TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009 VOLUME CXV NUMBER 27 SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO SINCE 1893

www.nevadasagebrush.com First copy free, additional copies 50 each

REMEMBERING BRI
Columnist Patrick Connolly
recalls his friend Brianna
Denison and encourages us
not to forget. Page A7
HIP-HOP COMES TO RENO
Check out Nevadas biggest
hip-hop festival, which is
coming exclusively to Lawlor
Events Center. Page A12
SCOUTS WATCH PACK
See who impressed NFL
scouts at Nevadas Pro Day
last Wednesday at Mackay
Stadium. Page B5
INDEX
Watch a video of last weeks Stompin With the Pack Stepshow.
Check out as-it-happens coverage of Thursdays and Friday's
NSHE Board of Regents meeting.
Read a review and coverage of this weeks hip-hop festival.
ONLINE THIS WEEK AT NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM
WEEKLY UPDATE.............................................A3
CLASSIFIEDS ..............................................................A5
PERSPECTIVES .......................................................A6
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT...... A12
SPORTS ...................................................................................B5
INSIDE SCOOP ........................................................B6
By Jessica Fryman
The University of Nevada, Reno
could lose two sports, 25 percent
of classes and the Fleishmann
Planetarium if legislators cut the
budget to 2006 funding levels.
The Nevada System of Higher
Education presented legislature
reports detailing the impacts that
budget cuts to the 2006 levels
would have on state education
institutions on Friday.
The legislators requested the
impact information so they could
nd a solution to the states $2.3
billion shortfall and Gov. Jim
Gibbons proposed 36 percent
cut to higher education, NSHE
Executive Vice Chancellor Dan
Klaich said.
Cuts to the 2006 funding level
would mean an 18.76 percent cut,
or $128.3 million, to state funding
for NSHE. For UNR, it would
mean a $45.7 million reduction
in state funds, or a 20.7 percent
cut in state dollars.
I think the chancellor has
made it very clear that he would
like to see budget cuts kept
in single digits. Hed like to be
talking in the neighborhood of
5 percent, Klaich said. (But)
I think (students) should read
those (proposals) as very real
statements of what could happen
to our institutions if the funding
UNR gives plan for 20.7 percent cut
By Jessica Fryman
CARSON CITY Support-
ers of gay and transgender
Nevadans pushed for do-
mestic partnership and anti-
harrassment laws at a Senate
committee meeting Friday.
Public servants and univer-
sity students were among the
crowd of supporters in Carson
City and Las Vegas.
If passed, Senate Bill 283 would
allow domestic partnerships in
Nevada and give partners the
same rights and responsibilities
as spouses in regards to death,
shared residences, children and
other benets, like insurance
coverage.
The amended version of
Senate Bill 207 would make
it unlawful to discriminate
against people based on
sexual orientation and gender
identity in public places and
restrooms.
I think the hearings went
very well, former Queer Stu-
dent Union member and Uni-
versity of Nevada, Reno alum
David White said. Its overall
for human equality. I just think
overall human equality should
show no bounds.
DOMESTIC
PARTNERSHIPS
UNR Diversity Chair Michael
Cabrera was one of about a
dozen people that testied in
favor of SB 283, which would
allow domestic partnerships
in Nevada and grant partners
the same rights as spouses.
We are excited to be on the
cutting edge of history with
all of you, Cabrera testied
on behalf of UNRs diversity
commission Friday.
Other people shared stories
of how the bill would dramati-
cally help their lives.
Jill Switzer, a mother of
four, said everyone in the
community recognizes her
relationship with her same-
sex partner, but the law does
not. The couple has raised
four sons: One is serving in
the Navy, one in the Army
and two are in high school,
she said.
Switzer, a National Guard
veteran, said as she and her
partner get older, they worry
about not being able to make
Students
support
GLBT
rights
Higher ed grapples with compacted technology
By Jay Balagna
S
mart classrooms and Internet courses are
only the beginning of the University of
Nevada, Renos transition into using 21st
century technology. With more students
than ever carrying Web-capable smart phones that
keep them connected to the Internet at all times,
UNR ofcials say advances will continue to change
how and what professors teach.
Expanded use of technology in classrooms helps
to prepare students for a workforce that is becoming
increasingly more high-tech, ofcials said.
Companies out there are using technology so
much, if UNR doesnt, students wont be adequately
prepared when they enter the workforce, Steven
Zink, the vice president of information technology
at UNR, said.
In the 20 years the Internet has existed in a
usable form, Zink said it has affected every
aspect of the university.
From a long-term perspective, it changed
almost everything, he said. It fundamen-
tally changed how students and professors
interact.
Students at UNR were rst given the op-
portunity to use the Internet for classes in 1999. In
the spring of that year, an online registration system
similar to ePAWS was put in place. Before the system
launched, students were only able to register by
phone. In the fall of 1999, WebCT, now called Web-
Campus, was launched allowing professors to assign
readings and homework online, Jessica Muehlberg,
the research and assessment coordinator at the UNR
Ofce of Admissions and Records, said.
The Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, which
opened last fall, was built around the idea of advanc-
ing similar changes. Inside the Knowledge Center,
the computer-centered @One allows students to use
the Internet to work together on projects. Advances
like this put UNR at the head of the curve of using
modern Internet-based and computing technolo-
gies, Zink said.
People dont think of collaboration (on projects)
as text messaging and Facebook, but thats exactly
what it is now, Zink said. We tried to incorporate
that into the Knowledge Center with the @One.
The use of new ways to collaborate on projects
in college prepares students for a workforce that
expects them to know how to use technology to ef-
fectively communicate, Zink said.
Shortly after the Knowledge Center opened, Zink
said he was approached by an older student who
asked where the card catalog was now and Zink had
to explain that the card catalog was online.
Returning students are often blown away by
changes like that, Zink said.
Reliance on technology brings certain disadvan-
FILEPHOTO/ NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Marisa Christensen, right, a member of the belly dancing group Sahara does an Egyptian dance on the
main stage at Night of All Nations in 2007. The event will take place this year Friday at Lawlor Events
Center. Read how the International Club is planning for the event on page A4.
EVENT TO BRING A TASTE OF CULTURE
German professor pushes for protest
The regents will discuss the
NSHE budget at its meeting.
When: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon
Friday
Where: Western Nevada
College
BUDGET MEETING
By Kathleen Phelan
With budget cuts looming
over the German department,
one professor hopes to recruit
students in the ght to save the
major and his job.
The College of Liberal Arts
Curriculum Committee recom-
mended earlier this month
that the university convert the
11-student German major to
German studies. A German
studies degree requires fewer
language courses and more cul-
tural and other classes instead.
If passed, the decision will take
effect in fall 2009. Also planned
is the elimination of Roger
Grays position as a German
lecturer, Gray said.
At the suggestion of his
students, Gray posted yers
around campus encouraging
students to protest the decisions
by contacting sources, includ-
ing University of Nevada, Reno
President Milton Glick and The
Reno Gazette-Journal.
(My) lecturer position was
contingent upon there being
funding, which no longer ex-
ists, Gray said. If numbers
mean anything, I teach the
most students and get paid the
least.
Gray, whose contract with the
university will expire after this
summer, is the only German
professor in danger of losing
his job since he is the only one
without tenure. Provost Marc
Johnson said that Grays termi-
nation, while not set in stone, is
pretty well-assured.
Grays bigger issue with the
cuts to the German department
is the decreased opportunities
for students.
There are some students
who have a genuine interest
in learning German, and they
wont be able to take advantage
of that, Gray said.
Ian Holmes, one of Grays
students, said that the cuts
to Grays position and to the
major is unfortunate, but likely
inevitable.
Hes a good teacher, said
Holmes, an 18-year-old crimi-
nal justice major. I like German
and I dont want it to get cut. The
cuts are naturally going to affect
people. It sucks but its going to
happen.
Associate Dean of the College
See TECHNOLOGY Page A5 See GLBT Page A5
See GERMAN Page A2
See BUDGET Page A5
WAC SEASON STARTS FOR
NEVADA BASEBALL: B1
I
L
L
U
S
T
R
A
T
I
O
N
B
Y
J
E
T
T
C
H
A
P
M
A
N
/
N
E
V
A
D
A
S
A
G
E
B
R
U
S
H
news
www.nevadasagebrush.com
A2 MARCH 31, 2009
VOLUME CXV ISSUE 27
Student voice of the University of
Nevada, Reno since 1893.
CONTACT US:
Ofce: (775) 784-4033
Fax: (775) 784-1955
Mail Stop 058 Reno, NV 89557
The Nevada Sagebrush is a newspaper
operated by and for the students of the
University of Nevada, Reno. The contents
of this newspaper do not necessarily reect
those opinions of the university or its
students. It is published by the students of
the University of Nevada, Reno and printed
by the Sierra Nevada Media Group.
The Nevada Sagebrush and its staff are
accredited members of the Nevada Press
Association and Associated Collegiate Press.
Photographers subscribe to the National
Press Photographers Association code of
ethics. Designers are members of the Society
for News Design.

ADVERTISING: For information about
display advertising and rates, please call
ASUN Advertising at (775) 784-7773 or
e-mail [email protected].
Classied advertising is available beginning
at $7. Contact the ofce at (775) 784-4033
or classieds manager at classieds@
nevadasagebrush.com. Classieds are due
Fridays at noon to the The Joe.
SUBSCRIPTION: The Nevada Sagebrush
offers a yearly subscription service for $40
a year. Call The Nevada Sagebrush ofce for
more information.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Must include
a phone number and/or e-mail address.
Letters should be relevant to student life or
major campus issues and no longer than 200
words. Letters can be submitted via e-mail
at [email protected]. Letters
are due via e-mail or mail by noon Saturday
before publication.
[email protected]
Editor in Chief Nick Coltrain
Multimedia Producer Casey Durkin
[email protected]
News Editor Jessica Fryman
[email protected]
Assistant News Editor Jay Balagna
[email protected]
Assistant News Editor Tara Verderosa
[email protected]
Senior Editor Amy Beck
[email protected]
Coder Faddy Sabra
[email protected]
Writers, photographers and staffers:
Assistant A&E Editor Casey OLear
[email protected]
Assistant A&E Editor Jay Brissenden
[email protected]
Sports Editor Emerson Marcus
[email protected]
Assistant Sports Editor Juan Lpez
[email protected]
Perspectives Editor Krystal Bick
[email protected]
Assistant Design Editor Now Hiring
[email protected]
Design Editor Emily Stott
[email protected]
Copy Chief Megan Doerr
[email protected]
Copy Editor Nicole Obritsch
[email protected]
Copy Editor Robyn Oxborrow
[email protected]
Alex Alexiades, Scott Barnett, Aaron
Benedetti, Juliana Bledsoe, Rebecca
Chase, Melinda Chemor, Daniel Clark, Clint
Demeritt, Nicole Dion, Sam DiSalvo, Nic
Dunn, Lucas Eggen, Garrett Estrada, Marysa
Falk, Chris Gabriel, Steven Haines, Michael
Higdon, Gabby Irvin, Billy Lee, Jeff Mosier,
Kathleen Phelan, Julian Rhodes, P.B. Russell,
Nick Saccomanno, Memo Sanchez, Rachel
Sydow, Carmen Thomas, Cory Thomas
Advertising Manager Brooke Barlowe
[email protected]
Photo Editor Becca Ewart
[email protected]
Assistant Photo Editor Now Hiring
[email protected]
Copy Editor Ally Patton
[email protected]
A&E Editor Julian Rhodes
[email protected]
The Nevada Sagebrush
xes mistakes. If you nd
an error, e-mail editor@ne-
vadasagebrush.com.
CORRECTIONS
Business Manager Amy Zeller
[email protected]
Illustrator Jett Chapman
[email protected]
FACES OF NEVADA
GSA holds online elections this week
Student attempts to change school zone laws
BECCAEWART/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Mitch Brown, a 21-year-old engineering major, wrote a bill revising
school zone laws in Nevada.
By Aaron Benedetti
Mitch Brown, a 21-year-old civil
engineering major at the Univer-
sity of Nevada, Reno, authored a
bill that is now under scrutiny in
the Nevada State Legislature. The
bill could change speed limits in
school zones throughout Nevada.
Browns original submission,
Senate Bill 18, sponsored by Sen.
Maurice Washington, would re-
place the current statewide 15 mph
speed limit in all school zones with
a tiered system based on the type of
school zone in effect. Elementary
school zones would retain the cur-
rent 15 mph limit, middle schools
would have a 20 mph limit and
high schools a 25 mph limit.
However, the bill has been
amended multiple times. In its
current form, it would not create a
tiered speed limit system, but only
better dene school zone areas
and alter speed limits in those
roadways. The bill, which has not
gone before the full senate, now
mandates a 15 mph speed limit in
a school zone and a 25 mph limit in
a school-crossing zone, which is a
school zone during school hours.
Brown, who has an emphasis
in transportation, said he decided
to propose the bill because he has
always been interested in trafc
and transportation.
When I was in high school, I
got my drivers license and saw
things from the other side, Brown
said. I saw my peers just walking
into trafc. I wondered if this slow
speed limit was just promoting this
behavior.
Brown said that current Nevada
statutes require some school zones
to be in effect throughout the day
and that these might unduly
impose on motorists.
If motorists feel jaded, they may
not slow down at all, Brown said.
Brown said he conducted an
extensive study of national trafc
and speed laws to formulate his
proposed policy, spending at least
100 hours researching all state-
level trafc laws in effect across the
nation. He found that most states
implement 20 mph speed limits
in school zones, and only seven
states, including Nevada, have 15
mph limits. Brown said he wanted
to bring Nevadas laws in line with
those of other states.
No state has this tiered system
that is based on the mentality of
the pedestrian and the attitude
of the motorist, Brown said. I
believe Nevada will have the most
complete school zone speed laws
in the nation.
But others didnt agree and the
bill was amended to take out the
tier system March 10.
Lisa Corrado, a redevelopment
project manager for the City of
Henderson, said she has some
reservations.
Our main interest is in safety,
Corrado said. If you have to bal-
ance between convenience for
motorists and safety for children,
we would be on the side of safety.
Corrado said that most opposi-
tion to the bill comes from Las
Vegas-area ofcials who believe
the costs of enforcing the bill, such
as posting new speed limits, might
have a negative scal impact. She
said some also believe the bills
denitions of children are pres-
ent and school zone are unclear
and could pose problems in imple-
mentation.
Fiscal impacts, consistency and
safety are the main problems,
Corrado said. The reception was
pretty hesitant.
The amendments to Senate Bill
18 passed by the Senate Commit-
tee on Energy, Infrastructure and
Transportation attempt to clarify
these denitions and make the bill
more workable, Corrado said.
Steve Mulvenon, director of
communications for Washoe
County School District, said the
district supports the bill in its cur-
rent form.
Brown said he was surprised by
the bills reception in the Senate.
He said many senators and ofcials
expressed a willingness to work
with him to improve the bill, and
sent it to a subcommittee instead
of dismissing it.
I was expecting a lot of op-
position, but it was the open-
mindedness I wasnt expecting,
Brown said. I was pleased to see
that.
Aaron Benedetti can be reached at
[email protected].
UNRPD look for suspect in string of on-campus license plate thefts
Staff Report
The University of Nevada,
Reno Police Department is on
the lookout for the culprits be-
hind a string of recent license
plate thefts on campus, ac-
cording to a recent university
announcement.
Most of the reported thefts
have taken place in the Sierra
Street Parking Complex. The
license plates stolen tend to
be mainly from out-of-state
vehicles, the press release
said.
The thefts occured over the
past two weeks. Most of the
license plates stolen were rear
plates, the release said.
Anyone with information
concerning the thefts is en-
couraged to contact the UN-
RPD at 784-4013. The UNRPD
office is on the first floor of the
Fitzgerald Student Services
Building.
The news staff can be reached at
[email protected].
Download a copy of
Senate Bill 18.
NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM
ONLINE
Mitch Brown
Age: 21
Major: Civil engineering
I was expecting a lot of
opposition, but it was the
open-mindedness I wasnt
expecting, Brown said. I
was pleased to see that.
By Tara Verderosa
The Graduate Student As-
sociation elections will be held
Tuesday through April 8. All
graduate students will receive
a Call To Vote through e-mail,
which will direct them to polls
on WebCT. Students will be al-
lowed one vote for a candidate
of their college, according to
GSA Election Procedures.
Results of the representative
council will be announced April
10 on the GSA Web site and in
an e-mail to graduate students,
Valarie Lykes, vice president of
internal affairs for GSA, said.
Members of the council are
required to attend bi-weekly
meetings and serve on one uni-
versity committee and two GSA
committees.
Next years GSA president and
vice president will be appointed
at the last two meetings of the
spring semester. The outgoing
representative council will elect
the new president at the second
to last council meeting of the year.
The procedures require a majority
vote to appoint a winner.
The new representative council
will elect the vice president at the
last scheduled meeting of the year.
A majority vote is also required to
appoint the vice president.
Tara Verderosa can be reached at
[email protected].
of Liberal Arts Kathleen Board-
man, who once took a German
class from Gray, said that he is a
good teacher, but that the budget
crisis forced the college to make
tough decisions, mostly affecting
smaller programs.
(It) has already necessitated
many difcult and painful deci-
sions to cut positions and pro-
grams, Boardman said. If there
must be an impact on students
and their courses of study, its
important for this to affect the
fewest students possible.
Studying a second language
and the cultures that shape it can
introduce a student to new ways of
thinking, she said. We believe so
strongly in its value that we insist
on it. But, of course, students have
a choice of which language they
will pursueand the possibility of
choosing German still remains.
While German is the only
foreign language department
to face cuts so far, Gray is most
concerned about the long-term
effects to many departments,
and said that many fear the cuts
will be permanent.
If they wait two or three
years, it could save the German
program, Gray said. If its cut,
it may never come back. People
are worried. The consensus in
Foreign Languages and Litera-
tures is if it happens to German,
it can happen to them too.
Gray conceded that admin-
istrators would have to cut the
budget somewhere. He pro-
posed alternatives such as de-
laying the construction of new
buildings. Ofcials said that
cant happen because buildings
are funded specically.
Gray also proposed reducing
the salaries of employees making
more than $100,000 per year.
I dont want to single out just
the dean of CLA and Glick, Gray
said. I think if everyone takes a
pay cut, we could save not just
German, but other programs as
well. Glicks salary alone could
pay the salary of 10 employees.
Provost Marc Johnson said the
cut has nothing to do with sala-
ries and is based on UNR using
resources the most effectively. For
example, the German department
has four full-time employees
teaching 11 students, but the
biology department employs 22
people to teach 600 students.
Its not any particular ratio
but theres a very serious concern
whether you are using your faculty
resources effectively if you have a
lot of people teaching few stu-
dents, he said. Its just that these
things have a tendency not to be
dealt with when there is a lot of
money around. But we will be re-
viewing these situations whether
its a good budget or not.
Boardman and other university
ofcials were unsure of how much
money such a cut would save the
university because everything
is still up in the air. Boardman
said that while she could only
guess about its impact, she did
not believe that the letter-writing
campaign would save Gray.
Much as the administration
might wish to save sections and
jobs of lecturers like Roger Gray, it
must make cuts, Boardman said.
More effective than a letter-writ-
ing campaign would be a sudden
rush of new German majors.
While Gray awaits further
developments, he is searching for
other avenues of employment,
although the job hunt has been
unsuccessful thus far.
Perhaps students expressing
their concern can draw attention
to this, Gray said. I dont think
that I alone can change anyones
opinion. There is strength in
numbers and my hope is that we
can delay what is happening.
Kathleen Phelan can be reached at
[email protected].
German
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
MARCH 10, 2009 www.nevadasagebrush.com
A3
Weekly Update
Campus
Events
BECCAEWART/ NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Iota Phi Theta took rst place for the second time in a row at the second annual Stompin With the Pack Stepshow. Stompers from as far as Sacramento traveled to the university
Saturday to perform.
IOTA PHI THETA STOMPS TO VICTORY
Ethics center to offer help with living wills
By Gabrielle Irvin
The University of Nevada, Reno
Nevada Center for Ethics & Health
Policy is hosting an event to pro-
mote the completion of advance
directives to UNR students. The
NCEHP is targeting young adults
to complete an advance directive
to eliminate the responsibilities
that family members and lawyers
can have over an individuals life.
Advance directives, also known as
living wills, are written documents
stating an individuals future medi-
cal care and treatment if they are
unable to speak for themselves.
A lot of people think that ad-
vance directives are for old people,
and theyre not, Sally Hardwick,
director of The NCEHP, said. They
are for anyone who nds that they
are unable to think for themselves.
Without this document, you are
making the decision to put all of
the responsibility of ending your
life on another person.
The NCEHP is participating in
the second annual National Health
Care Decision Day to encourage
students to create advance direc-
tives. There will be three informa-
tion tables set up around campus
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 6,
9, 13 and 16 with two tables in
Gateway Plaza, in front of The Joe
Crowley Student Union, and one
table in Hilliard Plaza.
Students can pick up informa-
tion cards about how to complete
an advance directive online and
advance directives will be provided
at all tables. Students can ll out
and return their advance directives
to any information table and enter
a rafe to win an iPod Shufe. The
Secretary of State will then receive
and register the directives in the
Senate lockbox where doctors can
pull the documents up.
Hardwick said it is unusual for
this event to take place on a col-
lege campus, but has had greater
registration from younger adults
than older adults, which is why the
NCEHP is coming to UNR.
Students dont have that fear
of imminent death, Hardwick
said. Younger people believe it is
something that makes sense. They
are much more receptive.
