Dec. 04, 2003 issue 13 Loquitur

Banner creates confusion Business holds due to unpaid bills faced 700 students as they prepared for registration. Students have blamed the offices involved. The staff in those offices blamed the new computer system. The Cabrini One computer system allows all students to see before registering if they have unpaid bills.

Joseph Mackie, a sophomore business administration major, said that some of the problems are due to a lack of communication between the business and financial aid offices. "Their customer service is horrible," Mackie said. Earlier this semester, Mackie had trouble clearing up an unexplainable balance and although it did not affect his registration, he sympathizes with those who are currently trying to straighten out their finances.

"It's a pain to have to walk back and fourth between the two offices," Mackie said.

Linda Ross, an office assistant in the financial aid office, said that problems can be attributed to the new Banner computer record system. She said that unlike the AS400, the system Cabrini previously used, updates are not automatically made and that both the business and financial aid offices will not be aware of any problems with a balance unless it is brought to their attention by a

Funding process confuses clubs

JESSICA MARRELLA STAFF WRITER JRM722@CABRNl.EDU

The 27 clubs and organizations on campus were the guinea • pigs of a new funding process established by the Student Activities department and the Student Government Association.

In previous years, all of the money available for funding clubs was divided equally among them. This year, funding is part of a registration process.

familiar enough with the program, which leads to more confusion. "We always could use more training," Ross said.

Jan Fogle, the cash receipts coordinator of the business office, agreed with Ross. The new Banner system was implemented in July, which did not leave the staff much time to learn how to properly operate it for the start of the new semester in August. "It's cumbersome. Anything that used to take us five minutes now takes half an hour," Fogle said.

Barbara Destefano, an accounts receivable assistant in the business office, said that she believes the problems are a result of several factors that are unavoidable. DeStefano said that not all personnel have been efficiently trained in the Banner system and that what they do know is what they've learned from each other within their departments.

"We're not aware of all its functions and we're doing a lot of it manually," Destefano said. She speculates that there are additional inaccuracies with students' financial and registration information due to this manual entry.

Although staff blamed the Banner system, Bebe Daily, the senior system administrator who trained staff in its use, said otherwise. "All offices have had training," Daily said. "There is a request system in place so if they have a problem they can get help." Daily emphasized that it is the responsibility of the student

to be up to date on their financial records, especially since they can be viewed through Cabrini One.

Registration causes frustration

Many second semester juniors are running into a problem trying to get into SEM 300 classes. The acting assistant registrar Camille Tinney said, "A lot of them, depending on the topic of the course, want certain instructors, so they fill up fairly quickly."

Seminar classes are designed to be smaller, "Seminars should only have 18 students and they'll go to 20 and a few are a little over enrolled with 22 students," Tinney said. Tinney recommends that students come with back-up courses in case their first choices are filled. 'We still take the time and see what we can do to help switch and find another class that will fit their schedule."

Freshmen run into problems every year concerning getting into the classes they want to take.

Freshmen register the last two days scheduled for registering and their classes are often filled up. Freshmen Laura Polvinale said, "Some of my classes were filled, but it was OK because I had already had some of the teachers and they could sign me in."

In the future the office of the registrar hopes to have students registering for classes through the new Banner system. "You will meet with your adviser and there will be some kind of format set up so that we know that your adviser is approving the classes you register for,"Tinney said.

To be recognized as a campus organization, the clubs must be registered. After registering, a club can apply for the amount of funding the wish to receive. Student Activities along with SGA reviews the information.

In order to be considered for funding a club must be open to everyone and have at least four members. The club should be "purposeful" and "benefit the Cabrini community" according to Amy Hecht, assistant director of student activities.

The president for the Council of Exceptional Children, Amy Gaylord, senior special education major, did not have to request funding from Student Activities. Instead, the club asks its members to pay a due of $3. This year when it came time for their annual Divine Providence Dinner, a big event for the group, they were short $200.

Gaylord could not turn to Student Activities for money because the group collects dues and therefore cannot be funded. Instead, they had to turn to another education club who gave them the money for their dinner. Even though the group collects dues, it is not mandatory that each member gives the S3, they can't force their members to pay.

Gaylord wishes that they could have turned to Student Activities for the money they needed.

"That's what they're there for. I really didn't like having to ask another group for money," Gaylord said.

....,,

FUNDING, page 3

Warm interactions with students help receptionist feel at home

Admissionsiskey to a betterCollege

experience

T,venty mmutes west of Cabrini. in the residential area of Collegeville, Pa.. is Ursinus College. Ursinus is much like Cabrini in some aspects-- it is comparable in size, has traditional dorms. modern apartments and well lived-in houses, and it is in the middle of a well-populated neighborhood, which includes a police station and townhouses directly next to the college.

But something sets Ursinus a caliber above Cabrini. Ursinus is a seven day-a- week college with seven-day a week students. A major reason for this is that 90 percent of its students are residents and a majority of them stay on the weekend.

It does not take a rocket scientist to conclude that Cabrini is a commuter school with a four-day a week resident population. The college is seeking to end this problem by having 25 percent of classes on Fridays in hopes that students will start staying on the weekends.

The problem lies deeper than just holding classes on Fridays. The college needs to look at whom they are accepting. Ursinus students stay on the weekend because they want to be at college and they are making the most of their experience. They realize they are at college to get an education. have fun and grow.

What is Ursinus doing that Cabrini is not? A major aspect is the admissions process. Ursinus prides itself on a selective admissions process-they require an essay, high school recommendations and quality SAT scores.

Cabrini is trying to up its admissions standards and rightfully so. This year's freshmen class has a large number of honors students and the average SAT scores went up 50 points from the class before. However, the college still needs to fine tune its admissions process. If the college wants to continue being more selective as it claims, then it is going to have to require more of its students in the admissions process. Shouldn't students be expected to demonstrate more thoroughly that they want to attend Cabrini?

The Campus Activities and Programming Board 1s tireless in trying to get students more involved. CAP keeps encouraging students to come out to its event,; and see what it has to offer. They say that the student has to change the atmosphere of the college, and they are right in that aspect. But that is only half the battle.

It is clear that the biggest reason Grsinus students stay on the weekends is because there is life on the weekends for the avernge 18 to 22-year-old. Sure the college brings the occasional magician or mind reader, but it is not a staple of the college. Instead, Ursinus has things college students want to participate in-parties, bands, and spirited sporting events that the school takes pride in.

Cabrini should and could be doing all of these things. Ursinus requires every guest to register with its Public Safety and carry a registration card around with him or her. At the doors of every party. there is someone checking the registration card-if you do not have a registration card. you cannot go to the party. The people of the house or the apartment register the parties, they are responsible for everything that happens at the parties. and they arc responsible for having the party end at 2 a.m. There are also two sober people at each party. and there is an assortment of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available.

The administration at Cabrini would argue that no one under the age of 21 is allowed in the presence of alcohol. The students would argue that clubs in Philadelphia are able to enforce the rule that you can be 18 tc, get in, but need to be 21 to drink.

The administration would also say that bands couldn't come to Cabrini past a certam point because of the noise it would create for the residents nearby. Ursinus has bands come frequently and they play outside and inside the houses, which are directly in front of residential houses and across the street from a police station.

What Cabrini needs to decide is what din:ction it wants to take and how to get there. Many students, faculty and staff want to make the college an exciting, high quality, 24/7 campus. Loquitur has thrown out a few ideas in this editorial. What do you think? If you have ideas, let's start a dialogue in the spring semester. Send your ideas to Loquitur@cabrini.edu.

CHRISTlNA WILLIA'.\1S STAFF WRITER CMW722@CABRJNI.EDlJ

As students walk into the student development office the first thing they see is the smile on Patti Snyder's face. There are always students sitting on the chairs by Snyder's deskjust talking. Snyder gives the office a casual and homey feel when students are there. Everything is organized and under control.

As students observe Snyder's desk they will find it full of toys, candy and if students look closely they will see the pet fish on the desk behind Snyder, which is named Petey. All of these items give students an insight to Snyder's fun and pleasant personality.

Snyder is the receptionist for Student Life, which means she handles calls that come in for residence life and student activities. Snyder docs not necessarily have to deal with the calls that come in regarding housing. Snyder said, "I try and help if I know the information the person is requesting." However, it is more of Snyder's job to direct these people who are calling Cabrini to the right department.

Before Snyder started working at Ca brim m March of 2001, she was a stay-at-home mom to her three children. The decision to come to Cabrini was not necessarily a hard one. Snyder said, "When my kids went back to

JEN"'Al.EWANDOWSl(J/PHOTOEDITOR

Patti Snyder,the secretary in the Residence Llfe office, loves the interaction she gets with swdents school it was time to go back to work."

