Z^ANCH V O L . 1 2 2

N O . 2 1

APRIL 15. 2 0 0 9 • SINCE 1887 "SPERA IN DEO" HOPE COLLEGE • HOLLAND. MICHIGAN

Disability week raises awareness Sunkyo Hong G U E S T W R I T E R

The week of April 6, the Hope College Office of Disabil-ity Services and the Disability Awareness Week committee co-ordinated their efforts to host a series of events aimed at raising disability awareness.

This annual occasion, known as Disability Awareness Week, included simulations of various disabilities, speakers, a Disabil-ity Resource Room open house, and an ice-cream social.

DAW began with a Wheel-chair Challenge. A number of students on Hope's campus spent six, 12, or 24 hours in wheelchairs as part of a mobility impairment simulation. Mem-bers of the Hope community were encouraged to assist these individuals when they needed

help. O n Tuesday, the DAW com-

mittee and Disability Services set up stations in the DeWitt Center lounge to simulate a range of disabilities. Among the stations were a blind walk station, for which participants would walk blindfolded with a cane and a non-blindfolded partner to en-sure safety; and a braille station, where participants could write in braille and see the Constitution of the United States of America in braille. There were also an information table with packets on invisible disabilities, such as

fN >

/ * 9

\

•

/ mmfm

PHOTO BY KEVIN SOUBLV

WALKING BY F A I T H - Reed Swift T i l ) navigates the halls of t he Dewl t t Student Center w i thou t his vis ion.

mild diabetes and depression, and a wheelchair competition

station, which included a route involving various locations on

campus that might be difficult to access in a wheelchair. Other stations included vision impair-ment, hearing impairment and an ear plug simulation.

At 7 p.m. in the Herrick Room of the DeWitt Center, Hope alumna and writer Kay Hubbard (72) read her essay "Through the Glass Darkly," a work which won third place in a writing con-test and will be featured in "Ten Spurs," a literary journal. The es-say follows Hubbard's over 40-year friendship with a classmate she had met in her freshman English class who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Tuesday's events ended with a showing of the film "Babe" with descriptive video services in the Kletz. DVS is an audio track that narrates the actions taking place on screen for the benefit of those with visual impairments.

Wednesday's events centered on the speaker Richard Harris, who directed Access and Op-portunity for Students with Dis-abilities at Ball State University for 32 years, and who has pre-sented throughout the world on issues of access in higher educa-tion. For the first event, he pre-sented "Disability Humor - an Important Bridge" at a faculty/ staff luncheon in the Maas Au-ditorium hosted by the Provost. This presentation offered ways to use humor and proper attitudes

SEE DISABILITY, PAGE 2

Hope logs onto alumni network Taylor Hughes A R T S E D I T O R

We've all heard it said, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." For graduating seniors this can be a daunting phrase.

More and more, job seekers are name-dropping and networking to differentiate themselves from the thousands of other applicants in a tough-time job market. As those who are graduating prepare to finish their last weeks at Hope, the pressure is on to find what they want and who will help them get there. The good news is, they may not need to look further than their own computer and an internet connection.

Since late in 2006, Hope's Office of Alumni and Parent Relations has provided alumni with "myHope" an exclusive online community for the almost 30,000 alumni living around the

world. For graduating seniors, that's thousands of who-you-knows right at your fingertips. Using the Career Center on myHope, alumni can connect with other alums that have agreed to be contacted. They can also post job offerings and browse offerings on the newly launched classifieds page. In addition, a Linkedln group is promoted through the site and managed by the office.

"We know how important it is to keep alumni connected with each other and with the college," said Scott Travis ('06), assistant director of alumni and parent relations. "We are a community at Hope and that doesn't end just because you graduate and move away from each other."

The myHope Website also serves as a platform for Hope to keep its alumni in the know with news, events and class reunions. Alums can stay posted

SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF HOPE COLLEGE ADVANCEMENT

on opportunities not just in Holland, but also with those hosted from New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between. myHope also lets alums share updates with the college and other alumni, whether they

just landed a dream job or are starting a family.

"It's sad to know we won't see the friends we made here on a day-to-day basis, if at all, after we

graduate," said Chad Bonfiglio '09. "I'm glad to hear about m y H o p e because it's just Hope people; it's easier than trying to search for old Hope friends on Facebook."

A c t u a l l y , you can log in

to myHope using your Facebook account. W h o knew Hope was so connected? myHope will even bring you back to the cold winters and hot summers on every page with its weather

SEE NETWORK, PAGE 2

Habitat Sleep-Out

builds students'

empathy

Megan Harper G U E S T W R I T E R

The annual Hope College Habitat for Humanity Sleep-Out Thursday, April 16, will raise both homelessness awareness and funds for the Lakeshore branch of Habitat for Humanity.

This event has been a long-standing tradition at Hope. It requires participants to abandon their beds for the night and sleep in a cardboard box outside instead.

President of Hope Habitat for Humanity Carrie Powers (10) believes many Hope students are unaware of the homeless problem in Holland.

"People normally think of big cities as having the largest number of homeless people," said Powers. "But it's a big problem in small towns too."

Powers said Habitat hopes the sleep-out goes beyond simply making people aware; she hopes it makes them compassionate as

well. "We hope that students will

become more empathetic by participating, since they'll be seeing first-hand what it's really like to be homeless for a night," Powers said.

Powers said the sleep-out consistently has a good turnout, and Habitat is expecting the same this year. She also assures students who may be anxious to sleep outside that Habitat is not concerned about any risks.

Appropriate precautions are taken to ensure the safety of the participants. In fact, Powers said that students actually have a lot of fun participating in the event.

The sleep-out will take place Thursday, April 16, beginning at 10 p.m. and concluding the following morning.

However, students who arrive during the night are not obligated to stay until morning. They may simply make a monetary donation and listen to the representative from the Lakeshore Habitat branch, who will be giving a presentation.

Pizza and hot chocolate will be served to all participants at

the event. Habitat will be doing a "dorm-

storm" the night before the sleep-out to collect donations. Professors who are participating will take collections up until the night of the event, and a collection area will be held in the Kletz as well.

W H A T ' S I N S I D E

N A T I O N A L 2 V O I C E S 6 - 7

A R T S 3 S P O R T S 8

Tax Season- What you need to know about

fi l ing your tax return Page 4 W

Hope Fringe Festival— Students and alumni perform to celebrate the arts.

Page 3

Got a story idea? Let us know at anchor@hope.edu, or call us a t jgS^TSTT.

2 T H E A N C H O R NATIONAL APRIL 15. 2 0 0 9

T H I S W E E K I N N E W S

"Just s tar t pu t t ing a few folks in jail and the wor ld will change." - W a y n e M a y o f o r m e r lay m i n -

is ter w h o is speak ing o u t aga ins t

illegal i m m i g r a t i o n in the U.S.

