Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
YOU SPEAK, WE LISTEN
Radnor, Pa.
CABRINI COLLEGE
Pacemaker Winner Vol L, Issue 04
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Freshmen learn Fair Trade first-hand
Financial crisis hits hard on Wall Street meghan smith
managing editor
mes733@cabrini.edu
fighting among other problems, AIDS, and Indonesia who is still recovering from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. To find out more about Fair Trade, the students interviewed the owner of local shops in Media such as “Earth and State” and recorded their interviews using video, audio and photography as part of a multimedia project. Earth and State sells products like pottery, glass-work, metal-work and other Fair Trade items. Many
Last week was the most turbulent week in money since the Great Depression. The following major financial institutions experienced bankruptcy failure or severe problems over the last few months: Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and American International Group. Finally on Saturday, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank and the secretary of the treasury decided, rather than deciding on a case by case basis as each financial institution cried for help, to give an unprecedented $700 billion rescue of all the bad mortgages in order to stop the problems. Loquitur spoke with Dr. Mary Harris, associate professor of finance and chair of the business department. She explained the basics of what happened. What caused this financial crisis? Bad mortgage loans are where this started. For a number of years banks have been making increasingly risky loans, called subprime loans. Subprime loans are loans made to people with risky credit who could not afford or even get a regular loan.
FAIR TRADE, page 3
ECONOMY, page 3
Staff photographer
Cabrini students: Kara Schneider, Emily Lewis, Lauren Miskofsky, Lauren Stanley and Holly Prendergast speak with a Fair Trade representative in Media, Pa. Recently a frehman Engagements of the Common Good seminar visited the town which has been recognized as the first Fair Trade town in the United States. andrew stettler staff writer
ads725@cabrini.edu
Cabrini freshmen got a chance at hands-on learning about Fair Trade when their class used multimedia reporting at a Fair Trade fair in nearby Media, Pa. Over the past two years, Media, Pa., has been recognized as the first Fair Trade town in the United States. Recently, a freshmen ECG 100 class visited Media for the town’s Fair Trade live concert and “Fair” Fair to learn first hand about Fair Trade. Freshman communications
major Michelle Costa said, “Speaking in class and taking notes on Fair Trade, certainly does not compare to being at a fair where one is surrounded by the pride, hope and quality of Fair Trade products and the passionate people dedicated to this moment.” A new core general education class, ECG 100 Our Interdependent World, pushes students down the path to making the world self sufficient. Putting emphasis on developing countries as well as impoverished people in the United States the class is challenged in their own personal
core values. “It made me want to get involved. I was so inspired by the dedication,” Alyssa Davies, freshman communication major, said. She was one of the ECG 100 students who attended the fair. “It is not just helping one person; it is helping a community, that is important.” In short, Fair Trade is a trade system that cuts out the middle man and assures that the majority of the profit goes to the suppliers themselves. This practice is helping to solve global problems around the world in developing areas like Africa who are
Gorbachev wins Liberty Medal christopher r. blake news editor
crb724@cabrini.edu diana trasatti copy editor
dlt722@cabrini.edu
Former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the National Constitution Center’s 2008 Liberty Medal for his brave leadership in ending the decade-long Cold War, ultimately providing hope and freedom for generations to come. The 2008 Liberty Medal ceremony marked an early opportunity to remember the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall to come in 2009. “Tonight we honor a man who
INSIDE
this week’s edition
altered the direction of history and pointed it towards freedom. His actions encouraged freedom fighters old and new across Eastern Europe, and around the globe,” National Constitution Center President and CEO Joseph M. Torsella said. “And we will make some history of our own by bestowing the 20th Liberty Medal on Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, who reshaped our world for the better, for the freer. And whose life teaches us, above all, that none of us―not people and not nations― are prisoners of our past.” Former President George H.W. Bush, chairman of the Center’s board of trustees, presented Gorbachev the medal, a perfect union between the two previously powerful global leaders.
The Liberty Medal award was instituted in 1988 in recognition of the 200-year anniversary of the Constitution. The award acknowledges those who have “demonstrated their leadership abilities to pursue liberty in the face of oppression and ignorance.” The ceremony’s presenters included Torsella, Mayor Michael Nutter and Governor Ed Rendell. “What can one person do? Turns out he changed the world and so can we,” Torsella said reflecting on the impact that Gorbachev had on ending the Cold War. Gorbachev grew up in a world of totalitarianism under the rule
GORBACHEV, page 3
Christopher R. Blake/News Editor
Former Soviet leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner speaks with reporters following a press conference at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
Men’s Soccer
BIG SCREEN GOES GREEN
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2 NEWS
EDITORIAL
New curriculum urges social justice initiatives “Do something extraordinary” is the identity statement of Cabrini College. The college’s hope is that all students will not stop learning after leaving the classroom and will take what they learn to create a more just society. Cabrini has the tools for students to do extraordinary projects, related to majors or areas of interest, but are all Cabrini students taking advantage of the opportunities available? Cabrini has had graduates who have gone on to incorporate social justice into their field of choice, while other graduates never learned the possibilities they had to help the common good both locally and globally. The new curriculum will engage every student who attends Cabrini College to insure students leave Cabrini with a commitment to social justice. This fall, 100 freshmen are piloting the new curriculum, Engagements with the Common Good (ECG). These students are currently in their first ECG course where they are starting to explore their own spiritual, cultural, political and economic connection to local and global communities. In fall 2009, the new curriculum will begin for all incoming freshmen, requiring them to have an ECG course each year. ECG 100 is based on awareness, ECG 200 participation, ECG 300 social change and a senior year culminating experience in their major to prepare for life long engagement. ECG courses will work along with Cabrini’s partnerships in Norristown and with Catholic Relief Services to explore concepts of dignity, equality and solidarity. These experiences will allow students to learn the difference between seeking justice through charity and through social change. Last weekend, a group of the freshmen class went to a Fair Trade fair in Media, Pa., where they experienced an entire town committed to Fair Trade. The 20 freshmen got to use their communication major to educate and report, and then later reflect on what they saw and learned. Sure, you can go to Jazzman’s and buy a cup of Fair Trade coffee to do your part to support Fair Trade, but the new ECG courses allow students to do more than buy a cup of coffee. The freshmen really were able to understand what the difference is between Fair Trade and regular coffee when it comes down to the people’s lives who produce the goods. The current ECG 100 students will be educated on Fair Trade and many other social justice issues this year and start to understand their connections to the rest of the world. In ECG 200, they do more hands-on work with an off-campus project with one of our Cabrini partners. ECG 300 would have students do in-depth research on social justice topics and to advocate for systemic changes. Senior year brings all that the students have learned over the past three years and integrate it with the students’ major. All students will graduate with the ability to connect professional skills to social justice. The new curriculum is still in a pilot stage. Currently four faculty are demonstrating how to integrate the new curriculum to the rest of the faculty. Cabrini College wants to create students who work for a just society no matter what field they go into. Anyone can donate money to a cause but Cabrini students will go much deeper and learn how to bring about change in communities.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
Grant aims to educate students through hands-on work in local environment eric povish staff writer
efp722@cabrini.edu Next fall, Cabrini students looking to fulfill their science credit will have one more option to choose from. Thanks to Dr. David Dunbar of the biology department, Dr. Melissa Terlecki of the psychology department and their team, Cabrini College was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for the amount of $92,007 to go towards their work with their project, “Collaborative Research Watershed Citizenship Learning Community.” A watershed is the area of land, usually hills and surrounding a stream or river, where a drop of water would have to travel through to get to the stream. That means that whatever is in that soil, chemical or not, has the potential to contaminate the water. “You could look at small watersheds. There are even watersheds inside of watersheds,” Dunbar said. The courses, Watershed Ecology and Watershed Citizenship, will be using the money to help develop the course, as well as providing supplies and equipment for the students. Together, these two classes will make up the “learning community.” They will be joining forces with the Stroud Water Research
Center, who, along with Dunbar, Terlecki and Dr. Caroline Nielsen of the biology department, will be teaching the two new courses. The money from the grant will also “contribute to our use of their facilities,” Nielsen said. The project is working to help with Crabby Creek Stream Monitoring Project in Valley Forge, Pa. “Crabby Creek is a tributary of Valley Creek which has a lot of historical significance. It’s where George Washington and his troops stayed during the Revolutionary War,” Dunbar said. To help determine what exactly is going on in the creek, they will examine the stream water quality. “If you have good stream water quality, that suggests that all those things are going well. If you have bad stream water quality, that suggests that something is going wrong and then you will have to figure out what it is,” Nielson said. To get a better sense of what is going on, they will need to gather some long-term data. To accomplish this, they will examine the macroinvertebrates or bugs, that are found in the water. By examining the different kinds of macroinvertebrates that live in the stream, it will give them a very good idea of what is going on in the ecosystem and how good or bad the water qual-
ity level is. Once they find out what organisms they have, Dunbar will implement his innovative DNA bar-coding technique, which he explains is a “molecular genetics technique that is used to identify an organism to the species level.” Along with their goal of bettering the Crabby Creek watershed, Dunbar also hopes that his students will grow and learn a lot from their experiences working in the watershed classes. “One of the things we want the students to become is citizen scientists, which is to try and empower the typical student or citizen to monitor their own streams and to be advocates for their local environments,” Dunbar said.
Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to Loquitur@googlegroups. com. The editors will review your comments each week and make corrects if warranted.
2008-2009 Loquitur Staff/Editorial Staff Editor in Chief Mallory Terrence Staff Writers Deputy Editor Christine Graf Christine Adolf Kirk Manion Managing Editor Meghan Smith Megan Bernatavitz Melissa Mariani News Editor Liz Garrett Samantha Bokoski Morgan Miller News Editor Christopher R. Blake Justin Bostwick Erin Nollen A & E Editor Christina Michaluk Charles Bush Michael O’Hara A & E Editor Jake Verterano Amanda Carson Eric Povish Features Editor Britany Wright Gillian Davis Gianna Skikitino Perspectives Editor Jessie Holeva Kara Driver Andrew Stettler Sports Editor Danielle Feole Katharine Engell Matthew Stewart Sports Editor Nicholas Pitts Kerry English Tina Vitanza Copy Editor Shannon Keough Jill Fries Jessica Wegelin Copy Editor Brittany McLeod Arielle Friscia Candice Wojnarowski Copy Editor Diana Trasatti Kristofer Genther Jen Wozniak Web Editor Megan Pellegrino Janene Gibbons Multimedia Editor Kara Schneider Sami Godowsky Multimedia Editor Brittany Mitchell Molly Kearney Graphic Designer Anna Scholl Megan Kutulis Adviser Dr. Jerome Zurek Brian Loschiavo
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The Loquitur is Cabrini’s College weekly, student-run, campus newspaper. It is widely respected as the voice of students, staff, faculty, alumni and many others outside the Cabrini community. The Loquitur has earned its position by advocating for self expression through freedom of speech, and by serving as an outlet for readers to affect change on campus and off. Founded in 1959, the Loquitur has thrived and greatly expanded its readership. The paper now has over 2,000 online readers and 1,500 print readers on a weekly basis. Our mission is to provide readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions freely, in an environment where their voices are effectively heard and respected. The Loquitur: You Speak. We Listen Loquitur is a laboratory newspaper written, edited and produced by the students of COM 353, 352, 250 and 251. Subscription price is $25 per year and is included in the benefits secured by tuition and fees. Additional copies are $1 each. Loquitur welcomes letters to the editors. Letters to the editor are to be less than 500 words. These are usually in response to a current issue on campus or community area. Guest columns are longer pieces between 600 and 800 words and also are usually in response to a current issue on Cabrini College campus or community. Letters to the editor and guest columns are printed as space permits. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content. Name, phone number and address should be included for verification purposes. Personal attacks and anonymous submissions will not be printed. Letters to the editor and guest columns can be submitted to loquitur@googlegroups.com or to the newsroom mailboxes in Founders Hall 264.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
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NEWS 3
Students report on Fair Trade issues locally FAIR TRADE, page 1 Dean.