Snyder's three children, who are now between the ages of 16 and 14, keep her quite busy. Snyder said. "My free time consists of taking one to this practice and another to a different practice."

Being a receptionist for student life is a perfect job fit for Snyder who is known for her great personality. Snyder has no regrets what-so-ever about the decision she made to come to

2003-2004 Loquitur Staff

Cabrini. Snyder said there are no bad aspects of her job and that the best part of her job is the intcract10n she gets to have everyday with the students here at Cabrini. It is the nice students that really keep Snyder here at Cabrini. Snyder said, "There are not many jobs where people get a hug everyday." The interaction between Snyder and the students is always a pleasant one and it is this aspect of Snyder's job that makes what she does enjoyable.

Christopher Jones Michael Sitinchc Caitlin Langley Tanya Tuma1an Ashlee Len~myer Christina Williams

Staff Photographers Melissa Arriola. Erin Callahan, Ian Dahlgren, Bridget Dllnnelly~David Ehrlich, Michael Ferrise, Andrew Findlay, Diana Frosch. Leslie Gahin, Susan Humes, Pete Kulick, Annette Musloski, James Peterson, Dan Salvatore, Alissa Smith, Julie Smith. Kelly Wayland

Web Team

Toccara Buckley, Robert Cam, Ce<:elia Franci~o, l\fansa Gallelh, Stephanie Mangold, Ryan )'.;oms. Angelina Wagner

Our Mission Statement

The Loquitur 1s CabriniCollege·s weekly.student-run. 1:ampusncv.spapcr It is widely respected as the ,·mce of studems, staff. faculty, alumni and many others outside the Cabrim community. The Loquitur has earned its position by advocalLngfor selfexpre~s1onthrough freedom ofspee<:b,and by ~cnmg as an outlet for readers to.alfei.:tchange on-(;amplL~and off.

Founded in 1959, the Loqmtur has thrived and greatly expanded its readership. Th~ paper now has 1,674 online readers and 1.500 print reatkrs on a weekly basis. Our mission is 10prmidc readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions freely, in an environment \I.heretheir voices ure effectively heard and respected The l,oquitur: You speak. We listen.

Loquilur is a laborator~ ne"spaper written, edilcd and produced by lhe students or COM 353,

Bushconsidersdraft

NINA SCrMENES STAFF WRITER NMs722@CABRINI.EDU

A large rotation of troops in Iraq will be taking place in January. After completing oneyear active duty terms in Iraq ,130,000 troops will be replaced with a number of new troops. The rotation of troops stationed, plus an additional number of troops will bring the total number of troops stationed overseas to 180,000.

The United States failed to gain support from other countries by sending their troops in addition to America. Extended tours that the U. S. reserve forces have been asked to serve has caused some Congressional leaders to question the reliance on reserve forces. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that he thinks over-reliance on reserves

will cause retention problems.

Students wonder if the problem of getting sufficient troops will lead to a reinstitution of the draft. Since 1973, the U.S. ended the draft, and became an all-volunteer military.

Americans can proudly choose to fight for freedom and represent their country.

If the draft were to be brought back, those who it would affect would not be prepared for it. "It would throw off and disturb society," Dr. Jolyon Girard, a former army officer and history professor, said. Since Americans have been used to not having a draft, the idea may be hard to accept.

Signing up for the part time Army Reserve has many benefits including gaining college credit. The length of service for an Army Reserve is a minimum of one year. Being an Army Reserve requires the standard eight-year military service obligation knowing that they will be asked to serve full time in times of need.

College students have the option to sign up for ROTC, which means going through training, and becoming an officer of the army and continuing to study simultaneously. About 75 percent of the officers in the army are Army ROTC. Earning a degree while serving part-time service in the Army can open up more doors of opportunity when job hunting in the future.

New technology is another factor that must be taken into consideration. Modem battles can be fought more with the help ·of machines instead of men. This is a different war from others in the past. World War II and Vietnam required much more time on land with men fighting men than today's battles being primarily controlled by air strikes.

"We need to fight smart, not necessarily fight large," Dr. James Hedtke, history and political science professor, said.

Funding causes confusion among club leaders

FUND.ING,page 1

Cabrini's Dance Team also had a difficult time with funding.

Coaches Kendall Neil, junior communications major, and Alicia DelPizzo, junior internet computing major, were told that the team would be funded by

Student Activities. They were instructed to keep track of their budget and that they would be reimbursed for their expenses. A week later, they received a phone call informing them they no longer could be funded by student activities because they held tryouts and had cuts and therefore were not open to everyone. "No

one ever told me that if we had cuts we couldn't be funded," DelPizzo said.

Kate Dintino, president of both the sociology club and Alpha Kappa Delta, doesn't know what to make of the new funding system. "All that I can say at this point is that the funding system is very confusing to me," Dintino

Toy drive benefits CHOP

CARLI PIO

STAFF WRITER

CAP723@CABRINI.EDU

This year Amy Wildey and her college success class hope to brighten the Christmas of the children hospitalized at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia by distributing toys. They have been collecting new, unwrapped toys from our campus community.

CHOP was the first hospital in the nation to open its doors with the purpose of devoting its services exclusively to the care of children in 1855. Since then, the hospital has established the distinction of being ranked among leading pediatric hospitals and research centers in the world.

"This is the first year we have been collecting toys for CHOP," Wildey said. "One of my students [freshman psychology major, Mary Beth Boyle] approached me with ·the idea back in September because she spent last Christmas as a patient at CHOP, and she saw how upsetting it was for the children to not have a normal Christmas."

November, new toys have been collected in collection boxes located in the Rooymans Center and in New Residence Hall. Toy donations will continue to be collected up until and through the second week of December.

Thus far, 60 toys have been donated, but there is still a way to go before reaching the goal of 150 toys that the college success class has set for itself.

Also contributing a great deal to the toy drive is Wildey's college success class co-facilitator, Michael Barnes. When Barnes learned his class would be heading up the toy drive, he thought of a way to take the project one step further.

Barnes, who is a resident assistant in addition to being cofacilitator, transformed the annual RA program, Penny Wars, into another way to benefit the patients at CHOP.

The money that will be collected by this program, that turns dorm against dorm to see which one can collect the most money, will win a pizza party during finals week. And in the words of Barnes, "Dude, how totally rad

Since the beginning of would that be?"

But hey, don't go shoving your dollar bills in your dorms collection jug just yet. Only pennies are counted as positive points towards your dorm receiving a pizza party. Silver coins and bills can be used to sabotage your neighboring dorms. They are counted as negative points.

Unfortunately since the toy drives start in November, Boyle has found herself back at CHOP as a patient, after having been in and out of the medical center since age two. "Her hospitalization makes this toy drive even more meaningful for the Cabrini community," Wildey said. But don't think that her hospitalization has stopped her from participating in the drive. Wildey explained that Boyle is still very much active in the drive, even from her hospital bed.

Stop by the Rooymans center in Amy Wildey's office to check out a list of suggesteditems.Toysdo not have to begift wrapped.

said.

Jason Bozzone, director of student activities, recently sent out an e-mail to the entire Cabrini community. The e-mail congratulated student leaders and advisors for registering their organizations on time. The e-mail also served as a way to inform students about the clubs available to

them. Of the 27 registered clubs, 1wo are new this year, Students Against Dangerous Decisions and the cheerleading club. Anyone interested in starting a new club should see Student Activities for information.

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Staff Sargent Johnnie Hughes teaches soldiers how to properly march.

AmyWildey, the coordinator of Disability Support Services, sits amid an array of donated children's toys. She is spearheading a toy drive to benefit children at CHOP.

Parking policy still confusing to all students

MICHAEL A. SITIRICHE MAs723@CABRINI.EDU STAFF WRITER

An alarm clock goes off at 5:55 a.m.; a student jumps out of bed, throws on sneakers and runs out of House 2. Running up the stairs between Houses 2 and 3, the student takes the short-cut. between the Widener Center and Founders Hall to get to the parking lot. Finally, she reaches her car to see a long, tan ticket on her windshield.

Looks like everywhere one looks, one sees a Public Safety officer, along with their trusty, ticket pad writing up yet another ticket. The question is, is there an influx? Charlie Schaffner, director of public safety, said, "The parking problem is perceived as more of a problem because of the number of students." So there really is no influx of students. It's just that common sense would show that if there is more students on campus with cars, more parking regulations will be violated, hence bringing on more tickets.

