Students get fit with Zumba

By Amy Menghini/Staff Reporter

T.M. Linda Scholz, left, Zumba instructor and assistant professor of communication studies, teaches a Zumba class Thursday in the basement of the Newman Catholic Center. The event was part of Eastern's Latin American Heritage Month celebration.(Amy Menghini | The Daily Eastern News)

Students danced Latin dances such as the Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue and Reggaeton on Thursday at Zumba Fitness.
Zumba Fitness displayed these varieties of dances as part of Latino Heritage Month.

Juanita Cross, the chairwoman of the Latino Heritage Month committee, said she was excited about having Zumba as part of the Latino Heritage Month activities.

The Zumba class was in the basement of the Newman Catholic Center and was instructed by T.M. Linda Scholz, assistant professor of communication studies.

Since the Zumba class was part of Latino Heritage Month, Scholz said she hoped to have many students come to the class and get educated on Zumba Fitness.

Scholz said she wanted students to know Zumba is heavily influenced by Latin music.
“Zumba Fitness is very popular around the nation and a lot of people are doing it, but are not aware of the Latin American influence,” Scholz said.

Scholz said she is of Latin American descent and because of that has a deeper connection with Zumba and the music used during the workouts.

Scholz said she started taking Zumba classes in Colorado before she moved to Charleston a little more than three years ago.
“I do (Zumba) as a hobby, for fun, because I love fitness,” Scholz said.
Scholz said she was about to get a job in Colorado, when Eastern offered her a job at the university in communication studies.

Scholz said she was just going to take Zumba classes instead of teaching them, but that soon changed.
Some of Scholz’s former instructors from Colorado suggested she get her license to teach a Zumba class and that is exactly what she did.

Scholz has been certified for two and a half years.
Along with Scholz, there was only one other instructor in the area at the time she arrived to Charleston. Scholz said she started teaching Zumba at the local YMCA.

“I wanted a good workout and I wanted to get to know the women in the community,” Scholz said.

Scholz said in order to keep the class in Charleston she approached Dr. Brandon Combs, board certified chiropractic physician at Park Hills Spa and Wellness Center, about an open space for a Zumba class. Scholz talked to Combs and said he was excited about having the class at the spa.

Scholz now primarily teaches at the spa, but also teaches some classes like the one she taught on Thursday.
Abby Petrosky, a senior elementary education major, attended the class Thursday and said she enjoyed doing something different and

learning a new kind of dance.
Two more Zumba Fitness classes will be offered as part of Latino Heritage Month on Oct. 6 and Oct. 13.

Amy Menghini can be reached at 581-7942
or ammenghini@eiu.edu.

Community HOPEs to end domestic violence

By Ethan Stephenson/Staff Reporter

Local community members can show their support against domestic violence at Jackson Avenue Coffee as part of their Night of HOPE today.

Night of HOPE is a charity event for the HOPE of East Central Illinois, an affiliate of Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The event will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Dan Reible, owner of JAC, said he will be sponsoring Night of HOPE for his second year. Since he took over management, he said it has turned out to be the coffee shop’s biggest night of the year.
Reible said he is excited to be having a fundraising event for a charity that supports what he believes is a problem that people do not always see.

“We are really proud to have (HOPE) here,” he said. “It goes to a wonderful cause.”
HOPE is located in Charleston. Their mission is to empower persons to live independent, non-violent lives through the provisions of Housing, Outreach, Prevention and Education, said Pauline Cade, program director for HOPE.

“Our services include an emergency domestic violence shelter, transitional housing, legal advocacy, children’s programs, supportive counseling for all ages, community education, referrals and volunteer programs,” she said.

Friday night’s activities will include live performances from local musicians Motherlode, Reverend Robert and Some of Us. Poetry group, Speak Easy, will also be performing readings.

In addition to live entertainment, there will also be a raffle for a blown glass vase made by local artist Randy Turner of Larksfield Glass.

The raffle tickets are $5 or five for $20 and can be bought at First Neighbor Bank in Charleston or at the event itself.
The night will end with the announcement of the winners of the silent auction, Reible said.

