When former U. Oklahoma wrestler Jake Hager goes to work, he still has to every now and then sit back to take a breath.

Hager wrestles for World Wrestling Entertainment as one of their superstars, and his character, “Jack Swagger,” is one of the top villains on the WWE’s television show Smackdown! that comes on every Friday night on the SyFy Network.

“It’s so crazy because I grew up watching the same guys I’m in the locker room with now,” Hager said. “I grew up idolizing Rey Mysterio, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Big Show; I mean these guys were on my TV every Monday night.”

Hager initially came to OU as a defensive tackle from high school wrestling powerhouse Perry. Hager appeared to be doing well, but hadn’t attained the level of success to which he was accustomed.

The former Oklahoma high school wrestling state champion turned his attention back to the mat and decided his best chances for national success would come in collegiate wrestling.

It was a rough transition for a young man, who was suddenly competing for one of the toughest college wrestling programs in the country.

“We wrestle one of the most competitive schedules in the country,” said OU wrestling coach Jack Spates. “He was coming in against beasts. He did have a transition because he didn’t start until later in college — very difficult for a guy to do that — by the end he was for real. He was tough.”

As a heavyweight in 2006, Hager was named an All-American after an impressive seventh-place finish in the NCAA championships and also defeated the eventual heavyweight national champion, Dustin Fox from Northwestern.

It was during this time he was introduced to WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross through former OU defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek, Hager’s close friend and college roommate.

Before WWE made the call, though, Hager was trying to find a job during his final semester on campus, but nothing caught his eye.

“I must have went through job interviews for six or seventh months, you know starting in January and that was just a nerve-wracking process,” Hager said. “I really wasn’t finding any opportunities out there. I found some jobs, but not what I thought were opportunities.”

After a nearly six-month process, Hager had finally come to terms with a firm in Dallas.

That’s when he got the phone call from Ross.

“I talked to JR and I talked to another guy, Jerry Briscoe, and they kind of set me down and told me about the opportunity I had in front of me with the WWE,” Hager said. “They sent me out to Atlanta for a one-week tryout at one of their developmental camps.

“I liked it, they liked me, so we signed a three-year developmental contract and I moved out to Atlanta by July of ’06.”

During his 2 1/2 year stay at multiple WWE affiliates, Hager worked on making the transition from amateur wrestler to professional wrestling.

He also worked on creating the character Hager portrays today in Swagger.

Hager started living his dream, playing the larger-than-life character Jack Swagger, “The All-American American”.

“That’s the thing, you know, when you’re coming up with a character for the WWE, they want it to be you but amplified. I think Jack Swagger and Jake Hager are very similar.”

Most describe the 6’6, 260-pound former All-American wrestler as the laid back, easygoing sort, but when the entrance music hits and the lights go up, it’s that amplified version of Hager that goes through the curtain. From that point forward it’s all Jack Swagger, the All-American American, the braggadocios villain of the WWE.

Swagger will add on a couple more Americans to his “All-American American” nickname when he is really trying to get the fans riled up, a far departure from the young wrestler that used to walk the campus at OU on his way to a bachelor’s degree in business finance in 2006.

“Jacob Hager is a great kid,” Spates said. “It’s so comical because when you see him on TV, he’s, and I don’t know if he would be characterized as a villain, but he certainly seems pretty villainous and he’s got that stare down — that evil stare. I have to laugh because Jacob Hager is the nicest, sweetest, most wonderful guy you could meet, but he plays a good part.”

It’s Hager’s amateur wrestling skills that have helped catapult him to the top of the heap in the WWE, and Hager is a part of special lineage that has passed through the hallowed wrestling rooms and moved on to the pro ranks.

Names like Danny Hodge, who went undefeated at his time at OU (1955-1957) while amassing a record of 46-0 with 36 pins. Hodge also won the 177-pound NCAA title and pinned all of his NCAA finalist opponents.

Hodge may be arguably the greatest amateur wrestler of all time, according to Ross, and is the only amateur wrestler to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

There was also two-sport athlete “Dr. Death” Steve Williams. Williams was an All-American during his time as a football player at OU and also made the finals of the NCAA tournament in wrestling before be beaten by future Olympian Bruce Baumgartner.

Hager has known Hodge most of his life while living in their shared hometown of Perry, and Williams helped train Hager as a pro during his time Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Another former Sooner great, Ed “Wahoo” McDaniel, comes to mind that had a solid career in professional wrestling. McDaniel played football under legendary coach Bud Wilkinson in 1956 and played in the NFL before stepping inside the squared circle.

Ross, who also was Executive Vice President for the WWE and has been involved in pro wrestling since 1974, acknowledges the legacy Hager has to follow.

“He has huge shoes to fill because he’s been preceded by so many Oklahomans that have been stars in pro wrestling,” Ross said.

However, Hager already has taken a major step towards being remembered among the elite in Oklahoma’s history, and the journey started in Oklahoma City during the March 1 edition of WWE’s Monday Night Raw telecast.