"He's o n e of the best m e n I've ever me t . The capta in never gave this crew up, no t once." - O n e of t h e sa i lors of T h e

M a e r s k A l a b a m a r e f e r e n c i n g his

c a p t a i n R icha rd Phil l ips w h o al-

lowed h imsel f t o b e k i d n a p p e d by Somal i p i r a t e s in e x c h a n g e f o r t h e

f r e e d o m of h i s c r e w m e n .

"Whi le livestock play a crucia l role in the econ-omy, global w a r m i n g is b e c o m i n g a huge worry. We ' re t ry ing to find ind igenous solut ions, because o u r realities are very d i f fe rent f r o m the West." - Dr. K.K. Singhal , h e a d of Da i ry

Ca t t l e N u t r i t i o n at t h e Na t iona l Da i ry Resea rch In s t i t u t e in K a r n a l

in N o r t h e r n Ind ia , o n h o w ca t t l e

re lease a t ype of g r e e n h o u s e gas

t h a t t r a p s 20 t i m e s m o r e h e a t t h a n c a r b o n d iox ide a n d is hav-

ing a s igni f icant e f f ec t of global

w a r m i n g in India .

" W e are wa tch ing the mora l and social land-scape of the na t ion be t r a n s f o r m e d before o u r eyes." - Rev. A l b e r t Moh le r , p r e s i d e n t

of t he na t ion ' s flagship S o u t h e r n Bapt i s t s e m i n a r y in Louisville, Ky.

o n t h e i nc rea se of s t a t e s r e c o g n i z -

ing gay m a r r i a g e as l eg i t imate .

"It t u r n s ou t ( the cops) were loyal customers ." - Saad Path Allah, t he d i r e c t o r of t h e N a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e of H u -

m a n Rights a n d t h e h e a d of a n

in te r -miniscer ia l an t i - t r a f f i ck ing

c o m m i t t e e o n h o w s o m e y o u n g

w o m e n w h o have a t t e m p t e d t o e s c a pe f r o m b r o t h e l s in I raq have

b e e n r e t u r n e d by pol ice of f icers .

"They want to know they

have the right concentra-

tion of drugs so that if

they take them in the sug-

gested way it will provide

them with a peaceful

death." - Dr. Phi l ip N i t s chke , t he phys i -c ian k n o w n as 'Dr. D e a t h ' f o r

h i s e f fo r t s t o legalize e u t h a n a s i a

in h i s na t ive Aus t ra l i a o n the u p c o m i n g d e b u t for e u t h a n a s i a

tes t ki ts .

"The president supports

the Second Amendment ,

respects the tradition of

gun ownership in this

country, and he believes

we can take common-

sense steps to keep our

streets safe" - Ben LaBol t , a W h i t e H o u s e s p o k e s m a n , in regard to n o c u r -

r en t p l ans t o e n f o r c e a b a n o n

s e m i a u t o m a t i c assaul t g u n s .

N. Korean rocket 'provocative act' Cory Laka tos S T A F F W R T T E R

The launch of a North Korean rocket at 11 :30 a.m. local time on Sunday April 5 has caused a stir in the international community, where North Korea was already facing pressure.

The long-range rocket launch was officially deemed a provoca-tive act by U.S. and South Korean officials, but the exact payload is still unknown. Both countries fear that the small, isolated com-munist nation is testing new-found missile capabilities. North Korea maintains that the rocket contained only a satellite bound for space and would be used for purely peaceful purposes.

Japanese officials have stated that their military would inter-cept any missiles if it became necessary, but that they had not been obligated to do so. However, two objects that are thought to have been boosters from the rocket were detected falling to earth near Japan. One crashed into the Sea of Japan, while the other touched down in the Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese and U.S. ver-s ion of events is in stark con-trast to the story being present-ed in the state-controlled North Korean media. The Korean Central N e w s Agency reported a flawless launch of "the experi-mental communicat ions satel-lite Kwangmyongsong-2" with

General Secretary Kim Jong II in attendance. According to the KCNA, this "shining product of self-reliance... was smoothly and accurately put into its or-bit."

U.S. officials disagree with this account and insist that the

launch was a failure. Wendy Sherman, coordinator

of the Clinton administration's policy concerning North Ko-rea, told C N N that she be-lieves that Kim Jong II has several motives be-hind the provocative launch. "First, he wants to s o l i d -

i f y

o w n position as the leader ' . G R A P H I C BY

of his coun-try, following —

a stroke. He [also] wants to tell his military that it's a military-first economy," she said. "And he wants to say to the Obama administration, 'Pay at-tention to me. I'm serious. I have chips on the table, and negotiat-

ing with me is serious business.'" Japan's United Nations repre-

sentative Yukio Takasu called an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Coun- cil on Sunday, h o p -

n g that the c o m m u -nity of n a t i o n s c o u l d

f o r m u -late a uni-

fied response to the launch.

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador,

shared Takasu's views. "The launch constituted a

clear-cut violation" of U.N. resolutions and numerous in-

ternational warnings, she said, and "merits a clear, strong re-sponse." Options available to the Council included a ^ resolution, a Security ^ Council presiden- ^ tial statement, or 1 some less for- *

G W E N MACIVER

official statement being given by the Security Council.

Chinese ambassador Zhang Yesui saw the incident in a dif-ferent light. "We are now in a very sensitive moment," he said. "All countries concerned should show restraint and refrain from taking action that could lead to increased tension." According to Yesui, any reaction to the North Koreans should be "cautious and proportionate" China is an ally of North Korea and a permanent Security Council member along with the United States, France, Russia, and the United King-dom, and as expected showed resistance to a reproachful reso-lution.

China, Japan and the U.S. have indicated their willingness t o participate in

— - s i x - p a r t y

\

mal type of condemnation. In spite of the wishes of the

likes of Takasu and Rice, the meeting adjourned without any

w o u l d also in-

clude North Korea, South

Korea, and Russia. These na-

tions hope that talks can lead to a more favorable and less antag-onistic settlement.

Disability week raises awareness on campus • DISABILITY, f rom page 1

to make the topic of disabilities approachable.

In the evening, Harris pre-sented "From FDR to Jerry Lewis: H o w Does Our Society View Disability" in the Maas Auditorium. The presentation used cartoons, humorous signs and photographs to elaborate Harris's points. For example, Harris projected a picture of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin seated at the Yalta Conference. T h e three leaders had m e t to discuss the future of the world. Because of his polio, FDR was mobility impaired at the t ime and throughout much of his

PHOTO BY KEVIN SOUBLY

STUDENTS LIVE A DAY IN THE S H O E S - Left to right: Reed Swi f t C l l ) , Claire Al-dous, Hanna Summers (*12).

life. Despite the disability, Harris claimed that FDR was the most powerful man in the

world. "FDR had the most power of

the three," Harris said. "Russia was just ravaged. England was just ravaged."