An advance directive allows an
individual to decide their own
future medical care and allows an
individual to choose someone to
decide for them. Hardwick said
that without a directive, family
members and spouses are allowed
to speak for the individual. But, if
the individual is in a homosexual
relationship, their partner is not
allowed to speak for them. The
NCEHP feels that if they reach the
idea of advance planning out to
younger generations now, negative
situations for families and loved
ones could be eliminated.
This is not a grandmothers
will, Hardwick said. Most
instances that we name are those
involving Terri Schiavo and Nancy
Cruzan, who are young people. A
lot of people think advance direc-
tives are for old people, but anyone
can get hurt, and an advance
directive relieves some grief and
decisions for everyone involved in
the situation.
Peggy McGraw, the events co-
ordinator for the NCEHP, said that
young people need to be informed
about advance directives because
they help to avoid problems and
disapproval among families.
Students must understand that
they have a responsibility to have
a conversation with their parents
and their loved ones, McGraw
said. They need to make a deci-
sion in writing in order to avoid
the family and loved ones being
divided by a court.
Gabrielle Irvin can be reached at
[email protected].
When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
April 6, 9, 13 and 16
Where: Gateway Plaza, in
front of The Joe Crowley Stu-
dent Union, and Hilliard Plaza
Why: To encourage stu-
dents to create advance
directives or living wills
Cost: Free information and
advance directives
WRITE A LIVING WILL
MARCH 29
An ofcer responded
to a report of vehicular
burglary in the Sierra
Street Parking Complex.
An ofcer responded to a
stolen license plate in the Si-
erra Street Parking Complex.
An 18-year-old male was
cited for minor in posses-
sion and consumption
of alcohol in the Sierra
Street Parking Complex.
An ofcer responded
to a disturbance of the
peace report in the 500
block of College Drive.
A 19-year-old male was
cited for MIPC at Nye Hall.
A 19-year-old female was
cited for MIPC at Nye Hall.
MARCH 28
A 35-year-old male was ar-
rested for a parole violation at
North Sierra and 10th streets.
An ofcer responded to a
report of a found wallet.
MARCH 26
An ofcer responded to a report
of a stolen license plate in the
West Stadium Parking Garage.
MARCH 25
An ofcer responded to a
report of a stolen purse,
with contents valuing $240,
from Church Fine Arts.
An ofcer responded to a
report of a stolen license
plate at Juniper Hall.
An ofcer responded to a
report of a stolen license
plate at Palmer Engineering.
POLICE BLOTTER NEWS BRIEFS
WEATHER FORECAST
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY WEEKEND
ASUN TOWN HALL
MEETINGS TO DISCUSS
UNIVERSITY BUDGET
Two town hall meetings will
take place Tuesday in the Joe
Crowley Student Union. The
student senate will discuss the
university budget with students
from noon to 1 p.m. in the Rita
Laden Senate Chambers and at 7
to 8 p.m. in the Graduate Student
Association Lounge.
We want to keep in touch
with students and keep them
up-to-date on whats hap-
pening with the budget cuts,
in Carson and in the senate
here, Sen. Jessica Purney
said. It will be mostly infor-
mational, but we will have an
open forum so students can
also ask questions.
The meeting will feature
a PowerPoint presentation,
and refreshments will be
provided.
For more information,
contact Purney at 702-302-
6810 or Sen. Charlie Jose at
702-339-3864.
QSU TO PROTEST
WESTBORO BAPTIST
CHURCH SPEAKER
The Queer Student Union
will host an event petition-
ing Fred Phelps, Pastor of
Westboro Baptist Church,
who will be on the University
of Nevada, Reno campus on
Friday. and will speak from
8:15 to 9 a.m. Phelps is
known for leading anti-gay
movements.
The QSU protest will begin at
7 a.m. Friday in the Manzanita
Bowl. Students are invited to
march up Virginia Street and
take part in the Unity Fair.
Speakers and open forums will
be held.
For more information,
contact Jeromy Manke at 775-
815-9450.
STUDENT SERVICES
BUDGET CUTS SHORTEN
CAMPUS ESCORT HOURS
Campus Escort Service at
the University of Nevada, Reno
shortened its hours of op-
eration for Thursdays, Fridays
and Saturdays. Services will
begin at 7 p.m. and continue
to 1 a.m. instead of 3 a.m.
Monica Thompson, coor-
dinator for Campus Escort,
said the hours were changed
because of budget cuts to
student services.
Thompson said Campus
Escort made the decision after
nding that most people who
use services after 1 a.m. werent
using the rides for academic
pursuits. She said the period
from 1 to 3 a.m. was least ef-
fective.
TUESDAY/31
Bingo night
When: 7 to 10 p.m.
Where: Room 100 of the Jot
Travis Building
Students, faculty and
staff are invited to play 13
games of bingo for $5 total.
Prizes from Tahoe Cream-
ery, Chartwells, Port of Subs
and the ASUN Bookstore
will be awarded each game.
Refreshments will be pro-
vided.
For more information,
contact Nicole Koyanagi at
775-784-4700.
THURSDAY/2
Women in Dialogue Speak-
er Series
When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Ballroom A in The
Joe Crowley Student Union
Jill Carroll, executive di-
rector of the Boniuk Center
for the Study and Advance-
ment of Religious Tolerance
at Rice University, will speak
about how religions are ac-
cepted and dealt with in dif-
ferent civilizations. She will
also answer questions after
the presentation. Refresh-
ments will be provided.
For more information,
contact Bahay Gulle at 775-
343-6708.
FRIDAY/3
Weekend at the Movies
When: 10 p.m. to midnight
Where: The Joe Theater
A Weekend at the Movies
will play Milk Friday night
and Frost/Nixon on Satur-
day.
For a complete list of movie
titles and dates, please visit
unr.edu/studentunion/the-
ater/index.html
For more information, con-
tact Jeannette Smith at 775-
784-6505.
SATURDAY/4
Madhatters Ball
When: 8 p.m.
Where: Ballroom A in the Joe
The Queer Student Union
will host the annual gay
prom, themed the Mad-
hatters Ball. Students
may dress according to
the Alice in Wonderland
theme. High school admis-
sion is free. University of
Nevada, Reno student tick-
ets cost $10 and general
admission is $12.
For more information, con-
tact Jeromy Manke at 775-
815-9450.
Morning campus
temperature:
Afternoon campus
temperature:
39 45 44 34
62 63 58 52
Lows: 34-38
Highs: 65 Sat.
Forecast prepared by
the Reno-Lake Tahoe
student chapter of the
American Meteorological
Society. For more
information visit their
Web site at http://www.
ametsoc.org/chapters/
renotahoe/
Some high
clouds, breezy
NW wind 5-10
mph
Partly cloudy,
breezy early,
NW wind 5-10
mph
Clear skies, cool,
N wind 5-10 mph
UNR WEEKLY WEATHER DISCUSSION: The week will begin spring-like with warm temperatures but breezy. A weak
system approaches Thursday with increasing winds and clouds and a few rain and snow showers late and into early
Friday morning. Clearing by Friday afternoon with cool, breezy north winds. Saturday should be warm and sunny but
Sunday may be quite stormy with increasing wind, cloud, and late snow showers.
55 Sun.
Increasing
clouds and
wind, showers
late, W wind
7-15 mph
Calm and warm
Saturday, stormy
on Sunday
84
ALPINE
MEADOWS
49
SIERRA-AT-
TAHOE
107
BOREAL
66
MOUNT ROSE
88
HEAVENLY
37
NORTHSTAR
POWDER REPORT
DISCUSSION: Early in the week will be warm and
breezy with winds 10-20 mph. A quick moving
system will approach Thursday with winds from
15-25 mph and 1-3 of snow by Friday morning.
Clearing and warming through Saturday. A sys-
tem approaches Sunday bringing the possibility
of accumulations through early next week.
Mt. Rose: Purchase a season
pass for 2009-10 for $399
and ski or ride for the rest of
the season for free.
Heavenly: Purchase a season
pass for 2009-10 for $329
and ski or ride for the rest of
the season for free.
Northstar-at-Tahoe and
Sierra-at-Tahoe: Purchase a
season pass for 2009-10 good
at both resorts for $229 and
ski or ride for the rest of the
season for free.
Boreal: Bring in a valid college
ID and get a $20 lift ticket at
Boreal every Friday until the
end of the season.
RESORT SPECIALS
A4
www.nevadasagebrush.com MARCH 31, 2009
Inside Campus
By Tara Verderosa
Students will have access to a
new club portal next semester
that will make communicat-
ing and managing clubs much
easier, Director of Clubs and Orgs
Jason Entsminger said. The new
program, OrgSync, will replace
the current club portal, which no
longer supports the number of
clubs on campus and is not user-
friendly, he said.
OrgSync is a club management
system that functions similar to
social networking Web sites like
Facebook, Entsminger said. The
program cost $15,500 for a three-
year contract and was paid for by
Associated Students of the Univer-
sity of Nevada club money.
Although social networking
features are similar, OrgSync has
applications specic to managing
clubs such as treasury databases,
extra security features and tutori-
als for club leaders to get students
more involved, Entsminger said.
By having these extra tools, club
leaders can be more organized
with their spending, he said.
Through OrgSync, a privately
run company based in Texas, stu-
dents create an account and can
subscribe to different organiza-
tions and clubs they are involved
in. While getting club information,
they are also able to communicate
with friends by sending messages
and creating their personal prole.
Programs like OrgSync are
bound to be successful on a
college campus because social
networking appeals to students,
Christy Markwell, president of
Student Anti-Genocide Coalition
for Darfur, said.
Its an incredible piece of soft-
ware, ASUN President Eli Reilly
said. Its going to revolutionize the
way club members on this campus
communicate.
Club leaders will have an admin-
istrative account to post calendar
events, news feeds, forms and
other information for members.
Leaders will also have access to
club demographics, a treasury
account, member contact infor-
mation, polls, forums and a wall.
The program is important to both
clubs and students because it is
a more effective way of commu-
nicating events and information,
Entsminger said.
This allows (club leaders) to
have a single, digital, paperless
management system, Entsminger
said. There wont be anymore
forgetting lists or checkbooks. It
will all be in one place.
One of the biggest problems
within ASUN organizations is
the transition period between
academic years because when club
leaders leave or graduate, informa-
tion tends to get lost, Entsminger
said. If students can stay in contact
with old club leaders, they will not
have to reinvent the wheel when
new ofcers are appointed every
year, he said.
OrgSync also provides more
efcient and effective ways for
ASUN and clubs to communicate
information with students and
other organizations, Entsminger
said.
Having the information tech-
nology department manage the
current club portal is also difcult
because they are busy working
on PeopleSoft, a program that
will replace ePAWS. University of-
cials do not have to worry about
managing OrgSync because it is
managed by its creating company,
Entsminger said.
OrgSync also has text messaging
options and accounts for alumni
and graduate students.
Networking is in a digital medi-
um now, Entsminger said. Large
amounts of ways to keep in touch
are through texts, Facebook and
through the digital realm. Students
are familiar and more comfortable
with that form of networking.
The internet is the direction ev-
erything is going in, Kristen Glaze,
Panhellenic Council president,
said. Operating and managing a
Web site is difcult. I think invest-
ing in a professional company to
do it for us is good and will help
students get involved.
Last summer, Entsimger said
he looked through different pro-
grams and presented OrgSync
to the student senate in Janu-
ary, when it was approved. The
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
student government also uses
OrgSync.
Whether using the program
is required will be up to the
next ASUN administration,
Entsminger said.
OrgSync could help make a
good club a great club, Reilly
said. We are trying to show
clubs the value of that. It could
be mandatory.
During the fall semester, ASUN
will host a two-day training pro-
gram for both students and club
leaders to become familiar with
OrgSync.
Implementing freshmen club
members into the program
immediately can help them get
involved in clubs and organiza-
tions on campus, Entsminger
said. The Web site will also help
promote ASUN events to students
who might be interested. Based
on what clubs and organizations
students join, different news feeds
and events will be forwarded to
their account.
Instead of looking for infor-
mation with OrgSync, it comes
to you, Entsminger said.
Tara Verderosa can be reached at
[email protected].
New program simplies clubs and orgs management
Diversity fair to attract thousands
FILE PHOTO/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Tasha Dimla looks on as her fellow Filipino dancers prepare to perform. The group was one of many to
perform at the 2006 Night of All Nations, an event that hosts cultural activities, food and performances.
BSO Ball
focuses on
minority
success
By Nicole Dion
The Black Student Organiza-
tion celebrated more than 30
years of recognition as a Univer-
sity of Nevada, Reno club at their
22nd annual ball Sunday night.
The BSO Ball encourages di-
verse members to join their club
and promote support among
the student body.
We want to expand our mem-
bership, LaTasha Porter, the
director of events for BSO, said.
Its been difcult to get people
to realize that you dont have to
be black to be a member.
About 75 people from the
Reno area came to the Harry
Reid Engineering Laboratory to
support the mission of the club:
recognizing, encouraging and
supporting the advancement of
black students.
BSOs keynote speaker for the
night, Marshawn Evans, spoke
about the theme of the event:
climbing the success ladder.
Evans, the president and chief
branding officer of EDGE
3M, said that she is impressed
with the students of the BSO
and believes there has been
progress in the right direction
for the advancement of the
black race, but there is still room
for improvement.
Sheena Harvey, the president
of the BSO, said the purpose of
the annual ball is to celebrate
the hard work that has been
done throughout the year.
I like that its a club, Harvey
said. You dont get paid to go
and I respect the people that
come because they dont have to
be there.
Nicole Dion can be reached at
[email protected].
By Juliana Bledsoe
For 27 years, the International
Club has been celebrating cultural
diversity with their annual Night
of All Nations event. Throughout
the years the affair has grown to
be the largest cultural event in
northern Nevada, and this year
it is expected to draw a crowd of
about 4,000 people.
The International Club has
been planning since last summer
for the cultural gathering that
will take place from 6 to 10 p.m.
Friday at Lawlor Events Center.
Tickets are on sale now in the
Ofce of International Students
and Scholars in the Fitzgerald
Student Services Building and
will also be available at the door.
The cost is $4 for students and $5
for the public.
It has so many different as-
pects that it requires a big group
of people and a lot of manpower,
International Club President
Christine Ruiz said.
There will be more than 50
country booths set up by various
student clubs and volunteers
from the community. Many of
the booths will serve food from
the countries they are represent-
ing, and some will also feature
activities such as traditional ori-
gami and henna tattoos. Cultural
performances will also take place
throughout the night. The club
hopes that the event will spread
cultural tolerance.
This is a way of letting the
community know whats out
there, International Club Advisor
Adilia Ross said.
There are many different
nationalities represented in the
Reno area, and this event is an
opportunity for people from the
community to come together
and share their cultural identities,
organizers said.
People have to learn toler-
ance, International Club Vice
President Olivia Maduka said. It
goes a long way.
We were really inexperienced,
but we had help and it worked
out, the clubs treasurer, Jennifer
Kielhofer, said.
The event was mainly orga-
nized by ve people within the
club while the other 25 members
will volunteer at booths, she said.
The ofcers were able to con-
sult previous club ofcers and
advisors for help, but because
they were new and did not know
the procedures they experienced
some challenges along the way.
We didnt know we needed
to get a food permit for Lawlor,
Kielhofer said. So we were down
to the wire trying to make every-
thing happen. We only had a week
to submit all the paperwork.
Getting the permit was essential
in being able to serve food to the
public, which is one of the main
attractions each year Kielhofer
said.
In the past it has been difcult
to organize the food so that ev-
eryone was able to try different
dishes without the booths getting
overwhelmed.
Were trying to make it more
accessible this year, so theres no
rush, Ross said. Were going to
stagger it, so its not all getting
served at once.
The event was budgeted at
about $25,000 which the ofcers
were responsible for raising. Of-
cers did this by trying to get items
like beverages donated from local
stores but werent very successful
in getting support.
Scolaris donated three ats of
water, but theyre the only grocery
store that responded, Kielhofer
said. Im really grateful to them
for that.
Juliana Bledsoe can be reached at
[email protected].
When: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday
Where: Lawlor Events Center
Cost: $4 for students, $5
general admission
NIGHT OF ALL NATIONS
news MARCH 31, 2009 A5
www.nevadasagebrush.com
SKILL. EXPERTISE. TECHNOLOGY.
www.renown.org
Be Different. Be Renown.
Its more than your skills and expertise. More than
your anticipation of the needs of those around you.
Its your dedication to your patients and your peers.
Because for you, its not just about being better, its
about being renown.
Renown Health is northern Nevadas leading health
networkand a place where better is a way of life. With a complete
network of two medical centers, a rehabilitation hospital, a skilled nursing
facility, and multiple medical and urgent care facilities, we offer as much
possibility in your professional life as Renos 300+ days of sunshine and
over 4,000 acres of park offers you in your personal. Join us.
Nursing
AIIied HeaIIh
ManagemenI
5upporI 5ervices
Pro!essionaIlTechnicaI
For more information about Renown Health or to apply,
visit vvv.renovn.org
EOE
tages to the classroom, and there is
no proof that it is any more effec-
tive than more traditional teaching
methods.
Are students learning better is
the question, Dana Edberg, the
chair of the information systems
department at UNR, said. And
that research just doesnt exist yet.
Edberg said she thinks the use of
technology for out-of-class work
replaces readings that students
refuse to do.
Some students wont even buy
the books for classes, she said. If
people wont read, maybe theyll
listen to a podcast.
One reason some professors
offer to explain why students dont
read is because online readings in
the form of PDFs are searchable.
Students are using this feature to
search for answers to questions
without reading, often from within
a class on a smart phone, Zink
said.
I dont think thats a valid con-
cern, though, because students
have always done that, he said.
Just because the process of skim-
ming for answers has gotten faster
doesnt mean students are learning
less.
Zink said he also hears concerns
from professors who worry about
cheating, but says the advantages
of making the entire campus avail-
able to cell phone and Wi-Fi use
outweigh those concerns.
You just have to make sure
students dont use them during
tests, Edberg said. Its just as dif-
cult as preventing any other kind
of cheating.
Professors goals are to provide
the necessary supplemental
instruction in ways that students
would access it, Edberg said.
If that means iPhone apps or
YouTube, then thats the way things
will move, she said.
Edberg said that movement is
happening now.
Many teachers are starting to
use online videos, podcasts and
things like that to try to stay rel-
evant to students and keep them
engaged, she said.
Larry Dailey, a journalism pro-
fessor at UNR, said he often uses
YouTube videos to show story-
telling techniques to students.
I especially like using Sesame
Street videos to show that stories
must have a beginning, middle
and end, Dailey said. It sort of
lightens up the class, too.
That direction isnt easy for some
professors though.
I would consider myself a pretty
early adopter of these technolo-
gies, but every year students show
Im behind, Christine Cheney, the
chair of the education specialties
department at UNR, said. We
as professors are having to learn
more than students about how to
use this technology.
In classes she teaches, Cheney
said she often sees students on
laptops and texting on cell phones.
More than once, she has tried to
catch them not paying attention to
her lecture, but to no avail.
It feels like theyre not paying
attention, but they are, she said.
(Students) are used to getting in-
formation from so many different
sources at once now.
Ricky De La Rosa, a student at
UNR, said he has been in the same
position as Cheneys students.
Professors always look at me
funny when I pull out my Black-
Berry in class, the 19-year-old
journalism major said. Then they
realize Im marking the due date of
a paper or the time of a lecture.
The multitasking skills students
learn, although important in many
jobs, will need to transfer over to
other technologies, at least for
education majors, Cheney said.
There are some developments
with smart phones nation-
ally, but very little locally, Cheney
said. Things like interactive
whiteboards are more useful for
elementary education majors, but
the university doesnt hold that
technology.
The university decided to invest
in the smart-classroom technology
it uses now instead of interactive
whiteboards because it is more
useful for teaching college-aged
students, Cheney said.
As essential as the implemen-
tation of technology is to the
future of higher education, it
comes at a cost, Zink said.
Funding restrictions some-
times hold UNR back from keep-
ing up with the leading edge of
technology, he said.
All this stuff is really expen-
sive, Zink said. Theres just not
enough funding. Any institution
has that problem and we do a
good job with what we have.
UNR has to keep advancing in
order to stay current in the quick-
changing environment of technol-
ogy, something it has been able to
do so far, Zink said.
The smart phone is going to
be the next computer platform,
he said. I dont think its going to
be the smart phone of today, but
a combination of netbooks, smart
phones and e-readers.
Theres a drive for the separate
technological devices people carry
to be combined into one, and that
combination is going to look more
like a smart phone than a netbook
or e-reader, Zink said.
The difference between a small
computer and a smart phone is
getting to be less and less, he said.
As the next logical step, UNR is
adapting additional technologies
and incorporating new ones to
cater to smart phone-carrying
students, he said.
Students are already using
these devices and if we can make
resources available to them on that
platform, it will be an easy transi-
tion to using them, Zink said.
Zink said the next version of
WebCT will incorporate an iPhone
application and the information
technology department is explor-
ing a new system that would record
360-degree videos of lectures and
make them available to students
online and over smart phones.
I always refer to this as the post-
Guttenberg environment, Zink
said. Text is great, but so much
can be done with graphics now
and that is the future.
Jay Balagna can be reached at
[email protected].
medical decisions for each
other. She said the declining
state of the economy also
creates worries about health
coverage should one of them
be laid off.
We are accepted and rec-
ognized in our community as
loving parents, a professional
couple, dedicated mothers at
sporting events, Fernley 4-H Ski
and Snowboard, she said. The
only recognition that we lack for
our family and our relationship
is a legal one.
