Red & Black - Eat, Paint, Love - 9/18/2015

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s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r o f w a s h i n g t o n a n d j e f f e r s o n c o l l e g e r e d a n d b l a c ko n l i n e . c o m

w a s h i n g t o n , p e n n s y lva n i a

september

18, 2015

Eat, Paint, love

By Andrew Adams Page 5

Courtesy Felix Nicol

ARTS: HYPNOTIST VISITS W&J PAGE 11

OPINIONS: MINIMUM WAGES PAGE 16

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Red & Black

18 S eptember 2015

Student Organization Sheds Light on Mental Illness Nick Baker Red&Black Contributor

Active Minds is a nationwide college campus organization designed to increase awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness on college campuses.

The Organization is led by Sophomore Ali Budz, who serves as its active President.

As one of 404 active chapters across the US, Active Minds strives to educate W&J students and the surrounding community about mental health. “Our goal is to provide people with the skills and knowledge needed in order to be educated about mental health and its importance in college and the surrounding community,” says Budz. To do this, the organization focuses on reducing stigma. Stigma, Budz says, is a mark of shame associated with something,

and is especially prevalent in the context of mental illness. People with mental illnesses often feel ashamed of their conditions, and this shame is then perpetuated by others’ misunderstandings surrounding the subject.

The field of Psychology also confirms that mental health is an important concern.

When asked about the importance of understanding mental health, Dr. Cathy Petchel, a psychology professor at W&J, had this to say: “I am passionate about advocacy and reducing stigma as it relates to those struggling with mental health concerns. I believe that by giving mental health a voice we increase awareness, understanding and compassion for each individual.”

Petchel also adds, “By reducing the stigma associated with mental

health and substance abuse healing can begin. All of us are touched in some way by mental health concerns and our W&J community and our lives are strengthened by understanding and acceptance.”

Budz agrees, adding, “When dealing with mental illness, you need support.

Telling someone who has depression to ‘get over it’ is kind of like telling someone to ‘get over’ cancer. You can’t just ‘snap out’ of mental illnesses.”

Active minds is especially important because of its relevance to the college atmosphere.

In college, students are on their own, and must balance the pressures of academic achievement with excellence in extracurricular activities while still maintaining a social life. This can be overwhelming, and students may feel reluctant

house.

His outstanding internship experience aided him in graduating early in December 2015.

During this interview I asked Myint about his experience in the U.S. and his plans after graduation.

Myint is from a very distant country: Burma, which is also known as the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

So why would he choose to come to the United States? Myint has always been interested in studying political science ever since he was a little kid. He grew

up in a regime of military dictatorship and since political science was banned from his education system, he knew

Courtesy Nick Baker

to talk to a counselor or counseling services about their issues. Budz says that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among college students, and that, “This is the age group where the onset of mental illness is most prevalent.”

When asked about attendance for the organization, Budz says, “We’d love to have anyone who is interested, and are always willing to talk. Come take part

in making a difference in our campus!”

Active Minds will have its first meeting on Wednesday, September 23rd at 7:30pm in the Media Room. Subsequent meetings will be every other Wednesday in the Media Room.

For more information, Active Minds and its president can be reached on Spire, and also on Facebook at “Active Minds at Washington & Jefferson College.”

the two front runners for their political science programs.

He admitted though, that, “financial aid was the main factor.” The financial benefits paired with his admiration of the American form of democracy, open governance and societal nature, finalized his decision.

Along with his education, his many internships have presented him with a clear picture of his career goals.

The first two internships focused on increasing U.S. investment in Burma. As Myint explains the Burmese

transition from a closed society to that of a democracy, he notes that the transition comes with, “increased forward investment and dealing with western nations.”

These dealings also come with the trouble of dealing with western democracies in ways that are political and economic.

He also states that his internship with the US ASEAN Business Council (a top Southeast Asian lobbying firm) has contributed greatly to his aspiration of entering Burmese politics.

Student Spotlight: A Feature on Jack Myint Ioseb Jorjoliani Red&Black Staff

Many of you have probably heard of this gentleman: Jack Myint. He is a Burmese student who came to the United States with big dreams to make his country a better place.

Now, Myint is a senior political science major with a conflict resolution concentration.

He is also a Maxwell and two times Magellan scholar.

He works at the center of the energy policy at the President’s

Courtesy Jack Myint

that he needed to step out of the country to explore his options. After researching, he found that the United States and United Kingdom were

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Magellan Scholar Opens Up About Trip to Kenya Capri Backus Red&Black Contributor

The Magellan Project: it's bright, unique, exciting and mentioned at least a dozen times during Freshman Orientation alone. It won the Heiskell Award in 2010 from the Institute of International Education for its perspective of study abroad, and seems to essentially be that one kid down the street that your parents compared you to because they can play the violin and speak ten dead languages and be home by nine on a school night. It is the opening line of recruiters, and glimmers with the promise of adventure and self-confidence. But what does that actually mean?

Magellan, essentially, urges people to find a place that's new for them. Maybe that's as close as Pittsburgh or as far as the lush fog of Wicklow National Park, in Ireland. It's of completely transplanting oneself to grow in foreign soil, and of immersing oneself in something that one is passionate about.

Brianne Alban ‘17 is a great example. She combined her interests and alacrity for studying International Relations and Economics, and used the Magellan Project to fund her trip for an internship with Chariots for Hope.

There, she spent two months in Maai Mahiu Children's

Home, Mogogosiek Infant's Home and Kaptagat Children's Home in Kenya, and saw how children’s homes helped to give children in turbulent conditions options in education, careers and stability.

While children’s homes could not necessarily erase problems generated by destitution or family loss, they provided outlets and options.

But what do these experiences mean?

When Brianne talked about her experiences, she mentioned both the wealth of Nairobi and the contrasting poverty that impacted the foundations and children she worked with. Revolutionary utilities taken for granted

used to gauge the standard of living in different countries.

Kenya’s GDP per capita as of 2013 is about 1,245.1 US dollars, which can be compared to the United States’ 53,041.98 dollars per year.

As not all Americans bring in fifty grand a year, it can’t be assumed that all Kenyans bring in the estimated thousand dollars, and reveals the great divide in the standard of living highly developed countries and developing countries. High rates of population growth, which has tripled in the last thirty-five years, as well as severe droughts and climate change have stressed the country’s resources and agriculture, and has left women and younger generations

“Kenya has a different culture. It's more warm, friendly, and people-oriented.”

— Brianne Alban

in cities and in Western life were not options and formal education was often non-existent. “The poverty found in rural villages was extremely humbling,” she noted, “and put learning about economics into perspective.” Working, living and meeting the actual people and children affected by these issues solidified her interests in studying poverty and economics.

A statistic known as GDP per capita, or the gross domestic product per person, can be

susceptible to poverty.

In these communities, she found a lot of comradery, kindness and community.

"Kenya has a different culture. It's more warm, friendly and people-oriented," she described. In Western cultures, where actions, events, technology, and fast-paced society is familiar, Kenya contrasts with its slower, open norms of inviting in strangers for cups of tea they couldn't necessarily afford and of actively listening. This combined with

Courtesy Brianne Alban

being able to provide children with one-on-one attention, and seeing former children of the homes who had been able to secure jobs like banking in Nairobi, were rewarding. In her words, these experiences helped to open her mind to a “new way of living,” or essentially, a new way of being.

“Advice for people interested in Magellans? They should take the chance,” Brianne said.

No proposal will ever be perfect, and remaining flexible allows students to try these amazing experiences while remaining safe, with the administration and faculty like Tyler Tenny helping to ensure students’ plans are both safe and practical.

Although preparing Magellan projects involves intensive planning, researching and preparing, as Kelly Himes ‘18

noted, “it challenges students to learn how to proactively manage, and shape their interests by meeting new communities, and places.”

We are where we came from, but we’re also more. Each of us is special, individual and comprised of laughter and intelligence as bright and distinct as fingerprints. In this same way, people of other cultures and places are connected by their places and shared tastes in music, but are also unmistakably, and humanly, unique.

It’s why it’s not just enough to study and to research. It’s imperative that we form connections around this world.

We need to better understand, and to share who we are and who other people are so that we are not just connected to our countries and to our hometowns, but to each other.

