The Clarion Call, 02/21/2013

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THE

Clarion Call CLARION UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1913

FEBRUARY 21, 2013

VOL. 99 ED. 15

Speaker helps students learn to embrace differences “There’s a whole mosaic of differences we forget about,” -Elaine Penn

Alizah Thornton NEWS EDITOR

CLARION, Pa. - The world of sports is one where individuals of different ethnicities, races, sexes and other demographics can come together for a common purpose and have their differences, whether physical or otherwise, overlooked by others.

This was the concept inspirational speaker Elaine Penn opened her presentation titled “Finding Common Ground and Embracing Differences” with on Monday, Feb. 18.

“I want the world to be like the world of sports, at least when it comes to diversity,” Penn said.

Penn spoke to students on diversity issues that are prevalent on college campuses.

For this presentation Penn focused on race/ ethnicity and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Questioning Intersex and Asexual issues.

Penn said she feels colleges are “microcosms of society,” which is one of the reasons why she likes to travel to campuses to speak with

Jonathan Hyatt / The Clarion Call

Inspirational speaker Elaine Penn delivers a presentation, “Finding Common Ground and Embracing Differences” to students on Monday, Feb. 18. students on diversity.

“All the potential in the world lies in the heart of a college student,” Penn said.

The concept of diversity includes multiple aspects about individuals, not just the attributes most commonly associated with diversity such as race, ethnicity or sex.

Gender, sexual orientation, disabilities— physical or mental,

religious or political affiliations and socio-economic status are among a few of the other areas.

“There’s a whole mosaic of differences we forget about,” Penn said.

Penn spoke as a part of the Mary L. Seifert Cultural Series and was sought by the Universities Activity Board’s Multicultural Chair DeBreea Dunston.

Through researching various speakers on di-

Venango students participate in Tough Mudder OIL CITY, Pa. — Nineteen individuals will be representing Venango College of Clarion University and participating in the Tough Mudder event this spring in Ohio, helping to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Most of the participants are members of the Fitness Club, the Veterans Club of Venango College and the Clarion University Equestrian Team.

The Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile endurance event created by British Special Forces soldiers that allows competitors to challenge themselves Contributed Photo and raise money for the B.T. Gray competes in the 2012 Wounded Warrior Project. Tough Mudder competition.

To date, the event has raised more than $5 million.

“I did have to train Entrants will find them- all semester for it, but I selves negotiating ob- managed to complete the stacles such as 8-foot, 10- course somewhere around foot, and 12-foot walls, two hours and 30 minutes vertical cargo nets, ice and am excited to comwater plunges, deep-water pete again,” said Gray. drops, log carries, fire runCompetitors can enning, 60-70 degree slopes, ter individually or as and EVEREST, a plastic a team, which makes quarter pipe. sense as several of the B.T. Gray, a current obstacles almost require Venango College student assistance to negotiate. and Veterans Club mem“I had an absolute ber, who resides in Frank- blast when I competed, lin, competed in the Po- and I wanted to bring conos in May 2012. this to the Veterans It was his first endur- Club and the greater ance event over a 5K race. campus community to

see if they were interested. It’s a fun way to hold yourself to that New Years’ commitment to get in shape, and it helps raise money for a good cause,” said Gray.

Other Venango College team members competing are Kellie Forsman of Erie, Marisa Garcia of Norwich, Conn., Christopher Griebel of Oil City, Elizabeth Griebel of Oil City, Robert Guy of Harrisville, Natasha Huber of Oil City, Tessa Jeske of Everett, Mara Johnson of Clarion, Anthony Mason of Oil City, Katelynn Nussbaum of Clarion, Kristen Peterson of Oil City, Kimberly Pragle of Reno, Adam Puleo of Oil City, Derek Rupp of Oil City, Mark Schaut of St. Marys, Joe Snyder of Clarion, Bethany Stephens of Oil City, and Alexis Viveros of Norwich, Conn.

Information about the Wounded Warrior Project can be found at www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ and Tough Mudder Event at toughmudder.com/.

Individuals who would like to support the Venango College team can contact Daly Fuller, coordinator of Intramurals and Recreation, at 814676-6591, Ext. 1330 or dfuller@clarion.edu.

versity, Dunston said she stumbled upon Penn’s YouTube channel and began to watch videos of her presentations.

Dunston said she felt in awe by what she saw.

“I was like ‘Wow’, she’s speaking, and I’m listening,” Dunston said.

“I feel like it’s really hard to get students to talk about [diversity] issues that exist because we feel like they don’t apply

to us. … I knew she [Penn] was interactive, and I was hoping it would break down a barrier between students,” Dunston said.

Penn agreed with Dunston’s views about students needing to discuss diversity at college campuses.

During her presentation, Penn encouraged students to talk openly about their views on diversity, acceptance problems or observations on the university’s campus.

There are two steps in learning to embrace differences: clearing one’s mind and understanding diversity issues still exist.

“I happen to believe that part of the issues happen to be inside each and every one of us,” Penn said.

One way to do this is to stop stereotyping others.

“When we stereotype, we limit people,” Penn said, “Stereotypes take away the ability to build

Photos: Clarion County open carry walk More than 200 Clarion County residents participate in an “open carry” walk to demonstrate their Second Amendment right to carry firearms on Feb. 17. See page 4 for The Call’s Advertising Editor John Owens’ opinion on the topic.

Photos by: Justin Gmoser/ The Clarion Call

THIS WEEK’S EDITION

Inside

INDEX

Furniture store opens new location at Clarion Mall.

FEATURES PAGE 5

CampusFest brings The Band Perry.

ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 9

authentic friendships and relationships.”

Kiara Brown, a senior psychology major, described Penn as “inspiring,” “beneficial” and with “a high quality of energy.”

“She did an excellent job,” Brown said. “I think anyone who didn’t come really missed out.”

Penn said she believes getting college students involved in the discussion is important.

“College is before they [students] are weighed down with the realities of life,” Penn said.

There has been progress with diversity issues, but there is still progress to be made, Penn said.

“The Olympics shows you there are some venues that allow people of different backgrounds to come together … why can’t the world be just like the Olympics?”

See page 3 for charts about how Clarion University students view diversity on the campus.

Fleming makes history.

SPORTS PAGE 12

News Opinion Features Classifieds Puzzles & Comics Arts & Entertainment Sports Standings

WEATHER 2 4 5 7 7 8 10 11

HIGH

26 LOW

19 Full 7-Day Forecast

3

2 News

THE CLARION CALL

NEWS

February 21, 2012 THE

Clarion Call

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CONTACT US

Emergency management director begins ter m Rachel Farkas

Phone: 814.393.2380 Fax: 814.393.2557 E-mail: chief@clarioncallnews.com Web: clarioncallnews.com

STAFF WRITER

CLARION, Pa. - In light of the Sandy Hook school shooting and other recent acts of school and workplace violence, Clarion University President Karen Whitney created the office of emergency management and placed Glen Reid at the helm.

Reid, formerly director of public safety, was appointed to the position of director of emergency management on Jan. 7.

The office of emergency management “exists to help further the university’s mission by developing plans and presenting training that will maximize human safety and survival, minimize danger, preserve and protect property and provide for responsible communication with the university community and the public during and after an emergency,” Reid said in her mission statement.

Emergency management will cover not only school shootings and reactions to violence, but also what to do in the case of a natural disasters, such as tornados or flooding.

In her new position, Reid said she has been working on obtaining various certifications, from agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency and Keystone Emergency Management Association, and updating the university’s evacuation and emergency response plans.

There are already plans in place, Reid said, but she will be updating and revising the plans and ensuring there is understandable terminology.

Reid will also be looking at and improving plans on how to coordinate supplies, people and communication between agencies.

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POLICIES

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EDITORIAL BOARD Samuel Dixon

Michael Waterloo

Paul Sherer

Editor-in-chief

Sports Editor

Online Editor

Mark Emch

Nathan Conway

Alizah Thornton

Managing Editor

Business Manager

News Editor

Glen Reid serves as the new director of emergency management for Clarion University. Reid formerly served as the director of public safety.

Shirley Sproule

Stacey Roy

Chris Brown

Copy Editor

Graphics Editor

Circulation Manager

Amerigo Allegretto

Justin Gmoser

Dr. Laurie Miller

Heading the new department has allowed Reid to have increased communication with various other department and organizations, like the American Red Cross, Department of Homeland Security and Clarion County emergency management.

She said there is more interaction between the county and the university than ever before.

“Clarion County has certain limited resources, so we would have to depend on each other,” Reid said. “I’ve got time to be able to do that now.

