Maverick Athletics open new era for University

There is no better time for UNO Maverick athletics fans than right now. The soccer team won a share of the Summit League regular season in only their fourth season as a program. Also, the hockey team won their first NCAA postseason game and made it to the Frozen Four and the baseball team is in search of its third regular season title in a row. These recent successes have had a big impact on the fandom at the university. More students can be seen wearing Maverick gear or showing up to UNO games to support their fellow student-athletes.

Maverick players celebrate with Jake Guentzal after scoring
the only goal for Omaha in Boston.

That camaraderie has spread far beyond athletics and is helping this school achieve its goal of erasing the "commuter school" title that has been held over its head. Students have begun to converse more, we are seeing less headphones and staring at the ground while walking anywhere on campus. This is also big for our goal of 20,000 students by 2020. When potential students come to visit this campus, they probably already have the typical stereotypes in their head. Seeing these teams do well and put UNO on the map is going to benefit everyone in the long run, no one moreso than our students and faculty.

With national and local eyes on the university, a buzz unlike any we've seen in the past and a new 7,500 seat community arena set to open in October, UNO has the perfect opportunity to build on their recent momentum. One thing is for certain, people are noticing what this once fledgling school has to offer, and they're not prepared to stand down to anyone.

Medicine of the past: Could over-the-counter prescriptions be making a comeback over antibiotics to treat ear infections?

On the surface it sounds ridiculous to think that a pain killer you can buy at your local convenience store might be just as effective at treating your child's ear infection as antibiotics. Recent research has suggested that children may become immune to antibiotics over time, a revelation that has many parents looking for answers. Dr. Betsy Stephenson, an Omaha pediatrician, says these findings could spark change in the medical field.

"I think there's room for change, but I don't think anything drastic is necessary," said Stephenson. "Children with ear pain will still be treated with antibiotics, however immunity could see doctors look at other options such as pain killers. Ibuprofen would help with the pain and the fluid in the ear would treat itself."

Although Stephenson says that children will still need to be monitored closely, this could mean easier treatments in the future. Families have already begun using over-the-counter pain killers such as Tylenol to treat pains from teething, so this will be a massive relief to mothers who need not overreact to small illnesses.

Uno Elections Fruitless for Student Involvement

UNO Presidential Elections Close

Lewis and Chapin victorious against themselves

The University of Nebraska at Omaha's student election polls are now closed and the results may surprise you. Brock Lewis and Amanda Chapin were elected by unanimous decision - because there was no one running against them. Also, some senator seats for other departments remain empty due to no one running for them. For the university, this is a major concern regarding the lack of student-involvement in these areas.

While perhaps many students do not feed into the student involvement on our campus. It is still an integral part of the experience and it is up to the students to keep them alive. If students want to continue to have a say in the university policy and decisions then organizations like this will have to be taken more seriously.

Art Gallery offers students a creative space

When you walk into the UNO Criss Library, you may have noticed an empty glass room on the main floor which is empty the majority of the time. Most people walk by this and think it serves no purpose, but to Seniors Evan Ludes and Eric Anderson, it serves as a place to show their creative side.

Ludes and Anderson are avid photographers and specialize in environmental and landscape photography. They have travelled the midwest over the past five years and have collected photos from every midwest state. The library approached the two about putting together the art gallery to display their work and of course the two agreed.

"It is really awesome to see all of the hard work you put in finally get recognized," said Ludes. "I've sold video and pictures to The View, Good Morning America and other organizations and I know Eric has work up in Borsheims and was approached by Apple for their Mavericks operating system. It's just nice to finally see your work displayed so that the students know what you have done."

Students will be able to walk through the gallery during all library hours. The gallery includes pictures from all over the midwest of various environmental events that the two shot. As well as photos, both students put together a video which is also run on a loop as you walk into the gallery. The gallery will open up on Sunday at 1 p.m. and will be open for the remainder of March.

Transfer Triumph: The Levy Way

From happiness to heartbreak, we can't overlook our fantastic transfer window

When the final whistle blew on that dreaded day in May, we were all aware that Champion’s League football would not be attained for the coming season. We also knew that this could be the end of Gareth’s stay in North London. As we had moved into the transfer window, Andrè was promised that our talisman would not be sold, and he made this very clear in the media. Regardless of these statements, I was still very skeptical because of prior statements by Gareth on his dream to play for Madrid. Yet, the summer progresses and we make our signings. After the first three, I still felt as if there was a chance we could retain our star player, but as the window got closer, and Gareth stayed more silent, I knew his fate.

            Gareth’s agents have now confirmed that they had been talking to Madrid for “110 days.” This means that this whole summer we had been spending Bale money, even though we had an ambition to keep him at the club for the remainder of his contract. Clearly, we weren’t able to do that as it was his desire to play for Madrid and as Levy stated: “Gareth would not be sufficiently committed to our campaign this season.” If you have read or watched either of Bale’s interviews with BTSport or RMTV, then you would see that indeed, he always wanted this move since May.

