Jolene Cieniawski,

Editor in Chief

Ok, so chances are that at least 80% of the students AND professors here at VUSL have some sort of online social networking account, whether it be Facebook, MySpace, or something else.  Chances also are that those who have an account check it at least once a day, but probably more like five to ten.  I bet most of us check our online account more in one day than we check our email or our online bank account.  So what is the attraction?  And furthermore, are these sites a good thing or a bad thing for us as future lawyers?

Many of us would agree that online social networking sites are just that – online social networking.  They are a fun way to network with other people without having the hassle of picking up the phone or seeing people in person.  But, are we really networking through these sites?  When I think of networking, I think of reaching out to prospective employers or current or past colleagues who may be able to offer me something or vice versa in this professional world.  That being said, those professional types of people are the ones who most of us deliberately try to keep off our page.  We change our privacy settings to make us undiscoverable or at the very least , uninteresting with just a profile picture and current location.  And God forbid someone in our professional network ask to be our “friend” – we don’t want them seeing our Wall or pictures!  It’s arguable that the “networking” we really gain entails silly banter with friends, showing our friends what we are “Fans” of, and stalking old lovers or schoolmates.  This may be more of distraction that an actual networking tool, as it claims to be.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the online world of “social networking,” but every time I see a “Farmville” or “Mafia Wars” post, I feel more and more as if the networking intent is slowly disappearing. 

Yeah, so I share my life with my friends on my online social networking page and preclude all professional relationships by hiding myself – what does this have to do with the world of lawyering?  Well, it’s a somewhat scary thought to imagine that people are trending toward favoring a more informal, electronic way of keeping in touch, rather than a face-to-face approach.  Sure, a huge part of a lawyer’s job is to maintain contact with a client in the most convenient way possible, and this may not be face-to-face, i.e. via phone or email, but has the door been opened to a slow loss of actual human communication?  If we are used to the nuances of online social communication, will we freeze up when we have to actually see people in person?  If we become too engulfed in a world of convenience and short-cuts, our clients can suffer and we may not even know it unless you have that outspoken client who will explicitly demand your attention and human correspondence.  Other clients will slip through the cracks and will likely never return to you if you don’t know how to be warm and open to them in person.  You may even lose clients by being put into an unwanted situation.  For example, a few years back when I was selling real estate, a client of mine “Friended” me on Facebook.  Needless to say, I was shocked – I remember thinking, who does that?  Why would he possibly want to be my “Friend” online?  Aside from my shock, anxiety set it.  If I “Friend” him, he’ll see my entire personal world.  If I don’t, I may offend him and lose him as a client.  It seemed like a lose-lose situation to me, but I had to choose something.  I decided to ignore the request, and luckily our business together soon ended and he moved on.  I still think about it, though, and hope it never happens again. 

Online social networking has other implications in the legal world aside from client relationships.  In law school, we learn about the continuing evolution of case law and statutes accepting emails and electronic communications as hard copy paper.  Will online social networking sites fit in this realm?  As lawyers, we’ll have to continually check our jurisdictions to make sure we are on top of what’s going on.  Our courts are new to the concept, but Australia and New Zealand are making headway in this area.  Their courts have found in 2008 and 2009 that Facebook is a valid protocol to send notice to defendants and it is also an acceptable avenue to send and receive legal papers/filings.  A site that we see as fun and time-wasting is suddenly now a serious avenue for correspondence in every day legal life.

So, what’s the point of the article?  Be aware of the implications online social networking can have on your professional life.   I know you’re thinking ‘yeah, yeah, yeah,’ but I sure wasn’t thinking that when one of my clients hunted me down.   It may be the fun, hip thing to do, but always expect the unexpected.  You never know who your clients will be and you never know when and how your online social networking world will collide with your professional one.               

Jolene Cieniawski is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.   874 words

By:  Christine Corral

Executive Director – Career Planning Center

Remaining connected is key.  Reconnect with individuals you met with over spring break, with old acquaintances and/or make new ones and keep the momentum going.  Continue to be proactive and review the monthly timelines for your career and job search provided by the Career Planning Center.  Outlines for the months of April/May and June/July follow: 

1L Points of Focus for the Job Search

April/May:

∙          Continue contacting potential employers and monitoring Strategy for career development opportunities, externship opportunities,  job postings, and job fairs

∙          Moot Court tryouts

∙          Law Review research packages distributed

∙          Continue monitoring Strategy for job fairs

 June/July:

∙          Make the most of your summer by expanding your network and actively engaging in networking events

∙          Perform Pro Bono work to build your legal resume

∙          Update your resume to include summer employment; send to CPC for review

∙          Prepare mailings for large firms who begin accepting resumes on August 1

∙          Read all e-mails from the Career Planning Center regarding upcoming events hosted before or soon after school begins and On-Campus Interviews (OCI).

