Decision needed from Congress by end of year to avoid economic downturn

JACOB ENNISManaging Editor

Taxes spike and government spending gets slashed. This happens on Jan. 2, 2013 unless a deal is made to avoid the looming “fiscal cliff.”

This fiscal cliff is the result of the Budget Control Act of 2011, which called for $917 billion of cuts over 10 years according to the Congressional Budget Office. The act was a temporary fix to the United States’ economic problems. It allowed for a $900 billion temporary

increase in the debt ceiling – among other provisions–to allow the debt to increase allowing Congress the time to work out a more solid plan to get the economy back on track.

One of the provisions of the law was that, if no other laws were enacted by Dec. 21, 2012, massive government spending cuts and tax increases would occur. One of the predicted effects of the tax increas-es would be the burden on middle class. A typical middle-class family would see their annual taxes go up by about $2,200 according to whitehouse.gov.

With the recession in 2008, the U.S. saw unemployment skyrocket, eventually hitting 10 percent in October of 2009.

“When there’s unemployment, tra-ditionally there are two ways to try and make it better. One would be that the

government spends money by hiring people and buying goods and services that are produced by companies that hire people,” said Richard Shaten, an econom-ics instructor at Madison College. The alternative to government spending is cutting taxes so that people can keep their money so they’re more likely to buy things, which creates jobs.

“Regardless of whether you’re increasing government spending or cutting taxes, there’s a multiplier effect,” he said.

Shaten explained the multiplier effect as follows: If the government closes a naval station, not only will the people there lose their jobs, they’ll stop buying from the busi-

DECEMBER 5, 2012 • THEONLINECLARION.COM • VOLUME 43, ISSUE 8 • MADISON AREA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

Hearing impaired student, speed skater aims high as an Olympic hopeful

18-year-old Luke Twed-dale is one of the top junior level speed skaters in the U.S. He shares his story and the lessons he has learned both on and off the ice. »9

Music teacher inspires students with passion »3

Electronic music artist ‘Pretty Lights’ plays in Madison »12

ARTSNEWS ARTS

Your digital classroom

Massive open online courses are quickly becoming the hot trend among adults looking for education

Free online classes open to anyone interested in the topic being taught could be in

Madison College’s future. A group from the college is looking into offer-ing massive open online courses (MOOCs), but it’s “just in the early stages of investigation,” said Madison College Provost Terry Webb.

The difference between a MOOC and a traditional online course is that MOOCs are free, don’t offer

credit and allow anyone to enroll with no limits. This new form of teaching expands distance learning that many have hopes will revolu-tionize higher education.

Webb believes that MOOCs can help students prepare for college level work. “That would be a great service to students. I also think that MOOCs can offer courses you

By ELLEN LA LUZERNEStaff Writer

» SEE MOOC PAGE 5

» SEE CLIFF PAGE 5

29%

51%

39%

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of people surveyed say online courses offer an equal value to classrooms.

of adults surveyed say the format is equal to a classroom course.

of college presidents who say it is of equal value.

23%46%

of college graduates report they have taken an online course

of graduates in the past ten years have taken an online class

HOLIDAY BLOOD DRIVE TO BE HELD AT TRUAX CAMPUS STUDENT LOUNGE

WHEN:Monday, Dec. 10 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sign up in person in the Student Life Offices or online at the Red Cross Website. Donors will receive a Red Cross t-shirt while supplies lasts. Questions? contact Anna-Marie Hoffmann at 608-245-2116.

Battling over the national debt

GEORGE TREVIRANUS / CLARION

NEWS ROOM

George TreviranusEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

clarioned@madisoncollege.edu

Jacob EnnisMANAGING EDITOR

clarion@madisoncollege.edu

VacantNEWS EDITOR

clarionnews@madisoncollege.edu

Ellie DahlquistOPINION EDITOR

clarionopinion@madisoncollege.edu

Callie VaseyARTS EDITOR

clarionarts@madisoncollege.edu

Troy BruzewskiSPORTS EDITOR

clarionsports@madisoncollege.edu

VacantMULTIMEDIA EDITOR

clarionmedia@madisoncollege.edu

Evan HalpopPHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

clarionphoto@ madisoncollege.edu

Daniel SchottBUSINESS DIRECTOR

clarionads@madisoncollege.edu

Robin GeeLea Landwehr

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Jennifer JohnsonOUTREACH COORDINATOR

Mario RicoILLUSTRATORS

Sarah WeatherbeeShia Aaron Lloyd Fisher

Leona BergmannCOPY EDITORS

Doug KirchbergADVISOR

dkirchberg@madisoncollege.edu

Ellen La LuzerneRoss ShuetteLauren SutterEvan Kingstad

IlhamMichael PattonTom RichardsonColin BowdenMichael Klein

Fran Widenhoeft.CONTRIBUTORS

CONTACT US

NEWSPHONE: (608) 246-6809ADVERTISINGPHONE:(608) 243-4809FAX: (608) 246-6488

THE STUDENT VOICE OF MADISON AREA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

2012-2013

SUBMISSIONSTo submit an item for publication, drop it off at The Clarion office, Room 130 Truax and Room D237 Downtown, or e-mail it to clarioned@matcmadison.edu. The Clarion reserves the right to refuse to publish any editorial submission or advertisement, which may be edited for length, taste and grammar. All opinions expressed in editorials and advertisements do not necessarily represent those of the Madison College administration, faculty, the student body or the Clarion staff.

CORRECTIONSThe Clarion strives for accuracy in all of its articles. If you have questions or concerns, please call us at (608) 246-6809 or e-mail:clarioned@matcmadison.edu.

MEMBERSHIPSAssociated Collegiate PressWisconsin Newspaper Association

REMEMBERINGAdam Lee Suby, 1987-2009

FOLLOWUS!Follow us on one or all of our social media platforms for exclusives & daily updates! Visit our website for more at theonlineclarion.com.

2 | NEWS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 THE CLARION

TheClarionMC TheClarionMC TheClarionMC

CAMPUSUPDATESBy Clarion Staff

OFFTHESHELFBy Shelley Peschel, Librarian

While the upcoming holidays may have some people singing carols, others are sing-ing the holiday blues. Unfortunately, this time of year can be stressful and depressing for many people, and that feeling of sad-ness is magnified by the fact that everyone else appears to be so happy. Some people describe feeling like everyone is going to a party, and they haven’t been invited. Or they pretend to be joyous but the forced joviality makes them feel even worse.

There are many different reasons people don’t feel like celebrating. First of all, the holidays may be anniversaries of traumatic events or reminders of lost loved ones. All the hype can cause unrealistic expectations. There is pressure to give the right gift and the financial burdens this may cause. There are travel headaches, and sometimes anxi-ety over spending time with extended fam-ily. In addition, the days are cold, and the nights are long and dark.

There is also the stress of final exams and projects. Some people may even be depressed about graduating. They may feel anxiety about transferring to a 4-year col-lege or finding a job. This is all compound-ed by the lack of time and sleep.

If you are feeling a little down, here

are some tips from the Madison College Libraries’ staff to lighten your load and lift your mood:

• Study Support – our Library and Student Achievement Staff are there to provide Writing Center and Math support, tutoring, and help researching and citing sources. We also have many job search resources. Just ask if you need help.

• Self Help – search the Library’s catalog for books, e-books and videos on subjects such as: stress, depression, anxiety, worry, grief, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is depression caused by decreased sunlight in winter months.

• Exercise – even light exercise can help. The Library has videos and books on begin-ning yoga and physical fitness. Also, don’t forget to eat nutritionally, get plenty of sleep, and enjoy alcohol in moderation.

• Laugh – it is the best medicine. Try a funny video, book, or audio book like Tina Fey’s “Bossypants.”

• Don’t Isolate Yourself – the Library provides a cozy, inviting atmosphere to study or relax. Even if you don’t feel like interacting, just being surrounded by oth-ers decreases feelings of loneliness.

• Help Others – volunteer or participate

in our Food for Fines. Deduct $2 in fines for every non-perishable food item you donate. No fine? No problem. Donate anyway and we will send your items to a local food pan-try.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you ride the holiday rollercoaster, but if you feel like you need more help or know someone that does, please seek professional help. Depression is serious. We wish you all happiness, safety and success.

For further help:

Madison College CounselingGo to the A-Z index and choose the links

“C” and “counseling.” Help is free.

Suicide Prevention HotlineIf you are having suicidal thoughts, con-

tact the hotline immediately: 608-280-2600.

What’s happening? Public Safety offi-cers respond to many calls for service. However we would like to keep the col-lege community informed. Here are some of the notable incidents this month.

On Nov. 28 Public Safety officers responded to a disturbance at the Commercial Avenue campus involving a disgruntled student. The situation esca-lated quickly but a fast response from Public Safety and Madison Police dees-calated the incident. The student is cur-rently on suspension.

On Nov. 9 Public Safety officers assist-ed U.S. Marshalls in attempting to locate a subject currently wanted. The subject was not located.

On Nov. 21 Public Safety officers responded to suspicious activity occur-ring in the Men’s restroom at the Truax facility. A male subject was in a stall participating in drug use. Public Safety Officers confiscated a glass smoking device and what appeared to be marijua-na. The subject is currently banned from campus.

If you have any information regarding the above incidents or other campus safe-ty concerns please contact our depart-ment at 243-4357. We have Public Safety officers available 24/7.

Campus Safety Tip of the MonthStudents and employees, remember

that daylight savings time is upon us. Be mindful of using the buddy system to walk to your vehicles for safety. Be sure to utilize the Student Life-sponsored shuttle bus to the parking lot, or call Public Safety for an escort if you are concerned for your safety when walking alone.

PUBLICSAFETYBy Joe Steffen, Crime Prevention Team Leader.

