Thursday, February 3, 2011
Vol. 88 No. 14
51 W. College St. Waynesburg, PA 15370
GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
New director of counseling to bring ‘ideas and vision’ By Alex Hinton Editorial Assistant Waynesburg University has hired a new director of counseling for its graduate and professional studies programs. Dr. Scott Tracy will take the place of Dr. Jim Hepburn as the new director this April. Prior to acquiring his new position as Waynes-
burg, Tracy worked as both a clinician and a counseling educator. He also had a private practice in Fayette County and worked as a school guidance counselor. “Through my work as a school counselor, I developed a passion for counseling children and adolescents, especially student athletes,” Tracy
Not so taxing:
“Getting to learn the needs of students as well as the program becomes my first priority.” Scott Tracy Director of Graduate and Professional Studies
said. He said that Waynes-
burg University’s identity as a Christian school
Students help low-income families with tax preparation
interested him in the GAPS counseling program when the position opened up. “It’s a premier program,” Tracy said. “It has a high reputation among counselors. I have the opportunity to work with a diverse and experienced faculty.” Working at a university will not be an entirely
Staff Writer The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is offering free FAFSA completion sessions throughout the month of April. The sessions will assist students and their families in completing the form, qualifying them for 2011 - 2012 financial
Waynesburg students are volunteering with Volunteers in Tax Assistance program. By Amanda Wishner
See STUDENTS on A4
assistance. “If you want to apply for financial aid, the FAFSA is the key document for federal, state and institution aid programs, so they [members of PHEAA], try to do whatever they can to encourage students and parents to complete the form,” said Director of Financial Aid See WORKSHOPS on A3
Record number to attend Merit Day
Editorial Assistant Monday, Jan. 31 marks Waynesburg University’s fifth year serving alongside the Volunteers In Tax Assistance program. Students will assist low-income, disabled or elderly families in both Greene and Washington County with their tax preparation. Melissa Heider, assistant professor of accounting, oversees the program, which works together with the Internal Revenue Service and Community Action Southwest to provide eligible families with the help they need. Twenty-four students with various majors are volunteering this year. Students are required to undergo 16 hours of training over a period of two days, as administered by an IRS agent. Volunteers
See TRACY on A3
Workshops to help students complete FAFSA scheduled By Cori Schipani
Photos courtesy of University Relations
new experience for Tracy; he was also an assistant professor and coordinator of counseling at Chatham University. During his first few months as the new director of counseling, Tracy said he hopes to look at new and innovative programs to see what he can add to Waynes-
By Sarah Bell Editorial Assistant
Eric Gray works to complete a form required by the Internal Revenue Service. Gray volunteers with VITA, which helps lowincome, disable or elderly families with tax preparation.
On Feb. 5, Waynesburg University will host prospective students for the annual Merit Day. Richard “Skip” Noftzger, senior vice president for Institutional Planning, Research and Educational Services, realizes the impact Merit Day has on the success of the University. “It is a key day for us
in terms of recruitment,” Noftzger said. “It’s not just a selection on our part to be able say we have a large pool of prospective students but another opportunity for those prospective students and their families to visit campus.” On Merit Day, on-campus organizations set up displays to attempt to appeal to the visiting stuSee SCHOLARSHIPS on A2
Obama uses social networking to encourage discussion By Sierra Shafer Op/Ed Editor Following the State of the Union address, the Obama administration hosted a series of public forums in hopes of fostering educated political discussion among young American citizens.
The Office of Public Engagement hosted the “2011 Youth Kickoff Call” with young Americans, David Plouffe, assistant to the President and senior advisor; and Assistant to the President for Special Projects Stephanie Cutter. During the call, host-
ed by Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement Kalpen Modi, Plouffe and Cutter discussed issues directly pertaining to the young listeners, including the job market, the economy, education reform and the Affordable Care Act. The Act has major
implications for young adults, namely that they will be allowed to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan until the age of 26. After Plouffe and Cutter spoke on these issues, the phone line was opened to listener questions. While President
Barack Obama did not participate in this call directly, he delivered a statement to young Americans in correlation with the week’s events. “I’ve always believed that here in America, every young person should be able to set goals and reach them,
SPORTS
ARTS & LIFE
REGION
Wrestling swept its PAC regular season schedule by beating Thiel Friday night. See Page C1
Five Times August performed at noon on Monday in Benedum Dining Hall.
Ryerson Station State Park held its sixth annual Winterfest Saturday.
INSIDE Copyright © 2010 by Waynesburg University
to discover their passions and follow them and to earn their piece of the American Dream,” Obama said via MySpace, where he delivered the address. Bringing to light many of the policies supported by his
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
Campus
Poetry in Mo ti on Photo by Gregory Reinhart
Poet Amena Brown speaks at Tuesday’s Chapel. She used narrative and poetry throughout the service to tell students, faculty and staff that they need to relax and focus on God.
