With the possibility of the 49ers stadium being constructed in Santa Clara, Santa Clara U. students’ options for off-campus entertainment have the potential to be expanded to include professional football.

The 49ers have been working toward a new stadium since 1997, and have been eyeing a move to Santa Clara since 2006. The proposed stadium would be located next to Great America in what is now an empty parking lot, across the street from the team headquarters, which have been located in Santa Clara since 1988.

If Measure J, the proposal to approve the stadium’s construction, passes, the 49ers will be able to build the $937 million stadium. The proposed stadium would hold 68,500 fans and could fit 75,000 if the Super Bowl comes to the Bay Area.

“I feel pretty good,” said the organization’s president, Jed York, who is confident the measure will pass. “Especially when you see the support that we’ve had again from kids that are 18-22 years old and people that have been here for sixty years of their life, it has been great to see all those people come together, you don’t generally see those demographics come together on a lot of issues.”

On April 26, York and Vice President of Business Operations Paraag Marathe attended a Measure J rally at the legion on Lafayette Street to address questions students and the community had about the stadium.

“We want it to be the greenest stadium in the NFL and ideally in all of professional sports,” said Marathe. “We want it to be a lead-certified building and that is one of our goals going in…When you look at other teams and other states that’s not really (their goal). Their goal is the best stadium or the biggest stadium, (or) the one with the biggest scoreboard or screens.”

The limited parking spots should help fans be environmentally friendly. With only 19,000 parking spots for the 68,500 seat arena, people will be forced to carpool or find alternative transportation. An environmental impact report predicts that 26% of the guests are going to use public transit. Additionally, York referenced the entertainment value the stadium would bring: “You get an extension of an entertainment district where you can have parties, where you can have a bar scene, you can do some of things that may not necessarily exist in Santa Clara today.”

The other motivating factor was the job opportunities that the stadium would provide for students wanting to get their foot in the door with a sports organization. Some Santa Clara alums are already on the 49ers’ payroll.

Shaw brought in Albert J. “Al” Ruffo, a graduate of SCU, to be the 49ers’ line coach. Ruffo was an all-star guard for the Broncos and earned degrees in Political Science, Electrical Engineering and Literature. He taught in the university’s School of Engineering and continued to coach the freshmen football team to help pay for his law school tuition. In 1936, he graduated as the head of his class from the Santa Clara School of Law.

John R. Blackinger was the 49ers’ first general manager. A graduate of U. Santa Clara, as it was then called, he served as athletic manager during his senior year, when he first became acquainted with the functions of a football team manager.

The relationship grew deeper when the 49ers held their Summer Training Camp at U. Santa Clara during the 1979 and 1980 seasons.

Among the rookies who reported to the training camp that year were former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana and former Clemson wide receiver Dwight Clark. Two years later, this pair would join together for the legendary play known as “The Catch” to defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Title Game on January 10, 1981.

The most recognized Santa Clara alum that played for the 49ers is Brent Jones. The tight end signed as a free agent with the 49ers for the 1987 season. He played in 143 games for the 49ers (1987-1997) with 417 receptions, 5,195 syards and 33 touchdowns.

“There’s going to be a lot of different internship opportunities, especially along the concession and food and beverage side,” said York. “We’ve talked to Mission College and Santa Clara U. about the internship program possibilities…it’s more likely when all of our operations are here…(that they) would much rather have local residents than (have to pull) from other parts of the country.”

York added another dimension to his argument, saying that it would provide a local football team for a university that does not have one to cheer for.

Today the 49ers and Santa Clara still have a relationship, as 49ers’ Head Coach Singletary is close friends with the conditioning coach for the men’s soccer team.

The stadium proposal has been met with controversy from local businesses. Great America in particular is concerned about the stadium’s impact on their sales. On April 13, 2010, Cedar Fair Entertainment, the owner of Great America, said the environmental impact report the 49ers submitted did not address the big issues, such as the traffic and the parking needs that they say would take away from their business.

