The Rocket 4/29/2011

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April 29, 2011

Volume 93, Number 26

SRU freshman, 19, dies in one-car accident

By Courtney Nickle Rocket Assistant News Editor

A freshman at Slippery Rock University was killed in a onevehicle accident early Monday evening.

Ashley Harmon, 19, was traveling north on I-79 when she lost control of her Dodge Neon and ran off the road into a few trees. The accident occurred around 6 p.m. in Findley Township, Mercer County, according to an information report from Pennsylvania State Police.

Harmon was an environmental geo-science major at SRU. She had a 4.0 GPA, making her a member of the Dean’s List. She was also

Ashley Harmon

Rep. Gibbons talks budget in McKay

By Spencer Cadden Rocket Contributor

St ate R e pre s e nt at ive Jaret Gibbons spoke about the future of education in Pennsylvania under Governor Tom Corbett, Thursday, April 28 in McKay auditorium.

Gibbons, a young democrat who graduated from Pitt Law, says he is intimately familiar with the budget battle and how it will affect higher education in Pennsylvania.

“My wife is a teacher and I know education,” he said. “Pennsylvania needs to realize that the manufacturing jobs are gone and supp or t i ng higher education is the key for Pennsylvania’s future.”

Overall, Gibbons said he expects to see plenty of changes to the budget before it is passed in early July.

He said that he has heard positive things from his

colleagues in Harrisburg and believes higher education will weather the storm to some degree.

Under C o r b e t t ’s proposed budget, all 14 Pennsylvania State System of Hi g h e r E du c at i on (PASSHE) schools would have their budgets cut by 50 percent—and this includes SRU. What the potential 50 percent budget cut means for SRU is a matter of great concern for both students and professors, according to C ondrav y, chapter president of the Association of Pennsy lvania State College and University Faculty (APSCUF).

“The state system in Pennsylvania is unique in that we have full-time faculty who teach in classrooms,” she said.

The biggest fear of students and faculty is that SRU could potentially lose full-time professors in favor of part-time faculty, she said.

involved in the SRU Army ROTC program and was a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Funeral services for Harmon will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory on East State Street in Sharon, Pa., where Harmon was from.

Elle Naughton, a junior secondary education English major, had known Harmon since last summer.

“She was a great friend who was always there for me,” she said.

Naughton said Harmon would have made a large impact on the world.

“She would have gone so far in life, she was truly on her way

to great success,” she said. “I never saw her without a smile on her face and she could always bring one to mine. I will never forget her.”

Jack Hill Jr., a junior computer information technology major at SRU, met Harmon early last semester. “[Harmon] and her roommate were carrying cases of water to their building and I was walking by so I helped them,” he said. “After that, we were friends.”

Hill said Harmon was always very welcoming.

“She was very smart, nice, hard-working and kindhearted,” he said.

Lyndsie Yochum, a sophomore psychology and

biology major, said she was introduced to Harmon about two months ago.

“I met her through my boyfriend’s roommate,” she said. “She came over to hang out with us one night.”

Yochum said even though she didn’t know Harmon very well, she could tell she was a people person.

“She talked to us like she knew us for years,” she said.

“She was cracking jokes like crazy even though she just met us. She seemed like the type of person who would fit in anywhere she went.”

A Facebook page was created in memory of Harmon. As of Thursday afternoon, it had over 800 fans.

Saddling up for Summer

This would cut down on the availability of professors and the quality of professors who teach for SRU, according to Condravy.

Temporary faculty often hold less office hours and aren’t as invested in the university community, which has a negative effect on student performance, Condravy said.

C ondrav y’s concerns stem from the retrenchment notices that the state sent out to every state-funded university.

Many students are unaware of w hat retrenchment really means.

“Retrenchment announces the administration’s intention to fire individuals at u n i v e r s it i e s w h o are prob at i onar y, te nu re d or pre-tenured due to budgetary constraints or a desire to re-configure academic policy,” Condravy said.

SEE GIBBONS, PAGE A-2

Marcellus Shale symposium held at SRU

LIANA PITTMAN/THE ROCKET Dr. Timothy Kelsey, agricultral economics professor at Penn State University, answers a question after presenting about the natural gas issue.

By Brian Brodeur Rocket Contributor

Pennsylvania is sitting on the second largest natural gas field in the world, according to Dan Billman,

a petroleum geologist and owner of Billman Geologic Consultants.

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania hosted a symposium on mining this field on Friday, April 22.

The natural gas field covers southern New York, eastern Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia—with the bulk of it under Pa. The natural gas is held in the Marcellus Shale, a black shale rock between 350 million to 400 million years old, and mining this shale has been a highly controversial subject, Billman said. Proponents for the mining cite the economic gain it promises for Pa., but those opposed to it argue that the damage to the environment is too high of a cost.

The part of the natural gas field that lies under Pa. is estimated to hold $1.46 trillion in recoverable gas which is nearly triple the amount of the state’s current economy of $499 billion, according to Dr.

ARIEL KNOX/THE ROCKET

Nathaniel Hooks, a communication major, participates in the Kick Off to Summer Carnival on Thursday, April 28. Nathaniel rode the mechanical bull for 19 seconds.

SGA discusses preventing students from holding multiple executive positions member of the executive of the person holding the By position.”

Stephanie Holsinger board for next year.

Rocket Contributor

SGA made a motion Thursday to change the constitution by saying that an executive may not hold two stipend positions, which was tabled for the fall.

President Jeremiah Rosser vetoed his motion from last week’s meeting, which stated that Kim Sloan, the current North SEE LANDOWNER PAGE A-2 Hall senator, would be a

Sloan, who already holds an executive p osition with the Association of Residence Hall Students (ARHS), would be accept ing her s e cond stipend position at Slippery Rock University as a member of the executive board for SGA. “It limits opportunities f o r o t h e r s t u d e n t s ,” Rosser said. “I know how overwhelming taking on two positions can be, and it limits the full potential

Sloan said that she worked over 20 hours during her freshman and sophomore years at Rocky’s while still maintaining a 3.5 GPA. “I think that I would still be able to fulfill my duties,” Sloan said. “I’ve given up other positions to make these two my priority.”

Dr. Constance Foley, administrative advisor for SGA, said that she doesn’t SEE SGA PAGE A-3

News

Rock Notes A-2

April 29, 2011

Landowners would get $2 million per well Continued from Page a-1

University Union Room Reservations

The University Union will begin processing requests for recurring meetings for fall 2011 on April 1. Organizations may request meeting rooms on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or similar recurring pattern. Union Reservation Request Forms may be obtained at the Union Information Desk or online under Student Life. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Cole at 724-738-2718.

Chip in for Children

SRU Sport Management students are hosting the Chip In 4 Children golf outing and recognition dinner on April 30 at St. Jude Golf Club in Chicora, PA. The golf outing will be a fourman scramble, check-in will start at 11:00 a.m. and dinner will start at 6:00 p.m. All proceeds from the golf outing and patron donors will benefit the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The proceeds from the dinner will benefit the SRU Sport Management Scholarship Fund.

SRU IQ

Timothy Kelsey, professor of agricultural economics at Penn State University.

Kelsey then added how, on average, landowners who allow wells to be drilled on their land could make $2 million per well. Along with the economic gains for landowners, Kelsey said the mining would create a lot of jobs, with the majority of the jobs not requiring a four-year degree. While Kelsey said he sees the possible economic gains, he also understands why people are hesitant to embrace the mining.

“It’s very young,” he said.

“And we still don’t know all of the risks yet.”