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18 S eptember 2015

Dr. Linda Troost - A Professor Spotlight Michael Becerra Red&Black Contributor

Dr. Linda Troost had a similar first time experience with Jane Austen that many others do. Not always an easy read, Austen can push people to the point of outburst as it did Dr. Troost who says, “I had first started reading it when I was twelve years old, and I thought this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever read and threw it against the wall.” Since then however, Austen has left her mark on Dr. Troost who she says has become her favorite author, and her primary research focus. Dr. Troost has also left her mark on the works of Austen by becoming one of the foremost experts of the author in the entire world after having explored a variety of topics dealing with the author, including the links between Jane Austen and Zombies. This devotion and

expertise allowed her to take a sabbatical, which is essentially a leave in which a professor dedicates themselves entirely to research instead of teaching or other administrative duties. Dr. Troost used this opportunity to delve deeper into the Digital Humanities, the process by which scholars explore seemingly infinite online databases containing primary sources and criticisms that can satisfy even the most dedicated bookworms.

Most do not know this about Dr. Troost, but she was an early adopter of the digital age. She wrote her graduate school English Dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania and can pull apart a computer and reassemble it with ease.

Her tech savvy lessons on the use of online sources to uncover more and more about Austen and women writers in general, literally took her around the world. Dr. Troost’s

sabbatical began in Canada where she led workshops at the University of Victoria in British and presented at a conference in Montreal to the Jane Austen Society of North America, both centered around the Digital Humanities and Data Mining.

From Canada, Dr. Troost then traveled to Australia where she led similar Digital Humanities workshops, but not without a quick detour to go Lord of the Rings’ sightseeing in New Zealand. However, the best was yet to come for Dr. Troost on her trip because she then arrived in Chawton, England where she worked at the Chawton House Library, a research facility dedicated to Austen’s works and her female contemporaries. As if this wasn’t enough for Dr. Troost to get excited about, the Chawton house had once belonged to the Austen family and is now owned by

famous entrepreneur, and recipient of a Washington & Jefferson honorary degree, Sandy Lerner. To top off the almost year-long adventure, Dr. Troost and her husband headed to Cambridge where they each gave a lecture to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the famous BBC production of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice which was attended by the cast and director of the series, a huge honor for all of the author’s most loyal fans.

Now back at W&J, Dr. Troost looks to use her experiences over the past year to build the Digital Humanities programs here at W&J on a broader scale than just Jane Austen. Her vision is to bring digitally minded people to the Humanities, something that fits perfectly into the liberal arts agenda of W&J. She wants everyone to know that the Humanities,

and English in particular, opens more doors than most think. “Everybody thinks that [with English] all you can do is teach, no,” she says, “you can do anything in the world if you can control words.” To do this, Dr. Troost created a course called “Identity, Ethnicity, and the Digital Humanities” which she coteaches with professors from a variety of subjects such as the language department. The class focuses on diversity not only in subject matter, but also in how English as a subject can cross over into so many different fields.

Dr. Troost has a vision towards the future of studying Humanities saying, “We can definitely do it if people are interested.” If her prior track record is any indication, we should be seeing the application of Dr. Troost’s methods in the Humanities and beyond.

meets at the Rossin Circle at 1:00p.m. and can take you to the Washington Mall, the Robinson Mall or Tanger Outlets to meet your shopping needs. It is a useful loop for those lacking their own transportation.

The second loop is called the Rush and meets at the Rossin Circle every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:00p.m. and will take you to various locations, all you have to do is let the driver know!

Lastly, and the most widely used form of transportation

is the Pittsburgh Pipeline.

Meeting at the Rossin Circle at varying times on Friday and Saturday, it is a useful tool to stay connected with Pittsburgh.

When asked about the Pittsburgh Pipeline, senior Courtney Brennan responded, saying, “the Pipeline is fast and exciting and a great way to make friends in the process.

It is a fantastic transportation tool to get and stay connected with our beloved Pittsburgh.”

Fellow Senior, Kevin Dunigan stated, “the Pipeline

is a great tool to go into the city for free and [you] don’t have to worry about driving or parking.

One of my favorites is to go and watch some baseball games.”

The Pipeline can take you to various destinations of Pittsburgh, including the Cultural District, the Strip District, the South Side or the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland.

The first available time to board the Pipeline to get into the city is at 6:30p.m. and the latest is at 10:30p.m. on a

Friday evening, while the last time to board the Pipeline back to campus is 2:30a.m.

The Saturday schedule starts at 11:00a.m. and runs all day, with the last possible time to go into the city being 10:30a.m. with the latest possible return at 2:30a.m.

Each of the rides is free to all W&J students who present their student ID. Each of the three shuttles is a useful tool to every student and a great way to save both money and gas for each individual President.

The Secret is Out: W&J’s Transportation for Students Anthony Squeglia Red&Black Contributor

One of the best hidden secrets that Washington & Jefferson College has to offer is in regards to free transportation.

There are three different shuttles and loops that W&J has to offer.

The first that W&J has is the Saturday Shopping Shuttle. The Saturday Shuttle

18 S eptember 2015

Red & Black

Felix Nicol, a junior at Washington & Jefferson college is currently studying abroad at the Florence School of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy. Nicol is an Art major who enjoys working in various mediums of visual art. He is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

His campus involvement includes membership in Alpha Tau Omega, the Frisbee Club, and various other campus organizations.

Nicol is currently taking painting, photography, Italian

culture, and art history. He went to Florence because it is a great opportunity to improve his art in an environment that separates him from the familiar W&J atmosphere. His adventures take him through the Piazza Santa Croce every day where he is immersed in Italian culture as much as the Italian cuisine. This new environment is very conducive to learning the language and about the people. In addition to the culture, he is enjoying the apartment style living

which allows him the freedom to become more independent.

He cooks all of his own meals excepting, of course, the ones he gets from the great Italian cafes. As a student of art, it is very important to be well rounded in the knowledge of art, and the culture there allows for the study of art in ways that he never foresaw.

His advice to students who are considering studying abroad is simple, “Just do it, I think every W&J student should study abroad, especially the ones who are part of smaller departments. There are a lot

Tyler Matttes Red&Black Contributor

awards in the field of engineering, including the John Fritz medal, the highest honor an engineer may receive.

The evening’s two-part lecture covered the topics of America’s current energy grid and sources of power, problems faced by the grid at the present and in the green future, and the future of green energy production, specifically solar panels integrated into residential structures and communities.Beginning with a brief overview of the Grid and its significance to modern life, Dr. Reed noted, "[There is] almost nothing you can do without electricity . . . [it is] "the lifeblood of modern society." Fairly self-evident, and it is likewise largely known, at least in general terms, what the Grid is: a delivery system, a highway that moves power from producers to consumers. Things students may not know, which were mentioned in an introductory overview: It spans 5,400,000 miles of

wire. It is split into two levels, transmission and distribution, which are regulated by federal and state governments, respectively. It was cobbled together from numerous city projects that began in the early twentieth century, and has gone without a complete overhaul since.

Dr. Reed discussed the green revolution and our energy future. Renewables such as solar must be a major player as we move forward, that much was implied from the outset. However, there are serious issues both with the inconstant levels of power production and the fact that the Grid isn't equipped to handle its increasing popularity. Possible solutions were a major focus of both lectures.

Dr. Swanson's lecture centered primarily on the smallscale, consumer-side usage of solar panels, examining it from financial and engineering viewpoints. While it may seem good to produce an ex-

_____________ FROM ANDREW , Front Cover

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of resources abroad that you can use to learn about yourself and your work.” Of course, he still misses his friends, professors and above all, his brotherhood. As a member of Alpha Tau Omega at W&J, studying abroad has given him a unique perspective on Greek life, because he is the only one in a Greek organization. He feels the responsibility to uphold the standards of Greek life and to not fall into the stereotypes which are so often associated with the lifestyle. Aside from missing his brotherhood, the lack of internet seems to be a

problem. He reported that the internet costs about $30 for 10 gigabytes, which makes it tough receiving messages and snapchats from his friends at home. Though he considers W&J to be more rigorous due to the distractions on campus, he believes that, “the school here is going to push my art to a level that I don't think I could achieve at W&J at this current time. Although I do love our art department, the atmosphere in Florence seems to make it easier to learn about myself and the art I am making.”

cess from panels mounted on your own roof, Dr. Swanson cautioned alongside Dr. Reed that the power which must be pumped back into the Grid upsets what is traditionally a “one-way system.” Consumers are becoming involved in power production for the first time, forcing the system to change. Already, Dr. Swanson noted, utilities are paying consumers for their excess power.