Jack Swagger took on Santino Marella in a qualifying match for a spot in a match called “Money-in-the-Bank.” Swagger squashed Marella in less than 30 seconds in front of his hometown crowd.

Swagger went to the WWE’s premiere pay-per-view event, WrestleMania, and won the MITB match in front of over 72,000 people on March 28 in Glendale, Ariz.

Winning the match guaranteed Swagger a shot at WWE’s world titles at his discretion. Any time, any place, and Swagger could even take advantage of an injured champion.

Less than two days after Swagger went to a television taping of Smackdown! and cashed in the guaranteed contract, he successfully captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Chris Jericho.

For Hager, it was a great night for more than one reason.

“Man, what a feeling. Like when I came back through the curtain and everybody was on their feet cheering,” Hager said. “It happened to be in Las Vegas, so it was the perfect city. After I won it actually, I took my then-girlfriend out at the time and I proposed to her. So I had a world championship in one hand and a ring in another. Luckily, she said yes.”

The win came as a big shock to many, including his mentor Ross, as Hager is still considered green in the world of pro wrestling.

“I was proud of him,” Ross said. “Because it’s a sign of confidence that the company has in an athlete that they feel he is talented and responsible enough to be put in that position. So I was obviously proud for him and happy with him.

“I was surprised and pleasantly so.”

Jack Swagger was now carrying the title and wrestling as the main event night in and night out in front of sold-out arenas across the country.

There was nothing sweeter for Hager as the titlist. He eventually dropped the title to one of his heroes, Rey Mysterio, in a fatal four-way match.

“It was a life-long dream to accomplish that,” Hager said. “Oh man, that three or four months I held the title was going by really fast, but it was very surreal and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Now, as a former world champion, it’s up to Swagger the character and Jake Hager the man to build a legacy.

“You know what? Now is a real interesting time for me,” he said. “I have been the world heavyweight champion, but I’m still considered very new.

“You want to leave your mark on this business. Anybody who does this business does it because they love it. I have been wrestling since I was 5 years old, I played football and wrestled at Oklahoma, you do that and it’s a lot of hard work because you love it.

“Obviously, I can’t be a wrestler for the rest of my life. Your body won’t take it, so for the next 10 years I would like to passionately put everything I have into these performances and give it to the WWE universe and to the local that fans I have at OU and around the state of Oklahoma.

“Luckily, Jake Hager went to the great the University of Oklahoma, so he has class. He knows how to win because the Sooners win and they do it with class.”

First though for Hager is a trip home to OKC Friday night for a live television production of Smackdown! on the Syfy Network from the Ford Center.

Ross, who is sponsoring the live Smackdown!, hopes students and fans alike turn out to welcome Hager home.

“I know that on that Friday night before the OU-Texas game is a big night for him,” Ross said. “Cause I hope that for those who don’t trek to Dallas, that they will make the effort to go to the Ford Center to see him perform.

“This is like a home game for Swagger, and the WWE won’t be back the rest of this year at least.”

The WWE also is offering student tickets for the JRsBarBQ.com presents SmackDown! at the Ford Center for a discounted rate of $10 dollars with a student ID.

Villain or not though, Hager wants to hear the cheers when he comes home Friday.

“Well, hopefully since I am a world champion now, Norman and OU can really welcome home back one of their native sons,” Hager said.

Art Schlichter lost everything. But now, it seems he has found salvation.

Since his release from Indiana’s Marion County Jail in 2006, the former 1978-81 Ohio State quarterback who notoriously gambled his way into prison has been slowly putting the shattered pieces of his life back together.

He has found work at a local radio station, his record has been clean, and he’s helping others conquer their addictions to gambling.

Schlichter’s family, ripped apart by his compulsive gambling, has seen him take a more active role with them now than at any other point in his life.

“I have two kids that I love and I wanted to be there for them, but for many years I wasn’t,” Schlichter said in a phone interview with The Lantern. “Now that I am, it feels good. Same with my mother. It’s good to be there for her.”

His mother, Mila, who lost a breast to cancer and a husband to suicide, came close to losing her son as well.

Once an All-American and arguably the greatest quarterback ever to play at OSU, Schlichter developed an affinity for gambling during college that would spiral beyond his control for the next 24 years of his life.

During his college years, he was often seen at Scioto Downs racetrack, placing bets to relieve himself of the overwhelming pressure that comes with being an OSU quarterback.

“Gambling is excitement,” Schlichter said. “People get involved with it because it’s fun and takes their mind off of what they’re doing at that point. Yet, they don’t realize how devastating it can be if it’s done the wrong way or if that person has a propensity to be an addict.”

He left OSU as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards, with 7,547, a record that still stands.

When Schlichter was selected fourth overall by the then-Baltimore Colts in the 1982 NFL Draft, the struggling organization expected him to restore the team to its past glory.

But when he received his first paychecks, the money left his hands faster than a football as he started making high-stakes bets on major sporting events, including other games in the NFL. Before the end of his rookie season, he had already gambled away his $350,000 signing bonus.