In addition to giving inspir-ing examples of those with dis-abilities, Harris also pointed out the disadvantage that ex-ists for this group. He cited an unemployment rate of 67 per-cent for non-institutionalized persons with disabilities aged 16-64. A m o n g w o m e n in this group, the unemployment rate was 80 percent. He concluded his talk with the signing of the

American Disabilities Act. Thursday morning, the Dis-

ability Resource Room in the Van Wylen Library held an open house. Members of the Hope community, as well as the public, were welcome to see the equipment available for assisting students with visual impairment, print impairment and blindness in their studies.

The DAW concluded Thursday afternoon with an ice-cream social sponsored by Dean of Students Richard

Frost.

Hope connects with networking • NETWORK, f rom page 1

widget set to Holland. Many opportunities are

available for Hope seniors and alumni to network face-to-face and myHope can alert them to these events.

"I'm planning a young alumni social networking event in Grand Rapids which will begin this fall," said alum Alex Wood ( ' 0 7 ) . "Social networking encourages and facilitates Hope alumni to form and keep relationships among each other

and with the college." So if you're looking for career

networking, upcoming events and reunions or that old Frisbee Golf buddy who deleted their Facebook account, log on to myHope at www.hope.edu/ alumni.

"We know myHope won't replace Facebook, but our hope is that it will complement other social networking sites by providing a place just for Hope alums without those annoying relative requests," said Travis.

The Office of Alumni and

Parent Relations contacts all graduating seniors via e-mail to let them know about myHope and how to log in and create a profile. However, future seniors also have the chance to use the site even before graduation. If you are going to be a senior and are interested in learning more about career networking and getting connected to myHope early, you can contact the Office of Career Services at careers® hope.edu or contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at alumni@hope.edu.

c o e e . m u s i c .

l e m o n i e l l o ' s 61 e. 9lh street holland mi l e m o n i e H o s . c o m

APRIL 15. 2 0 0 9 ARTS T H E A N C H O R 3

Alum band Ganges opens for Pug Hope College Concert Series to feature some of Hope's own for HoFF festival Katie Bennett C O - E D I T O R IN C H I E F

This spring, Hope's artistic communities will join forces in the first annual Hope Fringe Festival (HoFF). One of the fes-tival's anticipated performances will take place on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Snow Audito-

rium. Ganges, a band made up of

Hope alumni, will open for guest artist Joe Pug. Rob Kenagy ('08), Jonah Ogles ('07), and Steve Bakker ('04) make up Ganges, a band which Kenagy describes as, "just a bit north of country

western." Hope students may remem-

ber the musicians' earlier project They Were Thieves, a folk band which has performed on and off Hope's campus in recent years. Ogles distinguishes between the two bands' different styles.

"As far as the sound goes, I'd call the Thieves folk-based. There are some experimental things happening there, some pretty rhythmic stuff at times, too. The Ganges, though, I would hesitate to call anything

other than American music," Ogles said, "It's got some of that rootsy stuff, but it stays pretty innovative."

Both T^ey Were Thieves and Ganges are produced through Pretty Alright Records, a project of Tom Owens ('07).

Though Ganges is now based in Chicago, the band remem-bers its Holland roots fondly.

"I met the guys of Pretty Al-right Records (my band mates), through Hope's Independent Music Club," said Kenagy. "With-out IMC, I would not have been exposed to the most interesting people I've had the pleasure of

knowing." The musicians credit Josh

Banner and Andy Kadzban for their help both with the band itself and with their artistic con-tributions to Hope's campus.

"Here are two guys who are envisioning a culture that Hope has lacked in the past. I'm happy to tag along," said Kenagy.

The venue of the Joe Pug/ Ganges concert. Snow Audito-rium, is located in Nykerk Hall in the middle of campus. Often

A R T COURTESY STEVEN BAKKER

MEN OF MANY TRADES— Much of Ganges' promotional ar t Is created by drummer, Steven Bakker ( '04) . This piece fea-tures ( f rom le f t t o r ight) Rob Kenagy ( 08), Jonah Ogles ( '07)

and Steven Bakker h imsel f .

PHOTO BY REBEKAH BAKKER

GOOD T I M E S — Ganges performs live (left to right) Steven Bakker ( '04) on drums, Rob Kenagy ( '08) on

lead guitar and Jonah Ogles ('07) on back-up.

overlooked as a concert venue, the wood-floored space has the advantages of both acoustic clarity and intimacy.

Ogles said, "Snow Audito-rium is a great space. Two of the best shows we've played have been in Snow. The sound is good, the environment is good, the people are good. IMC has been really generous to us, and 1 say that both as a former student and a musician."

Students planning on at-tending the concert can expect dynamic performances from all three Ganges musicians.

"Kenagy is like the offspring of a tornado and a redwood. Born of water and the sounds God makes," Ogles said. "Bakker is an absolute animal. It's hard to contain him before shows, he gets so crazy to play drums. It's

cary sometimes." Lovers of the Ganges' sound

:an look forward to its debut ilbum which is nearly finished. Ogles describes the Ganges' al-bum as something all its own.

"The piano sounds like a mi-ter saw. Harmonies sound like they're coming through a cathe-dral toilet. It feels like the basic melody and accompaniment is right up in front, almost be-ing whispered in your ear. But behind that is this huge vacant room where lots of small and big things are happening," said

Ogles. The band echoes the focus of

the Fringe Festival at Hope by stressing the importance of the arts in communities.

"The Internet is keeping us indoors," said Kenagy. "Through this indirect contact, we're fail-ing our responsibility of creating community and culture. Through live concerts. Listening parties. Readings. Exhibits. Theater. It's important to experience these things with others, despite how vulnerable we may feel."

N o doubt Hope students who attend the concert will enjoy their musical escape.

For more info on Ganges, visit

myspace.com/gangessounds.

Student Dance Concert part of Fringe Festival Anna Plllot S T A F F W R I T E R

Hope College Student Dance Concert is an event to attend if you're looking for a sampling of what styles the dance depart-ment has to offer. Each semester the department boasts increas-ing student involvement, setting standards higher and higher for the choreographers. On April 14 and 15, over 30 Hope dance stu-dents will present their work at the Dow and April 20 and 21 at the Knickerbocker Theatre. All shows are at 8 p.m. Admission

is free. The majority of the pieces

are a product of the Composi-tion I class, though works will be presented by the advanced composition students as well as other students not required to present works for class. The class is a semester-long course

taught by Steven lannacone that involves students in aspects of production, including adjudica-tion of dance pieces, costuming, props, collabora-tive choreogra-phy and perfor-

mance. Jessica Noriega,

a semester-long exchange student from Queretaro, Mexico, will be performing a

duet. "The (com-

position) class gave me a lot of tools, allowing me to be more organized with my choreogra-phy. It's cool to work with other people who have a different vi-sion of dance," Noriega said.

