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The voice of Millikin University student body since 1903

In This Issue...News: Millikin Univer-sity bids farewell to Dean Renardo Hall

Features: Adrian McGurn fills us in on what Christmas is like in Ireland.

Arts: Andy Hudson takes a look into BBC’s hit TV show, Doctor Who.

Sports: Four athletes are named to All-Confer-ence.

Opinion: Nicole John-son writes a follow-up article about bullying

Opinion: Denny Pat-terson on the true meaning of Christmas.

Volume 111, Issue 5December 7, 2011

DepartmentsNews ........................... 1,2,3

Features ............... 5,6,11,12

Views/Opinion ............ 10,14

Arts ............................ 4,9,13

Sports ......................... 15,16

After three, going on four years of devoted service as the Dean of Student Development here

at Millikin University, Dean Renardo Hall has accepted the opportunity to take the role of Associate Vice President/Dean of Men at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Morehouse College is a historically

African American, private, all-male, liberal arts institution. Morehouse is one of the three remaining traditional men’s colleges in the United States. Notable alumni of Morehouse include Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta’s first African-American mayor, Maynard Jackson and actor Samuel L. Jackson.

According to Hall, the reason he accepted the position at Morehouse is

because it was an opportunity. “I am never hesitant in trying to do more and to be more and to see what there is to offer.” Hall said. “Never become complacent, never miss opportunities that may be presented to you. I tell students that all the time. Seek out resources, places that are much larger than Millikin. I don’t want to say at the end of my life I wish I could have or should have. At least I tried and attempted, I didn’t give up and I am satisfied with what I think I’ve done so far.”

Hall’s last day on Millikin’s campus was Nov. 18 and he will begin his work at Morehouse on Nov. 27. Assistant Dean of Student Development/Director of Residence Life, Raphaella Prange will serve as the acting Dean of Student Development until June 1, 2012 at which time Millikin will be selecting Hall’s successor. Hall is not sure if this move to Morehouse will be permanent or temporary.

“Millikin has presented an opportunity for me to consider that I am always welcomed back here at Millikin, and whether it is sooner or later will be determined by Millikin and Morehouse,” Hall said. “It is not guaranteed that I will have the same position. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but Millikin has been extremely supportive of me during my stay here and now it appears even after. I’ll do whatever I can to stand by Millikin.”

Hall claims that he is emotionally

drained as well as excited about the transition. Furthermore, he was not expecting the surprise celebration that was held for him in Wornick Dining Hall on Nov. 17. “You do things because you generally care, not because it’s a job or requirement,” Hall said. “You do it for the love of the people you serve and for me to have served the students and staff, that some felt I made a difference was humbling. I’ll probably have to say it was more than I expected. You don’t expect to always see the effects of things you try to do.

I got a glimpse of that; it was kind of a window of the people’s feelings. It was an opportunity for me to connect in a special way. I would have preferred to do what I did and just be able to go on because it was hard for me to sit there and receive. It’s easy for me to give, but difficult to receive.”

Hall is looking forward to the opportunity to become involved with Morehouse like he has at Millikin and to make a difference and become a part of the college’s history. “If I can make a small difference, that would be more than what I’d be pleased with.” Hall

said. When asked about what Hall will

miss the most about Millikin, he replied with “The students, the people and the interaction.” “I had an opportunity to be a part of your lives here, and that is something I will miss, but will take with me as I try to take mental pictures of every experience and remember how I felt and that will be a valuable mark, the feel of connectedness I take with me.” Hall said.

Students and faculty can still stay in contact with Hall by his Millikin email address. If his email changes, he would make sure the university would send out an email letting students and faculty know. Hall had a mission while he was here at Millikin and that was to make sure that students have a voice and there’s a seat at the table for them. He is hoping that will continue after he leaves Millikin.

“I will always feel comfortable coming back to Millikin,” Hall said. “Once you leave, you don’t return. I would always feel welcomed in coming back to accomplish new things, because there are things left to be done. I can always be doing something to assist students. Religion, family and what I do are the top three things that guide me. My family said I have sacrificed who I am to assist you in who you want to be.”

On behalf of Millikin University’s students and faculty, we wish you the best of luck at Morehouse College, Dean Hall. We believe in you.