Kelsey went on to warn about the dangers of having an economy based off of a nonrenewable resource like natural gas. He said that the biggest problem is

that when the natural gas is gone, it’s gone and the base of your economy goes with it.

Slippery Rock has a substantial Marcellus Shale deposit about 8,500 feet deep, according to Dr. Patrick Burkhart, an environmental geology professor at SRU. Burkhart said that while he feels very passionately about the possible environmental repercussions, he sees the need for drilling in Slippery Rock and supports it.

“Landowners will be handsomely compensated for companies leasing their mineral rights,” he said.

“And we’ll have lower natural gas prices.”

Burkhart said the only concern he has with the drilling is the ability of the local government to set up and enforce regulations.

On top of economic worries about what will

happen when all of the natural gas is gone, there are serious concerns about the environmental impact, according to Diane Arnold, a retired educator and a Marcellus Outreach Butler member.

Marcellus Outreach Butler is an organization created by concerned citizens to inform the people of Butler County about the dangers of this drilling.

“People need to know about this,” Arnold said.

“It’s here. There’s already around 50 wells in Butler County—and it’s going to be a lot more when this is all said and done.”

There have been issues in Bradford County, Pa. and Dimock, Pa. where this drilling has taken place, Arnold said. In Bradford County, thousands of gallons of fracking fluid, a water based liquid with some sand and other chemicals,

leaked into a local trout stream. The Department of Environmental Protection took water samples and is waiting on the results to see what kind of impact this could have on the stream.

In Dimock, 19 people lost their water when a well contaminated their water source.

The debate is ongoing, but both sides, and people in the middle, can all agree that there is still a lot to be learned on the subject, according to Shyama Alawattegama, a 2001 SRU environmental science graduate.

“There’s still a lot of unknowns on both sides,” she said. “There’s still a lot to be learned.”

Alawattegama went into the symposium thinking that the drilling was too dangerous, but by the end she was a lot closer to the middle.

The Rocket and WSRU-TV will be competing in a game show called “SRU IQ” on Monday, May 2nd at 5 p.m. in the SGA Pavilion. In case of rain, the event will be held in the ECB Auditorium, Room 111.

Gibbons urges students to voice fears

Vitamins for Children

Continued from Page a-1

A senior seminar class is collecting bottles of children's vitamins for needy children in the Slippery Rock community. The North Butler "Feed My Sheep" Food Pantry located at Slippery Rock Community Park is very interested in receiving vitamins. Please drop off unopened containers of children's vitamins at my office 116 Morrow Field House or at the Physical Education Department office.

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

Index

Weather Forecast from National Weather Service Saturday Friday Sunday Showers

High: 52; Low: 34

Sunny

A real concern, according to Condravy, is that the retrenchment notification has only served to increase faculty anxiety, distrust the state and threaten the quality of education.

Als o, she s aid t hat issuing a retrenchment notification on the basis of potential layoffs breaches their contract.

She asserts that this type of notification can only be used if there will most definitely be lay-offs.

According to Condravy, William Williams, the provost of SRU, believes that SRU would be able to avoid retrenching. She also said that Williams sees

Chance of showers

High: 66; Low: 47 High: 68; Low: 47

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

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

academics as the core of the university.

There have been a series of letter writing campaigns a n d prot e s t s a g a i n s t the budget cuts, and Gibbons and Condravy

highly suggested writing personal emails to your local congressperson that emphasize why education is important to you and how increased tuition or the loss of programs could

hurt your future.

“I am thinking it might not be such a good time to be at SRU,” said Jace Condravy.

Contact us Newsroom: (724) 738-4438 Advertising: (724) 738-2643 Fax: (724) 738-4896

220 Eisenberg Building Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock, PA 16057 Email: rocket.letters@sru.edu

Thirteen-time 2010 award-winning newspaper.

News

April 29, 2011

A-3

Police Blotter Magistrate April 20 – Ryan Shanahan, 19, of Pittsburgh, was seen for use and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was released on his own recognizance.

April 20 – Dashawn D. Scott, 18, of Farrell, Pa., was seen for possession of drug paraphernalia and a small amount of marijuana.

April 20 – Krystal Leigh Kohl, 22, of Harrisville, Pa., was seen for two counts of DUI. She was released on her own recognizance.

April 20 – Matthew David McMullen, 26, of Spruce Creek, Pa., was seen for two counts of DUI. He was released on his own recognizance.

April 20 – Lucas Alan Pattison, 22, of Grove City, was seen for 2 counts of DUI. He was released on his own recognizance.

April 20 – Jerry Allen Higley, 19, of Prospect, was seen for burglar y, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief.

April 27 – Scott Martin Su o r s a , 2 6 , of Ne w Castle, was seen for use and possession of drug p a r ap h e r n a l i a a n d a controlled substance and three counts of DUI. He was released on his own recognizance.

April 27 – Akeem Quran Satterfield, 20, of Erie, was seen for simple assault, public drunkenness, purchase of an alcoholic beverage by a minor and two counts of disorderly conduct.

Apr i l 2 7 – Mar t i n Cordaro Akers, 22, of Slippery Rock, was seen for two counts of DUI. He was released on his own recognizance.

Borough April 23 – Edward J. Scheiber IV, 21, was cited for disorderly house.

Ap r i l 2 6 – Ja c o b Schrecengost, 21, was cited for public drunkenness.

April 26 – Jenea C. Price, 19, was cited for retail theft.

April 27 – Timothy Miller, 26, was cited for disorderly house.

April 26 – Maxwell Morrow, 20, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol and disorderly conduct after an alcohol violation was reported at the ARC.

Campus April 25 – Craig Lawson, 51, was cited for theft.

April 25 – Taylor Lucian, 18, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol after a traffic stop in the Union commuter parking lot.

April 26 – Arista Hunter, 19, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol after a traffic stop in the Union commuter parking lot.

Ap r i l 2 6 – Ju s t i n Fratangeli, 20, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol after an alcohol violation was reported at the ARC.

April 26 – Vehicle damage was reported from a hit and run in the commuter parking lot by the Physical Therapy Building. The case is still under investigation.

Ap r i l 2 7 – D y l a n Croftcheck, 18; David Falcioni, 19; and Anthony Michelucci, 19, were cited for underage consumption of alcohol after a drug violation was reported in Building E. The case is still under investigation.

April 27 – Cole Yetso, 19, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol.

April 27 – Rachelle Cilli, 21, and Steven Simonelli, 21, were cited for public drunkenness after a traffic stop in the commuter parking lot near the Swope Music Building.

Compiled by Stephanie Holsinger

SGA says Sloan can't hold two paid executive positions Continued from Page a-1

like to see students run for multiple positions unopposed, and Sloan ran unopposed for vice president of administrative affairs for 2011-12.

“I like to see as many s tu d e nt s i nvo l ve d a s possible,” she said.

“Students who hold more than one position usually end up having suffering grades.”

Matt Ligman, commuter

senator, said that holding more than one position could be a positive thing when it comes to looking for a job.

“Students should be able to show employers their ability to hold multiple positions of leadership roles,” he said.

After a vote of 13-9, Rosser’s veto failed to be overturned because a twothirds majority is necessary to overturn a veto.

Sloan will now have to give up one of her executive positions. “ These positions are here to enhance students’ academic experiences,” Rosser said. “And holding more than one position could take an opportunity away from other students.

We’re doing this for the best interests of the students.”

SGA also approved the new design of bus wraps for next year.

L inds e y MacNabb, vice president of public relations, revealed the designs to the senators.

The off-campus bus will have a black and green design, and the on-campus bus will display a white and green design.

“This will help students to better distinguish the two buses,” MacNabb said.

