himself. He’s a black hole of talent and everyone else

is being sucked into his vortex, benefi ting from their proximity to him. And it’s really enough to make the movie worth watching in the end, but there are some de-tracting factors.

Th e frenetic, handheld cam-era work just feels too much like a Bourne rip-off . And the plot is fantastically predictable. Th e actual bad guy of the fl ick is sup-posed to be a fairly big reveal, but I had it called before twenty min-utes into the movie. Denzel out-shines all these fl aws, but they are enough to be distracting. I’d wait for DVD on this one.

Safe House: Have we seen this before?

Reel Time:

with Paul Morales

7THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 17, 2012

SPORTS

Carlos Beltran

As a Cardinals fan, I was disappointed when the Cardinals did not re-sign Albert Pujols. Management let the face of the franchise walk away aft er helping the team win its second World Series in six years. Th at did not seem wise.

But more and more I realize how a small market (yes, even St. Louis) National League team could not aff ord to dole out a 10-year contract to a player who was already 32 years old. Yet the Cardinals’ front offi ce did not leave us without hope. (Not a lot, but hear me out.) Th ey did so in the form of six-time All-Star Carlos Beltran at a respectable price of $26 million over two years.

Yes, I know Beltran is 32 years old as well, but let us be honest here--the NL Central division is up for grabs against the Reds now that Braun (suspension) and Fielder (free agency) are out of the picture for the Brewers, and the Cubs and Pirates are, well, the Cubs and Pirates. Beltran gives new manager Mike Matheny line-up fl exibility with two switch hitt ers in the heart of the batt ing order (the other being Lance Berkman) and a career .283 hitt er who is still

averaging a 20-20 season and is coming off the fourth .300 season of his career last year.

Coming in as an immediate starter in right fi eld, Beltran will have a chance to revive his career like so many other “old guys” have done in St. Louis. If Beltran can stay as injury-free as possible, he has a decent chance to make another All-Star appearance in 2012.

In Touch:

Zane Gard

Tsuyoshi Wada

I have a confession to make. I have an unhealthy obsession with the sport of baseball. Th at includes spring training, all 162 regular season games, the playoff s, and yes, the off -season as well.

Th ere is nothing bett er than talking a litt le “hot stove” baseball, which means the off -season for you homeschoolers (#sorry #notsorry), because it means we are that much closer to baseball

and warm weather. And because it would be too easy to argue for Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols here, I will refrain.

Th e biggest free agent signing this off -season was Tsuyoshi Wada, for the Baltimore Orioles. Th e Orioles, much like the Dexys Midnight Runners (worth a YouTube search), had a couple good years in the mid-80s, but have struggled to be relevant ever since. Wada, in addition to having a great name, has a solid career in Japan,

going 57-36 with a 2.88 ERA in fi ve seasons with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in Japan. Th e Orioles also signed him for a very aff ordable $8.15 million over 2 years (#lowrisk).

“T-Wad,” which will undoubtedly be his nickname and signature Twitt er trend, will succeed for a few main reasons. First, he is a left y whose fastball tops out at 91 mph with a lot of movement. Second, he has great command of his slider and changeup as well. Sure, there are bigger name signings, but oft entimes under-the-radar deals turn out to be just as successful. In this case, a team that desperately needed help on the mound got a solid guy for an even bett er price--critical for small-market teams who cannot even think about signing big names. In conclusion, #80sbands, #home-schoolers, and #T-Wad.

Will Thrasher

Yu Darvish

Th e best signing in the major leagues this off -season was made by one of the up-and-coming franchises in the MLB over the last few years, the Texas Rangers. Th e signing can also be considered the riskiest signing in the history of the franchise.

On December 20, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan announced that the Rangers’ bid of $51.7 million for their star pitcher Yu Darvish had been accepted. Aft er receiving the right to only att empt to sign Darvish, the Rangers landed the 25-year-old Darvish with a six-year contract worth $60 million. Simply put, the Rangers invested over $110 million in a young pitcher who had been playing for a team called the Ham Fighters. While risky, the signing was the best of the off -season because of the potential for greatness in Darvish.

In Darvish’s seven-year pro career that began in 2005 at age 18, he has posted a 93-38 career record, 1,268.1 innings pitched, 1,258 strikeouts, and a 1.99 ERA . Th ose numbers average out to 181 innings and 180 strikeouts per year, which would place him among the top young pitchers in baseball, with the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg, and Michael Pineda. If Darvish can develop into a top-of-the-line pitcher like them, then the Rangers’ investment this off season will be well worth the risk.

