MAlf NI~ MlA I

by ReneeTomcanln managing editor

membered. It is from here, between these two decimated villages, that Back draws her inspiration.

Back read from Azimuth, published this fall by Sheep Meadow Press. Such poems as 'Three Love Chants," "Unplated," "Abu Saleem Healer," and "Where Grief Hollars" paint a vivid picture of love and loss, tradition and separation.

Dr. Back spoke of a vision she had of a buffalo, wandering the plains of Israel. There have never been any buffalo anywhere near this area. This vision served as inspiration for a collection of more recent poetry she calls "The Buffalo Poems." She read from this collection. They focused around the similarities between the violence in Israel and that toward the buffalo. "A Middle Eastern Fable and Nursery Rhyme" spoke of children from both cultures and the daily brutality ,they must endure.

Take 22 disco SQOgs, a small Greek island and a mother/daughter relationship, and you have the new musical "MammaMia!" Benny AnderssonandBjorn Ulvaeus, fonnally of the band ABBA, have createda maste~ of '70s songs and typical musical comedy, which is currently playing at the Forrest Theatre.

Dr. Rachel Tzvia Back, famous Israeli poet, visited the campus and read from her collection of poetry, •Azimuth.n

Back was born in Buffalo, New York in 1960. The daughter of American parents, she was brought up to believe that s)le and her family were "temporary inhabitants" of the United States. She studied at Yale, Temple University and the Hebrew hilltop to the north, the ruins of another village stand. They are the remains of a farm, the farm that once belonged to Back's great great great grandfather. He founded the town and established the first modem farm in Israel. This town was also evacuated and dis-

The political stability of her country is of great concern to Dr. Back. She understands and can appreciate the perspectives of both the Israeli and Palestinians. "These people [Palestinians] were completely displaced fifty years ago," she said. At the same time, she sympathizes and defends the Zionistic viewpoint, their landlessness and victimization. "I would like to see Israel become a ~emocracy" with Jewish tradition, but without the presence of ·atotal Jewish state. This is a controversial Post-Zionistic standpoint. Back has abandoned the hope for peaceful resolution in the near future. "There was a time,'' she said, "when it was possible and, in fact, probable. But not now." She_ suggests unilateral separation.

Despite the violent state of Israel and her conflicting opinions concerning the rearing of children in such a state, Back does not intend to leave. "I love Israel." There is a focus on community and on family that she finds unique and comforting.

MichelleAravena plays Sophie Sheridan, a 20 year-old gid who, much to her mother's dismay, is getting married. However,in order to make her white wedding perfect, she needs her father to walk her down the aisle. Unfortunately there are three possibilities. She invites the men to the island, where they all reunite with Sophie's mother, Donna played by Dee Hoty. Gary P. Lynch, Craig Bennett and Mark p/rQto t>yRenee Tomcanin Zimmerman play the three potential '"MammaMla;the play that incorporates fathers, each having a the music of ABBAopened in Philadelphia dark, painful past at the Forrest Theatre on Feb. 14 with Donna. The addition of Donna's former backup band, the Dynamos (played by Mary Ellen Mahoney and Gabrielle Jones), infuses comedy and the kind of '70s feel one would expect from an ABBA musical.

Sophie tries to fill in the gap that is missing'in her life while her mother confronts her past relationships. Each of father figures explores what having a grown daughter in their lives could mean.In addition to the main cast, friends and locals combine in spectacular song and dance numbers to help tell the story of self-discovery and finding out what is important in life.

There is a kind of electricity that runs through "Mamma Mia!" that separates it from most other musicals. ABBA classics such as "Dancing Queen;' "Super Trouper:' "T~ a Chance on Me" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You" sneak in when least expected and fit perfectly into the plot line without being forced. The dance sequences are powerful and fun, showcasing the talent of the cast. The leads and the chorus perfectly blend vocally. Hoty, Mahoney and Jones steal the show during their one-time-only performance as "Donna and the Dynamos," with sequined jumpsuits, silver platform shoes and singing style that would make Elton John jealous. The whole musical has a rock concert feel while maintaining the qualities of a good musical comedy.

Whether youare a full-blown ABBA fan or just a casual musical goer."Manuna Mia!" will delight and entertain you. The songs are brought down from their disco status to mingle nicely in with the storyline, so those who are not fans of the music of excess wiJIenjoy it also. Make sure you stay through the curtain calls for a big_sw-prise.

