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Autumn 2014 Volume 312, Issue 3b
AD MAJORAM DEI GLORIAM
I
’m sure you’ve
noticed something a
little bit different about this year’s Intra-
mural football season. Maybe you’ve
noticed that it’s more organized, maybe
you’ve noticed that the rules are consid-
erably more strict, or maybe you’ve
even noticed the grammatically perfect
set of rules put forward by the office of
the Commissioner of Intramurals. If
you’ve observed any of this, then you
will probably know it is a consequence
of Mr. Hill taking charge of the school’s
Intramurals program. I sat down with
Mr. Hill for an interview exclusive to
the Cub News.
I asked Mr. Hill if he was excited
about his position as Commissioner of
Intramurals this year, and he said that he
was, “to some extent.” He said that he
had experience with running the pro-
gram. His first time was in the mid-90s,
when he first began teaching at The
High, and he chaired the Intramurals
program again as Dean of Students. He
enjoyed both of his previous experienc-
es with the Intramurals program primar-
ily because he “like[s] organizing
things” and “like[s] making trains run
on time.”
My second question for Commission-
er Hill was if he had any goals for the
Intramurals program entering this year?
He responded with a very specific list.
The first was that he would like “to in-
crease participation” on the part of the
students. The second goal of his was
“the students would have fun.” He also
told me that he “wanted to raise the visi-
bility” of the program. Ultimately, the
latter two
goals would
both assist in
increasing
participation
in the pro-
gram.
My third
question for
Mr. Hill was
if he
thought,
through the
first couple
of weeks of
the Intramu-
ral Football
season, that
this program
was more
successful, less
successful, or the
same in regards to last year. He told me
that he wasn’t involved in the program
last year, so he didn’t really know. He
also informed me that Mr. Johnson left
the program in a very good position, and
that it would have been hard to do better
than Mr. Johnson. “So far, I’m pleased,”
said Mr. Hill about the first two weeks.
He is very happy with how well-
organized the season has been so far,
especially since games began the second
week of school, and that “it didn’t take
three or four weeks to get teams togeth-
er.” He is also very happy with the pub-
lishing of standings on a weekly basis,
as you have probably noticed, in home-
rooms and in the hallways. “I think
we’re off to a good start,” concluded the
Commish.
I asked was if there was any part of
the Intramural Football rules that Mr.
Hill would like to revise, and he re-
sponded with a firm no. He wrote the
rules himself with the intention of effi-
ciency when playing. If you have partic-
ipated in Intramural Football so far this
season, or even if you’ve just read the
rules, you’ll notice they eliminate first
downs, and limit each team to only one
run play per possession. Mr. Hill said
that this forces the quarterback to throw
the ball down-field, which “creates
some fun and excitement.”
My penultimate question for Mr. Hill
was about how he thought the Intramu-
ral Football season was going through
the first two weeks. He said that it is
“good, not great.” His reasoning for this
is that he was a little disappointed in the
fact that some homerooms fielded a
team, but never show up, resulting in a
forfeit. Some homerooms failed to even
sign up, which is a little disappointing to
him. He told me about one of the great
features of this year’s Intramural Foot-
ball season. He decided it would be best
to go back to homeroom teams for the
sake of organization, and because they
provided a
more diverse
pool of abil-
ity; further-
more, it helps
the home-
room to
come togeth-
er and bond
as a home-
room, as op-
posed to a
group of elite
athletes, who
are already
good friends,
creating
teams and
dominating.
This way,
Intramurals
can be more fun
and more balanced in regards to compe-
tition.
My final question for Mr. Hill was
about what to expect going forward for
Intramurals. Being the well-organized
man that he is, he was able to provide
me with a tentative schedule for the In-
tramural sports to come. The schedule
included well-run, serious playoffs be-
ginning in mid-to-late of October. He
also told me to expect a quick turna-
round between seasons, so the Dodge-
ball season would begin right around
Halloween, and Basketball after the Se-
mester Exams. Mr. Hill is also looking
to do another sport beginning in the
middle of March, for which some op-
tions include Kick-Ball, Soccer, Ulti-
mate Frisbee, or even another season of
Football. He said that he would like to
do Volleyball, like he did before, when
he was Commissioner, but he is getting
the impression that there is little interest
in it. Mr. Hill said that in the 90s, Intra-
mural Volleyball “was really competi-
tive,” and that “it was taken really seri-
ously” by the participants. I’m sure that
if students informed Mr. Hill that they
would be interested in playing Intramu-
ral Volleyball, it would be very likely
that it would become quite popular.
I also sat down with Mr. Simmons,
the Dean of Co-Curriculars, for an ex-
clusive interview about the state of the
Intramurals program under Mr. Hill.
This interview was, however, not an
evaluation of the job that Mr. Hill has
done thus far as the Commissioner. My
first question was if Mr. Simmons had
any expectations of the Intramurals pro-
gram under Mr. Hill. He told me that he
expected it to be well organized, well
publicized, and that it would provide
students with opportunities to get in-
volved.
