Spring 2015 Issue 18

CAMPUS LIFE Gender-neutral housing provides progressive option | PAGE 7 FEATURES Wilson explains negative portrayal, absence of females in video games | PAGE 5

The Etownian

www.etownian.com

Vol. 111. Issue 18

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Auschwitz concentration camp survivor Anonymous social discusses experiences during Holocaust media app Yik Yak

creates controversy

by KELLY MOORE and KELLY BERGH

S

Photo: Luke Mackey

Holocaust survivor Philip L. Gans visited campus to discuss his experience in a concentration camp. Hundreds of students filled Gibble Auditorium last night to hear his story and learn about the effects of World War II on Jews.

SEE FEATURES PAGE 5

ince its creation just over a year ago, the anonymous social media app Yik Yak has massively grown in popularity on college campuses across the country. Unlike social networks like Facebook or Twitter, Yik Yak allows messages to be sorted by geographic location with posts only able to be seen within a 1.5-mile radius of the user. Due to this feature, the app creates the perfect online message board for college students to voice their opinions and thoughts regarding local hot topics without anyone knowing who posts each message.

Yik Yak’s homepage describes itself as a platform to “share your thoughts with people around you while keeping your privacy.” But what happens when seemingly harmless chatter turns into threats and cyberbullying?

Like many college campuses, Etown is now facing this problem, sending out a message regarding this issue to the campus community late on Tuesday, March 31 after it was brought to the attention of Dean of Students Marianne Calenda.

SEE YIK YAK PAGE 3

Honors student hosts Education department hosts panel toy drive, supports child on teaching in a post-Ferguson world radiation therapy patients

by KAITLIN KEEFE

T

here will be a toy drive in Brossman Commons from April 7 to April 10 to help patients at the Pennsylvania Proton Radiation Therapy Center.

Sophomore Irene Snyder has taken on the planning and advertising around campus. Snyder has a personal connection because her sister had treatment at 11 years old, but her disease won the battle. “She did not have the experience Carter is giving these kids, and I wanted to give back,” Snyder said. So, she felt compelled, “to spread the word about those in need.”

The toy drive is being held after Easter Break in hopes that students

will go home and bring back gently used toys, or go out and buy new toys. The drive hopes to collect toys for children ranging from four to 16 years old. “The goal is to make it affordable for college students,” Snyder said. “That is why they are not looking for money.”

This toy drive is sponsored by the Carter N. Bowman Foundation.

Carter Bowman is a sophomore at Central York High School in York, Pa. Bowman was diagnosed with brain cancer in October 2011. After a football injury, he was examined for a concussion.

Instead, doctors discovered an abnormality in his brain which turned out to be a tumor.

SEE TOYS PAGE 3

Men’s lacrosse defeats Immaculata, ties record for most consecutive wins

Photo: Nelli Orozco

Over 100 students from the education department attended a discussion on Monday, March 14. Panelists voiced their opinions on teaching in America in the aftermath of widespread racial controversies.

by CARLY KATZ

O

n Monday, March 14, the education students joined panelists in the Susquehanna Room for a program called “Education in a Post-Ferguson Society.”

The panelists discussed four major points, including racial inequalities that continue to exist in the United States and are mirrored in schools, overrepresentation of children of color who are suspended and identi-

fied for special education services, disparities that are evident in the inadequate preparation for college and careers provided by schools and ways to address racial concerns and advocate for change.

During the panel, students were asked to tweet using the hashtag #edtempest.

The importance of tweeting was to engage students and encourage them to share their thoughts throughout the hour-long panel.

SEE PANEL PAGE 3

Relay for Life event raises over $50,000

by KEVIN HUGHES

T Photo: Kelsey Bayzick

With yesterday’s victory over Immaculata University, the men’s lacrosse team tied the program’s all-time record for wins in a row with eight. The Blue Jays will play Landmark Conference foe the United States Merchant Marines on Saturday afternoon.

SEE SPORTS PAGE 12

he American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life was held Friday, March 27 into Saturday, March 28 from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. in the Thompson Gymnasium. Several teams of students, cancer survivors and other individuals walked around the gym to raise money, celebrate survival and remember those who have lost the battle with cancer.

Relay for Life was started in May 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, a surgeon from Tacoma, Wash. He wanted to raise money for his local chapter of the American Cancer Society. Using the track at the nearby Baker Stadium,

he circled the track for 24 hours nonstop. Friends and patients could participate if they donated $25, totaling in $27,000 being raised for the American Cancer Society.

The following year, nearly twenty teams participated in the relay, raising $33,000.

The Relay for Life at Elizabethtown College cost $10 for registration and raised about $51,000. Over the course of the night, several performance groups helped keep the walkers entertained. Two campus a cappella groups, Phalanx and Vocalign, performed, as did the Dance Team and Emotion.

SEE FEATURES PAGE 4

News

page 2

April 2, 2015

Professor of religious studies publishes book on public figure Mister Rogers’ pacifism, peace promotion

by KELLY BERGH

E

lizabethtown College associate professor of religious studies and peace and conflict studies Dr. Michael G. Long is the author of “Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering The Countercultural Mister Rogers,” released on March 13. The book takes a deep look at the prominent social figure’s pacifism and the stillpresent effects of his acts of peace promotion.

Rogers is most remembered for his television show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” w hich aire d f rom 1968 to 2001. The show was innovative in that it addressed several issues that other children’s programs in the twentieth century did not. Rogers discussed death, competition, war and divorce. A frequently discussed idea was that of the expression of anger; Rogers, in his signature s w e a t e r, e n c o u r a g e d children to handle their negative emotions with acts of good nature.

Long first became intereste d in explor ing Rogers as a public figure after seeing Eddie Murphy doing a caricature of him on “Saturday Night Live.”

Despite his warped initial perspective, as Eddie Murphy and “The Tonight S h o w S t a r r i n g Jo h n ny Carson” host Johnny Carson had a tendency to portray him as a weak figure, Long, with a background in peace studies, was able to identify Rogers as a man of great strength.

As an adult, Long watched viral videos of Rogers and “had a sense when [he] watched these videos that [Rogers] was probably one of the most underappreciated pacifists of the twentieth century.”

Long understood that R o ge r s d e s e r ve d t o b e looked at with admiration.

“He i s a l s o on e of t h e most powerful ones, with having a national platform for delivering his pacifist messages that no one else did,” Long said of deciding to make him the subject of his latest book.

“[Mister Rogers] used the Neighborhood of Make Believe to transport us from a society poised to kill to an oasis of peace and justice.”

~Michael Long

Long went to the Fred Rogers archives and read his sermons, letters and published and unpublished manuscripts. Looking at his programs further convinced Long of Rogers’ imp or t ant pl ace in t he pacifist movement. “He was an ordained Presbyterian minister and he took his vocation very seriously,” said Long. “He was fueled by his belief.”

Rogers’ position as a religious and television

figured established him as a double-threat, as he earned the respect of children and adults alike. “He used the Neighb orho o d of Make B elieve to transp or t us from a society poised to kill to an oasis of peace and justice,” Long said of Rogers’ non-threatening activism. His development of fantastical methods of promoting peace within younger generations resounds in the United States to this day.

“Rogers considered hims elf a p e acema ker,” Long said, fully agreeing with the self-granted title.

One year before his 2003 d e at h , R o ge rs re c e ive d t he President i a l Me d a l of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President G e orge Bush for contributing to the well being of the country’s children as a result of his long-running television show.

Long’s research on Mister Rogers is his latest project as he looks to understand the role of peace and activism in the world. He blogs for the “Huffington Post,” has appeared on “C-Span” and “NPR” and has had his work published and reviewed in The “New York Times,” “ The Washington Post,” “The Los Angeles Times,” “The Boston Globe,” “USA Today” and “CNN.” “ Pe a c e f u l Ne i g h b o r : Discovering The C ounterc ultural Mister Rogers” is now available from Westminster John Knox Press.

Courtesy Photo

Dr. Michael G. Long of Elizabethtown College’s department of religious studies recently published “Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers.” His book explores the public figure’s role in peace-promotion through his television program, sermons, and manuscripts. Long, who is part of the College’s peace and conflict studies program, believes Rogers to be one of the most underappreciated pacifists of his time.

Ants march on campus as warm weather arrives

by KELLY BERGH

W

ith spring comes warm weather, and with warm weather comes bugs. This week, Elizabethtown College sent an email to students warning them of the impending march of ants on campus.

Mark Zimmerman, director of Facilities Management, advised students, staff and faculty to keep their offices and rooms free of food. Ants are attracted to crumby areas, so the most effective means of controlling them is disposing of food in communal trashcans, which are serviced more frequently than personal trashcans. Zimmerman suggested eating on plates or paper towels and wiping down counters and desktops after eating off them. He identified keyboards and desk drawers as hospitable environments for ants.

Keep in mind that a clean community is an ant-free community. As ridding an area of pests can take days or weeks, it is best not to give them a reason to stay in the first place.

Courtesy Photo

Just like college students, ants love warmer weather.

Keeping dorm rooms clean can avoid welcoming ants into students’ living spaces.

News

April 2, 2015

page 3

PANEL PAGE 1

Education department hosts panel on diversity in classroom Students tweeted quotes that stood out to them during the discussion. For example, one student tweeted, “Every child has a story.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Another student tweeted, “We can all get along, not because we found our similarities, but because we can work through our differences.” Many student were interacting the whole time.

Leading the panel were four experts on the Post-Ferguson topic: Tameka Hatcher, Pamela Higgins Harris, Dr. Richard Newton and Fran Rodriguez. Each panel member spoke for ten minutes, discussing their views and beliefs as to how future education professionals should handle diversity, racial concerns and overrepresentation of children of color in suspension and special education services.

All four panelists agreed with one another about how to handle racial situations when they occur. The panelists stated that the duty of educators is to teach children the impor-

tance of all cultures. We all are human with different backgrounds. It doesn’t make us right or wrong, and it doesn’t define us as a person. We should discuss with our children any concerns, and let them be open to asking any questions.

Sophomore Kirstin Blass feels the importance of the panel was to understand and learn how people are affected when equality is not integrated during education studies.

“When I become a teacher of my own, in the classroom, I will definitely have a studentteacher relationship because it starts at home, and the more cooperation you have, the better the child is going to be inside and outside the classroom,” Blass said. “As well, I will have my students really understand each others’ differences, but respect each other for who they are.”

Sophomore Olivia Reynolds took away a broad understanding of what’s important when having a classroom of her own. “We

need to remember that everyone is different, and everybody’s has a different story to tell,” Reynolds said. “Everyone has a different background.”

“The more cooperation you have, the better the child is going to be inside and outside the classroom.”

~Kirstin Blass

“During the panel, they were discussing how we don’t know what kids go through at home. We don’t know what goes on in their everyday lives, so when they act out, talk to them and listen because there may be a reason behind it all.”