Slam poet uses talent to give Chapel message By Eric Bost Staff Writer It was poetry in motion Tuesday as Chapel kicked off Black History Month. Poet Amena Brown gave various messages as she told stories and presented multiple poems. She explained how she grew up in a Christian environment in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. “I grew up in church, I come from a church going family, so I like to say I grew up around God,” said Brown. “When you grow up in a church like that, a lot of things become cliché to
you. And as a writer, I feel like I’m always trying to overcome the cliché. I want to write about God and I want to express who God is but I don’t want to use the same recycled phrases all the time.” She didn’t learn as much from the church, compared to what she learned by spending time with her family. “I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up and a lot of what I learned about God I learned from them,” Brown said. “I really spent a lot of time with my greatgrandparents when I was younger. There was something in what my
great-grandmother told me, that sometimes in life, you have to be still. You have to be quiet to know God.” With all of the technology today, it’s hard for us to be still, said Brown. “So that would be my challenge to you: Try a period of time where you’re left unplugged for a moment.” Brown went on to say that gambling is good or bad depending on what it’s for. “I thought about all the moments in life I’ve bet my time or money on certain decisions, and sometimes I bet it all on someone or something that totally wasn’t worth
it,” said Brown. “Sometimes this great thing comes along and you don’t bet enough on it. So I thought that following God is probably the biggest gamble of them all.” We bet on something we can’t see or touch, said Brown. “But to really follow Jesus is saying I’m betting my life on someone I can’t see, even though He is more real than anything I can see.” She said when we do give ourselves to God, nobody else matters. “God is not asking you to follow Him for your See POETRY on A3
Organizations plan Super Bowl parties By Kyle Oland Staff Writer Students looking for a fun place with a good atmosphere to watch the Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will have multiple options to choose from this Sunday. This will not be the first year Super Bowl parties have been held at Waynesburg University. Director of Student Activities Pat Bristor said, “Usually the Student Activities Board does one every year, regardless of who is in the Super Bowl, but this year Willison is in charge of the party.” Both Willison Hall and the Upper Room worship service will be holding Super Bowl parties. Willison Hall Resident Director Zac Northen said the game will be watched in Willison’s lounge, starting at 5:30 p.m. “We will have a big projector to watch the game,” said Northen. “Food will be free. We will be offering pizza, wings, snacks and drinks.” The Super Bowl party hosted by Upper Room will begin at 6 p.m. in McCance Auditorium. The party at Upper Room will also be offering free food. “We will be having free pizza, chips, vegetable
trays and soda. We will have plenty of food,” said Upper Room worship leader Matt McNeil. Both Willison Hall and Upper Room have activities planned for halftime of the Super Bowl. “Instead of watching the halftime show, we are going to watch a video about Tony Dungy during his time with the Colts,” McNeil said. “The video shows how Dungy incorporated faith with football.” After the video, the worship team will be playing a small acoustic set about celebration. Northen said, “At halftime we will be doing a fun discussion, playfully and critically analyzing the Super Bowl commercials.” Northen said Willison Hall will be giving out prizes as well. “The people that are there in the beginning will have the chance to win either a Steelers tshirt or a Waynesburg University scarf,” said Northern. The hosts of the Super Bowl parties hope to bring together Steelers fans and the Waynesburg community. Northen said the idea for a Super Bowl party in Willison came from the idea of making the Super Bowl more localized and intimate for fans. See PARTIES on A4
Nursing students to offer CPR class as Relay fundraiser By Marisa van der Eijk Staff Writer On Saturday, Feb. 19, CPR classes will take place at Waynesburg University in the Stover Campus Center on the third floor. A re-certification class will take place at 9 a.m., and a certification class will be held at noon. The funds raised from these classes will go toward Relay For Life
Scholarships awarded Continued from A1 dents. Students have the opportunity to tour the campus and determine if the University is right for them, said Sarah Zwinger, director of admissions, who also agrees that in terms of recruitment, Merit Day is essential. “Merit Day is a huge recruitment tool because departments are able to showcase their department, faculty, staff and current students to the best of the best perspectives looking at attending Waynesburg University in the fall,” Zwinger said. “It affords both sides an opportunity to try one
for cancer research. Each class will cost $20. Five of the $20 will go to a new CPR card, while the other $15 will go toward Relay For Life. Cami Abernethy, a junior nursing major, came up with the idea for the fundraiser because she is currently on a relay team with her seven housemates. Abernethy and Brittany Mineard are the
another out and see if it is a good fit.” Merit Day is a scholarship application day for prospective students who have been accepted to compete for a number of scholarships. Students who are invited to apply must meet certain academic qualifications. This year, Merit Day has had the largest number of applicants the university has ever had, said Zwinger. “This year we have, so far, 400 applicants for Merit Day,” Zwinger said. “We have sent out about 250 invitations for students to attend Merit Day and interview for scholarships; the remainder may still be up for scholarships but not need to come to campus for an interview.”
Photo courtesy of Brittany Mineard
Eight nursing students plan to offer CPR courses on Feb. 19 to raise money for Relay for Life. team captains. Aber-
nethy has a lot of inter-
On Merit Day, each department has the opportunity to award two or three scholarships. In addition to the department scholarships, some students will receive more specialized scholarships like the Bonner Scholarship, the Leadership Program and the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership Scholarship among others. According to the Waynesburg University website, 15 students will receive a Bonner Scholarship, which ranges between $2,500 and $4,000. The awards are based on community service. Ten to 15 students will receive awards through the leadership program, consisting of $2,000 per year. According to the University website, the
Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership Scholarship consists of “five awards based on students’ interest in the study of the Constitution of the United States and Moral Leadership.” It is awarded to five students for $5,000 a year. Noftzger believes that the recruitment of the prospective students who attend Merit Day is important to the University, but a high percentage of those who are being interviewed end up at Waynesburg University for their freshman year. “It is not 100 percent considering it’s a group of students who it is still pretty competitive to recruit, but a high percentage of those that come to Merit Day come to Waynesburg,” Noftzger said.
est in this event because her mother is a nurse at Shady Side Hospital in Pittsburgh. “I want to give the campus more knowledge about CPR and raise money for cancer too,” she said. CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure performed on a person who is in a cardiac arrest, or in certain conditions, a respiratory
arrest. Abernethy is still unsure if this event will take place again next year. She said that she first wants to see how it goes from here. Alison Busby, another member of the Relay team, also hopes to increase cancer awareness through this fundraiser. “If it goes well, we might try to do it again,” she said.
“They have plenty of options in terms of schools they could go to;
if they’re competing for a scholarship, they are a good student.”
