Campus Life
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Rock travels to D-I Michigan
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Program combines music with therapy
The Rocket www.theonlinerocket.com
Friday, November 16, 2012
Slippery Rock University Student Newspaper
Est. 1934
Volume 96, Number 10
Panel discussion debates the local economic benefit of fracking By Jason Robinson Rocket Contributor
A three group panel discussed the ripple effect of Marcellus shale drilling and how it is affecting the business world. The panelists were Luke Marsh, AMEC Marcellus/Utica program leader; Russell Huffmyer, lead project manager Heckman Corp.; and Amelia Roncone, general manager of the northeast division of Specialty Oilfield Solutions and caterer. The panel discussed how Marcellus shale drilling helps create jobs not only in the gas field, but in a variety of fields. The panelist’s employers are a consulting agency, a
trucking company, and one runs a catering service that delivers food to Marcellus workers at gas well sites. These jobs are called ancillary jobs. The other types of Marcellus jobs are called core jobs because they directly drill of refine the natural gas from the Marcellus shale. According to Pa. Dept. of Community and Economics there are approximately 240,000 core and ancillary Marcellus jobs. Approximately 70 percent of these come from Pa. residents. The average Pa. core salary is $81,116, when ancillary salary is $63,904 and the average of all Pa. jobs is $47,034. “What we felt was that we needed a way to show our students, in particular, what kind of opportunities might
exist in this phenomenal natural resource that is literally under our feet,” said John Buttermore, SRU professor from the school of business. During the question and answer part of the discussion, Richard Grimm, SRU professor from the school of business asked “what is the impact of Marcellus drilling on the small town and their economies.” Roncone answered, “Coming from Waynesburg and seeing the indirect impact Marcellus drilling has had is incredible. I drive the length of the town and I do not recognize it anymore." Marsh then answered, “There are so many ancillary SEE ENVIRONMENTAL, PAGE A-3
'Let's Get Dirty' race invites visitors to get muddy at SRU New provost will be announced soon By Erica Kurvach Rocket Staff Reporter
President Norton has received the provost finalist surveys and their summaries on Friday to evaluate and decide on the next provost and vice president for academic affairs. The date it will be announced is unknown. The announcement may be delayed depending on how much time Norton will have due to her current travels and Thanksgiving Break. On Wednesday, Dr. Amanda Yale, the Provost Search Committee Chair and Associate Provost for Enrollment Services, took summaries of all the surveys done by campus faculty, staff and students and sent it back to the Search Committee so that they can confirm what they said. Then, Yale took all of the responses and sent it
to Norton. Yale believes that acceptable means to do the job of the Provost. “We are a recommending body, not a decision-making body,” Yale said. “This means we consider all responses.” Provost William Williams will retire sometime in between the end of January and the middle of March depending if they can find a replacement. “The Provost is a very important leadership position,” Yale said. “When the President Norton is away, the Provost fills in for her job. Nearly 500 staff and faculty report to the Provost. He or she is ultimately responsible.” The fact that Provost finalist Dr. DonnaJean Fredeen worked in the same school in Connecticut with President Norton may leave others to think that she will get picked.
EMILY SCHUBERT/ THE ROCKET Participants wash off after the 16th annual 'Let's Get Dirty' race held at Slippery Rock University on Nov. 10. The race was a European style cross country race and featured trails, hills, stream crossings and mud pits.
SEE SEARCH, PAGE A-3
Faculty and coaches from 14 universities vote on strike authorization By Jonathan Janasik Rocket News Editor
PASSHE chancellor Dr. John C. Cavanaugh visited SRU last Thursday as ASPCUF prepared to vote for strike authorization. The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) has been bargaining with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) for almost two years in order to agree on a new contract for the union. Until a new contract is agreed upon, the previous one remains in effect. In October, APSCUF requested the contract to be settled through the means of binding arbitration. This means that both APSCUF and PASSHE would have to give all of their documentation to a third party who would create a contract that both parties would be required to follow. PASSHE denied the request. “We believe it would be improper to delegate those responsibilities to a third party arbitrator who does not have the responsibility or duty to consider the financial implications of their decisions and who is not obligated to take into account the interests of Pennsylvania taxpayers or the long-term effects of those decisions on the Commonwealth or PASSHE,” Cavanaugh stated in a press release. In response to this, ASPCUF decided to take the next step in negotiations and call for a strike authorization vote. A strike authorization does not necessarily mean that the faculty will go on strike, but instead it signifies that APSCUF can vote to strike if deemed necessary. President of the SRU chapter of APSCUF Dr. Patrick Burkhart explained that a strike authorization demonstrates that the union is serious about reaching a
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMUEL HOGAN Former president of the SRU chapter of APSCUF, Dr. Jace Condravy, addresses PASSHE Chancellor John Cavanaugh about the ongoing negotiations last Thursday.
settlement, and by passing a strike authorization PASSHE should have more leverage at the bargaining table. Voting for the strike authorization took place Monday through Wednesday at all 14 universities that belong to APSCUF. Members of the union were able to vote for or against passing the strike authorization. If a majority of the
faculty votes for the strike authorization, than the strike authorization will be passed. The results of the vote are expected to be released on Friday. On November 8, PASSHE Chancellor Dr. John C. SEE PASSHE, PAGE A-2
News
A-2 7-DAY FORECAST FOR SLIPPERY ROCK FRIDAY
SATURDAY
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MONDAY
TUESDAY
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THURSDAY
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REAL FEAL TEMPERATURE
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November 16, 2012
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The patented AccuWeather.com RealFeel Temperature is an exclusive index of effective temperature based on eight weather factors. Shown are the highest and lowest values for each day.
REGIONAL CITIES CITY Akron Allentown Altoona Cleveland Erie Harrisburg Indiana Johnstown Philadelphia Pittsburgh Scranton State College Wheeling Williamsport Youngstown
Friday HI LO W 49 31 pc 51 30 pc 49 29 pc 48 33 pc 46 33 pc 52 32 pc 46 28 pc 46 29 pc 52 38 pc 49 32 pc 48 29 pc 48 30 pc 50 31 pc 49 30 pc 46 29 pc
Saturday HI LO W 51 31 s 52 34 pc 51 28 s 49 35 s 50 34 s 52 33 pc 51 30 s 47 32 s 54 38 pc 52 32 s 49 29 s 50 30 s 53 33 s 50 29 s 50 32 s
Sunday HI LO W 54 34 s 51 38 c 47 33 c 51 37 s 51 37 s 50 39 c 52 31 pc 46 35 pc 53 44 c 55 34 s 49 32 pc 49 33 pc 55 35 s 50 34 pc 51 33 s
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UV INDEX
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Tuesday HI LO W 52 39 pc 53 36 c 50 36 pc 54 43 pc 53 42 pc 53 37 pc 52 34 pc 48 38 pc 54 42 c 55 37 pc 52 35 pc 50 35 pc 55 39 pc 50 36 pc 51 38 pc
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IN THE SKY
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The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. 0-2 Low; 3-5 Moderate; 6-7 High; 8-10 Very High; 11+ Extreme.
Monday HI LO W 54 35 s 49 36 c 49 34 pc 55 40 s 55 41 s 52 38 pc 52 34 pc 48 36 pc 53 42 c 55 37 s 49 36 pc 47 33 pc 56 35 s 53 36 pc 53 37 s
54°
Wednesday HI LO W 54 37 pc 52 38 pc 49 36 pc 54 42 pc 54 42 pc 55 40 pc 53 37 pc 49 40 pc 54 42 pc 55 38 pc 51 39 pc 52 39 pc 55 39 pc 54 38 pc 54 38 pc
ROCK NOTES Upcoming Events at Ghost Riders 2 Every Friday night, Ghost Riders 2 holds couples dance lessons from 7 to 8 p.m. and open dance from 8 to 10 p.m. There is a $5.00 cover fee to get in. Every Saturday night, they hold free line dance lessons from 8:30 to 9 p.m. On Saturday Nov. 24, Ghost Riders 2 will be featuring "Tattoos on this Town" Tattoo Contest. On Friday Nov. 30 Chippendale's from Vegas will be performing live from 8 to 10 p.m. There will be a $13 pre sale, and it will cost $18 night of show.
Winter Wobble 5K Joshua Hayes, the Assistant Life Skills Coordinator on campus, is holding the first Winter Wobble 5K on December 8, 2012. The proceeds are going to benefit the Feed My Sheep food cupboard and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (SRU's chapter) service initiatives.
Relay for Life Kickoff Colleges Against Cancer will be at Boozel Dining Hall Nov. 29, kicking off registration for Relay for Life. From 4 to 7 p.m. students can sign-up for Relay, and during that time, the theme of Relay will be revealed. To go along with the nights festivities there will be themed foods, games, prizes, and a DJ.
The next edition of The Rocket will be published Friday, Nov. 30. Next Friday's edition, Nov. 23, will be postponed due to Thanksgiving Break.
To submit a Rock Note please send your announcement by 6 p.m. Wednesday to Jonathan Janasik at jtj9529@sru.edu or to rocket.news@sru.edu. The Rocket does not guarantee that all requests will be published in the paper.
Thursday HI LO W 55 41 pc 54 36 pc 54 38 pc 56 46 pc 54 42 c 57 42 pc 55 42 pc 51 33 pc 58 45 s 57 41 pc 55 39 pc 54 38 pc 56 42 pc 56 40 pc 54 43 pc
Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Moon
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Rise 7:09 a.m. 7:11 a.m. 7:12 a.m. 7:13 a.m. 7:14 a.m. 7:15 a.m. 7:16 a.m. Rise 10:03 a.m. 10:54 a.m. 11:36 a.m. 12:13 p.m. 12:45 p.m. 1:14 p.m. 1:42 p.m.
MOON PHASES
Set 5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 4:59 p.m. 4:58 p.m. 4:57 p.m. 4:57 p.m. 4:56 p.m. Set 7:58 p.m. 9:08 p.m. 10:17 p.m. 11:24 p.m. none 12:29 a.m. 1:31 a.m.
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Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2012
NATIONAL FORECAST FOR THE WEEK TEMPERATURES
Above Near Below Normal Normal Normal
PRECIPITATION
Above Near Below Normal Normal Normal
National Summary: A low will develop off the Carolina coast in the East late Saturday, bringing showers in the Carolinas to the Delmarva for Sunday. By Monday, rain is expected to move into the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts. In the West, a low pressure from the northern Pacific Ocean will bring showers to th Northwest this weekend; the heaviest rain will be along the coast. Rain will spread as far inland as Montana with snow in the mountains. A low will develop in the southern Plains, bringing showers late Sunday that will develop into rain for Monday. The remainder of the country will be quiet with chilly temperatures and intervals of clouds and sunshine.
