Etownian Issue 14 - February 21

the February 18, 2010 • Volume 106, No. 14

Etownian elizabethtown college

On the Web: www.etownian.com

One Alpha Drive • Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298

on campus

Snow removal policies tested with consecutive storms Jamie A. Miller Staff Writer

S

ince the innocent days in elementary school and junior high, we plant our hopeful selves in front of the television screen, drinking hot cocoa and staring wide-eyed at the school closing and delay listings as they flashed ever so slowly upon the screen. Snow is what helped us all survive the long, dreary winters. Now, times have changed, and we find ourselves impulsively checking the Internet in hopes of receiving an e-mail from our professors, regrettably informing us they cannot make it to campus for class.

After the incredible amount of snow that buried our small town Friday into Saturday, the students of Elizabethtown College, held hostage in their dorms and apartments, were so kindly allowed a short reprieve from classes. They instead spent their days and nights sledding and starting snowball fights. Sophomore Katie Merk admits the snowfall was a pleasant surprise.

“I did not expect even half as much snow as we have right now,” Merk said.

“There hasn’t been enough time to take care of all this snow before even more started falling. Even though I’m not a big fan of the snow, I’m so thrilled that we got a snow day from it!”

Some people loved it, while others groaned at the sight of a snowflake. Direc-

tor of Student Activities Toni Kupchella paid little attention to the poor driving conditions and large mounds accumulating on the streets and cars. She introduced a different perspective: “It sets the mood for the winter Olympics … go USA!” Joe Metro, director of Facilities Management, and Scott Nissley, building trades and grounds manager, seized the inclement weather as an opportunity to show the campus and community the stuff of which they are made.

Students were presented with the challenge of finding and digging their cars out of the domes of snow plowed around them on Super B owl Sunday. It seemed as though shovels were shrinking against the knee-deep amounts of snow that packaged hundreds of cars.

The increasing cabin fever was motivation for students to use anything they could

get their hands on to clear the snow enough to get to their cars and venture off campus.

Junior Heather Rhodes said that trying to dig her car out from underneath the snow piles on Cedar Street was “a large pain in the butt. Snow shouldn’t be such a difficult burden. I think it really pushed everyone’s plans back, if it didn’t cancel them.”

Facilities is supplying snow shovels in the Brown Building from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. with the exchange of student ID cards.

Photo: Aimée M. DiMichele

Campus Security also has shovels available anytime. Students also must leave their IDs for collateral. In response to the many complaints about the parking situations,

Nissley said, “That’s exactly why we are doing the parking lot procedure … it provides a clean, fresh start without any snow.” continued on page 3

on campus

Work orders accumulate as student frustrations rise Shelby L. Meyerhoffer Staff Writer

E

ven though Elizabethtown College is a relatively small campus, one would be surprised as to how many things break or need to be fixed or replaced. A broken window shade here, a leaking faucet there; with an array of different complaints, who is there to call?

No, students do not need to invoke the infamous Repair Man (Man, Man, Man…) that brings back old memories of watching “All That” on Nickelodeon; a simple call or e-mail should suffice.

However, as the list of orders to be completed multiplies, some jobs occasionally appear to slip through the cracks, leaving students with nowhere to turn.

“At any given time, there could [be] up to about

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200 work orders in the backlog. Today there are 117,” Joe Yurkovic, workstation coordinator of Facilities Management, said. “We always have things that need to get done.”

And with a list that long, it is a huge task to try to get orders resolved in a timely manner, especially with Mother Nature wreaking havoc in the form of substantial amounts of white fluff.

After receiving as much snow as our campus did, snow removal became top priority so students could resume their normal schedules as soon as possible.

As a result, the weather put a damper on most of the orders waiting in the backlog to be repaired.

“Our main concern is the snow right now, which unfortunately pushes everything else back,” Yurkovic said. “Work orders never disappear; they are just prioritized and taken care of as soon as possible.”

Illumina Illuminated Learn about the origins of Etown’s first show choir.

Features, page 5

Masonic Village’s 100th Anniversary The Masonic Village celebrates its 100th year. Learn more about the Masons.

Centerfold, pages 8 & 9

He also stated that, in some cases, the crews needed to clear up the snow before they could attend to the actual work orders.

Work orders come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from changing light bulbs to repairing sinks that somehow become unhinged from the bathroom wall. In drastic cases, such as late night sink issues, Security is called and officers relay the message to an on-call repairman.

Although there are no non-functioning blue lights on campus at the moment, it is inevitable that they will occasionally burn out.

“It’s nice to know that we have the safety of the blue lights, even though our college is located in such a safe and small community,” first-year Sarah Stein-

Tantalize Your Tastebuds Meatless Mondays and Dining Services’ pirate-themed dinner (which sets sail next Wednesday) offer something for everyone.

Campus Life, page 10

continued on page 3

High School Dropouts Despite leaving high school before its conclusion. many have made their way in the world quite successfully. Find out how!

Opinion, page 12

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news

the Etownian

February 18, 2010

on campus

The

Jayd-ed edge

Rachel A. Marsteller News Editor

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vi

Compiled from myway.com.

p until last semester, the WELL was a solely virtual experience.

It was, and still is, a comprehensive Web site that offered resources for maximizing a student’s physical, intellectual, social, career and spiritual potential. On the Web site, students can use a “Wellness Wheel” as a self-help device. It includes well-being quizzes, helpful links, tips and suggestions, and resources, depending on the target health issue. Along with these tools, the site includes a link (http://www2. etown.edu/thewell/) to an interactive guide to beating bad habits.

However, since Health Ser vices moved off campus, the administration felt that a wellness program was vital, and so the WELL was created. Sandy Spayd, the director of student wellness and campus health, decided it would be valuable to students to open a physical space to mirror what is on the Web site, resulting in the WELL. When questioned about it, students seemed puzzled. “The what?” was the most common answer. One student argued that the WELL was never properly promoted or marketed; therefore, students never knew its whereabouts — or even its existence.

So what exactly is it? The WELL

e

Ultimate man cave Jimmy Grey says he’s been out of work for almost a year and needed a project to stay busy. So, with the heavy snowfall this winter, the 25-year-old laborer got to work on an extreme igloo in his family’s yard in Aquilla, about 30 miles east of Cleveland, Ohio.

His four-room creation has 6-foot ceilings and an entertainment room. He powers the TV with an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the garage. He also ran wires for cable television with surround-sound stereo.

Grey says candles help add ambiance for nighttime get-togethers with friends, and the freezing temperatures mean that the beer never goes warm.

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is a center located in Thompson 100 arranged to display pictures and inforthat provides self-help resources for mation to promote said opportunities. students. Spayd referred to it as an They range from upcoming sporting “emerging well-being program with events to unique sessions on campus. hopes to expand.”

Spayd explained that by showing Any student on campus can visit the pictures of the possible activities stuWELL and utilize its services. It Image: etown dents can participate in around .edu /th campus, these events will be offers self-help kits for afew e more accessible. flictions such as colds, flus, nausea, head“When you’re at a aches, blisters and sporting event, and even bee stings. you’re screaming It also provides and yel ling and brochures on supporting your various issues. team, it serves as A student can a stress reliever of also visit the sorts,” Spayd said.

WELL to sched“A student is able to ule an appointment rtu go out and be involved l al o W with the doctor’s ofin school activities, then o ELL ic t t s ’ s self-diagno fice, which is located on go back to their academics Continental Drive. with a clearer frame of mind — it’s In addition, it offers games, coloring all about well-being.” and toys for relaxation on students’ Additionally, several student ashectic days. sistants can be found in the WELL on A very large component in the vision a daily basis to aid students with any of the WELL is opportunity awareness. questions about the available services.

Spayd feels that students need to be Stephanie Dougherty, a senior student more cognizant of activities around assistant at the WELL, provided insight campus, and the WELL can be used as a into the motivation behind the program. vehicle to expand students’ knowledge “The WELL is a place on campus of prospects and resources around that was created in order to really help them that may be hidden. students,” Dougherty said. “It’s someA video monitor located directly where students can come to enhance next to the WELL is currently being their state of personal well-being.” : th

Hugging record A 51-year-old Ohio man has embraced the Valentines Day spirit faster than anyone before, giving 7,777 hugs in 24 hours for a new world record.

Jeff Ondash, who sought the squeezes under the costumed alter-ego Teddy McHuggin, broke the record Saturday night outside the Paris Las Vegas hotel-casino in Nevada.

Ondash said he wanted to become the world's hugging champion to raise money for the American Heart Association during American Heart month.

Ondash says he, as McHuggin, is now eyeing both the world’s longest single hug — currently 24 hours and 1 second — and breaking his current two records consecutively, which he said was “unheard of.”

Shelby D. Samartino Staff Writer

n Show

An otter?

State officials in Maine say witnesses who reported seeing a drowning snowmobiler on a lake were probably looking at an otter enjoying a snack.

On Thursday, three people reported seeing a snowmobiler wearing all black in nearby Moosehead Lake. Reacting to the report, officials searched the area Thursday and Friday but found no substantiation that a person had gone through the ice.

Cpl. Mike Joy of the Maine Warden Service said that authorities did find pieces of crawfish and a small bloodstain on the ice, indicating that at least one otter had been feeding there.

WELL offers relaxation, tips, health help

on campus

Mars hosts sweet talk on business savvy Nicole M. St. Pierre Staff Writer

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rank Mars, global segment president of candy giant Mars, Inc., paid a visit to campus Friday to speak on the dynamics and success of his family’s company in today’s economic climate.

Mars also lectured on the structure and advantages of a privately owned company and discussed the bright future of Mars, Inc. and its many subsidiaries, both in the United States and across the globe.

“In business, remember this: what did you know, when did you know and what did you do about it?” Mars was referring to business responsibility, a principal Mars, Inc. holds as one of its five key elements of success. These basic rules of thumb for the company’s business practices are quality, mutuality, efficiency, freedom and responsibility.

“If I do not live by these principals, I will lose your trust and your connection to these brands,” Mars said, gesturing to a collage of the many individual brands owned by his family’s company. Responsibility seemed particularly important to Mars, Inc., especially when a company’s irresponsibility proves hurtful to customers. He cited the example of the automobile giant Toyota, which is currently facing recalls due to failure to correct errors found in products before they hit the market.

As a fourth-generation member of Mars, Inc.’s management, Mars has seen several recalls of the company’s products and assured listeners that it was not a pleasant experience. Now, the company takes steps to reduce the likelihood that their products will be recalled. These efforts apply to all Mars brands, ranging from the candy names consumers know and love, such as Skittles and Milky Way, to a side of Mars, Inc. the public may not immediately recognize — their pet care brands.

Mars, Inc. is the largest pet care company in the world. They do more business involving pet brands than with any of their candybased endeavors. In fact, the company’s largest brand is a line of dog food familiar to most pet-owning consumers — Pedigree.

There are also several other divisions of the company in the pet industry . Mars, Inc. owns Banfield Pet Hospital, Co., the veterinary offices found in many PetSmart stores across the United States.

Symbioscience, the division of Mars, Inc. with which Frank Mars is

most directly involved, has developed a swab test for pet owners to identify the heritage of their mixed-breed dogs. Mars’ presentation of these products and more showed that the company is striving to create quality products — not just for the enjoyment of sweettoothed customers, but for the health of their entire families, as well.