Others said they were faced
with hardship when their
partner suddenly died because
they had no rights to property,
as they were not legally bound
to each other.
Without domestic partner-
ships, same-sex couples are
not eligible to make medical,
financial or other life-decisions
on the behalf of their partner.
They are also not eligible for
health insurance under one
anothers plans, unless their
employer specifically allows it.
Jim Richardson of the Ne-
vada Faculty Alliance said if
the state were to continue to
deny domestic partnerships it
would deter educated people
from its workforce because
most other states in the West
recognize and grant benefits
for partnerships.
It could affect whether I stay
in the state or not, Teran Win-
ter, a spokesperson for QSU,
said after the hearing. I always
thought Id go out of state, but
I would consider staying here if
SB 283 passed.
Richard Ziser from the
Nevada Coalition for the Pro-
tection of Marriage opposed
the bill, saying it was a direct
violation of the Nevada Con-
stitution because marriage is
defined as a bond between a
man and woman in Article 1.
In Section 10, the bill states
that domestic partnerships are
not marriages.
TRANSGENDER ISSUES
Supporters of SB 207 testified
about traumatic experiences
where they were harassed for
their gender identity, especially
in public bathrooms. Many said
security guards have demanded
them to show IDs when going
into bathrooms and were then
kicked out because the gender
listed on their ID didnt reflect
their identity.
The amended version of the
bill would make discrimina-
tion and harassment of people
based on sexual orientation or
gender expression in places
of public accommodation
unlawful. It also provides the
ability for people who feel that
they have been discriminated
against to file complaints with
the Nevada Equal Rights Com-
mission.
I strongly feel it is my right
to express my gender identity,
said Lauren Scott, president
of the National Intersex and
Transgender Rights Organiza-
tion of Nevada, during the
hearing.
Religious leaders also sup-
ported the bill in hopes it
would extend civil rights to the
entire community.
A few community members
expressed concern that the bill
would allow people who were
biologically male in womens
restrooms.
Lynn Chapman, vice presi-
dent of Nevada Families, which
is a right-wing lobbyist group,
said she felt the legislation
could make children a bigger
target because dressing rooms
and locker rooms would be
open to anyone.
I dont want to worry about
some man who says hes this
or that and wants to use the
locker room, she said. Thats
very uncomfortable.
Ziser expressed the same
concern and said he wasnt
sure any amendment could
adequately fix the situations
that could arise.
If that person has a penis, he
should not be in that facility,
he said. I do not want my wife,
daughter or granddaughters
in that position. I dont know
if there is any way of amend-
ing this bill to make it work.
I would pray that you would
consider a no vote on this
bill because there are serious
consequences to our culture
and our society.
Testimony about the two
bills lasted for about three
hours Friday in the Senate
committee on commerce and
labor. Community members
said they were pleased with the
overwhelming support for the
bills and are optimistic about
their approvals.
Jessica Fryman can be reached at
[email protected].
Download full texts of SB
207 and SB 283, which ad-
dress several GLBT issues.
NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM
ONLINE
Technology
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
GLBT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
does not come through.
If the state can fund education
to 2006 levels, higher education
would be eligible for about $123
million of stimulus money,
which is not accounted for in
the scenarios that each college
presented.
Im sure it would harm
the publics perception of the
university if we had to take that
reduction, Provost Marc John-
son said. Weve been moving
toward a 14 percent reduction
and weve about got to that. If
they went to 20 percent, were
kind of out of options.
Intercollegiate athletics
If UNR were to cut funding
to the 2006 level, it could mean
restructuring coaches con-
tracts, reduction of scholarships
in some sports and potential
elimination of two sports, the
impact report states.
Johnson said the university
will not name the sports unless
cuts to that level are nalized.
He said it would be less central
sports, denitely not basketball
or football.
Programs and faculty
While preparing for a 14
percent cut, the university hasnt
affected any classes or students
abilities to get their degrees.
But with a 20.7 percent cut, that
would change, Johnson said.
If we go further than this,
Im having a hard time guring
out where to go, he said. We
are just whacking all over the
place.
The impact report says it would
be necessary to cut 100 faculty
and 20 classied positions. UNR
could save $12 million by cut-
ting about 800 class sections in
the 2009-11 biennium, which
account for about 25 percent of
UNRs annual courses.
Statewide programs
UNR would cut about $2 mil-
lion for statewide programs, like
cooperative extension services,
if the university is funded at the
2006 level. The cut would likely
eliminate all state funding for
the Fleischmann Planetarium,
which would probably cause the
facility to close entirely, accord-
ing to the impact statement.
Johnson said UNR is waiting
to nd out where the budget ax
will drop before taking further
action because the scenarios will
be drastically different depend-
ing on what the nal reductions
are.
Jessica Fryman can be reached at
[email protected].
Budget
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1
classifieds
www.nevadasagebrush.com
A6 MARCH 31, 2009
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO
APPLY FOR EDITOR IN CHIEF OF
THE NEVADA SAGEBRUSH!
THE SAGEBRUSH IS AN AWARD-WINNING NEWSPAPER
RUN SOLELY BY STUDENTS.
THE APPLICATION IS AT NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM.
THE COMPLETED APPLICATION MUST BE PHYSICALLY
SUBMITTED TO AMY KOECKES BY 5 P.M. HER OFFICE
AND MAILBOX IS ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE JOE
CROWLEY STUDENT UNION.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE E-MAIL AMY
KOECKES AT [email protected]. YOU CAN ALSO CALL
HER AT 784-6589.
Perspectives
EDITORIAL CARTOON
Coming soon: the UNR experience in smart phone form!
Pass the domestic partnership act now
STAFF EDITORIAL I EQUAL RIGHTS
Battle of the
iPhone apps
BICKS PICK
How do you feel about domestic partnerships between same-sex couples?
CAMPUSCHAT
IN HER HONOR
Remembering Brianna: a
friend vows to never forget
MARCH 31, 2009 A7
www.nevadasagebrush.com
T
he date is March 29 at
11:36 p.m.
Im walking home
late after a long night
of studying at the Mathewson-
IGT Knowledge Center. I turn
down Sierra Street, catching
glimpses of dark patches and
ethereal silhouettes; they sur-
round me. I turn onto College
Drive, and I see that house.
That house, that window, that
door I saw time and time again
on the news
last year. That
house that I
see every day
on my way
to and from
campus. That
house that
will forever
loom over
this city as
a symbol of
horror and
shock.
Its been approximately
433 days since my friend was
kidnapped from her friends
home less than a mile away
from the university and less
than six blocks away from my
own home. Around a year-and-
a-half ago, the streets where I
grew up lost their childhood
innocence.
She was 19 years old. She
was a daughter, a niece, a sister,
and a friend.
I remember sitting by the
pool with her one summer. We
were laughing about some boy
she had a crush on at the time,
and being the guy I am, I, of
course, pushed her forward.
Her sincerity and realness were
always on her sleeve. I remem-
ber picking her up with hugs
every time I saw her in those
yellow-tiled hallways of Reno
High School. That past appears
to me now as something so
much brighter and more lively
than it had appeared before.
This heartbreaking situation
has forever cast a dark cloud
above this community.
This moment was one
that changed not just my life
forever, but the lives of many.
We became more cautious,
we became more vigilant; we
became scared.
But this fear is well placed.
This pivotal moment for
many of us helped us realize
that we arent invincible. Im
six-feet tall and weigh 180
pounds, Im athletic. Im not
going to be someones first
target in an attack; but that
doesnt matter.
This humanizing moment is
one I carry with me at all times
in all places: dark corners,
empty streets, echoing parking
garages the anxiety is
omnipresent. And yet this fear
allows us to live our lives more
warily, but better. This fear will
show us how to love the lives
were given.
I write this today in hopes
that people have not forgotten
these moments that help us
to realize our humanity. But
it shouldnt take moments
of tragedy to make us realize
that change is needed. Please
do not let yourself or a
friend become the victim of
something so easily avoidable.
Dont allow yourself to be
found in a situation where
something bad could happen
to you.
I know that most people wont
take any of my advice to heart
unless theyve experienced
it themselves. But to this, I
honestly pray and hope that no
one will ever have to go through
that pain in order to learn how
important life truly is.
I open my front door. Its
midnight 434 days.
When did nighttime lose its
innocence?
We love you, Bri.
Patrick Connolly can be reached
at perspectives@nevadasage-
brush.com.
T
his past St. Patricks Day, a group of friends
and I were playing a few drinking games at
someones house when I suddenly heard a
loud ringing so shrill, I thought I was going to
puke my last car bomb. (Rest assured, I didnt).
OK, I thought, either I am suffering from a sporadic
concussion that my health insurance will likely not
cover, or someone is messing with me.
Thats when I saw the iPhone come out while my friend
Nate explained his latest application, which rings at a
high pitch designed to clear out unwanted house guests
(and probably any stray dog within a ve-mile radius).
Aside from feeling unwanted, I was nevertheless
surprised and shocked to realize that the touch of a
button could wield such power.
Our so-called smart phones have the capability to
tell us where we parked our cars, where we should grab
lunch with coworkers, how to prepare crme brle and
what our reading assignment is for core humanities.
But is it really making us smarter or
just more impatient and attached to
something shiny and pretty? Heres a
rundown of some of the most popular
and most blogged about iPhone
applications, aiming to save the world
or at least distract us from it.
CRAZY DISCO
The name says it all. Shiny, rotating
disco ball to serve as a conversation
starter. Although the conversation
might start off well with You wanna see
my disco ball? a swift slap to the face
or kick to the groin may follow, depending on the mood.
IBEER
Once said iPhone owner recovers from the slap and/
or kick to the groin, they can make their way to the bar
and enjoy a tall, cold iBeer that actually when tilted,
drains out. For the designated driver of the group, the
application comes in milk (soy not yet available) or
water.
KAZOO
Feeling condent and somewhat tipsy off the iBeer,
users can now grab for their very own kazoo to, um,
impress people with? Warning: Application might have
similar effect as Crazy Disco; protect groin area.
SIM STAPLER
Need a moment to release some tension? Try out this
stapler simulator, complete with sound effects and an
endless supply of staples. Side-effects may include: loss
of wages, loss of self-respect, loss of time and loss of
friends, family and any chance of ever having someone
that resembles a signicant other.
WOOO!
Of course, after North Carolina wins the NCAA Tour-
nament, no iPhone user would be complete without a
button perfect for celebratory moments that could use
an extra man exclaiming, you guessed it, Wooo!
Happy Bar Mitzvah! Wooo! Congratulations, its a
boy! Wooo! The new Harry Potter movie comes out this
summer! Wooo!
But perhaps Im being too harsh on the iPhone com-
munity. After all, technological advances are inevitable.
So what if some of them are silly, time consuming and
downright gratuitous and help you goof off during
class.
Because lets face it, chances are there will be an app
that generates new apps. Oh, the possibilities.
Krystal Bick can be reached at [email protected].
I
t is a shame that the gay,
lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people of
Nevada must accept the
term domestic partnership as
a victory for GLBT rights.
It is a term that, despite
any practical benefits it may
grant, reeks of second-class
citizenship under the false
separate but equal mantra.
But it is also the only option
the GLBT crowd has left to
pursue short of revoking
Nevadas constitutional
amendment that defines
marriage as being between a
man and woman.
Despite those shortcomings,
the state legislature needs to
pass the Nevada Domestic
Partnership Act.
The bill, which went before
the Senate Committee on
Commerce and Labor on
Friday, will grant GLBT people
the same rights and responsi-
bilities as traditional married
couples.
The rights are long deserved.
Had the bill been enacted
two years ago, it would have
allowed Pamela Brooks, who
was present on Friday, to be
treated as family when her
partner of nine years died.
Instead, Brooks was ushered
to the side and told to call
next of kin, with no time to
grieve herself.
No solid argument can be
made for why Brooks was
shufed to the side.
She said at Fridays meet-
ing that her partners father
didnt care to visit and wasnt
there for his daughters
death.
But he was the only one
permitted to visit her. Brooks
could have given her partner
comfort in her last minutes
and received her own closure
at an emotionally trying time.
Rights like the ones denied
to Brooks would make Nevada
more attractive to GLBT
couples.
They can spend their last
moments together and enjoy
the spousal benets offered by
their jobs.
Jill Switzer is a veteran of
the National Guard. She has
four sons she raised with her
same-sex partner.
Legally, the six people are
not a family, despite the
neighborhood teenagers
calling both women mom.
She rightfully worries about
classication when planning
the future with her partner.
Should one be laid off, the
others health care benets
wont transfer over.
And as they get older, they
are seeing their share of
medical issues, Switzer said at
Fridays meeting.
It is cruel for the people of
Nevada to deny Switzer and
her partner the rights they take
for granted. She has served her
country, her state and her boys.
The least she deserves is
equal treatment for herself
and her partner. The Domes-
tic Partnership Act is the way
to accomplish that.
I believe that
there should be
no distinction
between civil
rights between
couples, same-
sex couples or
heterosexual
couples.
Jonathan
Kanzelmeyer
22, philosophy
Im for domes-
tic partnership.
I think that
it should be
recognized as
anything else
because love is
love.
Rachel Lee
21, biology
I am against
same-sex mar-
riage ... I think
we need to draw
the line some-
where.
Mark Lamborn
23, nutritional
science
...If you nd
somebody in
your life to
spend the rest
of your life with,
youre lucky.
Chancey Grashuis
19, undecided
Krystal
Bick
Patrick
Connolly
WEB
NOTES
STORY: ASUN LEADERS
PUSH FOR PETITION
SIGNATURES AGAINST
CUTS
On March 25, at 11:44 a.m.,
Wole wrote:
This is pretty funny actually.
They have confused a petition,
which is, a formally drawn
request, often bearing the
names of a number of those
making the request, that is ad-
dressed to a person or group of
persons in authority or power,
soliciting some favor, right,
mercy, or other benet. With
the section of Nevada law
that citizens can use to either
recall public ofcers or to place
something on the ballot.
The process they are using for
this petition is the process for
recalling people. They dont
need to include half the things
that are on their petition
if they just want to collect
signatures. For example, the
petition they are thinking of
is when you sign a petition
against the unfair treatment
of animals, or something. But
the process they are using
is for recalls or referendum,
where the citizens can bypass
the legislature to create a law.
Either the Senate wants to
recall Gibbons, which isnt
a bad idea, or they working
way too hard to simply collect
signatures. It probably would
have been a good idea to talk
to Mary Duggan, the lawyer
for the University, before they
do something law related.
On March 26, at 10:17 a.m.,
Kyle wrote:
It is a good thing that a new ses-
sion is taking over fairly soon, as
nothing this senate can do can
make people admit they are try-
ing to do something. When the
senate does nothing as a body,
the students on this blog criti-
cize (rightfully) that nothing is
being done. When a senator
does try to take initiative and do
something, he is criticized for
not doing it right, and encour-
aged to stop. Just stop. Well
students, make up your mind.
You want the senate to do
something, or dont you? Well,
I hope at least you give the next
session a chance before you
begin to tell them how crappy
of a job they are doing. It is easy
to criticize your student senate,
but just remember a few things
for this next session. 1 - they are
students. They are learning, just
like ALL student positions. That
is why they have advisers. If
you dont think they are doing a
good job, email them or ask the
ASUN advisers what they are
doing to help with the problem.
2 - These students had enough
dedication to this university
to sit though the entire year
and try their best to represent
students who for purposes
didnt seem to give a damn. The
only time most students even
noticed what the senate was
doing was through negative
articles in this paper. Say what
you want about them, but any-
one doing this job as a resume
builder would not have lasted
the entire term.
STAFF EDITORIAL:
UNIVERSITY NEEDS TO
PRACTICE TRANSPAR-
ENCY
On March 25, at 6:41 p.m.,
Jane Tors wrote:
It is in keeping with the journal-
ists role to challenge public
entities to remain appropriately
transparent. We, on behalf of
the University, strive to be
responsive and appropriately
transparent to the media and
the public. However, in this case,
there is an important distinction
to be made. Personnel matters
and records are dened as con-
dential by statute and NSHE
policy. There are other examples
of matters and records for which
privacy is protected, including
student records and health
records. When asked to provide
comment on these matters and
records, we must be guided by
the policies in place.
perspectives www.nevadasagebrush.com A8 MARCH 31, 2009
MEMO ON YOUR HEALTH
Health care disparities inexcusable
I
t doesnt take a masters degree in
public health to recognize the grave
paradox that the United States health
care system has become.
We spend the most per capita on
health care (16 percent of our gross
domestic product), are one of the most
technologically advanced
in medicine, yet are one
of the sickest developed
nations in the world.
Whats worse is that 47
million of our citizens are
uninsured, 10 percent
of whom are college
students.
Thats almost 5 million
uninsured students
out there. To me, this is
downright deplorable and
cant be allowed.
Were in college, and
lets face it, we do stupid things, many of
which have the potential of needing a trip
to the emergency room.
Hell, if you ask me, if you havent been
uncomfortably close to a trip to your local
ER at one point or another during your
college years, you havent been living.
I remember watching a friend try
mountain biking for the rst time, barrel-
ing down a steep rocky single track with
reckless disregard for his own safety. When
a large rock appeared in the middle of
the path, he froze up and slammed on his
front brakes, catapulting him over the front
handlebars and into the ground. Luckily,
he missed the boulder and ended up only
breaking his collarbone.
Our health is eeting. At any given time
it can be taken away in the form of a skiing
accident, car crash or haphazard slip on
the ice. If youre unlucky enough to be
one of the many college students who
lack health insurance, you could be stuck
with a hospital bill in the thousands, if not
drastically more.
Imagine the havoc such incidents can
cause on a person.
Imagine having to quit school and pick
up an extra job or two to pay off your
hospital bills, essentially placing your life
on hold until you can crawl your way back
to normalcy.
Not to mention the aftermath of your
injuries, the subsequent strains on your
personal relationships and the ramica-
tions they may have on your quality of life.
Believe it or not, this happens all the time.
Welcome to the reality of the uninsured.
But there is good news. The artist
formally known as Prince, who just released
a CD called Lotus Flower, is now currently
known as Prince.
Oh, and President Obama is making
signicant strides towards health care
reform, too.
The most recent proposals by the Obama
administration, offering a Medicare-like
insurance plan to everyone, is a reasonable
way to contain costs and expand insurance
coverage to the many people who dont
have it, including college students.
By competing with private insurance, this
governmental intervention will put a halt
to soaring insurance costs by providing an
alternative and competitive price to private
insurance, inadvertently lowering the costs
of premiums all around.
It is by no means the cure-all for U.S.
health care, but it is a step in the right
direction and certainly better than watch-
ing the problem exacerbate any further.
Instead of ignoring the elephant in the room
that health care has become in U.S. politics,
I commend the current administration for
tackling the problem head on and remaining
proactive in their policy-making.
Hopefully, in a number of years, perhaps
when our children go to college, far fewer
students than a whopping 5 million will
have to risk nding themselves out of
school and out of luck.
Memo Sanchez can be reached at perspec-
[email protected].
Memo
Sanchez
POLITICAL THOUGHTS
L
ately Ive been hearing whispers from a familiar foe on the Uni-
versity of Nevada, Reno campus. I thought I had heard the last
of this adversary when Ron Paul and his utopian legionnaires
slipped from any thread of relevance they may have been
clinging to. Alas, even ideologies with crepe paper foundations refuse
to simply fall back into the center of the earth. Like an unregulated
market propped up by privatized bureaucrats who pretend to know
whats best for business, this group of people is still thriving despite its
absurdities. Im referring to Libertarians.
The same group of students who master-
minded the marginally clever Nobody 08/
Unregister to Vote campaign, UNR Students
For Liberty, hosted a discussion at the Joe
Crowley Student Union on Thursday. The topic
was anarcho-capitalism, as explained and
presented by club president Barry Belmont.
Belmont is an incredibly bright person and
a highly admirable public speaker. His skills
are dangerous, in fact. Dangerous enough to
almost make the simplistic tenets of anarcho-
capitalism seem plausible.
Almost. Belmont stated at the beginning of
his lecture that he would draw from a plethora
of elds politics, economics, philosophy,
evolutionary biology, etc. to make his argument for an
anarcho-capitalist society. It quickly became apparent, however,
that one eld in particular would dominate the evening:
religion.
Anarcho-capitalism hinges upon a blind, fanatical and
theological faith in free markets. The simplicity of the prescrip-
tion, though buried in jargon like non-aggression action and
the sovereignty of the individual, is astounding. Not only will
the market without government regulation correct inefcient
business practices, it will also act as the most efcient form of
justice, security and protection. Thus, police forces and courts
should be privatized because the market will not only bring
about all justice that is necessary, it will do it far more efciently
than the government.
If the fatal simplicity of this argument is not already
apparent enough, an analogy that Belmont employed will
give a better impression of the kind of diminutive logic were
dealing with. He spoke about how a monopoly in the shoe
industry would inevitably lead to higher shoe prices and less
efficient production methods because of the lack of competi-
tion.
True enough, but heres the rub. Just replace the word shoe
with law, Belmont says, and shoesmith with police ofcer, and
its clear to see that the step toward market law is not an unrea-
sonable one. It takes quite a leap of faith to make it from shoes
to justice, but if anyone is t to make the jump, its the Abrahamic
adherents of anarcho-capitalism.
The market mantra that followed was chilling: The way people
would determine how much of this security they want is by how
much theyre willing to pay for it. Somehow supply and demand
curves are going to solve the problems of justice that have been
wrestled with for thousands of years? The magical movements of
the market are going to do a better job than the government at
protecting society as a whole simply because market forces look
more elegant in textbooks?