NATIONAL CITIES
Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursda CITY HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W HI LO W Atlanta 61 41 pc 60 41 pc 60 46 s 63 49 s 59 50 pc 64 45 pc 65 48 p Boston 48 38 pc 49 39 s 50 37 pc 50 36 c 50 37 c 50 41 pc 55 43 p Chicago 50 37 s 51 35 s 53 40 pc 53 43 c 53 43 sh 55 40 s 55 38 p Cincinnati 52 32 pc 54 33 s 55 33 s 60 41 pc 57 40 pc 55 40 pc 60 44 p Dallas 66 41 s 67 44 pc 68 52 pc 65 58 r 71 58 t 73 50 s 68 53 Denver 58 34 pc 60 35 s 58 35 s 58 34 pc 61 34 s 61 31 pc 62 32 Detroit 48 31 pc 50 34 s 51 33 s 52 40 pc 52 40 pc 55 41 pc 54 39 p Houston 69 43 s 71 47 pc 71 55 pc 73 59 c 72 56 t 77 56 pc 73 60 p Indianapolis 50 32 pc 54 33 s 54 37 s 58 47 pc 54 44 sh 56 43 pc 57 43 p Kansas City 54 35 s 58 37 s 59 44 pc 57 44 c 64 42 pc 65 42 s 61 38 p Los Angeles 70 56 c 68 56 c 68 54 pc 68 53 pc 71 53 s 72 56 pc 71 52 p Miami 81 66 pc 81 68 pc 82 68 pc 81 68 s 82 67 sh 81 66 pc 79 64 p Nashville 57 32 s 60 33 s 65 37 s 66 46 pc 62 42 sh 63 43 pc 63 48 p New Orleans 65 49 s 67 51 s 68 51 s 70 54 s 71 53 t 70 54 pc 72 59 p New York City 50 40 pc 52 42 pc 52 44 c 52 44 c 52 42 c 54 45 pc 58 48 Orlando 76 59 c 77 59 pc 78 60 s 80 62 s 79 61 pc 74 54 pc 73 54 p Phoenix 80 56 pc 79 55 pc 77 55 pc 76 53 s 78 54 s 78 54 s 77 57 San Francisco 63 55 sh 63 53 sh 62 52 c 62 54 c 64 54 c 62 50 c 62 49 p Seattle 50 45 c 53 43 r 48 43 sh 51 46 sh 50 42 r 46 37 r 45 37 s Washington, DC 54 37 pc 54 37 pc 53 45 c 57 44 pc 56 43 c 57 44 pc 60 49 p Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
PASSHE chancellor visits SRU, answers questions Continued from Page A-1
Cavanaugh visited the SRU campus in order to hold a question and answer session about the negotiations. Cavanaugh stated that he would not be able to answer any specific questions about the status of the negotiations. “How is [PASSHE] planning on changing itself in a commensurate way to what it is that they’re demanding of the faculty?” another professor asked. “Let’s talk about the cost side,” Cavanaugh responded. “As a system we’ve taken over $20 million out of the cost, primarily on areas of efficiency, energy conservation, and, frankly, the elimination of positions over the last decade. There are also certain external realities that we don’t have to like them, but they’re there. There’s an economy around us, and there are new things emerging in higher education.” Cavanaugh also explained that the public has been less supportive of public universities in recent years. He believes that one of the essential tasks of both PASSHE and APSCUF is to prove that public higher education is a high quality investment. He stated that hiring high quality professors and by creating academic programs that demonstrate that students are gaining the knowledge and skillset that they need for the real world. “I think that that part of the problem is that by offering lower salaries and by saying online education is exactly equivalent, by saying ‘we want more temporary faculty’, and ‘we’d like to cut the temporary faculty to the point that they’re making less than
many of the graduates that are coming out of the PASSHE system,’ you’re actually reinforcing the message that college faculty are overpaid, the value of higher education is not there, and what you’re getting out of the university is something that can be cut rate,” assistant professor of history Dr. Aaron Cowan said. “It seems as if the message is that faculty aren’t as valuable.” “I understand how you draw that
conclusion,” Cavanaugh responded. Assistant professor of philosophy Dr. Andrew Colvin thought that it was important for Cavanaugh to visit campus right before the strike authorization vote because it allowed the head of PASSHE to directly listen to and address the faculty’s concerns. Colvin understood that Cavanaugh was unable answer certain questions because of the negotiations, but with that being said he was disappointed about some of the chancellor’s answers. “On the one hand he said that there are three elements [to quality education]," Colvin explained. "You have good faculty, good learning
experience, and you have good students. Yet the proposals being put forward by the state are going to make it very hard to retain and attract good faculty. The three work together. He seems to suppose that you can have good education experience and good students without good faculty. You can’t.” “A n ot h e r t h i ng t h at I w a s disappointed about was that he made several remarks about the negative public perception of public education, and I wonder how he’s gauging that,” Colvin said. “And secondly, he didn’t say what he’s doing about it.” Immediate past president of the SRU chapter of APSCUF, Dr. Jace Condravy, was disappointed with Cavanaugh’s presentation. “He simply wouldn’t address the faculty’s concerns,” Condravy explained. “He knows damn well that there are concessionary proposals on the table. I understand that he can’t negotiate those particular items but he knows why we do not have a contract yet, and he actually tried to inject optimism by indicating that we were meeting again. After two years worth of meetings, I thought that was incredibly ingenuous of him. It was insulting to hear him frame negotiations like that.” The next meetings b etween APSCUF and PASSHE will be held on December 11 and December 19. Cavanaugh remains optimistic about reaching a fair agreement. “Were not in this as enemies,” Cavanaugh said “We’re certainly not working towards opposite conclusions because if we don’t work on this together we will not be able to achieve
Co-Op approves Student Conference Grant Index Rock Notes...............A-2 Comics.....................A-7 Weather map...........A-2 Sports...................B-1 Blotter.................A-3 Campus Life.............C-1 Opinion...............A-4
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Student organizations allotted money to attend conferences By Catie Clark Assistant News Editor
T h e B o ard of C o op e r at ive Activities approved a new initiative Thursday that will allow for student organizations to use Co-Op funding to attend conferences. According to Ben Motyl, Vice President of Financial Affairs and Chief Financial Officer of SGA, the Student Government Association will set aside a budgeted amount of $5,000 per academic year, or $2,500 per semester, to fund for conferences. “These funds will be used on a first-come first-serve basis and only be allowed to apply for through new initiatives,” Motyl said. “First-time preferential will be given to an organization if several have applied at the same time and one has previously received the Student Conference Grant.” Under the grant, SGA will fund an organization up to $500 to send as many students as wanted. “For instance, if only two people
from an organization wish to attend, SGA will fund up to $250 per person. If there are five people from an organization who wish to attend, SGA will fund up to $100 per person.” The funds from SGA can only be used for conference registration. Transportation, food, lodging, and all other expenses must be paid for in some other fashion. “If some amount of the Student Conference Grant is not used after the first semester, that amount will carry over into the second semester,” Motyl said. “If any amount remains after the second semester, that amount will go back into budgetary reserves.” Motyl said that after returning from the conference, all participants must present to the student body on how the trip benefited the student, the campus, and how it relates to University Outcomes within three weeks of returning. This is to be a free presentation, the entire student body should be invited, and all members of organization
must attend. The presentation must be announced in the master calendar. According to Motyl, failure to present within three weeks will result in freezing of budget until completion of the presentation. Motyl said that groups can also secure additional funds from their academic departments, the academic enhancement fee, and the student life enhancement fee through the Vice President of Student Life, Dr. Foley’s, office. T h e B o ard of C o op e r at ive Activities also discussed and accepted Landmark for the security contract with SRSGA Inc. “Two bids came in, Landmark and CSC,” Motyl said. “Landmark was proven to be more cost efficient. Their rates were inclusive of all per diem expenses while CSC has separate per diem costs on top of the staff rates.” Motyl said the budgetary are currently listed at $166,056.20.
News
November 16, 2012
A-3
Police Blotter Magistrate Borough Nov. 7 – Melissa Marie Kasarda, 22, of Butler, Pa., was seen for manufacturing, delivery, and possession with intent to deliver; use/possession of drug paraphernalia; disorderly conduct; and public drunkenness or similar conduct. Nov. 7 – Anthony Horn, 27, of Natrona Heights, Pa., was seen for two counts of DUI. Nov. 7 – Steven Lauria, 46, of Portersville, Pa., was seen for DUI and driving without rear lights. He was released on his own recognizance.
Nov. 7 – Cy Hassiger, 19, of Slippery Rock, was seen for two counts of theft by unlawful taking; criminal mischief; conspiracy – theft by unlawful taking; driving an unregistered vehicle; and conspiracy – criminal mischief.
Nov. 12 – There was a report of criminal mischief. There was damage to a windowpane estimated at $50.
Nov. 8 – There was a call received about two males selling items at Morrow Field House, including Taser guns. Actors were unable to be located.
Nov. 12 – There was a report of harassment at Building B because of a roommate conflict. The incident was referred to Student Conduct.
Nov. 8 – There was a vehicle booted in the East Lake Lot for unpaid parking tickets.
Nov. 12 – There was a report of harassment and criminal mischief at Watson Hall. The case is under investigation.
Campus Nov. 4 – Brett Hradisky, 19; Alec Hradisky, 19; Kamerin Jumper, 19; and a juvenile were cited with underage consumption of alcohol after a report of an alcohol violation at Building A. Nov. 6 – There was a report of a fight at Building A. The case is under investigation. Nov. 7 – There was a report of a drug violation at the Founder’s Lower Lot. The actors were gone on arrival.
Nov. 9 – There was a report of a drug violation at North Hall. There was contraband found, and the incident was referred to Judicial. Nov. 10 – There was a report of theft of a parking boot at the East Lake Lot. The case is under investigation. Nov. 12 – There was a report of theft and criminal mischief on Morrow Field House Road. The case is under investigation.
Nov. 12 – There was a report of harassment. The individual was contacted and asked to discontinue harassing phone calls. The incident was referred to Student Conduct.