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Campus
Two nursing professors present at national conference By Brandon Reed Editorial Assistant Two Waynesburg University professors were chosen to present at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Conference. Dr. Kathy Stolfer and Melany Chrash, assistants professor of nursing at Waynesburg University, were chosen to present on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, at the Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Fla. Faculty team Stolfer and Chrash were encouraged to come to the conference to present their paper.
cation” portion of the Conference and talked about the cutting edge changes being made at the University. “This is brand new,” said Chrash. “We’re incorporating genomics, the study of human genes, and we can classify people based on the genes that they have.” Waynesburg University is one of many high end, respected universities to have this technology for student use, said Chrash. Stolfer and Chrash put together a presentation on “Clinical Teaching Strategies for Clinical
Prevention and Population Health: Reforming Community Health Nursing Education.” Their presentation talked about the new changes made to a senior level nursing course at the University. The course that was “Community Health Nursing” is now called “Clinical Prevention and Population Health,” focusing mainly on new and creative approaches for clinical experiences. “There are certain areas that need to be covered now that the Bac-
Workshops offered
levels in God. It’s God and human beings.” She ended with a poem that tried relating Jesus to today’s crowd and what would happen if he were here. “But I think if Jesus walked the Earth in our time I think the Source or Vibe would have landed his post resurrection interview and the cover would say Real Life After Death,” she said. “He’s the only one who looked death in the eye told death hollaback and moved on without another thought. The truth is, I want you to know Him, the sweeter truth, He wants to know you too. Jesus Christ is the truth spoken.”
Matthew Stokan. “If they can provide that kind of vehicle to help out or make the process simpler, they do that.” If the event sites have access to the Internet, administrators can help students file their FAFSA’s on the spot. To do so, according to pheaa.org, applicants would need to bring Social Security Numbers, 2010 W-2 forms and Federal Income Tax returns, 2010 untaxed income records and current bank statements. Stokan said that attending a help session can be extremely beneficial as far as getting more aid. According to the event schedule on pheaa.org, there are no FAFSA completion sessions scheduled in Greene County yet. “They try to set up the sessions strategically around the area to give most people the opportunity to take advantage of it if they want to,” he said. According to Stokan, some schools, like the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, hold sessions right on campus. “We’ve talked about doing something like that here at Waynesburg, but so far we haven’t.” Waynesburg Central High School Senior Emily Block wishes she could have received help with her FAFSA earlier, even though her mother recent-
ly submitted the form for her. “The financial aid process probably would have been easier if they had a seminar this fall, when everyone was in the stage of sending in their applications, or even in December or January, when many students, as well as myself, got accepted into their colleges of choice,” said Block. Her early form submission is good practice, according to Stokan’s advice. “If they can get the word out to complete the FAFSA prior to the May 1 deadline, then a student is potentially eligible for thousands of dollars in grant money,” said Stokan. “If they miss the deadline, they’re not going to have that opportunity, so it can make a huge difference.” Even though there may not be local FAFSA completion sessions offered, there are other options for Greene County students and parents to receive help with the FAFSA. Stokan provides presentations to local high schools, and the Financial Aid Department offers help to any students who need it. “We can’t guarantee any student or any family will get as much money as they need, but I can guarantee we’ll do everything we can to meet that goal, and that’s what we’re here for: to assist parents and students in any way we can,” said Stokan. “For some, that form is very intimidating.”
ty system and meeting students,” Tracy said. “I’m a constructivist educator, which means I’m student-oriented. Getting to learn the needs of students as well as the program becomes my first priority.” Tracy said he has a research agenda that explores the emotional well being of emergency medical providers because of his previous life flight work. “I’ll continue to look at counseling models and intervention strategies that help paramedics deal with the stress of rescue work,” he said. Tracy has also worked on many natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and a tornado out-
break in Pennsylvania. These events further helped Tracy explore his research agenda, he said. As Tracy takes over as director of the GAPS counseling program, Hepburn will return to being a full-time faculty member. Hepburn began teaching at Waynesburg University in the fall of 1993. He was an assistant professor of psychology for undergraduate studies and began working for Waynesburg’s GAPS programs in 2004 and founded the counseling program. “[When I started the counseling program] I wasn’t thinking in terms of numbers as much as getting it up and running,” Hepburn said. “I’m surprised it’s grown
to be as vibrant as it is.” Hepburn will be teaching classes in the graduate counseling program when Tracy takes over. “I wanted to get back into my vocation—my calling,” Hepburn said. “I missed the classroom and the interaction with students.” Hepburn looks forward to the addition of Tracy to Waynesburg’s counseling program. “I know [Tracy] is going to bring a new vision and new ideas,” Hepburn said. “He did an excellent job at Chatham. He was able to make it a successful program. The quality improved under his leadership, so we’re really excited to have Scott.”
Assistant Professors Melany Chrash (left) and Kathy Stolfer presented at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing conference in November. Photo by Gregory Reinhart
There were 300 submitted papers, and theirs was one of 50 papers selected to be presented.
“We had a great turnout,” said Stolfer. “It was a great networking opportunity.”
They presented during the “Reform and Innovation: The Charge for Baccalaureate Nursing Edu-
Trayless poll to remain open until Feb. 11 • Student Senate has extended the MyConnect poll until Feb. 11. After the original poll, more than 80 percent of students said that they would be in favor of going trayless to save the school money. • Student Senate is still promoting their Relay for Life team by selling flyers with suns and moons on them for one dollar. People who buy a flyer will put their name on it, which will be posted on the third floor of Stover Campus Center, where Student Senate holds its meetings. Sophomore Public Relations and Electronic Media major Caitlyn Bolon has been put in
Poetry, prose mix at Chapel Continued from A1 mom, family or youth pastor, He’s asking you to choose for yourself,” Brown said. “The Gospel is come and give your whole life. You’re not going to follow God without counting how much it will cost you, and it will cost you everything.” Finally, Brown said
Photo by Gregory Reinhart
Secretary Chelsea Cummins (right) talks about the publicity material created to advertise the new poll. charge of organizing all of the fundraising for the Student Senate relay team. • There will be a Super Bowl Sunday party this weekend, sponsored by the Students Activities Board. The party will be
held in Willison Residence Hall at 5:30 p.m. • The full list of requirements to hold an executive student senate position was released this week. All applicants must be full-time students who
“You’re not going to follow God without counting how much it will cost you, and it will cost you everything... God’s light is going to shine, even through your imperfections.” Amena Brown Slam poet
that humanity needs to stop trying to be perfect. In God’s eyes it doesn’t matter.
