Cedars, April 27, 2006

VOL . 54 ISS . 12 News . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 2 A & E . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Viewpoints . . . . . . 10 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Student Newspaper of Cedarville University C EDARS T HURSDAY , A PRIL 27, 2006 Features Weekend Weather Friday 68˚ / 44˚ Saturday 66 / 51˚ Sunday 60 / 52˚ Index I NFORMING , E NCOURAGING & I NSPIRING FOR O NE H UNDRED Y EARS ! Credit Card Overload Does American Express have a wing of their corporate offices named after you? SEE PAGE 7 S — PAGE 3 Entertainment Donald Miller Elliv: A Critique See what our Managing Editor had to say about this year’s show... — PAGE 12 The Demerits See where four years of “general rowdiness” has landed Dr. Mortensen and his band of merry (wo)men... and Chris Brubaker... C HERNOBYL : 20 YEARS LATER Wednesday, April 26 marks the twentieth anniver- sary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. In the latest hours of April 25, 1986, scientists at the nuclear reactor site seventy miles north of Kiev, Ukraine, began a low energy back-up test of reactor num- ber four’s cooling system. An unexpected power surge occurred when the reactor’s safety mechanisms were dis- abled, causing uranium fuel pellets within the reactor core to explode, and the wa- ter surrounding such pellets to flash boil. The dome cov- er of the reactor building was blown off, allowing radioac- tive material to flow from the structure and contaminated steam to rise into the atmo- sphere. Flammable Carbon Monoxide was ignited with- in the reactor core, starting a · Ryan Stalker · Managing Editor Touring Teams Take Off Cedarville’s touring teams will make waves this summer with their artistic and ministry endeavors. As summer approaches, many students are contem- plating employment and missions opportunities. For the touring teams, the sum- mer will involve both. These teams, which include Heart- Song, the Lifeline Players, and the Master’s Puppets, will travel across the country for nine weeks, sharing their talents with a wide variety of people. The teams will minis- ter in Christian schools, youth groups, and church services; they will also par- ticipate in summer camps as counselors, worship leaders, and activities staff. During this time of travel, the team members will stay with host families from the individual churches. Even though the teams are busy, their supreme goal is to take personal time with · Laura Ramey · Contributing Writer “Stocking” up for the Future “Mo’ money, mo’ prob- lems,” rapped Notorious B.I.G, but he probably wasn’t think- ing about penny-pinching col- lege kids. A vast number of students face financial challenges while attending college. Often, they struggle to buy the things they need on a daily orweekly basis. For most, the thought of invest- ing seems extremely unrealis- tic; many probably don’t care. Butcaretheyshould.Sound financial habits in college can prove extremelybeneficial later on. For example, an individual who contributes only five dol- lars a day to a 401(k) account starting at the age of 20will ac- cumulate over one million dol- lars by the time she retires. It’s one thing to recognize the need to invest. It’s another thing to know where to begin. Although there is a wide va- riety of options, from bonds to real estate to mutual funds, stocks are perhaps the most at- tractive option for the average university kid. Starting off in stock invest- ing requires the selection of a broker, a company or individu- al who establishes and plans fi- nancial investments. Ultimate- ly, the investor controls where his money goes, but the broker is an effective “middle man.” For college students, the most convenient and acces- sible options are online bro- kerages. Scottrade.com and Ameritrade.com are among the cheapest brokers, offering minimal share order, mainte- nance, and account close-out fees. Many online brokerages offer automatic investment options, deducting from the investor’s checking account and investing the money in a pre-determined medium on a regular basis. The key to stocks? Di- versify, diversify, diversify! Spreading funds among a va- riety of options minimizes the risk often associatedwith stock investing. Of course, diversifi- cation is not enough; to make a reasonable profit, investors should select grounded com- panies with established stock stability. Good sources of stock information can be found in publications such as Forbes and Wall Street Journal . An online investment periodical, Youngmoney.com, observes: “It is important to ‘buy what you know.’” For instance, if a student is interested in buying stock in Apple, he should in- vest when he knows the public will be most interested—for instance, when a new iPod is about to be released. As they prepare for the world of investment, students should always remember to ask for advice. Experienced in- vestors are often happy to share their insight with students en- tering the fast-paced world of the stock market. · Joe Holecko · Contributing Writer C ONTINUED ON PAGE 3 X*ACT: Little Theater, Big Impact In a small, 50 seat audi- torium boasting a stage no larger than most suburban back-porches, the directors and volunteers of the Xenia Area Community Theater are creating art with a tremen- dous goal in mind: “build- ing a community legacy, one show at a time.” Xenia Area Community Theater (X*ACT) is “more than an organization,” de- clares the official website. “X*ACT provides an oppor- tunity for us to create not only a theater, but a legacy.” X*ACT is an amateur the- ater organization founded in early 2005. The project was spearheaded by Orion Mon- roe, who now serves as Ex- ecutive Director. Originally from Xenia, Monroe returned to the town last year with the goal of creating a place that could offer “cutting edge and family theater.” With rousing local support, Monroe and X*ACT moved into the third floor of a 150- year-old building on South Class of : Welcome to the Real World. We hope you packed a toothbrush. Tennis Dominance These kids are going to be doing Cannon ads before you know it... — PAGE 14 Apparently, if you work for CEDARS long enough, you’ll have something intelligent to say to those around you... — See Center Spread — PAGE 6 Students Support Policy Changes Three major policy changes slated to take affect next year will involve dress code, room checks, and dorm open houses. Each spring, university ad- ministrators evaluate the student handbook, considering modifi- cations in response to feedback from Campus Congress, SGA, the Deans, and current and pro- spective students. As announced in chapel several weeks ago, stu- dents will be permitted to dress casually each Friday, beginning immediately. With the excep- tion of shorts, casual dress will be permitted for all summer ses- sions as well. Dr. Carl Ruby,Vice President for Student Life, shared that the rationale for altering the dress code stemmed not only from cultural shifts in professional and business attire but also from a desire to counter the impres- sion that Cedarville University is too strict. Prospective students and their parents were polled dur- ing the four busiest campus visit days on issues related to Cedar- ville’s standards of conduct and lifestyle. Respondents over- whelmingly preferred a more casual dress code. “There is still a role for Cedarville in teaching students how to dress profession- ally and in understanding how to identify situations where pro- fessional dress is appropriate,” said Ruby, but he also wants to be sensitive to changing cultural norms. The overriding principle that drives the dress code is a desire to encourage a biblical approach to modesty. Ruby expressed an understanding that administra- tors cannot punish students into modesty. “We are looking for non-punitive ways to create a culture that values modesty,” he said. In addition, the modesty rules should not only discour- age overly sensual dress, but also showy, ostentatious dress. The goal is for upperclassmen to set an example of modesty for freshmen and younger students. The second major policy change effective next year will be a decrease in the frequency of room checks. Instead of two weekly room checks, the admin- istration has opted to eliminate RA room checks and to require RDs to perform only one weekly room check. Instead of weekly room checks, the administration will require RAs to oversee one dorm open house per month. This third policy change is part of a trial period, as administrators seek the right balance for open houses. Originally, Cedarville’s C ONTINUED ON PAGE 4 · Nate Washatka · Staff Writer · Heidi Charlton · StaffWriter C ONTINUED ON PAGE 3 CAPTION HERE JOSH WILCOX | CEDARS JOHN HUDSON | CEDARS C ONTINUED ON PAGE 3