My second question for Mr. Simmons
was what is his opinion was on the state
of the Intramurals program under Mr.
Hill through the first two weeks of Intra-
mural Football. Mr. Simmons responded
that returning to homeroom teams has
been an adjustment, especially for the
students, but he expected the change to
be very beneficial as the season pro-
gressed.
My final question was one that I also
asked Mr. Hill, and that was if he
thought the IM program has been more
successful, less successful, or the same
in regards to last year. Mr. Simmons
said that it was too early to tell, but he is
excited for this year, and that we will be
better able to evaluate the year as it con-
tinues.
All in all, I believe that Mr. Hill being
the Commissioner of Intramurals will be
very beneficial to the morale of the stu-
dent body. Having a well-organized pro-
gram is essential because a chaotic
game of Intramural Football can be ra-
ther stressful, especially if it’s your op-
ponent who is breaking all the rules and
getting away with. Sure, going back to
homeroom teams is an adjustment, but
at least now, you don’t have to worry
about searching out every one of your
teammates on game day just to have
them tell you they have a test to study
for, or a paper to write at the last mi-
nute. It’s for the better, and I hope to
revisit the Intramurals program later
with Mr. Hill and Mr. Simmons for an
update.
Cameron Keuning ‘16
Editor-in-Chief
This is Mr. Hill’s third me serving as the Commissioner of Intramurals.
Some juniors out enjoying Intramural football
The Cub News, Autum 2014
Page 2
Welcome, New Teachers!
Connor Hamm ‘16
Staff Writer
A
few days ago I caught up with
one of the newest additions to the facul-
ty/staff roster, Tom Shermetaro. Mr.
Shermetaro is known to the average U
of D student as the new Physical Educa-
tion teacher, but after school hours he
also holds a job as the new Varsity Cubs
lacrosse coach. As a player for this new
coach, I thought it would be nice for
you, the student, to meet our new coach,
so I asked him a few questions:
Coach Shermetaro
Q: Coach Tom, now that you are a
teacher AND the new head lacrosse
coach at U of D, what advantages will
present themselves for the team now
that you will be around 24/7?
A: It opens so many doors for the off-
season. Now I will be able to push my
players to put in work in the weight
room or on the field during the offsea-
son, as well as the fact that it gives me a
chance to get close to the team.
Q: Looking at your schedule, the
hardest challenge is going to play the
#2 team in the nation, Culver Acade-
my. What can you expect from our
Cub lax team going up against a team
of this stature?
A: I expect us to contend with a high
power team such as Culver. If we put in
the work and the hours, anything is pos-
sible.
Q: Last year, a couple of our key sen-
iors graduated from the school. How
do you expect your team to respond
and fill those roles?
A: Coming into this season, this could
be the most high-powered team we have
had in years. We are young and fast
team, so filling the holes on our roster
should not be too much of a problem.
Q: What can we expect from our var-
sity Cub lax team this season, espe-
cially after a roller coaster type year,
only gong 1-13 in the regular season,
but becoming a Cinderella team in the
playoffs and going to the final four,
winning a regional championship?
A: This year expectations are higher
than ever before. I can honestly see our
team putting on a good showing at the
Midwest Tournament, as well as walk-
ing away with Catholic League and
State titles. The potential this year is sky
-high, and we have to talent to be the
best. Offseason is just as important as
the regular season, though. We can only
achieve so much as long as we start the
process right now.
Well, it certainly seems as if the
year ahead for the Cub lacrosse team is
looking bright. A promising opinion
form first-year head coach Tom Sher-
metaro reveals that Cub lacrosse is back
and hungry for more.
Alexander Marquis ‘18
Staff Writer
Q
: What college(s) did you attend?
A: I attended Niagara University for un-
dergrad, where I studied English. I also
attended the University of Toledo,
where I got my Masters in counseling,
and the University of Toronto where I
got my Masters in Theology.
Q: What inspired you to come and
teach at U of D?
A: I taught in public school for a lot of
years, but I got the chance to teach in
private schools later in life and enjoyed
it a lot. I hadn't been able to teach theol-
ogy in a long time, so I decided to come
to U of D.
Q: What is the biggest advantage and
the biggest disadvantage of the BYOD
program?
A: Biggest disadvantage is everyone
knowing how to work the device, and
understanding how to connect to the Wi-
Fi. The biggest advantage is yet to be
found because we are all still experi-
menting, and once we figure everything
out, we will benefit from the program.
Q: Why is it important we teach The-
ology in school?
A: It’s why we are here. You can learn
math and physics any other place. Here
at U of D, we teach kids theology so
they can connect with God, and so they
can be a better Man for Others.
Q: After filling in for Mrs. Kelly last
year, what advantages do you feel you
have over other new teachers?
A: Just an idea of how the whole system
at U of D works.
Q: What has been your favorite part
of teaching at U of D so far?
A: The responsiveness of the students.