"Mamma Mia!" is playing now until March 23 at the Forrest Theatre on Walnut Street in Philadelphia. For tickets and information, visit www.telecharge.com, www.forrest-theMre.com or can (800) 447-7400.

Assistant News Editor

Which would you rather have?

Being five minutes away from any class; being able to wake up five minutes before class and still be respectively on time; having school resources at you finger tips, having your friends five minutes away; not having to drive home from a campus party after you've gotten completely wasted, or ordering a chicken finger hoagie at la.m. from campus comer and sharing it with your roommates are just some of the perks of living on campus.

Then we look on the side that has th~ greener grass according to Cabrini students. If you have your own apartment off campus then you lose a lot of the perks of being so close. You must deal with traffic, lose sleep, come back to school when you need materials and you must dial 902 before calling any of the faculty on campus. However you will never be in the Loquitur Public Safety report, you can drink and not hide the bottles when there is a knock on the door, you can smoke in your room, your computer server will be up more often, when you do the walk of shame nobody knows you and you don't need a food plan.

To live on Cabrini College campus you must pay $7,860.00 for" room and board, an extra

It's that time of year again. It's time to make the decision on whether or not you will live on or off campus. After weighing your options which will you choose?

$250.00 for a private room, an extra $350.00 to live in the apartments and a $350.00 security deposit. To live off campus with in a 20 mile radius the cost varies from $500.00 in the Conshohocken area to $1500.00 in the King-of Prussia area, a month for a one bedroom apartment. You can get a full list of varieties on www .apartment.com, but for the basic one bedroom, one bath, unfurnished apartment it will run you· around $500.00-$650.00 in rent per month. Let's figure this out: $600.00 X 12 months in a year equal $7200.00. Plus a security deposit, which is normally, the first and last months rent, so now we are up $8400.00. Utilities for one person will run roughly around $200.00 with phone and basic cable. Now the bill is up to $8600.00.

This does not include food. At Cabrini, students have something called meal exchange. This meal exchange gives you three options, 19 meals per week with $12.00 in flex money, 14 meals per week with $25.00 flex money or •10 meals per week with $50.00 flex money. Flex money is attached to your student ID like a credit card. This money is used for a m!!al, or a snack between meals. A student may only get the 10 meal deal if they live in the Cabrini apartment complex. "Why you must have a meal program when you live in the apartments is beyond me," Christ Swift said. "We have a kitchen, why travel to the cafeteria to eat. If our flex time worked at-Giant food market it would be more feasible." While Cabrini students have this meal program more often than not they spend money at the grocery store and fast food joints regardless of the meal program. Therefore food for an off campus commuter saves you money. I don't eat three meals a day," said Kit Dewey, an apartment resident. "Plus the fact that flex·moneydoes not carry over."

Dustin Farrell, a former Cabrini resident who moved off • • campus in 2001. " I find it a lot easier to live off campus because of the freedom you have," Farrell said. "I have more money that I don't have to worry about giving to public safety. Seriously, I save about $3000.00 a year. Don't get me wrong, my sophomore and freshman years were a blast, but I have grown up and need more independence. I mean I am over 21; I should be able to invite friends over and have a cocktail whenever I want. The beauty of your own place is that you can have a party, or a get together and on the other hand you can be completely alone which is impossible on campus. I am a private person and don't let everyone know my business, which was impossible to make happen with Cabrini's gos- sip queens. Cabrini just got too strict for me after my junior year. C'mon were in college, we are supposed to have fun."

Between the two living off campus saves money because there is no meal exchange, and one can control money going out for bills by being thrifty. While the bill is higher for living off campus this is for 12 months, not two semesters. Two semesters equals about eight months in which students must move twice on and off campus.

For those students who live with their parents the bill is minimum. "I live home with my parents and don't have to pay for food or rent," said Lauren Socia a Cabrini commuter. "I hate the drive especially when I have to come back five or six times for class or study materials but I like having my own shower and my own room."

Living off campus, where it is cheaper, accounts for more responsibility. Paying bills once a month and keeping a good job to pay these bills is a big step into the adult aspect of lif~. Plus keep up with school is a major challenge. Living on campus does not require a student to have a job as long as tuition is paid. This allows the student to pay more attention to his/her studies. However it is possible to hold a job and do well in school, it is all about motivation.