Ben Hyde

What was the best MLB free agentsigning this off -season?

Player of the WeekRandy Sterk, Track

Randy Sterk is this week’s Player of the Week aft er continu-ing his impressive senior season by being named the Mid-Central College Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Week on Monday.

For Sterk, the award is his sec-ond Athlete of the Week honor in the last three weeks.

Sterk blew out the competition in the mile event at the Wildcat Invitational on Saturday. His 4:18.44 was 14 seconds faster than the second-place fi nisher,

and his fi nish time was a new meet record as well. His time was also an automatic qualifi er for the NAIA Indoor Championships in March.

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace’s volleyball team swept the weeky awards from the Mid-Central Col-lege Conference.

Stephanie Lawson was named the Player of the Week and the Hitter of the Week, Rachel Bult was the Setter of the Week, and Bethany Whitcraft rounded out the awards with the Libero of the Week.

Lawson averaged 11 kills in six wins on the week for the Lady Lancers. She amassed a match-high 17 kills in a three-set victory over Union (Ky.) and also tallied six service aces and turned in 18 digs in a 3-2 win over Shorter College.

Bult has been a key factor to Grace’s current eight-game winning streak, including a perfect 6-0 record this week. She had a tremendous 41 assists in a three-game set over No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan and also recorded 57 assists against Shorter College.

Whitcraft tallied double-digit digs in three of Grace’s wins, helping the Lady Lancers to a perfect week. In their win over Shorter College, she tallied an incredible 30 digs (a new career high).

Grace is currently in the heart of the MCC season with away matches on Friday (Bethel, 7 p.m.) and Saturday (Goshen, 3 p.m.).

-Sports Information

WINONA LAKE, Ind. -- One of the most thrilling chapters to the Grace/Bethel rivalry was added on Tuesday night when Grace took home a 100-97 double overtime victory at the Orthopaedic Capital Center on Senior Night that honored four seniors.

Bruce Grimm Jr. turned in a career night with 35 points, and the Lancers earned at least a share of the Mid-Central College Conference title with the win.

In a classic batt le that featured a buzzer beater, numerous clutch shots, eight ties and seven lead changes, Grace managed to hold onto the lead throughout the majority of the nail-biting minutes in regulation and both overtime periods.

Grimm was the man of the night with a career-best 35 points to go along with six assists and fi ve steals in 47 minutes of play. He made 10 fi eld goal att empts and was 13-of-17 from the free throw line. Duke Johnson fi nished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in the post, and Greg Miller posted his seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 boards.

Th e Lancers earned at least a share of the MCC title and can claim the championship outright with a win in their season fi nale at Taylor University on Saturday at 3 p.m. Before this year, Grace had not earned an MCC title since the 1992-93 season.

Grace takes down rival Bethel in 2OT on Senior NightThis week in Lancer Athletics...

Will Tsuyoshi Wada make an immedate impact for the Orioles?

8THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 17, 2012

NATIONAL NEWS

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — In a move that supporters called a civil rights milestone, New Jersey’s state Senate on Monday passed a bill to recognize same-sex marriages, marking the fi rst time state law-makers offi cially endorsed the idea — despite the promise of a veto by Gov. Chris Christie.

Monday’s vote was 24-16 in favor of the bill, a major swing from January 2010, when the Senate re-jected it 20-14.

“It means the world isn’t changing, it means the world has al-ready changed,” Steven Goldstein, chairman of the gay rights group Garden State Equality said aft er the vote. “So wake up and smell the equality.”

Before the vote, Marsha Sha-piro squeezed the hand of her longtime partner Louise Walpin, and refl ected on how a body that rejected gay marriage two years ago was about to change its stance. “Th e pride will overpower the sorrow,” she said.

But opponents say it’s “an exer-cise in futility” even if the Assembly passes the bill Th ursday as expect-ed, given Christie’s veto vow.

Len Deo, president of New Jer-sey Family Policy Council, called the vote “something we have to go through” and said it would be made

moot with a veto.While New Jersey diff ers from

most states in that it has no law or state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, neither its court nor lawmakers have allowed gay nuptials. Seven states and Washington, D.C., allow gay mar-riage. Washington state joined the list Monday when Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a same-sex mar-riage law.