He continued by espousing the virtues of solar, such as its freedom from pollutant production of any kind, and their rapidly falling costs—a phenomenon known, incidentally, as “The Swanson Effect.”

He finished by discussing the best solution to the problems of both overproduction and renewables' intermittency: eco-friendly batteries, which are likewise falling in price.

If any students didn't attend, there are three more in the series.

Why should you stop by?

Because, as Dr. Swanson said when I asked him the same question, “it is relevant to [our] future lifestyle . . . and air quality,” and will be a “critical part of life” in the future.

And, as senior Stephen Fedele, treasurer of the Green Club, states, “[I received] a bonus in two classes for coming.”

Grid Academy: A System Under Pressure - First Energy Lecture

At 6:30 on Thursday night, the first in a series of four lectures entitled was held in Yost Auditorium. The presentation consisted of two speakers, Dr. Gregory F. Reed and Dr. John A. Swanson (the philanthropist after whom, of course, the Swanson Science Center is named). Each boasts a dazzling resume: Dr. Reed, a thirty-year career in the field of electric power and energy in academic, managerial, research and engineering contexts and a wide variety of honors and positions at various institutions, as well as being the owner and principal consultant at his own consulting firm, while Dr. Swanson is credited with the founding of the analysis firm ANSYS, hass an innovative record in the fields of solar power, engineering and applied computer science, and is the recipient of numerous highly regarded

Courtesy Thomas Anton

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18 S eptember 2015

Find Out if Your Child Will be a Psychopath

Courtesy mommyandmebabyfair.com

Danielle Pelleier Red&Black Contributor

Remember in Psychology 101 when you learned that babies will stare at an electrical outlet because it looks similar to a face?

Well psychologists from King’s College in London have found something much more eerie about a baby’s behavior.

By measuring 213 babies’ preferences between human faces and faceless objects, psychologists may have found a way to predict whether a

child will show psychopathic tendencies later in life.

Five week old babies who preferred interacting with an object, such as a red ball, to interacting with a human face scored higher for CU traits – traits such as callousness and lack of guilt – when they were tested again at two and a half years old, according to the study which was published in July by Biological Psychiatry.

Unemotional traits are one of a number of traits that are used to diagnose psychopathy.

While psychopathy is not included in the official diagnostic manual for psychiatry, psychopathy

is usually determined by a list of 20 traits compiled by psychologist Robert D. Hare that was created in the 1970’s.

This Psychopathy Checklist includes traits such as a lack of empathy or guilt, a history of violence towards people and animals and a tendency towards lying and manipulation of others According to the study’s lead author, Dr. Racheal Bedford, this study “could help us to understand what parental responses may help to promote healthy socialemotional development in both boys and girls.” However, despite its potential, the

findings from this study are still fairly new.

So far this test can only detect signs of antisocial behavior, which can be linked to other developmental issues, including autism.

Furthermore, it is very rare to find someone who could qualify as a psychopath; less than 1% of the population meet Dr. Hare’s requirements for psychopathy.

Dr. Bedford, in an interview with the Huffington Post, explains that “even as young as five weeks of age, children are already individuals with their own preferences, abilities and emotional styles”

and it is too early to tell if this test can accurately predict if a child will grow up to become a psychopath.

Many other factors enter into a child’s development and potential for psychopathy, such as parental involvement.

According to Dr. Bedford’s research, positive parent-child interactions have the ability to reduce antisocial behavior in children.

Therefore, psychologists suggest simply being sensitive to your child’s needs and taking time to play with them is one of the best ways to nurture a child’s mental health.

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Meet Superhenge, Stonehenge's "New" Brother Sarah Peterson Red&Black Contributor News broke last week that a “Superhenge” was found near the famous Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is located in southwest England.

This is another “henge” archaeologists have found in the area, they have found about 18 different henges in the area surrounding Stonehenge.

The New York Post calls “Superhenge” Stonehenge’s big brother because the site is approximately five times larger than Stonehenge. A “henge” according to dictionary.com is “a Neolithic monu-

ment of the British Isles which is characterized by a circular arena and either upright stones or wooden pillars.” The Neolithic period is the last era of the Stone Age and occurred approximately 3500 to 5000 years ago.

Archaeologists guess that “Superhenge” was built 4,500 years ago. Little is known about the usage of “henges”; the most likely idea is that they were used for ritual or astronomical events.

“Superhenge” is creating buzz because it is bigger than Stonehenge. According to cnn.com, “Radar data has revealed an amazing row up to 90 standing stones… These

stones are approximately 14.7 feet tall by 5 feet wide.

The site is approximately 320 feet long and in a C shape.

The rest of the stones to complete shape have not survived. These massive stones are buried approximately three feet underground.”

Despite popular belief, Stonehenge is not the only famous “henge” in England.

There are many different ones all throughout England and Scotland, including Balfrag which is located in Fife, Scotland. Some of these other “Henges” include burial grounds, such as in King’s Arthur’s Round Table. The excitement over “Superhenge”

Courtesy news.discovery.com

is felt among historians and archaeologists because this is another way for them to learn about the Neolithic time period, things of this time period have mainly disappeared.

Although everyone is fascinated by the “Superhenge” there are no plans to excavate the site. There are many different problems with excava-

tion, mostly because a portion of the ground is on private property.

Whether archaeologists decide to rebuild “Superhenge” and create some form of a park for all of the henges in that area or we just learn about the site by virtual tours, “Superhenge” will change how we view the past.

Iron Chef Washington: Microwave Edition Lauren Markish Red&Black Contributor

Are you tired of the same old microwaveable Easy-Mac and Cup-O-Noodles?

Is it too late to grab a bite at G&T’s or The Commons?

Or perhaps you’d just like to get creative with your microwave?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, try one of the following recipes, all of which are college-budget friendly!

Upgraded Ramen Egg Drop Soup: While this tip alone is great for college students, there is also a way to upgrade your ramen to more of

a restaurant-style soup. Most ramen packaging suggests to cook the ramen in boiling water on a stovetop, but it is also possible to cook it in the microwave.

You simply place the noodle square in a bowl large enough so the noodles can be covered with water and microwave it for approximately three to four minutes.

When you take the ramen out of the microwave, crack an egg into the bowl and break the yolk with a fork.

Stir the egg around so egg “ribbons” begin to form.

Place it back in the microwave for about 30 seconds to ensure that it is cooked properly and voilà, you have a college-dorm version of egg drop

soup.Tortilla Pizza: If you’re in the mood for pizza, but don’t feel like paying for delivery or leaving your room, just make your very own tortilla pizza right in your dorm.

All you need is a tortilla, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and any other toppings you’d like to add. Spread pizza sauce over half of the tortilla, but be careful to not add too much so that your tortilla doesn’t get soggy.

Sprinkle cheese over the sauce and then fold the tortilla in half and microwave for about 1 minute. Take it out, and just like that, you have your very own personal pizza to savor!

S’mores: Campfires in college are few and far between,

so you will likely need another way to get your s’more fix.

Luckily, they are super easy to make in the microwave!

You simply place a graham cracker with a chocolate Hershey’s square on a plate, and then tear up a regular-sized marshmallow into smaller pieces so that it will melt properly.

Microwave for about 25-30 seconds, or just until everything is melted to your liking.

Take it out, top it with another graham cracker and enjoy!

Cake in a Mug: If your sweet tooth needs tamed, the perfect solution is a single-serve cake in a mug.

All you need is a box of angel food cake mix and another box of any flavor cake mix

Courtesy tablefortwoblog.com

you’d like. Mix the two boxed cake mixes together and save for future cake in a mug cravings.

Then, in a coffee mug, take three tablespoons of the mix and stir in two tablespoons of water (if you don’t have measuring spoons, a general three to two ratio will work).

Microwave for one minute, and there you have it - delicious cake in a mug!

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18 S eptember 2015

Longest Reigning Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II Abigail Elias Red&Black Contributor

On the outside, The United States plays itself off as a nation with enough pride and dignity to go around, but open any newspaper or visit any online news source and a headline or two about the Royal Family is guaranteed to show up.

You can wave the American flag while “God Bless America” blasts from your radio as much as you want, but there’s no escaping their influence.

And as if the recent birth of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge four months ago was not enough, another story has been making headlines this week: Queen Elizabeth II has recently become Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

On Wednesday, September 9, 2015, at 5:30 p.m., Her Royal Majesty reached her 23,226 day as Queen; exactly 63 years and seven months; she broke the record recently held by her Great-Grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837-1901.

