The Towerlight (Dec. 2, 2014)

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Dec. 2nd, 2014

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December 2, 2014

As Towson students close in on winter break, they got a taste of the month-long break with a few days off for Thanksgiving last week.

Because of the time off, campus was fairly quiet, but the Towson family used social media to celebrate all that they are thankful for, even while snow fell, while some went out to the annual Turkey run in Towson. Some students even got anxious after dinner and were ready to come back, while some’s favorite part was Black Friday, and they spent the day shopping.

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December 2, 2014

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Scanning the map for jobs Geography alums give advice on on life after graduation KRISTEN ZDON Staff Wrtier

Towson University graduates David Lucas Marin and Veronica Musick, and current student Edmund Cronin, discussed their internship and job experiences, while offering advice in the field of geography last Friday on campus.

Marin and Musick are both Geographic Information Systems Technician at McCormick Taylor and study the physical side of geography, according to Musick.

“I was hesitant at first, as most GIS students kind of are, but once I got into it, I found myself enjoying it a lot,” Marin said. “My dad always told me you want to find a job that you don’t mind getting up in the morning for, so every day is pretty fun.”

Marin said it is rewarding to apply new learned information at McCormick Taylor, especially when it involves GIS. “[GIS] can be applied to so many things, basically anything has a geographic component so you can apply that to planning, change over time, and literally asset managements that we are collecting information,” Marin said.

“Everything has a geographic aspect to it and that’s what

kind of leads into me learning how to apply technology, and research that technology makes things more efficient and easier to do and more clear in depicting it and representing it and talking about it.”

In addition, Cronin has experienced two internships, with the federal government and the Baltimore County

“

My advice is not to think you have to be an expert out of the gate, if you ask those questions and are serious about finding your passion and therefore your career, baby steps.

DAVID LUCAS MARIN Towson alum

Department of Public Works.

“It was very interesting because I had the opportunity basically to improve my GIS skills, digitizing maps and highway district maps so that the purpose of them was to help the local 911 system operators figure out which ambulances they could send into which areas based on traffic,” Cronin said.

Cronin said he even had the chance to collect data for a pilot study for a science geo database with the internship.

Cronin received his internship with the federal government through a workforce recruitment program where individuals can apply for internships.

He was able to send resumes out to government agencies through a database and receive interviews.

However, Musick said she has not had an internship because she discovered geography her junior year, but is always learning about geography, and that encourages her to be involved for the rest of her career.

“I talked about web mapping, it’s just fun to learn about what’s up and coming, you learn about these new things that you may have not learned about in class,” Musick said.

Musick said the what is most helpful about the geography major is that it is so broad and has many different components, even though students make the false assumptions that geography students only deal with maps.

“Human geography was one of the things that made me fall in love with it so I think it’s important to see all the different sides of it because there is so many and because of that, it’s almost if you are interested in one thing, you can pretty much go for it, and that’s pretty cool about the major,” Musick said.

Marin said both of his parents make maps for the government and that was influential in his decisions to pursue it, but he has always been a curious person as well, which led him to geography.

Marin said his advice for individuals in the geography major is to not become overwhelmed by not knowing everything, because learning is continual, even in a career.

“My advice is not to think you have to be an expert out of the gate, if you ask those questions and are serious about finding your passion and therefore your career, baby steps. It starts small, and you cultivate a passion through that and through those opportunities and experiences that you either find, and are thrust upon you or you make for yourself,” Marin said.

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Cover

CARLEY MILLIGAN Arts and Life Editor

Editor’s Note: Because of the nature of Adderall usage and sale, the last names of some of these students have been withheld to protect their identities.

It’s Sunday night and junior Brandon has just gotten off of work.

He still has a pile of homework to get through and is already exhausted from working all weekend. He turns to the half pill he has stored in his desk and about 30 minutes later he is flying through his workload, focused on the task at hand.

“Adderall puts you in the mood to do your homework and then it helps you to focus on one task,” Brandon said. “After an hour of doing something, if you want to take a break, when you are on Adderall, you don’t need to take that break.”

Adderall is a pharmaceutical drug used to treat individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

However, it has become increasing popular among college students, including those like Brandon who are not affected by ADHD. For him, it is simply a tool he uses to improve his performance in school.

“It’s a time saver, and college students are always the busiest people because they have their regular lives along with school. If you are busy and you only have this one night to get it done…you take the Adderall and get it done in one night,” Brandon said.

Brandon uses Adderall roughly seven to eight times per semester, almost always for schoolwork. He said that the drug makes him feel as though he never has to sleep or take a break and allows him to complete his work faster. He is not the only student that feels this way.

In a study of 1,253 college students conducted by professors from the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, 31 percent of the students studied have used Adderall at least once, and half of them were offered it at least once before their senior year.

“Adderall is prescribed, so its not like people have to grow it or cook it or whatever. They can just go to their

December 2, 2014

doctor and get it,” Brandon said.

According to the previously mentioned study, 74 percent of all users who don’t have a prescription get their Adderall from a friend who does have a prescription. Brandon said that because of this, he rarely has trouble finding a dealer. He mostly buys from his friends and only has difficultly finding it during finals week when the drug is in high demand.

It is not difficult to find a student with a prescription. In 2013, an estimated 6.4 million children ages 4-17 had received an ADHD diagnosis at some point in their lives, a 16 percent increase since 2007 and a 41 percent increase in the past 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Erin, a junior, has been prescribed Adderall since her freshman year of college when she felt like the increased workload made it more difficult for her to focus on and manage her work.

Although she is prescribed 60 20mg tablets each month, she feels that she only needs to take one per day during the semester, leaving her with an excess of about 30 pills each month which she sets aside to sell.

“I started a few months after I started being prescribed to it because I wasn’t using all 60 tablets a month … If I have extra then I’m more than happy to give it to people who need it,” Erin said.

She sells her pills at a rate of $5 for two, and allows her customers and friends to purchase as many as they need at a time. Erin said that she always sells them within two weeks of getting her prescription because the demand is so high, and although she enjoys the extra income, she does not think that the profit is worth getting caught.

In Maryland, Adderall is considered a Schedule IV drug. Any manufacturing, distributing or possessing with the intent to manufacture, distribute or

dispense it can result in up to five years of imprisonment, $15,000 in fines, or both.

Both Brandon and Erin say that they don’t worry about the possibility of getting caught because they only sell to or buy from their friends and coworkers, not strangers. Despite selling to only a small group, Erin said that she never has to let people know she is selling her Adderall.

According to her estimation, roughly 75 percent of the people who purchase Adderall from her use it for schoolwork, and occasionally they purchase it to get through a long day at work. However, Adderall has recently developed a new use as a party drug, and according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 95.4 percent of college students in their study who use Adderall non-medically were also alcohol drinkers.

“I sometimes take Adderall before drinking, especially if I have worked all day, because it keeps me awake and more excited throughout the night instead of just having a few drinks and getting sleepy,” Erin said.

Although both Erin and Brandon reported no negative effects from Adderall other than difficulty sleeping, anxiety, or feeling as though their heart was beating faster than usual, statistics show that misuse can be dangerous. According to a study by The Drug Abuse Warning Network, in 2010, 31,244 people were transported to the emergency room for abuse of ADHD drugs.

“I do think Adderall can be danger-

ous if you don’t have a prescription, because it affects every person differently,” Erin said. “It isn’t meant to be taken for those without ADD, and shouldn’t be abused, but the reality is that it helps college kids like me to get their work done and focus, and most of the time people don’t care if it’s dangerous or not.”

Brandon said that he doesn’t consider Adderall to be dangerous, as long as users know what the drug will do to them, and plan accordingly by remembering to eat food and stay hydrated. Oftentimes he said users would forget to eat because the drug doesn’t make you feel hungry. Despite this, he justifies his use of the drug because he uses it almost solely for schoolwork and does not plan to continue using it after he graduates.