Schlichter became so focused on gambling that he did little to prepare himself for the NFL and saw only limited action during his rookie season.

His problems made national headlines after threats from bookies forced him to contact the FBI, leading the NFL to discover his addiction.

Although Schlichter maintains he never bet on any games involving any teams he played for (including OSU), the NFL still suspended him until the 1984 season.

Schlichter’s gambling problems continued after his reinstatement, and the Colts released him five games into the 1985 season. He never played in the NFL again.

For the next several years, Schlichter struggled to find work as his debts mounted. Any money he made was put down as action, hoping to win enough money to pay off his debt.

His notoriety as one of the biggest failures in NFL history only fueled his addiction.

“Gambling was my way of killing the pain,” Schlichter said. “It distracted me from reality. And the more pain you’re in, the more you want to use.”

Even starting his own family couldn’t pull Schlichter from his addiction.

In 1988, he married Mitzi Shinaver, with whom he later had two daughters, Taylor and Madison. He even found success playing in the Arena Football League and hosting a radio show in Cincinnati.

But he lost all of that when he was arrested for writing a bad check that was stolen from his sister-in-law’s bank account. That was the final straw for Mitzi, who could no longer deal with her husband’s problems. She left Schlichter and moved to Indiana with their daughters.

Schlichter fell into depression as his mind and spirit seemingly became eviscerated. Alone with only gamblers and his demons as company, he contemplated suicide.

“You get suicidal thoughts when you feel like there’s nowhere else to go,” Schlichter said. “Any addiction brings that on at some point. Everybody that goes through an addiction has thoughts of just wanting the day to end and not have to deal with it anymore. I was one of those people and I’m not alone.”

He continued to gamble, hoping to alleviate the pain he had caused everyone around him. After the FBI raided his home in search of stolen money in 1994, he was sent to prison.

He started gambling almost immediately after his release in 1996.

“Anytime you go back out, you think you can conquer it,” Schlichter said. “Gambling is a lot of lies. It doesn’t get better. It can only get worse.”

Schlichter spent most of his freedom like he did during his stint in the NFL, dodging authorities like they were blitzing linebackers. And as was the case in the NFL, he couldn’t avoid them.

Between 1994 and 2006, Schlichter spent more than 10 years in 44 prisons, losing an estimated $1.5 million.

The two years of “freedom” were highlighted by two awful experiences.

The first was the suicide of his father, Max, whose body was found in a swimming pool in 2002.

The second was after prison guards caught him gambling on college basketball in 2004.

Schlichter was punished with solitary confinement, where the loneliness brought on by years of self-inflicted mental wounds tortured him for four months.

“You really don’t have anywhere to go but death,” Schlichter said. “It’s very depressing, very isolated. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”

In 2005, Schlichter lost $20 betting on a basketball game in prison. It would be his last bet.

When Schlichter was released from prison in 2006, he stayed at a treatment center in Baltimore before moving back with his mother, who was one of the few people who visited him in prison and supported him during his darkest years.

“My mother had to go the extra mile to stay by my side, and that’s one thing she instilled in me,” Schlichter said. “You have to love your kids and be there for them in the good times and the bad times. That’s what I try to do.”

In 2006, Schlichter founded Gambling Prevention Awareness, a non-profit organization aimed at helping compulsive gamblers find treatment for their addictions. Assuring confidentiality to those who seek his help, Schlichter offers advice about treatment, prevention and legal action to those in need and their family members. He also regularly attends speaking engagements on behalf of the organization, warning people about the dangers of compulsive gambling.

In 2008, Schlichter was hired to cover OSU football by the Columbus radio station 610 WTVN.

WTVN Program Director Mike Elliott said that, despite his past, there was little opposition to hiring Schlichter by listeners and station employees.

“He came on and was very humble and shared some of his stories in a real raw and honest fashion,” Elliott said. “Once the curiosity factor waned, his football knowledge took over. The guy knows what he’s talking about.”

Matt McCoy, sports director for WTVN, who works on-air with Schlichter, said Schlichter’s radio work has not only been helpful to the station, but also to his image.

“He’s very natural,” McCoy said. “That’s one of the things that impressed us right away. He’s also won a lot of people over. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. We get that almost weekly.”

Schlichter said his transition back to free society has been helped tremendously by the Buckeye faithfuls.

“Buckeye fans have been great to me,” Schlichter said. “I’m very lucky to be a part of Buckeye nation. Their support makes me proud to be a Buckeye.”

Nonetheless, McCoy said there are always some people who won’t accept Schlichter on account of his past transgressions.

“Some people just don’t want to let that go,” McCoy said. “It’s like (former OSU running back) Maurice Clarett. Hopefully he doesn’t slip up. He’s paid his debt to society. Same thing with (Schlichter). There are people with hard feelings who don’t want him associated with the program. My thought is ‘move on.’ Let somebody try to live their life and do it the right way.”

Still dealing with years’ worth of debt, Schlichter fears that casinos built in Ohio will ruin the lives of others like him.