A milestone worthy of praise; however, the record did not seem monumental to the Queen.

The Observer Reporter claimed the Queen spent the day “quietly going about her business, opening railway line, unveiling a plaque, meeting

her subjects.” The only time the Queen acknowledged the significance of that day was when she opened the Scottish Railway Line, saying, “I thank you all, and all of the others at home and overseas, for your touching messages of great kindness.”

She later admitted that such an accomplishment was “not one to which I have ever aspired.”

With such an impressive milestone under her belt mixed with the admiration of an entire nation, there tends to be one question floating around the heads of millions of confused yet somewhat amused Americans: What makes the Queen so great?

“The Queen has always been motivated by a sense of duty and has a great deal of dignity,” says Dr. List of the English department .

Presenting herself always with such grace and respectability, the Queen has always known “when to let go” when dealing with stressful situations; something in which she has had her fair share of.

“She’s the first to preside over the dismantling of an empire,” Dr. Troost says about the Queen’s accomplishments. ”As opposed to the violent breakage of an empire the creation of the Common Wealth has always been very orderly and civilized.” Though issues such as post-war rationing, the dismantling of an empire and suddenly being flung into the throne at

the young age of 25 have kept her occupied, the Queen has always exhibited a calm and peaceful demeanor.

Even in 1992, what the Queen famously dubbed her “annus horribilis”, when two of her four children divorced their respective spouse, the Mauritian monarchy was abolished and Windsor Castle caught fire, the Queen still managed to get through the hard times and focus on her duties.

Perhaps that is what makes her so great; her ability to constantly put on a brave face for the nation, despite the constant stress she has endured.

Dr. Troost attributes her “ability to split the ceremonial side and political side” as well as how her “personal needs always go behind the needs of her country” to her success as

a monarch. What really sets the Queen apart from other monarchs around the world is what Dr. List refers to as her “ability to live in the modern world.”

It is a well-known fact that the 20 century saw more changes in technology and culture than any other culture; in the 63 years since her coronation the Queen has seen the advent, popularization and power of the television and internet.

Instead of dismissing such inventions, as most of her generation has, the Queen has used such technological advancements to her advantage; she made a cameo appearance in the James Bond film Skyfall and permitted a fictionalized, animated version of herself to be featured in Despicable Me’s spin-off, The Minions. Days

Courtesy thecourtjeweller.com

after reaching an incredible accomplishment, Queen Elizabeth II still goes about her daily life as usual; fulfilling her duties as efficiently and as quietly as she has been for over six decades.

And perhaps her humbleness is what makes her so great.

As much as the U.K. and the U.S. likes to idolize the royal family, it is not as glamorous as it seems.

Dr. Troost explains America’s fascination with the Royal Family, ”It’s nice to romanticize about something when you don’t have to deal with it everyday.”

With that in mind, having a monarch as down-to-earth as Queen Elizabeth II brings a sort of relatability to the nation. As Dr. List puts it,” She’s apparently as pleasant in person as she is on screen.”

18 S eptember 2015

9 life

Red & Black

The Evolution of American Clothes: Are We Just Lazy?

Courtesy modernretrowoman.com

Leah Segal Red&Black Contributor

From the prim and proper Victorian Age to our chaotic modern world where “anything goes”, there is no doubt that the everyday American life has changed greatly, and has carried with it the style of our clothing.

Looking through a box of your grandparent’s pictures, what you find may surprise you.

There are no shirts with “just do it” sprawled across the chest of your grandfather as he heads to a family party, or your grandmother adorning sweatpants and a crop top for her first day of high school.

Going back in the American culture there is an indisputable progression towards an informal wardrobe that prompts the question

“Why do Americans dress so casually?”This question can be answered through the history of American status and wealth.

In the early 1900’s when the influence of Queen Victoria was at an all-time high, there were no more important aspects of everyday culture than to appear successful (or wealthy) and maintain a respectable social status.

The term “dress for success” was taken to heart.

The poor, desiring to become wealthy, dressed the part, and the upper-class defended their status by following suit.

Looking into a picture of old Victorian Age America, it would be difficult to find a man without a suit and tie, and a women without a long dress and her best hairstyle on display.

The ideals of society were to conform to the crowd, which

everyone followed flawlessly.

However, Deirdre Clemente, a historian of 20th century American culture at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, comments on the coupling of “everyday formal”, and when the two diverged.

According to Clemente, the 1920’s as well as post WWII, remain the two most iconic periods in which the idea of casual dress was radicalized and “people no longer feigned the wealth they once did.”

In the “Roaring Twenties”, people not only rebelled against the chains of Prohibition but the societal status quo as well.

Women chopped off their hair, as well as their hemlines, and exchanged suffocating corsets for loose fitting blouses and dresses, and men became introduced to the sport coat, which ultimately gave way to more versatile outfit options.

As time progressed, history

dictated the styles of the time, and gave men and women more freedom as to how they presented themselves.

By post WWII, the women who had gone to work in the factories while the men were away, tossed dresses out the window and threw on jeans and even a t-shirt, which provided for easier movement and convenience.

Once the war was over, these women were unwilling to relinquish such articles of clothing, and the course of fashion history charged full speed ahead.

Flash forward to today, the iconic informality of American wardrobe remains unparalleled in the entire world as Clemente states, “the version of casual elsewhere, in Europe especially, just never gets as down and dirty as the American version.”

As Americans, we live in a world where society does not

dictate how we dress, as in the days of the early 20th century, and instead encourages the individuality and uniqueness that has brought us to where we are and what we wear today.

The 1950’s ad where three women are laying next to each other from Penney’s showcases the new trend toward showing more skin and casual outfit choices for women, especially the use of jeans Today’s new advertisement for American Eagle exemplifies the “everyday casual” that is found in today’s society.

The model in the photo is dressed in a completely different style than the women in the 1950’s fashion advertisement.

A perfectly powdered face and heels are exchanged for a casual bikini top, shorts, and an all-natural look, which epitomizes the relaxed nature of today’s fashion.

10 arts

Red & Black

18 S eptember 2015

From Pop to Punk: The Lava Game Band performs at W&J Tyler Mattes Red&Black contributor

The students in front of Old Main on the evening of Sept.

6 likely formed an opinion of the night's entertainment, provided as part of Welcome Week for the students on campus.

The musicians playing were The Lava Game Band, who started out playing college parties as a duo with singer/guitarist Mike Dunn and singer/bassist Frank Vilsack, a decade ago.

Now, they have expanded their roster to four members with the addition of drummer Jeff Bucci and keyboardist/ guitarist Aaron Hrezkosiej.

Their non acoustic repertoire has a total of around 130 songs, covering mainly popular rock, rap and hit pop songs.

They are based in Pittsburgh, which was why Sarah Mihal, Washington & Jefferson College's Assistant Director of Student Activities, Involvement & Leadership (SAIL), and the advisor to the Student Activities Board

(SAB) chose to book them, saying, “I really was looking for a local Pittsburgh band that could play some cover songs that everyone could sing along to.”

TLGB have headlined for the Pirates, Penguins and Steelers on Opening Day and during the Playoffs, as well as various corporate events including Zoo Brew, Pittsburgh Beerfest, the Beers and Blues Festival and the annual Pittsburgh Saint Patrick's Day Kegs and Eggs Parade.

Additionally, they are a “frequent opener for national touring acts including The Clarks and Rusted Root,” according to their website.

They have also played for W&J in the past, according to Mihal, though they were not booked by her on those occasions. She notes that they may be in the future, saying, “[They] were very personable, professional and really enjoy performing,” she explained, adding, “I personally thought that the band was awesome and would love to bring them back to campus again.”

Sunday's performance included a strong focus on

contemporary emo rock and pop.

Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, Paramore and Panic at the Disco were the most common artists TLGB covered, but Top 40 hits by artists such as Ed Sheeran and Avicci were also part of the setlist.

They took requests, bringing out a cover of “I'm Not Okay” by My Chemical Romance when asked if MCR was in their repertoire.

Overall, the performance was genuinely entertaining, and showed impressive musicianship in the deftly arranged covers TLGB

performed, especially since they were limited to using acoustic guitars in place of synthesizers, drum kits, horns and strings. Specific high points could be found in the way Mike and Frank brought a challenging, quirky synthesizer part from The Only Difference… by Panic at the Disco onto their instruments of choice and in the skillful vocal teamwork required to cover songs by Taking Back Sunday, in whose catalog interwoven and layered vocal parts are extremely common.

