The 1994 Tonya Harding scandal, in which her ex-husband and friend hired Shane Stant to assault Nancy Kerrigan’s leg with a baton, forcing her to withdraw from the U.S. Championships, drew negative attention and outrage from fans and the United States Figure Skating Association.  That, coupled with the judging controversy of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where the French and Russian judges were bribed to alter the scores in favor of the Russian team, Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, resulted in continued uproar and corruption illustrating both the International Olympic Committee and the USFSA’s reputations.

This year, however, keeping in line with the IOC’s mission statement, the focus has shifted “to touch the soul of the nation and inspire the world.”  So far, the competitors have succeeded in maintaining these goals and have made lasting legacies in the process.  American Evan Lysacek became the first skater since Brian Boitano in the 1988 Games in Calgary, Canada to win gold.  In ice dancing, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir became the first North Americans to take home the gold in the event.  Lastly, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zaho became the first Chinese pair to win gold.

Lysacek, 24, was born in Chicago, Ill. and now trains in Canton, Mich. with Frank Carroll.  Lysacek skated in the 2006 games in Torino where he narrowly missed the podium placing fourth overall in the men’s event.  Lysacek’s win stands out not only as the first American to win gold since Boitano in ’88, but also for shattering the Russian and former Soviet Union’s five-game domination of the sport following Boitano’s win.  These games were also special for the Japanese who medaled for the first time when Daisuke Takahashi took home the bronze after his performance.

Virtue and Moir, the Canadian ice dancing pair, both of London, Ontario also train in  Canton, Mich.  under the direction of Igor Shpilband, Marina Zueva and Johnny Johns.  At ages 20 and 22, the pair is the youngest couple to take gold in the ice dancing event.  In addition to being a remarkably young pair, this was Canada’s first medal since Tracy Wilson and Robert McCall took bronze in ’88 — a considerable feat for a pair making their Olympic debut.

The most extraordinary achievement thus far in the realm of figure skating was when Shen and Zhao took the gold for China in pairs skating.  In addition to having 18 years of experience and now four Olympic competitions under their belts, the pair was married in 2007.  After convincing his wife that an Olympic gold medal was the one thing missing from their career, Zhao and his wife came out of retirement to achieve their goal.  The task was not easy as the Russians have dominated the sport taking the gold for the past 46 years.  Not only did the pair achieve their goal, but the Russians were shut out of the podium when China’s other pair took the silver and Germany the bronze.

As the Games continue on with the woman’s program in the near future one can only hope that the extraordinary Olympic experience will continue on as more legacies are created, inspiring not only those within the games but fans and spectators alike.

Ireland isn’t as big on alcohol as one would think. Well, actually we are, but it’s not quite in the way you might assume. First and foremost, Guinness isn’t actually that popular. All my friends back home don’t really like it. For those of you who have tried it, one can definitely say it’s an acquired taste. American beers are pretty popular but the most popular drink is actually Irish cider, especially Bulmers.

Another misconception is that we are constantly drunk, another partial truth. It is true that we Irish like our alcohol, but we rarely get langered. Getting bolloxed isn’t a thing we really do, but we do get drunk and lamp it in frequently. Right now you may be confused, this, however, further highlights that the relationship between the Irish and drink is complicated.

Drink is very much a part of Irish culture, in fact the love of alcohol has created Ireland and our language. The Irish word for whiskey is “Uisce Beatha,” meaning water of life. A relaxed attitude to drink from an early age means that we, unlike America, aren’t banjaxed in our attitude towards the ol’ naggin. You won’t see us as full as monkeys everywhere on the weekend because we aren’t chugging back pinta diesel repeatedly.

I remember my mother would put Uisce Beatha in my bottle and send me straight off to sleep. My Da would give me a swalley with every meal, sometimes when I’d be beaking for food, my brother and I would get a wee half instead.

This was all very normal. As a result, we never glorified alcohol. I blame the late drinking age and attitude most adults have towards the good stuff. It really means that alcohol is seen as the bag o’swhag it really isn’t.