Q: What is the message you want all
your students to walk away from your
class with?
A: There is a spiritual side to your life,
but you have to find it yourself.
Mr. Geraghty
Q: If you could change one thing
about U of D, what would it be?
A: Every teacher would have their own
classroom. Floating around to different
classrooms isn't fun.
Q: What is your ultimate guilty pleas-
ure song?
A: “Rock Lobster” by The B52s. I saw
them at the Fox Theater a while ago and
it was one of the best concerts I ever
went to.
Alexander Marquis
‘18
Staff Writer
Q
. What year did you graduate
from U of D, and what college(s) did
you attend?
A. I graduated from U of D in 2010, and
I attended Wheeling Jesuit University. I
played lacrosse there and majored in
business.
Q. What is the biggest advantage and
the biggest disadvantage of the BYOD
program?
A. The biggest advantage would be if
you forget something in class, like a dia-
gram or a worksheet, you can pull it up
on your device. The biggest disad-
vantage would be kids using their devic-
es during their off periods instead of do-
ing homework or socializing.
Q. What is something that is exactly
the same about U of D, and something
that has completely changed since you
attended the
school?
A. Something that is
exactly the same is
Mr. Gumbel moni-
toring the traffic
pattern. Not a lot is
different about U of
D. We didn't have
the BYOD program,
and we didn't have
to use lanyards. We
just kept our ID’s in
our pockets or our
wallets.
Q. What made you
want to come back
to U of D to be-
come an AVC?
A. I wanted to give
back to the students
because I know how influential
AVCs were when I was in high school.
Q. What is the best part about being
an AVC? What is the worst?
A. The best part is having the ability to
give out jugs, and the worst part is hav-
ing to wake up at
6:30 in the morn-
ing.
Q. What is your
ultimate guilty
pleasure song?
A. Let’s go Taylor
Swift - “Shake it
Off”
Q. What are
your hopes for
the JV-A soccer
team this year?
A. Win the Catho-
lic League. That’s
it.
Q. What is like
teaching with Mr.
Tuite?
A. It is really fun because I had
him as a coach and a teacher, so it is in-
teresting to get a co-worker’s perspec-
tive this time around.
Q. what was your favorite movie you
saw over the summer?
A. Transformers 4
Q. Anything else you want to add?
A. Watch out for me at dances.
Mr. Mills ‘10
Mr. Mills keeps watch at mass
The Cub News, Autumn 2014
Page 3
CUB LIFE
Joe Cozzolino ‘15
Student Senate Liaison
W
ith Homecom-
ing, spirit week, spirit games, Icebreak-
er, and a pep rally all within the first
month of school, the first week for the
Senate was busy to say the least, but af-
ter it was all said and done, everything
went according to plan. The Senate of-
ficers and co-chairs got together a lot
both during the summer and during the
first few weeks of school to get the be-
ginning-of-the-year festivities in order.
Icebreaker drew almost 800 peo-
ple for what most call “the biggest dance
of the year,” while this number was low-
er than that of most years in the past, the
fact that there were two prime-time
games being played by teams from
Michigan did not help the attendance.
Overall, dance co-chairs David Piper
and Brendan Dudek were pleased with
the result. The brilliance of 007-Mile
Homecoming was made a reality after
months of planning, and everything
went, in President Payton McLoughlin's
words, “As smooth as it could have.”
The pep rally was the next big
event that we spent our time planning.
All in all, it was considered a success
after the students pulled the upset over
the teachers in a tug-of-war battle. As
for the student sections for the fall se-
mester, this is the biggest average at-
tendance for games I have seen in my
four years at The High. With a Home-
coming game attendance that easily out-
numbered last year's and bleacher-filling
crowds at each of the first two home
soccer games, hopes are high for the stu-
dent sections for the rest of the year.
When I asked senior student section co-
chair Patrick O'Shea what he thought
about the attendance at the games so far,
he said it was “beyond real;” however,
he went on to say that despite the crowds
being large, the guys need to step it up
when
it
comes to the noise.
The next big event for the senate
is Pledge Detroit. Kickoff was Tuesday,
September 23rd, and Senior Pledge De-
troit co-chair Joe Nittmann could not
have been more excited. He said on the
subject, “I've been waiting for this mo-
ment ever since I was appointed four
months ago.” Nittmann gave a riveting
speech to get the guys ready for the
fundraiser. This speech ended with a lit-
tle something extra. Joe promised that
he, along with the Senate officers and
his fellow co-chair Jimmy Pierce, would
shave their heads if $200,000 was donat-
ed in the fundraiser.
So far, this year has been a very
successful one for the U of D Student
Senate. Everything up until this point
has gone very well, and we are looking
forward to a year to come.
John Ghawi ‘16
Editor
T
he U of D Jesuit MAGIS program
is designed to identify students with
academic struggles and help them to
overcome those struggles. Some stu-
dents may have noticed that the MAG-
IS program is very different this year. It
has become a
more flexible,
student-centered
version of itself.