At Cabrini, one is given the right to appeal the ticket he or she receives. All you have to do is walk into the public safety office, fill out the appeal form, hand it in with the appeal and wait a few days for the results. Amy Chan, senior graphic design major, said, "I find the whole appeal process so informal. It's like they receive an appeal and just stamp granted or denied and they don't even bother to read it. It feels like a lottery sometimes; like you get a few numbers, but most of the time you lose." When it comes to the appeals, Schaffner said, "Here is the break down. A third are granted. a third are denied and for the people who receive multiple tickets or just one ticket we grant a third partials. In all appeals I try to look at the student's point of view."

Some students feel that they should be allowed to plead their case. Chan said, "I think some people can explain the situation better in person. I don't think the letter gets the point across." Is this possible?

Schaffner said, "If you received a ticket from a police officer and wanted to fight it, you would have to take a day off from work, spend the whole day downtown and wait for them to call your case."

Alcohol outlawed at games

LAUREN RErLLY STAFF WRITER LMR722@CABRJ).f].EDU

The National ColJege Athletic Association and Pennsylvnia Athletic Conference require that Cabrini provide an alcohol-free venue during sporting events. Although there have been a few issues in the past, Charlie Schaffner, the director of public safety, said, "It's not a major problem at this time, it's very well under control."

Currently the men's lacrosse team is on probation for PAC for not hosting an alcohol-free venue during last spring's championships. The Spring Fling coincided with three championship games that Cabrini hosted last year, causing some students who were not attending the games to come too close to the sport field with their alcoholic beverages. A member of the opposing team complained to the PAC.

A few precautions have been taken so as to prevent this from happening again. Student Activities will not hold Spring Fling during the championships this year and all games have Public Safety officers on duty. In addition to this, athletic director Leslie Danehy said that within the next few years, she would like to see fencing installed around the playing field in order to "properly delineate the field from the rest of the campus."

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Danehy said that so far this events. "I think alcohol should be year, there have not been many allowed as long as it's done in problems but that there is still- moderation," Lynsey McStravick, room for improvement. "We need a freshman accounting major, to change the social culture of said. our sporting events," Danehy Women's soccer player said. Adrienne Baldwin, a sophomore Danehy is aware that this may social work major, said that not deter alumni from attending allowing alcohol in the sports sporting events. She has drafted venues affects the spectator a policy on tailgating where turnout. "I think more people alumni can request a back patio would go to our games if they area

Bush trip to Iraq a Wellkept secret

President George W.Bush visited Iraq on Thursday, Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, to have dinner with more than 600 troops. The trip was kept secret from everyone including the first family and the troops themselves until the president left Baghdad, according to the British Broadcasting Company.

Two Americans kiHed in Syria

Yule Log celebration unites campus and community

MATT CAMPBELL STAFF WRITER MCC724@CABRINI.EDU

Winter coats draped the backs of every seat, as family and friends from the surrounding community filled the cafeteria. The burning of the Yule Log brought everyone out into the brisk cold, standing outside the mansion. President Iadarola had the honor of lighting her candle then passing the flame to everyone as the crowd circled the blaze.

The evening started in the cafeteria where the tables were decorated with holly and candles making for a Christmas-like dinner. Students and friends sat elbow to elbow as they ate the turkey, ham and stuffing. Six

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families from the nearby Colony Shelter intermingled with the students. The shelter works to keep the families together so they do not have to separate into different foster homes. Annette OwensJohnson, shelter manager, said, "We keep them together as families until they become stable."

The shelter has a 90 day program where they work with the families on housing, education and self-sufficiency. Gwendolyn Neal, transitional housing case manager, said, "We do whatever we need to do to get families stabilized. When the students come from Cabrini they really make a great impact on the- children's lives."

Cabrini and the rest of the community moved from the cafeteria to the mansion entrance

where the traditional Yule Log was lit on fire. Father Michael Bialecki said a few words as the crowd stood holding lit candles watching the Yule Log spit ambers into the air.

Christmas carols followed up the ceremonial Yule Log burning. The community gathered in Grace Hall ~here carols were sung with the tune of a guitarist. Ending the night's festivities, children lined up to take swings at a piiiata. The nights events were organized through Dr. Mary Laver and the Wolfington Center. Laver, coordinator of community outreach partnerships, said, "I think it's what makes this place a community and not just a college."

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Sophomores and juniors are encouraged to participate in Widener's "Student for a Day" program.

An ambush of a US. convoy near the Syrian border resulted .-------. in the deaths of two Americans on Sunday, ,_. ft, - Nov: 30. This brought the death toll to 79 in / November alone, making it the bloodiest month since the war began, according to the New YorkTimes.

7 Spanish agents killed in lrag

Seven Spanish intelligence agents were killed in an attack in Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday,Nov. 30. Pictures of young Iraqis celebrating the deaths appeared on Spanish television soon after, adding to the already polar national opinion on Spain's role as United States allies in Iraq. Despite the protests, Prime Minister Jose MariaAznar, one of President Bush's strongest supporters, committed to continued support, according to the New York Times.

Construction in the West Bank stopped Ahmed Qurei, the prime minister of Palestine, refused on Saturday, Nov. 29, to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharone until the construction of the barrier currently being built in the West Bank was halted. Both prime ministers are open to discussion, and advisors are negotiating meeting arrangements this week, according to the "'lew York Times.

Sniper to testify against accomplice

Convicted sniper John Muhammad may be called to testify againsthis 18-year-old accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, this week. Authorities do not yet know if Muhammad will be willing to testify, according to the Washington Post.

Concert in South Africa for AIDS victims

A concert, headlined by Beyonce Knowles and Bono of U2, benefited AIDS victims at Nelson Mandela's charity event in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday, Nov. 9. The fivehour show was also broadcast on the Internet, according to the British Broadcasting Company.

Senaton visit troops in lraq

Senators Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Jack Reed, D-R.I., flew into Iraq on Saturday, Nov. 29, to visit with troops and "say thank you for the extraordinary work," according to the British Broadcasting Company.

1.\-linisterreturns after sening sentence

Rev: Henry J. Lyons, a Baptist minister from St. Petersburg, Fl., returned to his church on Sunday, Nov. 30, after serving a four-year sentence for tax evasion, racketeering, and grand theft, He will be on probation for three years and have to pay $2.5 million in restitution. Lyons was caught after his wife set fire to a $700,000 home he bought with a mistress, according to the Washington Post.

Michael Jackson to be dropped by Sony Sony Corp. is looking to drop Michael Jackson after almost 25 years. Sony said the molestation allegations against the 45-yea,r-old pop icon and the mounting legal bills had nothing to do with the decision, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

MATTCAMPBru/STAFFWRITER

Children line up, in Grace Hall, to take swings at a pinata.

New dance studio opens in Wayne

KENDALL NEIL A&E EDITOR KMN722@CABRINI.EDU

Those who frequent the local Wawa and Wine and Spirits store on Route 30 may have noticed a brand new addition in the back parking lot; Wayne Ballet and Center for Dance Arts has opened. The studio offers eager dancers of all ages the chance to take a variety of classes from ballet to hip-hop to break dancing and tap.

"Our faculty represents the best of the Philadelphia dance community. All have had performing careers in addition to teaching careers and have danced with everyone from George Ballanchine to Will Smith. We have choreographed, performed and taught both in the US and internationally. We continue to participate actively in dance communities coast to coast and abroad," artistic director and founder Laura Brownstone said on the studio's website.

For adults who are interested in the studio, it offers a flexible payment plan and it seems to be one of the more popular options for adult students who are interested in dancing at the studio. There are 10 classes per card for $120 and no registration fee. A single class is $13. Class

cards are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Sophomore Kelsey Kuhwald attended a Thursday hip-hop class with senior Laura Giorlando a few weeks ago and said that despite the nerves she felt going into the class, she ended up having fun. "When we got there, Laura and I were surrounded by 12 and 13 year olds, but we didn't let it get to us. Clyde, the teacher, was awesome. He is such a talented dancer."

The only downfall Kuhwald mentioned was that the teacher started off quickly and she hadn't danced in awhile due to an injury so it was hard coming back to it right away. "All in all it was a good class, but I wouldn't take it every week because it's a little on the expensive side. And plus I don't know if I would continue to take classes with 13 year olds," Kuhwald said.

The center contains three state of the art dance studios. For those who are interested, registration can be done either in person or online.

For more information visit the studio at 205 West Lancaster Ave in Wayne, call at 610-2479636 or visit online at www.wbcda.com.