Compiled by Catie Clark
Search committee surveys qualified provost finalists Environmental Continued from Page A-1
approve strategically budgeting programs.” “It is an all equal evaluation,” Yale said. “We keep referring back to the ad. SGA President Dave Wolfe asked Ben Motyl, a junior accounting major, It’s not one person who can do the job. They all do it differently because they to do the provost interviews. Motyl believes all of the candidates were have their own way of getting the job done. Where you went to school doesn’t qualified. matter. It’s the evaluation.” “To me, I think the most qualified was Dr. Richard J. Helldobler,” Motyl However, all six of the finalists have met the qualifications on the ad. said. “I think he had the best communication skills. He is very academic “The decision making is not merely based on qualifications, but the pattern and student-oriented. He wants the best for our University.” of evidence that perhaps have not been produced,” Yale From June to August, SRU sent out an advertisement. said. “We see if they have not met the qualifications, They had 80 applicants in early September. They had but how much effort in each. What have they learned members in at least one major division and faculty in each area?” representatives. They used a screening instrument on Some of the areas in the required qualifications the advertisement where they listed their preferences. include a doctorate from an accredited institution, a Then they visited 11 candidates for 11 airport commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion and interviews. The candidate spent one hour with the the ability to foster academic standards of excellence. committee and then the next hour with Dr. Cheryl “We see what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable,” Norton. Yale said. “We’re weighing how much experience they After the committee narrowed down the search more, have in other places. It’s important to be studentthey invited six candidates to come to campus between centric. It really is important to the Provost. The October 18 and November 13. Each finalist sat down Provost has to ask, how will they impact the students?” with the committee and was asked 12 questions for an this QR code to see a video interview of Dr. Condravy, an English professor and former Scan hour and a half interview. Ben Motyl, a student representative for the SRU APSCUF president, has taken notes to see how search committee. After the interviews, surveys were available online each candidate met the requirements and how they Or see the video online at and in print. youtube.com/theSRURocket fit with SRU. Now the University will just have to wait for when the “I like a candidate who focuses on academics and new Provost will be announced. students in the core to SRU,” Condravy said. “I think that is a real key thing. “For me, I would look at the intangibles,” Motyl said. “So this is how well I am looking for a candidate who is able to work collaboratively and has they interact with the students, their personality and how well they fit with experience collegially to accomplish shared goals. I’m seeking someone to the University with our new President, Dr. Norton.”
organizations question health concerns
Continued from Page A-1
services from the food to the engineering and trucking that has lead to more money in the tax payer’s pocket.” Many environmental organizations like PennEnvironment, Marcellusprotest.org and Frackalert are protesting the expansion and exploitation of Marcellus shale drilling. “I had heard a lot about the negative side of Marcellus drilling and was curious," Shawn Grady, SRU business management major said. "From this series I have learned that the people in the Marcellus job field are professional and are try to do what is right." This was the final installment of the SRU’s Marcellus shale informational series which was part of the Success Starts Here speaking series. Approximately 100 students, professors, faculty and other community members attended the event.
The Rocket
OPINION
A-4
November 16, 2012
The Rocket
Our View
Volume 96, Number 10 220 Eisenberg Classroom Building Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania 16057 Phone: (724) 738-4438 Fax: (724) 738-4896 E-mail: rocket.letters@sru.edu
Editorial Board Will DeShong Editor-in-Chief Jon Janasik News Editor Andy Treese Campus Life Editor Madeline Williams Sports Editor Alex Mowrey Photo Editor Stephanie Holsinger Copy Editor James Intile Web Editor Catie Clark Assistant News Editor Courtney Tietje Assistant Campus Life Editor Kristin Karam Assistant Sports Editor Emily Schubert Assistant Photo Editor Erica Kurvach News Reporter Mark Zeltner Faculty Adviser
Advertising Staff Zach Dornisch Advertising Manager Karleigh Santry Advertising Manager
About Us The Rocket is published by the students of Slippery Rock University every Friday during the academic semester with the exception of holidays, exam periods and vacations. Total weekly circulation is 3,000. No material appearing in The Rocket may be reprinted without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. The first copy of The Rocket is provided free of charge. Additional copies may be purchased for 50 cents each. The Rocket receives approximately five percent of its funding from the SGA General Service fee paid each semester by students. All other income is provided through the sale of advertising. Advertising inquiries may be made by calling (724) 738-2643 or by e-mailing rocket.ads@sru.edu.
Corrections If we make a substantial error, we want to correct it. If you believe an error has been made, call The Rocket newsroom at (724) 738-4438. If a correction is warranted it will be printed in the opinion section.
Subscriptions Subscriptions to The Rocket are available. Subscriptions are $20 per academic semester and $35 for the full academic year. Inquiries should be directed to the Editorin-Chief at the address listed here.
GRAPHIC BY EMILY SCHUBERT
PASSHE and APSCUF need to agree to terms for sake of students We have been following the ongoing negotiations between APSCUF and PASSHE all semester now. After weeks of reporting on the battle that has now been going on for over two years, it seems the two sides are still miles apart. Now, A P S C U F i s finishing up a strike authorization vote that will allow the faculty to go on strike at any time. While it is likely just a bargaining tool to get PASSHE to loosen up their demands, until the two sides come to some sort of an agreement, it will remain a threat to students. T h a t’s s o m e t h i n g students don’t deserve to have to deal with.
Upperclassmen close to graduation should be particularly worried of a strike, as it would obviously delay plans for their post graduation lives. Those plans, many times, are on a tight schedule. G r ant e d , s tu d e nt s s h ou l d h av e s om e sympathy for both sides in the dispute. It would be tough to represent the state system during the troubling economic and political times the state is experiencing with education, and would be even harder to be a faculty member facing cuts to their contract that their livelihoods depend upon. It is a difficult situation for both sides and both sides
are passionately, maybe even stubbornly, fighting to try to get their point of view across. But enough is enough. Both parties need to come up with some sort of compromise that works for everyone. The students cannot have strike threats hang ing over t heir academic future. We’re n ot s ay i ng APSCUF was wrong to authorize a strike, but let’s have this possible strike be the jolt to these negotiations that has to bring the two sides together in some way. We don’t need months more of wasted meetings or tactical bargaining ploys.
In the Quad In the Quad is a segment in which random students, faculty and staff are asked for their opinions on a specific topic.
We don’t know what the final solution to the negotiations should be, or what it is going to be. If we did we could get paid a lot more money working as student arbitrators than student journalists. But what we do know is that the two sides need to come to an agreement so we can focus on getting an education. Judging from the way things have been going recently, there is some hostility between the two sides. That is to be expected, but needs to end. Both sides need to compromise on things that may go against their best interests. That’s unfortunately the way it
is. Neither side is going to be really happy after negotiations end, but that is the case when two parties have opposite desires. Education is a tough business to be involved in, especially when the climate around funding is not great at the moment. But working through those conditions to ensure quality education is passed along is exactly what everyone involved needs to strive to do. Sacrifices need to be made. We know that. PASSHE knows that. APSCUF knows that. It is time action is taken. Hopefully our education is not impacted too much before progress is made.
This week’s question: Are you concerned about the negotiations with PASSHE and the strike authorization?
Editorial Policy The Rocket strives to present a diverse range of opinions that are both fair and accurate in its editorials and columns appearing on the Opinion pages. “Our View” is the opinion of the Editorial Board and is written by Rocket editorial board members. It reflects the majority opinion of The Rocket Editorial Board. “Our View” does not necessarily reflect the views of Slippery Rock University, its employees or its student body. Columns and cartoons are drafted by various individuals and only reflect the opinions of the columnists.
Letters Policy The Rocket welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Rocket retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes the property of The Rocket and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Please limit letters to a maximum of 400 words. Submit all material by noon Wednesday to: The Rocket, 220 ECB, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057. Or send it via e-mail to: rocket.letters@sru.edu.
Alex Gigler Senior math secondary education major Hometown: Creighton, Pa.
Taylor Hubert Senior early childhood special education Hometown: Pittsburgh
Jon Niles Senior public health major Hometown: Franklin, Pa
“Yes because I don’t know how it will affect the students. The worst thing that could happen is school would be suspended awhile and I would have to wait extra time in school to complete classes.”
“A little bit, but my professors say to not worry about it now. If there’s something else, they will inform us.”
“Yes, I’m a senior is why I’m concerned. I think education is important. Kids shouldn’t take it for granted. I don’t understand why they would cut education. It’s a competitive world out there.”
Opinion
November 16, 2012
Movie sequels can offer more than just continued box office profits
Michael Santoro Observation Station So your favorite movie ends, and the scene is set with the main characters either driving off into the sunset or walking away into the distance. You just bonded with these characters for close to two hours; you don’t want to see them go! Wait, this just in. Hollywood had a great idea. “What happens if we make another movie?” “You mean, something similar, with characters that resemble those people and a semicoherent plot that’s mildly close?” “No! A continuation! More of these characters! It doesn’t matter what they’re doing, we just made a ton of money from this thing! People just want to see more!” Now, I doubt that’s the way the sequel was born, but doesn’t it seem that way in some cases? Perfect example: The Hangover franchise. I loved both of them, but the situation rings true. The Hangover was a box office smash, rising to be the highest grossing R-rated comedy in U.S. history. While the sequel was talked about before the initial film was even released, it was solidified once studio executives saw how much money the movie made. Everybody was signed back on, a script was penned, shooting took place in an exotic new location, and The Hangover Part II was released around the same time as the first, two years later. The movie surpassed the first’s earnings, and went on to be the newest highest-grossing R-rated comedy. Yet reviews were staunchly mixed, with the plot and happenings being almost identical to that of the first film. Doesn’t matter, it made money; enough money to warrant The Hangover Part III coming out two years after the second, again around the same time. That seems to be the way the system goes. Or, we’ll have a franchise grow stale with either too many installments or a terrible sequel, then how many years down the road another sequel will come out. The Scary Movie franchise comes to mind. While I thought the second was better than the first, the third and especially the fourth were way too unfunny to be considered good comedies. Now we hear that Scary Movie 5 is in the works. Necessary? Some would say hardly, while some loved all of
them. Another hit franchise comes to mind: Men in Black. I still have fond memories of seeing the first one more times than I can count. I can practically quote half the movie. But Men in Black II? I can barely remember a single scene, let alone any lines. Yet 10 years later, out comes Men in Black III and squashes expectations. The film is the highest grossing in the franchise’s history. You know what this means: Men in Black IV is already in talks, likely with the main actors reprising their roles. One last example of this trend: The Die Hard films. The original Die Hard was an action classic, cementing Bruce Willis as the all-out, one-man army action hero that he is today. While I didn’t care too much for Die Harder, I did like Die Hard with a Vengeance. This was mainly because they changed up the formula. They made it a buddy-cop film by adding Samuel L. Jackson, who I think is an awesome actor. 12 years after that film we get Die Hard 4.0, Live Free or Die Hard. Guess what? As the case was with Men in Black III, it was the most successful film in the franchise. So what will we receive? Die Hard 5.0, A Good Day to Die Hard. It’ll likely make back its budget two-to-three fold, which will lead to Die Hard 6.0, with more of Bruce Willis being a bad-you-know-what. Lastly, sometimes good movies that don’t make that much at the box office have enough of a following where it warrants making a sequel. Anchorman: The Legend Continues, anybody? Or how about Dumb and Dumber Two? Both will be coming out in the next two years. I have a few movies on my list I’d love to see sequels to: 1408, Cloverfield, Wet Hot American Summer, Office Space, etc. Alas, it’s not likely we’ll see any more of these. A lot of people really don’t like sequels, but I have to disagree. We already have the first one. The creation of a sequel is not going to eliminate the first film’s memory from our mind nor its availability on Netflix, the internet, in the video store etc. So why not see more of the characters we like? Why not at least give these characters another go and enjoy another adventure with them? We’re not going to lose the initial film that we love. Now, when it spirals out of control, as with horror franchises (Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and more recently, Saw,) that’s when there’s an issue. Otherwise, I say bring them on. You’ll definitely see me in line to see, once again, the crazy adventures of the wolfpack. Michael Santoro is a senior public relations major from Pittsburgh and a regular contributor to the Rocket.
