The Rocket 3/25/2011

The

Rocket Slippery Rock University Student Newspaper Est. 1934

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AmeriCorps at SRU: Volunteering to help

March 25, 2011

Volume 93, Number 21

Protest: United we stand, underfunded we fail Rallies, letter campaigns voice budget-plan upset

By Courtney Nickle Rocket Assistant News Editor

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Aryn Pennington (left), a 19-year-old sophomore health care administration major, Anthony Derosa (middle), a 21-year-old senior art education major, and Kelsi Randall, a 21-year-old senior art major, protest Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget outside Old Main Tuesday.

Over 100 people attended the rally.

Over 100 students, faculty and staff rallied outside of Old Main Tuesday in protest of Governor Tom Corbett’s proposed budget cuts.

Corbett’s budget cuts, which slash state funding for public universities by 51.4 percent, inspired the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties to organize rallies across the state.

Thirteen of the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools held rallies on Tuesday. Kutztown University held its March 17.

Dr. Jace Condravy, SRU APSCUF President, said she was pleased by the turnout at the rally, given the short notice of the event.

“Given the fact that it was only announced four or five days ahead of time, I thought it was a credible showing,” she

said.

Ashley Cook, a freshman education major, said she attended the rally because the proposed budget cuts would affect her in more than one way.

“This affects us and our future as teachers,” she said.

Katie Campbell, a senior political science major, was one of the speakers at the rally.

“All of us today share a common goal and a common hope that the governor’s proposed budget fails,” she said.

“In this time of uncertainty, we can grow stronger as an institution by working together in every way to help influence our representatives.”

Jeremiah Rosser, SGA president, said he has been talking with the student government leaders at other PASSHE schools.

“Throughout the different SEE SIX, PAGE A-3

SGA election results Council of Trustees adds new student fee to tuition announced, only eight

By Eric Busch “Even though our students are no longer majority firstpercent of students vote generation college students, Rocket Staff Reporter

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Jordan Bailley, elected Thursday as the SGA president for the 201112 school year

By Eric Busch

Rocket Staff Reporter

All but one of the nominees running for the 2011-12 SGA Executive Board ran unopposed in this week’s election, which had a 702-voter turnout— about eight percent of SRU’s student body.

Current Vice President of Student Affairs Jordan B a i l l e y, o n e o f t h e unchallenged nominees, was announced Thursday as the new SGA president.

Bailley said he found it difficult to stay motivated to get his name out to students since he was unopposed.

“L ast year I put so much time and effort into campaigning and running against someone that it was easy to stay motivated,” he said.

He said not having to defeat an opponent may have limited the surprise

factor of the election, but it wasn’t the most deflating part.

“What took away (from the victor y) more was having Logan Miller not win,” Bailley said.

Miller ran against Josh Rodgers for Vice President of F i n a n c i a l A f f ai r s , the only position on the executive board with two candidates.

Rodgers won the seat as an independent, making Miller the only member of the People’s Party running for the executive board to lose.

The other executive board positions went to Katie Campbell, VP of Campus Outreach, Kim Sloan, VP of Administrative Affairs, and James Henry, VP of Student Affairs.

He n r y, t h e c u r re nt Building F Senator, is a freshman experiencing SGA elections for the first time.

“Running unopposed the first time didn’t help me learn the process,” Henry said.

He said not having a challenger might have effected how thrilling his victory was, but that won’t change his contribution to SGA. “It does take away from the excitement, but I will still work just as hard,” Henry said.

Though the election wasn’t difficult for both Bailey and Henry, they

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

President Robert Smith gives a budget presentation at the Council of Trustees executive session March 18 in Old Main.

The SRU Council of Trustees voted all-in-favor Friday of adding a new fee onto tuition and increasing two others.

The council agreed to add a $101 Student Union fee to tuition for the next academic year. This addition, which will contribute to the cost of the new union, will be split into two payments between the fall and spring semesters.

The council also agreed to raise both the meal plan and residence hall fees. Next year, the meal plan fee will be 5 percent higher.

The residence hall fee will grow by 3 percent next academic year.

Dr. Jace Condravy, APSCUF president at SRU, took time during the public forum to talk to the council about Governor Tom Corbett’s proposed budget cuts.

they are still working class,” Condravy said.

She said SRU can’t afford to cut anything else and entrusted the council to act as “gatekeepers” to ensure the school maintains a level of quality.

Condravy also said the state would be wise to invest in SRU. She said studies have shown that for every dollar the state puts into SRU, the university returns $18.60 in benefits on that dollar.

President Robert Smith also used his time at the meeting to discuss the proposed budget.

He said the university will move on with its advocacy strategy. He said the advocacy group, Rock Nation, is now operating a Facebook page, which should allow it to gain support nationwide.

SEE STADIUM, PAGE A-2

APSCUF salary freezes could save up to $13 million

By Kacie Peterson Rocket Editor-in-chief

T he Ass o c i at i on of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties expects to save between $8 and $13 million with it s f a c u lt y m e mb e rs ' salary freeze for the 20112012 school year, should a d m i n i s t r at or s a g re e , according to Steve Hicks, state APSCUF president.

“At one point we had a budget scenario where we would get a three percent increase, so about $12 or 13 million,” Hicks said. “Then it went down to zero. Our SEE NEW, PAGE A-2 expectation is two or three

percent, so the $8 to 13 million range.”

Hicks is uncertain about whether administrators will accept the salar y freeze.

“I really don’t know,” Hick said. “We made the a n n o u n c e m e nt a b o u t how we are willing to negotiate a wage freeze and we’ll negotiate with the administration.”

Negotiation meetings are planned for the next three Fridays.

“The ball is very much in their court,” Hicks said.

According to Hicks, the negotiation might not be made at the next meeting.

“If they say, ‘We’re not interested in a one year contract,’ or ‘We’d rather work on a one year,’ it’s hard to say,” Hicks said.

“With the deadline, a oneyear contract would take uncertainty off the table.

It’s a matter of discussion and negotiation.”

G o v. To m C o r b e t t suggested the freeze during his address where he announced the proposed budget, and PASSHE presidents thought it was a good idea to go along with it, Hicks said.

“People are worried about universities closing and larger classes, so it

JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET

Steve Hicks, Pa. APSCUF president

wasn’t a tough sell,” Hicks said. “It was a unanimous decision.”

The union’s contract is SEE HICKS, PAGE A-2

News

Rock Notes A-2

Hicks doubts APSCUF contracts renewing by June 30

Continued from Page a-1

Mornings with Mike

Pa. Representative Mike Kelly will be at Luigi’s Restaurant on Main Street on March 26 from 10-11:00 a.m. for an informal meeting to discuss issues within the district and the nation.

Seating is limited.

Slickstone Video Festival

SRU’s 3rd annual Slickstone Video Festival will be held March 28 in ECB 111 from 6-7:30 p.m.

Safer Sex Olympics

HOPE (Healthy Outreach Through Peer Education) peer education and Adagio Health are sponsoring “Safer Sex Olympics” on Tuesday, March 29 at 8 p.m. in the University Union MPR. Students are encouraged to put together teams of 5-7 participants, who will show their skills in the Condom Race, Pregnant Belly Race, Condom Darts and more. If you are interested in participating, please contact the HOPE peer educators at srupeers@yahoo.com by Friday, March 25.