Please. Belmont is right. In a truly free market, security and
protection would be distributed by who is willing to pay for it.
But this is Social Darwinism in its simplest form. The rich would
get the best protection when it is almost always the poor who
need it more.
But the rich are at the top because they deserve it, right?
And everyone has the opportunity to become rich in a free
market.
And if they are at the top its because they are doing things
efficiently and will continue to do things efficiently. Libertar-
ian dogmatism at its finest this isnt the 19th century, boys.
Lee Hampton can be reached at [email protected].
Lee
Hampton
ACTION AND AWARENESS
Pro-life from a non-religious view
L
ast Friday, a Kansas jury acquitted
Dr. George Tiller of performing
illegal late-term abortions. Many
pro-choice advocates praised the
trials outcome, claiming that this man
champions womens right to privacy and
right to choose. On the opposite end of the
socio-political spectrum, many pro-life
activists silently protested outside the
courthouse, asserting that Tiller denies life,
liberty and the pursuit of
happiness belonging to
aborted children.
Due to situations like
this as well as President
Barack Obamas promise
to enact the Freedom
of Choice Act, many
pro-life citizens recently
united through the Red
Envelope Day campaign.
On Tuesday, millions
of Americans will mail
empty, red envelopes to
the White House with the
following written message: This envelope
represents one child who died because
of an abortion. It is empty because the
life that was taken is now unable to be a
part of our world. Responsibility begins at
conception. While this effort may seem
radical or admirable, depending on your
view of abortion, it cannot be neglected
that pro-life Americans are becoming
increasingly active.
As college students, the majority of us are
prone to a my body, my choice perspec-
tive. We agree with Planned Parenthoods
denition of abortion as a safe and legal
way for women to choose to end a preg-
nancy. But whats it like on the other side
of the debate? What do pro-life supporters
believe?
As dened in Merriam-Webster Medical
Dictionary, abortion is the termination
of a pregnancy after, accompanied by,
resulting in, or closely followed by the
death of the embryo or fetus. Perhaps
the most eye-catching word is death,
which implies there must have rst been
life. This is the most vital concept of the
pro-life movement: Though less-developed,
smaller-sized and more dependent inside
the womb, the fetus or embryo is a human
life.
According to the textbook The
Developing Human: Clinically-Oriented
Embryology, human development begins
at fertilization(when) a spermunites
with a(n)oocyte (ovum) to form a single
cell called a zygote. And a zygote is the
beginning of a new human being with its
own distinct genetic code.
Within the rst month after conception,
a human heart forms and rhythmically
pumps blood, brain waves exist, kidneys
prepare for urine production, eye bulges
take shape, and a difference is evident
between the upper and lower parts of the
arms.
Doctors adhere to the Hippocratic Oath,
which states never do harm. While many
surgical procedures possess the risk of
harm, they are intended to heal. Abortion,
however, intends to harm the fetus or
embryo to the point of death. Therefore,
the process ethically contradicts the
doctors sworn promise.
According to the New York Times, less
than 1 percent of abortions performed
in the United States are terminating
pregnancies caused by rape and incest.
Out of the 1.3 million abortions performed
in the U.S. last year, 99 percent of the
pregnancies involved a womans consent
to sexual intercourse. The Alan Gutt-
macher Institute states that 75 percent
of women in the U.S. who chose to abort
did so because the unborn child was an
inconvenience that would interfere with
their lives.
In this nation, a woman can be
prosecuted for fetal abuse if taking
drugs during her pregnancy. In addition,
fetal homicide laws convict a person
who kills the unborn child of a pregnant
woman. However, abortion legally allows
the abuse and death of the fetus. Many
members of the pro-life movement
are upset with such hypocrisy. Either
abortion providers should be prosecuted,
or fetal homicide and abuse laws should
not be in effect.
Margaret Sanger, founder of pro-
choice Planned Parenthood, stated in
her organizations list of basic human
rights: Every child should be wanted
and loved. Therefore, if a child will be
born into poverty and potential abuse,
it is better if aborted. But many pro-life
supporters question why the aborted
child did not merit this basic human right,
especially when there are currently more
crisis pregnancy centers (to aid women
nancially, physically and emotionally)
than abortion providers.
Abortion ends nearly 4,000 unborn
lives in the U.S. each day. Therefore, some
pro-life Americans consider abortion as the
genocide of our generation.
Ally Patton can be reached at apatton@neva-
dasagebrush.com.
Ally
Patton
Libertarianism:
Rearing its ugly
head with faith
in free market
UUUNNNRRR 22220002222111 THE UNR OF THE FUTURE, TOMORROW!
Photo from delamare.unr.edu Photo Illustration by: Kurt Hirsch Written by: Clint Demeritt Created by: David Worthington and Mike Geraghty
Today there will be no
UNR 2021 in observance of...
Walrus Beating Day!
WEB
NOTES
STORY: STUDENT
GOVT CONFUSED OVER
JUSTICE APPOINTMENT
On March 25, at 11:49 a.m.,
Megan Smith wrote:
In other news, Sun rises in east,
sets in west.
Seriously, with each new week
comes a new ASUN screw
up. This is so systemic that it
should be raising eyebrows
among higher-ups. The only
body with the authority to nul-
lify the appointment now is the
Judicial Council.
Acostas declaration that An-
derson was conrmed and An-
derson thereafter being imme-
diately sworn in means he is a
justice. The Senate doesnt get
a redo at this point. They have
to live with the result until the
judicial branch says otherwise.
If I was Anderson, Id act like I
was a justice. If I was Acosta, Id
start looking for more compe-
tent tutors for the new senators
lest the students actually want
a repeat of this disaster of a
year. The $1.5 million budget
ASUN has is not play money.
It is more money than many
small businesses operate on.
The senators are in a serious
position which requires seri-
ous attention to lawful process.
Sooner or later, it may come
back to haunt them.
STORY: SENATE PAYS
FOR LEADERSHIP
CONFERENCE,
APPOINTS NEW JUSTICE
On March 25, at 9:46 p.m.,
Lupus wrote:
The ASUN Constitution: op-
tional reading. You just swear
an oath to uphold it. I guess
there really is no need to read a
contract before signing it.
Do you want to guide discussion,
determine the Sagebrushs future,
speak for the student body?
Help pick the editor.
Apply to be the student-at-large for The Nevada Sagebrushs editor
selection. Sit on a panel with 11 others, hear the plans for the paper,
debate the possibilities and cast your vote.
To apply, e-mail Sagebrush adviser Amy Koeckes at [email protected] to set up an
informal interview. The selection meeting will be April 11 at 11 a.m.

arts & entertainment MARCH 31, 2009 A9

www.nevadasagebrush.com
||| :m|| | | mJ|+m |tJ
Mt||

|i||.
W|lh Coupon. o Purchuso ocossury. Exp|ros 4-3C-C9
|\j|res |jr|| 11, I111. !||1 as| l jrl|s|jl|sj sJas|1's reslarsls |s |rsas ||l, Karl|ers Ke.1, ||e !|ae
!ras|ee, |. |arresl jr|ses s1 jrl|s|jl|as |se1 as |s1ejes1esl ajerlar 1es|s|as. |r|ses m .r. Kal .||1 |s
sas,assl|as w|l| s al|er aller, 1|ssaasl, saajas, sam|a me| ar Ja||r esa |lems. |s| .|ae !/I1 al ! sesl. ||m|l ase
saajas jer jersas jer .|s|l. ||as l\ |l jj||s||e. |r|se al re|a|re1 jars|se jasle1 as mesa |ar1. |aajas m sal |e
lrsslerre1, saj|e1 ar 1aj||sle1 |s s w ar lrssm|lle1 .| e|eslras|s me1|. !||1 w|es jra1asl ser.e1. sal |e
.||1 lar saslam ar1ers. I111 sJas|1's.
'. '' ' !'
0e||ee !r.
At participating McDonald's. 2009 McDonald's.
Review
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A10
The Kid with the Replace-
able Head is a fair tribute to
the song. With unique lyrics
such as Too young to drink
and too smart to drink / At-
taches on his head with the
missing link, its a shame
the individual sounds are not
more easily discernible on the
Fucks album. But the energy
and mood of Fuckbook is
certainly appropriate.
Songs such as Shut Down
(originally by the Beach Boys)
and With a Girl Like You
(originally by the Troggs) are
fungroovy, evenwith their
basement-quality sound and
reminiscence of Yo La Tengos
heyday in the 90s shoegaze/
rock scene.
The Fucks rendition of Eng-
lish glam-rock band Slades
Gudbuy TJane closes the
album with a harder-rocking,
grittier rendition of the 1972
hit songone of the best
Fuckbook tracks of them
all.
The bands selection of art-
ists and songs to cover is ex-
ceptional, and the execution
is interesting to say the least.
The rawness of the songs that
appear to have been recorded
without much effort is actu-
ally quite endearing. The risk
taken by Yo La Tengo on this
experimental album can be
deemed a success.
Casey OLear can be reached
at colear@nevadasagebrush.
com.
ALBUM REVIEW
Houstons hero misses mark
Slim Thugs new
album lacks zest,
air, originality
By Julian Rhodes
As an expansion of Southern
hip-hop, the Houston-style of
chop-and-screw drawling has
blown up since rst entering
the mainstream with acts like
UGK, Mike Jones, Lil Flip and
Paul Wall.
Standing behind these faces
of Texas rap is Slim Thug, a real
hood cat whose rst album
received mediocre reviews and
sales, due in part to the mis-
direction of Pharrell Williams
record label, Star Trak Records.
Now, reconnecting with his
Houston roots, Slim Thug at-
tempts to take the place of his
new albums name as the Boss
of all Bosses.
A rappers work is rated on
four main categories: voice,
ow, lyrical content and pro-
duction. Slim Thugs smooth
drawl and deep bass give him
voice and ow no matter what
song he raps over. Unfortunate-
ly, like many Houston-based
rappers, his lyrical content
lacks variety and consists of the
same tedious lines about guns,
women, clubs and Houston.
So when a song on Boss of
all Bosses shines through the
usual street talk, its because of
the production. When a song
does hit the mark, it hits hard,
as if the six-foot-six rapper hit
you himself.
The title track starts the album
as a hood anthem straight out
of Texas. An epic backing choir
builds up the rst lines of the
album as Slim Thug tears into
the track like a starving animal,
yearning for the comeback
he needs. Self-assuring lyrics
and typical boasts lead up to a
catchy hook where he rhymes,
I call all shots, all wins, no
losses / Follow me, Im the boss
of all bosses. The song gives
subtle shots to other rappers
with the Boss image (ahem,
Rick Ross), but refrains from
taking any direct shots.
Thug drops his usual style
for the following track and his
second single, Im Back. In
this song, Slim Thug shows ap-
preciation for his local fans and
support while rapping about
his experience coming into
the industry. At one point he
recognizes the relative op of
his rst album when he raps, I
dropped Already Platinum but
it only sold gold. This musical
venting of sorts ows perfectly
over escalating bubble-synths
while fellow Texan Devin the
Dude sings the chorus.
Slim Thugs rst single, I
Run featuring YelaWolf follows
the trend of artists like Flo Rida
(Right Round) and Rihanna
(S.O.S.), sampling 80s new
wave by using samples from I
Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock
of Seagulls. While not quite
amazing, it has its moments as
a club-banger.
Unfortunately, from here
on out, the album levels out
into a mediocre drawl-fest.
The main problem of the
album is the overall Houston
undertone. With Houston
rappers making up 90 percent
of his guest appearances and
producer Mr. Lee making the
majority of his beats, Slim
Thug rarely exits his comfort
zone. There are some excep-
tions, however, in songs such
as Smile, Thug and As-
sociates.
In the end, Slim Thug is a
bouncer-sized rapper with
infinite potential. While its
important to stay true to your
roots to avoid losing your fans,
Slim Thug will need to experi-
ment more in order to evolve
as an artist. And while Boss
of all Bosses is great for a
Saturday night drive with the
top down, its definitely not
the pinnacle of Slim Thugs
capability.
Julian Rhodes can be reached at ju-
[email protected].
SLIM THUG
BOSS OF ALL BOSSES
Release Date: March 24
Genre:
Hip-Hop, Rap
Grade:
C+
UPCOMING
RELEASES
A10 MARCH 31, 2009
Vibe
www.nevadasagebrush.com
March 20
12 Rounds
= 40% Rotten
Goodbye Solo
= 100% Fresh
The Haunting in
Connecticut
= 19% Rotten
Monsters vs. Aliens
= 70% Fresh
ROTTEN TOMATOES WEEKLY GRADES
March 13
Condo Fucks: Fuckbook
= 69
The Decemberists: The
Hazards of Love = 73
Martina McBride: Shine
= 72
Peter Doherty: Grace/
Wastelands= 65
source: metacritic.com (rating system: 100-61 = high;
60-40 =medium; 39-0 = low)
METACRTIC WEEKLY GRADES
source: rottentomatoes.com (rating system: 100-60% = fresh; 58-0% = rotten)
Failure on a
Monster scale
FILM REVIEW
w
PARAMOUNTPICTURES/DREAMWORKS ANIMATIONSKG
Insectosaurus, The Missing Link, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D., Ginormica and B.O.B are monsters in Monsters vs. Aliens.
Reimagined Yo La Tengo nds it again
ALBUM REVIEW
CONDO FUCKS
FUCKBOOK
Release Date: March 24
Genre:
Indie/Alternative
Grade:
B
By Jay Brissenden
In its latest attempt at amus-
ing the masses with cheap
laughs and enticing visuals,
DreamWorks has created an
animated monster movie that
alienates everyone expecting
something more than a lame
knockoff of countless Saturday
morning cartoons.
Monsters vs. Aliens is set
around one unlucky soon-
to-be bride, Susan Murphy
(Reese Witherspoon, Four
Christmases), whose life and
size changes dramatically after
getting hit by a meteor hours
before her wedding. During the
ceremony, she unexpectedly
grows a few dozen feet and is
quickly captured by the gov-
ernment, which takes her to a
containment facility for beings
known only as monsters.
The monsters serve only as test
subjects until a powerful alien
force invades Earth. When the
governments attempts to destroy
the invaders fail, general W.R.
Monger (Kiefer Sutherland, Mir-
rors) calls upon Susan and her
new friends to destroy the aliens.
Its well-known that Dream-
Works animation is the im-
mature stepbrother of the
intellectual Pixar animation.
While DreamWorks has relied
on spoong pop culture and zoo
animals (Shrek and Madagas-
car) to bring home the dough
over the past decade, Pixar has
won Oscar after Oscar for creat-
ing heartwarming animated
masterpieces with stories that
stick with you (The Incredibles
and WALL-E). With the release
of Monsters vs. Aliens its all
too obvious that the immature
brother has been watching too
much Kim Possible and Dex-
ters Laboratory to realize the
importance of originality.
OK, so the purpose of the movie
may have been to spoof the classic
sci- monster movies of the 50s,
but directors Rob Letterman and
Conrad Vernon merely dumbed
down the material to entertain
todays youth. The two com-
pletely leave out any character
development and rely on juvenile
one-liners to compensate for the
characters stereotypical manner-
isms. The prime example comes
from the alien invader, Gallaxhar
(Rainn Wilson, TVs The Ofce),
who when frustrated shouts
What the agnod! or Oh
spaceballs! While it doesnt make
any sense or serve any purpose, it
sounds funny. That appears to be
the only thing that matters.
Like most other animated lms
today, Monsters vs. Aliens relies
heavily on its voice talent and
one targeted character, promoted
heavily in all the movies trailers
and advertising, to carry the lm.
For the most part, the voices
were great, with standouts includ-
ing Sutherlands gruff W.R. Mon-
ger, Hugh Lauries (TVs House)
loony British Dr. Cockroach Ph.D.
and Wilsons menacing Gallaxhar.
Most actors are cast based on
their voice recognition, but all
three of the above do a fantastic
job of altering their voices to cre-
ate amusing characters.
Unlike her castmates though,
Witherspoons interpretation of
a strong independent woman
comes off more as a whiny
schoolgirl bimbo. Her high-
pitched complaining would
make a deaf person cringe.
Then, of course, there is Seth
Rogen (Zack and Miri Make a
Porno) as B.O.B., the genetically
altered tomato that functions
without a brain. As expected,
most of the lms laughs come
from his infantile antics involving
irting with Jello and randomly
forgetting how to breathe. Be-
yond that, all other jokes, includ-
ing stabs at global warming and
other mature issues fall at.
What truly makes this lm
bearable though is the stun-
ning animation. Seen in 3-D,
Monsters vs. Aliens is by far
the most engrossing animated
lm ever made. From the ow-
ing life-like fur on Insectosaurus
to B.O.B.s bubbly blue mass, the
animators hard work is obvious.
If only as much time would have
been spent on the script, this
movie could have been not only
one of the years best blockbust-
ers, but a contender for the Best
Animated Oscar. Alas
As a means to entertain the
younglings for an hour and a
half, the lm serves its purpose.
As an animated lm in the age of
Pixar, it is an extremely pathetic
and disheartening attempt to
make a giant industry a prot.
Jay Brissenden can be reached at
jbrissenden@nevadasagebrush.
com.
By Casey OLear
Indie/alternative rock group
Yo La Tengo have, for whatever
reason, decided to take on the
identity of a band called Condo
Fucks to release an album of
cover songs entitled Fuck-
book.
This act was apparently quite
premeditated: Condo Fucks
were listed in the liner notes of
Yo La Tengos 1997 album, I Can
Hear the Heart Beating as One,
among various other made-up
bands and albums. Now, Condo
Fucks have nally made their
musical debut with Fuckbook
and its collection of covers from
well-known artists from the 60s
and 70s.
The production quality on all
of the albums songs is purpose-
fully low: The majority of the
music is fairly fuzzy and hard
to decipher, but is not really
bad to listen to. After a while,
the ruckus begins to soothe
into a calmer ambience. The
cacophonous jumble of noises
that makes up the opening
track, a cover of the Small Faces
Whatcha Gonna Do About It
actually starts to feel melodic
about halfway through.
The interpretation of the
Kinks This is Where I Belong
is pleasant, though the Fucks
have sped it up and made the
vocals pretty indistinguishable
under the rumble of the instru-
ments.
The bands take on the highly
inuential punk rock band
Richard Hell and the Voidoids
See REVIEW Page A9
MONSTERS VS.
ALIENS
Release Date:
March 27
Director:
Rob Letterman and
Conrad Vernon
Starring:
Reese Witherspoon,
Seth Rogen, Rainn
Wilson, Hugh Laurie
and Will Arnett
Genre:
Animation, Action,
Adventure, Comedy
Rating:
PG for sci- action
and some crude
humor.
Grade:
D+
MATADORRECORDS
Album artwork for Fuckbook
under Yo La Tengos new name
Condo Fucks.
TUESDAY/31
BOW WOW
NEW JACK CITY II
Genre:
Hip-Hop, R&B
Description:
This is the rappers sixth solo
album and his rst to
receive a parental advisory
warning. The CD features 11
new tracks with guest per-
formances from T-Pain and
Jermaine Dupri.
FLO RIDA
R.O.O.T.S.
Genre:
Hip-Hop, Elctro-Hop
Description:
After breaking onto the
scene with his surprise hit
album Mail on Sunday,
American rapper Flo Rida re-
turns with 14 new tracks. His
new single Right Round
broke a digital download
record with 636,000 down-
loads in its rst week.
FRIDAY/3
FAST AND FURIOUS
Starring:
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jor-
dana Brewster and Michelle
Rodriguez
Description:
The original cast members
return for the fourth vehicle
in the Fast and the Furi-
ous series. When Walkers
character is released from
prison, he reteams with Die-
sel who is working with the
feds to bring down a heroin
importer.
Genre:
Action
Rating:
PG-13
ADVENTURELAND
Starring:
Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen
Stewart, Bill Hader and
Kristen Wiig
Description:
Set in the summer of 1987,
Adventureland is set
around a recent college grad
who takes a job at his local
amusement park. While its
not the job he had hoped for
after leaving college, it turns
out to be the perfect step-
ping stone to realizing what
the world has to offer.
Genre:
Comedy
Rating:
R
www.nevadasagebrush.com
InsideReno
MARCH 31, 2009 A11
Calendar
TUESDAY/31
Pigeon John with Rootbeer
and Who Cares at Tonic
Lounge
Indie hip-hop artist Pigeon
John will perform for an au-
dience of those 21 and older.
231 W. Second St.
Reno
Show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $10.
THURSDAY/2
4 Women 4 Journeys at
Scenic Nevada Art Gallery
Four local artists will share
their personal stories and
discuss their artwork that
is displayed at the gallery.
Local violinists Wren and
Clio Brady will perform clas-
sical violin music for muse-
um guests starting at 6 p.m.
100 W. Liberty St.
Reno
Event starts at 4 p.m.
Swollen Members with
Goodword, BPOs and As Is
at The Underground
Canadian indie hip-hop
group Swollen Members will
perform with local hip-hop
groups Goodword, BPOs
and As Is.
555 E. Fourth St.
Reno
Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $18.
FRIDAY/3
The Used with The Bled at
New Oasis
Alternative rock band The
Used will perform with
post-hardcore/metalcore
group The Bled after taking
much of 2008 off to work on
recording its fourth studio
album, which is set to be re-
leased this June.
2100 Victorian Ave.
Sparks
Show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $26.
Sister Carol with Truckee
Tribe and DJ One Truest at
The Underground
Sister Carol, the Jamaican
reggae queen, will perform
her lyrically-potent music
alongside local reggae/rock
group Truckee Tribe for an
audience of those 18 and
older.