Dr. H. Elizabeth Coyle, associate professor of education, was in charge of putting together the Post-Ferguson event. According to Coyle, the event is a year-long process the education department puts together every year. Next year, the topic will be on immigration issues. The topics are all related to the mission of social justice and advocacy.

“The experience of having only education majors at this program was to [create a sense of] intimacy and have the students feel comfortable asking questions,” Coyle said. “Sure, the entire campus would benefit from the program, but we set it this way intentionally so the students could interact with the panel.”

One of the purposes for having the PostFerguson panel was to give students the opportunity to think deeply. “We want students to take the information and make change happen in their own careers as educators,” Coyle said.

TOYS PAGE 1

Honors student hosts toy drive to benefit children at radiation therapy center After three brain surgeries, he received treatment at the University of Pennsylvania Roberts Proton Therapy Center.

When first diagnosed, “I thought to myself, I am finally going to be different,” Bowman said, remaining positive from day one. Cancer came as a “great experience to grow from.”

Bowman described his experience at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center as phenomenal. “Everyone on staff was so polite and always making jokes,” Bowman said.

When he was finally cancer-free, his mom, and other family members, highly encouraged him to start his own foundation to “raise money for less fortunate kids,” Bowman said.

With a little encouragement, he created the Carter N. Bowman Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to “help kids be kids.”

Throughout the whole experience, “I was very thankful to have my family,” Bowman said. “I was fortunate enough to commute to and from the center, so I got to see my family. Sometimes, these kids came from out of state or even another country. This means, on many occasions, only one parent could travel with them, and it could be dull,” Bowman said.

“I wanted to provide an experience to go out and do something besides sit in a hotel.”

Bowman’s foundation is able to send the patients to the movies, on trips into downtown Philadelphia or even the Philadelphia Zoo. “The reaction was very positive,” Bowman said. “These kids had an

amazing experience and brought a new, positive light to their situation.”

Even though he still has lots of time to decide, Bowman says he wants to be a neurosurgeon when he gets older.

“My neurosurgeon inspired me,” Bowman said. “He was doing his job out of a love of helping others, not for the money. After my experience with cancer, I want to do the same.”

Today, Bowman is cancer-free and is still actively raising money for young cancer patients at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center.

Since November 2013, the Carter N. Bowman Foundation has raised $18,000 for kids undergoing radiation treatment.

Beyond the toy drive, there are many other ways to donate. At www. carternbowman.org, you can donate to give families a day together. Trips range from a day at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Franklin Science Center and even Dorney Park.

News of this toy drive hits close to home for first-year Christina Angelucci. At just weeks old, she had surgery on her liver. Her treatment at the children’s hospital inspired her career path.

“I want to go into social work because I love working with people,” Angelucci said. Even though this experience was at such a young age, she is still able to go back to reunions.

“The toy drive is great because being stuck in a hospital bed, not being able to move, can be unpleasant,” Angelucci said. “Carter has a kind heart to make the experience better for those kids.”

Courtesy Photo

Honors student Irene Snyder will be hosting a toy drive to collect charitable donations in support of children with cancer.

Photo: Nelli Orozco

The Ferguson-centered panel provided education majors an opportunity to learn about effective ways to include diversity in their future classrooms. The panel took place on Monday, March 14.

YIK YAK PAGE 1

Yik Yak used as outlet for student aggression against minority groups, concerns administration The email described how derogatory statements and threats of personal violence were made towards transgender, non-gender conforming, lesbian, gay and bisexual students.

According to Yik Yak’s frequently asked questions page, threats cannot be posted without repercussions. “We take threats to safety very seriously and cooperate with local authorities if there’s a post that poses a threat to people.”

A bomb threat at Michigan State University in November of 2014 caused Yik Yak to release the identity of a student to authorities. The student was consequently arrested within two hours of the posted threat.

For the most part, the app leaves the responsibility to the local users to manage the content by “upvoting” or “downvoting” specific posts. The “yak” will disappear after five users downvote it.

According to Yik Yak’s questions page, and the federal Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2701 et seq., Yik Yak is restricted from disclosing their user account information “without the lawful consent of the account holder or unless authorized by a properly issued warrant, court order or subpoena. As a result, Yik Yak can only respond to requests for user account information that are received directly from a law enforcement agency pursuant to appropriate legal process.”

“Engaging in speech that could have negative legal or educational consequences means the speaker has faith that Yik Yak will value his or her

privacy over the negative publicity that results from coverage of offensive speech online,” Dr. Matthew Telleen of the communications department said, asserting that the controversy is more philosophical than legal.

No students have been identified in the Elizabethtown College situation yet. “When collaborating with local police, there is limited opportunity to secure identity information from Yik Yak; we will continue to investigate these options,” Calenda said.

In response to the situation, Campus Security is now providing additional rounds in Founders Hall and asking that students “share any screen shots or other relevant information about the recent posts with Campus Security,” Calenda said.

The LGBTQ community expressed gratitude for Dean Calenda’s campus-wide message. According to junior social work major Sarah Fender, “Many of the LGBTQ students on campus expressed that they were afraid to move around campus alone because of the Yik Yak conversations.”

As a result of the widespread fear, a committee formed by the Social Work Student Association is organizing an awareness day to be held on April 13 that will provide students an opportunity to sign a petition demanding the College to take action to ban Yik Yak on campus. Students are encouraged to wear purple and use the hashtag “#EtownIllWalkWithYou” to show additional, longterm support for Etown’s LGBTQ community.

However, Dr. April Kelly-Woessner, professor of political science, feels

that “a Yik Yak ban is highly ineffective on a college campus.”

In a recent article by New York Times columnist Jonathan Mahler, it was said that schools have the ability to block access to Yik Yak on their Wi-Fi networks, but this can be controversial because it deals with the freedom of speech. Speaking practically, it still would not completely stop students from using the app because it would still be usable through their phones’ cell service.

Both Kelly-Woessner and Telleen pointed out that Yik Yak is completely voluntary, so taking legal action may not be realistic. “No one is a captive audience. Since it is prone to the sort of abuse we have seen lately, people can simply choose not to engage in a forum that lacks accountability,” Kelly-Woessner said.

Yik Yak posts that concern members of the administration also include those suggesting that several students have considered committing suicide.

“I strongly encourage Yik Yak users to immediately refer anyone who needs help to Campus Security at (717) 361-1111. We can connect students with a counselor or other on-call support staff. A campus response team is available 24/7.”

While the school does not have a definite plan in place to eliminate the problem completely, as its aspect of anonymity renders it difficult to identify perpetrators, administrators are working to understand the best means of preventing further issues arising from students’ participation on the social network.

Features

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April 2, 2015

Gans details Auschwitz, death marches during Holocaust

by KAYLEIGH KUYKENDALL

O

n April 1, a lecture was held in Gibble Auditorium by Holocaust survivor Philip L. Gans who presented his experience as a survivor of Auschwitz, one of the most wellknown concentration camps during World War II. Gans began his presentation with a retelling of the time he and his family were discovered by Nazis in 1943 and put into boxcars for transportation to labor camps. He remembered how cramped they were and how dehumanizing the experience was as they traveled to Birkenau, a part of Auschwitz that served as a combination concentration and extermination camp.

“They put 50 to 60 people in a car. It was crowded. They put a pail in the corner for us. If you had to use the bathroom, you used the pail. It was very embarrassing,” Gans said.

When Gans and his family arrived in Birkenau, they were split into two groups: men and women. The men were then broken into two more groups. If the officer at the front of the line pointed left, they went with the group of women. If the officer pointed right, they went to a new group of those seen fit to work. Gans remembered the officer hesitating when it was his turn. The cut off age was 15 years old for labor camps, which was Gans’s age at the time, but ultimately, the officer sent him to the right.

Those not chosen for labor were told they were going to shower and get clean clothes. But these showers were actually gas chambers, and it was there many of Gans’ family died, including his mother and sister.

“I never got to say goodbye to them because I didn’t know where they were going,” Gans said.

From there, Gans was taken to get his hair cut and a number tattooed on his arm that read 139755 in black ink. He was then shown the barracks he would be living in, bunks that were three high and pushed so close together there was no room to move.

“When we showered, it was quick. We never got soap and towels. All the time I’d been there, I’d never had toothpaste or a toothbrush,” Gans said.

Gans began factory work not soon after. He explained how many people pushed themselves past their limit because if you were seen as too weak to work they would send you back to the gas chambers in Birkenau. Gans remembered being sent to the hospital, but he was deemed OK to go back to work. His brother, however, was sent to the hospital with a severe case of food poisoning and ultimately sent to Birkenau to be gassed.

Working in the camp was laborious, and Auschwitz III, the part of Auschwitz that Gans was sent to, was the worst of the

Photo: Luke Mackey

Gans explained being placed in a concentration camp at 15 years old and the only survivor on his father’s side of the family. Gans currently travels to schools campaigns to erase the hate and never be a silent bystander.

three sections. Prisoners had to work 10 hours a day, six days a week. Their meals during this time consisted of soup and a piece of hard bread, which they would sharpen their spoons to cut.

“While working in the camp, most people lost six and a half to nine pounds a week. After three months, most people were too weak to work and sent to the gas chambers. I worked for 18 months,” Gans said.

As the war came to an end, death marches were a common occurrence. Only less than a month before the American liberation arrived, Gans’s father died on a death march. On January 18, 1945, Gans was put into a death march, which would lead him deeper into Germany as Allied troops had begun to close in on the German borders. He arrived at a concentration camp in Flossenburg, Germany soon after.

That winter, Gans was placed into a boxcar with other people, but aircraft fire from Allied troops halted the cars departure, and it never left. Its occupants walked the rest of their journey.

Eventually, Gans found himself and many others walking from town to town before finding American troops that were will-

RELAY PAGE 1

Students, volunteers raise money for cancer research The relay began with the Survivors Lap, a lap dedicated to those who had made it through the ordeal of cancer treatment. After the Survivors Lap, the rest of the participated were welcome to begin their laps around the hallways and center of the gymnasium.

Around 9:15 p.m., the Luminaria Ceremony took place. For a layman reader, a luminarium is a paper bag with light source within. The relay was halted, and all participants were asked to sit on the floor of the center of the gymnasium.

Event volunteers went around the crowd and handed out uncracked yellow glow sticks; they were given with the instruction not to crack the glow stick until prompted. The lights were put out and the only sources of light were glow sticks within luminaria on the eastern risers of the gymnasium. Together they spelled the word hope.

“It was a really moving ceremony,” Luke Smith, a junior participant, said.

Three students took the stage and offered their stories of their familial battles with cancer, two of the students with stories of loss and one of survivor. Then another student took the stage and asked all the cancer survivors to crack their glow sticks.

A few cracks were heard around the crowd accompanied with a few points of light. Next, those who were there for parents or siblings who had cancer.

Several more cracks were heard as the darkened crowd began to light up. Those here for grandparents, aunts, uncles, other family members and friends were finally asked to crack their glow sticks, and not one individual was left with a darkened

glow stick. “You never really realize how many people share a personal experience with someone in their family having cancer,” said Smith.