Symbioscience is also working to develop wellness products for the public based on what Mars referred to as “cocoa health.” Fifteen years of research involving the benefits of chocolate has resulted in the creation of new products by Mars, Inc. that are focused on improving health. One such product, called Cirku, works like Crystal Light and other powdered drink mixes and helps to promote the flow of oxygen in the blood. This is something particularly beneficial to consumers with diabetes, according to Mars. Cirku’s key ingredient comes from the antioxidants found in cocoa beans, the raw form of a Mars product with which most individuals are very familiar — chocolate.

Mars predicted that the future of the chocolate industry will involve consolidation of many different brands into two or three major companies, allowing companies to remain alive and stable.

Mars, Inc., which owns four of the top 11 global brands in chocolate, is doing well in spite of the current economic downturns many businesses are facing. Mars foresees an even more successful future.

He also emphasized the advantages of a family-based company, as opposed to one that is owned publicly. Family-owned companies can more easily make long-term decisions, Mars said, highlighting the presence of a Mars factory in Elizabethtown and its benefits to both the company and the community. A publicly owned company may have been less inclined to make such a move.

Mars, Inc.’s presence in the town has allowed for many new jobs, the rejuvenation of several factory buildings and the pleasant “chocolate days” Etown students know and love. The company is finding methods of becoming “sustainably neutral” by striving to employ eco-friendly practices. They are also working to build factories that are allergen-free so products can be more accessible to consumers with nut allergies.

Further information about Mars, Inc.’s brands can be found at www.mars.com, and their chocolate-health research is available at www.healthycocoa.com.

news

February 18, 2010

the Etownian

continued from page one

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Crews continue clearing after remarkable winter storm Contractors cannot clear the lots with cars parked there due to the equipment that is used. The risk of hitting and ruining a vehicle is too high to attempt. Students parked in each lot have been asked to move their cars at

designated times to temporary parking spaces in Young Lot and at Leffler Chapel. E-mails have been sent daily to update students on the parking procedure that will take effect at the end of this week.

Photos: Aidan E. Bauernschmidt

Cars languish under several feet of snow and walkways drifted over with fluffy white precipitation as campus was hit with a bout of blizzards. Two consecutive storms covered campus in record amounts of snow, worsening already poor conditions.

e t a n e S s t e p Snip On Thursday, Feb. 25, Joe Metro will attend the Senate meeting to discuss the current projects on campus and how maintenance is progressing. To find out what it truly takes to keep the campus up and running, all should attend his presentation. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to listen and bring any questions they have for Metro.

Senate is doing its part to encourage the success of the “Help for Haiti” campaign on campus. The Office of Civic Engagement is currently sponsoring boxes to collect supplies for Haiti. If any student groups on campus are planning a fundraiser or event in support of Haiti, please forward the information along to Senate so they can post it online.

Due to the snow last Thursday, no Senate meeting was held. Today’s Senate meeting will feature Rick Bailey with a presentation about where our tuition dollars go. The presentation will be held at 4 p.m. in Hoover 212. Students, faculty and staff are welcomed.

Contact SENATE@etown.edu with questions.

When snow is in the forecast, Metro and Nissley rely heavily on a snow warning service sent from Penn State called Accu Weather. Each memo is prepared exclusively for Etown College and covers specifics, including the storm type, the start and end time, accumulation, winds and temperatures, and other conditions. Thanks to Accu Weather, Metro and Nissley were confident in their preparation for the amount of snow with which we were hit.

With such a big responsibility in a fairly short amount of time, it is a wonder how they keep themselves so organized in handling the conditions.

Nissley explained that the first response is to figure out what needs to be done to safely

continue school for the whole campus.

The next step, which hasn’t been put into effect in four or five years, is to clear the parking lots to lessen the work for students. This wouldn’t be such a simple task if it were not for the snow crews’ efforts and the contractors with their equipment.

In addition to the affiliated snow crew that is clearing our pathways, Etown has its own student snow crew that was started about five years ago. Since then, it has grown immensely. Nissley finds the student snow crew “definitely helpful,” though prior to last week, the group wasn’t utilized.

Nissley approached this week headstrong, determined not to let the snow get the best of us all.

“The students are always our first concern,” he said. “We have a very conscientious and proud staff that takes pride in what they do.”

As Facilities does its best to stick to the previously reliable game plans, the key to such smooth operations in such chaotic conditions, Nissley said, is, “you’ve just got to be prepared.”

continued from page one

Work order process, delays explained mets said. “But if the lights aren’t working, then there is the smallest chance of something bad happening.”

With a combined effort from Facilities and Campus Security, the chances of finding failing blue lights around campus are decreased.

As for those pesky clothes dryers in Founders, Residence Life is actually in charge of getting both the washers and dryers fixed.

“I think there is a spot somewhere on the machines or in the rooms where it says to get in contact with Res. Life if there are any problems with the washers or dryers,” Yurkovic said.

For Yurkovic, the biggest problem on campus is actually knowing that there is an issue in the first place.

“I would rather have three or four work orders sent in for the same problem, rather than just hearing about some-

thing that might need to be fixed,” The most important he said. “The most important thing is to thing is to let us let us know as soon know as soon as as possible.”

If students need possible ... to file a work orJoe Yurkovic der, all they need Facilities Management to d o is e - mai l their name, contact info, exact location of the problem and what specifically needs to be fixed to WORKORDER@etown.edu.

Campus Security is also available 24/7 at (717) 361-1263 and can reach the on-call technician for emergencies that cannot wait.

mark your calendars

Scholarship and Creative Arts Day How you can get involved!

…Showing Your Style Submit your favorite illustration, photograph or research image for the cover of this year’s Scholarship and Creative Arts Day program. Alumnus E. Adam Quinn ‘09 contributed last year’s photograph, “Reflections of Light.”

Will this year’s selection be yours? The contest will begin Monday, Feb. 22 and conclude Friday, March 19. …Presenting Your Ideas, Expressing Your Creativity Beginning Monday, March 1, students can submit their proposal to present, exhibit or perform during Scholarship and Creative Arts Day 2010. All submissions must be sponsored by a faculty mentor and need to include a short abstract of no more than 250 words. Submissions will be accepted through the link on the Scholarship and Creative Arts Day Web site (www. etown.edu/SCAD). The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 19.

Image: etown.edu/SCAD

…Celebrating Big Ideas L a s t year, more than 400 students presented ideas, exhibited artwork or showcased talents during Scholarship and Creative Arts Day. When you’re not presenting, why not hear your friends’ ideas, see their artwork, or watch their performances? By April 16, a program of events will be posted on our Web site. Support your friends by being involved. Any questions can be directed to SCAD@etown.edu.

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features

profiles • monthly series • campus events

February 18, 2010 town events • facts & figures• business

epic staff profile

Dr. MacKay shares great chemistry with budding scientists Alexis L. Morris Staff Writer

S

tudents who are taking difficult chemistry classes have no more to fear. Dr. James MacKay, assistant professor of chemistry, is ready to rescue confused students from the murky realms of calculating difficult dihedral angles and studying the effects solvents have on the rate of nucleophilic substitutions.

Although some may find chemistry a rather complicated and boring subject, MacKay finds this complex branch of science captivating.

“It [is] fascinating … working on trying to understand something that no one else [has] ever explained,” he said.

MacKay works hard to help students realize the importance and excitement of chemistry.

“I aim to convey a passion for learning and an appreciation of chemistry to all,” he said.

Born in Rochester, Mich., close to Detroit, MacKay grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his brother and a “pretty average suburban American family.” He attended Anderson High School in Cincinnati, where his chemistry teachers exposed him to the exciting science.

“A few explosions here and there, and I was hooked,” MacKay said.

He then attended Miami University of Ohio as a chemistry major. Many confuse his alma mater with the University of Miami in Florida.

“We like to say that Miami was a university before Florida was a state,” he said.

At Miami, not only did MacKay contribute to the chemistry department with research, but he also played saxophone in the university’s marching band.

“Between the band and my major, that pretty much sapped most of my time, so I wasn’t really very active in any other clubs,” he said.

After graduating from Miami with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, MacKay attended the University of Michigan for his doctorate in organic chemistry. He then spent three years at the University of Chicago doing postdoctoral research sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It was his experiences at Chicago that inspired him to be a chemistry professor.

“I realized that my passion for chemistry is best manifested when I share it with others,” he said.

MacKay soon found that Elizabethtown College was a perfect fit for his professional goals. He began his teaching career here in 2007. “[Etown] has a huge emphasis on teaching but the capability for serious research. Since I have a passion for both, the fit was natural,” he said.

MacKay was also very pleased with the camaraderie between students and faculty. Soon after he began teaching, he fell in love with helping his students succeed.

“When teaching, I love to see the proverbial light bulb go off … I love to get to know them and convey a passion for learning. My goal is not to make a bunch of clones of me but rather [to] encourage lifelong learners in whatever field interests students … if it

Wu Man performs in Leffler

Photo: S. Alexandra Ward.

Artist Wu Man plays her pipa in Leffler on Sunday night. Man played at the College as a part of Gretna Music’s ongoing campaign to bring internationally renowned musicians to the Elizabethtown area. The pipa is a Chinese string instrument similar to the Western guitar. Man, who is a graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, has been playing the pipa for decades. She was the first person to receive a master’s in pipa and won first prize in China’s National Music Performance Competition. Since immigrating to the United States in 1990, she has produced over five albums.

“When teaching, I love to see the proverbial light bulb go off …

I love to get to know [students] and convey a passion for learning. My goal is ... [to] encourage lifelong learners in whatever field interests students.”

Dr. James Mackay Professor of Organic Chemistry

happens to be synthetic organic chemistry, great,” he said.

Besides teaching at Etown, MacKay also researches with selected students, focusing on creating completely new molecules. He is “most interested in the ‘how’ of making [the molecules] and less focused on the ‘what.’”

Currently, he is working on molecules with structures very similar to penicillin.

“Since penicillin is becoming less and less effective as an antibiotic due to resistant bacteria, we aim to make minor structural modifications in the molecular scaffold and thus discover a new, similar molecule that is more effective,” MacKay explained.

Dr. Debra Wohl, associate professor of biology, is collaborating on this research by examining the effectiveness of the molecules as well as studying the possibility of bacteria strains becoming resistant to the molecules.

When MacKay is not trying to save the world from super-resistant bacteria strains, he enjoys spending time with his wife and playing music. He plays guitar in his church’s worship band, and sometimes he accompanies his wife while she plays the flute. He also likes to collect Pez dispensers.

As MacKay continues his career at Etown, he hopes to stay true to his philosophy of teaching: challenging students to become better learners.

“I recognize that I often push [my students] beyond what they are used Photo: Melanie R. Giardina to,” he said, “but I do it to make them better learners and, eventually, more skilled for a future profession.”

features

February 18, 2010

the Etownian

new club profile!

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Illumina show choir sets up to storm the music scene T. Gavin Nevill Assistant Copy Editor

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nspiration can come in all different forms. For some, it can come from a speech, a poem or a moving story. For five friends, it was a show on FOX that sparked the idea to form Illumina, Elizabethtown College’s first show choir.

“The new show ‘Glee,’ really kind of inspired us to come up with something like this,” said junior Travis Lucas, a music major and Illumina’s music director.

With groups on campus like Vocalign, Melica, gospel choir, women’s choir and others, Lucas, who is also a member of the concert choir, Phalanx and Camerata, believes Illumina offers something that the other clubs do not.