The items have been up for bid since Sept. 23 in front of JAC and will continue to be until 9 p.m., when Reible said the auction winners will be announced.
Reible said food and drink will be available at JAC all evening. He said their bread bowl bowls are especially popular with customers for the event.

Admission is free, and all proceeds will go towards the benefit.

Ethan Stephenson can
be reached 581-7942
or etstephenson@eiu.edu.

High school bands to compete at marching festival

By Andrew Crivilare/Staff Reporter

More than two-dozen high school marching bands will take at O’Brien Field field to compete in the 35th Annual Panther Marching Band Festival starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Alan Sullivan, the festival’s director and director of the Panther Marching Band, said the 29 high school bands will compete in the festival sponsored by Eastern.

“I have been coordinating all the aspects that come in to an event like this,” Sullivan said. “Preparation started last academic year, with the scheduling and registration.”
Much of the execution of the festival will rely on assistance from Eastern’s music students, Sullivan said.

“We can’t run this competition without the help of all the students,” he said. “They’re really looking forward to helping out.”
Olivia Brauer, a senior music major with a teacher certification, said the Eastern students will be responsible for doing
everything from logistics to tabulating scores.

“The band guides are going to arrive and meet the band directors,” Brauer said. “After that, they’ll take them to the warm up field, get them to take pictures and get them to the busses.”

Sullivan said competitions such as the Panther Marching Band Festival can benefit students as well as give them a chance to compete.

“This is an educational event, even though it is competitive,” he said. “Judges make coordinated comments during the performance and band directors use them to help their kids improve.”

Jennette Grau, a sophomore music major with a teacher certification and a judge’s assistant at the festival, said marching band competitions are an important source of pride for the high school students.

“This competition gives high school bands something to work for and something to be proud of as music students,” she said. “Nothing makes students more happy than performing a show that they all have worked so hard on.”
Bauer said the Panther Marching Band will also be performing at the festival out of competition.

“We’re going to be doing a Latin show,” she said.
Bauer, who assisted in assembling the Panther Marching Band’s show as a drill technician, said the Latin show has been well received in pervious performances.

“There are solo performances,” Bauer said. “People really eat that up.”
Sullivan said he and the marching band are excited to perform and will continue to practice until the festival.

“Our performance level is really, really coming along,” Sullivan said. “By the time we perform on Saturday, this band is going to be on fire.”

The 35th Annual Panther Marching Band Festival will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at O’Brien Field. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens. Children under the age of five are free.

Andrew Crivilare can
be reached at 581-7942
or ajcrivilare@eiu.edu.

LASO informs students about culture

By Samantha McDaniel/Activities Editor

Editor’s note: This is part of an RSO of the Week series, in which a registered student organization will be featured each week.

The Latin American Student Organization is informing students about the Latin American culture and is looking for anyone who is interested in it.

Karla Centeno, the vice president of LASO, said LASO is a 20-year-old registered student organization on Eastern’s campus that promotes the Latin American culture.

Centeno said LASO came to Eastern’s campus in 1991 and has been uniting Latin American students and American students since.

“LASO is a national program with many programs around the US,” Centeno said. “We all have the same mission which is to not only explore Latin culture and help out Latin American students on campus, but to spread the Latin culture around campus and the surrounding community.”

LASO is the support group for the Latin American international students, Centeno said.

“We are a very close-knit family and we want to make sure our Latin students succeed in the college career,” Centeno said.

LASO participates in many events throughout the year such as Homecoming events, Latin American Heritage Month and events related to minority affairs.

“Last year we were got third -place overall in the RSO category during Homecoming,” Centeno said. “That was really good, so we are trying to keep that up this year.”

Centeno said LASO tries to have events for their members and the campus at least once a month.

LASO organizes events that educate students about culture of Latin American like the “Formation of Latin America” and the “Niños, Come On, Vamonos” day camp.

The members of LASO also participate in the international fair in Mattoon, where they helped student make piñatas.

LASO also sponsored a class for students from a high school from Tuscola. The students were able to make piñatas and hear about the history behind them.