Staff photographer
First-year Cabrini students use multimedia reporting at a Fair Trade event in Media, Pa. The ECG 100 class pushes students down the path to making the wold self-sufficient.
of the products sold in Earth and State come from local artisans right out of Pennsylvania. Areas in Pennsylvania like Lancaster that are, for the most part, left out of the mainstream markets are becoming more and more desperate for retailers who will sell their items. This is where stores like Earth and State come in. “About 20 percent of everything in the store is from Pennsylvania,” Earth and State store owner Drew Arata said. “It’s important to support our local economy first, because if the local economy does not thrive then we won’t be able to support these developing countries.” Local artist Bob Dean is just one of these producers struggling to find a market. Dean collects clay from local creeks and then uses the clay to make pottery items which are then sold in Fair Trade shops like the ones in Media. Through Fair Trade, it is not Earth and State that collects the majority of the sales price. It is
Last year, Cabrini’s Jazzman’s Café started selling free trade coffee through their supplier Sodexo. Now all of the coffee flavors in Jazzman’s are Fair Trade. “Fair Trade is a way to alleviate global poverty, [while] paying attention to living wages, minimal ecological impact and social justice,” Arata said. About 30 percent of Arata’s store’s products come from fair trade cooperatives as well as individual manufacturers from around the world. These co-ops connect Arata and other businessmen to farmers and craftsmen in developing countries who are not being given their fair share of the earnings in the products they produce. Arata is not just a store owner in Media. He is also part of Media’s Fair Trade Committee which raises awareness of Fair Trade by holding town events. Media’s annual Fair Trade Live concert and “fair” Fair is just one of these weekly events. The festival brought Philadelphia radio station, WXPN, and the town’s
businesses into the streets by holding a four-block-long party on State Street. With bands playing on several stages surrounding the streets and vendors sitting behind tables on the side walks, Media gathered publicity to the Fair Trade cause. “If people can get together like they did for this fair, then the idea will take off,” Costa said. Highlighting the day was the African Boys Choir’s performance ranging from traditional to contemporary African choral songs. One American song, however, hit a chord in many students. A few students to tears when the children’s chorus collectively sang the lyrics, “I’m everything I am because you loved me.” “For as much trouble as America is having and has made for itself, we’re still an incredibly generous society,” Arata said Drew Arata and the Media Fair Trade Committee hold community events supporting Fair Trade on a weekly basis.
American economy in turmoil ECONOMY, page 1 company. Harris explained that Loan officers even encouraged bad credit risks to lie about income. The banks then bundled good and bad loans together and sold the packages to large investment companies. These investment companies became increasingly highly leveraged compared to commercial banks. They took on a lot of risk in trading with these bundles of good and bad mortgages and had less and less solid assets to back up the loans. Investment banks didn’t have the same government scrutiny and regulation as commercial banks, which enabled them to buy and sell these bad mortgage loans. “You have a lot of risk, not a lot of regulation and you end up with a financial crisis,” Harris said. When housing prices leveled off in 2006, people with outsized mortgages found they could not sell their homes and began to see their homes go into foreclosure. What companies got in trouble doing this risky lending? In March, investment bank Bear Stearns started to go under and was bought by JPMorgan Chase with government help. Countrywide then had to be bought by Bank of America. Then, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two lenders sponsored by the government, had to be bailed out. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch had to be bought. Why was AIG bailed out this week? The government bailed out AIG, American International Group, for $85 billion, on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The government now owns 79.9 percent of the
AIG was just “too big to fail” and that is why the government allowed Lehman Brothers to go under, but not AIG. Morgan Stanly and Goldman Sachs went from investment banks to bank holding companies “If they [AIG] failed and the repercussions throughout the entire financial system and the economy would be detrimental to the country is when the government needs to step in,” Harris said. Why did the government promise $700 billion to stop all this on Saturday? The head of the Federal Reserve, Fred Bernanke and the Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson decided that instead of meeting crisis after crisis that they would draw up a plan to buy the bad debt if necessary. They are trying to get Congress to pledge $700 billion. Could this have been foreseen/prevented? “The way things typically happen is we have a crisis and then out of the crisis comes the regulation,” Harris said. After the depression, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was created and banks were split from investment companies. Investment banks make large amounts on money by taking on greater risk than commercial banks. When the economy is good and profits are strong, no one thinks about the risk. What does this mean for graduating seniors & the job market? For graduating seniors, the job market is going to be extremely difficult and not just for finance students; it spreads across the spectrum because as borrowing
is becoming tougher, companies cannot expand and hire new employees. Harris advises seniors to get their resumes out now. “With the economy weak and the financial markets unsteady, it’s going to be probably one of the tougher years our graduates are going to face,” Harris said. What happens next? The difference between this crisis and the Great Depression is that the Federal Reserve believes it knows what to do this time and is aware of the policies that should be implemented. However, the $700 billion proposal has met skepticism on the part of many. Conservatives question why taxpayers should bail out private businesses and liberals ask who is helping the people who are losing their homes in this crisis. Harris explains that the problem is that our country is currently experiencing inflation and a recessional economy, both of which require two different plans of action, leaving us in stagflation. In order to come out of this, confidence needs to come back to the stock market. We most likely won’t see this confidence resurface until the results of these bailouts are clear. “With the bailout package, with what the Fed is doing now, we will hopefully see confidence come back to the system but it’s not going to be a quick turnaround,” Harris said. For more coverage on economic issues. visit TheLoquitur. com.
Christopher R. Blake/News Editor
Mikhail Gorbachev sits at a news conference prior to the 2008 Liberty Medal ceremony.
Former Soviet leader praised for peace efforts
GORBACHEV, page 1 1990 Nobel Peace Prize lecture,
of Joseph Stalin, and experienced the loss of having his grandfather arrested and sent to enslavement camp. This event had a tremendous effect on Gorbachev, and ever since then he aimed at changing the twisted society in which he lived. Division was expressed through out Gorbachev’s country. This was a period when nuclear war was becoming frighteningly close and many thought the building of more nuclear weapons would bring peace. Gorbachev knew that the abolishment and elimination of the nuclear weapons was the answer during his country’s devastating time, not control. As Gorbachev said in his
“Steering a peaceful course is not easy in a country where generation after generation of people were led to believe that those who have power or force could throw those who dissent or disagree out of politics or even in jail. I will never agree to having our society split once again into Reds and Whites, into those who claim to speak and act ‘on behalf of the people’ and those who are enemies of the people.” Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to Loquitur@ googlegroups.com. The editors will review your comments each week and make corrects if warranted.
4 NEWS
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
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Vice president of academic affairs to retire at year’s end amanda carson staff writer
arc726@cabrini.edu
At the fall semester opening convocation, Cabrini College President Dr. Marie George announced that Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jonnie Guerra would retire at the close of the 2008-2009 academic year. “I’m not retiring from Cabrini, I’m retiring from academic administration,” Guerra later said. Since coming to Cabrini in 1999, Guerra has been active with the oversight of curriculum and faculty, new program development, enrollment and many other tasks. Guerra is credited with the development of The Hamilton Family Communications Center and the Antoinette Iadarola Center for Science, Education and Technology. Guerra said that her involvement with the Iadarola Center spanned “all the way from dreaming what it would be like, to dedicating it.” In a later statement released to the college community, George announced the elevation of Guerra to the position of provost and implementation of a strategic plan. George stated that she has established “a timeline for a nation-wide search to have a new provost/vice president for academic affairs in place for the 2010-2011 academic year.” George has also appointed Dr. Charles McCormick, dean of academic affairs, to serve as interim provost and vice president of academic affairs for one year starting July 1, 2009. A full time faculty member will take over the current duties of Dean McCormick. McCormick expressed sadness over Guerra’s retirement, as
Amanda Carson/Staff Writer
Vice President of Academic Affairs Jonnie Guerra will retire at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. Guerra is credited with the development of several on campus learning facilities. Guerra leaves Cabrini where she has been administrating since 1999. she has been a “tremendous mentor” for him. “It will be a big loss for Cabrini. We’ll all feel her absence,” McCormick said. During his one-year term as interim provost and vice president, McCormick plans to focus on the transition from the current core curriculum to a general education program that will “help students understand their Cabrini College education.” McCormick will also concentrate on the Title III Grant that, for two years, he has worked with Guerra on. This $2 million
Federal Government grant has helped establish the Center for Teaching and Learning and assists in faculty development initiatives. McCormick is excited and nervous to take on his new temporary position and said that “the next provost and vice president of academic affairs will have big shoes to fill. I hope I can fill those shoes.” During her last year as provost/ vice president, Guerra will be concentrating on undergraduate enrollment and decreasing retention rate. “I’m very disturbed
[by the decreasing rate],”Guerra said. Reflecting on her time spent at Cabrini, Guerra has experienced what she considers her “best professional experience.” Amid her many contributions to Cabrini, Guerra shared that her greatest accomplishment was “hiring faculty who share in dedication to students,” and referred to this as Cabrini’s “proud legacy.” If she could have done something differently while serving as vice president, Guerra said that she “would not have moved the fac-
ulty offices out of Grace Hall.” Guerra’s professional achievements have extended outside the Cabrini College Community, as demonstrated by her 2007 recognition as Distinguished Alumna from Purdue University’s College of Liberal Arts. This honor “was unbelievable,” Guerra said as she pointed at a colorful award displayed in her office. During retirement, Guerra plans on cooking, traveling nationally and abroad, attending service trips and writing. Guerra might also work on overcoming a struggle that many of her colleagues don’t know about: “I can’t climb a rope,” she said laughing. Guerra will possibly get to enjoy her interest, unknown to many, of women’s basketball. Her favorite team “is the Purdue Boilermakers,” Guerra said, yet after a brief pause continued to say, “of course after the Cabrini Cavaliers.” Most exciting to Guerra, however, will be the ability to dedicate more time to her passion, The Emily Dickinson International Society. In this society, Guerra currently serves as chair of the membership committee. A celebration of Guerra’s time at Cabrini College is said to take place at the end of spring semester. Sad to be leaving, Guerra summed up her time at Cabrini College as being “a wonderful experience.” Optimistic about her retirement Guerra said, “I can’t see the path ahead of me, but whatever challenges and opportunities present themselves, I plan on taking them.” Please send your comments to Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your comments each week and make corrections if warranted.
