Volume 147 December 1, 2011 Issue 5THE CENTRAL RAY

Page 3 Page 4Page 2Shirley Damsgaard to read from mystery nov-els at Writers Reading.

Opinion piece on LGBT rights is not

one to miss!

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas to help students

de-stress.

by JAKE MOLLMANRay Staff Writer

by ANNA LEAVENWORTHRay Staff Writer

Eleven years ago, Mike Jacobsma turned down a 3rd grade teaching job which would’ve paid double the job he actu-ally accepted, his first real coaching job. Jacobsma started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wayne State College getting paid only $100 a week for two years.

He then moved on to an assistant coaching position at a division two school in Colorado and then moved to a recruit-ing coordinator position at Evansville University. Those 11 years have paved the way for Jacobsma to where he is today, first year head coach of the Central College Women’s basketball program.

“This is my first posi-tion at a Division III school,” Jacobsma said. “The athletes here are true student-athletes, they pay for their schooling and for the athletic pro-gram they are a part of. Being at Central makes it enjoyable to make per-sonal connections with players and focus on the little things we need to do as a team in order to succeed.”

After a disappointing season last year, with just five total team wins, the Dutch have something to prove this year. With a new coaching staff focus-

ing on the little things as their team keys to vic-tory, last season is already being put into the past.

“This year is a new beginning for Central Women’s Basketball,” junior forward Nicole Strasko said. “As a return-

ing player, I have seen where we’ve been, and am so excited for where we are going.”

The team plans to focus on the fundamen-tals of the game to put

them on top, along with striving to lead the league in rebounding averaging +10 a game and holding a 3.61 team GPA average, according to Jacobsma.

“We want our team to be the best on cam-pus, both on and off the

court,” Jacobsma said. “Everything is connected, being good students and citizens off the court will help us become the best we can be on the court. One of our favorite say-

Women’s Basketball looks to new coach for success

Senior Sarah Paulson, guard, drives the ball to the hoop to help the Dutch to a victory. Paulson is helping de-velop the team for a great year.

courtesy of: Sports Info

ings is, little things make big things happen.”

The Dutch used those little things on the court winning their first game of the year, 72-52 over Bethany Lutheran (Minn.). However, the team looks past the win in order to keep improv-ing and plans to not get caught up in wins, accord-ing to Jacobsma.

“I expect our team to win every game, because if we don’t expect to win, we won’t,” Jacobsma said. “Our goal is to make it to the conference tourna-ment at the end of the year, because if we make it to that anything can happen, that’s why they call it March Madness.”

With a long 25 game regular season, the Dutch have plenty of games ahead of them in order to achieve their goals and start the new era of Central Women’s Basketball under new coach Mike Jacobsma. The Dutch had their second game against Grinnell with 62-49 win. The Dutch then lost to Monmouth (Ill.), 72-69, in overtime.

“I think Coach Jacobsma is a really great coach,” senior guard Sarah Paulson said. “He knows the game well and is building a new program that I think will go really far under his leadership.”

Heart, Guts and Dutch Pride.

by KEEGAN FRISCHRay Staff Writer

Keystone pipeline proposal to pass through midwest has environmentalists concerned

There is an area in Alberta, Canada that used to be filled with old growth, evergreen forest and a beautiful river. It is now treeless and com-pletely up-earthed.

This is the land where the “tar sands” are exca-vated and turned into crude oil.

The Keystone Pipeline, according to the Washington Post, is the proposed method of transportation to get Canadian crude oil to the U.S. It would run

through five U.S. states. Some Americans

oppose this plan because of the harm to the envi-ronment and the land-scape of the earth.

“This is the dirtiest way of deriving oil,” said Jim Zaffiro, a global sus-tainability professor on campus.

This crude oil comes in rock form from the sand in Alberta, Canada. The land is strip-mined and the rock is collect-ed. The rock is then put under immense pressures with the use of natural gas and water to be lique-fied into crude oil.

In an economy addicted to fossil fuels, this pipeline would create a major source of energy for the country.

“It is one more last ditch effort to keep the fossil fuel companies alive at the cost of the environ-ment,” said Zaffiro.

The pipeline would be over 1,700 miles long. It would run right over the Ogallala aquifer, lying under most of Nebraska, which supplies water for the majority of the Midwest.

“In a practical world, we would not need to use oil for energy, and

we would have alterna-tives”, said Nic Laterbach, sophomore biology major at Central. “But in reality we need oil, and this is one of the safest ways to get it.”