In the months leading up to last year’s passage of Ohio Issue 3, Schlichter and his mother made several commercials opposing the bill.

Although he’s not opposed to gambling, Schlichter said he believes Ohio Issue 3, which plans to offer 2 percent of its revenue to the state to pay for gambling prevention and addiction programs, will not do enough to help prevent compulsive gambling.

“My concern is about what it’s going to do to help those gamblers who are hurt,” Schlichter said. “I don’t think the issue is written well enough to do that.”

Schlichter is also concerned about the exposure gambling has received in recent years. TV broadcasts of poker tournaments and the development of online gambling will lead to disaster, he said.

“I think gambling is going to become an epidemic in our country with all the outlets these days,” Schlichter said. “It’s much more exposed than it’s ever been.”

As for his family, Schlichter visits his daughters in Indiana as much as he can. He said he maintains a fair relationship with Mitzi, even though she has since remarried.

He also takes care of his mother, whose health has been deteriorating.

Schlichter is confident he can successfully fight the addiction. However, he knows he is forever shackled to the temptations of gambling and that every day for the rest of his life will be a struggle.

“I can’t judge what’s going to happen tomorrow or the day after that,” Schlichter said. “I’m just trying to get through today, do the right thing and take care of myself and my family.”

A record-setting crowd at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium saw the No. 19 Ohio State men’s soccer team shock the nation’s top ranked Akron squad with a game-tying goal with only three seconds left in regulation.

The heated intrastate rivalry game included multiple skirmishes, a red card and no shortage of drama as the shorthanded Buckeyes escaped with a 2-2 tie.

“This team has a strong belief and they don’t quit,” coach John Bluem said. “I’m so proud of our team, the way they played tonight. Going a man down, continuing to battle and to be rewarded with a goal that late is a great sign for us that justifies the work and justifies the effort.”

After being down 2-1 with three seconds to play, David Tiemstra scored the game-tying goal when the desperate Buckeyes elected to play two forwards and only three defenders after giving up the go-ahead goal with 22 minutes to play.

“Unbelievable, there’s no other feeling I can describe or I’ve ever felt in my life besides that. Unbelievable,” Tiemstra said.

The late switch in game plan worked out, said Austin McAnena, who scored for OSU in the first half.

“It shows that we can attack, too,” he said. “We were sitting back, but we switched it to three backs and put two up top and started attacking and pressuring them because they had so much time.”

The 7,255 fans were an all-time record for OSU soccer and added electricity to an already gripping contest.

“Besides scoring the goal, it was the best feeling ever,” Tiemstra said of the attendance. “Even when the away fans are so loud, you’re talking about the extra 10 percent on the field, that’s coming from everyone (in the stands). We get those chills that everyone hears about.”

With the game tied at one early in the second half, Konrad Warzycha was called for a foul and kicked the ball out of frustration. It drilled Akron’s Dalington Nagbe in the head, causing his teammates to confront Warzycha, and a skirmish ensued.

Warzycha was given a red card and the Buckeyes were forced to play a man down for the rest of the game.

Shortly thereafter, Akron’s Darren Mattocks scored to make it 2-1, leading to Bluem’s change in scheme.

“I think the guys just really, the last 30 minutes, we got into an aggressive mode when we were defending most of the game and I think that really caught them by surprise.”

Coming into Wednesday, Akron had tied the all-time NCAA record for posting 11 consecutive shutouts.

“We wanted to play to win,” McAnena said. “We didn’t want to sit back against these guys.”

A shorthanded tie against the nation’s top team bodes well for the Buckeyes heading into the start of conference play Sunday against Michigan State. But Bluem made sure not to underscore the importance of getting a head start in the Big Ten standings.

“You live and breathe for your conference,” he said. “Our guys have set a goal for themselves to finish as high as they can in the conference standings and that means getting as many points as we can at home.”

When asked if he expected a result like this, with no hesitation, Bluem said, “Yes.”

“All the drama that went on, well no, I guess I didn’t expect that.”

When I tell people about my favorite television show, I’m tired of being received with groans, raised eyebrows and rolling eyes. I’m tired of being judged for watching “Jersey Shore.”

The show gets criticized on many fronts. Critics claim the “Jersey Shore” stars are immature, inappropriate and undeserving of their fame and fortune. These critics question how a show that celebrates a lifestyle of partying, hook-ups and drunken brawls can garner so much attention. Some people question the show’s reality, pointing out scenes that seem contrived and inauthentic.

Those detractors fail to recognize many of the show’s strengths. Snooki and Pauly D might lack sophistication, but the same can be said of most comedic forces, from Lucille Ball to Ray Ramano to Homer Simpson. Written sitcoms rely on silliness, conflict and indiscretion for laughs. “Seinfeld,” widely regarded as the greatest sitcom, was characterized as “a show about nothing.” The best reality shows are no different. “Jersey Shore” actually succeeds because of the characters’ flaws. And because the stars are unemployed, they have a lot more time to exploit these flaws.