“It’s different because we’ll have a lot more movement than the other groups,” Lucas explained. “[For] show choir … you do either a lot of show tunes or a couple pop tunes and put choreography to them.”

First-year Ryan Stadel, artistic director of Illumina and one of the pioneers of the new club, said the group will be “performing with a lot of energy.”

“This group will be more interactive with the audience and allow the audience to become more involved with the show,” Stadel said.

Currently, the club consists of five officers: Lucas; Stadel; junior Liz DeLeonardi, the club’s assistant music director; junior Sierra Calaman, club president; and junior Emily Knitter, the club’s vice president. The team held auditions Monday, Feb. 15 to fill out the rest of the group.

To start the group, members had to

get a feel for how many students were interested in joining Illumina.

“It turns out that there are a lot of people who said things like, ‘I’ve always wished we had a show choir,’” Calaman said. “So when we started putting up fliers, there was a lot more interest than we expected.”

In order to become sanctioned by the school, every club has to take certain steps. The group had to get members of the student body to sign a petition saying that the show choir would be a good addition to the College and that they are interested in it. The group also had to apply for an Etown e-mail address and put up fliers to encourage interest. “ There is a lot of pap e r w o r k ,” Stadel said.

“We had to go through OSA [Office of Student

Activities], Senate and a few other groups on campus before we could get the ball rolling.”

Each club must also have a constitution. The members of Illumina worked as a team to put together their const itut i on .

According to Stadel, the organization is in the process of receiving approval f rom S enate.

Once approved, the group can get money for the school to put on productions.

Since Illumina is not strictly an a capella group, there

will be musicians accompanying the singers. Finding those musicians has not been easy.

“The only difficulty now is finding a band director [and] instrumentalists willing to join the club, but I am still optimistic that we’ll find musicians,” Calaman said.

At the moment, Illumina does not have a scheduled concert for the spring semester. However, Lucas said the group hopes to change that in the next few months.

“That’s [a] goal of ours, trying to have a little show,” Lucas said, “whether [it’s] part of another a cappella group show and we do one or two songs to get our name out there, or [if we] have a show completely of our own.”

Lucas also stressed that auditions were open to students of all majors and that part of the attraction to the group is that it “gives opportunities for other students on campus who didn’t necessarily make a cappella groups another chance to perform musically and also dance.”

With most of the paperwork out of the w ay a n d au d i t i o n s completed, members are excited about the prospects of rehearsing and moving forward together.

“This process is just so exciting because we’re all collaborating Photo: Melanie R. Giardina to create something Travis Lucas, the music that we’re really pasdirector of Illumina, is caught sionate about,” DeLeonunawares by an Etownian ardi said. “We just have photographer on the steps so many ideas and can’t of Zug. wait to get started.”

celebrate black history month!

High Library to present educational play, ‘1,001 Inventions’ Christina M. Bucci Staff Writer

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ake a second and imagine what it would be like if you woke up and there were no coffee to start your day. Or if, in the middle of July, there were no air conditioner to cool you off. Or if, when your head is throbbing, there were no Advil to relieve it. Terrifying, right?

It is hard to envision a world where these simple inventions do not exist. Thankfully, we do not need to worry about this, and we owe it all to the inventions of Africans and African-Americans.

In honor of Black History Month, the High Library and the Office of Diversity will sponsor the performance “1,001 Inventions” on Monday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. in Leffler Chapel.

The play, performed by Pin Points Theatre, takes the audience into the Twilight Zone, where an American family tries to survive without the

inventions of Africans and Af- way of doing it and [will] probrican Americans. The reality ably have an impact more than of everyday life without these a lecture would.” inventions will have everyone Overall, it seems that the in the audience laughing, but, majority of students are simthis performance was also ply unaware of the magnitude brought to Elizab ethtown of what Africans and African College to shed light on the Americans have done to posimany accomplishments of tively impact the world.

Africans and African-Americans.

Diane Elliott, director of diversity, was instrumental in bringing this production to the campus. She believes students will have a better understanding of African-American contributions to our society.

“This is a different way of providimage: www.pinpoints.org ing education to the The logo of the Pin Points Theatre group. campus community, an opportunity to showcase Coordinator of Multicultural inclusive excellence,” Elliott said. Programs Rachel Hadrick is “I think this is an entertaining hoping that “1,001 Inventions”

will be an eye-opener for many.

“S o often we only hear about African-Americans in history in reference to slavery or the Civil Rights Movement,” she said. “While those things were very significant in United States history, it is important to understand that those were hardly the only contributions of African-Americans.”

Elliott found consistent evidence last year through interviewing a variety of focus groups, that (according to Elliot) “students wanted opportunities to learn more about diversity.”

Throughout the month of February, there are many ways students can truly appreciate and celebrate Black History Month. Firstly, they can attend “1,001 Inventions” on Feb. 22. Hadrick has some other great suggestions on what else Etown students can do.

“Take a few minutes to do some research. Find out how African Americans have con-

tributed to your discipline or area of study,” Hadrick said.

“If you are a biology major, find out who are the black biologists who have made significant contributions in that field.”

With the rave reviews that “1,001 Inventions” has received, Etown is fortunate to showcase this performance on the campus. Those instrumental in bringing the play to the College would like students to walk away with a newfound respect for the innovative Africans and African-Americans whose inventions are featured.

This performance is only a part of the bigger picture of what February represents.

To Hadrick, Black Histor y Month is a time to celebrate what Africans and African Americans have given to us: “They have been contributing to this country and to the world in every aspect as long as they have been present on this planet.”

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the Etownian

campus life

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February 18, 2010

lifestyles • arts • advice • college issues

beyond the blizzard

Snow brings opportunity for adventurous activities Kara M. Luzik Staff Writer

S

now — whether you love it or hate it, it finds you in Elizabethtown. Either way, while it’s here, there are plenty of things you can do to pass the time. Try some of the snow activities on this list. For added fun, combine them (like one and 13).

Get creative 1. Make a snow sculpture. Etown’s campus is no stranger to snow sculpting. After every winter storm, at least one snow creation is spotted somewhere on campus. (Remember last semester’s giant tribute to men on Brinser Field?) Gather a group of friends and make a family of snowmen. Go beyond the regular carrots, stones and buttons; get creative in finding your snow-people’s eyes, noses and mouths.

2. Build a fort or an igloo. Etown may not offer a major in architecture, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a snow building. Gather your leaststructurally-inept friends and build the snow palace of your dreams.

3. Take pictures. Get out your camera and snap some photos of the snow. It isn’t often you’ll have such a beautiful white landscape; take advantage of it. There are plenty of picture-perfect spots around campus, including Lake Placida, the Dell and outside of Zug Memorial Hall.

Stay Active 4. Go to a ski resort. Ski Roundtop is less than an hour’s drive from Etown. You can take advantage of the cold and go skiing or snowboarding. If you

aren’t coordinated enough for those sports, you can try snow tubing instead.

5. Go sledding. The Dell and the area surrounding the baseball field have great hills. Don’t worry if you don’t have a sled. Anything with a firm, smooth surface will work (i.e. mattress, food tray, etc.) “I love sledding,” sophomore Maggie Troutman said. “And making snow angels, but mostly sledding on innertubes because they always work pretty much on no matter what snow, and you go so fast.”

6. Have a snowball fight. Whether there’s an inch of snow or a foot, you know you can’t resist an attempt to toss a handful at a friend. Gather a group and go at it. You can even use your forts from number two as home bases.

7. Play football. The snow makes it impossible to play most sports, but football isn’t one of them.

Sophomore Steve Wilczek proved that in last week’s storm. “My friends and I played football out in the Dell,” Wilczek said. “It was cold and definitely hard to run in, but it was so fun!”

Find your inner child 8. Go to the park. The community park is only a short walk from campus. Put on a pair of slick snow pants and venture down the sliding boards. (You’ll fly off the end of the slide and land softly in the snow.)

9. Make snow angels. You’re never too old for this one. Fall back into the fluffy white stuff and flail your arms and legs until you create the perfect dress and wings. Don’t forget to draw a halo over your head.

Make money 10. Shovel snow. The area surrounding campus

is full of people who need their driveways shoveled.

If you’re the motivated type, go door to door asking people if they’d like to pay you to shovel them out.

Local businesses will sometimes also hire extra help to clear driveways and parking lots.

11. Dig out cars. Not motivated enough to walk through town with a shovel? Find students who would gladly give you a few dollars to dig out their cars for them.

Warm up 12. Sip a hot drink. Hot cocoa is a staple of wintry weather. Grab a cup from the Jay’s or make your own from a packet of instant powder. Remember the marshmallows! Not a fan of hot chocolate? Grab a mug of hot tea, coffee or cappuccino instead.

13. Relax by the fire. Campus Security doesn’t look fondly upon bonfires on campus, but there is one place you can warm up beside burning logs (or at least the appearance of them): the High Library has a fake fireplace on the main floor. Cuddle up in front of it with a good book.

14. Bake cookies. Did you know your dorm has a kitchen? Now is the perfect time to discover it. Pick up some break-and-bake cookies from Giant and pop them in the oven. There’s nothing like freshly baked, warm cookies on a cold, snowy day.

15. Watch a movie. “I’m not really into venturing out in the snow since my snow gear is at home,” sophomore Katie Merk said. She likes to catch up on movies and spend time with friends when the campus is covered in snow. Turn on something new or an old favorite and invite your friends over for an hour or two of downtime.

Photo: Melanie R. Giardina

campus life

February 18, 2010

the Etownian

helping others

Comfy shoes for charitable cause Greta A. Kvinnesland Staff Writer

P

icture this: you’re walking out of your dorm, ready to schlepp to class. Only, instead of the snowy wonderland of beauty and comfort you’ve been used to this past week, the ground has suddenly turned to silica-heavy volcanic soil. A poorly written electronic melody rings in your ear and suddenly — GAME OVER, you have just been infected with podoconiosis. Try again?

This is the situation (sans the unsympathetic videogame music) for thousands of people in the rural farming regions of developing countries around the world.

Because of the lack of footwear in these countries, many are afflicted with podoconiosis, a debilitating disease that causes ulcers, swelling, and deformity of the feet and legs. In 2006, Blake Mycoskie was traveling in Argentina and realized the magnitude of this terrible disease. His solution was to found a company called TOMS Shoes.

You may have heard of these shoes, followed by comments and questions like, “They look so cheap,” or, “Why would I pay 50 bucks for a couple pieces of rubber with canvas attached?” Well, don’t be fooled by the simplicity of their style; TOMS patrons praise the comfort and durability of their shoes.

“They stretch to fit your foot perfectly,” senior Sara Brown said.

“I absolutely love my TOMS,” senior Kevin Smith attested. “I wear them all the time. With

my TOMS on my feet, I feel relaxed. When I’m doing homework or planning an event, I like to be relaxed and at ease.”

As for the expense, the unique brainchild of TOMS is a movement called One For One. With every pair of shoes you purchase, a pair gets sent to a child in need of footwear. In the past four years, Blake and his staff have distributed shipments (or “Shoe Drops”) to several countries, including some in South America and Africa. TOMS has become a popular and simple way of helping those in need. For many, knowing that they’re donating to a good cause negates the expense of the shoes completely.

“They are definitely worth the expense. They cost about the same price as a pair of sneakers, but they do so much more,” Smith said. “With the cost of the second pair built in, the expense is worth it.”

Additional TOMS merchandise, such as T-shirts, sweatshirts and necklaces, can now be found on their Web site, www.tomshoes. com, as well.