Child showing education is a right for everyone Paige Niezelski FMLA As we become globalized and events are seen around the world, one important issue humanity faces is the preservation of human rights. Amnesty International is one organization I am involved with that stands up for people whose human rights have been violated by their government. Education is a right many people around the world do not enjoy. In some geographical areas, children cannot attend school because of ideology, wartime conflict, or inadequate educational centers. Malala Yousafzai, a girl from Pakistan, is one person about which Amnesty is educating people, Malala is a child activist speaking up for the right to education for girls in Pakistan. Malala lives in an area of Pakistan where the Taliban tries to prevent girls from attending school. On October 9, 2012 Malala was shot in the head by the Taliban on her way home from school. She was in critical condition for
several days and later sent to a hospital in the United Kingdom. She is currently progressing in her recovery. At t h e A m n e s t y International Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference held in Washington DC, I marched on Washington for the right to education for Malala and other people around the world. Some chants we yelled were “Malala, Malala, you are not alone,” “When education is under attack, stand up, fight back” and “We want human rights, support the Dream Act.” We held up signs with educational messages and lit candles to shine a light on Malala and others. A group of more than 300 marched in solidarity for Malala and other people fighting for their right to education. As I marched I began to think about the education I have received in the United States. From an early age I have safely gotten on a school bus and been able to attend school. I have learned math, science, English, and history from qualified teachers in fine facilities. Not once has anyone told
me I cannot go to school. My entire life I have been encouraged to attend school. Now I am attending college with an opportunity to earn a bachelors degree in Political Science and Philosophy. In some places of the world, girls cannot attend primary schooling and are harassed, abused, or sometimes killed on their way to the classroom. Why should I have the right to education, but not others like me around the world? Why should we march and raise our voices? Simple, humanity cannot afford for us to be silent. If we are silent, we submit to ignorance. Silence condones the wicked acts of others. Silence is not progressive. And silence takes away many voices around the world the need to be heard. Don’t be silent, be loud! Make your voice heard and unite with others. Together, we can yell for justice, yell for rights, and yell for people. Paige Niezelski is a FMLA member and the Amnesty International SRU chapter President.
A-5
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” section are those of the writer(s) alone. The Rocket cannot verify all facts presented in a given letter, but if we are aware of an error or omission, we reserve the right to include an editorial note for accuracy’s sake.
Chancellor sends wrong message during visit First, I want to thank all of my union comrades for not only attending the open forum with Chancellor Cavanaugh last week but also wearing your APSCUF buttons and tee shirts, carrying your signs, and persisting with your questions. Faculty presented a united group, resolute in our commitment to getting a fair contract without major concessions that would damage the quality of the education that we offer but polite in pressing our point. For those of you—students, faculty and administrators—who were not able to attend, the Chancellor demonstrated his total lack of connection with faculty in his opening remarks wherein he blithely suggested that there was room for optimism regarding contract negotiations because the sides had scheduled more meetings. He asserted that if the sides continue to meet and share their ideas for proposals, the process might come to an end quickly. Yes, he made these observations after two full years of negotiations meetings, faculty working without a contract for fifteen months, and a strike authorization vote scheduled! Of course, he was probably hoping that if he pretended that the process was moving along satisfactorily, the subject might be closed for the fifty minutes that remained for questions—a miscalculation, to say the least. I respect that the Chancellor may have been limited by law in his ability to argue negotiations issues, but his inability or unwillingness to take any responsibility or leadership for his team’s
Rocket “liberal studies” article doesn’t tell whole story The Rocket’s recent article on SRU’s Liberal Studies program (“Study shows Pennsylvania universities struggling with liberal studies programs”) reported that the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) recently gave SRU’s Liberal Studies curriculum a “C” grade. At first glance this information appears troubling, but we feel it is important that that evaluation be placed in a proper context. First, the evaluating organization itself merits some critical analysis. Who (or what) is the ACTA? Further investigation by your staff might have revealed that ACTA was co-founded by Lynne Cheney (wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney), who has consistently criticized the American academy for –in her view – failing to teach conservative political values and patriotism to students. The original initiative for the ACTA’s “What Will They Learn?” report came in the wake of the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when the ACTA published a report, entitled “Defending Civilization.” This publication accused American university faculty and students of failing to respond “with anger, patriotism, and support of military intervention” to the same degree as the American public. They cited as examples such actions as student criticism of the Bush administration’s military policies, and universities adding new courses on Islam and Middle Eastern history. The conclusion of the report was that universities were undermining American civilization by these kinds of behaviors. Thus the “What Will They Learn?” project began in 2004 as an attempt to use financial pressure from alumni and trustees as leverage to “encourage” universities to develop ACTA-approved courses of study that would counter these perceived dangers. These facts do not mean that the report is completely illegitimate, but the Rocket article might have at least briefly discussed the mission of the ACTA, as well as the considerable controversy that has surrounded it since its inception. Second, it is worth noting that the rather specific criteria used by the ACTA have led to some oddly skewed evaluation results: universities like Harvard and Yale, for example, received “D” grades. Liberal arts colleges that typically are ranked as the among
unconscionably concessionary proposals was both disturbing, but also weirdly satisfying, for his relief at not having to defend his team’s proposals was palpable because those proposals are indefensible. The State System is not in financial trouble; the APSCUF team has seen in the presentations given by the PASSHE team the hundreds of millions of dollars in unrestricted reserves in the System that have been growing over the last decade. Yet the PASSHE team continues to assert that they need more “economies” (read “givebacks”) from the faculty. Their proposals incentivize the hiring of parttime temporary faculty and put them on a different (meaning lower) pay scale than the rest of the faculty, remove compensation from the development of distance education as well as its voluntary nature, turn annuitant healthcare for the newly hired into a voucher system, destabilize healthcare for active faculty members who retire, and increase out-ofpocket healthcare costs. The Chancellor seemed to imply that if union members understood the PASSHE proposal from his perspective, we might not find the proposals unreasonable. But we know when someone is trying to exploit us to build a bigger reserve of unrestricted assets when such monies could be invested in maintaining and attracting quality faculty who are committed to offering an excellent education to students. It’s not clear what the Chancellor hoped to accomplish at the open forum, but what did get accomplished was the sending of a strong faculty message that we will not accept the major concessions currently demanded by the PASSHE team, concessions that none of the other major unions who have settled their contracts had to make (which explains why those contracts are, indeed, settled!). Additionally and regretfully, the Chancellor also left the faculty in the room astonished at how little he said even though we all saw his mouth moving. Jace Condravy Past President SRU APSCUF
the top in the nation – Swarthmore, Amherst, Oberlin, Williams College, and so on – all received “D” or “F” grades. This might suggest, again, that the criteria for the ACTA’s rankings are skewed toward a very narrow conception of an acceptable liberal arts curriculum. While the evaluation might still be useful in some regards, the “grade” is not necessarily an objective measure of quality, but merely a reflection of how closely an institution’s curriculum aligns with the ACTA’s arbitrary model of an ideal set of courses. Thus, a curriculum like Slippery Rock’s, which gives students a broader set of academic choices, will by default fare poorly compared to more rigid or prescribed courses of study. With those concerns stated, we agree with the ACTA that the liberal arts must remain an essential component of quality higher education in the 21st century. From a practical perspective, liberal studies courses are among the best places to develop those skills that employers consistently demand most strong written and oral communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. Beyond that, the liberal arts provide students with the core education that helps them become thinking, independent citizens who contribute to society far beyond their individual profession. In May 2012, SRU’s Liberal Studies program underwent a thorough evaluation as part of its standard five-year review. The final report - by an outside faculty member who is a respected leader in general education curriculum development – was overwhelmingly positive, and recommended no significant changes. Therefore, we have confidence that our liberal studies foundation is strong. At the same time, no one would claim that it is perfect. Indeed, the faculty who serve as members of the university’s Liberal Studies Program Committee are constantly evaluating ways to enhance the Liberal Studies program, and have recently been examining ways to better communicate the value of a liberal arts education to students. In this ongoing evaluation, the ACTA report will be one – among many – perspectives to consider. In the coming months, we will continue this work, and we will need the voice of the student body to contribute. We are grateful for this opportunity to engage in a campus conversation about Liberal Studies, and hope it will continue. Students and faculty must work cooperatively to insure that Slippery Rock graduates are not just trained for a career, but prepared to be thoughtful, engaged, compassionate, and ethical contributors to our country and our world. Dr. Aaron Cowan, History Dr. Manuel Valera, Physics Co-Chairs, Liberal Studies Program Committee
Opinion
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” section are those of the writer(s) alone. The Rocket cannot verify all facts presented in a given letter, but if we are aware of an error or omission, we reserve the right to include an editorial note for accuracy’s sake.