Pi Kappa Alpha Golf Outing

Pi Kappa Alpha is sponsoring a golf outing on April 30 at Oakview Golf Club. Registration opens at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The event fee is $75, which includes 18 holes with a cart and dinner. Registration forms can be found in the CSIL Office or at srupikes.webs.com and are due

by April 15. Anyone with questions can contact Corey Stebbins at 814-823-9726 or cds9013@sru.edu.

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. Completed forms should be submitted to the Union Information Desk beginning April 1. Forms may also be faxed to 724-738-2116 or sent to Sharyn.McGallis@sru. edu. Requests will be processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Cole at

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

Forecast from National Weather Service Saturday Friday Sunday Mostly sunny

High: 40; Low: 20

Chance showers

up June 30 at all 14 of the Pennsylvania State System of Hi g he r E du c at i on schools.

Hi c k s’s out l o ok on whether the contracts will be renewed by that date is doubtful.

“Given the political and economic environment, our professional negotiator is hard pressed to see us get a deal by the end of June,” Hicks said.

But in order for the contracts to pass, the puzzle pieces must fall into place.

“It would be a lot of logistics that keep it from being done,” Hicks said.

“All the information that’s needed and having the

Chance of snow and rain

High: 38; Low: 23 High: 38; Low: 23

people there to seal the deal won’t be there in time.”

But Hicks isn’t worried about the state budget not passing in time and said the reason it hasn’t in past years was because of former Governor Ed Rendell.

“The Republicans want to have everything be done

by Memorial Day,” Hicks said. “The April income numbers will be in because of income taxes on the 15th. There will be a real spike when we get the real income numbers.”

Corbett predicted $27.3 billion, according to Hicks.

Wit h t h e prop o s e d budget, universities are planning for worstcase scenarios, Hicks said. And to help, Hicks

isn’t sugarcoating the facts.

“I’m tr ying to be as factual as possible,” Hicks said. “We’re talking about people’s jobs and the future. You can look at the $270 million hole and nobody believes that it will be completely filled.”

This year seven of the 14 PASSHE campuses reported they experienced retrenchment, when last year only three filed retrenchment, according to Hicks.

“It’s irrational that this [budget] isn’t going to have an impact on jobs,” Hicks said. “Slippery Rock, from a distance, looks well managed and is not experiencing the same kind

of retrenchment [as other schools].”

But SRU will still feel the impact of the budget, with a projected loss of $17 million, according the Hicks.

“In the economic forecast, the numbers aren’t good,” Hicks said. “People are concerned less about wallets than programs and class size.”

Though the budget will affect PASSHE schools, Hicks hopes it won’t prevent universities from hiring new faculty.

“I would hope that as people retire, people would be hired for permanent positions,” Hicks said. “The long term commitment is to students and programs.”

New board Stadium changing to Mihalik-Thompson expecting in honor of current head football coach also led the football team achievement. the NCAA playoffs three “I would like to thank the hardships The council also agreed members of the Council toconsecutive seasons from Continued from Page a-1

Continued from Page a-1

re a l i z e t h e u n c e r t ai n financial future of SRU could have an affect on their ability to enact change next year.

“It’s probably going to be one of the hardest years to be on the executive board, because of the budget cuts,” Henry said.

Bailley is looking forward to the experience next year’s potential hardships.

“While disappointing and nerve-wracking, it’s also exciting in a way,” he said.

Henry said a project he was working on this year for SGA had to be put on hold because of the cuts.

"I know how it's going to work next year, but I'm not intimidated by it," he said.

B aile y said students should do what they can to try and limit the amount of funding SRU will lose.

Index

Weather

March 25, 2011

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

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

to change the name of the football stadium to MihalikThompson stadium in honor of current head coach George Mihalik.

A small presentation ceremony was held at the beginning of the meeting to congratulate Mihalik and his family, who were in attendance, on this

of Trustees for supporting Presidents S m i t h’s recommendation to put the Mihalik name on the stadium,” Mihalik said.

Mihalik has been in charge of the football program at SRU since the late 80s.

He is the Rock’s all-time leader in wins and a member of the SRU hall-of-fame. He

1997 to 1999.

Smith also took this time to announce SRU has been named the 34th safest school in the Nation and is a 2010/2011 College of Distinction.

He said 14 Pennsylvania schools received this title, and SRU was the only public institution.

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News

March 25, 2011

A-3

Police Blotter Magistrate March 16 – Kenneth Clair Gravatt, 44, of Clarks Mills, Pa., was seen for two counts of DUI and open lewdness.

He was released on his own recognizance.

March 16 – James Traylor, 19, of McKeesport was seen for theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.

He was released on his own recognizance.

March 16 – Charles Warren Reagle, 25, of Portersville was seen for two counts of DUI and driving an unregistered

vehicle. He was released on his own recognizance.

Campus March 16 – Permit was reported stolen on South Main Street. SRUPD gathered information, but the incident was out of their jurisdiction.

March 17 – Christian T. Adams, 18, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol after an alcohol violation was reported in Building A. March 18 – Report of a missing parking decal in the Physical Therapy parking lot.

March 17 – Report of a missing parking decal in the Union commuter lot.

March 18 – Report of damage to a parked vehicle on Rock Pride Drive. The case is under investigation.

March 17 – Report of a missing parking decal in the East Lake parking lot.

March 18 – Kayla Boulton, 19; Cynthia Brennan, 18; Hannah Huwe, 20; Theresa Litz, 18, and Katelyn Salvatore,

19, were cited for underage consumption of alcohol and Andrew Hinkle, 22, and Nicholas Vassilaro, 22, were cited for disorderly conduct after an alcohol violation was reported in Building B. March 19 – Nathan Shearer, 19, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol after an officer checked on a running vehicle parked in East Lake parking lot.

March 19 – Amanda Cerminara, 18; Jordan Chepke, 19, and Meghan Lavrusky, 18, were cited for underage consumption

of alcohol after an alcohol violation in Building B.

the alarm is unknown. Safety was notified.

March 20 – Brock Birden, 19, was cited for disorderly conduct and Abby Schon, 19, was cited for underage consumption of alcohol after there was a report of individuals arguing with a desk attendant in Watson Hall.

March 22 – Report of theft of computer parts from the Advanced Technology and Science building. The case is under investigation.

March 21 – Report of theft at Boozel Dining Hall. The case is under investigation.

March 21 – Fire alarm was activated in the Rock Apartments and the building was evacuated. The cause of

March 22 – Report of theft of food from North Hall. The case is under investigation.

March 23 – Jacob Martinez, 23, was cited for DUI after a traffic stop on Stadium Drive.

Compiled by Courtney Nickle

Six SRU students to attend advocacy hearings in Harrisburg April 4 and 5 Continued from Page a-1

universities, the student government presidents have been meeting and talking to make sure that we put forth the students’ best interest to the government,” he said.

Rosser will be among the group of six SRU students attending the advocacy hearings in Harrisburg April 4 and 5.

Provost William Williams said unity is the most important thing at a time like this.