First fem ale Coffeehouse performer makes debut

PETE KULICK GUEST WRITER

Coffeehouses are a dime a dozen, but the acts that perform in them are anything but.

The room was dim, except for the purple lights hanging from the rafters. A lone piano stands centered on the stage that is set for an unknown singer/songwriter, Jennifer Marie.

A run of the blender mix between Janis Joplin, Christina Aguilera, Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette, Marie captured her audience's attention at the Jazzman's Coffeehouse on Wednesday,Nov. 19.

Originally from Rochester, N.Y., Marie took an unexpected career path towards music stardom. After graduating with prelaw degree, Marie decided her music was a dream that needed to become a realization.

As Marie sat behind her piano, students were apprehensive about what to expect. As she belted out the lyrics to her opening song, students were taken aback by her amazing voice. "It was good; soothing," senior Laura Giorlando said.

While most singer/songwriters in today's music scene express themselves artistically for financial reasons, Marie sang from the heart. Pouring everything she had into her songs, Marie was authentic.

This could be said of songs like "Ode To Youth," or "Addiction." Marie dealt with issues identifiable for college students. Marisa Castellana, a junior, said, "Her lyrics were about situations in life, they make you think about things differently."

Marie's song "Too Much To

Take" seemed to strike a chord with students in the cafe. An original song about being unable to handle the difficulties one can face, Marie's lyrics caught some people off guard with her honest approach at dealing with problems in life.

Marie closed the night with a cover of Janis Joplin's "Me and my Bobby McGee." A cover that

had people clapping their hands and singing along. Marie managed to cover this famous song without musical accompaniment.

You can buy Marie's new album, which debuts in January. If you are a fan of true, soulful music with a message, pick up the album.

WBCDA is open on Lancaster Avenue in Wayne. Classes include ballet, hip-hop, break dancing

groups.

Singer/songwriter Jennifer Marie performed for Cabrini students in a Campus Activities and Programming

Wednesday, Nov. 19. She perfomed her first song while playing the piano and surprised hesitant audience members with her soulful voice and honest lyrics.

What was your favorite • movie this year?

The movies

MARY HAZEL, CAITLIN LANGLEY, AND KENDALL NEIL GUEST WRITER, STAFF WRTIER, A&E EDITOR MTH722@CABRINI.EDU. CEL722@CABRINI. EDU, KMN722@CABRINI.EDU

"The Cat In the Hat"

of the holidays

house is less than perfectly clean. Once Judy leaves the children at home with the babysitter, The Cat reeks havoc on the house.

"Pirates of the Carribean because Johnny Depp was an incredible actor."

-Brian Felice, junior

"The Cat In the Hat," staring Mike Myers as The Cat, grossed $40,100,000 in its opening weekend. Mike Myers seems like he is just using tired old routines that we have seen him use either on Saturday Night Live or in Austin Powers. There are several parts where it seemed that the character was his Fat Bastard or Dr. Evil on the screen and not that of the The Cat. Kelly Preston plays Judy, a single mom whose boss, Mr. Humberfloob, played by Sean Hayes, asks her to host a reception at her house, but threatens to fire her if the

The children are played by Dakota Fanning as Sally, and Spencer Breslin as Conrad. Myers upstaged both of the children with his over-the top antics. Alec Baldwin plays Quinn, the neighbor who has a romantic interest in Judy, but we later find out his motives are not pure.

Overall this movie veered off the course of the original story written by Dr. Suess. It is loaded with vulgar jokes about belches, farts, and dog pee. It takes a classic childhood story that teaches children not only a love for words and language and turns it into an hour and 20 minutes of filler that no one, including children, will get anything out of. My advice is to skip this movie and go see Elf instead.

"Elf"

From laughing to crying, the movie, "The Elf", is a feel good movie, with a bittersweet happy ending. The Elf, played by Will Farrell, is a man raised by elves working for Santa Claus in the North Pole. He lives his whole life as elf and always being told that because he was different, he was special. After hearing other elves talk about him, his adopted father Papa Elf tells him that he is a human and not in fact an elf. Buddy decides to find his real father. So with the blessing of Papa Elf, Buddy heads to New York City where his birth father lives with his wife and other son. His father feels as though this is some sort of prank until a blood test proves that Buddy is

"Elf. The best line was "Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?"

-Sarah Pizza, freshman

Music of the future

JUSTIN HALLMAN STAFF WRITER JJH722@CABRINI.EDU

"Lord of the Rings. It had great special effects and a good story line."

-Shawn Gracey, senior

The future is near in the world of multimedia, namely music. On the cusp of the controversies of illegal downloading and wrongful file sharing, an alternative source to CD's is being developed. So throw away your walkmans, toss your CD burners in the garbage, and trash your brand new head unit, because the time has come for fingertip-sized memory tabs.

PEDOT is a clear material that conducts electricity and has been used for years as a coating on photographic film, in order to prevent static However, in recent years, researchers and scientists have been looking at PEDOT as a future way to store digital information. Just as in a computer, the material would contain a system of zeroes and ones in order to represent pixels and digital information.

"Finding Nemo. I love Disney movies and Nemo is so cute."

-Megan Reich, junior

U.S. scientists from Princeton University alongside computer experts from Hewlett-Packard have banded together to create a form of a thin film, silicon-based, electronic-like device. They claim

that turning this relatively new idea and invention into something that could be commercially available may take as little as five years to launch.

These newly founded memory card-like devices would take place of CD's permanently and could and will fit between your fingers. The devices are expected to have the capability to store more than a gigabyte of information and still be paperthin. In addition, it would permanently store data faster and easier than it is to do on a CD.

The biggest plus people think to thin cards is that it would not involve any moving parts. For instance, for a CD to work properly, a motor drive spins the CD and a laser reads the data off of it, in order to project the music. This new card is planned to plug into an electric circuit of some sort and have the ability to directly record or export files. Higher voltages at particular points in the grid of the card would burn into a certain fuse. This burnt fuse would result in a permanent etching of your favorite song. When reading the device, the electronic circuit will read burned grids as zeroes and unburned as ones.

his son. Buddy tries to converge the life he knew in the North Pole with the life he was now living in New York City with people who are like him. He encourages people to smile (because it's his favorite) and answers the phone and asks callers what their favorite color is.

This movie is anything and everything a holiday classic should be. It is without a doubt a feel good movie that gives the audience a chance to sit back, laugh, and enjoy the holiday season.

Check out a review of the holiday movie, "Bad Santa" at www.theloquitur.com .ca

MELINDASu; GORDON/KITT

Mike Myers takes on the role of the havok-wreaking cat in the movie "The Cat In the Hat." Marketed towards children, the humor seemed more for adults.

Al.ANMAAKFIELD/KRT

Buddy the Elf sits in a classroom full of younger elves,oblivious to the fact that he is very different from the rest. Despite his height and other setbacks, Buddy is one of the more hardowrking elves in the North Pole.

THE FINALMOVIEOF THE L

Confusedaboutwhois whoin the Lordof the Rings?Here's a quickguideto somecharacters to helpyouout.

JACLYN FREESE EDITOR IN CHIEF JMF722@CABRINI.EDU

It is finally here. The third installment of arguably one of the most famous and profitable movie trilogies of all time will come to theaters on Wednesday, Dec. 17 -"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

There is a certain stigma attached·to the Rings' movies, like there is to the Star Wars and Harry Potter movies. Fans dress up like characters and line up outside of the theater hours before the first screening starts.

Action-figures of the characters are snatched

up the minute they hit shelves and it has been immortalized in collector's cards, video games and thousands of websites.

There is one aspect that sets the Rings' trilogy apart from fantasy films like Star: Wars and Harry Potter-all three were filmed simultaneously over a period of two years in New Zealand, beginning in 1998. "Fellowship of the Ring" was released in December 2001, followed by "The Two Towers" in December 2002 and now "Return of the King" in December 2003.

The plan to release the movies over a period of three years proved to be a successful one. "Fellowship of the Ring" grossed

The One Ring is the central theme in the Lord of the Rings. It brings power, co "The Lord of the Rings: the

DoyouknowtheLordof theRingsInsideout?Test

1.) Whatis the nameof the dwellingof Sauron?

a.)Orthanc

b.) Barad-d~

c.) lsengard

d.) Rivendell

2.) Whatcharacterhas been 1eftout of the movies?

a.) RosieCotton

b.)Theodred

c,) TomBombadil

d.) Treebeard

3,) Whatwaydo Aragon, Legolasand Oimlitab to Oondot?

a,) Path, of the Dead

b.)The MistyMountain,

c.) FangornForest

d,) Edoras

4.) Whatwu Gotlum•soriginal name?

a.) Deagol

b.)Theagol

c,) Meagol

d.) Smeagol

5,) Whois the beadof the Uruk-hai?

a.)hm

b,)Lurtz

c.)Balrog

d,) Durin

Samwise Gamgee -hobbit Sam accompanies Frodo and Gollum to Mordor. Sam depises Gollum despite Frodo's trust in him.