“Adderall is good, it helps you with school, it’s not bad. Just because it’s a prescription drug if you are taking if for school I don’t see anything wrong with it,” he said.

Towson 2012 alum Pamela Daugherty-Smith, who currently attends University of Baltimore School of Law, said that she abstains from using Adderall, especially for her schoolwork.

“I also don’t use it in law school specifically because of the grading curve. Essentially, how well I do depends on how well everyone else does. I think in this context, it’s cheating because if I score higher on the exam because of Adderall, it adversely affects someone’s grade,” she said.

Although she did not use the drug

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in her undergraduate studies, she does think that the availability of the drug has increased significantly in the past years.

“I think it was easier for me to find in undergrad, if I had wanted some…Although I’m sure, and especially from working in the restaurant industry, I could find some if I really wanted it,” Daugherty-Smith said. “It is prescribed to more undergraduate students so the market of available pills just continues to grow for students that are not prescribed it,” Daugherty-Smith said.

And although Erin said that she does not currently know many other people who sell Adderall, she did know several dealers when she lived in the on-campus dorms her freshman year.

Although acquiring a prescription for Adderall is a complicated process, Erin said that college has allowed the popularity of the drug to grow, and that the effects of the drug are exactly what college students are looking for.

“I think Adderall has become very popular among college students because it can be used for a variety of situations in our every-day life, like school, work, or partying,” Erin said. “It gives you that extra boost you need and makes you excited about normal every day tasks that you would normally be bored doing.

It actually makes you excited about writing a 10-page paper that you put off until last minute.”

- Jonathan Munshaw contributed to this article.

Symone Garvett/ The Towerlight

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Arts&Life

December 2, 2014

Connections on campus Students speak out through art CARLEY MILLIGAN Arts and Life Editor

Towson’s campus is full of individuals with one thing in common: They are all students.

A new project on campus known as Humans of Towson is dedicated to finding a way to bring students closer together and providing a glimpse into the lives of total strangers, showing them that maybe they have more in common with each other than they originally may have thought.

“The whole idea behind it is to take the time to interview complete strangers, get to know them in a way that goes beyond the surface, and be able to share that with the community,” junior and mass communications major Rachel Ungvarsky said. “It takes faces that we walk past everyday and makes them more relatable, ultimately, more human.”

Ungvarsky and a group of students first came up with the idea for the website after being assigned a final project in their honors seminar class called Mr. Rogers 101: Why Community and Civility Matter in the 21st Century.

“By the end of the course, students realize that civility is about much more than random acts of kindness or simply being polite,” Andrew Reiner, the professor for the course, said. “They learn that community is a much more complicated and demanding thing to create outside of their friend tribes than many of them initially imagined.

Perhaps most important, they learn why ideas like civility and community matter more than ever in a world that increasingly has little patience or tolerance for either.”

Students were assigned to work individually or in groups to find a way to change and improve upon some aspect of Towson’s community. Ungvarsky said that they were inspired by the work done by the popular site Humans of New York and felt that a similar approach could work on campus.

“It gives people a chance to really connect to each other. It’s interesting to read about a little piece of who someone is and be able to relate to it or to appreciate how real and true it is,” Ungvarsky said.

Nursing major and junior Beth Stephens also worked closely with the project and said that Humans of Towson will help to bring students on campus closer together.

out…It’s a terrific first step at build“I feel like we are all really split ing community here on campus with up because everyone goes home on no sacrifice required.” weekends and everyone is in these Humans of Towson has a different cliques and this and that,” Wordpress website as well as a Stephens said.

Facebook, however the Humans She said that the goal of the webof Towson Instagram is run by a site is to highlight a random student separate group of students, who by posting a picture of them above a Stephens said recently contacted single quote that shows the readers her to express their desire to operwho the individual truly is. ate separately from them due to “It is just every few days highdifferences in ideas for the organilighting someone. They may not zation. necessarily be who they look like, However, Stephens said that they they have a different side to them,” are currently hoping Stephens said. to expand the moveThe photos and ment in other ways. quotes are chosen You’ll end up learning “We are looking for carefully in order to reflect who the so much more about people to help out and join. [Humans person in the pichuman interaction of Towson] is fairly ture really is. This and other people, small at the moment,” is why some of the photos are straightand you’ll get to see Stephens said. “We are not an exclusive club, forward headshots, how a little thing like we don’t have a presiwhile others feathat can make a dent or anything like ture students doing their favorite activicommunity feel so that so try to make everything a group ties such as hulamuch stronger. decision because it’s hooping or working RACHEL UNGVARSKY about Towson, it’s on an art project Junior, Mass Communications major not about one person. for class.

The essence of it all The quotes come is highlighting the students; we are from an interview conducted by a not really trying to become some big member of Humans of Towson from grandiose thing.” which the most powerful quote that Reiner said that he hopes that sums up the essence of that person students will continue to keep is chosen.

Humans of Towson alive, even after “I can say having done interviews the founding members have gradufirst hand for the page, it’s one ated, as it is a natural community of the best experiences and probbuilder on a campus that he feels is ably like nothing you’ve ever done often fragmented. before,” Ungvarsky said. “You’ll get “I think it just brings us all closer butterflies and you might even be together because if you see someone an awkward fool trying to approach walking down the street, you know someone out of the blue for the first nothing about them. But if you saw time, but that’s human. You’ll end them on Humans of Towson the up learning so much more about day before you’d be like, ‘Hey I saw human interaction and other peoyou mentioned that you like this or ple, and you’ll get to see how a little that, I also like this or that,’ it just thing like that can make a commuopens a little bridge between people nity feel so much stronger.” making people more recognizable to Reiner said that Humans of each other instead of just a bunch of Towson allows viewers the opporstrangers,” Stephens said. tunity to learn something about Ungvarsky also spoke about how a fellow student they may have she feels Humans of Towson is an otherwise never known and allows easy way for students to get connectstrangers to engage with each other ed and relate to each other better. if only for a few minutes.

“When you’re upset or feeling “In a world where we walk around down, it can show you that you campus with our eyes glued to our really aren’t alone in your struggles phones or where we look for reabecause it’s all just a part of humansons to ignore people we know in ity,” Ungvarsky said. “When you public who aren’t part of our small need a laugh, you’ll certainly find circle of friends, this is no small one. It’s real and meaningful, and thing,” Reiner said. “What’s more, everyone can relate to it in some this platform takes down the walls way.” that many of us keep up, day in, day

“

HELEN GRAFTON Contributing Writer

In order to educate the community on issues of social injustice like oppression and prejudice, the Council of Diverse Student Organizations (CDSO) created the event “What’s Your Ferguson” to give students the opportunity to express their experiences and emotions through their art.

“Art is a universal language that we all understand. Discussing issues of oppression and discrimination is not a light thing and we wanted to find a way to package it so that students who aren’t as passionate about social justice can finally be exposed to it,” Council of Diverse Student Organizations Co-Chair Bilphena Yahwon said.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, students filled into a room in the University Union to witness a showcase of students performing monologues, songs, dances and speaking out against their own personal oppression.

The showcase opened with a video from Ferguson, Missouri showing some of the disruption that has taken place following the death of Michael Brown.

The short clip showed riots in the streets and tear gas being sprayed on men, women and children.

However, the event was not solely inspired by the events at Ferguson. The idea was to showcase all the types of injustices and prejudices that students in and around the Towson community face on a daily basis. The event took place before the decision by the grand jury in Ferguson not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot Brown.

“This event was inspired by the injustices faced by women, faced by members of the LGBTQIA community, faced by Muslims, faced by black boys and black girls, faced by immigrants.

The name Ferguson was attached to this event only because we wanted to relate it back to what is currently happening,” Yahwon said.

