2-18-2010

The

Rocket Slippery Rock University Student Newspaper Est. 1934

Men's Basketball: Drops to third place

SPORTS FOCUS

Comedian Ralphie May: Defying political correctness

February 18, 2011

www.theonlinerocket.com

Youngstown shooting

Volume 93, Number 17

Vagina Monologues

gives SRU perspective Men charged in Youngstown shooting

By Courtney Nickle Rocket Assistant News Editor

The shooting at the Omega Psi Phi house near Youngstown University early Columbus Jones, 22 Feb. 6 that killed one and • murder • causing the death of another injured 11 has brought up the question of what SRU would in the commission of a do in a similar situation. felonious assault According to Dr. John • 11 counts of felonious assault Bonando, assistant vice • firing a gun into a habitation president for student services, the first step is Brandon Carter, 22 prevention.

• obstruction of justice “People don’t check their bad habits at the pearly gates Braylon Rogers, 19 of SRU, ” he said. “If people • illegal possession of a firedo bad things in society they arm - pled guilty can come to campus and do bad things here.”

Demetrius Wright, 20 B on an d o u s e d t h e • tampering evidence shooting near YSU as an example, since the shooters Jamelle Jackson, 18 • carrying a concealed weapon aren’t student’s on-campus or members of the fraternity.

“All we can do is frontload as much as we can and try to prevent,” he said.

One method of prevention is through the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT), which is made up of many directors of student life, including Bonando.

“We accept information from students, faculty and staff about people they come into contact with, have in class or are friends with who are acting a little different than they normally do or have behavior that is concerning,” he said.

Once something has been reported to BIT, the team provides services to the student to try to avoid harm to that student or others.

BIT only deals with student intervention.

“That’s the first step in the

process because we try to create an environment where we prevent the problems from occurring,” Bonando said.

The SRU Police Department also allows gun storage at their station to avoid potential incidents.

Sgt. Karl Fisher said while the option of storage can’t keep everyone from bringing guns on campus, it still helps.

“It helps because anyone who’s honest brings their weapons here,” he said.

Officer Robert Davis said the goal is to try to keep firearms out of the dorms.

Anyone storing their weapon, which ranges from rifles and bows for hunting to guns for personal protection, has to provide their contact

LAUREN BONANDO/THE ROCKET

Hayley Hunter, a senior elementary education/special education major, performs Wednesday in the "Vagina Monologues" in ATS. The play is about viewing the vagina as a tool of female empowerment.

SEE OFF-CAMPUS, PAGE A-3

Employers to hire 13.5 Dining services reveal plans for 'Fluh renovations percent more graduates

By Tim Durr MacTaggart said that the four new “hubs” to eat at will in 2011, job fair Feb. 22 include a variety of different Rocket Assistant Sports Editor

By Eric Busch

Rocket Staff Reporter

A survey performed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found employers will hire 13.5 percent more graduates from the 2011 class than 2010.

Career Services will sponsor a summer job and internship fair next Tuesday in the union’s MPR from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. to help prepare students for the professional world.

According to the fair’s co ordinator Michelle Stenander, all students are welcome to attend the event and a variety of employers will

be present. Over 50 companies will be represented and many of them will be looking to fill full-time positions as well as internships, Stenander said.

Stenander said the experience of the fair is just as important as getting hired.

“A lot of students may not walk away with a job, but they might gain an idea of what they are looking for,” Stenander said.

She stressed the importance of students getting their faces out for employers to see, as well as using the fair as practice for talking in a business setting.

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

SEE COMPANY, PAGE A-2

John Vag, Jr., the executive chef at Boozel Dining Hall, displays the blueprint for the renovations planned for Weisenfluh Dining Hall at the SGA meeting Thursday.

Students at the SGA meeting on Thursday got a better look at what to expect from the renovations of Weisenfluh Dining Hall.

The Slippery Rock University dining services team, led by Deb Pincek, the Assistant to the Vice President of Student Life, and Jeff MacTaggart, the Resident Director of Dining Services, both spoke at the meeting and gave details on what the finished products will include.

The renovations to Weisenfluh will start in May , run until January 2012 and will total an estimated $4 million, Pincek said.

styles and are called Elia, Umami, Agave and The Met. He went into more detail about what each of the four “hubs” will offer. He said that Elia would offer Mediterranean-style dishes such as different baked goods, soups and gyros, beef and lamb.

Umami is going to be a PanAsian hand-rolled sushi bar that offers seafood, rice bowls and other Asian cuisine.

Agave will be a Mexican grille with traditional Mexican dishes such as homemade flour tortillas and taco bowls with fresh made sauces.

SEE WEISENFLUH, PAGE A-2

Around 7,000 students consult with prevention services during Fall 2010 semester

By Eric Busch Rocket Staff Reporter

JESSICA GORDON/THE ROCKET The Student Health Advisory Board discusses health related issues in the Watson Hall great room Thursday. SHAB meetings are open to the public and give students a chance to communicate with student health services.

The Student Health Advisory Board held its first meeting of the semester Thursday in the Robert J. Watson hall great room.

Jessica Kaack, a health promotion graduate assistant and board chairperson, said the board acts as a bridge between campus health services and students.

Coordinator for Health Prevention Renee Bateman opened the meeting by discussing the group’s activity last semester.

According to Bateman, prevention services met with around 7,000 students last semester through several means, including groups like healthy outreach through peer education.

Bateman said there was a significant increase in students who used services provided by

the protection connection last semester.

She said this increase could be due to the addition of condom vending machines in both the men and women’s bathrooms in the union.

Kaack updated the board on the progress with the electronic medical records system that was installed in the health center last month. She said they are working out problems with the system and it has become easier to use.

Director of Student Health Services Kristina Chiprean said the new system doesn’t affect the quality of care the patients get, just the way in which they are seen.

“It does change up a bit of the flow and the work order,” Chiprean said. “We thank everyone for your patience.”

When discussing the new system, Bateman asked the SEE HEALTH, PAGE A-3

News

A-2

Company research key to impressing employers

ROCK NOTES

Continued from Page A-1

Dress for Success The President’s Commission on the Status of Women, Career Services, and AVI will present “The Professional Woman Dressing for Success,” on Feb. 23 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Alumni House. The event will feature SRU students showcasing professional clothing that can be found at the Grove City Premium Outlets. All guests will receive offers and coupons from the Outlets to help students improve their professional wardrobe. One guest will win a $250 gift card and the opportunity to shop at the outlets with a personal stylist. Seats are limited. Those interested may pre-register through email at ConferenceServices@sru.edu to guarantee a spot.

Trends in Career Services Candidates for the position of Director of Career Services will speak on “Emerging Trends in Career Services on College Campuses Today,” with a Q&A session after.

Speeches will take place from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. on Feb. 15, 17, 18 and 22. The entire campus community is encouraged to attend.

Summer Block 3 A meeting will be held Feb. 22 during common hour in 223 McKay to discuss summer block 3 classes including reading, language arts, social studies and three-week field. Block 3 will begin pre-session May 11 and run through June 27. Students must have their own transportation to the field experience, which will be in a Pittsburgh city school. Contact Dr. Marilyn Yensick with any questions.

Study Abroad in the UK Thinking about studying abroad? A representative from Study Across the Pond and Kingston University in London will be on campus Thursday, Feb. 24 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in 202 Carruth Rizza.

Study Abroad General informational sessions will be held every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in 213 Carruth Rizza. Come learn about the opportunities available and how to go about planning and applying to

Publicize your group's event with a Rock Note.

To submit a Rock Note to be considered for publication, please send your announcement by 6 p.m. Wednesday to: News Editor Lauren Laing 220 Eisenberg Classroom Building Slippery Rock, PA 16057

Weather Chance showers

High: 56; Low: 28

Most sunny

Stenander also discussed the importance of company research when attending a fair.

“Students tend to show up without an idea of what companies are going to be there,” Stenander said.

A list of the companies that will be represented next Tuesday can be found at collegecentral. com/srusummerfair. Assistant Director of Career Services Renee Coyne said researching the attending companies should be the first step when going to a fair.

