» SPORTS: WOMEN TO TAKE ON LOUISVILLE IN CHAMPIONSHIP

Volume CXIII No. 127 Monday, April 6, 2009 www.dailycampus.com

MICHIGAN STATE 82 CONNECTICUT 73

SINGING THE BLUES

DAN GINDRAUX/The Daily Campus

From left, Jerome Dyson, Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien hang their heads near the end of the second half against Michigan State. The Huskies were defeated by nine points in the final minutes of the national semifinal game.

Staying on top of rebounds, Michigan State ends season for Huskies, fans alike
By Marc Gauthier
Associate Sports Editor
DETROIT — When the game clock ticked
down to zero on Saturday night, it was impossible
to hear anything except the overwhelming roar of
Michigan State fans at Ford Field.
On one half of the court, Raymar Morgan hugged
his teammates and celebrated with the crowd.
On the other, Hasheem Thabeet sat in his seat
with a towel wrapped around his head. The sweat
rolling down his face could have easily been con-
fused for tears.
After 40 minutes of back-and-forth basketball,
UConn ended its season with an 82-73 loss to
Michigan State in the NCAA semi-final game.
“I love my kids,” said coach Jim Calhoun.
“They had an incredible season. They had to start
one way, add Stanley, lose Jerome, have a couple
of things thrown around for the past couple weeks
and yet we were in a position tonight to advance
to Monday. We didn’t because Michigan State
took that. Give them all the credit. Tom [Izzo] is a
dear friend. His team played exceptionally well.”
Unlike UConn’s first four NCAA Tournament
games, the Huskies did not get out to a big lead
in the opening minutes. Instead, Michigan State
controlled the tempo and ran out to a 9-2 lead after
two-and-a-half minutes of play.
UConn took the lead with 12 minutes and 45
seconds to play in the half on a layup by Kemba
Walker, and took that lead as high as five points.
The Spartans, using a combination of fast-break
offense and offensive rebounding, never let the
game get out of hand.
“Yeah, you know, they ran the ball off missed-
shots and made-shots,” said A.J. Price. “We were
kind of surprised by how much they pushed the
ball after they made baskets. I think it took us a
little too long to make that adjustment. The whole
first half, they did a great job of pushing after
made baskets.”
With 41 seconds left to play in the first half,
Price stole the ball from Marquise Gray and start-
ed off a fast-break opportunity for UConn. Craig
Austrie pushed the ball up the court and with two
» TOUGH, page 12

Media impact event GUARD Dogs lowers driver age restriction

spreads awareness
By Tiffany Phillips
Campus Correspondent
Melinda Hemmelgarn, a well-
known health-nutritionist, col-
umnist and lecturer, stands in
front of a giant picture of a
Big Mac projected on the wall.
The room is full of educators,
students and a variety of people
interested in what she has to
say.
“Where was this meat pro-
duced, and under what condi-
tions? What’s on it, in it or
not?” Hemmelgarn said, while
pointing a finger towards the
flawless-looking hamburger
depicted on the screen. “Every
time we sit down to eat we
should be asking, ‘where does
[the food] come from?’”
Hemmelgarn’s message is a
sobering one, similar to the other
messages of the seventh annual
Media Literacy Conference at
UConn. The Neag School of
Education hosted the confer-
ence. In the words of its coor-
dinator Tom Goodkind, a pro-
fessor of the same school, the
goal of the conference was to
promote media literacy, the abil-
ity to access and evaluate media
messages.
“Kids need to become more
aware of the major impact of
mass media upon their lives.
» PROBLEMS, page 3
By Kate Monohan
Staff Writer
Caitlin Cuskley, a 6th–semester
psychology major and GUARD
Dogs’ public relations and pro-
motions officer.
GUARD Dogs is lowering the
GUARD Dogs has imple-
age requirement for volunteer
mented a more stringent process
drivers from 21 to 19 years
for obtaining driving privileges
old. The lowered age should
because of the lowered age. The
garner more volunteers and pro-
application is available on the
vide more safe rides home for
groups’ Web site: www.guard-
UConn students.
dogs.uconn.edu.
GUARD Dogs, the acronym
“I’m thrilled. They’ve been
standing for Giving UConn A
working on making this change
Responsible Driver, provides
since GUARD Dogs began,”
rides home for students on
said Jackson Herget, a 4th-
weekends, as an alternative to
semester chemistry major and
impaired driving or walking.
GUARD Dogs’ Sponsorship
GUARD Dogs is available on
Officer.
Friday and Saturday nights from
The stricter requirements
11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
ensure younger drivers are of
The original age requirement
a higher caliber, but will also
of 21 was in place because
apply to older drivers, making
of Enterprise Rent-A-Van’s MATT LIN/The Daily Campus
everyone safer, Cuskley said.
rules in renting out the vans With a lowered age restriction for drivers in GUARD Dogs, members expect more vol-
to GUARD Dogs, according to » VOLUNTEERING, page 2 unteers. However, there are stricter requirements for all drivers due to the change.

»INSIDE MONDAY’S DAILY CAMPUS:

» FOCUS » SPORTS » INDEX

50 Cent raises the Softball steamrolls Weather 2
roof at Gampel during over CCSU with Commentary 4
Spring Concert. two mercy-rule wins Comics 5
Sunday. Focus 7
see page 7 see page 14 Sports 14