It’s important that we have a foundation for our inter-agency communication and working together. We’ve always had a relationship, but it’s becoming a closer, more integral relationship.”

As director of public safety, Reid said the university would only interact with emergency ser-

Features Editor

Photography Editor

Adviser

Blayne Sheaffer

John Owens

Entertainment Editor

Advertising Sales Manager

Daniel Rainville / The Clarion Call

vices infrequently.

But since she has been appointed to a position specifically to manage emergency situations, “now we’re interacting, training together and talking about how we’d handle things on a daily basis.”

Reid also plans to begin training others so that staff, faculty and students know how to react in various emergency situations.

“People need to be thinking of ways to not become a victim,” she said.

After being a police officer for 34 years, Reid said it is automatic for her to think about her surroundings and what can be done in an emergency situation, but she knows it’s not that way for most people.

“So that’s part of my plan here – to train people to think this way, about actions and reactions,” she said.

STAFF News: Rachel Farkas, Rhanisha Tillman-Hill, Jen Schwartz Sports: Eddie McDonald, Jacob Oberdorf, Jazzmonde James, Matt Catrillo, Traesha Pritchard, Michael Decker Features: Marissa Katz, Kyra Ammon, Emily Miller, John Burba

Entertainment: Jen Schwartz, Amelia EIger. Jia McMillian-Shipley, Eric Stevens, Samuel Nolan Photography: Lamont Sinclair, Jonathan Hyatt, Jamie Smith, Brittany Harger, Kelsey Waros, Joe Bucci, Nicole Caratelli Columnists: Alizah Thornton, Matt Knoedler, John Owens

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PASSHE graduate Student Senate tables school fair goes online WEEKLY SENATE REPORT

Alizah Thornton NEWS EDITOR

activity fee incr ease Rhanisha Tillman-Hill STAFF WRITER

CLARION, Pa. - Student Senate tabled the decision to increase the student activities fee during its weekly meeting.

On Monday, Feb. 18., the appropriations committee initiated a vote on an additional fee to be added on to the consumer price index.

Student Senate Adviser and Business Manager Shelly Wilson explained that the activity fee increases every year, so the vote from the senate is for an additional increase on top of what the fee will already be for next year.

The student activities fee was increased by 3 percent last year.

The additional fee in-

crease on students will relieve Recognized Student Organizations and Recognized University Organizations of any further budget cuts.

Senate President Sara Dickson sai d that RSOs and RUO s were told to expect a 10 percent cut i n their budget for next year. Student Senate will make a decision whether to incre ase the activities fee at next week’s meeting on Monday, Feb. 2 5.

Wilson reported that Clarion Student Association Board of Directors were scheduled to meet Wednesday.

The board will not be able to make a decision on the student activities fee because Student Senate has tabled the decision until its next meeting.

Wilson also reported

that RSO packets for the Roundtable, scheduled for Feb. 26 and 27 in room 250/252 Gemmell, are printed and in the CSA office.

The traditions council reported that a student has introduced the idea of an event called “Come Together Clarion” in efforts to break a record for Clarion.

The type of record was not specified.

Senators also presented the idea of uniting the homecoming dances into one big homecoming dance.

Sen. Jeff Donor reported voting took place for a degree referral program and a change in the letter grade “E” to “F.” Student Senate meetings are held every Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Room 246 Gemmell.

CLARION, Pa. - Clarion University students as well as students from across the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education will have an opportunity to talk with admissions counselors from 11 of the 14 universities in the PASSHE system about the graduate programs offered at those universities, including Clarion University.

The Pennsylvania Virtual Graduate School Fair for PASSHE universities will take place online on Feb. 26.

“The virtual grad school fair is something new we are trying in the graduate programs office,” Assistant Director of Graduate Programs Susan Staub said.

“We are excited for the opportunity to reach out to students in a new way.”

Students who are interested in participating in the fair should register as soon as possible. Participating schools will have their own hours to chat with students about their graduate program.

Staub will be available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. to speak with students and answer questions about Clarion University’s graduate programs.

“We hope to provide students information about all of Clarion’s graduate programs and answer any questions students may have about graduate programs and the admissions process,” Staub said.

Clarion University offers several graduate pro-

grams in a variety of fields including: Business Administration, Education, Library Science, Mass Media Arts and Journalism, Rehabilitative Sciences, Speech Pathology and Nursing.

The university also offers certificates in seven areas of the disciplines listed above. Students can register for the fair at www.pagrad.careereco. net/students-alumni/virtual-fair-registration.

Aside from Clarion, California, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities will be available for the fair.

For more information about Clarion University’s graduate programs or the Pa virtual grad fair contact.

THE CLARION CALL

February 21, 2012

Professors conduct study on student writing ability Alizah Thornton NEWS EDITOR

CLARION, Pa. - Clarion University Communication Professor Scott Kuehn and Associate Professor Andrew Lingwall released the results of their unpublished study titled “Measuring Student Self-Perceptions of Writing Skills in Programs of Journalism and Mass Communication.”

Through their research, Kuehn and Lingwall defined seven groups of students with varying self-perceptions about their perceived writing apprehension, self-efficacy, approaches and social media competence, according to their study.

During the ‘80s there were generally three types of students when it came to writing: students who were good writers, students with high writing apprehension and students who lacked a desire to write, Kuehn said.

With the rise of new and social media more types of students are emerging.

Kuehn and Lingwall decided to conduct a study across 13 of the 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education with students who were taking or have taken an introductory writing class in the communication field.

Courtesy of Clarion.edu

Kelsey Waros / The Clarion Call

Clarion University Communication professors release the findings of their study “Measuring Student Self-Perceptions of Writing Skills in Programs of Journalism and Mass Communication.” The study was conducted with students across 13 of the 14 PASSHE universities.

“We wondered if there were many different kinds of students in communication classes,” Kuehn said.

Lingwall, who spearheaded the study, spoke with industry professionals and employers and found many said students are graduating college lacking the writing skills necessary to succeed in the profession.

“Because of the rise of social media and new media [platforms] people do writing that they think is good, but it is not at traditional media levels,” Kuehn said.

Kuehn and Lingwall administered more than 860 surveys to students at all of the PASSHE universities except Bloomsburg University.

Kuehn said this

trend of new writers is found more prominently in the Millennial generation.

The Millennial generation includes individuals born between 19812000, according to the Pew Research Center.

“The findings are critical because journalism and mass communication programs prepare students for employment in the media professions where writing skills are a prerequisite for career success,” Lingwall said in release issued by the university.

Lingwall said he hopes to publish a textbook focused on teaching methods tailored to each of the varied student groups when it comes to writing.

Kuehn and Lingwall

said they hope to develop curriculum in the department of communication at Clarion where students will attend MMAJ 140: Writing for Media with other students who posses the similar writing skills.

“We’re not trying to segregate the [students],” Lingwall said, “our conclusion is that they need different approaches.”

“Writing is one of the most important skills needed in media professions,” he added.

Communication faculty from the other participating PASSHE schools are looking forward to the program created by Kuehn and Lingwall.

The seven groups of student writers are listed in the graphic above.

HOW DIVERSE IS CLARION? STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF DIVERSITY Below are the student responses to the following questions: How diverse is the student body in the following areas?; How diverse is your personal circle of friends in the following areas?; How accepting is the campus community as a whole toward someone who falls into the minority (ethnic, sexual, or religious)?

News 3

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4 Opinion

THE CLARION CALL

OPINION

February 21, 2013

“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”

FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR chief@clarioncallnews.com The Call welcomes letters from our readers, but reserves the right to edit for libel, grammar, length, punctuation and obscenity; the determination of which is the responsibility of the Editor-in-chief. Submissions must be signed and received no later than 5 p.m. the Monday before publication.

COLUMN

Privatization of liquor sales could be good

Matt Knoedler STAFF WRITER

I haven’t always been in favor of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett or his policies. His stances on higher education and privatizing The Pennsylvania Lottery, which posted a record $3.5 billion in ticket sales in 2012, aren’t the best. But Corbett’s plan to continue privatization into another state-operated industry only seems to make sense.

Privatizing Pennsylvania’s liquor sales may sound like another of Corbett’s conservative plans and an attempt to win votes from the Keystone State’s younger voters as we enter the gates of the 2014 campaign. (Maybe I’m the only person thinking about voter demographics and the election

this far in advance, but regardless, it’s a likely possibility.) Here are some of key points of the governor’s plans: •600 state-owned stores would be shut down with about 1,200 wine and spirit licenses auctioned off.

•Separate licenses would be made available for supermarkets, convenience stores, and bigbox retailers.

•Restaurants and taverns could sell beer and up to six bottles of wine to go.