Millikin Bids Farewell to Dean Hall

by Denny Patterson

“I will always feel comfortable

coming back to Millikin,”

Black Friday has come once again. However, this year is different. Many stores and businesses opened their doors at midnight on Nov. 25 right after Thanksgiving. Technically the sales still started on Friday, but many customers were angry about the price-slashing starting so early.

Customers complained about getting little to no sleep and not wanting to go out shopping at midnight. However, plenty of shoppers braved the cold and with a lack of sleep, went to go stand in lines outside stores like Wal-Mart and Best Buy for those marked-down televisions and appliances.

However, as busy as Black Friday usually is, it seemed as though not as many people were out shopping this year. That may have been because the economy is down, or people may just not be shopping as much as they used to. Never having been to a Black Friday sale before, a customer stopped at midnight in Wal-Mart said, “The store didn’t seem too busy to me, but this is also my first time out shopping

on Black Friday, and I only went to Wal-Mart in a smaller town.”

Many stores had good sales, though, taking as much as 40 and 50 percent off everything in the store. Stores that were having sales like this seemed to have more business than stores who were only having sales on certain items. However, the lines for those free TVs were still the winners in the Black Friday craziness. Electronic deals are always the most popular.

When asked if going out early on Black Friday was worth it, a customer said, “Well, when you have three kids and a husband, it is kind of nice to get away for a bit, so yeah, it is worth it for me. I went with my sister and our mom, so it was a girl’s day for us.” Along with all the shopping, Black Friday is also a social event for some.

Another said, “We may need more room in my van. Right now it’s completely full, and we haven’t gotten to all the places on our list yet.” As hectic and crazy as Black Friday is said to be, many people find fantastic deals.

One MU student said they stood in line at Best Buy for an hour to get the final Harry Potter movie. And it seems that even though some of the people who went Black Friday shopping got up extremely early, and some probably didn’t sleep, nobody looked overly tired. It must be the adrenaline of the day.

Black Friday has been known to be the beginning of Christmas shopping for many people. One customer after holding up her bags said, “These are all new clothes for my three kids for Christmas. It’s just easier coming when things are on sale because we have so many to buy for.”

Some customers do start their Christmas shopping on Black Friday, and others simply buy for themselves when things are cheap. Either way, Black Friday this year seemed worth it to most.

Black Friday Madness

While only a few days before winter break remain, there is still time to sign up for January immersion courses. Millikin University offers roughly 30 courses over break, and their enrollment deadline is typically not until right before the first day of class.

Students wishing to enroll in an immersion course can do so through MU Online, in the same way students sign up for their traditional classes. The deadline for registering for immersions through MU Online is Dec. 16. Pen and paper registration is due in the Registrar’s office before the first day of class.

The immersion courses are nearly all three-credit courses. The typical class meets for one week, Monday through Friday and sometimes Monday through Saturday, from 9 to 5 or 10 to 5, depending on the class. Some courses may be two weeks long with shorter instruction each day.

For students looking to fill some holes or catch up, the immersion courses can be a quick fix.

Taylor Hart, senior human services major, is taking Intro to Child Welfare: Addictions/Behavior Problems this winter.

“I needed some extra credits, but second of all I wanted to focus on addictions,” Hart said. “Some people focus on marriage counseling and other specific areas, but I would like for one of my focuses to be on addictions because it runs in my family and hits home for me.”

Other courses offered this winter include courses that meet the international cultures and structures requirement (ICS), various IN250 and IN350s, as well as numerous 100 through 400 level courses.

Amanda Podeschi, associate director of development and adjunct history professor, will teach American Women

in Film and History: Perception and Reality, and it is cross listed as both a HI210 and IN250 course. Podeschi says the benefit to an immersion class is that students are thoroughly immersed into one topic.

“Even if it feels like there is a great deal of work or reading, a student has to realize he/she is getting three credits for one to two weeks of class,” Podeschi said.

Podeschi says that most professors who teach immersions focus on great participation in class, as the classes are usually very small, and adjust the work outside of class accordingly. Students can focus all of their energy on one class, instead of the traditional balancing act every student is familiar with.

“While students have to do their part in making an immersion a great experience by participating, they can get a lot out of having a great deal of interaction with the professor that can happen in a small class of five to ten students,” Podeschi said.