555. E. Fourth St.
Reno
Show starts at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15 in advance
and $20 at the door.
Blueberry Love Machine
with The Youngins of Put-
nam at Amendment 21 Grill
& Sports Bar
Reno natives Blueberry Love
Machine will perform their
blend of indie, hip-hop and
pop with indie/rockabilly/
blues group The Youngins
of Putnam for an audience of
those 21 and older.
425 S. Virginia St.
Reno
Show starts at 10 p.m.
Tickets are $3.
SATURDAY/4
The Moody Blues at The
Silver Legacy
Classic rock band The
Moody Blues, who is behind
well-known songs such
as the 1967 hit Nights in
White Satin, will perform in
the Grande Exposition Hall.
407 N. Virginia St.
Reno
Show starts at 8 p.m.
Tickets range from
$60-$80.
By Leanne Howard
On Saturday, Undergradu-
ate Students of Social Work
Association (USSWA) hosted
a charity benefit called Kids
Night Out at Se7en Tea House
and Bar.
Eight bands, including three
from out of town, played to
raise money for Safe Place,
a teen outreach program,
and RHYME (Runaway and
Homeless Youth Mentoring
and Equipping).
We took it upon ourselves
to get [the bands] together,
Christopher Beucherie,
faculty liaison for USSWA,
said. We got the city of Reno
involved and got donations
from various retailers in the
community to do a raffle to
raise money for Safe Place.
The event was in conjunc-
tion with a performance on
March 7 by local groups Key-
ser Soze and Who Cares. Both
events benefitted Safe Place
and RHYME.
The bands who performed
at the event included The
Cowbelleros, The Airplane-
Game, Pillow Fight, The Xeno-
phobes, Hyenas, The Juvinals,
Buster Blue, The Darlins and
The Phenomenauts.
We compiled a list of
bands we wanted, Beucherie
said, and we took the first
ones to respond, except for
the Phenomenauts, who are a
nationally-known act. We had
to do quite a bit of coaxing,
but they finally agreed to do
it.
According to the MySpace
page made to support the
event (www.myspace.com/
kidsnightout09), Safe place
gives youth the chance to
stop feeling scared and alone
and to get the help they need
for many situations such as:
family issues, drug/alcohol
issues, thoughts of run-
ning away, being homeless,
thoughts of suicide and any
other unsafe situations.
Safe Place works through
local businesses and retailers,
who agree to act as a neutral
space for teens to visit.
The way it is set up is that
a staff member or volunteer
are on call 24-7 to assist teens
in their community with any
kind of crisis, Beucherie said.
In Reno there are designated
areas with the Safe Place
logo, such as McDonalds
and various other establish-
ments, where kids can go and
call Safe Place and someone
will meet with them.
USSWA, a club associated
with the School of Social Work,
holds biweekly meetings to
decide how to get involved in
helping the community.
Through our classes and
meetings, we collaborate
and learn the ins and outs of
being involved in the social
work profession, Beucherie
said. Its all good to learn
the theory and history of a
chosen profession, but with-
out immersing oneself in the
actual work, it is pointless.
USSWA offers that part to the
whole School of Social Work
experience, and, believe me,
its quite a challenge.
The USSWA has helped with
the Evelyn Mount food drive
over the holidays, held char-
ity bowling events and coat
collections, and plans to help
children from Kids Kottage
color Easter eggs this year.
We are a tight-knit group,
Beucherie said, and we watch
each others backs pretty
much every step of the way.
I joined not really knowing
what to expect. It has been
quite enlightening to say the
least. Being involved with so-
cial work is so empowering.
The event went so well that
USSWA is considering hosting
it again next year.
The event went off great,
Beucherie said. Everyone
had a super fun time. We were
able to raise a very substan-
tial amount of money for Safe
Place, and the main thing was
we were able to raise aware-
ness to a cause we feel is dear
to our hearts.
Leanne Howard can be reached
at arts-entertainment@neva-
dasagebrush.com.
Students host events to
benet youth charities
By Julian Rodes
It is strange to think that the
color blue is so often associ-
ated with depression. The sky,
for instance, is a beautiful shade
of blue. The ocean is blue also, as
are the Smurfs, Cookie Monster,
Park Place and Boardwalk. The
other commonality between
these otherwise unrelated items
is that they all make people hap-
py. But these things are nothing
compared to the joy experienced
from a single slice of Blue Moon
Gourmet Pizza.
From the moment you enter
Blue Moon, a wave of artsy zest
overwhelms your every move.
Tastefully blue walls, original
paintings and yers for a dozen
local events give this pizzeria a
real Reno vibe. Music from an
employees iPod plays lightly
throughout the restaurant, a t-
ting choice given a good portion
of customers and employees alike
are college students.
The menu features a variety of
specialty pizzas, as well as a nice,
long ingredient list for customiza-
tions, including artichoke hearts,
jalapeo peppers, pine nuts,
scallions, smoked turkey and zuc-
chini. The two specialty pizzas
ingredients that stuck out most
were the Iron Man and the Tahoe
Ranch. The wait is not too long,
and the decorations alone make
for great conversation.
Once the pizzas arrived, they
were superb. The Iron Man was
topped with Italian sausage, spicy
pepperoni, roasted peppers,
sauted mushrooms and was
drizzled with hot pepper oil. For a
medium, it cost a bit more than the
everyday delivery ($19.73), but the
fresh ingredients and calculated
taste of this pie were well worth it.
The Tahoe Ranch was even
better, labeled as one of the select
gourmet pizzas, it denitely lived
up to its title. Differing from the
typical marinara, the Tahoe Ranch
is spread with ranch dressing and
topped with red onions, bacon
bits, chicken and fresh tomatoes.
One bite into this delicious,
original dish will grant taste buds
a quick glimpse of heaven. But, of
course, the upgrade to a gourmet
pizza comes at a price. A medium
Tahoe Ranch costs $21.02.
One of the staples of Blue Moons
signature pizzas is its delectable
crust. Not too crispy but not too
doughy, the crust on both the Ta-
hoe Ranch and Iron Man is a nice
medium, creating a twisting bread
to compliment the toppings.
Blue Moon Gourmet Pizza
menu also features a number of
calzones ($8.95) and salads for
those who dont want to get their
hands dirty.
The Blue Moon salad ($4.75 for
small, $6.15 for large) sticks out
from the monotony of Caesar
and house salads with cabbage,
noodles, slivered almonds, sesa-
me seeds, green onions, oriental
oil and vinegar dressing.
From the calzone selection, the
Rex Mega Chicken and the Chez
Bleu Moon are equally scrump-
tious. The Rex Mega Chicken is
fairly basic with red sauce, cheese,
pepperoni, olives, mushrooms
and garlic, but throws a curveball
in with barbecued chicken.
Conversely, the Chez Bleu Moon
is anything but clich with pro-
sciutto ham, sun-dried tomatoes,
scallions, chevre cheese, moz-
zarella, herbs and garlic.
For the most part, the service
at Blue Moon was very good,
despite some rumors I had heard
about bad experiences. I received
regular rells, the waiter/chef
consistently checked up on my
table and the experience was
quite pleasant.
Overall, Blue Moon is one of
the nest gems Reno has to offer.
Although a bit pricey, you get what
you pay for in some of the best
pizza you will ever taste.
Julian Rhodes can be reached at
julianrhodes@nevadasagebrush.
com.
Excellent pizza, once in a Blue Moon
CASEYDURKIN/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Blue Moon Gourmet Pizza offers many specialty and gourmet pizzas, including the Iron Man and the Tahoe Ranch as show above.
Blue Moon Gourmet Pizza
190 California Ave.
Reno
(775) 324-2828
Open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
daily
A12
MARCH 31, 2009
Arts&Entertainment
www.nevadasagebrush.com
Location: Lawlor Events
Center
Date: April 4
Time: 6 p.m.
Price: $25 in advance, $30
at the door.
SPEAK YOUR MIND
BREAKDOWN OF FEATURED ARTISTS:
PHOTOSFROMSPEAKYOURMIND
Sage Francis
Kidz in the Hall
U-N-I
Canto I
Mickey Factz
Hip-hop festival gives
Reno positive rap rep
By Julian Rhodes
K
nown as home to gamblers, cowboys and miners, Reno has always been
a bit more country than hip-hop. So for Reno to be hosting Nevadas
biggest hip-hop festival this Saturday is, to quote Dead Prez, bigger
than hip-hop.
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Speak Your Mind is a ve-hour show featuring 12 live performances, three live
artists and much more. Production manager and University of Nevada, Reno
student Daniel Hubbard built the organization of the same name himself at the
age of 28.
I used to live and work out in the Bay
Area about ve years ago, Hubbard said.
Since coming to Reno, Ive seen it is a lot
like the way the Bay used to be. I wanted to
bring a major hip-hop event like the ones I
organized in California to Reno.
After seeing some major concerts come
through Lawlor Events Center, acts like
Nelly and DMX, Hubbard decided he
wanted to organize an underground event
of the same caliber, he said. After working with Lawlor Events Center and going
over an extensive list of underground hip-hop acts from around the country, he
said he settled on 12 artists he thought would be perfect for the show.
Ive been organizing events for a long time, so Ive worked with many of these
artists before, Hubbard said. It was easy to nd the acts. One thing thats great
about (socially) conscious artists is that theyre more open to campus shows.
Theyre easier than the big rock and rap stars.
NOT YOUR GRANDDADDYS RAP
Though Reno is not traditionally a hip-hop city, Hubbard could see potential
for the underground rap market.
After being here a while, I could see Reno wants more than one-dimensional
music, he said. They want more than mainstream, and hip-hop fans here seem
to develop their own taste.
Christine Lemon is one such fan.
The 20-year-old biology major said her favorite artists ranged from Lil Wayne
to the Hieroglyphics Crew, but she is disappointed with the fan base here in
Reno.
Ive seen Hieroglyphics shows both here and in Las Vegas, Lemon said. The
main difference is the audience. In Vegas, the venue will be packed with break-
dancers and hip-hop heads, but here in Reno theres just less people.
The main reason for the lack of a hip-hop following in Reno, she said, is a combi-
nation of the generation gap in the city and the radio airplay.
Reno is an old city and rap is more geared toward the youth, Lemon said. It
also doesnt help that underground gets barely any play on the radio here.
SPREADING A MESSAGE
One fear Hubbard had before following through with this project was the nega-
tive connotation often associated with hip-hop culture, he said.
Reno as a whole doesnt really like the image of hip-hop and the negativity
associated with illegal activities, so I wanted to show Reno that hip-hop can be
positive and draw large crowds, Hubbard said.
This sentiment ts right in with the message LaTosha Porter has been promot-
ing since last spring.
As the main organizer of UNR Residence Hall Associations Hip-Hoppalooza last
year, Porter wanted to create this event because there was a need for it on campus.
There are a lot of things that UNR seems to neglect because of the negativity
associated with rap and R&B, Porter said.
Last years Hip-Hoppalooza drew an audience of over 500 people throughout the
nights events, which included artists from Reno, Las Vegas and parts of California.
She said that this years event, which is set to take place April 15, looks to be even
better, as RHA hopes to make Hip-Hoppalooza an annual event.
Lemon, who went to last years Hip-Hoppalooza and plans to go to the Speak
Your Mind hip-hop festival, said she loves events like this.
The rock shows that get organized on campus arent really my scene, she
said. Events like (Hip-Hoppalooza) give me a chance to hear music I wouldnt
hear otherwise. It exposes students to music that they would neglect if it werent
handed to them on campus.
Much like Porter, Hubbard also hopes to make his concert a staple in Nevadas
music scene.
Im looking at Speak Your Mind from a long-term aspect, he said. Each year,
I want to make it a little bigger and bring the community together. Thats what
hip-hop is all about.
Julian Rhodes can be reached at [email protected].
Sage Francis is a rapper and spoken-word poet from
Providence, R.I. He owns Strange Famous Records, and has
been rapping since he was eight years old. Hes dropped two
albums under punk label Epitaph. His last album, Human
the Death Dance, is a reference to spoken-word poet Buddy
Wakeelds poem of the same name.
Pep Love is a rapper from Oakland, Calif. He is associated
with Hieroglyphics crew and Del the Funky Homosapien. He
currently practices Capoeira martial arts and is a vegan. He
made his debut on label mate Casuals 1993 album, Fear Itself.
Luckyiam is a rapper from Oakland, Calif. He is a member
of the Living Legends crew along with other famous under-
ground emcees Murs, Eligh, The Grouch, Scarub and more.
He has attained a huge following throughout the Bay Area.
Kidz in the Hall is a rap duo from Chicago and New Jersey.
They are often compared to rappers from the golden era (late
80s) of hip-hop. They have performed with acts like Estelle and
Just Blaze. Their genre is referred to as hipster-hop. They main-
tain positive messages in their songs and were endorsed by the
Barack Obama campaign for their hit track Work To Do.
2Mex is a rapper from Los Angeles. He is signed to Sage
Francis label, Strange Famous Records. He is also a member
of Songodsuns and Visionaries.
U-N-I is a rap duo from Inglewood and Seattle. The two
met on their rst day of high school in 1999. They formed
their group after having rap battles at lunch that drove the
whole school crazy.
Himself is a rapper from Los Angeles. He is a member of
the Netherworlds crew with Murs and Anacron. He is known
for being strange, tormented and the self-proclaimed friend
to some of your favorite rappers.
Metaphysical is one of the rappers from Reno who will be
performing at this concert. He is a member of the Digital Un-
derground and one of the founding fathers of Nevada hip-hop.
Canto I is the other performing rap group from Reno.
These two brothers from Las Vegas now reside in Reno. The
pair released their second album While You Were Sleeping
last July.
Tree Woodz is rapper from Robbins, Ill. As a local favorite
and regular performer, he develops style on the reality of the
world today and the meaning of hip-hop.
Mickey Factz is a rapper from Bronx who has made ve
popular mixtapes to date. An up-and-coming b-boy/artist,
he has been a featured artist in Spin and Fader magazines.
B. Dolan is a rapper, slam poet and activist from Provi-
dence, R.I. He is signed to Sage Francis label, Strange Fa-
mous Records. He is currently working on his second album
with the help of producer Alias.
For more information on any of these artists, visit www.SYMinvasion.com.
Baseball Preview
MARCH 31, 2009 B1
INSIDE
PITCHING
B2
DEFENSE
B3
HITTING
B10
DEPTH CHART
B11
WAC BREAKDOWN
B12
PACK,
WAC:
BASEBALL
IS BACK
STORIES: EMERSON MARCUS PHOTOS: AMY BECK DESIGN: EMILY STOTT
baseball preview www.nevadasagebrush.com B2 MARCH 31, 2009
By Emerson Marcus
N
evada pitcher Brock Stassi made an unconventional desicion in a dicey
situation two weeks ago against No. 10 University of California, Irvine.
With runners on second and third with two outs and a full count in the
sixth inning, Nevada was looking to stay within one run of the Anteaters,
and Stassi had the perfect pitch.
It wasnt his fastball, a safe pitch usually used in such situations: He felt more
comfortable with his curveball.
Im comfortable throwing any of my pitches in any count, said Stassi, who struck
the batter out. (Nevada still lost 1-0.)
Stassi, standing a lanky 6-foot-2, has a less than impressive fastball but makes up
for it by keeping batters off balance, changing speeds with his pitches and spotting
his locations.
With only three pitches curveball, fastball and changeup Stassis success on
the mound has landed him in the Friday slot in the weekend rotation, which matches
him against the best pitcher of opposing teams.
If you can throw all three for strikes you are
usually going to have success, said Nevada
pitching coach Stan Stolte, who is most im-
pressed with Stassis composure on the mound.
On Friday, Stassis defense committed four
errors, but the sophomores composure never
changed as he hung on for the 7-5 win against
Utah Valley University.
He doesnt get rattled, Stolte said. He is al-
ways pitching the same, no matter the situation.
Even if his defense lets him down.
While he has the lowest earned run average
among Wolf Pack starters (3.09), he also has
dominated from the plate.
Stassi, who didnt garner one at-bat in 2008, has
the teams highest batting average this year (.381).
He can hit, pitch and play defense hes
very multi-talented, said Nevada baseball
head coach Gary Powers, who recruited Stassi
as a position player but needed him more on
the mound his freshman season because of the
excess talent in the Wolf Packs 2008 lineup.
After Nevada lost 52 percent of its run produc-
tion from 2008, Powers decided he needed Stassi in the lineup just as much as he
needed him on the mound.
While Stassi has been a vital tool for the Wolf Pack in 2009 as a pitcher and a desig-
nated hitter, any position outside of catcher may seem anomalous in his family.
Stassis father, Jim, was a catcher for Nevada from 1980-81 and was named Big Sky
Conference Player of the Year in 1981, the year before Powers started coaching at
Nevada. Jim Stassi played minor league baseball for the San Francisco Giants orga-
nization. He was inducted into the Nevada Hall of Fame in 2005 and now coaches the
Yuba City High School baseball team, the same high school his son graduated from.
Stassis brother, Max, is a catcher for Yuba City High School and has committed to
play baseball at UCLA.
It wouldve been nice if Max came to play here, Stassi said. My dad never got
on us about going to a specic school. He never told us we had to go to Nevada or
anywhere else. He just sat back and let us make our decision.
The Stassi family lineage of catchers doesnt end with Max and Jim. It goes even
further back to his grandfather Sam Stassi Jr., who played catcher for the San Fran-
cisco Seals of the Pacic Coast League in the 1940s.
Stassis great-uncle, Myril Hoag, played baseball in the 1930s with the New York
Yankees.
Hoag fought baseball legend Babe Ruth in a shower, according to a Stassi family
story. During the ght, Hoag clocked Ruth in the face.
After that moment, Ruth gave my uncle respect, Stassi said.
Hoag once notched six hits in one game in 1934 and remained the last member of
the Yankees to do that until Johnny Damon had six hits June 6, 2008.
Hoag didnt play catcher, though, he was an outelder.
While Stassi isnt a catcher or a Yankee great, he likes his situation as the best
pitcher and hitter Nevadas had to offer early in the 2009 season.
I love to pitch and hit, Stassi said. I will do anything. I will do whatever my coach
needs me to do and if someone on the next level likes what they see, then I will do
anything for them as well.
Emerson Marcus can be reached at [email protected].
Stassi is Nevadas leader in
batting average and earned
run average
His great-uncle Myril Hoag
played baseball with Babe
Ruth on the New York Yan-
kees in the 1930s and was the
last Yankee player to get six
hits in a game until Johnny
Damon did it last season.
Stassis father, Jim, is a
member of the Nevada Hall
of Fame and was the Big Sky
Conference Player of the Year
in 1981 as a catcher.
His brother, Max, plays for
Yuba City High School and
has already committed to play
baseball at UCLA as a catcher.
BROCK STASSI FACTS
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada pitcher Brock Stassis junk-ball throwing approach has him pegged as one of the best young pitchers the
Western Athletic Conference has to offer in 2009 season.
Stassi Ks competition, takes No. 1 spot
2009 WAC TEAM PITCHING STATS
SCHOOL ERA G R ER BB H SO SV HR IP
San Jose State 3.69 23 92 84 71 170 187 6 15 204.2
Hawaii 4.35 25 121 108 61 239 153 4 13 223.2
Fresno State 4.47 22 113 96 73 215 139 4 12 193.1
Nevada 4.80 24 140 113 113 215 146 4 19 212.0
New Mexico State 4.87 28 160 131 101 287 214 5 23 242.0
Sacramento State 5.11 23 126 111 71 230 143 5 20 195.2
Louisiana Tech 6.92 22 179 150 114 247 166 3 23 195.0
While Fresno State is the defend-
ing National Champion, its pitching
staff remains a key to its success.
Holden Sprague, Derek Benny
and Jake Floethe will give the
Bulldogs the best 1-2-3 punch in
the conference and the edge as it
vies for its third-straight Western
Athletic Conference title.
But dont count out San Jose
State and Hawaii.
San Jose State and Hawaii have
better pitching rotations than
Fresno State, Nevada head coach
Gary Powers said.
Starting with the Spartans: 19-5
with a pitching staff ranked rst
in the WAC with a 3.69 earned
run average. Of course, a cupcake
schedule hasnt hurt their hot
start, but dont belittle the Spar-
tans too much. San Jose State has
163 strikeouts with only 63 walks.
For Hawaii, which will host the
WAC Tournament May 20-23, the
key element is a strong bullpen
behind solid starting pitching. Sam
Spangler has pitched 22.2 innings
in relief and has only allowed four
runs. WAC All-Preseason Pitcher
Jared Alexander seems to still be
recovering from a sore elbow injury
that forced him to miss the second
half of last season and the rst
weekend of this season. Alexander
has struggled early for the Warriors
with a 4.68 ERA and a 0-1 record,
but Jayson Kramer has picked up
the pace in Hawaiis No. 1 spot.
Kramer is 1-3 with a 3.60 ERA.
Alexander is very important for
the Rainbows, who need him if
they can make a run through the
conference tournament.
Look for Tyler Sturdevant to also
make a splash as a competitor for
WAC Pitcher of the Year. While his
5.45 ERA in out-of-conference
games isnt very impressive, he
still has solid stuff and should be
able to turn it on in WAC play.
Nevada lost a lot of mound pres-
ence when Rod Scurry and Kyle
Howe graduated last season, but
Brock Stassi has performed well and
if Nevada can get Stephen Bautistas
hip exor 100 percent healthy then
the Wolf Pack might contend in 2009.
Two Nevada pitchers had
Tommy John reconstructive
surgery this month to repair torn
ligaments in their arms while
another surgery is scheduled
later this week.