She will also be performing in

I look forward to

choreographing in the future with this experience behind

me.

— KATIE MORTON ( ' 1 0 )

STUDENT DANCER

a fellow student's work. The advanced composition stu-

dents are encouraged to present a more developed dance piece.

Jennifer Fait ('09) will be present-ing "Seasons," a work that is ap-proximately 11 minutes long. Fait was inspired to use jazz music to accompany her choreogra-phy from taking the (course) sur-vey of jazz. "Compared to Composition 1, advanced com-

position has allowed greater freedom to express myself artis-tically through choreography,"

Fait said. The sheer number of piec-

5 5

es that will be presented has placed a great demand on re-hearsal space. The Dow dance studios have been booked solid by students since spring break. Many choreographers have had to come up with creative solu-tions to the predicament. Dance rehearsals have been spotted in the Dow upstairs lounge, cook lounge and even outdoors.

"The lack of rehearsal space was a huge inconvenience. Over-coming this obstacle as well as dealing with injured dancers has been a rewarding challenge," said Katie Horton ('10). "1 look forward to choreographing in the future with this experience behind me."

Starting this year, all student works will be presented at the Dow concert and will proceed to the Knickerbocker by consent of three guest adjudicators.

T H I S W E E K I N A R T

Wednesday April 15 Visiting Writers Series

6:30 p.m. Knickerbocker Theatre

Saturday April 18 Earth Jam in the Pine Grove Various artists, 1 2 - 4 p.m.

Monday April 20 Women's Chamber Choir Perform wi th others, 7:30 p.m. St.

Francis de Sales Catholic Church

Tuesday April 2 1 Playwriting Class Scenes and Monologues. Studio

Theatre. DeWitt Center 3 - 4 : 20 p.m.

I N B R I E F

THEATRE 4 9 0 PRESENTS 'PROOF'

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Proof" by David Auburn is being presented in the DeWitt Center studio theatre on Thurs-day-Saturday, April 16-18, as a student Theatre 490 project.

Curtain time is 8 p.m. on April 16 and 17, and 9 p.m. on April 18. Tickets are $2 and will be available at the door.

"Proof" is filled with family dysfunction, betrayal, love, ge-nius and the threat of insanity. The cast includes senior Mag-gie McGurn of Traverse City as Catherine; David James, who is adjunct associate professor of English and director of the writ-ing center at Hope, as Robert; sophomore Cassie Niespodzie-wanski of Oak Brook, III., as Claire; and senior Carl Morrison of Pickford as Hal.

Because of adult language in the dialogue, the play is recom-mended for mature audiences.

McGurn is the producer, and senior Naomi Pointer of Manist-ee is the director. Stage manager is freshman Amanda Van Assen of Grand Rapids, and assistant stage manager is senior Jaclynn Cherry of Rochester Hills. The faculty advisor is John Tammi, professor of theatre.

The production is running in conjunction with the student-coordinated "Fringe Festival" at the college, which is featuring presentations across the arts at Hope from Tuesday, April

14, through Saturday, April 25.

ORCHESTRA ENDS SEASON

The Hope College Orchestra and Symphonette will perform on April 15, at 7:30 p.m. in Dim-nent Chapel. The public is invit-

ed. Admission is free. The two featured works of the

concert will be the "Rienzi Over-ture" by Richard Wagner, and the Symphony No. 3 "Scotch" Op. 56 by Felix Mendelssohn.

The orchestra is directed by Richard Piippo of the Hope Col-lege faculty. An avid performer and promoter of chamber mu-sic, Piippo joined the Hope fac-ulty in the fall of 1999 as profes-sor of cello/chamber music and conductor of orchestras.

4 T H H A N C H O R FEATURES APRII 15, 2 0 0 9

th , the legendary April 15—the last day to mail in your income tax return. It's the biggest due date of all, one that will stick aroiund long after your physics professor is done telling you when to submit labs. Do you know what you're supposed to turn in? And are you sure you've done the assignment correctly?

The.Federal Income Tax Return is F o r m 1 0 4 0 —or if you don't have any dependents to declare (you probably don't), you can use the slightly simpler F o r i n 1 0 4 0 E Z . The form states how much money you made during the previous year, and helps you calculate how much | f it you owe to the Internal Revenue

Service (the IRS).

Kar ie Lu idens S E N I O R S T A F F W R T T E R

i T l ) where'd mY

money g0^ All year long, your employer is withholding a certain percent-age of your wages f rom your pay-check. She's then responsible for sending that tax money to the government.

S Social Security tax (6.20%) - ret irement benefits - disability benefits

S Medicare tax (1.45%) - medical benefts for age 65+

S Federal income tax - national defense - social programs - development - law enforcement - interest on the national debt

S Employer's withholdings - depends on the employer - ret irement fund, etc.

Say you made $1,000 in 2008, and your employer didn't withhold extra. Here's what the feds got:

Gross pay 6.20% 1.45%

- F.I.T. Net pay

$1,000.00 62.00 14.50

- depends < $923.50

The nice thing about filing a tax return is that you're not necessarily paying any more money to the government—in fact, you're probably going to get a refund! You've already paid your Social Security, Medicare, and income tax every time your employer withheld money from your paycheck (see the sidebar on the left). If too much was withheld, filing a tax return gives you an opportunity to claim some of that money back for yourself, and could result in a sweet little check from the government headed your way.

Preparing your tax return To get started, you'll need your F o r m W - 2 .

Your employer must provide you with your Form W - 2 by Jan. 31. It reports your total wages, tips and other compensations for the previous year as well as the total federal income tax withheld.

Along with your own financial records, you now have what you need to fill out your Form 1040EZ. You can either fill out a paper version, or complete your tax return online. The IRS encourages taxpayers to do it electronically for greater accuracy and efficiency, but to create a PIN for electronic preparation, you must provide your adjusted gross income from the previous year's tax return.

For more information visit www.irs.gov.

Exemptions Exemptions reduce the amount of income that's subject to taxation. The size of the exemption is the

same for everyone and is recalculated every year; the 2008 exemption amount was $3,500. Every person gets one exemption, so the question is whether yours is counted on your tax return or on

your parents' tax return. Ask your parent or guardian whether you're being claimed as a dependent on their

form. If not, you can claim it yourself and get $3,500 back.

Standard deductions Standard deductions reduce the amount of income that's subject to taxation. The size of the deduction

varies depending on the status of the taxpayer and the taxpayer's family and is recalculated every year. If you're filing independently as an unmarried person, your 2008 deduction is $5,450. If you're filing as a dependent, you must calculate your 2008 deducation as: earned income

+ S300 $850 < < $5,450

Tax credits Tax credits are dollar-for-dollar reductions of the calculated tax. There are a variety of different credits

available with different requirements, so check your options. In particular, there are two education credits available for eligible students: the Lifetime Learning Credit and the Hope Credit (you can only claim one.) To determine if you're eligible for one of these credits, see www.irs.gov. If your parents claim you as a dependent, then they claim the education credit on their tax return; if not, you claim it yourself.