Students who are
involved in the
program now
have the option to
attend in the
morning (7:00 -
7:45), during all
three lunch peri-
ods ( you can
bring your
lunch), and after
school (3:00 -
4:00), as MAGIS
is traditionally
done. Why the
changes? Co -
Director of the
program. There are also
now two mentors per room,
which allows for more one-
on-one work in a larger va-
riety of subjects. The new approach
seems to be working - kids are able to
go to the morning or lunch session so
they don’t miss football or soccer prac-
tice. Some motivated learners even at-
tend more than once a day. I visited the
MAGIS rooms after school (212, 215,
or 217) and saw kids hard at work. Mrs.
Grady was quizzing them about the
bones in the human body for Mr. Tu-
ite's health test (metacarpals!), Mr.
Spilker was going over papers
(Maslow's Hierarchy... again), and Mr.
Mals was reviewing World History
terms (Why wasn't that elephant do-
mesticated?). No one seemed sad or
bummed out to be at MAGIS. "This is
not a study hall. Kids are expected to
come in with
a plan and
work to do.
Sometimes
you will do
homework,
but just as
often we
will work on
studying for
specific tests
and basic
study skills,
which 9th
graders in
particular
tend to lack,
BUT we
want it to be
a happy,
productive
place where
kids can learn and work on
their various struggles,"
states Mr. Spilker. MAGIS
is definitely a force for good
in the school, and it shows that every-
one, even kids who might struggle a
little bit, is a part of U of D.
Xavier McCormick ‘16 heads the
big soccer ball during the Spirit
Games
A student receives math help
from Mrs. Grady
(Photo credits to Kenneth
Donaldson)
The Cub News, Spring 2014
Page 4
Pop Culture
Aaron Abney ‘16
Style Columnist
L
ast week was the biggest week for
fashion of the year. New York fashion
week has been the most covered event
of the nation’s fashion for over 30 years.
Fashion week presents both the design-
ers that people know and love and the
designers that people don't know, but
who have proven talent. This year, how-
ever, some of the major designers didn't
impress me.
Marc Jacobs really disappointed
me this year. He over-designed this sea-
son, making his show hard to enjoy.
He's always has been known for struc-
tured pieces, but he over did it this sea-
son. “Less is more” is a theme he should
have considered. Look 23, pictured be-
low, expresses my exact sentiments.
Each piece on the model is considered
to be a statement piece. The top with a
pencil skirt would have been TO DIE
FOR. Instead, Marc Jacobs pieces to-
gether his asymmetrical skirt, which
takes away from the craftsmanship of
the top. If I was forced to pick a favorite
piece of this show, it would probably be
look 26, which was a signature piece for
this collection. The black cropped jump
suit really saved their fall season.
Michael Kors’ show this season
was satisfactory. It was hit-or-miss with
most of his fall collection. In my opin-
ion, he totally messed up on the fit of
each of his male designs. Oversized is
an understatement. Fortunately, over-
sized suits were left in the 80s, so I not
excited to see this well-known designer
place it back into fashion. Look 27 pic-
tured below is exactly what I'm talking
about. The fabric choices are amazing,
his leather pieces can be compared to
the best, but the fit of this look on the
model bothers me tremendously. Alt-
hough I didn't like this look, Mr. Kors
takes my breath with look 11. Look 11
is innovative enough to push the enve-
lope, but simple enough for everyday
wear. The heavy grey crew-neck can
work with anything, and so can the
pleated khakis, which are tad big, but
still work. The travel bag gave me
chills, though. The bag is similar to Her-
mes Birkin, so this bag makes anything
look good.
The best show of this season was
Balmain by far. Kim Kardashian has
been seen in his looks on numerous oc-
casions. Looks 7 and 2 just prove that he
presented the best line this season. Look
7 was the definition of high fashion.
This designer took innovation and ex-
panded it. This piece is a white leather
romper cut with a high-waisted brown
belt. The jacket is what takes this look
from just okay to amazing. The jacket is
a triangle structure shape with gold ac-
cents. Brought together with a perfect
brown 4-inch heel with no platform,
Look 2 is more of a professional look.
Women pantsuit can be deadly if done
incorrectly, but that's not the case here.
This pantsuit displays a blouse that will
blow your mind. This blouse has a deep
v-neckline soon cut with the matching
belt. Over all, this fashion week was
okay, but I can’t wait to see Milan fash-
ion week.
Look 2 Look 7 Look 11
Look 23 Look 26 Look 27
Cameron Keuning ‘16
Editor-in-Chief
R
ecently, I had
the honor of going to see the marvelous
Ed Sheeran at the Palace of Auburn
Hills, and while I will admit that I know
very little of his music, it was a fantas-
tic concert. I thought the crowd was a
little small, especially for such a big-
named act, but it could very well be at-
tributed to the fact that the concert was
held on a
Wednesday
night. I ar-
rived at the
concert
about half-
way into
the opening
act, a Brit-
ish “liquid funk, jungle, soul, electroni-
ca, and pop” band called Rudimental. I
will say, even though I had never heard
of them, I was pleased with their perfor-
mance. They have a lot of talent, and a
lot of potential to become famous.