Craíc comes first. Ultimately drinking in Ireland isn’t a means to an ends, the purpose isn’t to get twisted but rather to have a good time, to be an eejit for the night, to have a lark, to act the maggot. That’s one stereotype that is true — we Irish love to have fun.

“But a lot of the structure of Gala as a whole is about tradition. It is a long standing event, and it receives administrative funds because the administration wants to continue having it,” added Co-Director of WAC Publicity Taylor Lamborn ’11. “I’m really excited personally because it’s the only formal dance that happens on campus that’s open to the whole student body. It’s always nice to dress up.”  The chocolate fountain and cheesecake famed from last year will be returning, as will live musical entertainment.

This year, WAC signed Different Hats, a jazz band.   In addition to traditions common to the last few years, Lamborn mentioned the hope of one tradition from the first few Galas returning — faculty attendance.   “A lot of people don’t realize faculty members are invited as well,” said Lamborn. “Back in the day, a lot of professors used to come and talk to their favorite students, and we’d love to make that happen again. I think these days college professors are scared of the potential of rowdy students late at night. But if you have a favorite professor, tell them to come!”

There will be a few new additions, however. Lamborn and Ross both confirmed that there will be a photo booth on the first floor of Lowry for pictures on the way in. “We were supposed to have a photo booth last year, so having one this year is particularly exciting,” said Lamborn.  The theme this year is Roaring 20s. Other options WAC deliberated for this year included Under the Sea and Arabian Nights.   “We picked the Roaring 20s because everyone can relate to it,” said Ross. “Everyone knows Al Capone and all those gangsters from the 20s. With Arabian nights, not everyone would have felt the same way.”

“We thought it would be fun to have that kind of band play as well, which influenced the decision,” added Lamborn. “We also wanted to keep things classy. Classy is very important.”

Lamborn also stressed that one tradition commonly overlooked each year is a bare minimum staff putting Gala together. “I don’t think people realize how few people are involved in WAC.

I talked to my co-publicity director Kamar Reed and he was in awe of how few people are involved in WAC,” said Lamborn. “In the Gala committee, it is really John [Ross] running it with our advisor Julia [Zimmer] and four or five other people that had slight input. But it really is a huge task taken on by a small task force.”

For those interested in attending, Gala will open at 10 p.m. on Saturday and will last until 1 a.m.  “It’s going to be an absolutely amazing evening,” said Lamborn. “I think everybody needs to go at least once in their four years. It’s part of the Wooster experience.”

Superfit regular Julie Perry ’10 said, “It’s a great break from school and a fun workout since you do kickboxing and ‘Taebo-ish’ moves to the beat of awesome techno music you know all the words to.”

The class is instructed by Mariana Weyer, the Administrative Coordinator for the College’s Center For Diversity and Global Engagement.  Superfit began in the Fall of 2006 under the supervision of Intramurals.  “Over the years, the Intramural Department had offered different fitness classes … I began to receive a lot of feedback from students that we should offer high intensity interval workouts around the same time as Mariana Weyer expressed an interest in being and instructor of classes such as these.  So, we started Superfit aerobics,” Intramural Director Steve Moore explained.

Many students who have been fans of Superfit aerobics for a while have noted an increase in attendance this semester as popularity for the class has grown.

“Sometimes I feel like a karate champ even though I’m just in a gym of 30 people.  I know I’m a loser but the gym fills up quickly so I usually get there early to put my mat in the front row,” Perry said.

The Office of the Provost, College of Wooster Academic Departments and the Office of Information Technology are sponsoring a competition for seniors to submit digital presentations of their I.S. for a chance to win cash or technology prizes.  Contest officials encourage students to use Web 2.0 technologies, a sampling of which are linked from the contest Web site, http://digitalis.voices.wooster.edu.

“You could do a video, you could do some of these new slideshow tools, a Web page, a blog,” said Dean for Faculty Development Heather Fitz Gibbon, the administrator in charge of the competition. “What we’re looking for are creative uses of the Web that really creatively showcase some part of Independent Study.”