Critics also fail to recognize the show’s superb editing. Certain two-hour reality shows (I’m talking to you, “Bachelorette” fans) drag on and stretch their content thin. “Jersey Shore,” by contrast, is well-constructed and action-packed. Episodes are fluid, transitions are seamless, the main characters deliver excellent “performances,” and cameras always seem to capture and amplify the situational comedy.

Ironically, a well-produced television drama is praised for capturing reality, while a well-produced reality show is often accused of distorting it. Reality shows that are well-constructed should be praised for their ability to create larger-than-life characters and narratives.

The reality show is still a relatively new form of entertainment compared with more traditional sitcoms, radio shows and novels. Reality TV might never be considered art, but reality television producers engage in a creative process when editing a show’s content. “Jersey Shore,” more than any other reality show, succeeds at magnifying the moment’s humor and drama. When The Situation narrates Ronnie’s dance club indiscretions, with against Sammie Sweetheart’s steadfast loyalty, it creates fascinating television. Regardless of criticism, “Jersey Shore” is the MVP of reality TV.

Despite operating in an offensive scheme that could benefit from a mobile quarterback, coaches have yet to call many runs for junior Dayne Crist through the first four games. But Irish coach Brian Kelly said that could change, and soon.

“We’re going to put a package in that’s similar to the package that [Michigan quarterback] Denard Robinson runs,” Kelly joked at his Tuesday press conference. “We just have to do some things with [Crist’s] speed right now.”

While Kelly may not be thinking of running Crist as much as Robinson, who averages 172 rushing yards per game, he was serious about getting his quarterback some more yards on the ground.

“You know, there has to be an element in the spread that the quarterback can keep the football at some time, and we’re moving in that direction,” Kelly said. “He’s got to have an element of that within our offensive structure.”

Crist has run the ball 23 times for a total of 16 yards on the season, though his -17 yards against Stanford Saturday hurt his totals. Junior quarterback Nate Montana has also run the ball this season, keeping it four times for 23 yards against Michigan on Sept. 11.

“I think because everything’s so new, we don’t readily go to all the options and all the alternatives that are available in our offense,” offensive coordinator Charley Molnar said. “We’ve taught most of them, but it doesn’t just naturally come to the quarterback. It’s apparent to us that not having the quarterback run at times puts us at a disadvantage.”

Crist said his comfort running the ball is not an issue.

“I’m 100 percent comfortable doing whatever I’m asked to do in the run game or in the pass game for that matter,” he said. “So if it presents a situation where I need to pull the ball down and run on a box play, I have no problem doing that, either.

“Just, the situation really hasn’t presented itself a whole bunch in the last couple games.”

Fear of injury could be a factor in the coaches’ play-call decisions, Crist said. After a 10-yard rush in the first quarter against Michigan, Crist’s head hit the ground and he was unable to play for the rest of the first half.

“It was never like a conversation that we had. But, I did notice that some of the play calls in which I’d be asked to run went down substantially in the past couple games,” Crist said. “I understand if that’s the reasoning for it. But we’ve never had that conversation.”

An improved ability to make reads and more work in practice could also increase Crist’s rushing yardage, he said.

“It’s just I needed to do a better job of identifying when it presents itself and things like that,” he said. “But I think that will come with experience and through game plan and everything like that.”

And according to Molnar, those opportunities should start presenting themselves more often.

“Who’s to say that we won’t cut Dayne loose at any point in order to win a football game?” Molnar said.

DES MOINES — President Obama said the country has a “long way to go” in repairing and growing its economy, and he pegged education as one of the methods for a rebound.

Obama addressed a crowd of more than 70 community members in Des Moines on Wednesday morning in the first of two “backyard discussions” that included a stop in Virginia.

The discussion covered the role of nearly all aspects of education — K-12 and college — in improving the economy, including “Race to the Top,” a federally funded program that provides money to schools based on competitive performance.

Obama said the alteration of federal student-loan programs for colleges have resulted in a $60 billion savings, which will go back to college students in the form of grants and reduced loan burdens.

The Obama administration has discussed its goals for returning the country to international supremacy when it comes to graduation rates. America is 12th in the world in that category.

“We have the best colleges and universities on earth,” the president said. “It still has the most dynamic entrepreneurial culture on Earth. We’ve got the most productive workers of just about any advanced nation. We still have huge advantages, and people — billions of people around the world would still love the chance to be here.”

He also spoke about the necessity of community colleges in re-educating America’s older generation. While a two-year education is not necessary for people in their 50s, Obama said, a few months in school can help them “retool their skills” for work in industries that are increasingly driven by technology.

While Obama is making education the focal point of the campaign season, experts, such as University of Iowa political-science Associate Professor Cary Covington, are skeptical about the effect of education policy on voters.

“[Education] upgrades the quality of the working force,” Covington said. “On the other hand, it’s not necessarily a big political winner.”

As far as the financial programs aimed at decreasing the burden created by student loans, Covington said they won’t sway votes, but they do have the potential to activate younger voters who have supported Obama in the past.

