INSIDE
HOMECOMING EDITION Matt & Kim
PAGE 4
Homecoming Court Photos PAGE 6 & 7 Politics
PAGE 8
Cal U goes Pink
PAGE 10
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
OCTOBER 12, 2012
Cal U elects 2012 Royal Vulcan Court
Standing (from left): Alec Barrelet, Seamus Hitchens, Rodney Edwards Jr., Vince Comini, Marc Wahl
photo by Walter Harris
Seated (from left): Mirriam Mason, Andrea Marcolini, Jasmine Telly, Kelliane Russell, Bre Biose
By Creighton Rabs for the Cal Times
More than 400 students elected the 10 member Homecoming Court from a field of 32 candidates during the inaugural Royal Vulcan Court event held inside the Natali Performance Center Sunday. From the Court consisting of five females and five males, students elected a Homecoming King and Queen during a second round of voting that closed last night. According to Melissa Dunn, director of Student Activities and Leadership for SAI, 459 students attended the event, while 408 voted for the Court. After speeches by the Court candidates, those in attendance voted during a one-hour window either through computers set up at the Performance Center or via smart phones. The members of the 2012 Homecoming Court are: •Alec Barrelet, a senior homeland security major from Harrisburg, sponsored by the Veterans Club and the Welcome Center; •Bri Blose, a senior political science major from Brookville, sponsored by the Snow Club; •Vince Comini, a junior business management major from Greensburg, sponsored by Theta Xi fraternity; •Rodney Edwards, Jr., a senior psychology major from
Philadelphia, sponsored by the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; •Seamus Hitchens, a secondary education major from South Fayette, who ran for Court without sponsorship; •Andrea Marcolini, a junior elementary education major from Bridgeville, sponsored by the SGA and the Meteorology Club; •Miriam Mason, a junior communication studies major from Shippensburg, sponsored by the IRHC and the Women’s Center; •Kellianne Russell, a senior early education major from Uniontown, sponsored by Delta Zeta sorority; and •Jasmine Telly, a senior education major from Coatesville, sponsored by the Black Student Union. •Marc Wahl, a communication studies major from Baldwin, sponsored by the PRSSA. The coronation of the Homecoming King and Queen takes place during halftime of tomorrow’s football game at Adamson Stadium between California University of Pennsylvania and Lock Haven. This marked the first year of the new two-step voting process for the Court (see related story). In previous years, the Court was elected in one round of balloting during a two-and-a-half day period, with the top male and female elected as Homecoming King and Queen.
New voting meets mixed reviews B y Creighton Rabs by Creighton Rabs for for the the Cal Cal Times Times
The jury is still out on California University of Pennsylvania’s new Homecoming Court election process. Prior to this year, students elected the Court during two days of online voting, with the top male and female named Homecoming King and Queen. The Court was announced at the Homecoming Week bonfire, with the announcement of the Homecoming King and Queen made at the Cal U football game that Saturday. “Last year was a lot easier,” said Matt Arcuri (sophomore, professional golf management). “You had to go on a link at a certain time from your home. It was that simple.” According to Melissa Dunn, director of Student Activities and Leadership for SAI, 476 students voted in last year ’s Court election. This year, SAI amended the voting procedure while discontinuing the annual bonfire. Students nominated the Court from a pool of 32 candidates (16 male, 16 female) during the Vulcan Royal Court event held Sunday at the Natali Student Center. Preliminary voting was limited to a one-hour window
after each candidate gave a brief speech during the event. “The old system gave them a good idea of what the person is involved in and how they contribute to Cal U,” said Court candidate Andrea Marcolini (junior, elementary education). “It would give them a better understanding of who they’d be voting for as a good role model” for the University. Fellow Court candidate Jasmine Telly (senior, education) concurred. “It was a good opportunity for the people running to get a chance to tell people why they want others to vote for them,” she said. That impressed Will Morton (sophomore, sports management). “You put their names to their faces to know who they are,” Morton said. “You get a chance to talk to these people and converse with them.” Not all in attendance, including Lora Devenzio (senior, sports management) and Alexandria Sabatini (senior, international studies), liked the new format. “I didn’t like how it was just a two hour window,” Sabatini said. “It eliminates a lot of commuters and people that aren’t back here in time that work. It
VOL. 33, NO. 7 was nicer when it was on line and you could do it on your own time.” Devenzio added, “People at Vulcan [Village] aren’t going to come down unless they’re personal friends with someone. I don’t think it’s a fair opinion of the entire student body.” Some of the Court candidates agreed with Devenzio and Sabatini. “I respect what they’re trying to accomplish, but I think it still needs some work,” said Seamus Hitchens (senior, secondary education). “The commuter students were a little underserved by having it on a Sunday night.” Dunn explained the reasoning for the scheduling of the Royal Vulcan Court. “We had it on a Sunday night to try and not conflict with class schedules,” she said. “Anytime you do an event, you have to evaluate it and see what you can change for next year.” While some Court candidates had reservations about the process, others were open to it. Alec Barrelet (senior, homeland security) was skeptical of the Royal Vulcan Court at first because it was held on a Sunday. His views changed when he saw the Performance Center near capacity during the candidates’ speeches. “I do think it was a great turnout,” Barrelet said. “Hopefully, everyone stayed around long enough to get their votes in, but I think it’s a cool tradition that they’re trying to start.” Marc Wahl (senior, communication studies) agreed. “As long as we can get the student population out here, I’m happy for them,” he said. “We had a good showing from all the students and I’m happy to be here.” Voting for Homecoming King and Queen began Tuesday morning and ended last night. The King and Queen will be announced during halftime tomorrow at Cal U-Lock Haven’s football game. The novelty of the Royal Vulcan Court was not lost on the candidates, including Kellianne Russell (senior, early education). “We could’ve done it differently,” Russell said. “It’s new, it’s different; we’re the guinea pigs,” adding that the outcome depended on who you got to come down and vote. As for the elimination of the bonfire, Dunn cited safety issues and lack of interest for ending the tradition started by former
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