Frodo Haggins-hobbit Frodo has the uneviable task of destroying the Ring. He has begun to fall under the spell ·of the Ring.

Tbeoden-ldng of Rohan Theodenis the kingof the proudpeople of Rohan. He will be calledon to destroy the Enemy in the War of the Ring.

Gandalf the White-wizard Gandalf's task is to help the remainder of the Fellowship until the Ring is destroyed.

Saruman the White-wizard Saruman's goal is to acquire the Ring from the ringbearer. He wants to destroy all that is good in Middle Earth.

Angom-lost king of Gondor Aragom,who once avoided his fellow race,will nowlead them in the Warof the Ring.

Return of the King" the War of the Ring will take p

G OF THE END

)RD OF THE RINGSTRILOGY

$860,200,000 worldwide and "The Two Towers" grossed $916,600,000 worldwid~. "The Return of the King" is expected to be the most moneymaking of the trilogy.

The lure of the Ring happened decades before the movies were released. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the first installment to the Middle Earth series, "the Hobbit," in 1936 and the phenomenon kicked-off from there. The Middle Earth books were especially big in the 60s and 70s, with many musicians, artists and poets getting their inspiration from Tolkien's books.

The most famous example of the popular culture of the books is Led Zeppelin and the fon and ever-lastinglife to its bearer.In : in the ultimatebattleof good versus evil.

band's tribute to the Ring. The 70s rock band wrote an entire song, "The Battle of Evermore," dedicated to the final War of the Ring. The obsession has now been carried over to the movies, thanks to director Peter Jackson.

Missed the first two installments? That's OK-New Line Cinemas is re-releasing "Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" in theaters on Tuesday, Dec. 16, just in time for moviegoers to refresh their memories for "the Return of the King."

Whatisallthe

hypeabout

PETE KULICK GUEST WRITER PETE2346JR@AOL.COM

Holding a wooden staff in his right hand, a man with a brown cloth draped over his shoulders desperately calls out for his journey mate, "Frodo! Frodo!" His screams echo across a flat plot of asphalt, catching only the attention of a young couple that skipped a night class to catch the debut of "The Lord of ,-----the Rings: the Return of the King."

A staple in American popular culture, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy draws a diverse fan base. Finding a lost sorcerer at Cabrini College is not likely, but finding fans of this multibillion dollar series is.

"The Lord of the Rings rocks!" Ryan Dixon, a senior, said. Dixon plans on seeing the last of the three movies the day it comes out, in his usual attire. But Dixon does not think that the costumed fanatics are over-reacting. "I think it's warranted. The books were a big thing before the movies, but the audience has grown because of the movies, and some of my friends read the books after seeing the movies."

Contrary to Dixon, Paul Archambault, a junior, said, "People get too crazy." Archambault said the hysteria surrounding the movies does not affect his viewing of the movies because "they kind of take you to a dream-like world."

Archambault has not read J.R.R. Tolkein's books, but he has seen the first two movies and plans on seeing the third.

Senior Karl Heiss has read the books and has seen the first two movies. "I like the movies better. They bring better light to the story, but people get a little too crazy when they dress up for the movies," Heiss said. "They're great movies and books, but people just take it a little too far."

Though widely successful, the hype surrounding the trilogy has its critics. Sarah Madden, a --.-- junior, said, "There is too much hype around them."

According to Madden, she has no desire to see the movies or read the books and thinks all the buzz is "definitely overrated."

A m y Warnalis, a sophomore, said, "I think it's stupid. Why someone would dress up like the people in the movies is beyond me."

Concerning the books, Wamalis CRJSTIN MA Rev/ FEATURESeorroR said, "I wouldn't bother to read the books because they are so boring and I would lose interest too fast."

Deep with fanatics and fans alike, the characters on hand for "Return of the King," set to open on Wednesday,Dec. 17, 2003, promises to be an adventure.

ourknowledge In Loqultur'sLordoftheRing'squiz.

9,)

C~ST!N MARCY/ FEATIJRES EDITOR

What will you he doing during Christinas hreal'-?

Innocent until proven guilty

Consequently, this tends to cloud a person's judgment, throughout the remainder of the case. Why should a person's life be rendered simply as an open-and-shut case?

wrong to plan out another person's murder, then how is it right for us to in turn commit the same wrongful crime?

To the unimaginable eye, a decision can be made in nearly seconds, but it is the person who sees beyond what is in front of them to discover the truth. The truth is that most people make a decision, regarding a person's innocence or guilt, within minutes of a person's arrest.

A man walks in the courtroom, opening the doors facing a jury who sits and waits to decide a person's fate. We as a society think and decide, from days to weeks, if a man should spend the remainder of his life in jail or if he should die. However, many of the people put to death by the court pre-meditate their vicious acts upon another human being. If we believe that it is morally

In the movie "The Life of David Gale," Gale sets out to prove that the majority of society, who agrees with the death penalty, are indeed wrong. The movie expresses that people are blind to the fact that innocent people can, in fact, be wrongfully sentenced to death. How far would you go to fight for what you believe? Gale offered his life, and in turn, proved that the system doesn't always work.

In Kansas, a schizophrenic man was executed. His medical history never surfaced throughout the duration of his trial. How? Why? I don't know, but I feel that his state of mind should have played part in his punishment. People don't get to choose their family. It's something you're born into so why should we punish someone for something they had no control of?

You can believe one way or you can believe another. I believe that we should stop spending so much money to kill and use it to rehabilitate those who are in dire

Answersto

LRTENIGHT TESTDSTERONE

need of it.

Research shows that the death penalty costs more than life in prison. Overall about $2 million of taxpayers money is spent per execution, whereas about $600,000-$800,000 is spent per inmate for life depending upon their life expectancies. Texas, where our president is from, carries out far more executions per year than any other state.

Spending time with my family and volunteeringat my local fire department.

Craig Vagell, junior

Hanging out with my family and friendsand taking a day trip to NewYorkCi(y.

Maria Moglioni, junior

Hanging out with friends and g<>ingsnowbollrding.

Andy Blecha, sophomore

I'm going on a ski trip with my mendsto thePoconos.

Lauren McStravick, freshman

I amworkingin a ski shopand going to Canada.

Tyler Sandford, freshman

the''Doyouknowthe Lordof the Ringsinsideout?"quiz

Loq•uiturReaders'Response

Part-time speaks up professor

I am truly sorry that you had a bad experience with a "parttime'' teacher. I have been an adjunct (part-time) teacher here at Cabrini for more than l 0 years. I am paid far less than minimum wage for my services.

I, like most of my colleagues, full or part-time, am here because I love to teach and to help students move from adolescence to adulthood.

If, as you accused all parttime teachers, I had "more of an interest in getting their paycheck," I would work in the fast food industry where I would make more money.

I am sorry that you had a negative encounter with a teacher. I hope that in your remaining years in college. you have the oppo~ty to learn not to make stereotypical judge-

ments based on your own unique experiences.

Shelly Beaser Part-time teacher

Student disagrees about cars and the elderly

I am sure,that you are a person that does not care what people think when it comes to their opinion of you. But I do think that you should start doing more research for the articles that you put in the paper every week, like the article that appeared in last week's paper about cars that have perfonnance exhaust systems. If you were to do just a little research you would find out that when you put a performance system on a car, it increases the gas mileageand adds horsepower to a car.

Overthe summer,I found out that I had a hole in my exhaust.

One stocking missing thi-sChristmas

When I took it in to get it looked at the salesperson informed me that if I were to spend a little more money 1 would be able to get better gas mileage and horsepower.

Since I drive over a thousand miles to come to school here in Philadelphia I decided to put it on my car. Although I do realize that some people add these things to their car for looks, but they do serve other purposes. Also, the article in last week's paper about elderly people was very offensive, not only to me, but I am sure it is to the family and friends of people that read the school paper every week. I know that your articles are supposed to show your views but I think that you could come up with a more tasteful way of doing it.

Paul Archambault junior

The truth about Atkins

CAITLIN LANGLEY STAFF WRITER CEL722 @CABRINI.EDU

I have found that a lot of my friends are on the Atkins diet and I don't think that it's a good thing. I think that sometimes it's good for people to be concerned with their bodies and eat in a restricted manner, but as severe as this, I'm not sure.