Coyne said it’s important to plan out which companies you would like to visit and how you will introduce yourself to each company. She said students should prepare what she called an “elevator speech” to help introduce yourself to employers.

Coyne described this as a 15 to 30 second speech about

Chance of snow showers

High: 40; Low: 23 High: 39; Low: 22

whom you are and why you are talking with that company.

This introduction is important and needs to be well planned and practiced, Coyne said.

“If you are prepared ahead of time, it shows you have some potential,” Coyne said.

Other important items to keep in mind when attending a job fair is a resume and attire, Coyne said. For the summer job and internship fair next week, business casual will be the accepted dress.

Coyne said a nice pair of khakis and polo would be sufficient because employers understand students don’t have suits and other professional clothes available at school.

“Students don’t have to feel intimidated if they don’t have those dress clothes,” Coyne said.

When it comes to resumes, Coyne said it’s important to keep them easy to read and

understand. She also said word choice is important. Coyne said it’s key to use verbs that “carry more weight” than basic words.

She said listing skills acquired from certain experiences can prove to be more vital then just stating the individual experiences. But while it’s important to hand out resumes during job fairs, Coyne said it’s also important to follow through with companies that don’t accept them.

She said some companies tend to turn down resumes at fairs because they want applicants to e-mail them instead. Coyne said the interaction with the employer is just as important as giving them a resume.

“Job fairs aren’t just about giving out resumes,” Coyne said. “They are also about asking questions.”

Krista Wagner, a graduate assistant for career services,

said she recently attended two job fairs and collected several business cards in the process.

“The biggest thing is to make that contact,” Wagner said.

She said it was important to give employers a face to match with the name on her resume.

Wagner said students could help employers remember them by promptly following the fair with a thank-you note that shares the header that is on top of your resume.

Wagner said using a common theme on your resume, cover letter and thank-you notes gives you a trademark and makes it easier for employers to remember you.

She said the same human resource employees often attend at different job fairs, so it’s important to continuously talk to those people to make an impression. Wagner said employers like to see continued expression of interest.

Weisenfluh to become flex-based dining hall in 2012 Continued from Page A-1

Finally, The Met will be more of a traditional metropolitan grille that has Angus burgers, fries and the other traditional American foods.

The transition to these “hubs” will transform Weisenfluh into a dining hall that is flex-based and will not have meal-equivalency anymore, MacTaggart added.

Along with the changes to Weisenfluh, the university is building an entirely new union that will house a second floor that is entirely full of restaurants.

Chris Cole, director of the student union, said that a full Starbucks will be on the first floor, and the second floor of the union will include a full Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant and four other food stations that will all take cash, flex or rock dollars.

“All of the stations in the union will be AVI concepts and most will be new renditions of current stations in the union,” Cole said. “A sub shop, pizzeria and a wrap and salad bar are three of the current ideas to go into the new union.”

Construction on the new Union is also on tentative schedule to be completed around the same time in the beginning of 2012 and some of the other details are tentative as well, according to Pincek.

She said that the first step in the process of renovating how students eat at Slippery Rock started several years ago with the renovation of Boozel Dining Hall.

She added that the renovation of Weisenfluh is the second step of the process, and the restaurants and food editions in the new Union will be the final step.

Pincek, who has been working at Slippery Rock for around 30 years, described the renovations.

“Most of the plans have been finished, but there are still some things that could change,” she said. “We will be adding four new stations to eat and more seating. We will also be adding restrooms on the main floor that will be handicap accessible because that is something we

Index

Forecast from National Weather Service Friday Saturday Sunday

February 18, 2011

Rock Notes..........A-2 Blotter.................A-3 Opinion.......A-4 Classifieds..........A-6 Comics................A-7

Sports...................B-1 Focus..................C-1

don’t currently have on this floor.”

Pincek added that the main entrance of Weisenfluh will stay in its same spot—but it will get a makeover. Also, another entrance will be added halfway down the front of the building where glass windows currently are.

Along with the remodeling, wireless internet access will be available in the entire building and more lounge-type seating will be added, Pincek said.

The first changes that students will face will be finding a new place to eat while Weisenfluh is down, which is Brandon Oswald’s, a sophomore physical education major who lives in Rhoads Hall, main concern.

“I am curious to see what they will do for the students who live on this side of the campus,” Oswald said. “I hope that they will provide some

alternative for this side of campus other than walking to Boozel for every meal.”

MacTaggart and Pincek said the dining services team is working on different alternatives to accommodate students on the older side of campus.

Pincek said that AVI can provide a concession truck that would be located near North Hall that would provide sandwiches and other goods, along with the possibility of serving students lunch inside of North Hall’s University Club.

“The talks for a concession truck or putting students into the university club are still preliminary and need to be investigated more thoroughly,” Pincek said. “We are hopeful that we will be able to provide some food on this side of campus during the renovations, though.”

MacTaggart said that no

matter what the decision is, he wants to move Flatz, the grab-and-go lunch stop that is currently in the lobby of Weisenfluh, and put it in a location in the concession truck or inside North Hall because of its popularity on campus.

Overall, the renovations will cause some inconvenience for students in the fall 2011 semester, but Pincek said that dining services hopes to get the word out to students early enough before renovations start.

“We want to make sure that the students are prepared for these renovations,” she said. “We will not be able to accommodate for every student while the renovations are taking place, but if they are aware of that, then they will be able to make the changes and make the process run as smooth as possible.”

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Thirteen-time 2010 award-winning newspaper.

February 18, 2011

News

A-3

Police Blotter Magistrate Feb. 9 – Matthew Newell Ford, 24, of Eau Claire was seen for two counts of DUI, driving with blood alcohol level .02 or greater with a suspended license, disregarding traffic lanes and careless driving.

Feb. 9 – James Allen Mayes, 40, of Butler was seen for two counts of DUI, disregarding traffic lanes and failure to use the safety belt system.

He was released on his own recognizance.

Feb. 9 – William Robert Guiney, 46, of Slippery Rock was seen for two counts of intent to possess a controlled substance by a person not

registered, manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, possession of a small amount of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

Feb. 9 – Kenneth Christian Bowland, 35, of Prospect was seen for two counts of aggravated assault, terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another, recklessly endangering another person and two counts of simple assault.

Feb. 9 – Kimberly Ann Guiney, 43, of Slippery Rock was seen for two counts of intent to possess a controlled substance by a person not registered; manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver; possession of a small amount of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

Feb. 9 – Joshua Anthony Fajohn, 21, of Slippery Rock was seen for two counts of criminal mischief, damage of property and disorderly conduct. He was released on his own recognizance.

Feb. 9 – Joseph Paul White, 31, of Grove City was seen for simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment.

Campus Feb. 8 – James Traylor, 19, was cited for possession after the odor of marijuana was reported coming from room 124 Building F on Feb. 7.

Feb. 8 – Disorderly conduct was reported in Rhoads Hall.

Friends were fighting over a boyfriend. Officer separated all parties. No other action was taken.

Feb. 10 – Suspicious activity was reported in North Hall after an individual was stopped entering the residence hall with another person’s ID. The individuals were referred to judicial.

information as well as the model and serial number of the weapon.

The weapons are then placed into a storage room that is constantly locked.

SRUPD doesn’t keep a running tally of how many people take advantage of the storage, but Fisher said there are usually quite a few weapons in the storage room.

“We don’t get 100 guns in there at once or anything, but especially around hunting season it generally gets pretty full,” he said.

Av e r i C l e m e nt s , a freshman Spanish education major and member of the Hunting and Fishing Club at SRU, stores his gun at the

Feb. 13 – Report of a harassment in Boozel. The case is under investigation.

Feb. 12 – An alcohol violation was reported at North Hall.

One can was found. The CA staff is handling the incident and referring the incident to judicial.

Feb. 13 – Ryan Shanahan, 18, was cited for possession after someone reported marijuana smoke in Watson Hall.

Feb. 13 – Jason Stout, 23, was cited for DUI after a traffic stop on Kiester Road.

Feb. 15 – Report of a broken window from a snowball in Building F. No other action was taken.