“The use of the glow sticks was a really effective visual representation of how many lives are affected by cancer.”

“At first, I was a bit surprised at how many people cracked their glow sticks together,” Connor Burke, a sophomore participant, said. “But then I realized I shouldn’t be, because cancer really is so widespread.”

Everyone was then asked to begin the march once again, and slowly but surely it began. People were asked to drop their glow sticks in the luminaria of the individuals they knew whom the luminaria were dedicated to. After two laps in the darkened gym, the lights were resumed and the popular song “Uptown Funk”

by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars brought about a cheery atmosphere.

The Fight Back Ceremony was accomplished through a hair cutting ceremony, where people were encouraged to cut of lengths of their hair and donate them to be made into wigs for those who have lost their hair in their fight against cancer.

“I was really moved at how many people came together to stand up for a really good cause,” junior Tyler Freeze said. “Especially one that’s affected so many people.”

Relay for Life concluded at 4 a.m., and the total of money raised at the event was announced to be $51,000.

“There was a lot of unity at the end,” junior Stephanie Blannett, a participant who stuck through until the end, said. “The fight will definitely go on and we can only go upward from here.”

ing to take them in. They feed them and treated them kindly enough. From there, Gans began his journey back to his homeland, Holland, where he received an unexpected telegram from his aunt, who was inquiring about her family. As Gans would soon realize, he was the only one of 21 members on his father’s side to survive the war.

In 1950, Gans came to America. In 1951, Gans was drafted for the Korean War and served 21 years in the army, although he never left the country. Now, Gans lives in Florida and travels, sharing his story as a survivor. He currently runs a campaign to erase the hate and urges students and others to be aware and never be a silent bystander.

At the end of the presentation, Gans allowed for a few questions. A student asked Gans what had given him hope throughout his experience.

“When a teenager asked me that at a high school, I said ‘do you want to die?’ I was 17. I didn’t want to die. I would ask my dad so many questions, and he would always say, ‘We’ll talk about it when we get home.’ We never gave up hope,” Gans said.

April 2, 2015

Features

page 5

Wilson explains negative portrayal, Shelly explains difficulties absence of females in video games of starting a small business

by MARY KONDASH

by EMILY DRINKS

S

enior and Etownian webmaster Luke Wilson presented on the portrayal of women in video games, focusing on the underrepresentation and misrepresentation of many female characters as part of a computer science club tech talk last night.

Wilson used “DotA2” as an example of stereotypes in video games. “DotA2” features 110 playable characters. “It gives us enough characters to do some statistics,” Wilson said. Of the 110 characters, 86 are male, 18 are female and six are genderless.

“Gender representation isn’t just about the number of female characters,” Wilson said. “DotA2” divides characters into three categories: strength, agility and intelligence. Only one female character is a strength hero and one an agility hero, whereas three are intelligence heroes.

“DotA2” exemplifies a stereotype that many female characters in video games are portrayed as either not or powerful or have special training that makes them skilled or magical. Female characters are infrequently portrayed as characters with brute force.

Wilson differentiated between the roles of dominance masculinity and expertise masculinity. Dominance masculinity has the character’s power coming from brute force and size. Expertise masculinity relies on the character having skill or magic. Wilson said that female characters are “allowed to express expertise masculinity, but they have a great deal of difficulty giving them dominance masculinity.”

Women typically are portrayed as very feminine or sexualized. The damsel in distress trope, which occurs frequently in video games, features the female being in a position of weakness in order to put the male protagonist in a position of power. The trope began in Greek mythology with the myth of Percius. It became common in movies and cartoons, such as “Popeye the Sailor Man” and “King Kong.”

Nintendo began the trope in videos games with “Sheriff.” “King Kong,” one of the more famous Nintendo video games series, increased the popularity, making this trope the standard for video games.

Characters such Princess Peach and Zelda commonly appear as side characters rather than playable characters.

In only two of the main Mario Brothers franchise was Princess Peach featured as a playable character rather than

A

Photo: Emily Drinks

Wilson presented on female roles in video games, highlighting the stereotypes of weak female characters.

the damsel in distress. Zelda, despite the game series being called “The Legend of Zelda,” often plays the damsel in distress or secondary character to Link.

Wilson added that masculine characters also play a major role in immersion games. “For better or for worse, people are into immersion right now,” Wilson explained.

Immersion often occurs through male characters, such as Link in “The Legend of Zelda,” whereas females characters tend to be foils, plot devices or goals for the hero to save.

Even when some immersion games feature a female character as the protagonist, attention is still diverted from her. As in the case of the reboot of “Tomb Raider” games, the protagonist is a woman, Lana Craft; however, the gamer protects her from challenges she faces. “The audience is meant to feel like they’re protecting her from those,” Wilson said.

“There’s active pressure from publishers to continue this trend,” Wilson added. The game “Remember Me” received pressure to change gender of protagonist from a female to a male. “Naughty Dog” fought to have a female on the front of their video game box.

Some female protagonists do get a spotlight and have dominance masculinity. Samus-Aran exemplifies this; however, she also has been changed due to pressure. “They also elected to give her heels in the new ‘Supersmash Brothers’ so that she’d be more sexualized,” Wilson said.

He concluded by stating that sexism in video games should not be a reason to not enjoy them, but people should be aware of the issue. “There’s a middle ground between completely ignoring them and acting like they’re not issues and stopping you from liking them,” Wilson said.

ndrew Shelly of Andrew Douglas Jewelers in Elizabethtown came to talk about his store and a bit about his experience with business as part of the M&M Mars Lecture series.

Growing up, his father was a business owner, so business was always a part of the conversations at the dinner table. His father owned a print shop, and he worked there growing up, but he never liked it. After working there, his father decided to try something new and got a job working retail at the Park City Center in a store that was going out of business. Because the store was going out of business, they were doing more active selling, which he enjoyed.

He then began working at a jewelry store because he wanted to work a job that would give him commission. He worked part-time there until he got a full-time position at another jewelry store. At this store, he began to gain experience in a more corporate setting.

He also learned the processes that went into running a jewelry business. By the time he was 26, he felt that he could not grow any more where he was. Instead, he went into business with his father and opened a jewelry store.

“It’s easier to save a dollar than to make a dollar,” Shelly said. They have been open three years this month. He currently has one full-time employee and two part-time employees. Because his business is small, Shelly has a small budget to work with. He did most of the renovation work himself.

Shelly did not major in business in college, but he learned the responsibilities from starting his business. He also worked a management position in retail.

He discussed his model for operating

his business, which includes a lower inventory, prototypes, customization and service. He keeps a lower inventory because he carries “prototypes” that are much cheaper to make. Therefore, people can try on a ring that is made from metal and cubic zirconium, and if they like the ring, they can order it with the more high quality materials.

He also uses a CADD program that allows him to create computer-generated images of rings so that people can decide what they want on the computer rather than having to go through the added cost of making the rings. He also talked about how 80 percent of his transactions are service-based, meaning he does a lot of repairs and watch battery changes and general maintenance services. This makes up a large portion of his sales. “Not many high-end jewelry stores focus on the service aspect, so my business model allows me to have a leg up,” Shelly said.

He discussed benefits and challenges of a small business as well. Some of the benefits included the ability to make your own schedule. He closes his shop Sundays and Mondays in order to enjoy a weekend off. He also closes his shop the weekend of July 4 to allow himself some vacation time. Another benefit is that you are able to bend the rules to meet the needs of some customers.

He discussed the importance of being mentally healthy rather than having a wildly successful business.

Some challenges to small business would be that, as a business owner, he is in charge of several aspects of the business and doesn’t always have the means to hire someone for specific roles, such as marketing, advertising, sales and human resources. Shelly added that, at times, being a small business owner required him to perform tasks that do not play to his strengths but no one else could perform.

Features

April 2, 2015

page 6

Behrens shares history of Open Door Recital for children

by LELYNN-JUNNE O’CONNOR

“I

n that the recital now is in its 14th year, many students don’t know the history of the recital,” Dr. Gene Behrens, professor of music, said. Fourteen years ago, some of the families of children with special needs who attended music therapy sessions at Elizabethtown College’s on-campus clinic started a very important conversation. The families wanted to know how their children with special needs can participate in the recital experience. That is when Behrens got the idea for the Open Door Recital. “That was the beginning idea for a recital that would meet the needs of children, especially those with special needs,” Behrens said.

“The name of the recital reflects that they are open to all children and that we literally keep the doors open in case parents decide their children need to take a short break,” Behrens said. This open environment prevents the children from feeling restricted and lets them enjoy themselves without worry. This also takes away anxiety for parents. The lack of restrictions on the audience also makes the recital more kid-friendly.

To promote even more kid-friendliness, the recital brought an interactive side to this musical experience. Behrens played a role in organizing these recitals to encourage all forms of expression.

For each of the three-minute classical music selections the children perform related actions during the song. Meanwhile, the music therapy students not on stage interacted with the children.

At the recital, the children rubbed together two small pieces of sandpaper, during the “Sandpaper Ballet” by Leroy Anderson, while two soloists played sand blocks. This scene captured the children in the audience and helped them form meaningful connections to the songs to help them recall this recital in the future.

For the harp solo, “The Good Little King of Yvetot” by Marcel Grandjany, the children tapped rhythm tubes to the beat of the music. One of the music therapy students danced around the room wearing a cardboard box horse. “He will wear a crown and cape, as he is the king of his country,” Behrens explained. The increased stimulation around the room lets the children divide their attention between the moving horse, the other children and the actual

Photo: Jacob Hopkins

Music therapy students and music professors performed with children with special needs during the Open Door Recital. Behrens explained the recital began in order to give children with special needs a recital experience.

performance. Each child may have a different attachment to the experience, and thus will better remember it later because of the interactive environment.

“We also wanted the children to have a complete recital experience, so everyone attending is sent tickets that the children hand to the ticket taker at the door,” Behrens said. This allows the children to fully appreciate the recital experience. This is a great lesson to instill early on for children who may want to continue attending recitals in their future. Once inside the decorations clearly show where the children’s attention should be focused.

The children also receive a kid-friendly program filled with

pictures. The end result of all the work put into making this recital came out beautifully. It was clear that so much attention to detail went into the production of this event. Afterward, the children attend a reception with finger foods, and the chance to speak with the performers. Ending the event this way lets the children and parents walk away with new experiences, new songs and new friends.

“The Open Door Recital” has become an inspiring experience for everyone involved, including children, parents and the students. It truly is all about sharing the joy of music that enriches all of our lives,” Behrens said.

Professors hold evening Kennedy discusses one-child policy in China, implications for gender ratio discussion of book by upcoming lecturer Kristof D

by EMILY VASAS

by CHAD LAMMER

B

owers Writers House was full of students from Associate Professor of Japanese Dr. Mahua Bhattacharya’s Anime to Zen class to discuss the writings of Nicholas Kristof in his book, “Thunder from the East: Portrait of Rising Asia.”

