Students, faculty and staff enjoy some spring cleaning... pages 9
discovering the U.s. on foot... pages 6-7 A weekly publication by Loras College students
Vol. 88, Issue 22
April 22, 2010
The ‘coal’ hard facts In light of another mining disaster and the environment damage posed by coal, can America ever wean itself off of this stuff? by jeni schurbon staff writer
The recent tragedy in West Virginia in which 29 coal miners were killed again begs the question: Are the benefits of coal-generated energy worth the risks? By risk, we not only have to talk about the potential dangers to the coal miners themselves, but we also have to consider the environmental damage to the rest of the population. “As for coal, I suspect pollution caused by coal kills more people than die in mines,” said Dana Livingston, professor of Spanish and the adviser to the Loras Environmental Action Forum (LEAF). “You also need to take into account the extraordinary environmental cost that comes from mining coal, especially the kind that tears mountain tops off to get at the coal and then pushes the debris into the river and stream valleys.” It’s hard to imagine a job that is more dangerous than coal mining, as the tragedy in West Virginia yet again confirms. Those who work in the mines also are subjected to insidious residue and toxic gases that pose serious, long-term health consequences. Nonetheless, there has been significant improvement in the safety of coal mining over the past century. According to msha.gov, the year 1907 was the deadliest year in U.S. coalmining history, when 3,242 deaths were directly attributed to mining. coal — by The website says the record low of the numbers 55 deaths was achieved in 2004. “My opinion, though, is that coal miners do live dirty and dangerthe estimated amount of ous lives, but the cost to our nation coal used annually by is not limited to just that sector of each person in the U.S. the population,” Livingston said. “Coal is expensive no matter how you look at it: the environmental costs to mine it, the pollution from the age of the average burning it, the deaths from mincoal miner in the U.S. ing it. Coal is, currently, irreplaceable.” Many defenders of coal have number of Americans a valid argument when they say employed by the coal that coal currently is a necessary industry evil for insatiable American appetite for fuel. CNN reports that more than one-half of our energy in the the percentage of the U.S. is generated from coal, priworld’s supply of coal marily because it is more affordgenerated by the U.S. (the U.S. produces about able than other forms of energy, 1.1 billion tons each year, according to David Cochran, professor of politics. second only to China) .“Of course, relatively cheap — Source: teachcoal.org electricity from coal is nice to have, and coal is an abundant resource (more plentiful then oil, for example), but I do believe the environmental and health costs of coal are unsustainable, so we need to move away from it as a source of power generation,” Cochran said.. As the dominant fuel source for the U.S., coal has incalculable importance to the U.S. economy. However, an often-cited but controversial belief is that the U.S. already has something akin to a 250-year supply of coal, assuming Americans continue to use it at the same rate that it is currently being used.
3.8 tons 50
174,000 20%
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Dance Marathon participants play Twister at the Fieldhouse.
photo by jim naprstek
Wowie! $106,209 Dance Marathon adviser says Loras is the first college with fewer than 2,000 students to raise more than $100,000 by surya pandey staff writer
The Duhawks had been waiting for this day for a year. The fifth annual Dance Marathon team was ready to welcome yet another night of dancing and dedication “for the kids.” On Friday, April 16, the ACC was lit up with decorations. Long before the event started, in the morning, there was an unusual flow of people. Then around 6 p.m., the concourse really became crowded with colorfully dressed dancers wearing orange, yellow or red apparel. Dance Marathon 2010 was the most succesful year yet, raising a total of $106,208.95. This money was raised through the fundraising by the dancers, through community-outreach programs and from the aid of the sponsors. This sum was around a 21 percent increase from last year, and the proceeds will be donated the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital to support the children battling terminal illnesses and and their families. “We had more students participate (nearly 300) than ever,” said Kim Walsh, the adviser to the program. “Loras College was the first institution under 2,000 students to raise more than $100,000 in the history of Dance Marathons.” “I would say that this year’s Dance Marathon was full of “firsts,” said junior Allison Zawaski, an executive board member. “We are always raising money for a great cause (the kids), but this was the first year we hit six digits. “We are always hiring entertainment companies that will keep all of our dancers entertained, but this was the first year that we had a foam par-
This sum was around a 21 percent increase from last year, and the proceeds will be donated the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital to support the children battling terminal illnesses and and their families. ty, giant twister and a dance power hour,” Zawaski continued. “We have always kept all of our dancers hydrated and energized, but this was the first year that all of our food and drinks were donated.” The night started off at 8 p.m. with a video clip of the committees and an enthusiastic countdown. A welcome note from Kelli Theisen, chairperson of the 2010 Dance Marathon, followed a tribute to the departed souls of the kids who were being supported by the marathon in previous years. This filled the ballroom with silence for a brief moment which kindled the zeal for the night. In prayer, the Rev. John Haugen reminded everyone of the great cause they were present for. To sanctify the dedication of the Duhawks, the event welcomed and recognized some of the children and families that were being supported by the organization. Some of the families shared their miracle stories of how their child survived through the harsh conditions, and they extended their thanks towards the efforts
of DM in helping them fight through those hard times. “What I love about Dance Marathon is that every single person in the room has their mind on the kids,” said sophomore Andrea Tobon. “I love talking to the families that have so much to say. To know that I am contributing to a change in people’s life motivates me.” Another highlight of this year’s event was the presence of Zac Johnson, the national director of Dance Marathons from the Children’s Miracle Network headquarters in Salt Lake City. He expressed appreciation for the effort and astounded the Duhawks with the outstanding fact that Loras ranks number one in the nation on the basis of per-capita fundraising. The fun started as the morale team performed a dance, and the crowd joined in. The idea was to repeat the same morale dance throughout the night at different locations. The marathon was entertained by multiple skits performed by the various committees of the organization. Skits also were performed by the members of other organizations on campus like FOCUS and the swimming team, and also by the staff from Student life office, the Residence life and Campus Dining.
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index
News........................1-3, 8-9 Opinion........................4, 10 Fun Page.......................... 5 Features......................... 6-7 Sports......................... 11-12