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Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
NEWS 5
Rough week on Wall Street results in federal bailout jen wozniak staff writer
jlw729@cabrini.edu
The stock market experienced a devastating blow last week, causing what could be the most extensive government intervention into the financial markets since the Great Depression. The government decided not to help Lehman Bros., forcing it to file for bankruptcy, but the Federal Reserve did lend insurance firm American International Group $85 billion in a bailout deal that gave the government control over the company. The Bush Administration authorized a whopping $700 billion in an emergency rescue plan that allows the Treasury to buy troubled mortgage securities that have been bringing down major financial firms. This was $200 billion more than lawmakers expected, but Bush said that drastic action was necessary because of the extent of the financial crisis.
Campaigns need economic teams in time of crisis
Mallory Terrence/Editor-in-Chief
A PhillyCarShare vehicle sits in front of Bruckmann Chapel on Cabrini’s campus. The service is an organization specializing in short-term car sharing. The goal is to maximize the economic, environmental and social benefits of reduced automobile dependence in the Philadelphia area.
Short-term service to maximize car sharing on college campus molly kearney staff writer
mwk723@cabrini.edu
Lack of transportation on Cabrini’s campus is a problem for many students, but with PhillyCarShare, the office of student activities is looking to see if it might be able to fix that problem. PhillyCarShare, a shortterm car-sharing service located on campus, would allow Cabrini students to rent a car, make reservations online and rent the car anywhere from an hour to several days. Anne Fillippone, Cabrini’s director of student activities, has recently been exploring what PhillyCarShare can do for Cabrini. Fillippone said she realized Cabrini was in need of something like this when studying the class of 2011 and their interest in finding alternative ways of transportation off campus. According to Julie Robinson, marketing and development manager for PhillyCarShare, there are two plans―advantage and basic freedom. Advantage plan is for a student who would use the service several times a month and would pay a monthly fee. Basic freedom plan is for the student who occasionally needs a car. The only catch is the fee is higher with a one-time, nonrefundable application, but the student would not be paying a monthly fee. Even international students can apply for PhillyCarShare. PhillyCarShare is simple. A student who is over 18 signs up
and is given a key that would allow them access to any car in the entire region. Students go online make a reservation for whatever car they would like, the location and how long they will get it. The car just needs to be returned to the location the student picked it up at. The goal of PhillyCarShare is “to maximize the economic, environmental and social benefits of reduced automobile dependence in the Philadelphia region through community-based car sharing.” That is PhillyCarShare’s mission. PhillyCarShare provides low-emission vehicles on every street, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week so that people’s need to own and over use cars would decrease. Robinson said, “PhillyCarShare has grown into the largest regional, nonprofit car sharing organization in North America and has positively impacted the Philadelphia region in many of the ways that we had envisioned.” Robinson went on to explain that their customers now do eco/ friendly activities such as walk, bike and take public transportation in order to help the environment. With the help of PhillyCarShare, Cabrini could help make a difference in the current green movement going on around the world. Jackie Schmidt, freshman communication major, feels that PhillyCarShare would be a fabulous alternative to the shuttle. Schmidt said, “The buses are
hard to catch and not frequent enough. Renting a car through PhillyCarShare would be convenient just to go to the grocery store.” Schmidt also went on to explain that the shuttle schedule is hard to read and sometimes she has missed the shuttle or the shuttle had already made its next stop early, and had forced her to wait until it went again. Schmidt feels that PhillyCarShare would be a perfect addition to Cabrini since many students have difficulty with transportation off campus. Lisa Stockton, junior social work major, said that she would use PhillyCarShare but that people may take advantage of the cars provided. Stockton tries to limit her off-campus activity when she can get a ride off campus but does not want be a nuisance to others. So in the end, PhillyCarShare would work for her but it would not be something she would take advantage of frequently. PhillyCarShare is something that many local colleges have taken advantage of. Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges have had successful programs. PhillyCarShare would allow Cabrini’s students to venture off campus while at the same time help keep our environment healthy. Currently, Cabrini and PhillyCarShare are working out the details for a partnership. Fillippone hopes to pilot PhillyCarShare this spring, but if not then fall 2009.
Both Obama and McCain are using the financial crisis to try and prove who could best handle a national economic emergency. Messages from both candidates have been carefully discussing the crisis and potential remedies. Obama has been bringing in key people from the Clinton administration who have experience with previous market upheavals. McCain’s message has been focusing on reform and has not specifically endorsed the bailout plan. His team includes former Congressional Budget Office Douglas Holtz-Eakin.
Bombing at Pakistan hotel kills at least 53 Hours after Pakistan’s new President Asif Ali Zardari addressed Parliament for the first time on Saturday, a large suicide truck bomb destroyed the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad. The hotel was being heavily guarded when the truck smashed into the hotel’s main gate, causing a violent explosion and raging fire. This act of terrorism killed at least 53 people and injured about 250 people. It is only one of many acts of violence that have occurred in Pakistan in the recent weeks.
Presidential debates begin Friday Three televised presidential debates begin Friday, Sept. 26. The first debate will be on foreign policy and the third on economic issues. Candidates will take questions from the audience and Internet users on any topic in the second debate. While the presidential debates will have an unusual free-flowing format, both parties voted on a more structured vice-presidential debate because of concern for their candidates’ performance.
Galveston residents return home after Hurricane Ike Forty-five thousand residents of Galveston Island, Texas who evacuated because of Hurricane Ike were allowed to return home yesterday. Many have been in shelters since the Category 2 storm hit on Sept. 13. Galveston, however, still has very little or no electricity, natural gas, water or sewage services. There are also no medical facilities, limited cell phone coverage, and a curfew in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Ike killed 26 in Texas and 61 total in the U.S.
Gas Prices Ease Up At the pump, gas prices have slightly lowered as Gulf Coast refineries resumed service following the passing of Hurricane Ike. A gallon of regular fell 3 cents, making the national average $3.81. As of Friday, the Pennsylvania average was $3.67.
6 PERSPECTIVES
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Perspectives
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
‘Saturday Night Live’ presidental spoofs I N MY OPINIO N
MICHAEL O’HARA
staff writer
mto722@cabrini.edu
Saturday Night Live has been spoofing presidential candidates and their running mates for years and Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin are no exception. Last week, SNL ran a skit depicting Palin and Hillary alongside one another talking about the prospect of a woman being in the White House. During the skit, Palin seemed to be gloating and rubbing in the fact that the woman could be her and not Hillary in Hillary’s face, as Hillary becomes increasingly frustrated. This skit has been talked about frequently over the
last week on news shows. While Barack Obama and John McCain are in an extremely tight and serious presidential race, SNL has made them both the butt of many jokes. The presidential race is supposed to be very serious business and one has to wonder about the affect that these jokes have on the outcome. Every move by both candidates is widely analyzed by the media. Both campaigns are trying to make all the right moves in order to sway public opinion in their favor. But what will really tip the scales one way or another? Will it be the debates? The ad campaigns? The image? The media coverage? Sure, all those factors could play a part in who wins the presidency in November, but the way they are depicted on SNL is one factor that the candidates cannot control that plays a surprisingly major role in their success. I think it’s great that SNL is able to parody the candidates the way that they do. The candidates are always
on their toes, trying to say the right things and act the right way all the time, all the way up to the end of the election, and SNL brings them back down to earth while not only being funny but also honest. SNL’s parodies of candidates can have a major affect on the course of a presidential campaign. Earlier this year, SNL ran a skit showing Obama and Hillary fielding questions side by side on a news show. In the skit the interviewers seem to ask Hillary impossible questions while Obama gets softball questions that he answers to heaps of praise from the interviewers, while Hillary complains that the media is favoring Obama and giving her a tough time. Sure enough, shortly after this skit people started to discuss if it was true that the media was favoring Obama while being more critical of Hillary. Some have speculated that the fallout from that skit hurt Obama’s popularity and caused the media to be a little harder on him. On the flip side, Mc-
Cain, who has appeared as himself and in roles on SNL, has received much praise, and possibly a boost in popularity, for his SNL ventures. This brings up a question. Is it right that SNL has some influence in the election for president of the United States? Some might say no. I would say yes. Is there anything different about SNL and Fox News or CNN? One could argue that Fox and CNN are different because they aren’t using humor. Well, what about The Daily Show? The Daily Show could possibly have even more influence than SNL and the news channels. Bottom line is as long as there is media coverage of presidential races, nominees and their running mates have to accept the fact that the way shows like SNL or Fox News Report portray them can have an effect on their popularity. They also have to accept that they will be portrayed on SNL, it’s a virtual lock. One classic example of this is the way vicepresidential candidate Dan
Quayle was mocked mercilessly on SNL for misspelling the word “potato” during the 1992 election. It got so bad some even called for Quayle to be replaced on the G.O.P ticket.
If Obama and McCain want SNL to affect them in a positive way this coming election, they should have a good sense of humor handy, and maybe even a dictionary too.
Mct
Exercise your right to cast a vote I N MY OPINI ON
GIANNA SKIKITINO staff writer
gls722@cabrini.edu
Election day, a day that comes every four years to declare the next U.S. president. A day that we as Americans, have the opportunity to make a choice. It’s not just any old choice, like voting for the next American Idol, the ballots on Nov. 4, will mean something more. I think it’s amazing how we have the chance to make a choice in this election. Voting is so important, and since this election is the first election I can participate in, I want my voice to be heard. I was googling “Election Day” a few days ago. I know what you’re thinking – why the heck would
I google “Election Day.” I wanted to find out how many people had voted in the previous election. And of course, Google had gave me the answer. The Committee for the Study of the American Electorate posted a voter turnout in recent presidential elections. The highest turnout was in 2004. The number of people eligible to vote were 201,541,000. The total of those who voted were 122,265,430. The percent of those eligible to vote who actually did was 60.7. This upcoming election, we can increase that percentage, if we get involved in the process of voting. I don’t think many people realize how important voting actually is. Some 18-21 year olds believe they have more important things to worry about, which I can say that I’ve been guilty here. It wasn’t until late summer that I began focusing on the election, since my grandfather refused to watch anything else but CNN. And since this election has been getting much attention by the
Gianna Shikitino/ Staff writer
press and media, I thought that I should finally start to tune in. I mean I didn’t really have a choice. The election rage was spilling everywhere, on TV, magazines, YouTube and even in daily conversations. Then I realized both candidates are trying to capture youth voters since the youth is the voice of the future. It finally hit me that I had to give into sitting with my grandfather and watch numerous debates to see who can make the
changes that this country needs. Many TV shows use voting as a way for us to decide who is worthy of winning. So why not apply that to the election? Shows like America’s Best Dance Crew and even the VMAs rely on voters to make the decisions for them. If we can interact with TV shows that we enjoy, why not interact with our candidates? Well, my friends, the media has made it possible. I’m sure all of you
know of Web sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, Web sites we choose to go to when we have free time, but did you know that both John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s campaigns use the three Web sites? They both have debates recorded and uploaded on YouTube for users to view and post comments. They each have MySpace and Facebook accounts, to which users can RSVP to local rallys, send messages, read blogs post comments and view their ideas on the issues America is facing. This is very strategic, and who do you think it targets? The youth. You’re not going to see a 65-year-old voter viewing blogs and posting comments on a MySpace or Facebook, and if you do, that is pretty rare. If you aren’t sure of which candidate you will be voting for, start to follow up on each candidate and choose by seeing which candidate’s decisions would be of your liking. Become educated in their ideas on our major issues, such as health care,
the economy and the war. If you’re like me and you don’t like reading articles about the presidents, watch some of their rallays and debates. See which candidate inspires you. As for us 18-21 year olds, this will be the first election we can vote, make a difference and have our voices be heard. Why would you not want to get involved? Not only for the sake of us, but for the future of our children and grandchildren. We have the power to make a choice for the future. Isn’t that something you want to be a part of? So pick your candidate, register to vote and get some friends to join you, whether you agree or disagree on who you choose. It’s your choice. Now go out there and make a difference! The Loquitur welcomes your thoughts. E-mail your opinion at loqperspectives@googlegroups. com.