Podeschi also noted that immersion courses allow professors the opportunity to teach interesting courses and interesting topic matter to their small group of students. For example, Podeschi’s husband RJ, Millikin’s senior database administrator and adjunct information systems professor, is teaching an immersion course titled Oracle Database Administration.

Students looking for credits rather than looking to learn the ins and outs of database administration can take Dr. Timothy Kovalcik’s course titled Holocaust, Genocide and Film. Kovalcik’s week-long course will address how the media views the global issue of genocide, particularly in relation to the Holocaust. The course is cross-listed as a HI360 and IN350.

Immersion courses for current Millikin students cost $364 per credit hour, which is the same price as credit from an internship, independent or directed study. Students taking two three-credit immersion courses that can stomach the costs will be paying $2250, which includes a “comprehensive fee” of $11 per credit hour.

Students who register for an immersion course but change their mind later have flexible withdrawal options. If the student has already paid, there is a full refund before 8:00 a.m. of the first day of class. A 50 percent refund is available through 5:00 p.m. the first day of class, and there is no refund after 8:00 a.m. of the second day of class. If a student is registered but has not paid, they have until the start of the class to pay.

“There’s not an easier way to pick up a few credits than a winter immersion,” Hart said.

For some students an immersion course means graduating on time, and for others it may not be the ideal way to spend winter break. If you are interested in signing up, find more information online at millikin.edu/immersion.

by: Sam Miller

by: Morgan Ewald

JANUARY IMMERSION

Registration begins Wednesday, November 2

Expand this January at Millikin University

January 2012

www.millikin.edu/immersion

Choose from a variety of courses this winter...University Studies CoursesMajor-required Courses Elective Courses

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“Well, when you

have three kids

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Not Too Late to enroll for Winter Immersion

Photo by Lindsey Compton

Page 2 December 7, 2011DECATURIANTHE

The Decaturian is published during the academic year by the students of Millikin University. Edi-torials reflect the opinion of the Decaturian editors, not necessarily Millikin University. Columns, com-mentaries and cartoons reflect the opinions of their creators, not necessarily those of the editors.

Letters to the editor are welcome and encouraged. Letters must be typed and should not exceed 500 words. Letters submitted as hardcopy must be signed and accompanied by a phone number and affiliation with the university. Letters submitted electronically may be sent to any editor or directly to decaturian@millikin.edu and must include af-filiation with the university. Hardcopy submissions may be delivered to the Decaturian mailbox in the Shilling Hall mailroom or the Decaturian mailbox in the English department, Shilling Hall 402. The Decaturian reserves the right to print or not print submitted material and to edit any and all material. All unsolicited material will be treated as a letter to the editor.

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The Decaturian is free to students, faculty and staff. However, subscriptions for the Decaturian can be purchased for $15 per semester or $28 per year. E-mail decaturian@millikin.edu for more information.All material contained in this publication is the property of the Decaturian of Millikin University. Requests for permission to reprint should be sent to the Editorial Board.

DecaturianMillikin University1184 W. Main St.,

Decatur, IL 62522-2084lcompton@millikin.edu

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief Lindsey Compton Senior Editor Margaret Eby Layout & Design Erie Patsellis Feature Denny Patterson News Sam Miller Arts Margaret Eby Views/Opinions Jacqueline Hollis Sports Kyli Humm Copy April Gleason Photo Editor Kaitlin Powell Copy Editor Morgan Ewald Cartoonist Anibal Valentin Movie Critic Jake Ray Columnists Adrian McGurn Abbey Smith Ally Schipma

Faculty AdvisorDr. Robert Wells

Advertising Staff Ad Sales Amanda Wagner

Staff Writers/Photographers* Tessa Hoffman Elise Scannell Izzy Taylor Kayla Mark Sierra Goldberg Kirsten Dedaitis Amber Spin Nick Rousseau Andy Hudson Nicole Johnson PJ Walker Travis Neese Grace Barnett Emily Kissel Toni Graves*

Staff Contributor Lauren Mudge, The Kind Life Club

Illinois Collegiate Press Association Charter MemberDECATURIANTH

E

DecaturCVB.com

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Dear Editor,Subject: Millikin University Must Obtain A Permanent Recycling ProgramMillikin University is on the brink of a green revolution. President Jeffcoat is on board to further MU’s environmental sustainability frontier, and the time to act is now. With ideas in the works to create an eco-village; including a windmill, organic gardening, rooftop gardens, permanent composting, living learning communities specific to students wanting to live sustainably, it is to much dismay that the easiest feat of all, recycling, is falling flat.