•Beer distributors could purchase an enhanced license to sell wine and smaller sizes of beer such as six-packs.

•Supermarkets and big-box stores can sell beer and wine while convenience stores can sell only beer.

I believe that consumers win in good business competition, and this industry should be no different, especially with so many new places to obtain your favorite drink. 61 percent of Pennsylvanians agree, according to a Common-

wealth Foundation poll released last week. Corbett predicts that privatization of liquor sales would not cost the state money, but rather increase profitability. He says the selling of retail and wholesale licenses would raise an estimated $1 billion over the next four years. That alone could be a big selling point for opponents of the plan.

Maybe it’s because we’re in a college town, but the economics and financial ramifications from this type of legislation only seem positive. Also consider this – Pennsylvania is one of two states in the nation (Utah is the other) that sells alcohol in our current manner. The way this commonwealth sells its alcohol seems rather archaic. Perhaps Corbett and Republicans in the General Assembly can whip up a concoction that all Pennsylvanians will enjoy.

The writer is a communication major and member of The Clarion Call.

COLUMN

What’s on Your Mind: Safety

Alizah Thornton NEWS EDITOR

This week’s topic of safety stems from recent events that occurred at Clarion University, as well as across the nation over the past few years.

As a nation, we have witnessed mass shootings at what should be family-friendly environments, like in the case of the movie theatre shooting last July in Aurora, Colo., and the recent elementary school mass shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn. in midDecember. Lest we forget the mass shooting that occurred at Virginia Tech University in 2007.

Clarion University has experienced its own run-in with a school shooting—although the event didn’t occur on campus property— where a university student was injured in the incident.

It’s a blessing the student

didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries. College is supposed to be somewhere safe for students, faculty and other employees of the university. I’m sure parents want to know that they are leaving their children in a safe environment when they take them to school.

I couldn’t imagine being a parent and receiving a call that my son or daughter was injured in any way, especially not in a shooting. With that being said, how does a university prepare for an incident like shooting?

I’m not talking about a mass shooting where the university would need to inform the students quickly.

I’m talking about a single isolated incident. The university can create policies for students who have registered firearms to have them protected and kept in a safe place, but what about students who are carrying firearms with a permit or license? What about non-university students? It is impossible to know the contents of each and every student’s belongings. Is having an emergency plan in case of incidents like that one enough to help students feel safe?

I believe safety is a top concern for students, their parents, faculty, administrators and law enforcement at the local and campus levels at CU. I know the budgets are tight at the university, but if the students are concerned about their own safety and the safety of their peers, then I believe the university should strive to accommodate the students with reasonable measures that will make them feel safer. Everything will not and cannot be prevented. Sometimes it takes expecting the unexpected or realizing that there is only so much preparing one can do.

I believe the best thing anyone can do to ensure his or her own safety is to stay alert, be careful of the company kept, and don’t be afraid to continue to live life.

There’s no point in always living in fear.

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt The writer is a communication major and member of The Clarion Call.

OPINION

Concealed weapons: Discussion needed

John Owens ADVERTISING MANAGER

In the months that have followed the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, school safety and gun control has been at the forefront of the national spotlight. Another topic that has been discussed in some venues in the wake of recent events has been that of concealed carry.

Concealed carry, which is legal for those in Pennsylvania with a License to Carry Firearms, is prohibited on this campus because it would violate the Weapons, Firearms, and Dangerous Devices policy of the university. In the wake of recent school shootings, maybe this is something that ought to be reconsidered?

The fact that this campus is a gun-free zone however, doesn’t make me

feel much safer. It actually causes me to worry a bit.

While I have the utmost confidence that the administration here at Clarion University, in collaboration with Public Safety, does and will continue to do everything necessary to keep us safe, I think a look at this policy could be beneficial.

The topic of concealed carry on college campuses is certainly a hot-button one that would draw both proponents and opponents on this campus, but that doesn’t mean that it should be overlooked. It seems all too often these days that controversial issues are taboo and nobody wants to touch them, but if the discussion is never had, then who really knows what the result of a policy shift would be?

Nowadays, you can carry a concealed weapon in a mall, the grocery store, a restaurant or just walking down Main Street; so long as you have a LTCF. So, why can’t you carry one on campus?

I look at it like this. If a student is 21 or older,

if they have a LTCF and if they choose to carry a concealed weapon, that should be their choice.

And, while they’re exercising their rights when they do this, they’re also doing something else. That is, they’re decreasing the likelihood that someone will look to become the next Adam Lanza, Eric Harris, or Dylan Klebold.

I know that I’d feel safer on campus if concealed carry was allowed. The prospect of someone in one of my classes packing heat is not one that worries me, it actually makes me feel reassured that it will act as a deterrent to someone with evil intentions, and that it could save my life and the lives of others in the Clarion University community in the event of an unspeakable tragedy.

This is a discussion we need to have on this campus and campuses around the country.

The writer is a communication major and member of The Clarion Call.

QUESTION OR COMMENT? Let us know Chief@clarioncallnews.com

THE CLARION CALL

FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Features 5

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Furniture store holds grand opening at Clarion Mall Emily Miller STAFF WRITER

You are hiking through the forest with the earth beneath your feet and trees encasing your trail.

With each step that you take, the nature that surrounds you takes you away from reality. For those who want to bring a little piece of Mother Nature into their household, Briar Hill Rustic Furniture can help you feel at one with the beauty of the outdoors in any room and on your porch, too.

Established in 1952, Briar Hill Rustic Furniture has been providing customers with hand-crafted indoor and outdoor furniture from their store nestled between Allegheny National Forest and Cooks Forest State Park.

While the store located near Leeper still remains up-and-running, owners Denny and Allen Pierce recently extended their business to the Clarion Mall. Located where Te & Te Gifts used to be, Briar Hill Rustic Furniture has

Brittany Harger / The Clarion Call

Briar Hill’s owner, Allen Pierce prepares for his furniture store’s opening at the Clarion Mall. been temporarily added to the Clarion Mall for the months of February and March.

Whether shoppers are looking for a dresser, bed frame, candle wax or a new lamp shade, Briar Hill has an abundance of items to give space some outdoorsyflair. One of the owners,

Allen Pierce, explained that the goal for opening the store in the mall was to get their work in front of new consumers.

“The main purpose of the store is to just get people familiar with what we do,” Pierce said. “We do a lot of custom pieces, so we want to get the word out there.”

All the furniture that comes from Briar Hill is handmade in Leeper. For both indoor and outdoor selections, the wood of choice is white cedar from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. According to Briar Hill’s website, the white cedar not only allows for a fresh look, but it is also resistant to

nature’s elements such as rot and insects, insuring lasting durability on each piece of furniture.

In addition to pieces made by Briar Hill, the store also includes some decorative items provided by other local carvers.

One of these providers is Elkwood Arts, a vocational facility that provides

employment and training to disabled adults in Ridgway, Pa. In the Clarion Mall location, there are many items for customers to choose from.

Besides items that are available in the store, Briar Hill also does a lot of custom work for its customer’s homes.

Employee at Briar Hill, Patti McCauley, said she hopes that the store will get customers to realize all of the different pieces that are offered. “We wanted to show people that we do indoor furnishings too, not just outdoor, which a lot of people think is the only thing that we do,” said McCauley. “One of my favorite things to do is to open up the mail and see the rough sketches that people send us of their ideas for furniture. We take it from there. Your imagination is the limit with us.”

At its Clarion Mall location, Briar Hill Rustic Furniture is open Monday through Saturday from 11-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m.

Job fair offers opportunity and advice for students Amerigo Allegretto FEATURES EDITOR

Every year, college seniors graduate with the hope of finding a job, but in a rough economy with a competitive job market, finding one is no easy venture. That’s why Career Services hosts job fairs, such as the one that was held on Wednesday, Feb. 20 in the Gemmell MultiPurpose Room.

“The success of a job fair is based on the opportunity for students to work and make connections, and not just be a name on a piece of paper, one of 300 resumes that comes in for a job application,” said Diane Brush, interim director at Career Services.

The jobs fair hosted a variety of employers and representatives from different companies, from banks to the military, from financial companies to summer camps.

One representative was Jeff Abramowitz from Life’s a Beach.

“I have found that five years ago, for every open position I had two or three applicants. Last year I saw that I saw that number increase exponentially,”

said Abramowitz. “In Pittsburgh, it was seven applicants for every job opening. In Connecticut, one of our locations, it’s a very bad economy; they have 22 applicants for every job opening.”

While it’s a burden for the employee to have that much competition, for the employer it becomes a selective process, said Abramowitz. Job fairs like this one provide opportunities for students to work with seasonal companies like Life’s a Beach, which works with attractions like Idlewild and Kennywood.