After Rudimental was done, Ed
Sheeran came on and proceeded to in-
cite the 90% female population to
scream at the top of their lungs for the
next two hours. I have said this before,
and I will say it again, I never lost my
hearing, but my ability to hear high
pitched noises is currently disabled. He
opened with “I’m a Mess,” which I rec-
ognized but didn’t really know, but it
was very good, either way.
When Ed Sheeran first took the
stage, I was puzzled as to why he came
on completely alone with only himself
and his acoustic guitar. I would proceed
to discover that he had a special micro-
phone that could record his guitar as he
played, repeat it, and layer it together as
if he had a band in the background. He
also had another microphone that did
the same thing, but with his voice, at
times making it sound like there were
three of him.
One of the best parts about
this concert was the way he incorpo-
rated the audience into his perfor-
mance. At one point, he told us we
were his choir and he was the con-
ductor. He then divided the venue in
half and made each half sing the
same thing, but in different pitches.
While we were singing, he then sang
his own song, with us acting as his
background singers.
After a little less than two hours
of playing, he departed, only to be
brought back out for an encore. He
played two of his best known songs in
the encore, including “The A Team”
and “Sing,” which he concluded with.
Before leaving for real, he told the en-
tire audience not to stop singing even
after he left. Quite a few people took
him seriously, for I could hear a lot of
people continuing to sing “Sing” out-
side on the concourse.
All in all, I enjoyed Ed Sheeran
very much. His music is very good, and
he incorporates the crowd well in his
concerts. If I was given another oppor-
tunity to see him, I would probably do a
better job of studying up on his materi-
al, so I could be better prepared. This
was a wonderful experience, and I
would love to do it again.
The Cub News, Autumn 2014
Page 5
Pop Culture
Noah Tylutki ‘17
Staff Writer
T
he movie, When
Game Stands Tall is based on a true
story about the De La Salle Spartans
football team. De La Salle is an all-boy
Catholic high school in northern Cali-
fornia. Their
football team
won 151 straight
games, spanning
from 1992-2003.
To put this into
perspective with
other football
winning streaks, the New England Pa-
triots hold the record for longest NFL
winning streak at 21 games, and the
Oklahoma Sooners won 47 consecutive
games, which is the longest winning
streak in the history of college football.
I thought those streaks were long, so I
was very curious to learn how the De
La Salle High School football team
won 151 games in a row. The answer is
that the team was dedicated, the players
knew they could count on each other,
and they had strong leadership. De La
Salle's head coach, the legendary Bob
Ladouceur, or “Coach Lad,” based his
football program on the ideals of per-
fection, commitment, compassion,
brotherhood, and faith. Coach Lad
knew his players could not be perfect
on every play, but he expected his play-
ers to give a perfect effort from snap to
whistle. Coach Lad also taught that the
process to winning is more important
than the result, because results flow
from healthy processes. The Cubs’
motto this football season has been
“Trust the Process,” which is very simi-
lar to Coach Lad's philosophy. The De
La Salle beliefs and how they trained
and practiced reminded me of our Cub
football team. De La Salle pushed
themselves in the weight room. The
Cubs are like that, too, grinding it out
in the weight room and trying to get
better and stronger every day. The
Spartans also suffered hardships during
the season, when their head coach suf-
fered a heart attack and one of their
players, who was
committed to Ore-
gon, was shot and
killed. These were
very serious obsta-
cles the team had to
endure, but they
pulled together and
supported each other like a family, and
they survived. After 12 years, their
streak was finally broken when they
lost to a high school in Washington.
The team was devastated that the streak
ended, which would be their legacy.
This made them work even harder and
they knocked off Long Beach Poly,
then the #1 ranked team in the nation,
in 100 degree weather. The teamwork
and determination that De La Salle
showed reminded me of the Cubs and
how we play like a team and stick to-
gether, win or lose.
While the movie When Game
Stands Tall does not rank with other
high school football movies like Re-
member the Titans, The Blind Side, or
Friday Night Lights, it told an interest-
ing story and left an inspiring message
which reminded me of our Cub football
team. When the Game Stands Tall was
a perfect effort, from beginning to end,
in my book.
Will Wright ‘16
Sta Writer
With the 2014 mid-term
elections coming up this Novem-
ber, there has been much debate
over who will have majority in the
House of Representatives and the Sen-
ate. The House of Representatives has
had a Republican majority since the
112th Congress, or since 2011. The Sen-
ate has
been a dif-
ferent sto-
ry, and has
been under
Democrat-
ic majority
since 2009.
Michigan, along with seven oth-
er states, has a seat open in the Senate,
and Carl Levin, a Democrat who is retir-
ing, has given up his seat in the Senate
and it is now up for grabs. The two can-
didates for Levin’s seat are Democrat
Gary Peters and Republican Terri Lynn
Land.