“We are saving American lives by using oil from Canada,” said Ryan Dahm, a sopho-more environmental studies student at Central College. “I think oil from Canada is a much safer opportunity than from the Middle East, because of all the conflict there.”

Currently Iowa receives more crude oil from Canada than from

the Middle East, accord-ing to the Washington Post.

“It is a classic bat-tle between cooperate America and America’s green groups,” said Dahm.

The Keystone pipeline would create over 13,000 jobs for Americans. In the economy of today, jobs are what this country needs.

E n v i r o n m e n t a l groups argue there would be too much environmen-tal damage, though.

“We are a country obsessed with oil at any cost,” said Zaffiro, “and

the cost is the environ-ment.”

“If the policies put forth by the government are being followed by the oil companies, there should not be major envi-ronmental problems any-way,” said Laterbach.

With the next presi-dential election coming up, this will be a hot topic for the candidates as it could critically affect the country, particularly the Midwest.

President Obama just decided to delay the decision on the Keystone pipeline for another three years.

In less than a few weeks time, many Central College students will be

leaving campus for the spring semester to embark on an once and a life time experience: studying abroad.

Since 1965, the year Central College first launched its internation-al program, more than 10,000 students from nearly 400 American col-leges have participated. In the years that have fol-lowed, Central College continues to be recog-nized by US News and World Report as one of the best study abroad pro-grams in the nation.

Central College offers distinctive pro-grams in eight locations w o r l d w i d e — B a n g o r , Wales; Granada, Spain;

Hangzhou, China; Leiden, the Netherlands; London, England; Merida, Yucatan; Paris, France; and Vienna, Austria—that include

semester, year-long, and summer programs.

So whether you have already committed or are simply thinking about applying, Central Study Abroad promises a unique academic experi-ence no matter where you plan to study. Abroad courses are taught by local professors and are designed to give insight into a specific aspect of a culture’s art, history, lan-guage and more.

Though this cross-cultural understanding begins in the classroom, it is not limited by a desk and chalkboard. In fact, all Central Abroad

The November Study Abroad photo contest winner in the category “Where in the World is Central Study Abroad?” Adam Ledvina holds the 2012 Olympic Torch in front of Tower Bridge in London.

courtesy of: Central College Abroad

Learn about Central College Abroad

CCA continued on page 3

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011 Back page4

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by KATE RICKERay Staff Writer

After replacing all five starters from the 2009-10 Iowa Conference cham-pionship season, the Central College men’s basketball team starts the season with experience on the roster.

Four starters return from last year’s team, leading to greater expec-tations for the 2011-12 season.

Last years squad ended up with a 12-13 record, and a surpris-ing 8-8 Iowa conference record. The Dutch sneaked up on teams last year, but faltered down the stretch when injuries and illness took their toll.

“Staying healthy is so important in athletics, and last year injuries and illness had a big part of what took place down the stretch,” said head coach Mike Boschee. “I think staying healthy and keep-ing away from injuries will be a big key to anyone who wins the league.”

Experience is not a problem this year, with four returning start-ers and most of the key bench players also return-ing. Coach Boschee expects this years team to

by NICHOLAS WILKENINGRay Staff Writer

be better and much more balanced.

“We put a lot more stuff in early in the year,” he said. “We are so far ahead this year compared to last year as far as what we have in the system, what we’re using both offensively and defensive-ly. It’s a positive that we hope we can take advan-tage of.”

After spending the beginning of his career as a backup, 5-11 senior guard Demarco Turner stepped into the starting rotation and delivered, earning first team all-con-ference honors.

Turner led the Dutch in scoring with 16.3 points per game and was the top 3-point shooter with 2.7 per game, hitting a team-high 43.1 percent from beyond the arc.

At the other guard spot is Brock Caves, a 5-11 senior point guard. He started 22 games, aver-aging 9.7 points and 2.2 assists.

“Both these guys earned valuable expe-rience last year, and I expect them to grow this year,” said Boschee.

Also expected to play significant minutes at the guard spot is 6-0 junior KJ Cool. Coming off the bench for most of the sea-

son, Cool provided tough defense and 3-point shoot-ing, averaging 5.5 points and hitting 21 3-point baskets. Others contrib-

uting on the wing so far this season include 6-4 junior Nick Marinkovich and 5-9 sophomore Kevin Kaerwer, up from playing

mostly on junior varsity last season.

