Battle of the Bands returns this year with similar faces, new talent and local bands.

Seven bands will perform for the SDSU student body: The Outlet, Enola Mai, Something Stereo, More than Enough, Foley, the Tinderbox and Paradise Fears.

The show is free for SDSU students and costs $5 for non-students. The bands begin at 7 p.m. in the Volstorff Ballroom April 27.

Returning to SDSU with the band founded on campus is Josh Weber, lead guitarist of the band The Outlet.

When explaining the band’s musical sound, Weber said it’s unique and hard to classify, but is a mix of metal and techno.

Chris Kappen, a sophomore journalism advertising major, is returning this year with the same great talent but a new band, Something Stereo.

“We’ve got a kind of an indie, rock feel,” Kappen said. “It’s kind of hard for me to explain. (It is) a lot like the White Stripes with Velvet Revolver.”

With Alex Carney on bass and vocals, Chris Garica on rhythm guitar, Ethan Weise on drums and percussion, and Kappen’s brother, Nick Kappen, on keys and lead vocals, Something Stereo is prepared for this year’s Battle of the Bands.

“We’re really excited to put on a better show than last year, and we just want to see everyone out there moving around,” Chris Kappen said.

Jada Joseph, the University Program Council concert coordinator, brought together the bands.

“We actually had a couple bands that came to me, but otherwise I used suggestions from some friends and found some people on MySpace, so (we got) a little bit of everything,” said Joseph.

Students have a chance to vote for the winner, which is the same as with prior years.

“We are going to actually change voting from last year,” Joseph said. “Instead of waiting for the end, we are going to open the vote, and are there to just vote for the one band they came to vote for.”

“There will be buckets for each of the bands, and you place your vote inside of them for who you want to win. We can hopefully have a better turnout than last year. “

SDSU’s third season of Dancing with the Stars continues to please and surprise students as it heads toward the finale.

The first episode saw all six stars dance with their respective partners, allowing all to show their best ’80s dance. However, the judges and the students voted and the second week saw off the star Brian McNeill and his partner, Kimberly Graff.

Dancing with the Stars gains more viewers each week as more people watch the various SDSU Stars dance across stage.

“There were around 300 students the first week and about 400 in attendance for the second week,” said Robin Bickel, University Program Council coordinator for the event.

During the second episode, people had to stand toward the back due to a lack of seating, showing the increase in attendance.

Each show offers the same layout with very different dances. The video screen shows the stars practicing throughout the week, offering a different side of their personality than seen on stage.

Bickel emcees the event, keeping each episode moving smoothly, but it all comes back to the dancers who give the audience a reason for being at the event.

During episode three, the fans voted, causing Tonya Hohenthaner, senior secretary for the football team and her partner, Tyler Louder to dance their last dance.

That leaves Jeff Hughes, Delta Chi president, Scott Nagy, the men’s basketball head coach, Jenna Smeenk, Students’ Association senator, and Stephanie Cooper, UPC president, to be voted on this week.

For the finale, two couples will be eliminated at the beginning, leaving two couples performing to win. Students can vote on the UPC website until noon on the day of the finale.

The final ‘episode’ takes place on April 27 in the Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes the stage at the end of October, and I luckily have a chance to be a part of it. Many people know the play with the lovers and various fairies, but not everyone (outside the various artistic departments) may know what goes into putting on a production such as this.

Only being part of one Brookings’ Community Theatre show, I honestly did not know what to expect. There was a new director, whom happened to be a fairly good friend of mine, but with the Shakespearean text and the classic nature around the play, nervous anxiety crept in.

I tried out for the part of Lysander, which I inevitably got, although many of the parts were cast. It was not until after The Philadelphia Story that we rounded out the full cast with a few students. Many people from the community, ranging from a sophomore in high school to upper aged adults, found themselves cast in this famous play, which to me makes the experience more interesting. Variety is the spice of life, and the small cast has quite the spice.

As Lysander, I play one of the six mortal lovers. The character loves Hermia, played by Bethany Rutten-Kempees. Hermia’s father wishes her to marry Demetrius (Austin Vockrodt). Demetrius loves Hermia, but only after a torrid affair with Helena (Elizabeth Engel) whom still holds a flame for him. Misplaced fairy potions turn the show into quite the exciting love triangle.