“We need everyone on campus and in the state system to work together to bring about a favorable resolution in the terms of a doable budget,” he said.

Condravy said the proposed budget cuts would hurt the financial well-being of Pennsylvania instead of helping it.

“A healthy, adequately funded state system of higher education will help Pennsylvania recover its financial state,” she said.

“Inadequate funding will simply slow down our recovery and drive the sons and daughters of Pennsylvania to other states to complete their degrees.”

APSCUF handed out postcards with the slogan “United we stand, Underfunded we fail” to everyone at the rally. The union also typed up a list of Pennsylvania representatives with their respective regions and addresses. A list of talking points was also provided to help attendees get started on writing letters.

Several letter writing campaigns have already been started at SRU, including one

by Pi Sigma Alpha, the political

science honorary.

Pi Sigma Alpha held two letter writing sessions, one March 17 and one on Thursday.

According to Campbell, president of Pi Sigma Alpha, the idea to hold writing sessions came up at one of the meetings.

“We talked about ways that we could get involved and help to get students involved,” she said. “We thought it would be great to host a letter writing event for students, faculty and staff.”

Suzanne Mcardle, a senior political science major and secretary for Pi Sigma Alpha, said the first letter writing session produced about 60 letters.

“Most of them were from students but there were two or three faculty that came and wrote letters as well,” she said.

Campbell said the

participants were provided with a couple of sample letters, talking points and the addresses for their representatives.

According to Mcardle, the goal was to have each participant write five letters to send out to their representative and senator at home, the representative and senator for Slippery Rock and Governor Corbett.

“Students wrote to various combinations of these people and most wrote one or two letters,” she said.

The envelopes and stamps were provided by APSCUF, and Pi Sigma Alpha took care of mailing all of the letters out the next day.

Dr. Linda Zane, professor of elementary education/ early childhood, started a letter writing campaign in her classroom.

Zane said early last week

she showed the students in her three early childhood education theory and practice classes an article about the proposed cuts to education.

“Ninety-nine percent of the students in my classes are studying early childhood education, so the budget cuts have the potential to affect them both as students of a state funded university and as future educators who will be looking for jobs in the area,” she said.

Zane said she told the students in those three classes that she would mail out any letters they wanted to write.

“Between my three sections I have 180 students total,” she said. “About 120 wrote letters.”

APSCUF also funded the envelopes and stamps for Zane’s letter writing campaign.

At the rally, Condravy announced that anyone

wanting to send a letter to Harrisburg could bring it to 138 Patterson Hall and APSCUF will put a stamp on it and mail it out.

APSCUF also announced Monday that it is prepared to negotiate with the state system on a wage freeze next year, meaning the faculty would not receive any raises.

According to Condravy, this decision was made Sunday by the negotiations committee, which is made up of the chapter presidents of all 14 PASSHE schools.

“Six or eight months from now the hope is that the country and the state will find itself in a more stable financial position,” she said. “But if it doesn’t, I believe APSCUF is always open to negotiation for what’s best for the entire state system.”

OPINION A-4 The Rocket

March 25, 2011

The Rocket

Our View

Volume 93, Number 21 220 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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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.

People’s Party leaves no room for choice in elections This week was election week for Student Government Association.

Taken by surprise? So were we.

There seemed to be a lot missing that usually surrounds SGA election week.

Where were the banners? Where were the chalk drawings? Where we re t h e c omp e t i ng parties? Where were the posters that reminded students to check their e-mails? Where were the Facebook groups and inbox messages?

We didn’t s e e any campaigning at all.

Perhaps that’s because there was only one party: the People’s Party.

What is the People’s Party? Clearly, we know who it represents—the people.

But what do they stand for? We haven’t heard or

seen anything relating to political platforms.

We understand that there are certain rules and regulations put in place in order to keep the campaigning fair and square between all. But we’re almost positive that the rules don’t say there should be no campaigning at all.

We’d kind of like to know how the presidentelect (we assumed Jordan Bailley would win, as he is the only name on the ballot) planned on working with the students in order to represent our voices for next year.

So if you took a look at the ballot, perhaps you noticed that out of five positions, only one has two candidates. The other four run unopposed.

Where’s the excitement in that?

When the ballots came

president.

But we’d like to point out a bigger issue here.

We noticed a lack of interest in student body politics.

May be the idea of running the place looked too daunting to handle?

There are a lot of responsibilities attached to any SGA position, just ask the students who’ve spent any kind of time involved with the organization.

But that’s not an excuse to shy away.

That’s more of a reason to get involved. SGA can’t function without student voices. And with the same ones year after year, there’s no variety.

There are no new voices or ideas.

And we also had a problem with the way students heard about t h e e l e c t i ons . Word

on the street was that s ome students ne ver received e-mails that linked to the elections on CompassLink.

There were contradicting times for when the voting would end.

CompassLink informed students that March 25 at noon would be the final time to cast a ballot. But the mass s t u d e nt - w i d e e - m a i l posted the deadline as 11:59 March 23. That’s quite a difference in time.

Political parties could have had 36 extra hours to campaign.

Oh wait. There was only one party to begin with.

When you casted your vote for the elections, we hope you voted for a candidate that stood for something you believe in.

We only wish we knew what the People’s Party stood for.

Editor’s Note In the March 18, 2011, issue of The Rocket, the article titled “SRU baseball returns from road invitationals with .500 record” was incorrectly attributed to Tim Durr. The article was written by Debbie Hilton. We apologize for the mistake.

Online Voices

Last issue's poll...

What are your opinions about the proposed budget?

Burning Question Who did you vote for in the SGA election?

We had elections?

The People’s Party, duh.

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.

in and the winners were read, was there be a drum roll with fingers crossed in anticipation?

Wou l d t he re b e a recount like there was in the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore?

We’re guessing probably not unless you ran for vice president of financial affairs.

But there were write-in opportunities. There was a chance to add a little bit of diversity into the mix.

And by diversity we mean suggesting names of people who actually exist, not names of people, places or animals that couldn’t run for office. Smokey the Bear and Pat McGroin are not acceptable answers.

But who knows? We could have had the greatest upset in SGA history if a write-in candidate won

The only guy not on the People’s Party ballot.

I deleted that e-mail.

70respondents

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

Opinion

March 25, 2011

A-5

U.S. bombing of Libya’s tyrant commits to helping rebel fight

Spencer Cadden The Silent Majority S at u r d ay w a s t h e eighth anniversar y of President George W. Bush’s announcement that the U.S. would be invading Iraq.

There were protests over the issue and discussion, but as far as the news was concerned there were much more pressing issues militarily. A tyrant has ruled Libya, like many Middle Eastern and African countries. Moammar Gadhafi has been the ruler of the country since a military coup in 1969.

As many of us in America noticed, Arab nations throughout the world have been waging civil wars and rebellions in an unprecedented number.

Libya has been no different.

Rebel fighters began pushing against Gadhafi and his backers and they had been gaining ground.

Gadhafi’s forces, however, have dug in and seem to be winning the fight. The international community has taken notice and the U.N., with the support of the Arab

League, created a no-fly zone over Libya in an attempt to slow down Gadhafi’s advances on the rebels.