SGA offers ‘FAQ’ guide for PASSHE/APSCUF negotiations 1. Does the faculty strike authorization vote mean there definitely will be a faculty union strike? The call by the faculty union leadership for a strike authorization vote to be taken in mid-November does not automatically mean there will be a strike. The faculty union took similar votes during the last three rounds of negotiations; none resulted in a strike. 2. How will people know if a strike is called? If a strike by the faculty union appears imminent, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education will be in regular communication with students and university employees. 3. Will the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities close if a strike is called? The universities will remain open, to the extent possible, if a faculty strike is called. By law, individual faculty members have the right to decline to participate in a strike called by the union so individual classes could still be held. Each university has a contingency plan it
would implement in the event of a strike. The goal of every contingency plan is to keep the campuses open, to ensure students and employees are safe and to keep students on schedule toward the completion of their degrees. 4. What should students do if a faculty strike is called? If the faculty union calls a strike, students will be expected to report to all of their classes. Individual faculty members may choose to continue teaching. If a strike occurs, questions on classes should be directed to your university contact. 5. Should students with on-campus work-study jobs continue to report for work? Yes. Students with on-campus work-study jobs would need to continue to report to work, as the university would remain open if a strike were called. If a student works for a faculty member who has not reported for work, the student should report to the Dean’s Office. 6. Will university facilities such as the libraries, computer labs, dining services, residence halls, and fitness centers, registrar’s offices, University S afe t y / Un i v e r s i t y Pol i c e, health centers and other administrative offices be open in the event of a strike? Yes. To the extent practical, the university would remain open so all of these facilities and offices would remain open. All employees represented by other unions would be required
to work in the event of a strike by faculty. Information about extended hours for services and facilities especially important to students, as well as other special events (films, lectures, etc.) for the university community would be posted on the universities’ websites as information was received. 7. Will an internship or a practicum be affected by a strike? Because individual faculty may choose to continue teaching during a strike called by the union, this would be determined on a case-by case basis. 8. Will counseling services be available in the event of a strike? Many counseling professionals are fac ulty and may b e unavailable if a strike occurs. If a faculty strike occurs, every effort would be made to refer students to other counseling services available in the area. 9. How would the latest information regarding a strike be disseminated? The Pennsy lvania St ate System of Higher Education’s website at www.passhe.edu would be updated regularly with information regarding the status of negotiations. If a faculty strike occurs, information about operation of the campuses would be posted on each of the university’s websites. Karen Ball PASSHE contact for SGA
November 16, 2012
Becoming “cultured” is an important part of the college experience
Nicole Crevar Dare and Share
language to do it. There are a wide variety of events held on campus that provide cultural expansion. Actually, last Monday was Native American Day in the B OB (Rob er t Smith Student Center). This ceremony consisted of Native dances, tables lined with cultural artifacts, and a presentation by Native American author Joseph Bruchac. In addition, the Student Organization of Latinos/Hispanics and Allies (SOL) hosts Salsa lessons every other Thursday. But learning more about other cultures does not merely apply to ethnicities. Culture can vary from region to region, and from age to physical abilities. There’s a specific culture in the workplace that makes it function, and that same context is probably not applicable at home. Every group that one belongs to has its own culture. But to be considered a cultured person, we must get outside of our comfort zones. Explore new groups, attend cultural events on campus, and be curious! It’s okay to walk on the other side of your interests. And when you learn more about other cultures, you end up learning more about yourself. It’s called selfawareness. So take my advice, and embrace all of the diversity that this university has to offer. You never know what new doors you will open.
What does it mean to be cultured? Does it involve traveling to a foreign country or speaking multiple languages? Well, yes and no. From the standpoint of Intercultural C ommunication, accepting other cultures is a must in to day’s s o ciety, esp e cially with the growing rate of globalization and technology. Culture is everywhere, and our identities are dependent upon it. For instance, many SRU students identify as Americans, Pittsburghers, or Sorority/ Fraternity Members. All of these labels contribute to one’s culture. Those students from different areas of the country may have felt culture shock, or confusion when they ordered a salad and received French-fries on top of it. But those of us from Pittsburgh are accustomed to loading sandwiches and salads with greasy fries, because it’s part of our culture. So what about the other cultures? Learning more about the world outside of own little bubbles is extremely important, as well. Nicole Crevar is a junior journalism And one doesn’t need to travel major with a minor in Spanish from abroad or pick up a second Mercer, Pa.
The Rocket
COMICS
A-7
November 16, 2012
MoreOn TV
By Jay Schiller and Greg Cravens
Best in Show
Bliss
By Harry Bliss
By Phil Juliano
That Monkey Tune Brewster Rockit: Space Guy
By Tim Rickard
Sudoku
By Michael Mepham
Horoscopes By Nancy Black Tribune Media Services (MCT) To d a y ' s Birthday (11/16/12). Get your heart and mind focused on the same goal, and there's no stopping you. Mars in Capricorn (today until 12/25) benefits relationships. Choose priorities, and results come with charming ease. Financial and career gains come as a natural result of this healing year. You're enchanting. To get the advantage, check the day's rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is an 8 -Responsibilities weigh heavily today and tomorrow. Balance immediate goals with longterm dreams. Get ahead of the eight ball, and you just may win. Inspire changes at home. Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Set longrange goals over the next two days. The more you finish, the better you look. Start working on strategy. Learn from experience. Start a new writing project. Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is a 6 -- Begin a new
moneymaking venture. Your theory gets challenged. Draw heavily on your experience. Figure out finances today and tomorrow. Provide great service and it all works out. Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is an 8 -- This period is good for negotiations. Use your imagination, and stick to the rules. Put in extra effort. Haste makes waste. A partner's opinion is important. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Curb the impulse to run away. Work and prosper today and tomorrow. Provide support, and find an amazing breakthrough in love. Clean up any messes. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Your nerves will become less frazzled soon after the current chaos. Follow a hunch at work. Make a change for the better. Others are ready. Choose family. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Keep digging and find the clue. Consider all the information. Family and home issues take the forefront today and tomorrow. Keep your objective in mind. Postpone romance. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Listen to your coach to improve
By Michael A. Kandalafti
performance. There's no such thing as a stupid question, but your timing could be off. Follow instructions. Make recommended changes. Your credit is rising. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Join a good team. Fill orders and rake in the dough. Teach in a way they can learn. You have an advantage. Consider making changes in your living arrangements. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 9 -- Let yourself be drawn outside your safety zone. You're extra confident today and tomorrow. Ask for what you want. Remain objective, despite any temporary confusion or disruption. Relax. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 6 -- Start by listing current expenses. Identify new resources, and replenish reserves. Costs are high, so take care. Rest and recuperate today and tomorrow. Study values and ethics, too. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Study with a passion. It's easier to concentrate now. Today and tomorrow are good party days. Water may be involved. You can do more than you thought.
Solution
A-8
November 16, 2012
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Want to get involved with events like these?
Just attend the committee meeting that appeals most to you Events - Meetings every Tuesday room 325 at 8:00 PM VP of Events: Ashley Sullivan - For more info email: ams1001@sru.edu Speakers - Meetings every Thrusday in room 321 at 7:00 PM VP of Speakers: Matan Cohen - For more info email: mjc1454@sru.edu Marketing - Meetings every Thursday in room 323 at 7:30 PM VP of Marketing: Andrew Fellhauer - For info email: abf1001@sru.edu Concerts - Meetings every Thursday in the CSIL at 8 PM President: Vince Bianco - For more info email: vjb5370@sru.edu
The Rocket
SPORTS
November 16, 2012
B-1
The Big Stage Loss to Michigan is learning experience for Rock squad By Tim Durr Rocket Contributor
Most of the time we hear the old sports cliché that it’s all about getting the victory, but that isn’t always the most important thing to take away from a game. The Slippery Rock University basketball team traveled to its “big brother” school, the University of Michigan last Friday and took a 100-62 loss at the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, but Rock head coach Kevin Reynolds said that having the opportunity to play on such a big stage and in that atmosphere is something the team is grateful for. "It's actually really refreshing where you see a big school like Michigan, who has everything, who reaches out to a school like Slippery Rock, and kind of -- I guess the best word to use is 'adopt' us -- as a little brother," Reynolds said. "I think it's great for us to have that affiliation, and it's nice for Michigan to embrace it. We don't get this opportunity to play in this type of arena and in this type of atmosphere, and we're very thankful." Michigan is the No. 5 ranked team in Division I basketball and many people who don’t know the history between the two programs must have had a confused look on their face to see SRU playing against a top-tier Division I opponent. The history between the two programs started in 1959 when Michigan started announcing SRU football scores at halftime of their football games, and the Rock even played a game in Michigan against Shippensburg in 1979.
The Michigan fans, who usually love hearing the scores of Slippery Rock games, weren’t rooting for SRU on Friday at the Crisler Arena as the Wolverines slowly opened the gap between the two teams. The Rock kept the score close for the first eight minutes of the game and held a 15-14 lead with 13:16 left in the first half. The Wolverines put together a six point run to take the lead back and never relinquished it after that point. Michigan opened up an eight point lead a few minutes later and then extended it to 14 by the half. Michigan head coach John Beilein said that he wasn’t expecting it to be an easy victory and knew that SRU was capable of sticking in the game early on. “We knew they were going to score the ball on us,” Beilein said. “They are experienced guys who know how to play. They kept it close early on but we knew if we could get runs and stops that we’d be able to pull away.” One of the main components in Michigan’s success was junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr., who scored his 1,000th career point on the way to 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Green and White. Sophomore guard Trey Burke scored 21 points, while freshman forward Glenn Robinson III neared a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. The leading scorer for SRU was senior forward Devin Taylor who also approached a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKET
SEE TEAM, PAGE B-2
Senior forward Devin Taylor goes up for a shot during the NCAA Division I exhibition match-up against the University of Michigan last Friday. Taylor led the Rock with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Rock soccer advances in NCAA tourney By Nikolas Horniacek Rocket Contributor
The Slippery Rock University women’s soccer team continued their tear through the NCAA tournament with a 1-0 victory against No. 16 California University of Pa. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at the Philipsburg Soccer Complex. Prior to the Cal game, the Rock escaped No. 24 Edinboro University in penalty kicks when junior goalkeeper Dana O’Neill came up big making two saves to lead the Rock into the second round. Slippery Rock will now face West Chester University today. The winner will advance to the NCAA Elite Eight and will take on the winner of the East Region on Sunday at West Chester. “We are peaking at the right time,” Rock head coach Noreen Herlihy said. “We are playing extremely well as a team, and we expect to go out there every game and compete with the best teams.” The Green and White secured their first win over Cal U. in the NCAA Tournament after the Vulcans knocked them out each of the past two seasons including last year in the Sweet 16. With their win on Sunday, the Rock,handed the Vulcans their first backto-back home losses since 2007.