Rehearsal started at the beginning of September, and continues until the show starts. Tensions rose, as lines need to be memorized. I am not the greatest with lines, so at times I was stressed, but each practice made it easier.

With performance just around the corner, things are beginning to come together perfectly. The energy in the cast penetrates everything. While other cast members rework scenes, Vockrodt, Rutten-Kempees, Engel and I dramatically do our lines to one another to keep up the energy.

Although the play starts Oct. 30, the cast has had an amazing time getting to this point. The hard work put into the costumes, the tireless hours the cast has put in and the exceptionally wonderful set that the entire company has put forth deserves more praise than I can give personally.

The interesting thing about this play in comparison to some of the others BCT has done is the thrust stage. The audience can sit on three sides of the stage, which made many of us uncomfortable at first. We are presenting our lines to three angles of the audience instead of just the “front.” This was a fun challenge because every person sees something different.

The lucky thing for me is I do not have an elaborate costume, nor do I work on those costumes. One thing that the Sound of Music really brought out was the amazing costumes our company can put forth. I cannot comprehend all the work they have put into each and every costume the fairies and mechanicals wear. Working roughly 36 hours a week is more work than I have time to give. The costumers are amazingly talented. I cannot wait to see all the costumes working together.

The Brookings Community Theatre presents the show four times, Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., and a matinee on Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. All showings are in the Fishback Studio in the Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be bought at the Brookings Book Company on Main Street, or an hour before the show at the box office. It’s going to be a heavily enjoyable show with a lot of action, intrigue and the amazing story by William Shakespeare.

Are you looking to lose weight? Are you looking to gain weight? Do you just want to be eating healthier? SDSU’s new dietitian may be able to help you as she helped me.

Although many of my friends continue to tell me how I don’t need to lose weight, I still feel inadequately shaped for the world of today. I weigh 174 and stand about 5 feet and 11 inches. I have been low on energy and figured it might be due to lack of nutrition. I heard of the new dietitian and promptly made an appointment.

I arrived early for the appointment. The attendants at the Student Health Clinic and Counseling Services signed me in. Jessica Remington, the resident dietitian, came and took me into the backroom.

The procedure was simple. At first, she weighed me. I weighed 174, which I thought was a bit heavy, but I wasn’t going to say anything. She wrote it down on her sheet, and then walked me back to her room.

She sat me down, and together we went through a variety of questions. She wanted to know what a usual day of eating was like. I told her everything from the foot-long subway sandwich to the small wrap I had in Java City. I explained that I drank a few Dr. Peppers, but I generally drink Iced Tea (no sugar). I also had a few subway cookies. She looked at me and realized I hadn’t eaten anything since 4:00 that afternoon, and I nodded in agreement.

She pulled out a small sheet of paper and calculated a few numbers. She then explained that if I never left my bed, I would need 1,900 calories per day to keep up with basic organ functions. Since I wanted to start working out, she told me to start about three times a week and that I need 3,000 calories.

She told me that I should eat breakfast, as it is a good way to begin the day with the extra boost of energy. I should also make sure I have the three recommended meals a day. It will stabilize my body to know that food is coming and will burn calories at a constant rate rather than sporadically.

We talked about different kinds of fast food I could eat. She told me to eat baked foods, salads or grilled. “You don’t have to eat a combo meal,” she said. We also went into alcohol and different kinds of things to do. She explained how each beer has about 150 calories, and that one is not bad, but when you have six or seven or more, it tends to add up.

She factored my Body Mass Index (BMI), and it was 24.3. My ideal body weight was 172, so I was close. I am healthy, even though I do not eat the healthiest.

Jessica Remington provides this free service at Student Health. Her hours are Tuesdays from 12 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m.

After two months of renovations, Cook’s Kitchen is back in action.

The small diner closed June 12 to renovate after changing owners and opened the doors again towards the end of September.

“We opened with no till. We didn’t do any advertising,” said Stacy Flute, a Cook’s Kitchen waitress. “[The remodel] was just needed. There was a lot of stuff that needed to get fix that didn’t. When [the construction workers] got in there, they ran into more problems that they needed to get through,” Flute said.

New maroon vinyl booths line the north and south walls. The north wall once held a counter with seating.

“I think Karl (Steege) wanted more seating so we got rid of the counter, which is a pain for [waitresses]; it was just to open it up,” Flute said. Steege, who owns Skinner’s Pub, is the new owner of Cook’s.