Roberto shows his appreciation for the fans

            I think we must not focus our attention on this player, regardless of how you feel in the manner he left our beautiful club. We must look at our first signing, Paulinho. Thankfully, due to the expertise of our Chairman and newly acquired Director of Football, we were already in talks with Corinthians and the player before he steamrolled his way to a Confederation’s Cup trophy with Brazil. He showed his domination throughout the tournament in the midfield and we were able to snatch him up under the noses of big European clubs.

            Our second transfer was Nacer Chadli, a tall, strong winger, with an eye for goal. He was brought in to provide competition for Lennon on the wing as well as possibly fill Gareth’s boots on the left. Thus far he has proven to be a decent signing, and will contribute more as the lads begin to gel and learn tendencies. At only age 23, he is a steal for the future.

            Third, and maybe the fan favorite, is Roberto Soldado. No one needs to tell you about this guy, his career speaks for itself. He’s fast, dominant in the air, and a hit a ball anywhere out of the air and volley it into the back of the net. While he might not have wanted to leave Valencia, he was exactly what we needed: a true striker. Thus far we have not seen him have the impact we need, but that’s solely due to the fact that he is not getting the ball in crucial positions, and he doesn’t speak any English.

Our new signings show we can be title contenders

            Fourth, probably the signing that has had the biggest impact in our first three games, is Etienne Capoue. He is a great defensive midfielder who wins the ball back with ease, not needing the tough slide tackles like Sandro uses. He is a great replacement for Parker, with stellar tackles and excellent interceptions. Unfortunately, he is already injured, but will have a major impact when he returns.

            Since the last three were signed on the same day, and partly because this article is already quite long, I’ll cover the last three in one paragraph. First off, Vlad Chiriches(kir-i-kes), when Daniel Levy mistakeably sold Steven Caulker, there was immediate speculation that we would bring in a CB. Boy did we get a good one. This guy looks very promising. He’s big, strong, and has a knack to get forward with the ball, which helps with the high back line we tend to play. While I still believe Vertonghen and Dawson will be the main boys at the back, I’m excited to see Vlad in cup matches. The second of the trio is Christian Eriksen. Through the first three games of the season there has been one glaring missing piece: a creative player to service Soldado in the final third. Christian is the perfect #10 to provide competition with Holtby. He is fast, young, and has an incredible amount of flair in his game. He is truly my favorite signing of this window. A lot of big clubs had him on their radar in the spring and then we were able to snatch him up, and he’s the biggest piece we were missing after we signed Roberto. Last, but certainly not least, our final signing of the summer transfer window: Érik Lamela. Nothing needs to be said about Érik, except that he is one of the hottest young talents in Europe and is our replacement for Gareth. He is only 21 years of age, but has the eye for goal like he’s a veteran of the game. No matter where the ball is, Érik is always getting into space to shoot, and more than likely, score. If there was one prospect to replace our talisman, who commanded the highest transfer fee in football history, then Érik is the one I would want. After a couple weeks together, these guys will implement themselves into the squad and I truly believe we can be title contenders this year with our current squad. None of this would have been possible without Gareth. So thank you, Gareth, we were good with you, but we’re better without you.

Bale'd Out

Bale-ing Out: The Welsh Wonderboy

I think if you were to ask most casual Tottenham fans who their favorite player was, you’d get the traditional answer: Gareth Bale. As Dempsey scored important goals this year, more American fans found themselves rooting for Tottenham. I became a fan of Tottenham in a similar way.

            Playing for my local indoor team, I was once told that I play a lot like one Gareth Bale. Not knowing who that was, I became intrigued, and researched. What I found was a profound winger who could run at the speed of light but had the most technical ability I’d ever seen. I had started to watch Spurs games on streams during my classes and whenever I could. I slowly became in love with the club and here I am, writing a blog about them. I think it’s hard for people to see how much a footballer can mean to the fans and how attached they get to that player. I am from America, born and raised. You do not see the type of deep love and affection for a team and its players like you do for English football unless you live in the city of the team. Part of this could be due to the amount of players there are on an American team rather than an English one. However, in light of that observation, you also do not see that love for basketball teams either. Had I never been compared to Gareth Bale that night at my indoor game, I might have never been a Spurs fan. Hell, I might have never been a football fan.

            Now it is known that Gareth will be leaving the club we all love for bigger and better things in Madrid. He will be treated like loyalty over there, but will be scrutinized by the media the second he has a dip in form. I think we should all thank Gareth for giving us an exciting season to be apart of, but also realize his dreams and aspirations. I cannot fault him for what he has decided to do. Ultimately, his decisions have bettered the club and its fans, and for that I say: Thank you Gareth Bale, for exposing me to the club I am now obsessed with, for igniting my interest in journalism and broadcasting which I will now be majoring in. I wish you well in Madrid, but hope you may return one day to this beautiful club.