Freshman midfielder Crysta Ganter tallied the only goal, which came in the 49th minute, when she split two defenders and tapped the ball past Cal’s goalie. Freshman for ward Cailin Conner grabbed the assist. O’Neill knabbed her 10th shutout of the season with Sunday’s performance, finishing the game with four saves, including a late save with a mere 55 seconds left. The Vulcans finished the game with a 10-8 edge in total shots and a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, though Slippery Rock earned a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks. The first half would end with a scoreless draw, although the Rock controlled most of the play and almost scored when Connor drilled a shot off of the crossbar, which bounced straight down. The referees determined that the ball never crossed the goal line. It took the Rock until the fourth minute of the second half to snag the lead, and they kept the pressure up the rest of the game, only allowing one scoring opportunity which came late in the final minute. Slippery Rock advanced to 14-5-3 with the victory. “It’s great knocking off Cal,” senior captain Emer Flatley said. “Every year, it seems they find a way to knock us out. Not this year. It’s our time.” The Green and White was dominant
in the first game of the tournament, but the game was brought to penalty kicks to decide the victor. SRU would close up shop for Edinboro by converting all four of their chances, winning the shootout 4-2. Senior midfielder Shelby Ward, senior captain Emer Flatley, freshman midfielder Allison Harbart and junior defender Lauren Impey all put away their penalty kick but it was O’Neill who stole the show making two magnificent saves. Slippery Rock finished the game with a 23-13 total shot advantage, 7-4 in shots on goal and 7-4 in corner kicks. The Rock was dominant in the second half, outshooting Edinboro 10-4. O’Neill finished the game with three saves. Senior forward Erin Storck tallied the first goal of the match off a pass from sophomore midfielder Lucy Hannon to give the Rock a 1-0 in the 31st minute. It took almost no time for the Fighting Scots to tie the game, netting a goal just over a minute later. The teams would go into halftime with SRU holding a 10-7 shot advantage and 4-2 in corner kicks. Both teams would have their chances to capitalize in the second half and overtime, but neither could. Junior midf ielder Stephanie Buckenheimer rang the crossbar twice
and missed wide by just inches with only 11 seconds to play in overtime. The Rock would pull through in the shootout. On Monday, the league office announced Herlihy as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. The Rock also had a school-record seven players named to the All-Conference team. Hannon, PSAC tournament MVP, earned first team honors along with Flatley and O’Neill. Ward topped the second team selections and was joined by Impey and sophomore midfielder Leslie Henny. Junior defender Izabel Scott rounded off the third team selections. Herlihy, now in her 18th season at the helm of the program, earns her third PSAC Coach of the Year honor and her first since 2003. She has guided the program to 17 consecutive winning seasons with 10 or more wins, which is the eighth-best streak in Division II history. Slippery Rock will face West Chester today at 11 a.m. The winner will be declared the Atlantic Region champion and will face off against the winner of the College of St. Rose and Dowling University with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The Rock knocked WCU out of the PSAC tournament with a 2-1 victory on Nov. 1.
Sports
B-2
November 16, 2012
SRU students learn from ESPN experts By Madeline Williams Sports Editor
Hundreds of people packed into the new Robert M. Smith Student Center Ballroom on Tuesday evening to hear three ESPN sports experts discuss their journeys, careers, and opinions in the sports world. ESPN anchor Linda Cohn, NFL commentator Adam Schefter, and ESPN College Game Day analyst Desmond Howard entertained Slippery Rock students with their success stories and offered advice for aspiring sports enthusiasts at the Sports Symposium, presented by the University Program Board. As an aspiring sportscaster, this event greatly appealed to me and I enjoyed meeting with and learning from all three ESPN experts. Cohn is considered the pioneer for woman sportscasters, appearing on ESPN as a full-time anchor for the last 18 years. Along with her true love for sports, Cohn’s extensive knowledge, witty sense of humor, and passion for storytelling has made her one of the most successful sports anchors. “Five words have gotten me where I am now- ‘I won’t let you down’,” Cohn said. “Those five words I have uttered throughout my entire career, for the male bosses that took a chance on me in every level of my career, even before I got to ESPN. They knew they were taking a chance in hiring a woman at a time when no women were doing sports.”
Cohn gave some powerful tips and advice to women, like myself, who dream and aspire to be a sportscaster for a major network. “You just have to believe that you’re good at what you do and you know your stuff,” Cohn said. “Don’t worry about what other people think, you’ll get all jumbled up in the head. Be accuratedon’t screw up a name and don’t make any silly mistakes. Because you’re a woman, there will be more eyes on you. The magnifying glass is much bigger than it is for a man. You asked to be in this field, live with it, rise above it, and you can do it.” Prior to his job as a college football analyst, Howard played football for the University of Michigan from 1989-1991 and won the Heisman Trophy for leading the Big Ten Conference in 1991. After his collegiate career, Howard went on to play professional football for five NFL teams, including the Green Bay Packers, who he led to a Super Bowl Championship in 1996. Howard’s special teams performance in Super Bowl XXXI earned him the Super Bowl MVP award, making him the only player in history to receive the award based on special teams performance. Howard said earning Super Bowl MVP was the greatest accomplishment he has ever received. “As a player, that’s what you want. That’s the ultimate goal,” Howard said. “To be crowned the MVP of that game, which is the most
important game in the sport- it just gets no higher than that. It’s really special for me because I did it on a team with some great men and great football playersthe late, great Reggie White, who was a phenomenal person and athlete, he was on the field with me that day, Brett Favre, Leroy Butler, Keith Jackson, all men who are great teammates and friends. To be around that sort of talent and be crowned as the MVP of that game with those guys is a tremendous honor.” Howard politely turned down numerous requests throughout the night to do the Heisman pose. “No, I’m good, thanks,” Howard laughed. “I’d be doing it all day if I did it every time I was asked. If only you guys knew how many times a day I got that.” Schefter, also a University of Michigan graduate, joined ESPN in 2009 as a football analyst. He is also a regular contributor to ESPN. com and ESPN Insider. USA Today selected Schefter as the best NFL insider for three straight years (2009-2011.) Prior to joining the NFL Network, Schefter wrote for The Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post. “Good work and hard work, over time, will almost always be rewarded,” Schefter said. One student commented on a tweet that Schefter posted about his family’s home that received severe damage during the Hurricane Sandy storm two weeks ago.
New talent on the court for the Rock By Matthew Morgan Rocket Contributor
The Slippery Rock women’s basketball team opened their regular season last Friday at Morrow Field House with a nail biting victory over the Urbana University Blue Knights with a final score of 89-87. The 89-point mark is higher than any score achieved throughout last season. SRU trailed the Blue Knights 85-80 with less than two minutes left in the game, going on a 9-2 run to close out the victory. The eruption of scoring was capped off by a fade away jumper at the buzzer by junior Alexas Brown. The Rock’s scorers were led by senior guard Erinne Cunningham with 24 points and sophomore forward D’Asia Chambers, tallying 21 points and six rebounds. Brown had 14 points, including her game winning shot and eight assists. Tension was high during the game with eight ties and five lead changes throughout the night. Prior to tip-off of the regular season, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its 2012-13 coaches poll predictions. Slippery Rock was voted to finish eighth in the conference, following a
dismal 6-20 season. The pre-season coaches poll doesn’t carry much weight in head coach Tanya Longo’s mind. Longo will be entering her third season as head coach of the women’s basketball program here at Slippery Rock. “I’m not big on preseason polls. We have the potential to win some games this season and our goals certainly include finishing above eighth place in the PSAC.” Longo said. With only one returning player from last season’s starting five, senior Erinne Cunningham will be playing alongside a brand new core of teammates. Along with Cunningham, returning players include Chambers, Emilee Vitez, Christa Wodarcyzk, Katie Rathman, Bridget McClure and Danielle Garoutte. “We have a lot of talented players who can be impactful and we select the five who we feel will give our team the best start in the game. It could be different each game if need be.” Longo said. Five true freshmen along with five transfer students will be accompanying the seven returning players. On Tuesday night the ladies traveled to West Virginia for a non-conference game against the Wheeling Jesuit University Cardinals.
Capped off by a 9-0 run by the Cardinals, The Rock was dealt its first loss of the season, 59-56, bringing their record this season to 1-1. Four of the Rock’s players posted double-digit scores, led by Chambers with 14 points. Junior Jazmyne Frost had her first double-double as a player at SRU with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Brown supplied 14 points towards the losing effort and Garoutte pitched in 10 points playing off of the bench. Only one of the five starters from WJU scored more than three points. Nearly all of their points came off the bench, with only 14 of the 59 points scored coming from the starting five. Longo is excited for all the new talent that has been put into the program. “Our goal is to work hard and work together so we can improve every day," Longo said. "Our success hinges on our growth and team chemistry as a unit. With so many new faces on the roster, I am very excited about our potential and where it will take us." Slippery Rock will play its next game on the road as well tomorrow at University of Charleston against the Golden Eagles.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTEN CAPPATT
NFL analyst Adam Schefter and ESPN anchor Linda Cohn debate the Week 11 NFL Matchups at the Sports Symposium on Tuesday evening. Schefter, Cohn, and ESPN College Game Day commentator Desmond Howard provided insight and stories to Slippery Rock students.
“What has happened back there is hard to put into words,” Schefter said. “We had a tree go into the side of my house through my son's room, windows were broken, our fence was destroyed, and our backyard is trashed. We were very fortunate because there were many people who had their lives ruined.” B efore the Sp or ts Symposium, I had the privilege to attend a workshop that Cohn presented to a small group
of students. She told us the story of breaking into t he m a l e - d om i n ate d sportscasting industry with tons of enthusiasm. She answered any questions that I had about her career, and she made me believe that I could do whatever I set my mind to. I admire her confidence and energy, and I think she is a great role model for aspiring reporters,. There was also a studentfaculty networking reception before the program where
everyone could interact with Cohn, Howard, and Schefter. I had one-on-one time with all three ESPN experts, and it was a great opportunity to meet and get advice in a competitive setting. Cohn gave me one piece of advice at the reception that I will never forget. She said to find something that makes me different or stand out from the others. The Sports Symposium was a great learning experience that I hope Slippery Rock students enjoyed as much as I did.