Feb. 13 – Report of a vehicle hit in the Union commuter lot.

The case is under investigation.

Compiled by Courtney Nickle

Off-campus gun storage popular option for students Continued from Page A-1

Feb. 11 – Building D was evacuated due to a water leak.

Maintenance was notified.

police station. Clements said he thinks it helps keep his gun safer.

“I think there’s enough of a security precaution that it would make it hard for a criminal to take out my gun and use it, but it’s still easy to get out my own gun,” he said.

Anyone leaving their weapon at the police department isn’t asked what the weapon is for.

In addition to prevention techniques, Bonando said SRU has several plans in place in case something does go wrong.

One example is Shelter in Place, which SRU has set up for several different hazards such as an active shooter, chemical spill, electrical outages and extreme weather conditions.

The university would be notified in such an event that something is happening, and to stay where they are.

“Basically it means lock yourself in your room and don’t come out until we say it’s safe,” Bonando said.

SRU uses the e2Campus text alert system to notify the campus community of an emergency. Bonando said signing up for the alerts is the best thing anyone can do to protect themselves.

According to Bonando, officials from the university also meet with several agencies including the state police, fire department, EMTs, etc. and do table-top drills to make sure they are prepared for anything.

“We come together in a room and we work through

a certain scenario,” he said.

“So far we’ve done this with active shooters, fire in the residence halls, a bomb in the stadium during a football game, a flu outbreak and various others.”

SRU a l s o h a s a n Emergency Operation Plan, which according to Bonando is a detailed program for all the contingencies in “what if ” situations.

The plan is reviewed and updated at least once a year.

SRU Police Chief Michael Simmons said while the police have their own plans and training, they are kept somewhat confidential.

“We don’t want potential actors to know what our tactical response is going to be,” he said.

Health Center still has plenty of free flu shots Continued from Page A-1

board members to spread the word to students to have their student identification card with them when they visit the health center.

According to Kaack, a nurse could help sign a student in if they don’t have their ID, but it’s much quicker if they can register themselves.

Chirprean also said this would be the best time for any student who has yet to receive a flu shot to come to the health center to be vaccinated.

She said the health center still has plenty of free shots available for students, who can come to the health center day or night.

Chiprean said the shot could

be especially important for anyone going to Europe for spring break, where the H1N1 virus is currently on the rise.

Kaack said one of SHAB’s recent projects was to place cold and flu supplies in the residence halls.

With the cooperation of Student Health Services, SHAB made bandages, thermometers and cough drops available for students at the front desk of each residence hall.

She also said the board is looking for groups to help sponsor the American Heart Association walk in the fall.

Kaack said the national walk will be during fall break, but they will be holding another walk while classes are in session.

The Rocket

OPINION A-4 February 18, 2011

The Rocket

Our View

Volume 93, Number 17 220 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 Kacie Peterson Editor-in-Chief Lauren Laing News Editor Stephanie Nicotra Focus Editor Bill Kostkas Sports Editor Jason Ellwanger Photo Editor Melissa McFarland Copy Editor Zack Tanner Web Editor Courtney Nickle Assistant News Editor Andy Treese Assistant Focus Editor Tim Durr Assistant Sports Editor Jessica Gordon Assistant Photo Editor Eric Busch News Reporter Joseph Harry Faculty Adviser

Advertising Staff Emily Hunter Advertising Manager Ashley Adams Advertising Asst. 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.

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Inquiries should be directed to the Editorin-Chief at the address listed here.

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 Fall 2010 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.

GRAPHYC BY JASON ELLWANGER

Pell Grant Program continues, other programs end It’s hard to build a stronger American higher education system when the economy has students worr ying more about repaying their educational debts.

When President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address that he wanted to put more effort into producing more teachers and creating a stronger education system, he probably wasn’t thinking about how students would be paying for it.

For the 2012 fiscal year, the GOP budget plans to chop the maximum Pell Grant amount by $845, according to USAToday. com.

The House Republicans are pushing for a cut in a program that makes education largely affordable for Americans.

Perhaps you have a Pell Grant.

You’re not the only one.

In fact, the program has been increasingly successful over the last two years, putting it in danger of facing a $20 billion deficit by the end of 2012.

With that startling debt amount in mind, the maximum grant amount would remain at $5,500.

But apparently Obama had to fight for that amount.

And we appreciate it.

We’re not going to stand on a political soapbox and preach about which party is our forte.

That isn’t the matter at hand.

We at The Rocket simply have the interests of our college peers in mind.

And that’s where our hearts lie.

The proposed budget will no longer allow students to qualify for two grants in a single calendar year in order to attend year-round school.

We understand that there’s a very small pool of existing funds out there.

We’ve been in this economy so long that we’ve forgotten what throwing away money for the sheer joy of seeing it leave our pockets feels like.

And we also realize that our country’s education system represents a large percentage of where our taxes go.

We at The Rocket think it’s considerate of Obama to do his best to keep the Pell Grant Program around in order to help a college education be more affordable.

But we’re not sure if the cutting of other programs makes it worth it.

What will we lose?

Let’s take a look.

Programs to be eliminated are the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program that matches

funds to states in order to encourage the awarding of need-based financial aid and the Byrd Honors Scholarships.

Maybe you have one of these. Be careful, you might not have it for very much longer.

But these programs have been on the chopping block for years.

We guess it was their time to go.

At a four-year state university, we don’t have to worry about the funds allocated to technical schools and community colleges running out, leaving those intuitions with $250 million less.

Obama’s budget would also create a program similar to his “Race to the Top” program for elementary and secondary education.

His new, competitive grant program would offer rewards to high s cho ols and colleges

based on performance.

Ye s , t h e i d e a o f competition might spark a f ire b etween rival schools during a football game, but we’re unsure if going about collegiate funding via a competition standpoint is the best way to create a winning educational system.

Some schools just can’t compete with others in terms of preparedness.

The idea behind the competition was creative, but we’re unsure if the outcome is plausible.

We’re nervous for the passing of the budget because there are more students enrol led in college but there’s less money to go around in terms of grants.

Why d o e s c ut t i n g funding for education seem like a good idea?

We need as much money as we can get.

And we know that’s asking the impossible.

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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.

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February 18, 2011

Opinion

A-5

“Vaginas” serve a greater purpose than the obvious reasons

Kacie Peterson Editor commentary “Vaginas!”

S omething like that gets your attention pretty quickly, doesn’t it?

When I walked in the door to the presentation of “The Vagina Monologues” last spring at Shepherd Un i v e r s i t y i n We s t Virginia, I was greeted by a small group of vagina enthusiasts who couldn’t wait to sell me some baked goods prior to the showing.

I was at the presentation because my cousin was one of the performers. She was the last monologue, the “I was in the room” story.

In my sophomore year, I read Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” for my human diversity class.

But this wasn’t my first encounter with the show.

When I was younger, my mom would have the radio on in the car and there were always radio commercials for the production as it came to local theaters.

I remember one commercial quite clearly because I was intrigued as to what was so scandalous about the V-word that the woman in the 30-second radio spot had to whisper it when asking for tickets

to the show.

T h e t i c k e t c ou nt e r representative certainly d i d n’t f i n d a ny t h i n g shameful in speaking about it. In fact, she sounded just as excited, if not more, about vaginas than the people I met at SU. Granted, I was a rather naïve youngster and hadn’t had that mind-altering fifth grade introduction health class that gave formal names to otherwise less noted areas of the body.

So when time came to read the book, I was interested.

I didn’t know what to expect. And I’m sure the men in my class didn’t either. I often wondered, as we discussed the individual stories, if any males had read past the first few pages before casting it aside for a video game instead.

But I’ll never know the honest answer to that one.

We covered the topics in class, and I was horrified to read stories of instances the women had experienced.

Some were difficult to read, while others brought out a chuckle.

I’m not one to cr y at the written word. It’s just something about the format of ink on paper that allows me to distance my emotions from the pages.

But when you make me watch “The Notebook,” I will ball like a small child.

Movies and television shows hit me square in the gut. I’m helpless.

So when time came to watch the stories I’d read about, I was a little nervous.