LoseIt! Weight loss challengeA free 6-week weight-loss challenge will

be held by Madison College from Jan. 30 – March 13. All students, employees, retirees and significant others are encouraged to join. For more info, go to madisoncollege.edu/loseit.

Registration now requires further verification

All phone and in-person registration

process will now require further verifica-tion steps to help enhance student account security.

Open registration for Spring 2013 has begun

Degree/credit open registration began on Dec. 4 and will last until Jan. 14. The Enrollment Center at Truax campus will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. to assist with the process.

GEORGE TREVIRANUS / CLARION

With the new Truax campus buildings nearing their finishing touches on the outside, stu-dents can see a “2013” block placed in the bricks for the year they were built.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | NEWS | 3THE CLARION

PUBLICSAFETYBy Joe Steffen, Crime Prevention Team Leader.

Music theory instructor Alison Hooper inspires students with her enthusiasm for music

ROSS SCHUETTEStaff Writer

There is a woman who roams the halls, cafeteria and copy center of the downtown campus, discreetly disguised as an ordinary college student. She may be easily spotted with exotic hats and arms covered in ink, and one may wonder what she’s studying at Madison College. However, it may come as a surprise that this woman is Alison Hooper, an instruc-tor of music theory fundamentals and various continuing education music

courses.Hooper has been teaching at Madison

College since summer of 2010 when she began teaching non-degree courses, and began teaching music theory fundamen-tals in the 2011 fall semester. She has a very strong music background, having received a degree in vocal jazz perfor-mance from the prestigious Columbia College in Chicago, Ill., and a master’s degree in music, with a focus on jazz studies and curriculum instruction from UW-Madison.

Growing up in Green Bay, Hooper started taking piano lessons when she was five years old. She progressed quick-ly, and in middle school started learning music theory to supplement her natural talents for performing. Knowing music theory gave her a leg up by the time she

went to college, so when her peers were initially learning theory in college, she was able to assist them in their studies.

Hooper peer-tutored people with many different learning styles, which is a skill that is still evident in her approach to teaching. She does an extraordinary job conveying concepts, always increas-ing in complexity, to a diverse crowd of students. Hooper noted that the diversity at Madison College is something she loves because it brings many people from all walks of life together. Specifically, she appreciates the wonder and power of music being able to bring people together.

One of the greatest things Hooper ever heard someone say about music was “if you can apply it to life, you can apply it to music” and “if you can apply it to music, you can apply it to life.” She carries these

ideas with great fervor in teaching not just music, but the application of learn-ing and the challenges involved with learning. Hooper helps students realize the beautiful, reciprocal relationship between music and life.

Music is Hooper’s life; not only in the classroom, but outside of the classroom as well. She has her own jazz quintet that she leads and plays with the Kyle Henderson Band around Madison. Her lifestyle is teaching and performing music. This phi-losophy, in her words, is that “music the-ory gives us the words to tell our story by linking the mathematics of music to the experience of the individual. The two are inseparable.” This passionate, encompass-ing view of music makes her incredibly effective in the classroom. She’s not just teaching, but teaching with passion.

Teaching with passion

JACOB ENNIS / CLARION

Music instructor Alison Hooper works with student Nabu Mukassa on a class assignment.

Grants awarded to Madison College have helped offer weather and climate course

LAUREN SUTTERStaff Writer

Madison College weather and climate courses have been very fortunate in the past few years. In 2009, Madison College received a Unidata equipment grant, with funds from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The funds from NSF provided meteo-rological data and software to colleges and universities across the United States in support of weather and climate educa-tion.

The principal investigator on this proj-ect, Dr. Matthew Lazzara, is a Madison College weather and climate instructor. The grant offered funds to purchase com-puter systems that collect real-time radar, satellite and surface observations, along with other associated information such as National Weather Service forecasts. The new system has helped to make the weath-er and climate course more interactive.

“This new system has allowed me to transform portions of the hands-on activi-ties from being paper-based to using the new hardware and data. Real-time weather discussions can now include displays from this system in each of my weather and climate class meetings,” Dr. Lazzara said.

Madison College has grown its weath-er and climate course offerings since

2009. In 2011, the college was awarded a grant from NASA to develop a climate and climate change course. This grant was designed specifically for two-year schools similar to Madison College, in hopes of providing an opportunity for a class that would otherwise be unavailable.

According to the department, the goal for this course is to increase the literacy of the community. The course’s foremost focus is on the science of climate, and par-ticularly on how climate can change by both human activity and natural means. This course covers many important top-ics within the meteorology field, includ-ing what controls climate, how climate is modeled, observations of climate change, the description of climate, and climate cycles and feedbacks.

This educational course begun in the

spring semester of 2012, and will be avail-able again this coming spring semester. It brings to light many topics that deserve attention within our society.

“This project has Madison College partnering with the UW-Madison, and as such, the course does transfer to the UW. We are striving to bring topics such as this to as wide an audience as possible. Additionally, as required by the grant from NASA, we teach this course in a ‘green’ format – online or hybrid for-mats,” Lazzara said.

Those in the department feel that it is important that students at Madison College take advantage of the great oppor-tunities. The new computer systems and the upcoming course are great ways for students to become more informed about their surroundings.

Helping weather in the classroom

4 | NEWS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 THE CLARION

Experiment created by students reveals which disinfectants are best for cleaning

FRAN WIEDENHOEFT & MICHAEL KLEIN

Staff Writers

Everywhere you look and everything you touch is crawling with organisms, even your own hands. Some are harm-ful and make us sick, like E. Coli strain 0175:H7. Others help us out, like the E. Coli that lives in our gut that helps us digest food and absorb vitamins. Good organ-isms also help keep the bad ones in check.

An experiment to determine which common disinfecting agents work best at reducing organisms living on surfaces took place as part of Dr. Jean Schoeni’s biohazard class, which is a part of the Biotechnology Laboratory Technician program.

The students began by growing E. Coli in small dishes, and then exposed them to disinfectants.

The experiment revealed some sur-prising results. Hand disinfectant, which is widely used and found in Madison College hallways, is not as effective as expected. The goal is to decrease the num-ber of organisms to prevent cross con-tamination. For example, shaking hands with someone who has just finished wip-ing a child’s nose with a damp tissue.

Washing hands frequently in addi-tion to the sanitizer works best, Schoeni said. In fact, she notes, washing hands with vigorous rubbing, and drying with a paper towel, will cut down on the growth as well. Many believe that air-drying is a safer hand-drying method, but it only demonstrates another common miscon-ception people have about hand clean-ing. Their research also established that disinfectant spray is much more effective than their current method of cleaning the countertops with an ethanol solution. Unfortunately, the budget does not allow them to use the more expensive spray.

When bleach, 70 percent ethanol, vinegar and disinfectant spray were tested, disinfectant spray came out on top. Vinegar was second best, and bleach and 70 percent ethanol came in last. Once again though, Schoeni stressed that soap and water, with vigorous scrubbing, can also do a good job for most situations. The location being disinfected should impact the choice of disinfectant. For instance, a butcher shop or daycare center will need more vigorous and frequent clean-ing than a dining room chair you use on holidays.

This associate’s degree program pre-pares students to work in biotechnology research and with pharmaceutical com-panies, among other careers. Students are taking the program for a variety of reasons.

Schoeni, who is also a researcher and director of research at Covance in Madison, loves her role at Madison College because she has “a love for micro-biology” and wants to “make ready a new generation of microbiologists.”

Their research comes at a perfect time considering the flu season is here. About 20 percent of the U.S. population will test positive for influenza this year, and as many as 49,000 will die according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ultimately, Schoeni and her team want people to become more aware and to make sure to read labels and under-stand that sanitizers aren’t going to be the answer. Students should utilize the conve-nient sanitizer stations around campus, but only between frequent washing. She added that everyone can play a big role in stopping the spread of viruses and bac-teria. Stay clean and healthy during this holiday break.

EVAN KINGSTADStaff Writer

“What do we want, Santas?”“Beer!”“When do we want it?”“Now!”This was the battle cry of a legion of

hammered Clauses on Dec. 1 at Santacon 2012.

No, it is not the Santa Speedo Run – also on the same day – I would have liked to go to that too, but I’ll wait to freeze my jingle bells off for the Polar Plunge. Tonight, I’m at the perennial watering event of your naughty-and-nice North Polesters.

To properly write about drunk Santas, one must first become a drunk Santa. So I adorned a hideous Ragstock sweater, and was off to get sleighed.

Picture a swarm of North Pole freaks making merry on State Street. Squads of genderless Santa Clauses burst their cos-tumes at the seams, debauchedly dancing the Rumba through the Overture Center. One diehard mounted the Forward statue and called “On Donner, On Dasher.” There was a whimsical spirit of giving, albeit giving more shots.

This is the time of year for making lists, so here’s a few costume highlights:

IPP – The Insane Penguin Posse, Gimp-suit Santa, Raggety Anne in a stocking, Mick Jagger Santa, Bono Santa, Arctic Ocean Pirates, the Mischievious Elven Midwives, Baywatch Mrs. Claus, plenty of I-don’t-know-how-the-hell-you-wrapped-a-full-line-of-treelights-around-your-torso-and-aren’t-burning-this-very-moment people, and scores of full-getup velveteen traditionalists.

This event appropriately kicked off the season. It went pretty well considering there were no reports of anyone getting beat over the head with giant candy canes.

The only thing that could dampen spirits now is a new Tim Allen Christmas movie.

PHOTOS BY PHILIP EJERCITO

Santas dance at the Ivory Room piano bar during Santacon in Madison, Wis. on Saturday, December 1, 2012.

BELOW: Santa-themed revelers descend on Hawk’s Bar & Grill on State Street to celebrate Santacon.

Christmas on the rocks

nesses in the vicinity. Those businesses will have to lay off workers and reduce the amount of goods they buy; the manufacturers of those goods will also lay people off due to lost revenue.