In 2006, the New Jersey’s Su-preme Court ruled that the state had to give the legal protections of marriage to committ ed gay and lesbian couples, but that it need not call those protections marriage.

Lawmakers responded by cre-ating civil unions rather than mar-riage.

Gay rights advocates say civil unions have not provided true equality. Th ey complain that they set up a separate and inherently unequal classifi cation for gays — something social conservatives dispute.

Seven gay couples, along with several of their children, fi led a law-suit last year to try to get the court to order gay nuptials be allowed.

In the meantime, Democratic leaders in the Legislature are try-ing to do the same thing by passing a law.

When the Senate last voted on gay marriage two years ago, just be-fore Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat who supported the measure, left of-fi ce, several last-minute defections killed the bill. With the arrival of Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who spoke against gay marriage when asked about it during his cam-paign, advocates’ hopes dimmed.

But the bill returned this year aft er Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat from Dept-ford, declared that it was a mistake for him to abstain on the 2010 bill. He vowed to make legalizing gay marriage a priority this year.

Christie last month said he’d veto the legislation if it passed. Christie said that such a fundamen-tal change should be up to a vote of the people, and he has called for a referendum on the issue.

Democratic leaders say they will not allow a vote, arguing that a majority of the people should not be entrusted with deciding whether to protect a minority.

Instead, gay-rights support-ers are hopeful that they can get enough lawmakers on their side to override Christie’s expected veto.

It would take two-thirds of both chambers of the Legislature and would have to happen by the time the current legislative session

ends in January 2014.Sweeney said he knows which

senators he’ll try to persuade but won’t name them publicly.

Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat from Elizabeth, said that if all lawmakers voted their con-science and didn’t cave to political pressure, there would be enough Senate votes now to override a veto. And he said that some lawmakers could switch positions, partly be-cause of the infl uence of gay friends or family. “You never know who’s going to forward — a daughter, a son, a neighbor of signifi cant mean-ing of a senator or assemblyperson — and change a mind,” he said.

Two Democrats voted no and two Republicans voted yes in what was otherwise a party-line vote.

“It is my opinion that our re-public was established to guarantee liberty to all people,” said Jennifer Beck, a Republican from Red Bank who voted yes. “It is our role to pro-tect all of the people who live in our state.”

Sen. Gerald Cardinale, a Re-publican from Demarest, was the only senator to speak against the bill, saying allowing gays to marry goes against nature and history. “Th is bill simply panders to well-fi -nanced pressure groups and is not in the public interest,” he said.

U.S. Bishop fi ghts birth control deal

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Organiz-ers of Occupy protests around the Midwest will gather next month in St. Louis, pledging to emerge from a “winter lull” as a bigger and stronger force.

Occupy Midwest Regional Con-ference will start with a gathering at 7 p.m. March 15 beneath the Gateway Arch, organizer Chuck Witt haus said Tuesday. A mass occupation will con-tinue through March 18, but not on the Arch grounds. Organizers aren’t disclosing the location.

Witt haus, of St. Louis, said peace-ful protests are also planned, but he declined to discuss details.

Occupy movement supporters from about a dozen cities in seven states — Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indi-ana, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Wis-consin — have confi rmed they will att end. Participants in nearly 20 other cities may also be there, Witt haus said. He projected that up to 3,000 people will participate.

Another organizer, Rachael Per-rott a of Occupy Chicago, said the conference will build stronger ties between the various Occupy move-ments and allow for bett er coordina-tion of regional and national protests and commemorations.

“In order to move forward we need to build stronger ties between occupations, and between occupa-tions and their allies,” Perrott a said.

Th e Occupy movement began in September in New York and spread to dozens of cities with protests — some drawing thousands of participants — and tent cities. Protesters cite concerns about economic issues, par-ticularly high corporate profi ts and in-

come inequality.At the peak of the fall protests,

more than 100 tents were set up in Kiener Plaza, a downtown St. Louis park. One rally, a march to a Missis-sippi River bridge, drew more than 1,000 participants here.

But police in many cities shut down encampments late last year. Th ere have been scatt ered protests over the winter, but with mixed re-sults. Just four people showed up for a planned protest last month at St. Louis City Hall.

Perrott a said protesters aren’t as visible during winter but have been preparing for a busy spring.