But I w a s n’ t uncomfortable. I knew what to expect in the show. My mother and aunt though, were taken by surprise. I don’t know what they felt, but I know I felt like our bonds strengthened.

The stories told in the monologues are our stories. No, I personally wasn’t a dominatrix or a baby-delivering nurse and my husband from an arranged marriage didn’t sexually assault me as a young girl.

But I’m a female. And I’m connected to those stories.

And the fact that those stories exist is a scary thing. And it shouldn’t be tolerated.

I applaud organizations that bring awareness to the issue and individuals who raise money in hopes of supporting programs that help women get out of bad situations.

SRU’s production of the monologues happened this week. And though I didn’t have time to see it, I’m sure its message was rather similar.

After all, the book d o e s n’t ch ange f rom university to university.

But just because I didn’t see the show, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

There are mess ages in words that should be heard by all individuals, regardless of sexuality. I’m a firm believer that the more people who know about a problem, the more voices that are available to

LAUREN BONANDO/THE ROCKET

Ashley Clement performed the monologue, “My Angry Vagina” during the presentation of Eve Ensler’s, “The Vagina Monologues.”

solve it.

My cousin is currently the co-director of this year’s “The Vagina Monologues”

at SU and I couldn’t be more proud of her desire to make a difference for the women of the world.

Kacie Peterson is a senior dance and communication major and Editor in Chief for The Rocket.

Does “Jeopardy!” robot have the skills for potential human downfall?

Spencer Cadden The Silent Majority I always wondered how we were going to die. There was the whole Y2K thing, anthrax, swine flu, bird flu and man-bear-pig.

All potentially worldending cataclysms that sort have never panned out. At last after long years of wondering, I’ve found what will ultimately be the destroyer of humanity.

We’re all going to go the way of the terminator movies and be destroyed by “skynet.”

Only in the real world “sky-net” goes by “Watson.”

I’m willing to bet the 25 cents I have in the bank that you have seen the IBM commercials featuring Watson.

They have some guy with a graying goatee talking about how he’s an IBM’er and his computer Watson will compete on Jeopardy to prove its technological superiority to the human brain.

Well, by God they’ve done it.

I was flipping through channels lo oking for something to take my mind off of the aforementioned 25 cents bank account and I saw

a computer screen sitting between Ken Jennings (who won 72 episodes of Jeopardy in a row) and some Brad guy I’d never heard of. Anyhow, I remembered the stupid IBM commercials and I was downright excited to see this computer get its ass-kicked by these sharply dressed nerds.

A little about the Watson: Watson has the power of about 2,800 super high-end computers.

It can process the data of nearly 1 million books in under a second and the display screen looks like a really cool screensaver from Windows 98.

For a long time now, advanced computer systems have been able to solve complex problems using a series of algorithms and series of code that I can’t really begin to grasp.

So what is so different about Watson?

Watson uses real language.

Watson takes complex puzzles that we understand, but that computers never really got the hang of.

It basically understands daily language- no binary, no math, just ordinary people speak.

This system has been filled to the brim with nearly every bit of data human beings possess and it processes our ordinary language (which is infinitely more complex than simple data codes) and spits out an answer to a problem.

Think of it as a superadvanced-ultra Google that can tell you what you’re searching for before you hit

enter (uber-Bing).

Ok, enough technology, on to the mayhem. So Jennings and Brad competed for the first time against Watson Monday night and apparently Jennings actually beat the thing.

The next night (Tuesday) didn’t go so well. Watson seemingly learned from its previous mistakes and beat the next closest competitor by about $20,000.

It answered just about every single question on the board so lighting fast that I

was in awe.

Watson’s creators at IBM are saying that this technology can have useful applications in healthcare and business.

I’m sure they’re right, but at the rate it seems to be “learning,” I’m little more afraid of when it becomes s elf-aware and star ts creating “Arnold bots” to kill us all.

The technology in this machine is both staggering and amazing and I for one was thoroughly impressed.

So it seems computer science is advancing much faster than I originally thought.

At t h i s p o i n t , I unfortunately am too simple-minded to really understand how scientists say Watson could prove to be the new tool that h e lp s f u r t h e r g l o b a l peace and bring about a new era of technological enlightenment.

But I say that Watson is most likely going to go rogue and hijack all of our nuclear

missile launch codes.

If you didn’t happen to catch any of these computers’ insane skills, I suggest you look up what happened.

For me, Final Jeopardy was Wedneday and I’m expecting Watson to have already sacrificed Trebek to our new robot overlords.

Spencer Cadden is a junior secondary education major and regular contributor for The Rocket.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

“Jeopardy!” contestants (from left) Jerome Vered, Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and host Alex Trebek stand together with their winnings. Jennings and Rutter took on IBM computer Watson this week.

The Rocket

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Looking for several girls to help with bar events in the area. Must be reliable, energetic, and available on weekends. $25/hour. Email Meagan at PromoHelp@yahoo. com

September 3, 2009 2010 December 11,

Last Chance to watch The Vagina Monologues!

Tonight February 18th ATS Auditorium @ 7:00pm Tickets Sold at the door begining at 6:00pm

COMICS February 18, 2011

Bliss

By Harry Bliss

The Rocket

A-7

More On TV

Brewster Rockit: Space Guy

Wondermark

By Tim Rickard

By David Malki

Calamities of Nature

Sudoku

By Schiller and Cravens

By Tony Piro

By Michael Mepham

The K Chronicles

Solution

By Keith Knight

The Rocket

SPORTS

B-1

February 18, 2011

Indoor track has most successful meet of year

By Bill Kostkas Rocket Sports Editor

G et yours elves over the hit song “Black and Yellow.” It’s time for Green and White, which was the two colors dominating the top of the standings last Saturday as the Slippery Rock indoor track team was split between two

separate meets.

Select sprinters competed in the Akron Invite in Akron, Ohio, while the rest faced competition at the Baldwin-Wallace Invitational in Berea, Ohio.

In Akron, sophomore Kevin Jewel took home a second place finish in the 800-m run (1:53.10).

For the second-straight

week junior Kaela Snyder and sophomore Caitlin Hancox finished with Snyder ahead and Hancox clos e b ehind. Snyder finished in sixth (2:15.94) and Hancox in ninth (2:16.02).

Snyder’s original time of 2:15.34 would have set a new school record, but the time had to be converted

due to a larger track.

Head coach John Papa said that the conversion was needed due to the track being an older one.

“Back in the day when they used to measure in yards, the older tracks were two meters longer,” Papa said. “So the lady that had the record ran four meters longer. No biggie. She’ll get

it next time.”

Papa went on to say that he felt both Snyder and Hancox were capable of breaking that school record.

At the Baldwin-Wallace Invitational, the highlight of the day was the Green and White’s six spots in the top-10 of the men’s 200-m dash.

Freshman Trevor Foley won the event with a time of 23.21. Freshman Vanere Maynard (23.51), sophomore Mason McLaughlin (23.60) and f reshman DJ Chis om (23.63) finished in places three through five, respectively.

F r e s h m a n Jo n a t h a n SEE HARPP, PAGE B-3

Basketball gives up two straight games

By Bill Kostkas Rocket Sports Editor

After coming into last weekend at a tie for second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division, the Slippery Rock men’s basketball team dropped their next two games.

Coming off of a fivegame winning streak, the Green and White ran into Indiana University of Pennsylvania (17-5 overall, 8-2 PSAC-West) and California University of Pennsylvania (12-11 overall, 5-6 PSAC-West) by scores of 64-52 and 6968, respectively.

Last Saturday against the Crimson Hawks, the Green and White played toe-totoe for the first half, going into the intermission with a 33-28 score in favor of Indiana.

He a d c o a c h Ke v i n Reynolds said that the team played a good first half, but he would have liked a lead.

“Well, we wanted to be up 20 points, maybe even 30 points,” Reynolds said.

“The last four minutes of either half was the difference in the game.”

The Rock owned a fourpoint lead with 4:48 left after a field goal by senior for ward Maron Brown, and was then within a basket with two minutes remaining in the first (29-

27). The Green and White gave up two key scores before the clock expired.