SGA also continued their discussion from last week regarding the

motion to establish a rule stating that they will only recognize organizations with purposes distinctly different from existing org an i z at i ons a l re a dy recognized by SGA. Jim Henry, building F senator, motioned to table the discussion for the fall.

“I think that we need more time to discuss it,” he said. “Even if it fails, we should consider it for next year.”

The motion was not tabled, and it failed.

Jordan B ai l le y, vice president of student affairs, was officially sworn in as next year’s president. All senators for next year were sworn in, as well.

Slippery Rock Musical Theatre Society was also approved as a recognized organization.

OPINION A-4 The Rocket

April 29, 2011

The Rocket

Our View

Volume 93, Number 26 220 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.

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.

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 LIANA PITTMAN

Banner isn’t much improvement from RockTalk It’s that time of year again.

The birds are chirping, the sun is attempting to shine through the thick clouds that usually cover Slippery Rock University and finals are coming up.

The only good thing about finals being next week is that registration for classes is over and done with.

But this year, the lucky students of SRU didn’t just get to deal with the usual headaches that come with scheduling. No, we had the privilege of ushering in a brand new system – Banner.

Banner isn’t merely a system to register for classes. It encompasses so much more than that.

With the new MySRU p a g e t h at r e p l a c e s RockTalk, students are able to find their email, Desire2Learn, financial ai d an d s che du l i ng information all in one place.

We love that. We find the set up of MySRU to be more user-friendly and easier to navigate than RockTalk.

In the fall, students will be able to customize their MySRU page by deleting and adding tabs with different information.

Another pro for the Banner system is that it’s available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. One of the biggest problems with RockTalk was that it could only be accessed during the week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

It’s nice to be able to access your student information whenever you want.

That all sounds well and good, but the transition from RockTalk to MySRU has been a little bumpier than we thought it would be.

For starters, anyone registering for a summer class had to use RockTalk, while fall classes were registered on MySRU. That made life a tad more difficult for students trying

down for about ten minutes, but those ten minutes filled Facebook news feeds with SRU students declaring the apocalypse, or at least their own personal apocalypse.

But the biggest bump came with the master schedule of classes.

During registration, the master schedule is like the Bible. After we choose our classes for the fall, we check religiously to make sure the classes we want are still open at the times we want.

With RockTalk, the master schedule was updated instantaneously.

When someone registered for a class you wanted, the number of open seats in the class immediately dropped by one.

Not this semester.

No, this semester, the master schedule only updated once a day.

For argument’s sake, let’s say a student was trying to get into a lab. When it finally came time for this hypothetical student

to schedule, the student che cke d t he master schedule, just to make sure the class was still open.

Yes, the master schedule said there were still eight seats open in the lab. With full confidence, the student entered the course number into Banner.

Sorry, that class is full.

Many students found themselves in that exact situation and then had to rearrange their schedules last minute to find classes that were still open and would work.

We see that as Banner’s biggest downside. All of the other bumps in the road have been minor. But the master schedule not being continuously updated isn’t just a little bump. It’s more like one of the giant potholes on Kiester Road.

If a remedy for this pothole can be found, we would gladly declare Banner superior to RockTalk. But as it stands, Banner isn’t a huge improvement.

Online Voices

Last issue's poll...

What quality would you like to see in SRU’s new president?

Burning Question How will you spend the summer?

Working Taking classes

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.

to register for both.

Some pieces of information are also a little more hidden on MySRU than they were on RockTalk. With RockTalk, when a student wanted to see their schedule, he or she could also choose to display the date and time of each final exam.

We aren’t sure if that’s even possible through MySRU. With RockTalk, when students had difficulties figuring out how to work the system, faculty members were always able to help. With MySRU, it’s not always that simple.

Some staff members haven’t been adequately trained on the system, and the faculty screens look different from the students’, making it harder for them to help.

Banner also hit a bit of a bump in the road when it crashed temporarily at 8 a.m. on April 15.

Fortunately, it was only

Doing absolutely nothing Traveling 5 respondents

Go to www.theonlinerocket.com to cast your vote!

Opinion

April 29, 2011

Obama’s citizenship confirmed

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.

Carefully consider naming of new union Dear Editor,

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

A copy of U.S. President Barack Obama’s birth certificate is held outside the White House on Wednesday.

Spencer Cadden The Silent Majority Honestly, I cannot believe people are still talking about this. President Obama is American and was born in America. First of all, I blame Donald Trump for his re-ignition of this issue. Furthermore, I p e rs on a l ly d o n ot consider this an opinion, it is a fact. Obama was born in the United States; he has a certificate of live birth, as well as your standard birth certificate and newspaper documentation that have all been independently confirmed multiple times by multiple nongovernmental sources.

For those of you that do not know, there was a neat little tea party email sent out during the 2008 c amp ai g n ab out how Barack “HUSSEIN” (you have to emphasize the Hussein for some reason) Obama did not have a birth certificate and was therefore not born in this country and cannot be president. The law says, afterall, that you have to have been born in the United States to be president.

To benefit the general population of SRU, I will give you a brief rundown of how this scenario has played out over the last three years. The first claim was that the Obama c amp ai g n wou l d n ot submit a birth certificate

because it said he was either born in Africa or born with Islam listed as his religion, or that his middle name was actually Mohammed.

First of all, many African nations do not even give a birth certificate. If he had one from the United States then obviously he was born here, or else he would not have had one. Second, to the knowledge of the United States, religion is not listed on national birth certificates so the second part about him being a Muslim at birth is false.

Finally, President Obama is actually Barack Hussein Obama II and has the same middle name as his father Barack Obama Sr. So when that big pack of slander was de-bunked, the lies became even more clever. They ranged anywhere from his mom being too young to give birth meaning Obama would not have received a birth certificate to his actual certificate of birth (which does exist) being a complete forgery. The latter of the two has been the one most people have latched on to (see Donald Trump).

I understand conspiracy theories and how fun it can be to dream up the most implausible scenarios and call them fact with no evidence whatsoever.

However, in this case there seemed to be some evidence when Obama posted on his campaign website a copy of his certificate of birth. Quickly, a number of experts appeared on F OX N EWS cl ai m i ng FORGERY! TO HELL WITH THE RADICAL, ISLAMIC, SOCIALIST, A M E R I C A- HAT I N G AFRICAN! (Something like that, I couldn’t really

discern what was actually being said.)

Anyhow, here is where the argument falls flat.

The major newspapers in Honolulu both reported Barack Obama’s birth in their papers. Yes, one could claim that this is also a forgery, but a CNN investigation revealed that the technology to submit a forgery in the 1950s, 60s and70s simply did not exist.

The newspapers received the report of births directly from the Department of Health with no in between.

Unless there has been a conspiracy in the works for over 40 years, the very notion is simply not true.

Heck, even future president and longtime hair guru Donald Trump has said he does not believe Obama is a citizen of the United States.

Just to make things even more ridiculous, on Wednesday, the White House actually released a copy of the birth certificate.

All this served to do was make the White House look weaker as they caved to this ludicrous pressure.

I hate to break it to you and I sincerely hope those of you who believe this garbage will give it up because Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States.

I am not saying that you should not take issue with the administration, but if you are going to call for impeachment, for God sakes, make the claim on some facts.

A l s o, I w i s h t h e Republican Party good luck with people like Trump out front.

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

Student leaders should give more thought before giving away the naming rights to the new union.

It is understandable that some want to honor the president, but the name is a valuable asset. They need to give consideration to the future generations who will bear the financial burden of paying off the thirty-five million dollar construction bond. They also should understand that the new union was originally not a student initiative but rather an idea that came from the former vice president of student affairs. The plan was to build a new facility that would include a performing arts center and when that idea was shot down, they went on to push for this building.

