The Warrior

University Choir Goes Virtual

Jasmyne Brennecke — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:34:21 +0000

When you hear the word ‘choir’, you may think of several different ideas: images of a large group of people singing in unison, long robes, or maybe even a church or balcony. But did the idea of computers and web videos ever come to mind? Probably not, but it has become quite common since 2010 thanks to the classical composer and conductor Eric Whitacre.
Whitacre begins by choosing a piece of his music and records himself conducting the piece. He then uploads his video onto YouTube where singers can watch sing along with their part: soprano, alto, tenor or bass.
The singers submit their own recordings of themselves to Whitacre who works with Scott Haines to compile the hundreds of accepted videos to put together Eric Whit acre’s Virtual Choir.
This year Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 3 will be performing his own piece “Water Night.” Eric Whitacre will be compiling his third virtual choir, titled Virtual Choir 3 Water Night, and it will be posted on YouTube in the spring. Marquette University Chorus is partaking in this unique opportunity.
The University Chorus director, Mark Konewko, has chosen this activity as an assignment for all his singers this spring semester. Mark Konewko first heard about Eric Whitacre five years ago when one of his students did a presentation about him in his music appreciation class. His choir has sung many of Whitacre’s pieces
before.
This year marks the first time Mr. Konewko has included Whitacre’s third virtual choir on his syllabus. “This is the first year I’ve had actual homework for my choir. At first I think they were more like, ‘Ugh, homework.’”
The people editing this virtual choir have agreed to send Mr. Konewko the names of his students who have submitted their videos so they can get the credit. “Getting to work with
Eric Whitacre, I’ve seen that he’s very sincere, genuine and a gentleman overall,” Konewko stated.
For some of Konewko’s singers, this was the very first time they had ever recorded themselves like this.
Jake Daggett, a freshman, said of the experience: “We were able to view [the conducting video] during rehearsals and practice. It was easy enough to do. When you did your recording later, it was hard to control your breathing. You sounded weird. You could hear the obvious spots where you took a breath. But when your video gets put with all the others, the other videos help mask over the spot people took for breaths and pauses.”
The only requirement was that the participating singers must wear a black shirt and be the only person in the room. The singers could record themselves as many takes as they needed before submission.
“We are so connected with the composer of the piece and to be part of something greater is my favorite part of this experience,” Daggett explained. “Who knows? My name might be recognized or maybe some of my friends’. I would definitely do it again.”
As for Mr. Konewko, the possibility of doing something like this with Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir again is still up for debate. “I don’t know that yet. I’d like to get more feedback from the students about their experience first to see if I will keep it on the syllabus for
next year.”
Whitacre’s Virtual Choir has grown significantly since 2010. His first virtual choir had numerous singers from twelve different countries while his second virtual choir was made up of over two thousand singers from fifty-eight different countries.
This year’s virtual choir will not only be uploaded onto YouTube like the previous ones, but Virtual Choir 3.0 is being developed to become an audio-video art installation in many cities across the world.
Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 3.0 is expected to be posted sometime in the spring. The deadline for submissions has been extended due to website and internet complications, but the normal time for release is around April or May. The announcement of its release will be posted on Eric Whitacre’s blog at virtualchoir.ericwhitacre.com.

Obamacare, Birth Control and a Loss of Freedom

Sam Kinney — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:28:16 +0000

Every president’s goal when in office is to do something “big” so that they will be remembered in the history books. President Obama’s “big” thing is his health care bill, which passed March 2010. The debate over the bill was one of the most intense ever in Congress and everyday Americans flooded the town halls of their congressmen to make their opinion heard. One part of “Obamacare” includes that private institutions must provide contraceptives to their employees. This is by far one of the most controversial parts of the already controversial bill. Frankly it is a terrible bill and violates the constitution by forcing employers to pay for contraceptives in insurance plans.