 2L Points of Focus for the Job Search

April/May:

∙          Continue contacting potential employers and monitoring Strategy for career development opportunities

∙          Continue monitoring Strategy for externship opportunities, job postings, and job fairs

 June/July:

∙          Make the most of your summer by continuing to expand your network and actively engage in networking events

∙          Perform pro bono work to build your legal resume

∙          Update your resume to include summer employment; send to CPC for review

∙          Prepare mailings for large firms who begin accepting resumes August 1

∙          Read all e-mails from the Career Planning Center regarding upcoming events hosted prior to or soon after school begins and On-Campus Interviews (OCI).

∙          Schedule an appointment with a career advisor if you are interested in Federal or State Judicial Clerkships after graduation

3L Points of Focus for the Job Search

April/May:

∙          Continue contacting potential employers and monitoring Strategy for career development opportunities

∙          Continue monitoring Strategy for externship opportunities, job postings, and job fairs

∙          Update Career Planning Center on your employment status

 June/July:

∙          Make the most of your summer by continuing to expand your network and actively engage in networking events

∙          Study and sit for your State’s Bar Examination

 A comprehensive Career Development Timeline for each class can be found in the Student Resource Guide housed in the Document Library of Strategy (see the General Documents folder).  As always, if you have questions about your job search strategy, job search documents, or other job search resources, contact the Career Planning Center to schedule an advising appointment at:  219-465-7814 or visit Wesemann room 125.

Ms. Corral can be reached at Careerplanning.law@valpo.edu.

The 1L Chronicles: May Edition

By Dan D. Hallberg

Managing Editor

I remember when I was in high school thinking as I entered my sophomore year, “Wow, there is no better feeling then not being a freshman anymore.” Well I was wrong, because I am quite sure that there is no better feeling in the world then not being a 1L anymore.

If I remember correctly from orientation, there were a lot of copies of The Forum lying around and to kill the time many of us read through them several times. Well, I hope some of you incoming 1Ls are reading this column now because this column is for you. In fact this column could even be yours next year. I mean, I can’t write it, so someone has to. So here you go, a little advice for you just cutting your teeth in the law school world from someone who just finished the year.

Words of Wisdom for the Valpo Law School Class of 2013

1.  Don’t hoard books.

This won’t make any sense to you right now, but in a week or so you’ll have your first legal research assignment. First off, I’m sorry. Second off, if you need a book, don’t take it to your desk; just write down the answer or the info you need in a notebook or something in the stacks where you found it. If you don’t, everyone will hate you.

2. Make outlines, don’t collect them.

The whole reason you do outlines is so that you review the material as you write them. There’s nothing wrong with having a few others to compare with, or even well organized one from someone else for use on open book exams. However, you don’t need to start up a collection of them, there is such a thing as too much information.

3. Don’t be late to Civ Pro.

If you have Prof Lind she will kick you out. No joke. Other than that, she is a delightful person.

4. Don’t worry about grade normalization.

I know a lot of you have been getting A’s for the better part of your scholastic career. What you’re going to find out is that that’s not going to be the case here. We have a thing called grade normalization going on here and it kind of works like a bell curve. Other law schools will have a curve or something like that, but a grade system like this is not that uncommon. You won’t ever understand it, it won’t affect your grade too much, and you have have absolutely no control over it, so don’t worry about it.

5. Everyone’s first writing grade sucks, just take a deep breath and deal with it.

You’ll be getting your first writing assignment soon, and you’re going to work very hard on it. You’ll put in tons of effort and try to work in things you learned from writing in undergrad and think that you did a good job adjusting to the new writing system that we use in law school. Then, about a month later when your prof finally grades it, you’ll see that your paper is hemorrhaging pen ink. Don’t be discouraged, it happened to all of us, and we’re still here. Also, don’t forget the honor code, that’s 10 points right there.

So that’s it guys, for those of you leaving good luck getting jobs, and for those of you coming in, heed my words. Trust me, they’ll do you a lot of good.

Dan is a 1L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.