A few tips... ^ Determine whether or not you need to file a return! (See sidebar on the right.)

^ When you were hired, you filled out a Form W - 4 for your employer so that she would know how much income tax to withhold from your paycheck. Make sure your Form W - 4 is up to date so she withholds an accurate amount and you don't have to make up a big difference with your tax return.

^ Set aside enough time to complete your Form 1040EZ so you can read through it carefully and double-check all of your calculations. It's in your best interest to get everything right the first time (and to claim the all your possible credits so you pay as little tax as possible!).

^ For more information about how federal income tax works, visit www.irs.gov.

This isn't official tax counsel! It's your responsibility to make sure that your finances are in order and

you're abiding by federal law. Good luck!

APRIL 15, 2 0 0 9 FEATURES T i IE ANCHOR 5

inwoviw i r ^ v w n i iv t 10AOEZ . , ^ * z ™ o0cf*T"x.t "

JZ\TJ U 1SQL-W a n d l a . > Hcmuaktt nm*m >»»

y s n • . 11111111 n • . T)p« o.*~, Qw^ u 111111111111 m

I M i l l

t o -mm m i. "* ~'t&ssP

w U k i m

I ' - is i L RKsfsias-

needto^TtS

do [ need to file a tax return? Most employees are required to file a return, but if you don't earn that much you might be exempt.

Are you... S claimed as a dependent on someone else's return?

S unmarried? ^ younger than 65? S not blind?

Did you receive less than... S $5,450 in earned income? (wages, tips, scholarships, etc) ^ $900 in unearned income? (interest, etc)

...If you answered yes to all of these, congratulations! You probably don't owe any income tax, and the federal govern-ment doesn't require you to file a return.

(On the other hand, if your employer has been withholding income tax from your paycheck, now is the t ime to reclaim it. In the future you can keep your employer f rom with-holding the tax in the first place by claiming an exemption on your Form W-4. Ask your employer for more info.)

Ti*»99H*W& -' f #***»

rwrmmm \rwm* / m9m*& > ymm

P A G E DESIGN AND GRAPHICS BY K A R I E L U I D E N S

1

• i—

—y 1 ••11111

I. •

6 T H E A N C H O R VOICES APRIL 15. 2 0 0 9

Change for tradition's sake A s h l e y D e V e c h t Co Editor-in-Chief

Please hire me

Over Easter break I got a chance to spend some time with family, and as a se-nior in college a dreaded question contin-ued to come up: "Do you have a job yet?" I feel like a tape recorder playing the same answer back over and over again. Usually I grumble, "No," along with something about the bad economy and my attempts to jug-gle the job search and my classes.

In the midst of such discussions my un-cle asked me a question I didn't expect: "Do you feel like you received a good education

at Hope?" My initial reaction was, "No." It shocked

me that the answer came out of my mouth. 1 love Hope. 1 love the community, I love the location, 1 love the values it upholds.

On further thought, I've decided it's not that 1 received a bad education, it's just that the education 1 received has not prepared me for the career I hope to one day have. The liberal arts education has made me a well-rounded person. The small class sizes have allowed me to better participate. Ap-proachable professors are committed to help me grasp the concepts covered in my

courses. However, I've found in my own experi-

ence as a communications major that too much emphasis is placed on theory and not enough emphasis is placed on teaching

actual skills. The job market is scary right n o w A few

weeks back 1 was watching a report on the "Today" show about landing a job and the expert noted that a year or two ago it would have taken two to three months for gradu-ates to find a job. Now it's taking closer to six months. With the layoffs our economy is currently experiencing, chances are the

odds are just going to get worse. An article in the New York Times a few

months ago titled. "Job Prospects Grim, Colleges Aid Job Search" highlighted the challenges of the current recession, includ-

ing the fact that a strong resume with in-ternships doesn't guarantee of a job offer.

The current emphasis, in the Communi-cation Department, as well as other depart-ments, is on theory. For instance, as a cap-stone, every communications major must take a theory course. In other courses such as introduction to communications task group leadership, and interpersonal com-munication the emphasis is on learning the history and theory of the topics. It is great to have a knowledge of these concepts, but I probably will never apply this knowledge when I'm on the job. What would make me truly marketable: practical skills.

At Hope, I was not required to take a video production course and I never learned how to build a webpage. Further, I have not been required to learn how to use "new media." If it was not for The Anchor, 1 never would have learned page design, which is applicable to a majority of communications jobs. This range of skills is almost necessary to be marketable in my

career field. If I'm paying $120,000 for a college de-

gree, I expect to be prepared for the work force. Is that unreasonable? I think it's high time the college reevaluate the courses they are offering. They need to ask not "Are stu-dents doing well in this class?" or "Is this a popular course?" or even "Is the teaching method the teacher uses effective?" Rather, they should ask themselves (and students), "Is this going to help students get jobs?"

Ashley is still looking for a job as an edi-torial assistant at a magazine in Chicago,

Toronto or Milwaukee. If you know some-

one who is looking to hire an eager, respon-

sible employee, please email her at ash ley

devecht@hope.edu. Seriously.

Letter to tke Editor

'Ring by Spring' article only enforces stigma To the Editors:

I found myself quite frustrated and flustered after reading "Here come the brides: Interview with 'ring by spring' brides" in the April 8 edition of The Anchor. The Anchor does not print engagement or marriage announcements so I was a bit shocked to see a two-page color article devoted to engaged students.

As a senior, I am aware of the distaste for the phrase "ring by spring," but we all know that it happens, here and at other small Christian liberal arts schools like ours. My parents are a "ring by spring" couple from the '70s. I even have a great number of my close friends getting married in the coming year, though I am not a "ring by spring" bride myself. 1 agree with the women interviewed that people are ready to be married at different times, and no one should be forced to make that decision without much consideration. I do worry about couples who marry at a young age because they think that is what should come next in their relationship.

I became flustered after reading this article because I disagree with the senti-• ment that seemed to be expressed in this article that graduation from college must

be a make-or-break time for a relationship. I do not think graduation means that the options are break up or become engaged. As a graduating senior in a loving re-lationship, I am not planning on either of those options. I know that my boyfriend loves me. I am going to pursue my career as he is his; because we love each other we know that if we want to get married we can do so in the future.

If the article's goal was to determine what Hope students think of the "ring by spring" idea, I think that The Anchor failed to reach that goal. I have talked to single students who didn't care to read the advice to singles from these engaged couples. If the goal was to determine the thoughts of students on this topic, in-terviews should have been done with married students (because there are those too), dating students, single students, and engaged students to better express the feelings of all students at Hope, rather than the one-sidedness that is this article.