With the economic collapse in 2008, Democrats wanted more government spending and Republicans wanted taxes cut.

“Both of those solutions lead to deficit spending that makes the debt bigger and bigger, and in the end we did both,” Shaten said. “All of these things helped the unem-ployment rate from exploding past 10 percent and now the unemployment rate is down to 7.8 percent. So all of

those spending programs and tax cuts helped. What’s the cost of those? Well, the federal debt is five trillion dollars higher than it was in 2008.”

If the tax cuts expire and government spending is slashed, it will essentially balance the budget, which some say won’t necessarily be a good thing.

“If we embrace this idea that we have to balance the budget, we’re going to face a short-run fiscal cliff, which means that unemployment will go up, GDP after adjusting for inflation will go down and the economy will begin to tailspin again,” Shaten said.

To help the economy, Shaten suggests that bringing home some of the military personnel stationed overseas. They could be stationed in the U.S. to help build infra-structure here. That way “they would be spending all of their income in American towns and not in towns in other countries,” he said

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | NEWS | 5THE CLARION

couldn’t get anywhere else, classes like higher level physics offered by MIT that wouldn’t normally be offered or available at a 2 to 4 year college.”

According to the New York Times, MOOCs have been around for a while, however, it has been in the past year, that the number of offerings and the level of participation has skyrocketed. Although some MOOCs predated it, a course on artificial intelligence offered by Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig is noted as a major step forward in large-scale learning. Over 160,000 people signed up for the course. The popularity of the course spawned a number of technology centered learning enterpris-es including Coursera (through Stanford), MITx (from Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and edX (via Harvard).

Originally, online courses were structured similarly to brick-and-mortar classes where enroll-ment is limited and materials and information is meted out by the instructor (via a file servers or on-line sources). As Ken Masters, in an article in the Internet Journal of Medical Education, framed it, lectures were conducted by the “sage on the stage” via video lectures. Online courses eventu-ally evolved to include chat rooms and more open source information.

MOOCs differ from earlier on-line learning efforts in that they involve a higher level of student interaction and decentralize the learning process. MOOCs seem to be traditional learning meets social media meets Wikipedia wrapped up with video games. Basically, instructors run regular live sessions with repeats offered on line. The instruc-tor keeps track of discussions and events and acts more as a learning facilitator. Students are expect-ed to conduct independent searches for additional material and to participate in interactive quizzes and other assignments. Grading and feedback are set up to be electronically scored or assessed.

“MOOCs are a complement to traditional course-work but not a substitute, at least not yet. The best way to know about these is to take one and see what you think. It’s free, at least right now, but I suspect it won’t be free for too much longer,” com-mented Webb.

MOOCCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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GIVING A LITTLE FOR THE HOLIDAYS Santa’s Wish List Gift Giving Program set up a “Giving Tree” to provide help for students who can’t afford to buy holiday gifts for their chil-dren. The program is run by the Student Life Volunteer Center and will help more than 200 children.

JACOB ENNIS / CLARION

Three weeks ago, Madison’s disgruntled homeless population propped up a tent village on East Washington Avenue, informally co-opting the

Occupy movement. Police captains, and bureaucrats paraded in by day, and swarms of drunks stumbled in at night. They were under siege, the city has since evacuated them farther east.

Out of sight, out of mind - right? Not exactly, consid-ering its been tried before. Previously, the collective institutions of Dane County brought down the ham-mer, breaking up a discrete site in a secluded park on the far north side. At this rate, Occupy will stop getting harassed once they’re pushed into Lake Mendota - or return to rugged individualism on the streets.

This most recent Occupy was more tempered than those of past years. All campers rigidly adhered to self-directed, good neighbor guidelines. There were daily council meetings. Visible alcohol and intoxica-tion were banned. Security was in place, breaking up trouble.

Confused residents loudly expressed their sentiment at neighborhood association meetings. However, the general atmosphere has been one of guarded indifference. The NIMBY’s (“not-in-my-back-yard”) aren’t the ones giving them the boot.

A layered tandem of camping and zoning ordinances, neighbors, and heavy-handed precinct captains is a machination in itself. It works beyond the corner, a closed loop, dedi-cated to dismantling these kinds of things. Every year a camp springs up of the down and out, fed up in the face of a callous winter. Every year that system, that tandem, gets better at dispersing those misfortunate, giving them the boot. This machine labors to make the homeless in their image - invisible.

The plight of these particular homeless people is a symptom of our society’s conservatism. There is too much holding to the legal imperative. More pragmatic approaches are shunned, in favor of a system under-handedly acknowledged as having no expedient solu-tion.

Only after Occupy camped out on the sprawling front lawns of the Dane County Department of Social Service (DSS) did they finally voice advocacies of sup-port. If not for this shrewd political move, local author-

ities would have pecked the group apart. Instead, out of embarrassment, the DSS flung out empty promises of a solution via institutional means - more of the same rhetoric of ferreting the homeless into critically over-crowded shelters.

The DSS will provide shelter space for four of the thirty campers before winter’s end. This cutthroat bar-gain implies that 26 people must pitch out their tents to either jockey daily for a shelter bed, or to freeze in the WI streets.

As of now, they have been granted another tempo-rary campsite - eight miles outside of the city limits. This deliberate placement, far away from crucial ser-vices (especially when the quickest mode of transpor-tation available is a bicycle) is looking more like the Donner Party than a legitimate solution.

Innovative, inter-sectoral solutions are not only essential for this installation of Occupy, but also for future ills arising from institutional ineffectiveness.

Occupy is so purposefully broad that the collective dissatisfaction champions the name. To cast this only as Occupy is incom-plete. The Occupy name carries a base of support and recognition. It serves to rally, to be a catalyst to action, and to define for the public the broad origin of your qualms. Though for all that to be, it takes one to recognize an inadequacy, and to effect a change. This spells courage. 

It is expedient to take this for granted. This is a refutation of how it’s been, by those truly at the bottom, in a place most of us can only dread about. But even in this state, they have the time and energy to

make a political statement - to protest. It’s a phenom-enon that shouldn›t be hand-waved away because their summative demand is marginal services.

These are the economically disenfranchised, fed up with the status quo, facing a cold winter and the heavy hand of local institutions. They pitch their tents for the express purpose of not being exposed to the rife of filth, fleas, corruption and crime in the shelters, and even the churches.

These problems can›t be pushed to the edge of civi-lization in hopes they›ll go away. Until it›s properly managed, homelessness will continue to present itself at our doorsteps.

opinionEDITOR:

ELLIE DAHLQUISTCLARIONOPINION@

MADISONCOLLEGE.EDU

THEBUZZQuestions asked to you, our readers.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU

FOUND OUT THE WORLD WAS COMING TO A CERTAIN END?

I would stock up on supplies and then drink a lot. I would find a base, drink a lot, and probably sit on the front porch.

— ELLEN CERVANTES

I would probably spend all of the money that I had on myself, and those that I care about.

— DAVID ROONEY

I would probably spend the time with my loved ones and try to write some sort of memoir or something about my life.

— NATHAN STRATTON

6 | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 THE CLARION

OURVIEWView of The Clarion Editorial Board.

EVAN KINGSTADStaff Writer

LETTERS POLICYLetters to the editor should be typed or written legibly, be 250 words or less, and include the writer’s name, phone number and e-mail address.The Clarion reserves the right to refuse to publish any editorial submission or advertisement, which may be edited for length, taste and grammar. All submissions become the prop-erty of The Clarion and may be used for publication.Drop letters off at The Clarion office, Room 130 Truax, or e-mail them to clarioned@matcmadison.edu.

CLARION EDITORIAL BOARD 2012-2013

The views expressed by The Clarion editorial board do not neces-sarily reflect the opinion of Madison College, it’s student body or any faculty therein. They are comprised of the writers listed above and/or of those who write for the Opinion section.

George TreviranusEDITOR IN CHIEF

Jacob EnnisMANAGING EDITOR

Callie VaseyARTS EDITOR

Ellie DahlquistOPINION EDITOR

Sarah WeatherbeeCOPY EDITOR

Community setting not attainable in online classes

Out of sight,Novel approaches should replace current arcane methods

of helping the city’s homeless

I t is disappointing to see Madison College’s news writing class switch to a fully online format for the spring semester. The class should be taught either

in-person or in its current hybrid form, but not fully online, as it compromises the learning experience.

The class is a core course in the journalism certifi-cate program, and essential for learning how to write news on deadline, profile writing, and covering local events. One of the most beneficial aspects of the class is timed writing.  Currently, this class is offered as a hybrid course. I have gained immensely from it, especially the timed writing part.

One of the most beneficial aspects of the course was that the classroom environment simulated the pressure of writing on deadline in a newsroom especially through the timed writing. How can an online course replicate this experience? The experience of having a story assignment requiring interviewing multiple sources near the downtown campus, and writing a story in 40 minutes was the most exhilarating and empowering part of the class.

An online class cannot replicate the learning that takes place with classroom discussion. Although stu-dents would certainly be required to participate in online discussion boards, face-to-face interaction is far more valuable because it allows answers and the sharing of ideas in real-time.  Also, it eliminates the ambiguity involved in communication style. Face-to-face commu-nication leads to better understanding of what we say to each other. 

The increase in colleges’ reliance on online courses is a cause for concern because so many of the benefits of education are limited by them, especially when it comes to core courses with benefits that can’t be repli-cated online. While a study by SRI International for the Department of Education has shown that learning out-comes may be better via online courses, the most impor-tant facilitator of learning is a community setting.

Students need to interact with each other on a face-to-face basis as part of their college experience. That’s what builds community, and that’s where networking, argu-ably the most powerful element in the job hunt, comes into play. Students need to build relationships with each other and with their teachers, as those may prove to be valuable connections down the road.