He knows what’s wrong with us and still loves us unconditionally every day. “God’s light is going to shine, even through your imperfections,” Brown said. “You’re never going to have it all together. It helps people to see you be yourself. There are no
Tracy hired as director Continued from A1 burg’s counseling department. “There are many exciting opportunities emerging for professional counselors, especially sports counseling and crisis intervention and management,” he said. In addition to being an administrator, Tracy will be teaching when he takes his full-time director position in April. “It keeps me in contact with not only the students, but also the faculty members. Right now, my main priority is learning the Waynesburg Universi-
have served as a senator for at least one full academic semester. All applicants must have good academic and social standing with the University. For more specific positions like president, applicants must be a junior or senior by credit. There are more specifics for social vice president: the Student Activities Board must nominate the student for the position. In addition, any applicants must serve as the SAB vice president and serve at least one semester on SAB. The Student Senate executive elections will take place the last week of March. - Brandon Reed
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
Campus
Professors revise Calculus course to cover more material By Chelsea Shaffer Staff Writer Dr. Richard Leipold, department chair, Dr. James Bush and Professor Kathryn Waddel have collaborated together to make the changes to the Calculus I course. “We’re changing the format,” said Waddel. “Previously, Calc I students learned about limits, then derivatives and applications of derivatives. “Now we will also go into the next chapter, on anti-derivatives, also called integrals, a much harder concept. It means that we have to cover more material in one semester in Calc I (MAT211), but it should make Calc II (MAT212) a little easier since students already had integrals in Calc. I.” According to Leipold, Calculus I will only prepare students with half of what they will need to know. “To get the full spec-
Photo by Gregory Reinhart
Dr. James Bush teaches Calculus in the Stewart Science Building. Bush was one of the professors who worked to revise the course. trum of Calculus, you need Calculus I and Calculus II,” said Leipold Bush described the new Calculus I course as a wider range of applied topics. He said Calculus I will focus on application while Calculus II will focus more on theory. Topics such as the Mean Value Theorem, Linear
Approximation and Differentials and L’Hôpital’s Rule have been moved to Calculus II. According to Bush, the two courses will overlap at some points. Waddel believes the changes to the course will help those students who do not move on to Calculus II. “I believe that the deci-
sion to include integrals in Calc I was made because we found that some of our science students needed to know integrals for their other science courses, and Calc I was the last math course they had to take for their major,” she said. “So previously, integrals were missing from their math
education- this change fixes that problem.” The changes in the course may challenge some students. Waddel believes, although the improved Calculus I course may be a struggle to some students, it will be beneficial. “Because we’ve changed the format, I have more material to cover in Calc I, which means we are on a very tight schedule,” Waddel said. “We just have to move through the material faster. That always creates tension for the students and the faculty, but in the long run it will be a good change. Students will find that it is more challenging. On the other hand, we may leave some students in the dust if they cannot keep up. I’m trying to get them linked with tutors early to head off any potential problems.” The change in the course came hand-inhand with a change of
textbook. Leipold said the department decided to change the text, which provided the perfect opportunity to make improvements to the course. The Calculus I course now uses the textbook, “Calculus,” by Briggs and Cochron. According to Leipold, the changes are not set in stone. This is the first semester the changes are in effect, and feedback from students and members of the department will be put into consideration as time goes on. Leipold said the department will evaluate what is and is not working in the course and will continue to make the necessary changes to provide students with a Calculus I course that is most beneficial. Bush believes the changes made are a step in the right direction. “Students will be prepared for when they see the mathematics in physics and even grad school,” he said.
Obama targets young adults
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He said he hopes students will stay at the University and watch the game as a community instead of going other places. “I think a lot of the guys from Willison will come Sunday night,” said Northen. McNeil’s reasons for hosting a Super Bowl party were similar to Northen’s reasons. “We have done a Super Bowl party in the past and
day in office, Jan. 21, 2009, he has called for all national agencies and departments to “establish a system of transparency, public participation and collaboration.” As part of this mandate, the federal government has joined the social networking nexus. As of Monday night, the White House had tweeted more than 2,000 times from their Twitter account. The White House boasts roughly 892,000 “likes” on the official Facebook page. Flikr, iTunes, Yahoo Live and MySpace are additional social media outlets the White House has taken advantage of in recent years. President Obama has engaged in live You Tube interviews and hosted a series of discussion forums in past weeks. The White House has also engaged in the blogosphere where multiple daily entries and videos posted by members of the administration.
Although it is too late for new students to participate in this year’s VITA program, Greene and Washington county residents are encouraged to utilize the tax preparation services. In order to meet the criteria for tax assistance, families or individuals must qualify for the EITC or make less than $38,000 a year. The Community Action Southwest building on Greene Street will offer online filing assistance services each Monday and Wednesday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. through April 9. Three Wednesday sessions will also be available at the Senior Citizen Center in Carmichaels.
Parties to be held Sunday
Professors present Continued from A3 calaureate essentials have changed,” said Stolfer. The class requires students to participate in offcampus activities like, working at senior centers and talking to them about the importance of physi-
everyone liked it, so we decided to have another one,” McNeil said. “I hope the normal atten-
dance will come, but I would love for more people who do not normally come to upper Room to
show up. “We will be having good conversation and community.”
cal and mental health. The class participants also have to create reading materials for patients. “We have our students write these at a fourth and fifth grade level, so the patients can all understand what our students are trying to teach them,” said Chrash. Waynesburg nursing students also participate in distributing HPV Immunizations to the
community; they will be doing this on Feb. 21 and March 21 in the Student Health Center. The reason many students enjoy this course is because it completes the mandatory service learning requirement, said Chrash. The conference emphasized the need for reform and innovation in nursing education. The next conference
that Waynesburg hopes to present at is emphasizing the effects of simulation on pediatric peripheral intravenous success rate. Kimberly Stephens, assistant professor of nursing, said that she hopes to present her poster at the conference in April. Stephens will present at 9 a.m on Sunday, March 20. at the South Regional Medical Center.