This video was followed by performances from Towson students, some told their stories though monologues and slam poems, while others sang cultural songs. Between each of the student’s acts, short videos were shown displaying protests in Ferguson and clips of news anchors reporting on the death of unarmed African American men.

Junior Esther Park was just one of many to follow these clips. Park per-

formed a monologue about overcoming society’s idea of beauty and standing up for who she is.

“I know that a lot of times Asians are perceived as people who are really quiet and just don’t really talk and I thought this was a good chance for me to share my story because outside of Towson, or any university, you really wouldn’t have the opportunity so I thought this would be a good chance,” Park said.

The showcase also featured guest speaker Tawanda Jones, whose brother Tyrone West was murdered by Baltimore City police officers in July of 2013. Since then, Jones has been an active member in the Baltimore community.

“We’re very active in the communities. We go to every town hall meeting that we hear about and we protest in various agencies,” Jones said.

Both Jones and the CDSO encourage students to take a stand and speak out against prejudice. “[West’s death] is highly publicized because we made it highly publicized by letting everyone know what happened.

We weren’t going to be swept under the rug,” Jones said.

Yahwon also agreed that students should be educated on the events happening in the world. She hopes that students now have a better understanding of what it means to live in a world where people have to deal with this type of injustice.

“I think one of the biggest problems with what’s going on Ferguson is some people feel “well, this didn’t happen to me so it’s not my problem,” Yahwon said. If we’re able to understand the hurt and the pain felt by one another because of our “Fergusons” we will then feel more compelled to speak out against it.”

Symone Garvett/ The Towerlight

Students performed a varitey of art pieces at the What’s Your Ferguson event on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the Union.

Arts&Life

December 2, 2014

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Arts&Life

December 2, 2014

Dance on display CHRISTINE LAFRANCESCA Staff Writer

When juniors Jamie Fitzgerald and Julia Ehler met at freshman orientation, they knew that they wanted to be part of the dance community at Towson, but their goal quickly became problematic. After receiving news that they hadn’t made it onto a dance team on campus, they decided to create a community of their own, the Fusion Dance Team.

“We started talking about it our first semester here. Over our first winter break we got everything together,” Ehler said. “Right in the beginning of our first spring semester we had our interest meeting and our table at the involvement fair.”

On Sunday, Nov. 23 friends and family gathered in the West Village Commons Ballroom to watch the team perform. Each piece was carefully choreographed and broken into duos, trios and larger pieces with 4-15 people. The dances ranged from ballet to hip-hop and each was specifically tailored to the dancer’s unique liking and skill level.

“We break practice up into year, freshman, sophomore, junior, senior so since you’re dancing with your year you create bonds with those girls. That’s always my favorite,” Fitzgerald said.

The team also performed a company piece that included the entire group which Fitzgerald said was a great way for the dancers to get to know one another.

“I personally like our company dance the best. It’s always my favorite. It’s the one dance that can unite our whole team. With the exception of a few girls that can’t make company practice, we always want to have a dance that

requires the entire team. It’s inspirational to see everyone together,” Ehler said.

While some dancers were seasoned performers, others joined because of a hobby-level interest in dance. Fusion Dance Team is a non-exclusive team, meaning everyone who is interested in joining is able to participate.

“It’s been fun,” junior Tryveka Gipson said. “I’ve been able to meet a lot of different people and learn about their dance experience before Fusion.

I talk to a lot of freshman. I like learning about other people’s dance experiences.”

Gipson was also the choreographer of “Illusive Prodigy,” a hip-hop trio, and said that he took pride in the hard work, sweat and dedication imbued into each move of his dance.

“Since I choreographed my own hip hop piece, I was able to decide how intense I wanted it to be. Practices depend on how many pieces you’re in. It’s once a week for everyone. I practiced a little bit every day on my own. For the piece I created, me and my trio, we practiced twice a week,” Gipson said.

Junior Imari Miller, who also per-

formed in Gipson’s piece, aided him in putting the dance together from its early stages. While focusing on their exclusive piece, Miller still appreciated and admired the fortitude and fearlessness of other Fusion members.

“My favorite routine to dance in was the trio I was involved with. I also liked the company dance, even the sections of the dance I was not in,” Miller said.

Although it began with only 15 members, Fusion is the largest dance team on campus with a total of 77 dancers.

“I’m glad it was my first Towson event. It was cool watching them incorporate that many people in a dance,” junior and spectator Josh Finch said.

Many joined Fusion to meet friends who share a mutual enjoyment of dance, while others joined to hone in and deepen a specific dance skill.

Whichever the case, the Fusion Dance team has helped to created bonds between many Towson students.

“I am a transfer student so this is also my first semester at Towson.

I’m glad I got involved especially with Fusion. I’ve met great people, made really cool friends and had fun dancing with those new friends,” Miller said.

Courtesy of the Fusion Dance Team

The Fusion Dance Team performed in the West Village Ballrooms on Sunday, Nov. 23 at their sold out dance showcase.

Turtle entertains ANNIE SRAGNER Assistant Arts & Life Editor @a_swaggner

The Greene Turtle of Towson has created a way for performers of any kind to stand in the spotlight. On Wednesday nights starting at 6 p.m., The Greene Turtle Bar and Restaurant features an open mic night where local performers can display their talents to an audience.

“Open mic night started once we started booking live entertainment every Friday, Saturday and Sunday last spring. We had such an outreach from so many local musicians in the area and entertainers who wanted to perform but had never played a paid performance before. We realized the need in our community, especially through working with fundraisers for high schools in the area,” coordinator Erika Brown said.

The Greene Turtle has everything an artist could need to perform, from the speakers to a public address system, so those new to performing are welcome.

“Performers do not need to bring anything except for their instruments.

The event is open to spoken poetry, comedy, musicians and all genres of artists. You can just show up every Wednesday,” Brown said.

The Greene Turtle also compensates performers during their time in the restaurant.

“It is completely free and we actually pay the performers $5 Turtle Bucks each so that they can get a drink or an appetizer during happy hour if they would like,” Brown said.

Audience members can also enjoy deals while watching the performances.

“We start it during happy hour at 6 p.m. and we have a power hour that starts at 5 p.m. where all drinks are buy one get one until 6 p.m. Happy hour

goes until 7 p.m.,” Brown said.

Senior and electronic media and film major Zaynab Jennai works at the Turtle and said that he enjoys the relaxed environment of this event.

“It is really cool, we have had fourpiece bands come from D.C., and we have had heavy metal groups that surprise the audience. People actually laughed because it was way too loud, but that’s the thing with ours; it is more laid back, it is not like we micromanage the open mic night,” Jennai said.

This event offers an inclusive vibe for performers of any genre to entertain.

“I would love people to know that it is not just for an individual acoustic gig, we have had three person spoken word and rap groups. It is not just for someone up there playing their guitar; people can come and do comedy, rap, poetry or anything. People should come out and make this event grow,” Jennai said.

Junior psychology and film major Victoria Markham said that she feels this event is a positive addition to the Towson community and hopes to see more open mic nights for Towson students in the future.

“I have always really appreciated the platform open mic nights provide for individuals. It is this temporary space that comes together and encourages self-expression and creativity that may not have had an outlet otherwise,” Markham said. “I have performed at a few and attended countless and at the end of the night, I always seem to walk away feeling like I have a better understanding for what the audience is feeling.”

Interested performers can contact the Greene Turtle for more information about how to participate.

GoodEats picks best pizza pie For this week’s edition of GoodEats, I’m going to do something a little different. Everyone is always asking me about pizza. Where do I find the best slice? What’s the best place In Towson? What toppings are the best? So, for this week I’m going to rattle off some of my favorite pizza joints in Towson.