Gadhafi and his generals chose to fly anyway and last Saturday the international community came to support the rebels. In a joint task force made primarily of British, American and French forces, ships and planes bombarded Gadhafi’s communication lines, military bases and various strategic points.

This was largely a surprise to the international community and it has many of us at home asking “why?” Why on the anniversary of Iraq did we choose to bombard another Arab nation?

Well at this point no one seems to know the exact reason. According to the White House, it was simply to enforce the U.N. sanctioned “no-fly zone.” President Obama has assured the American people that there will not be any American troops on the ground in Libya.

There has been speculation that we have intervened for other reasons. Oil has been a popular explanation, but I believe it’s more than that.

Gadhafi simply has to go.

Gadhafi made a speech Tuesday saying that all Arab nations should unite to support him against the western “crusaders.” Earlier in the week he made a similar speech in which he called on his African and Latin

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Alfusainey Kambi, from Gambia, proclaims his innocence in Benghazi, Libya, Wednesday, March 23, 2011, against charges that he was serving with Moammar Gadhafi’s military forces fighting against Libyan rebels, even as a revolutionary official confronts him with documents allegedly proving his involvement

American brothers to aid him against western power.

What the Libyan dictator has failed to realize is that he has virtually no allies in Africa, the Middle East or Latin America. The Arab League supported the no-fly zone and there have been no real condemnations of U.N. action from any African or Latin American leaders.

While U.S. motives remain

unclear, one thing is for certain: the gravest mistake we could make at this point is not providing U.N. resources to rebel fighters. While we have strategically bombed Libya, we have committed ourselves to aiding the rebel forces there.

If we don’t continue our support and Gadhafi wins this battle, he will go down as the hero who defeated

the west. He will become a symbol amongst dictators throughout the Middle East.

It could effectively repeal all of the democratic changes being seen in other Arab nations.

It remains to be seen how America will act in Libya.

We still maintain active war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, so I can’t see how taking on another fight could help

the Obama administration or America. Unfortunately, America has got itself into another fight and the repercussions of that struggle could prove deadly.

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

NBC comedy “Outsourced” plays on funny experiences, not stereotypes

By Geetika Tandon Lizardi Los Angeles Times MCT Campus

Last pilot season NBC made a crazy move. It green-lighted an unlikely new sitcom set in a Mumbai call center. “Outsourced” was the hippest thing to happen to South Asians in the United States since Madonna discovered henna.

As a writer, I was thrilled to hear about the show, not only because I’m an American of Indian descent but because I recently lived in Mumbai, helping my husband run a call center. Let’s face it, if my agent couldn’t get me an interview on this one, I might as well move back to Mumbai.

As it was, I got a dream job. “Outsourced” debuted to solid reviews from the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. With no big-name stars to draw viewers, it still ranked as high as No. 2 among the network’s scripted programs

last fall. Even after a midseason move to 10:30 p.m., “Outsourced” remains one of the most DVR’d primetime shows.

In my time on the writing staff, I’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the show, especially from members of the South Asian community. Positive comments on Twitter after the show airs heavily outnumber critical ones, and according to the New York Times, even an audience of call center workers in India loved the show.

What’s odd, then, is the level of vitriol directed at us by some reviewers. They’ve called it “insulting and condescending,” filled with “offensive stereotypes” and based on “obvious cultural ignorance” on the part of the writers. New fans of the show seem to feel the need to post and tweet apologies for liking it: “I’m sorry but I really love ‘Outsourced’” or “I think ‘Outsourced’ is hilarious. Don’t hate me.”

Based on their bylines,

most of the offended parties are not from the Indian community. Perhaps they don’t realize that we have five South Asian writers on the show telling stories that often come straight from our personal experiences. Or perhaps they don’t believe Indians should make fun of themselves.

An early episode featuring the “Indian head bobble” came from my non-Indian husband’s confusion in communicating with his call center staff. A sequence about Todd, the American boss, and his difficulties boarding an Indian train was inspired by a story another Indian writer shared about his grandmother, who spent a lifetime struggling to push her way onto crowded Indian trains, then employed the same tactics on her first visit to America, elbowing whole families to secure her spot on the monorail at Disneyland.

These stories made us laugh in the writers’ room.

Yet when we highlight

cultural differences on the show, we risk being called offensive. One online c om m e nt ve h e m e nt ly accused us of racism for the following line: Todd: “I didn’t know you guys celebrated Valentine’s Day.” But ignorance of a foreign culture isn’t racist; it’s just ignorance.

And as for stereotypes: S i mp l e , r e c o g n i z a b l e characters are the building blocks of all comedies. The templates we build on are universal ones: the shy wallflower, the ruthless boss, the guy with no social skills.

We don’t use what I consider to be Indian stereotypes: doctors, engineers, Spelling Bee champs, Kwik-E-Mart owners. (And for the record, I’m a huge fan of Apu on “The Simpsons.”)

“Outsourced” is not a documentary about call centers. It’s a comedy, which means we tweak and exaggerate to get a laugh.

Yet we also have moments of truth that are deftly realized.

When Todd encourages

Madhuri, the call center’s wallflower with a beautiful voice, to pursue fame and fortune as a singer, she informs him that she already has her dream job.

It’s a moment that rings true to a pragmatic Indian value system. When Todd encourages Rajiv, his Indian assistant manager, to pursue the woman of his dreams in spite of her father’s disapproval, it also rings true.

Americans aren’t as hung up on parental approval, and Todd’s encouragement proves to be a positive catalyst in Rajiv’s life.

At the end of the day, the characters in “Outsourced” care about each other and learn from one another.

Those who only cite offensive stereotypes are missing the spirit of the show (or perhaps they’ve never actually watched it).

What I love most about “Outsourced” is that the humor ultimately comes from a place of affection.

It’s pilot season again, which means TV execs are

once more making decisions about which shows to greenlight and which to cancel.

My greatest concern is that “Outsourced” is being judged superficially _ on the color of its skin, so to speak, instead of the content of its characters.

“Outsourced” has the potential to celebrate our cultural quirks, to build bridges between communities and perhaps, most important, to prove that there is a viable alternative to the “one brown face in a white ensemble” model of “diversity.”

As t h e Hol ly wo o d Reporter put it, “It’s still hard to believe that the network took a chance on it; the public should do the same.”

Watch the show. Give it a chance. And don’t feel guilty if you like what you see.

Geetika Tandon Lizardi has written for film, stage and television. She wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.

SPORTS

The Rocket

B-1

March 25, 2011

Lacrosse loses third straight match

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Pittsburgh Pirates centerfielder Andrew McCutchen looks to lead from the top of the Pirates lineup this season.

Pirates doomed for another long year

Bill Kostkas

The Voice of Reason Everyone knows I love my football.

I’ve always tried to hide it, but I’ve also

developed an attraction to college basketball and the excitement it provides for everybody around this time of year.

B oth of those have given me plenty of special moments in my life.

I’ll never forget the heartbreak I felt when the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the New England Patriots in the 2004 AFC Championship. Nor will I ever forget being there to SEE YOUTH PAGE B-4

ARCHIVED PHOTO

Junior attacker Alexis Slutsky drives down the field in a match last season against Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and looks to find an open teammate. Slutsky is third on the Green and White with 11 points (eight goals, three assists). The Rock lost its past three games against three top-8 nationally ranked teams.