Kristof is this year’s Ware lecture guest and will be on campus on April 13 and 14.

Kristof is a columnist for the New York Times and writes primarily on human rights, social justice and global affairs. His writing has earned him two Pulitzer Prizes and 1.3 million followers on Twitter. His book “Thunder from the East: Portrait of Rising Asia,” was written in 2000 and elaborates on the social, economic and environmental issues Japan, China and India must overcome after their economies burst in the 1990s.

Although Kristof ’s book hits all three of those countries, the meeting in the Bowers Writers House was primarily about Japan’s struggles and issues. Kristof has lived in Japan and experienced many of these problems firsthand.

Many of Japan’s issues stem from their economic policies. Kristof explained how they have a somewhat careless approach. It was said high level executives go out and have thousand-dollar dinners and simply put it on the company. This causes some Japanese companies to have extremely high expense accounts because somebody still has to pay for these meals. This leads to corruption in these individuals. These corrupt leaders only continue to hurt the economy of their country.

Kristof states in the book that the West has been able to succeed because of their greed. Japan must acquire this greed. He also continues to say if Japan would adopt democracy, this would also help them regain control economically and politically.

Even though the Japanese have

their problems, they are innovators in the field of robotics. Robotics was talked about extensively at the event.

The use of robotics is becoming highly advanced in Japan.

The term robotics isn’t only a term for technology, but also for the people who use it. With such a high use of technology, Japan is starting to lose its human touch and is becoming very dependent on robotics.

Japan has been so successful in the field of technology because they have an educated work force, but the schools are actually overfunded in Japan.

The meeting eventually extended out of the book and into the hands of the group. Questions were then raised about more modern issues, such as pollution, nuclear power plant renovations and problems stemming from the 2013 Fukushima typhoon.

The book discussion was meant to raise awareness of Kristof ’s visit, his writing style, articles and interests, because he will be visiting Elizabethtown College later this month. “The main goal was to motivate students to go to his lecture,” Bhattacharya said. “The book was merely a supplementary tool to raise awareness of Kristof but also to raise awareness on the issues that the far east has struggled with.”

“I’m more of a listener, and it was really cool to see the perspectives everyone has,” sophomore Caitlin Lockard said.

The book discussion was formed

by Bhattacharya and Professor of Religion and Asian Studies Dr. Jeffery Long. They provided a very open and calm environment for their students to speak and share their opinions. This gave a different feeling than a classroom lecture and allowed more students to get involved and interact with each other. The students built off what one another said, but also challenged each other.

Kristof is scheduled to speak at the College on April 13 in Leffler Chapel and Performance Center at 7:30 p.m.

r. John J. Kennedy, associate professor of political science and director of the Center for Global and International Studies at the University of Kansas, first observed the phenomenon of the “missing girls” in China during the 1990s. In his lecture “Out of the Shadows: Family Planning and Identifying the ‘Missing Girls’ in Rural China,” he stressed the importance of the topic to Chinese society and the world at large.

Kennedy gave his lecture at Elizabethtown College on Tuesday, March 31 in Gibble Auditorium.

He first went to China as part of a study abroad trip in 1994 and has returned several times since then, twice on Fulbright grants. He now returns to China at least twice per year to visit friends and continue working on his research on the ‘missing girls.’ Kennedy has been working with many of the same people he met when he first studied there.

“We identified with the same passion for study and working with refugees in China,” he said.

He and his friends started the Northwest SocioEconomic Development Center in 2004 and work with local people to conduct their research on the phenomenon.

Kennedy’s lecture explained that the “missing girls” are those girls whose births are not registered with the Chinese government by their parents. The girls go unregistered because of China’s family planning policies. These policies were discussed in the 1950s and 1970s, but were implemented during the 1980s. Family planning in China was meant to reduce the population size and boost economic growth. Culturally, these policies changed the idea of the perfect Chinese family. Traditionally, the ideal family consisted of a daughter as the eldest child and one or two younger sons. The daughter was expected to help raise her brothers, who were expected to carry on the family name and care for their parents later in life.

The original family planning policy, the Only Child Policy, stressed the importance of families having only one child. This policy was fairly successful, encouraging a lower population, reducing poverty and relieving stress on food production and land use. In the early years of the Only Child Policy, it was considered fine to have one girl and no other children. Eventually, this policy morphed into the desire for families to have male children.

“What I want to argue today is that tradition can change, culture can change,” Kennedy said. Practicality forced changes to the Only Child Policy.

The Two Child Policy debuted in 1988 in order to alleviate pressure on elder care, marriage and the college exam system. It was also implemented to prevent “Little Emperor’s Syndrome,” or only child syndrome, the perceived spoiling of an only child by their caregivers’ showering them with attention.

Under the Two Child Policy, if a female child was born first, families were usually allowed to try to have another, male, child. If a second daughter was born, parents would often leave their birth unregistered and try again for a boy. This tendency results in a combination of skewed sex ratios and cultural norms.

A number of explanations exist for the phenomenon of the “missing girls.” The most common three are assumptions that parents are having sex-selective abortions, infanticide and late registration. The ultrasound required to perform a sex-selective abortion is illegal in China, but Kennedy said that does not mean people are not having them performed. He said infanticide is a huge issue in China, but the assumption that millions of parents are performing it is unlikely to be true. Kennedy said he believes late registration to be the most likely cause for the “missing girls,” but that it is difficult to determine, as late registrations are hard to identify. There is evidence for all three explanations, he said, but “the key here isn’t which one, but which one has the most influence on the sex ratio,” he said.

“So how do we count the missing?” Kennedy asked. “That’s the big question.” He said his team is interested in the late registration of girls in the population. “We are interested in what’s missing,” he said, “The large amounts of girls alive but unregistered.” Late registration means the girls’ parents have not gone to the government to report their births. If they are alive, that means they are only missing from the statistical evidence, but if they are dead, they are gone for good.

Kennedy said that late registration does not leave parents off the hook. Late registration means these girls are not citizens, which prevents them from receiving a full education or full protection under the law. Identifying and registering these “missing girls” has serious implications for the future, he said.

The lecture was sponsored by the Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking.

Photo: Luke Mackey

Kennedy explained how families in China fail to register their daughters as citizens in order to have a boy to carry on the family name.

April 2, 2015

Campus Life

page 7

Gender-neutral housing provides progressive, necessary option for LGBTQ-identifying students living on campus New housing option gives Etown’s LGBTQ community a safe space to live; some students express concern about heterosexual couples taking advantage of opportunity to live together

by TARA SIANO

A

ccording to the 2010 United States Census, only .3 percent of Americans are transgender. However, despite a limited population, Elizabethtown College has offered up a generous number of rooms to gender-neutral housing, and for good reason.

With the addition of gender-neutral housing, students are permitted to live with any other Etown student regardless of sex or gender identity. Located in Founders Hall, this Learning and Living Community is one of the many ways the campus is trying to support and raise awareness for the LGBTQ students. Gender-neutral housing is a necessary modern option for the Etown campus.

First-year Student Advo cating for Gender Equality (SAGE) member Blair Hendricks agrees that gender-neutral housing is necessary to keep some students comfortable. “It provides a space for students to feel more at ease,” she said. “To me, it seems like it would be a space where people don’t have to feel judged, where they can feel free to be themselves without the confusion that could come with living with cisgendered people.” Being “cisgendered” means identifying with the gender you were assigned at birth.

After all, not worrying about gender eliminates some of the problems people transitioning face in public. Not only does it remove the difficult decision of choosing what gender to mark down on your housing

selection form, but it also combats more common problems, like choosing which bathroom to use.

Of course, there are some concerns that come with gender-neutral housing. “I think it’s good because people should be able to room with who they want to room with, but at the same time I feel like people are going to just try to be roommates with their boyfriends and girlfriends, and that isn’t really the purpose of gender-neutral housing,” first-year Abby Aumen said.

Fellow first-year Matthew B erezny would most likely disagree with Aumen.

Berezny plans on moving into genderneutral housing with his girlfriend in the upcoming fall semester. After dating for two years, they are ready to be roommates.

“I think [gender-neutral housing] gives you the chance to have a variety and more of a connection either with a significant other or someone from the opposite sex,” Berezny said. “Maybe if you feel more similar to someone of the opposite sex, it’s better to room with them.”

While the purpose of gender-neutral housing may be geared towards LGBTQ students rather than young couples, anyone that wants to live in a gender-neutral community should be allowed. After all, the point of the housing community is to promote equality. “I think that everyone at this point is a legal adult, and the point is that it’s gender-neutral--that you don’t care about living with someone who is a different gender than you,” Hendricks said. Maybe gender-neutral housing will be filled with more couples than intended, but

every student in the community is opting to ignore gender, which is the point of the community.

Aumen, meanwhile, is less concerned with whether or not couples should be allowed into gender-neutral housing, but is worried about the potential fallout. “If two people are dating and they do genderneutral housing together and then they break up, I think that would be pretty awkward,” she said.

“Minorities have feelings and preferences that are equally as important as the majorities. Even if gender-neutral housing is only truly useful to a small percentage of Etown’s students, it is one hundred percent necessary for transgendered students on campus.”

Fortunately for Berezny and his girlfriend, they have already discussed what would happen in lieu of a potential break up. Their hope is that no matter what happens, they’ll remain roommates. “I mean, it would be

awkward for a little bit, but we would still be friends,” he explained. Provided everyone on the floor can make an equally mature decision, having couples living on the floor should turn out fine.

Another potential problem of genderneutral housing is the possible implication of segregation. After all, some transgender students may feel pressured to separate themselves from their peers. “It could potentially be seen as a form of education because you’re separating people who identify as females from other female residences or people who identify as males are separated from other male housing,” Hendricks said.

However, joining gender-neutral housing is a choice. In addition to everyone being allowed to join the community, no one is being forced to join the community.

Sure, the population of Etown students that identifies as transgender is rather small. However, it is important to provide accommodations for every student to make sure they are comfortable. “I think they usually separate dorms into female and male dorms because they assume that’s what people feel the most comfortable with. For me that is true, but this provides another option for people who feel differently,” Hendricks said. “Having options is usually a good thing!”

Minorities have feelings and preferences that are equally as important as the majorities. Even if gender-neutral housing is only truly useful to a small percentage of Etown’s students, it is 100 percent necessary for transgendered students on campus.

Substance-free residence program represents an important addition to traditional on-campus housing options

by CLARK STEFANIC

W

hen I was in high school, there always seemed to be a stigma my parents held about time I spent away from home. If I were to ever head out for more than just an errand or two, I would always hear “be smart,” or “stay safe.” I never felt that my parents did not trust me, but there were definitely outlets available for me to disregard their advice. So, what has changed since coming to Elizabethtown College? What is different about this dynamic now that most of my time is spent away from home?

I have yet to live on campus at Etown.