Abramowitz had advice for students who seek these opportunities. “Sell yourself, “ said Abramowitz. “The single best thing any human being can do is know how to sell yourself. If you’re able to communicate, communicate.

If communication verbally isn’t your best skill, sell yourself in writing. If you can’t sell yourself, there are 20 people waiting behind you.”

Another representative was Maggie McBroom of Northwestern Mutual.

“You see a lot more people doing internships than in the past. You see a lot more people joining clubs

Kelsey Waros / The Clarion Call

Students visit different tables for potential employers at the spring job fair. and organizations,” said McBroom.

A lot of employees and company leaders had leadership roles in the past, said McBroom. She advises that college students go to Career Services and have them look over their resumes.

“Recruiters only spend about 15 seconds looking at a resume, so you need to

make sure that it is sharp and well-organized.”

“In today’s economy, it’s very competitive, so students need to take advantage of every opportunity they can to meet employers, learn about the opportunities they have, and be prepared for the job search process,” said Brush.

She also advises stu-

dents to take advantage of the aid Career Services gives to students. Services include helping with resumes, cover letters and portfolios, as well as holding practice interviews to prepare for the real thing and helping with job searches.

As for underclassmen, Brush says students should network them-

selves while they can.

“Underclassmen should get prepared and start researching opportunities,” said Brush. “They should start looking for internships and get their foot in the door, look at management trainee programs and attend any kind of networking event an employer might offer at their site or at the university.”

eye Game Studio. During the process, each developer will be hosting its own live stream, chronicling the development and mental states of each studio.

Fans of the developers were able to vote on some of the inspirations

for each game, leaving studios with concepts such as a nuclear pizza war. Donators receive all the studio’s finished games and the prototype demos developed along the way.

The donations are pay-what-you-want with

all proceeds going to the charities. Those who donate more than the average amount are also eligible for a raffle, giving away different Mojang prizes.

To donate or watch the development process, visit www.humble-

bundle.com. As of publishing time the studios still have 68 hours and 50 minutes (as of 9 p.m., Feb. 20) hours left and have raised a total of $116,400. Live streams are planned to be running throughout the entire event.

Indie developers create for charity Samuel Dixon EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Game development is usually a long and costly process, sometimes taking months before a working prototype is ready. Mojang, developers of Minecraft, have teamed up with five other indie developers to participate in Mojam 2, an indie game jam thats goal is to create complete games in the span of just three days for charity.

With the help of Humble Bundle, an organization that auctions off indie games for charity, Mojang is hoping to raise money for Block by Block, a charity Mojang put together with UN Habitat to allow youth in the planning process of urban cities and The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization that defends digital rights.

Developers participating in the jam with Mojang are Grapefrukt, Ludosity, Vlambeer, Wolfire Games and Ox-

6 Features

THE CLARION CALL

FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Top 10 Facts about 85th Academy Awards Amerigo Allegretto FEATURES EDITOR

AGE BEFORE BEAUTY This year features both the oldest and youngest Oscar nominees in history. Emmanuelle Riva, who starred in “Amour,” is the oldest at 85, and Quvenzhane Wallis, who starred in “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” is the youngest at 9.

CLOONEY DOES IT AGAIN George Clooney becomes the only other person besides Warren Beatty to be nominated in the Best Picture, Writing, Directing and Acting categories. Clooney got a nomination for Best Picture for “Argo,” which he produced for.

WHY NOT SPIELBERG? “Lincoln” is the eighth film of Steven Spielberg’s to be nominated in the Best Picture category. Spielberg both directed and produced the film. He won in 1993 with “Schindler’s List.” This places him in a tie with producing partner Kathleen Kennedy for most nominations for an individual producer.

PI EQUALS MILLIONS Worldwide, “Life of Pi” is the largest grossing Best Picture nominee with $576 million. If it were to win, it would be the fourth biggest winner in this category behind “Forrest Gump,” “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” and “Titanic.”

OH DANNY BOY If Daniel Day-Lewis wins, he’d be the only actor to win an Oscar for portraying a U.S. president. Day-Lewis played President Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln.”

CALLING AN AUDIBLE If “Silver Linings Playbook” wins the Big Five (actor, actress, screenplay, picture and director), it will only be the fourth time this has happened. The three films that have done this are “The Silence of the Lambs,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “It Happened One Night.”

CALL IT LOVE IF YOU WILL If Austrian director Michael Haneke wins for “Amour,” he would be the only director to win an Oscar for a film that is entirely in a foreign language.

NEW DAWN The only category in which none of the nominees have ever won an Oscar before is the Best Actress category. The nominees are Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Naomi Watts (“The Impossible”), Emmanuelle Riva (“Amour”), Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings Playbook”) and Quvenzhane Wallis (“Beasts of the Southern Wild”).

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC John Williams got his 48th nomination for his music score for “Lincoln.” This is the most nominations for any living human being. Williams has scored other movies, such as the entire Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park and the Indiana Jones series.

“FREAKIN’ SWEET!” Seth MacFarlane becomes the third person to be nominated for an Oscar the same year they hosted.

The “Family Guy” and “American Dad” creator was nominated for his movie, “Ted.” The other two people with this honor are Paul Hogan for “Crocodile Dundee” in 1987 and James Franco for “127 Hours” in 2011.

Sony unveils new console, shows next generation of gaming Sam Dixon EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Although Nintendo was the first to announce a new gaming console, Sony took to the Manhattan Center in New York City on Feb. 20 in a live video conference to announce the PlayStation 4, the successor to the PlayStation 3 and give us a first look at the next generation of gaming.

Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, started the event talking about Sony’s new focus in the gaming market. “The living room is no longer the center of the gaming ecosystem. The gamer is.”

The technology on display showed off the impressive leap in both performance and capability’s of the new hardware. A new controller, the DualShock 4, was shown featuring a touch pad similar to that found on the PlayStation Vita, a tracking light used by a new stereo camera attached to the PlayStation 4 to iden-

tify a players position and a new share button. The concept of shared play experiences is one of the more interesting features the PlayStation 4 adds to console gaming. The share button allows players to stream live gameplay online through sites like Ustream, record videos of gameplay and post screenshots.

Gamers are able to watch their friends play in real time and potentially even take control for their friends system during difficult gameplay sections.

Instant access to games is also a new feature being pushed by the hardware.

Thanks to Sony’s purchase of Gaikai, a game streaming service, Sony is able to allow users to download games and start playing them before they are finished downloading on the system. This technology will also allow the system to push live gameplay to the Vita, allowing gamers to use the PlayStation 4 remotely.

A number of game demos were on display

at the event, showing the leap in graphical power and physics simulations.

Sony itself showed off new titles like “Killzone: Shadowfall” and “Knack,” while third party developers showed off a few already announced titles like “Watch Dogs” and “Destiny.”

Sony didn’t share an exact list of the hardware specifications for the system, but did share a few details. The system is said to have a “supercharged PC architecture” with an x86 processor and 8GB of GDDR5 unified system memory. It also has a dedicated chip allowing for uploading and downloading of content simultaneously as games are being played. The hardware will support save states, allowing users to pause the game at any point. This allows users to jump back right to the moment they left off before.

Release date and price points were not announced for the system, but Sony has stated that it is slated for a holiday 2013 release.

Leadership series encourages students to be better leaders Kyra Ammon STAFF WRITER

Over the course of the spring semester, the Center for Leadership and Involvement will be holding the Mary Walter Leadership Series, and all of Clarion University’s students and faculty are encouraged to attend.

Between now and April, various leaders among the Golden Eagle community will be presenting and discussing specific topics having to do with leadership improvement.

Speakers will encourage leadership development of participants through lecture as well as various collaborative activities with participants, and will explain the importance of taking leadership roles.

Shawn Hoke will be kick starting this spring’s sessions on Feb. 28. Hoke is part of the Center for Leadership Involvement, and is also adviser for the Student Senate.

On March 28, Dr. Brenda Dede of the Academic Affairs department will be discussing good leadership qualities. She will provide information about becoming a better leader, and will also utilize role-playing, case studies, and other interactive activities as effective means for teaching.

“Participants will leave the session with a working knowledge of what is expected of good leaders,” Dede explains.

The last speaker of the spring 2013 sessions is Clarion University senior Kevin Eas-

ley, who holds many leadership positions within the CU community. These include being an Orientation Leader with Transition Services and Co-Founder and Script Supervisor of the Clarion Film Club. He will be speaking on April 11, giving pointers to students about being more involved and taking part in the community.

The Leadership Series is a program that takes place each semester to help encourage students to take leadership roles in their everyday activities, and to show them how to do so effectively.