Teachers also deal with technological difficulties of online classes. So the medium ends up complicating the teaching process. Technology is becoming more ingrained in our lives, but when it obstructs the ability of teachers to instruct with ease, we should ask if the costs outweigh the benefits. 

True, online courses offer access to students who may otherwise not have it, but investing our whole selves, at least in core courses for our intended programs, is nec-essary if we want the greatest return on our investment.

GEORGE TREVIRANUS / CLARION

out of mind

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | OPINION | 7THE CLARION

MAILBAGLetters to the editor.

Finally, it’s here. The end to a long, grueling semester of newspapers and page design. I’ve never been so

ready to sit back with some friends and play games for hours at a time. And it’s certainly within reach.

We hope you had a successful semes-ter. A lot of great things happened, the obvious being President Obama’s re-election. Part of me wants to feel bad for

that one guy who got the Romney logo (which looked pretty awful to begin with) tattooed on his face. Seriously, that’s some nonsense right there. Apparently he is getting it removed. Shucks.

We’ve got a nice closing issue lined up for you guys, with our cover story being on online classes. They’re all the rage now. Since you’ve made it to this point, I’ll go ahead and spoil some more for you.

Page 9 is on a speedskater going for the 2014 Olympics. It’s worth a read. Page 10 is my review on how awful “Breaking Dawn Part II” is. Page 12, see some great photos by Phil Ejercito from a Pretty Lights concert. Finally, page 13 features basketball player Courtney Spangler.

Have a great break, and don’t forget about Pokemon Profile Picture Month on Facebook; I’m sporting already.

LETTERFROMTHEEDITORA quick word from George Treviranus.

Making tuition more expensive not the right path for student loans

The article told us that it takes 19 years to pay off student loan debt, which is affecting students’ ability to afford new cars and houses. The article also said that student loan debt is $1 trillion, even more than credit card debt.

Research shows that we are in danger of reducing middle class college graduates. We are at risk of losing a good future for our children because of how bad stu-dent loan debt has become.

In our opinion, the choice of making tuition more expensive, is absurd because loans are not getting paid on time. If the government would make it easier for students to achieve grants - instead of student loans - then the economy wouldn’t be so bad. Raising taxes for the government to give more grants away would be a better solution than keeping students in debt.

— SARAH ADERS, JAMAL OMAR & PA VANG in response to “Affording the debt,”

The Clarion, Oct. 9, 2012.

Article on student bus passes leaves incomplete message to readers

In the “New photo ID enforcements for students boarding buses” article, Ms. Dahlke referred to stu-dents who sell their bus passes as pirates. Later in the article, reference is made to the passes being compli-mentary. According to the Funding for Commuter Services page on the Madison College website, students pay $46 dollars per semester for “Campus-to-Campus Shuttle, Metro-Bus, Para-Transit & Parking” services. The bus passes are not “complimentary.”

I’m a Madison College instructor and most of my students commute from outside the metro area. They don’t have use for a Madison Metro bus pass. From their perspective, they’ve paid for a pass they can’t use, so why not sell it? It’s one of their many fees over which they feel they have some control. Look at it from the commuters’ perspective: a tank full or two of gas means more to them than an unusable bus pass. Right or wrong, it’s an economic reality.

I understand, as do most of the students, that the Madison Metro bus program (and the other related ser-vices) needs funding from a broad base in order to be economically feasible. There will always be those who financially support the system and don’t directly ben-efit from it. We have problems with the current system that need to be resolved, but to label students as pirates for selling their supposedly complimentary bus passes conveys an incomplete message to the reader.

— JERRY MAHUN, PLS in response to “New photo ID enforcements for stu-

dents boarding buses,” The Clarion, Nov. 14, 2012

RESPONSE:Thank you for your thoughts, Mr. Mahun.You raise an interesting point by arguing from the

commuter’s perspective. If a student can’t use his bus pass, should he be able to sell it?

After reviewing the article again, I agree with you that the passes are not “complimentary.” That was the wrong word choice.

However, it is important to recognize the distinction between a bundle of services students pay for versus a single service. The difference here could determine the right of the student to sell the pass.

As the “Funding for Commuter Services” site says, and as you noted, students pay $46 for the bundle of com-muter services. They do not directly pay $46 for the bus pass alone, but for several services that depend on that $46 fee.

Additionally, the back of every bus pass states: “Not transferrable, not redeemable for cash.”

— SARAH WEATHERBEE

Secessions will only cause negative outcomes, promote societal gaps, and end federal aid and other assistance

Lately the whole idea of secession has been filtered through various media sources after the presiden-tial election. Go for it if you really think

that your current state would be much better off on its own. This is mainly just sore–loser syndrome.

Recall the presidential election when peo-ple said they would move to Canada if George W. Bush was elected, and not too many people moved when he was.

“The Government of Canada established hotlines, and procedural how-to. Basically, it was a hotline for people to vent. They really were not going to leave,” said retired UW-Whitewater Professor, Dick Haven. According to the Canadian Census, between 1996 and 2000 there were 24,155 Americans that emigrated. From 2001 to 2006 there were 38,777 residents leaving the United States. Sure, some people may have moved there as a result of presidential elections, but it’s not really a major shift in population.

Abraham Lincoln believed that states couldn’t secede for five reasons. Firstly, the states cannot physically separate. Secondly, secession is unlawful. Next, he

believed that a government allowing secession would disintegrate into anarchy. Americans are not enemies, but friends. Secession would destroy the world’s only existing democracy (at Lincoln’s time), and prove for all time – to future Americans and to the world – that a government of the people cannot survive.

The only way for a state to secede is to actually incite a revolution, like that of the Civil War. There would be

conflict, but gone are the days of cannons and troops lined up in a row. Instead of the origi-nal north and south states, we would have states all over the map – 50 of them.

Taking into account the electoral map, pinpointing the red and blue states with major military installations, Obama won Connecticut, Virginia, Illinois, California and Washington State and Romney, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Kentucky and Colorado. These states possess submarines, naval facili-ties such as aircraft carriers, intercontinental ballistic missiles, supply commands and air facilities. The way of battle with open field conflict would change to insurgency and

domestic terrorism.Finally, how would these states govern themselves

without all the federal aid they receive? There would be no Medicare, no Social Security, no Pell Grants, and no highway transportation funds. I’m sure that these states are better off just sticking it out to see what transpires in the next election.

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks and enjoying good food, not unloading in stores and forgetting about family

I am glad I experienced this American celebration of gratitude for life’s blessings, with my mentor family. At Thanksgiving, people get together with their fami-

lies, eat turkey and watch football on televi-sion. On the basis of this admittedly limited experience I have drawn my personal conclu-sion that Thanksgiving is all about people and food.

However, for some people Thanksgiving is also about shopping. On Black Friday – as the day after Thanksgiving is known – major retailers offer big deals to consumers and advertise heavily in all media. It is a huge shopping day, perhaps the biggest of the entire year.

The Thanksgiving holiday – a day of giv-ing thanks – seems to also have turned into a consumerist-shopping extravaganza. A lot of people are willing to hit the stores to be the first one in line in order to get the deals, right after they eat their turkey dinner and pumpkin pies.

Why is Black Friday so important for people? They enjoy getting together and feeling thankful, but then feel compelled to dash out of their house right after for Black Friday shopping.

Madison College student Dee Saunders said, “I loved the old Black Friday. Getting up early in the morning was fun. This year there was no time to enjoy Thanksgiving Day because the sales were staggered: 8

p.m., 9 p.m., 12 a.m. and 4 a.m. I went to Shopko at 8 p.m. and found no lines, and only about 40 people in there. Midnight at Old Navy, lines were horrendous. Took two hours to check out. Then, Office Depot at 5 a.m., with only 15 people in line. I don’t like the new times, but Black Friday is something I look forward to every year.”

People shop until they drop. TV channels report that as soon as the store doors open and Black Friday has officially begun, people all over the U.S. go crazy. They

run into the store, sometimes trampling and hitting others, in an effort to be the first to get to a product on sale.

Even though over the past few years Black Friday has started earlier – on Thanksgiving night – that doesn’t seem to have encouraged consumers to be more controlled when shop-ping. Denver’s 9News Channel reported that a woman in a Los Angeles Wal-Mart used pepper spray to get through the crowd to pur-chase a video game.

Many people care about Black Friday, but some don’t. “Black Friday doesn’t mean a whole lot to me, but as long as tradition means

less work and more fun, I’m cool with Thanskgiving traditions,” said Madison College student Michael Westervelt.

It’s not surprising at all that people like sales and low prices. “Black Friday is an opportunity to snatch all the stuff that I wanted for the cheapest prices of the year,” said Madison College student Kenny Soewondo. “It is very important, because I can save a lot of money.”

Black Friday is not for everyone. Although the event is the day after Thanksgiving, it should not be the focus of this traditional holiday. Staying home and spending the night comfortably with family is far more enjoyable.

ILHAMStaff Writer

Black Friday taking away from family

MICHAEL PATTONStaff Writer

States looking to secede will end up wasting time and money

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Luke Tweddale put on a pair of speed skates for the first time in his life six years ago. Today he is a 2014 Olympic hopeful.

He recalled stepping out onto the ice in secondhand, oversized skates. Then an energetic yet unfocused 12-year-old, he did not know how the sport would change his life. However, he could feel that some-thing in him came alive out there. His restless energy had found a home.

“I just pretty much knew that this was my sport,” Tweddale said.

In Tweddale’s world, time moves fast and slow. He thinks about how to shave off fractions of seconds in his race times, yet plans the course of his life by thinking in four-year cycles; with the resilience it takes to overcome doubt, and the discour-agement of a bad race day.

Amid a culture and a generation mov-ing fast, with nearly limitless distractions, he has devoted his focus to excelling at this sport. “My philosophy has always been to take the long view and to continue on a very steady upward trajectory of improvement from year to year,” he said.