“In terms of massive physical ac-tions, there’s been a winter lull, but ev-ery occupation I know has been orga-nizing like crazy, gett ing ground work done to do actions in the spring,” Per-rott a said. “When spring begins I think you’ll see us back bigger and stronger than ever.”

Occupiers in St. Louis came up with the idea for the conference, which Witt haus said will allow for a “re-emergence for the whole Mid-west.”

It wasn’t immediately clear just how close to the Arch the protesters will be allowed to gather.

Ann Honious of the National Park Service, which operates the mon-ument on the St. Louis riverfront, said a permit required for gatherings and protests. Th e gathering will likely be in a designated area on the sprawling Arch grounds, not directly beneath the structure.

“We would need to talk to them because most of our areas don’t hold that many people,” Honious said.

Occupy Wallstreet moves to the Midwest

WEST LAFAYETT E, Ind. (AP) — A political science pro-fessor at a Purdue University regional campus in northwest Indiana says he’s being unjustly investigated by school offi cials for comments he posted months ago on Facebook about Muslims killing Christians in Nigeria.

Maurice Eisenstein tells the Journal & Courier in a story Tuesday that the school began looking into him in November aft er he posted critical com-ments on his personal Facebook page about Muslims linked to the killings.

About two dozen students protested for two days, call-ing for the associate professor’s classes to be boycott ed and for him to be dismissed. Calumet spokesman Wes Lukoshus, told Th e Associated Press on Tues-day that he could not comment because it was a personnel mat-ter.

Eisenstein says he is uncer-tain of what might happen next.

ROME (AP) — Th e top U.S. Catholic bishop vowed legislative and court chal-lenges Tuesday to a compromise by Presi-dent Barack Obama to his healthcare man-date that now exempts religiously affi liated institutions from paying directly for birth control for their workers, instead making insurance companies responsible.

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, who heads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in an interview with Th e As-sociated Press that he trusted Obama wasn’t anti-religious and intended to make good on his pledge to work with religious groups to fi ne-tune the mandate.

“I want to take him at his word,” Dolan said in Rome, where he will be made a car-dinal Saturday. But he stressed: “I do have to say it’s gett ing harder and harder,” to believe Obama’s claim to prioritize religious free-dom issues given the latest controversy.

Obama sought to quell fi erce election-year outrage on Friday by abandoning his stand that religiously affi liated institutions such as Catholic hospitals and universities must pay for birth control. Instead, he said insurance would step in to provide the cov-erage.

Th e administration’s initial position had outraged evangelicals and Catholic bishops and emboldened many Republicans who charged that it amounted to an assault on religion by forcing religious institutions to pay for contraception, sterilization and the morning-aft er pill against their consciences.

Th e mandate also raised greater philo-sophical questions about which institutions would qualify as religious and could there-fore be exempt.

“Does the federal government have the right to tell a religious individual or a reli-gious entity how to defi ne yourself?” Dolan asked. “Th is is what gives us greater chill.”

Initially, Dolan had termed Obama’s compromise as “a fi rst step in the right direc-

tion” aft er hearing about it Friday morning. But later that day, Dolan’s USCCB issued a statement rejecting it, saying the arrange-ment was unacceptable and raised “serious moral concerns.”

Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said the main concern is that the so-called “choking mandates” remain. In addition many Catholic entities are self-insured. It remains unclear how they would get around the mandate to provide services that they consider morally illicit.

“Was what was intended to be a con-cession, and what gave us a glimmer of hope at the beginning ... really just amount to a hill of beans? And it seems as if it does,” Dolan said.

He vowed to support legislation under way in Congress that would allow any em-ployer to deny birth control coverage if it runs counter to their religious or moral be-liefs. Th e White House on Monday termed the proposed legislation “dangerous and wrong.”

Dolan said the U.S. bishops will now work hard to support passage of the new legislation. “I couldn’t see why the president would have any consternation, because he said to me that religious freedom remains sacrosanct. Well, let’s legislatively guarantee it,” Dolan said.

Separately, he said, the bishops will back court challenges to the mandate be-ing undertaken by others. He said he didn’t think the USCCB itself, however, would sue the government over the issue.

Dolan spoke at the North American College, the U.S. seminary in Rome, where he was a student in the 1970s and served as rector starting in 1994.

On Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI will make Dolan and 20 other bishops cardinals, the red-capped princes of the church who will elect the next pope.

NJ okays gay marriage bill in milestone vote Purdue-Calumet

professor’s

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