Co n s h y
I N M Y OPINION
KERRY ENGLISH staff writer
kme724@cabrini.edu
“Yo Conshy tonight” has become a phrase I hear so often on Thursday and Saturday afternoons. Since day one at Cabrini, I’ve heard drunken tales and funny stories of nights out in Conshohocken. Conshy, as we all know and love has become home to some of Cabrini’s most infamous parties. We’ve all frequented one of the houses hoping the kegs are cold and the cops won’t shut it down. We’ve hated the abundance of freshmen pouring out of the Main Line Taxis because we all forget we were once one of them. And of course, we’ve all made that new drunk best friend. But how is it Conshy has become home to Cabrini’s nightlife? It’s my opinion that since Cabrini College is such a small school, those who like to party flock together. Sure in comparison to larger universities Conshy might not seem like much. In reality, seeing the same faces at the same places can feel repetitive. However, if there’s a rumor or a whisper somewhere in Conshy there’s a house party or a happy hour special at Brownie’s you can count on a lot of Cabrini students being there. A typical night at Conshohocken is wondering if you can hold it long enough to stand in the bathroom line or are you better off just going somewhere outside? Trying to find the hidden keg stashed in one of the bedrooms is one of the many adventures I see people taking throughout the night. Elbowing your way in and out of the backyard and basement is always tricky. It usually ends with someone spilling a beer leaving one person with a wet shirt, the other with an empty cup. My first night out in
PERSPECTIVES 7
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Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
Conshy feels like it was yesterday. I picked up a green middle school track jersey from the ‘80s I stumbled upon in a lost and found. I had never worn it yet because it truly was an outrageous piece of clothing. For some reason, my first night out at Conshy felt like it was the perfect time to break it in. My friends got the number for Main Line Taxi and went to a Cabrini house party for the first time. Honestly, that night was one of the most fun nights of my life. I started my night off with a keg-stand or two and steadily met a new face every time I walked in and out of the house. The night progressed and all of a sudden it was 2 a.m. and I couldn’t seem to find a single person I came to the party with. Pretty soon I pieced it together and realized they had all left by now. At first I felt a little overwhelmed; it had seemed to me by now most of the freshmen had cleared out of the party. Luckily, I got engaged in a conversation with some nice people and before long the six of us were talking on the roof for an hour and a half. When I finally realized the time, I thought it best to call it a night and took a cab back to good old Woodcrest. When you go to college, you go wanting to get the whole college experience. Whether people will admit it to their parents or not when they start looking at schools, what is the party scene like, is a question on a lot of incoming freshmen’s minds. Going out to parties and meeting new people is something we want to experience. Conshy is a place Cabrini students are able to do just that. Conshy is the heart of Cabrini’s night life. It’s a perfect example of a bunch of young adults just cutting loose and having a good time. Let’s face it, with all the work and pressures we have on us at young ages today, we’d go crazy if we didn’t have a little fun.
Poor economy hits homes College senior feels money crunch
guest writer
grt722@cabrini.edu
The economy hasn’t taken any prisoners in the recent events that have completely destroyed our once bountiful country. Our generation and the generation that is our parents’ have seen and are currently experiencing the housing market crash, which is only one of the problems our economy is facing, but one that hits home a little more directly, no pun intended. In 2006 my mom lost her job due to the start of the drop in the housing
market. She had worked for a company that worked in new home development. They were directly affected in the beginning because people weren’t buying new homes; they simply just could not afford it. Simultaneously with my mom losing her job, the mortgage loan she had taken out in order to afford the house had its interest rate raised. The interest on the loan was rising, the payments were increasing and our income was not. The value of the dollar was losing value and the cost to live was increasing right before our eyes. In 2007, we were forced to put our house up for sale on a rocky market. We weren’t sure what to expect. After almost nine months of it being on the market and having no bites, we were forced into foreclosure. Life as we knew it was changing and there was nothing we could do to stop it.
Fortunately, with the help of good people, we were able to make the late payments and stay in our home a little longer. In July 2008, we finally got an offer, an offer that we couldn’t turn down because we were at our wits’ end. So, for $100,000 less than we had originally asked for, we sold. No one can quite understand what it is like to have to be forced out of your home and to lose the roof over your head that your family had worked so hard for. This was the home I grew up in. It was where my memories were made and will always be remembered. That’s all it will be now ―a memory, a part of my past. We weren’t just forced out of our home, but we were being forced to live apart from each other when we needed each other the most. The economy is on a
downward spiral and it’s headed nowhere fast. I cannot begin to try and explain to you what it felt like to watch your mother receive a check for $3.64 from a home that we built our life in and for a home that was worth much more then what it was sold for. That was all she took away after she paid off the mortgage―and no house to move to. The sentimental value of my home had no price tag. It couldn’t be bought, but as you can see, it could be lost. It was lost, among many others in our area and all over our country. The market is failing its citizens and until action is taken, people all over are going to continue to lose the roof over their heads, just as we did.
Can you hear me now? I N MY OPI NI ON
TINA VITANZA staff writer
nmv722@cabrini.edu
Don’t you just hate when someone says, “I called you three times and texted you,” and you never got it? Well, that is what seems to happen a lot here at Cabrini. Students are receiving text messages hours later from when they were sent and phone calls are not going through. I think it is probably the most frustrating thing when you need a response from someone or you try and get in touch with them and you can’t, because you don’t have service or the people you are trying to contact do not. My freshman year at Cabrini was spent in Woodcrest and I really had no problems at all with my cell phone, unless I was talking to someone who had a Nextel. Nextel is always a lost cause; you’ll never receive texts within at least an hour sometimes.
My sophomore year in house four still caused no problems. Now, this year living in the appartments service is horrible! For the 10 people I have spoken to, with different carriers such as Verizon (like myself), Nextel and AT&T, people are having such a hard time receiving and sending text messages and phone calls! If you are lucky enough to get through in a phone call, usually the call will be dropped in mid conversation, especially if you are walking around in the apartments. When you have your phone on you and it never rang but a voicemail pops up is something that happens on a regular basis. I am starting to get used to it now. I live with three other girls and they have all complained about a dropped call, late text and the mysterious “no-ring phone call” being missed. I understand our campus is beautiful and we are located in a wooded area, but isn’t there something we can do about the service? I live on the first floor of the apartments, which is bad enough, but I could never imagine having to live on the second or third floor where there really is no service. Living in the apartments is a great upper-
classmen privilege, however having no service does take away from living in such a nice apartment. I wish there is something Cabrini could do to change that, because it would really make the apartments better. Just from the four weeks being at school already
this year, I cannot count how many times someone else or I has said, “I called you! How come you didn’t answer?” It seems like living in the apartments has two problems: parking and cell phone service.
mct
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
www.theloquitur.com
8 FEATURES
Driving age under close scrutiny megan bernatavitz staff writer
mmb722@cabrini.edu
Imagine driving down Interstate 476 thinking you are going to a traditional Philly dinner at Pat’s Steaks, when everything
changes. With hardly any traffic and listening to music with friends in the car, another vehicle smashes into the back of you. Your car runs off the side of the road and the other car pulls up behind you to see the damage. Of course this happens all the time,
but when the person who hits you gets out of the car they look like they cannot be older than 12. This is something that Lauren Galonski, junior psychology major, did not have to imagine, but experienced first hand. The person who hit her was actually not
dina ditaranto/photo staff
Cars are costly due to repairs because of accidents or malfunctions. Younger drivers are stereotyped as most likely to get into accidents. They are 10 times more likely to get accidents than 30-59 year olds.
much older than he looked. He was only 16 and had not had his license for more than six weeks. These kinds of incidents make police officers not only in Pennsylvania but across the United States want to raise the driving age. Jason Arce, who majored in criminal justice at Delaware Valley College, now a police cadet in the Delaware Valley, said, “It’s essential for the driving age to be made higher. Accidents are occurring more frequently due to the younger population of drivers. If something does not happen about this soon, things are only going to get worse.” Young drivers are 10 times more likely of getting in an accident than 30-59 year olds. With that being said, there are over 5 thousand teenagers who die every year due to car accidents in which they are the drivers. Insurance companies are also trying to get the driving age raised and until that happens the price to insure a teenage driver is rising greatly. “These kinds of accidents are not going to stop unless the government does something about the driving age. The accident could have been so much worse and I was lucky that it wasn’t,” Galonski said. While some want the law to be changed, adolescents are not agreeing with what the government is trying to do. In a phone interview with Eliza Hunt, 14 of San Carlos, Calif., said, “I do
FEATU
not agree with what they are trying to do. Sixteen is definitely old enough to drive and nobody should try to change that. I also think that if more people were responsible this would not be an issue.” The government is now trying to compromise with 16 and 17-year-olds in order to make the roads safer. Arce said, “The teens that are getting their driving license should have a certain grade point average, take a driving course and drive a minimum of certain hours before even getting considered for their license.” In a phone interview with Katherine Geppert, 15 of Cleveland, Ohio, said, “Parents need to take a stand in this situation. They need to either be out helping their children become responsible drivers or not let them drive at all. They should restrict the hours their children are driving and who is in the car with them. Parents need to be clear about where the children are and are not allowed to drive, when this happens the driving age will no longer be an issue.” Arce said, “Adolescents need to understand the responsibility that they are putting on not only themselves, but everyone else on the road and until that happens they should not be able to have a license in their hand.” Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@ googlegroups.com.