There is no one right way to go about dating and finding "the one." This article reflects people who have been dating other students from Hope for extended pe-riods of time. This is not the sum of Hope, nor is it wrong. I have friends w h o date. I have friends who date a lot of different people. This isn't wrong either. Unfortu-nately, this article may only strengthen the stigma that here at Hope we are only

worried about getting our "ring by spring." Laura Van Tassell ('09)

color that shines only at an averia salon.

S U S T A I N A B L E

H OPE End of the Vear Recycling I Giving Project

• t t y t l f y t u r H u f f

April 23-May 1 trwcta wHI be In {\w Hfillsn

end K ^ p § !

April ftMayli

fhe* (oil WndO m Phonti

Acceptable Itemi Include « fempwtei

t t W I y

M ^ ^ w A P « n ^ V̂ l ̂

A m r n e l 9—4 D r l v t

April 27"May 1 Food fellwtloo nnd will be ptawl in

Eeedftemiiheul lbe NM'fMri t lwMt * U i U M M i

THINK before you throw it away

4

f .-r*. Wuficd svrth pralectirt pimi o*. H^r bate and fccts

scrl, rf-irr/ uid Recef*? a free"f- -upfdy of Cctor Cwtop* T (Mfii wi r bovU JI fr** h$*T color cofi%ulU*ipn.

. .*-v«.» rrirn • 'M*

T H E A N C H O R

AVEDA 3 E Sth Stree t , • Hol land, Ml 4 9 4 2 3 • 6 1 6 - 3 9 6 - 7 5 6 5

2 0 0 9 S P R I N G SEMESTER STAFF

Katie Bennet t EDHOR-IS-CHIEF Taylor H u g h e s

Ashley DeVecht EonOK-is-CmEf R o b G u i m o n d

Samuel Ogles MASACISG EDITOR Brittany Adams

Emily West CAMPUS NM S CO-EnuoR Tiffany Phan

Amy S o u k u p CAMPUS NH\^ CO-EDITOR Maggie .Almdale

A i m e e Barigian Nir/nvu NFIT* EDITOR James Ra"lston

Lindsey Bandy ASST. NATTIOSAL Karen Patterson

NEHS EDITOR Kat Mojzak

ARTS EDIIOR

ASST. ARTS EDITOR

FUTURES EDITOR

ASSI. FUTURES EDITOR

VOILES EDITOR

SPORTS CO-EDITOR

SPORIS CO-EDITOR

GR.\PIIICS EDITOR

Karie Luidens

G w e n M a c l v e r

Kevin Soubly

Ben Gorsky

Alex Q u i c k

Matt Oos terhouse

ASST. GRAPHICS EDITOR

ASST. GRAPHICS EDITOR

WEBMASTER ASD

PHOTOCIAPHY EDITOR

Bustsiss MASACLR ASD

DlSTRIBUTIOS MASAGER

ADS MASAGER 1

COPT EDITOR

Jordan Walters

Christ ine Hostet ler

Chris Lewis

A n d r e w Gehl

Julie Kocsis

Cory Lakatos

Benjamin O'Dell

ASST. COPY EDITOR

SENIOR*STATE WRITEK

SESIOR SiAff WRITER

STAFF WRITER

STATE YVRHER

STATE WRITER

STATE WRITER

Anna Pillot

Bethany Stripp

Laura Stritzke

Col ton Wright

David M o o r e

Alex Wotal

Kathy Nathan

STAFF WRTTER

STAFEWRTTER

STAEFWRITER

STATE WRITER

STAFF PHOTIX,R{PIIER

STtTT PlKTTOGRiPHER STATTADMSOR

APRIL 15. 2 0 0 9 VOICES T H E A N C H O R 7

Watch your parkin' meters The tenth virtue R o b

cG r r t

d

From the inside out

Cleanliness — Tolerate no undeanliness

in body, clothes or habitation. The times were different when Benjamin Frank-

lin included his quaint theory of "cleanliness" into his list of virtues. They didn't have deodorant. They didn't have trains. They didn't have "Home Improvement." "Cleanliness" was a revolutionary idea, then.

The Summer of Love 1967—a culmination of creativity, brotherhood and venereal disease. This was the summer of politics and protest, of romance and rebellion. Music boomed and art flourished. Culture was rich. What caused this explosion? LSD? No. Love? No, not love. Love was what blossomed, but it wasn't the fertilizer.

Common sense will tell you that after those 100,000 people converged on San Fran-cisco it would have been difficult for them to find a shower, or maintain optimal "cleanli-ness." Hippies were dirty through lack of options. But the festering of stank produced the germination of love. Barriers were broken by a unifying funk. They shook hands, not washed hands. They discovered the perpetual cycle of being dirty and getting dirty. They could smell nasty and do the nasty. A righteous tang bound the hippies together, and together, they changed the world. Culture, knowledge and love blossomed from their

soiled bodies. Modern day advocates of peace, love and happiness have lost touch with their ances-

tral hippie past. Any girl on a school bus likes the idea of flowers in her hair, but she's not going to San Francisco, and she's not going to meet any gentle people there. People are all tie-dye, flowers and dancing, but there's no action—no protest. People won't get dirty.

Ten-minute showers use about 50 gallons of water. With 3,059 students, that s 152,950 gallons a day. I'm not proposing that all of Hope goes showerless for a day: there's no adventure in that. We should go showerless for the rest of the school year. 3,517,850 gal-lons of water. Now, you don't have to care about the cost this is incurring to Hope. It's simply a waste of water, not to mention all that business Holland BPW pumps into the sky by burning coal to heat our showers. Clean air vs. clean privates. Most of us don't have to breathe your privates. I'm just saying itH be a sad day when Holland's air and water qual-ity fall to the levels of Mexico City's, when it smells like a serendipitous blend of rotten cottage cheese and mustard, and Lake Michigan tastes like Scoresby (very rare) because

a few kids were too self-conscious about body odor. We can implement "Showerless Hope" in the same fashion as "Trayless Tuesday." Peer

pressure. We get enough people to go showerless, and then all those fence-sitting, self-conscious daisies will come to the smelly side. They won't have to worry about being in the minority. It's just a matter of making it socially acceptable, which shouldn't be difficult with flagships like "Rock of Love" and George Bush leading the way in ridiculousness.

Hope College will become the epicenter of culture, learning and love through un-deanliness. As spring semester draws near and exams move slowly towards the terminal in the moving sidewalk of everyone's mind, the students of Hope College will be either stagnated by the lack of traction of their own well-polished soles or they will be flying towards home with cleansed souls, shiny grades and triumphantly contaminated bodies.

Undeanliness for a greener Hope.

You rub enough patchouli under your ear, at least until Oct. 6 without someone

noticing your pit rot. It's about sacrifice.