Where in the Constitution does it say that businesses and institutions must pay for birth control? It doesn’t. The Obama health care referendum is a violation of the Constitution and therefore our rights as Americans.

Health care should be provided by businesses, not the government. There are countless health insurance companies for a reason, to create competition. The United States got to where it is today with the idea of competition, it lowers prices and limits monopolies.

One thing President Obama fails to understand is that his health care bill will sky rocket our national debt even further than it already is. In the eight years that he was in office, President George W. Bush raised the federal debt a little over $4 trillion. In less than four years in office, Obama has raised the deficit over $6 trillion.

With the health care bill signed into law, some experts say it will increase the federal deficit beyond repair so it must be stopped. In just the last few weeks, the CBO reassessed the cost of the bill. Originally it was thought that the bill would cost $900 billion in the first ten years. Now it is believed that from now to 2022, Obamacare will cost $1.76 trillion.

Obviously the Catholic Church does not approve of contraceptives. Being a Catholic institution, I thought that Marquette University wouldn’t have an insurance plan that offered contraceptives to its employees, but it turns out that contraceptives are covered. Brian Dorrington, Senior Director of University Communication at Marquette, said that Marquette offers contraceptives to its employees but it requires a co-pay in addition to their normal health benefits.

This surprised me because generally speaking, Catholics do not approve of any form of birth control, but Dorrington pointed out that Marquette realizes that not all of its employees are Catholic, so accommodations have been made to satisfy those people—one of them being birth control.

Although Marquette already offers contraceptives to its employees, it is not right of the Obama administration to force institutions to do so. Marquette is a business and it should be able to do what it wants with its money and employees. If they want to offer birth control to their employees, so-be-it, but it should not be forced. It is a violation of our rights as free citizens to be dictated to by the government.

Just because Marquette offers contraceptive benefits to its employees does not mean that all schools or businesses must do so. The Obama Administration is forcing businesses to spend money that don’t want to or can afford.

The Constitution doesn’t authorize the government to take people’s money and redistribute it to pay for universal health insurance or contraceptives. President Obama and Congress are in direct violation of the law of the land, the Constitution, by the passage and implementation of Obamacare. Marquette, or any other business or institution, should pay for its employee’s health insurance on its own terms, not the government’s. This law needs to be repealed now or we will have set the precedent that an individual’s God-given liberty lies in the hands of the government. And with that precedent set, it only begs the question: what’s next?

Employment-at-will Must Stay Law

Sam Kinney — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:27:29 +0000

An employee of a company does something on the job that management does not approve of. He cannot be fired because the government says so. He takes his job for granted while thousands of unemployed Americans would love to have it. Seems kind of wrong doesn’t it? The United States is the only nation with an Employment-at-will law. It states that employees can be fired “for good cause, or bad cause, or no cause at all.” With it, employees and unions cannot take advantage of their employers. If a company feels the need to let an employee go, they should be allowed to.

Several weeks ago, Ron Mulvaney held a small press conference for journalism students in Johnston Hall. His goal is to end employment-at-will, a law that – in his mind – allows discrimination to workers and the unemployed alike. It doesn’t. That law allows businesses to do what they need to so they can make a profit. Why did countless American businesses leave for China? They had to compete with the rest of the world. By moving, their expenses went down and profits up. There was no discrimination against the American worker, we are just too expensive.

Mulvaney, 1960 graduate of Marquette’s School of Journalism, said he was honored to speak to students at his alma mater. He has held many journalistic jobs and is very experienced in his field. In spite of experience, he is currently a part-time employee at a local Boston Store. He claims that he is a victim of employment-at-will.

“This is a toxic law, it’s poison, it kills, it murders,” Mulvaney said.

However, employment-at-will is necessary. Without it, businesses are limited to more government regulation and therefore a further loss of freedom. If businesses are not allowed to give employees the pink slip then employees can do as they please. Businesses then lose money and cannot make all of their necessary payments and then ultimately go out of business.