Well, another baseball season is upon us. Being a Cubs fan, I tend to get excited about another year of baseball, hanging my hat on previous years where we “almost made it.” This year my playoff hopes may be fleeting, but they’re still alive, as they are for any Cubs fan. Although my loyalty is true and true, I have my eye on a few other teams that may go farther than everyone expects, but let’s start with a preview of the Cubs season.
Two years ago, the Cubs won 97 games – the second most in baseball behind the Angels and tied with the Rays. Then last year, they infected themselves with Milton Bradley, Geovanny Soto had his “sophomore slump,” and injuries really screwed Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano. This year, the Bradley infection has cleared and Soto has vowed to rebound from his slump excuse. Ramirez has been my guy since 2003, and if he can stay healthy, I think he can team up with Derrek Lee, Ryan Theriot, and Mike Fontenot to make some magic happen. I have nothing to say about Soriano. He has started off the season already with three errors and he was never the “superstar” we thought he was after he joined the team. As far as pitching is concerned, we’ve got Carlos Zambrano for a long time, so hopefully his comfort with this team will keep him in solid pitching mode and Carlos Silva may be revived now that he’s on a this new. The Cubs have their flaws, but they also have the makings of a solid club and could sneak up on teams this season. They have a huge challenge with the Cardinals, but hey, anything can happen.
Another sneak team this season will be (and I hate to say it) the Chicago White Sox. Being a Cubs fan, I am quite pleased that Jim Thome is gone and the chants of “Thome’s Home-eys” are a thing of the past, but the team’s still got a few heavy hitters. Jake Peavy is their main man and Paul Konerko is always a favorite with Alex Rios, Mark Teahen, and Mark Kotsay are all there to back him up. The addition of Juan Pierre is a hit or miss – he sure didn’t do anything spectacular for the Cubs, but then again almost everyone the Cubs get ends up being a superstar somewhere else after they leave.
Going along with this “leave the Cubs become a superstar” trend, the Seattle Mariners may be a team to watch out for with the addition of Cliff Lee. Again, he didn’t do anything notable for the Cubs, but this may be his time to really shine. The Mariners also have Felix Hernandez and the always popular Ichiro Suzuki, but time will tell if these two are enough to carry an entire team through seven months. This uncertainty may be the advantage they need to creep up to the top of the league in the next few months.
The Atlanta Braves are another team I have a feeling will go pretty far, but I say this because of their impressive roster, not necessarily any action I’ve seen come out of Hot-lanta. Chipper Jones, Troy Glaus, and Nate McLouth are easy compliments to Jason Heyward, Yunel Escobar, and Melky Cabrera. If this roster can turn out runs and Heyward can prove that he deserves Rookie of the Year glorification, the Braves may be set. They gotta stay humble though – with a roster of big names, it’s sink or swim.
Well, that rounds out my top four sleeper picks for this 2010 season. My loyalty is and has always been with the Cubbies, and I hate to even mention the White Sox in this article if I’m not trash-talking about them, but I like to think that this could be a possible inflation of their ego, hopefully causing a crash and burn mid-season. I have no qualms about the other teams, they gotta make that pay-pah, too, boo boo. You may or may not see me in next year’s August issue – if these predictions pan out, I’ll likely leave law school to pursue an oh-so-rewarding career in MLB futures.

Jolene Cieniawski is a 2L and can be reached at jolene.cieniawski@valpo.edu.   669 words

By Dean Mary Persyn

Sarah Glassmeyer joined the Law Library faculty on Thursday, April 1.  Her title is Faculty Services and Outreach Librarian.  While helping the faculty with their research is the primary goal of her position, Professor Glassmeyer will also be teaching in the legal research program.  Her office is in Room 262.

Professor Glassmeyer is coming to us from the Alvin E. Evans Law Library at the University of Kentucky School of Law where she has been a reference librarian since 2006.  Previous to that position she was a reference librarian at the University of Dayton.  Her particular areas of interest include Web 2.0 and the use of social media in law libraries.  She has given numerous presentations on social media to library and legal organizations.  You can find Professor Glassmeyer on the web at http://sarahglassmeyer.com/.

A native of Ohio, Professor Glassmeyer earned her B.A. in Anthropology and her M.L. S. from Indiana University-Bloomington, and her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati.

Dean Persyn can be reached at Mary.Persyn@valpo.edu.

By:  John Bayard

Staff Writer

This month I met with Professor Vandercoy and discussed many aspects of his law career and life.