Living in the

hopefully

Kat Mojzak Graphics Editor

Graduation is right around the corner, and lately it seems like the graduation song by Vitamin C is run-ning constantly through my head. "As we go on we remember all the times we've had together..."

My last four years at Hope have had their fair share of ups and downs, so it's hard to believe that they're com-ing to an end. "As our lives change for whatever." I am now being surround-ed by my friends who are on their way to do great things with their lives. I have some close friends who are get-ting married and 1 couldn't be happier. I have other friends who will be going to graduate school, seminary. I am proud of all my friends who are going to be accountants, businesspeople, and artists. "I know we'll be friends forever." Or will we? I have recently had several conversations about what to say to someone after graduation is over and everyone goes their separate ways. And 1 have come up with two choices: lie or tell the truth.

With the lying choice, you will both hug each other goodbye and talk about how you're going to stay in touch. The closest to staying in touch may be communicating through Facebook—stalking and receiving the mass emails in which one person tells a whole large group of people the im-personal non-specific version of what is currently going on in his or her life. 1 know this is harsh and that by lying you share your most optimistic and hopeful vision of the future in which nothing changes between you and your now closest friends. Or, you still

talk every day via g-mail chat and send each other funny YouTube vid-eos or websites every time you find one. So sorry to burst this beautiful bubble, but ^come May the class of 2009 will begin to scatter.

There are a large number of us mov-ing out West and others East; some will be leaving the country and others will be moving back home. With these moves will come new jobs, new experiences and new people receiving the heavy flow of emails. That being true, here is my suggestion: Be honest on gradua-tion day and when you say goodbye, tell your friend to "have a great life." The line "have a great life" has the negative connotation that you have no feelings for the person to whom you are talking. I had a friend who pointed out that re-lationships do not have to be lifelong to be valid and worthwhile.

The relationships that 1 have made in college have been some of the best of my 22 years on earth; and while I am sad that they may end, I want them to end on a positive note, rather than just feeling guilty about the promises I have made to keep in touch. That way, we can move to our respective locations and live in the present, rath-er than hanging onto the past.

In the end, I am sure I will forget my own advice and live in the world of "hopefully" dreams in which all of my friends stay as close and important to me in the years to come as they are today.

DO YOU LIKO TO wnie. TAKE PHOTOS. Draw or DSSIGN? The Anchor is now accepting applications for Fall ('09) Section Editor posi-

tions in Campus, National, Arts, Features, Voices and Sports. We're also hir-ing Copy Editors, an Ads Manager, Graphics Editors and a Managing Editor.

Send a resume and wr i t ing sample (by attachment) t o anchor@hope.edul h

Beautiful Feet Bryant Russ

Columnist

J a m m i n ' in a j a m

Moses and the entire Israelite clan stood cornered on the shore of the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army behind and nothing but water ahead. We all know the miraculous thing that happened next, right? God part-ed the sea with a mighty wind, allowing all of the Hebrews to cross on dry land before he dropped the water-block to destroy the

enemy threat. Then Miriam and all the women sang with tambourines and danced to praise the Lord for his faithfulness.

Though this story is quite familiar, a teacher of mine pointed out an interest-ing detail: the fact that the Jewish women brought tambourines out of Egypt is pretty incredible. Think about it, they fled their homes in the middle of the night; in such a hurry they didn't have time to add yeast to their dough (Exo. 12:39). They fled their homes knowing they would never come back, taking with them only what they could carry...and they brought tambourines?

It seems the women of Israel were envi-sioning a big God when they packed their bags. He was the type of God who would come through in a jam, against impos-sible odds, and so it made sense to bring

tambourines to praise him when he would prove faithful against all hope. They were expecting him to be faithful. And he was.

It is more than a little encouraging to know that God has been faithful from the beginning. But viewing this like some kind of perfect track record is only half the pic-ture. You see, God hasn't only been faithful. He is faithful—it's his identity, which means it's who he was, is and will be.

The problem we have with projecting God's obvious faithfulness on the future is that it requires trust. I am happy to praise him for parting the Red Sea as long as I'm on this side of it, but as soon as I find myself on the banks of the next obstacle my tune often changes and I exchange my tambou-

rine for a sick stomach. To borrow the popular saying, we must

stop telling God how big the storm is and start telling the storm how big our God is. How cheap it would be to only sing of the faithfulness he's shown and praise the por-tion of him we know. But think of the spir-ited song we could play and picture the wild dance that would swell from our insides out if we were to praise him for all that he has yet to do and for the glories of his faithful character that we don't even know yet.

So as you're faced with all the stresses that the end of the year has to offer, perhaps threatened with trials and struggles on all sides, breathe deep with assurance that God is faithful—and don't forget to pack a

tambourine.

Bryant is livin'it up in his last weeks in the Durf. How 'bout those Durfee Beats?

Our Mission: The Anchor strives to communica te campus events throughout

Hope College and the Hol land community. We hope to ampli fy awareness and

promote dialogue through fair, objective journal ism and a vibrant Voices sec-

t ion.

Disclaimer. The Anchor is a product of s tuden t e f f o r t and is f unded th rough

t h e Hope College S tuden t Act iv i t ies Fund. The op in ions expressed o n the

Voices page are solely those of the a u t h o r and do not represent the v iews of

The Anchor. One-year subscr ip t ions to The Anchor a re ava i lab le for $ 4 0 . The

Anchor reserves the right to accept or re ject any advert is ing.

Letter Guidelines: The Anchor we lcomes al l let ters. The s ta f f re-

serves t h e r ight to ed i t d u e to space const ra in ts , persona l at-

tacks or o the r edi tor ia l cons iderat ions. A representat ive sam-

ple wi l l be taken. No anonymous let ters wi l l be pr in ted unless

d iscussed wi th Editor-in-Chief. Please l imi t le t ters to 5 0 0 words.

Mai l le t ters to The Anchor c/o Hope College, d rop t h e m off a t the An-

chor of f ice ( located In t h e Mar tha Mi l ler Center 151) or e -mai l us at

anchor@hope.edu by Monday at 5 p.m. to appear in Wednesday 's Issue.

Advertising Policies; All adver t i s ing Is sub jec t to the rates, cond i t ions , stan-

dards , t e rms and pol ic ies s ta ted In The Anchor's adve r t i semen t brochure.

The Anchor wi l l make con t inuous e f fo r t s to avoid w rong inser t ions, omiss ions

and typographica l errors. However, if such mis takes occur, th is newspaper

may cance l its charges for the por t ion o f the ad if. in t h e publ isher 's reason-

ab le j udgmen t . the a d has been rendered va lue less by the mis take.

Advert isement Deadl ines All a d and classi f ied requests mus t be subm i t t ed

by 5 p.m. Monday, prior to Wednesday d is t r ibut ion.