Say a law is passed making it so businesses cannot fire employees – that is almost what Mulvaney is pushing for. Then lazy employees do not have to work at all but still get paid. It would lead to no one working and the end of American power as we know it. Obviously Mulvaney’s views are not that extreme but he never made it clear as to how far he would like this law to be repealed.

Repealing employment-at-will would lead to a loss of individual liberty and it would do nothing but further hurt our economy and lead Americans to be unmotivated to work. Not wanting to work but still get a pay check, sounds a lot like a socialist agenda. Socialism will only push the United States backwards.

“Mulvaney is very passionate about what he believes in, he has yet to give up,” said Eva Sotomayor, a freshman in the College of Communication. He wants to end employment-at-will because he says that it leaves six million people chronically unemployed every year.

He may be correct that this law leads some to be chronically unemployed but not everyone that is unemployed has to be. Yes the economy has not been great the last few years but it is not that bad that people cannot find work anywhere. Fast-food establishments are always hiring, yes they are not the best of jobs but it is work and their employees still make money. Instead of staying unemployed and blaming others for it, why don’t people do something about it?

Mulvaney pushed the AARP to help him in fighting this law. For a time they did show him support but eventually it faded. This was because the AARP focuses on social security and Medicaid, not so much on worker’s rights. Also, the AARP did not want to lose support from businesses. If Mulvaney’s movement to end employment-at-will becomes successful, then businesses would lose a lot of money and power over their employees.

His main struggle is that there is little support to end this law. Few people even recognize it as an issue, he said. He implored the journalism students to investigate, and to be interactive. There is a reason he has little support in fighting this law, because he is simply wrong! Anyone with half a brain can tell you businesses need certain freedoms to survive, being able to fire unnecessary employees is one of those freedoms.

A student asked Mulvaney why the upper class has not noticed the problems with employment-at-will. He responded by saying that people that have jobs don’t notice those that don’t, because they are too concerned with their own lives. He is correct but the more fortunate also understand that there are jobs out there right now, many of the unemployed are not looking hard enough. One can only “feel bad” for others for so long. It gets to a point that where the individual must help himself and not rely on others to do it for them.

Now there are some that are trying to find work but are unsuccessful which is a shame. But many free ride off hard working taxpayers – again socialism, the rich helping the poor. How can the United States maintain our power over the world when we live in an entitlement society? It is not possible.

Mulvaney’s efforts are admirable in stopping employment-at-will but he is misinformed. Businesses need economic freedom in order to grow and compete. One of those freedoms includes the right to release unnecessary employees. This country was founded on the ideas of economic liberty and it seems that every year, we are slowly losing those freedoms. Employment-at-will must stay law.

