The Pilot
Wednesday, February 18. 2009
Page A3
Opinions
Top 10 list a conveni«nWopic for this column
By Blake DuDonis
Pilot editor in chief
To be honest with you, when
I was told that I got to write my
own column for every edition
of The Pilot, I thought it would
be simple and I would have to
choose one thing to write about
when there were hundreds that I
wanted to put in.
Well, I was wrong. There are
things I think of but they don’t
have enough substance to make
a good article, or it is something
that only a small number of peo
ple would enjoy.
For this edition, I thought of
something at the last second; I
thought it would be fun to do a
list of sorts.
My girlfriend’s favorite
movie is “How to Lose a Guy in
Ten Days,” so I thought the list
should have 10 things in it.
My list is one that all of us
can relate with: 10 ways you
know that you go to Gardner-
Webb University.
I know that variations of this
have been used and that there
is even a Facebook group that
has things in it, but I’m doing
this one off the top of my head
(and some last minute help from
Stephanie Richey),
Anyways, here we go;
10. You have been, or at least
almost have been, attacked by a
goose.
9. You seriously consider
driving to class even although
you live in a dorm and your
class is in Craig Hall.
8. The scoreboard for the
basketball games is older than
almost every building on cam
pus.
7. Your campus is “tobacco
free” but you see some of the
university’s staff members walk
ing around daily with chewing
tobacco in their mouths.
6. You have to yell “flush”
before flushing the toilet in case
someone is in the shower.
5. The food in the Caf looks
exactly the same going in as it
does coming out.
4. Climbing buildings is a
regular occurrence.
3. You miss class and your
professor e-mails you asking
where you were.
2, There are more televisions
in the Caf then there are fresh-
1. You get a front row seat
at any spotting event against
any team, even if you get to the
game 5 minutes after it started.
So there you have it. By the
way, in case Chuck Burch, ath
letic director of GWU is reading
this: I don’t know if you have
heard, but our woman’s swim
team is going for its fifth confer
ence championship in six years,
and the pool is a joke.
I don’t think it is insane to
provide arguably the best athlet
ic team at Gardner-Webb with
some slightly better facilities.
Just a thought.
The Pilot
Blake DuDonis
Editor in Chief
Nancy-Pat Dire
Designer and Advisor
Tyler Kuciter
Photo Editor
Lanny Newton
Sports Editor
Michelle Alwerdt
Sean Barrett
Emily Burgess
Jessica Caramenico
Karla Cruz
Jessica Mobley
Diana Palka
Molly Phipps
Christopher Shaver
Staff Writers
Tyler Kucifer
Casey Caldwell
Staff Photographers
www.gwupiiot.com
704-406-3844
P.O. Box 5192
piiot@gardner-webb.edu
Time for change: End Black History Month
By Sean Barrett
Pilot staff writer
Black historian Carter G,
Woodson founded Negro His
tory Week in 1926, seeking
to build self-worth in an op
pressed people.
Woodson chose Febru
ary because it contains the
birthdays of President Abra
ham Lincoln and abolition
ist leader Frederick Douglass
(which should kill jokes about
February being Black History
Month because its the shortest
month).
Woodson’s organization,
now called the Association for
the Study of African American
Life and History, expanded
the observance to a full month
in 1976,
Black History Month was
founded to preserve African
American culture, and teach
ing those who aren’t African
American about our heritage.
In a lot of black people’s
mi;^^ Black ^^ory Month
is for bl^^people, and
therefore fails to educate non
blacks.
This negates the event’s
original idea.
I believe that instead of
celebrating black history one
month out of the year, it should
be in the curriculum in history
classes in U.S. high schools.
I think it’s time to start pre
serving more than just black
culture, and start embracing
our ever-growing Hispanic
community.
I propose that, from this
day forward, we stop telling
the tale of two Americas, and
instead document and cel
ebrate the multicultural and
multidimensional story that is
America - in all of its colors.
geographies and passions, in
all of its ups and downs.
I also propose that, for the
first time in American his
tory, this country has reached
a point where we can stop
celebrating separately, stop
learning separately, stop being
American separately.
We have reached a point
where most Americans want
to gain a larger understand
ing of the peoples, customs
and traditions they have not
known.
I propose that each Febru
ary we become not an America
of black or white or Hispanic
or Asian, but an America of
black and white and Hispanic
and Asian, an America where
each of those heritages is a
mandatory part of school cur-
riculums.
We don’t need more
amendments to the U.S. Con
stitution to make this happen;
we need more amendments to
our own personal behaviors,
beginning with changing how
we treat one another.
We shouldn’t complain
about how others outside of
America treat us, when we
treat each other worse within
our own borders.
It’s been 73 years since
Woodson created Negro His
tory Week. ■
It is now time that Ameri
can history be American his
tory every day, that Americans
be Americans ah the time and
that we stop learning and liv
ing and celebrating separately.
Today, in honor of black
history, which is American
history, I propose that Black
History Month be no more.
Sean Barrett is an Ameri
can who happens to be black.
University Police do us all
a service with crossing flags
I want to thank the Gardner-Webb
University Police for making the orange
flags available for pedestrians to use
Letter to the Editor
whtBfrossing the city streets that adjoin
campus.
I was hit in broad daylight by a pickup
truck in October because the driver did not
see me as I crossed Main Street. I ended
up in the hospital and then a rehabilitation
center because of my injuries.
The flags will make it safer for every
one to cross the street, so I urge you all,
not just students, to use them.
Joyce Melton
Boiling Springs
Arts & Entertainment
‘He’s Just Not That Into You’
doesn’t inspire corrffniffnent
At last, an IKEA to bring
style to student housing
By Christopher Shaver
Pilot staff writer
There are some movies that can
change your life forever, and then
there is “He’s Just Not That Into
You.”