I have to start off talking about Pasta Mista (822 Dulaney Valley Rd.) located right across from the Towson Town Center in the Dulaney Plaza Shopping

Taylor Seidel Columnist @GoodEatsMD

Center. This Towson University staple is one of my favorite joints. With over 10 different specialty pizzas and the option to make your own (available by the slice or the whole pizza), Pasta Mista is a go-to for a quick slice. My favorites are: the chicken parmesan, white veggie with fresh veggies and a blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and lastly the spaghetti slice stuffed with pasta, tomato sauce and cheese. If you aren’t in the mood for pizza, Pasta Mista has other options including salads, subs, pasta dishes and calzones.

Next is a restaurant I wrote about

not too long ago regarding their Cajun flare. Tooloulou (529 E. Belvedere Ave.) located in Belvedere Square takes a different spin on their pizzas.

Pizzas with interesting toppings, pairings and flavor combinations are what you’ll find at Tooloulou.

Try the Tooloulou ($14) with a white sauce, crab, Andouille sausage, banana peppers, mozzarella and Old Bay. Another interesting specialty is the smoked duck ($15) with a house smoked duck,

caramelized onion, sweet peppers, goat cheese and a balsamic reduction. Pizzas are only sold whole (12 inches). The menu includes specialty pizzas, a daily special and the option to create your own pizza from their fresh ingredients. Tooloulou also features sandwiches, po’boys and salads.

Earth, Wood and Fire (1407 Clarkview Road) is my last suggestion. Earth, Wood and Fire cook all of their pizzas in a wood oven, giving the pizza

a distinct charred taste. The wood fire also makes way for some crunchy crust.

Give the white pizza ($14) a try, with four different types of cheese, garlic and olive oil. Another one of their specialties is the scampi ($15), which has shrimp, a blend of three different cheeses, garlic and olive oil. Earth, Wood and Fire also features sandwiches, salads and small plates (you have to try the wings as well). Hopefully next time you’re looking for a great slice in the area this list can come in handy. Until next time, I wish you GoodEats!

- Edited by Jared Kurlander.

Puzzles

19

December 2, 2014

Crossword Sudoku

? ?

Turn to page 20 for answers to today’s

9-12-14

● Each row and each column must

contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

● The numbers within the heavily

outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages

with the number in the top-left corner.

KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. ©2014 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS. www.kenken.com

Puzzles

?

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December 2, 2014

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December 2, 2014

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December 2, 2014

because

recycling makes you more attractive*

You and Me. Meant to be.

Hey, recycler, you know we’re good together.

And with your help, we can support cool causes like protecting clean drinking water and providing training to veterans with disabilities. So keep recycling with me: you know this is gonna be a long-term thing.

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email editor@thetowerlight.com to apply to be a columnist.

21

Sports

December 2, 2014

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Hines-Allen scores 29 in loss

Towson drops two games in Brooklyn over weekend TYLER BEARD Staff Writer @tylerbeard2

9-13-14

● Each row and each column must

contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

● The numbers within the heavily

Solutions to Puzzles appearing on page 19.

outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages

with the number in the top-left corner.

KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. ©2014 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS. www.kenken.com

20

Towson fell to La Salle 62-49 on Saturday, marking its second loss of the LIU Brooklyn Tournament over the weekend.

Senior forward LaTorri Hines-Allen had 29 points in the game and shot 11-for-13 from the foul line. However, Towson (2-4) shot just 28.3 percent from the field and only made one 3-pointer in the game.

The Tigers trailed the Explorers (4-2) 11-6 early in the first half, until a jump shot from freshman guard Breonn Hughey and two free throws from junior guard Dominique Johnson cut the lead to 11-10. The Explorers pushed the lead up to 15-10, but Hughey hit a 3-pointer right after and the Tigers trailed by two with eight minutes left in the half.

Both teams traded baskets and a free throw later on from Johnson cut La Salle’s lead to 21-19. However, La Salle ended the first half with a 10-0 run and had a 31-19 lead to halftime.

Towson made it 31-21 to open the half before La Salle quickly hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead. HinesAllen helped Towson cut the lead to 36-25 after she scored four points, but La Salle had a 10-3 run after that stretch and extended the team’s lead to 46-28 with 13 minutes left in the game.

Towson attempted a comeback after Hines-Allen scored 10 points in five minutes and cut the lead to 48-40.

However, La Salle hit two free throws after Hines-Allen’s run and brought the lead back to 10 points. Towson could not cut back into La Salle’s lead the rest of the game and La Salle ended the game on a 5-0 run.

La Salle controlled the game statistically, including 24 bench points as opposed to Towson’s two.

The Tigers excelled at the freethrow line, though, as the team shot 85.7 percent from the line.

Johnson, who finished the game with eight points, said a good start will make all the difference going forward.

“In order for us to be where we want to be is grabbing these next couple of wins. I believe that we need to come out every game and punch these teams first so we won’t have to play catch-up basketball,” she said.

Towson moves on to a three-game road stretch that features all in-state matchups, including Navy, Maryland

“

and crosstown rivals Loyola.

averaging 9.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Tip-off is on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

In order for us to be where we want to be is grabbing these next couple of wins. I believe that we need to come out every game and punch these teams first so we won’t have to play catch-up basketball.

Notable Stats Hines-Allen: 29 points, 12 rebounds Johnson: 8 points, 2 rebounds M. Smith: 5 points, 7 rebounds

DOMINIQUE JOHNSON Junior Guard

First up is a game away against the Midshipmen (4-3). The team is on a three-game win streak and is led by freshman forward Sarah Reilly, who is

49 62

File photo by Sarah Hugel/ The Towerlight

Senior forward LaTorri Hines-Allen turned in 29 points in Towson’s 62-49 loss. It was her second double-double in the past three games.

22

Sports

December 2, 2014

Burdick Field officially opens

Towerlight Fantasy Football Standings LEADERBOARD

EAST

W

L

Michael Pacas

11

Dave Imboden

1

10

2

Kevin Kutner

7

5

Jonathan Munshaw

7

5

Matt Hamilton

4

8

Paul Konopka

4

8

W

L

Dan Bennett

6

6

Jesse Jones

6

6

Alex Glaze

6

6

Kyle Wert

5

7

TJ Sebastian

5

7

Curt Zanelotti

1

11

TEAMS

WEST TEAMS

Symone Garvett/ The Towerlight

Acting President Timothy Chandler Student Government Association President Kevin Kutner cut ribbon on Monday, officially opening the new Burdick Field, a 200,000 square-foot athletic facility that will be used for club and intramural sports, classes and student recreation.

First 1,000 Students get a free gold T-shirt Students will also have a chance to win $10,000 DEC.

7 p.m. – Coppin State vs.

Towson 3 at SECU Arena

Student Tickets Free with Your OneCard!

Sports

December 2, 2014

Surveying the crazy AFC North JONATHAN MUNSHAW Editor-in-Chief @Jon_Munshaw

Every week, I do a weekly power rankings article for eDraft, a fantasy sports website that Sports Editor Matt Hamilton and I write for. This season, it’s been nearly impossible to do them on a week-to-week basis.

There’s just way too much turnover.

This is particularly true in the AFC North, which is arguably a tougher division to figure out than the lousy NFC South.

So, I’m going to devote this column (my first in two weeks) to figure out the division.

A lot of people are going to throw the Cleveland Browns under the bus for being the Browns and say they’re the worst team in the division. However, I think that distinction falls to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Their passing offense is obviously loaded with talent. Ben Roethlisberger’s connection with Antonio Brown has been one of the top storylines this year and has propelled the Steelers to seven wins.

However, their inconsistency will eventually come back to get them.

They’ve lost to the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints, who all have sub.500 records.

They are also only outscoring their opponents by 1.9 points per game (scoring differential is sometimes a better measuring stick for team performance than actual record).