Fitz Gibbon also pointed out that there’s no one part of the I.S. that must be reflected in the presentation — it can be about the final product or the process.  What’s important is that it tells the story of the I.S. The rules of the contest are open, allowing students to use anything from web-based tools like Prezi.com or Xtimeline.com to the software available in the Digital Media Lab in Taylor 205. Students are encouraged to seek help from the Department of Instructional Technology.

“We’re having workshops to help train students, and we’re also hoping that it’s a way for students to see what Instructional Technology can provide for them, and to learn about the services offered by Instructional Technology and the help they can get,” said Fitz Gibbon.

According to the Web site, the workshops will be held March 2 from 4 to 5 p.m. in Taylor 205, March 23 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Lowry pit, and March 30 from 4 to 5 p.m. in Taylor 205.

The idea for the contest came out of a faculty workshop on Instructional Technology held last summer. Associate Professor of History Peter Pozefsky, among others, decided that as helpful as the technology was for professors, they wanted to see it used more by students.  The competition is the result of that development process.

The prizes, being funded from a variety of budgetary sources, include $1,000 for first place, an Apple iPad for second place and Dell Mini Notebook computers for third place and student choice. The winners will be announced, and the prizes awarded, at a presentation during the symposium, hopefully presided over by a notable alum of the College.

The winning presentations will serve as a publicity tool for Wooster; I.S. in particular. They will likely be incorporated into the school’s Web site, as well as displayed on flat screen monitors in the library for prospective students to view.

“Our hope is that we can showcase student work and put it out there for folks to recognize,” said Fitz Gibbon.

Whether the Digital I.S. Competition will continue in future years will depend on how this one goes — and whether the budget can consistently be found. Even if the competition does not continue, however, Fitz Gibbon hopes that I.S. presentations will continue to make use of the wide range of new technologies available.

Abbey Smanik, ’11 will be leading the Student Government Association this year as President, and Hannah Haas, ’12 will be serving as Vice President. In the other Cabinet seats are Leah Inglis ’11 as secretary of Student Affairs, John McGovern ’12 as Secretary of Special Services for the spring semester and Josh Koch ’12 for the fall semester, Estancia Cota ’12 as Secretary of Cultural Affairs and Diversity, myself as secretary of Academic Affairs and David Simpson ’12 as Treasurer.

Filling the Senate seats for each class include Molly O’Conor ’11, Zachery Matesich ’11, Beth Bemis ’12, Hannah Reiser ’12, Baba Badji ’13, Gus Fuguitt ’13, Justin Kalinay ’13, Joshua Lewis ’13, Kenneth Perry Jr. ’13, and Stephen Crozier  ‘13.

The students recently elected to serve on SGA are excited to begin this new year. Unfortunately, the majority of the Wooster student body does not understand what SGA does on this campus. One of the most important goals of the newly elected Student Government Association is to increase understanding and to have a larger presence in the college community.

First, SGA brings two very important services to the Wooster campus each year. SGA operates the airport shuttles for students during every break, and also coordinates the end of the year storage in Holden.

Second, SGA is an important sponsor of numerous events on campus, including the recent Africa Night, as well as bringing its own events to the campus, such as the free coffee and cookie event in the library during finals week last semester.

A large part of SGA’s work is behind the scenes. SGA serves as a consultant to many different organizations and parts of the administration on campus, giving a student opinion on different aspects of Wooster. SGA also allocates all of the funding for academic and non-categorized student organizations.

However, the most important function of SGA is to serve the students. SGA’s main purpose is to be an outlet for the concerns, questions and ideas of the student body at large, and it is in this function that SGA is most underutilized. SGA works every year to make changes that are important to students, be they large or small.

Some of SGA’s contributions to campus include bringing more gluten-free foods to Lowry, getting the nutrition facts for all of the desserts published, and launching the “Respect Your Mom’s” campaign last year to address and help correct the problem of theft at Mom’s Truck Stop.