Cook’s also discarded the round tables. Where they once sat, new square tables fill the center of the open room.

“The men’s room is the only thing that remains the same,” Flute jokes.

With new items on the menu, such as hot pork, the choices vary.

“We added a lot of new stuff. We did add a kids’ menu that we didn’t have before. ? We tried to add some of the things that we had but did not have on the menu. Breakfast specials are still on there; that is probably the best seller. Biscuits and gravy, people love (them) down here and the pancakes.

“Our portion sizes are huge. You get more than you could want to eat.”

Many students find their way into the family restaurant. What brings in students? They may have seen coupons for “brown baggers” with their SDSU coupon books, which were meant to draw people into the new/old establishment.

Stilll, Flute said it is the all-day breakfast, low prices and the policy of customers seating themselves that really brings in people. The place continues to have that small-town atmosphere.

“What kept ‘em here was mainly that we kept the same help. It’s the atmosphere and the people,” she said. Flute joked that she draws in boys in the morning.

“[If] anything, we got better quality stuff than we had before,” Flute said.

For the people who have not been to Cook’s, Flute encourages them to come down and try the food. “We still have breakfast all day. Rarely do people not like it when they come down here.”

Even after a remodel, the restaurant that established itself as a down-home family diner continues to appeal to and surprise customers.

The walls bring people back to their own small-town diners (or bring new people into the atmosphere of small towns). Paintings of cows, sheep and farmhouses line the walls next to chess boards. The bright tone keeps people feeling warm.

Even though, “they’re not even half done with everything,” Flute said, Cook’s Kitchen still holds the flame that draws in the crowds.

#1.882332:1409343169.jpg:Cooks.BVW.CMYK.jpg:Cook’s Kitchen recently reopened its doors after remodeling. They offer a variety of breakfast and dinner items.:

Imagine losing a job or getting written up in the dorms, all because of some pictures posted on a Web site. For users of the popular social networking site Facebook, these situations could become a reality.

Today, almost four years after its creation, Facebook catches the attention of more than just students. Students and employers alike can look at the social utility as a means of information exchange.

Facebook provides many services that were once only there for students. Parents, employers and anyone else can now find their place on Facebook. With more than 100 million users logged in, Facebook is more than just a social network. The site calls itself a social utility. With applications, groups, notifications and the wall, Facebook continues to outdo the regular social network.

Greg Heiberger, the coordinator and adviser for Pre-Health Professionals, spoke to students on Sept. 18 about the good and the bad side of the unique networking tool. He showed the students how Facebook is perceived by the world outside campus from its use as a procrastination tool, to its role in the loss of a job opportunity, to a place that can enhance a user’s involvement in their community.

Troy Alfonso, assistant director for conference and special services, spoke about how the campus itself is using Facebook to keep connected from within.

He said, “Residence halls and hall governments have been using Facebook for hall government and floor meetings. Residential Life uses Facebook to hire employees.”

Other campus University Police Departments have a designated “Facebook Squad” to check the accounts of students to check for wrongdoings.

Heiberger said, “Although there is no official Facebook monitors on campus [at SDSU], the information and images a student presents on the Web site may be used as evidence for student code violations.”

With Facebook’s privacy options and the ability to “only add your friends,” many people have a false sense of security. Actually, Facebook keeps a record of all the information a person presents on Facebook, even if that person takes it down. The Terms and Conditions on the site specifically states, “If you choose to remove your User Content. … [Y]ou acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.”

Another feature of Facebook that can have positive or negative effects for students is the ability to add third-party applications, said Heiberger. Any student on Facebook will come into contact with an application now and then, and some students get sent an invite to a new application every day.

“These applications are what make this more than simply another Web site,” said Heiberger.

Some applications such as “Earn for Breast Cancer” or “(Lil) Green Patch,” which helps six million Facebook users get involved with global warming, keep students involved with the world around them. Other applications such as “Red Rover” “[make] college better by connecting you to real people, groups and opportunities at your school,” according to their Facebook application page.

“These application touches add to a person’s identity in a positive way. Companies want people who are active in the community,” said Heiberger.

Overall, Heiberger urged students to know what they place online, which applies not only to Facebook, but for most social networking sites. Heiberger said, “Users cannot control what Facebook or your friends do with their information.”

In the end, a person never knows who is watching them.