Sam Kinney

Samuel.Kinney@Marquette.edu

Business Abroad: El Salvador

Matt Faucett — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:15:25 +0000

On January 8 Dr. Noreen Lephardt, Dr. Heather Kohls and eight Marquette students embarked on an atypical Christmas vacation.
They did not spend their vacation in a four-star hotel or a water park enjoying the remaining days before Marquette began its spring
semester. Instead the group spent a week in El Salvador helping two small businesses grow and develop into profitable organizations. The Center for Global and Economic Studies in Marquette’s College of Business sponsors and runs the student program Applied Global Business Learning (AGBL).
The AGBL enables students and professors – organized into “brigades” – to travel to developing countries in order to help small businesses. In the words of Adjunct Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Noreen Lephardt, “AGBL brigades are an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge for the betterment of small companies in a developing economy, and I believe it is a transformation experience for them”.
The Marquette brigade, which consisted of a variety of majors including Spanish and Accounting and a MBA student, helped develop two Salvadorian businesses by applying the principles they learned in the classroom. The first small business the group traveled to was a purse factory.
This factory was not the colossal, smoke-stacked building with thousands of employees that Americans are accustomed to seeing. Only a few women ran this factory. They produced all their purses on three sewing machines. The building had a simple, paneled roof and walls on a concrete slab.
The students, aided by their professors, provided valuable business information and advice to the women. The group also provided the small business with a “SWOT” analysis, a method used to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a
developing business.
The group did not have the opportunity to stay in hotels with all the amenities. Instead, the students and professors stayed with the
families they worked with. The families lived in huts with dirt floors and sheets serving as the walls of the house.
Most of the brigade’s food was provided by the families, who graciously shared what they had with Marquette’s students and faculty. The group often discussed and reflected on their hosts’ hospitalities. These discussions had a deep impact on both the students and professors involved.
On the second half of the AGBL trip, the group visited a chicken farm.The business owned 560 chickens, which is not a lot compared to the thousands of chickens in factory farms in the United States.
The developing business had large issues with developing an effective way to distribute wages. None of the employees were being paid.
Marquette’s AGBL brigade helped the business develop an effective pay system and pricing strategy for the company in order to enable its future success.
While the brigade was often busy working with the developing the business, the group also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture and history of El Salvador.
The Spanish majors could utilize their skills in a realistic setting, as they translated for the group on many occasions. The group visited the death site of Bishop Oscar Romero and reflected in the Jesuit values of faith and
service, which was a key theme of the trip.
Professor Lephardt says the trip “is an excellent example of the transformational Ignatian educational experience that is a distinguishing characteristic of a Marquette University education”.
Not only were the businesses that the group helped better off, but the brigade also learned valuable lessons that will serve them well in their future endeavors.
The group learned how to communicate effectively despite cultural and lingual barriers. They also learned how to fix problems that come from starting a small business and get
the most out of limited resources. One of the most important skills the students gained was the ability to communicate freely with their
professors.
In the words of Dr. Lephardt, “For me, participating in the El Salvador business brigade was an exceptional experience because it established a different partnership of learning between students and faculty”.
Thus far, brigades have gone to India, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. This spring a group of students will go to Cost Rica.
Students interested in AGBL should visit

http://business.marquette.edu.

Wheelchair Basketball Tournament March 31

Warrior Staff — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:49:29 +0000

By Megan Stinn

The Second Annual Wheelchair Basketball tournament hosted by Delta Chi fraternity and Alpha Chi Omega sorority brings together the Marquette community to raise funds and awareness not only for their respective philanthropies but also the Milwaukee community with the help of Milwaukee Recreation.

The Wheelchair Basketball Tournament is from 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 31. It is comprised of 16 teams, each with five players. Each team member has to play basketball while in a wheelchair. The teams will compete through a bracket system, and the first place team will win a Sobelman’s gift card.

Participating teams are asked to donate $25, and all proceeds will be donated to Delta Chi’s philanthropy, the Jimmy V Cancer Foundation, and Alpha Chi Omega’s philanthropy, Domestic Violence Awareness.

This is the second year that Delta Chi has held the Wheelchair Basketball Tournament to raise money for the Jimmy V Foundation. Tournament organizer and Delta Chi member Freddy Terrazas asked Alpha Chi Omega to co-sponsor the event this year. Co-sponsoring the tournament was an opportunity the sorority was very excited to have.

“The event provides a unique opportunity for Greek unity by allowing a fraternity and a sorority to team up and invite other Greeks to participate as well,” Alpha Chi Omega Vice President of Philanthropy Shannon Rohn said.

Encouraging Greek unity isn’t the only unique aspect of the Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.

“The event brings together the Marquette community to raise funds and awareness not only for our respective philanthropies but also for the Milwaukee community with the help of Milwaukee Recreation,” Delta Chi Philanthropy Chair Freddy Terrazas said.

“This event is so unique because it gives students the chance to participate in something they have probably never done before. It is fun, challenging, and goes to a great cause, which makes this event so amazing,” Rohn said.

Interested teams can sign up for the Wheelchair Basketball Tournament through an EventBite.com link on the event’s Facebook page.