administration, the President spoke to changes made in the last two years. “We reformed the student loan system to put billions of dollars back into the pockets of students paying for college instead of watching it pad the profits of big banks,” he said. “We’ve invested in clean energy and encouraged a generation of innovators working to start the companies and build the technologies of the future.” The President also touched on the combat operation in Iraq and the 90,000 troops who have returned from war. Acknowledging the “tremendous amount of work to be done,” he promised that future decisions would be in consideration of the young generation, the “one leading America into the future.” Since Obama’s first
Students volunteer
many volunteers return year after year on account of the self-gratification the program offers. “Students benefit from the fulfillment they get from helping low-income families,” she said. “They are putting their knowledge of taxes to work and seeing the fruitful results of it. Anyone can go to the Salvation Army and hang clothes, but they can never see who they dressed. [With VITA], students can see who they‘re helping, face to face.” In years past, the VITA network has proved just how beneficial tax assistance services are to both students and Greene County residents. In 2010, students volunteered a total of 1,100
training and tax preparation hours, saving over $70,000 in filing fees for those involved. Students also helped low-income residents receive $37,198 in Earned Income Tax Credit. “The VITA program brings money into the community,” said Heider. “The majority is being spent here. People that benefit from the program typically don’t go out of the county to spend their money.” Nearly $200,000 was brought back into Greene County last year; roughly $50,000 more than the previous year. Volunteers additionally assisted in collecting more than $120,000 in federal and state returns.
Infographic by Rachel Brown
Continued from A1 are trained in the use of IRS software and must complete a computerized exam before they are able to serve. However, IRS certification is not the only benefit for students. “The VITA program is a great way to reach out to those in need within the community,” said Senior Business major Steve Shuba. “It not only benefits the citizens, but it provides a great learning experience for the volunteers as well.” According to Heider,
Guest columnist Sarah Spicuzza talks about her experience studying in the nation’s capital. Read more on B2
Thursday, February 3, 2011
State faces $4 billion deficit, County affected 2010 a fatality-free By Natalie Bruzda Social Media Manager According to a survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures, Pennsylvania is facing a $4 billion state budget deficit. The state’s projected deficit presents a huge challenge for the newly elected Gov. Tom Corbett and the Republicancontrolled Legislature; however, according to Greene County Commissioner Pam Snyder, it is still unclear how this deficit will affect the county. “We will have to wait and see what kinds of
“We are facing a multi-billion dollar deficit and we must do something about it.” Tom Corbett Pennsylvania Governor
cuts the state hands down,” Snyder said. According to Snyder, if the state cuts funding in the human services field it will have a huge impact on Greene County’s budget; more than half of the county’s over-
all budget, $12 million, goes to human services. In late January, Corbett announced a reform plan for a more efficient and responsible Pa. government. “I am committed to provide an open, trans-
parent, accountable and trustworthy government that puts our taxpayers first and get the commonwealth back on track,” Corbett said in a press release. “We are facing a multibillion dollar deficit and we must do something about it. I made a commitment to the people of Pennsylvania that I would reform state government, and I intend to make good on that commitment starting today.” Corbett plans to make many changes in order to face the state deficit, including a reduction in
year for Pa. mines, according to DEP By Stephanie Laing Editorial Assistant
“Stay out! Stay alive!” P e n n s y l v a n i a ’s Department of Environmental Protection has aggressively promoted this slogan, attempting to keep residents safe from entering any abandoned mines. However, the DEP has not focused its efforts exclusively on the averSee STATE on B4 age state resident. The DEP has helped keep underground mines fatality-free for almost a year and a half. According to the DEP’s Elapsed Fatal Free Chart, the last fatality occurred on June 23, 2009. DEP Secretary John Hanger said in a Business and Legal Reports article that the department’s success is due to an intense commitment to safety from everyone involved in the mining process, including miners, supervisors, mine owners, union leaders and mine safety staff at DEP. Specifically, the Bureau of Mine Safety is responsible for the health and safety of all under-
Winterfest returns for sixth year at Ryerson By Kyle Edwards Region Editor Greene County residents flocked to Ryerson Station State Park on Saturday for its sixth annual Winterfest. The festival, which is put on each year to help raise money for ongoing projects at the park, consisted of re-enactors, local historians, kid’s crafts and activities and, of course, lots of local food for all in attendance. “I think one of the main reasons that the festival is put on each year is outreach,” said Director of Eberly Library Rea Redd. “I imagine they’re trying more and more ways to get people to visit the park, especially now since all of the water is gone.” Redd was among the list of the day’s presenters. “Attention was brought to me by Dorothy Rurak, who was a student of mine in
Photo courtesy of Pamela Engelmann
Festival-goers walk the newly opened Fox Feather Trail at Ryerson Station State Park the fall of 2010,” said Redd. “She volunteers at Ryerson Station State Park as an environmentalist student. She got me in contact with the director of the park, and they asked if I could speak and here I am.” Redd spoke about the history of Ryerson Station and the settlement
of Greene County. “Ryerson Station and Ryerson Mill existed when Greene County was still a frontier area,” he said. “So I did the history of that. We sort of looked at the spot we were standing in, who was there first and the nature of the blockhouse.”
By Kyle Edwards Region Editor During the course of the next two years, drivers hoping to cross the bridge on South Morgan Street heading out to Route 218 will be hindered by ongoing construction. “Initially what they have to do is to get rid of the original bridge, which spans 64 feet, and build a new bridge that spans around 600 feet,” said Waynesburg Borough Manager Bruce Wermlinger. “The new bridge will start near where the basketball courts for the Margaret Bell Miller Middle School are located.” Wermlinger explained
that the new bridge will be constructed slightly to the right of the original, but before construction can begin, some buildings need to be demolished. “Eleven buildings total will need torn down: ten houses and one business,” Wermlinger said. “Initially they will demo the buildings and then they will start the construction.” According to Wermlinger, this twoyear project is a combined effort between the Borough of Waynesburg and Franklin Township and was taken on in order to allow traffic to get through to route 218 while the train is coming through.