John: So Professor Vandercoy why did you decide to give up your flourishing career as a folk singer and become a law professor?
Professor Vandercoy: I found it was easier to lip sync to a class of law students than to sing real music in front of a live audience. I also heard that you get higher admission prices with law students than concert attendees. It was a natural move since most of songs are about legal ethics anyway.

John: While you were here at Valparaiso University School of Law, you created a new sport involving Law Students. Can you tell our readers more about it?
Professor Vandercoy: While I actually created two sports. The first involves not placing enough seats in the law library and than watching as students struggle to find a place to sit. The second is actually a running bet between the faculty in which I place answers to exams in several of the tort books in the law library and see how long it takes for students to find them. As of this date, no students have even opened those books.

John: Can you describe the time you managed to take down a 500 lb Grizzly Bear using only the rules of evidence?
Professor Vandercoy: What a fun time that was. First I confined the bear with hearsay evidence rules and then smothered him with the new pocket part of Title 16 of the United States Code. However I realized that the statute I was smothering the bear with was a new subsection of 16 U.S.C. §1538 which prohibits smothering of Grizzly Bears with the United States Code. Fortunately enough for myself I was walking my man-eating shark at the time (I was a bio-engineer before becoming a great folk singing legend and had been able to engineer a shark that can breath out of water) and the shark fought off the bear for me. Congress is currently amending the statute to prohibit law professors from bio-engineering man-eating sharks. What’s next, prohibiting law students from bio-engineering man-eating sharks?

John: What do you feel is the best teaching method? Teaching students while scuba-diving or while sky-diving?
Professor Vandercoy: Personally, I prefer scuba-diving. The oxygen rich breathing suits really help the students focus more. Further, they are more incline to answer questions quickly when surrounded by my bio-engineered man-eating sharks.

I like to give my thanks again to Professor Vandercoy for agreeing to have this interview.

John Bayard is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu

By: Heather Looby

Editor-in-Chief

Graduation time is fast approaching. In just about a month and a half—May 22, 2010—the Class of 2010 will become Valparaiso University School of Law’s newest alumni. Unlike the end of college, which for many of us meant starting law school in the fall, most of us have no idea what the future holds. Not only are we are entering one of the worst legal markets in history, but the majority of us also have student loans, the monthly payments of which will probably match or exceed our monthly rent/mortgage payments. Personally, I cannot think of any other point in my life when I have been more excited, yet also more scared about what is to come. While I suspect that working into the early morning hours seems a little easier when you are being compensated for your legal expertise, leaving the “law student lifestyle” will be bittersweet, especially since countless former colleagues have forewarned me that studying for the upcoming bar examination (and then waiting to get the results) will make me “wish I was back in school.” With all of that being said, I’m going to take this opportunity to reminisce a little about my time here at VUSL. I now offer all of you what have been ten of the most memorable moments of my law school career, ones which I suspect many Forum readers can also relate to. In no particular order (although most of these events occur pretty sequentially):

(1) Getting into law school (at Valpo, of course). I’m counting this one because writing your personal statement, rounding up letters of recommendation, and preparing for/taking the LSAT is hard work!!! It’s nice to finally get an acceptance letter (or fifteen, as some students in this school have boasted about), saying that you have been admitted somewhere. Sadly, this is the easiest part of your law school career.

(2) The first time that you are “cold-called” on in class. Enter the infamous Socratic method of teaching. You’re in the professor’s hot seat and every eye in the classroom is on you. The pressure to say something brilliant is on! Some of us sink, some of us swim, and some of us are too tired/defeated to care. Regardless of your class rank, we’ve all been there and can relate to this terrifying feeling.

(3) Receiving your first semester grades. Good or bad, now you have the proof that you can survive this thing called law school!

(4) Turning in your 1L Appellate Brief. This is a monumental moment in the life of just about every law student across the USA. There is a short-lived high that comes from completing this law school “rite of initiation.” Then, if you are a Valpo student, you realize that you have a legal research assignment due the next day. Buzzkill!

(5) Receiving your first call for an interview. Externship or pro bono, private or public sector, paid or unpaid, the first time that someone is willing to take a chance on your legal knowledge and skill set is rewarding and provides that much needed boost of confidence after surviving 1(Hel)L year.

(6) The first day of 2L Year. You’ve survived the worst of it. Didn’t read for class because of all of your extra-curriculars (the preparation of which started before the summer was even over)? You’re not worried about getting called on because you (and the rest of the class) has that killer outline that says word-for-word what the professor is saying. Plus, you should have a better idea of how to study for exams and you know what works for you.