By Tim Durr

Rocket Assistant Sports Editor

Three-straight losses for Slippery Rock women’s lacrosse have the team feeling better than imagined.

That’s because the losses were to three schools ranked in the top-8 nationally for Division II women’s lacrosse.

Junior midfielder Casey Quinn had a positive outlook on the three-straight losses and said it was a kick-start that the team needed.

“We have played some of the

best lacrosse that I have seen in three seasons here,” Quinn said. “I think those games gave us the jump start we need to show that we can be a threat in the PSAC.” The most recent loss came at No. 6 West Chester University of Pennsylvania. SRU played to a 6-6 tie at halftime before the Golden Rams opened the second half with two quick goals.

West Chester scored five more goals in the second half and defeated SRU, 13-9. Quinn led the Rock with five goals and

also handed out an assist in the effort, while junior midfielder Emma VanDenburg added two goals.

Quinn leads the Rock in scoring this season with 18 points (16 goals, 2 assists). She gave credit to her teammates.

“My teammates are the ones who have given me the opportunity to score,” Quinn said. “My goal each game is to come off the field knowing that I worked hard and did all I could.”

Prior to losing to West Chester, SRU traveled to face

No. 7 Mercyhurst College and lost, 16-5. Green and White head coach Emily Hopkins said that the loss to Mercyhurst was the biggest letdown of the past three losses because SRU struggled throughout.

“Mercyhurst was the biggest letdown of the past three games because we felt like we didn’t put forth our best effort against them,” Hopkins said.

“We fought back late but it wasn’t enough.”

SEE ROCK, PAGE B-3

Rock cruises past Vulcans at home

By Bill Kostkas Rocket Sports Editor

ARCHIVED PHOTO

Senior pitcher Shauna Walker winds up to send a pitch toward the plate in a game last season. Walker is 3-2 so far this season, has a 1.81 ERA and has 21 strikeouts this season.

Pitching staff leads softball on return home

By La'Var Howell Rocket Contributor

Making the comparison of the start of the Slippery Rock softball team’s season last year is better left in the past.

At this point in 2010, the Green and White’s record

was 5-5. This year the Rock is off to an 8-2 start.

Un f o r t u n a t e l y, t h e Rock still hasn’t been able to begin its home schedule due to weather cancellations.

Doubleheaders against E d i n b o r o Un i v e r s i t y of Pe n n s y l v a n i a an d

Wheeling Jesuit University were postponed to March 29 and 24, respectively.

The Rock is coming off of three-straight wins, over Lake Erie College (6-5), Holy Family University (5-2) and St. Cloud State University (4-1) in its road trip in Kissimmee, Fla. The

Rock also added a sweep of a doubleheader against Virginia State University (10-1, 11-0) in Petersburg, Va. on March 17.

Assistant coach Becky Sciaccia said that the

SEE SRU, PAGE B-3

Taking three of four, or playing .750 ball, is the consistency every team strides to achieve. The Slippery Rock baseball team seems to have that down once again after it first two doubleheaders, having returned from the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

The Rock hosted California University of Pennsylvania (11-8 overall, 1-3 Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferenceWest) last Sunday and visited the Vulcans for another twinbilling on Saturday.

The Green and White took both wins at Jack Critchfield Park with scores of 3-2 and 2-1, respectively. On the road at California, the defending conference champions, it split (2-9 and 7-5). In the 3-2 victory, senior outfielder Matt Howard was 2-for-4 from the plate to lead the Green and White effort. Defensively, freshman Ryan Oglesby recoded the win, his third of the year. Freshman Lou Trivino started the game.

He notched six innings and gave up two runs, one earned.

In the 2-1 win, DiRuscia and junior infielder Lee Foxton

drove in both Rock runs.

Sophomore Joby Lapkowicz made the start and earned the win. He finished the day with five innings pitched, no earned runs and three strikeouts.

Freshman reliever John Kovalik earned two innings in relief, along with two strikeouts.

At California, senior shortstop Adam Jury came away with three RBI’s, one of which was in the seventh inning, in the Green and White’s 7-5 win.

Foxton also came through in the seventh inning with an RBI single.

The Green and White was able to erase a 5-2 deficit in the top of the seventh en-route to the comeback win. Senior Zach Jeney got the win, bringing his record to 1-1 on the year and Oglesby got the save. Jeney pitched six innings, gave up five runs (two earned) and struck out three. In the 2-9 loss, senior pitcher George Herbert was tagged with the loss (12) for the Green and White.

The Rock hitting stalled, only notching five hits in the game.

The Green and White’s next game is a doubleheader against West Liberty State College tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Jack Critchfield Park.

Sports

B-2

March 25, 2011

Top of the

Second NBA Power Rankings

10. Memphis Grizzlies: Three-straight wins and the Grizzlies are holding onto the final spot in the Western conference right now.

This team is getting hot at the right time.

9. Dallas Mavericks: Winning 50 percent of its past ten games, the Mavericks have slumped some, but still hold the third spot in the East and will be a threat in the playoffs.

8. Boston Celtics: With the best scoring defense in the league, Boston has a huge lead in the Atlantic and the No. 2 seed overall in the East.

7. Orlando Magic: The Magic look to have the fourth seed locked up in the East and ended its recent slump by winning four-straight games.

6. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are looking to make the Thunder a contender in the West and are solidly in fourth spot in the conference.

5. Miami Heat: The ups and downs of the Heat have continued all season, Miami has won six of seven after losing five in a row.

4. San Antonio Spurs: Still holding the best record in the West, the Spurs have struggled somewhat as of late, but the veteran bunch witll be a force in the playoffs.

3. Denver Nuggets: Ever since the trade of Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets have appeared more focused and won 11 of its last 15.

2. Los Angeles Lakers: After losing to the Heat, the Lakers have run off four-straight and locked up the Pacific division title.

1. Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose has the Bulls looking like the team that was led by No. 23 in the '90's and are 13-2 in the past 15 games and hold the top in the East.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Virginia Commonwealth University looks to make a run into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament after being forced to win a play-in game to make the field of 64.

Which Cinderella team will last longer in the NCAA tournament?

Tim Durr

Assistant Sports Editor

VCU There is one reason and one reason only that I have Virginia Commonwealth as the longest lasting Cinderella story in the NCAA tournament. That reason is because it has the best chance of getting to the Elite Eight.

Butler has to face Wisconsin, which will be a tough match up for both teams, Richmond faces No. 1 seeded Kansas, and Marquette takes on No. 2 seeded North Carolina. VCU takes on No. 10 seeded Florida State. A team that has had its ups and downs all season, and even though FSU knocked off Notre Dame in the 3rd round, VCU has a solid chance to win this game. VCU isn't the best remaining Cinderella story, Butler is. The difference is that VCU has a better matchup than Butler.