Jeff and Sandy Hatfield Clubb, residents of Des Moines’ Beaverdale neighborhood, sacrificed the backyard of their Iowa home for the event. They chose their audience members, a combination of relatives and friends as well as administration and students from nearby Drake University, where Sandy Hatfield Clubb is the athletics director.

The small, two-story brick home on 36th Street has an expansive, grassy yard with a concrete driveway that doubles as a basketball court. Officials converted the sun-soaked backyard to an outdoor television set, placing media tables and mismatched lawn chairs among large trees.

The presidential motorcade rolled down the street to the sound of neighbors’ cheers and, after making his way through the home, Obama walked out the back door to a standing ovation.

On Wednesday, Obama fielded pointed questions from audience members about health-care reform and tax cuts for small businesses.

Others inquired about the job outlook for college graduates and war funding.

UI political-science Associate Professor Tim Hagle said one thing Obama and Democrats can gain from a visit to Iowa is its ability to “energize” the voter base, pointing to what he calls an “enthusiasm gap.”

“A lot of independents and Republicans are eager to vote because they’re unhappy with the way things have been going,” he said.

Eighteen-year-old Rutgers U. freshman and musician Tyler Clementi, of Ridgewood, N.J., died last week.

University President Richard L. McCormick expressed words of condolence in a statement.

“Our University community feels the pain of his loss, and I know there is anger and outrage about the earlier incident,” McCormick said. “I ask that all members of the Rutgers community honor his life by committing to the values of civility, dignity, compassion and respect for each other.”

Clementi’s death came soon after two first-year students at the University, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy student Molly Wei and School of Arts of Sciences student Dharun Ravi, allegedly recorded his involvement in sexual acts in his room in Davidson Hall on Busch campus.

Wei and Ravi are individually charged with two counts of invasion of privacy after secretly accessing a video camera in the room of Clementi, another Davidson Hall C resident, and using it to record a sexual encounter and transmit it via the Internet, Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan said.

“What we’re alleging is that the camera was placed in the room, and the victim was not aware of this,” Middlesex County Public Information Officer Jim O’Neill said.

Wei and Ravi allegedly viewed and transmitted the live image on Sept. 19, O’Neill said.

Ravi wrote Sept. 19 on his Twitter page “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went to molly’s room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay.”

And on Sept.21, he wrote “Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it’s happening again.”

Ravi faces two additional counts of invasion of privacy for attempting to watch and transmit another encounter involving the same student on Sept. 21, Kaplan said.

Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22.

Wei surrendered to Rutgers University Police Department and was released on her own recognizance Monday, Kaplan said. Ravi, who surrendered to police Tuesday morning, was released on $25,000 bail.

Under New Jersey statutes, it is a fourth-degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that individual’s consent and a third-degree crime to transmit or distribute such images, Kaplan said. The penalty for a third-degree offense can include a prison term of up to five years.

The case is still under investigation.

“If the charges are true, these actions gravely violate the University’s standards of decency and humanity,” McCormick said.

Although Vice President for Student Affairs Gregory S. Blimling refused to confirm or deny reports about the case or the students involved, he said there are consequences for such behavior at the University.

“The [University] Code of Student Conduct has an element that says that students may not do unauthorized videotaping or recording of other students,” he said. “So that would violate the Code of Student Conduct.”

The University’s Code of Student Conduct outlines penalties ranging from reprimanding students to permanent expulsion, Blimling said.

Depending on the circumstances, the administrative hearing officer and Office of Student Conduct may determine the punishment, or a student can opt to have a hearing before a committee that will make a recommendation as to how the University should respond, he said.

“Our goal in dealing with any student who is involved in dealing with any kind of issue of student conduct is an educational goal, is to help them understand how their behavior would have affected other people and get them to change that behavior and learn from other people,” Blimling said.

But Blimling said no one should draw conclusions from hearsay.

“So often when reports of any kind surface, that information that comes out initially is misconstrued by the media,” he said. “So I would not believe everything that the media has currently published.”

Some residents of Davidson Hall, who wished to remain anonymous but are close to Ravi, agree with Blimling’s idea. They say the media has distorted the story.

“No one knows [what really happened,]” one student said.

Neighbors in Davidson Hall said Ravi is a friendly, funny young man with a good heart, who would not purposefully hurt anyone.

“He’s a good guy who made a poor decision,” one student said.

Students said Clementi asked his roommate Ravi to leave the room so that he could have time alone with a guest on the evening of Sept. 19.

A strange, male who appeared older than the average college student later arrived at the room, they said. Ravi went to Wei’s room, where he used a computer to access footage of the room from his webcam, they said.

Ravi had no intention of witnessing any kind of intimate encounter between the two, but rather wanted to see if anything unusual was taking place inside his room, as he was not familiar with Clementi’s guest, they said.

“He just wanted to see what was going on,” a student said.

Upon seeing what was taking place inside the room, Ravi immediately closed the window on the screen, the student said.

A similar series of events took place on the evening of Sept. 21, and Ravi then stayed in another friend’s room for the night, a student said.