After transferring from another university where I lived on campus, I decided to commit to commuting for the year, just to see another side of college life. I still get to see my friends from the other university who I have kept in contact with, and I find that nice. Unfortunately, there is also a lot you miss when you choose not to live close to school. Meeting people, hanging out outside of class, long nights on campus; this is where the stigma may come into play. People develop ideas as to what college students do when they aren’t in class: drinking, partying, the list goes on. But what if this whole “experience” were to be limited by cutting out the dangerous substances? Is it worth making the choice to be clean to get more out of one’s collegiate involvement?

Sophomore Nicholas Christie, one of the soon-to-be Resident Assistants within Etown’s substance-free housing program, is very positive about the project. “Residence Life has found that there are a lot of Etown students who would prefer to have a living space where they did not have to come home to residents drinking,” Christie said.

“The Nest is a place where students who do not enjoy going out to parties can come back and know that they have a group of students who feel the same way.”

According to a New York Times article

by Tamar Lewin from a few years ago, substance-free housing is not a new con-

cept. Schools larger than Etown across the country have been quick to create an option for it, some of these decisions dating back to the early 1990s. When taken at face value, it seems to be a personal choice, yet there are other benefits to both resident and college alike. Students participating in the program have quieter, less proneto-risk neighbors who all live in buildings that tend to smell better. Officials enjoy fewer problems with both their tenants and with vandalism. On top of this, schools that offer substance-free housing generally

“People develop ideas as to what college students do when they aren’t in class: drinking, partying, the list goes on. But what if this whole ‘experience’ were to be limited by cutting out the influential substances?”

Photo: Luke Mackey

seem to find that they may receive more applications following the implementation of the program.

Kristen Vieldhouse, Etown’s assistant director of residence life revealed more of the school’s logic toward the idea.

“Students will be given opportunities to participate in programs and learning opportunities such as camping, hiking, fitness, developing healthy eating habits, etc.,” Vieldhouse said. “There will also be alternative, late-night programs on the weekends specifically for students who want to have something fun to do but don’t want to participate in social events or situations where alcohol or other substances might be present.”

It seems as though The Nest will be more involved than the title “substance-free” would lead one to believe. The fact that

The substance-free residence will be hosted next year in Founders Residence Hall. This new housing option offers a unique experience for students wishing to participate in alcohol and drug-free activities on campus.

they are pushing for a wide variety of activities and helping students live healthier lives is an honorable gesture. It shows that the school cares about its attendees, which is important to remember in the wake of other controversial issues such as the recent tuition rate increase.

It was difficult to find anyone to speak out against the usefulness of the program.

There are students on campus who do not feel that the program is for them, but still think that it is right for someone else within the school’s population of residents.

“I feel like the LLC is going to be a huge success,” Christie later said. “Housing on campus is constantly changing to adapt to what students need. I believe that if

students voice their opinions to Residence Life, anything can happen as far as Living Learning Communities.”

After living on campus at a school where there were plenty of other residents who chose to partake heavily in some things that I was not personally drawn to, I completely understand why a student may choose to live within Etown’s substance-free housing.

However, if I was given the opportunity to live on campus, I would probably decide to live within the standard housing system. I would be interested in attending the meetings that are being planned for wellness within The Nest, and I think that Residence Life should consider this option for other students who may feel the same.

Campus Life

page 8

April 2, 2015

Foreign language requirement offers important balance to well-rounded education

by GWEN FRIES

I

n order to satisfy the requirements laid out by the Core Program, students must take a “Power of Language” course studying either a modern or ancient foreign language. The College deems knowledge of a foreign language as essential to being a well-rounded student and offers majors in French, German, Japanese and Spanish, as well as elective courses in Chinese and American Sign Language. Depending on the availability of faculty, students get to experience Latin and Hebrew as well.

However, only one semester of a foreign language is required. Is one semester sufficient to claim knowledge of a foreign language? Is this the aim of the College, or is being exposed to the language enough?

As far as I can tell, the College leaves it up to the students to decide if they’d like to take a crack at fluency or merely open themselves up to another nation’s tongue.

If a student has completed several years of a language at their high school, they are forbidden from taking an entry-level course in that language for obvious reasons. The problem is that many students do not believe they took the high school courses seriously enough to enter into a higher-level college course and succeed.

“I took three years of Spanish in high school,” junior Nicholas Viscardi said, “and then I took French here. For one, I didn’t want to place into a higher level Spanish course because I felt like I didn’t remember enough from high school. Secondly, I wanted to try something different and learn about a different culture.”

Junior Allison Salata faced the same problem. “I took four years of Spanish in high school, but I ended up taking Latin here because I was placed in a Spanish class I felt was too difficult for the abilities I had from high school.” As Viscardi noted, there is usually more than one factor influencing a student’s decision. “I was also interested to see the similarities between Latin and Spanish,” Salata said.

Viscardi and Salata are hardly alone. Senior Phillip Spector was a Spanish student in high school and switched to German to complete the College’s requirement. He

admits one semester was not conducive to his feeling fluent in German.

Similarly, I took four years of Spanish and two years of French in high school.

When I arrived at Penn State University for my first year of college, I was placed into a 300-level Spanish course and a 200-level French course based on my experience.

Though there is not a large difference there, I opted to pursue my education in French because of a love for the language and a perceived comparative ease. Penn State requires at least two semesters of a foreign language, and I decided two semesters of French would get me where I wanted to be.

I was aiming to reach a conversational level in both languages, not have the ability to write a dissertation in Spanish.

After my first semester, I felt a little shaky in my ability to speak the language effectively. Once I completed the second semester, I was finding my footing, and oral exams did not make me quite as physically ill as they had the semester before. I may not have been able to find the exact word I wanted to use, but I did not blank on every single word of the French language. I needed the extra semester to gain that confidence.

If fluency, or at least competence, in a language is the desired outcome, more than one semester is required, whether “more” means a combination of high school and Elizabethtown College or several semesters at the College.

“I took Spanish both in high school and here at Etown,” sophomore Ethan Weber said. Though admitting it might be a little difficult, Weber continued, “I feel like I can hold a basic conversation in Spanish.”

Many different factors, including scheduling issues and study abroad opportunities, affect how Etown students experience their foreign language.

“I took Spanish for one year and Latin for three in high school,” junior Kimberly Melito said. “I haven’t taken my language yet, but I am taking Spanish next semester.

I would have to take the placement exam for Latin, and then I could have possibly been put in Latin 2, which is only offered in the spring. But I have to take my language in the fall because I will be student teaching in the spring.”

Photo: Nelli Orozco

Etown students have varying experiences with language courses. While only one foreign language course is required, some students choose to explore higher-level classes and even multiple languages.

“I took four years of German in high school and then minored in German at Etown. Two semesters here and one abroad,” senior Tamara Eichelberger said.

“It was really tough at first to be totally immersed, especially because the first eight weeks of my study abroad trip were spent in Austria, where they speak a different German dialect. I spent three hours a day learning German there, though, so by the time I actually went to Germany, I felt prepared to take on my semester. At the end of my time abroad, I felt very comfortable getting around and speaking in German.”

Especially with the upcoming addition of American Sign Language, Etown is full of opportunities to make the foreign language requirement as enjoyable as possible.

“I think it is extremely important that Etown added this course because American Sign Language is a language, but it is also more than that,” sophomore Tyler

Latshaw said. “It is an entire culture developed around the ability to communicate through visual signals from your hands, face and body.”

“In a broader sense, this course will be very beneficial to the Elizabethtown College course catalog because, while it is a language course, part of the course objective is to immerse yourself in culture through the SLE requirement,” Latshaw said.

“Students will have the opportunity to gain valuable community-based learning knowledge of the deaf and hard of hearing culture by attending ASL religious services, theater shows in sign and even attend a Saturday coffee hour in which they can converse with a deaf person and learn new perspectives.”

“For a smaller school, I do think Etown offers a lot of different language classes at many different levels,” Eichelberger said.

FASHION COLUMN

by EMILY LIDSTONE

B

old, light and bright colors help welcome spring weather onto Elizabethtown College’s campus. Neon shoes, pastel dresses and T-shirts, lightly colored layers and accessories make the transition to springtime more appealing.

There are a number of ways to incorporate spring colors into your wardrobe. One fun and fairly simple way is adding a bright pair of shoes to a neutral or darker outfit. A neon blue, pink or orange sneaker is a striking way to add some eye-opening color to any outfit and stay comfortable in the rush to classes. Even a lighter pastel flat shoe or sandal can keep your feet springtime ready.

“Brighter colors or lighter pastels are the perfect way to transition your wardrobe into spring.”

Backpacks and cross-body bags are another way to add some color into any wardrobe. It’s time to break out the colorfully patterned Vera Bradley and PINK backpacks. They offer some subtle pastel blues and greens as well as brighter shades to carry all of your class necessities in style. Other popular stores like Urban Outfitters and PacSun also have a variety of options for bags and backpacks with colorful patterns or solid bright colors.

Lastly, you have lightly colored apparel to wear to class, out on the town or as formal wear. Pastel blouses are light and airy and perfect for spring. They can be covered with a lightweight layer to keep you warm on cooler days or worn on their own when the sun is brightly shining. Neon pullovers and T-shirts are a simple light layer to be worn with neutral or denim bottoms and are a casual spring look.

Any way they are incorporated, brighter colors or lighter pastels are the perfect way to transition your wardrobe into spring. There are a variety of ways to get your outfit ready for the sun and warmer weather, and adding some color to your look is an excellent way to do so.

Campus Life

April 2, 2015

Senior recitals demonstrate richness and diversity of Etown

by GRACE MARCHIONE

E

ach year, Elizabethtown College students demonstrate their knowledge and skills through various formal assessments. Typically, these include portfolios, presentations and papers. However, there is one type of project which rarely receives the attention it deserves.

Prior to having a sister in the music department, I was completely unaware of the recital requirement for music majors. It seemed like a foreign concept to me. Performance is not my forte, and so imagining it as a prerequisite for graduation was initially very strange to think about. But the more I learned about it, the more fascinated I became.

Students in the music program typically begin preparing for their recitals many months in advance, often up to a full year. They are required to prepare 30 to 40 minutes of music chosen from the repertoires they have built through their college careers. Many recitals also involve collaboration with accompanists, fellow students or musician friends. In addition to practicing individually, seniors have to coordinate rehearsal times with every member of their group.

Through talking with some of the students, I learned that the process of preparing for a senior recital is unique and quite remarkable. “Constant drilling and re-drilling my fingers for muscle memory and mind memory was essential in preparing,” senior pianist Samantha Keynton said. “I would set aside hours of time just to practice my music.”

Senior Marissa Harper, a music therapy and flute major, compared it to a

sport. She emphasized the importance of endurance achieved in small increments of practice time every day. She and trumpet player senior Graham Reeve also expressed that they “didn’t know what practicing meant” prior to going through this process. I learned through our conversation that there is no way to execute a recital halfheartedly; it’s either all or nothing for these students.

In addition to the pressure of memorizing all their pieces, music students must also perform for their professors to be approved for their performance.