March Letter from the Editor

Adam Ryback — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:42:39 +0000

Thank you for picking up another copy of The Warrior! This issue we highlighted the presidential and vice-presidential elections for Marquette University Student Government.

It is a shame that none of the candidates have considered any cost-cutting measures to lower the cost of tuition. One has to wonder whether MUSG represents us or the administration. However, the bigger question is whether the administration takes their recommendations seriously. In the past the administration has approached MUSG to pass recommendations they support, such as changing the default settings on university printing machines to be double-sided.

Although I was thankful after this change was made several years ago, it made me think about what MUSG actually does for us. If they can only pass legislation which the university already supports, why not cut out the middleman? Hopefully our newly elected officials will be able to assert themselves and properly represent the students.

Disregarding my opinions on the organization itself, I believe that it is important for The Warrior to recognize Joey Ciccone and Trent Carlson, the outgoing president and vice-president. Both are tireless workers who truly care about their constituents. Whenever I needed information on the events in student government, they were more than helpful at providing it. The level of access and care provided to the students is truly worthy of respect. I wish them the best in all of their future endeavors.

Please enjoy the issue! If you have any comments or concerns, please e-mail me at editor@thewarrior.org. If you wish to join the paper, please sign up at thewarrior.org/join.

Thank you and have a blessed Lent.

Adam Ryback
Editor, 2011-12

General Honoré Talks Leadership

Sam Kinney — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:30:38 +0000

Lieutenant General Russell Honoré spoke Thursday Feb. 9 at the Weasler auditorium to students and staff about Leadership. His overall message was that our nation has lost its drive for invention. He implored his audience to try and be the “next big thing.”

Honoré is best known for his work done following the Katrina disaster. Aug. 31, 2005 he was appointed the commander of Joint Task Force Katrina. He further gained national attention with is attitude towards reporters that asked stupid questions. He once told a reporter that asked a stupid question to not get “stuck on stupid.”

His other big point to his audience in addition to being inventive was being prepared. He used many examples from his work in the Katrina effort to explain what he meant by being prepared. One line he repeatedly said was “For every dollar you save on being prepared, you save 12 dollars in response.” He was trying to convey to his audience that being prepared will be much more beneficial to you instead of just dealing with a problem as it happens.

He also said “If we lose power, we will be living as we did 80 years ago.” Honoré was referring to the Katrina incident when so many lost power and had to live a primitive lifestyle for so long.

He told us all this because Honoré made it very clear that he loves his country and it kills him to see it losing its power over the rest of the world. He said that it is our job to keep America free for the next generation.

He reflected on the American Revolution and told his audience “Next time you face something difficult in your life, consider your founding fathers!” He spoke extensively of the founders and the soldiers in the Revolution. This example was used when he spoke about being proactive; if you see a problem with something, fix it. “The founders saw a problem with the way they were being ruled so they took action.”

One very powerful yet comical message he conveyed to the audience was that he has no tolerance for terrorism. “If you see something bad about to happen, DO SOMETHING! If someone is trying to set their shoe on fire, I’m gonna’ to beat them!”

He made the connection that one of his generation’s big challenges was the Vietnam War and stopping the spread of communism. But the issues our generation is faced with solving is over population, world hunger and water – which is what he believes the next major war will be over.

One could almost hear the sadness in his voice when he was speaking of rising nations such as China and India. He wants the United States to be the most powerful nation forever and he sees that this next generation of Americans has lost the drive that older generations once had. Unlike the “Greatest Generation” Honoré said, there is no burden to go to war after school, but an obligation to be inventive.

Sam Kinney

Samuel.Kinney@mu.edu

Bridge TV Needs Real Diversity

Sam Kinney — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:25:04 +0000

Marquette’s Raynor Memorial built its bridge extension for the Raynor Memorial Libraries in 2002. Although the bridge has a great variety of food and a unique atmosphere, the television programming is bland. That is of course unless you enjoy watching CNN all day.