A resolution has not been reached, but communication continues between the parties involved. At this point, the only thing standing in the way of the stadium being built is the upcoming election on June 8.

During the rally one student asked if this would bring back football to Santa Clara, and although the 49ers do not plan to support the comeback of Broncos football, York said he would not mind another school to have in the mix.

“I’m more than happy to have another school to be able to scout, especially if it’s right down the street,” said York.

The stadium is proposed to be ready in time for the 2014 season.

When I first saw the countdown go up, I realized my days were numbered. That’s when the reality hit that college was about to be over. Numbered were the days when waking up for a 10 a.m. class was considered early. Everything seemed to be the last time for this or that. E-mails flooded my inbox reminding me to pay my graduation fee, pick up my cap and gown, and review the commencement schedule. “Real life” is going to begin and frankly, I don’t think I am ready.

Sure, I have completed all of the courses to get my accounting degree. I’ve completed internships, joined clubs, made lifelong friends. I’ve done everything I was told to do in college, but I just don’t feel like I can go out on my own.

I’m not alone in feeling this. When many seniors read this I am sure they will nod in agreement. Despite everything that I’ve done in college, it’s the fear of what I still don’t know that will make me dread the day I put on my cap and gown.

Maybe this is what graduating in a recession does to you. Being a business major, I’ve spent a good part of my last four years analyzing our slumping economy. I’ve learned about the harsh conditions people must face out there in the “real world.”

I know that in the United States 2010 graduating class, less than 19.7 percent of graduates will have a job lined up for after graduation. Just a few years ago in 2007, 51 percent of graduates had a secured job. Honestly, this scares me.

Although I am one of the lucky few who have a job waiting for me, I’ve watched as my housemates and friends have struggled with interview after interview only to be told the company no longer had the resources to make new hires. My heart goes out to them as they worry about what they will do once school is over.

Until graduation day, the recession probably won’t feel real to most seniors. Right now, most of us are living in a world where we can swipe our ID cards to buy most of the items we need. Our biggest responsibilities are making sure we turn in our last few papers, and find time to fit in senior night. Once the reality does hit though, I know it will be harsh. Many seniors will be faced with mounting student loans that need to be paid back. Few new graduates will be moving into their own apartments. Instead, most will head back to their high school bedrooms.

Unfortunately, the recession will result in some students having to push aside their dreams. Since studying abroad as a sophomore, I have longed to return to Europe to visit some of my favorite spots during one of my last chances to take a long vacation. Instead, I will be attending Certified Public Accountant (CPA) review classes and finishing up my 150 accreditation credits so that I can prove what a valuable employee I am.

I’m worried about all of the things that college didn’t teach me to do. How do I buy my own car? How do I know when I need to get my oil changed? How do I pay back all those student loans?

As each day ticks away on the countdown, I am reminded again of the last few days most of us have to still be hidden from the recession. Ironically, as we are handed our diplomas, we will also be handed a ticket into our country’s current economic nightmare.

So, if you ask me if I am excited to graduate, the answer will be no. I am not excited to watch my friends scrounge around for jobs or lose sight of their dreams. While I do look forward to the freedom graduation provides, I am still held back by the fear it instills in me. Graduating during a recession is bittersweet.

Economist Paul Volcker gave a sobering assessment of the global financial situation last night, saying difficult fiscal and economic adjustments are necessary to rebuild the world economy.

Volcker was at Stanford U. to receive the inaugural Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) prize for contributions to economic policy.

The time we have is going short, Volcker said, and the United States needs to adopt a sense of urgency as its government tries to tackle the fundamental problems that led to a recession.

Volcker, 82, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve under Presidents Carter and Reagan and current chairman of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, has now taken a role as the wise man of the global financial system, and was lauded as such by the institute.

“What do we need in public life right now?” asked George Shultz, Hoover Institution fellow, chairman of the committee that awarded Volcker the prize and the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President Nixon. “We need Paul Volcker.”