“When the train changes personnel, it blocks the bridge. When that bridge is blocked, we’ve always been worried about emergency vehicles being able to get to the people who live out there,” Wermlinger said. “The bridge will go up and over the train so that the train won’t block access to the bridge.” Franklin Township Supervisor John Higgins explained that this project has been a long time coming, but it was area residents who finally set things into motion. “This has been something we’ve confronted for years; it was always a problem waiting on the train to cross the road,” he said. “As years went
See MINES on B4
Asian beetle invades, local trees in danger
Throughout the day there were various other presentations as well, including R. J. Faddis’s presentation and demon- By Sandor Mecs stration of the history of Staff Writer the Kentucky rifle and Despite the presence of Rod Burns’s presentation a destructive foreign pest on local wildlife. Although Redd’s pre- in Pittsburgh, officials will not take action to See WINTERFEST on B4 protect the local ash trees. The emerald ash borer is notorious for laying eggs, which hatch, and then the larvae eat the tree. According to Greene County Service Forester Bob McBride, the emerald by there were more ash borer’s eastward trains added to the advance since its 2002 schedule every day, and discovery in southeastern then the tax payers com- Michigan has been an plained to us and the incessant forward march. state to have something The state government has done. As far as the town- been pushed into major ship and the borough go, preventative action. “There is a quarantine we never teamed up formally to push for the in 43 counties, including Greene County, on transproject to get done.” Although the con- porting any hardwood struction will cause both firewood and saw timMorgan and First streets ber,” he said. “You can to be closed at times dur- incur fines and criminal if you’re ing the project, penalties Wermlinger assures caught.” In addition, the drivers that, for the most non-governmental Pennpart, the streets will sylvania Forest Products Association has called on remain open. “Morgan Street will the USDA to cover be the main street affect- inspection steps on ash ed because that’s where lumber exports that the bridge is going, but would satisfy the EuroFirst Street will also be pean Union’s newly issued declaration See OVERPASS on B4 requirements. Such
Construction to begin on Rt. 218 overpass
ground miners, whether they are in Anthracite, Bituminous or non-coal mining regions. According to the DEP web site, “The Bureau recognizes training as a vital part of maintaining safe and productive mines. The commitment is to ensure that miners receive adequate safety training so that they continue to work in a safe environment and perform safe mining practices.” The safety training is funded with both state and federal dollars. However, federal funding has provided miners with training in pre-employment orientation, mine rescue and first aid, health and safety retaining and emergency medical technician training, according to the DEP web site. The Bureau credits the successful training and operations to its cooperation with other organizations in Pennsylvania such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration Academy, the Department’s Bureau of Human Resources, the
inspections are necessary, because it can take three years before an ash begins showing signs of EAB infestation. An effective insecticidal treatment exists for ash trees, but its high cost keeps it from mass implementation. A trapping program has materialized as the most recent endeavor, placing purple boxes (the color of which is supposed to attract the bugs), lined on the inside with an adhesive, at two to three mile intervals along highways. “We tried wounding a number of ash trees up at North Park a while back, which would attract the beetles, and then fixed purple boxes onto them. They ended up not drawing in any bugs,” said McBride. Perhaps the most realistic response to the EAB juggernaut lies not in a proactive or reactive resistance but a coming restoration, according to former Greene County service forester Bill Wentzel. “We’ve started collecting ash saplings and putting them into cold storage,” he said.
See TREES on B4
YELLOW JACKET
Page B2
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Editorial
Black ‘n’ Gold Name change all in good fun When Greene County makes national news, the news has to be big. The county was featured on Yahoo! Sports on Monday for a very unique decision that the county commissioners made this week. In support of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the county has decided to temporarily change its name to Black and Gold County for Super Bowl Sunday. As the Green Bay Packers are the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponent in the Super Bowl, which will be played this Sunday, Feb. 6, Greene County is changing their name. Most places in western Pennsylvania will be increasing their Steelers merchandise, hosting Super Bowl parties and waving Terrible Towels, but Greene County decided to take their support one step further. With the name change, the commissioner’s decision only hopes to support and show some pride for our local football team. To be honest, the gesture is very supportive of our hometown, but some Greene County residents are a little skeptical of the importance being placed on this issue. Although some people believe that there are bigger issues in Greene County, every once in a while, people need to have a little fun. There is nothing wrong with a little black and gold spirit. Go Steelers!
Baby steps Senate publicizes trayless poll on MyConnect Student Senate is finally taking a step in the right direction. This Tuesday, the campus community received an e-mail from the organization, announcing the trayless poll had been reopened. The poll, which originally closed on Jan. 21, asks students whether they would support going trayless if they received two guest passes per semester to use in the Benedum Dining Hall. The last time the poll was open, Student Senate failed to advertise it, which the results demonstrated. Only 212 people voted. However, this most recent effort shows that Student Senate has improved its strategy in the quest to make the University trayless. Rather than hoping students stumble upon the poll, they informed every student via email, and the effects have been evident. In the first 24 hours since the e-mail was sent, more than 150 people have voted. Providing the link to the poll in the e-mail was a nice touch as well. Students are more likely to vote because the provided link offers convenience. They don’t have to go anywhere to vote. One click and done. Student Senate also decided to run an advertisement in the Yellow Jacket to further raise awareness about the trayless poll. This organization should be commended for its campus outreach; however, the Executive Board must ensure that these efforts continue throughout the semester if they truly want to make the University trayless.