I dont remember (coaching)
three (players with) Tommy John
surgeries in my career, said
Nevada head baseball coach
Gary Powers, who has been at
Nevada since 1982. Its just a
crazy, unfortunate situation.
Anthony Fagan and Tyler Rog-
stad had Tommy John surgery
earlier this year while Bryan
Suarez will have the procedure
later this week.
Tommy John surgery is a
procedure that replaces dam-
aged elbow (ulner collateral)
ligaments with tendons from
other parts of the body.
Suarez saw time as a reliever
in 2008 with Nevada. He was 2-1
with a 6.53 earned run average.
Fagan went 7-3 with a 1.85
ERA last year at Mesa Com-
munity College in Mesa, N.M.,
while Rogstad is an Edmonds
Community College transfer
in his junior year. Rogstad was
7-3 last year with a 2.50 ERA in
Edmonds, Wash.
Tyler was probably going
to play on the weekends (as a
starter) for us, Nevada pitching
coach Stan Stolte said. All three
were going to pitch for us.
Powers said Fagan and Suarez
came to Nevada with arm pains
that progressed as the season
approached. Fagan didnt throw
during the winter in hopes of
healing his arm with rest, but
there was still pain in his tendon
when he returned to spring
practice, Powers said.
Rogstads injury still remains a
mystery to the Nevada coaching
staff.
I dont know (what happened),
Stolte said. Tyler just had some-
thing go wrong one day.
Tommy John was a New York
Yankees pitcher in the 1970s who
had the surgery and returned to
win 164 games in his career. He
recovered and is now a member
of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
UCL injuries were considered
career-ending before John.
Im certainly optimistic
of them returning and being
stronger than they previously
were, Powers said. (The in-
jury) is happening everywhere
around the country nowadays.
Its almost a common thing.
Pitchers put more stress on
their arms than they used to be-
cause of more year-round leagues
in the country, Powers said.
Kids are also built much
stronger and that puts a lot of
tension on the muscles, he said.
In a study performed in July
2008, researchers at the American
Orthopedic Society for Sports
Medicine Annual Meeting in Or-
lando, Fl., found that 83 percent
of athletes who had the surgery
returned to the same or better
health. The estimated recovery
time is about 11 months.
Nevada starting pitcher Ste-
phen Bautista is also injured with
a torn hip exor. Bautista was
Nevadas pitcher on opening day,
but he hasnt started since March
12 when he allowed four hits and
three runs in 1.1 innings.
We got to get him healthy,
Powers said. Thats a huge key.
Hes an experienced pitcher
with some big time talent.
Bautistas hip exor injury has
nagged the right-handed pitcher
the entire year.
Bautista is considered one
of the most talented Wolf Pack
pitchers by the coaching staff,
but hes only made ve appear-
ances with a 7.63 ERA in 15.1
innings. Bautista made a 1.2
inning appearance in relief this
weekend against Utah Valley
University and didnt allow a
run.
We plan on easing him back
into the rotation, Powers said.
But this might be an injury that
nags him the rest of the sea-
son.
Three Pack pitchers undergo Tommy John surgery
High-scoring WAC has solid
pitching to boot in 2009
2009 WAC TOP-10 PITCHERS
PLAYER, SCHOOL ERA W-L G/GS BB H SO HR R ER IP
Scott Sobczak, SJSU 1.88 3-0 4/4 4 20 16 1 5 5 24.0
Holden Sprague, FS 2.02 2-0 6/5 7 34 21 3 8 8 35.2
David Berner, SJSU 2.25 5-0 6/6 8 29 47 3 15 12 48.0
Brandon Sandoval, SAC 2.56 2-2 6/5 8 27 20 0 9 9 31.2
Jake Floethe, FS 2.65 3-1 8/6 12 34 29 0 15 11 37.1
Max Peterson, SJSU 2.70 5-0 7/7 14 30 36 3 12 12 40.0
Brock Stassi, NEV 3.09 3-3 6/6 11 35 24 5 19 12 35.0
Sebastien Vendette, NMSU 3.09 4-0 7/6 24 44 24 2 19 15 43.2
Daniel Simon, NMSU 3.18 5-0 6/6 12 33 31 0 15 12 34.0
Derek Benny, FS 3.41 2-1 7/3 3 24 23 2 12 11 29.0
2
S
S
H
F
N
N
S
L
her
be
ury
ond
rst
der
iors
ord,
up
pot.
for
m if
the
also
for
his
nce
he
be
res-
Kyle
but
and
stas
hen
009.
id
2
P
S
H
D
B
J
M
B
S
D
D
FRESNOSTATE
MEDIARELATIONS
Holden Sprague
baseball preview
MARCH 31, 2009 B3 www.nevadasagebrush.com
By Emerson Marcus
I
f Kevin Rodland makes an across the body throw after backhanding a ball deep
in the hole between third base and shortstop, you can bet his work ethic had
something to do with it.
His attitude on the eld is something you have to like, Nevada assistant
coach Jay Uhlman said. The way he plays, I would go to war for that guy.
For Rodland, examples of a good work ethic were seen in sports and academics:
aspects of life strongly valued by his parents.
He was valedictorian of his senior class at Snohomish High School in Snohomish,
Wash. and was named to the Western Athletic Conference Academic Team last season.
He was also the team captain of both his high school baseball and football teams.
He has quick muscles, Barry Rodland, his father, said. He also has good feet and
he moves well.
While Rodland played quarterback for his high school football team the sport he
admits is his true love he also played shortstop on the baseball eld.
Rodland said he started playing shortstop and wearing No. 8 because of Baltimore
Orioles Hall of Fame member Calvin Cal Ripken Jr.
Cal played the right way, Rodland said. I also like shortstop because you really get to
show off your range. One play you are diving and the next play you are charging (the ball).
The workload at shortstop is em-
blematic of what Rodland expects
from himself.
He tries to model himself through
what he believes in by being positive
and doing things the way he thinks
they should be done, his father said.
Rodlands father did not let his chil-
dren play team sports until they were
at least eight years old because he felt
his kids could learn better from him in-
stead of someone else, and it worked.
Every one of Rodlands brothers
played quarterback in high school and
his older brother, Eric, played second
base for Gonzaga, becoming the
schools all-time hits leader.
Instead of playing T-ball, Rodlands
father would teach his sons himself.
They would play whife ball in the back
yard as he taught the fundamentals of
elding and hitting with a plastic bat.
Rodlands father, also the assistant
football coach at Snohomish High
School, looks back on his sons athletic youth with esteemed fondness.
His favorite moment was a 4-A playoff game two of his two sons played.
Kevin hit a guy at the goal line with us down by a touchdown and about two min-
utes to go, his father said. We stopped them and got the ball back.
With time dwindling, Jeff Rodland, Kevins older brother, marched the team down
the eld and connected on a touchdown pass to his brother Kevin to tie the game.
It was such a good feeling as a father, he said.
Snohomish High School lost to Jackson High School on the following play when its
kicker missed an extra point, but the moment still stands out in Barry Rodlands mind.
The play was an example of hard work paying off for the high school teacher/coach
who has enjoyed watching his sons succeed for years especially Kevin.
Hes the best athlete of all my kids, he said.
Rodland played one season for the University of Arizona before coming to Nevada,
but transferred because he said he didnt agree with the coaching methods of the Wild-
cat staff. Rodland started in 16 games for Arizona, hitting .170 in his freshman season.
University of California-Irvine and Texas Tech also recruited Rodland, but he chose
Nevada because of its laid-back coaching staff.
Last year, to his credit, he was in an 0-for-30 slump and he didnt make an error the
entire time during that slump, Uhlman said. To me that says what he is all about.
Rodland ended the year on an 11-game hit streak and nished as a member of the
WAC All-Tournament Team. He also led the team with 10 stolen bases.
Ive never really had to get on him for anything, his father said. It didnt matter if it was
conditioning or doing his homework. Kevin was always working hard at whatever he did.
Emerson Marcus can be reached at [email protected]
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevadas Kevin Rodland led the Wolf Pack with 10 stolen bases last season as the leader at shorstop.
Coach would go to war for his inelder
b
f
w
a
t
d
a
h
s
p
h
b
s
f
T
y

KEVIN RODLANDS RESUME

High School
Valedictorian of his senior class (4.0
GPA).
Team captain of Snohomish High
School football and baseball teams his
senior year in Snohomish, Wash.
One of four brothers who played quar-
terback at Snohomish High School.
All-state baseball player his senior
year.
College
Named to the Western Athletic Con-
ference All-Academic Team.
Named to the WAC All-Tournament
Team, batting .444 in four games.
DEFENSE
BREAKDOWN
SCHOOL E FD%
San Jose State 18 .981
Hawaii 21 .979
Sacramento State 26 .971
Fresno State 29 .968
Louisiana Tech 37 .956
New Mexico State 39 .965
Nevada 39 .961
Fifteen errors in the seasons first four
games wasnt the way Nevada wanted to
start its season, but Nevada has been one
of the best fielding teams in the conference
since the early-season debacle in the field.
A mixture of youth and transitioning to new
positions caused the error-fest in February.
THE INFIELD
Nevadas infield has two familiar faces
with Kevin Rodland at shortstop and Shaun
Kort at first base, but new faces occupy the
hot corner and second.
Former Nevada catcher Tyson Jaquez has
replaced sure-fielding Jason Rodriguez at
third base, while 2008 outfielder/designated
hitter Matt Bowman is now playing second
base.
Bowman and Jaquez contributed 10 of the
15 errors in the first week of the season. The
transitioning tandem has only committed
eight errors in the last 20 games.
That isnt good enough for Nevada head
baseball coach Gary Powers, but it is an im-
provement.
THE OUTFIELD
While transitions have hurt the infield,
youth has plagued the outfield.
On Sunday, Nevada sported what seems to
be its new outfield: Nick Melino in left field,
Westley Moss in center field and Brett Hart
in right field none of whom played for the
Wolf Pack in 2008.
Moss gives the Wolf Pack youthful speed,
while Hart and Melino have proven to be
adequate replacements to Bowman and Mike
Hale in the outfield corners.
Aaron Henry has dazzled in the outfield as
one of the fastest players on the team.
Nevada outfielder Waylen Sing Chow
showed promise in 2008, but his .190 batting
average has kept him off the field for much of
the 2009 season.
383
320
383
401
320
Peccole Park: Home of the Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team
After more than 20 years of baseball, Peccole
Park remains one of the nicest athletic venues on
campus.
With a seating capacity of 3,000 people, its
hard to nd a better place to spend a warm
spring Saturday afternoon.
Students get in for free with student identica-
tion cards.
Peccole Park was built in 1988 after William Pec-
cole donated $300,000 to a program that was about
to be dropped from the athletic department.
Since it was built, Nevada has attended
four NCAA College World Series Re-
gionals while also winning four Big
West Conference Champion-
ships. In 1992, Nevada went 27-0 at home.
The dimensions of the eld remain relatively
standard: 320 feet down the left and right eld
line and 401 to straight away center eld. The
fence stands 12 feet around the stadium with a
20-foot-fence located in center eld.
Peccole Park is located on Evans Street just past
Lombardi Recreational Facility and the Intramural
Fields.
Nevada is 309-150 (.673) at home since it
started playing at Peccole Park.
To make the eld easier to maintain, Nevada
spent $1.6 million to contruct eld turf on the
surface in 2006.
Our fans are special to our program, Nevada
baseball head coach Gary Powers said. Peccole
Park is a special place to play. It has one of the great-
est home-eld environments on the West Coast.
When you have a big-time facility like
this, you have a chance to build
something special in your
program.
BY THE NUMBERS: PECCOLE PARK
1988
was the year Peccole
Park was built
3,000
is Peccole Parks
capacity
309
are the all-time wins Ne-
vada has at Peccole Park
27-0
was Nevadas home re-
cord in 1992
advertisements
www.nevadasagebrush.com
B4 MARCH 31, 2009
Sports
B5 TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009
www.nevadasagebrush.com
Former Nevada star jailed in Ohio
BY THE NUMBERS
Nevadas Pro Day and past
success in NFL Drafts
4
18
are the former Nevada play-
ers who played in the NFL
last season.
are the NFL scouts who
were at Nevadas Pro Day
Wednesday.
10
are the former Nevada play-
ers who participated in the
Wolf Packs Pro Day.
By Juan Lpez
Its the dream shared by millions of youths
across the world becoming a professional
athlete.
During Nevadas Pro Day at Mackay Stadium
Wednesday, 10 former Wolf Pack football play-
ers worked out in front of 18 NFL scouts and
took one more shot at making that dream a re-
ality. Eight seniors (Uche Anyanwu, Mundrae
Clifton, Brian Fludd, Dominic Green, Brett
Jaekle, Jerome Johnson, Joshua Mauga, Marko
Mitchell) participated and two (Adam Bishop
and Justin Jackson) 2008 graduates took part
in the drills.
Though none are assured of being drafted,
the consensus
among the play-
ers was that even
an opportunity to
play on the grand
stage would be
fantastic. Former
Nevada center
Dominic Green
put it best.
I grew up
wanting to be
a pro baseball
player, but my
size (6-foot-3,
295 pounds)
kind of pre-
vented me from
running the
bases so I had
to step into football at a younger age and
fell in love with it, he said. I love hitting.
To go and play on Sundays and be a part
of an organization and just represent the
school and city of Reno, it would just be an
honor. It would be a dream come true for
not only me, but for my family, for friends
and a lot of younger kids that look up to me
back home.
SCOUTS SHOW UP FOR THE STUDS
Though no one was guaranteed to be
drafted, it is widely speculated that former
Wolf Pack wide receiver Marko Mitchell and
linebacker Joshua Mauga are two shoo-ins to
make an NFL squad.
Mitchell possesses superior size (6-foot-4,
215 pounds) and speed (4.49 40-yard dash),
but he was hampered with a hamstring injury
Wednesday.
Mitchell did not run any tests, (40-yard
dash, 3-cone drill, etc.) but did participate
in position drills. Near the end of the drills,
Mitchells hamstring tightened up and he was
unable to nish.
It was denitely disappointing to me
because it didnt happen until I had like three
more routes left, he said.
Mitchell walked off the eld dejectedly, but
was pulled aside by a scout from the India-
napolis Colts.
He was basically talking about things like
(injuries), they happen, Mitchell said. But
at the same time, I got to make sure it dont
happen once I get in camp. No one can afford
to have things like that happen.
As for Mauga, he was also hindered by an
Chasing the dream at Nevadas Pro Day
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Former Nevada wide receiver Marko Mitchell did not run at Nevadas Pro Day Wednesday, but he did participate in
position drills. Mitchell was one of 10 former Nevada players who worked out for the 18 NFL scouts in attendance.
Pack nding success after toil
AMYBECK
/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada
junior Gabe
Kanzelmeyer
strikes the ball
during the Wolf
Packs match
Sunday against
the University
of Montana at
the Lakeridge
Tennis Club.
Kanzelmeyer
swept his match
against David
Cisneros 6-1,
6-0. No. 64
Nevada won
5-2 and has
compiled a
10-3 record this
season.
By Lukas Eggen
With victories over Gonzaga,
Saint Marys and the University
of Montana this weekend, the
Nevada mens tennis team im-
proved to 10-3 on the season,
already surpassing last seasons
win total of seven.
The Wolf Pack is undefeated
at home (5-0) and ranked 64th
by the Intercollegiate Tennis
Association. Although this
season is shaping to be the
schools best since joining the
Western Athletic Conference,
its been a long journey to this
point.
SEASON OF TROUBLES
Heading into the 2007-08
season, expectations were high
for Nevada. The Wolf Pack was
poised to challenge for the WAC
Championship after reaching
the seminals for the rst time
in school history the year before
(2006-07) and posting 11 wins.
Some of our players were
playing with expectations on
their shoulders, head coach
Chad Stoloff said.
Featuring a team that con-
tained no seniors, the Wolf Pack
lost 12 of its rst 14 matches,
and it was clear that the players
were getting frustrated.
The excitement went down,
junior Laurent Garcin said.
Despite a four-match win-
ning streak at the end of the
regular season, Nevada couldnt
overcome its poor start.
We tried to surpass our-
selves, junior Alex Daruty said.
Losing a few matches at the
beginning put us down.
While many of the players
came in with international
experience, few had ever played
on a tennis team before.
It was a challenge to get
everyone to come together with
B5
wwwwww.. wwwwww. wwwwwwww. wwwwwwwwww. wwwwwwwwwwwwww nnnnne ne eeee nneeee nne nnnneeee nnnnneeeeeeee ne neeeeeeeeeeevvvvvva va va va va vvvvvva a va va vvvvvvvva vva vvvvvvvvvvvvvvva vvvva vvvva va a vadda da da da da da da dda ddda daa daa da da dda da da da da dasa ssa sa sa sa aaa sa ssa sa aa sa sa sa sa sa a sa sa a saaa saa sage ge ge ge ge ge eee ge ge ee ge ge geeee ge e ge ge gge e ggggggg bbr br br br br br br br br br br br br br brr br br br bbr br br bbbr br bbbr bbbbr br br bbbr br bbbr br br bbr br brr br br bbrr brr bbr bbr br bbrr bbrrrrrr brrrrrr brrrrrr bbrrrr bruuus us uuus us us us usss ussss uus uuus us uuuss uuus uuus us uuuus uuus uuuss uuuus uuuus uuuus us ussss uus us uss uuuss uuuuuuuuuuss uus uss uuus uuuuuus us uuussssss uuuusss uuuus uss uuuuusshhhhhhhhh. hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh com
Of Nevadas 14
seniors in the 2008
season, eight of them
worked out at the Wolf
Packs pro day.
The 10 total players
in attendance ran a se-
ries of drills for the NFL
scouts in attendance
such as the 40-yard
dash, the bench press,
the 3-cone drill, the
20-yard shuttle and
the 60-yard shuttle.
MAKING THE JUMP
CATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF
THE PACKS PRO DAY
ONLINE AT NEVADASAGEBRUSH.COM
5
are the number of Wolf Pack
players who have been se-
lected in the NFL Draft since
1999.
Staff Report
Wolf Pack forward Richie
Phillips will be forced to end
his basketball career at Nevada
due to recurring tibial stress
fractures and chronic pain,
mens basketball head coach
Mark Fox said Friday.
Its always sad when a kids
career ends, but when it is
taken from him by reasons out
of his control, its heartbreak-
ing, Fox said. This was very
difcult news for Richie to
receive and I feel terrible for
him.
Phillips, who is on track
to graduate in December,
redshirted his first year at
Nevada with a leg injury.
Off-season leg surgery and a
torn finger tendon slowed his
freshman season, in which
he played only 11 games.
He played in just four games
as a sophomore. He missed
the first 12 games of his
sophomore year with a stress
fracture in his lower left leg
and reaggravated the injury
later in the year.
This year as a junior, Phillips
played in a career-high 33
games with two starts. Decem-
ber 9 against Sonoma State,
Phillips scored a career-best
six points and pulled down a
career-high six rebounds.
Nevadas athletic trainer
Shelly German said Phillips
has recurrent tibial stress frac-
tures in his right shin despite
multiple surgeries and an
intramedullary nail placed in
his lower leg.
Obviously I am very disap-
pointed that I wont be able to
nish my career on the court
for the Wolf Pack, Phillips
said. I want to thank my
teammates, my coaches and
the fans for all the support
they have shown me over the
past four years. I have been
fortunate to enjoy so many
good experiences with our
(Western Athletic Conference)
Championships and postsea-
son appearances and to play
with so many good players.
Phillips played in 48 games
at Nevada, averaging 0.6
points and 1.1 rebounds per
game. He was a part of two
WAC Championship teams at
Nevada.
The sports staff can be reached at
[email protected].
Phillips
ends
career
DEVINSIZEMORE/SAGEBRUSH
Nevada forward Richie Phillips
was forced to end his career.
See PRO DAY Page B7
See TENNIS Page B7
Staff Report
Former Nevada basketball
player Kirk Snyder was arrested
and jailed early Monday morn-
ing in Cincinnati on charges of
aggravated burglary and feloni-
ous assault after Warren County
sheriffs ofcials said he broke
into a neighbors home earlier
that morning.
The officials said Snyder,
25, allegedly broke into the
mans home around 3:40 a.m.
and attacked him while he
was sleeping.
A female resident told in-
vestigators she was awakened
by the sound of glass breaking
downstairs and got up to inves-
tigate. While searching for the
source of the noise, a tall assail-
ant pushed her aside and ran
to the upstairs bedroom where
he began to beat her sleeping
husband, authorities said.
The woman said the man ran
out of the house through the same
door he allegedly broke through.
A police K-9 and other infor-
mation led deputies to Snyders
nearby residence. He was taken
into custody within minutes of
the attack.
Snyder is due to appear for
arraignment 9 a.m. Tuesday in
Mason Municipal Court.
Snyder played at Nevada from
2002-04 and ranks ninth all-
time on the Wolf Pack scoring
list with 1,404 points. He was
named an honorable mention
All-American in 2004 when he
led Nevada to the Sweet 16. In
2004, he also won the Joe Kear-
ney Award, given to the Western
Athletic Conferences Athlete of
the Year for any sport.
Snyder was drafted 16th
overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by
the Utah Jazz. Snyder bounced
around the league for the next
four years, playing for three
other teams (the New Orleans/
Oklahoma City Hornets, the
Houston Rockets and the Min-
nesota Timberwolves) before
playing the past season with the
Chinese Basketball Associations
Zhejiang Horses.
The sports staff can be reached at
[email protected].