While this may seem to point threateningly toward TOMS becoming a novelty and losing its original purpose, TOMS promises that the purchasing of these items abide by the same One For One deal. Be it a hoodie, a charm necklace or a pair of boots, any purchase means a pair of shoes will be sent to someone in need.

However, there has been some reasonable skepticism of the TOMS movement regarding the necessity of their prices.

“I worry about TOMS becoming more commercial and less of the funding actually going to shoes for children who need them,” Brown said.

“I think that TOMS could be made for much less than they are sold for, so I’ve been looking for other companies whose work is similar to TOMS to investigate where my money will be used most efficiently.”

While this may be a valid concern, TOMS has been recognized by the government for its humanitarian work. Mycoskie and his company are the recipients of the Secretary of State’s 2009 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE), presented by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. They have also donated 30,000 pairs of shoes to Haiti since the devastating earthquake Jan. 12, with the promise of more shoes on the way.

TOMS offers many simple styles for men, women and children. While some are plain and practical, one can also find a pair unique to his or her taste. The style does not seem to affect the quality of the shoe. Given that folks don’t wear them for a weekly game of rugby, the shoes have proven durable, whether plain canvas or purple corduroy.

Junior Andrea Georgic has had her pair for about eight months now.

“They have a lot of really awesome styles and you can usually find something you like,” she said.

“Plus, it’s a really good cause, so you feel good when you wear them because you know that you didn’t pay all that money for nothing.”

7

Campus Security with commentary by

Ross M. Benincasa Assistant Campus Life Editor • On Feb. 7, a theft was reported on campus. A female student claimed that she left her snow shovel out by her when car when she entered her residence hall, but upon returning to the vehicle, the shovel had mysteriously vanished. However, after filing the report, the student realized she had not only lost her shovel in the snow ... but also her car. The cases of the missing shovel and car were solved after the snow melted.

•

While picking up alcohol that an RA had confiscated from one of his residents, Campus Security noticed another student who appeared heavily intoxicated. Campus Security wrote the student up for possibly violating the College’s alcohol policies and noted that he appeared very emotionally distraught during his consultation. Understandably, the student was upset because Campus Security was confiscating all of his hall’s alcohol.

•

Two incidents of suspicious persons were reported a mere half hour apart in the early morning of Feb. 11. The first occurred outside a room of Schlosser Residence Hall, when the occupant heard a loud tapping on her window. When she approached the window, the suspect ran off. The resident claims not to have known the perpetrator. A second incident occurred outside an SDLC. Two Campus Security officers noticed a man crouched down outside one of the windows. When they approached the man, he claimed that he was from another SDLC and was merely playing a prank on the girls inside. However, we later learned that the Peeping Tom’s Facebook had gone down, and he simply had no other way to creep on his usual list of girls except to visit their living quarters.

•

Environmental Services was called to clean up vomit near the mailboxes in Mail Services on Feb. 14. This should make most men in relationships relieved because even if your girlfriend didn’t appear to like her Valentine’s Day gift, at least yours didn’t make her barf.

web site review

Interesting people abound: only available at Wal-Mart David J. Spelfogel Staff Writer

W

al-mart not only offers low prices; it also offers customers and non-customers alike the opportunity for hysterical laughter, thanks to a blog created by Wal-mart customers. People of Wal-mart (www.peopleofWalmart. com) is a collage of unsuspecting weirdos that shop at various Wal-marts nation-wide.

The photographs include anything from obese middleaged women without large enough shirts to cover their rolls to unsuspecting customers caught urinating on the side of the buildings. Some pictures are more subtle, however.

On January 29, photographs were posted of a 40-year-old red-headed man wearing blue overalls and a middle-aged woman who was caught opening an umbrella inside the store while shopping for skin-care products. Anything goes for People of Wal-mart.

The Web site, (which is not affiliated with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.,) allows any user to upload a picture of someone that they found hilarious. Below the pictures, the user can write a catchy title and a short blurb describing the socially unacceptable person and the location of the Wal-mart.

The descriptions are almost as funny as the people themselves. When browsing through, one cannot stop without chuckling over titles like “Barbie’s Sugar Daddy,” “Beware the Gush,” “Jungle Fever” and “Cheap Date.”

Even if you do not have any pictures to upload, you can still enjoy the amusing pictures that others have posted.

The Web site is updated daily, so there is though. “I think it’s an invasion always new content to enjoy. It is definitely of privacy, especially if you do possible to spend hours scrolling through not get the person’s consent. They the 191 pages of the site, laughing out loud shouldn’t let peoples’ faces be uncontrollably with your buddies. shown,” Conway said of the policy.

Junior Alicia Conway, whose favorite Sophomore Charlie Rubis, picture is that of a larger woman wearing whose favorite picture is of a baby a leotard in the store, thinks the Web site is napping in a shopping cart surgreat. When asked why she felt the blog was rounded by large shopping items, so captivating, she stated, “It made no sense. agreed with Conway.

Who would wear that? I don’t care if you’re “You don’t need to show their Carmen Electra. No one should go to Walfaces,” he said. “It is what they are Image: peopleofwalmart.com wearing and doing that is funny. I mart wearing a leotard. Overall, it is very Just one of the many photos think it would still be funny withentertaining because it is comedy without featured on the People of Walanybody even trying.” out their faces being shown.” mart Web site.

People of Wal-mart was founded by three Despite the objectionable pricollege roommates and friends in August 2009 after a self- vacy policy, People of Wal-mart takes social networking to described “inspirational trip to Wal-mart.” The founders a new level by offering users the opportunity to control the claim that the purpose of the Web site is not to make fun content of the Web site. People can see pictures from all over of others, but merely to offer satirical social commentary the United States. If there is a particular picture that you just about the interesting people who shop at Wal-mart. cannot stop howling at, then you can even voice your own The founders also enacted proactive measures to ensure opinion in the comments section. The Web site also contains that no one’s reputation becomes ruined. They do not allow features that allow you to share pictures you like with your pictures to be posted of people who are in any way handi- friends on sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. capped or have a disability. Also, if any person finds their People of Wal-mart has the potential to offer any user, own picture on People of Wal-mart and wants it removed, even those with the most conservative mindset, hours the founders guarantee that it will be taken off immediately of excitement and laughter. So if you are bored or just after a simple request. need a quick pick-me-up on a bad day, check out People Some students are skeptical of their privacy statement, of Wal-mart.

10

campus life

the Etownian

February 18, 2010

dazzling dinners

Meatless Mondays, pirate theme dominate spring cuisine Vanessa L. Andrew Staff Writer

D

id you know that not eating meat once a week could decrease your risk of medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes and obesity? By substituting meat with foods like beans, peas and nuts, you can maintain a healthy weight while benefiting the environment as well as the body.

Meatless Monday is a noprofit strategy in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health that encourages the reduction of meat consumption.

Their goal is to help to decrease the consumption of meat by 15 percent so that personal health and the well being of the planet can be improved.

With this in mind, several Elizabethtown College students have chosen to alter their eating habits.

Senior Jennifer Knapp actively participates in Meatless Mondays. At the age of 12, Knapp stopped eating red meat and pork. She became a vegetarian once she began college.

“Although I often smell someone cooking and admit that it smells delicious, I have no desire to eat meat. I am perfectly happy with my options as a vegetarian, and I do not plan on changing my diet,” she said.

Knapp also said that it would

be possible for most Etown students to give up meat for a day and not even notice it.

“Most people think that protein is a large problem for

“Alas, no rum.”

Dale Boyer Assistant Director of Campus Security vegetarians, but this is pretty easy to get around,” she said.

“For example, a salad with some black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas gives you a great mix of protein, iron and fiber. There are many ways to get the same nutrients in meat, and many of them are healthier than a hamburger or chicken fingers would be anyway.”

Reducing meat intake once a week also benefits the environment. The meat industry is believed to contribute nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that correlate with climate change.

Therefore, by eliminating meat for a day, you could also reduce your carbon footprint. This practice also decreases water usage, since an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water go into producing a single pound of beef, while soy tofu requires only 220 gallons of water per pound during its production.

If this interests you, visit www. meatlessmonday.com/why-meatless/ to start making an impact.

Meatless Monday is a smart way to start and a great idea to spread around campus.

“It would let people experiment more with foods that they otherwise wouldn’t eat,” Knapp said. “I think it would be really nice if the Marketplace labeled their vegetarian entrees because it would let people see what their vegetarian options are and make a choice of what they would like to eat.”

Etown tries to be very environmentally friendly. For instance, this year’s Pirate Dinner is both special and green.

Since every pirate has to have a ship, catering chef Rich Cope and his right-hand mate Micah Lewis built a 40-footlong pirate ship, which will be stationed in the KÀV with the meal’s dessert options.

The ship is made partly out of recycled materials, as are all of the Pirate Dinner props.

These materials include scrap items, cans, cardboard tubes and, according to catering manager Kathy Christopher, “all sorts of crazy things we find in each other’s garages.”

Even the dining staff will be “dressed to the hilt,” wearing costumes made of environmentally friendly materials.

When asked about Meatless Mondays and Pirate Fest, senior

Emily Grove said, “I’d be down for Meatless Mondays instead of pirates, but I’d love to have both!

Maybe meatless pirates!”

Pirate Fest, an idea of Kathy Christopher’s from five years ago, is designed to break up the monotony of the winter months.

The first Pirate Fest was tremendously popular, and many students asked that Dining Services do it again.

Pictures from the previous Pirate Fest adorn the wall in the Marketplace, depicting a smaller pirate ship and its “captain,” Assistant Director of Campus Security Dale Boyer.

This year, Pirate Fest is bigger and better than ever.

Boyer, who is deeply involved with Pirate Fest, said, “When the staff does these events, they pull out all the stops, and this year they went way over the top in design and construction.”

You might wonder, why pirates? “The possibilities with a pirate theme are endless,” Boyer said. “Everyone loves pirates; everyone can be a pirate without much trouble.”

Pirates love to eat, and there will be a themed menu to go along with the event. Boyer lamented, “Alas, no rum,” but there will be Golden Birch Beer.

Pirates also love to search for treasure, so Etown students will enjoy some special treasure map cake, along with other delicious desserts from Davy Jones’ Locker (such as

banana cake and pineapple coconut bread pudding).

“The most important thing to get across is that an unimaginable amount of time, work and, yes, love has gone into this event,” Boyer said.

“It is all done for the students, and this commitment to the students will not be found at any other large colleges and is part of what makes Etown so different and special.”

First-years Jessica Swank and Ryan Stadel are excited for the event.

“I am more excited for the Pirate Dinner than Christmas,” Swank said.

“I can’t wait to see what the caf has to offer at the Pirate Dinner!” Stadel added.

According to Christopher, this year’s Pirate Fest will be entered into a competition held by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS).

Those involved in the event enter by “developing an extensive scrapbook, so to speak, that includes photos, menus, production sheets, etc. and competes with other colleges in our region,” Christopher explained.

The winners proceed to a national competition toward the Loyal Horton Dining Award.

So, come support Dining Services and all the hard work they put into making Pirate Fest a memorable evening by becoming a pirate for the night. Arrrgh!

Photo (top): Vanessa L. Andrew Image (bottom) productwiki.com

calming mental exercises

Relaxation, rejuvination found in unexpected places Jon M. Gabriel Staff Writer

T

he everyday college student goes through a schedule that revolves around schoolwork, working out, or — possibly the most popular of all — procrastinating. But as pressures build, Dr. Jeffrey Long and Dr. Charla Lorenzen share their own forms of mental clarity with Elizabethtown College students.