This diet ·calls for you to refrain from eating carbohydrates in such a drastic level that you might think they were poison. But in reality, carbohydrates are not poison. Your body actually needs some carbs to sustain that beauti-

fut body that we all know and love. I think that people should look into the whole no carbs thing before they hurt their bodies and put themselves on a perpetual diet for the rest of their lives. Yes, I said it. A perpetual diet.

If you start Atkins you can possibly never stop because if you do, you will gain all of that weight that you worked so hardto take off and restrained yourself so much for. If you make one little slip-up then you will actually gain weight from the diet. Yeah, that includes your precious Thursday night beers. You take only one sip of beer or any other alcohol and you are out to gain. Some might think that I'm just being a little over dramatic but I'm not; you will actually gain weight back

from that one sip of beer. Gives a whole other meaning to "think before you drink" doesn't it?

I know what you're thinking; what else can I do to lose weight? You can eat in moderation. Know what you want to eat and then compare it to what one is supposed to eat in a real meal. Cut out the second helpings and the mindless snacks that aren't because you 're hungry but because you're bored. Cut out the extras; just eat what you need to. If you're not hungry don't eat, if you 're bored do something. In the end, you 'II be yourself again. Instead of eating that sub, you might finish your English paper early.

GINA PERACCHIA PERSPECTJVES EDITOR GMP722 @CABRINI.EDI.!

'Tis the season for shopping, cookies, ornaments, friends, gifts, and most importantly, family. Many students on campus, excluding myself since I'm a commuter, have not seen their families since they were dropped off in late August. But now is the time to go home and see old friends and perform the Christmas traditions you've been doing since you were born.

I know for myself, Christmas will be filled with the chatter of my parents, my brother wanting to know when we can go home, my cousins and I with our significant others looking bored, but secretly appreciating this family we have, and the feeling that someone is not physically there with us: my grandpop.

This past summer, in July, my grandpop on my dad's side passed away from a stroke. It was very sudden and something I didn't know how to handle. I've been fortunate enough to have all four of my grandparents see me grow up and be at both my grade school and high school graduations. This is something not many children are able to have, and I was lucky enough to be the small group of children who did. Unfortunately, he was my first grandparent to pass away, and now this will be my first Christmas without him.

If you knew my grandfather, you would know that he was the most spirited, caring, positive, and fun-loving person on this earth. The care and love he had for his family and his many friends were genuine, and he was

always so happy to see his grandchildren when we walked through the door. He treated us like gold. No, he treated everyone like gold. One thing he always said as we would leave his and my grandmom's house would be, "Have a good time." This was said numerous times at his funeral, but it had to be. That was his trademark. It always seemed like he never had a care in the world. I knew no on~ like him.

I think while he was here, I didn't appreciate him as much as I should have. Don't get me wrong, I love him to death and always will, but I never really thought about how positive he saw the world or his family until he died. This is what I and everyone else in my family will miss the most about him this year. He was an integral part of our family. He was our smile, our laughter, our heart, our flower, and our gift. Christmas will be very different this year. I'm sure my grandmom will be thinking about him the whole time, but she won't be the only one. Something hilarious will happen, like every year, and all of us will be thinking, "I wish grandpop/pop-pop/dad was here to see this." At the same time, we won't see him, but he will be there. There's no way he would miss a Christmas with his family.

I know he won't be here with us physically this year, or in the years to come, but he is the greatest gift that each and every person in my family was blessed to have. And on Christmas, a seat will be open at the table, but he'll be there with us in spirit, smiling and laughing at everything around him, knowing we 're all having a good time.

Love you much, grandpop!

People losing their culture and parish

JACLYl'i FREESE EDITOR r.-1 CHIEF JMF722 @CABRINI.EDU

I know what it is like to see something that is part of your culture be thrown away like it is trash. I feel for the people of Holy Trinity Parish in Pottstown, Pa., I really do.

Holy Trinity is a small parish in the south end of Pottstown, my hometown. It was built by Slovak immigrants 91 years ago and has stood on the same spot ever since. Countless have been baptized, married and eulogized there. On June 30, the spot where so many have called a second home will be gone. My parish, St. Aloysius, twinned with Holy Trinity in 2001. St. Al's got a new pastor in 2002, Father Walter Benn, and he has made it his obligation to shut down Holy Trinity, citing it is

"too much" for him to oversee both churches. Fr. Benn declined the help of retired priests to say mass at Holy Trinity, which would obviously lessen the pressure from his shoulders.

Holy Trinity is a debt-free parish, with a $1 million treasury. The parishioners pay for everything-they fill. the stained glass windows, repair the pews, clean the church-Fr. Benn does not foot any of the bills. St. Al's is not debt-free however, it is $9,000 in debt.

A lot of parishioners in both parishes believe Fr. Benn is after the million dollars. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one-God help him if that is really his reason for shutting down Holy Trinity.

happening. Parishioners at the mass were close to tears over losing a part of their heritage. One parishioner even called Fr. Benn "a sick dictator." No one should have to think of a priest in that light.

The closing of Holy Trinity does not really affect me. Sure, it was nice to have a church to go to when St. Al's was too crowded and it sure was pretty inside, way prettier than St. Al's, but I am not a parishioner there, so why should I care?

not Italian and you did not know one of the respected members.

Inside was like a scene straight out of "Goodfellas" (without the violence). The old men, all named Paul, Peter or Joseph, would sit around with their cigars and fancy drinks and talk about politics. The women would watch the kids and gossip about anything and everything. The kids played with the jukebox and the other Italian children-it was like time froze when you stepped into Maria Assunta-you were back in the 50s.

er fled Pottstown suddenly one day, taking with him the club's money and the hearts of its members. Maria Assunta was forced to close.

Gone was the smell of good old Italian cooking. Gone was the entertaining tales of the men and women who grew up in Italy. Gone was the sprinkled cheese that I looked forward to every weekend. Gone was my great grandmother's hard work.

what was

The main reason people are so up in arms about this is that a part of their culture will be torn down with Holy Trinity closing its doors. Fox News was at Holy Trinity at the Sunday, Nov. 30, 10 a.m., mass

I care because I feel for those people to see their culture be tossed away by someone who seems to not care. Back when I was still in high school, the Italian Club we belonged to, Maria Assunta, closed abruptly, leaving an empty hole in my family's heart.

My great grandmother Mastracola was one of the founders of the club. You could only belong if you were Italian, fuggedabout entering if you were

Of course, the best part about Maria Assunta was the food. The food had the Italian touch-the sauce was out of this world, the pasta was done to perfection, the meatballs were moist and the size of baseballs, and for some reason, the sprinkled cheese that came with the salads was the best grated cheese I'd ever had.

Then one day, Maria Assunta was no more. It was under new management and the new manag-

Now the parishioners of Holy Trinity parish are going to go through what the Italians went through a few years ago. It is sad to see what is happening to these people. Part of their Slovak heritage will be washed down the drain by a man who has not taken int<i>account their feelings and frustrations. The kicker is the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is backing Fr. Benn, leaving the parishioners hurt and frustrated. I feel for these people, I really do.

The truth_ofthe Philadelphiastreets

Jusn-. HALDfA:"i STAFF WRITER JJH722 @CABRrNI.EDU

Bum! Get off the street loser!

Go get a job!

These stereotypes are all too common when referring to homeless people. In fact, I'm sure you too might have used one of these or another degrading remark right at a homeless person or quietly to your friends. Don't get me wrong; I'm ashamed at the fact that l have done the same thing. But not anymore.

I am curtently in the process of creating, developing, and finalizing a radio documentary titled "Homelessness: Stories from the Streets," with four of my classmates. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we all have a newfound outlook and even respect for some of the

homeless people we have seen. I know personally I walked away from the injtial experience with a bad taste in my mouth and a disgusted, sympathetic anger about me.

The basis of our documentary was initially to generally find out more about homelessness and get as much ''tape" as we could. As we went on discussing it and finding out more infonnation, our priorities changed to finding out more and seeing what we can do to help by producing this documentary.

We journeyed to Center City, Philadelphia with the simple goal of walking around, hoping to find homeless people and interviewing them on various topics. Not only did we get to interview people, we had great conversations with these people. They were intelligent, made sense and bad something to say; this did not apply to the stereotype of what a bum is like.

We agreed we had no sympa-

thy for those who are keeping themselves on the street due to drug addictions and alcohol related problems.