Wi t h f i v e m i nu t e s remaining in the game, the Green and White was within three points, but collapsed down the stretch.

After holding Crimson Haw k s enior for ward Daryl Webb in check for the first half, the Rock defense allowed him to earn three layups in the final four minutes of the game. Webb finished the afternoon with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Reynolds said those last four minutes were huge.

“We played good team defense the whole game,” Reynolds said. “The last four minutes we couldn’t make a play.”

Brown was the leader for the Rock and among players on the floor with 24 points and 16 rebounds.

Junior guard Devin Taylor was the only other player in double-figures with 11 points and five rebounds.

Both teams finished close in field goal percentage.

Indiana finished the day with a 37.4 percent clip while the Green and White finished with 35.2 percent.

A big difference came at the free throw line.

Where the Rock posted a putrid 61 percent (11-18) and Indiana finished at 70 percent (17-24).

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

SEE RALLY PAGE B-3

Junior forward Tommy Kelly goes up against a Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania defender Feb. 9. The Rock has lost two-straight after winning five games in a row and the team has three regular season games remaining.

Offensive problems continue for Rock in conference play

By Tim Durr

Rocket Assistant Sports Editor

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Junior forward Danielle Smith jumps up in the air to make a pass to a teammate against Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Smith averages 12 points-per-game so far this season.

Slippery Rock women’s basketball has struggled offensively in its past two games and lost to California University of Pennsylvania (17-6 overall, 8-3 PSAC) Wednesday night by a score of 69-39 and to Indiana University of Pennsylvania Saturday (16-6 overall, 8-2 PSAC), 63-47.

The Rock kept the game close against Cal for the first nine minutes and stayed within two points with 10:35 to play in the first half. At that moment, the Vulcans started a 26-2 run that put SRU behind 37-11.

SRU scored the final four points of the first half and trailed by a 22-point margin at halftime.

The Green and White traded baskets with Cal in the second half, but the damage was already done as the Vulcans beat the Rock by 30 points.

Junior guard Marlynda

Harland led the Rock in scoring with 15 points and added five rebounds. Senior guard Grace Palucis was second in scoring for SRU and added nine points and five rebounds. The Vulcans defense shut down junior forward Danielle Smith, who has averaged the most points for SRU this season. Smith was held to four points and four rebounds on the night.

The Vulcans defense held the Rock to shooting 25.5 percent (12-for-47) from the field, including a dismal 4-for-19 from beyond the arc. Cal shot 40.3 percent (27-for-67) from the floor and also struggled from beyond the arc, making 3-of-14 shots.

On Saturday, IUP traveled to Morrow Field House and defeated SRU, 63-47. Smith led the Rock in scoring and rebounds with a double-double. She had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Bethany Caudill and senior guard Grace

Palucis both came off the bench and scored nine points in substitute roles.

The Crimson Hawks scored 15 of the first 17 points of the game to jump out to a 13-point lead.

SRU battled back with a 14-4 run to cut the deficit to three points, but failed to close the gap any closer.

SRU was able to hold IUP to almost a seven-minute stretch without the Crimson Hawks making a basket.

Head coach Tanya Longo said that the team’s goal is to play tough defense, force hard shots and get rebounds.

“Our goal is to force teams into tough situations and make them take tough shots,” Longo said. “We want to force them into these situations so we can box out and get rebounds.”

SRU gave a 12-4 run after closing the gap to three points and headed into the half down SEE WOMEN, PAGE B-3

Sports

B-2

February 18, 2011

Top of the

Second NHL Power Rankings 10. Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens have finally caught up to the Bruins in the standings and went 1-1 this past week.

9. Boston Bruins: After beating Montreal to hold on to the top spot in the Northeast division, the Bruins have lost three-straight.

8. Nashville Predators: Nashville struggled at the end of January, but have played much better in February and hold the fourth spot in the West.

7. Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks winning streak ended at four after a close loss to the Capitals, but are still in solid playoff contention.

6. Washington Capitals: Washington lost three-straight before beating Anaheim and trying to head back in the right direction.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins rebounded with an overtime win against Colorado, but struggled in New York state against the Islanders and Rangers.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning: Tampa Bay has been playing in close games recently and holds on to second place.

3. Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings beat Boston twice this past week and hang on to the second spot in the West.

2. Philadephia Flyers: With 81 points, the Flyers have a five-point lead in the East and continue to play strong.

1. Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks are No. 1 in most categories, including goals-per-game and goals against.

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Albert Pujols has been one of the top players in Major League Baseball for the past decade and is looking for a major deal in the final year of his current contract.

Is Albert Pujols worth what he's asking for?

Tim Durr Assistant Sports Editor

No Let's look at what Pujols is asking for in this deal. He's asking for $30 million per year for the next 10 seasons. That is a total of $300 million. I don't believe anyone on the face of the earth is worth this much money. Yes, Albert Pujols is the best player in all of baseball, but $300 million is just outrageous. Pujols will be 41-years-old when this proposed contract is over. I doubt his power, which is his best attribute, will last over the next 10 years. I don't see any reason why a team would want to put so much at stake in one player for such a long period of time. Therefore, no, Albert Pujols is not worth $30 million per year.

Bill Kostkas Sports Editor

Yes As a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, I've had the chance to watch Albert Pujols play on many occassions. He truly lives up to his nickname, "The Machine." That's because he's an RBI machine. He's the only player in Major League Baseball history to average 30 home runs and 100 RBI's each year for 10 years. He asked for a contract similar to this before the 2004 season, but decided to take a pay cut instead to help out the Cardinals. It's time to pay him his due.

He's done a lot for the organization and for the city of St. Louis. He's arguably the best player in the game. Pay him what he's worth.

What's On Tap.....

A quick look at the week-to-be in sports -Sun., February 20, 8 p.m.

-NBA: East All-Stars Vs. West All-Stars -The top players in the NBA will get together Sunday night to compete in the All-Star game. Miami's "Big 3" will be showcased for the East and Kobe and Kevin Durant will be featured by the West team.

-Sun. February 20, 1 p.m.

-NASCAR: Daytona 500 -NASCAR's version of the Super Bowl takes place Sunday to kick off the season and will showcase the sports top drivers on the freshly paved Daytona track.

Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon will start on the front row.

Sports

February 18, 2011

B-3

Harpp, Burnick go back-to-back Continued from Page B-1

Boyd (24.40) and senior Kris Stalma (24.43) were in eighth and ninth.

Foley had a second win on the day, that being in the 400-m dash (50.98).

Chison went on to win the 55-m dash (6.55), while Stalma brought home a victory in the 55-m hurdles (7.71).

Papa said that he was impressed with the men’s sprinting crew. “ They’ve come along pretty well,” Papa said.

“We’re solid. We’ve got a good crew. They’re definitely going to get tested at the conference level.”

Sophomore Shawn Van d e r bro ok m atche d Foley’s feat with both of his victories.

He won both the triple jump and long jump with jumps of 42 feet 11 inches and 21 feet, respectively Senior Jen Harpp and Crystal Burnick once again finished back-to-back in the 5,000-m run. Harpp’s was in second (17:17.96) and Burnick in third (17:22.07).

Junior Kelly Fischer and sophomore Angela Schroeder both tied for first in the pole vault with vaults of 11 feet 5 inches.

Seniors Allison Smith and Amanda Seigworth took the one and two spots, respectively with times of

1:00.49 and 1:01.15.

Both ladies also joined Snyder and senior Rachel Knapp in the 4x400-meter relay.

They also finished with a in, recording a time of 4:05.34.

The Green and White's second group in the relay, which consisted of freshmen Jade Towns Christina Ransom, C h e l s e a Yo u n g a n d Shanna Frances chelli finished in third place, posting a time of 4:33.01.

Senior Whitney He n d e rs h ot re tu r ne d from injury to compete in the high jump, where she took home the individual victory (5 feet 7 inches).

Papa said that with the Pennsylvania State At h l e t i c C o n f e r e n c e Championships just two weeks away, he thinks the team is in prime position.