Bill Kostkas Sports Editor

Marquette The saying is that the Big East Conference doesn't particularly perform well when it comes time to put up or shut up in the NCAA Tournament. There are only two teams left from the conference, the University of Connecticut and Marquette. The two teams that were picked to be taken out of the tournament earlier. Maybe the two teams are the exception to the rule? Marquette has the better chance between the two. The Golden Eagles are coming off of a big upset over Syracuse and now face a North Carolina team that barely put away the Washington Huskies.

Don't forget that it could possibly face other lower seeded teams such as Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond along the way.

What's On Tap.....

A quick look at the week-to-be in sports -Fri., Mar 25, 7:15 p.m.

-Fri., Mar 25, 9:45 p.m.

-NCAA Basketball: Kentucky vs Ohio State - Jared Sullinger looks to lead the No. 1 seeded -In this East region Sweet 16 match up, the Tar Heels will look to avoid the upset against Big East Cinderella Buckeyes past the young Kentucky Wildcat team in this East region Sweet 16 match up and move on to the Marquette and get back to the Elite Eight for the first Elite Eight. time since 2008.

-NCAA Basketball: Marquette vs North Carolina

Sports SRU home games rained-out March 25, 2011

B-3

ARCHIVED PHOTO

Junior attacker Samantha Eddy makes a pass in a game last season.

Rock looks forward to Millersville game Continued from Page B-1 ARCHIVED PHOTO

Junior shortstop Kirsten Brant throws the ball toward first base, looking to make a play in a game last season. Brant is batting .419 this season and has two RBI's.

Continued from Page B-1

effort so far has been great from the plate and out in the field.

“The reason why the team is doing so well is because of the effort that each player is putting in and their inability of quitting,” Sciaccia said.

The team is hoping that its performances so far will help it to be in good position as the season continues.

Defensively, the top pitchers for the Green and White so far have been junior Shaylee Ianno and senior Shauna Walker.

E ar n i ng P S AC - We s t Pitcher of the Week honors for the second week in a row, Ianno has been a threat towards opponents on the mound beginning the year 5-0 with an ERA of .62, good enough to be the top pitcher ont he staff in the category.

Calculating an ERA of

1.81, Shauna Walker has also done her part to stay productive for the Green and White on the mound.

Walker said that the team has really come together.

“Not on l y are t h e veterans doing their job, but the underclassmen are also a reason why the team is doing well this season,” Walker said. “By the show of performances and stats, the players off the bench have shown that they are able to provide

an additional stretch to help the team win. The underclassmen are able to step out of the dugout and get the job done no matter if it is an out for our defense or an RBI for our offense.”

Walker went on to quote one of her teammates.

“I think our very own Jenna Giebel explained our season the best of all by saying, ‘Greatness is what we are on the brink of,’” Walker said

The Lakers went on an 8-0 run against the Rock in the middle of the game to extend a one-point lead to nine points.

SRU was outshot 26-17 in the game, but won the majority of the faceoff draws, 15-7. Quinn led the Rock with three goals while VanDenburg and junior attacker Alexis Slutsky each added one goal.

The three games against top8 nationally ranked teams started with a home game against Gannon University.

The Golden Knights opened up a 7-2 halftime lead, but the Rock fought back to tie the game at seven with 24:07 to play. Gannon won the game

by a final score of 13-10 with 5:50 to play and not being able to close the gap.The Rock fell to 2-3 overall (0-3 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) and will face Millersville University of Pennsylvania today at 4 p.m. in Millersville. Quinn said that the Rock has to do a few things to get back on track against Millersville and has to be more consistent.

“It isn’t that we need to get back on track against Millersville and Shippensburg, but we have to play with consistency,” Quinn said. That left us playing catch up. If we can keep play consistent for the whole game, we will be in good shape this season.”

Sports

B-4

March 25, 2011

Youth in lineup means another losing season for Pirates Continued from Page B-1

see Troy Polamalu return an interception for an AFC-clinching touchdown in the 2008 season.

I’ll also always remember all of the buzzer-beaters I watched during the NCAA Tournament.

All of those have been great, but they will never replace some of the first ones that were instilled into my memory.

I’m sure that most of you can relate.

Why is it that I’m rarely upf ront ab out t he m ?

Because I’m ashamed.

After all, the team that provided them for me hasn’t had a winning season since I was fouryears-old.

S om e of my m o s t cherished memories are heading through the gates of Three Rivers Stadium with my dad to watch my favorite team play.

I had my first Primanti’s sandwich at a Pittsburgh Pirates game with my dad.

I remember attending the final series at Three Rivers and stealing dirt from home plate as one more last keepsake from the cathedral of my childhood.

As important as they are to me, I still want the one memory every sports fan wants from their team.

It just hasn’t come yet. It hasn’t been close either.

Pirates’ fans ask the same question every year around this time.

Will the Pirates make it past the .500 mark? Every year we ask it and every

year it seems like the team teases us with an aboveaverage start to the regular season to get us partially excited.

But then it goes into a major swoon the next month where it loses 19 of its next 20 games.

Ever y three to four years, there’s been hope.

There have been a few players that had loads of potential, like Chad Her mans en and Kris Benson, that at least let us fantasize of a winning team. But none of them ever panned out.

When players did pan out they were severely injured or shipped out because of salary dumps— a term that goes hand-inhand with what the Pirates are all about.

Every time there was a salary dump, we were told by the front office that it was the beginning of a new rebuilding phase.

That scenario has been played over and over for us. It’s the only thing we expect from our baseball team.

Here we are coming into the middle of yet another of this team’s rebuilding phases.

The Pirates have all of the young talent a team can possibly want.

A n d re w Mc Cut c h e n and Pedro Alvarez are the brightest spots this franchise has had since Barry Bonds played in Pittsburgh.

If you throw in guys like Neil Walker, who can hit for average, and Jose

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Pedro Alvarez comes off of his rookie season where he hit .256 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI's in just 94 games last season.

Tabata, who has excellent speed, you’re looking at one heck of a line-up in a couple years.

I’d love to say that this would be the year, but that’s hard when a team finished dead last in the National League in batting average (.242) and runs

scored (587).

A team that earned a run average of 5.00, also dead last, doesn’t help either.

There are some that have also said that the hiring of new manager Clint Hurdle will help grow the young talent that make the Opening Day roster.

I doubt one guy will be able to make that much of a difference.

But we van't forget he was also just in the World Series again as the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers in their loss to the San Francisco Giants.

It doesn't matter what

experience he garnered from taking the Colorado Rockies to the World Series in 2007.

I think about what it would be like to have a winning baseball team all the time. It looks like we are all going to be doing the same this summer.

FOCUS

The Rocket

C-1

March 25, 2011

Spreading awareness of disability discrimination

Joe Yarzebinski /THE ROCKET

(From left) Chaz Kellem, Josie Badger and Mike Novitski were among the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network (PYLN) board members to speak at DRIVE's first open panel Tuesday night.

By Andy Treese

Rocket Assistant Focus Editor

In a given day, you may pass, observe and interact with many different people, some of which may be visibly disabled. Some people you see may not appear to be disabled, but there may be more to them than meets the eye.

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), 18 percent of the American population – over 51 million – classify themselves to be fully or partially disabled.

Discrimination is an issue for those who are visibly

trying to change the attitude towards disability and make the campus a better forum and place for our students here,” Browne said.