Lorenzen instructs a yoga class in which she teaches the basics of a “YogaFit” style. Long, along with Buddhist priest David Cortes, offers meditation sessions. Cortes offers weekly sessions, while Long extends his expertise only once or twice per semester. Both Long and Lorenzen teach new ways to learn about not only mental exercise, but also to ways to calm and relax oneself.

Long’s meditation sessions sprouted from his practice of Hinduism. Growing up, he searched for spiritual and philosophical practices.

“I started meditating informally when I was a child, growing up in the Catholic Church. I learned about Hindu and Buddhist practices gradually and meditated in a systematic way off and on throughout

my adult life. I have been meditating most regularly and seriously for the last five years,” he said.

Long teaches religious studies at Etown and wanted to broaden the learning experience beyond the classroom.

“I have always taught students about meditation as long as I have been teaching,” Long said. “As far as teaching students how to meditate — which is different from simply discussing it in the classroom, in the context of explaining Asian spiritual traditions — that is something that students have asked me to do. Since I do not think the classroom is really the right environment for meditation, I have sought to make it available to interested students by holding sessions on campus, out of class, and making those sessions available to anyone who wanted to participate.”

Long teaches the most basic type of meditation; he does not teach more advanced types because they involve the religious aspects of Buddhism and Hinduism.

He doesn’t believe that the sessions should be promoted. Long prefers to “make people aware that it is [only] available if they are interested in having the experience of getting in touch with their

deeper self and the sense of relaxation and well-being that comes from that.”

Anyone can benefit from the sessions he and Cortes offer. The impact may vary depending on the person, but Long believes that “even a beginner can have a ver y deep experience meditating the first time.”

Students and other participants of the meditation sessions emphasized its focused and calming effects.

“I absolutely adore Dr. Long and thought he was a great teacher, and I found his meditation sessions to be very relaxing,” sophomore Kristin Endriss said. “It made me feel much more focused and calm. I would — and will — definitely attend another one. I even dragged along one of my friends who wasn’t in the class, and I know she also very much enjoyed it.”

Lorenzen has been teaching her “Yogafit” class since 2002. The yoga style she teaches was developed in 1994.

“What we call ‘yoga’ in the West is just one branch (the physical branch) of yoga, an ancient physical and psycho-

logical tradition that originated in India approximately 6,000 years ago,” Lorenzen said. “This physical branch is called Hatha Yoga, and practicing it can help individuals develop physica l st rengt h and flexibility, as well as mental clarity. The style of yoga that I practice and teach incorporates a Vinyasa (flowing) Hatha Yoga style with Kundalini Yoga, which releases and moves blocked energy throughout the body.”

Lorenzen requires participants to fill out waivers and use yoga mats to make the experience more comfortable. The purpose of this type of yoga is to relax, as well as challenge, the participant.

“Commit to practicing with a noncompetitive and nonjudgmental attitude toward yourself and toward the others in the class,” Lorenzen said.

The classes she teaches are offered to mixed-levels, where she encourages listening to your body and aiming for development, while knowing the limitations of your body as well.

opinion

February 18, 2010

campus controversies • letters to the editor

common culture

I

remember my first cell phone.

It was one of those cheap, gray flip-jobs that Virgin Mobile had manufactured for poor kids like me. That phone was the first breath of true freedom I’d taken in my overprotective Catholic childhood.

Shortly after I had gotten my phone and passed around my number, I became aware of this freedom’s dark side. Day and night for the past six years, I have been slowly inundated under an ever-growing sea of inane quips coming in at 160 characters or less. Commonly referred to as the text, these mini messages are the subject of the greatest ridicule and revilement. Newcomers to the texting game often don’t know how to play by its rules. Who can blame them? The rules of this brave new method of communication have never really been written down.

It’s something one learns from experience and on the backs of friendships ruined by improper messaging. Don’t want your poor texting skills to be discussed behind your back? Then let your worries float away, for the Etownian is here to give you some of the basic rules of Texting Etiquette … or Textiquette, for short (or because we’re obnoxious). Below, you’ll find some of the most basic texting faux pas that you should try your best to avoid.

The Double Text

We’ve all been there. You get that buzzing in your pocket that lets you know you have a text. Hooray! Somebody cares! You read it, and it’s just your friend saying that dinner is at 5:30 or something. You put the phone back in your pocket, wishing it had been something a little more important. But then … there’s another vibration! Holy Christ, you’re popular tonight! You open your phone in a hurry. Maybe you even drop it because you’re shaking with anticipation.

But then your phone’s screen reveals the awful truth: your friend just has a really twitchy trigger finger, and it’s a duplicate of that same message. You’re as unpopular and painfully alone as you’ve always been, and this is just a cruel reminder of it. Now all you can do is down a whole pint of Chunky Monkey, watch “Sleepless in Seattle” and cry — just to soften the pain of how untextable you are.

Perhaps this example is a bit over-the-top, but, still — the polite texter sends each message only once so he can save his friends from similar heartbreak.

The Text that Just Says ‘K’

No, seriously — if I have to explain this any further to you, just drop your phone in Lake Placida and stop talking to people altogether. People who just say “K” are about as bad as the folks who hit “Reply All” and spam all of the College’s e-mail accounts.

And these people are starting to get creative in their methods to fill our cell phones’ inboxes. Now, you’ll

send somebody what you assume to be the last text in a conversation, and five seconds later, they reply, “LOL.” Stuff like this only results in aggravated sighs and strained friendships. Seriously, my last message said “Okay, I’ll bring the coffee then,” and you replied “LOL.” Coffee is serious business! It is NOT funny! “LOL” has become this awkward placeholder phrase when you have nothing else to say.

So folks, please … if a conversation has come to a satisfying end, don’t try to comment further.

Texting Someone Who is Literally RIGHT Next to You.

Don’t even try to act like it’s not painfully obvious. You and your friend are sitting quietly while conversation rages around you. You pull out your phone and type something really quick. Not an instant later, your friend pulls out her phone, laughs and types something in her phone. Then the cycle repeats ad nauseam … or until somebody smacks the two of you. People have lungs and vocal chords for a reason. For the love of God, use them.

Okay, this particular sin is socially acceptable if y’all are sending judgmental messages about somebody who is nearby (though shame on you for judging). Also, if you’re conspiring against someone within 3 feet of you, then adjacent texting is perfectly fine … but whatever you’re planning had better be awesome.

Texts that Lack Proper Spelling and Grammar

Back in high school, one of my English teachers caught somebody texting in class and read it aloud.

He couldn’t finish it, though, because 40 characters in he broke down crying. That’s how bad “textspeak” has become.

C’mon guys, at least try to write

11

national debate • our take • guest columns

romance column

Texting etiquette Peter S. Northrop Features Editor

the Etownian

After the thrill out whole words and have some semblance of sentence structure.

We could at least pretend that we are not a generation of yokels, couldn’t we?

Texts that Span 14 Messages in Rapid Succession

So your professor in intro-towhatever was really awkward today.

Maybe he did a string of unfortunate poses or said something vaguely sexual that made all the girls in the class cringe a little bit.

Maybe then he realized his error, and his desperate attempts to cover up that awkwardness were even more uncomfortable. That’s kind of hilarious and all, but you really don’t need to tell me every single detail of this incredibly drawn out story over the winding course of 22 hurriedly written texts. Seriously, just call me already. The Texting Gods gave us 160 characters for a reason. Is my voice really that annoying, or do you just like having bloody thumbs?

Forwarding Chain Texts

Back in the day, e-mail used to be trendy and cool. Then our parents got a hold of it, and with that, our primitive inboxes were suddenly filled with chain messages threatening everything from losing our only chance at true love to an enormous solar flare wiping out all life on Earth if we didn’t send 15 copies of this message to our closest friends.

Ever since then, e-mail has been more annoying than convenient.

But then we got texting! And it, too, was trendy and cool for awhile, but now our parents have gotten a hold of it. Now, desperately bored housewives everywhere are sending inane chain texts to their children.

Of course, some of those children are jerks and will text those messages to all of their friends just for the fun of it.

I received my first chain text last week. It told me all my dreams would come true if I just wasted $8 worth of data fees by forwarding it to 20 people. Upon reading it I cried a single tear, for at that moment I came to the realization that nothing is sacred.

No, I will not die or lose the love of my life by midnight tonight if I don’t forward this message to 15 of my friends. What will really happen is this: if you send me another one of these … I will stab you.

Truth be told, we’ve only really touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those awkward texting moments that can botch up your day. To go over every rule of texting would require a lot more than this skimpy newspaper. Hopefully these meager guidelines will be enough to send you on your way to texting enlightenment.

Image: Cellphonenews.com

Samantha T. Phillips Assistant Opinion Editor

J

ack was introduced to Diane at one of the infamous drunken orgies also known as the Saturday night SWEET dances. Jack wasn’t sure what it was that made this moment so specia — maybe the distinct perfume of vomit lingering in the air, or perhaps the layer of perspiration coating the linoleum floors. Whatever it was, something just felt right on that blustery February night. Father Destiny had led blind Cupid to the KÂV, and his golden arrow had pierced through Jack’s pink polo and straight into his thumping 20-something heart. Diane felt the same. She had gone to the dance hoping to grind up on a few drunk guys, but there was something special about this particular intoxicated hornball. She knew it from the moment he put his lips chillingly close to her ear and said, “I think we have Spanish together.”

The next few months were chock-full of blissful infatuation. “The honeymoon period” definitely lived up to its title. Jack and Diane were inseparable, so much so that their friends gave them a celebrity couple surname: Dick. Jack found it absolutely charming that Diane sometimes talked out of the side of her mouth like Drew Barrymore (without the drug problem).

He loved her striking green eyes, the way she flipped her hair every other second, and, most of all, he loved the way she made him feel, especially when she was sensually eating one of those cafeteria ice cream cones.

“Thank God for Dining Services,” he’d whisper to himself while he tucked “his feelings” beneath his belt.

Diane looked at Jack as if he were the closest thing she’d ever get to Noah from “The Notebook.”

She secretly wished that she would develop severe Alzheimer’s so he would spend every day of his adult life re-telling her the story of their love. But, for now, he was young and handsome, and she relished in every bit of his attention. She would stare lovingly at him for hours on end, giggling every time he would belch and blow his beer breath in her face. Diane loved the way Jack told her stories of drunken adventures, like the time he woke up in front of Founders in a pile of crusted vomit and old cigarette butts.

It was heaven for the first few months. But, inevitably, time passes. After the infatuation had subsided, both Jack and Diane found themselves in what Dr. Phil would call “a rut.” Suddenly, all of those little things that they had once found so endearing became irritating.

When Diane talked out of the side of her mouth, Jack was now reminded of Stephen Hawking instead of Drew Barrymore, and the color of her eyes looked more like puke green than emerald. Every time she flipped her hair he wanted to gouge his eyes out with her Hello Kitty pencil. The ice cream cone thing was still hot, though.

Similarly, Jack began to resemble Noah less and less to Diane. He never rowed her out into a lake full of swans or built her dream house when he was tortured by her absence. This wasn’t what she had signed up for.

She wanted Leo DiCaprio, not Dog the Bounty Hunter.