To a certain extent I understand why they chose CNN to be shown. Usually coffee shops and other restaurants tune into 24-hour news networks for their patrons. But this is Marquette. Why not play MUTV? The MUTV news program is broadcast on channel 99 Monday-Thursday from 6:30-9:30 pm. It is created, produced and anchored by Marquette students. During that three-hour time window shouldn’t Marquette broadcast its own news program?

I spoke with a number of my peers, and they all said the same thing: no one watches channel 99.
Some people, especially freshmen, do not even know what channel MUTV is. This is a perfect opportunity to market its own news program.

As stated, the MUTV news program is not broadcast 24 hours a day. But I tuned to channel 99 during a time that the news program was not being broadcast and I found what is called mtvU.

This is played during the 21 other hours of the day and during the weekends when MUTV is not on air. MtvU is just like the real MTV, it plays music videos by popular artists. Our generation is very connected with our music, so why can’t we enjoy it whenever we are able to?

I also asked random students if they would rather watch news all day or listen to music. To no surprise, all of them said they would rather listen to music. Why doesn’t the University satisfy the student’s demands? Studies have shown that people work better when they are happy and comfortable. Our generation is comfortable with listening to music while studying. Perhaps an older audience would enjoy watching CNN, but we students do not.

But why stop with music? The library can tune to ESPN, another 24-hour news network. ESPN has interactive shows such as NFL 32 and Sports Nation. These kinds of programs lighten the mood like music. The bridge could turn on ESPN at least some of the time.

However, there is something more at stake here. This television situation goes deeper than just music and sports. Political biases are coming to the forefront when solely broadcasting CNN. It’s no secret that CNN has a liberal bias. And any lefty can tell you FOX News has a conservative bias. If Marquette truly believes in diversity, they will play both. Marquette preaches to its students to be fair and be accepting of others. But Marquette fails to do so itself. Accepting other cultures is important. Why should politics be any different? The University wants us to conform to their ideas, but they refuse to accept mine. That is extremely hypocritical.

It’s not fair to those of us who are not Democrats. We conservatives are tired of indoctrination. I want a fair and balanced news program. If MU only allows 24-hour news network to play on the Bridge, I advocate for FOX News. Obviously, very few people would be in favor of only broadcasting FOX News. Why not allow FOX News and CNN?

I asked the librarians about this topic and Jean Zanoni, Associate Dean of Libraries, told me: “ESPN is out since it is too narrowly focused. MUTV is under consideration, but closed captioning is not available for MUTV. Closed captioning is essential since the sound is muted. Also, it appears that their programming schedule does not match Bridge hours. It would be challenging to schedule channel switching during library service hours. CNN continues to serve the needs of the area with comprehensive news coverage, closed captioning and display headlines. We also broadcast some sporting events such as the Marquette basketball games during tournaments, the Olympics, World Cup soccer, etc”.

I specifically asked Zanoni about MUTV, ESPN, CNN and FOX News. As shown above, Zanoni seemingly avoided answering about FOX News. Perhaps the library can shed some light on this issue.

Going back to the Zanoni’s response, how does CNN serve the needs of the area? Serving the area is what MUTV or local channels are for. CNN is broadcast throughout the world. Yes, CNN uncovers in-depth stories, but so does FOX News. FOX provides comprehensive news coverage, closed captioning and display headlines, just like CNN. Zanoni’s response appears biased.

The bottom line is that the Bridge has one television but only broadcasts CNN. They should show something more local to Marquette like MUTV or at least balance the liberal station with a conservative one like FOX.