Shultz and Volcker both served under President Reagan, Shultz as Secretary of State.

When he was chairman of the Fed, Volcker was credited with ending the stagflation of the 1970s. Now, he is advocating a tough regimen of fiscal and economic adjustments to counter years of unrestrained consumption.

“In the United States savings practically disappeared as consumption rose far above past relationships to national production,” Volcker said. “That consumption was satisfied by rapidly growing imports from China and elsewhere in Asia at remarkable cheap prices, helping to keep inflation well subdued.”

Volcker said he knew the remedy to this growing problem would not be concerted policy action, but that it would take a crisis to for real reform to occur.

The financial industry drew sharp criticism from Volcker, who derided its lack of actual economic contribution despite its large profits.

“There was one great growth industry,” Volcker said. “Private debt relative to the GDP nearly tripled in 30 years. Credit default swaps, invented little more than a decade ago, soared at their peak to a $60 trillion market, exceeding by a factor of 10 the amount of the underlying credits potentially hedged against default.”

The ensuing financial crisis, Volcker said, was so deep as to merit the reconsideration of the basic tenets of financial theory, a reconsideration he believes to be absolutely necessary.

But a reconsideration of financial theory is difficult, and building new regulations will be challenging, according to Volcker.

“The fact is the exercise of effective regulatory and supervisory authority is always difficult on a national level, and those difficulties are multiplied when dozens of countries are involved,” he said.

In Washington, Volcker has said the concept of “too big to fail” is one of the fundamental stressors of the financial system. He repeated this point in his remarks on Tuesday, emphasizing the difference between commercial banks, which he said are critical to the economy, and the bloated non-commercial banks he said are stressing the regulatory environment.

The “shadow banking system” that Volcker described was not adequately regulated before the crisis, something he said needs to change.

“To a substantial extent, it was those ‘non-banks’ that were at the epicenter of the crisis,” Volcker said. “Contrary to well-established central bank practices and with active government support, those same institutions received massive assistance to remain viable.”

When the regulatory environment is overhauled, Volcker said, these non banks should be “free to fail.” By letting the banks fail, and denying them opportunities for bailout, the market will discipline them.

The final piece of financial regulatory reform, Volcker said, is to begin answering the serious economic questions that have not yet been satisfactorily addressed.

This includes, in the short run, the United States’ commitment to growing entitlement programs, and in the long run, problems like global warming. All of this must be done in the context of managing a massive national deficit, he said.

For Volcker, the time to act on these issues is now.

“Restoring our fiscal position, dealing with social security and health care obligations in a responsible way, sorting out a reasonable approach toward limiting carbon emissions and producing domestic energy without unacceptable environmental risks all take time,” he said. “We better get started.”

Ohio State U. pitcher Alex Wimmers and catcher Dan Burkhart form one of the best batteries in the Big Ten.

But these two have a lot of experience working with one another because they grew up playing together.

Since they were 9 years old, Burkhart and Wimmers have been teammates, and they feel that their experience together has helped them get to where they are.

“It’s been a great honor to be on the same team as him,” said Wimmers, who should start Friday for the first time since a hamstring injury suffered before a loss to Michigan April 30. “It’s been a great experience growing up together,” he said. “It’s crazy to think that we’ve carried it on to Ohio State.”

Having played together, these two feel that there is a natural chemistry between them when Wimmers is on the mound and Burkhart is behind the plate.

“Me and him (Wimmers) have a good rhythm going on out at the mound,” Burkhart said. “I usually know what he likes to throw on certain counts, and it works out good that way.”

“He knows me and he knows my pitches, and he usually calls a great game,” Wimmers said. “When the game flows, it really works to our advantage.”

Burkhart and Wimmers enjoyed a great deal of success in 2009, with Burkhart being named Big Ten Player of the Year and Wimmers being named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year.