Contact Information: To submi t an ad or a classif ied, or to request a brochure

or o ther in format ion, con tac t our Ads Representat ive at anchorads®hope.

edu. To con tac t our off ice, cal l our off ice at (616) 395 -7877 .

® THEANCHOR

8 T H E A N C I I O K SPORTS A p r i l 15, 2 0 0 9

BASEBALL

Sophomore Derek Fairchild hurls historic

James Ralston C O - S P O R T S E D I T O R

In just his second start for Hope College, Derek Fairchild ('11) achieved a feat that most pitchers never accomplish. He did not allow Albion College a single hit in Hope's 8-0 victory on April 11. The no-hitter was the first at Hope since 1995, and was a single base runner shy of a

perfect game. Fairchild's story is unique,

as he was not able to play his freshman season due to a shoulder injury. After receiving surgery he began to prepare for what he hoped would be a strong sophomore year. He had no idea, however, how strong a start it would be. Looking back on the event, he is quick to point out how important his teammates were.

"I attribute my performance to my teammates because without a couple diving catches and great plays there wouldn't be a no-hitter," Fairchild said. "It all started with the first pitch of the game when Scott Snyder

hitter ('10) made a diving catch and my team had my back the rest of the game."

Coach Stu Fritz agreed that the fielding was vital to Fairchild's accomplishment, but pointed out that he was definitely on top of his game.

"He (Fairchild) definitely brought good stuff," Fritz said. "We also had good defense behind him, but his good pitches, accuracy and off-speed work were top notch. Everything was on, he just never lost focus."

Focus was key as pressure began to build. The team said that as soon as the idea of a no-hitter is realized pressure and tension mounts.

"In about the fifth inning people started to realize what could happen," captain Robby Poll ('10) said. "We tried to keep it quiet so that the players and Derek didn't get too excited."

Fritz was coach during Hope's last no-hitter, thrown by Darin Corcoran in 1995. He is quick

to point o u t just how significant this achievement is for everyone involved.

"Its one of those magical things in baseball," Fritz said. "The stars aligned and it's just not something you see everyday. It was unbelievable thing for him (Derek),

his fa^nily and the program."

F o l l o w i n g Fairchild'sfinalpitch, the team celebrated the momentous occasion.

"Everyone sprinted out and dogpiled him,"

Poll said.

SOFTBALL

PHOTO COURTESY H O P E P R

DEAD A I M - Derek Fairchild ('11) be-came the s ix th pi tcher In Hope history to th row a per fec t game.

Team strives to qualify for MIAA tournament Bethany Stripp S T A F F W R I T E R

Although the Hope College Softball team began their outdoor season a month ago, they are already more than halfway to the end of the regular season this year. With just seven games left, the team is playing hard to qualify for the MIAA tournament.

The team's outdoor season began during spring break in Kissimmee, Fla. where the Flying Dutch participated in the Rebel Spring games. Though the team only won four of the 10 games they played, the experience was very helpful for them.

"The games over spring break were against Division III teams from all over the United States, so we got to face solid teams that will help us against our MIAA

opponents," coach Karla Wolters said. "It also helps us solidify who will be in our starting lineup and where to put players in the batting order. More than anything else it helps to get to know each other better so that we are a unified team."

"The games over spring break were pretty good overall," co-captain Deidra Enochs ('10) said. "Our record after the week was 4-6. It was great to just get out there on the field and start playing some games outside."

The Softball team this year is made up of 14 freshmen and sophomores, while only six juniors and seniors finish out the roster. The age of the team can make a difference out on the field.

"Young players need time to mature as college players,"

Wolters said. "It also means we have to work together on defense to get used to the players we are playing with."

Right now, the team is focusing on what will prove to be one of the most important parts of their season.

"The most important games are the ones from (April 8 to April 15)," Enochs said. "They are all conference games and will help determine the seeding for the conference tournament."

In this stretch, the Flying Dutch will play eight MIAA games. All of these games are important so the team can qualify for the MIAA tournament, which will take place from April 30 to May 2 at the regular season champion's field.

So far the Flying Dutch have won three games and lost three

games in this stretch. The week of conference action got off to a slow start, with the team falling to Trine 2-16 and 0-14 on. Wednesday, April 8. The team immediately bounced back the following day, defeating Calvin College 5-3 and 4-1. Saturday, April 11 proved to be a big day for the Flying Dutch. After falling to Adrian in the first of two games for the day, 1-5, the team rallied for the second game and defeated Adrian, 5-4.

Currently, the team is in fifth place in the conference, which leaves them just shy of qualifying for the tournament.

Today, the Softball team will travel to Indiana, where they will finish their regular MIAA season when they take on the Belles of Saint Mary's College in a doubleheader.

T H I S W E E K I N S P O R T S

Thursday April 16 Baseball vs. Adrian 3 p.m.

Saturday Men's Tennis v s . C a l v i n 1 p . m .

April 18

I N B R I E F

GOLF

In the first round of the MIAA qualifying tournament April 9, the Flying Dutch finished third behind host Saint Mary's.

The men's team is looking to qualify to the NCAA tourna-ment for the fourth consecutive year. The team has been repre-sented either by an individual or the entire team five times this decade.

TRACK

Both men's and women's track and field finished second to Cal-vin at the MIAA Jamboree held at Adrian on Saturday, April 11.

Kara VandeGuchte ('11) placed first in 100-meter hurdles, Rachael Kutney ('12) won at high jump, and Leonie Grosse ('12) took first in javelin.

Nick Rinck (Ml) captured both the 100-meter hurdle and 400-meter hurdle. Cameron Lampkin ('11) took first in the 100-meter dash and Frank Previch (MO) won the 400-meler dash. John Donkersloot (Ml) placed first in high jump, Aaron Treiber (M0) captured first place in long jump, and Jeff Minkus (MO) triumphed at the triple jump.

TENNIS

Men's tennis posted a 1-2 re-cord at the Great Lakes Colleges Association tournament this weekend. They opened with a 5-0 victory over Wooster, but later lost to Carnegie-Mellon 5-1 and Denison 6-2. The Flying Dutch-men are 8-8 in dual matches this spring.

By topping Kalamazoo 7-2 on Saturday, women's tennis took sole possesion of first place in the MIAA. The women improved to 4 -0 in MIAA dual matches and with their seventh straight win stand 12-5 overall.

W E BUY ANO SELL

IPODS! CD Exchange CD Exchange r * w f t t n ' i Heut Out F f i t »

We pay CASH for your CDs, DVDs, G a m e s and G a m e Units! Check us out TODAY

NW Corner J a m e s St . & U S 3 1 cdxho i land .com 6 1 6 - 3 9 9 - 8 3 8 4

(Equal or lesser .va lue)

0006-23+61-IW 'onvtioh 0006 xoa Od J-shj-ZI a iti

HOHDNV H03T103 3dOH