Dynamic Power Trio Set to Amp up Marquette Music Scene

Joe Defelice — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:39:24 +0000

Look out Warriors, there’s a new power-trio rising in Wisconsin and they’re set to take the world for a ride. Boasting unadulterated, raw power, catchy lyrical style, and a great beat to dance to, The Living Statues are ready to kick some life into Marquette’s music scene.
The Living Statues bring an incredible blend of influences to create their own unique style. The pure crunch of the guitars and amps, a smooth bass line filling the bottom, and energetic drums keep the beat driving, but this isn’t just your daddy’s garage band. They bring a dance-rock rhythm that draws everyone together in front of the stage. The lyrics are very modern: brilliantly poetic and catchy.
“When I describe our sound to venues I tell them, ‘Imagine the White Stripes spilled their drinks on The Strokes and then got into a scuffle with Kings of Leon,’” says Morales.
Go to one of their shows and you soon realize that there is a lot more to the Statues than playing a few songs and going home. The showmanship is phenomenal, and it starts with the contagious, go-big-or-go-home fire of frontman Tommy Shears.
“We’re about to play one of my favorite songs,” Tommy announced most reverently to the crowd at The Bad Genie, “But it’s kind of intimidating when the man who wrote it is staring right at you…and his face is five by five.” For a second you could’ve heard a single pin drop, “John Lennon wrote this song.”
With that the Statues ripped into a rendition of “Well Well Well” that would have brought the rock legend to tears.
Meanwhile, behind the drum-kit Morales brings the steady spark and pop of the Statues. Truly the steady and powerful heartbeat that drives the band’s speedy dance rhythm.
Shears is the fire and Morales the heart, it’s Alex Thornberg that provides the ebb and flow that glues the act together at the seams. His smooth bass lines and cool, calm attitude complement his band-mates perfectly.
“Thorn definitely brings the cool to the act,” Morales said, “We met Thornberg recently. He’s from Chicago, and he fit right in.”
While Chris and Tom, both Milwaukee natives, have been playing together since high school they started collaborating seriously in 2008. While they have been known to pay tribute to classic hits, their main focus is their own original work. Their single “Red Shoes” was the first song they wrote together, back in ’08. It’s just the first of their ever-expanding repertoire.
Tom is a technically trained musician, having taken classical guitar for several years. Morales, on the other hand, didn’t play an instrument until high school. “My family is a musical one, my father played percussion and danced. Beats just come natural to me,” says Morales. Love of making music is clearly something shared by all members of the band.
“Seeing people go crazy dancing to a song that you wrote is the greatest feeling imaginable,” Shears told the Warrior.
While many college campuses are thriving centers of artistic culture, certainly the proving grounds for many aspiring musicians, it is not surprising the disappointment many artists have found at Marquette. Marquette is just not for the arts. That’s not to say that the university is against it. Yes, various dance companies and choral groups book the various theaters on campus. The History department even boasts a class on the history of rock and roll, but there is very little over all participation from the students. It is frustrating for many of the students on campus, but the Statues are determined to breathe some life into the Marquette music scene.
“Sure, there are a lot of musicians here at Marquette, and a lot of “cover” musicians. That’s great, but no one else here is doing what we’re doing,” says Morales. “The Annex has really stepped it up, we’re excited to play there in a couple of weeks. It is also rumored that WMUR, the campus radio station, is working on hosting a showcase of Milwaukee area bands, which will hopefully serve as some inspiration. “We were contacted by WMUR, they’re really trying to build interest in Marquette’s music scene as well.”
There isn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind, the Statues are on a roll. The band released a four song EP last October and have been on the fast track since, headlining their most recent show at the popular rock venue The Bad Genie on the 29th of January. Playing for amixed crowd of college students, locals, and fellow bands. Their next show is February 9th at a popular Madison spot called Frequency. But don’t worry Marquette, they’ll be back in action at the Union Sports Annex February 17!

Do It For The Kids

Gus Lopez — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:58:47 +0000

Welcome back, Warriors. I hope that your break was as fruitful and productive as mine, by which I mean that you accomplished even less than I did and earned yourself a little extra time at the Rec. In all seriousness, I do hope I find you all well.