“When you’re the Player of the Year in Dan Burkhart, it means that every phase of his game is solid,” coach Bob Todd said. “And of course with Alex Wimmers, he’s gone out there every Friday night and he’s pitched every big game for us, and he’s won.”

When these two played together at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, it took persuasion on the part of Burkhart to have the OSU coaching staff get Wimmers as well.

“Ohio State was recruiting Dan and he put a good word in for me,” Wimmers said. “And it worked out to our advantage.”

Coach Todd said that when they saw Wimmers pitch in the spring of his senior year, they liked what they saw and decided to bring him in along with Burkhart.

This season, the Buckeyes have struggled, going 27-21 on the season. They are currently in a four-way tie for fifth place at 10-11 in Big Ten play.

As OSU heads into its final Big Ten series of the 2010 season against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, these two players will work together once again Friday night.

The team will need to play well to qualify for the Big Ten Conference tournament because only the top six teams will play in the tournament.

A team of U. South Florida researchers who explored the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico for nearly two weeks is now analyzing the data they collected to assess the potential negative impact of the spill on wildlife.

Thunderstorms welcomed the group aboard the R/V Weatherbird II (R/V WB II) home Monday as they pulled into port after 12 days at sea.

The research crew, comprised of USF biological oceanographers Ernst Peebles, David Jones, Ralph Kitzmiller, Holly Rolls, Kara Radabaugh, Drew Remsen and scientists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Center, collected data, images and water samples of the potential damage to zooplankton from the disastrous spill.

Drew Remsen, a professor at USF’s College of Marine Science, said the team collected about 60 gigabytes of data.

It was with the aid of a digital imaging device known as the SIPPER that Remsen said the team was able to collect the images that will allow them to analyze the spill’s effects on zooplankton.

“The ocean’s a very dynamic environment,” he said. “It will take us a while to figure out what’s natural and what’s unnatural.”

One unnatural feature the group noticed was the scent of kerosene — a smell that worsened as the week progressed and made some team members feel ill, Remsen said.

Matthew White, the captain of the R/V WB II, said that the smell of the oil on the water wasn’t the only thing that hindered the team’s expedition. The weather and traffic on the water also played a large role.

White, who has captained the R/V WB II for 16 months and has nine years of experience with the Coast Guard, said he had never seen so much boating traffic and coordinating efforts to control it in all his years on the water.

“You see the picture of the oil spill on T.V., and then you get there and see the different thicknesses of oil and how large it is,” White said.

Peebles, the principal land-based investigator, monitored the spread of the oil slick toward the loop current, part of the Gulf Stream that would send the oil past the Keys and up the Atlantic coast, via satellite imaging.

Peebles said observations made by eyewitnesses on scene at the spill, including one made by White, verified that the oil had moved further south and closer to the path of the loop current.

“The loop current moves at just a few miles per hour,” Peebles said. “But it wouldn’t take more than a few days for the oil to reach the Florida Keys.”

To investigate how much oil is in the loop current, 10 USF researchers left Wednesday for a five-day expedition to track the loop current on the research vessel Bellows.

Peebles said that an effort to break up the oil in the water with the use of dispersants has caused the oil to have the same consistency as water, making it more difficult to track via satellite and more likely to get caught in the loop current.

“This is one of those cases in history where you have societal learning,” Peebles said. “Where people change their values and second guess the way they live.”

The Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA) currently sits in the House of Representatives, waiting to fundamentally change the way research is shared in our country. Stanford U. has recently announced its support of the act in an open letter urging other academic institutions to do the same. The FRPAA would mandate that all research efforts with budgets over $100 million publish their results online within six months of original publication. The minor costs of making research publicly available online by no means outweigh the priceless benefits of fostering a culture of shared knowledge within the American research community that has been long overdue.

Concerns for copyright are what currently restrict widespread access to research, and going digital would not eliminate all the problems in this area. But it remains the publishing industry that adamantly opposes such cooperation and openness. By no means would the act eliminate authorship or publishing rights. We must realize there is not a black market for research findings. More importantly, there is no market of ideas when doors are closed on academic research.