One man had a cell phone and a small job, but because of the pay and his lack of good fortune, he _hadto remain housing himself on a bench. And you know what, he was content with that. Can you believe that'? In a society where there arc so many people who bitch about a little dirt or always needing the best or making sure their satin sheets are perfect, this man was fine with his sleeping bag and backpack. What is he thinking!?

We talked to another man who I had the utmost respect for and could probably talk to for hours. This man had only been homeless for about two months, first time in his life actually. He has an account, albeit a small one, but he has one for housing if he could find it. However, the , place where be was staying housed his landlord; the same

landlord that stole his checks and other residents as they came in. This man was forced to move out but wasn't able to find a place to stay. He can't find anywhere to stay because he doesn't have enough money right now. He doesn't have enough money because he doesn't have a job. He doesn't have a job because he is on disability and no business will hire someone with such a thing. He's on disability because he is a 64-year-old man who just underwent a triple-bypass heart surgery about a year ago. I felt so sorry for this man. He's stuck in this vicious cycle, stuck until someone will just give him a chance.

We also spoke to a man who used to be in the U.S. Marines • and spends much of his days in the library. This man was very intelligent and told us all about the current shelter system and how crooked it is. The current shelter system will take in a homeless person and charge

them about $2.50 a night, each night they stay there. After about n.vo weeks, sometimes longer, they kick the person out, back onto the streets. The city is supposedly getting money in all the time to dedicate to solving the homelessness problem, however they never see any action taken place. No one is asking for a free ride, but in some of the situations they are put in, I think a little assistance would be nice. The way the shelter system is set up now, it just doesn't work for homeless people, and it's as simple as that.

Your opinion is yours, but for Jim, Lawrence, and Troy, l hope for nothing but the best. As far as every other homeless person is concerned, I think they maybe should deserve more of a fair shake. So the next time you want to yell "bum" at someone who isn't as lucky as you, try to bite your tongue and see what you can do to help.

Respect on campus not seen

shouting.

it.

ANGELl',A WAGNER WEB EDITOR/STAFF WRITER AMW722 @CABRINI.EDU

It's 5:30 p.m., and there are 20 minutes left until my class lets out. The door is open because we all know how well the thermostats in the classrooms work. My professor gives ·out a quiz and suddenly a group of students in the hallway pass by yelling and

Are you blind? I wonder how someone can't see a classroom full of students taking a quiz. It's called common courtesy and respect. It amazes me how many people just don't give a crap about respecting people around them.

Also, last time I checked, I wasn't a weeble wobble that could be shoved back and forth while walking through the hallway either. You would be just as pissed if you were sitting in a classroom taking a test and a bunch of students walked by and did that. But you got to deal with

It's amazing when you actually open your eyes and pay attention to what's in front of you. That's another thing. Have people losttheir peripheral vision? I usually walk back from Jazzman 's carrying back a hot cup of soup and a sandwich, By aU means, keep walking into me, because I don't have a problem scalding you with my soup and have you wear my sandwich.

Now I'm not saying that people should move out of my way all the time, but when I'm walking through the hallway carrying stuff and there's a wall of people

headed towards me blocking the way, don't be surprised if I say "excuse me" 20 million times and then have to shove my way through.

I know there's a majority of people on this campus that have manners and are respectful. But there's always that select few that has to ruin it for everyone else. I'm not asking much from anyone.

I'm a respectful person andd am always willing to help someone out. Fine, if there is room then I'll go around whatever obstacle is blocking the middle of the road. When there is no room

and I say excuse me, there's no reason to flip out. Two wrongs don't make a right either, but has common courtesy completely gone out the window?

Just a little respect is all I ask that you give to your fellow students. And at the least, respect the professors who are working hard to help us on our educational journey. They're not here to waste your time and neither should you waste theirs

Shopping frenzy,on Black Friday

MARY HAZEL GUEST WRJTER MTH722@CABRNI.EDU

Black Friday: The biggest shopping day of the year, or the biggest headache of the year?

It is a day when people wake up extremely early so they get to the mall when it opens at 6 a.m., so they can all act like it is the day before Christmas. Calm down people, we still have a month to do our shopping. There are some good sales on Black

Friday, which would make me understand why so many people would come out so early in the morning.

Until this year, I have never been at the mall on Black Friday, now I know why. I was not at the King of Prussia Mall to shop on Black Friday. Even better, I was there to work from 12 to 5 p.m., please note the sarcasm.

First of all, it took me 45 minutes to find a spot to park. The parking lot was absolutely crazy because there were zero parking spots left, for a second I almost

thought I was at Cabrini. Traffic in the whole parking lot was backed up, but it was so much worse in the parking garage. Besides the lack of places to park, there were cars cutting other cars off, cars beeping at other cars, the whole parking lot was a complete mess.

After I finally managed to find a parking spot, make it into the mall, and through the crowds of people to get to work I was 15 minutes late. I walked into the store to find it as crowded as I have ever seen it. I spent my five

hours of work at the register.

People need to slow down; everyone seemed to be in such a hurry the whole day.

It was like we are starting the Christmas season with road rage and frustration because everyone seemed to be in such a rush. Now that is that the way to get into the holiday spirit? I have been working at the mall since October so I have seen Christmas decorations and have been hearing Christmas music for almost two months now. It is like retailers have been jamming the Christmas season

down our throats to gain profit, and Black Friday is one of the ways in which they accomplish this.

Unfortunately, it is part of my job to take part in emphasizing the wrong meaning of Christmas: spending as much money as you can as fast as you can. I love Christmas, it is my favorite holiday, and I am all for buying presents, but I think people need to reflect and appreciate the Christmas season for what it is really about.

Hitting the weights All tuned out

SHAW:-/ RICE STAFF WRITER SMR723@CABRDII.EDU

Although much reporting goes into the fact that there needs to be a concern for obesity, it can be clearly seen around Cabrini people buffed up with muscles bulging from their shirts. Weightlifting has become an integral part of many people's lives.

The gym is not only packed with athletes bench pressing weights but now the average student can be found adding an extra weight to the machine they are using. The benefits of weightlifting can easily be seen.

The idea of becoming enormous and ripped through weightlifting is possibly the number one goal for everyone

involved in weightlifting. For those living on campus it is a time-consuming thing to do.

The idea of weightlifting can give athletes that all and important edge over the competition.

The strength that comes from weightlifting can give the athletes the intimidation factor over the other team.

John Pino, an undeclared freshman, does not play any sports but comes with his friend Chris Loringer, a graphic design freshman, to go weightlifting for the benefit of looking stronger. Loringer, after working out, said, "I feel humongous. I would rather look stronger and feel bigger."

Besides giving the of better health, physically weightlifting

can help the practitioner gain better mental health. By having an appearance that allows the individual to feel good about their body then the natural effect is to obtain better self-confidence.

Two Radnor high school students, Nick Schneider and Jeff Kurz, use Cabrini's facilities for the purpose of keeping in shape. Schneider said, "I once was fat. I workout so I don't go back to being fat."

Weightlifting is sometimes the main aspect of many individual's workouts but the importance of a good cardio warm-up is still important. When weightlifting, it is vital that individuals stretch before and follow the instructions for a proper workout.

PETE KULICK GUEST WRJTER PETE2346JR@AOL.COM

An experienced weightlifter is pumping out his last set. As he pushes out his sixth rep, his spotter screams, "One more! Get up!" Our weightlifter goes for it. As he is close to completion, he loses concentration for a moment only to hear Bette Midler's voice softly pouring through the gym speakers, singing a love ballad. He cannot help but become emotional. The divine Ms. M has that affect on some people. Her sappy love drawn music, almost too low to be heard, is too much for this weightlifter to handle. The music played in the fitness center does not motivate the serious weightlifter. In fact, the adult contemporary music can be a counterproductive hindrance. The music, which is not motivational to begin with, is played at a level that is barely audible.

The volume of the music is an issue that has been dealt with at the request of community members, not students. The music played has to remain at a low-to comfortable level. If the music should go above this level it will be turned down.

A gym regular has no choice in what is played during gym hours. The stations played during the day and into the night range from soft to very soft. One rule implemented by the Dixon Center supervisors is that no rap music can be played. If staff members are caught playing any type of rap music, or stations that broadcast rap music, they will be punished accordingly.

It seems as though, according to staff members who wil1remain nameless, community members are complaining about the music that is played during gym hours. Some community members to whom I have spoken would like the music to be played louder. It is important to understand that the complaints are not only of community members with sensitive ears. Other community members and students would argue that louder, more aggressive music is a better fit for the weight room.

When I go to the gym, I'm there to work out, not to cry over Bonnie Tyler as she quietly belts out lyrics to her 1983 hit "Total

Eclipse of the Heart." It was funny in the movie "Old School" but not when I want to get a workout. If it was my decision, and it is not, I would have the music blaring.