However, these and other changes can only be made if students bring their needs to SGA’s attention. SGA meetings are held every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Babcock Dining Room, and they are always open to all students, not only those serving as members of SGA.

In this upcoming year, SGA wants to truly become the voice of Wooster students and it hopes that students will begin to utilize the organization that exists solely to serve them. SGA wants to more fully represent the  student body.

There are still open seats on SGA, so if you are interested in making changes here on campus and representing your fellow students, email a letter of intent to Abbey Smanik before 5 p.m. on Wednesday at asmanik11@wooster.edu and plan to attend the next SGA meeting.

Emily Tarr ’11 is the secretary of Academic Affairs for SGA and can be reached for comment at ETarr11@wooster.edu

Being in Greek Life has certainly come with many stereotypes and although some of them might be deserving, many of them are not. It is unfortunate that many students and faculty members continue to associate a negative image with the Greek community — drinking and partying — because many of the great leadership roles and community service events are either chaired or sponsored by  fraternity or sorority members.

The Greek community has done many amazing things to foster relations not only among themselves, but also to bring the campus together as a whole. A perfect example of this was several weeks ago at Hype for Haiti. One fraternity not only had two of its members perform in the Battle of the Bands competition, but also rallied support from its brothers who ended up donating a significant portion of the funds that were shipped to aid victims of the recent earthquake. Actions like this should make people see the value in having these close-knit relationships, but instead, I overheard people talking about how the fraternity rigged the competition using the money in order to win. I suppose I don’t know the direct intentions of the group, but it is disappointing to hear these kinds of things reflected from doing a good deed.

Besides helping the community, the majority of the members of Greek life are involved in many campus activities that serve to cater to your needs as students and faculty. As I look around the Voice office tonight, nearly half of the people sitting around me are in fraternities and sororities. My co-editor is my sorority sister, I work next to four other girls in Greek Life and one of the Editors-in-Chief proudly displays his letters from across the room. After asking them what other organizations they are involved in, I don’t hear a list of the same two organizations, but a multitude of interesting clubs and activities that I haven’t even heard of. There are leaders on W.A.C., Campus Council, Woo91, a variety of acapella groups and many more. Yet, this stereotype that the Greek community is uninvolved still remains.

I recognize that the Greek community still has a long way to go in the eyes of the College and also in respect to one another. The system isn’t perfect and many people feel it creates more harm on campus than good. However, you can’t disagree that many Greek members are pulling their weight and creating a vibrant atmosphere on campus. When I’m brainstorming ideas for Homecoming 2010, I won’t be thinking of how much work I have, but instead about how I am helping to make Wooster better for all the students, not only Greeks.

-If you still have paper bags lying round your house or dorm, they make great lining for trash cans or animal cages. Other uses include book covers, gift wrap and packaging material.

-When it’s time to upgrade to a new computer, pick a laptop over a desktop. A laptop typically draws 15 to 25 watts during use, compared to the 150 watts used by a conventional desktop computer and monitor. Additionally, laptops use a fraction of a watt when in sleep mode.

-Put your laptop’s AC adaptor on a power strip that can be turned off. That way, the adaptor is not constantly drawing power.

Erin Leonardi, Associate Director of Residence Life at the College, talked about the important changes and tips for those of us who, once again or for the first time, are going through the room selection process.

A positive change, which many may be unaware of is the redesigned website. This new website (http://www.wooster.edu/Student-Life/Residence-Life) has a more user-friendly feel where students can explore their options, access more specific information and find all the forms one might need during this time.

Along with these changes are improvements in hall designations.  As it did this year, the love-it or hate-it Holden Annex will remain closed.  First-year halls will now be Bornhuetter, Wagner, Compton and Douglass.

The reason for these changes are the desire to keep first-years closer together rather than have them spread out over campus.  When asked how many first-years were expected for the coming school year, Cathy Finks said that while “it is way too early to know the class size for the incoming first-year class,” a target goal is 515 students.