Sharing research must become a hallmark of American institutions and academia in the way that this act promotes. Publications that lie in a drawer, on a shelf or thousands of miles away do nothing to foster the growth of new ideas in the research community. Research is done for the benefit of society, but if that society is not allowed to learn from that research, it is merely text and data sets. When people are allowed to collaborate, add on to what others have created and expand an idea in a direction the original author never imagined, knowledge progresses much more rapidly than when individuals research and work in secret. FRPAA would create an online forum designed to facilitate peer-to-peer interaction, the sharing of ideas and collaboration. For the research community not to take advantage of the Internet in this way would only hinder our nation’s progress in the areas of research and development, areas where we are currently found lacking in a global comparison.

In a society where the power of the individual is celebrated and protected, FRPAA moves into a new age of progressive thinking. Protecting research must not come at the cost of preventing further research; copyright can be maintained while still permitting for the open exchange of ideas among academic institutions. The Editorial Board applauds Stanford for openly endorsing FRPAA and hopes that other universities and institutions will do the same.

For Williams syndrome patients, a larger fusiform face area (FFA) of the brain has been found to translate to increased face-to-face interaction tendencies, Stanford U. researchers said.

In a paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience last week, Stanford researchers found that behavioral tendencies in Williams syndrome patients correlated with FFA size, a finding that holds wider implications for other behavioral disorders like autism.

Those affected by Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder that includes both cognitive deficits and strengths, have a strong “social appetite,” said lead author and psychology department researcher Golijeh Golarai.

Golarai collaborated with Kalanit Grill-Spector, associate professor of psychology, and Allan Reiss, School of Medicine psychiatrist and neuroscientist.

Reiss had previously observed pronounced deficits in the temporal and occipital lobes of Williams syndrome patients. His knowledge combined with the known social nature of the disorder gave Golarai a “hunch” that Williams syndrome patients’ cortical regions would show a larger activation for faces.

“The logical question was, if the structure has an abnormality, then does the function?” Golarai said.

In conjunction with Harvard U. Medical School, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Bangor U., the Stanford research group began running functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on adults with and without Williams syndrome.

The FFA, which processes identity, usually activates when shown pictures of faces. The fMRIs allowed researchers to measure the size of each individual’s FFA. Those with Williams syndrome had a larger FFA consistent with their increased behavioral responsiveness to faces.

However, other parts of the brain associated with facial recognition showed no significant differences in this study, suggesting that Williams syndrome has a “specific effect in the fusiform gyrus for faces,” Golarai said.

The specificity of the FFA could suggest that it is uniquely plastic.

Conversely, the specificity could reflect the possibility that the experiment was not designed to process other parts of the brain involved in facial recognition.

“The kinds of faces we used weren’t designed to process the STS,” or superior temporal sulcus, a brain structure that reads expression, Golarai said. “We can’t say the STS is or isn’t normal.”

Next, the team hopes to conduct a similar study on children to determine whether or not Williams syndrome patients’ FFA size differs from the beginning of life or diverges with development from the normal size.

If FFA size diverges over time it “gives more weight to experience, but doesn’t eliminate genetics,” Golarai said.

Golarai is hopeful that understanding the interplay of genes and experience might provide hypotheses for possible genetic causes of autism.

“Autism is really an umbrella term for a whole collection of more specific diseases and disorders about which we know very little,” Reiss said. “We know what causes the behaviors that we call autism in less than ten percent of the people that receive that diagnosis.”

Autism and Williams syndrome represent “two sides of the same coin,” Reiss said. Social communication and behavior is overdeveloped in Williams syndrome and underdeveloped in autism.

Because Williams syndrome is a very specific disorder with known genetic factors, it can be used as an “experiment of nature” to better understand the subdivisions of autism, Reiss said.