Michigan has been a Democratic
state for a while now, and that is most
likely not going to change. According to
BBC South Dakota, however, Montana
and West Virginia are almost certain
Republican pickups. If the Republicans
take control of both the House and the
Senate, they would be able to embed
policy changes into larger budgets, and
President Obama would no longer be
able to have the Democratic Senate
block conservative bills, which include
border security, energy policies,
healthcare, and financial regulation.
Even if the Republicans have majority
in the Senate, though, officials say that
it will be short lived.
Michael Kenney ‘15
Editor
Y ou peel your weighty bag off your
aching back. The smack of the bag hit-
ting the ground peskily reminds you of
all the homework you have to do to-
night. That lab write-up, the math pack-
et, the theology worksheet, and don’t
forget--those thirty pages of Oliver
Twist, all due tomorrow. You’ve been
running on the smell of coffee, the kick
of adrenaline, and the feeble mantra that
the weekend will arrive soon. As you
unravel the knot of your necktie, you
wonder whether or not Sparknotes
would suffice for the thirty pages of Oli-
ver Twist that you have to read. As the
clock ticks away and the sun sinks, you
give more consideration to the passing
thought that hit you earlier: should I read
the novel or is Sparknotes a viable op-
tion?
Although less than half of the
students polled admit to using
Sparknotes in place of reading an as-
signed novel, 54% the student body be-
lieves that they could perform well on
tests and papers by solely reading the
book summary. Interestingly, a vast
number of teachers rightly assumed that
less than half of the students use
Sparknotes instead of reading the as-
signed novels, but only 14% of the
teachers polled believe that students can
succeed by not reading the book. Do the
contrasting opinions reflect vastly differ-
ent defini-
tions of
“success”?
Or is there
an underap-
preciation
for--or in-
versely, an
overestima-
tion of--
students’
sparknoting
abilities?
One anony-
mous stu-
dent admits
that, “I can definitely tell who has and
who hasn’t read the nightly homework
assignment because the students that do
read are typically more outspoken about
the book and more eager to ‘go out on a
limb’ with their own interpretations and
insights about the novel.” Conversely, a
different student says that, through his
personal experience, he has discovered
that “You can succeed using sparknotes
as long as you pay attention in class and
tune in to class discussions.” Both
students and teachers, however, recog-
nize the benefit of Sparknotes as a study
resource. About 79% of U of D students
use Sparknotes as a helpful tool to pre-
pare for exams, papers, and class discus-
sion, and many teachers advocate using
Sparknotes as a secondary source of in-
formation.
Is reading a book summary in-
stead of reading the book cheating? Stu-
dents and teachers have vastly different
perspectives. A solid majority of 86% of
teachers consider reading book summar-
ies in place of a novel as a form of
cheating while only only 38% of stu-
dents agree.
Does the time saved reading a
summary outweigh the benefits other-
wise received by reading the book? One
anonymous teacher notes that by
“reading the great novels, plays, and po-
etry of the world, we are looking into the
human condition...if we deny ourselves
this, we deny our ability to understand
the world in which we live and our abil-
ity to problem solve within that world.”
As some teachers noted in their ques-
tionnaires, a message or theme conveyed
in the novel can be starchly relayed
through Sparknotes; therefore, a student
must read the novel in order to fully
comprehend and appreciate the story as
a whole. Inversely, many students noted
that, in order to complete all their home-
work, they can only dedicate a certain
amount of time to reading. One student
writes, “I think that English teachers
sometimes think that we all have time to
curl up on the couch and read 20 pages a
night when in reality very few of us have
time for that...When a student is so pres-
sured to read by the English teacher and
they don't have time to, or they're literal-
ly too tired to comprehend any words on
a page, what are we supposed to do?”
So you are back at your desk,
curling the spine of your book and hop-
ing that it will somehow dissipate in
your hands. Do you read the book or
read the summary? Will you succeed?
Does time saved compensate for a lesser
understanding of the material? Will you
have a clear conscious? My fellow Cubs,
you decide.
The Cub News, Spring 2014
Page 6
Sports
Jeff Zymeri ‘15
Editor
T he month of October provides
sports fans with countless sporting
events such as college football and the
MLB World Series. Many of us have
seem to forget that the most watched
sporting event in the world crowned its
champion only a few months ago. The
newly found popularity of soccer in
America is something that no one will
forget anytime soon.
Germany's 1-0 win over Argentina in
this year's World Cup final was watched
by more than 26.5 million viewers, an
unprecedented amount. The match drew
17.3 million viewers on ABC and an ad-
ditional 9.2 million on Univison De-
portes, making it the most watched soc-
cer game in U.S. history. The 2010 final
game between Spain and the Nether-
lands attracted only 24.7 million
viewers, the same number of peo-
ple to watch the U.S.'s draw against Por-
tugal earlier in this year's World Cup.
Many decided to voice their support for
the U.S. national team on social media.