It is no surprise that this letter is arising on our campus; however, the surprise may arise when you become aware of who is writing it. My name is Ali Oremus, and I am the President of the Environmental Affairs Council (EAC/Green Club) of Millikin University. And guess what? I am upset and frustrated with the current recycling program, just as many of you may be. Honestly, I would imagine the campus as a whole would care to see improvements for such an important cause. Who isn’t aware of the important of recycling in the green revolution we see booming before our eyes? Especially with Decatur’s impressive single stream recycle program, this simple task of even simpler garbage sorting is perhaps the easiest way to help keep the environment around us beautiful, and yet we seem to be slacking.

The responsibility of recycling has fallen onto the EAC since the 1970s, and since then, has continued to be the sole project of this handful of students. Luckily, in the past two years, the EAC was granted a small number of student workers per year (around 2) to attend to recycling. Luckily, there are few recycling boxes and containers located around each building, however, with that in mind, a minimal number of student workers picking up recycling every few weeks for an entire campus does not seem effective. Issues that have arisen in having student workers include busy schedules when school gets busy (midterms, finals, schedule conflicts, etc), which inevitably puts recycling pick up around campus on the back burner. I’m not saying anything disrespectful about the work ethic of our student workers; what I am saying is that Millikin can do better in making this a more important task. What would campus be like if our garbage was disposed in this same manner; relying on a handful of students? We need to look into more permanent options, or at least offer a greater incentive. And as those few recycling attempts we have hidden and scattered throughout campus, I personally feel there can be a more prevalent fashion to take care of such an important task.

The main issue I see with our campus recycling issue comes down to this: Millikin University does not currently have a strong, unified campus-wide recycling program. If a perspective student is to look up Millikin’s recycling “program”, they would find the following information (available on the Millikin website) “There is a recycling program on campus sponsored by the Environmental Affairs Council. Many of the residence halls have recycling bins in the lobbies of the buildings.” The issue lies in this very description Millikin offers; recycling should not be a “sponsored” burden rested upon a sole group of students, it should be a worthwhile act and worth doing efficiently (for better pay or whatever it takes). Recycling can also no longer have a miniscule presence on our campus; it cannot be in “many” buildings, it must be present in all campus areas.

Of course, I understand there are those of you who may not see the immediate good in making efforts for the environmental sustainable initiative. I feel some of these negative feelings towards making efforts can have to do with politics, or even a fear of change. I am sympathetic to this, but perhaps you “nay-sayers” can put all personal prejudices aside to look at a few interesting statistics. Did you know the average person produces 4.6 lbs of garbage a day? And the average U.S consumer uses 500 plastic bags annually? What you plan to do with that garbage only adds to further statistics. We all know the saying “reduce, reuse, recycle”. We in the EAC love it of course! We have found that reusing recycled goods and turning it into new treasures, such as art work, jewelry, frames, and so on is a great cheap way to make treasure out of trash, and can even be a lucrative business. Did you know recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space? Personally, I have seen the great damage having recyclable goods mixed in with garbage can do; after taking a class field trip to the Decatur Veolia landfill, it was made aware that 95% of garbage can be recycled. Where does that put us?

So what’s the solution? To adjust the University’s budget to ensure the proper care and efforts are being by our student workers (or even an outside vendor?), so recycling may be made available at no inconvenience to faculty, students, and even potential students. Should we choose to adjust our budget; ensuring that our campus can provide campus-wide recycling with no difficulty in hindsight, we could each learn lifelong environmental sustainability skills that can truly be beneficial in our becoming a democratic citizen in a global environment. Doing everything we can to learn the right way to dispose of our trash, preserving the natural world we love and cherish for future generations, should be the most pressing matter in each of our lives. Let’s have Big Blue Go Green!

Yours sincerely,Ali Oremus Environmental Affairs Council aoremus@millikin.edu

In his “Brutally Honest” column, Denny Patterson criticizes the Bistro for several issues. While I was also upset about the coffeehouse closing and the evening meal exchange moving to the Bistro, I did not feel as if they should have been criticized on many of the “issues” he mentions in his article.