Senior Ashley Blaha, a music therapy major, explained, “The opportunity to execute a senior recital is exciting but also very nerve-wracking. We prepare for a jury three weeks prior to the recital and have a panel of three professors to judge if we pass or fail.” Understandably, this generates a large amount of stress for many of the seniors, but the end result is usually well worth the struggle.

Through hearing all these stories and comments, I couldn’t help but consider how non-music majors might be missing out on such a worthwhile experience. While many of us do have similar requirements for graduating from our respective programs, the senior recital phenomenon seems unmatched in its benefits for the students who perform.

“The best part of the senior recital is knowing it is finally a performance that isn’t for a grade,” Blaha said. This comment was among the ones which stood out to me most, as grades are typically of chief concern for a majority of students.

Admittedly, I am guilty of this mindset, but it is refreshing to know that not everyone thinks this way. The opportunity

to put together a recital allows for a type of satisfaction and personal fulfillment that a point system cannot provide.

“It is great to see how I’ve grown musically over the year, and I am just proud of myself for how far I’ve come,” senior music therapy major Arianna Bendlin said. “Although I do not want to perform as my career, the confidence I have gained in performing definitely helps the future music therapist in me.” Many of the other students also commented on the progress they made through putting together the recitals as well as in the music program in general.

Harper explained that the support of friends, family and instructors is essential in gaining the self-assurance to perform in front of an audience. After each recital, those who attend will line up to congratulate the student on his or her accomplishments. As I witnessed at voice major and senior Liz Boyer’s recital, it is a perfect venue for celebration after a long year of disciplining oneself and perfecting one’s talents.

Finishing a recital is certainly a relief for graduating seniors, but there are plenty of other emotions involved. Reeve described the feeling as “surreal,” knowing that it would stick with him forever.

He felt that the validation from his peers and professors was what ultimately made him realize he had what it takes to be a musician.

Perhaps some of us aren’t cut out to perform in front of crowds, and that’s perfectly OK. But if there’s one thing we can all learn from senior music majors, it’s that working hard at the things we truly love is one of the most rewarding experiences we can have.

page 9

Opinions divided over concept of ‘right college’ for every student A host of complicated factors determine a person’s individual college experience including availability of major and campus environment.

by CHRISTIAN VILLAROSA

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hen choosing a college, my parents would constantly nag me to find the “right fit” college. You know, your dream school. The one that’s absolutely perfect.

In my opinion, a right fit doesn’t exist. No school will have everything that I want. Out of all the schools I applied to, Elizabethtown College was the best fit, but I still feel it has flaws, just like anything else.

Others think differently. They think that a right fit college is certainly out there, and they think Etown is theirs. Junior Gabi Yankelevich thinks the right school is possible. “The right school has the major you want with plenty of options for other classes that an individual is interested in,” she said. “It either intertwines discussions within the class or has large lectures, depending on what kind of environment a student prefers.”

With this we can acknowledge that maybe it’s just based on the definition of the perfect college, and only some people can find their right fit.

This idea doesn’t switch between gender, age or major. Firstyear Ben Roman said something similar to Yankelevich. “I do believe there is such a thing as a right fit school. It all just matters on what each individual wants in a school,” Roman said. “If they have the desired field of study they want, and it

“It’s the people here at Etown that make the school feel like the right place. The peer mentors, the professors, the coaches and the friends. When people walk on campus and see all of those people, they want to become a part of it. ”

Photo: Luke Mackey

Music majors at Etown must meet a recital requirement in order to graduate from the program. Students spend hours each day rehearsing in Zug Hall.

The Etownian Awards 2013 Apple Awards Best Newspaper <5,000 Student Division ASPA - Most Outstanding Newspaper in the U.S. ASPA - First Place with Special Merit Finalists for the Online Pacemaker Award etownian.com featured as a national WordPress showcase SCJ Excellence in Collegiate Journalism Keystone Press Award Second Place for online content

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief | Sarah Kennedy Managing Editor | Kaitlin Gibboney Assistant Editor | Gwen Fries News Editor | Kelly Bergh Features Editor | Emily Drinks Campus Life Editors | Emily Lidstone, Grace Marchione Sports Editor | Brian Lukacsy Copy Chief | Crystal Uminski Photography Editor | Luke Mackey Webmaster | Luke Wilson Asst. Features Editor | Noel Abastillas Asst. Sports Editor | Karley Ice Photographers | Shane Bahn, Jacob Hopkins, Nelli Orozco Copy Editors | Samantha Kick, Matthew Kuraska, Brittany Pressley, Cassandra Rochelle, Colleen Taylor, Emily Vasas Business Manager | Conner Land Advertising Manager | Jordan Moser Faculty Advisor | Kelly Poniatowski

Editorial Policy 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. For questions, comments or concerns about a particular section, please contact the section editor at [section-title]editor@ etown.edu.

If you have a story idea, suggestion, or if you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please do so to editor@etown.edu.

extends into what the community, both in the school and the town the school resides in, is like.” For Roman, it seems that it’s not if a school has minute things that one cares about, but the bare necessities, one’s major and a good environment. “Each person has different interests, and it is possible for a school to fit those interests exactly.”

It also applies to those who are still searching for a college.

Prospective student Godwin Igbinedion has recently decided to attend Etown. He felt the same as the others. “I do believe there is such a thing as a right fit school, but you can only find your best fit school if you visit it and research about it all you can,” he said.

“I believe what makes a best fit school is that it feels just like you are at home, you don’t feel in a new environment and all the people there feel like they are a part of your new family.”

As Roman mentioned, Igbinedion believes it is mainly about how the environment of the campus feels.

So, with this in mind, it would appear that many people feel as if a right fit school is indeed a possibility. Sometimes though, one may not be able to see that a college is the right fit at first.

“Initially, I did not want to come to Etown because I wanted to go to Franklin and Marshall College or Boston University,” Yankelevich said. “I really enjoyed my visit and thought that I could see myself going here, but I also was a bit conceited and wanted to go to F&M or Boston University because they were more well-known.”

But that attitude can always change with the effect of physically walking onto campus. Once you visit the college, a whole opinion may change. “When I came for my summer orientation, I realized that Etown was the school for me. The peer mentors were beyond excited, and their energy pumped me up.” So while it may have taken her time, Yankelevich was able to find her right fit.

But that begs the question, what makes Etown the right fit?

“What made me like Etown so much was how welcoming the people were when I visited,” Igbinedion said. “They seemed very nice and they seemed like people I could get along with.

The most appealing thing for me was that someone I knew was going there and could guide me on my journey in Etown.”

It’s the people here at Etown that make the school feel like the right place. The peer mentors, the professors, the coaches and the friends. When people walk on campus and see all of those people, they want to become a part of it. It happened for Igbinedion, Roman, Yankelevich and even me. The smiles and the open arms are enough to make this college a “right fit.”

“I really like Etown, and I hope I do become a Blue Jay in the near future” Igbinedion said.

Sports

page 10

April 2, 2015

Softball drops doubleheader with Moravian

in Etown athletics...

The men’s lacrosse team have won eight games in a row after defeating Immaculata University yesterday, 17-10. The Blue Jays are now 9-2 on the season and face USMMA on Saturday.

The women’s lacrosse team defeated the United States Merchant Marine Academy, 17-3, for the team’s fourth win of the season. The Blue Jays are 4-5 and face Goucher College tomorrow afternoon.

The baseball team was swept by Landmark Conference foe, Moravian College in a three game series. The Blue Jays dropped the first game of their series against Scranton last evening.

The softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader with Moravian College on Friday. Their next games are set for Saturday afternoon against Juniata College.

The men’s tennis team will face Lebanon Valley College this afternoon, while the women will face off against Juniata College on Monday.

The men’s and women’s track and field teams will have the weekend off before competing at the Messiah Invitational on April 10.

in the NCAA...

The Final Four of this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament is set. The undefeated Kentucky Wildcats escaped Notre Dame on Saturday night to make it to their second straight Final Four. The Wildcats will face the team they defeated in the semi-finals of the Final Four last year, the Wisconsin Badgers. On the opposite side of the bracket are two familiar faces in the Michigan State Spartans and the Duke Blue Devils. Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski will appear in his 12th Final Four this weekend, tying him with the legendary coach John Wooden for most all-time.

The Final Four of the NCAA Tournament begins Saturday night.

in the pros...

The 2015 MLB season kicks off this Sunday with the Chicago Cubs hosting the St. Louis Cardinals. The new look Cubs will look to break their 107-World Series championship drought this season with young talent and a veteran manager.

The Cubs signed free agent Jon Lester to a six-year, $155 million contract back in December, in hopes that Lester can bring some of his playoff experience to the Chicago clubhouse. Former Tampa Bay Rays manager, Joe Maddon, will look to help the Cubs earn respect in a tough National League.

The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off a 90-win season that helped them claim the Central Division championship and a spot in the postseason. The Cardinals were bounced from the 2014 playoffs in the National League Championship Series by the San Francisco Giants in five games.

Photo: Athletics Department

The women’s softball team was shutout in both games of their doubleheader against Moravian College on Friday. The Blue Jays will host Juniata College on Saturday for a doubleheader at The Nest.

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by ABBIE ERICKSON

eturning for the first games since their time spent in Florida, the Blue Jays finish this week against Dickinson College and Moravian College with a 1-3 record. Shortly after reaching a season-high of 14 runs in the second game Wednesday, March 25, against Dickinson, the losses come as learning experience for both players and coaches.

“After every game we evaluate and learn from our experiences. [We] try to be better today than we were yesterday,” Head Softball Coach Kathy Staib said on the games this past week. Their effort toward improvement was evident in their rally against Dickinson Wednesday during the first inning of the second game. Senior Becky Becher began the first inning with a single, followed by sophomore Kirstin Blass’s first career homerun, preparing the team for a takeoff lead of 6-0. Career highs were also set by sophomore Kelsey Brown and senior Laura Tomasetti.

“It was definitely a surreal feeling and I couldn’t help but smile as I went around the bases,” Blass said on her first college homerun. “I think that this really pumped everyone on the team up, and they followed suit and hit the ball hard in almost every at bat we had.”

This burst of energy in the first inning was able to carry the Blue Jays to a 14-7 win for the second game against the Red Devils with a final record of 1-1 for Wednesday’s doubleheader. This win came after their 10-6 loss to Dickinson the previous game. “One of our goals that we made as a team is to not be swept on game days. We were very happy that we were able to accomplish this goal and bounce back to take game two,” Blass said.

The next doubleheader followed Friday with less favorable outcomes. The girls softball team travelled to Bethlehem, Pa., to play Moravian in back-to-back conference games with a final record of 0-2 for the Blue Jays.

The Greyhounds were able to quiet the Blue Jays’ offense during both games, winning 2-0 in the first game and 7-0 in the second.

Although their offense was not able to push through, the Blue Jays’ defense was managed to remain strong. “We hit the ball well at times against Moravian but couldn’t bunch them together for run production,” Staib said. “Defensively we committed one error in the doubleheader.”