I do not work out in the gym five days a week to get in shape for summer. I could care less about fitting into some jeans for Friday night, and I am not there to impress the opposite sex. My workouts go beyond gym hours. It is a complete lifestyle. The way I train starts when I wake up in the morning. I think about it throughout the day until I get into the gym and can finally work myself to the point of exhaustion, only to do the same thing the next day.

So why am I not entitled to hear some rap every now and again? Maybe some heavy metal like Metallica or Pantera to give me the extra motivation I sometimes need. I am just as dedicated as anyone else, and if we check the sign-in sheets, l am there more often than others.

I understand that the fitness center is a place for community members and students to relax and work off stress. Hearing soft, sappy, music maybe what they need to help them gain control of their overworked, stress-filled lives. There is nothing wrong with that. Community members and students alike are entitled to have easy-going music played at low levels in the gym to which they are members.

Why is it that the people who are at the gym the majority of the time are forced to suffer through light, love ballads? How about the volume level gets turned up to a normal level when I am working out. Why are the students (normal age: 18-22) at Cabrini College allowing the music in their gym to be played for an audience of forty-yearolds?

This is not a major problem that the college needs to address, but it is important to me. I am not proposing a solution. What I am proposing is fairness. It is unfair to have the same lullabies playing all day. It is unfair for fans of rap music to have their music banned from the gym.

It is fair, however, for the Dixon Center to accommodate ali of its members.

Many Cabrini students are becoming infatuated with America's growing trend of weighdifting.

KELLYWAYLAND/ STAFFPHOTOGRAPHER

Music played in the fitness center has caused some students to complain that at times it can be inappropriate and disrupt their workout.

Cavs 1-1 in tip off tourn~ment

Finishing 1-1 in its annual tipoff tournament, the Lady Cavs are now one game under .500

MELANI GoMES STAFF WRITER MSG722@CABRINJ.EDU

It was two days of fast action basketball as the Lady Cavs took on Chestnut Hill and Delaware Valley College, on the weekend ofNov. 21-23.

Sophomore forward Jennifer Skursky scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Cabrini College to a 58-56 win over Chestnut Hill College in the first round oftbe Cabrini Tip-Off Tournament.

Due to the win, Cabrini was able to face Delaware Valley in the Championship Game Saturday, Nov. 22, and lost 88-55.

Assistant coach Katie Corcoran said, "Our girls were very excited to come out here tonight and win the first game of the season. You could feel the energy from the fans and coaches and also from the players."

After the game sophomore gaurd Jackie Yoder said, "I feel it's a good start for us this season, and it really helped show everyone what we can do. These are only the first two games of the season and we are starting off strong. This weekend tournament was definietly a team

effort."

Saturday's game proved more challenging for the Lady Cavs, as it dealt with Del Val's forward Jackie Hartzel who made most of the team's foul shots. J

With 43 seconds left in the second, sophomore guard Erin Shemar made both foul of her foul shots, bringing the Cavs to a tight one point deficit.

Freshman guard Hannah Welke made a two pointer, but the Cavs were still down by one point.

Sophomore gaurd Amy Richetti was fouled with just moments remaining in the game. Some fans became upset with the call made on Richetti, As Yoder says,"At the end of the game when the whistle blew I thought that we had gotten the call for Amy to shoot foul shots. I felt it was unfair and the game should not have ended on that."I felt that we pulled it together as a team and worked extremely hard during the second half for a great come back." Yoder said.

The Lady CAV's went on to play Delaware Valley College on the 25th with Richetti making 17 points.

Phillyfans all talk

appointment by exclaiming this things as "well they suck anyway!'

Assistant coach finds success in young team

JESSICA

GOLDBERG STAFF WRITER JG723@CABRl'.'il.EDt:

After playing basketball at Allentown College (formerly Desales University), Kate Corcoran decided to coach because she wanted to stay involved in the game as well as having an impact on the girls. Before coming to Cabrini as the assistant coach of the women's basketball team, Corcoran coached at Ursinus College.

"There was an open coaching position and I knew Darlene Hildebrand [head coach]. It was also a time for a change and I have more of a responsibility here at Cabrini, which I like," Corcoran said.

Corcoran believes that the team is made up of young girls who give 110 percent. She feels that there is a lot of potential as well as talent in each girl.

"The girls look to senior captain Taryn Repici and sophmore captains Jackie Yoder and Lauren Budweg for leadership. Sophomore Jen Skursky definitely gives the team an emotional lift," Corcoran said.

Corcoran said that "The three freshmen helping the team are Alisa Sedario. Jen Uganio, and Kira Brown. Alisa is gaining confidence with each game, which is so good to see, whereas Jen is very aggressive on defense and Kira provides a great inside presence."

The team's success in the Pennsylvania Athlctic Conference will be judged on its out-of-conference games.

"Ifs hard to say where·we'JI end up in the PAC. l think we can win the Southern Region but it's going to be a fight between us, Gwynedd Mercy and Alvernia for the PAC Champion," Corcoran said.

STAFFWRITER CAF722

Why do Philadelphia teams always choke? Before you start throwing batteries at me, as some Philly fans are knm,.11to do, hear me out. Yes I enjoy seeing the Eagles with a seven-game winning streak or the Flyers in the playoffa and things like that.

What rve noticed, however, grates on my last nerve. For the most part any of the Philadelphia teams that get to the playoffs of whichever sport it is, always choke. Either they just can't handle the pressure, or they get too cocky and start gloating too much.

Who can blame them for choking though, with such tough fans here in good ol' Philly? I wonder how many death threats the players get when their team gets knocked out of one round of the playoffs.

I can only imagine that there's a lot. After all. have you ever really listened to the fans' reactions? And I don't mean the ones they show on the 11 o'clock news either. I mean the 'true' fans. If their specific favorite team lost, they would express extreme dis-

Now, really, come on people, what happened to being a fan? Some of the 'true' fans will chalk this up to bandwagon jumpers, which there are many of, of course. Those are the fans that simply cheer for the team when it does well and hate them when they do awful.

.1 realize that this article will make people mad but I refuse to jump on the bandwagon bccause ooh watch out they're doing well this ,veek. Yes I have hometown pride, I love Philly, but that doesn't mean I love its teams

But why cheer for a team when you don't really mean it? That's ridiculous. I apologize if this offends anyone in anyway, but I just feel that people get way too worked up over some silly little games.

My roommate, for example, will turn on a Flyers game and as soon as it goes on will yell every five seconds, "What are you doing! Shoot the puck!'' It doesn't matter if they're at the wrong end of the rink. or if they're doing the right thing, it's just what she's used to yelling.

She is not the only person I've noticed act similarly. I think mostly it's because the person doesn't feel right if they're watching a game and not yelling

and cheering along. I suppose it becomes habitual after awhile.

As a fan that doesn't scream at a game unless there's a bad injury and I'm cringing at the thought of say a players arm bending backward or something, of course.

I want to reaffirm that I'm not hating on anyone who likes to cheer and boo Philly teams. I enjoy watching you in the bar cut away scenes on the news. lt gives me something amusing to watch for a few minutes. Sometimes the \\.'llY you all scream at once in those scenes. 1t reminds me of Sloth from "The Goonies," and I hope and pray every time that someone stands up and shouts "Heeeyyyy you guuuuuys!"

And another thing, to point out a specific team, l despise the Eagles chant. If you're at an Eagles game, OK, fine, chant it along with all the other fans-have a ball. let it all out. But if you're at say, I don't know, a Flyers' game, take a second in your drunken stupor to realize that it's not an Eagles game and no one else (except for your drunk buddy next to you) cares that you can spell the word •Eagles.'

Then again, it's always funny to watch people in drunken stupors try and spell. Regardless, here's to you, screaming fansbandwagon Jumpers or 'true' fans, for providing entertainment for the rest of us.

Assistant women's basketball coach Kate Corcoran talks to her players during practice in preparation for their upcoming game against Alvernia.

The Lady Cavaliers watch their fellow players in the Cabrini Tip-OffToumament, which took place during the weekend of Nov. 21-23.

Sophomore Lauren Budweg gets ready to take a foul shot as sophomore Jen Skursky waits for the rebound.

Junior forward and captain Taryn Repici (left) drives to the basket as sophomore Erin Shemar attempts to steal the ball during practice on Tuesday,Dec. 2

Sophomore Amy Richetti drives past a Delaware Valley player during the team's annual Tip-OffToumarnent, which took place during the weekend of Nov. 21-23.