Centeno said LASO was able to teach them that piñatas originated in China, not Latin America and help disprove some of the typical stereotypes.

LASO also participates in forums and other discussions that inform the community and the campus about Latin Americans.

“We just try to represent the Latin population on campus whether that be a event or just informing other about our culture,” she said.

Centeno said LASO tries to empower students and make their experience at Eastern great.

Centeno said LASO has been her second family while she has been at Eastern.
“LASO is a really fun group,” Centeno said. “It is my mini-family away from home. I feel like we share beliefs and customs.”

Centeno said students do not have to be Latin American to participate in LASO, anyone who is interested in learning more about Latin America can join. Students can join by going to their meetings at 6 p.m. Wednesdays in the Martinsville Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

“Everyone is so friendly and looking out for each other,” Centeno said. “It’s a really good group to get involved in.

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-7942 or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.

Many events planned for festival

By Kathryn Richter
Staff Reporter

The third annual Fall Festival will take place this weekend at the Lincoln Log Cabin in Lerna, offering various 19th century activities for all ages.

Lincoln Log Cabin’s Volunteer Pioneers are sponsoring the festival, which is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Susie Colgrove, president of the volunteers at Lincoln Log’s Cabin Mattoon, said it is her fourth year as a volunteer and she is also the portrayer of Sarah Lincoln.

“It’s just a nice weekend for the family to come out,”she said.

On Sunday morning at 10 a.m., a traditional 19th century church service will take place. The Harris Education Center will be selling concessions including ham and beans, cornbread, ice tea and lemonade throughout the weekend.

“Many people look forward to the ham and beans and cornbread, because we make all of that from scratch,” Colgrove said.

Activities planned for the festival include a cast iron skillet toss, a two-man saw contest, a three-legged race, hearth cooking, weaving, doll making and children’s games.

“We have some contest in the afternoon for anyone who wants to participate,” Colgrove said.

Colrove also said that the winners of the contests can take home a giftcard to the Linoln Log Cabin giftshop.

Colgrove said history administration students from Eastern volunteer at the event because the event is part of their curriculum.  The history students will be helping out with the children’s games and will receive community service hours for their work, she said.

Vendors and craftsman are traveling from all over central Illinois to take part in the festival.

“The fall festival consist of period vendors coming in, we have approximately ten,” Colgrove said.

Colgrove said some volunteers at the cabin site are also historical reenactors who have made connections with various vendors and invite them to come out to the festival.

“We feed them good food and we spoil them,” Colgrove said.

According to the Lincoln-Sargent Farm Foundation, the actual log cabin at the Lerna site is actually a replica considering the original was lost in 1892 while being transported to the Columbian Exposition.

The log cabin that is present at the Lerna site now was actually constructed in 1935 based off historical documents.

The original log cabin was home to Thomas Lincoln and Sarah Bush Lincoln, the father and stepmother of Abraham Lincoln, according to Lincoln-Sargent Farm Foundation.  Although Abraham Lincoln was working in Springfield as a lawyer and was married with a child at the time that his father and stepmother owned the cabin, he visited twice a year, Colgrove said.

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Division of Historic Sites owns and operates the 86-acre historical cabin site, she said.

The Lincoln Log Cabin is at 402 South Lincoln Highway Road in Lerna, Ill.

 

Kathryn Richter can be reached at 581-7942 

or kjrichter@eiu.edu.

 

Annual Day of Service Continues

By Nike Ogunbodede/Campus Editor

Eastern students will be given the opportunity to participate in the Student Community Service’s “Make a Difference Day” Saturday, which will be providing four different service options.

The day of service, which usually takes place on the fourth Saturday in October, is a national event created by USA WEEKEND Magazine in 1992.

Eastern has been contributing to the day for at least 10 years.

Rachel Fisher, the interim director of Student Community Service, said even though it’s not taking place on the actually “Make a Difference Day,” USA WEEKEND Magazine is still counting Saturday in its numbers.

“It’s always fun to start off a new month with a day of service,” Fisher said. “It’s really just another opportunity to show how accessible and fun service can be.”

Community service can fit wherever it is needed, Fisher said.