Taking leadership roles throughout the college career will help students to mature and prepare for their careers, as well as giving them a boost for their résumé.

THE CLARION CALL

February 21, 2013

CLASSIFIEDS classifieds.clarioncallnews.com

Classified advertising is free for Clarion students and $0.20 per word for non-students. E-mail addresses, URLs and phone numbers are considered to be one word.

Send your classifieds to classifieds@clarioncallnews.com or call 814.393.2380. per semester. Visit us online at www.aceyrental.com or call brian at 814-227-1238.

FOR RENT

Available JAN. SPRING 2013 and FALL/SPRING 2013/14.

Cute small home in Clarion with sundeck and small yard 1 bedroom, 1 bath, office, washer/dryer. Very reasonable rates with garbage included.

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For Rent FALL/SPRING 2013/14. 3 bedroom, 2 full bath, washer dryer, dishwasher, huge deck. $1250 per person per sem @ 3 tenants, some utilities included! Evening calls only 226-5651.

For Rent FALL/SPRING 2013/14. 3 bedroom,1 bath, washer dryer, huge deck. $950 per person per sem @ 3 tenants, some utilities included! Evening calls only 226-5651.

Now renting one person apartment for Spring 2013 semester and two & three person apartments for Fall 2013/Spring 2014 semesters.

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Call 814-229-9212.

FREE place to live for a Serious Student - Do you like horses?

We offer free room and board in our home for occasional chores and house sitting, 7 miles from campus. Call: 814-379-3759. Email: gwwills@ pennswoods.net.

Next to campus, various houses and apartments.

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108 Greenville Ave. Apt. 1B for 1 or 2. $600/month w/ all utilities - Spring 2013. Please call Brian Fox for availability 814-229-8735.

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Houses and apartments available for Fall 2013-Spring 2014 semesters. www. silverspringsrentalsonline. com. Call 814 379 9721 or 814 229 9288 (cell).

3 bedroom duplex on S. 5th Ave. For rent 2013-2014 and 2 bedroom duplex on S. 5th Ave. For rent 2013-2014. Would rent to students doing internships. Need 3-2 students for Fall & 3-2 students from

Houses for rent within two blocks of campus to accommodate up to 8 people.

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PUZZLES & COMICS

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admin@clarioncallnews.com

Guess That Movie Quote “I’m not too worried about it, really. I wouldn’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it. I’m not worried at all.” * Evan in “Superbad” (2007)

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FOR SUBLET SPRING 2012-13, Reinhard Villages, 4 bedroom unit , f emale,$550.00/month negotiable.

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Check out local rock band The Unreals on Facebook!

WORD SEARCHUnusual Sports

by Mark Emch

Team Names

8 Arts & Entertainment

THE CLARION CALL

February 21, 2013

WCUC-FM produces “Underachievers” show Laura Tielsch STAFF WRITER

Daniel Rainville / The Clarion Call

Paul Sherer hosts “The Underachievers” on WCUC-FM.

The radio show on Thursday nights is inspiring students all over campus to become more involved. The hosts of the show, Chloë Winters, a sophomore at Clarion, and Paul Sherer, a junior, are the quite the opposite of “underachievers.”

Their listeners know the hosts as Snowy Winters and Wolfy.

Every Thursday from 9-11p.m. they talk about the new things happening, not only on campus but throughout the community. In between the witty comments and fun arguing, Winters and Sherer also play music. They take requests from listeners and even incorporate “Throwback Thursday’s” by playing older classics that many people all enjoy listening to.

Anyone who wants to be on the radio is welcome. The hosts of “The Underachievers” love having guests.

Anybody involved in anything on campus is able to come on the show and talk about their involvement, and what they do for their group. For those look-

ing to get involved, going on the air is a great way to do so. Winters said, “If you’re not happy with the outcome of the band chosen for CampusFest, get involved and change it yourself. Be the change you want to see in the world. Change campus fest next year.” In order to change anything at all, being on the radio is a way to get the word out. Simply going on the radio is the easiest way to make a difference and make voices heard.

Sherer and Winters said they promote of the CU Digest. A lot of students don’t take time to read the CU Digest, which is causing them to miss out on involvement opportunities. Those who don’t enjoy reading can just tune in to “The Underachievers” and receive all the campus updates, events, and other activities going on weekly.

The music played can be totally up to the listeners if they want it to be. All requests and call-ins are appreciated. Any songs that anyone would like be dedicate can be, and will be.

“The Underachievers”

hosts receive positive feedback not only from the Clarion students but also the Clarion locals. The radio station intertwines the community and the university.

Winters and Sherer talk about activities all over town, which draws in listeners from every corner of Clarion. Any local business that wants its name out there, or wants to promote a sale can contact the radio station WCUC-FM and have their announcement broadcasted. Any organization in Clarion is able to use the radio as a great marketing tool.

“The Underachievers” is a radio show to listen to for those who are not sure what to do but want to get involved.

The hosts know all about involvement and are eager to get more students participating.

They play music enjoyed by many, and they never miss a thing on campus or in the community. From 9-11p.m. on Thursday nights, not only can anyone enjoy themselves by jamming to their favorite song, but they can also become more informed and more involved just by tuning in.

Review: “Identity Thief” humor disappoints Blayne Sheaffer ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

The “funniest movie of the year” is a classic case of hyperbolic hype. The good-natured movie “Identity Thief” is the equivalent to the “chicken dance”; it’s fun at first, but soon becomes boring.

Jason Bateman plays hard-working family man Sandy Patterson of Denver who, through a series of run-ins with the law, finds out his identity has been stolen by Floridian Diana, played by Melissa McCarthy. Patterson is told that the police in Denver cannot arrest out-of-state Diana, causing him to go down South to retrieve the criminal.

Beyond the stereotypical jabs at the overweight character McCarthy portrays, there isn’t a lot of humor offered once the characters are introduced.

There are some unrealistic action sequences, but the plot of the mov-

ie is dominated by the heartfelt story behind Diana, and shows the bond that she and Patterson form throughout the movie.

This is where viewers may have a problem. The reality of identity theft is entirely too stressful to enjoy the movie.

The woman was buying immense amounts of unnecessary items using the credit card of a man who had two kids, one on the way, a wife and a tiny apartment in addition to a new job.

All the money she was spending could have been used for groceries or baby clothes or a better story line.

Then there was the trouble Diana brought into Patterson’s life.

Drug dealers and a bounty hunter who were originally looking for Diana instantly wanted Patterson as well, the moment he showed up at her house. This is the cause for the mild action scenes similarly as uninspiring as those in “Rush Hour.”

As if the stress weren’t enough, the gaping holes in the story will trouble viewers as they walk out of the theater. The two main characters participate in identity theft on their trip back to Denver and are at first arrested several hours after. However, they manage to escape the squad car and make it back to Denver unharmed. Repeat, the man who was trying to correct identity theft committed against him committed the crime and ran back home unscathed by the law. But Diana got jail time. It would be a lie to say that this doesn’t disturb the viewers sense of reality to an extent.

Besides scaring the audience into never getting a credit card, “Identity Thief” made very little of the anticipated impact. However exciting the previews were, do yourself a favor search them on imdb. com instead of paying for a wasted two hours.

February 21, 2013

& ENTERTAINMENT THE CLARION CALL

Arts & Entertainment 9

ARTS

Band Perry, Joel Crouse to perform at CampusFest Jen Schwartz STAFF WRITER

On behalf of the Clarion University student poll, and much to country music fans’ delight, The Band Perry is set to perform April 20 at this year’s CampusFest, along with opening act Joel Crouse.

Although most students have already heard this announcement, many do not realize the amount of preparation it takes CampusFest Committee to reach a consensus for the spring show every year.

“As far as selecting the artists, it is a very long process that takes months of research,” said CampusFest Chair Maggie Abrams. “We talk to our middle agent, and give him a budget.

Once it is decided how much we can spend on an act, the agent provides us with a breakdown of artists within our budget from all genres.”

From this point, it is up to the committee to research each of the acts.

This entails making sure the artists haven’t performed any recent shows around the local area, and it sometimes even requires contacting other schools and venues to see “how the artists were to work with.”

After this, the committee puts together a list of the best available acts, then the students vote on which artist they most

Justin Gmoser / The Clarion Call

UAB announces that Joel Crouse will be opening for The Band Perry at this year’s CampusFest. want to bring to Clarion.

“This is a very important piece to what we do,” said Abrams. “CampusFest and the University Activities Board are funded through current stu-

dent activities fees. It is our no. 1 priority to bring what the students want.”

Once the polling results are tallied, the next step is to go back to the middle agent to place

an “offer” for the most wanted artist.