In 2003 the former president, Dr. G. Warren Smith, had agreed with the student government plan to use bookstore profits to expand the recreation center to include an ice rink and movie theater.

But after the president was dismissed, the new administration ignored the project and the incoming student g ov e r n m e nt o f f i c e r s o bv i ou s l y c on c u r re d w it h t heir de cision.

L a t e r, w e l e a r n e d that the accumulated bookstore profits went to build athletic fields, and an additional 5.1 million dollars has been earmarked to build a new bookstore. The current bookstore, which cost 1.5 million dollars of student co-op money, and the fully paid off student union will be turned over to the university administration for other purposes.

In these tough financial times some have questioned the wisdom of encumbering students with the additional fee of $397.50. The usual response is that it is from another funding source.

My understanding is that

about 26% of students in 2008 voted to build the facility knowing the new fee would not be effective until 2012. Most of them will have left Slippery Rock by then. Because all 8,500 SRU students will pay this fee whether they use the facility or not, it would seem appropriate that each has a voice in a decision about their asset, the naming rights.

Slippery Rock University has more than a few wealthy alumni. Slippery Rock has a recognizable name and could ver y well attract a corporate sp ons or.

University Ad v a n c e m e n t c o u l d partner with a student committee to market the naming rights.

Dr. Robert Smith has done a number of positive things to improve this university. I’m certain that he would defer the honor of his name on the union if it brought some economic relief to our current and future students.

Dick Wukich Professor of Art

Saying goodbye is bittersweet

Kacie Peterson Editor commentary I’ve spent the last year serving in a position I never thought I’d be ready to take over.

Though I’ve served as a staff member of The Rocket since my sophomore year, I never thought I’d have what it takes to be editor in chief.

And I’m finally done.

It’s been a whirlwind of adventure and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I know that’s cliché, but I also think I owe a lot of the success to the people I’ve worked with this past year.

I wouldn’t be where I am without them.

I refer to the newspaper as my child because, in a way, it is.

I take care of it.

I’m responsible for its pages, I send it off to the printer, I work out the problems and make sure the loose ends get tied up.

Basically, I make sure The Rocket goes out to the student body with a homemade lunch, c omp l e t e d h om e w or k assig nments and t ie d shoelaces.

As you can see, I’m a very proud parent.

And my staff has become my family.

We’re a support system that dreads Thurs day nights confined to the office working on production, but we’re a functioning

group of individuals that works to bring our campus the news every Friday.

We’re a little off-kilter and we have a strange sense of humor.

We laugh at things that aren’t funny and our inside jokes have a sharp wit.

But we’ve meshed in ways I hadn’t even imagined were possible for a bunch of people who were new to the playground.

We push each other on the swings, play catch and make each other nauseous on the merry-go-round.

At the end of the day, we’re still friends.

But there’s more than just the atmosphere created by a team.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

There are a lot of things I wish I had known prior to being editor in chief.

Most of those things revolve around of f ice management and operations.

I’ve learned a lot about being a friend and a manager and what it takes to be both.

It’s harder than you think to change hats given a situation.

I’ve tried to maintain an easy-going relationship with my staff, but require the best out of them as well.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to lead a group of people in a way that they would listen and follow my direction.

I’ve watched different managing styles since I joined the staff two and a half years ago.

And it’s up to t he individual in charge to determine what works best for the people in the office and for the leader.

I think I’ve done my

best to learn how my staff thinks as individuals and understand what makes them tick.

T h e y ’r e q u i t e t h e collection of personalities, but I will miss them all when I graduate.

I’ve learned that if you don’t know what you’re doing, you should ask someone who does.

And there’s no shame in this.

You weren’t born with all the answers.

Do not be afraid to make mistakes.

I’ve learned that being declared a leader doesn’t necessarily make you a successful one.

You have to step up to the plate, play the game and bring your team to victory in order to be a leader with accomplishments.

Just because you wear a C on your chest doesn’t mean people will listen or follow.

If you fall into the shadows, your team will walk all over you.

I’ve learned that a hard working group doesn’t need to be serious all the time.

Hang out in the office for any amount of time and chances are there will be more laughter than harsh words spoken.

I’ve learned a lot of things this past year and I’ll take them with me to the future.

I’m handing off my child to a new parent and it’s a scary feeling.

But I know it’s in good hands. It’s time for someone else to learn those lessons.

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

SPORTS

The Rocket

B-1

April 29, 2011

SRU will host PSAC regional

By Tim Durr

Rocket Assistant Sports Editor

Slippery Rock women’s tennis finished the regular season ranked No. 39 in the NCAA Division II rankings (14-6 overall) and will host the fourteam regional playoff tournament, May 1-2.

The Rock will make its 11th appearance in the regional competition and look to make it to the round of 16 for the fourth time in school history.

SRU, which is the third seed in the tournament, will face No. 6 West Virginia State (19-8 overall) in the first round of the regional on Sunday at 4 p.m.

In the other game, No. 2 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (196 overall) will take on seventh-seeded Winston Salem State (N.C.) (271 overall) on Sunday at noon.

The winners of the two matches will meet on Monday at noon to decide which team will go on to the round of 16, which takes place in Altamonte Springs, Fla. from May 11-14.

The Green and White had one earlier match this season against West Virginia State and won by a final score of 6-3, but were swept by IUP in two

matches this season.

Last season, SRU won its first-ever regional c h a mp i o n s h i p a n d made it to the national quarterfinals.

SRU head coach Matt Meredith said that he is looking forward to hosting the tournament for the second straight year and is glad that this university has an establishment that is capable of this.

“We are very excited to b e t he hosts,” Meredith said. “It’s a real tribute to our school administration that we have a facility that can host this kind of competition for the second straight season.”

The Green and White received the opportunity to host this season’s tournament because IUP’s courts did not meet the qualifications set by the NCAA guidelines.

On the home courts, SRU is 4-1 this season with its only loss coming against California University of Pennsylvania, April 14, in a 9-0 rout by the Vulcans.

The Ro ck’s most recent contest before the regional tournament was against IUP in the Pe n n s y l v an i a St at e Athletic Association team championships on April 18, by a final of 5-3.

MALLORY MANGINO/THE ROCKET

Senior first baseman Nick Caito catches a throw from a teammate to get a California University of Pennsylvania baserunner out on March 20. Caito is batting .226 on the season and has 13 RBIs.

Jeney throws no-hitter, Rock leads PSAC

By Debbie Hilton Rocket Contributor

At every level of baseball, from little league to the professional level, it’s every pitcher's dream to throw a no-hitter. For SRU left-hander Zach Jeney, that dream came true Saturday afternoon when he took the mound at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania.

Jeney threw a seven-inning, no-hit bid in game one of the doubleheader, propelling the

Green and White to a 5-0 victory over division rival Lock Haven. Jeney, who is 6-1 on the season, struck out six and walked four in the game.

This was the second no-hitter this spring for the Rock after sophomore left-hander Joby Lapkowicz threw a no-hitter against Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

SRU scored one run in the top of the first inning of the first game to take an early lead before the offense provided Jeney with four more runs in

the sixth inning.

The key to SRU’s 3-0 win in the second game of the day was also due to the combined pitching performances by freshmen right-handers Lou Trivino and Ryan Oglesby.

Trivino allowed three hits, struck out five and did not walk a batter in the first six innings. Oglesby recorded his sixth save of the season after allowing only one hit and striking out one in the bottom of the seventh.