(7) Having someone come to you with a legal question and being able to be confident in the answer that you give them! DISCLAIMER: This only applies after advising this random person that you are not a licensed attorney and are not able to provide them with actual legal advice. I’m not sure if everyone’s experience has been the same, but almost daily or at least weekly throughout the past three years, everyone who I have encountered outside of Wesemann Hall expects me to be an expert in every area of the law. Once people hear that I am a law student, they just assume that I have the answers to all of their legal questions. Sometimes I’m not even sure about things that I tell my clinic clients, but don’t tell Dave Welter. However, I guess that this one could even apply to the first time that you give an answer in class that you were halfway confident in. Anyways, the point is that this moment is great because it makes you feel like some of the thousands of pages of reading that you have done might be starting to sink in. This in turn makes you feel a little better about all of the cash that you are currently spending (or will be paying back ) for your fine legal education here at VUSL.

(8) Turning in your 3L Seminar paper or completing your law review note. This one is still in progress for me. It is time-consuming and stressful, but it is also a requirement to graduate from VUSL, so it seems like something to be proud of. Major props to the people who have and will accomplish both of these things!

(9) 100 Day Party! You realize that you are graduating from law school in a little over 3 months! You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a cakewalk from here on out. Besides, we all know that no professor is heartless enough to fail a 3L, although I don’t want to be the person to test this theory out.

(10) GRADUATION (and all of the events surrounding it)! Still waiting for this one too. However, I’m pretty sure that this will be one of the best moments of my entire life.

Heather is a 3L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.

By:  Mike Duffy

Last week, Congressional Democrats reached a deal on healthcare wherein members of the party would personally provide medical services to reduce the cost of the healthcare bill.  Former President Bill Clinton was tapped to perform mammograms.  Clinton told The Forum that, “At first I wasn’t too sure about this, but once I got a feel for the job, I knew it was the right thing to do.  I’m very excited by all this hands-on experience.”  Congressman Barney Frank has turned his Massachusetts office into a prostate exam room.  Frank told reporters, “The men of Massachusetts should know that I have a firm grip on their well-being.”  Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have opened an office adjoining Franks’ wherein they perform vasectomies.  Pelosi told the Affiliated Press that “With a snip here and a cut there, we’re going to save the taxpayers boatloads of money in healthcare costs.”  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that Guantanamo Bay will be reopened as a health spa.  Former inmates will be hired as masseuses and manicurists.  Spa director Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told PMSNBC, “I can’t wait to perform colon cleansings on all you infidel pigs!”  William Ayers and Reverend Jeremiah Wright have opened a mental health facility in Chicago called Democrats Against Mental Negativity (DAMN).  Wright quipped that “When America’s chickens come home to roost, they first stop here for a mental refresher.  I tell them, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll DAMN you, alright!’”  Ayers agreed, noting that “Just like I did to that New York police headquarters back in the ‘70s, I’ll blow your mental problems sky high.”  Ayers’ wife, Bernadine Dohrn, has given up her law professorship to become a surgeon.  She was overheard as saying, “My years of experience in making bombs have made my hands particularly adept at brain surgery.”  Yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden opened a baldness clinic.  During its opening ceremony, Biden pronounced, “Democrats chipping in to help the poor and sick is as natural as the hair on my head!”  Not to be outdone, President Barrack Obama is heading a nicotine addiction program.  Obama told The Forum, “The American people should know that Democrats are serious about healthcare reform.  We’re not just blowing smoke.”  Obama did admit to being disheartened by his sinking approval rating and the public backlash against the healthcare bill, but he was reassured by President Clinton, who told him, “Look, Barry, like I tell my patients, you’ve got to stay firm.”  Republicans have been highly skeptical of this initiative.  Former Vice President Dick Cheney told The Forum that “These Democrats ought to specialize in proctology because they’re all a bunch of asses.”  According to the Office of Budget Management, the Democratic plan should trim $872.57 off the $962 trillion dollar bill.  Obama said “We’re bringing America chains, uh, I mean change it can believe in.”

Mike is a 3L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.

By Mike Wild, Sports Editor

It’s been about two months since the Super Bowl ended. It’s unclear if the City of New Orleans has officially ended its celebration yet either. I suppose that our illustrious colleagues who had a chance to work in New Orleans’ Public Defender’s Office over Spring Break would have a better perspective on the topic. But, I digress.