Fisher said she wanted to have a variety of service opportunities to let students know about the different options they could find if they look in the right place.

“We do our service days as a service lick—just a taste of service,” she said. “It’s a nice way to remind people that these things can happen.”

It is also fun for students to be able to choose what they want to do, Fisher said.

“One person really can make that difference,” she said. “Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make an impact.”

Five hours is not a lot, but in that short time, as a group, volunteers can change or improve a life, she said.

People wanting to attend the event will meet at 11 a.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union with each major project concluding at 3 p.m.

“I will be stopping by each event and we have group leaders and our community service staff so we will be overseeing each project,” she said.

Fisher said she expects approximately 200 volunteers including volunteers not affiliated with the four main projects.

Fisher said: “We’ve also had a few organizations that have called us and said ‘we kinda want to do something, but it just doesn’t fit in our schedule this time. Can you help us this of something else?’ and we are happy to.”

Two of the four activities take place in surrounding towns of Casey and Kansas.

“I think it is important for folks to realize that the Charleston area is actually a little bit bigger than just the city of Charleston,” Fisher said. “And it’s a great way to meet other local neighbors.”

Fisher said “Make a Difference Day” is all about learning about the community and each other while paying it forward and potentially changing someone else’s life.

“You give up a few hours of the day, bring your sack lunch and help someone in the community,” she said.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-7942 or ovogunbodede@eiu.edu.

Students explore after-hour options

By Sara Hall / City Editor

On any given night of the week, those Eastern students of drinking age have the opportunity to choose from the many bars that Charleston has to offer.

To make their drinking decisions easier, students have many factors that play a role in determining their go-to bars.
Brandon Wunukowski, a senior economics major, said he often chooses which bar he goes to based on the likelihood of his friends being there.

For this reason, he said he chooses Stu’s, a place he described as one of the more popular bar spots for students.

“Every time I go, I know I’m going to see people I know,” he said. “Everyone knows each other there.”

He said he also goes to his favorite bar, Marty’s, because of the positive attitudes of all the customers.

“I usually like the atmosphere there,” he said. “Everyone is happy and having a good time.”

Jacob Byerly, a senior kinesiology major, said he is also drawn into a particular bar by the atmosphere, as well as the music being played.

Both Wunukowski and Byerly said they go out frequently, averaging four nights per week.

Wunukowski and Byerly said they choose which bars they will attend depending on the daily drink specials offered at each.

“On Tuesdays, we usually go to Mother’s; on Wednesdays, we go to Marty’s; and on Fridays we usually go to Stu’s,” he said.

But Byerly said no matter what the drink specials are, he usually starts his weekends off by going to Marty’s in the late afternoon.

“I start most of my weekends there at 4 p.m.,” he said. “Then it’s a marathon.”

Wunukoski said while he enjoys the abundance and variety of bars in Charleston, his only complaint is that with most bars closing at 1 a.m., their hours are not as long as he would like.

“I wish the bars were open later on the weekends,” he said. “Then we’re left trying to find something to do after they close.”
Destiny Lee, a senior health studies major, said she goes out less frequently, around twice a month.

Lee said she prefers to go with a smaller group of friends and chooses bars like Panther Paw because she prefers the building’s layout and atmosphere they provide.

“I know people choose to go there because the set-up is like a club instead of a bar,” she said.

Lee said also chooses which bars to attend based on the music played.

“I like bars that have music that’s mixed,” she said. “It’s better when there’s not just one genre. It draws more people in instead of just one type of crowd.”

Joe Amato, a graduate student, said he goes out even less frequently, around once a month.

Amato said he is not drawn into bars just for their daily discounted drinks, but also for whatever food specials they may offer.
Amato said for this reason, he often chooses Panther Paw for a complete meal.

“I like that they serve food and I can grab a drink,” he said.

Amato said he goes out with his friends for a more personal night with friends opposed to large groups.

“It’s totally social and casual,” he said. “I’m not a huge bar guy, but if I do go out, I have a good time.”