When Luis Suarez bit an Italian defend-
er, thou-
sands of
Americans
voiced
their dis-
gust on
Twitter
and
Facebook.
Brazil's
humilia-
tion at the
hands of
Germany
was the
most
tweeted
event in history and will be remembered
for a very long time.
The next two countries to host
the FIFA World Cup are Russia in 2018
and Qatar in 2022.
The eight hour time difference between
Detroit and Moscow will most certainly
aggravate many fans who are trying to
watch the matches live. Also, it does not
help that both countries have been
widely criticized for their domestic and
foreign policies and their continued re-
pression of freedom.
As the
U.S. Men's
Soccer
Team con-
tinues to
transform
itself into a
more com-
petitive
team
among the
world
greats like
Portugal
and Ger-
many, Ma-
jor League
Soccer also continues to experience a
period of steady growth. There are now
19 teams competing in MLS with three
more on the way. David Beckham, a for-
mer English footballer, made headlines
when he announced his plans to create a
new soccer team based in Miami.
One reason for soccer's growth is that
its most passionate supporters are young
people and
Hispanics. Throughout the coming dec-
ades, the population of Hispanics in the
U.S. is expected to grow rapidly. Soc-
cer's popularity will no doubt increase at
a similar rate. Also, parents are choosing
to allow their children to play soccer
instead of more traditional sports such
as football. The numerous studies which
have listed the dangers of football have
certainly influenced these parents.
There are, of course, problems with say-
ing that soccer will overtake football as
America's most popular sport. Super-
bowl XLVIII attracted a record amount
of 111.5 million viewers. Even though
recent scandals are plaguing the NFL's
reputation this year, football's popularity
isn't showing any decline.
Only time will tell if soccer will be-
come America's most popular sport or
even compare to America's current one.
Students at U of D Jesuit can go and ex-
perience the exciting sport of soccer
at any of our soccer team's games. The
atmosphere at one of U of D's soccer
games is sure to make anyone interested
in the sport.
Jonathan Spunar ‘17
Editor
I n 1957, the Detroit Lions were flying
high as they won the NFL Champion-
ship. Behind quarterback Bobby Layne
and a stingy defense, they clobbered
the Browns 59-14 to win their third title
of the decade. Unfortunately, the Lions
have never again reached the same
height that they did in 1957. They have
won one playoff game since then, and
have never even reached the Super
Bowl, let alone won it. In a league that
has always featured superstar quarter-
backs, their leading passer of all time is
Matthew Stafford, who broke the record
last year in only his fifth season in the
NFL. They even became the first team
in NFL history to finish a season with an
0-16 record in 2008. In 2011, Detroit
produced a glimmer of hope as they
made the playoffs with a 10-6 record
behind Stafford and wide receiver Cal-
vin Johnson. They have, however,
slipped back into irrelevancy since then,
and are in danger of staying there for the
foreseeable future.
A pressing concern for the Lions is
the maturation of young quarterback
Matthew Stafford. Drafted with the first
pick of the 2009 NFL draft out of Uni-
versity of Georgia, Stafford struggled
with injuries in his first two seasons be-
fore breaking out in 2011, a season in
which he threw for 5,038 yards with 41
touchdowns. He has struggled with turn-
overs, however, throwing 17 intercep-
tions in 2012 and another 19 picks in
2013. He also has had accuracy issues,
as he has only completed 59.2% of his
passes since 2012, which ranks 24th in
the NFL over that period of time. The
main cause of these issues is that Staf-
ford tries to force passes into very tight
windows too often, leading to incom-
pletions and interceptions. The Lions
tried to give Stafford more offensive
weapons in the offseason, signing wide
receiver Golden Tate and drafting tight
end Eric Ebron out of UNC. So far this
season, he has been slightly incon-
sistent, throwing for 346 yards and 2
touchdowns against the Giants, but also
throwing 2 picks against the Packers.
The Lions will need Stafford to be more
consistent if they want to make the
playoffs.
Questionable draft picks under gen-
eral manager Martin Mayhew have
served as handicaps to the Lions in their
quest for a Super Bowl. Mayhew made
two slam-dunk picks in his first two
drafts, picking Stafford with the first
pick in 2009 and Ndamukong Suh with
the second pick in 2010; however, he
has regressed since then, especially in
the first two rounds. Instead of address-
ing the defense, he has continued to
draft skill-position players, including
Jahvid Best in 2010,
Titus Young and
Mikel Leshoure in
2011, and Ryan
Broyles in 2012. Best
had his career derailed
by injuries, while
Young and Leshoure
are each out of the
NFL. Instead of ad-
dressing the Lions’
serious need in the
secondary this year, Mayhew drafted
Ebron in the first round. These choices
severely hurt Detroit’s defense, which
ranked 16th last year in yards per game
allowed. Martin Mayhew may not be as
bad as Matt Millen, but his recent draft
choices have definitely hurt the Lions.