Being a newer organization to campus, cofounded by Browne and SRU graduate Joe Yarzebinski, DRIVE held its first open panel 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of the campus’ Diversity and Democracy series. The panel featured visibly and non-visibly disabled guest speakers from the Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network (PYLN), including board members Josie Badger, Chaz Kellem, Jordan Hinds and Mike Novitski.

With an audience of 75 people, the speakers each told their stories about their disabilities and explained that the way to treat someone who is disabled is to treat them like you wish to be treated.

“A n o t h e r purpose [DRIVE] has developed is getting people who don’t have disabilities to know how to interact with people who do have disabilities,” freshman environmental studies major and member liaison, Elizabeth Smith, said.

According to senior community programs for Americans with disabilities major and DRIVE treasurer, Melanie Nussbaum, 21, another goal of DRIVE is to help create positive changes that further accommodate disabled students and faculty on campus.

Nussbaum said students have noticed problems with the currently-provided handicap ramps, in ease of access.

“Most of the handicap ramps are hardly accessible, and in special education classes [students] got to try

or not visibly disabled.

An issue that the campus organization, Disability Rights: Initiating Voices Ever y where (DRIVE), wishes to lessen by spreading d i s a bi l it y aw are n e s s , according to junior English literature major Sarah Browne.

Browne, 20, DRIVE president and co-creator, said the group’s approach to spreading awareness for disability is to hold informational sessions open to students and faculty in addition to working with those who are disabled.

“Basically, we are here SEE DISABILITIES, PAGE C-3

Stephanie Nicotra/ The Rocket

The sisters of Sigma Sigma Sigma prepared their cardboard home for the Americorp volunteer event in the Quad in front of Bailey Library. The Center for Student Involvement and Leadership office helped provide cardboard. Each participating group was required to donate 10 can goods.

Raising awareness for the homeless

By James Meyer Rocket Contributor

As the warm spring days were interrupted by a cold, snowy morning Thursday, Amer iC or ps memb ers were preparing for their cardboard village event to remind people that there are some who have no shelter from the cold.

“Cardboard village is an awareness event for the homeless, and it’s to get students to think about what they can do to give back,” Chere Wyland, 25, a graduate assistant for AmeriCorps, said, “It’s a learning experience.”

Students participating in the event stayed in the Quad in shifts from noon Thursday to noon Friday using only cardboard boxes for shelter.

AmeriCorps is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that sponsors volunteer

pro g r ams . C ard b o ard village is just one of the many opportunities AmeriCorps has provided for students to volunteer t he i r s e r v i c e to t he surrounding communities.

On the previous weekend, AmeriCorps members and other student volunteers participated in the MiniCare Break at Braddock, Pa. The students spent their weekend picking up litter, cleaning sidewalks and doing maintenance jobs at the Carnegie Library, where the students were housed for the weekend.

Student volunteers worked alongside community organizers, with whom AmeriCorps has a longstanding relationship.

“We chose to go to Braddock because we have that relationship with the community organizers,” Timothy Plumberg, 20,

a s ophomore Eng lish education major said. “It keeps us coming back and helping out that area.”

Sus an S erge, 24, a graduate assistant, said that her most memorable experience with AmeriCorps was going to Shanksville, Pa., on Sept.

11 of last year.

Shan k s v i l l e is ne ar the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001.

“We got to listen to Laura Bush and Michelle Obama speak, which was amazing, and then we got to do some volunteer work down there,” Serge said.

AmeriCorps works through the Center for S t u d e n t I nv o l v e m e n t and Leadership in the Student Union to provide opportunities for volunteer experience and to give help where it’s needed on a local and national level.

Old Stone House

By Stephanie Nicotra Rocket Focus Editor

AARON COWAN/ THE ROCKET

Historical re-enactments are just one of the many events the Old Stone House Museum offers on weekends. The summer will bring open-hearth cooking programs to the house.

When John Brown was welcoming travelers to the wayfarer inn, he probably wasn’t thinking that the stone house he built would be a museum 189 years later.

Built to accommodate business from Pittsburgh to Erie in 1822, the Old Stone House can be found at the intersection of Routes 8, 173 and 528, a short drive from SRU. The house changed hands several times throughout its life.

It was a post office, a Civil War muster point, and a hangout for two gangs of counterfeiters and eventually a farmstead according to the museum’s Web site.

The structure was abandoned in 1918, falling into disrepair until 1963 when the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy restored it to attract tourists north.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission operated the site for 20 years after that, but the recession of the 1980s caused PHMC to partner with SRU. In 1999, SRU took over ownership of the site and the history department now manages it.

Dr. Aaron Cowan, assistant professor

of history, has been curator of the Old Stone House Museum since he began teaching at SRU in 2008.

“We are one of the few universities that has this kind of facility,” Cowan said. “It is a real advantage. When you are in high school, most students usually can’t remember the details of what they learned in history class, but everyone remembers those trips to Colonial Williamsburg or Gettysburg. Having a tangible experience is what makes history memorable.”

The Stone House is open weekends and various events are scheduled. Civil War re-enactments attract the largest crowds, as well as, the Halloween ghost tours.

The summer will bring cooking programs to the house using original recipes from the pioneer and Civil War era and a community library readingprogram with storyteller Jack Norton.

“I think that’ll be interesting,” Jennifer Melnick, 25, a graduate assistant for the Old Stone House and parks and resource SEE MAKING, PAGE C-3

Focus

C-2

March 25, 2011

Predestination paranoia makes film predictable Film pick of the week:“The Adjustment Bureau”

MICHAEL CHIAPPINI "To See or Not To See?"

2 Stars

I don’t know a single person who’s into science fiction that I would ever want to be in a room with for more than five minutes. They’re a dime a dozen in the English department. They creep into literature and creative writing classrooms and spread their paranoia and android-love like a noxious sleeping gas.

OK, that’s kind of harsh, but it’s pretty close to the truth.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a science fiction film that I fully enjoyed.

“Gattaca,” 1997, might be the exception, but it’s relatively low-key for its genre. Science fiction is stuck in 1982, forever emulating “Blade

Runner.” “Blade Runner” isn’t bad by any means. It’s entirely appropriate for the year it was released in. But it has set an odd precedent that science fiction seems to emulate. And it has created an unnatural love for Phillip K. Dick, the half-baked writer who penned the novel it was based on.

“The Adjustment Bureau” is based on a short story by Dick and follows suit with the paranoia of the genre.

Newbie director George Nolfi, a screenplay writer for “Oceans Twelve” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” lets his love of the paranoia state shine through. The film tells a relatively simple story (sans-androids). David Morris (Matt Damon, “True Grit,” “Invictus”) is running for Congress when he runs into Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt, “Gulliver’s Travels,” “Sunshine Cleaning”) in a men’s restroom.

Suddenly, David begins to notice men following him, men in suits and fedoras (the uniform of anyone working for the paranoia state). They tell him they work for “The Bureau” and they intervene when things go slightly wrong. In this case, he wasn’t

Michael's DVD Pick This week, I highly recommend viewing the 2009 Greek film “Dogtooth.”