While these changes may come as a shock to some, especially that Wooster will potentially no longer have an all-female hall, Leonardi pointed out that “hall designations change as the need for them changes.”

Overall, few changes have been made for the upcoming school year.  For the most part the Residence Life staff and the room selection process will remain the same.

Leonardi shared with me tips for those new to the room selection process and those who are veterans.  Being aware of your options is very important.

It’s useful to keep in mind that dynamics within halls change.  While this year a certain hall may have a reputation for being loud or quiet, every year is different.

“When you’re losing a quarter of your student population,” [and gaining an entirely new quarter to add to the student population], dynamics have to change,” pointed out Leonardi.

Walking through the different buildings you are interested in is also helpful.  Try to become familiar with rooms you would want to live in. It is perfectly acceptable to politely ask to view a room, or, if doing that scares you, Res-life has floor plans of each hall.  However, that those floor plans are not always the most reliable concerning size.

When walking though these buildings also take into consideration what is important to you.  Would you like to live on a street or facing a quad?  Are windows important? If so you might not want to consider any rooms on ground floors.  Do you want sun? If yes, from which direction?

I found the most important piece of advice to be that room selection should be approached with an open mind.  Halls fill up quickly and differently each year, which is why you should have several options in several different halls.

Residence Life is continually evaluating room size and trying to find the most comfortable solution for all students and avoiding cramped living spaces as best they possibly can.

For more information concerning the upcoming room selection process or housing questions in general, Erin Leonardi encourages questions and concerns which she will be happy to answer by email at ELeonardi@wooster.edu.

With this whole reality beginning to set in, I’ve started thinking about what things I’m going to miss and not so much miss next year when I’m living at home with my parents and many of my friends are still living the college dream. I can’t say I’m really going to miss Lowry food or how quickly I spend my Flex dollars, but as someone who has always valued personal friendships, I can say without question the thing I’m going to miss the most next year are the close friends and connections I’ve made at Wooster.

I came to college with the understanding that it wouldn’t necessarily be the academics or sports that had the biggest impact on my college experience. Rather, it would be the people I met and the relationships I formed that would be most memorable. I lucked out my freshman year finding a sorority in which I felt comfortable. I had stumbled upon a group of girls that were funny, supportive of one another and genuinely believed in the sisterhood. Four years later I’ve come to understand just how beneficial this group has been for me.

One of the biggest things I’m thankful for within my sorority is how my involvement within the group has prompted my involvement with other organizations on campus. Through holding a position on the Executive Board within my group, I’ve really learned important strategies about team efforts and working with a big group of people. Although the road along the way has been difficult, the lessons I’ve learned are inherently valuable. If it were not for the constant support from my group or the boost of confidence they know I usually need, I probably wouldn’t even be writing for the Voice right now.

Perhaps though, what I enjoy most about being in a sorority are the lifelong connections I’ve made. I love that when I go home to Chicago over Christmas, spring break or summer, there are probably close to 10 alumni from my sorority living in or around the city. Although a few are friends who had graduated in the past three years, there are a bundle of girls who graduated in 2000 and 2002 that I never even knew of until they came back as alumni for Initiation or Homecoming weekend.

Knowing that these girls who graduated before me are still close friends with one another and still value their membership within the group, I have hope that maybe next year won’t be so bad. Additionally, joining a sorority has given me the opportunity to become close with girls outside my class year. I’m close friends with a number of underclassman and have gotten to know girls I never thought I’d have a chance to know — and for that, I really am thankful.

In the end, it’s really the little things that I’m going to miss the most. Of course it’ll be weird not getting the daily listserve e-mails or being able to find another group of girls that find clips of Kristen Wiig’s “Saturday Night Live” characters as painstakingly funny as I do — I know these connections won’t be lost anytime soon.

And even though I won’t be taking as many family tree pictures with my all-brunette family, I have a feeling come Homecoming Weekend in the fall, it really will seem like I never even left in the first place.