However, I must dispense with the pleasantries, and get right down to it. I am upset, Marquette. I am upset and hurt that despite a whole semester of my (rather opinionated) advice, I walked into my classes two Mondays ago, and was besieged by all of the things I campaigned against. Sweat pants with boots, rampant bacon-neck, and ill-fitting garments of all kinds. But, what struck me the most, were my fellow males. But, wait, maybe I should offer some clarification.

I’ll take a second to breathe, and explain the background to my ire.

I spent my CHRISTMAS ( I’m a proud Catholic) break split between COD, sleep, the gym, dressed-up dinners, and nights on the town. But one of my most memorable nights, was at dinner on Christmas Eve. I was invited by a good friend of mine to spend the holiday with her family, as mine was out of the country. It was just some cocktails and snacks at 8:30, so I wore some khakis, a white Brooks oxford, and a festive (yet modest) sweater. I arrived at her comfortable suburban home and was greeted at the door by her Father, who was also in a button-up, sweater, and slacks. We exchanged greetings and small talk as he took my coat and then walked me into the kitchen, where everyone had gathered. All of the Men were in a similar uniform to ours, sweater-vests, BB ties, blazers, and button-ups. I instantly felt at home among these well dressed Gentlemen, all of them I would find out were successful or on their way to it, my kind of people.

Now, I know. Maybe, you say, its just because it was a holiday. Maybe it was just to appease their Mothers and Wives. Maybe they hated the collars and cuffs. But, I disagree. These Gentlemen looked like they couldn’t have possibly been more comfortable in anything else.

After a few minutes of introductions, I found myself speaking to an uncle. We were discussing how I had been pleasantly surprised to not be over-dressed, which I explained was almost always the case on Campus. He nodded knowingly and complimented me on my tie, “few kids your age even own ties anymore, it seems.”

Suddenly, I was struck.

Warriors, he’s right. What happened to us, as Men? Raise your hand if: You can tie a tie. A bow-tie? Do you know what size sport coat you wear? Did you use an iron in the past week? Do you take pride in a good pair of shoes? Or, pants that fit just right? I know some of you do, and the rest…

I get it. We’re busy. Times have changed. The era in which every Man wore a fedora and knew a tailor by name… They’re gone. Replaced by Jordan fitteds and Affliction tee shirts. Hell, there’s a chance we’ve probably romanticized the whole history of fashion. But, I have another question to ask you. Do you own a pair of Wayfarer’s? The big sunglasses with the silver accent on each upper corner? You do? You know who else did? Michael Jackson, Audrey Hepburn, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, and John F. Kennedy.

Here’s my point. Classics, will always be classics. I wish I could convince you all to join me in class rocking oxfords, khakis, and casually knotted ties. We could go out on the weekends in slim dark trousers and a solid blazer. Forgoing the jager-bombs for three fingers of scotch. But that won’t happen. So, instead, I ask you all: as Gentlemen, my Brothers, let’s step it up.

Every generation leaves a handful of items for their sons and grandsons to bring back. Every generation has that one thing that will always be cool, that will always get our girls to smile when we wear it. Let’s make it a resolution for this year, to stem the tide of terrible clothing. Its not too late! We’ve just barely started the Tens’ (or whatever it is we’re calling this decade). We can make a promise to ourselves, right now, to show future generations that we took ourselves seriously. That although we liked to wear t-shirts and sneakers instead of polos and loafers, we had pride. Because that’s what its about. We look at pictures of the Roaring 20′s, and laugh at their high cut trousers and newsboy caps. But people still wear skinny ties! In 80 years, what will they think of us? Maybe they’ll understand that times were different, they’ll see pictures and nod knowingly, “Yeah, our great-grandparents really liked to be comfortable.”

Then, they’ll zip up their futuristic metallic jumpsuit, throw on some Wayfarer’s, and head out the door.