Two of Pittsburgh’s wins (Week 1 over the Browns and Week 11 over the Tennessee Titans) were decided by just three points. Basically, given the Steelers’ performance per-game this season, those games could have gone either way.

I’m not counting this weekend’s loss to the Saints, either, because Roethlisberger made the score much closer than it actually was by throwing a garbage time touchdown at the end to Brown.

The Steelers remaining schedule has them playing the Bengals twice and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13, which are all losable games, given how they’ve played so far.

The Browns, as much as it pains me to say, are probably out of the playoff hunt now in the AFC after losing to the Buffalo Bills on the road Sunday. However, I still think they are a better team than the Steelers, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Heading in to Sunday’s games, the Browns were 13th in defensive DVOA

(defense-adjusted value over average) according to Football Outsiders, while the Steelers ranked as the fourth worst.

In the past two games, Joe Haden has been on fire as well in the secondary for the Browns, allowing a passer rating to his opponents (Kyle Orton and Matt Ryan) of 0.6.

6879124502476 3923543705457 93759993575985 25576933856202 3475623460017 72774650309622 545965418347 TALK NERDY TO ME I’ve covered DVOA in this column before, but as a quick refresher, it basically measures a team’s performance based on their schedule, and is expressed as a percent. In this case, Pittsburgh’s defense makes their opponents’ offenses 9.7 percent better than they would be on an average day, while Cleveland’s makes them 0.9 percent worse.

Pittsburgh also has the 11th worst cumulative defensive rating on Pro Football Focus, worse than even the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, who are widely considered as two of the worst defenses in football right now.

There are also the surprising performances of Cleveland’s receivers this year prior to Josh Gordon returning. Out of every receiver who has taken a snap in the AFC North this season and has been targeted at least 12 times, the Browns have three guys with three or fewer drops (Andrew Hawkins, Travis Benjamin and Gordon) while Pittsburgh’s Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown both have four drops.

Gordon also averages the most yards per pass route in the division (2.87), while Hawkins trails Brown in that category by just 0.21 yards.

With Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel under center, there’s no denying that Cleveland’s strong running game of Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell has helped the pass game take a step forward.

Both the Steelers and Browns are out of the playoff race at this point, in my opinion, but another 7-5 team, the Ravens, are still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot and the Bengals are going to run away with the division.

Cincinnati, besides the blowout loss to the Browns, is 4-1 in their past five games and have won their past three games by an average of

nine points per game. Also, keep in mind that all three of those games were on the road, including a win in the Super Dome over the Saints and over the Texans, who are now in contention for a Wild Card spot, all of a sudden.

The Ravens, as they showed on Monday, still have a huge weakness in the secondary that they have to overcome.

In the past two weeks (after Baltimore destroyed their secondary and re-built it), eight corners in the AFC North are allowing a passer rating of 125 or higher, per Pro Football Focus. Four of them are Ravens.

Two of them: Danny Gorrer and Anthony Levine, might actually be actors from “The Wire” that I’ve never heard of. I’m not sure.

Meanwhile, on the season, Cincinnati’s Terence Newman and Dre Kirkpatrick have combined to give up just two touchdowns and have held their opponents to passer ratings of 73.3 and 83.3, respectively.

Jimmy Smith was one of the best corners in the division for the Ravens, but he’s done for the year.

On offense, Justin Forsett has been huge for the Ravens, but lately the passing game has been nonexistent.

Torrey Smith has gotten back on track, ranking third in the division in receiving yards through the past five weeks, but crowd favorite Steve Smith ranks just 11th in that span with just 144 yards in five weeks, less than Mohamed Sanu, Andrew Hawkins, Miles Austin, Martavis Bryant and Gordon (who has only played two games so far).

There’s no true No. 3 passing option, either for Joe Flacco and the Ravens after losing Dennis Pitta.

In their past three games, the Ravens are just 2-3, worse than anyone else in the division.

The ugly tie that Cincinnati holds onto will end up saving them in the long run, and it doesn’t help that Baltimore is, at best, going to finish 3-3 in the division (potentially 2-4 if it loses to the Browns, which it won’t).

Meanwhile, the Bengals could finish 5-1 in the division at best, and also 2-4 at the worst, but I expect them to win at least one of the games against the Steelers.

Now that I’ve spent 1,000 words on this division, hopefully I’ve helped clarify some of the confusion.

Any hate mail about me picking the Bengals over the Ravens can be sent to sports@thetowerlight.com (I kid, of course).

23

USTORE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK LaTorri Hines-Allen Women’s Basketball

The senior forward scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Towson’s 62-49 loss to La Salle on Saturday. She made 11 of 13 free throws en route to her second doubledouble in the last three games.

24

Cover

December 2, 2014

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Strong out of the gates Wins over Goucher, UMBC move Towson to 6-1 on the season ahead of matchup with Coppin State JONATHAN MUNSHAW Editor-in-Chief @Jon_Munshaw

The Tigers continued their hot streak to open the season, winning two more games over Thanksgiving break, one last Wednesday against Goucher and another on Saturday at home versus University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Towson (6-1) won’t begin Colonial Athletic Association play until after the New Year, but Head Coach Pat Skerry said the team doesn’t get caught up in whether they are facing CAA opponents.

“The next game is always the most important game,” he said. “But while we’re doing that, we want to develop some habits and tendencies that will make us successful in conference play. Certainly, they all matter.”

On Nov. 26, Towson scored its most points in a game since Dec. 10, 2013, putting up 97 points against Goucher to win, 97-43.

Every single player made at least two shots that night, and freshman point guard Byron Hawkins led all scorers with 19.

Skerry said that he believes Hawkins is the team’s fastest player in the open court with the ball.

However, on the season, he’s struggled to shoot the ball, making just 33.3 percent of his shots and six of his 20 attempted three-pointers.

Saturday, the Tigers continued their dominance on defense, defeating UMBC, 77-66.

Towson is now 77th in the nation in scoring differential, outscoring its opponents by an average of 10.9 points per game.

“For the most part, we’ve been pretty good defensively and on the backboards and getting to the foul line,” Skerry said.

On defense, no one stood out with blocked shots besides junior power forward Timajh Parker-Rivera, who has 10 swats this season.

No other player has more than four blocked shots.

Still, Skerry said his team has put forth enough effort on defense to stagnate opponents.

“It’s a team effort. We do what we do. It’s our identity. I believe that if you guard, it’ll give you a chance every night,” he said.

Towson is holding opponents to 38.2 percent shooting, which ranks 65th out of the 345 Division-I basketball schools.

The rotations were fairly balanced over Thanksgiving break, especially in the blowout against Goucher.

Skerry didn’t have to play his starters for long when facing the Gophers, and no one player played in more than 24 minutes, while every player appeared in at least 12 minutes of action.

In a closer game against the Retrievers, two players (graduate forward Alex Gavrilovic and McGlynn) played over 30 minutes, but only one (senior forward Jamel Flash) saw fewer than 11 minutes of playing time.

Skerry said he’s not purposely spreading time around, but because the team is so deep, his bench players see more time.

“We’ve got some guys who are 30 minute-type players, but our depth is so terrific it might not shake out that way,” he said. “We want to use our depth, we want guys to be hungry and continually improve. “ Towson’s next game will be its last appearance in SECU Arena before winter break as it faces Coppin State on Wednesday.

The Eagles rank last in D-I in field-goal percentage allowed, allowing their opponents to shoot 58.4

percent from the floor and last in scoring defense, with opponents scoring over 101 points per game against them, although they’ve only played four games so far this season.

However, Coppin State is tied for 45th in three-point field goals per game with 8.3.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Tigers will then travel to Washington D.C. on Sunday to face the Georgetown Hoyas.