“I think we still gear everything towards the outdoor season though,” Papa said. “We’re coming along pretty well. Half of the team had some of their best performances this past week. We’re rounding into good shape.”

T h e R o c k ’s n e x t competition is the Kent State Tune-Up tomorrow in Kent, Ohio.

T h e P S AC Championships will take place the following Saturday, Feb. 26, in Edinboro.

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Sophomore guard Bethany Caudill looks for an open teammate aginst Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Caudill has been injured for a majority of the season, but has returned to the starting line-up in the past few weeks.

Women fall at home to rival Indiana Continued from Page B-1

eight points, 33-25.

The Rock finished the game with a 39 percent (1949) from the field and made 4-of-16 shots from 3-point range. IUP shot slightly better than SRU with 40 percent (23-58) from the floor and also shot 4-of-16

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Junior guard Devin Taylor goes up for a dunk against Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

Rally crumbles against California Continued from Page B-1

Reynolds said that even though Brown had an excellent day, it’s still not a one-man team.

“Maron played a good game,” Reynolds said. “It’s not a one-man team. We are a lot better when we have four or five guys in double-figures.”

On Wednesday night, a Green and White rally fell short on the road at California. After falling behind by 14 points with 14 minutes remaining, the Rock went on a 22-7 run to be up three points.

The Green and White had the ball as the clock expired in regulation as

Taylor missed the game’s last shot.Even with losses in its last two games, the Rock only needs to come away with one win in any of it’s last three to secure a spot in the PSAC tournament.

Their next competition i s t o m o r r ow a g a i n s t Mercyhurst College in Erie at 3 p.m.

from beyond the arc.

The major problem for SRU was the fact that it had 20 turnovers in the game that resulted in 16 points for the Crimson Hawks.

IUP had 11 turnovers and the Rock was able to score seven points off them.

Longo said that the team played a solid game for the most part, but had some focus issues in the game that led to the high amount of turnovers.

“We did a good job of competing today and our focus was good for the most part,” Longo said. “You can’t

turn the ball over 20 times in a game and expect to win, though.”

SRU (3-20 overall, 1-10 PSAC) has three games left to finish up the season and its next game will be against Mercyhurst College Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Lakers court.

Sports

B-4

February 18, 2011

Panthers should have moved up in national polls

Bill Kostkas

The Voice of Reason Oh, the forgotten ones.

Yes, I am talking about the No. 4 ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The same team that waltzed into The Pavilion and came away with a 57-54 win over the No. 10 ranked Villanova Wildcats.

Did I mention that the Wildcats had won 46-straight games coming into last Saturday night, which included six-straight against the Panthers?

A l s o, t h e Pa nt h e r s went into such a hostile environment on national television without its best player in point guard Ashton Gibbs. Gibbs, at the time of injury earlier in the week, was the team’s leading scorer (16.3 pointsper-game).

T h e n e x t d ay, No. 1 ranked Ohio St ate University lost on the road to No. 14 University of Wisconsin 71-67. That opened the door for No. 2 University of Kansas to receive the top ranking.

Before 24 hours had passed with the ranking, they fell to Kansas State University 84-68.

With all of this jumping around at the top of the board and through a new vote, Pitt sat at number four, unmoved. This tells me that they aren’t even in the discussion to be among the top teams as they should be.

You had two teams ahead of them lose just days after Pitt earned a tough road win.

Then you have a team in now No. 3 ranked University of Texas still ahead of them even though the Panthers beat them on a neutral court 68-66 on Nov. 19.

First of all, the Panthers have a record of 24-2 overall and are 12-1 in the Big East Conference, which I might add is arguably the strongest conference in all of college basketball. Rumor has it that the conference might have nine or even 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament come March.

That means that it is the best team in the best conference in the country.

Why shouldn’t that mean it’s not in the conversation for the top ranking?

Pitt also has a 6-1 record against teams in the top20 of the RPI (Rating Percentage Index), which is a key stat that the NCAA selection committee takes a serious look at when it comes time to seeding teams into the brackets in a room that’s more secure than The White House.

That record includes

wins over West Virginia Un i v e r s i t y, S y r a c u s e Un ive rs it y, Vi l l anov a , the Un i ve r s it y of Connecticut, Georgetown University and Texas.

Their only loss is to No. 14 University of Notre Dame.

If you look at Kansas, Ohio State and Texas you will only find five combined wins in the top20 of the RPI. Texas is 2-1, Ohio State is 2-1 and Kansas is 1-1.

They also have one of the best head coaches in the last decade in all of college basketball.

Jamie Dixon holds the record for most wins in the first seven seasons of a head coaching career (188).

Dixon has taken the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first seven years at the helm as well as having seven consecutive years with 20 wins overall.

He hasn't yet been to the national semifinals, but you have to give credit where credit is due.

Just because he hasn't been there yet doesn't mean he won't.

What he does have is a Big East Tournament C hampi onsh ip to h is credit, along with four appearances in the championship game.

No, the Panthers aren’t a Final Four powerhouse yet, but for at least right now it needs to be rewarded for its play.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Pittsburgh Panthers senior forward Gilbert Brown slams home a dunk against the University of Maryland on November 11.

FOCUS

The Rocket

C-1

February 18, 2011

Comic emphasizes power of words

JASON ELLWANGER /THE ROCKET

Ralphie May, 39, a stand-up comedian with specials on Comedy Central, had almost 1000 people in the audience wiping tears from laughing on Tuesday night in the Union's MPR. Openly defying political correctness, May's material included jokes mocking racism and prejudiced views, as well as monologues mocking ignorance and the clashing relationships between males and females.

By Andy Treese Rocket Assistant Focus Editor

Audiences can be very tough to please, and professional st and-up comedians as well as aspiring comics know the difficulties of making an audience laugh.

Their routines have to be executed on stage precisely,

formulating jokes and one-liners into gripping and attention-grabbing monologues that drive the audience into hysterics.

Slip up once and it could potentially cost the comic being booed and heckled off the stage by the audience, furthermore hurting their

chances of getting more shows.

With experience of the stand-up comedy business since the age of 17, and having released three consecutive specials on Comedy Central in 2006, 2007 and 2008, stand-up comic Ralphie May, 39,

had no problems making the 975-member audience in the SRU Multi-purpose room burst into hysterical laughter Tuesday night.

The topics of choice May included in his routine Tues day f lir ted with controversy and overtly defied political correctness, ranging from the hypocrisies of racism and prejudices, to the power of words and their ideology, to the differences of men and women in the bedroom.

May said he was inspired to become a comedian at the age of nine when his grandmother, in exchange for watching the news, educated him about Johnny Carson and his monologues.

He said his inspiration, along with all comedians, for material can come from all different walks of life, but what makes the majority of material so powerful is its quality of truthfulness.

As part of his routine, May explained that certain vulgarities and slurs, such as the “N” word and “C” word have a powerful foothold on women and minorities because they are taught to never use these words. In turn, because the words are revered as bad words and are referred to as the “N” word or the “C” word, this increases their power and impact when actually used.

“The reasoning behind this is the sharpest knife in the drawer is not the one you use every day, it’s the one you never use,” he said.

In his routine, when talking about racial slurs, May described the correct method of getting rid of the slur’s power is by giving the name to an innocent food product widely consumed, such as cookies, to increase the word’s use and decrease its symbolic meaning.

Throughout the m on ol o g u e, au d i e n c e members wiped their eyes and rocked back and forth in their seats, filling the air of the Union with the sound of uncontrollable, raging laughter. Among those

SUBMITTED PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY RESCUE MISSION

(From Left) Samantha Artman and Lydia Lewis, both sophomore psychology majors and Stacie Nagirnyak, a sophomore exercise science major, help clean the water-damaged Sankey Center, which is one of the buildings associated with the City Rescue Mission of New Castle, PA.

Student volunteers to clean damaged center

By James Meyer Rocket Contributor

AmeriCorps through Shawna Buerk, a junior community programs for Americans with disabilities (CPAD) major.

The student volunteers spent their day scraping old plaster and paint from the walls, cleaning, doing minor repairs and, as Stacie Nagirnyak, a sophomore exercise science major, said, “getting large objects out of very small spaces.”