Of course, no performance is perfect. The duo's talent

Courtesy thelavagameband.com

couldn't change the facts that the vocals were at times simply not up to par with the songs' demands, particularly with the Panic at the Disco material they performed.

In fairness, though, that is more a reflection on Brendon Urie's voice and his electronically polished style than a failing on TLGB's part, and their gameness for taking on requests of songs they had not specifically rehearsed more than makes up for any minute flaws the show may have had.

For more information about TLGB, visit thelavagameband.com.

18 S eptember 2015

11 arts

Red & Black

Mission Impossible Thrills Movie Fanatics

Poetry Corner

Ioseb Jorjoliani Red&Black contributor “Rainwater�

Diana Ciarallo Red&Black Contributor

When I watched the movie, Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, I googled the age of Tom Cruise, as he looked like an eighteen year old guy, who could do any stunts in this great movie.

The Mission Impossible franchise has always been a very attractive action movie for spy-film lovers, but this new episode brings the franchise to a whole new level.

The first 10 minutes give the viewers an idea how exciting the whole movie of Rogue Nation is going to be.

The opening of the film is pure adrenalin as Cruise's Ethan Hunt literally saves the world from yet another disaster.

Enough nerve gas to destroy a major city is on a plane and the ridiculously-named Impossible Missions Force (IMF) is trying to stop it.

The attempt is failing miserably until Hunt miraculously appears and hangs onto the side of the plane as it soars.

It sounds more impressive with the knowledge that Cruise did the stunt himself.

For those who have already watched the well-publicized sequence a number of times

The world is freshly bathedPurified by the bouquet of its rain-scented perfume Green leaves clothe the twisting forms of branchesCradling the fresh dew like a newborn child Unwilling to leave creation naked when fall weakens their stemsDestined to become brown with death and shrivel away A fact of existence that no cloudburst can cleanse

on TV, YouTube and billboards, it is still shockingly startling on the big screen.

You hang on the edge of your seat as Cruise holds on to the plane.

I personally felt like I was going through everything Cruise did in the movie. One of the most memorable moments was the underwater scene where Hunt runs out of oxygen and almost dies as he tries to crack a torus-shaped underwater data storage facility.

He also went high-speed bike racing in Morocco, but the worst part was that he scuffed his knee.

There is also a stylish assassination attempt at a Vienna

Courtesy forbes.com

opera which involved fighting on overhead lights. It feels like he picks up the best elements from the last four films and offers us a product which is part-homage, part-organic. I think Mission Impossible 6 is going to be something yet unseen, because I have never seen anyone get younger by the day instead of getting old.

At 53, Cruise looks like a 35 year old and does stunts which nobody above the age of 18 should even think about.

While others are known for their grace and method, Cruise works purely on will power.

How else do you justify his death wish: insane stunts he insists on doing himself.

"An Untold Story" Maggie Smith Red&Black contributor The pause, An unhurried breath, A staggering break upon the precipice.

I slide from one vowel into the void, It opens and swallows me whole.

Life, The beautiful chaos, The apple is bitten, The Flood has dried, My life may start again.

12 arts

Red & Black

18 S eptember 2015

Audience Amazed: Sailesh the Hypnotist Visits W&J Kayla Marasia Red&Black Contributor On the muggy evening of Saturday, Sept. 5, Washington & Jefferson students trickled into the Olin Auditorium to put the world-acclaimed hypnotist Sailesh to the test.

As freshman orientation week was in full swing, many students were looking for entertainment, and Sailesh presented the perfect opportunity to try something new.

While some attendees were excited to see the magic of hypnotization for the first time, many students were skeptics, expecting the false illusions and glittering smoke of stereotypical magicians and hypnotists. However, the audience could never have anticipated the wildly amusing performance that their friends were about to put on. Accompanied by the darkly mysterious music that flowed out of the speakers, a

dozen brave volunteers made their way to the stage amidst the giggles of their friends.

Sailesh, with his casually rolled sleeves, silver hoop earrings and soul patch, offered them all a seat in a line across the stage, his gaze seemingly probing the minds of his guests.

With a voice that was both mesmerizingly calm and commanding, Sailesh encouraged his volunteers to enter a state of total relaxation.

After releasing tension from every single muscle of their bodies, the volunteers’ minds were fully open.

Now in a trancelike state, they found it normal and even easy to fall into a deep sleep at the mere tug of Sailesh’s hand.

The majority of the initial volunteers’ heads fell to their chests in a state of twilight sleep, but a few were unaffected by the trance. “I tried going in with an open mind, but I didn’t really think

it was going to work for me,” says skeptic Sarah Janczewski of her experience on the stage.

“I was fully aware of what [Sailesh] was doing; when everyone else was falling asleep and I didn’t, he politely asked me to have a seat back in the audience to watch the rest of the show.

I think I was too closed off to the possibility.”

For the sleeping students beneath the stage lights, the show had just begun.

Much to the amusement of their peers in the audience, they followed all of Sailesh’s suggestions without hesitation.

They danced ridiculously without the slightest hint of embarrassment, acted out skits with each other, and even came up with ludicrous superhero personas for themselves that had the audience doubling over with laughter. Under Sailesh’s careful control, he even convinced his volunteers

that they were seeing certain programs on television, and their hilarious reactions and facial expressions showed the audience that hypnotization was, without a doubt, very real.

One participant even spit water into Sailesh’s face in a commercial-filming skit, much to his chagrin.

Although many of the things the volunteers did were likely out of the comfort zones of their waking selves, they felt little to no embarrassment after waking from their twilight sleep. “Honestly, it didn’t feel like anything while I was hypnotized. It was like I wasn’t really thinking about anything, just what he told me to do,” says freshman Olyvia Adkins of her experience in her hypnotic state. When asked if she would do it again if she had the chance, she says, “I remember right after I woke, I wanted to apologize to [my friend] for calling

her out during the show, but otherwise I thought the whole experience was great. I am still a little embarrassed, though, as I have been addressed as my self-proclaimed superhero name ‘Aqua Girl’ more than once by people I don’t know.”

By the time the show wrapped up, many skeptics had turned to full believers.

The volunteers who unwittingly became the stars of the show are easily recognized around campus for their on stage antics, but most of them find it easy to laugh at themselves for what they did under the trance.

Although it was easy to be skeptical at first about Sailesh’s true abilities, the members of the audience were taken completely by surprise when, one by one, their own friends and peers succumbed to the magic of hypnotization, thereby banishing all doubt about the hilarity of the human subconscious.

Andrew Adams Red&Black contributor

Albums Chart. “Compton” was inspired by the biopic Straight Outta Compton, based on the story of N.W.A. The album takes the form of a compilation of several tracks.

It features a number of regular collaborators, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Xzibit and The Game, as well as several others.

All of the tracks flow together and, despite its structure, the album feels cohesive. Every track is mixed and mastered to absolute

perfection. Fans have been waiting nearly 11 years for the next Dr. Dre album, which was supposed to be entitled “Detox,” however that album was scrapped because it did not meet Dr. Dre’s high standards. Dre has stated that he intends “Compton” to be his last album and intends to end his time as an artist so that he can instead focus his efforts on production and helping other artists to reach their potential.

Dr. Dre has been one of the biggest producers in rap

music since he entered the game back in 1986 by working with N.W.A. He has pushed countless artists to achieve their potential under his tutelage. He has discovered and worked with artists such as Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and 2Pac. Dre was one of the pioneers of the West Coast style, which shines through this record.

“Compton” is filled with the heavy, slow beats and hard, artfully constructed raps common to West Coast rap.

Many of the artists featured

on the album are also skilled in the same style. Among its collaborators are young artists like Anderson Paak, who brings a fresh shine to Dre’s music, helping it push into the modern music world.

Kendrick Lamar is featured in many tracks on the album, and is hailed as the best feature on the album.

If you haven’t heard it already, you should absolutely give it a listen, even if you aren’t the biggest fan of rap music.

Dr. Dre’s Final Installment Hits All the Right Notes Dr. Dre’s newest album, “Compton” takes the skill we have seen from him in the past and kicks it up to the next level.

“Compton” debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard 200, and was released Aug. 7, 2015 on Apple Music and the iTunes Store, with the physical editions released on Aug. 21, 2015. It was also certified silver in the U.K. where it debuted at number 1 on the UK

18 S eptember 2015

13 arts

Red & Black

Lee's Lackluster Follow-up Pittsburgh's X Fest Features Rise Against Emily Sterk Red&Black editor-in-cheif Like many readers, I eagerly awaited the release of Harper Lee’s second novel, Go Set a Watchman.