Now, at 18, this Madison College stu-dent is one of the top U.S. speedskaters in his age bracket, holding elite Category 1 athlete status, and a spot on the Junior Level World Team.

He holds short track and long track victories from the 2012 Milwaukee Cup and the 2012 USA Junior Championships. Earlier this year, he represented the United States at the World Junior Championships in Obihiro, Japan.

Still, his success has not come cheap. His parents have invested between $15,000 and $20,000 per year on training, travel and equipment. Tweddale trains an average of 18 hours per week both on and off the ice. At Milwaukee’s Pettit Center, he trains three times per week, meticu-lously reviewing his technique. He also works on upper body strength training at Monkey Bar Gym in Madison. In the mix, he chips away at college credits that he hopes will lead to career in psychology.

He speaks positively of his experi-ence with Madison College. “I love the teachers. I love the atmosphere. I love my fellow students, and it’s close to where I live,” Tweddale said. With friends, he often finds himself in the position of giv-ing advice, which is why he feels drawn to counseling as a career path.

A transformative sportSpeedskating is a small sport with a

tight-knit community. Considered the fastest propelled-sport in the Winter

Olympics. Athletes compete for high speed and low time as they skate around the ice track for varying distances. Custom-fitted skates and body skins ensure the athlete has the laws of physics on his side.

While popular in East Asian countries and Northern Europe, the United States has been slower to catch on to the sport. Tweddale would like to see more young people try speed skating and for grass-roots clubs to see more action.

“It’s a small sport and we wish it weren’t so,” he said.

Next year at this time, Tweddale will participate in trials for the 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi, Japan. He predicts that he will have a better shot at making the U.S. team for the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as he will be in his physical prime at that time.

While his life revolves around speed skating, the most important thing about his journey through the sport is how it’s shaped him off the ice.

“Its not really so much about the skat-ing,” Tweddale said, “but it’s a lot about the person you become as a result of hav-ing to become so good and be so driven to achieve a single goal.”

At 6’1 and near 190 pounds, he is fit, self-assured and articulate beyond his 18 years. He is no stranger to perseverance. The precarious complications of his birth had him fighting for life.

Determination from birthTweddale, an only child, and his par-

ents, John Tweddale and Jenina Mella,

gathered around the dining room table in their Madison home and thought about his journey.

In the neonatal ICU, his parents caught early glimpses of his determined person-ality. “It was just clear even as an infant. That sort of self-directedness has char-acterized him all the way through,” his mother said.

Ruptured eardrums at an early age resulted in permanent hearing loss, which he corrects with hearing aids.

What the world calls a disability has become an asset in competition. Tweddale removes his hearing aids on race day, and the lack of noise helps him focus. “The only thing you need to hear is the gun going off and you can’t miss that,” he said.

His father, an environmental engineer, and his mother, a former lawyer, chose to home-school their son, believing it was the right path for his interests to natu-rally unfold, and for his personality and learning style to integrate.

“He was risk-taker. He wasn’t afraid of anything,” said Mella. She remembered him launching himself off of furniture.

“I never really needed to be shielded from the world as a kid, the world actu-ally needed to be shielded from me a little bit because I was very rough with it,” Tweddale added.

Not only did home-schooling allow for the schedule flexibility necessary to pursue speed skating, it also instilled traits that have helped him. “I think, as a skater, in a sport like this that depends on individual drive and autonomous think-ing it’s benefited him highly to be home schooled,” Mella said.

While there have been times of uncer-tainty, the family has stuck with it. “It’s hard, because you can’t look at a bad per-formance or a bad couple of meets and judge the person on that if you are having a long-term point of view,” Mella said.

Madison has produced several champion speed skaters such as Casey FitzRandolph and Shani Davis. Tweddale considers them mentors. Further, he con-siders himself lucky for having parents who have supported his dream.

Training a championTweddale warns against pigeonhol-

ing oneself into a single event. He likes to keep versatile. While he has had victories in 500-meter races, he focuses on train-ing for 1,000-meter races and up. He feels there is more opportunity for him there.

In order to maintain necessary strength and endurance, Tweddale watch-es his diet, eating small, nutrition packed meals throughout the day. He still makes room for his favorite food, macaroni and cheese, although he opts for organic ingredients.

He tries to balance skating with school and outside hobbies. It keeps him from being a one-dimensional person, and from the selfishness the intrinsically self-serving sport can harbor.

“In order to succeed, you really have to be thinking about yourself first and last,” he said.

Tweddale belongs to Badger Speedskating Club of Milwaukee and trains with coach Steve Penland. He is always improving his training routine, remembering never to get too comfort-able or content.

He makes small changes little by little. Constant change that, over the long term, has brought him to this point and will carry him to the point of being a serious Olympic contender.

Coach Penland emphasized the impor-tance of body awareness. He helps create a visual image for the athlete in order to improve. He said that Tweddale’s strength and size make him unique for his age group.

“He’s got a lot of power, and for him, it’s a matter of being able to use that power efficiently,” Penland said. “What does he have to do for the Olympics? He has to get stronger and faster - that hap-pens with time.”

From fractions of seconds to four-year cycles, time is a force that Tweddale knows well.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | 9THE CLARION

artsEDITOR:

CALLIE VASEYCLARIONARTS@

MADISONCOLLEGE.EDU

Student Luke Tweddale hopes to compete in the 2014 Olympics

Raceto the

By SARAH WEATHERBEECopy Editor

Luke Tweddale poses for a photo at his home in Madison, Wis. on Friday, November 23, 2012. Tweddale is a junior level speeds-kater on the US Speedskating team and a Madison College student.

PHILIP EJERCITO / CLARION

TOP Luke Tweddale skates in 1500 meter race in the US Speed Skating

Longtrack Championships on Dec. 17, 2011 in

Milwaukee, Wis. Pettit National Ice Center.

Photographer: Coach Steve Penland

STEVE PENLAND

10 | ARTS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 THE CLARION

DEC. 7DEADFALL R A thriller that follows two siblings who decide to fend for them-selves in the wake of a botched casino heist and their unlikely reunion during another family’s Thanksgiving celebration.

DEC. 14THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY PG-13Fans can once again bask in the glow of J.R.R. Tolkein’s fantasy world, this time star-ring Bilbo Baggins.

DEC. 21THIS IS 40 RA look at the lives of Pete and Debbie a few years after the events of ‘Knocked Up.’

PREVIEWS

NEW

LIN

E ST

UD

IO

filmTWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PT IIDIRECTED BY: BILL CONDONLionsgate, Summit Entertainment

007: SKYFALLEon Productions

Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. These are the actors who had the honor of playing Ian Fleming’s most famous character creation on the big screen. Daniel Craig takes on Bond again for the third time in “007: Skyfall,” the 23rd Bond film by director Sam Mendes.

Bond is after a man who has a computer hard drive with classified information about his fellow MI-6 agents. Things start to spiral out of control, as a former MI-6 agent (Javier Bardem) comes out of hiding and wants to pursue a sick-minded revenge plot against the people who ruined his life. The former MI-6 agent discovers some enemy weaknesses and is on a quest to hurt Bond in the most painful way possible, Bond undergoes one of his most lethal mis-sions yet.

“007: Skyfall” gives fans what they want with a Bond film. This includes a excellent storyline, terrific action scenes and it even homages to some older Bond films. There is also some foreshadowing as to where this secret agent franchise may go throughout the next few years. Javier Bardem’s villainous performance as the former MI-6 agent, should have universal praise by all Bond fans.

As fantastic as this experience is, “007: Skyfall” runs into problems while on its cinematic mission. Some viewers may find that the film’s absence of action goes on for too long, at times. The next problem is up for debate, but some may find the new actor who plays the third reincarnation of “Q”, is young and not comedic enough for the role.

Overall, “007: Skyfall” gives the Bond fans what they will want and it may even attract some new view-ers to this long-running secret agent franchise.

— TOM RICHARDSON

Eon Productions

Daniel Craig continues with great action in ‘Skyfall.’

GEORGE TREVIRANUSEditor-in-Chief

The gang is back… sort of. Edward, Jacob, Bella and all the vampires and wolves you remember from before. Except this time Bella is a vampire. What the film brings on the good side, including cinematography, a couple decent actors and actresses and a moderately fun mythos to work in—quickly becomes overshad-owed in what has to be the most delusional end to a love story.

The series begins where the last left off. Bella has become a vampire, her baby is born and she is feeling ready to get her life (or lack thereof ) started. However, something is different about the baby between the love-lorn vampires: it’s a half breed. Renesmee is her name and she has the abil-ity to transmit her thoughts to individuals she comes into contact with; a great power to

have in a vampire empire, where lies seem to be com-mon practice.

Once the Volturi dis-covers the half-human, half-vampire baby, old wounds are re-opened and they begin seeking out the Cullens for heresy. Yes, there is a law that states that children cannot be turned immortal. Thus begins the whole process of the family trying to save their behinds from being killed by the fangy overlords. And as with the last few movies, Alice becomes pivotal to prevent-ing that from happening.

The plot was already on shoddy grounds, with what seemed like an unsuc-cessful attempt to merge two beast mythos into one modern day romance flick. The mystery of Bella turning into a vampire kept things suspenseful; it added mean-ing to the actions of Edward, Jacob, Bella and company. Now it has essentially ven-tured into the realm of fan fiction, and feels awfully forced. “Breaking Dawn

Part II” tries to use the baby as an excuse to keep the ball rolling. Instead, it feels awkward and rife with misdirection. This espe-cially becomes apparent at the end, when the Cullens decide to fight, despite mak-ing it explicitly clear that wasn’t their intention.

The main redeeming quality of the film rests primarily on the technical side. The plot, character execution and general atmosphere of the mythos is painfully minced in non-sense. The “love” triangle of Bella, Edward and Jacob loses meaning without Bella having made a decision of whether or not she wants to be with either of the two.