Diet pills continue to be unhealthy trend morgan miller staff writer
mlm737@cabrini.edu
College is the start of young adults being able to make decisions entirely on their own. “What should I wear to class? Should I go to that party even though I have a test tomorrow?” And even, “What should I eat and when?” Today’s society is focused on images. There is constant competition on who has the nicest clothes, purses and cars. Unfortunately, this competition even carries over into body images. Society’s constant attention on body image forces college students, even at Cabrini, to try various diet fads. As Mary Kate Smith, junior criminology major, points out, “Celebrities have a reason to remain extremely fit. We just want to try and look like them.” Celebrities are constantly in the center of attention, therefore making them the perfect subjects to be analyzed and criticized. Take for instance, Jennifer Love Hewitt. Pictures of the actress surfaced last year that revealed her sporting a “fuller” shape. Immediately, the media began to criticize Hewitt. The celebrity gossip and news
Web site Tmz.com even stated, “We know what you ate this summer, Love—everything!” Although the actress shot back that “a size two is not fat,” Hewitt was featured on U.S. Weekly magazine for losing 18 pounds in 10 weeks. How is this supposed to make college students feel about their own body images? In order to “look like them,” students attempt dieting. Two of the most popular dieting techniques today are diet pills and the lemonade diet. Michael D. Johnson, author of “Human Biology, Concepts and Current Issues,” points out in his book that diet pills are extremely dangerous for the simple fact that they “don’t have to be tested.” This is interesting, considering diet pills can cause dependence, increased heart rate and slow the metabolism. Sarah Martin, junior business and Spanish major, has attempted the lemonade diet two times. This mixture of fresh lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water is supposed to be the only thing consumed for 10 days. If strictly followed, the user will lose water weight, such as Beyoncé Knowles did for her movie “Dream Girls.” “It became the new thing; once Beyoncé did it everyone started
doing it,” Martin said. “I did it for one day and stopped. I wasn’t starving, I just wanted to eat.” Obviously, just because celebrities are doing them does not mean it will work for a college student who most likely does not have a professional chef and personal trainer. “You know they’re not going to work,” Martin said. “They’re just funny to try.” The fact that celebrities do these fad diets definitely does not make them healthy. Cabrini Nurse Susan M. Fitzgerald points out that everyone needs to be really careful about dieting in general. “The body is an amazing machine built to preserve itself,” Fitzgerald said. “It learns to survive on what you give it.” Fitzgerald explained that when an individual lowers their caloric intake, their metabolism lowers as well. Although you will begin to lose weight, once you begin to eat normally the weight will come right back, sometimes even more so than before. In a society where body image is everything, students need to just keep in mind that a healthy diet and exercise will always be the safest way to keep the pounds off. Fitzgerald said, “Everything in moderation.”
morgan miller/staff writer
Celebrities seem to be setting a dangerous trend of losing too much weight too fast. Students who want to lose weight have tested many different methods. They can be found at local drug stores.
URES
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
www.theloquitur.com
Peer tutors’ second opinion megan kutulis staff writer
mmk725@cabrini.edu
The glitz and glamour of movein day and welcome week are gone. As the temperature drops, the pile of homework continues to rise. With the pressure of academics, athletics and the ever important social life, Cabrini students are feeling the burn. Luckily, peer tutors are there to help. Located in room 110 of the Iadarola Center, formerly known as the SET building, peer tutoring is one of Cabrini’s many services set in place to help students survive the year ahead. For those students who are reading this and telling yourself that you just can’t seem to fit a tutoring session in between beating the meal exchange line and making it to your 1:55 on time, you’ll have to find another excuse. The tutoring center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and even if there aren’t any tutors available bright and early, there are staff members
there to help out. Walk-ins are also welcome, so have no fear if you’re looking to go over your paper one more time before you hand it in. If you still can’t find time, most tutors are willing to set up an appointment after hours, and some are available until 8 p.m. “It definitely depends on the student and what he or she is looking for, but I think tutoring is beneficial; even if it’s just to be sure you did your homework right,” Ben Ferguson, junior Spanish major, said. Ferguson, who has been a peer tutor for two years, started working as a classroom coach for Spanish 201 this year. Classroom coaches, who aid professors during classes that deal with their respective areas of tutoring, are present throughout the class to help any students who require extra help or clarification of material. Besides offering impromptu appointments and classroom coaching, the tutoring center has the perfect source for all of the students who could never live without spell
check. The Writing Center gives students a chance to bring their papers in and get them reviewed— for free. Some teachers even shell out a few extra credit points to students who go. Still, with all these opportunities so accessible, junior international business major and tutor Ellie Spano doesn’t think that students are taking advantage of what the center has to offer. “I don’t think students take advantage of the peer tutoring center at all,” Spano said. So to all you students who can’t seem to understand the biology lab due next week or find yourself still stumped for the right answer to math problem number two, the peer tutoring center is your solution. “I think the best thing about being a tutor is being able to reinforce what I have learned. It’s kind of like a review for me, and it’s nice to be able to relay what I already know to students who are struggling with the same material,” Ferguson said.
shannon keough/copy editor
Students who need help with their papers go to the writing center where their tutors advise them on various aspects of writing a paper. It is located in the Iadarola Center on the SET 110.
Notebooks become obsolete gianna shikitino staff writer
gls722@cabrini.edu
In college, students often work together in teams, brainstorm ideas together and collaborate on projects. Many new Web-based products are sprouting up. The range from free ones like Google Documents and wikis to costly group project managers. In the middle price range at $30 a year is Meadmap.com, from the maker of those notebooks students have used since kindergarten. Mead, the maker of the dependable notebooks, Five Star, has now taken an online group collaboration. Mead Map is trying to break the habit of using notebooks. The new Web-based program is designed to help its users quickly and efficiently take better notes. There, the site provides an overview video, quick tutorial and a try-it-out tutorial map. Mead’s slogan, “helping you learn while saving you time,” may be put to the test. Mead says its easy to use and saves time, helps students organize and take notes for research, simplifies group projects and permits real-time collaboration and online
access. While overlooking these steps on the Web site may easily persuade someone to sign up, there is a fee to pay. Elise Legendre, sophomore special education major, did not seem interested in Mead Map. “I don’t think I’d use it. It would be more complicated than what it’s worth,” Legendre said. “I don’t think many students will use it if you have to pay for it.” Students can many of the same ability to collaborate and have online access by using the free Google Documents, which is a part of Gmail. Cabrini’s librarians will also teach students to use wikis for group projects. Wikis are free online collaborative tools and are how Wikipedia is created. Anyone can start a wiki and invite others to collaborate. Even though Mead Map is an entirely new form of note-taking, it may be hard for students to break the habit of the traditional notetaking. “I probably wouldn’t use it at all, I don’t take notes anyways,” Andrew Foll, sophomore business major, said. If students don’t seem to be interested in giving Mead Map a chance, then will this program fade away before becoming a fad?
“Stuff like that always seems to fade out,” Foll said. “I remember when smart boards came out. Everybody made such a big deal about it and now it’s nothing.” Professors may seem to think differently. “Although the program seems a bit complicated to me, I’m guessing that students will be able to master it fairly easily,” Dr. Jeff Gingerich, associate professor of sociology, said. “Although I would be hesitant to have this replace notebooks, I think the two might complement each other.” Gingerich enjoyed browsing through the program. “I especially like the collaborative aspect of this kind of studying,” Gingerich said. “Anything that will encourage students to organize themselves and work together in groups to improve student learning is OK in my book.” Since Mead Map is quite complex, students who try it may give up because they do not want to waste time. Gingerich said, “My primary concern is that students will spend so much time figuring out how to use the program that they will sacrifice actual studying and research time.”
FEATURES 9
Telecommuting saves money for employees sami godowsky staff writer
scg726@cabrini.edu
Currently, the trend of telecommuting is becoming more and more popular amongst companies because of advanced technology. For those unaware of what it is, telecommuting is taking advantage of technology and working in more comfortable environments, in most cases, one’s own home. Now regular work places are being replaced by the Internet. No more long hours of work, rush hour traffic and short lunch breaks. Brittany Lavin, senior English and communication major, is currently telecommuting for an internship at an independent company that puts out a monthly online newsletter. So what is a normal day like for Lavin? “A normal day for me is 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. I make sure to be up by 7 a.m. to prepare myself for the day. At 8 a. m. I log on to my email to check if my supervisor has sent me any new information. If she does, I work on that. If she doesn’t, I work on projects I have yet to complete. Most days I edit articles and research articles. I make sure to be in contact with my supervisor through e-mail, phone and IM during those hours,” Lavin said. Because of high gas prices, commuting to work everyday has become a struggle for many people. Telecommuting helps solve that problem. “It also helps me to save me money on gas, which is great nowadays,” Lavin said. Popular jobs that offer telecommuting to their employees, for example, are Web designing, data entry,
writing, publishing, sales, programming and engineering. Telecommuting also allows women to have a career and raise a family. “Telecommuting is definitely an option I would consider in the future when raising my family and balancing a career,” junior elementary education major Ali Ashjian said. On the other side of the issue, bosses may be wary about having their employees work from home. Lloyd Princeton, owner of a consulting firm with offices on both sides of the coast, has seven employees working for him, including one who telecommutes. Princeton said he ponders about what his telecommuting employee does with his time. “The biggest issue I have is tracking time and knowing when he’s working. The doubt starts to happen when he has offsite meetings,” Princeton, President of Design Management Co. said to CNN.com. Aside from the worries, Princeton said that his employee gets the work done and quality work for his clients. Telecommuting may become the new wave of the future replacing work places. Although it may seem like a dream come true to work everyday from home, or more comfortable environments, work is work and you still have to get the job done no matter where you are working from. “I would definitely recommend telecommuting to other Cabrini students because many companies are using telecommuting to accomplish tasks and experience in this new area of communications is important,” Lavin said.
brittany lavin/submitted photo
Brittany Lavin, senior English and communication major, works from the comfort of her home for her internship. The company helps her save a lot on gas money.