Yet, while I read the accompanying book to the staple To Kill a Mockingbird, I found that the book did not meet the expectations I had for the Pulitzer Prize winning author.

Set twenty years after To Kill a Mockingbird, Jean Louise returns to Maycomb, Alabama to visit her ailing father, Atticus Finch. Go Set a Watchman explores Jean Louise’s coming of age and transition into independence all while tackling the everpressing issue of racism in the Southern states.

Throughout the novel, Jean Louise faces the problems that many of us college students are probably working out today: she returns to her hometown and is taken aback by the things that were once comfortable to her at an earlier point in her life. She recognizes that she does not share the same political views as her family and close friends and becomes aware of the cultural disparities that differ among generations.

And most importantly, Lee touches upon the dangers of viewing someone from a pedestal and the harsh reality that comes with realizing that no one, not even your parents, is perfect. Jean Louise idolizes her father as a God-like figure, but he is not a god; he is

a human with flaws and Jean Louise needs to come to accept this.

While reading Go Set a Watchman, I continuously had to remind myself that the manuscript was written decades ago and is not an accurate representation of society today. Although the twenty-six year old Jean Louise is strong-willed, she lacks the same gumption that the six year old Scout was notable for. I cringed when Scout, now preferring to be called Jean Louise, expressed that she “hated to operate anything mechanical more complicated than a safety pin.” Lee often degrades Jean Louise as a woman and places her below her love interest, Henry Clinton. As Jean Louise and Henry go on a date, Lee explains, “With green envy, she watched Henry’s effortless mastery of the automobile.” Jean Louise’s transformation mirrors that of Little Women’s Jo March, as they face pressures from the traditional means of domesticity and marriage.

Although Lee comments on the disillusionment of adolescence and the dangers of idolizing human beings, I wish she used her second novel as a way to address the number of issues with race that are still present in American society today. Lee had the opportunity to make a statement just as large as the one she made in To Kill a Mockingbird, but it falls flat and leaves readers questioning the novel and its characters that they have come to know over the years.

Tyler Phillips Red&Black contributor

On Saturday, July 25, X Fest, a rock festival sponsored by local radio station 105.9 The X, began with its first day of performers at Stage AE on the North Shore. Punkrockers Rise Against headlined the festival, marking their return to Pittsburgh for the first time in several years after a performance opening for Linkin Park was cancelled this past January.

Supporting Rise Against, were the band’s friends Letlive and Killswitch Engage, who had been touring with the band, accompanied by Meg Myers and Chevelle.

With perfect weather for the day, Meg Myers opened the show with her band, performing Desire and Sorry to warm up the crowd for the next act, Letlive. The hardcore group exploded onto the stage, led by singer Jason Butler’s high energy as he got the crowd jumping and crowdsurfing.

After performing an unlisted new song, Butler had the crowd calm down for a moment while the band played an ambient piece and he talked about how he turned his life around and made it all the way to X Fest as he dedicated the next song to his mother for helping him. Muther, as it is titled, went on to have the singer nearly in tears as he conducted a sing-along with the crowd for the outro. Bos-

ton natives Killswitch Engage then took the stage and kept the energy at a high with hits like Always. Guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz introduced another hit by saying, “This song is dedicated to your Pittsburgh Steelers… It’s called End of Heartache.” Needless to say, his stab at our team wasn’t a joke to some of the audience.

Before they departed, they closed with a cover of Holy Diver by Dio. After Killswitch left the stage, the crowd still hadn’t gotten tired of the music.

Luckily for them, Chevelle was up next. With a redecorated stage, the metal trio took no time for warm ups, diving into their set with songs from their latest album, “La Gargola.”

Take Out the Gunman and Send the Pain Below were highlights of their performance, along with the first performance of Well Enough Alone in four years.

The sun was going down after Chevelle exited and several of the staff from 105.9 THE X came out to talk to the crowd.

The festival had been promoted for so long to get the largest crowd and the staff was very grateful to everyone who attended. DJ Abby Krizner then congratulated several VIP’s for their community service, which awarded them with free tickets and time backstage with members from Chevelle and Rise Against.

When asked about the lineup, Krizner said, "We thought that we could create a

very cool show by essentially treating them as one festival,” which is a bit uncommon for Pittsburgh to have festival shows, but this looks like the beginning of a change.

The staff didn’t want the concert to lose any momentum at that point, so they prepared everyone at Stage AE for the headliner: Rise Against entered the stage with about ninety minutes to perform, and they used every second to make it a great show. In support of their new album “The Black Market” the band performed new hits like I Don’t Wanna Be Here Anymore, but after that, everyone in the crowd definitely wanted to stay.

Other highlights include a longer bridge to Ready To Fall, where singer Tim McIlrath had a singing contest with the crowd, having them shout the chorus. After that song ended, the rest of the band left and McIlrath continued on with acoustic songs, giving a backstory to fan favorite Swing Life Away.

With only a few minutes left before the festival ended, the other three members returned to the stage and the band closed with their biggest hit, Savior. The show was a one kind performance that could only happen in Pittsburgh, making it a very memorable night for everyone who attended.

X Fest continued with a second day of music on Friday, Aug. 21, with Social Distortion headlining.

14 opinions

Red & Black

OPINIONS

18 S eptember 2015

Kentucky Clerk Claims Exemption From Law Based on Faith Joshua Dewaine Red&Black Contributor

In June of this year, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled 5-4 that same sex couples could not be denied their marriage licenses in any state.

The ruling sparked controversy among the nation’s more conservative groups. These groups of people demand that others live their lives in a way that they see fit.

A number of these groups use religious ideology to support the belief that same-sex marriage should be outlawed or at least prohibited.

Same sex couples flocked to county clerk offices to receive their marriage licenses after the ruling, but many still met with resistance.

In one specific case, a city clerk in Rowan County

Kentucky, Kim Davis, refused to issue marriage licenses and stated her belief in God as the reasoning. Davis commented that her belief in God would not allow her to have a clear conscience while administering same sex marriage licenses.

The good news, is that the SCOTUS does not actually care whether or not Kim Davis’s conscience is clear.

District judge David Bunning placed her behind bars for six days, stating she was being held in contempt of court for refusing to issue the marriage licenses.

In her absence, a number of other Rowan County clerks agreed to issue the marriage licenses.

A number of people have directly attacked Davis as being a hypocrite and a bigot. Her stance is that God’s authority overrides the SCOTUS and that her

religious belief supersedes the law of the land. However, it becomes explicitly clear that Davis has never opened a bible and is living in a world of blissful ignorance.

Davis has had two children outside of wedlock, which the big man upstairs is not too fond of.

“No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 23:2.

Given that she has children outside of wedlock, one may assume she has never been married...but that is not the case. Davis is on her fourth marriage, and is still concerned about the sanctity of marriage. Please.

While she was behind bars, Kim Davis amassed a following of equally ignorant and conservative

E ditorial P olicy The Red & Black is the official, registered student-produced newspaper of Washington & Jefferson College. It is published Thursdays with the exception of exams and break periods.

Editorials are based upon the opinion of the respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper, the

College or its students, faculty, or administration.

The Red & Black welcomes all reader contributions, but reserves the right to reject letters of pure promotional nature, as well as letters which do not meet its standard of integrity, accuracy and decency.

The Red & Black also reserves the right to edit submissions.

Letters are due on the Monday before publication and may not exceed 600 words. All letters must include the author’s name, campus box and telephone number.

Names may be withheld upon request under certain conditions on rare occasions. All letters may be submitted to redandblackstaff@jay. washjeff.edu.

bigots. During her release, they cheered and held signs saying “Stop oppressing Christianity” and “Defend Christian Rights!” the irony of the situation apparently lost on them.

In addition to the swaths of stupidity in the crowd, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made an appearance, leading Davis out of the courthouse to the song “Eye of the Tiger” -- which he used without permission and there is currently a lawsuit

Courtesy cnn.com

pending. Overall, the situation is pretty stupid. Davis is wrong. Her opinion doesn’t matter on the situation.

The SCOTUS has decided that by law she has to issue the marriage licenses. With her return to work this Monday, she will either issue the licenses of end up in jail again.

However, her hypocrisy and ignorance -- at least for now -- has stirred up a fair bit of drama. Once the rest of the world moves on, everyone will be happier.