Sara Hall can be reached at 581-7942 or smhall3@eiu.edu

Up in smoke

Francesco Messina sits outside of the library on campus as he smokes flavored tabacco from his hookah. Francesco was nice enough to share some of his “double apple” flavored tobacco, which I haven’t smoked out of for a long time. “I do it because it’s relaxing and it’s an easy way to meet people,” said Messino. (Sabrina A. Duncan | The Daily Eastern News)

Lloyd Dobler Effect shakes up quad

By Samantha McDaniel/Activities Editor

Eastern students will soon have the opportunity to groove on live jazz music.

The Eastern Illinois Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble will be performing “Life in the Groove: The Influence of Jazz.”

Alan Sullivan, the interim director of bands and director of the Panther Marching Band and Wind Symphony, said that the performance highlights the influences of jazz on the different sections of music.

The show focuses on the influence of jazz on the wind section in particular.

Sam Fagaly, the director of Jazz Studies and the conductor of the Jazz Ensemble, said the Jazz Ensemble will be performing many big band contemporary compositions, including popular music by artists such as Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra.

The Wind Symphony will be playing “Graysondance” by David R. Holsinger, “Bandancing” by Jack Stamp and “Bayou Breakdown” by Brant Karrick.

He said the Wind Symphony spent many hours of preparation on the performance.

“These are difficult pieces of wind literature that the members of the Wind Symphony have spent countless hours working on in preparation for the performance,” Sullivan said.

Each of these compositions is different from the other, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said each has different elements and origins of jazz.
Holsinger wrote the song “Graysondance” for his son. “Bandancing” has five movements that included the jazz waltz and the big band ballad.

“Bayou Breakdown” was influenced by the music of Southern Louisiana and has elements of Dixieland jazz, or mix of ragtime and the blues from New Orleans.

Fagaly said he is excited to present the music to the students.
“Besides simply enjoying the music, I hope students will be inspired to seek out more jazz music and learn about it as an important, original American art form,” Fagaly said.

The “Life in the Groove: The Influence of Jazz” will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Dvorak Concert Hall in Doudna. Admission is $5.

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-7942 or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu

Camp promotes cultural learning

By Samantha McDaniel / Activities Editor

The children of Charleston can learn about a new culture courtesy of the Latin American Student Organization Saturday.

LASO is hosting a kid’s cultural day camp called “Niños, come on, vamonos!” or “Children, come on, lets go.”

Students can participate in different events that introduce them to Latin American culture.

Karla Centeno, the vice president of LASO, said there are 22 children ranging from ages 3- to 13-years-old registered for the camp. There are also 14 LASO members that are running the camp.

Centeno said LASO is introducing students to a new culture to influence their interest later in life.
“We think it is really important to start feeding them, not just Latin American information, but some Spanish,” Centeno said. “I think it’ll be a great opportunity for them to get an interest in it and hopefully expand their learning on it throughout their lives.”

Centeno said the children who attend will be split into teams and participate in different activities throughout the day.

There will be four different stations for the children.

One of the stations will be making maracas out of beans and paper towel roles for the children to take home.

LASO members will also be teaching the children the steps to the “Macarena” and will let them dance and play with the steps, she said.

“I hope they learn the typical rhythms of dancing, and the maracas,” Centeno said. “There are just different types of sounds that characterize Latin America.”

Centeno said the campers will also be participating in Loteria, the Spanish version of Bingo. Instead of numbers, the cards will be made up of easy Spanish words, such as “sol” for “sun” and “madre” for “mom.”

“I hope that they have a fun day and learn some Spanish,” Centeno said. “It is something they can carry beyond the event and use it in daily life.”

The last station is for groups, Centeno said. A LASO member will read a book about Latin America for the campers while they eat Gorditas de Nata, a Latin American treat.

“Gorditas de Nata is similar to a pancake, but puffy and creamy inside,” Centeno said.

Centeno said she hopes the children learn about Latin American culture while at the camp.

“Charleston doesn’t have a very large Hispanic population, so they might not know a lot about (Latin American culture),” Centeno said. “So before they begin to see stereotypes, they can see what it is all about.”

Samantha McDaniel can be reached at 581-7942 or slmcdaniel@eiu.edu.