The first game began with senior Kelly Krause pitching her way out of a tough first inning. The rest of the game followed with more key defensive plays by Blass and sophomore Kelsey Brown to keep the game a scoreless tie until the fourth inning. By the fifth, the Greyhounds were able to crack through defense, scoring their runs on a two-run homerun to left center. Krause pitched the full game allowing only seven hits and the two runs.

Game two began with Moravian scoring their game winning seven runs all within the first three innings. Seniors Jordan Nowacki, Laura Tomasetti and Kaylee Werner were all able to get on base early in the game, but the Blue Jays’ offense could not force any runs. Moravian’s starting pitcher Amanda Carison was able to finish allowing only three hits to hold their 7-0 lead.

Despite the three losses this week, the Blue Jays are focusing on where they stand now. “After our games, our coach is gives us the opportunity to discuss as a team what we did well and what we didn’t do well. I think that this type of approach is effective because we get the chance to recognize what we could fix,” Blass said.

“This is team number 37. Each season that group of players creates their own legacy,” Staib said. “We don’t compare one team with another as each team is its own. Our goal is to develop each team to reach its fullest potential.”

The Blue Jays will host Juniata College on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

Women’s lacrosse takes down Merchant Marine Academy

Blue Jays defeat Mariners in consecutive seasons, earn first Landmark victory, 17-3

by ELINOR CURRY

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he Elizabethtown women’s lacrosse team took on Eastern University on Thursday, March 26 and the Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, March 28. Although they lost the Thursday game 14-13 in overtime, the ladies made up for it with a 17-3 win Saturday against Merchant Marine.

The game against Eastern was a nail-biter for fans, going back and forth between the two teams. Eastern’s Julie Haggan scored first, but Blue Jay Molly Hurley scored less than a minute later for Etown. The next six goals were scored back-and-forth by the two teams, until Addie Stang, Etown’s top scorer for the game, assisted Mary Nell Donahue in scoring and then scored herself, unassisted. The Blue Jays came out on top in the first half, 8-7. Eastern came back in the second, tying it up and forcing the game into overtime, where they scored twice. Etown’s overtime goal came with seven seconds to go, leaving the Blue Jays one behind.

Two days after their loss, the women took on the Merchant Marine Academy. Within the first minute of the game, Addie Stang scored the first goal for Etown, and followed it with another to bring Etown a 2-0 lead with back-to-back shots. The ladies led by 6-0 less than eight minutes in, with scores by Carly Thompson, Kirstin Quilty and two by Dana Robidoux, the game’s top scorer. The Blue Jays won seven of the first ten draws, and used it to their advantage, leading 10-0 by the halfway point of the fist half.

Etown goalie Michelle Fuller kept the ball out of the net, preventing the Mariners from scoring until Madeline Thibeault slipped one past her, scoring the team’s first goal with less than ten minutes remaining in the half. That goal was their only of the half, and Etown led 13-1 at the half.

Thibeault scored again at the beginning of the second half, and their third and final goal was scored by Emily Finnin later. Robidoux, Quilty, Molly Hurley and Adriana Bertolino all scored in the second half, helping the Jays along to their

17-3 victory.

The next game is scheduled for Friday, April 3 at 3:30 p.m. on Wolf Field. The Blue Jays will take on the Goucher College Gophers.

Photo: Mandi Zeiders

The women’s lacrosse team bounced back after an overtime defeat at the hands of Eastern University to defeat the United States Merchant Marine Academy, 17-3. The Blue Jays will host Goucher College on Friday afternoon at Wolf Field.

Sports

April 2, 2015

page 11

Baseball swept in three game series against Moravian College

Blue Jays drop game one against University of Scranton, doubleheader set for today

by ALYSSA AICHELE

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he Elizabethtown College baseball team entered Sunday’s doubleheader at Moravian with one of the top pitching staffs in the Landmark Conference. Though the Blue Jays had strong outings from senior Kristopher Davis in game one and sophomore Kevin Elwell in game two, the Greyhound’s came out on top. The hosts won game one 3-2 in 10 innings and then completed the sweep with a 3-0 shutout in game two.

In game one, Moravian’s Charles Savite’s oneout single in the bottom of the 10th gave the Greyhounds the walk-off victory. Etown and Moravian played to a 2-2 tie through the first seven innings, and there were only two hits in extras, both off of Moravian bats.

The Blue Jays displayed a threat in the top of the ninth when sophomore Colby Smith and junior Parke Martin were both hit by pitches, but the Greyhounds reliever, Ian Carbone, got out of his own jam by getting first-year Austin Kibler to fly out to right.

Junior Sean Jones delivered back-to-back walks to start the 10th inning before Savite put a 0-1 pitch through the hole between the third baseman and shortstop to score Colin Case with the game-winning run.

Davis started and went eight innings for the Blue Jays. While his run of starts with six strikeouts or more came to an end, he still posted a respectable stat line of nine hits allowed, two earned runs, no walks and two strikeouts. Davis improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 30:1 on the year.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted, but overall we played very fundamentally sound baseball and had two very competitive games against an excellent Moravian team,” Davis said. “Both games were tight games from start to finish, but they found a way to capitalize on one of our few mistakes. We pitched very well and played clean defense, however our offense struggled at times.

It was one of those times where both teams play

very good baseball and unfortunately we ended up on the losing side in both games.”

Senior Alex Holbert led the offense with two hits, but the Jays were limited to three for the game and scored both of their runs on a thirdinning error.

Dan Morrin struck out four E-town players over 7.2 innings, allowing just the two unearned runs. Hunter Guard pitched a perfect top of the 10th for his first win of the season.

“The Landmark is a very competitive league top to bottom. As a team we need to focus on the task at hand and not look too far into the future,” Davis said. “We just need to take it one pitch, one at-bat, one inning at a time. If we can do that and learn from our mistakes to make adjustments we will be successful.”

In game two, Elwell was outdueled by the Greyhound starter Ryan Kahn. Kahn fanned eight and gave up only three hits over seven innings. He got all of the offensive support he needed in the second and third innings.

Moravian’s Ryan Luke singled back through the box to scored Savite to give the Greyhounds the lead, 1-0, in the bottom of the second. Moravian would tack on two more to extend their lead to 3-0.

Etown just could not solve Kahn, going down in order in the first, third, fifth and seventh frames. E-town never got a runner past second base, but stranded runners at first and second in the top of the sixth.

Senior Luke Gatti, Holbert, and Jones each recorded a hit for the Blue Jays. Elwell scattered five hits and only one of the three runs by Moravian was charged to him. He walked three and struck out one, falling to 1-3 for the season.

“From a pitching and defensive stand point, I thought we did very well,” Gatti said. “Davis and Elwell did a great job on the mound, pounding the strike zone, and our defense did a great job backing them up to make outs while only committing one error in the 14 innings we played today.”

Photo: Athletics Department

The Blue Jays hit a rough stretch of their Landmark Conference schedule this past week, starting a streak of nine games in seven days.The week began with Etown being swept by conference foe, Moravian College.

The Blue Jays closed out the series on Monday, trying to steal one from the Greyhounds. Etown jumped out early with two runs in the top of the first inning, but the Greyhounds responded, scoring one of their own in the bottom half of the first and two more in the fourth. Moravian would end up with a 6-4 victory and a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays.

Junior Zack Tomasko allowed nine hits and three earned runs but the game ended in the loss, his second of the season. Gatti drove in two runs to lead the Blue Jays offense.

On Wednesday, the Blue Jays opened up a three-game series with the University of Scranton.

The Blue Jays pushed five runs across the plate in the second inning to take a 6-1 lead over the visiting squad, however, the Royals scored six runs of their own in the top of the third inning to take a 7-6 lead. The Royals never relinquished

that lead, scoring seven runs in the fourth inning and eight in the fifth inning en route to a 22-13 victory over the Blue Jays.

First-year Anthony Lippy started on the mound for the Blue Jays, going two and a third innings, allowing four earned runs and striking out one. First-year Nick Lorenz hit his first career home run in the loss.

Etown will host Juniata on Friday and Saturday for another three-game series, completing a nine-game in seven-day streak. All nine games are against Landmark Conference opponents.

“We always have a goal to make it to the conference playoffs,” Gatti said. “If we play the way we’re capable of playing, I feel we can finish in one of the top 4 spots to make it to the playoffs. If we keep pitching well, playing solid defense, and having quality at-bats, we can do well and go far in this conference.”

Golf takes on Alvernia Spring Invitational Women’s tennis opens

Landmark Conference with win over Moravian

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Photo: Athletics Department

The men’s golf team competed in the Alvernia Spring Invitational at the Ledgerock Golf Club on Tuesday afternoon. The Blue Jays will be back in action after break at the LVC Invitational on April 6.

by BRIAN LUKACSY

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he Elizabethtown College men’s golf team competed in the Alvernia Spring Invitational on Tuesday, March 31 at the LedgeRock Golf Club. Of the 15 teams that competed in the event, the Blue Jays finished in ninth place, shooting a 346 as a team. Etown sent four golfers to Tuesday’s Invitational with all four shooting in the 80s.

“As a team, we can definitely do better. We had a good run going at the end of the fall season, so we look to carry the momentum into the spring season.” ~ Chuck Johnston

In the fall, the Blue Jays competed at Alvernia’s Fall Invitational on the same course they played at on Tuesday. The team hoped for a similar result like the third

place finish back in October’s tournament, but a mix of rain and wind took a toll on the competitors in the field.

“It was tough playing in our first match considering the long winter limited our practice time,” sophomore Chuck Johnston said.

“We have only had two or three practices so far this year, and the course was also one of the hardest we will play all year.”

S enior Ryan Forbes shot a 12-over 81 to lead all four Blue Jays. Forbes played well on the afternoon, and if not for a triple bogey on the 13th hole, would have placed in the top 20 of the individual standings.

Fellow senior Ryan Laudeman was one shot back of Forbes, s h o o t i n g a n 8 2 o n t h e d ay.

Laudeman had an outstanding fall season, finishing in the top 10 three times and finishing in the top 15 in all five tournaments. He has started the spring season with a 27th place finish last week, and a 34th place finish on Tuesday.

Junior Adam Amspacher and Johnston rounded out the Blue Jays participants, shooting an 88 and 89, respectively. The Alvernia Spring

Invitational was Amspacher’s and Johnston’s first event of the spring.

The Messiah College Falcons took home the team title by 10 strokes, shooting a 306, distancing themselves from second place Muhlenberg College. Penn State Harrisburg and the host team, Alvernia University, finished third and fourth in the team standings, respectively.

For m e r M i d d l e At l a nt i c Conference foes, Albright College, L eb anon Va l l e y C ol l e ge and DeSales University, all finished ahead of the Blue Jays in the team standings.

Muhlenberg’s Dan Eidman won the invdividual title, shooting twounder par for a 70 on the day.

“As a team, we can definitely do better,” Johnston said. “We had a good run going at the end of the fall season, so we look to carry the momentum into the spring season.