Team grows through loss to Division I "big brother" school Continued from Page B-1
Senior center Luiz Santos contributed 12 points and senior guard Darious Clark added 11. Coach Beilein said that he likes Slippery Rock’s chances to be successful this season, and after opening with a 70-48 victory against Ohio Valley, it seems that he has some merit in his statement. “I was just telling Kevin [Reynolds] I really like the way his team plays,” he said. “I think they have a great chance to be successful. I think you could see early in the game that they can compete, but when we got it going they weren’t able to hang with what our transition game accomplished.” The Rock has two more non-conference games on their schedule against La Roche College on Monday at 7 p.m., which will be the home opener, and next Saturday at Lake Erie College at 3 p.m. SRU’s first PSAC match will be after Thanksgiving break on Dec. 1 at Bloomsburg University. Senior John Bayardelle said playing on the big stage at Michigan will help the team prepare for the rest of the season. "Playing Michigan was a great learning experience for our team because we saw what it took to play at a high level," Bayardelle said. "We admired their execution, communication, and poise. We plan to implement these techniques into our own system this season."
ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKET
Senior guard Aubin Reeves moves the ball down the court against the the University of Michigan Wolverines. Reeves had seven assists and seven points in the exhibition game.
Sports
November 16, 2012
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Football ends season with loss By DJ Vasil Rocket Contributor
Every senior player on the Slippery Rock University football team hopes to end their career on a winning note. However, the Rock was on the wrong end of a shootout at the end of the day against No.12 Bloomsburg University as they fell 49-41 on Senior Day last Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. With the loss, the Rock finishes the season at 6-5 overall and 5-2 in PSAC-West play, while Bloomsburg advances to the Division II National Playoffs at 10-1 overall. The Rock started off slow as they headed into halftime down 42-13. Mistakes plagued SRU as the offense had two red zone turnovers and allowed Bloomsburg to block a punt, which got returned for a touchdown. However, the second half proved to be a much different story, as the Rock offense exploded for 28 second half points while holding Bloomsburg to just seven. “There wasn’t any screaming,” Rock head coach George Mihalik said about talking to his team at halftime. “I said 'Look, we are giving them this game and you’re not going to tell me they’re a better team than us. I’m challenging you to win the game.' We clawed back and I thought we had our chance. You can’t give a good team like Bloomsburg that many chances in the first half.” Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jared Buck got the start and passed for a season high 341 yards and one touchdown and also ran for two touchdowns
ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKET
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jared Buck powers his way into the end zone to score a touchdown for the Rock against Bloomsburg University on Saturday. Buck recorded 341 passing yards, threw for one touchdown, and had two rushing touchdowns in the final game of the season.
as he filled in for junior Nigel Barksdale who was out with a knee injury. Buck scored both Rock touchdowns in the first half and completed passes to eight different receivers on the day. Freshman receiver Jaimire Dutrieuille led the team in receiving with seven catches for 74 yards. “I just wanted to go out and
keep our tempo up and do what we can,” Buck said about the second half. “We knew we were going to have to throw the ball. I just wanted to make the right reads. The deep ball was open, I had some bad throws. They have a great defense, but I thought we could’ve taken advantage of it better in the first half.” Redshirt senior running back
Akeem Satterfield had his best game of the season as he rushed for 181 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries. Satterfield became just the third running back to record 100 yards against Bloomsburg. Satterfield scored from 12 yards out in the fourth quarter, which made the score 42-34 Bloomsburg.
“You can always play better and give more effort,” Satterfield said. “I just tried to do what I could do and go out with a win in the last game of my career at SRU." Bloomsburg would answer the Satterfield touchdown to make the score 49-34. Buck would then find Bridgeforth for a 20-yard touchdown to make the final score 49-41.
Attention! November 19th 7-8:30 PM Open Forum to discuss changes to the SGA Constitution In Room 322 at the Student Center
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1 Vineyard Circle Slippery Rock, PA
The Rocket
CAMPUS LIFE C-1 November 16, 2012
“Taking the victory lap”
Music for the soul
Changing majors, taking time off causes SRU students to stay longer By Stephanie Cheek Rocket Contributor
“Super senior” is a term that does not refer to college seniors who have super powers, but the phenomenon where students have to wait an additional year or two before they graduate. Dr. Amanda Yale, SRU’s Associate Provost, said that there are multiple reasons that a student would have to wait a semester or two before they can graduate. There are no repercussions to staying an extra year, according to Dr. Yale. She said that the main focus of Slippery Rock is just that they graduate. “Students don’t have time in high school to explore the different career opportunities,” Dr. Yale said. Many students change majors at least once because they discover a new passion that they did not know they had, according to Dr. Yale, adding that students who choose the option of adding on majors and minors often have to complete more credits, which in turn pushes back their anticipated graduation date. “Super” senior communication major Marcie Johnson is one of many students who found herself staying at SRU for an extra period of time. “I stayed an extra year because of two main reasons,” Johnson said. “One, I changed my major during my sophomore year, and also, I was extremely involved in my first couple years at Slippery Rock with University Program Board (UPB), Student Government and other organizations on campus.” Johnson, 22, said that because she changed her major during her sophomore year, she has shifted between several advisors that are supposed to help her schedule. “I can say that I have had three different advisors at Slippery Rock and I have really learned different things from each of them, but I would say that I feel like I didn’t get the correct guidance within the transitional between different advisors,” she said. Johnson explained that while it was difficult to get guidance from advisors, she had a lot of support from numerous other faculty members, who helped her get to her goal of graduating. Some other reasons for students staying for longer periods, according to Dr. Yale, are that some students need to repeat courses due to poor grades, and that some also need to stay to maintain a certain grade point average so they can graduate. Dr. Yale said that some students also need to lower their course load, or even take a semester or two off due to personal reasons. “Super” senior resort recreation/tourism major Sarah Cadwallader, 22, said she had the problem where she had to take a lighter load due to a personal injury. “I tore some ligaments in my knee playing volleyball, so for two semesters I took a lighter SEE OVER, PAGE C-3
ALEX MOWREY/THE ROCKET Board-certified music therapist Ron Schlachter instructs students at a guitar workshop sponsored by the Music Therapy Club on Tuesday evening. The music therapy program at SRU is celebrating its 35th year this semester.
Academic major combines music with therapy By Courtney Tietje Assistant Campus Life Editor
Recent advances in therapeutic technologies and practices are greatly impacting the world around us, particularly when it comes to the emerging area of Music Therapy, according to senior music therapy major and president of the music therapy club Ashley Taylor, 21. “It’s definitely emerging a lot more,” she said, referring to the newer form of therapy. “We just celebrated our 60th anniversary in 2012, so we became an official profession in 1950.” According to Taylor, put simply, music therapy is using music to achieve nonmusical goals. For example, a music therapist may work with clients with autism, and, in order to
encourage social interaction, would use songs and improvisation experiences. Or, working with a client in a hospital or youth detention setting may require using improvisation or song writing to allow expression of emotion—whether it be anger, bitterness, sadness, or anything else. Dr. Susan Hadley, director of the music therapy program at SRU, explained the program in a different way and gives an example. “What music therapists learn is how to use musical experiences with people with a variety of different needs, whether it’s educational, medical, behavioral, or emotional needs, to help them lead a more healthy life,” Hadley said. “Let’s say somebody had trouble speaking. We learn techniques to help people either learn language or speak better, or if they’re having trouble
with physical abilities, we might use music to motivate them to do different kinds of movements.” According to Hadley, music is an effective medium for therapeutic purposes because it is a universal element. “It’s something that people naturally go to in so many different cultures for healing and comfort and motivation,” she said. Dr. Sue Shuttleworth founded the music therapy program at Slippery Rock in 1977, according to music therapy professor Dr. Nicole Hahna. “This is our 35th year,” Hahna said. “Our music therapy program here is very well established. It’s very student-centered and very music-centered. We have a lot of courses where the students get to re-develop SEE MUSIC, PAGE C-3
Career center placing students on two-week waiting list due to sudden increase in business By Alyssa Cirincione Rocket Contributor
The Career Education and Development Center has had a dramatic increase in student appointments this semester, making them have to wait two weeks just to get an appointment, according to Director of Career Education and Development John Rindy. Rindy said that he has been the Director of Career Education and Development for two years now and noticed a huge difference in the demand for appointments from when he first started at the university compared to this semester. “I’ve only been here since April 2011,” Rindy said. “In 2010, we only had 50 appointments. In 2011, we had 117 appointments. Now, in 2012, we’ve had 353 appointments, having
a two-week waiting period just to get an appointment. That is a significant incline.” Rindy explained that this sudden upswing in appointments and student curiosity as to what the program can do has to do with the amount of marketing that they’ve put into the center. “ T h e C a r e e r E d u c at i o n a n d D e velopment st af f has broug ht visibility through the classroom with presentations explaining who we are and what we offer,” Rindy said. “We got to speak at WOW this year to all of the freshmen and new transfers. We’ve also had help purely through corporation with the faculty, inviting us into their classrooms. It’s just really taken off.” Coming out of her meeting, junior therapeutic recreation major Shelby SEE WAITING, PAGE C-3
ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY SCHUBERT Wait time at the Career Center has recently increased due to a rise in popularity and a better understanding of the services that the Career Center provides to students.