Samantha Artman and Lydia Lewis, both sophomore psychology majors, laughed about having to remove a large exercise machine that had been wedged into a very small closet.

Frances Booterbaugh of Beaver Falls, Pa, the center’s volunteer coordinator, said the center runs on private donations only, which tend to

SRU students answered the call for volunteer service Saturday at the Sankey Youth Center, a ministry of City Rescue Mission in New Castle, Pa. The Sankey Youth Program was started in 1964 and provides after-school activities, tutoring and recreation for economically disadvantaged urban youth.

The current location, The Sankey Memorial Education and Recreation Center at 125 Grant St., was acquired in 1995.

The building, a former car dealership, was in need of maintenance with paint and plaster peeling from the walls and carpets damaged from a recent water leak.

The effort to clean the SEE MAKING, PAGE C-4 building was organized by SEE AMERICORPS, PAGE C-3

Technology age, universities constantly switching to new equipment

By Stephanie Nicotra Rocket Focus Editor

Wires are quickly replacing the veins of students in the fast-paced technology age where computers constantly need upgrading to keep up with the ever-growing demand for efficiency.

Universities have to become just as wired as the students and maintain state-of-theart equipment to provide the best possible educational experience. So where does SRU’s technological infrastructure stand when compared to other similar universities?

According to Simeon Ananou, associate provost of Information Administrative Technology Services and the Technology Advisory C o m m i t t e e’s ( TA C ) Chairperson, with recent investments in technology, SRU can be considered ranked at the top of other similar institutions.

“We are actually in a very good place, with a fairly new and robust network and good investment being made in the student information system but those are more, what I would call, administrative parts of the network,” Ananou said.

Instructional technology, like the projectors and computers used for classes, are replaced and refreshed every three years according to Ananou. This keeps SRU on the same level as other institutions.

Dr. Deborah Whitfield, professor of computer science and department chair, said that one university she visited actually replaced its equipment every five years and she told some of the people there that they should shorten that time period to pass accreditation.

Recently, SRU had an accreditation visit from A B E T, Ac c r e d i t at i o n

Board for Engineering and Technology, and the 6-yearold Advanced Technology and Science Hall was one area of evaluation. The campus is accredited in the departments of computer science and i n for m at i on s y s te ms , something that, according to the Interim Dean of the School of Business Dr. David Valentine, can be found in only a handful of universities.

Valentine said SRU is applying for a third accredit at ion in t he department of information technology.

“I know of no other university with three accreditations in the same area,” Valentine said. “We will know in June whether we will get the thumbs up for our application process to begin.”

The accreditation application process should GRAPHIC BY JASON ELLWANGER/ THE ROCKET

SEE SRU, PAGE C-3

Incoming freshmen are more connected to technology than ever before and with the continuous advancements, universites, like SRU, must keep step with it to provide state-of-the-art education, according to Associate Provost of Information Administrative Technology Services, Simeon Ananou.

Focus

C-2

February 18, 2011

Teenage pop-star's documentary, surprising hit film Film pick of the week: “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”

MICHAEL CHIAPPINI "To See or Not To See?"

4 Stars

I have something I would like to confess. I’ve got Bieber Fever, and if this burn is wrong, I don’t ever want to be right.

“Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” took in a staggering $30 million this weekend. It is a surprise hit that isn’t only receiving praise from teenybopper fans, but critics as well.

Honestly, I laughed off the film as mere masturbation fodder for tween girls and pedophiles until I read its opening reviews. After viewing this biopic-documentaryconcert, I retract that laugh.

Director Jon Chu doesn’t have a great track record – once Hollywood’s golden promise, he was taken under the wing of Steven Spielberg.

He is truly a talented and innovative director – his early short pieces are living proof. Yet, to date, the only credits to his name are “Step Up 2” and “Step Up 3-D.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Justin Bieber in his successful documentary film, "Never Say Never," sings at one of his concerts. Bieber's rise to fame through YouTube is shown in this documentary, directed by Jon Chu.

Despite the awfulness of his previous escapades, “Never Say Never” is everything a documentary should b e – it isn’t merely acted out. It gives some great background information and input

Michael's DVD Pick Continuing my c u r r e nt f e t i s h f o r documentaries, I re commend pick ing up a copy of “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” the Sundance winner for Best Documentary.

The film looks at s t u d e nt s , t e a c h e r s , parents and reformers and the ultimate failures

of our education system.

It paints a rather bleak portrait of the current crisis and the effect it will have on the future of the United States (which of course comes as no surprise if you’ve ever had a class with an Education major.)

Find it at the local Redbox or on Netflix.

from contemporary stars as diverse as Miley Cyrus and Snoop Dog. It is shockingly informative.

“Ne ve r S ay Ne ve r,” reveals something I’m not sure most people are aware of – the tween star’s humble YouTube origins.

The documentary shows some childhood clips and the YouTube videos Bieber posted before his fame. I was astounded at the talent he posseses – while we hear a saccharine sweet pop song on the radio, in reality he plays a multitude of instruments and is actually quite a good singer.

It was from these clips the young performer was discovered by Usher and elevated to fame.

As well, “Never Say Never” grounds the star in reality.

It is evident that the

producers are creating a wholesome image, but there is a degree of sincerity here. Bieber’s ability to poke fun at himself, notably in a Best Buy ad aired during the Super Bowl and on “Saturday Night Live” two weeks ago, speaks volumes about his person.

It is easy to hate a pop star for no reason – what is far more difficult is setting a s i d e t hat s u bj e c t ive opinion and considering why that star is popular.

This film is absolutely crucial in our ongoing discussion over the nature of fame and celebrity.

What I find positively astounding is someone can write-off a truly talented (in the sense of having a good voice and being able to play multiple instruments) performer and uphold s omeone

entirely vapid like Nicki Minaj.

I’m not rushing out to buy Bieber’s album (I’m still stuck in my angsty glory days with Bright Eyes), but I’m able to admit he can sing.

Any negative criticism this film receives is entirely subjective and ignores the fact that it was created for a 12-year-old audience. Most negative reviews comment on how sanitized it is and how it acts as a featurelength commercial.

If these critics want to see “The Courtney Love Story,” I recommend they view E! and not a G-rated film.

It is obviously one-sided and acts as an ad, but it was created for the fans, not for the angsty corset girl who lurks in the library and blogs about why a

death metal band nobody has heard of is better than pop music.

My only real criticism is that the film was in 3-D. Why was it in 3-D? So I could hold Justin Bieber in my erotic gaze just a little closer than usual?

This is a gimmick that drives me crazy – all it allows for is theaters to tack on an extra $8 to your ticket.

Despite this, I would recommend seeing the film, if you can do so without vomiting in your mouth a little bit. It persuaded me to think differently of a star I wrote off as another product of the industry.

Michael Chiappini is a senior English literature and philosophy major, film and media studies minor and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

Cookies, carnations, cotton-stuffing make great Valentine's event

Chloe Finigan "Freshman Insider" This year the Stuff-aPlush event, hosted by the University Program Board (UPB), created a fun way for students to enjoy the holiday.

Held in the University Union’s Multi-Purpose Room, the event caused quite a stir with students waiting at the door an hour before it started on Feb. 10.

“Overall I thought the idea was perfect with Valentine’s Day coming up,” Joe Pacifico, 19, history education major, said. “I had fun making my first ever stuff-aplush.”

The event was a success,

with students interested and the prices low. Only $5 for one animal and while you were there, students were given the option to decorate cookies along with a free carnation.

When you walked into the huge room, the line of eager students looped around half the area.

Each one of the tables had overflowing plastic containers of plush and stuffing.

“I thought it was really f u n , but t h e c o ok i e decorating was messy,” Alissa Carter, 18, biology major, said.

The only complaint that I heard about the event was the lack of selection.

“I think it was a pretty good selection, maybe more off-beat animals,” Carter commented. “They had like three different kinds of dogs.”

Pacifico, who saw that there wasn’t much to choose from after a while, noticed the short supply of animals.