Apathetic Americans are missing out I tweeted with the President of the United States last week. I also live-chatted with my newest Facebook friend, The White House. And President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address to an audience curious to hear a report of the condition of our Nation and an outline of the plans and priorities for 2011. The information is pouring out in every medium we have available. The Americans who tuned in, or at least
SIERRA SHAFER Columnist
logged on to read the Cliff-notes, are interested. They care. But there were likely a lot of empty seats in this audience as well – empty seats for the Americans who don’t, seats for the Americans who can’t be bothered to educated themselves. Ok, just because you didn’t pop a bag of popcorn and cozy up on the couch to watch our president talk about only the
Fans should celebrate win responsibly With the Super Bowl this weekend, the entire area is beginning to see black and gold. The Steeler Nation is prepared for its eighth appearance on the sport’s biggest stage, hoping for its seventh win. Greene County even changed its name to Black and Gold County for Sunday. Waynesburg has been completely decked out
most pressing issues of our time, doesn’t mean you’re un-American. It doesn’t even mean you are a bad American. I get it, you were busy. Maybe you don’t have a TV. Maybe it was after your bedtime. Fine. Acceptable. Understandable. No, not all of us are going to make excuses. It’s not worth that much trouble to some of us. We just don’t care. Based on the chitchat heard around campus on Tuesday, it sounded more likely that our generation will be flipping on the boob tube to
KYLE EDWARDS Columnist
in Steelers colors, and the song “Black and Yellow” can be heard almost every day throughout my dorm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much black and gold in one place. The amount of dedication completely astounds me. But I digress. Although the game is going to take place in Dallas, the city of Pittsburgh is preparing as well.
watch a second rendition of Teen Mom than the President of the United States speak to policy changes and developments that will affect all 300 million Americans – MTV stars included. As Americans, we have become apathetic. We are disinterested and ignorant. But we sure are opinionated, and boy do we know how to do it better than the people in charge right now. We can talk for days about changes we would make, policies we would See INFORMED on B3
After the Steelers’ last win in Super Bowl XLIII, riots in Pittsburgh gave authorities no small amount of trouble. That year, $150,000 in damage was reported during celebrations. This year, police are determined to keep the city under control. According to an article on WPXI’s website, the Pittsburgh Police Department will have 400 extra officers on the streets Sunday night, who will be spread throughout the Oakland and South Side neighborhoods. The department also plans to See FANS on B3
Listen to the conversation, and join in D.C. is a town teeming with stories. Some need to be told, investigated, plucked from obscurity and given their due. Others need to be heard, providing a valuable insight for their audience. All comprise a larger conversation, articulating their own distinct message amidst the intersecting expressions of our nation’s capital. From the moment I stepped within city limits, it was clear the historic and transient city
SARAH SPICUZZA Guest Columnist
is like no other. The first night spent at the Dellenback Center at the American Studies program, I was met with a harsh reality: everyone in D.C. has more stories than you do. Tramping around the quadrants of the city on a scavenger hunt during the first weekend, meaningful exchanges shared with people
upheld this theory. D.C. is bursting at the seams with stories- from familiar faces in the markets to strangers on the metro and friends in church. Everyone has a story. But you have to ask for them, dig for the invaluable information, secrets and lessons. And then be prepared to hear them. The Best Semester program combines experiential learning on the streets with intellectual challenges in the classroom. In a recent course reading, Robert Coles
encourages “when you read a story, enjoy it, but you should also try to understand what the author is telling you.” So be a sponge. A porous one. People share certain stories for a reason. They are dynamic, not a book on tape. Everywhere I turn, I face the challenge to soak up every story, experience and opportunity by which I am met. As part of the American Studies Program, See LISTENING on B3
YELLOW JACKET
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Page B3
Op-Ed
Informed opinions Continued from B2
Celebrity endorsements not enough Maybe the shocking reports that corruption eats huge chunks of the money flowing through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria carry an important lesson for all of us: Just because famous people support a thing doesn’t make it a sound enterprise. To be fair, the abuses of the funds were committed by those allegedly using the cash on the ground to help people.
The fund itself was getting the money to those claiming they would help. But too often it didn’t turn out that way. A new audit shows 67 percent of the money that went into Mauritania for health programs was taken through faked invoices and documents. Elsewhere, workers were created, or their names forged, so others could claim per diems and expenses.
Cars and motorcycles were bought without receipts. In perhaps the most frustrating form of abuse, when people donated malaria drugs to avoid the potential theft of money, the drugs were stolen and sold on the black market. It wasn’t long ago that Bono was urging support for the fund, and Bill and Melinda Gates have been donating $150 million a year.
The fund was set up as a way to get around the bureaucracy of the United Nations, and there is no doubt it has also done much good. But the scope of these abuses serves as a good reminder that strict oversight is the best tool to curb waste and fraud. The role of inspectors general must be protected and expanded. This editorial originally appeared in the Kansas City Star.
implement and legislation we would pass. Oh, and herbs we would legalize, mon. But are we doing anything about it? Are we educating ourselves about what changes need to be made and how to see them through? Are we even voting? Most Americans are falling into a trap of entitlement. We want things exactly how we want them when we want them; but we certainly can’t be bothered to lift a finger to get them. Feeling that we innately deserve so much is a slippery slope on its own and we are backing up and throwing ourselves down it, headfirst. Part of the defining beauty of America is our right to individuality and personal opinion. Please, just have one (even if it is different from mine). Sit down, turn off MTV, and decide what you think about the issues that are affecting you today and will continue to affect you
tomorrow. This country is great because of the rights we are privy too, but with those rights comes a responsibility to be active citizens who are engaged in our own well being and advancement. We are given a lot as American citizens and often times we are not required to give anything in return. However, in gratitude and out of self-respect, should we not respond by engaging in the discourse concerning our nation? Granted, it can be daunting and overwhelming. It is not a perfect system that we can easily run our hands through. Often times, our nation is a tangled mess. I can admit that the conversation isn’t an easy one to join, but even if we just sit by and listen, we are better off than those who choose to pretend the conversation isn’t happening or that it isn’t about them. Ignorance is only bliss until the dialog you have chosen to ignore leads to decisions that infiltrate your schools, your doctors’ offices, and your bank account. Please, more civic participation, less GTL.