If she had to hear about how many beer bongs he could do in the span of 20 minutes one more time, she was going to gouge her eyes out with her Hello Kitty pencil.

The question is: do you throw away love with yesterday’s trash when the little things start to get you down?

Or do you learn to accept that no one is perfect and look past the small annoyances? I think sometimes you have to remember that love is a rare bird. When you cage it, it can keep you up at night with its incessant squawking, but it’s so damn beautiful that you can’t bring yourself to slip some poison in its water dish. In the end, it’s about teaching yourself to sleep through the noise.

12

opinion

the Etownian

d n u

S o Off

If you could build anything out of the snow what would it be?

by S. Alexandra Ward

Name: Jenell Abram Class of: 2013 “A huge slide leading to an underground fort!”

Name: Derek Shive Class of: 2013 “A car!”

February 18, 2010

campus controversy

Alcohol policy stifles responsible drinking Jonathan S. Gamble Staff Writer

who already pay an exorbitant amount for tuition, room and board.

The drinking habits of the majority of students show that they depart from this ideology. It disregards our rights, insults our ccording to our student handbook, Elizabethtown College’s sense of personal responsibility and imposes an ethical dogma regulations attempting to govern students’ use of alcohol are passively and unnecessarily.

Creating these attitudes among students will only obstruct intended to cultivate a social environment that promotes sound judgment, respect for others’ rights and personal responsibility for a healthy social atmosphere. Furthermore, the policy has comone’s behavior. Ironically, some of these very regulations have cre- pounded the very behavior College officials wish to eradicate by ated obstacles to achieving such an environment. In part, this stems imbuing the act of drinking with a greater sense of rebelliousness. from an ideological difference between students and administrators. Social divisions have also been aggravated by these policies. One Given how these policies are written and enforced, it is obvious regulation reads, “Any student, regardless of age, who is present where an alcohol and/or drug violation is occurring will be the College believes that, ideally, abstinence from drinking considered equally in violation.” How is the College supporting is the best way to achieve a healthy social atmosphere. The individuals who choose to abstain from alcohol if they seek to handbook reads, “The College supports those individuals isolate them from the rest of the student body? who choose to abstain from consuming alcohol ... [and] Starving these students of the already underdeveloped encourages all students to consider carefully the potential social life available on and off campus simply means there dangers of alcohol consumption ...” will be less of them, and their behavior will not rub off Furthermore, their support of individuals who choose to onto anyone else — which I assume is not what the Collive a different-but-sensible lifestyle is not declared and thus lege wants. The regulation only propagates the negative comes across as a matter of obligation instead of active qualities typical of abstainers: snobbery, self-imposed engagement. Very little is done on campus to encourage persecution and insecurity. responsible drinking when compared to how much efReligious language also emanates from the regufort is made to halt it altogether. The language not only lations, including Good Samaritan and forgiveness implies that we are incapable of drinking responsibly, but clauses, the latter of which reads, “Points carry over that responsible drinking does not exist because alcohol in from semester to semester and year to year until forgiveand of itself is a substance from which no good can come. ness begins.” Infusing religion into the alcohol policy to Regarding enforcement, the handbook explicitly states serve as a deterrent and casting the act of drinking as that College officials may enter a room for visual inspecsacrilegious does not demonstrate sound judgment. Do tion if they have reasonable suspicion of excessive quantiadministrators think students are as easily tripped on ties of alcohol. If that reasonable suspicion is affirmed, then guilt as we are on shots? “a more thorough administrative inspection warranting a Furthermore, some people believe that the man who search and seizure of the student’s residence and per- Image: Imageshack.us inspired Christianity adopted a more liberal policy sonal belongings ... may be conducted only by a College official with specific authorization from the Dean of College Life.” regarding “intoxicants.” Jesus said, “It’s not what goes into your Over the years, many students have reported to Residence Life mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities that College of your mouth” (Matthew 15:11).

I suggest that whoever wrote the current policy was binging on officials have violated these restrictions either by entering with unreasonable suspicion, not demonstrating that they have obtained a more harmful substance: naiveté. No doubt there are a lot of imauthorization from the Dean, or conducting the visual and physical mature consumers out there. Some people don’t have the personality search of students’ personal possessions simultaneously. College or self-control necessary to handle drinking responsibly. It is very officials who have violated students’ right to privacy as granted in possible, if not likely, that a 15-year-old who grew up in France the handbook should be reprimanded, and any damages or costs can manage his or her consumption habits better than a 21-yearincurred by students and their belongings should be reimbursed, old American. Why is that? Policies around the United States, like the ones at our College, portray alcohol as an inherent vice. It has regardless of their illegality.

However, no such measures have been taken or included in the become this inflated rebellious activity for American youths and handbook, and the reports have been all but ignored. It seems that adults instead of a controlled hobby or treat that supplements the College officials are drunk on an abstinence that includes hypocrisy, enjoyment of something else. Any policy that is written or practiced condescension and robbery. I would be curious to discover how to show the student body how much the College does not want many thousands of dollars worth of alcohol and paraphernalia them drinking will only have the adverse effect.

“Don’t trust da police, no justice, no peace.” – Officer Slater College officials have confiscated from their 21-or-older customers

A

in the nation

Dropout success: passion opens doors Name: Jaime Thurmond Class of: 2013 “A really big snow man.”

Name: Brad Eargle Class of: 2010 “A snow fort, Da!” Make sure to check out the Sound Off poll and the opportunity to comment on articles on our Web site: www.etownian.com

David M. Gerhart Staff Writer

C

an a high school dropout be successful in this world today? Yes, you can be very successful as a high school dropout — if you know how to play the system. There are so many people in our society today who are doing incredibly well without a high school diploma.

Brad Burke, director of Rice University’s Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, said to Forbes Magazine, “Investors really look at the person and the quality of his or her idea more than their experience.”

If you have a good knowledge and understanding of the field you are looking to pursue, the creativity to come up with good products or ideas, and the financial backing, there is no need for a complete high school education.

There is a slew of very successful celebrities who never finished their schooling, such as Simon Cowell, Jay-Z and George

Foreman, to name a few. While they have figured out how to take their knowledge and passions to the highest level and become stars, the average layperson can do very well without finishing the standard four-year high school experience.

The jobs that are the easiest to get as a high school dropout are often technology related, and having grown up in the age of technology, today’s youth are learning the programs and equipment faster than ever.

They are quickly becoming the creators, repairmen and idea men in this day and age.

Take, for example, iPhone applications.

My roommate recently got himself an iPhone, and he has begun to do a lot of research on apps and their creators. One day, while taking a break from work, he started to explain to me that it is the pre-teen and young adult generations that have been taking the apps front by storm. This just goes to show that technology is the future of our country, and America’s youth are already well equipped to handle this industry.

My advice for those who feel that high

school just isn’t for them but don’t know the computer world inside out is to take hobbies or passions and really get to know those fields. Like Burke said, it’s the ideas and knowledge of a field that financial backers and employers look for.

The real kicker here comes down to the fields you are looking to get into. Yes, it is very easy for a high school dropout to get hired as a mechanic, a construction worker, or basically any kind of a physical labor job or technical job (provided one already has the knowledge and feel for those fields).

But if you are looking to get straight into a management or ownership position, think again. To become successful in management or running a business, you have to work your way up the ladder — starting at the bottom, learning and working and understanding what it takes to start, run and grow a business.

Know your hobbies and passions insideout. If high school isn’t the place for you, you never know where the hobbies might take you.

opinion

February 18, 2010

the Etownian

on campus

Snow removal efforts yield varying results

Elizabeth A. Shea Staff Writer

O

ver the past week, the Elizabethtown College campus and surrounding areas have seen unprecedented amounts of snowfall over a short period of time.

Although other areas, such as Baltimore, experienced the worst of the storm, our campus felt the strong presence of the wintry blast. The advance warning was an attempt to allow areas to fully prepare so that snow removal could b e ef fe c t ively organize d.

However, the campus snow removal did not seem to be very well executed, despite best intentions. Some of this was due to the fact that this area is not used to receiving such a large amount of snow so quickly. This does not change the fact that moving around campus Saturday, Feb. 6, was very difficult for the students who needed to get to the BSC and other buildings across campus.

Plows were out and moving Friday night, which seemed like a promising sign that the paths would be cleared by Saturday morning. However, the snow continued to fall at a constant pace, and the snow removal crew was not able to keep up with the rate of accumulation. Venturing out Saturday was treacherous, and although many could avoid it until the paths were clearer, some students were responsible for showing up

Thumbs up...

...Thumbs down

Craig H. Meaney

to work for Dining Services, which cannot close. Most of these students and some full-time workers made their way through the snow, but the paths were extremely slippery. By the end of the day, the paths had been cleared and many students were out enjoying the snow, but the amount of salt that was distributed to the paths was not enough to counteract the ice and slush on the sidewalks.

Wednesday, the amount of work being put forth was evident. It became clear that the weather conditions were making it fruitless for the crew to keep removing snow only to have it blow back onto paths that had just been cleared. The major snow removal problem on Wednesday, however, was the fact that not all of the paths to the dorms were cleared. The path to Founders A remained untouched until about three in the afternoon, while all other dorm paths had been at least partially cleared. Also, sophomore Emily Ulrich stated that when giving a tour Friday, the sidewalk in front of Schlosser was still mostly unshoveled and slushy. A mother on the tour was extremely nervous about falling, especially since she had experienced a serious fall only months before and feared that she might reinjure herself.

Overall, the snow removal crew seemed to have the best intentions when it Photo: Melanie R. Giardina came to making the campus accessible. Also, by the After the first experience with the snow, time the second snowfall hit, it seemed it seemed that Wednesday’s snow removal that the crew was more prepared as to was much more effectively organized. what to expect, and they much more efCollege officials, realizing the severity of fectively cleared the paths. However, the the coming blizzard, made an excellent major complaint was regarding the paths. choice to cancel classes for the two days Despite the fact that they had been cleared, necessary to make the campus safe to conditions were often very slippery, which travel. Although students stated that the in the future can easily be remedied with snow was not removed fast enough on the distribution of more salt.

Thumbs Up

The United States - for being voted the “best looking nation” in a poll of 5,000 Britons.

Thumbs down to www.OnePoll.com for performing such a superficial study.

Iowa Board of Pharmacy - for voting unanimously to classify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, urging legislators to allow it for medical use.

Tiger Woods - for arranging a speech Friday, Feb. 19, to apologize for poor behavior that has cost him personally and professionally. The speech will begin at 10 a.m. at TPC Sawgrass in Post Vedra Beach, Fla., where the PGA tour is held. This is Woods’ first public speech since his SUV accident in November.

Opinion Editor

Images: Wordpress.com

Thumbs Down

Public Schools - for forcing students to sign a “dance contract” that forbids grinding and risqué dress. According to www.msnbc.com, public schools across the nation are taking measures to prohibit “inappropriate dance.” While California schools such as Downey High School and Aliso Niguel High School ask students to sign contracts, other schools such as Minnetonka High in Minnesota are creating campaigns (“Dance Like Grandma’s Watchin’”) to deter the behavior.

High-tech industry - for failing to realize that rare earth elements used in products are, in fact, rare. According to Yahoo news, U.S. companies rely on China for mining or processing the elements europium, neodymium and lanthanum, which are necessary in the production of wind turbines, hybrid cars, and LED lights, respectively.

Have an opinion?

The Etownian values and solicits the ideas of its audience. Have something you want to share?