Former Ne-
vada star Kirk
Snyder was
jailed Monday
in Cincinnati
on charges of
aggravated
burglary and
felonious as-
sault.
Kirk Snyder
BY THE NUMBERS
I
ll be the first to admit it, ten-
nis is not as interesting to me
as say football or basketball.
Im pretty sure that describes
the majority of us, right?
I only know of a few profes-
sional players like Roger Federer,
Andre Agassi and the Williams
sisters. Well, Serena Williams, I
watch her for reasons not pertain-
ing to her play, if you catch my
drift.
But anyway,
our tennis teams
are tearing it up
right now, and its
time we started
taking notice.
Both our mens
and womens
teams are ranked
in the Intercol-
legiate Tennis
Association
rankings, which
ranks the top-75
teams in the land. The women
come in at No. 59 while the men
arent too far behind at No. 64.
The men are making great
strides this year. Theyve already
surpassed last seasons win total
of seven and are sitting atop the
Western Athletic Conference with
a 10-3 record.
Leading the mens Wolf Pack
tennis team is junior Laurent
Garcin, who was just named the
WAC Mens Tennis Player of the
Week.
The women have just a 5-7
record, but have won four of their
last six matches and knocked
off three ranked opponents this
season, including No. 25 Long
Beach State on March 13.
Both of our tennis teams are
nationally ranked, but get as
much attention on campus as
cement drying.
They deserve recognition for
their achievements so far and
we should give it to them. Its
not too late to fix our mistakes.
Support these guys and show up
to a few matches if you have the
time.
LADIES NEED OUR SUPPORT
Nevadas baseball and softball
fans have the right idea.
The average attendance for a
baseball game is 685 people. That
may not seem like much, but
the softball team draws 379 fans
per game thats 55 percent of
the total fans that go to baseball
games.
This may seem like an unfair
balance considering our baseball
team is 11-14 and our softball
team is 24-10, but Im sure the
womens basketball team would
take that ratio any day of the
week.
The mens basketball team aver-
aged 6,929 fans per game while
the women barely drew 952 14
percent of the mens total.
Both hoops teams reached
the championship game of the
Western Athletic Conference
Tournament, so the quality of the
play is not a question. It all comes
back to fans being apathetic to
womens sports.
Sure, in an ideal world, wed like
people to be interested in mens
and womens sports equally, but
we are nowhere near that point
now.
Case in point the mens NCAA
Tournament is being shown on
CBS while the womens tourna-
ment is shown on ESPN and
ESPN2. Everyone is enjoying/hat-
ing watching the Villanova mens
team bust everyones brackets,
but people without cable likely
have no idea a pair of six-seeded
womens teams (Arizona State and
Purdue) have a chance of making
the Final Four.
But lets bring this all the way
back home.
If our softball team can draw
55 percent of the total fans that
go to our baseball teams games,
Id be willing to bet we can get
that same type of result for our
basketball teams.
Honestly, is it that hard to
get 3,811 (55 percent of 6,929)
people to show up to a womens
basketball game?
Our softball fans have the right
idea so far, but these totals should
not leave them content.
Show up and support your
teams. Im not saying we should
show up based on records, but
for the fact that they are Nevada
teams.
Juan Lpez can be reached at jlopez@
nevadasagebrush.com.
Inside Scoop
B6
MARCH 31, 2009
BRITTANY PUZEY
SOFTBALL
Nevadas all-time home run
queen is on a roll. Wolf Pack
left elder Brittany Puzey
has put together a 13-game
hitting streak. During this
red-hot stretch, Puzey has
gone 22-for-43 at the plate
with 21 runs batted in, 13
runs scored and seven home
runs. Her numbers as of late
are ridiculous and have her
sitting among the conferences
leaders in the triple crown
categories (batting average,
RBIs and home runs).
Baseball
Saint Marys 6p.m. Tuesday
*at Louis GuistoField
at LouisianaTech6p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. and
4p.m. Saturday and1 p.m. Sunday
*at PeccolePark
THE SKINNY: Nevada may have
won three out of four games
this past weekend against Utah
Valley University, but dont be
fooled it wasnt as easy as it
sounds. The Wolf Pack crept by
the Wolverines 7-5 in the rst
game of the series and UVS held
Wolf Pack phenomenal pitcher/
designated hitter Brock Stassi to
just 2-of-11 at the plate over the
series. Nevada does not seem
to have found its true identity
yet and it may have to hurry.
Conference play starts this
week when Nevada plays a four-
game series at Louisiana Tech.
Softball
LouisianaTech3p.m. Friday, and1 p.m.
and3p.m. Saturday
*at LouisianaTechLady Techster Softball
Complex
THE SKINNY: The Wolf Packs
winning streak ended Saturday
with a 3-2 loss against Hawaii.
Nevada rattled off 12 straight
wins before losing to the
Saturday. The Wolf Pack will have
revenge on its minds this week
against Louisiana Tech. The Lady
Techsters knocked Nevada out of
the Western Athletic Conference
Tournament last season.
Womens Tennis
SanJoseState9a.m. Friday
NewMexicoState3p.m. Friday
FresnoState3p.m. Saturday
Hawaii 2p.m. Monday
*All matches at LakeridgeTennis Club
THE SKINNY: The No. 59 Wolf
Pack beat No. 66 Wichita State
Saturday after falling to No.
24 Southern Methodist Friday
and closed the week by beating
Louisville. The Wolf Pack will
play four matches at home this
week its only home matches
of the season.
Soccer
at theUniversity of Californiaat Davis
10:30a.m. Saturday
at ChicoState2p.m. Saturday
*bothmatches at University Soccer
Stadium
THE SKINNY: Nevada will play
its last two games of the spring
season this weekend.
DEVINSIZEMORE/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
The Louisiana Tech womens basketball team
was the last Western Athletic Conference
squad to play in the 2009 postseason.
WEEKLY TOP 5...
Its about time we gave our
ranked tennis teams some love
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevadas Laurent Garcin hits the ball during Sundays match against the University of Montana. Garcin, a junior, has been an
integral part of the Wolf Packs success this season. Nevada has already surpassed last seasons win total and is 10-3 this year.
7
ARE THE GOALS THE NEVADA SOCCER TEAM SCORED SATURDAY AGAINST FEATHER RIVER COLLEGE. IT SCORED A TOTAL OF 15 LAST SEASON.
TWO ARE THE GAMES FORMER NEVADA FORWARD RICHIE PHILLIPS STARTED FOR THE WOLF PACK IN FOUR YEARS. HE WAS FORCED TO
END HIS CAREER FRIDAY. .517 IS NEVADA LEFT FIELDER BRITTANY PUZEYS BATTING AVERAGE DURING HER 13-GAME HITTING STREAK.
SHE HAS ALSO BLASTED SEVEN HOME RUNS IN THIS STRETCH. SEVEN ARE THE WINS THE NEVADA MENS TENNIS TEAM HAD LAST
SEASON. THE WOLF PACK HAS ALREADY SURPASSED THAT TOTAL THIS YEAR WITH A 10-3 RECORD. 36 ARE THE RUNS THE NEVADA
BASEBALL TEAM SCORED IN ITS FOUR-GAME SERIES AGAINST UTAH VALLEY STATE. IT CAME IN AVERAGING 3.4 RUNS PER GAME. ELEVEN ARE THE MATCH-
ES NEVADA SOPHOMORE TENNIS PLAYER FLORENCE DE VRYE HAS WON THIS SEASON. HER WIN TOTAL IS JUST ONE WIN SHY OF HER CAREER HIGH. 35 ARE
THE HOME RUNS THE WOLF PACK SOFTBALL TEAM HAS HIT THIS YEAR, LED BY PUZEYS NINE DINGERS. NEVADA HIT A TOTAL OF 43 HOME RUNS LAST SEASON.
RICHIE PHILLIPS
MENS BASKETBALL
You hate to see a guys career
end due to injury, but Richie
Phillips end was especially
hurtful. In four years at
Nevada, Phillips played in only
48 games, 33 this season, as
he was hindered by chronic
leg pain. Wolf Pack head
basketball coach Mark Fox said
Phillips was forced to end his
career due to recurring tibial
stress fractures. He underwent
multiple leg surgeries before
calling it quits this year. The
injuries got the best of him.
ON TAP
BRITTANYPUZEY
WHOS HOT
WHOS NOT
Juan
Lpez
www.nevadasagebrush.com
SILK
JUAN LPEZ
/NEVADA SAGEBRUSH
SEASON.
D TO
AK.
AST
ADA
MATCH-
35 ARE
SEASON
JUAN LLPEZ
Book closes on
WAC hoops year
WOMENS BASKETBALL
The Lady Techsters lost 73-59 in the second
round of the Womens National Invitation
Tournament Tuesday to Illinois State, not
only ending its season, but the season of
the Western Athletic Conference basketball
teams.
Louisiana Tech was one of six WAC teams
to make postseason play.
On the mens side, Utah State went to the
NCAA Tournament, Nevada and Boise State
went to the College Basketball Invitational
and Idaho made it into the inaugural Colleg-
eInsider.com Tournament. For the women,
Fresno State went to the NCAA Tournament
and Louisiana Tech made the NIT.
As a whole, only one WAC team was
ranked the entire season Utah State. The
Aggies compiled a 30-5 record this season
and were ranked as high as No. 21 in the
AP Top 25.
Six out of the nine womens basketball
teams nished with winning conference
records while ve of the nine mens teams
nished above .500.
BASEBALL
Bulldogs notch improbable win
Fresno State scored ve runs in the bot-
tom of the ninth inning in its game Sunday
against Lipscomb to win 7-6.
The Bulldogs entered the ninth inning
down 6-2. Two players reached base before
Fresno State third baseman Tom Mendonca
cleared the bases with a three-run home
run to tie the game. The home run was
Mendoncas 40th of his career, second all-
time in Fresno State history. The bomb was
followed by a single by rst baseman Alan
Ahmady. He reached second base on a bunt
single. Another bunt single loaded the bases
for catcher Danny Grubb who singled to left,
driving in Ahmady.
The win improved Fresno State to 13-10.
SOFTBALL
Utah State ends dreadful streak
behind masterful performance
Behind a strong pitching performance from
junior Kate Greenough, the Aggies defeated
San Jose State 4-1 Saturday for their rst
conference win of the season. Greenough
pitched a complete game four-hitter, allow-
ing just one earned run while fanning ve
batters.
The win moved Utah State to 1-5 in WAC
play. In fact, the victory was the Aggies rst
conference win since April 5, 2008. In that
span, Utah State lost 13 consecutive games.
The Aggies were outscored 78-24 in this
woeful stretch.
Aggies knock off No. 23 Dogs
New Mexico State upset No. 23 Fresno State
3-0 Friday in the rst game of the teams
doubleheader.
Aggies pitcher Kim Wat-
son pitched a two-hitter,
striking out nine batters
while walking just one.
GIVE US YOUR TAKE
How many Nevada
players do you think
will be taken in the
NFL Draft April 25-26
in New York? Go on-
line and vote at neva-
dasagebrush.com.
WEEKLY TOP
sports MARCH 31, 2009 B7
www.nevadasagebrush.com
one common goal, Stoloff
said. Especially in younger
tennis, its individual based.
The result was a 7-13
campaign and a first round
exit in the WAC Champion-
ships. The quick end to the
season left the players ready
to bounce back the following
season.
We all wanted to prove that
we were better than last year,
Garcin said.
COMING TOGETHER
Of the nine players on
Nevadas roster, six are from
countries outside of the United
States. Facing a new school, city
and society, the change to life in
America wasnt always easy.
Adjusting to the culture and
everyday life was a big adjust-
ment, Garcin said. I was in
the dorms and I didnt know
my roommate.
Many of the players had to
overcome language barriers
and learn English on the y.
It was tough to adapt to the
language, Daruty said.
Such an issue could threaten
to derail even the most talented
teams. Nevada, however, came
together in order to help team-
mates out.
We were always a tight-knit
group, sophomore Gabe Kan-
zelmeyer said. We hung out
together a lot.
For the players, the team was
invaluable in helping them
feel comfortable in their new
environment.
The others were really nice
to me, said Garcin who is from
Digne Les Bains, France. If you
dont understand something,
everyone is here to help.
The teams help extended far
beyond the tennis courts.
We seriously helped each
other in and out of the tennis
court, said Daruty, who was
born in Moka, Mauritius.
The relationship was mu-
tually benecial for all the
players, who have been able
to experience cultures from
around the world.
Outside, American guys
helping us with the language
and what to do or say, Daruty
said. Inside, we help them
discover new things.
The opportunity to learn about
each players culture was also eye-
opening for American players.
It was a good experience to
see the different cultural back-
grounds, Kanzelmeyer, who
went to Bishop Manogue High
School in Reno, said.
For Daruty, the transition to
life in America may have been
overwhelming at rst, but the
payoff has been worth it.
Youre drowned in new cul-
ture, Daruty said. But it feels
good once you get used to it.
BREAKOUT
After the disappointment of
last season and with the same
team for the most part (eight of
the nine players are returning
players), no one knew what to
expect this year.
I didnt know what would
happen, Stoloff said. I just
tried to coach them play-
by-play, day-by-day and
week-by-week, and help them
improve.
Nevada responded by start-
ing 10-3 and has the chance to
win the most matches ever in
team history since joining the
WAC in the 2000-01 season.
We work as a group more,
Daruty said. We feel like a
real team now.
The process of becoming a
team has been an ongoing saga,
but it is paying big dividends.
(Were) starting to come
together as a team, Kan-
zelmeyer said. All of us are
playing for each other and not
for ourselves.
A renewed excitement and
energy has allowed Nevada to
jump to first place in the WAC
standings and are ready for
any new challenge.
I think the guys really, really
care about playing this year,
Daruty said.
Stoloff believes that an in-
creased work ethic has played
a major role in the Wolf Packs
success.
Last year we didnt work
hard enough on a consistent
basis both mentally and
physically in practices and
matches, Stoloff said. That
has changed. Thats the differ-
ence in my mind.
Although Nevada is off to a
fast start, Nevada hopes that
its success is just the tip of the
iceberg.
We look at it as a great ac-
complishment, Kanzelmeyer
said. I think were expecting
to do better.
Lukas Eggen can be reached at
[email protected].
injury Wednesday, but his was
pre-existing.
Mauga participated in every
drill except the bench press due
to a lingering injury to his right
pectoral muscle.
The former Nevada star be-
lieves his injury might turn some
teams off, but also thinks his per-
formances speak for themselves.
I think it might (hinder me)
a little bit, he said. But I think I
proved myself out here and come
training camps Ill be 100 percent.
Maugas agent, Michael Hoff-
man, thought despite the injury,
his clients performance stood
out on its own. Mauga, 6-foot-2,
246 pounds, ran a 4.6 in the
40-yard dash.
He worked out like one of
the top guys at his position,
Hoffman said. Theres not
many guys thatll do what he did
today. And then you combine
that with the lm and hes one
of the most impressive guys at
his position.
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Many of the 18 scouts in at-
tendance came to watch Mauga
and Mitchell work out, but there
was one guy who stole the show
Jerome Johnson.
Johnson transferred from the
University of Oregon as a fresh-
man and played linebacker at Ne-
vada for three years, but worked
out as a fullback on Wednesday.
Ive been playing offense in
high school, he said. (I) went
to Oregon for a short while,
played fullback there. So its
kind of natural to me.
Johnson ran routes and wowed
the scouts, according to John-
sons agent Bardia Ghahremani.
They were all just enamored,
he said. They were like, Holy
crap, we didnt expect that.
Johnson ran a 4.7 40-yard dash,
put up 24 reps in the bench press
(225 pounds) and showed soft
hands in the receiving drills.
Im so proud of him I cant even
tell you, Ghahremani said. People
came out for Mauga and Marko
and I think he stole the show.
THE EFFECTS
Nevada has a good shot of
having a few of its former play-
ers taken in the NFL Draft April
25-26 in New York, but what ef-
fect will that have on the school?
It always helps the school,
more in terms of recruiting, Ne-
vada assistant coach Scott Baum-
gartner said. We go through these
things every year and having guys
in the NFL puts us in the minds of
possible recruits.
Wolf Pack players in the NFL aids
in recruiting, but Baumgartner
believes the effect it has doesnt
stretch far past the immediate
circle of the individuals drafted.
I think our universitys repu-
tation stands on its own, he
said. Weve gone to four straight
bowl games and our rst game
(Sept. 5) against Notre Dame is
going to be on NBC so I think
that comes with or without some
of our guys being drafted.
Juan Lpez can be reached at
[email protected]
Pro Day
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B5
Tennis
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B5
BY THE NUMBERS
A closer look at Nevadas
mens tennis team:
10
6
are the wins the mens ten-
nis team has posted this
year, surpassing last years
total of seven wins.
are the players out of nine on
the mens tennis team who are
not from the United States.
64
is the ranking of the tennis
team by the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association.
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Former Nevada star Jerome Johnson, middle, impressed NFL scouts Wednesday at Nevadas Pro Day.
The Wolf Pack is rst in the
Western Athletic Conference
with a 10-3 record and 1-0
league mark.
Nevada has a perfect 5-0
record at home this year.
The Wolf Pack has ve
more regular-season matches
left before the WAC Champi-
onships April 24-26 in
Honolulu.
THINGS TO KNOW
8
are the returning players
on this seasons Wolf Pack
mens tennis team.
sports
www.nevadasagebrush.com
B8 MARCH 31, 2009
By Juan Lpez
The Nevada soccer team
played its last home game of the
spring season Saturday and dis-
played an offensive explosion
that was nowhere to be found
last year.
The Wolf Pack blasted
Feather River College 7-1, led
by three goals from sophomore
midelder Ellie Stott. It was a
sight for sore eyes as Nevada
scored only 15 goals all of last
season.
Nevada head soccer coach
Jaime Frias was pleased with
the way his team performed,
but saw room for improve-
ment.
I think we looked better in
the second half as compared to
the rst half, the second-year
coach said. We played good
in the rst half. We played very
good in the second half. So to
consistently play at a very high
level, I think that will be our
next challenge.
The Wolf Pack led 2-0 at half-
time, but exploded for ve goals
in the second half. Stott scored
a pair of goals in this half, high-
lighted by a left-footed laser she
kicked from outside the goalie
box.
We were penetrating out
wide and a cross came in, I
think from (midelder) Natalie
(Ratnavira) and I just hit it,
Stott said. I didnt really hesi-
tate, just smacked it with my
left foot and it went in. It felt
pretty good.
Stott tallied a hat trick, but the
teams play as a whole stood out
to Frias.
Theyre all really improving,
he said. Theyre such different
players than they were in the
fall and thats due to a lot of
individual attention that were
putting on them as a coaching
staff.
Three players scored other
than Stott. Midelder Vanessa
Mann put in two goals while
fellow midelders Jill Erickson
and Cristen Drummond added
one goal each.
Drummond, who led the Wolf
Pack with four goals last year,
said even though these games
dont count, they serve a very
important purpose.
These games allow us to
play with one another instead
of just practice against each
other, she said. Because in
practice we know what people
are going to do, what style
theyre going to play. Here, it
allows us to implement what
weve learned and apply it on
the field.
Drummond added that
the team is approaching its
offseason with a buoyant at-
titude.
Everyones coming to prac-
tice upbeat, she said. Its not,
Ugh, practice. Its OK, lets
bring it on. Lets do this. Its
exciting.
Though his team looked
to be on the same page in its
blowout of the Golden Eagles,
Frias said it would be a whole
new story when the real season
began.
The falls going to be com-
pletely different because were
going to have 11 to 12 new play-
ers, he said. Integrating that
group of kids into our current
team is going to be the biggest
challenge.
The Wolf Pack has two more
spring-season games, both of
which are this weekend. Nevada
will battle the University of Cali-
fornia at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, at
Davis in Chico, Calif. Later at
2 p.m., the Wolf Pack will face
Chico State.
Juan Lpez can be reached at
[email protected].
By Juan Lpez
Down 4-2 in the last inning of
the game with two runners on
base and two out, Nevadas hot-
test hitter stepped to the plate.
Wolf Pack left elder Brittany
Puzey battled Hawaii pitcher
Stephanie Ricketts until she
had two strikes against her.
This was a case of an inex-
perienced freshman against a
seasoned veteran.
Puzey, the senior in this case,
smoked a pitch from Ricketts,
the freshman, over the left-eld
wall to put Nevada up 5-4.
Hawaii would tie the game in
the bottom of the inning, but
Nevada third baseman Sam
Bias ended the match with a
homer of her own in the eighth
inning, giving the Wolf Pack the
6-5 victory.
We were down to our last
strike before Puzey hit that
three-run home run, Nevada
head softball coach Matt
Meuchel said. That kind of
set us up for a letdown in the
bottom of the inning where
we gave up the tying run, but
it carried our offense into the
extra innings. It was good that
we got that run early and didnt
have to grind it out.
The win carried Nevada into
Saturday where it won 3-1,
before losing the series nale
3-2 on Sunday. The loss ended
the Wolf Packs 12-game win-
ning streak, but Meuchel was
happy with the way his team
performed against the Rainbow
Wahine.
Anytime you go to Hawaii,
its a difcult place to play and
especially difcult to win, he
said. Having won two out of
three, were pretty content with
that.
Nevada moved its record
to 24-10, but the story of the
weekend was Puzey.
Puzey went 5-for-9 at the
plate over the three-game
series with four runs scored,
ve runs batted in and two
home runs. But this was
nothing new to her. She has
compiled a 13-game hitting
streak in which she has posted
phenomenal numbers. During
her hot streak, Puzey has gone
22-of-43 (.571) at the plate
with 13 runs scored, 21 RBIs
and seven home runs.