Towson is 0-4 in its history against Georgetown, with the latest loss coming Dec. 8, 2012 by a score of 64-40.

It will be the first game against Georgetown without former Hoyatransfer Jerrelle Benimon.

97 43 Timajh Parker-Rivera: 13 points, 10 rebounds John Davis: 11 points, 15 rebounds

77 66 Four McGlynn: 22 points, 2 assists Alex Gavrilovic: 15 points, 7 rebounds

“

”

The next game is always the most important game. But while we’re doing that, we want to develop some habits and tendencies that will make us successful in conference play. Certainly, they PAT SKERRY all matter.

Head Coach

File photos by Sarah Hugel and Abby Murphy/ The Towerlight

22

Sports

December 9, 2014

Wardell Turner killed in action

Towerlight Fantasy Football Standings

Former Towson safety was on his last deployment JONATHAN MUNSHAW Editor-in-Chief @Jon_Munshaw

A Towson alum and former football player died in Afghanistan on Nov. 24 in a bomb attack.

Army Sgt. Maj. Wardell Turner, who attended Towson on a football scholarship from 1985 through 1988, was killed in the attack during an American-led mission in Kabul that was part of a training exercise for Afghanistan’s soldiers. Turner was 48.

Turner’s former coach, Phil Albert, who still teaches at Towson, said “a negative word never came out of [Turner’s] mouth” while he was with the program.

For his first three years at Towson, Turner was mainly a special teamer and backup defensive back. In 1986, he led the team in special teams tackles, and recorded two sacks in 1987.

By ’88, Turner was the starting strong safety for the Tigers and was seventh on the team in tackles with 65.

In the media guide that season, Turner was described as a “hard-

hitting versatile defensive back that is one of the Tigers’ top special teams performers.”

Turner graduated with a degree in business administration. He leaves behind five children. It was his second tour in Afghanistan, and it was supposed to be his last overseas deployment, according to DelmarvaNow.

Albert said he wasn’t aware that Turner had joined the military, but he wasn’t surprised.

Turner’s personality fit exactly what you’d want in a soldier, he said.

“He had a big smile on his face all the time,” Albert said. “He was such an encouraging and hard-working kid. He did whatever he could to make a positive contribution.”

LEADERBOARD

EAST

W

L

Michael Pacas

12

Dave Imboden

1

10

3

Kevin Kutner

7

6

Jonathan Munshaw

7

6

Matt Hamilton

4

9

Paul Konopka

4

9

W

L

Dan Bennett

7

6

Jesse Jones

7

6

Kyle Wert

6

7

Alex Glaze

6

7

TJ Sebastian

6

7

Curt Zanelotti

2

11

TEAMS

WEST TEAMS

Courtesy of Facebook

Former Towson football player Wardell Turner died on Nov. 24 in Afghanistan. He played safety for Towson from 1985-1988.

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night

Join us for

All TU faculty and staff will receive two complimentary tickets SATURDAY, DEC 20 · 7 P.M. AT

VS Student Tickets free with OneCard

4

Opinion

December 2, 2014

Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Munshaw

From The Editor’s Desk: ranking Christmas

Senior Editor Cody Boteler News Editor Sam Shelton Arts & Life Editor Carley Milligan Assit. Arts & Life Editors Annie Sragner Robert Wood Sports Editor Matt Hamilton

Jonathan Staff Writers Daryllee Hale Payam Agha-Ghassem James Greene Tyler Beard Paige Sudol Jordan Cope Tyler Young Nilo Exlar Kristen Zdon Kati Day

Photo Editor Sarah Hugel Assist. Photo Editors Abby Murphy Patrick Burke Elizabeth Bonica Symone Garvett Staff Photographers Daryllee Hale Glen Banks Mariana Rosado Assist. Video Producers Sarah Chmielowiec Danielle Gibson Staff Videographers Ashley Beall Gabby Slocum Proofreaders Desmond Boyle Laura Antonucci Kira McCall Kayla Baines Kaitlyn McKay Chris Petrides Social Media Staff Adam Butt General Manager Mike Raymond Art Director Kara Bucaro Production Staff Brooke Basta Alison Requa Webmaster Hafiz Aina Circulation Staff Christopher George Glen Banks Ian McIntyre Travis Duppstadt 8000 York Road University Union Room 309 Towson, MD 21252 business: (410) 704-5153 editorial: (410) 704-5141 editor@thetowerlight.com thetowerlight.com The Towerlight print edition is published by students of Towson University on Tuesdays.

The Towerlight is owned by nonprofit Baltimore Student Media Inc., BaltimoreStudentMedia.com.

The Towerlight’s advertising deadlines are firm: classified advertising & display — Monday, noon for Thursday; Thursday, noon for Monday.

Line classified ads will only be accepted online at www. thetowerlight.com/classifieds. Call (410) 704-5153 for more information.

We encourage letters to the editor and online feedback.

Commentaries, letters to the editor, editorial cartoons and other editorial content expresses the opinions of their authors and not necessarily the views of the newspaper.

The Towerlight does not discriminate based on age, color, condition of handicap, marital status, national origin, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. ©2014 by The Towerlight, 8000 York Rd, Towson, MD 21252. All rights reserved.

Please Recycle!

Editor-in-Chief @jon_munshaw

Thanksgiving is over with now. I’m kind of bummed, because leftover hot turkey sandwiches are one of my favorite things in the world, making Thanksgiving my second

favorite holiday.

But that means that Christmas is right around the corner (for those who celebrate Christmas), and Christmas is my favorite holiday. Although my family celebrates Christmas, basically any winter holiday would be my favorite. I much prefer cold weather to the hot summer weather, and Christmas means gingerbread lattes, which is the greatest hot drink ever created.

Plus, in my household, it means more hot turkey sandwiches.

To gear up for the season, I’m using my Ed Desk this week to give Towson students the definitive ranking of Christmas songs. Well, my top 5 list at least. I don’t have nearly enough column inches to rank every Christmas song out there. Enjoy.

1.

“Do You Hear What I Hear?”

“

Bar-none, this is the best Christmas song, mainly because of the version done by singer William Beckett. This song works as a Christmas song, and an anytime song. It’s just a will-written tune. There’s also a very solid version

by Carrie Underwood that’s enjoyable.

But what really sets this over the top is the infamous version done by Elmo and Rose O’Donnell that exists on YouTube, and was on an album that I simply cannot remember the name of now, but I used to listen to it all the time when I was younger.

This is the best Christmas song that exists, in all of its forms.

2.

“Christmas Lights” Coldplay first did this song, but Coldplay sucks. Yellowcard, possibly the most AIM band that still exists, covered it and made it into the best Christmas song that isn’t consistently played on the radio.

It has equal parts Christmas, relationship problems (because who doesn’t love a good song about a failed relationship around the holidays?) and traditional Yellowcard song writing. Highly recommended.

3.

“Christmas Eve/ Sarajevo” Trans-Siberian Orchestra is often overlooked (for some reason) in the discussion of best Christmas songs.

There are plenty to choose from out of their collection, but this is by far their best performance.

A medley of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Carol of the Bells” (two great songs on their own), it’s classic Trans-Siberian that is a mustadd to all Christmas playlists.

It’s not necessarily the best for playing in department stores during the holiday shopping season, but for someone who generally favors heavier music, Trans-Siberian Orchestra is always a go-to around Christmas time.

This particular piece is best described as “epic.”

4.

“Let it Snow! Let is Snow!

Let it Snow!”

I’m actually not sure if this is officially a Christmas song, because there’s no official mention of the holiday in the song itself, but it’s certainly winter/December themed, so I’m counting it.

There’s three versions of this song that I particularly recommend: Michael Buble (off of his “Let it Snow” EP in 2003) and two newer ones from Idina Menzel (of “Frozen” fame) and Seth MacFarlane, who is best known as the creator of “Family Guy,” but also just released a swing Christmas album, which I recommend as a whole.