10 A&E
www.theloquitur.com
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
Arts & Entertainment
MTV stars get real with Cabrini students matt stewart staff writer
mls734@cabrini.edu Cabrini College was given a major treat on Sept. 15 when MTV’s Brooke and Robin came to speak on the importance of voting in the Nov. 4 election. Robin was a part of the San Diego cast of “The Real World” and Brooke was a member of the Denver cast. “Well, after doing ‘The Real World’ we were addressed to speak to colleges,” Robin said. She also stressed the importance of forming your own opinions about Barack Obama and John McCain, and not deciding your vote because of friends or family. “We want you guys to be educated voters,” Brooke said. The two of them agree that while the media does an exceptional job of letting voters know who the candidates are, it can be very biased as well. In that instance, the both of them agree that the media can have a negative impact on influencing people. Brooke and Robin did not directly state their party affiliation, but they both seemed to have
their support behind Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. “Obama made me get excited about politics again,” Robin said. The two of them spoke with the audience on the issues at stake during this election and added their own personal stories to show how much the issue can really hit home. While at the “Gauntlet 3” cast party, Robin cut her foot on glass. Because she did not have health care, she was unable to have a doctor operate on her injury; Robin’s parents had to assume the responsibility of her medical bills. Brooke has had her own experiences as well. She was able to apply for health insurance on her own, but kept getting rejected because of her mental illness. She must now pay $400 a month to be covered. “Health care isn’t a right. If education is, why the hell isn’t health care a right,” Brooke said. Robin believes health care is important to the youth as well. “I think all children should have healthcare,” Robin said. The two of them are hoping
for a viable candidate who will fix this problem, as well as the other issues facing the United States. When speaking on the economy Brooke said, “It’s complete crap. Who the hell knows when that’s going to get better?” When talking about loans Robin revealed the prospect that college students could be drafted in the event of a major international crisis. The two of them even had time to share their experiences on “The Real World” to end the night. “I learned who cares what everyone else thinks,” Brooke said of her experience. “It was a learning experience about myself.” Robin said “It only made me grow stronger and gave me this wonderful platform to talk to you guys.” The reason Brooke and Robin came was that as long as students came through the door just to see the both of them, it may end up sparking an interest. “If you’re not going to do it for your future, at least do it for your children’s futures,” Brooke said.
lauren townsend / photo staff
Brooke shares some stories from her “Real World” experiences and the importance of voting to a crowd of fans in Grace Hall.
GPFO: going green on the silver screen christina
Michaluk
a&e editor
cmm736@cabrini.edu
The Greater Philadelphia Film Office (GPFO) hosted “The Green Screen” event at the Prince Theatre on Sept. 8, 2008. A buzz filled the room as people filed in, not sure what the event would bring to an already hot topic of going green. What does it really mean to go green in the film industry? The GPFO brought together various members of the film community as well as environmentalists alike to shed light on ways to make the film business more environmentally friendly. A diverse panel of environmentalists, businessmen and filmmakers took the stage to talk about the industry and ways to improve it. The event helped to strategize on
Whitewater Rafting
how to make the film process less wasteful. Green vendors, such as the Pita Pit came to show their support and sponsor the event. Ben Kalina, a panelist for the night, spoke of how it is possible to create an all green film. He spoke of a project that he worked on that was filmed with completely green products and still had the same results as the other equipment that he is used to. “The film industry is one of the most wasteful industries today,” Kalina said. “There are plenty of ways to go green, but people don’t realize some of the options that they have when they are filming. Some of those options can also be costly, but you just have to look for the deals.” Major concerns are arising that going green is a growing problem for independent filmmakers to-
day. The costs for production are soaring in an already expensive industry. Panelist Hal Shaffer, president of Solarworks, a solar energy company, shared how his company is part of a team which is developing a Studio Centre in Norristown, Pa. where renewable energy is available as well as other film products that are more environmentally friendly. “If I can help educate the film industry on how we can save CO2 gases and save on electricity expenses at the same time, that is a good thing,” Shaffer said. Tips such as using available lighting and florescent bulbs instead of using tungsten bulbs were some of the ideas that panelists offered. Another idea was to cut back on driving to the sets. People are looking into renting hybrid cars or even possibly rent-
ing smart cars. “Our main goal tonight is not to completely change the way the film industry thinks about the environment, but it is our goal to get them to think about the choices that they make everyday on their sets,” GPFO Director of Marketing Nicole Ross said. Audience members also brought up their concerns for all of the waste that accumulates from simple things such as water bottles. According to the filmmakers in the audience, the most waste that they find on set are large amount of water bottles. “You can’t separate the two things. If you are going to be serious about the environment you have to be serious about film. I bring together both of my passions to produce something that is worth it,” Kalina said.
jake verterano/A&E Editor
The Greater Philadelphia Film office hosted a going green event on Sept. 8.
EVENTS: SEPT. 25 - OCT. 2
Experience the exhilarating feeling of rafting down a raging river -registration is due Friday, Sept. 26 for a trip on Oct. 12. Contact Orlin Jespersen, Dixon Center.
Homecoming and Family Weekend
If you didn’t already, call home and invite the family up! Starting Friday, Sept. 26 - Sept. 28 Cabrini will be full of athletic competitions, academic meet-and-greets, BBQ’s and tons of other activities for the whole family.
Singer: Jessica Sonner
Free Rock Climbing
Enjoy new music? Experience the pleasant sounds of Jessica Sooner as she performs for Cabrini in The Marketplace at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
As usual, Wednesdays are spent on the wall. Free rock climbing lessons available through the Dixon Center, transportation provided. 7 p.m. at the Philadelphia Rock Gym in Oaks, Pa.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
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A&E 11
12 A&E
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Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
Club 27 trip turns chaotic
Gillian davis/staff writer
Students regain composure after two tires flew off their bus on Route 76 this past Saturday. then again, isn’t it at a crowded gillian davis club? staff writer As the bus drove down route gbd722@cabrini.edu 76, one could hear boys repeating rap lyrics and girls giggling A night that was filled with over what the night will bring. bumping and grinding and so- Needless to say, everyone was cial banter, ended sadly with hyped. “I’ve been to Club 27 before 23 Cabrini students sitting in the State Police lobby, trying to and had a fantastic time,” Jess Klesmer, sophomore microbifind a way back to campus. Cabrini students boarded a ology major, said. “I can’t wait yellow school bus on Saturday to bust more moves with my to go clubbin’ at Philadelphia’s boyfriend.” The night began, by walking Club 27. To try and make going to the down a dark, dimly lit alleyway club in a school bus a little less then arriving at what seems nerdy, the bus driver blasted the like an apartment building with bass and turned up the latest a red-neon light that screams Club 27. hits on the radio station. After surviving the walk, Who needs Club 27 when you have Bus No. 46? Sure, entering the club is easy. Just dancing might be difficult but follow the rules: There are two
lines. Find out which to stand in. Over 21 go to the left. Under 21 go to the right. Only the boys are frisked. Once climbing up the stairs, the clubbers under 21 had to stay at that dance floor and the legal boozers had the option of climbing another flight to party with an older crowd. At first, only packs of girls danced together and boys lined up against the wall. That did not last for long, as the DJ asked for more energy from the crowd. Within the first hour of being there, it was wild. “It’s insane. Just insane. It’s so crowded. It’s not like we are dancing anymore. We are just bodies rubbing and hitting each other,” Justin DiPasquale, junior human resource and finance major, said. The students met up with each other on a street corner to board the bus to leave. Once on the bus, the party started again. The bus driver turned up the music while the boys were singing and the girls were gossiping about their dance partners. That’s when it happened. What sounded like a glass bottle hitting the ground, turned out to be the two left rear tires flying off the bus. The bus immediately tilted to the ground and the driver swerved from the far right lane into the left. The rear of the bus dug into the macadam, creating a deep gash in the road. Looking out
the back windows, cars were veering left and right to avoid the bouncing tires and other cars. What could be heard on the bus was different. The cries of girls and the shouts of the boys nearly drowned out the crashing to the bus. When the bus finally stopped, all that could be heard was the breathing of the person next to you. Or a whisper of a vulgar swear. After 30 minutes, all the passengers calmed down and people began to talk. “I thought I was living the life and then I saw a tire fly by and then I thought I was going to die,” Conor Trainor, senior human resource management major, said. “All buses should be inspected before they go out after and before every run,” Mark Chila, sophomore business major, said. The highway was completely blocked off and ambulances zoomed up and down. Finally, a transport bus came and picked all the Cabrini students up and brought them to the state police station. There they waited for another bus to pick them up. Thankfully, no one was hurt on the bus. Many were shocked and upset, but after returning to campus, everyone was grateful to be alive. “We are fortunate that the accident did not harm any Cabrini students,” Trainor said.
Open Mic Night hosts creative talents jill fries staff writer
vjf722@cabrini.edu
Singers/songwriters, musicians, CAP Board, Cabrini choir and a giant crowd of more than 100 people filled the patio of Cabrini’s mansion last Thursday night for Open Mic Night. CAP Board sponsored the night which was filled with entertainment and co-hosted by Cabrini’s choir, who sold refreshments to raise money for a choir trip to Vienna, Austria. Cav Sound, including seniors Kara Schneider and Matt Perks, gave the night more life with the sound system. “The night went really well. More people than usual came tonight, which made it more fun,” Katie Juliana, sophomore social work and sociology major, said. The audience heard original music and poems, several bands, duets, soloists and much more. CAP Board brings social, cultural and educational programs to Cabrini with events like Open Mic Night. Events are mostly free and open to all students. Several freshmen performed for the first time here at Cabrini. “My first experience was great. Everyone was really open and chill. There was a great vibe from
the crowd, but I was so nervous,” Bit Hess, freshman undeclared major, said. She started performing in eigth grade and wrote music since elementary school. After only preparing for three days, she sang two original songs. “I will definitely perform again, but I’ll be more prepared next time.” The cool night got chillier and was getting later, causing the crowd to slowly disappear. The performers did not get discouraged though and the talent was just as strong as earlier. Open Mic had a special guest for the end of the night. It was an original band from Villanova called 5 Point, including sophomores Bryan O’Mara, Kevin Tymon and Ryan Mahoney. The sound of bongo drums gave the night a little twist to the music that was heard all night. The band has been together for 10 months and plans to come back to Cabrini for a second performance. “We decided to email every local college because our music is appreciated at this age,” O’Mara said. “There were so many great acts tonight, I couldn’t even tell you my favorite,” Christina Flood, sophomore undeclared major, said. “I will definitely be at the next Open Mic.”
megan kutulis / staff writer
Julian Maliszewski plays some tunes on his guitar at Open Mic Night on Sept. 11.
Homecoming weekend Sept. 26 - 28 shannon keough copy editor
sek723@cabrini.edu
It’s that time of year. The air is getting crispy while the leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground. For the most part, students finally feel completely settled at school and are ready to show off their achievements to their families. Homecoming weekend kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 25 with the Summer Reading Convocation from 5-6:30 p.m. Over the summer, first-year students were required to read and write an essay on “Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood” by Marjane Satrapi. At the convocation, the student essay winner will be awarded. The Men’s Lacrosse Alumni game will be held at 7 p.m. Friday night on the Edith Robb Dixon Field. Also, from 7-8 p.m. an icecream social will take place in Jazzman’s Café. Following that at 8 p.m. will be a family movie, “Kung Fu Panda,” in the Widener Lecture Hall. Saturday will be packed with activities, beginning as early as 8:30 a.m. To name a couple of the events, there will be a student life panel at 9:30 a.m. in the Iadarola Center Lecture Hall and the honors convocation will be held in the Grace Hall Atrium from 10:3011:30 a.m. A campus picnic on the commons will take place at 11:30 a.m.1 p.m. Also on the commons will be interactive activities from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., including an appearance from the Mummers from 12-1 p.m. Women’s volleyball will play Baptist Bible College at 10:30 a.m., women’s soccer will take on Centenary College at 12:30 p.m., women’s tennis will go against Philadelphia’s Bible College at 1 p.m. and men’s soccer will tackle Arcadia University at 3 p.m. From 2-4 p.m. there will be meet and greets for majors in math and business, communication, English and theater and science, education and technology. Additional meet and greets are for students in the honors program, voices of justice and academic and career exploration. At night, a murder mystery dinner will be held for those who have already registered and, The Mind Guy from TLC will have a presentation called “The Mysterious World of Alan Nu” at 8 p.m. in the Grace Hall Atrium. On Sunday, Sept. 28, Mass will be held at 11 p.m. in the chapel, followed by Brunch for $6 in the student restaurant from 11:30 a.m.1 p.m. The Kite Festival, from 12-3 p.m. will take place on the Upper Athletic Field. The Soccer Clinic will also be on the Upper Athletic Field from 2-3 p.m. For a complete list of events go to cabrini.edu where you can register for some events.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
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Sports
SPORTS 13
Field hockey suffers heartbreaker to Del Val justin bostwick staff writer
jnb724@cabrini.edu
kristen mariana/photo staff
Sohpomore Courtney Davis stick handles around a Delaware Valley College defender during the game on Sept. 16.