I dont know if I really
anticipate that to slow down,
Meuchel said. Hitting is one
of those things that goes in
cycles and it seems like shes
been tearing it up for the past
month or so. She has denitely
stepped up and taken a leader-
ship role this season and is
cherishing hitting third in our
lineup.
Puzeys output has been
contagious. Nevada is batting
.325 this year (.013 points
higher than last season) and
has already cranked out 35
home runs, just eight short of
last years total of 43. Meuchel
said his teams power surge
can be credited to experience.
Thirty-four of the 35 home
runs have been hit by return-
ing players.
When you look at the
returning players we have this
year, theyre mainly the ones
who are responsible for the
home runs, he said. I think
its a direct result of our hitters
being one year older and doing
a good job of getting into good
hitting counts and putting
good aggressive swings on the
ball.
The Wolf Pack will bring
its tremendous hitting back
home this weekend and battle
Louisiana Tech in a three-game
series. The Lady Techsters will
be a welcome sight for Nevada.
They ousted Nevada in last
years Western Athletic Confer-
ence Tournament.
They knocked us out of
the WAC tourney last year so
were excited to get a chance
to avenge those two losses,
Meuchel said.
The Wolf Pack plays the Lady
Techsters at 3 p.m. Friday and
at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Satuday, all
at Christina M. Hixson Park.
Juan Lpez can be reached at
[email protected].
Puzey steers
Nevada rally
JUANLPEZ/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada midelder Ellie Stott, right, heads in the rst of her three goals Saturday against Feather River College. The Wolf Pack won 7-1. The
seven goals were almost half of the Wolf Packs 15 total goals from all of last season. Four players scored for Nevada.
Packs stellar offense leads to win
advertisements MARCH 31, 2009 B9
www.nevadasagebrush.com
baseball preview
www.nevadasagebrush.com
B10 MARCH 31, 2009
By Emerson Marcus
M
att Bowman and the Wolf Packs revamped batting lineup
have experienced prolonged slumps in 2009, but if Bow-
mans career is indicative of whats to come, Nevadas hitting
will heat up soon.
You got to grind it out every day, Bowman said. You are going to go
through slumps (in baseball) and you can ask yourself if you are going
to fold up shop or work through.
While Bowman is adjusting to a new position as Nevadas second
baseman, a position he hasnt played since high school, that adjustment
doesnt compare to his struggles in the batters box.
Bowman is hitting .207 this season, three years after ranking second
in the Western Athletic Conference in 2006 with a .376 batting clip. As a
team, Nevada is second-to-last in the WAC with a .259 batting average.
But Bowman knows about struggling through adversity.
In 2005, he hit .280 in 34 games as a walk on freshman.
They really didnt recruit me too much, said Bowman, who went to
Dayton High School in Dayton. I dont take offense to that. They talked to
me. I had a visit. I was kind of a recruited
walk on.
Even with his early career success,
Bowmans biggest obstacle occurred
his junior year when he slid into second
base as a base runner and tore his right
pectoralis major.
He missed the entire 2007 season, ex-
cept for ve games, after having surgery
and receiving a medical redshirt.
Im 100 percent now, Bowman said.
The injury doesnt affect me anymore.
Bowman started the 2008 season as
a designated hitter to let his arm heal
before getting back onto the field. The
injury healed and Bowman played
left field but experienced difficulty
with arm strength. He continued to
improve at the plate as the season
progressed and ended the year with
a .355 batting average and 36 runs
batted in the kind of numbers
Bowman grew accustomed to as a
sophomore.
This season, the fth-year senior was
pegged as the leader of the lineup a
very difcult task.
Nevada lost 52 percent of its run pro-
duction from last season and 32-of-59 of
its 2008 home runs were hit by players
who are no longer with the team.
We knew we werent going to be a power-hitting ball club this year,
Nevada head baseball coach Gary Powers said. We just have to do the
little things this year. We need to have timely hitting and better situ-
ational hitting.
Bowman said he doesnt think the lack of power will hurt the Wolf
Pack too much.
My freshman year, we had about four or ve guys who played pro
ball from that team and we hit a lot of home runs, but we nished barely
over .500 (winning percentage) that year. I think the home runs are a
little overrated. Obviously, its batting average and on base percentage,
and our team knows that.
Along with its senior losses from last season, Nevada has four new
players who have seen considerable playing time in the 2009 out-of-
conference schedule: outelders Westley Moss (.210 batting average),
Nick Melino (.338), Brett Hart (.286) and catcher Michael Turay (.292).
Even with his early-season slump, Powers still looks to Bowman as
a leader of the younger players. Nevada also has junior rst baseman
Shaun Kort and senior third baseman Tyson Jaquez to provide much of
the power, but Bowman remains the guy Powers looks to as the senior
leader in the lineup.
He is one of those guys who doesnt talk too much, Powers said.
He just goes out and leads by example. He is a good role model for our
younger players.
Emerson Marcus can be reached at [email protected].
BY THE NUMBERS
Matt Bowmans ve-year
career at Nevada
.376
22
was his batting average in
2006, which ranked second
in the Western Athletic
Conference.
are his career home runs,
which makes him Nevadas
active leader.
54
are his career doubles,
which ranks fourth on Ne-
vadas all-time list.
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada fth-year senior Matt Bowman hit .376 in 2006, but just .207 this year. He is looking to get back to his previous success.
2006 WAC standout returns for nal run
2009 WAC INDIVIDUAL STATS
PLAYER, SCHOOL AVG. R H HR TB SLG% BB SO OB% SB-ATT
Mike Sodders, NMSU .424 37 39 7 75 .815 17 16 .522 1-1
Jeffrey Farnham, NMSU .418 35 41 6 66 .673 23 11 .554 13-14
Kevin Winn, LA TECH .413 23 38 3 59 .641 14 4 .482 0-0
Hunter Martinez, SAC .407 33 44 2 57 .528 7 19 .448 13-15
Tim Wheeler, SAC .407 27 37 8 70 .769 14 15 .522 11-13
Blake Crosby, SAC .402 20 37 2 46 .500 8 8 .481 2-2
Wade Reynoso, NMSU .400 29 40 5 64 .640 18 16 .508 0-0
Patrick Thomas, LA TECH .398 27 37 5 52 .559 10 16 .473 6-6
Nate Shaver, NMSU .394 36 37 1 65 .691 19 14 .517 4-5
Richard Stout, NMSU .387 47 36 1 49 .527 38 11 .568 16-18
2009 WAC OUT-OF-CONFERENCE STATS
SCHOOL AVG. R H HR TB SLG% BB SO OB% SB-ATT
New Mexico State .369 363 368 63 658 .661 229 184 .500 41-45
San Jose State .346 210 299 13 416 .481 97 86 .435 25-33
Louisiana Tech .308 201 252 32 406 .496 103 135 .399 37-47
Sacramento State .306 184 260 28 401 .472 81 176 .386 42-52
Fresno State .282 176 221 26 352 .449 136 183 .402 20-27
Nevada .259 118 221 13 320 .376 77 191 .336 21-28
Hawaii .245 129 200 17 299 .366 87 188 .331 18-23
2008 GRADUATES
LEFT LARGE HOLES
IN PACKS BATTING
LINEUP
AVG. HR RBI
Jason Rodriguez, 3B
.390 8 62
David Ciarlo, 2B
.366 5 30
Jason Sadoian, CF
.336 4 31
Mike Hale, RF
.304 8 33
Terry Walsh, DH
.270 6 35
baseball preview MARCH 31, 2009 B11
www.nevadasagebrush.com
RIGHT FIELD
The true freshman
from Green Valley High
School in Las Vegas is
already making a huge
impression as the sec-
ond leading hitter in
the Wolf Packs 2009
lineup (.338). NICK
MELINO
CENTER FIELD
Speed is Moss most
important asset to the
Wolf Pack team. The ju-
nior spent two seasons
at Santa Rosa Junior
College before graduat-
ing from Nimitz High
School in Irving, Texas. WESTLEY
MOSS
LEFT FIELD
Hart, a junior transfer
from the College of
Mateo, will look to
make a big impact of-
fensively. He batted
.343 with 3 RBIs at San
Mateo College.
BRETT HART
THIRD BASE
Hitting, especially
power, wont be a prob-
lem for Jaquez who hit
a team-leading nine
home runs in 2008.
Replacing Jason Rodri-
guez at third base is a
possibility. TYSON
JAQUEZ
SECOND BASE
Nevadas fth-year
senior ranked second
in the WAC in hitting in
2006 with a .367 bat-
ting average, but an in-
jury stymied his growth
as a junior. This year, he
is ready to end his ca-
reer with a bang.
MATT
BOWMAN
SHORTSTOP
The hardworking junior
transfer from Arizona
played for the Wolf
Pack last season and
nished strong with the
bat, being named to the
WAC All-Tournament
Team. KEVIN
RODLAND
PITCHER
The multi-tooled pitch-
er/designated hitter
has been the brightest
spot on the Wolf Packs
mediocre out-of-confer-
ence season. Stassi will
need to continue his hot
play if the Wolf Pack is
to succeed in 2009.
BROCK
STASSI
CATCHER
His 6-foot-5 frame
doesnt seem ideal for
the catcher position,
but Simas is Nevadas
best bet defensively
behind the plate. Fresh-
man Michael Turay will
also see extensive ac-
tion at catcher.
TRAVIS
SIMAS
2009 Wolf Pack baseball team depth chart
2009 schedule and results
Feb. 20 Gonzaga W 7-4
Feb. 20 at Missouri L 12-1
Feb. 21 at Gonzaga L 14-2
Feb. 22 at Missouri W 8-4
Feb. 26 at San Diego State L 5-2
Feb. 27 at Kansas State L 10-2
Feb. 28 at San Diego L 5-4
March 1 at San Diego L 6-4
March 3 at Pacic Postponed
March 6 Washington L 11-2
March 7 Washington W 3-2
March 8 Washington L 7-4
March 10 at UC Davis W 2-1 (11)
March 12 Oregon W 6-5
March 13 Oregon L 6-5
March 14 Oregon L 3-0
March 15 Oregon W 2-1
March 18 at UNLV W 14-6
March 20 at UC Irvine L 1-0
March 21 at UC Irvine W 5-4
March 22 at UC Irvine L 7-4
March 24 at Saint Marys L 7-9
March 27 Utah Valley University W 7-4
March 28 Utah Valley University W 14-4
March 28 Utah Valley University L 4-5
March 29 Utah Valley University W 11-7
Tuesday St. Marys 6 p.m.
Friday at Louisiana Tech 6 p.m.
Saturday at Louisiana Tech 1 p.m.
Saturday at Louisiana Tech 4 p.m.
Sunday at Louisiana Tech 1 p.m.
April 9 Hawaii 6 p.m.
April 10 Hawaii 6 p.m.
April 11 Hawaii 1 p.m.
April 11 Hawaii 4 p.m.
April 16 New Mexico State 6 p.m.
April 17 New Mexico State 6 p.m.
April 18 New Mexico State 1 p.m.
April 19 New Mexico State 1 p.m.
April 21 Pacic 6 p.m.
April 24 Cal State Bakerseld 6 p.m.
April 25 Cal State Bakerseld 1 p.m.
April 26 Cal State Bakerseld 1 p.m.
April 28 UC Davis 6 p.m.
May 1 at Fresno State 6:05 p.m.
May 2 at Fresno State 2:05 p.m.
May 2 at Fresno State 5:05 p.m.
May 3 at Fresno State 1:05 p.m.
May 8 Sacramento State 6 p.m.
May 9 Sacramento State 1 p.m.
May 9 Sacramento State 4 p.m.
May 10 Sacramento State 1 p.m.
May 15 at San Jose State 6 p.m.
May 16 at San Jose State 1 p.m.
May 16 at San Jose State 4 p.m.
May 17 at San Jose State 1 p.m.
Date Opponent Result Date Opponent Result
FIRST BASE
The best wrists and
eyes on the team return
for a third season with
the Wolf Pack. The only
problem: His batting
average is down 60
points from last season
(324-264). SHAUN
KORT
HITTING STATS
NAME AVG. AB H RBI HR
Brock Stassi .347 49 17 13 2
Nick Melino .338 65 22 6 0
Michael Turay .292 38 14 3 0
Brett Hart .286 70 20 8 0
Aaron Henry .286 28 8 3 1
Travis Simas .272 66 18 9 1
Shaun Kort .264 91 24 16 1
Kevin Rodland .262 84 22 11 1
Matt Langenfeld .250 8 2 0 0
Tyson Jaquez .239 71 17 13 2
Westley Moss .210 62 13 3 0
Matt Bowman .207 92 19 7 4
Nick Leid .185 27 5 2 0
Waylen Sing Chow .107 28 3 0 0
Joe Kohan .045 22 1 0 0
PITCHING STATS
NAME ERA W-L APP-GS IP SO
Jayson McClaren 2.79 0-0 8-1 14.2 15
Sammy Miller 2.93 3-1 9-0 15.1 8
Brock Stassi 3.09 3-3 6-6 35.0 24
Jacob Anderson 3.52 0-0 7-0 7.2 6
Daniel Tinlin 3.68 1-0 8-0 14.2 11
Tyler Graham 4.12 1-2 9-0 19.2 17
Derek Achelpohl 4.43 1-3 7-5 22.1 21
Chris Garcia 5.08 1-3 6-6 33.2 9
Beau Witsoe 5.40 0-0 7-2 18.1 9
Stephen Bautista 7.63 0-1 5-4 15.1 10
Jesse Rasner 10.80 0-0 5-0 5.0 3
Branden Petrangelo 12.46 0-0 4-0 4.1 3
baseball preview
www.nevadasagebrush.com
B12 MARCH 31, 2009
By Emerson Marcus
G
laring from the dugout, Wolf Pack base-
ball head coach Gary Powers orches-
trates his teams offensive strategy and
embarks on another season at Peccole
Park.
Powers, fueled by a staunch work ethic instilled
by his father, created a legacy and saved a baseball
program that was once on the brink of extinction.
In his 27-year tenure as head coach, the Wolf
Pack has won more than 800 games, nished in
the top 10 in the nation (1997), sent a dozen play-
ers to the major leagues and won four conference
championships (all coming in the Big Sky, 1994,
1997, 1999 and 2000).
That just means Ive been blessed with good
talent and good coaches the entire time Ive been
here, Powers said.
Powers took reign of the Wolf Pack baseball
program in 1982, but struggled until the team was
nearly dropped from the athletic department in
the late 1980s. After a $300,000 donation from Wil-
liam Peccole in 1988, Nevada built Peccole Park:
an improvement from the run-down Moana Field
it was playing on.
In 1992, the team moved from the West Coast
Conference to the Big West, and Nevada made its
rst trip to the NCAAs in 1994 and went back three
more times (1997, 1999 and 2000).
Although Powers father died 10 years ago, he
still witnessed his son coach the Nevada baseball
teams resurrection.
I miss him not being there, Powers said. Thats
what (parents) live for. I havent had kids. My wife
and I werent blessed with the opportunity to have
them, so (my players) are my kids. Sometimes
I know Im extra hard on (my players), but its all
for their best interests. Its the way my father was
to me.
Powers father, Walt, was a World War II veteran
stationed in the New Guinea jungle who returned
as a coach and teacher at Douglas High School.
He would tell me stories about how he would get
caught behind enemy lines (during World War II)
and how they got out of it, Powers said. He went
through something we never could imagine. When
he came back, he would build houses in his spare
time to keep busy while he was teaching. He was
full of energy and he was always keeping busy.
Growing up in Gardnerville, Powers didnt have
the opportunity to play little league baseball in his
hometown, so his parents drove him to practice
and games in Carson Citys Babe Ruth League.
Powers started enjoying baseball as a 6-year-
old kid, listening to the game of the week on his
parents car radio. His favorite player was White
Sox second baseman Nellie Fox.
I always liked Nellie Fox, Powers said. He
was a second baseman like me. He was an under-
estimated guy with a big chaw of tobacco in his
mouth and I really took to him.
When he went to high school, Powers played
second base and pitcher.
Douglas High Schools baseball team didnt
have the nicest baseball facility or the most talent,
but that didnt keep Powers from working to build
something out of nothing.
Before every game, Powers watered and rolled the
Douglas eld dirt by himself to prepare the eld.
I loved to do it, he said. I learned how to take
care of a eld in high school because no one else
would do it.
After he graduated high school, Powers played
for the Wolf Pack from 1970-71 as a pitcher. He
got his degree in physical education with a minor
in math. Powers was a graduate assistant for the
Nevada baseball and football teams in 1971, and
in 1973 he took a job as Incline High Schools head
baseball coach. He also coached at Wooster High
School in 1977 before coming to Nevada ve years
later.
While Powers has succeeded at nearly every
program he has coached, his 806-635 career record
(ranking 26th among active Division I coaches)
stands as his most impressive stat and sometimes
makes him an intimidating gure for his players.
You know what he has done with the program
and playing for someone like that is intimidating,
Nevada second baseman Matt Bowman said. Hes a
pretty intense guy, and if you dont perform for him
hes going to let you know. You learn how to handle
it. In life you are going to have bosses who are going
to be on your case and you learn how to handle it.
Thats the kind of thing he wants to teach us.
Bowman said he was scared of Powers for his
rst two years at Nevada, but that has changed.
You learn how to be able to joke around with
him, too, Bowman said. Once you get to know
him, he can build a pretty good rapport.
With two more years on his contract, Powers
said he doesnt plan on quitting any time soon.
When asked if he wants to stay after the contract
ends, Powers said: I dont know. I get up every day
just thankful I have the opportunity to coach. I
dont have control over that stuff. I have control
over what I can do every day. As long as they give
me a chance and I still have the energy to do it,
then I will. I dont put time frames on things be-
cause as soon as you do, someone can take it away
from you at the last second.
For Powers, 2009 marks another chance to build a
solid WAC record and capture the one thing that has
eluded him since Nevada joined the WAC in 2000
a conference championship. The Wolf Pack nished
second in 2007 and 2008 seasons behind 2008
National Champion Fresno State for rst place.
But if his competitive drive the same one
he got from his father as a baseball player in the
dusty sandlots of rural Nevada rubs off on his
players in 2009, the Wolf Pack might grab one
more conference crown for the longest tenured
coach in school history.
Emerson Marcus can be reached at emarcus@
nevadasagebrush.com.
Riding the Nevada pine for a 27th season
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada baseball head coach Gary Powers enters his 27th season with the Wolf Pack. He is Nevadas longest tenured coach and ranks 26th on the nations active win list with 806 wins.
FRESNO STATE
2008 Record: 47-31, 21-11 (in
WAC)
2009 Record: 13-10
Runs per game: 7.65
Runs allowed per game: 5.29
The 2008 National Champi-
ons will lose stars Erik Wetzel
and Steve Susdorf, but return the majority of
their solid pitching rotation. Look for the Bull-
dogs to repeat as WAC champion.
NEVADA
2008 Record: 34-26, 18-14
(in WAC)
2009 Record: 11-14
Runs per game: 4.72
Runs allowed per game: 5.99
Losing 52 percent of its run
production from 2008 and hav-
ing a depleted pitching staff will hurt Nevada.
The experienced Wolf Pack coaching staff will
have a tough test in 2009.
HAWAII
2008 Record: 29-31, 18-14 (in
WAC)
2009 Record: 16-9
Runs per game: 5.16
Runs allowed per game: 4.87
Pitcher Jared Alexander is still
not himself, but the Rainbows
are playing at home in the WAC Tournament.
Hawaii could be headed to the NCAAs if it has a
hot home weekend series starting May 20.
SAN JOSE STATE
2008 Record: 31-25, 17-14 (in
WAC)
2009 Record: 19-5
Runs per game: 8.75
Runs allowed per game: 3.96
The Spartans are out-hitting
opponents .339 to .233 in the
2009 season. Add that with an improved pitch-
ing rotation and San Jose State might be the sur-
prise of the WAC.
NEW MEXICO STATE
2008 Record: 28-33, 15-17 (in
WAC)
2009 Record: 25-3
Runs per game: 12.96
Runs allowed per game: 5.71
A .893 winning percentage
might be more of a mirage than
the real deal for the Aggies, who havent played
anyone particularly tough in 2009. Still, this kind
of easy play might change the Aggies condence.
SACRAMENTO STATE
2008 Record: 24-34, 14-17 (in
WAC)
2009 Record: 16-9
Runs per game: 7.36
Runs allowed per game: 5.61
WAC All-Preseason Team
member Brandon Sandoval is 3-2 with a 2.33
ERA, but he cant pitch every game. Short on
starting pitching, Sacramento State will again
ounder in the bottom of the WAC standings.
National champs return as favorites to take WAC in 2009
LOUISIANA TECH
2008 Record: 23-31, 7-23
(in WAC)
2009 Record: 12-9
Runs per game: 9.14
Runs allowed per game: 8.3
The Bulldogs were 12-6
headed into WAC play last
season before nishing last in the conference
to end the season. Louisiana Tech might have
to get used to last place again in 2009.
SCHOOL WAC OVERALL
Fresno State 21-11 47-31
Nevada 18-14 34-26
Hawaii 18-14 29-31
SJSU 17-14 31-25
NMSU 15-17 28-33
Sacramento State 14-17 24-34
Louisiana Tech 7-23 23-31
2008 WAC STANDINGS
AMYBECK/NEVADASAGEBRUSH
Nevada baseball head coach Gary Powers coaches shortstop Kevin Rodland in the Peccole Park dugout
Friday in Nevadas 7-5 win against Utah Valley University.