The film is an eerie examination of a family kept from society by the father of the household, of two sisters growing up in linguistic and cultural obscurity, cut

off from the world.

Wh e n a s t r ange r bre a k s t h e bu b b l e o f t h e i r f a t h e r ’s constructed reality, the film moves towards all the grandeur of a car crash – it is impossible to look away.

Find it on Netflix Instant-play.

Photo Courtesy of MCT Campus

(Center) Matt Damon plays David Morris who accidentally meets Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). An organization called 'The Bureau" warns Morris to forget Sellas, but instead Morris falls in love with her. The film involves concepts of predestination and government control.

meant to meet Elise. They urge him to forget her.

Later in the film, David and Elise meet again, the time they were supposed to meet. But of course, they’ve disturbed the laid-out and orchestrated plans “The Bureau” has set up. Of course, they fall in love (this is Hollywood, you know). David is warned if he doesn’t forget about her, he will have his memory erased.

From here, the film turns into a chase, for the pair is in love and love can’t be given up because this America!

I stopped paying attention somewhere around this point because the film lapses into predictability and the paranoia of predestination.

Why is science fiction so obsessed with predestination?

Why, almost thirty years after the apocalyptic vision of “Blade Runner,” has nobody

Diversity series offers students a new perspective on democracy

Chloe Finigan "Freshman Insider" I sat down in the Union’s Mu l t i - P u r p o s e R o o m and watched a panel of five people give their perspective on religion.

The event was called, “The Outsiders: Religious views for Non-Believers,” and it was just one event during the diversity and democracy week.

These last three days in the MPR, many events have been held that touch on issues such as race, disabilities and women.

The events gave students a perspective by using personal stories, so the idea is more relatable.

The events varied from small presentations to maj or sp e a ke rs . O ne major speaker was, “Living like a Weed,” a personal presentation by Jiy-Hann Chang. Chang was a quadriplegic from a young age, but his story is about the amazing achievements

he has accomplished despite his disabilities.

The events help students cope with everyday life, and it can even turn small problems and put them on a larger scale. You may have gotten a ‘D’ on your last test, but this man has no legs, so I guess I can move on.

The speaker from “No legs, no problems,” Rohan Mur phy, was another person who showed that even though life gives us obstacles, with optimism and perseverance we can get through any hard task.

My personal favorite was the events that were QAI, the religious views for non-believers, the audience got to hear many different opinions.

The panel was made up of five different religions: Hindu, Judaism, Christian, Baptist and Islam. They covered most of the world’s largest religions, and that gave many different perspectives.

Not only was the panel made up of different religions, but also when the audience got to ask questions there was more of a debate.

The speakers were very different, and it gave a little something for every

student. It allowed every person to find something that they could relate to or wanted to relate to.

Some smaller speakers gave talks about racial diversity. They asked about what you thought your racial identity was. And they even stretched to what was the white racial identity when dealing with minorities.

These three days gave students the opportunity to understand the world from a different point of view without taking money out of their wallets and only taking up an hour in their day.

The events were all very relevant. They didn’t dwell on history or have a speaker tell us about an event that happened 20 years ago, instead they showed us how issues are alive today in society and gave us another way to look at them.

The events gave students a new perspective and all without paying a cent.

That’s w hat col lege should really be like, in my personal opinion.

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

realized that computers are not taking over lives? Why do people think there is some magic government facility that decides when you go to the bathroom?

I think the paranoia surrounding the predestined state is really an ideological apparatus to mask that absolutely nothing is happening. All that exists is free will, and I think that scares people more than

predestination. Other than economic and political forces that keep the marginalized in slums and gays from marrying, there is little forcing you to do anything. All your choices are your own.

Still, predestination is a creature of comfort that I’m sure isn’t going away anytime soon. I’m glad it’s only relegated to one genre for the time being.

So, is this film worth

seeing? If you get-off on paranoia then sure. It isn’t particularly moving, and it isn’t particularly exciting. If you believe in the Illuminati, you might like it. Otherwise, I’d wait for it to come to Redbox or something.

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

Focus

March 25, 2011

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Disabilities, school can be very difficult

Joe Yarzebinski/ the Rocket

Speakers at DRIVE's open panel Tuesday night spoke about the importance of treating those who are disabled as equals rather than be treated in a discriminating manner.

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them out using a wheelchair, and we had trouble getting up the hills,” Nussbaum said.

Based on her experience with a non-visible nerve disability, senior psychology major and DRIVE secretary, Rachel Mazzarella, 21, said there are also problems with disability accommodation in some classrooms.

“I’ve had issues with teachers, whether it’s needing more time for tests or turning things in,” Mazzarella said. “I’ve had a lot of teachers that do

not understand or are not empathetic to needs that need to be met.”

Mazzarella said she thinks the cause of the lack of understanding on the teachers’ behalf is the lack of experience when it comes to properly dealing with students that have disabilities.

“I don’t think a lot of teachers have dealt with [student disabilities], or if they have, it’s mostly people with visible disabilities,” she said. “There needs to be more advocacy and possibly training in order for teachers

to fully know how to deal with different disabilities.”

According to Browne, the organization is working with President Smith’s

commission on disability issues in hopes of getting changes to take place with the campus’ disability accommodations. She said progress is being made, but is thus slow going.

“The progress has been slow, simply because people who have disabilities may be ashamed of it,” she said.

“Now for somebody who has a wheelchair or has a visible disability, it’s a little bit different. But those who have hidden disabilities are less likely to admit that they have them, and we not only want to change people to admit what they have, but to be proud of it.”

With the organization working with the president’s commission as well as continuously working to spread disability awareness, Smith said more progress is always possible with achieving their goals through the power of new ideas.

“I think DRIVE could do really, really well with our new ideas coming in,” she said. “Even if some don’t go through right away, we still have a bunch.”

I don't think a lot of teachers have dealt with [student disabilities], or if they have, it's mostly people with visible disabilities.

-Rachel Mazzarella, 21, a senior psychology major and DRIVE secretary

Brady Crytzer /THE ROCKET

The Old Stone House has been a museum for almost 50 years and has been owned by SRU since 1999.

Making history fun Continued from Page C-1

management major, said about the storyteller. “It’ll be a really good non-historical event.”

Melnick became the first non-history graduate assistant for the Stone House last August.

She s ai d t h at she loves working with the community and that it has been really fun.

“It’s a great way to engage the community and make history fun,” Melnick said.

The Old Stone House, while the facilities are taken care of by the university, has a budget for programming of about $500. So Cowan and Melnick have to be creative with fundraising.

They’re always looking for volunteers.

“It’s a good experience and you don’t have to be history majors to help,” Cowan said.

In the future, Cowan

would like to open the house more often throughout the year. There are long-term plans to build replicas of a blacksmith shop, stables and an outdoor kitchen.

These were the original vision but it is a long range plan Cowan said as he waved his hand to that distant future.

“I definitely would like to build the cooking program up,” Cowan said. “I would like to offer special dinners, tavern dinners, where everything is completely in period.”

He said he would like to continue archeological excavations of the grounds to discover more about the original occupants of whom do not much is known.

“The Old Stone House is very valuable to the community and university, it is where the community can get a sense of its past,” Cowan said.