Campus Life
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November 16, 2012
Charities work with fashion companies to change lives of those in need
Katie Ellis "ROCK'n Fashion" There are many socially conscious charities across the United States that make fashion their main priority. Organizations like Dress for Success aim to help women develop their careers, and Fashion Delivers helps people who are distressed by natural disasters and affected by poverty. There are so many people that are in need of assistance across the country, and there are more than enough organizations willing to help out many noble causes. If you have the means available to contribute to any of these charities, there are hundreds of people across the country that would be appreciative of your generosity. Dress for Success was founded in 1997 to help women around the world find jobs and to ensure that they keep them. The women that are referred to the organization come from a variety of places like immigration and domestic violence centers. To help women dress successfully, the organization provides a suit and accessories appropriate for the job that she is interviewing for, and after being hired she can return to Dress for Success for additional clothing. While clothing is a central part of the organization, their priority is supporting women long after they enter the workforce with the Professional Women’s Group. After joining the PWG, women are able
to attend meetings and mentoring sessions in order to learn the skills they need to keep their job. Visit the Dress for Success website, www. dressforsuccess.org/supportdfs. aspx, to find out where to donate clothing and how to make financial contributions to the charity. Susan Muscari Komoto, a makeup artist from Georgia, is the founder of Drop Dead Gorgeous, a charity that seeks to help children who are the victims of sexual exploitation. Komoto was inspired to help those affected by exploitation after seeing the work her step-father did to help women who had been sexually assaulted. Commercial sexual exploitation of children is a prominent issue in her hometown that drives her organization in their fight to raise awareness of the cause. This year, DDG celebrated the fourth anniversary of their highly successful fashion benefit that highlights both women’s and children’s fashions by donating all proceeds from the show to Wellspring Living for Girls. For more information on this charity visit their website, www.ddgcharity. com, to make a donation or to purchase the DDG Women’s Tee for $30, with proceeds benefitting Drop Dead Gorgeous. Fashion Delivers works with companies to provide apparel, home goods, and health and beauty products to aid victims of domestic abuse, patients battling major illnesses, and those displaced because of natural disasters. Retailers are able to donate only new products to this organization, before they are divided amongst non-profit organizations across the nation. In excess of $100 million has been donated and distributed by Fashion Delivers since 2005. Their most recent charitable initiative seeks
Ask Ana
you possibly get into a class if you’re not a senior? LOL Sophomore
"Ana Graham" Dear Ana, How should we get people to embrace the idea of arbitrary enjoyment? Idle Dreamer Dear Dreamer, Some people just get lost in their stress-filled days and believe that if they are going to do anything other than their responsibilities, then that something should have some sort of meaning behind it. People need to learn to embrace the mundane moments they have in their free time. If they want to read Cracked. com articles all evening or spend their afternoon free time with a friend trying to toss M&Ms in each other’s water bottles, then they should do it. If you have a friend that doesn’t seem to be able to enjoy arbitrary entertainment, remind them that while they only have one life to live in which to achieve everything they desire, they also only have one life where they can enjoy the little stupid things around them as well. It is just not healthy to have work on the mind all the time. Dear Ana, I’m a sophomore and I thought it would be easier for me to schedule now that I am not a freshman. But I have the same problem I did last year! How in the world can
Dear Sophomore, You will never have a perfect registration – not now, and not when you’re a senior trying to get into the last possible class you need in order to graduate but you don’t have the prerequisite class that is given the semester after you want to graduate. Sure, you’ll register sooner and sooner as you move through school, but you will always have competition to get into the classes that you need. Some majors such as Psychology always seem to have students waiting in lines to get into classes, but this applies to almost every other major to some extent as well. Planning things out with your advisor and working with your professors as early in your college career as possible will help with this. Dear Ana, I see all of these signs around for APSCUF and it seems like they are authorizing a professor strike? What’s going to happen to us as students? Worried Dear Worried, Nothing is official yet (as of Wednesday evening) – those signs are misleading. The move to authorize a strike is more or less a last ditch effort by APSCUF after almost two years of negotiations. PASSHE has pretty much turned down every other possible means of negotiation that the union has proposed, so hopefully this is a rhetorical move symbolizing what APSCUF is willing to do if PASSHE doesn’t back down. But, it doesn’t look like
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS The American Red Cross, along with other similar relief programs, focuses its efforts on providing clothing, non-perishable foods, and other items and services for those in need.
to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy by providing clothing, blankets, and towels to those in need. Although the majority of donations are given by major retailers like Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and Rocawear, you can still donate money by mailing a check or donating online at https:// fashiondelivers.org/money-form. php. In the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, get involved with organizations like
PASSHE is going to back down, so a strike may be authorized. But even so, authorization doesn’t mean there will be an actual strike. However, if there is a strike, I don’t know what we as students will do. Trust me when I say that I am as worried as anyone else, given that next semester is supposed to be my last semester as well as the last semester that I will be able to get financial aid. It is a scary prospect that has led me to think of the possibility that I may have to leave five years of college without a degree. However, it is not worth thinking too hard about because we have no idea what is going to happen and we don’t have too much say in the decision. We students can only hope that our state will do the right thing. Dear Ana, What do you think of the states that are trying to secede from the union after Obama’s re-election? I Saw this Garbage on Facebook Dear Facebook, I think it’s cute. It takes 25,000 signatures in a month for the government to even consider allowing the applying state to secede. And I don’t see any possible way that the United States would allow any states to secede simply because their rear ends hurt over the results of the election. Then again, if one state does secede and Puerto Rico does indeed become an actual state, there will still be only 50 states and we won’t need a new flag! To submit a question, search for Ask Ana on Facebook, or send an email to askanagraham@ymail.com. "Ana Graham" is a senior public relations major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.
the Red Cross who may not be as fashion conscious as other charities, but are more than willing to provide a number of services to those in need. The Red Cross sponsors blood donation drives and disaster relief programs. You can help out the Red Cross by becoming a volunteer, organizing a fundraiser, or simply by donating money. There are dozens of ways to get involved, if you are able to take the time to help those in need. If fashion is your passion,
get involved with a fashion conscious charity that is looking for volunteers, or if you would rather set fashion aside and make a difference another way, don’t be afraid to go for it. Get a friend or a relative to join you in your efforts, so that you can share what is sure to be a life changing experience together. Katie Ellis is a sophomore journalism major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.
November 16, 2012
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Waiting list only a minor setback for students Continued from Page C-1
Placa said that the two-week waiting period didn’t affect her at all. “I first came here for a mock interview assignment for my class,” Placa said. “I knew about this center before my professor told us about it, but I never really needed to use it until now. I made an appointment well in advance, so I didn’t have to be on the waiting list.” Placa, 20, explained how the Career Education and Development Center has helped prepare her for her future.
“We mostly went over how to perfect my resume and my cover letter,” Placa said. “It made me more comfortable filling ever ything out and more confident when I go for job interviews. My experience overall was really great and I would recommend coming here to my friends because they definitely help you a lot.” Ac c ord i n g t o g r a du at e assistant Sierra Williams, helping students perfect their resumes, cover letters and interviewing skills, are only a few of the many things that the Career Education and
Development Center can offer. “I meet with students daily,” Williams explained. “There are seven staff members here, including me, who help students polish their resumes and cover letters. We also prepare mock interviews for them, as well as job search strategies, how to find internships, what to wear to an interview, and major and career exploration. Anything that will help you move through college in a successful manner and help you have a good outcome is what we’re about.” Rindy expressed similar views to Williams, saying that
they can help students be more prepared to land a job after college, but they can’t just hand them jobs. “It’s more of a teach a person to fish, rather than hand a person a fish,” Rindy said. “We do, though, have on-campus interviews and job fairs, where a lot of students end up walking away with jobs.” Williams, 24, said feedback from students is also an important process in making the career center better. “We’re always checking with students about their experience with us,” Williams said. “We
have them fill out a survey when they leave, which asks them questions based on a one to five scale, one being the worst and five being the best. It’s a good check and balance system because it lets us know what we are excelling in, while also knowing what we need to improve on.” Wi l li ams s aid t hat she is grateful for the sudden popularity of the center. “It’s a really good thing to see that students are able to use our services and know that we’re there for them because that’s our purpose,” Williams said.
Music therapists celebrate first advocacy week Over 2,000 substitution requests, Continued from Page C-1
their music skills. The students get a chance to really use those music skills everyday hopefully, but at least once a week with a client. So I think one of our strengths is how experiential our teaching model is here. Students can learn about music therapy and practice it all at the same time and under the supervision of a boardcertified music therapist.” Taylor, who has already spent significant hours in the field with clients, explained that each music therapy student is required to complete multiple clinical experiences. “We start our clinicals as sophomores,” she said. “We have a different placement each semester, so for five semesters in school, and then you need to do one over the summer, so we get to work with six different populations by the time that we graduate, which is really, really nice. You get to test out what you like and what you maybe don’t like as
much or what you’re good at.” In addition, a new on-campus clinic allows more students to work directly with clients, developing their own music therapies for each and implementing them with individual or group clients. The room, used as a classroom during the day, is full of tools, like sound recording devices and cameras that allow students to video tape and re-watch their sessions, an observation room, and a closet full of instruments. As part in celebrating 35 years of music therapy on campus, the music therapy department is hosting its first ever Music Therapy Advocate week. “AMTA is the American Music Therapy Association,” said Dr. Hahna “And part of the mission of AMTA has been to promote or advocate for music therapy so all the schools in this particular region –in the midAtlantic region have been given the encouragement to start music therapy weeks at each of our schools, so this is the same week all of our schools in
the region are doing it. We’re calling it Rock Across the Region.” Taylor explained that as part of the Music Therapy Advocate week, a guitar workshop was hosted on Thursday. Friday, from 6-8 p.m., a drum circle will be hosted at Swope, and on Sunday at 4 p.m., the music therapy annual benefit concert will take place in Swope performance hall. Taylor, like many others in the emerging occupation, enjoys music, but says that her clients are her favorite part of her job. “We never really walk into a session by ourselves,” she said. “We always have music there to be our co-therapist. You have something nobody else can offer – psychologists or psychiatrists or a nurse. All of those people can help your client, of course, but sometimes there are things that you can’t put into words or things that a client might not even have the ability to make words to say, and we have a way that they can manage to do that.”
waived classes processed last year Continued from Page C-1
load with only 12 credits,” Cadwallader said. Even with her two semesters of only 12 credits, Cadwallader said her advisors were more than willing to help her graduate in four years, but she chose to just stay an extra semester. While Dr. Yale said there are always going to be super seniors, she also added that students have many tools to help themselves graduate on time. For example, there is plenty of academic support such as the tutor and writing center, and each student’s academic career is kept track of electronically with the Darwin degree audit, said Dr. Yale. Another way that SRU helps seniors that are nearing graduation is by having certain courses be waived or substituted. For some seniors, they only need to take one or two more classes before they can graduate, so at this point they could talk to their advisor about having a course waived or have another course that has already been taken count for the class block that is still needed, according to executive director of academic records Elliot Baker. “In 2011, there was over 2,000 requests for substitutions and waived classes in all years,” Baker said, “and the number grows near registration time.” Overall, the norm for college is to graduate in four years, and while it is a little different for everyone, SRU offers many programs that help improve the four-year graduation rate and help seniors find the program that fits them – even if it means staying an extra semester or two, according to Dr. Yale.
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