Women’s field hockey, with a 3 - 4 season, faced defeat to Delaware Valley College on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The game went into double overtime and was followed by a shoot-out in which Delaware Valley claimed their victory. No points were scored for the first half of the game. Both teams put up a good fight to keep the ball from being secluded to one side of the field. It was in the second half of the game when Delaware Valley scored the first goal of the evening. The clock had 25:20 seconds remaining when the goal was scored and Delaware Valley fans could be heard expressing their excitement with applause. Soon after that, the ball made its way to the goal again, but did not count thanks to the blow of the whistle. At 6:29 remaining in what was thought to be the final stretch of the game, Cabrini scored its first goal of the evening, tying the score up at 1-1. Lauren Alessi, freshman political science major, scored the point and saved the game from ending when it was expected. As the clock counted down to zero, the scoreboard still flashed a score of 1-1. This could only mean one thing. As the teams prepared themselves for the game to go into overtime, the crowd’s enthusiasm seemed to increase. The Cavs made a close attempt at
scoring a goal in the first couple minutes of overtime. However, the whistle blew and resulted in a non-successful point. Needless to say, Cabrini fans were disappointed at this turn of events. At four minutes remaining in overtime, the goalkeeper put some work in. Caitlin Donahue, sophomore graphic design major, had a huge save, which led the game into double overtime. Donahue had another huge save at only 1:15 remaining in double overtime. The scoreboard still read 1-1 because no goals were scored in either of the 15-minute sessions of overtime. The game became a bit more exciting due to the fact it was going into a shootout. As fans in the bleachers stood up to watch individual players take shots at the goal, Delaware Valley took the win 3-1. Stephanie Campanaro, freshman exercise science major, was really proud of her team for not giving up after such a long game and showing as much effort as possible. Despite the loss, Cabrini head coach Jackie Neary still showed compassion for her team. Actually, she thought the game was a great experience because most of the players on the team are young. All of the games that are played in September will hopefully prepare the team for the games they play in October. “They showed a lot of heart today,” Neary said. Since the game was a non-conference game, the loss does not have an effect on Cabrini’s status.
First half effort enough for lady Cavs victory brian loschiavo staff writer
brianloschiavo@cabrini.edu
Cabrini women’s soccer team improved to 3-4-0 on the season with a 2-1 win over The Catholic University of America from Washington, D.C. this past Saturday at the Edith Robb Dixon Field. Senior captain Nikki Duggan kicked off the scoring at the 34:24 mark finding her second goal of the season. Senior Jennifer Burke found Duggan for a header into the cage off a penalty corner kick. The match turned into a physical back and forth battle until junior education major Heather Thompson ended the scoring drought with a goal nine seconds before half time. Rookie Molly Schwoebel set Thompson up for the goal just inside the box about 12-yards out. “We really wanted this game,” Thompson said. “In the huddle we talked about how we had more heart than them, we definitely showed that in this game.” Thompson’s score was her third of the season tying junior Sabina DeGisi for the team lead. Sophomore goalkeeper Gianna Poretta had a break out day where she captured a season high 12 saves including seven in the second half. Coming into the second stanza The Catholic University Cardinals were down by two. The Cardinals came back onto the field and managed 18 shots on goal going against only six shots on goal by the Cavs.
brian loshiavo/staff writer
Senior Jen Burke races a Catholic University Cardinal to a ball on her home turf during the game on Saturday, Sept. 20. The Cav’s went on to win the game by a score of 2-1. “Each game we play helps us build as a team and prepare for the conference schedule ahead,” head coach Ken Prothero said. “In this game we learned how to protect a lead at the end of a game; we need to work on playing both offense and defense as a one strong unit.” At the 70-minute mark, 20 minutes until the final horn, Catholic freshman Erin Saia assisted fellow rookie Caroline Burke for the Cards lone tally of the game. Burke bounced a shot over Porretta’s head for the goal. This cut the Cavs lead in half. “The team needs to learn how to play 90 minutes of all out soccer,” assistant coach Cole Vennie said. “We came out
on top today because we out-hearted our opponent, this is what we need to do every game from here on out.” Down just one goal in the second with minutes on the clock, Catholic had two chances to knot up the game but they could not convert. The closest they came was a heartstopping header from Burke which was off the mark. The Cardinals came out on top in corner kicks with a 9-5 advantage over the hosting Cavs, seven of them occurring in the second half. Catholic goalkeeper Amanda Cowan went home with nine saves, while Cabrini
ended the game with an impressive 27 shots on goal. DeGisi and Duggan ended the game leading the team in shots on goal with six and four, respectively. Just last season the Cavs took on Catholic University and lost the contest 6-3. “This is one of the best teams we will face all year, so it definitely shows who we are and what we can be as a team this season, it was a good test for us,” Prothero said. “I know we can finish in one of the top spots in the conference and contend for the CSAC crown.”
14 SPORTS
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Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
A salute to the fallen: so long, Yankee Stadium SPORTS SCENE By Nick Pitts
It’s not common that someone would take a match to their favorite photo album. Surely an art museum would never trash a fine piece of art. Why, then, does America demolish its greatest stadiums? By now it is common knowledge that the New York Yankees will open the 2009 season in a brand new stadium. All season long it was growing in the shadows of Yankees Stadium. The entire baseball world, with the end of every inning played, understood the inevitable. And then, it happened. On that fateful night, Sept. 21 to be exact, the Yankees played their final game in the house that Babe Ruth built. Even worse news for New Yorkers is that thanks to the asbestos content of the old building, the demolition will be piece by piece, instead of an implosion. Not until spring of 2010 does the city expect the demolition to be complete, a slow and painful death, for sure. But I’m almost certain that Philadelphians don’t exactly feel sorry for New York’s loss. After having already said goodbye to the famous Veteran’s Stadium, the place where Santa got plastered with snowballs and Mike Schmidt lead the Phillies to their last World Series win, Chairman of Comcast-Spectacore Ed Snider announced that the Spectrum will also close its doors after the 2008-2009 seasons. Now there is a building with some
The rubble of the former Veteran’s Stadium took a few months to be hauled away after implosion. history. Sure, it will never be regarded as highly as Yankees Stadium, but to me, that place is childhood and so much more. When the Spectrum goes down, so does the very last championship in Philly. Not since the 1983 Sixers has a Philadelphia team gone the distance. With the Vet now a parking lot, the only thing this city will have left are memories of their great championship teams. Every time I step foot into the spectrum I feel like I can hear the echo of an older generation basking in the confetti as famous play-by-play announcer Gene Hart declared the Flyers the Stanley Cup champs. The newer, the bigger, the gaudier. No matter how hard they may try, the atmosphere of an old stadium will never be recreated. “Old” cannot be rebuilt. Why do we blow up our history? In the Yankees case, it seems as though George Steinbrenner wanted to write himself
a chapter or two in the pinstripes’ ever growing book. After days of searching, I couldn’t come up with any logical reason, other than Steinbrenner and the city of New York are heartless. If you needed any more proof, you can venture down to Coney Island, home of America’s first true amusement parks. Or what’s left of it. This country could learn a valuable lesson from the Italians. People travel to Rome just to see the beloved Coliseum, perhaps the most amazing stadium ever built. Imagine the pure profit in tickets to see the structure. Two millennia after it’s seen its last death match, it’s still making money! Ruth’s house may not have ever seen any fights to the death, but there was some great baseball played there. I am one of the many that has never gotten the chance to see the inside of the stadium and I’d absolutely buy a ticket just to walk around
staff photographer
its crumbling walls. Being old should not be an excuse to tear down something valuable. I’d take the falling cement chips in my drink at the Vet over a shiny new monstrosity any day. I almost forgot to mention that Shea Stadium will be tore down at the close of this season as well. All part of a failed master plan to lure the 2012 Olympics to New York City, where some genius figured if they built a new billion dollar stadium and torn down the old Shea, that the city would have a shot at the prestigious Olympic games. When Shea goes down, I might cheer, kind of like I stood up and cheered at the end of “A New Hope” when the rebels blew up the Death Star. I am not a Yankees fan. As a matter of fact, I can’t even stand New York. But for what it’s worth, I will miss Yankees Stadium, because it meant that much to baseball, and all of sports for that matter.
This week in sports charles bush staff writer
cab724@cabrini.edu
Farwell To Yankee Stadium On Sunday, Sept. 21, The New York Yankees played their last game at the infamous Yankee stadium in The Bronx, New York. The Yankees played the Baltimore Orioles and won 7-3. Yankee stadium was brought to a magnificent close with high emotions from all the fans and players after the first opening day 85 years ago on April 18, 1923. Sunday night began with an honoring of all the past Yankee greats, even allowing the field to be open to the public, letting people walk and take in all the beautiful tradition of the great field.
An American victory without Tiger The United States golf team took home the cup after a stunning victory in the 2008 Ryder Cup this past weekend. The U.S. was not the favorite, since they were without the services of the number one ranked player in the world Tiger Woods. It was the Americans first victory in the cup since 1999. In the end, the U.S. made a statement letting the rest of the world know that Woods isn’t the only golfer in America.
The return of Lance On Sept. 8, 2008 former seven time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong announced that he was coming out of retirement in hopes to capture an eighth title. Armstrong, now 38 years old, feels that he still has something to prove to not only himself but the media as well. The news comes at a time in cycling where there’s still a lot of turmoil over steroid use. Recent critics still continue to believe that during Armstrong’s long and legendary career, he wasn’t always the cleanest of riders in regards to banned substances.
The MVP chooses to say “NO” to surgery Last year’s NBA MVP Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers decided to forego pinky surgery on Sept. 7. Bryant has been playing with the banged up pinky since early October 2007 and elected not to have surgery this summer due to him playing in the Olympic games in Beijing. Bryant felt that missing time in the beginning of the upcoming 2009 season due to his surgery wouldn’t be beneficial to the team. Bryant will again play through the pain in hopes to help the Lakers capture another Western Conference title in ‘09.