The Lions will greatly need to address
their issues in the secondary if they want
to be a great team. In a league that is
increasingly dominated by quarterbacks,
it is very important to have skilled cor-
nerbacks who can shut down opposing
wide receivers. However, the Lions al-
lowed 247 passing yards per game,
which ranked 23th in the NFL. Instead
of addressing the problem, however, De-
troit made it worse in the offseason.
They cut their top cornerback from last
season, Chris Houston, and failed to
draft one until the 4th round of the draft.
They are now relying on 2013 2nd
round pick Darius Slay and 34 year-old
Rashean Mathis as their starting corners.
Injuries have also exacerbated the prob-
lem, as the Lions lost Bill Bentley and
Nevin Lawson in the first three weeks of
the season. Some-
how, the Lions rank
second in passing
yards allowed this
year, but there is no
way they will be able
to maintain that pace
with their current ros-
ter.
For 57 years, the Li-
ons have tried to
bring an NFL Cham-
pionship back to Detroit. They continue
to fail every year, and have yet to even
come close to that goal. They have got-
ten off to a good start this year, though,
going 3-1 so far, including a 19-7 win
over a divisional rival, the Green Bay
Packers. On the contrary, numerous is-
sues on their roster mean that the Lions’
current pace could be very hard to main-
tain. The Lions have some serious work
to do if they finally want to end their
championship drought and make Detroit
party like it’s 1957.
Jared Demkowicz
‘16
Journalist
T he Cubs soccer team’s expectations
this year is a state championship. Last
year the team won the Catholic League.
This year the Cubs soccer team fell
short. Although not winning the Catho-
lic League, the team is still fully confi-
dent they can win a state championship.
Playoffs start this week. The soccer
team will be more than ready for their
first game at Seaholm. The team is fully
confident they can win a state champi-
onship. When asked about how he felt
about how the season went, senior goal-
ie Nathan Sier says “It didn’t go as well
as we hoped, but we fought hard. Hope-
fully we can pull together and win a
state championship.” Not winning the
Catholic League isn’t going to haunt the
Cubs. The bar is set high, but the Cubs
are confident they can win the state
championship.
Jack Sznewajs ‘15
Journalist
A s we begin to
wrap up the fall season, the winter sea-
son lurks ahead. Whether we like it or
not, winter will come as it does every
year. However, with the arrival of win-
ter, it means the arrival of U of D Jesuit
basketball.
Coming off their greatest season
in school history, the Cub basketball
team looks to head back to the Final
Four once again. Prior to last season, the
Cubs never made it to the Final Four, or
even won a Regional Title. Even though
they came up short of a State Champion-
ship, look for them to be in the hunt for
a title this year.
Led by Cassius Winston, the
Cub basketball team has a deep combi-
nation of size and athleticism. When
asked about the season Cassius simply
said, “We are ready.”It is only a matter
of time until the State sees just how
good U of D Jesuit can be once again.
Jack Bodien ‘17 heads the ball against CC
The Cub News, Autumn 2014
Page 7
Pledge Detroit ‘14
The Cub News, Spring 2014
Page 8
Fun & Activities
Pop Culture Grid
What is your favorite
movie of 2014 thus
far?
What is your opinion
of BYOD?
Who will win the Big
Ten this year in
football?
If you had a rapper
name, what would it
be?
What are you going as
for Halloween?
Aaron Poyer ‘18
The Purge: Anarchy
Eh
U of M
OG Poyer
Mr. Zakaria
Brennan Baudeloque
’17
Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles
It’s the bomb
Michigan
Baudizzle
Mr. Tuite
Andrew Knight ‘16
Bobby Shmurda’s
Documentary
Is that why wi- is so
slow?
Honest: Penn State;
Long shot: Appalachian
State
AKnightmare47 or
AK47
Denard Robinson
or
Bobby Shmurda
Dean Henderson ‘16
Either Captain Phillips
or Don Jon
I think it’s great. It has
enhanced my Fifa ‘14
skills.
Maryland, they have
the best uniforms.
Minne Sota
Satyr of the Village
People
Evan Sale ‘16
If I Stay was ght
Fresh
Slippery Rock
young easy stay breezy
Bobby Shmurda
Mr. Flowers ‘01
The Purge 2: Anarchy
I hate it!! I feel like it’s
more of a distracon
for students and most
will not use properly.
Who cares? I’m a GLIAC
guy! Go Cards! SVSU
pride! What’s up
Dill?!?!?
Flow’s Vicious
I don't know yet. I'm thinking
about The Joker. If ANYONE
suggests a certain bearded
basketball player, who plays
NO defense, you WILL get a
double jug.
Cameron Keuning ‘16
Editor-in- Chief
John Ghawi ‘16
Editor
Olajide Jegede ‘16
Editor
Johnathan Spunar ‘17
Editor
Matthew Burr ‘16
Editor
Jeff Zymeri ‘16
Editor
Michael Kenney ‘15
Editor
Editorial Staff
Quesons provided
by John Ghawi ‘16
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