No footage of either encounter was recorded or broadcast, students said.

“[Ravi] had no intention to violate Tyler in any way,” a student said.

Clementi was a quiet young man who was often seen using his computer.

“He was very friendly,” a student said.

This past April as I was finishing a test for my political science class, my fiancee Lisa sent me a text message saying that we needed to talk.

On my way home from class I called her, and what she told me made the Los Angeles sun feel a little warmer.

“I didn’t think there was one, but I can kind of see it very faintly. I think that means …” she said as the last part of her sentence hung in the balance, perfectly communicating its message without a need for words.

The little pink line doesn’t lie, and if all goes according to plan, somewhere near Jan. 11 we will become parents.

I don’t know how to convey in words how ecstatic I felt the day I found out that Lisa was pregnant, how crazy it was to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time or how wonderful it was to find out we are going to have a little girl.

I also don’t think I can convey in publishable words how ticked off I am that before she is even born, our daughter is getting the cold shoulder from the health insurance industry.

In a recent LA Times article, it was reported that most of the major health insurance companies are planning to circumvent the new health care regulations requiring them to insure all children by simply not offering policies to kids.

According to the report, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna and other insurance companies will stop selling new child-only policies in California, as well as in many other states. This will lead to an unbalanced market, and surely other companies will follow suit.

Yes, kids already on insurance rolls and those under group plans, like most employee benefit plans, will retain their benefits. However, this makes it harder for an estimated 80,000 California children without insurance to gain the coverage supposedly mandated by the new law.

These children whose parents work at jobs with no benefits or with benefits not covering family members will be denied insurance.

The companies contend that they don’t sell that many child-only policies anyway. That’s probably because before the enactment of the legislation they found excuses like pre-existing conditions to weasel out of coverage anyway.

Let’s not forget the story of the baby in Colorado who was originally denied insurance last year for being “too fat.”

I’m amazed that the callous megalomaniacs that run the health care system will continue to get away with screwing over innocent children.

They claim that, due to the new law, their costs would be much higher to cover children seeking these types of plans because parents would only seek health insurance for their kids once they’ve already gotten sick.

Whoever said this must not be a parent.

My daughter isn’t even born yet, and I already know that I will do everything to protect her. I will always make sure she is safe. I will protect her from the yucky boys at her school. And I will do my best to make sure she gets preventative care so she doesn’t get sick in the first place. I’m also sure I’m not the only one that thinks that way.

Luckily, due to the fact that I’m a student, I believe that I will be able to have her insured through the school plan, but that doesn’t solve the problem for all the other children being denied coverage.

The report noted that the Obama administration offered a solution to the companies of selling child-only policies during certain enrollment periods, an offer obviously made in vain.

Additionally, the administration noted that families seeking insurance for their children could possibly find coverage in the high-risk pools being set up by the new legislation.

It’s great that these companies are being allowed to skirt the law so that families will have to pay more for “high-risk” insurance, even if their kids are perfectly healthy.

There is another option for some families. Those that qualify can enroll their children in state-run programs. The problem is that plans such as Medi-Cal are already stretched beyond capacity and thousands of children don’t qualify.

However, there may be some hope for kids in California. Assembly Bill 2244 mandates that any company refusing to offer child-only coverage would not be able to sell any individual insurance in California for five years.

The bill awaits the signature of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, should he decide to sign it.

The bottom line remains: If the bill isn’t signed, we’re still in the same mess. This also doesn’t take into account the fact that thousands of children in other states will still be denied coverage.

I also won’t be surprised when insurance companies find other ways to ignore the supposed regulations of the health care bill.

This is all an on-par example of how the waffling of the White House and the rest of the knuckleheads in Washington, D.C. has failed the American people and our unborn children.

Pseudo-bi-curious and newly “Brand-ed” singing sensation Katy Perry re-made a video of her hit song “Hot ‘N Cold” with her very ticklish friend Elmo. (Sound dirty yet?) But Perry didn’t dress the part, according to parents, and the infamous clip will only make it as far as the Internet.

That’s right. PBS staple “Sesame Street,” known for incorporating celebrities and making pop culture parodies, has retreated after parental outrage over Perry’s cleavage, and kicked the scantily clad neighbor out of the hood. For good? We’ll see. But let’s review what went wrong the first time.

This year marks the 41st anniversary of the show and producers are pulling out all the stops. Stars like Jude Law and Will.i.am. are rumored to be stopping by to help celebrate four decades of educational awesomeness. And so was Perry, until somebody remembered what Perry looked like.

“Sesame Street” works on multiple levels, entertaining a vast audience, including grown-ups. But keeping parents sane with relevant and topical programming can sometimes cause them to act insane. Sure, adults may know Katy Perry as a gyrating California Gurl, overpowering Snoop Dogg with a whipped-cream brassiere. But the kids only know her as “Miss Katy” — Elmo’s friend who stopped by to play dress-up.