Outside of free agent acquisitions, the biggest NFL news from this offseason are new overtime rules and a proposal to make late season games more interesting. Let’s start with the overtime rule. In response to Brett Favre sinking his team’s Super Bowl dreams by throwing a critical interception in the NFC Championship game that subsequently allowed the Saints to win by a field goal in overtime, the NFL competition committee changed the rules for overtime in playoff games.

Instead of pure sudden death in, if the team who scores first in overtime scores a touchdown, the game is over. If the team that scores first in overtime scores a field goal, then the other team gets possession. If the other team scores a touchdown, the game is over. If the other team scores a field goal, then the game reverts back to pure sudden death. If that sounds overly complicated, it is.

Essentially, the NFL wants overtime games to be decided by touchdowns. Touchdowns add dramatic flare to overtime games, and drama sells more officially licensed NFL television footage and merchandise. This isn’t about actual competition, it’s about dragging overtime out to increase the chances of an unlikely or improbable ending to an overtime game so the NFL gets more revenue. Unfortunately, the rule is too concerned with promoting a dramatic finish and less concerned with common sense.

I still contend that if the NFL wanted to maximize its chances for both revenue and dramatic finishes while still maintaining a simple rule, there is only one choice: The Texas tie breaker, better known as the college overtime rule. Each team is guaranteed at least one possession and you play until somebody wins the game. It’s simple, and every NFL player who played in college knows the rules. The NFL game got much more exciting to watch when it borrowed the two point conversion from college football, so I see no reason why borrowing the college overtime rule wouldn’t also make the NFL more exciting.

In other competition committee news, there is a lot of talk this offseason about discouraging the teams who are guaranteed playoff spots from resting their star players in late season games. Again, this is not about player health and safety (another perennial hot topic as of late), but is instead solely intended to generate revenue. The players on the higher caliber teams have worked hard all season to guarantee their team a spot in the playoffs. Those same players are all playing with some kind of injury. There is no way that any human being can take the punishment of an NFL training camp, preseason and regular season without some kind of injury. Yet, the competition committee wants to interfere with the coaches’ prerogatives to rest their players by proposing to make all games in week 16 and 17 divisional matchups.

I think this is completely bogus. When one of the NFL’s star players gets carted off the field on a backboard or on the meat wagon in an otherwise meaningless week 17 divisional matchup, to possibly never walk again, the competition committee will realize that it shouldn’t meddle with the coaches’ decisions to rest their star players for the post season. Frankly, if your team guarantees itself a spot in the playoffs, you earn the prerogative to rest your star players and give them time to stay healthy. This proposal jeopardizes player safety and runs completely afoul of other player health and safety programs that the league is investigating, namely its new efforts to reduce new concussions and study the long term effects of existing ones.

Wow, I used a lot of space to rant and rave about the rule changes. Now I have almost no space left to talk about free agency. So I’ll just hit the highlights.

The Bears opened free agency by signing Julius Peppers, Chester Taylor and Brandon Manumaleuna, instantly adding depth on both sides of the ball. They also showed their hand that their coaching staff and front office are on the coaching hot seat unless the Bears return to the winning ways of recent seasons past. Meanwhile, the Lions made a splash too. They signed Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson. The Lions instantly added depth to their team, but still leave big questions about line depth on both sides of the ball.

Mike is a 3L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.

By Mike Wild, Gripe Columnist

That’s right Sweet Valpo High. Nothing’s grinding my gears lately. The entire world is sunshine and rainbows with candy and sprinkles on top. Even though under Comrade Obama’s new health care overhaul, candy and sprinkles are now illegal.

Seriously, nothing’s upsetting me lately. Jersey Shore is on hiatus, meaning that I don’t have to see those buffoons embarrass states that touch the Atlantic Ocean. Heritage Hall is no longer a hole in the ground, even if it isn’t actually historic anymore, it’s not a hole in the ground either. I know where to find Northwest Indiana’s best burgers. People who drive token luxury cars that they didn’t pay for aren’t parking across three spaces. I don’t study in the library anymore, so I don’t have to watch the 1Ls running around like headless chickens panicking about Legal Research assignments. The Bills overhauled their coaching staff with plans to put talented players on the offensive line. Most importantly, the only remaining Super Bowl commercials that I still see on TV are beer commercials. Things must be looking up.

April Fools. You think I’d get a gripe column if I was always happy? Yeah right. I’ll be back next month with an actual gripe.

Mike is a 3L and can be reached at forum@Valpo.edu.