If you are a fan of the series, this is just what you need. More Edward and Jacob, vampires, wolves and a mediocre female lead with an average character. But for those of us who enjoy cin-ema, you will be sure to find

nothing here but a niche genre and a painful

story at best.

‘Breaking Dawn Part II’ sucks its own life away with a mediocre ending to the saga

GEORGE TREVIRANUS / CLARION

PLAYSTATION ALL-STARS BATTLE ROYALEPS3, PlayStation Vita

Sony has finally brought a fighter to the PlayStation 3 and Vita that can rival Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale” fea-tures an impressive, yet limited character selection and a fresh knockout system. As you battle, your character will build up their attack meter. There are three unique attacks for each brawler that you can perform as you fill the gauge. The first relies on close combat for a knockout while the second and third level attacks are much more devastating. A player can often achieve five or more KO’s with the level three.

“All-Stars” gives players the option to play stock or timed battles. Everything from item frequency to the speed you can fill your meter is customizable. Online play is done very well and is perfect for friends to team up for a two-on-two

match or stand alone in a free-for-all.The levels are interactive and visu-

ally impressive. However, the options are very limited and given enough play-time, the stages will become boring and repetitive.

Like “Smash Bros,” “All-Stars” includes weapons; but in Sony’s ver-sion you will be able to slap your opponents around with a fish instead of a homerun bat. Many of the items take precision to use effectively and Sony does a good job balancing their effectiveness.

In the end, the game is challenging and amus-ing. If Sony opts to add downloadable content, this fighter can compete with the best. For now however, there’s just not enough options for it to be great.

— MICHAEL KLEIN

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | ARTS | 11THE CLARION

DEC. 9007 LEGENDS WII UTake on James Bond in the new iteration to the franchise on Nintendo’s new console.

DEC. 16THE WALKING DEAD: A TELLTALE GAMES SERIES PS3, XBOX 360Engage in a new episode to the games’ story. Fight zombies and try to survive.

DEC. 30HARD CORPS PSPSome games are difficult. Some games are borderline impossible. Others, you need to be masochistic; “Hard Corps” is one of those games. Take on the challenge of this side scrolling fighter in its new port.

PREVIEWS

COLIN BOWDENStaff Writer

What must aliens have to study when they teach their young to plot taking over Earth? Laser Combat I? Advanced Precision Probing? Intro to Human Biology? What research have aliens already done on us and our civilization and what can we do to stop them? Well, wonder no longer as “XCom: Enemy Unknown” is out for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. “XCOM” is a turn-based strategy game that focuses on Earth’s finest killing an alien invasion force and beating it back using Earthling ingenuity, alien firepow-er and good old-fashioned tactics. Sun Tzu would be proud.

The visuals are not breathtaking, but each energy shot has vibrant color, each soldier has slight changes in their facial features, and the enemies have enough detail to help players differentiate one type from another. But, the environments can get bland and non-descript, and the overall color tends to turn to an overall dreary nature. It can be argued, however, that this is not a game about stylized graphics and huge explosions, but there were some notable issues, not to mention

some hiccups in framerate that were just inexcusable for a turn-based game.

The music, creeping aliens and wanton destruction is captured well by the sounds. The surprise sound when an alien is discovered can be ever-so-irritating, and hearing people get mauled by alien pods is at once terrifying and awesome. The graphics are serviceable if

underwhelming, but the sounds are a wel-come surprise given how powerful and effective they are in setting the tone for the game. There are times, many in fact, where sounds will tell you far more about the situation in “XCOM” than the graph-ics, and that’s not a bad thing.

The gameplay is truly where the game shines. When you start, you probably will

go into the extensive and fun tutorial that shows off the rich complexity and turn-based fun of “XCOM” that makes up the bulk of the experience.

Many a developer could make a game like this—you kill aliens, get rewards, go back out and do it again, but it’s harder. However, “XCOM” makes it interesting in a couple great ways. First, your team is important and, second, they are also expendable. This means you need to try to save your warriors and level them up through battle experience, killing and capturing aliens to get new skills.

Yet they can die and die easily, even on the easiest difficulty. This doesn’t mean you can’t finish the game, but it produces reasons for playing more of the game (to level up more character types) and that’s all gravy.

“XCOM” also gets a phenomenal bal-ance between strategy and tactics, com-bining resource management, politics and research with precise in-battle plan-ning and some good fortune. This adds up to a gaming experience that sucks you in to playing a game you never even thought of playing for 10 hours on a Sunday when you should be doing homework. Long story short, it’s doggone fun.

2K Games

Customize character types and level up for new stages. Players control a team of characters in battle, and can capture aliens.

SONY

Who doesn’t likes beating up baddies as Sack Boy from

‘Little Big Planet.”

‘XCOM: Enemy Unkown’ among the best games this year for strategy and tactics

gamesXCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN2K GAMESPS3, Xbox 360

siege

2K GAMES

12 | ARTS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 THE CLARION

DEC. 11CRAZY WORLD BOYS LIKE GIRLSHer latest album will be more raw and personal than the last.

DEC. 18STOMPING THE PHANTOM BRAKE PEDAL ANGELS & AIRWAVESDespite getting back together with Blink 182, band lead Tom DeLonge sinks into anoth-er full length album.

JAN. 15LOVESIGNS FREE ENERGYThe indie-rock band from Philadelphia releases their sec-ond record after their moderately successful first.

PREVIEWS

FREEENERGY

WARRIORKe$ha

After Kesha’s first album “Animal,” you would think that we would have had some time to let our ears heal before another album. But the time has come for a new Kesha album. So get your earmuffs and earplugs ready, because I’m sure we will hear her on the radio a million times a day.

On Nov. 30, Kesha released her second album titled “Warrior.” The main single, “Die Young” is already blowing up the radio stations with its routine nauseating teeny-bopper sound to it. “C’mon” is also another single from “Warrior,” which is more painful to listen to than “Die Young” usually is.

The problem with Kesha’s music is that we never hear anything new as far as the type of songs she writes. She has never branched off into deeper type songs. It has always been the “Let’s get drunk and forget our names” type of music – which is fine if you’re into that, but you would have thought that when Kesha was writing her second album, she would have switched things up a bit, instead of writing the same album twice.

There is not a lot to be impressed with on this album, unless you’re 13 and brainless. The entire album sounds exactly like her first album, “Animal.” If you were expecting something new and exciting from a girl who apparently doesn’t use toothpaste and wakes up feeling like P Diddy, then I’m sorry to say that you’ll be pretty disappointed with “Warrior.”

Regardless of these new songs, I can officially say that my ears might just have died, and my brain has shut off from this album.

— CALLIE VASEY

KEM

OSA

BLE

musicPRETTY LIGHTSNovember 15Alliant Energy Center

PHOTOS BY PHILIP EJERCITO / CLARION

Audience members dance as ‘Pretty Lights’ performs at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. on Thursday,

November 15, 2012.

ELLIE DAHLQUISTOpinion Editor

Pretty Lights is the vision of Derek Vincent Smith. He’s created a massive stage production that sets the scene for a full-on dance party. It’s a spectacular light show, complete with a 3D LED cityscape comprised of towers and a bridge; with videography, LED lasers and spotlights, all synchronized to audio with a chill hip-hop vibe complemented by synthetic sounds and heavy bass.

Electronic Dance Music is a highly experimental genre with numerous sub-genres. Smith utilizes glitch, dubstep, intelligent dance music, trip-hop and moombahcore, among others. He chops samples of old music and mashes it up with a new sound that people can’t help but to move to.

Utilizing a monome, he manipulates the audio and triggers the video live, right in front of the audience. It’s not necessarily a hipster scene, but patrons did let their freak flags fly when he came to Madison on Nov. 15. The major-ity of attendees were in their late teens and 20s, though it was an all-ages show. People traveled from neighboring states to attend and it was packed with college students from Madison.

Many girls could be spotted sport-ing glittery false eyelashes, tutus with knee-high boots, glowing jewelry and headwear, LED pacifiers, neon spandex, and bra-exposing tank tops. Guys joined in on the get-ups too with LED T-shirts, furry hats, fedoras, tie dye and glowing jewelry. Countless people were wearing tons of bracelets and also plastic rimmed sunglasses and glasses.

Although Smith’s music isn’t received as being the most original, the production was unfathomable. With the warehouse-style of the high, exposed ceiling and concrete walls and floors, the venue of the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center was very suitable for a rave-like event.

Upon arrival, people could be spotted chilling in their parked cars, while police stood at the entrance, and limos and taxis dropped off party crews.

An herbal aroma could be noticed upon entry. Dark and foggy, a sizeable crowd surrounded the stage for the open-ing acts, Marty Party and Paul Basic. The stage was gated in the front and on the sides, with side curtains guarded by secu-rity where groupies could be seen slip-ping behind now and then.

Pretty Lights opened with an adapta-

tion of the Phantom of the Opera theme song accompanied by flashing green lights, setting an ominous tone. With a warped fade-out of the volume of the music, the lights cut out to complete dark-ness.

A spotlight quickly appeared with Derek Vincent Smith a.k.a Pretty Lights in the center. “Madison mother-fucking Wisconsin” he said, elongating the “in” in WI with an explosion of white light.

“Yo it’s been like two years since I’ve been here – y’all ready to pop this shit off,” he said, a single spotlight on him while the green lights continued to flash with the faint music. With a final cheer from the audience, the stage exploded with white lights, then yellow, then red, and back and forth, guided by the beat of his first song of the night.

The production went dark, but the crowd put on its own light show with their cells phones and LED spinning ratchets and gloves. Colorful balloons bounced around above the crowd while

they sensually swayed in synchronistic delight.

Walking through the Beer Garden, people were in awe, some hug-ging; all intent on the stage. Working towards the front of the stage, people were dancing with their hands up, moving up and down, and bouncing back and forth with the beats. It was trancesque – every-one moving in sync. In the middle of the crowd, everyone would go wild as Smith dropped the bass and picked up the pace. It was hot, and in working your way to the front one must be prepared to be soaked in sweat – and not just your own.