“The new guys have different skill sets, hope-fully we can get more out-side shooting from them,” said Boschee. “Hopefully we’ll be able to space the floor a bit better, have some better ball-handlers out there.”

Options are abound in the post, with a wealth of experience and produc-tion. Leading the way is 6-5 senior Jack Bruns, the team�s most experienced player.

He averaged 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds last year, while receiving honorable mention all-conference recognition.

6-6 senior Chris Lehmann also returns, who brings size and out-side shooting to help space the floor well. He averaged 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds and also added 15 3-point goals last season.

Moving from the wing to the post is athletic 6-5 junior Jacob Winkler, who averaged 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while block-ing 15 shots. 6-7 sopho-more Matt Greenfield saw action as a freshman last year, appearing in 20 games.

Another player mak-ing the transition from

backcourt to front is 6-6 junior Andy Waugh.

“We’re still search-ing for the best way for us to be successful,” said Coach Boschee. “We’ve added some guys to the mix who we think can be very valuable. The expe-rience these guys got last year will be very valuable. I think last year taught us how hard the Iowa Conference is, how diffi-cult it is to play each night against quality teams.”

The Dutch surprised a lot of teams last year, but expect to be even bet-ter this year with the expe-rience the team gained last year. The team faces some early non-confer-ence foes, before head-ing to Puerto Rico before Christmas.

The Dutch head to the warmer south over winter break to face off against Goucher (Md.) and Sacred Heart (P.R.) in San Juan Dec. 18-19.

“I expect all our players who returned to be bigger, better, faster, stronger,” said Boschee. “Experience is a big fac-tor this year. Our players understand what it takes to compete in the Iowa Conference, and hope-fully by staying healthy we’ll be right in the mix this season.”

Senior guard, Brock Caves, takes a jump shot to put the Dutch in a position to win. Last year, Caves aver-aged 9.7 points per game.

courtesy of: Sports Info

‘Twas the Night Before Finals? That doesn’t sound like the famous Christmas poem.

In fact, it isn’t. Jill Batten, Director

of Student Activities, explained, “’Twas the Night Before Finals is a collaborative event between a number of stu-dent groups to provide fun, relaxing activities to students to ease the stress of final projects and exams.”

What kinds of activi-

ties you may ask? Luckily, CAB, Student Senate, Greek Council, Art Club and Townhouse/McKee Hall Council will spon-sor a wide range of de-stressor activities that will

give your studious minds a break.

Chair massages, an oxygen bar and the musi-cal talents of singer/song-writer Jason LeVasseur will be showcased, thanks to CAB.

At the oxygen bar, students can test out four different flavors of oxy-gen through nasal breath-ing cannulas.

“The benefit is that oxygen is just plain good for your body – reducing stress, increasing energy and increasing alert-ness – all great benefits when preparing for final

exams!” said Batten.She added, “Jason

LeVasseur provides musical entertainment throughout the event and

invites students on stage to sing holiday songs while he accompanies them on the guitar.”

The excitement doesn’t stop there. Student Senate plans to give out much-needed hot chocolate in reusable travel mugs.

Greek Council also offers a coloring contest, and Art Club will, of course, get artsy and draw henna tattoos.

And what could be more relaxing than a little puppy love? The Townhouse/McKee Hall Council asked faculty and staff to bring their furry friends to campus for pet therapy.

“In the past, we’ve had cats, dogs and bun-nies!” revealed Batten.

This year, ‘Twas the Night Before Finals will be held on Sunday, December 11 from 7:00-10:00 p.m. in Maytag. The activities will be spread throughout the ground floor, as well as the Atrium and the Boat,

Students enjoy free music on CAB at the 2010 ‘Twas the Night Before Finals. Hen-na tattoos, an oxygen bar and massages are just a few of the de-stressors available.

courtesy of: Central Communications

Moore and Weller rooms on the second floor.

So why should stu-dents come check it out? “The massages feel great!” said one student. Another commented, “It’s the last CAB event of the semes-ter!” Still, other reasons include: “To get a tat-too,” “Because everyone

else goes,” and “You get treated really well, get to relax and have fun with your friends.”

So, shut those books for a little while, take advice from your fellow students and let loose with a massage and great music at ‘Twas the Night Before Finals!

courtesy of: Central Communications

Students during the 2010 ‘Twas the Night Before Fi-nals gather around the Christmas tree. This year, the event will be held from 7-10 p.m. in Maytag.

‘Twas the Night Before Finals to bring in de-stressors to relax students before finals

Men’s Basketball team off to a good start with an experienced roster