Because the music and touring industries are known for being competitive, prices and touring routes change on a daily basis,

ultimately affecting the chance of bringing the artist to campus. Sometimes it becomes necessary to place three or four offers to multiple artists before one ac-

cepts the offer and the decision is solidified.

While this process seems trifling, once the artist is booked and an actual show confirmed, the “real work” begins.

CampusFest security, hospitality, public relations and stage crew committees put forth hours of work planning and making sure every need is satisfied for the event.

“It [becomes] hours and hours of reading contracts, making sure we’re giving them everything that was agreed upon,” said Abrams.

“It also requires working with production companies, catering companies, local businesses and our university’s Public Safety officers. When the week of the concert comes around, there are many sleepless nights, and 36hour days preparing every aspect of the show.”

The next few weeks will mark this period of time for all CampusFest committee members, who will also be promoting ticketing and other related tasks prior to the day of the concert.

“There is a lot of work that goes behind CampusFest. We all work hard to bring the best possible act we can bring,” said Abrams. “Unfortunately, we will never be able to please the entire campus, but it is important for students to remember that their vote does count.”

Flick reads, speaks for Spoken Art Series Alex Krach STAFF WRITER

Sherrie Flick, an award-winning author and writer of “Reconsidering Happiness” and “I Call this Flirting,” read from both new and old works in the Carlson Library Art Gallery on Feb. 19 as part of the Spoken Arts Series. Flick’s work focused on new beginning and escapes, both physical and spiritual.

“I like exploring the idea of starting over, and I guess that inherently involves escape,” Flick said.“I think it can be really empowering, and … often our culture sees

quitting as negative, but I kind of like to explore the idea of ‘what if you quit and take a new turn?’”

Flick started the reading from the first chapter of her novel “Reconsidering Happiness.”

In the novel, Flick describes a young girl’s journey in her grandfather’s car from New England to the town of Des Moines. As described by her website, it is a story that “investigates starting up, starting over and slowing down,” and these ideas can be seen in the opening pages.

“She made for the Mississippi River, like so many before her. Even in

the haze of her endless driving, it was clear the river saved the country from its own monotony,” Flick read, “Her car hovered above the roadway, and Vivette was flying in the midst of her own momentum … Her world was confined by a solid white line to the right and a dotted one to the left. The longer she drove the more the idea of never stopping, the ease of stepping on the gas, made sense.”

Flick’s second reading came from a work in progress. It told the story of a troubled young man who, confined to habit, looked to escape

into the night.

After stripping himself of his clothes, the young man wanders through the streets of his town until he ends up at the railroad tracks. There, he is confronted by death when a train seems to be speeding toward him.

Flick, who usually does not read unpublished work, used the opportunity to measure her writing.

“Tonight I test-drove a chapter from a book that isn’t finished, and I did that in order to…be able to hear, under pressure in a sense, if the tension was building well in that chapter and gauging when people are engaged

or not engaged,” Flick said. “It was kind of invigorating.”

Following the premiere of her new work, Flick lightened the mood by reading from “Hair Lit, Vol. 1,” an anthology in which she was featured.

Each piece in the anthology uses a different hair metal song as its source of inspiration.

Flick’s story used the song “Detroit Rock City” by Kiss to tell the story of young woman who had moved from Madison to Detroit, to get away from the drama and her ex-boyfriend.

“Sally had known Detroit would be different from Madison and she

had been ready for the change. Detroit was gritty and real she’d been told,” Flick read.

As the first of the performers for this semester’s Spoken Arts Series, Flick established a theme for new beginnings.

“She’s really not afraid to experiment, to go beyond what she’s done before; to try new things and get out there,” Phillip Terman, a professor at Clarion University, said.

For more information on Flick or her books, visit www.sherrieflick. com. For more information on the Spoken Arts Series, visit www.clarion. edu/378525.

Alex Krach / The Clarion Call

Author Sherrie Flick reads from her novel “Reconsidering Happiness” for the Spoken Arts Series in the Carlson Library Art Gallery.

10 Sports

THE CLARION CALL

February 21, 2013

Gannon too much for Clarion Traesha Pritchard STAFF WRITER

Saturday afternoon the Clarion University Golden Eagles men’s basketball team traveled to Erie to face off against the Gannon University Golden Knights at the Hammermill Center.

“Gannon is one of the best defensive teams in the country; We couldn’t afford any wasted possessions. Unfortunately we did,” said Clarion Head Coach Ron Righter.

After ending its five game losing streak with a win to Mercyhurst, Clarion lost to Gannon with a 67-48 score.

The team had a difficult game against the Golden Knights and that could be seen through the stats and scores.

The loss to the Golden Knights was the Golden Eagles 14th consecutive loss at Gannon.

For the first four minutes of the game, the score showed that anyone could win.

With the clock at 17:40, the game was tied at 2-2.

However, Gannon then took on an 11-0 run taking the lead.

With 10:35 left in the first half Gannon led Clarion 21-11.

At halftime Clarion trailed Gannon with a 33-23 score.

Early in the second half Clarion made one run on Gannon.

The Golden Eagles made the score 37-30 two minutes into the second half with a mini 7-2 rally.

“We were aggressive, but our shot selection was suspect,” said Coach Righter.

Junior Mike Kromka had 10 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Sophomore Marques Jones had 10 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Freshman Evan Battle had a nice game off the bench Saturday afternoon.

He had nine points and eight rebounds.

Freshman Aaron Johnson added seven points to the scoreboard for the Golden Eagles.

The Golden Eagles shot 32.7 percent from the floor.

“Our lack of size really hurt us and our shooting, both from the field and from the free throw was sub-par. We battled all season, played fairly good defense but fell short in several games,” said Righter. “Great bunch of guys, they worked extremely hard, and better days are ahead.”

Although Calvin Edwards didn’t have his best game, his three-pointer in the game gave him 88 in his career moving him into 14th place by himself in school history.

The loss to Gannon left the Golden Eagles with a 6-17 record overall, and 5-15 in the PSAC West.

Wednesday the Golden Eagles went into action at Lock Haven University.

For the team to end the season with some wins, Coach Righter said it needs to do two things.

“We need to move the ball, and reverse the ball on offense and limit teams to one shot.”

SPORTS EDITOR

Expect pure “madness” in March MANAGING EDITOR

In an NCAA Men’s Basketball season that’s seen the top seeded team change places five times, predictions for the 2013 March Madness Tournament are far from certain.

Indiana sits atop AP’s Top 25 ranking, but teams like Michigan, Duke and Miami are stepping on the Hoosiers‘ heels.

Twenty-four days remain until March Madness officially begins.

That leaves two weeks of regular season play for a slew of teams all vying for top seeding.

On March 17, dubbed “Selection Sunday,” 68 teams will be chosen to compete in a single-elimination tournament culminating with the championship game to be held April 8 in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

With their heart-pounding victory against No. 4 Michigan State Feb. 19, the Indiana Hoosiers appear primed to uphold their spot atop AP’s Top 25.

Indiana, now a perfect 4-0 when facing opponents ranked in the top 10, has fed off the success of junior Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo, a 6-foot, 5-inch guard with an unstoppable motor and an uncanny ability to fly to the rim, dropped 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and stole the ball five times in his team’s 7268 road victory, all of this after leaving the Hoosiers‘ Feb. 16 game against Purdue in the first half with an ankle injury.

His performance garnered surprisingly high praise.

Former Michigan State star and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson compared Oladipo to Michael Jordan and Dwyane Wade, and public icon Dick Vitale followed suit.

The Hoosiers balance Oladipo’s backcourt prowess with Cody Zeller, a 7-foot center averaging over eight rebounds per game.

Zeller seems to perform best in matchups against key opponents, a favorable trait entering the tournament.

A host of proficient roll players, such as guards Jordan Hulls and Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, round out an Indiana squad that’s spent more time atop AP’s ranks than any other team this year.

I anticipate Indiana grabbing a No. 1 seed in the tournament and cruising to the Final Four.

Averaging 82.9 points per game as a team, the Hoosiers are as close to an offensive juggernaut as you’ll find in 2013.

The Miami Hurricanes, ranked No. 2 in AP’s Top 25, have yet to lose to a conference opponent, a difficult feat in the perennially competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Duke Blue Devils sport a pair of collegiate stars, guard Seth Curry and center Mason Plumlee.

The 6-foot, 10-inch Plumlee produced back to back double-doubles against Boston College and rival North Carolina earlier in the month, but an 83-81 loss to conference opponent Maryland knocked them from their No. 2 spot in the Top 25.

The remainder of Duke’s schedule is favorable, despite the fact they’ll face Miami again on March 2.