Upcoming Games Thursday, Sept. 25 No games
Friday, Sept. 26 No games
Saturday, Sept. 27
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country @ Belmont Classic (Philadelphia, Pa) TBA Men’s Soccer home vs. Arcadia University @ 3 p.m. Field Hockey @ Rosemont College @ 1 p.m. Women’s Soccer home vs. Centenary College @ 12:30 p.m. Women’s Tennis home vs. Philadelphia Biblical University @ 1 p.m. Volleyball home vs. Baptist Bible College @ 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, Sept. 28 No games
Monday, Sept. 29 No games
Tuesday, Sept. 30
Women’s Tennis @ Philadelphia University @ 4 p.m. Volleyball home vs. Centenary College @ 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 1
Men’s soccer home vs. Widener University @ 6:30 p.m. Women’s Soccer @ Baptist Bible College @ 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
SPORTS 15
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Spin class promises a sweat erin nollen
staff writer
ekn722@cabrini.edu
The newest addition to the Dixon Center exercise schedule is the spin class on Wednesday nights from 5 to 6 p.m. taught by Morgan Lambert. “I didn’t know how much of a challenge riding a stationary bike would be but this class proved that it was no easy ride,” Lauren Magill, senior psychology major, said. If you’re someone who doesn’t like going to the gym then you should consider one of the classes as an alternative. You don’t need to go run for an hour on the treadmill to have a successful workout. The new spin class promises you’ll break
a sweat and feel great after you complete a class. “Your heart rate is pumping every minute; there are points where you feel like you want to fall off the bike because that would hurt less. You go no where but feel on top of the world when you finish,” Lambert said. “It amazes me how much you can sweat in a spin class. There is a puddle underneath the bike each week,” Lambert said. If riding a bike seems a little too high speed for you, the Dixon Center has other options. Another popular class is the yogalates class taught by Kandace Keefer, on Monday and Wednesday mornings in the Dixon Center at 8 a.m. and at 7 p.m. in the East Residence Hall lounge. “Yogalates is a fusion of pilates and
yoga. I incorporate core strengthening exercise into the practice, as well as deep tissue stretching,” Keefer said. Pilates may seem a little tricky and you might be apprehensive about moves you might not be able to do, but Keefer reassures us anyone can do it. “First and foremost you should have fun doing it. I smile throughout the practice and even joke with my students when explaining some poses because they could be a bit awkward at first; it’s all about the positivity,” Keefer said. So whether you like to lift weights, run, do water aerobics, yogalates or spin, the Dixon Center has options for everyone. To find the times of the aerobics classes just visit the Dixon Center page on cabrini. edu.
cabrini athletic department
Williams boasts years of experience kara driver staff writer
kad727@cabrini.edu
lauren magill/photo staff
Students break a sweat during the new spin class that the Dixon center is now offering each Wednesday night.
Cavs earn tie with Collins’ late goal katie engell staff writer
kge722@cabrini.edu
The Cavaliers battled the Blue Jays from Johns Hopkins University Wednesday, Sept. 17, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Johns Hopkins University was one of Cabrini’s toughest competitors and a preseason favorite going into the game. There was a struggle to score for both teams in the first period. Johns Hopkins offense was strong but Cabrini fought hard and kept the game at 0-0 throughout the whole first period. Freshman Tyler Harvey was taken out of the game because of an injury shortly into the first half. “There were a few moments in the beginning where we looked a little tense since this was the best team we were going to play all year,” senior marketing major Mike McDevitt said. At the end of the first half, the Hopkin’s offense had 10 shots on Cabrini’s goalie, played by junior and captain Bryan Johnson. Johnson saved all the shots on goal, keeping the score of the game 0-0. “I can’t harp on the offense, because I feel like they converted on the chances they got. But as for being a defender, and working in the back, I think the biggest thing we have to work on is chemistry among the defenders and communication,” sophomore marketing major Troy Allen said. Mike McDevitt began the second half of the game with a goal off of a free kick by Allen making the score of the game 1-0 Cavaliers. Hopkins tallied with a goal by Akash Naik and tied the game with a score of 1-1.
cabrini athletic department
Mike McDevitt carries the ball down the field in a game earlier last season. Evan Hanauer runs down the right side of the field. “The main challenge that we had to face was dealing with their overall team speed along with their very strong play in the middle; but we did a good job of keeping the middle clogged up,” McDevitt said. With 25 minutes remaining in the second period, Scott Bukoski of Johns Hopkins scored a goal, putting Hopkins in the lead with a score of 2-1. Cabrini freshman Eric Collins responded with a goal, tying the game yet again, as the second period was wrapping
up. With a 2-2 tie, the Cavaliers and Blue Jays went into overtime. After the first 10-minute overtime, neither teams scored, bringing the game into a second overtime. Johnson, the goalie for the Cavaliers, made a great save at the five-minute mark keeping the game tied. “We were down one of our key defenders and we managed to work together to pull off a tie,” Mike Kroener, junior marketing major, said. “Better communication will help us next game.”
Junior volleyball player Lizzie Williams received the first player of the week award in her career. Williams has played for the Cabrini volleyball team for three years as a setter. “Even though we have had a rough start with only a few wins, the beginning of our season is always the hardest,” Williams said. Williams never lost faith in her team. “We are definitely a contender to win the CSAC this year, but Neumann is going to be a tough game.” Williams is from Newark, Del. where she has played volleyball since she was four years old. She described herself as an over-achiever and is very proud to receive this award. Williams attended St. Mark’s High School in Del. where she played on the varsity team all four years. She was the first freshman in eight years to make the varsity volleyball team at her school. Not only does Williams play volleyball but she is also a pre-med and biology major. Along with receiving player of the week this year, last year she received honorable mention for the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) and Academic Award for the CSAC. Williams is very vocal on the court and gets her team pumped up for every game. “We just have to go out strong and we will succeed in the new conference, CSAC,” Williams said. The volleyball team had a record of 16-8 last year and hopes to reach the record again. So far this year, their record consists of five wins and seven losses. “Lizzie definitely deserves this award. She always strives for greatness and is a great attribute to the team,” junior Traci Beltz said. Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@ googlegroups.com. The editors will review your comments each week and make corrections if warranted.
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008
www.theloquitur.com
SPORTS 16
Cheerleaders ‘tumbling’ into high injury rates danielle feole sports editor
df727@cabrini.edu
nick pitts/sports editor
Brittany Rodgers performs a stunt during tryouts on Monday, Sept. 15. Coach Dee Kitzinger watches from below to ensure safety.
Cheerleading is in the running for one of the most dangerous sports; who would have thought? A new study says that cheerleading causes 65.1 percent of female high school athlete injuries and 66.7 percent of female college athlete injuries. According to HealthDay, Center Director Frederick O. Mueller, a professor of exercise and sports science who’s authored the annual report since it began in 1982, said catastrophic injuries to female athletes have increased over the years. “It’s amazing how many kids cheer, which is the reason there are so many injuries,” Cabrini’s Cheerleading coach Dee Kitzinger said. This is Kitzinger’s second year coaching the Cavaliers. “There has been one minor bump in the head in two years,” Kitzinger said. The NCAA made many regulations and guidelines to prohibit cheerleading stunts. If the coaching is done properly and the cheerleaders follow the appropriate rules, it should eliminate unnecessary accidents. “Girls get hurt when they go outside the limits they are allowed,” junior occupational therapy and psychology major Mandee Bowes said. According to HealthDay, between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes. The vast majority of
those occurred in cheerleading. During that same period, there were 39 such injuries among female college athletes, including 26 in cheerleading. “In high school, I ruptured my ACL and tore my meniscus. I was tumbling, when a spotter fell and I came out of a twist and hyper-extended my knee,” Bowes said. In 2006, a cheerleading accident got much attention in the media. Kristi Yamaoka, a sophomore at the time, attending Southern Illinois University, fell head-first from approximately 10 feet in the air, during her squad’s timeout routine. Yamaoka suffered from a concussion and chipped vertebra, but continued to cheer her way out of the stadium while on a stretcher. “This brought cheer injuries to the forefront. Any agency that could jump on board did,” Kitzinger said. “A major factor has been the change in cheerleading activity, which now involves gymnastic-type stunts. If these cheerleading activities are not taught by a competent coach and keep increasing in difficulty, catastrophic injuries will continue to be a part of cheerleading,” Mueller said in a university news release. Every sport has its downfalls and injuries, it’s how the sport is taught and regulated that puts restrictions on the aggression and creates a cautious atmosphere for the players and coaches. “Anybody can be a coach; it’s whether you put the time into it and create a safe environment,” Kitzinger said.
Recreation department offers something for everyone christine adolf staff writer
cna722@cabrini.edu
Intramural sports on Cabrini’s campus provide a social environment for students to get involved and interact with their peers. “This is a great opportunity to stay in shape, try a new activity or continue an activity they may have played in high school but not on a varsity college team,” Orlin Jespersen, assistant director of recreation, said. “There is a chance for students to get
out and have some fun with friends or meet new people in a relaxed atmosphere.” Sports that are currently offered are flag football, powderpuff football, soccer, volleyball and softball. “The best thing about intramural sports is that you can just be you and just play to play,” Shannan Steele, junior communication major, said. “I love playing sports, and intramurals gives me a chance to get out and be active while doing something I love,” Derreck Shenk, sophomore biotechnology major, said.
nick pitts/sports editor
Senior exercise science major Craig Lowrie enjoys a night of climbing at the rock gym.
Soccer and flag football are the most popular sports at this time and there are a total of 175 students registered. “Students still have time to sign up. Most of the leagues will begin in the next week or two,” Jespersen said. Registering is free and new this year. Students can go to athleague.com/home to register, to set up their profile and to set up their team. There is a free agent team that students can sign up for if they do not have a team of their own. “I joined intramural sports because I really just wanted to play the sports that I love and there is no pressure and everyone can just go out and do what they do best,” Patrick Gallagher, sophomore communication major, said. “In the end no one cares who won. It’s just about showing up and playing the sport with your friends,” Steele said. Along with the intramural sports offered on campus, there is also a variety of events offered off campus such as rock climbing, kayaking, canopy tour, windsurfing and sailing just to name a few. Some events are free to Cabrini students and some have a minimal cost to them. Check out all the adventures Cabrini College offers by going to cabrini.edu/ intramurals. The canopy tour is an adventure put together by taking the chair lift to the top of the mountain, hiking to your starting point and then being harnessed to zip lines. Once harnessed to the zip lines you can go flying through the tops of trees and enjoy the scenery. “I personally do these sports and participate so that I can just forget about everything; classes, homework and papers,” Gallagher said. “When you’re on that field nothing else matters and I mean nothing.”
orlin jesperson/submitted photo
Junior political science major Kelly Levy swings from the trees on the canopy tour.