I am generally awful at talking to members of the opposite sex for dating purposes, but I hope I never end up describing something about them as “delicious.” Please don’t play this song out in public, it’s terrifying (about “Baby it’s Cold Outside”).

All three of them are very well done, and the song itself is a classic.

5.

“O Come O Come Emmanuel” This one really has to do with who performs it. On it’s surface, it’s a pretty generic hymn, but this song really appeals to my heavier tastes in music.

The band For Today (a Christian metal band, which I know sounds weird) just released their own version of the song for a compilation album, and August Burns Red made an amazing instrumental version of it for their holiday album in 2012.

Punk band Bad Religion also covered this song as a cover in 2013 for their Christmas album.

There’s just a lot of versions of this song that I really enjoy, which probably inflates its value in my eyes as a whole, but I had to put it on the list. …

-100. “Baby it’s Cold Outside” I had to include this at the hypothetical end of my list. This is by far the worst Christmas song in existence.

There are plenty of good performances of the song, but the songs are just way too creepy for me to get past.

At one point in this song, the woman singer asks “Say, what’s in this drink?” and toward the end of the song, the woman’s songs are described as “delicious.”

I am generally awful at talking to members of the opposite sex for dating purposes, but I hope I never end up describing something about them as “delicious.” Please don’t play this song out in public, it’s terrifying.

Opinion

December 2, 2014

A Towerlight re-introduction New senior editor wants to tell your stories As is tradition at The Towerlight, I’m going to introduce myself to all of you wonderful readCody Boteler ers through Senior Editor a brief letter. @CodyBoteler Hi. I’m Cody. I dove head-first into The Towerlight during my first week on campus. I worked in the news section, where I got to work with a great team and got to interview a whole host of interesting people. There was one morning where the first words I said were “good morning, Mr. Attorney General,” and that was pretty cool.

Anyway, having worked as associate news editor for awhile and then news editor, I have since put in the position of senior editor here at The Towerlight.

And let me tell you guys, no, I’m not really sure what it means, either.

But here’s to hoping we can figure it out together. The senior editor position has always kind of adapted and shifted based on the person who’s in it. I have a few ideas for what I want to accomplish while I’m in this spot. I want to continue to build a strong relationship with the community that surrounds our campus, for example. But one idea stands out more than all the others.

I want to tell your story, Towson.

We’re a student-run paper. You’re all a bunch of students (or people who are very closely connected to students).

At The Towerlight, we’re always reporting on what happens on this campus. We cover events that student groups put on and we cover issues that impact students. But, more than anything, what we as students do is what impacts this campus, and that’s what I want to use my position to make sure every-

one knows.

So, if you’re doing something, if you’re trying to make a difference, if you’re trying to make your voice heard or if you’re trying to make this campus a better place, come talk to me. I’ll work something out so that The Towerlight gives your story the voice that it deserves.

Anyway, that’s that. Thanks to everyone at The Towerlight for letting me take this position on, and of course, best wishes to our new news editor, Sam — you’ll be great.

If you want to get in touch with me -- because you’ve got a story idea, a complaint about our paper, some free food you’re willing to share, really, for any reason at all -you can reach me through my email at senior@thetowerlight.com, you can tweet at me (my Twitter handle is right there with my byline) or you’re always welcome to stalk me on Facebook.

Hope to hear from you soon, Towson.

Go and vote, shape your world If I were to give someone a microphone and ask them to complain about all the things they disagree with going on in society, I am sure many could go on for an extended time. This is perplexing because we know we have the power to control and influence what goes on in our lives and around us. This is a concept frequently forgotten and surrendered.

As you all know, we just had an election in Maryland. Voting is the simplest way to make big changes in how our government works, and it directly affects our well-being.

Unfortunately, I am not the only one who noticed that not many people actually got around to voting recently.

I looked up statistics about our recent election, and many counties in Maryland had less than half of their registered voters cast ballots. If you voted, great, but I am sure you know many others who did not.

It’s really unacceptable. You can’t not voice your opinion. We have the power to direct our society, but we are consciously choosing ambiva-

Annie Sragner Staff Writer @a_swag-

lence, or the next “feel-good” thing, instead.

“The Big Picture” this week is not about bashing politics or adding my own opinion into the mix, I just want readers to consider why so many people, especially in our generation, are not voting. I want people to take notice and figure out why this is happening.

My interactions with fellow millennials, on campus and elsewhere, tell me that most people don’t care about politics. I get it. It’s ugly. It’s personal. It’s petty, but why are we letting that hinder our participation in the process?

I have faith in our generation and I think we are capable of great things.

We are an open-minded group of people with good intentions and a strong sense of community, both locally and globally. I find that most

people I speak with want freedom for themselves and others, but we cannot reach that without voting for what we want. Do you really want others making your decisions for you?

We live in a digital age now. The world is faster than it once was years ago with information passing through you faster than news stations can report it. As college students, we only have enough time to pay attention to the most immediate things. With this in mind, I understand why we don’t share our precious attention with the drama of political parties and such.

Many think our generation is obsessed with technology and that we’d walk into traffic before looking up from our social media, but we have to prove them wrong. We have a lot more power than we are given credit for.

The segregated bathrooms are long gone; more women than ever are running for public office; we haven’t bombed each other into submission yet, and the legalization of marijuana rolls on. Why? Because people voted for those things.

We have the power to make real change. Go out and make your world exactly the way you want it to be.

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Word on the Street What’s your favorite method of studying?

“Osmosis”

Heather J.

“Profuse crying five minutes before the exam.”

Alex Setzer

“I study the Gino’s menu by showing up every Tuesday” Joe Zerafa

“I usually focus on the least relevant material assigned, because trick questions are more important than an education here.”

Rich Bell

“Stay up the night before downing coffee and Mountain Dew until I crack” Bria’ Murray

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December 2, 2014

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Goats graze in the Glen Arboretum Animals offer possible answer to area’s invasive plant species CODY BOTELER Senior Editor @codyboteler

A gaggle of 18 goats gallivanted through the Glen Arboretum for a few days over the break, in a trial to see if the animals could be used to effectively help with a problem that the forest has been facing.

“The major issue that we’re dealing with is invasive species,” James Hull, a retired professor and director of the Glen Arboretum, said. “And the most difficult species to deal with is English ivy.”

The main goal of the Arboretum is to establish an area that holds all of the 120 trees native to Maryland on campus. At last count, according to Hull, the Glen currently holds 94 of those trees.

“

And so I tell these students ‘You put this tree here, this tree has a life expectancy of 200 years, you can bring your grandchildren here and tell them you planted it.’

JAMES HULL Director, Glen Arboretum

English ivy is an invasive plant species that is difficult to control and detrimental to the forest. The ivy can overwhelm the trees, killing them.

Goats were not the first option considered for the task of removing the ivy, however. Students have also been coming to the Glen to try to remove the English ivy.

“This fall we’ve had over 150 volunteers, and they’ve been very good,” Hull said. “But the problems we run into in the late summer and early fall are the ground bees.”

Hull said that the bees become more aggressive later in the season, and that he did not want to put any students in danger of being stung.

Using machinery to clear out the invasive species would have been “highly destructive” according to Hull, and using chemicals would have killed species other than the ivy – and may not have been that effective, considering the waxy exte-

rior that the ivy has, making it difficult for the chemical to do its job.

“And the third option was goats,” Hull said.

The goats were trucked in every morning, and trucked back to their farm in Harford County each afternoon that they were on campus.

To measure how effective the technique is, and to keep the goats from wandering off or eating desirable plants, they were enclosed in a quarter-acre pen.

“We’ve been clearing invasives for about three years,” Veronica Cassilly, who owns the goats, said.