That matchup may help determine whether or not the Blue Devils will grab a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

The Michigan Wolverines boast a star-studded line-up, and have a history of success in the 2012-2013 regular season, and enter this week with a 22-4 record.

Tim Hardaway Jr., son of Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway, is one part of an eye-opening backcourt duo, alongside Trey Burke.

Burke, averaging a teamhigh 18.6 points per game, was considered by many as the nation’s top player earlier in the season. Burke’s speed, coupled with a deft ability to shoot the ball, makes him a difficult matchup for defenders.

With Indiana, Miami, Duke and Michigan sitting atop the list of teams, expect them to reach this year’s Final Four, it’s difficult to say with certainty who among them will come away the champion.

Indiana’s synergetic offensive play may prove too difficult to stop come March, and Michigan’s assembly of potential first-round NBA draft picks will most likely catapult the Wolverines into the championship game.

A theoretical IndianaMichigan championship match-up surely has many college basketball fans shivering with anticipation, but with March Madness many days away, it’s impossible to say with certainty who will achieve ultimate success.

Pfingstler becomes sixth PSAC qualifier Matt Catrillo STAFF WRITER

The Clarion University Golden Eagles track and field team took on Kent State University on the road on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Sophomore Anna Pfingstler shined for Clarion, qualifying for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships at Edinboro next week with a time of 8.20 in the 60-meter dash, finishing 22nd.

Pfingstler becomes the sixth Golden Eagle to qualify for the PSAC Championships.

“I’m really happy for Anna,” said Clarion Head Coach D.J. Bevevino. “She suffered a few setbacks, and she knew that she had to make it then, and it was exciting to see her make it.”

Junior Allyson Cress finished 14th in the shot put with a throw of 39 feet, and two and a half inches.

The Golden Eagles specialty of the day, though, was in the field events.

Freshman Kristen Belko placed 11th in the triple jump (33-feet, four and one half inches), 15th in the high jump (5-feet, and

Will the Pirates break 20-year losing streak?

Michael Waterloo

Opinion Mark Emch

FACE OFF

one half inch) and 18th in the long jump (15feet, 7-inches).

Junior Jessica Vitous finished 10th in the long jump (16-feet, 6-inches) and seniors Kristine Mellor and Sarah Loughner finished tied for 12th in the high jump (5-feet and one half inch).

Milea Schall capped the day for Clarion, placing 13th in the 3,000 meter run with a time of 11:04.02, and Belko finished 19th in the 60-meter hurdles with a score of 9.64.

“Our field areas have gotten much stronger,” Bevevino said, “It gives us a different look and a lot more excitement because we have different areas we can enjoy watching the ladies compete.”

With the PSAC Championships next on the schedule, Coach Bevevino is excited to start preparing for them.

“We’re getting some qualifiers in some areas that haven’t been typical for Clarion,” Bevevino said. “Everyone will have an opportunity to do well and represent us.”

The PSAC Championships will take place Saturday and Sunday.

Twenty years is a long time no matter how you look at it.

In fact, many of you reading this haven’t even reached that age yet.

In 20 years, we’ve seen three different presidents, two different attacks on the World Trade Center and gas rise from an average of $1.16 to $3.57 per gallon over 20 years.

We’ve seen the Steelers win two Super Bowls, O.J. Simpson drive his white Bronco and said goodbye to the “King of Pop.” Fans have also endured 20 straight years of the Pittsburgh Pirates losing - 20 straight years.

The Pirates have the longest losing streak out of any professional sports team in the United States of America.

Any Pirates fan, or baseball fan for that matter, wants to know if the end is near.

The Pirates management has had five-year plans in place over the past 20 years, and the fourth installment came to an end last season.

While the team has made tremendous strides with a 22-win improvement since Manager Clint Hurdle has taken over, I don’t think it’s a sure thing for them to end the streak this year.

Trust me, I hope I’m wrong.

First off, the Pirates traded Joel Hanrahan this off-season to the Boston Red Sox, which I think was a good move as closers are the most overvalued position in any sport in my opinion.

With “The Hammer” in Boston and Brad Lincoln in Toronto, that leaves Jason Grilli to take care of the ninth inning duties.

Grilli enjoyed an excellent season last year, but if there is any sort of regression by the 36-year-old, the Pirates are in trouble.

While Hanrahan had Lincoln and Grilli to spot him, Grilli doesn’t have any proven commodities to step in for him.

Bryan Morris, Vic Black, Jared Hughes and Tony Watson could all be possibilities, but I trust them about as much as I trust Miami University in my March Madness bracket.

Exactly 367 days ago, the Pirates traded for A.J. Burnett from the New York Yankees, and he became the first true ace this organization has had in years.

Burnett was in the Cy Young running the first half of the season, and led the Pirates with 16 wins, a 3.51 and 180 strikeouts.

That’s great and all, but can Burnett post the same type of numbers in consecutive seasons?

If the answer is yes, the Pirates will break the streak.

That’s how important he is to this team’s success this year.

Burnett turns 36 this year, and will be without his best friend Rod Barajas behind the plate.

Burnett is in a contract year, but a lapse in performance is expected with the hitters facing him a second time through.

The Pirates also made its biggest free agent splash in team history when they outbid (seriously) the Yankees for catcher Russell Martin for a two-year contract worth $17 million.

Martin just turned 30 and is on the downside of his career.

While it won’t take much to be an upgrade over Barajas, Martin had a line of just .237/.324/.408 last year in the hitterfriendly Yankees Stadium.

With the re-alignment of the National League Central sending the Houston Astros to the American League West, it took the weakest team out of the division, and forces the Pirates to play more games against the superior American League.

Unless Burnett throws like he did last year, and Andrew McCutchen puts up MVP numbers again, chalk up year No. 21.

Michael Decker STAFF WRITER

Sports and superstition go hand-in-hand for the most part.

Every time something goes wrong in the sports world, there is a curse or theory to explain it.

“The Curse of the Bambino” kept the Boston Red Sox out of the World Series for 85 seasons after they sold the rights to Babe Ruth in 1920 to the New York Yankees.

The Chicago Cubs have the curse of the Billy Goat haunting them, and some believe itis the reason for their over-acentury-long drought.

One of the least recognized curses and perhaps the most prominent is the day the Buccos let Barry Bonds walk away.

After three consecutive seasons of losing in the NLCS (1990-1992), the Pirates management decided to downgrade to a younger approach and it has been plaguing the Pirates ever since.

Following that 1992 season, the Pirates didn’t re-sign the reigning MVP Bonds or former Cy Young winner Doug Drabek.

Since then, they have become the worst professional sports team of all time, losing 20 consecutive seasons.

One question that comes up around this time every year is, “When will it end?”

Last season, the Pirates started to make a large push at ending the streak.

Toward the end of July, the Pirates were 16 games above .500 and were being recognized as real contenders.

Unfortunately, August and September showed up and quickly cooled off the Pirates who went 11-17 and 7-21 respectively.

The Pirates finished the season with the mark of 79-83, capping off their 20th losing season.

In my opinion, the streak will end there.

The Pirates have a unique combination of veterans and young players in their prime to make for a competitive team.

They are led mostly by their poster boy and newest cover man for “MLB: The Show” Andrew McCutchen, who despite having a midseason slump, finished No. 3 ranked in baseball with a .327 average and hit 31 home runs and had 96 RBIs. The home-town kid Neil Walker finished last season ranked No. 6 in the NL among second basemen with a .280 batting average.

Also, Starling Marte who is coming off an explosive Dominican Winter League batting .304/.381/.464 in just over 100 at bats has been raising his expectations.

Lastly, at least one, if not both, of the Pirates’ top pitching prospects Gerrit Cole (No. 9 ranked prospect) or Jameson Taillon (No. 15 ranked prospect) will have a prominent impact on ending the streak.

The final reason the Pirates will end the streak is because the organization is finally starting to invest in veteran players that matter.

Last season, the Pirates went out on a limb and signed a struggling veteran pitcher in A.J. Burnett, and they couldn’t have asked for a better first season.

Burnett led the rotation with 16 wins, a 3.51 ERA and 180 strikeouts.

This off-season, the Pirates took a similar approach and signed the 2010 AL Comeback Player of the Year, left-handed starting pitcher, Francisco Liriano to strengthen an already tough rotation.

The Pirates also made a huge acquisition in catcher Russell Martin who spent the last two seasons with the Yankees hitting 18 and 21 home runs respectively, numbers that are much needed for the middle of the lineup.

So with McCutchen; the other young, up-and-coming players; and the new, wise additions (along with the other players in house) I believe in 2013.