The first of these is the price issue. Patterson compared the Bistro to McDonald’s in his column. I felt this was a highly inaccurate comparison. I spent less than $6 on a bottled soda, chicken tenders, and fries at the Bistro recently; I used cash, so tax was added on to my total. At McDonald’s, this same meal would have been more expensive; buying the items separately, as I did at the Bistro, would have cost almost $10. Patterson also mentions, when discussing the pacing issue, that college students “at 7 p.m.” are hungry. This implies that he is going to the Bistro after the meal exchange has begun. I have not been to the Bistro for a meal exchange this semester; however, I would assume the meal exchange works as it did at Common Grounds, in which certain items were part of the meal exchange, and others could be bought with flex. If he is buying meal exchange-available items, the costs of the items would not be applicable. Finally, Patterson mentions that students only get a certain amount of flex dollars. He is forgetting that flex dollars can be added throughout the year if need be; I know many students who have run out and have simply added more through Student Services.

The next problem I found in this particular article was Patterson’s comparison of the Bistro to Common Grounds. He states, “I was told that there were no premade sandwiches, salads or desserts on display …”. As a frequent customer at the former Common Grounds, I had premade salads and desserts many times. These premade salads and desserts were more than likely moved from Common Grounds to the Bistro upon the change during the summer to give students the feeling that they were still getting the same quality they would have gotten at Common Grounds. I see nothing wrong with having premade items on display; many restaurants do, so why can’t the Bistro?

The final issue I have with Patterson’s column is his problem with the crowdedness of the Bistro, especially during the dinner hour. As a former Hessler resident, I ate dinner at Common Grounds almost every night during the winters of my years at Hessler. Because the meal exchange did not begin until 6:30 p.m., the line for the register was nearly out the door every night. My friends and I knew this, so we would simply try to arrive early to cut down on our wait. The employees worked as quickly as they could, and most of the students understood that. Patterson complains about having premade items on display but then does not want to have to wait for his food. If you want freshly made items, you have to wait for them, especially when there are other people in front of you in line. While the wait at Common Grounds, another location with only one register and one cashier, was sometimes annoying, it was worth waiting to get fresh food for dinner. The cafeteria at 5 p.m. is crowded as well; anywhere you go at its opening time will have a wait for food.

Finally, I find the “flat out ghetto” statement to be unnecessary. This paragraph could have ended with the word “clustered.” It seems to me that Patterson needs to branch out and meet other students on campus before referring to them as “ghetto.”

This article might have been more informative and, simply put, better if it was accurate and more well-researched.

Kristin Shepherd

EDITOR EDITOR’S Note

FASHIONAbbey’s

column

ADVICECOLUMN

LETTER EDITORTO THE

LETTER EDITORTO THE

Br utally

Honest

Br utallyHonest

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, especially at the Decaturian. We made it to our last issue of the semester successfully. Despite bumps in the road and everything

else that has gotten in our way, we have topped our goals for this semester. Looking back from where we started to where we are now, I can honestly say that have reached beyond our expectations. Although we are still looking at what needs to be improved, fixed, changed and altered, our staff walks away knowing that they have contributed to a completely changed paper. Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without the sleepless nights, hours of hard labor, writers, editors, advisor and mainly our supporters. It’s because of everyone that we are who we are at this very moment.

Next semester we have even bigger goals planned that we will keep a secret for now. All I can say is be on the lookout for our first issue of the semester. It’s going to be huge…especially with a staff next semester that will total more than 40 people. Which reminds me to ALWAYS mention: please e-mail us if you’re interested in writing, photography, graphic design, editing, etc. The newspaper is always looking for people to bring on-board; and we welcome these people with open arms. Even if you’re not interested in being a regular writer/photographer, why not contribute a Letter to the Editor? The Decaturian publishes ALL letters to the editor.

Amongst all, I do wish the December graduates well in their long journey into the real world. Millikin’s professors have prepared everyone for a successful future, and I know that the graduates will reap the benefits of taking the road less traveled in their education — an education that was hopefully filled with practical experience and wonderful memories.

Well, I wish you all good tidings these next few days as you prepare for your finals. There’s only one week left, so push hard and do the best that you can. Happy Holidays and see you all next semester!

Signing off,

Lindsey Compton, Editor-in-Chief

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