Speaking of innocence, kids don’t know that breasts are sexual. Sorry parents, that’s on you. This is merely a case of one’s reputation preceding themselves. Britney Spears never visited “Sesame Street.” But if she had, a similar controversy might have ignited over her appearance. Just because society hyper-sexualizes teen pop stars and commodifies the female form doesn’t mean that children associate bare skin with sex. And if they do? Again, sorry parents, that’s on you.

What’s most disappointing is that the “Hot ‘N Cold” parody was made to teach opposites. I haven’t seen a Muppet remake that clever since the Beatles sang about the letter B. (Get it?) And Perry is adorable. She almost upstages Elmo. Maybe that’s what this is really about.

Elmo was interviewed on CBS’s “the Early Show,” along with “Sesame Street” executive producer, Carol-Lynn Parente to explain their position. When asked if she thought Perry was dressed inappropriately, Parente said this:

“If we had had a sweater on set, or maybe one of Bert’s turtlenecks, it might have changed the feedback a little bit …”

Ultimately, the producers were carrying out the will of the parents.

But that was hardly the end of it. Saturday’s episode of “Saturday Night Live” was hosted by Amy Poehler, with Perry as musical guest. Can we say fate?

Since leaving the show, Poehler has starred in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and hosts the online show “Smart Girls at the Party.” Both revel in feminist humor, which is why I have a sneaking suspicion that she was responsible for this brilliant sketch.

Poehler, along with former “SNL” cast member Maya Rudolph played the hosts of a fictional talk show called “Bronx Beat.” Perry played Maureen, a teen volunteer who reads books to kids at the library.

But Maureen’s having some trouble. It seems the library had asked her to wear looser clothing, because she “really developed over the summer,” emphasized by her character T-shirt, stretching Elmo’s face across her chest.

“Looks like today’s show is brought to you by the number 38 and the letter DD,” cracked Poehler.

But Maureen confesses that she’s really embarrassed by the situation, which leads to Poehler and Rudolph encouraging her to “never be embarrassed about your body.”

Rudolph conveys Bronx-style-wisdom when she said, “boobs feed babies.”

Poehler also offers a street-smart analysis of cultural perspectives of nudity, while Rudolph publicly questions the nation’s inane practice of keeping the human body off TV while violence is abundant. Both are dead on and hilarious.

While I am grateful that Perry had a timely opportunity to retaliate, I am saddened by the obvious hypocrisy of my favorite childhood show. “Sesame Street” isn’t about treating people differently or giving any weight to the way a person looks. Some of their most important lessons focus on diversity and tolerance, and just being yourself. And really parents, if you haven’t learned that yet, for the last time, that’s on you.

During his speech two months ago at the Jefferson North Chrysler plant in Detroit, President Barack Obama proclaimed his confidence in the American worker, saying he would bet on the American worker any day of the week.

The exuberant crowd cheered the man who signed over $6 billion in government funding to help save their jobs.

Having the president come to your work would be a real kick in the leg to most people, a morale booster. However, to some assembly line workers at Jefferson North, it means consuming alcoholic beverages and smoking (what appeared to be) joints during their lunch.

That was all real footage uncovered by a Detroit news station. They followed the 15 workers on ten 10 different days from the time they left the plant for their half hour lunch, to the party store were they bought beer and to a park where it was consumed. Then it was back to work to build cars.

I know what you’re all wondering. How did they manage to do all of this in a half hour? Short answer: chug. Oh wait, you’re worried about your safety in an American made automobile? Maybe you should be. People claiming to be union auto workers on a Detroit talk radio station suggest that’s how it is at assembly plants.

I guess that’s what happens when your humanity is reduced to machinery. It is easy to sympathize with the auto workers. They have undoubtedly been through a lot with questions about job security and not to mention working on an assembly line. That has to be one of the most mind numbing jobs.

I’m not making excuses for assembly line workers. After all, they have jobs while the unemployment rate in Michigan is still abysmal, and more importantly, they make cars; cars we drive. Our safety is at risk and their income, as of now, is our tax dollars. Fact: Alcohol, even in low doses, can impair decision making and coordination. Look out for the guy driving the forklift.

Their actions are inexcusable, and if this is any indication of the assembly plant culture, more news might follow. The 15 Chrysler employees were immediately suspended after the report aired Sept. 22, and recently 13 of them were fired. Even the United Auto Workers put on their PR seat belts and condemned the actions of its union members when normally they’d stand beside ready to fight.

Assembly plant workers have a tough job. Technically it might be easier than rocket science, but the psychological aspect, for some, is hard to overcome. I do not condone getting loaded on the job, on the American dime. I’m suggesting there are other issues. Alcohol is an anti-depressant. Some people cannot function until they’ve had a couple, or chugged a 40-ounce beer during lunch. I’m not an expert but those might be signs of alcoholism.

It’s unfortunate they were made an example of, but what other option was there. The American auto industry has made great strides against foreign manufactures during this past year. Something like this can certainly slow that momentum and President Obama’s confidence in the American worker. President Obama bet on us, let’s try not to let him down.