Send submissions of 500 words or more to OPINby Jill Hugus IONEDITOR@etown.edu.

13

the Etownian the board

Editor-in-Chief Aimée M. DiMichele Managing Editor Aidan E. Bauernschmidt Assistant Editor Emily M. Reigart News Editor Rachel A. Marsteller Features Editor Peter S. Northrop Campus Life Editor Joelle E. Atkinson Opinion Editor Craig H. Meaney Sports Editor Sara E. Crimmel Copy Editor Patricia A. Cangelosi Photography Editor Melanie R. Giardina Layout Editor Matthew A. Wagener Online Editor Zachary T. Johnson Assistant News Editor Khouri E. McGrann Assistant Features Editor Rachel L. Jesten Asst. Campus Life Editor Ross M. Benincasa Assistant Opinion Editor Samantha T. Phillips Assistant Sports Editor Janna M. Richards Assistant Copy Editors Samantha M. Alleman Katherine E. Blackman Nancy C. Briscoe T. Gavin Nevill Leigh N. Ontiveros Asst. Photography Editor S. Alexandra Ward Assistant Layout Editor Huntley C. McGowan Assistant Online Editor Andrew R. Sides Business Manager Brittny E. McLaughlin Asst. Business Manager Marc C. Weber Advertising Manager Katie L. Bornholdt Asst. Advertising Manager Jennifer R. Malik Faculty Adviser Kirsten A. Johnson The Etownian is the student newspaper of Elizabethtown College. All editorial decisions are made by the student editors.

With the exception of editorials, opinions presented here are those of quoted sources or signed authors, not of the Etownian or the College.

The Etownian is published most Thursdays during the academic year by Susquehanna Printing.

Submissions to the Etownian are always welcomed. We will make every effort to print submissions, but we do not promise publication. Submissions may be printed anonymously at the discretion of the editor. Submit letters to EDITOR@etown.edu.

See next issue for solution

14

sports

the Etownian

February 18, 2010

women’s basketball

Lady Jays defeated by LVC Dutchmen, Widener Pride Aidan E. Bauernschmidt Managing Editor Kelsey C. Hayes Staff Writer

T

he Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley clinched the top seed of the Commonwealth Conference playoffs with a 70-62 win over the Elizabethtown College women’s basketball team Tuesday night. The loss dropped the Lady Jays to 6-16 for the season and 2-10 in the Commonwealth Conference. The win allowed the Dutchmen to finish with a flawless 13-0 record in their regular season.

Lebanon Valley juniors Susie Noyes and Eryn Shultz led their team with 16 points apiece, with fellow junior Andrea Hoover following close behind with 14 points and four assists.

The Dutchmen grabbed an early lead of 10-2 but failed to pull far ahead due to the Lady Jays’ consistent shooting and excellent ball control; at halftime, the Dutchmen led just 34-29. With 9:08 left in the second half, the LVC ladies leapt ahead to 51-40 thanks to a basket

by Dutchmen first-year Lindsey Nies, but the Lady Jays kept on fighting.

Etown was on the verge of a tie with 3:51 left in the game, when a jumper by junior Megan Strohman brought the score to 56-54. The Lady Jays lost

their chance to catch up, however, when Hoover scored another three points for Lebanon Valley with just 3:35 remaining.

Strohman led her team with 15 points, closely followed by sophomore forward Stephanie Ellwood, who played 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Courtney Kofeldt scored nine points for the Lady Jays and connected on three 3-pointers, including the 150th of her career. The Lady Jays grabbed 22 rebounds and scored 35.4 percent from the field. The Dutchmen scored 43.8 percent.

Last Saturday, the Lady Jays came home with a disappointing loss after a hard fight against Widener University.

The ladies played a close Commonwealth Conference game which ended with a 75-67 Widener victory.

“Although we didn’t get the win, it was one of the best games of basketball we have played all season,” Kofeldt said. “Widener is a very tough and aggressive team, but we fought back.

We played with heart, and [we] played like a team.”

Kofeldt led the Lady Jays with 17 points and six assists, while Ellwood totaled 13 points and a game-high seven assists. Sophomore Kelly Sauerzopf had a season-high 10 points and contributed five rebounds for Etown.

Widener first-year Kate Dellinger came off the bench and scored a game high 21 points and 11 rebounds. After Widener took the lead 17-12, the Lady Jays scored 20 points and took their largest lead of the game at 32-23, with help from a 3-pointer by Strohman.

Widener continued to fight back and tied the score at 38 just before halftime, but Etown took the lead again at 4543, following a 3-pointer by Kofeldt with 14 minutes left on the clock. Still, Widener took back the lead for good, thanks to Dellinger and a 3-pointer at the 13:05 mark.

“I am disappointed that the game was determined on the foul line … It felt like we had some of the game taken away from us,” Kofeldt said, referring to the 35 foul shots Widener took to Etown’s four.

The Lady Jays have six wins under their belt now as the end of the season approaches. Even though they have fallen short of their goal this year, head coach Yvonne Kauffman is pleased about the accomplishments the girls have made.

“I am proud of the team,” she said.

“They came to every practice, practiced hard, took it seriously and never gave up. The season is not nearly what we expected it to be in the wins and

losses, but it has been very good as far as the team, how they got along, tried, practiced and played. We were very successful in that way.”

As for the team’s three seniors — Kofeldt, Ali Jury and Jen Schiefer — their careers as Lady Jays are almost over.

So far this season, Kofeldt has contributed 215 points, Jury has scored 127, and Schiefer has added 76. Kauffman knows that the seniors will be missed.

“They added a lot of leadership, and without them we wouldn’t have the team spirit that we had. They did their job and did what they had to do. They are a great group of girls. The team will miss them for many different reasons,” she said.

Tonight, the Lady Jays will host the Warriors of Lycoming College at 6 p.m. in a Commonwealth Conference matchup. Lycoming, who has a 4-8 conference record and a 7-16 record overall, is currently ranked fifth in Commonwealth Conference standings, while the Lady Jays hold seventh place.

Saturday, the Lady Jays will host Arcadia University at 2 p.m. in their last game of the regular season. Arcadia currently holds eighth place in the Commonwealth Conference, as they have not won a single conference matchup this season.

track and field

Blue Jays compete at Susquehanna Indoor Invitational Sara E. Crimmel Sports Editor

L

ast Saturday, the men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to Selinsgrove to compete in the Susquehanna Indoor Invitational.

First-year Jenna Niedermayer led the Blue Jays’ day of impressive performances when she broke the women’s team record in the long jump, the first event of the day, with an astounding leap of 17 feet, 2 inches to finish second in the event.

Niedermayer also finished third in the triple jump, recording a jump of 34 feet to move up to tenth on the Lady Jays’ all-time list.

First-year Taryn Shank won the 5,000 meter run, finishing in a personal-best time of 18:21.90.

Senior Megan VanDenHengel finished fourth in the 800 meter run in 2:23.57.

Sophomore Kathryn Howser moved up to sixth place on the program’s all-time list in the mile, finishing in 5:23.61.

First-year Ashley Lockwood finished 10th in the 55 meter dash and tied for eighth on the program’s all-time list with a run of 7.94 seconds.

First-year Pam Jaraczewski moved into ninth on the program’s all-time list and eighth in the meet with a 27.76 second run in the 200 meter dash.

The 4X200 relay team of Lockwood, Niedermayer, Jaraczewski and Howser finished second in 1:51.35 to take fourth on the program’s all-time list.

The team of seniors Sarah Merusi and Marquel Bowler, sophomore Katie Nordyke and first-year and Etownian assistant sports editor Janna Richards finished second in the 4X800 relay with a time of 10:27.08, claiming ninth on the program’s all-time list.

The team of Lockwood, senior Bernadette Frawley, Howser and VanDenHengel took sixth in the 4X400 relay with a run of 4:22.16.

On the men’s side, sophomore Evan DeArmitt finished second in the mile, moving up to fifth on the program’s all-time list with a run of 4:19.89.

Sophomore Charlie Larsen claimed sixth in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 15:43.48, closely followed by sophomore Colby Miller and senior captain Myles Lund, who took seventh and eighth place in 15:54.69 and 15:58.62, respectively.

First-year Luke Rotenberger finished 12th in the 55 meter hurdles, moving up to seventh on the program’s all-time list with a time of 8.82 seconds.

Sophomore Mark Weber finished sixth in the 800 meter run, mainintaining his 10th-place spot on the program’s all-time list with a run of 2:00.05.

In field events, senior captain Tim Katzaman placed fifth in the weight throw with a toss of 40 feet, 11 inches.

First-year Cameron Aregood placed third in the high jump, tying for fifth on the program’s all-time list with a leap of 5 feet, 10 3/4 inches.

In relays, the 4X400 relay team of senior captain Kyle Grimm, first-year Aaron Focht, senior captain Wyatt Eaton and Rotenberger finished second in 3:33.81.

The 4X200 relay team of Eaton, senior captain Mike Mauger, Grimm and Rotenberger finished second of 15 teams with a time of 1:35.20.

This Saturday, the track and field teams will travel to Dickinson College, where they will compete in the DuCharme Invitational.

CORRECTIONS

Photo: Tom Connelly, EtownBlueJays.com

Senior captain Myles Lund (far right) leads the pack in a race. Lund finished eighth in the 5,000 meter run with a time of 15:58.62. Etown alumnus Jason Theobald (‘06) won the race in 15:35.21.

In the articles “Lady Jays suffer 68-73 loss, fall to 2-8 in conference” and “Blue Jays knock off top-seeded Albright College Lions,” the Etownian incorrectly stated that both the men’s and women’s basketball teams would face Lycoming College Thursday, Feb. 11. At press time, the Etownian staff had not been informed of the postponement of both games due to inclement weather. The games against Lycoming will take place tonight, when the women will play at 6 p.m. and the men will play at 8 p.m. The Etownian apologizes for these mistakes.

sports

February 18, 2010

the Etownian

men’s basketball

15

Blue Jays lose to Lebanon Valley, now tied for fourth T Sara E. Crimmel Sports Editor Emily M. Reigart Assistant Editor

Photo: EtownBlueJays.com

Senior captain Mike Church attempts a shot during a previous game. Last Saturday, Church scored his 1,000th point, becoming the 30th player in Elizabethtown program history to hit the mark.

uesday night, Elizabethtown College’s men’s basketball team lost to the Dutchmen of Lebanon Valley College. The loss forces the two teams into a tie for fourth place in the Commonwealth Conference, as each team has a conference record of 6-6.

The Blue Jays are 14-8 so far this season, while the Dutchmen are 10-13.

Lebanon Valley senior Dan Dunkelberger recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds, earning his fifth consecutive double-double to help the Dutchmen defeat the Blue Jays 79-74. Dutchmen sophomore Jordan Stewart and junior Zach Kebetz each added 15 points, while sophomore Joe Meehan contributed eight points.

Senior captain Mike Church led the Blue Jays with 16 points and eight rebounds, while junior Keith Fogel added 12 points and junior Joe Flanagan and sophomore Bryan Harrity each contributed 10 points.

Although both teams shot well in the first half — LVC completed 57.1 percent while Etown made 59.4 percent — the Blue Jays made just eight of 29 shots in the second half. LVC sophomore Cameron Prince put the Dutchmen ahead with 12:42 left in the game, a lead they would maintain for the rest of the game.

Saturday, Feb. 13, the Blue Jays took on the Pride in a high-scoring game at Widener University.