Saturday’s second game was

scoreless until sophomore third baseman Jamison Walck hit a two-run single in the top of the sixth inning to give the Rock a 2-0 advantage.

Designated hitter Mitchell Monas added an RBI double to score SRU’s final run of the game and secure them with a 3-0 victory.

Saturday’s wins improved the Rock’s season record to 25-13 overall and 13-5 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. They still hold a SEE ROCK, PAGE B-3

Track prepares for championship meet

By Bill Kostkas Rocket Sports Editor

CHRISTOPHER PERKINS/THE ROCKET

Colorado Rockies Ryan Spilborghs makes contact with a pitch on April 9 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The sport of baseball has struggled to keep its popularity up with the other major sports.

Baseball no longer America's Pastime

Tim Durr

Sports Sense It’s said to be as American as apple pie, cooking steaks on the grill, fast food chains and all of the other things

that are synonymous with American culture, but Major League Baseball, America’s pastime, isn’t as popular as it once was.

With the 2011 MLB season underway, I’ve had conversations with many different people about the sport over the past few weeks, and none of the discussions have been about the games or who I think will win the pennant this year.

The talks have been

about the lack of black athletes in the sport, why the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies are trying to buy a championship and why people don’t care about Major League Baseball, in general, these days.

It’s quite obvious if you think about it. We live in a society where everything moves at 100 miles per hour.

We live fast-paced lives and we get entertainment from high-intensity, fast-paced sports. That’s not the only

reason that baseball isn’t as popular as it used to be, but it surely is one.

This lifestyle change is reflective in the sports that are popular. People flock to football because of its high intensity, big hits, big players and the fact that every single game means so much. Sports fans and people, in general, don’t have as much free time as past generations did.

SEE MLB, PAGE B-3

In anticipation of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship meet, the Slippery Rock outdoor track team has three meets remaining before hosting the event at home.

The women have three events to compete in, while the men only have two remaining on the schedule.

Select women are currently competing at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia which started yesterday and will continue until tomorrow. Results were unavailable at the time of publication.

The two events remaining for both the men and women are the Ashland Alumni Invitational in Ashland, Ohio tomorrow and the SRU Qualifier on May 6 at Bill Lennox Track and N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

For t h e c on fe re n c e championships, the Green and White has many athletes that are contenders in their respective events.

Arguably, the Rock’s top contender for an individual conference title is senior thrower and former PSAC champion, Chris Warning.

Warning has five wins this season, two in the

hammer throw and three in the discus, and has set three new school records.

Sophomore pole vaulter C ameron Daugher ty is another former conference champion who will contend for yet another. Daugherty has three individual wins so far in the regular season.

Freshman pole vaulter Julia Cain, who has the top vault in the PSAC this year, is also a contender for the women’s individual title.

Almost matching Daugherty’s individual win total is Crystal Burnick and her two victories in distance events, the 1500-meter and 10,000-meter races.

Senior Brady Wert is another past champion who also has two victories in the heptathlon.

Sophomore Kevin Jewel, the returning PSAC champion, clenches the top seed in the 800-meter run.

Senior Terrace Draper is ranked second in the triple jump, as is Whitney Hendershot in the high jump.

S e n i or Ki m St itt i s currently ranked first in the heptathlon and is second in the PSAC for the shot put.

Junior Lexi Arnold holds the top ranking in the javelin.

The PSAC championships begin on May 12 at Bill Lennox Track.

Sports

B-2

April 29, 2011

Second Top of the

NHL First Round Recap WESTERN CONFERENCE

Detroit Red Wings defeat Phoenix Coyotes: Detroit defeated the Coyotesinfourgamesinthefirstround.TheRedWingsarethemost experiencedteamintheNHLandhadnotroublewiththeCoyotes.

NashvillePredatorsdefeatAnaheimDucks:TheNo.5seedNashville Predatorscameintotheplayoffswithahugeamountofconfidenceand tookthefirstgame.AftertradingwinswiththeDucks,thePredators squeakedoutanovertimewiningamefiveandkeptthatmomentum in game six to win the series.

Vancouver Canucks defeat Chicago Blackhawks: After Vancouver openedathree-gameleadintheseries,itseemedtobeover.But,the Blackhawks fought back to force a game seven, and the Canucks celebrated the game seven victory like it was a Stanley Cup win.

SanJoseSharksdefeatLosAngelesKings:Gamesthreeandfourwere theturningpointsinthisseriesastheSharksopenedupa3-1serieslead, and finished the series out in game six.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Former Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been in talks with Cam Newton, from Auburn University, as the top-two quarterbacks in the NFL draft.

Which player is a better choice from the NFL Draft?

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Tampa Bay Lightning defeat Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins hadseveralchancestocloseouttheseriesagainsttheLightningand failedtogetthejobdone.Withoutitsstarplayer,SidneyCrosby,adeep playoff run wasn't expected but a first round win was.

Boston Bruins defeat Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens-Bruins rivarly is one of the biggest in sports and we knew this series would gotosevengames.TheBruinspulleditoffinovertimetoadvanceto round two.

Philadelphia Flyers defeat Buffalo Sabres: The Sabres had the Flyers well at hand with a win in game five, but the Flyers came back and won the next two games to close out the series.

Washington Capitals defeat New York Rangers: The top-seeded CapitalstookcontroloftheseriesagainsttheRangersandmadequick work of them by winning the series in five games.

Tim Durr

Bill Kostkas Sports Editor

Assistant Sports Editor

Gabbert Blaine Gabbert, quarterback from the University of Missouri, is not only the best player at his position, but is arguably the best player in the entire draft. The fact that he's a quarterback gives him a lot more value than anyone else in the field. During his stint as a Tiger, Gabbert amassed almost 7,000 yards and threw for 40 touchdowns. The only knack on him is that he might have played too much from the shotgun, but that is easily correctable. He also was free to showcase his throwing abilities more than a player like Cam Newton, who was called to run the ball a lot.

He's also a really smart player on the field.

Miller Von Miller, outside linebacker from Texas A&M University, is the player with the most promise to be a long-term star in the NFL. At Texas A&M, he had mainly one goal to do, and that was to get to the Quarterback. He did his job in college, with 10.5 sacks in 13 games, and rushing the passer will definitely be one of his main jobs in the NFL. It is unknown if Miller will be a down lineman in a 4-3 defense or if he will stand up in a 3-4. Either way, Miller has the talent and smarts to succeed in either offense. His size, 250 lbs, and speed, he will be a nightmare for opposing offensive lines no matter where he is placed on the field.

What's On Tap.....

A quick look at the week-to-be in sports -Fri., April 29, 10 p.m.

-Now through Sat., April 28-30.

- The Red Wings swept the Coyotes and will look to continue its run against the Sharks. San Jose played strong against the Kings and is ready to advance past the second round in the playoffs.

- The top college football athletes will find out what

-NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings

-2011 National Football League Draft

their futures in the NFL hold. Cam Newton, Von Miller, A.J. Green and Blaine Gabbert are the top names in the draft.

Sports

April 29, 2011

B-3

Quinn finishes season second in goals in SRU history

By Madeline Williams Rocket Contributor

With the 2011 season coming to a close, Slippery Rock University women's lacrosse midfielder Casey Quinn recorded 113 goals, moving her to second in career goal scoring as only a junior.

Lacrosse became Quinn's passion at a very young age.

Her career began in fifth grade when a youth lacrosse program was started in her hometown of Vernon, N.J. Around the same time, her mother started a varsity girls' lacrosse team at her high school. While she participated with the youth lacrosse team, her mother let her come to practice with the varsity girls to gain extra experience.