“I w a s h opi ng t h e selection of animals would have been better,” Pacifico said. “By the time I made mine, they only had about three left to choose from and it seemed they were a little short on supply.”

What many people don’t realize is that it, UPB, lost for this event. While the door fee was $5, they paid $11 per animal.

The selection may have been in short supply, but they gave students a discount. It helped students on a budget get Valentine’s gifts, or even just a personalized stuffed animal.

There is s omet hing about making it personal.

Anyone could put down $20 for a perfect animal, or go to a Build-a-Bear store, but there’s something special about deciding how much plush to stuff in.

You get to pick the density, the animal and even what color carnation at the end.

I personally loved the other tables. The cookies

may have been messy, but in the end they were fun and delicious. The carnations gave the day that extra something. It made it an extra special gift.

“My girlfriend loved it, she hugged me and we thought of a name for it,” Pacifico said. “I loved that you got a free carnation with your stuff-a-plush.”

O v e r a l l , t h e e v e nt created a cheap way for college students to get their Valentine’s fun in for the season. It made a great present for loved ones, as well as something fun for you.

The Stuff-a-Plush event may not be a big money maker because of the reduced price, but it sure put less stress on the holiday and let everyone relax and have fun.

Chloe Finigan is a freshman emerging technology and multimedia major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

CHLOE FINIGAN/ THE ROCKET

The Stuff-a-Plush event held in the University Union's MPR on February 10 was hosted by UPB and involved cookie decorating and a stuffed-animal workshop. Free carnations were given to students, too.

Focus

February 18, 2011

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SRU's latest advancements out-perform similar colleges Continued from Page C-1

take two years of work by the faculty.

“If we do get a triple accreditation then there will be much chest thumping,” Valentine said, as he thumped his own chest. “And I’m confident we will.”

As a part of the computer science department, Whitfield saw first-hand the ABET visit and evaluation.

“We are more than up-todate,” Whitfield said. “When our peers came from all over the nation to evaluate us, they were floored by how advanced our technology programs are.”

Although SRU is very advanced, there is always room for improvement.

When the new Web site was mentioned, Whitfield cringed. Looking away, she said that for most people the management is much easier, but from a computer science perspective it is more cumbersome. She said she is disappointed that the Web site is not tuned for mobile devices and that the search utility could use some help.

“But no matter who you talk to they will complain about one aspect of the design or another,” she said with a laugh.

The university is working hard to improve wireless access on-campus and should be in place in the summer according to Whitfield.

Senior communication major, Corbin Sampson, 22, thought that SRU could

improve in some spots by fixing the library computers that always have out-oforder signs on them, but has conceded that SRU has some good systems to work with. He gave an example of the Mac lab in ECB and the TV studio’s brand new equipment. He had gone through Carnegie Mellon’s communication department and realizes that funding matters.

“They (Carnegie Mellon) have enough funding to get anything they want, but with the funding SRU has I’m fairly impressed with the technology available,” Sampson said.

C ourse management technology is one of the many things accessible to students.

They are often directed to an online resource where faculty can post information about their classes and is readily available anywhere they may be. This is the Desire to Learn (D2L) program that causes mixed reactions among faculty and students. Some love it and some hate it.

Of those who love it, one freshman early childhood education major, Kayla Osterwise, 19, said that she likes being able to go online to see what she missed in a class if she couldn’t make it one day.

On the other hand, Whitfield grimaced at the thought of D2L. With mischief glinting in her eyes, she said that she refuses to use it given its cumbersome nature.

“I’ve always provided information for my students through my own Web site anyways,” she said.

In the future, the constantly shifting, expanding and changing technological world will continue to complicate things.

“The needs of the incoming freshmen are changing constantly especially in the context of information technology,” Ananou said, steadily. “And those needs are going to keep us on our toes.

We as an institution have to adjust the paradigm to meet the growing demand, as what I refer to as the growing appetite for technology consumption.”

Ananou said that one of the biggest problems is going to be the bandwidth, the highway between SRU and the rest of the world, which is finite in some ways because of financial constraints. He said that there is much media-rich content obtainable to students and they are consuming more bandwidth because of this than ever before. Also, every time there is a growth in technology, security has to be up-dated as well.

With students living and breathing technology, SRU must also live and breathe it.

SRU is constantly changing to stay in-step with incoming students, but there is always something to improve. It helps that the university community really understands the need to keep-up with innovative technology, according to Ananou.

MALLORY MANGINO/ THE ROCKET

(From left) Becky Searight, Justine Barr and Kristin Eberhart, organized books at the Sankey Memorial Center on Saturday. The center, used for tutoring, was damaged by a water leak recently and needed volunteers to help clean.

AmeriCorps helps Sankey Center Continued from Page C-1

be much lower during winter months. Which Booterbaugh described as, “slow giving months.”

At the end of the workday, Booterbaugh gave a heartfelt thank-you to the student volunteers and invited them to return the following Saturday to do some painting.

“The truth is, without you

guys coming in to help do this, we'd have to hire people, and it may not get done because of finances,” she said.

Booterbaugh said that she had tried to place the Sankey Center on the list of job sites for SRU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, but the Day of Service project was unable to add any more job sites to their list. Instead, the Center was scheduled for a separate

day of volunteer work.

Another v o l u nt e e r opportunity will take place Saturday, Feb. 19 at the Sankey Center where efforts will continue with painting, cleaning and removing water damaged carpets.

Students who are interested in helping can sign up at the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership Office in the University Union.

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February 18, 2011

Making a career of stand-up comedy tough business

JASON ELLWANGER /THE ROCKET

Opening the show Tuesday night was Ralphie May's wife, Lahna Turner, who performed comedic songs that lyrically poked fun at views of racism and prejudiced beliefs as well as making fun of men's "insecurities."

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in attendance was junior criminal justice major Chad Resetar.

Resetar, 20, said one of his favorite parts of May’s routine was his straightforward

attitude opposing racism.

“I liked the fact that he made racist jokes, but that he had reasons for it,” Resetar said. “He didn’t hate on anybody, so it was cool to me.”

Freshman safety

management major Evan D’Orazio, 19, said he can see how routines such as May’s can offend others, but thought it was excellently made as is.

“Everyone’s going to be against what you say in some

shape, way or form, but with the amendment rights, you got freedom of speech and no one can take that away from you,” D’Orazio said.

With being able to consistently make an audience laugh hard, May said having an off night does not happen very often for him anymore since he has been in the business for so long.

But whenever a bad night rises up for a comic and heckling sets in among the audience, May said the comedian has to fess up to the audience.

“If something’s not going great, just bring everybody in on the joke so it releases the tension in the room,” May said, pulling apart his two fists to resemble clenching a tight strand of wire. “A heckle can kill comedy, but the best thing is to acknowledge it and move on and then it’ll get easier.”

With SRU being another stop on his sold-out tour, continuing through early March, May said the choice withdraw from college to pursue a career in comedy worked out for him, but is a choice that should not be made without having a backup plan to help stabilize your way of life.

Resetar said he could not envision himself practicing comedy because of the elaborate organization behind every routine.

“Everything was planned out, obviously,” he said.

“There’s no way I could come up with that stuff on the spot.

It takes a lot of thought.”

Briefly trying to picture himself as a comedian, D’Orazio said he would focus on discovering his specialty before aiming to become accomplished.

“In stand-up comedy, I’d have to devote a lot of time for it, which in a way can be easy and can be hard,” he said. “You just got to find your knick for it and get noticed from it.”

For ever y successful comedian in the entertainment business, many others frequent openmic nights and perform b efore small venues, struggling to pursue their dream by making little-tono money per night.

After light-heartedly d e s c r i bi ng w ay s for

comedians to make money on the side by selling marijuana and other types of contraband, May, having experienced the fight to become successful as a comic, fell serious and stressed the importance of staying informed and educated, but especially stressed the importance of being true to one’s self in his or her comedy.

“Don’t try to solve all of the problems,” he said as he slowly shook his head. “A lot of people now want to be alternative, which alternative comedy is not that funny.

Be centrist on the jokes, be focused on what you do, be yourself, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Try new things.”