C ontac t Telephone: FAX: E-mail: Mailing Address:

(724) 223-6049 (724) 503-1049 redandblackstaff@jay. washjeff.edu Red & Black 60 S. Lincoln St. Washington, PA 15301

18 S eptember 2015

15 opinions

Red & Black

Hillary Clinton Still Paying for Email Scandal Ioseb Jorjoliana Red&Black Contributor

As we are getting close to the Presidential Elections in 2016, attention is mostly directed to the presidential candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties.

While Republicans are having heated debates over issues like immigration, health care and other important public policy issues, the question has remained the same for a democratic frontrunner Hillary Rodham Clinton: was her use of private emails legal when working as a Secretary of State?

Clinton has overcome many scandals over the years, the Benghazi hearing being one of the weakest appearances of her that I have ever seen.

Moreover, I consider Benghazi the largest failure of American diplomacy in the twenty first century.

The 2012 Benghazi attack took place on the evening of Sept. 11, 2012, when Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith.

Somehow, Clinton managed to overcome the challenges like Benghazi as a Secretary of State.

Now that she is a frontrunner of the Democratic party,

Courtesy thenation.com

she will indeed be facing meticulous observations on her past activities.

The most intriguing questions have been centered on her use of private email address. As Christopher Horner,

plicated and should be under Judicial Watch. Clinton claimed she did not send any information that was classified by the time she sent them, saying, “I’m certainly well aware of the classifica-

August 14, she appeared on a Public Radio in Iowa, saying, “I did what other secretaries of state had done. I was permitted to and used a personal email. Obviously in retrospect, given all the concerns

It is necessary for any country to have a confident president that realizes his/her mistakes and does not scapegoat. a researcher who has regularly battled the Obama administration over open records laws, said, “Officials are not allowed to use private emails, but if they do, they’ll get away with it.” And he is right in the sense that Clinton’s use of private emails put the classified information under risk.

Now, the dilemma on whether the emails contained classified content is very com-

tion requirements and did not send classified material.”

That was in Winterset, Iowa in July 2015, but since then her responses have relatively changed.

If we look at the timeline of her comments on her email scandal, we would easily notice how often she tries different methods to deal with it and finish the dilemma, but she has yet to succeed. On

that have been raised, it would have been, probably, smarter not to.”

She also joked about her new snapchat account trying to escape the question with a humorous response, “You may have seen that I recently launched a Snapchat account.

I love it. I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves.” Then we see her on September 4, defending her-

self against suggestions of misconduct at a press conference in Las Vegas in her use of a private email server, saying again that what she did was legal.

She said the dispute was largely between government agencies over timing and classification protocols.

She kept this rhetoric with the Associated Press when asked why she would not directly apologize, stating, “What I did was allowed. It was allowed by the State Department. The State Department has confirmed that.”

However, the former first lady apologized the next day during an interview with ABC. All this constantly fluctuating positions of Clinton makes me, like many voters, wonder how she can be trusted to run this country when she constantly changes her mind on issues like her email scandal.

It is necessary for any country to have a confident president that realizes his/her mistakes and does not scapegoat.

Hence, I think it would be interesting for the American public if Clinton steps down to free the road for candidates like Bernie Sanders or Martin O’Malley, because her scandal, like the appearance of celebrity, Donald Trump in his own presidential campaign, overshadows compelling messages and issues that America desperately needs to face.

16 opinions

Red & Black

18 S eptember 2015

What Deez Nuts’ Success Minimum Wage Is Not a Living Wage Says About Politics Andrew Addams Red&Black Contributor

Deez Nuts is an American politician running on a libertarian platform. Deez Nuts is also a 15 year old actually named Brady C. Olsen. But while Deez Nuts isn’t a real person, he is polling well in several states.

It seems in this day and age that a politician doesn’t need real policy or key appearances to do well in an election, you only need social media presence and a disdain for mainstream, establishment politics.

Take the other front runners in the polling for example: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Trump has proven himself through and through to be the most anti-establishment candidate involved. He also tries to make himself seem like a strong leader or a man who would, “make Mexico build a wall on the border and pay for it.” By stylizing himself in this manner, Trump plays on the frustration with mainstream politicians.

Sanders, however, is frustrated with the establishment himself, and always reminds the listeners to his speech of his voting record.

Sanders is a fairly strongly leftwing independent who often identifies himself as, “socialist, a democratic socialist.”

From the success of the real candidates, anyone can gain the understanding of why the

American populace doesn’t want to engage in the political process in this way.

Because of their frustration over the level of inadequacy and ignorance, the citizens of this country are becoming weary of hearing the same platitudes over and over again.

They are looking for a candidate that will promise action, either in the way that Trump wants to take aggressive actions, or in the way that Sanders promises comprehensive reform.

The average American doesn’t want another Bush or another Clinton. Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton are not performing as well as they were expected to. While Clinton is polling almost evenly with Sanders in some states, the latter has pulled ahead in others.

This leads to the question of why Deez Nuts, a 15 year old, is able to perform well in the polls.

Maybe because so many Americans have become frustrated with the system that they no longer care who is elected as long it is someone who does not stand with the establishment.

Otherwise, how could people vote for someone like Trump? His policy is a complete joke and it should be taken as such.

Votes should be given to candidates who have substantive policies on major issues, not children and billionaires.

Kelly Himes Red&Black Contributor

Krueger indicates that with an increased minimum wage, fast food restaurants actually see an increase in employment rate.

Data, however, from the 2007 minimum wage increase indicates that increasing the minimum wage does, in fact, cost jobs.

While companies such as Wal-Mart’s profits would be relatively unaffected, local businesses who truly can’t afford the wage increase tend to close. Looking at the varied nature of these facts, the

minimum wage. Not only have food prices increased by 25% since 2007 (the last Should we raise the minimum minimum wage increase), wage across the country? This the expenses involved with issue which has found its way upward mobility have also into the hot topics for today’s dramatically increased. presidential candidates has People and employers now so many across the nation rely on computers, cell phones either arguing, or confused. and other technologies in It has become an issue of such their businesses. Several importance, because it is such service industry interviewers a delicate situation to handle will go so far as to not hire not only in the press, but also people without cell phones in practice. because it’s too much of a On the one hand are the pain to contact them about workers who have to try scheduling. and survive on the current Additionally, most minimum wage. people working On the other are minimum wage jobs typically businesses, One thing, however, cannot afford medical both small and large, care, forcing them to who claim that they is clear: those who are choose between paying really can’t afford to pay currently living on the rent and going to the more than the minimum. doctor.

One thing, however, minimum wage are largely When looking at the is clear: those who are impoverished and in some contradictory facts and currently living on the population statistics cases, homeless. minimum wage are on what changing the largely impoverished minimum wage will do, and in some cases, there is a lot to argue homeless. about.

These people, due to their controversy and confusion Regardless of an extreme poverty, often can’t here become fairly clear. individual’s stance, a closer afford to advance financially Something, however, needs to examination at the lives of or professionally. those living on minimum change.

Something needs to be It would be sad to see some wage reveals the need for done, but is that ‘something’ local businesses go, and risk change. raising minimum wage?

Not everyone will benefit people losing their jobs.

First let’s look at some Largely, those who are from the minimum wage cold, hard facts. The current negatively impacted by this increase, but millions will. minimum wage is $7.25. are the upper and middle Those who will be negatively A 1993 study entitled class who can afford it, impacted are those who can “Minimum Wages and the biggest change in the afford it.

Employment: A Case Study “typical” American life being It’s time we start changing of the Fast Food Industry in a slight increase in consumer a system so stacked against New Jersey and Pennsylvania” goods. The fact is that people those who need its help the

by David Card, and Alan B. can’t survive on the current most.

18 S eptember 2015

17 opinions

Red & Black

Should W&J Start Classes on Labor Day? Christopher Frydryck Red&Black Contributor

Since the late 1800s, the United States of America has taken pride in its workforce, thus deeming Labor Day a national holiday under the United States’ Congress on June 28, 1894.

Labor Day is a commemoration of our workforce and labor unions, and grants the majority of society the first Monday of September off in order to spend time with their family. Students from across the nation either begin prematurely and enjoy their three day weekend, or embrace their final hurrah before the school season returns.

Washington & Jefferson College, on the other hand, has fashioned their own tradition for many years, to begin on Labor Day. The exact founder of Labor Day cannot

be pinpointed towards one person, but is argued by historians between Matthew Maguire (a machinist) and Peter McGuire (a carpenter), both of which were active in the blue collar workforce.