During Quinn's sophomore year of high school, her team split the championship three ways in their division. By her senior year, she was the team captain and her team won the division outright that season. Quinn also broke the career points record when she was in high school.

"My high school playing experience did most of the shaping of who I am as a player today," Quinn said.

In her college career, Quinn was captain of the team during her sophomore and junior years. She surpassed the 100th goal barrier and has since notched 113 total goals,

with a full season left to play.

Her goal for next year's team is to improve from this year. Quinn has seen much improvement in her time at Slippery Rock, from a 0-17 record during her freshman year, to a 5-12 season in 2009, a 7-10 season in 2010 and now an 11-6 winning season.

This also marks the first winning season for the team since the program's reinstatement back in 2007.

Although the team was unable to reach the post season this year, they were able to reach many goals that they set together at the beginning of the season.

"The biggest goal I'd love to achieve is to play in the PSAC conference tournament at the end of next season before leaving the program," Quinn said.

The coaching at Slippery Rock is definitely moving the lacrosse team in the right direction, Quinn said.

"Coach Hopkins was named head coach only a year before I became a freshman here and it has been a little bit of a learning process, but she is doing big things for this program," Quinn said. "This was also Coach Rentel's first year with us, but she has adjusted very well and become an integral part of the team very quickly. She has been helpful, for sure."

Support from her family has been the biggest

ARCHIVED PHOTO

Junior midfielder Casey Quinn fights for a ball against a defender in a game last season. Quinn moved to second place all-time in SRU history in goals scored behind her fellow teammate, Amy Halls.

inspiration and motivation behind Quinn's lacrosse career.

"Being that my mother was a coach all throughout high school, she knows the exact kind of player that I

Rock looks to hold top seed

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Sophomore pitcher Joby Lapkowicz fires a pitch to the plate against Gannon University on April 10.

Lapkowicz has a 4.50 ERA and is 4-3 on the season.

Continued from Page B-1

1 1/2 game lead over second place Mercyhurst College.

After a washout Monday, the Green and White faced yet another challenge against Lock Haven, but this time it was at Jack Critchfield Park.

SRU lost a 9-8 decision in extra innings in Tuesday’s first game, but bounced back in the second game and shut out the Bald Eagles 5-0.

L o ck Haven s core d seven runs in the first two innings against Rock starter Lapkowicz, but needed a run in the top of the eighth inning to finish off the Green and White.

After trailing 8-4, the Rock

was able to tie the game at eight with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Lock Haven center-fielder Matt McCamley collected the game-winning RBI single in the top of the 10th to plate the winning run.

Rock senior right-hander George Herbert shut the door on the Bald Eagles in game two as he pitched a two-hit shutout.

The Rock backed Herbert’s dominating performance on the mound with a nine-hit offensive attack against Lock Haven.

Junior left-fielder Carter Haponski and senior centerfielder Matt Howard hit backto-back doubles to give the

Rock an early 1-0 lead.

SRU expanded its lead to 3-0 behind two third inning singles by freshman secondbaseman Will Kengor, Haponski, Howard (RBI) and senior shortstop Adam Jury.

Freshman right-hander John Kovalik pitched in relief of Lapkowicz and allowed one earned run on three hits, struck out seven, walked three and hit one batter to allow the Rock to keep a comfortable lead.

The Rock is scheduled to open their four-game series with Mercyhurst for a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday in Erie before closing out the set with a 4 p.m. twinbill Saturday at Jack Critchfield Park.

am," Quinn said. "I come from a big family, with four older brothers, so there is never a dull moment.

They've all helped me keep my feet on the ground."

Quinn also attributes

some of her success's to her teammates and fellow junior Emma VanDenburg said that Casey has been an excellent teammate and works very hard for the team.

"Casey is an excellent player and a great leader for our team," VanDenburg said. "She always works hard and is very loyal to this team. She has been a fantastic teammate."

Sports MLB popularity falls due to season length B-4

Continued from Page B-1

The 164-game baseball s e as on , w h i ch sp ans almost 8 months and has teams playing almost daily throughout that time, doesn’t bring the same amount of excitement that it has in the past.

There isn’t any urgency or reason to care about baseball until late September. There isn’t anything that makes me care how a team starts the season because it won’t matter in three months.

Teams like the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates start off the season with great records and play well through the first 10 games, but it doesn’t matter in July when both teams have played 80 games and are out of contention.

There are many reasons why the sport of baseball is losing its popularity. The societal change to a more fast-paced lifestyle that works inversely with the long, meaningless baseball season is just one reason.

Another reason is that the sport has been tarnished by an era of steroid usage, cheating and the validity of all records broken in the past 15 seasons up for debate.

The sport of baseball has taken one hit after another over the past years, and it seems that this decline of America’s pastime isn’t going to end anytime soon.

Major League Baseball has turned itself into a segregated sport in the terms of its fans’ desire to watch games. People only

April 29, 2011

want to watch the game of their favorite team. This is something that is not occurring in other sports.

When Peyton Manning and Tom Brady face off on Monday Night Football, everyone watches it.

When two of the top stars in baseball face off against each other, and by stars I mean the Phillies, Yankees or Red Sox, not too many people tune into it, unless it’s October.

Even then, season six of “Dancing with the Stars” is still going to draw a large portion of the sports audience because some washed up football player is on it.

Now, I could probably keep adding to the list of problems that baseball has, but let’s start to think positive and look for some solutions to these problems.

So how does a league that has too long of a season, too slow of a pace, too tarnished of a recent history and fans at a point where they only care about their favorite team, get back into the spotlight of American sports?

How about we start with scheduling. Is there any reason to have more than 100 games in a season? I don’t believe so. Let’s cut this season in half and play 82 games like the NBA and NHL. That would make an immediate impact on the popularity of the sport. It would allow for games to mean more as the season

CHRISTOPHER PERKINS/THE ROCKET

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Michael Crotta pitches against the Colorado Rockies on April 9. The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had a winning season in 20 years, and part of that is because of the salary set up in Major League Baseball.

progressed, and we would have playoff scenarios shaping up in July instead of September.

After cutting the season in half, the MLB needs to get some type of excitement back in the game. There isn’t too much that can be done to change the rules and make the game more

exciting, so this is one that the fans will just have to live with.

Time will help the tarnished past of baseball heal, as long as someone like Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals doesn’t test positive.

Finally, fixing the openmarket type system of

buying and selling players to create more parity will help the league get people excited about games that don’t involve their favorite team.

If the MLB would do all of these things, I believe the sport would see its popularity climb back up.

People would be more

interested in talking about the games being played instead of the problems that the sport is having. What are the chances that Major League Baseball ever makes any of these moves? I’d go with slim to none, but you never know what the sport will have to do if its popularity keeps falling.

FOCUS

The Rocket

April 29, 2011

C-1

By Andy Treese

Rocket Assistant Focus Editor

alexis kovski/ the rocket

(From left) Rappers Wiz Khalifa and J. Cole performed before a crowd of over 2,400 people in the Abersold Recreation Center gymnasium Monday evening. The concert sold out in a matter of days, and the attendance was the largest for any concert at SRU, according to UPB President Marcie Johnson.

When North Carolina native rapper J. Cole took the stage as the opening act for Wiz Khalifa in the Abersold Student Recreation Center’s gymnasium Monday evening, he knew he was a long way from home, but didn’t feel that way.

In the sea of people in front of the stage, some laden in black and gold and others holding commemorative signs, the majority of people were there for the Pittsburgh native, Khalifa.

But the crowd also cheered loudly in support of Cole throughout the duration of his heavy-hitting, rhythm-driven opening set.

