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THE
Clarion Call CLARION UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1913
APRIL 11, 2013
VOL. 99 ED. 21
Alveda King discusses pro-life movement Alizah Thornton NEWS EDITOR
CLARION, Pa. - Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. and civil rights activist, presented a lecture titled “The True Meaning of the Dream” to more than 400 Clarion University students and faculty on Monday, April 8. Throughout the presentation, King discussed her opinion on topics such as abortion, birth control and Planned Parenthood. She opened the presentation by providing an overview of the legacy of her family including the role her late uncle Martin Luther King, Jr. and her father Alfred Daniels Williams King played her in life growing up. King said she sees the pro-life movement as a continuation of the civil rights movement. This year marks the anniversary of a number of civil rights events in American history. This year marks the 150th anniversary of when the Emancipation Proclamation written by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln took effect in 1863, the 50th anniversa-
Daniel Rainville / The Clarion Call
Civil rights activist Alveda King discusses her views on the pro-life movement and her family legacy. ry of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech given in 1963 and the 40th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in 1973. As a result of those events, African-Americans and women gained civil rights liberties that the groups challenged
in American society. King shared her experiences with having two abortions and a miscarriage when she was young. King said she believes a woman has a right to choose what she does with her body, but “the baby is not her body,” she said. “Where’s the lawyer for the baby?”
King openly expressed her views against abortion and same-sex marriage, the use of birth control as opposed to abstinence and organizations like Planned Parenthood, who she said she believes targets services to individuals with in low-income as well as high school and college students.
During the question-andanswer session with the audience, King answered questions written by members of the audience regarding her presentation. The questions expressed the audience members’ agreement or disagreement with the information King discussed in her presentation.
Despite differing opinions among some individuals, King said that is one of the reasons she chooses to speak at colleges. “I enjoying speaking at colleges because college students are honest and open about their questions,” King said. “Students want truthful answers. They are uninhibited with [what] they ask,” she said. King said she enjoyed speaking at Clarion. “It was encouraging to see such a large audience they had to bring in more chairs,” King said. Thomas McConnell, Students for Life president, said he was “very satisfied” with the turnout of the event. McConnell said he felt it was appropriate to bring King to the university with the anniversary of the three civil rights moments in history. “We wanted to bring a different perspective on the pro-life movement,” he said. The event was co-sponsored by the Minority Student Services, Muslim Student Association, the Newman Club and Catholic Campus Ministry.
PASSHE announces Incoming students to decide business plan finalists placement in English 110/111 courses HARRISBURG, Pa.– Two Clarion University students are finalists in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Student Business Plan competition. Jared Gilmore and Zachery Padasak’s created their business G&P Plastics. More than 200 student teams entered business plans in the competition. The competition, designed to provide student entrepreneurs a real-world opportunity to pitch their original business plans and to win funds to assist in the start-up of their businesses, will culminate April 15 with an awards ceremony at the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg, Pa. The first-place winner will receive $10,000; second place, $5,000; and third-place, $2,500. The competition is sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union, F&M Trust, PNC Bank, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts and JP Morgan and is partially funded by a Keystone Innovation Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Students from the 14 PASSHE universities were invited to participate in the com-
petition in the fall. A total of 210 student teams submitted their business ideas. Fifty-nine teams submitted full business venture profiles, from which 21 semi-finalists were initially selected. The entries have been narrowed down to seven finalists. The other finalists with their project titles are: Sploops.com by Paul Rosa and Sean Roth from Bloomsburg University; One Touch by James Palanza from California University; Integrative Wildlife Forensics by Thomas Rounsville Jr. from East Stroudsburg University ;Dorm Discount (.com) by Krutarth Patel from Indiana University; Eden Studios by Olusegun Adegboyega Edun from Shippensburg University; and Vacation Rent-A-Sitter by Jenna Worley from Shippensburg University Judges for this year’s competition are Michael Gildea, president of Brain Gain, LLC; Pam Martin, director of the South Central Region, Ben Franklin Technology Partners; David Dentler, board member, Pennsylvania State Employee Credit Union; Finesse Cobb, vice president of APP Business Solutions; and Michael March, an analyst with Osage Venture Partners.
Rachel Farkas STAFF WRITER
CLARION, Pa. - The incoming class of freshmen will get to choose which English writing class they take using a new placement system called directed self-placement. Previously students were automatically placed into English 110 or 111 based on their SAT critical reading score, said Elizabeth MacDaniel, English department chair. Students who scored above 400 were placed into English 111 and those who scored below 400 were placed into English 110. Incoming students using directed self-placement will choose which class they will enroll in during their orientation day on campus. MacDaniel said current students who have not yet taken their English requirements will stick with their current class placements. Directed self-placement allows student to make an informed decision in which English course they enroll in, said Richard
“Data has shown that students are honest with themselves, and they want to be successful.” -Richard Lane Lane, director of writing. Students will take a survey, look at their SAT critical reading score and read descriptions of each course to help determine which course is the right fit for them. MacDaniel said incoming students were sent brochures that detail the directed selfplacement process and provide descriptions of English 110 and 111. Lane said new students have been asked to take the survey on D2L before they come to the university for orientation. The survey will have statements about writing ability and comfort that students will agree or disagree with on a seven-point scale. Their responses will rate their attitudes, be-
haviors and competencies about their writing. Some examples of statements found in the survey are: “I am able to plan my thoughts before writing an essay,” or “I am not confident that I can find errors in my writing.” Students who score a 75 percent or above on the survey will be suggested to take English 111 and those who score below that will be suggested to take 110. Similarly, students who score above 450 on the critical reading section of the SAT are recommended to take English 111 and those who score below 450 will be recommended to take 110. Lane said students who are unsure of whether to take 110 and 111 even after the survey and count-
THIS WEEK’S EDITION
Inside
INDEX
V-Day project shows “Invisible War” film. FEATURES PAGE 5
Filmmaker Matt Croyle visits Clarion. ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 9
Softball team hosts Breast Cancer Awareness week. SPORTS PAGE 12
News Opinion Features Classifieds Puzzles & Comics Arts & Entertainment Sports Standings
ing in their SAT scores could contact members of the English department before and during orientation for more guidance on their decision. Directed self-placement is the best option given the situation, Lane said. Placing students based on SAT scores has shown not to be reliable and doing a timed writing test can be time-consuming and costly, he said. One question stands out when discussing directed self-placement: Why would students choose to take two English writing courses when they have the option to only take one? Lane says contrary to what seems logical, students want what is best for them and heed the suggestions in place through the survey and SAT score. “Data has shown that students are honest with themselves, and they want to be successful,” he said. “So if they choose a class, rather than are placed in it, they are happier and more confident.”
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