The Blue Jays will hit the course again after Easter break, competing in the LVC Invitational on April 6.

Three days later, Etown will host the Elizabethtown Invitational at the Hershey Country Club East on April 9.

by KARLEY ICE

he Elizabethtown College women’s tennis team is starting off 1-0 in the Landmark Conference after a 7-2 win at the Alumni Courts over Moravian College on Sunday, March 29. Senior Kaitlyn Pellegrino earned her 100th career victory. She is only the tenth player in program history to achieve this milestone.

Pellegrino was paired with her partner, senior Christine Evangelista. They faced doubles competition against Moravian’s Br itt n e y E a d y an d R o b e r t a Scantlebury. Etown had a 2-0 lead going to the No. 1 doubles match.

Victories from doubles pairs of junior Lauren Berry and sophomore Taylor Helsel, and sophomore Madison McCall and first-year Sam Procak gave Etown that early lead.

The match with Pellegrino and Evangelista was tied at 8-8, which forced the match to a tiebreaker. The pair of seniors came out on top to earn Pellegrino her 100th win. Before the match, Pellegrino said that it would be important for her to not let the idea of earning 100 wins get to her head. Now, she can celebrate her accomplishment and use this momentum moving for ward.

“100 wins is exciting,” Pellegrino said. “I’ve seen players from years previous like Madison Pipkin, Krisit Noeker and my doubles partner Christine Evangelista get their 100 and I remember being so excited for them. I honestly never thought I would be close enough to get a shot at 100.”

Pellegrino’s overall doubles record improved to 58-31, which leaves her tied for fifth in doubles wins for the program. Adding to her victories is a total of 42 singles wins.

B err y and Helsel defeated their opponents 8-4, giving them an overall season record of 7-1.

This win for the duo is their sixth straight win. McCall and Procak are working together effectively.

They defeated Caitlin Adams and Courtnie Lambert on Sunday, 8-2.

Moravian, now 0-2 in the Landmark Conference, lost to Etown in singles matches No. 3 through No. 6. Although the Greyhounds defeated the Blue Jays in the first two singles matches, Etown bounced back for four straight wins to seal a 7-2 win.

The Blue Jays were picked to finish second in the Landmark Conference in the preseason poll and the Jays are optimistic about the future. Pellegrino noted the importance of the team’s attitude to encourage one another. “In the matches, I think we need to focus on our attitude,” she said. “Yes, we play individual matches, but all six singles matches, or three doubles matches are put out at once. If a teammate is getting down on herself, you worry and it affects your play as well. We thrive off of each other’s attitudes and success.”

Helsel saw the trip to Hilton Head, Sc. as a big step in the right direction for the team. “I think winning those matches definitely gave us some confidence about going into this new conference,” she said. “Coming back to Etown, we had a slow start with our first match at Muhlenburg, but we came out strong against LVC. From here on out, we’re only going to get stronger and tougher to beat.”

The Blue Jays will return to the Alumni Courts on April 6 to face the Juniata Eagles at 2 p.m.

Sports

page 12

April 2, 2015

Men’s lacrosse team ties program’s longest winning streak

Blue Jays extend streak to eight, face United States Merchant Marine Academy next

by LUKE FERNANDEZ

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he Elizabethtown College men’s lacrosse team defeated the Cardinals of Catholic University in an 8-4 victory, Saturday, March 28. This win causes the Blue Jays to remain undefeated in the Landmark Conference. The Blue Jays have won the last seven games they have played. With just one more win they will tie the longest win streak in program history.

Sophomore Joe Clark helped push the Blue Jays to victory by scoring three goals against the Cardinals. This is Clark’s fourth hat trick this season.

The Blue Jays came out hot and were able to get off 18 shots in the first half of play, compared to the Cardinals eight shots. The Blue Jays scored their fourth goal of the first half in the last ten seconds.

Sophomore Nick Specht was able to score the final goal of the first half, allowing the Blue Jays to go into the third quarter with a 4-l lead. The Blue Jays extended their lead in the third quarter with three unanswered goals.

Sophomore Mike Specht scored Etown’s final goal in the fourth quarter with 12:33 remaining in the game. Senior goalkeeper Chris Wenger made 11 saves against the Cardinals, five of which were

in the fourth quarter, stopping the Cardinal’s attempt for a late comeback.

The Blue Jays defense helped solidify the team’s win Saturday by shutting down the Cardinals offense when they had three extraman situations. The Blue Jays’ defense did not allow the Cardinals to s c ore w h i l e t he y ha d t he advantage. The Blue Jays defense is ranked seventh in Division III scoring defense allowing 5.11 goals per game.

“We’ve been playing extremely well because we’ve been playing fast and fo c using on getting better at the little things,” junior defenseman Jake Snyder said after defeating Catholic.

The Blue Jays are confident in their abilities to keep improving as a team by working hard in practice.

“I think the team has played well and has been able to handle different adversities that will help prepare us we come down the home stretch,” junior midfielder Jake Evans said.

S ophomore defender Lu ke Stephens is also pleased the team’s work ethic and results. “I’m excited with what we’ve done this year so far, but if we keep working hard I’m very excited to see what we can do with the rest of our season,” he said.

The Blue Jays attempted to tie

Men’s tennis falls in home opener to Landmark foe, Moravian Greyhounds

by EMILY HARVEY

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he Elizabethtown College men’s tennis team made their debut and played their 2015 home opener Sunday, March 29 against Moravian College, a formal Landmark Conference rival. Although the weather had interfered and resulted in the rescheduling of previous matches, the team played their best on the campus’ Alumni Courts and finished with a score of 3-6.

“I was disappointed we lost but happy with how we played,” Coach Matt Helsel said. “ We kept fighting hard. It was really good we ended positively.”

The singles competition was neck and neck while both Etown and Moravian won 3 singles matches. Junior Nathan Dowling, junior Evan Hinkley and first-year Michael Yost defeated their opponent in the singles competition.

“Mike Yost has a nice day and it was a big win for him. Downing also did great and played strong.

Alex Machalick did really well” Helsel said. “We are a lot better than the record we have, I am overall very happy and proud of how the team played.”

In the doubles competition, the Blue Jays fought their hardest but their attempts to score were ultimately unsuccessful. “We struggled with doubles but Yost and Marty Rodgers brought us a

comeback” said Helsel.

The team was scheduled to travel to Juniata College on Friday, March 27 in Huntingdon, Pa and a home game was scheduled against the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, March 28.

On their spring break trip to Hilton Head Island, S.C. earlier in March, the Blue Jays dropped three matches by 5-4 scores and wanted their first win of the season. No. 2 and No. 6 singles were victorious points when sophomores Alex Machalick and Dowling both won a pair of matches.

Moravian came off a 7-2 victory at Catholic on Saturday March 28, pushing the Greyhounds into first place at the conference at 2-0. The Greyhounds swept doubles play from the Cardinals and then went 4-2 in singles. All three doubles teams who competed are on multiple-match winning streaks, while singles regular Lewis Cooper is riding a four-match winning streak as an individual.

Etown holds a 14-11 advantage in the all-time series, winning 5-4 when the teams last met on March 25 2007.

On Tuesday, March 31 the Blue Jays will head to Susquehanna University for their first Landmark road match. The first serve is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The next home match will be Thursday, April 2 against Lebanon Valley College.

April 2 Baseball vs. Scranton (DH) M Tennis vs. Lebanon Valley

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April 3 Baseball vs. Juniata (DH) W Lacrosse vs. Goucher

Photo: George Frey

The men’s lacrosse team defeated Catholic University and Immaculata University last week to extend their winning streak to eight straight games.The Blue Jays will face the United States Merchant Marine on Saturday before hosting Mount Saint Mary (N.Y.) next week.

the longest win streak record in program history yesterday when they faced Immaculata University.

Etown jumped out on Mighty Macs early in the game, scoring nine first quarter goals en route to a 17-10 victory.

The Blue Jays held a 9-1 lead after the first quarter, with sophomore Cody Larkin scoring the first goal of the game. Etown jumped out to an 8-0 lead before the host team could get on the scoreboard.

The Mighty Macs fell to 1-8 on

the season but managed to score eight second half goals to make the final score a little more respectable.

A 14-2 halftime lead for the Blu e Jay s c ou l d h ave forc e d Immaculata to throw in the towel, but the Mighty Macs fought back.

Immaculata outscored the Blue Jays 8-3 over the final two quarters.

Clark led the Blue Jays offensive attack with four goals and two assists on the afternoon. Mike Specht and Larkin had three goals each, while Specht added an assist

as well.

Senior Russ LeClair tied Clark for the team-lead in assists with two. Etown outshot Immaculata 50-25 and won 21 of the 31 faceoffs.

S oph om ore D av i s Mi r a c l e started in goal for the Blue Jays, playing the entire first half and making one save. Sophomore Trey Yetter and junior Basle Lavery also saw time in goal.

The Blue Jays will host the Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday afternoon on Wolf Field.

Athlete of the Week Kaitlyn Pellegrino

by BRIAN LUKACSY Senior Kaitlyn Pellegrino became the 10th women’s tennis player in program history to win 100 career matches on Sunday. Pellegrino and her doubles partner, senior Christine Evangelista, rallied to defeat Moravian’s doubles team for her milestone victory.

Pellegrino is 58-31 all-time in doubles and 42-27 in singles. She ranks tied for fifth all-time in career doubles victories at Etown.

Major: English Secondary Education, minor in Creative Writing Hometown: Williamsport, Pa. Favorite athlete/sports team: Rafael Nadal and Christine Evangelista ;) Favorite Jay’s Nest item: Turkey Pretzel Melt Favorite movie: Dead Poet’s Society or Freedom Writers Favorite musician/band: Imagine Dragons Favorite place to visit: Outer Banks, NC. or Georgian Bay, Ontario Hardly anyone knows that...

Before each of my matches, my roomie and teammate Sarah Calabro tells me “Shoot Straight, Katniss” and its pretty much become my good luck charm.

In 10 years, I want to be…

Hopefully teaching in a high school classroom, coaching tennis and getting a story published.

April 4 Baseball vs. Juniata Softball vs. Juniata (DH) M Lacrosse vs.

Merchant Marine

April 5

April 6 LVC Invitational M/W Tennis @ Juniata

Photo: Mandi Zeiders

Favorite Etown Memory: I’ve had many favorite memories at Etown, four full years of favorite memories. I don’t think I can pick just one, but I guess I can say mattress sledding my freshman year during the Halloween snow storm.

Greatest Etown accomplishment: Co-writing the article “From Innocence to Relevance” that was later published in The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) Review of The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Greatest tennis accomplishment: We have won our conference the past three years and made it on to the second round of nationals two of those three years. Its been pretty great getting the opportunity to travel, spend time and compete with these ladies.

I started playing tennis at age...

10.

April 7

April 8

W Tennis @ Susquehanna

M Tennis vs. Goucher M Lacrosse vs. Mount Saint Mary (N.Y.)