“By the first or second song, I know exactly who [the audience] came to see, if they came to see me or if they have been there for a while, but I could tell they were not here for me because it’s Pittsburgh, obviously,” Cole said. “The fact that they did know who I was and still showed so much love made me appreciate [the support] a lot.”

With the crowd spanning over 2,400 people in the ARC, the turnout for Monday evening’s concert was the largest turnout for any concert held at SRU, according to UPB President Marcie Johnson.

Support was strong for J. Cole from the audience.

But when Khalifa took the stage, the crowd went wild.

Among those in attendance of the concert was freshman safety management major Austin Lutz.

Lutz, 19, said when he found out about the concert, he wanted to go because he followed Khalifa’s music since he was in middle school.

“I’ve listened to Wiz since I was in about 6th grade, when he first had his original stuff coming out. And with seeing him kind of rise from being SEE J. COLE, PAGE C-3

Challenges of being deaf acknowledged by student ASL Club

By James Meyer Rocket Contributor

Many deaf people consider themselves part of a culture minority, rather than having a disability.

Though “hearing impaired” may seem like a politically correct term, Jennifer BoakOwens, a sophomore public relations major, said that she dislikes the term.

“English is my second language,” Boak-Owens said. “Personally, I don’t like people to say I’m hearing impaired,” Boak-Owens said.

“That’s a media thing. I’m deaf. That’s it. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Life at SRU is not without it’s challenges, though. BoakOwens said that there is a lot of “speeding” involved in her day.

“Everyone is slightly ahead of me, so I need to speed to catch up. By the end of the day, I get a headache,” BoakOwens said.

B oak-O wens became the co-founder of the Regional Action Team, an organization whose mission is to provide resources to the deaf community.

She said that she learned to be an activist through working with AmeriCorps.

Boak-Owens said that one

of her proudest moments at SRU was seeing her play “To Hear Or Not To Hear” being performed as part of the Brave New Plays series.

Ashley Snyder, 18, a freshman psychology major and member of SRU’s American Sign Language Club, said that learning American Sign Language has been a fascinating experience for her.

Snyder said that one of the most memorable experiences with the ASL Club this year was their Day of Silence on Tuesday, April 5.

“We took a vow of silence to represent a deaf person living in a silent world,” Snyder said. “So we couldn’t talk, but we could sign to each other.”

Snyder said the experience of learning about American Sign Language became of a stronger interest to her and she fell in love with the language's complexity.

She said it should be an experience learned by many other students to give them a better understanding of what it's like for students who are deaf.

“The language is very fascinating. It’s a fascinating culture, and it’s a culture I want to learn more about,” Snyder said.

liana pittman/ the rocket

Professors from different departments held a panel for students in Spotts auditorium Monday evening to discuss problems in the Middle East.

Panel educates students on Middle East crisis

By Patrick Baker Rocket Contributor

“Have you filled your car up with gas?” asked Dr. Donald Kerchis on Monday evening to the packed auditorium in Spotts. “Most of our gas comes from those countries.” Those countries that Dr. Kerchis was talking about are the Middle Eastern and North African ones that have been the focus of international attention for months.

Dr. Kerchis was answering a question that asked how the events halfway around the world could affect someone here at Slippery Rock. The panel, “Understanding the Middle East Uprising,” hosted by the SRU Middle East Studies Center, was held

for the purpose of helping SRU students understand what is happening, why and how it affects them.

“Gas has risen 78 cents in the past few months,” said Dr. Abbas Noorbakhsh of the School of Business, something that anyone who’s been to Sheetz lately can confirm.

The panel consisted of professors from many different departments of the university. They each offered a different view on the events taking place in the Middle East. The members of the panel were Dr. Eric Tuten, Dr. Abbas Noorbakhsh, Dr. Ahmad Khalili, Dr. Donald Kerchis and Mr. Faris AlAhmad.

Dr. Eric Tuten of the History Department began

the evening by giving a brief overview of the history and geography of the Middle Eastern and North African countries that have become the center of international focus.

Dr. Abbas Noorbakhsh of the School of Business and Ahmed Khalili of the Department of Professional Studies discussed the factors that led to these revolutions.

In the past 30 years, the Middle East’s economy has grown extremely fast.

However, this growth was mismanaged and the new wealth was unevenly distributed.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have had a large part in these revolutions. Mr. Faris AlAhmad of the Department

of Modern Languages and Cultures pulled up his Facebook account on the projector. The page he had displayed was titled “The Syrian Revolution 2011.” It was the only thing on the page that wasn’t in Arabic.

A majority of these Facebook pages dedicated to the uprisings are in Arabic.

However, there are many slowly growing English sites.

Some of these pages have some very graphic pictures and videos, but these posts are what are coming out of the countries. They are uploaded to Facebook so that journalists around the world can access them.

“Although the pages are in Arabic, you can still post in SEE FACEBOOK, PAGE C-3

Focus

C-2

April 29, 2011

Top ten tips for summer cinema, expanding taste in film Parting Words from a Movie Critic

MICHAEL CHIAPPINI "To See or Not To See?"

I had hoped the stars would align and I could end my career as film reviewer extraordinaire on a positive review. No such luck my fair readers. My choices this week: “Madea’s Big Happy Family” and “Water for Elephants.” No comment on either.

Instead, I wish to impart some cinematic wisdom

upon the masses. You can thank me later.

1. Summer f ilm is lo oking pretty bleak.

Sequels to “The Hangover,” “Cars,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Transformers” and “Planet of the Apes.”

Something called “Cowboys and Aliens,” a new version of “The Smurfs,” starring Katy Perry

and the fifth installment of the “Final Destination” franchise.

Have you read the complete works of Dostoevsky yet? This might be your summer.

2. Reminder: good films aren’t made because people don’t go see them. I bet every person I’ve ever seen at Ginger Hill will make it the event of his or her

graphic courtesy of MCT Campus

A current popular trend in Hollywood is the release of 3-D films. Admission for these films is more expensive, solely to create more profit.

Lessons of balancing time and priorities learned from college

Chloe Finigan "Freshman Insider" As soon as we made the decision to go to college, we were told that it’s the best four years of our lives.

As we all went through our last summer, at every opportunity possible, we had to hear somebody’s two cents. What interests me are the lessons that we learned on our own.

“Don’t procrastinate,” Hanna Brande, 18, a communication major, said simply with a laugh.

Learning isn’t just in the classroom and I believe that the most important lessons that we learn are in real life—the ones that challenge our comfort zone.

Any new experience can meet this requirement, and college is a new experience for us all.

Alexandra Lagnese, 18, a political science major, learned not to take moments for granted.

“Time flies ten times faster in college. Meet as many people and do what you can, try not to miss out on anything,” she said, giving advice to fellow students.

The theme of time lasted, but in a different context.

Freshmen Cole Emery, 18, an English education major, and Kristen Koontz, 18, an exercise science major, both agreed that the biggest

lesson this year was “time management, definitely.”

We’ve been prepared since junior year of high school. When you picked the college you wanted to attend, that was your lecture for the next 2 years: how to study hard, and as my dad always told me, “you can play hard, but study harder.”

While I do agree that school is the first priority of college, no matter how much you enjoy the weekends on Slipper y Rock’s campus (or off ), we may been mislead.

“It’s not as hard as people say it is,” said Joe Hickey, 18, an exercise science major. “The classes remind me of high school. It’s not nearly as hard as they said it was going to be.”

Maybe ever ything is just built up, something I never thought before. If we expect the whole thing and only get half, it makes it manageable. Suddenly, because we were told all of these false truths, we can handle college.

Other students tend to look at the glass half full.