Smith swayed back and forth, checking in with the crowd, “Madison, y’all with me right now?” Satisfied with a low-energy cheer of entranced ravers, he got back to it. Picking up tempo, the energy of the crowd also picked up. The flashing lights and the colorful lasers cutting through the haze

to music gave off an extraterrestrial essence.

At times it went completely dark, and the music would become quietly disso-nant leading the crowd to cheer loudly, begging for what was to come. At one point, the stage brightened and the music started off slowly, wispy and fairytale-like while a forest with elk filled the huge screen behind the cityscape. As the music picked up, the video turned into a swirl-ing, sparkling vortex.

It was mystical and exhaustive. The lights would illuminate the smoggy air above with holographic grains of color-ful patterns. At times, the crowd was left with their mouths wide-open in awe. “Woah,” dazed and elongated, was con-stantly heard.

It was as close to a majestic and other-worldly reality imaginable in two hours. The lasers were crazy, and the beats and wobbly bass, amazing. It’s almost incom-prehensible without experiencing it for yourself.

Electronic-dance producer ‘Pretty Lights’ aims to spread Peace, Love, Unity and Respect at the Alliant Energy Center

‘PLUR’ WORDis the

Derek Vincent Smith, known as ‘Pretty Lights,’ holds the audience captive.

VISIT THEONLINECLARION.COM FOR A FULL WEB GALLERY OF THE CONCERT

12 | ARTS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 THE CLARION

DEC. 11CRAZY WORLD BOYS LIKE GIRLSHer latest album will be more raw and personal than the last.

DEC. 18STOMPING THE PHANTOM BRAKE PEDAL ANGELS & AIRWAVESDespite getting back together with Blink 182, band lead Tom DeLonge sinks into anoth-er full length album.

JAN. 15LOVESIGNS FREE ENERGYThe indie-rock band from Philadelphia releases their sec-ond record after their moderately successful first.

PREVIEWS

FREEENERGY

WARRIORKe$ha

After Kesha’s first album “Animal,” you would think that we would have had some time to let our ears heal before another album. But the time has come for a new Kesha album. So get your earmuffs and earplugs ready, because I’m sure we will hear her on the radio a million times a day.

On Nov. 30, Kesha released her second album titled “Warrior.” The main single, “Die Young” is already blowing up the radio stations with its routine nauseating teeny-bopper sound to it. “C’mon” is also another single from “Warrior,” which is more painful to listen to than “Die Young” usually is.

The problem with Kesha’s music is that we never hear anything new as far as the type of songs she writes. She has never branched off into deeper type songs. It has always been the “Let’s get drunk and forget our names” type of music – which is fine if you’re into that, but you would have thought that when Kesha was writing her second album, she would have switched things up a bit, instead of writing the same album twice.

There is not a lot to be impressed with on this album, unless you’re 13 and brainless. The entire album sounds exactly like her first album, “Animal.” If you were expecting something new and exciting from a girl who apparently doesn’t use toothpaste and wakes up feeling like P Diddy, then I’m sorry to say that you’ll be pretty disappointed with “Warrior.”

Regardless of these new songs, I can officially say that my ears might just have died, and my brain has shut off from this album.

— CALLIE VASEY

KEM

OSA

BLE

musicPRETTY LIGHTSNovember 15Alliant Energy Center

PHOTOS BY PHILIP EJERCITO / CLARION

Audience members dance as ‘Pretty Lights’ performs at the Exhibition Hall of the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. on Thursday,

November 15, 2012.

ELLIE DAHLQUISTOpinion Editor

Pretty Lights is the vision of Derek Vincent Smith. He’s created a massive stage production that sets the scene for a full-on dance party. It’s a spectacular light show, complete with a 3D LED cityscape comprised of towers and a bridge; with videography, LED lasers and spotlights, all synchronized to audio with a chill hip-hop vibe complemented by synthetic sounds and heavy bass.

Electronic Dance Music is a highly experimental genre with numerous sub-genres. Smith utilizes glitch, dubstep, intelligent dance music, trip-hop and moombahcore, among others. He chops samples of old music and mashes it up with a new sound that people can’t help but to move to.

Utilizing a monome, he manipulates the audio and triggers the video live, right in front of the audience. It’s not necessarily a hipster scene, but patrons did let their freak flags fly when he came to Madison on Nov. 15. The major-ity of attendees were in their late teens and 20s, though it was an all-ages show. People traveled from neighboring states to attend and it was packed with college students from Madison.

Many girls could be spotted sport-ing glittery false eyelashes, tutus with knee-high boots, glowing jewelry and headwear, LED pacifiers, neon spandex, and bra-exposing tank tops. Guys joined in on the get-ups too with LED T-shirts, furry hats, fedoras, tie dye and glowing jewelry. Countless people were wearing tons of bracelets and also plastic rimmed sunglasses and glasses.

Although Smith’s music isn’t received as being the most original, the production was unfathomable. With the warehouse-style of the high, exposed ceiling and concrete walls and floors, the venue of the Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center was very suitable for a rave-like event.

Upon arrival, people could be spotted chilling in their parked cars, while police stood at the entrance, and limos and taxis dropped off party crews.

An herbal aroma could be noticed upon entry. Dark and foggy, a sizeable crowd surrounded the stage for the open-ing acts, Marty Party and Paul Basic. The stage was gated in the front and on the sides, with side curtains guarded by secu-rity where groupies could be seen slip-ping behind now and then.

Pretty Lights opened with an adapta-

tion of the Phantom of the Opera theme song accompanied by flashing green lights, setting an ominous tone. With a warped fade-out of the volume of the music, the lights cut out to complete dark-ness.

A spotlight quickly appeared with Derek Vincent Smith a.k.a Pretty Lights in the center. “Madison mother-fucking Wisconsin” he said, elongating the “in” in WI with an explosion of white light.

“Yo it’s been like two years since I’ve been here – y’all ready to pop this shit off,” he said, a single spotlight on him while the green lights continued to flash with the faint music. With a final cheer from the audience, the stage exploded with white lights, then yellow, then red, and back and forth, guided by the beat of his first song of the night.

The production went dark, but the crowd put on its own light show with their cells phones and LED spinning ratchets and gloves. Colorful balloons bounced around above the crowd while

they sensually swayed in synchronistic delight.

Walking through the Beer Garden, people were in awe, some hug-ging; all intent on the stage. Working towards the front of the stage, people were dancing with their hands up, moving up and down, and bouncing back and forth with the beats. It was trancesque – every-one moving in sync. In the middle of the crowd, everyone would go wild as Smith dropped the bass and picked up the pace. It was hot, and in working your way to the front one must be prepared to be soaked in sweat – and not just your own.

Smith swayed back and forth, checking in with the crowd, “Madison, y’all with me right now?” Satisfied with a low-energy cheer of entranced ravers, he got back to it. Picking up tempo, the energy of the crowd also picked up. The flashing lights and the colorful lasers cutting through the haze

to music gave off an extraterrestrial essence.

At times it went completely dark, and the music would become quietly disso-nant leading the crowd to cheer loudly, begging for what was to come. At one point, the stage brightened and the music started off slowly, wispy and fairytale-like while a forest with elk filled the huge screen behind the cityscape. As the music picked up, the video turned into a swirl-ing, sparkling vortex.

It was mystical and exhaustive. The lights would illuminate the smoggy air above with holographic grains of color-ful patterns. At times, the crowd was left with their mouths wide-open in awe. “Woah,” dazed and elongated, was con-stantly heard.

It was as close to a majestic and other-worldly reality imaginable in two hours. The lasers were crazy, and the beats and wobbly bass, amazing. It’s almost incom-prehensible without experiencing it for yourself.

Electronic-dance producer ‘Pretty Lights’ aims to spread Peace, Love, Unity and Respect at the Alliant Energy Center

‘PLUR’ WORDis the

Derek Vincent Smith, known as ‘Pretty Lights,’ holds the audience captive.

VISIT THEONLINECLARION.COM FOR A FULL WEB GALLERY OF THE CONCERT

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 | 13THE CLARION

sportsEDITOR:

TROY BRUZEWSKICLARIONSPORTS@

MADISONCOLLEGE.EDU

Dedicatedto her game

CLARION STAFF PHOTO

Madison College women’s basketball player Courtney Spangler grabs a rebound against Olive-Harvey College on Nov. 30.

» SEE SEEK PAGE 14

FRAN WIEDENHOEFTStaff Writer

Courtney Spangler’s day starts out like many Madison College students. She gets up, showers, brushes her teeth, eats breakfast, and gets ready for school. This is where the simi-larities end. Like most Madison College athletes Spangler, 19, leads a double life, student by day, athlete the rest of the time.

The work to become a Madison College athlete and to stay there defines a college ath-lete’s life. It is an intense level of discipline and commitment, but Spangler says, “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

For Spangler, there is work to be done, even in the off season. The games for Madison College women’s basketball begin in November, but the season’s work actually starts much sooner. From October through March, when they aren’t playing games, there are 6 a.m. conditioning

and lifting sessions. Regular scrimmages are scheduled to

help the athletes hone their skills.

Once the games start, practice runs from 4-6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

After practice, athletes are required to attend study tables from 6-7:15 p.m. They must maintain a 2.0 GPA and carry at least 12 credits to play. The study tables are

to ensure that everyone who wants to play has a chance. For Spangler, a Liberal Arts Transfer student studying towards a nurs-ing degree, study time is a scarce commodity. Her current hurdle is her anatomy and physiology course, which requires a great deal of memorization.

“When I come home after class, practice, and study tables, all I want to is eat, and go to bed,” she said.