Although Etown was unable to claim victory, their 80-67 loss was mitigated by Church’s remarkable milestone of 1,000 career points. With this accomplishment, reached at 14:08 in the first half, Church

joins the ranks of only 29 other Blue Jays who have reached this goal. Church also supported the Jays by capturing 14 rebounds, locking up his eighth doubledouble for the season. He contributed 25 total points, more than any other Blue Jay or member of the Pride.

Harrity also gave a strong performance, adding 17 points to the Jays’ score and recording his own career high within 19 minutes on the court. Fogel proved his merit with 12 points and seven assists.

The Jay’s first 13 points were all scored by Church with 12:08 remaining in the half. Despite valiant efforts from Etown, Widener managed a 13-2 run, and the Jays pursued the Pride from a 29-17 deficit by the 10-minute mark of the first half. Fogel’s jump shot propelled the score to 31-24, putting pressure on the Pride with 6:21 left. Unfortunately, the half ended with the Pride ahead 47-31.

A significant 12-1 run brought an Etown victory within reach to begin the second half, making the score 48-43, but Widener persisted in its aggressive offense. Flanagan’s two foul shots were enough to bring the Jays within four points of the Pride at 8:58.

However, Widener gathered enough momentum to end the gain with a 9-2 run, cementing a 68-57 advantage with 7:26 left in the game.

Tonight, the Blue Jays will take on second-seeded Lycoming College in an 8 p.m. Commonwealth Conference game. The Warriors are 19-4 overall and have a 9-3 record in the Commonwealth Conference.

wrestling

Wrestling team loses 21-14 to Messiah in final match Sara E. Crimmel Sports Editor Paige M. Tanner Staff Writer

L

ast weekend the Elizabethtown College wrestling team competed in its final season match against the Falcons of Messiah College.

Sophomore Will Bentley won his match against Messiah sophomore Danny Lethbridge in the 125-pound competition, overpowering Lethbridge 12-4. At 133 pounds, first-year Colin Sheridan scored 5-0 against Messiah junior Andrew Clark.

Seniors Mike Daub and Paul Connor stepped up to win major decisions. Daub, competing at 285 pounds, beat Messiah junior Zane Bachert 11-3 and is currently 31-18 in his wrestling career at Etown. Connor overtook Messiah sophomore Tim Stewart at 184 pounds, boosting the score with a 5-4 decision.

In an exhibition bout, senior Dave Foran defeated Messiah junior Craig Hogan in the 157 weight class.

However, five consecutive wins by the Falcons led them to a 21-14 victory over the Blue Jays.

Messiah senior Alex DeHart won a 10-4 decision over first-year Jordan Stepanchick in the 141 weight class.

In the 149 weight class, Messiah senior Domineak Commodore won a 10-6 decision over first-year Tye Boyer. “[Boyer] is a very tough wrestler with a lot of good wins this year,” Messiah head coach Bryan Brunk told GoMessiah.com, “but Dom is wrestling very well right now. He’s peaking at the right time. He was on offense from the get-go today, and he kept attacking

all the way through. When things got close in the third, he kept attacking.

It’s something we’ve been preaching, and he was just great today.”

Messiah junior Logan Putnam won a 16-10 decision over junior Bud Croswell in the 157 weight class.

“Croswell is another very good wrestler,” Brunk said. “Logan threw him and got back points midway through the second, and then did the same thing with about 10 seconds left.”

In the 165 weight class, Messiah junior Trent Zempel won an 8-0 major decision over senior Mike Lussier.

Messiah sophomore Matt Cross also won a major decision, defeating junior Josh Cook 17-4 in the 174 weight class.

“A week ago, he was wrestling 157 at King’s,” Brunk said about Cross.

“But he saw a need for us at 174, and stepped into a need. He’s been wrestling great.”

After the five-match sweep, Messiah junior Pat Hogan took home an additional major decision by defeating junior Anthony DiMarco 15-5 in the 197 weight class.

In a 157 weight class exhibition bout, Messiah senior Evan Kidwell won a fall at 3:32 over senior Chris McCooey.

The Falcons concluded their season with a 10-9 record, while the Blue Jays finished their season 8-5.

Sunday, the Blue Jays will travel to the College of New Jersey, where they will compete in the Metropolitan Conference Championships. The top 13 finishers in each weight class will earn automatic bids to the NCAA Division III Championships, which will take place March 5-6 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Donald B. Kraybill

Distinguished Professor and Senior Fellow in the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College.

Sunday School:

Sermon:

“The Riddle of the Amish”

“The Upside Down Kingdom”

12:30 pm Free Luncheon & Lecture:

16

the Etownian

sports

etown athletics • pro sports • ncaa coverage

February 18, 2010 high school football • olympics • analysis

swimming

Jays swim to success, Riley shatters record Aimée M. DiMichele Editor-in-Chief Ashley S. Perry Staff Writer

T

he season ended swimmingly for the Blue Jays as they competed at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships (MACs) for their last meet of the school year.

This three-day event allowed the team’s seniors a final moment to shine as Etown swimmers, with the women finishing fifth overall with 237 points and the men finishing ninth with 127 points. Both the men and women swam against nine other teams.

Lycoming College took the women’s title with 616 points in a close final race, while the men’s title went to Widener University for the fifth consecutive year. With 814 points, the Widener men outswam their opponents by a large margin.

Senior captain Lindsay Riley led the Lady Jays by placing in six races, including a sixth-place finish in the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.35 seconds, breaking her own previous school record of 26.32. Riley also placed third in the 100 backstroke and 10th in the 100 freestyle with times of 1:03.27 and 57.08, respectively.

Junior Courtney Kelly also contributed significantly to the women’s overall points with two eighth-place finishes in the 1650 freestyle (19:25.47) and the 200 backstroke (2:25.54). Kelly also

placed 12th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:06.72.

Other notable achievements at MACs included two 11thplace finishes by senior captain and Etownian Sports Editor Sara Crimmel in the 200 freestyle (2:06.52) and the 1650 freestyle (19:40.98). Additionally, Crimmel placed 15th in the 500 freestyle with a finish of 5:41.69.

more Amanda Martin (13th in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:37.03), sophomore Julie Strulson (16th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:10.57), and sophomore and Etownian Assistant Advertising Manager Jenny Malik (16th in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:00.70).

In relays, the women also excelled, placing in all five con-

Photo: Sara E. Crimmel

Senior captain Danielle Hopkins prepares to dive into the pool during the 400 medley relay as senior captain Lindsay Riley swims into the wall.

Senior captain Danielle Hopkins also placed twice, taking 12th in the 100 breaststroke (1:16.13) and 13th in the 400 IM (5:19.04). Junior Stephanie Hellman finished 13th in both the 200 freestyle (2:08.56) and the 100 freestyle (58.07); she also placed 14th in the 50 freestyle (26.62).

Other individual swimmers who placed include sopho-

tests. The Lady Jays placed fifth in both the 200 freestyle (1:47.59 with the team of Kelly, Malik, Hellman and Riley) and the 200 medley (2:02.17 with the team of Riley, Hopkins, Martin and Malik). The women’s team also took three sixth-place relay finishes: Riley, Hopkins, Kelly and Herman swam the 400 medley in 4:27.43; Kelly, Hellman, Hopkins

and Crimmel swam the 800 freestyle in 8:44.98; and Riley, Malik, Hopkins and Hellman swam the 400 freestyle in 3:58.15.

For the men’s team, senior captain Matt Drob led the Jays with a 10th-place finish in the 200 backstroke (2:07.25) and an 11th-place finish in the 100 butterfly (55.70). Additionally, senior captain Dan Provence secured a ninth-place finish in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:51.49.

First-year Shaun Martin and senior Kevin Smedman both nabbed 13th-place finishes, Martin in the 400 IM (4:49.19) and Smedman in the 200 backstroke (2:13.07). Martin also finished 14th in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:29.31, and Smedman took 15th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:00.34.

In relays, the men finished sixth in both the 200 medley (1:46.21 with the team of Smedman, Martin, Drob and Provence) and the 400 freestyle (3:29.85 with the team of Smedman, first-year Ryan Hannon, Drob and Provence).

Hannon, Martin, Drob and Provence also took eighth place in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:56.06.

“The MAC championships are where you want to swim your fastest of the season, and we did that,” head coach Dan DeHass said. “I am proud of the team and what they accomplished at the meet.”

the etownian’s

Athlete of the Week Lindsay Riley

Sara E. Crimmel Sports Editor

T

he Etownian is exuberant to announce that senior swimmer Lindsay Riley has been named Athlete of the Week!

Last Friday, Riley broke her own school record in the 50 freestyle at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships (MACs), crushing her 2008 mark of 25.41 with a swim of 25.35.

Also at MACs, Riley finished third in the 100 backstroke, recording a time of 1:03.27 to touch out Lycoming senior Caroline LeHota.

Riley also took 10th place in

the 100 freestyle with a time of 57.08.

Riley swam in four of the Lady Jays’ five relays, contrib-

Photo: Jenny R. Malik

uting to fifth place in the 200 freestyle relay, sixth place in the 400 medley relay, fifth place in the 200 medley relay and sixth place in the 400 freestyle relay.

Over the course of the meet, Riley earned or contributed to 144 of the Lady Jays’ 237 points.

Throughout the regular season, Riley has earned 137 points for her team in individual races.

In addition to her recordbreaking 50 freestyle, Riley had the fastest times on the team in the 100 freestyle, the 50 backstroke and the 100 backstroke.

The Etownian congratulates Riley on her record-shattering success and for being named Athlete of the Week!

Q&A

Major: Communications Favorite sports team: Philadelphia Eagles Favorite TV show: “C.S.I.” Favorite Jay’s Nest item: Egg Jay Favorite song to listen to before swimming: “Bring Em Out” by T.I. Hardly anyone knows that ... I have a phobia of chalk.

In 10 years, I want to be ... living somewhere warm.

I can’t live without ... music.

InsideSports Women’s Basketball Page 14 Track and Field Page 14 Wrestling Page 15 Men’s Basketball Page 15 Swimming Page 16 Athlete of the Week: Lindsay Riley Page 16

Sports Recap Men’s Basketball (14-7, 6-5) Widener 80, Etown 67 Lebanon Valley College 79, Etown 74 Women’s Basketball (6-16, 2-10) Widener 75, Etown 67 Lebanon Valley College 70, Etown 62 Men’s Swimming (3-8, 3-5) Middle Atlantic Conference Championships 9th of 10 teams (127 points) Women’s Swimming (6-5, 5-3) Middle Atlantic Conference Championships 5th of 10 teams (237 points) Men’s Track and Field Susquehanna Invitational Event unscored Women’s Track and Field Susquehanna Invitational Event unscored Wrestling (8-5, 3-2) Messiah 21, Etown 14

Schedule

of Sports

Men’s Basketball Feb. 18: Lycoming Feb. 20: Arcadia Women’s Basketball Feb. 18: Lycoming Feb. 20: Arcadia Men’s Track and Field Feb. 20: @ DuCharme Invitational Feb. 27: @ Middle Atlantic Conference Championships (Lehigh University) Women’s Track and Field Feb. 20: @ DuCharme Invitational Feb. 27: @ Middle Atlantic Conference Championships (Lehigh University) Wrestling Feb. 21: @ Metropolitan Conference Championships (Ewing, N.J.) March 5-6: @ NCAA Division III Championships (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) EtownBlueJays .com