Since Williams syndrome patients have larger than normal FFAs and autistic patients have “underactive” or smaller than normal FFAs, Reiss speculates that perhaps the same gene underlies both diseases, but different mutations account for the behavioral differences.

Hypothetically, the gene may affect how infants learn the context for facial interactions. One version could cause excessive social drive resulting in behavior characteristic to Williams syndrome, while a different version could cause an “abnormally decreased drive to interact with people which might serve as a basis for how some people come to develop autism,” Reiss said.

This speculation about gene-environment interactions could help explain a few more autism diagnoses in what Reiss believes will be a progressive discovery of the science behind autism.

A new study at Oregon State U. questions previous notions about men and women and their social relationships – including sexual problems.

Research has shown that less than half of older men and women who have a sexual problem talk to their doctors about it, although men were more likely to than women, according to Professor Alexis Walker, the Jo Anne L. Petersen Chair in gerontology and family sciences at OSU. However, many of those that did talk to their doctor felt that it didn’t help.

“This was our most unexpected outcome,” said Ryo Hirayama, a Ph.D. student in Oregon State University’s department of human development and family sciences. “Older adults are advised to talk to their doctors about sexual health issues, but not all people do, and talking with a physician is not as helpful as you might expect.”

The research for this study began in the fall of 2008, after Hirayama obtained access to the results of a government-funded study called the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP). Hirayama is doing his doctoral studies on male identity issues and men’s social ties in current society.

In 2005 and 2006, researchers from the University of Chicago, the headquarters of the project, conducted more than 3,000 interviews nationally with people aged 57 to 85. NSHAP asked people how social they were and what activities interested them, as well as about physical and mental health issues.

They specifically asked if the people had experienced any sexual problems, including a lack of interest, trouble maintaining an erection, physical pain during sex or lubrication issues, and asked each person to rate their problem from one to three, with three being the worst.

Hirayama was only interested in studying married couples, or people in a relationship and living together, who experienced at least one sexual problem. As it turned out, 861 of the 3,000-plus people who were interviewed were experiencing at least one sexual problem.

The study showed that men who talk about their sexual problems with friends and spouses were much happier than those who did not. This was not the case with women. Again, this finding came as a surprise.

“The finding is striking, because most people presume men do not have confidants,” Hirayama said. “Men are not believed to be functioning socially in our society, yet research increasingly shows that social networks can be a critical part of a man’s life, especially as he ages.”

The question that remains, though, is why do older men feel better after confiding in close friends or talking with their spouses, but women do not?

“Men and women have different sexual problems,” Walker said. “Sexual issues are a social relationship issue, not a medical issue.”

So, finding a cure through medicine isn’t going to solve that problem. Walker suggests that couples maintain an open dialogue about what is most important to them in the relationship. This can help turn a sexual issue into a minor problem by emphasizing something else in the relationship that is equally important to both partners.

The study conducted by Walker and Hirayama will be featured in the social science section of “The Journals of Gerontology,” Series B, sometime later in the summer.

For their next research study, Hirayama and Walker will be looking at the effect a sexual problem can have on a partner, instead of focusing on how a person deals with their own sexual problem.

Since they believe that sexual problems between partners is a social relationship issue and not a medical problem, their theory is that people are, in fact, affected by their partner having a problem. Perhaps they’ll find a few more surprises in their next study.

Sam Marder is Ohio State U.’s all-time home run, RBI and walks leader, but she might be OSU softball’s all-time goof ball as well.

Her jabbing jokes, ribbon dancing routines and affable personality do not help her hit home runs, but it is apparent she doesn’t need help with that.

“I think the great part about this team is that we have so much fun with each other,” Marder said. “They all came to my ribbon dancing routine and we are always playing jokes on each other. We are a fun and relaxed team.”

Off the field, Marder encourages some friendly pranks.

“Megan (Miller) and I were roommates one weekend on the road and that was not fair,” she said. “We filled a bucket of ice and played a joke on freshman (Megan) Coletta. When she opened the door she got showered with all this ice. Then we ran away.”