Sports 11

THE CLARION CALL

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February 21, 2013

RECORD 13-0-3 12-2-1 8-3-4 8-4-5 8-4-3 9-6-1 8-6-2 8-7-1 7-6-3 7-6-2 6-6-3 6-6-2 6-7-1 5-6-3 4-10-2

The Call’s weekly take on the big questions in the wide, wide world of sports WHO IS THE BEST NBA PLAYER SINCE MICHAEL JORDAN RETIRED?

PANELISTS

WHO IS THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL?

WHO IS THE MOST HATED ATHLETE BY PITTSBURGH?

MIKE WATERLOO

LeBron James

Clayton Kershaw

Ryan Braun

EDDIE MCDONALD

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Ray Lewis

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Kobe Bryant

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Scott Hartnell

MARK EMCH

LeBron James

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LeBron James

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Tom Brady

WEST RECORD 43-12 39-14 39-17 34-18 34-21 30-23 31-24 29-26 25-29 25-29 23-29 19-31 19-35 19-36 18-36

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- Athlete’s Tweet “@SHAQ- I’m deeply saddened over da loss of the great Dr. Jerry Buss. He was a dear friend, mentor,and brilliant business mind thank u 4 8 gr8 yrs” Former Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal reacts to the passing of the owner of the Lakers, Dr. Jerry Buss. The 80-year-old Buss owned the Lakers from 1979-2013.

12 Sports

THE CLARION CALL

February 21, 2013

SPORTS clarioncallnews.com/sports

Fleming passes Edgar in weekend split Jacob Oberdorf STAFF WRITER

Golden Eagle senior wrestler James Fleming notched his 120th career win, surpassing UFC Champion Frank Edgar for No. 11 all-time in Clarion history, as the Golden Eagles split their weekend matchups against Bucknell University and Lehigh University.

In the match against Bucknell, Fleming and sophomore Sam Sherlock led the Eagles to a 25-16 victory.

The Eagles won a total of six bouts including a forfeit at the 125-weight class.

After senior Joe Waltko lost in the 133-pound match, the Eagles went on to win the next three bouts starting with major decision by Sherlock.

Sherlock had recorded two takedowns and two near falls in the bout.

In the 149-pound bout, junior Tyler Bedelyon recorded two take downs and had a three-point near fall in a 11-5 win.

Fleming then dominated the 157-pound bout pinning his opponent 6:29 seconds into the bout.

“Our guys went out there with the right attitude,” Head Coach Troy Letters said.

Senior Justin Ortega then clinched the match.

Ortega, who suffered an injury to his right shoulder during the bout, notched

shifted from us getting that first win, they took the match away from us,” said Letters.

The 157-pound bout was due to be a battle of two of the top wrestlers in the nation.

However, due to Lehigh’s Joey Napoli recently coming off knee surgery, Fleming faced Napoli’s fill in Albert Woody.

Fleming took the match 10-0 after a slow start in which Woody seemed to be in the defensive mind set without the match.

Fleming edged his season record to 28-2, giving him a 120-18 career record at Clarion.

Letters credits Fleming’s unique style of wrestling to his dominance while at Clarion.

“I’m going to beat you up and up, and you’re not going to want to wrestle me again,” said Letters about Fleming.

Following Fleming’s 157-pound bout, the Mountain Hawks won the final five matches including a forfeit in the Lamont Sinclair / The Clarion Call 197-pound bout due to Clarion senior James Fleming plans to take down his opponent and passes Frank Edgar for No. 11 all-time on the school’s win list. the injury that Ortega suffered against Bucknell.

However, Lehigh then you wrestle; you have “It wasn’t a fun match, I his season record to 17-11 on Saturday.

They lost their match against to have the right confi- won three straight bouts to can tell you that,” said Letters. with his 9-5 decision. jump ahead to a 15-5 lead. dence,” he said.

The Eagles will finish “Justin is a tough kid,” Lehigh by a score of 39-9.

The Mountain Hawks re- their 2013 season on Feb. The day started out Letters pointed to the said Letters.

Sophomore Ryan Darch attitude that was the promising with freshmen corded two straight pins 24 when they host the also had a solid match. biggest difference in the Tyler Fraley giving the Ea- and carried the momen- West Virginia University gles a 5-0 lead after taking tum throughout the rest Mountaineers in Waldo S. Darch won the 174-pound two matches.

Tippin Gymnasium.

“You have to have the 125-pound bout by a of the match. bout by the score of 4-3.

“Once that momentum It will also be Senior Day. The Eagles’ luck turned the right attitude when technical fall.

Clarion women earn first playoff appearance since 2009 Jazzmonde James STAFF WRITER

Sometimes a bad thing can turn into a good thing.

With good luck and another team losing over the weekend, it turned out to be a good weekend for one Golden Eagles team.

On Saturday, the Clarion Golden Eagles women’s basketball team lost to Gannon University 79-59.

The game started off slow for the Golden Eagles with Gannon taking the lead at the start of the game.

Then Clarion started to get into a rhythm.

At halftime, the Golden Eagles were down by 15.

The closest that the Golden Eagles got toward the end of half was seven after a jumper from sophomore Hannah Heeter.

Then Gannon took over the rest of the game.

The leader for the Golden Eagles women was Heeter with 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Also contributing to the team by putting up points was senior Aleya Miller, who had nine, and freshman Leisha Crawford, who had eight.

One person who was limited in the game was junior Ann Deibert with a lower body injury, but she still managed to put up seven points on the board for the Golden Eagles.

Freshman Tamia Holmes also added seven points to the scoreboard.

“Gannon was a good team and they showed it,” said Head Coach Gie parsons.

The women were good from the field goal line shooting 40.4 percent on the whole game.

One thing that the Golden Eagles struggled with was stopping Gannon at the three-point line.

Gannon made 13 three-point shots out of 34 attempts.

But even with the loss that they suffered, the women made it into the playoffs.

This happened after Lock Haven University lost to Cali-

fornia University.

This will be the first playoff appearance since 2009, only their 14th in school history.

This is an amazing accomplishment and says a lot about what the team has become over the years.

It is also good to see that the combination of players to go out get the wins that count.

This is Parson’s 12th playoff berth in the 24 years that she has been a coach for the Clarion women’s basketball team.

“This is ultimate. This is what we work hard for,” Parsons said when asked about making it to the playoffs.

Parson has won three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles in the past.

The Golden Eagles will be the fifth seed in the playoffs.

The women have three games left in the regular season.

The next one is on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. against Lock Haven.

Daniel Rainville / The Clarion Call

Sophomore Hannah Heeter drives to the paint in Clarion’s 79-59 loss.

Shull places first in 100 backstroke for fourth time Eddie McDonald STAFF WRITER

Seniors want to go out on top in whatever sport they play, and that was no different with the Clarion University men’s and women’s swimming teams at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships.

Senior Kayla Shull helped lead the women’s team to a second place finish, while senior Joe Ward helped lead the men’s team to a third place finish.

For the fourth consecutive year, Shull won the 100 backstroke.

She placed second in both the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.

Along with her good finishes, Shull was named PSAC Champion Scholar Athlete for the second time in as many years.

Shull majors in Speech

Pathology and Audiology averages a 4.0 grade point average.

She credits all her success to the hard work she puts in.

“I work hard out of the classroom, so it’s nice to see (my) hard work, not only in the pool but in the classroom as well, pay off,” Shull said.

“It’s something that I want, so I put my mind to it and work hard for it.”

Sophomore Emilee Gysegem won both the 200 and 400 individual medley.

She set the school record for her 4:27.11 time in the 400.

Shull, along with seniors Samantha Van Dyke and Rachel Tano and freshman Gabriella Schaffer, won the 400 Medley Relay Race event.

Ward won a couple of events to lead Clarion.

He won the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 freestyle, while finishing second in the

200-yard freestyle.

In the 50-yard freestyle, seniors Casey Dunleavy and Matt Bojolad finished third and fifth respectively, while junior Dylan Snyder finished 14th.

Ward, Dunleavy, Bojolad and Snyder led Clarion to a second place finish in the 200 free relay.

Dunleavy was pleased with how his team did.

“I feel good about our finish. We improved from our fourth place finish last year and I couldn’t be prouder of the way our team competed together,” Dunleavy said.

Dunleavy was also on the 800 relay team that finished third.

Joining him were senior Ben Appleby, junior Scott Harvey and sophomore James Robichaud.

Clarion will return to the pools when they head to Birmingham, Ala. for the NCAA Division II Nationals March 6-9.

Archive Photo / Clarion Athletics

Senior Kayla Shull wins her fourth consecutive 100 backstroke at the PSAC Championships.