“We just string up a temporary electric fence.”

Cassilly said she first got goats to deal with invasive species on her own farm.

“Maryland’s forests are in terrible shape, we have a lot of invasives,” she said.

Hull said that in the spring, he’ll be able to compare the area where the goats were placed to the rest of the forest, to see how effective the treatment is.

In addition to the work that he does for the Glen, Hull created a board of directors that oversees the arboretum and gets students involved as often as possible.

“I generally like to have students plant trees, that’s my first preference. My reason for that is if you plant a tree, you have a certain amount of ownership,” Hull said.

“And so I tell these students, ‘You put this tree here, this tree has a life expectancy of 200 years, you can bring your grandchildren here and tell them you planted it.’”

Hull said that he created the board of directors so that there would be more than just one person with a stake in the arboretum so that it will be able to be perpetuated.

“I felt that if the arboretum is to be sustained, it needs to have more than one person who’s pushing for it,” he said.

The goats help the mission of sustaining the arboretum by helping to clear out the threatening invasive species. And, while they’re no longer in the forest, the goats made a mark on campus, in more ways than one.

“This has been so much fun.

We’ve had nothing but positive reactions,” Cassilly said. “So if nothing else, the goats have brought a smile to Towson.”

Photos by Sarah Hugel/ The Towerlight Goats were the third option for clearing out the area’s harmful English ivy, according to Director of the Glen Arboretum, James Hull. Machine and chemical solutions were also considered, but would have put the Arboretum’s other plant species at risk.

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News

December 2, 2014

TU senior develops college marketplace app KRISTEN ZDON Staff Writer

Echo Trades, an iOS and Android app similar to Craigslist, is currently being created by Towson senior Scott Knowles and University of Baltimore senior Alex Greif.

The Echo Trades app, which will be released two weeks before the start of the spring semester, will function as a closed-off college Craigslist that will allow students to buy and sell their used goods by signing in with their college email address.

“If you are looking to sell a book, you can take a picture of your book, you can take a picture of a table, a chair, your bike, post it on the application, and only students can see that post and buy that product,” Greif said.

The app also includes a built-in wireless cash transfer system that allows users to meet the seller, evaluate the product and then transfer money from their bank account to the

seller’s using a system called Stripe, according to Knowles.

“One of the main reasons [Echo Trades] was designed was for safety and security,” Greif said. “We like the idea of when I do business with someone, or if I am making a transaction, I know that I am going to meet a college student on our college campus.”

Greif said additional features of the app are a section where students can post and offer services and a roommate connector with a chat feature that does not disclose personal information.

“The neat thing is that we have a chat function on the app as well so you don’t really need to worry about texting or figuring out that information at first. You can just contact someone through the app very quickly and [it] works really the same way as any text messaging conversation,” Knowles said.

According to Greif, he and Knowles ran with the idea for the app, which originally came from University of

Maryland College Park sophomore Aidan Thibodeaux, after meeting at an internship at Morgan Stanley.

“I used my own money to start it, I was kind of the driving force behind it, and we used to meet on a fairly regular basis to kind of hone in on the idea, we would come out with a layout what we wanted to do and all the functionality,” Greif said.

According to Greif, the app will start out in a test market of four area universities and be refined and expanded from there.

“We really don’t know yet if every student is going to fall in love with this, and that’s why we are doing the beta testing kind of thing and we are going to get some ideas, feedback, what you like, what you don’t like, and go from there and I think that’s the challenge that is never ending for all companies,” Knowles said.

Grief and Knowles, who are both involved with design and programming, have been working in conjunction with a team in India to build

Courtesy of Scott Knowles the app. The team designs the app according to Greif and Knowles’ specifications, sends them a copy to test and preview and then makes any necessary changes.

Knowles said one of the biggest struggles was selecting a name and logo for the app. He came up with Echo Trades after thinking about the way bats use echolocation.

“We actually have a function within the app called ‘Echo a Friend’ which

is sort of reaching out to a friend and inviting them to come to the app, so it’s a lot like the actual mechanism that a bat would use,” Knowles said.

At the time of interview, Knowles and Greif are looking for students with marketing and programming experience interested in assisting with the production of Echo Trades.

Interested students can email sknowl2@students.towson.edu or agreif90@gmail.com.

Campus considers mental health SAM SHELTON News Editor @sam_tweets_now

November 22: At Johnny Unitas Stadium, an unknown person took the victim’s lacrosse bag after he placed it near the guardrail on Auburn Drive.

November 22: In Residence Tower, a student was cited for alcohol possession.

November 23: In Burdick Hall, TUPD arrested a nin-affiliate for trespassing and a CDS violation.

November 23: In Residence Tower, a student was referred for alcohol possession.

November 24: In Millenium Hall, TUPD noticed an unsecure ATM door, however the safe was secure.

November 24: In Tower A, TUPD is investigating an ongoing with resident student’s living arrangments.

November 25: In the Union Garage, there was a late report for a hit and run.

November 25: In Tower A, a resident was referred for a poasible CDS violation.

The Towerlight’s “Police Blotter” is a representative sample of crimes occurring on and off campus. The blotter is not intended to be all inclusive.

For a list of all crime reports, visit www.towson.edu/police.

Symptoms relating to anxiety and depression are the most common student afflictions encountered by the Counseling Center, according to Counseling Center Clinical Director Dr. Jaime Fenton.

To address this, the Counseling Center offers resources and events such as Oct. 30’s Depression Screening Day, which allowed students to receive free, immediate results and feedback after being screened by TU psychologists.

“We offered Depression Screening Day to the campus in the hopes of increasing awareness about depression and reaching students who wouldn’t otherwise visit the Counseling Center,” Fenton said.

“Many students experience depressive symptoms and don’t realize that psychotherapy could be helpful.”

According to Fenton, the Counseling Center’s services are all confidential with “very few exceptions.” The majority of the Counseling Center’s services are also free.

“Our records are completely separate from academic records,” Fenton said. “In most cases we are unable to talk with anyone about our work with a student unless the student signs a release of information. Our students trust us and we take this responsibility seriously.”

As such, the Health Center does not “routinely notify parents that their student is seeking help,” according to Fenton, though students may sign a release to allow it if they so choose.

English major Jenna Kahn, vice president of mental health advocacy organization Active Minds at Towson, said that her organization also aims to supply students with helpful resources, though the group does not offer the same services as the Counseling Center.

Instead, Kahn said the group promotes, “healthy conversations” at meetings, panels and other events like PostSecretU. “I want people to have a desire to get involved, even though we are not a support group. We are still supportive, and we still want everyone’s help to fight the stigma,” Kahn said.

Kahn said that Active Minds also encourages students seeking help to visit the Counseling Center and Disability Support Services.

“I feel that Towson offers excellent services for mental health and wellness. The Counseling Center helped me when I went to the hospital last year, and then they helped me find a therapist and psychiatrist that fit my needs,” Kahn said. “It’s a little frustrating that I can’t see someone on campus, but I guess that the needs of all the students would be too great.”

Kahn said she would like to see the Counseling Center, Active Minds, the

National Alliance on Mental Illness and Disability Support Services collaborate more moving forward.

“I think between all the groups, we could have quite a presence on campus, and perhaps more students would get connected with the services that they need,” Kahn said.

The Counseling Center also offers group sessions related to psychotherapy, meditation, body image and overcoming social anxiety as well as support groups for women of color and survivors of sexual assault. Other services include individual and group therapy options for drug and alcohol-related conflicts.

“For students who need ongoing or intensive help, we work with them to find services off campus that fit their needs,” Fenton said.

Students can visit the Counseling Center or call 410-704-2512 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to schedule any counseling appointments. Emergency appointments are available for students in crisis.

Resources for students in emergency situations can also be found at http:// www.towson.edu/counseling/crisis/.

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