Though this two-time captain and two-time All-American loves to entertain her teammates, she acknowledges that what you see is not always what you get.

“I definitely have two personalities and I like to compare myself to Beyonce calling herself Sasha Fierce,” Marder said. “While off the field I am really light-hearted and joking around.  On the field I am very focused, intense and driven. That is the only way I can play.”

Coach Linda Kalafatis acknowledges Marder’s split personality.

“She is smart, passionate, creative, weird and goofy,” Kalafatis said. “But, there is an intensity and passion on the field that you don’t necessarily know of off the field.”
When co-captain Courtney Pruner was asked to talk about Marder’s personality, she muttered, “Oh God.”

Pruner spoke about Marder’s humble personality, but sometimes she can take it too far.

“Anytime we get the chance to make fun of her we can,” she said.

When it comes to softball, Marder likes to mesh different parts of her personality to guide the team to success, part of her job as captain.

“I try to lead by example,” Marder said. “It is important to make sure our team is loose and relaxed, while at the same time, mentally prepared to play.”

Marder is not one to stray away from who she is. People don’t have to be at a softball practice to catch a glimpse of the lovable goof ball.

When the team plays on the Big Ten Network, she claims she is chosen to read the introductions because she is the most attractive on the team.

In addition, Marder represented the softball team by performing rhythmic gymnastics, otherwise known as ribbon dancing, for Buckeyes Got Talent.

“The nerve to get up there and be that silly is remarkable,” Kalafatis said.

The song she chose was Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb.”

While the regional tournament approaches, the team will begin its ascent to its ultimate goal, Oklahoma City.

When an Ohio U. senior opened the door to his apartment this April and found two men selling magazines, he was skeptical.

“I was about to close the door on them, but one guy asked, ‘Can I use your bathroom?'” David Gold said.

The men said they were selling magazine subscriptions to try earning points to win a trip. The two men also told Gold he could cancel the check and they still would receive points for the sale.

“They got me. I wrote out a check – $120,” he said, adding his roommate also wrote out a $120 check.

Gold immediately called his girlfriend, Laura Miceli, who had been scammed the summer before.

Miceli was home alone when a supposed magazine seller knocked on her door. Although she turned the man down at first, Miceli decided to purchase one magazine subscription after he explained she could cancel the check and he would still receive points in the magazine-selling competition.

“He was very nice,” Miceli said. “I thought he was legit because of the brochures and everything. He wrote me a receipt.”

Miceli bought one, two-year subscription for $80. Later, she found her check had been cashed. Miceli said she never received any magazines.

Because of Miceli’s warning, Gold was able to track down the men quickly and demand his and his roommate’s checks.

“I called them out. I said, ‘You guys are scamming me,'” Gold said. “My roommate went upstairs on his laptop, looked it up and it just said, ‘Scam, scam, scam, scam, scam.'”

The men initially told Gold they could not return the checks and told him there was no one he could call.

“As soon as I tried to get my money, they got really upset with me,” Gold said.

During the exchange, the men told Gold they had visited 16 houses that day. The men had stacks of checks and cash, Gold said.

People are easily scammed because they generally want to do good for other people, Gold and Miceli said.

Following the incident, Gold called the Athens Police Department, and the officer he spoke with informed him they knew about the scam.

However, Lt. Dave Williams said he had not heard about it.

“We have solicitors like that, that pass through now and then,” Williams said. “I don’t know how many are actually legit and how many are scams.”

All solicitors are required to register with city code enforcement and must have a peddler’s permit to sell door-to-door.

People can call code enforcement to check the legitimacy of a solicitor, Theresa Gerren, an administrative assistant for the Athens Code Enforcement Office, said.

Police suggested people call the company the solicitor works for before buying anything and ask that they report any potential scams.

“We’ll take a report, and we will usually try to get ahold of the people if they are still in town,” Williams said. “It is difficult usually to find the people because they move on so quickly.”