Peter McGuire is possibly the founder since he was active in the formation of the American Federation of Labor, and also had rightfully claimed in reference to public ignorance of labor and unions, “Who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”

However, Matthew Maguire had around the same time in the late 1800s worked as a secretary for the Central Labor Union of New York, which was the first documentation of the adoption of Labor Day in United States history.

Both are still argued by historians today. Either way, both men are saluted for their work

with what we call today, Labor Day.With the utmost respect towards our hard working citizens of America, a majority of people are liberated from their work and schooling by order of our United States Congress deeming the first September of the year a national holiday.

Washington & Jefferson is the exception to this order, and begs the question: do we appreciate our labor on campus?

The school is comprised of professors, chefs, cleaning staff, admissions staff, housing departments, librarians, security enforcement and most prominently, prospective laborers of the near future. As a student myself, I recognize that Labor Day must not mean much to the college, and although I can applaud the cookout for its turnout and warm welcome back and attempt to replace the lost op-

portunity to be with family, I wonder if the United States Congress’ tradition since 1894 means anything to a school riddled with historical value and culture.

In a country built off of opportunity, one may also suggest that its public and private institutions of labor, governmental, and educational systems would rejoice in what the United States Department of Labor exclaimed, “The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals.” A majority

Courtesy huffingtonpost.com

of institutions have participated in this national holiday, and I find it quite paradoxical that an institute fostering future workers in society is not recognizing that a day of celebratory necessity is natural.

I firmly believe that W&J could learn a thing or two from Peter McGuire’s statement of labor’s grandeur and placement in today’s society, and strongly suggest that the ignorance of W&J’s academic calendar begin before Labor Day in order to begin at a similar timeframe to other surrounding institutions in order to maintain natural schedule for students in the upcoming years.

The Reasoning Behind Banning Air Conditioners and Microwaves Sarah Peterson Red&Black Contributor

With the temperature in the 90s last week, most students might have been wondering why everyone can’t have an air conditioner.

Unless your residence hall already had one installed, the only way to cool down a warm dorm room is to use some form of a fan.

According to Washington & Jefferson’s website, air conditioners and microwaves are

illegal to house in your room unless they are provided by the school.

The only way to obtain an air conditioner is to have a medical excuse from a doctor that entails a specific form for the doctor to sign. After this, a $200 rental fee is charged for the air conditioner per person in the room.

Microwaves are only permitted if you rent a macrofidge, because it is connected to a fridge. The rental price for a macrofridge is $200 accord-

ing to the school’s website. If these items were found within a dorm room, the school has the right to charge a fine.

Students may, however, bring their own fridge as long as it is no bigger than 3.0 cubic feet.

The reasoning for banning these items is simple: they cost too must electricity. In older dorms, the electrical fuse cannot handle high demands on energy usage. In other words, if everyone had one of these air conditioners or micro-

waves they might blow a fuse or make the school have a power outage in the building.

Also, the school wants the students to save electricity as a form of being ecofriendly.

But since Western Pennsylvania’s weather can change significantly in the course of a week, an air conditioner is essential for the extremely hot days. Unfortunately, some students have trouble locating the form on the website to obtain a doctor’s signature.

Despite this, the idea of hav-

ing a microwave for the winter months is ideal for the endless cups of hot cocoa.

Hopefully in the future the school will allow students to bring their own microwaves and air conditioners through implementation of electricity guidelines or the installment of an updated electrical network. Until then, students without these amenities will have to spend more time in the air conditioned buildings on campus to avoid the recent heat wave.

18 the superburger

“Calm Down, It’s Just a Joke”

18 S eptember 2015

Red & Black

Apple Polishing: A Surfire Way to Win Over Professors

Courtesy washjeff.edu

Diana Ciarallo Red&Black Contributor Summer has flown right by us and we have found ourselves at the beginning of another year of higher learning within the halls of W&J. Students might be wondering how to impress their professors, those who hold infinite power over our grades.

These grades, as we all know, can serve as the defining points of our futures.

We have all heard the standard advice: just study. There must be a less onerous, less time-consuming method.

Interviews with

upperclassman over the first week of class offer some insight.

Follow these few simple tips and everything should go just fine - your school term, your classes and your whole future ahead of you.

A senior sociology major suggests this proven technique.

If your professors have published essays, articles or novels, go out and find it and then read it until your eyeballs pop out.

Then, whenever you see your professor in class, try to drop little hints during discussions that show how keenly you have studied her work. Also, it does not hurt to bring in a copy of it and

make sure that your professor sees it protruding from your backpack or notes you reading it in the ski lodge during your free time.

Try posting a glowing online review.

An experienced applepolisher advises posting a fawning review before first grades are due and forwarding a copy to your professor.

This helps break the ice, gets you noticed and puts fewer demands on your precious time than learning to appreciate Shakespeare.

Now that you have been noticed, why not grasp the opportunity and get to know your professor on a more personal level? W&J is a small campus, so it is not unusual

to develop close relationships with the people you see on a daily basis.

Therefore, it should not be all that unusual for you to develop similar connections with your professors.

Do not be afraid to treat them the same way that you would treat your best friend.

Call them at home, bring them coffee, and, definitely, do not hesitate to ask them personal questions and share personal details. There is no better way to ingratiate yourself. They will appreciate your interest.

Also, it would not hurt to call them by their first names.

Now that you are friends, why not benefit from it? You don’t necessarily have to be on

time for every class. In fact, strolling in a little late (with previously mentioned article visible in hand) creates the image that you are engaged and busy with extracurricular obligations.

Do not worry so much about perfect class attendance.

If you have followed these steps, become the professor’s pet and shared the details of your college war stories – your faculty friend will understand.

College life is busy and exhausting at times.

So, they will not blame you at all if you decide to miss class every now and again.

Finally, if all else fails, there is always the option of bringing a nice, shiny, red apple with you to class.

18 S eptember 2015

19 sports

Red & Black

Freshman Athlete Spotlight: Jeremy Glasner

Kris Giles Red&Black Contributor

With sports like football and cheerleading all the rage in the fall season, swimming is often forgotten. This is not the case for Jeremy Glasner.

He is a freshman with an intended major of mathematics and financial economics and is a part of W&J’s swim team.

Only a few weeks into the season, Jeremy is already able

to recognize the cohesiveness of the team, both freshmen and upperclassmen included.

These folks are not his first experience with a swim team, though. He has been swimming since he was only 10 years old.

As a young child, Jeremy and his twin partook in swimming together, and subsequently, his sisters also took it up. Swimming is a family sport to the Glasners.

Personally, he loves the dynamics of being a part of a swim team.

Glasner commented, “You can compete as an individual

but win as a team.” He competes in a variety of events, one of his favorites being the 100 BACK. This event is an individual event where the person must swim 100 meters using the backstroke. His best time in this event is 54.5 seconds.

Another event that he competes in is the 400 IM. The IM, or individual medley, is an event where the swimmer must swim the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle in that order for the meters required for the certain competition.

In this event, he holds a time

of 4:20. As seen by the sheer difference in time, the IM is more intense than the simple BACK. Though Jeremy cites swimming as not only an individual sport but also a team sport, he says most of his inspiration and support comes from inside himself.

He says the reason he strives so hard to succeed is that he does not want to let himself down.

From speaking to him only once, anyone can tell that he is not only determined to become the best he can be in anything and everything he

Courtesy gopresidents.com

does, but also that he is very caring and kind. At the conclusion of the interview, I asked Jeremy to give me some tips to succeed in life.

He recited a favorite motto of his that he has lived by: “If you’re not having fun doing what you’re doing, you probably should stop doing it.”

The second was one that everyone has heard before: “Never let anybody stop you from doing the things you love.”

This especially hits home for Jeremy and he will use these two insights as his swim season progresses.

18 S eptember 2015

20 sports

Red & Black

This Week in Sports: Photos From Thomas Anton

The Janet Swanson Tennis Center formally opened on the Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) campus with a dedication ceremony this past Friday, September 11. Located at the corner of East Walnut Street and Forrest Avenue on the W&J Campus, the renovation is part of W&J’s Uncommon Bond campaign. The ceremony included guest speakers such as President Haring-Smith, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Michael Grzesiak, Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness, and of course, Janet L. Swanson. Immediately following the ceremony, the W&J women’s tennis team held its first match at the Swanson Tennis Center.

The women’s team won over Bethany 8-1. With the win, the Presidents begin the year 1-0 and 1-0 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

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