With games at least twice a week, some as far away as Wausau, the pace can be gruel-ing. Spangler gives a lot of credit to her teammates for easing the stress. They set team goals in the locker room, pinpointing goals like points scored per game keeps them focused. Each game is a new chance to achieve their goal.

“We are like a family” she says. “Even if were not friends outside the court, when we step on that court we are a team, it takes all 10 of us to win.”

Ever since she learned she could play Spangler says she has loved the game of basketball. She said that playing for Madison College is a great opportunity.

“I will have a social life for the rest of my life,” she said.

Spangler hopes to go on to play for a four-year college when she finishes her eligibility in the spring. In the meantime, she said, “I am playing with a great team, and a great coach. It has been an awesome ride so far.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Sauk Valley College 31 43 – 74Madison College 31 30 – 61WolfPack leaders: Sheldon Cooks 18 points; Jason Miller 16 points, 3 rebounds; Alex Wuensch 10 points, 5 assists; Lucas Baier 5 assists.

Olive-Harvey College 38 43 – 81Madison College 43 37 – 80

WolfPack leaders: Dominic Fumbanks 23 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals; Jason Miller 17 points, 5 rebounds; Sheldon Cooks 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks; Alex Wuensch 11 points, 2 steals.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Sauk Valley College 29 27 – 56Madison College 26 27 – 53

WolfPack leaders: Courtney Spangler 24 points, 10 rebounds; Chelsey Schulenburg 8 points, 3 assists; Ellyn Hayden 6 points, 6 rebounds; Taylor Pfeuti 4 assists.

Olive-Harvey College 14 29 – 43Madison College 35 39 – 74

WolfPack leaders: Courtney Spangler 18 points, 9 rebounds; Ellyn Hayden 11 points, 9 rebounds; Callie Dahl 10 points; Terissa Bierd 8 points, 3 assists; Alyssa Anding 6 assists, 4 steals.

Madison College 27 21 – 48Black Hawk East 32 35 – 67

WolfPack leaders: Courtney Spangler 16 points, 10 rebounds; Calli Dahl 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Taylor Pfeuti 6 points, 8 rebounds.

DIGITDENRecent WolfPack highlights

TROY BRUZEWSKISports Editor

The zero was nearly erased. Unfortunately for the Madison

College men’s basketball team, the “0” remains in their win column.

After dropping the first four games of the 2012-13 season, the WolfPack looked for their first season win in back-to-back games to open the home season. But their record dropped to 0-6 with losses to Sauk Valley College and Olive-

Harvey College.Madison College hosted Sauk

Valley on Nov. 14, but struggled early for points. After an Alex Wuensch 3-pointer to give the WolfPack an early lead, they were held scoreless for nearly five min-utes.

Jason Miller then made a 3-point-er and brought Madison College with a point (9-8). Though this score too, was followed by a scor-ing drought. Another Miller basket nearly four minutes later, shrank

Sauk Valley’s lead to two points. A three-point play by Dominic Fumbanks gave the WolfPack their first lead of the game, 12-11.

The WolfPack eventually opened a six-point lead, then traded the lead several times before the close of the first half. A 3-pointer by Lucas Baier, with 30 seconds remaining, tied the game at 31-31, going into halftime.

As with the first half, the

TROY BRUZEWSKISports Editor

A close win over Highland College on Dec. 2 gave the Madison College women’s basketball team its third win of the season and helped it rebound from a first-round loss in the Black Hawk-East Tournament.

The WolfPack dropped a 67-48 deci-sion to host Black Hawk East on Dec. 1 in their tournament opener.

The two teams swapped the lead sev-eral times throughout the first half, but Black Hawk took a five-point lead into halftime. Black Hawk expanded its lead in the second half as Madison College struggled, shooting only 25 percent for the game. Courtney Spangler led the WolfPack with 16 points and Calli Dahl had 13.

The following day, the WolfPack had a clutch defensive stand that led to a win over Highland. With the game tied 58-58, the WolfPack held Highland scoreless for the final 2 minutes for a 62-58 win.

Highland was up 33-31, when a slow second-half start for Madison allowed Highland to open a 12-point lead. Dahl scored to cut the deficit to 10 and started Madison’s comeback. The WolfPack scored eight consecutive points and five minutes later, tied the game at 52-52.

Spangler gave Madison the lead, scoring back-to-back baskets for the WolfPack. But Highland responded to regain the lead, 58-56, with 2:17 remain-ing, though that was its final basket.

Spangler and Taylor Pfeuti scored the final six points of the game and helped shutout Highland in the final minutes. Spangler finished with a game-high 25 points and added 10 rebounds. Dahl fin-ished with 11 points.

Courtney Spangler and Ellyn Hayden led the Madison College women’s basket-ball team to its first home win of the sea-son on Nov. 30. Spangler had a game-high 18 points and added nine rebounds in the 74-43 route over Olive-Harvey College. Hayden had 11 points and nine rebounds for Madison, which dominated the game from the outset. The WolfPack now has a 3-5 overall record.

WolfPack men still seek first victory

Women’s teamwins 2 of last 3 to gain new momentum

EVAN HALPOP / CLARION

WolfPack’s Jason Miller puts up a shot against Sauk Valley.

14 | SPORTS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2012 THE CLARION

MCSPORTSMaidson College schedules and results.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

ScheduleNOV. 3 vs. Minnesota West Community &

Technical College in Worthington, MN, 112-85 LOSS

NOV. 4 vs. Riverland Community College in Worthington, MN, 65-54 LOSS

NOV. 9 vs. Anoka Ramsey Community College in Milwaukee, 77-75 LOSS

NOV. 10 at Gogebic Community College in Milwaukee, 93-66 LOSS

NOV. 14 at home vs. Sauk Valley Community College, 74-61 LOSS

NOV. 30 at home vs. Olive-Harvey College, 81-80 LOSS

DEC. 3 at Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, 7:30 p.m.

DEC. 8 at Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls, Iowa, 3 p.m.

DEC. 9 at North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City, Iowa, 3 p.m.

DEC. 12 at home vs. Rochester Community & Technical College, 7:30 p.m.

DEC. 14 at home vs. Western Technical College, 7:30 p.m.

DEC. 28 at Illinois Central College, East Peoria, IL, noon.

DEC. 29 at Oakland Community College, East Peoria, IL, 10 a.m.

JAN. 5 at Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL, 3 p.m.

JAN. 7 UW-Marathon County, home, 7:30 p.m.

JAN. 9 at Triton College, River Grove, IL, 7 p.m.

JAN. 12 at Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL, 3 p.m.

JAN. 16 at home vs. Milwaukee Area Technical College, 7:30 p.m.

JAN. 19 at Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL, 3 p.m.

JAN. 23 at Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL, 7:30 p.m.

JAN. 26 at home vs. College of Dupage, 3 p.m.

For a complete schedule of men’s basketball, visit madisoncollegeathletics.com.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ScheduleNOV. 3 vs. Minnesota West Community &

Technical College in Worthington, MN, 68-55 LOSS

NOV. 4 vs. Riverland Community College in Worthington, MN, 63-48 LOSS

NOV. 9 vs. Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Milwaukee, 56-53 WIN

NOV. 10 vs. Gogebic Community College in Milwaukee, 75-67 LOSS

NOV. 14 at home vs. Sauk Valley Community College, 56-53 LOSS

NOV. 30 at home vs. Olive-Harvey College, 74-43 WIN

DEC. 1 vs. Black Hawk College-East, in Kewaunee, Ill., 6 p.m.

DEC. 2 vs. Highland Community College, in Kewaunee, Ill., noon.

DEC. 8 at Ellsworth Community College, Iowa Falls, Iowa, 1 p.m.

DEC. 9 at North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City, Iowa, 1 p.m.

DEC. 12 at home vs. Rochester Community & Technical College, 5:30 p.m.

DEC. 14 at home vs. Western Technical College, 5:30 p.m.

JAN. 2 at Mineral Area College, Park Hills, Mo., 1 p.m.

JAN. 5 at Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL, 1 p.m.

JAN. 7 Home, UW-Marathon County, 5:30 p.m. (non-division)

JAN. 9 at Triton College, River Grove, IL, 5 p.m.

JAN. 12 at Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL, 1 p.m.

JAN. 16 at home vs. Milwaukee Area TEchnical College, 5:30 p.m.

JAN. 19 at Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL, 1 p.m.

JAN. 23 at Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL, 5:30 p.m.

JAN. 26 at home vs. College of Dupage, 1 p.m.

For a complete schedule of women’s basket-ball, visit madisoncollegeathletics.com.

WolfPack had difficulty scoring early in the second. Madison College managed just one basket in the first five minutes of the second half and Sauk Valley opened a nine-point lead.

Sauk Valley’s lead reached double-digits near the halfway mark and dipped to single-digits for just a short time. The WolfPack were unable to put together a scoring run to cut into the deficit, while Sauk Valley shot over 50 percent from the floor in the second half and made three of its five 3-point attempts. Madison was dropped to 0-5 with the 74-61 loss.

Sheldon Cooks led the WolfPack with 18 points, Miller had 16 and Wuensch had 10.

On Nov. 30, the WolfPack hosted Olive-Harvey, and came within a basket of earning their first win.

Down by four points and 32 sec-ond remaining, Cooks converted on a 3-point play – fouled during a made shot and making the free throw – mak-ing the score 81-80, with 10 seconds remaining.

Madison College fouled on the fol-lowing inbound pass and sent Olive-Harvey to the free throw line. The first attempt was missed and Madison College secured the rebound, giving the WolfPack a chance for a game-winning shot.

However, Wuensch’s last-second attempt did not fall and the WolfPack suffered it’s sixth loss of the season. Fumbanks led Madison with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Miller had 17 points and Cooks finished with 13.

SEEKCONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

NEXT OPEN HOUSE DATES:• Dec. 11, 4-7 p.m.• Feb. 27, 4-7 p.m.