The movie follows multiple
characters’ love lives that are not
going well. Although the star-stud
ded cast - including Jennifer Anis-
ton, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Con
nolly - tried to create an effective
romantic comedy on the insights to
dating, the film failed to give a qual
ity story line.
It starts by showing a 5-year-
old girl being bullied by a boy on
a playground. After the distraught
child goes to her mother, the parent
lets her daughter in on a secret: “He
likes you.”
That sets up the audience to meet
Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) 20-some
thing years later. She is attracted to
people who are interested in one-
night stands and is desperate for a
man’s attention.
Gigi later meets Alex (Justin
Long) — also known as the “Mac
Guy” — who happens to know
everything a man thinks when it
comes to dating. As the relationship
blooms, we meet Gigi’s coworkers
and friends, who have their own re
lationship issues.
. Unfortunately, their stories run
together and create an incoherent
mess that fails to redeem itself.
There were too many characters to
get down to the true human aspects
of the film.
The acting was not convincing
and the storyline was full of shal
low insights that made you wonder
if the movie really was based on a
self-help book.
The movie was choppily edited,
including dividing it up as a series
of chapters with titles like, “When
he’s sleeping with someone else...”
These interruptions are always fol
lowed by side characters talking
about their dating experiences, and
never being seen again.
After finding a few cheap laughs
on homosexual stereotypes and
overplayed jokes from other ro
mantic comedies, “He’s Just Not
That Into You” carried no weight.
The film went on 30 minutes too
long and seemingly tried to mimic
“Closer” for a popular audience.
“He’s Just Not That Into You”
had potential. Skip the theater and
rent it when it comes out on DVD.
Lily Allen’s latest great pop
By Maija Gustin
The Observer
Notre Dame University
UWIRE
Last week, British
songstress Lily Allen fol
lowed up her acclaimed
album “Alright, Still” with
“It’s Not Me, It’s You.”
Allen still sounds like the
same quirky pop-punk girl
she was in “Alright, Still,”
but has stepped away a lit
tle from her formula with
this new release.
“It’s Not Me” shows
Allen trying to deal with
serious topics like love,
sex, materialism, drugs
and politics. You’d never
know it, though, since her
songs are still perfectly
tailored to the dance floor.
Allen may not always suc
ceed at making a political
statement, but she does
always succeed at making
people want to dance.
Each spng on the CD
could be a hit single. In
some ways, this makes
Allen’s album less cohe
sive, but that’s not really
her goal. Each song is just
meant to be a great song.
“It’s Not Me, It’s You”
is often raunchy, crass and
explicit, but Allen hides
it well. Her songs often
hqve the drug-like abil
ity of distracting from the
lyrics. The lyrics specifi
cally are very hit-or-miss,
but with Allen’s sound,
that doesn’t really matter.
Her songs are great pieces
of pop that can revel in ir
relevancy.
As a whole, the album
is solid, but each song
stands out in its own right.
Some of her songs are in
sightful political and so
cial commentaries, while
others just try to be, but
she has created a great
work of pop that deserves
a listen.
Rock # ro9 royalty
Photo by Tyler Kucifer
Noted singer/songwriter JD Souther is pic
tured here in the WGWG studio Saturday,
where he gave an interview before a show
he did in Charlotte that night. Souther has
worked with recording artists inciuding the
Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor.
He is on tour novJkupp^^kf his CD “If the
World Was You,”Tlnich is^R
he has reiaeased since 1984.
'■ first recording
By Jessica Caramenico
Pilot staff writer
IKEA has finally
graced our region of
North Carolina, with the
opening of the University
City location in Charlotte
today.
IKEA is definitely
worth considering when
planning the decor of your
living space.
It is an amazing store
for anyone on a budget.
Yes, it has expensive
product lines, but it also
has incredible deals on
small, exciting items that
can change a dorm room
or apartment from dull
and drab to rejuvenated
and chic.
The chic, innovative
furniture and house wares
company was started in
Sweden in 1943, and is
headquartered in The
Netherlands.
According to its Web
site, IKEA has 36 loca
tions across the United
States, including the new
Charlotte store.
As a Pennsylvania na
tive who grew up with two
IKEAs within easy travel
ing distance of home, I
was quite excited to learn
of the new location in
Charlotte.
If you do not have
time to visit Charlotte,
just a few clicks around
IKEA.com will bring an
overwhelming number of
options to you.
Items range from fu
tons with different styles
of mattresses and fresh.
modem covers, to table
lamps that range in colors
of clear glass with cherry
blossoms to nearly every
color of the rainbow.
A great idea for dorm
room rejuvenation would
be one of many duvet cov
ers that IKEA has in stock.
The covers slip onto the
comforter you already
have, and come with two
pillow cases, and start at
around $15.
With the extensive se
lections in patterns, colors
and prices, there is a new
look for everyone.
Another dorm room
staple is a mg. It is a must-
have, even if the room is
carpeted, and IKEA hhs
that covered - at afford
able prices. They range in
styles from shag, modem
and geometric to earthy,
woven mgs.
The least expensive
mg I found was a hand-
woven mg for a little over
$2.
Another feature worth
taking advantage of is the
e-mailing list. IKEA sends
e-mails packed with dis
counts and deals that are
only sent by newsletter.
As students with bud
gets, deals can be the dif
ference between buying
something and waiting to
find a cheaper item.
Something to note
about IKEA, though, is
that all the furniture is
assembly required. So
before you order, make
sure that you have access
to tools and help to put it
together.
SGA meeting open to students
SGA is meeting tonight at 8 p.m. in Ritch Banquet
Hall in Dover Campus Center. All students are wel
come to attend.