“Always work to your fullest potential because you’ll be surprised what you can do,” said Amy Marrotte, 19, a psychology major.

I’ve always thought of college as my getaway.

If you’ve read any of my articles, you’d know that I believe in how much i n f lu e nc e a d i f fe re nt perspective can have. I thought about this question for a bit. I wanted to give a good answer so I could bring it home with me.

If I learned anything this year, it’s to find a balance in life. I came into school thinking it was a chance for a clean slate, but now I realize that coming in with such an extreme attitude could create conflict, a conflict that never ends with a solution.

Being in college and being so far away from home has given me the appreciation not only for new cultures, but also for my own. With a different scale, home doesn’t have to feel like a trap, but a safe place. Exploring the world has been my favorite experience so far, but it only makes going home that much more special.

College is a place where people succeed and fail. We lose people we loved and gain new friends who are in the process of changing our lives. It’s a place that teaches us lessons, good and bad.

Luckily, all of the lessons that I’ve found have been good ones.

That’s not always the case.

Freshman Ben Zimmerman, 19, a secondary education maj or, a d m itte d t hat adjusting is never without its blemishes.

“My lesson?” he asked with a smirk in his eye and a smile hidden behind a sarcastic face. “Don’t buttdial the campus police.”

Well, I guess that’s one that we can all agree with.

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

summer to go see “The Hangover 2.” I bet the film will be awful, but will make a killing on its opening weekend, therefore giving the general public the illusion that it is not awful.

I bet people will quote it incessantly for the next year until blood begins trickling from eardrums.

3. If you haven’t seen the following films, you should probably do so, or risk embarrassment of not being culturally competent: “Citizen Kane” (which I hate, but which you should probably still see), “The Graduate,” “Casablanca,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Raging Bull,” “Rear Window,” “Taxi Driver” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.” This is by no means a complete list, but it is a place to start.

4. You might want to stop liking these films, or unsee them if neurologically possible: “Juno,” “Scarface,” “Donnie Darko,” “ The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Boondock Saints.”

5. Step outside of your comfort zone and watch some European cinema.

Not all European film is three-hour docudramas ab out Russ i an mon k painters in the middle ages.

They have thrillers and horrors like we do – and its usually better and not dumbed down.

A lot of films are available on Netflix instant play.

While I have heard rumors

that watching movies with subtitles leads to necrotizing fasciitis, I have yet to see an actual case of it.

6. Take a film class in the English department. It will enrich your life and your liberal studies.

7. Stop buying DVDs – they will be obsolete soon and wind up at yard sales and Goodwills en masse.

8. Start stealing from the internet – it’s the American way.

9. As both President Smith and I leave our positions and are replaced, remember those tried and true lyrics from The Who: “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

While it is certain the next president will be an old, white guy, it is uncertain who the next Rocket reviewer will be. One thing is for sure – he or she will have an irrelevant opinion you most likely won’t want to hear.

10. O n t h at n ote, “Atonement” is still the greatest film ever made.

Thank you for reading for the last year and a half, cinephiles. Other than sitting through a lot of painful movies, it was a pleasure.

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

Focus

April 29, 2011

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J. Cole and DJ Bonics appreciate SRU, Pittsburgh crowds Continued from Page C-1

just a local rapper in Pittsburgh up to somebody who has a number one hit, you’re pretty much always going to be a fan of them when you follow them for so long,” Lutz said.

Through the duration of his set, Khalifa got the crowd to participate heavily, from shouting back lyrics during his performance to waving their arms in the air.

Onstage with Khalifa was Pittsburgh native, DJ Bonics, who began touring with Khalifa last year as his disc jockey.

While onstage, Bonics maintained a laid-back stage presence when behind his turntables and provided backing vocals for Khalifa during several of his songs.

Bonics also served as the host of the evening, exciting the crowd by introducing both Cole and Khalifa to the stage.

Bonics said the tour has covered ground in Pittsburgh, as well as other

cities nationwide, and will continue overseas in Europe.

He said one of the major highlights of the tour was being on national television. “[Being on] Letterman w a s pre tt y awe s ome, especially because my dad went,” Bonics said.

“How many times do your parents get to see you do Letterman?”

Aside from working with Khalifa, Bonics has worked with various other artists, such as ?uest Love, Snoop Dogg, LMFAO and Jay-Z. Bonics said while touring with Khalifa has been fun, the overall experience of the tour taught him new things about himself.

“Well, it makes me feel old a little bit,” he said, playfully rolling his eyes.

“I’m a little bit older than Wiz, so it’s fun. If I was 23 and touring with Wiz, I’d be going crazy, but I’m a little older and I’ve been having some health problems recently, so [the

tour] has taught me to relax a little bit and take in the moments.”

Prior to his rise into the music industry and to his collaboration with Jay-Z, Cole graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. John’s University with a degree in communication and a minor in business.

Cole said by graduating from college, he has a different approach to rapping than most others in the industry.

Combining his education with stories from his past and from his hometown, Cole said he tries to make his lyrics more meaningful and powerful in an effort to make the genre of music more artistic.

“I feel like it’s a dying art – not even dying, it kind of died already,” he said.

“It’s not something where I’m just like, ‘Oh, I’m going to tell a story!’ I’ve always been [telling stories], and it’s just a part of me.”

While Lutz and his friends came to the concert

alexis kovski/ the rocket

Though the crowd of 2,400 mainly attended the show for Khalifa, Cole said they were supporting for him throughout his opening set.

initially for Khalifa, he said he was highly impressed by both rappers’ performances and became a new fan of Cole’s.

He said if Cole came back to SRU or the greater

Pittsburgh area, he would go see him in concert.

“Before, I wouldn’t have,” Lutz said. “But now if he came back, I’d go see him.”

When asked if he would be interested in coming

back to perform at SRU or within the greater Pittsburgh area, C ole smiled and nodded with approval.

“Of course I’d come back,” he said.

Facebook is an informative source for uprising in Middle East Continued from Page C-1

English on them. The people speak English and will reply to you. That’s a great way to learn about what is going on over there,” said Faris.

Facebook is where so much of this is happening. It is one of the most current sources, but cannot always be completely trustworthy.

There have been attacks against the Facebook pages, hackers trying to take the page down or mislead people. The defense is to create more pages. With many pages dedicated to the cause it would be impossible for hackers to take down all of them.

The panel moderator, Dr. Andrew Colvin, an assistant

professor of philosophy, was pleased with the turnout at the panel.

His intention for this panel was to help SRU students to get a clear picture of what is happening in the Middle East. “ There is so much information in the news about what is happening, but so much of it is incomplete.

It’s mostly misinformation or sound bytes without much context,” Colvin said.

He encourages students to seek out information on their own, not just the first thing they find on their Google home page, and to read in-depth reports of what is happening.

He suggested the New York Times, but strongly

discouraged Fox News.

He felt that some of Fox’s views might not accurately portray what is happening in the Middle East.

Tuten suggested much the same thing. He hopes that the Middle East studies programs will grow over time. However, there are few classes that are offered in the field. Tuten, himself, teaches

one called “Contemporary Middle East,” but that is the only class offered at the undergraduate level.

The message of the evening was this: stay informed. Stay in tune with what is happening around the world because its effects are not isolated to those few countries, but are, in fact, global.

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Focus

April 29, 2011

Kicking off the countdown to summer with UPB

Kate sigmund /The Rocket

Annie Cavalier, freshman from Latrobe, holds up a bucket depicting her group zone during this years Campus and Community Clean Up held Saturday, April 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 18 zones were mapped out around campus and the community with members of the Green and White Society leading volunteers around.