Regional Political Updates • Pennsylvania has borrowed $3.1 billion from the federal government. • As of Jan. 1, employers will repay the loan through an additional $35 per employee this year and $21 per employee next year in state and federal taxes. • Pennsylvania now owes more than $101 million in interest on federal loans to save the state’s Unemployment Compensation Trust
Fund. • The state began borrowing the money in March 2009 because the fund could afford to pay benefits to jobless workers. • State Rep. Scott Perry, R-Dillsburg, wants to limit eligibility for benefits and require that those receiving unemployment benefits demonstrate they are searching for work. -By Stephanie Laing
Using force to ‘give peace a chance’ The New York Times recently released a video about a group of Jewish and Arab teenagers in Jerusalem who have come together to sing, rather than to fight. Aaron Shneyer, the organizer of this Arab/Jewish band, somberly explains his assessment of the current situation: “Here’s everyone sharing the city (Jerusalem), but they can’t talk to the other side. They have fear, and they have distrust of the other side.” And then, enthusiastically smiling and laughing, he adds: “It’s pretty amazing. When you a put a bunch of teenagers in a room together with instruments, fear evaporates very quickly.” The idea is simple
enough. No one likes war. So let’s just give each other the benefit of the doubt, put aside our differences, and stop killing one another. Shneyer’s band is reminiscent of so many other attempts at organizing peaceful meetings between young Jews and Arabs. There have been countless such attempts at summer camps, concerts, and discussions, all hoping to finally bring an end to the violence in Israel, and all premised on John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance”. People like Shneyer appear to genuinely want peace, but despite all their best efforts never seem to achieve it. Why is that? The answer lies in the fact that the idea that ‘no
Listening to the city’s stories Continued from B2 each student completes an internship to provide experiential learning in the form of a bridge semester. On Monday morning, I sat at the conference table, an iPodstyle table complete with App coasters, during my first staff meeting as I joined the David All
one likes war’ is actually false. It’s not true that everyone dislikes war and wants to see an end to the fighting. What about the people who see murder as a holy duty and value the afterlife above all else? Do the political and spiritual leaders that encourage and organize these attacks want peace? What pacifists don’t understand is that they’re inviting the wrong people to their bands, concerts, and summer camps, if their aim is to end the violence. It is the Islamic Jihadists that need convincing, not the people who come to their events and already want peace. Osama Bin Laden,
Group team for my internship. Between discussions regarding goals and projects, a profound idea was impressed upon me. Be part of the conversation. Everything that I have thus learned in my experience in Washington, D.C. came full circle. I suddenly had an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Not even three weeks into my last semester of undergraduate study, an epiphany was thrust upon me. It was a call to engage the world, to expand my world view, to live through a faithful
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad do not want peace; deep down they want destruction. Is that any less true of their countless foot soldiers? Such men are driven by blind hatred fuelled by the Koran’s calls for domination, not by a vision of living harmoniously with their neighbors. If Shneyer and others like him truly want peace, they will have to give up the premise that all human beings desire an end to war. We must be prepared to use force to stop Islamic Totalitarians, so that the peace lovers among us, on all sides, can get on with our lives. This editorial originally appeared in The Undercurrent.
presence. Between my relationships at the Best Semester program with the ASP and Washington Journalism Center students, professors and guest speakers, my teammates at the David All Group, and the residents and visitors of Washington, D.C., God is calling me to seek the stories around me, learn from them and become part of the conversation. And, add a bit of color. Spicuzza is a senior Communication major studying in Washington D.C. this semester.
Fans should show respect Continued from B2
close the main street in each area to keep revelers safe if and when they spill out into the streets, should the Steelers win the Super Bowl. The article also said that the extra officers will include 300 from the city, plus 100 from cooperating agencies, including the Allegheny County Sherriff’s Department and the Pennsylvania State Police. The police learned many lessons after the Steelers beat the Cardinals two years ago, and they hope by taking preemptive measures, fans will be able to celebrate safely. They have the right idea. But I don’t think it will be enough. Now, I’m not a Steelers fan, as I’m sure some of you know. And yes, I know that the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl and my favorite team, the Patriots, isn’t. I get it. You don’t have to tell me twice. With that said, I’m not saying there’s anything bad about celebrating over a Super Bowl victory. Quite the contrary. If it was the Patriots going to the Super Bowl, I would be just as excited as you Steeler fans are.
And I would be just as elated as you will be if they win. All I’m saying is that there is such a thing as partying a little too hard. Sure, if they win, the Steelers will have unprecedented seven Super Bowl wins. Yes, if this happens they will have even more bragging rights than they already do. Heck, if they win, they deserve the right to brag. But is it really necessary to run out into the streets and start destroying public property and tearing down street signs? Not only are you endangering yourself, but you’re causing damage that will cost the city money to repair. Money that could be used to better the city as a whole. Who do you think will have to pay for that damage? That’s right. All that damage you caused will have to be paid for with tax payer money. Before you run out into the street and start celebrating, try thinking about someone besides yourself. If the Steelers do win Sunday’s game, their fans should at least attempt to control their celebrations. All they’re doing by causing havoc is giving the Steeler Nation a bad name and costing the city money.
Let your VOICE be heard Letters to the editor may be placed in the mailbox in Buhl Hall mail room.You can also e-mail letters to jacket@waynesburg.edu
YELLOW JACKET
Page B4
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Region
Coffee and ice cream shop to open at original Hot Rod’s location By Marisa van der Eijk Staff Writer Hot Rod’s won’t be so hot in the future as owner, Rod Phillips, has confirmed that the space will be turned into a coffee and ice cream shop this coming spring. At this time, there is no place in Waynesburg where people can grab a cup of coffee and a bagel. “No one is doing anything; this is a perfect opportunity,” he said. Phillips wants to create an environment that
State faces deficit Continued from B1 the size and cost of government. According to the press release, Corbett is setting a goal to streamline state government by reducing its business cost by 10 percent. He is also going to lower costs by conducting an immediate audit of the state’s vehicles under the governor’s jurisdiction. At the top of his list however, is his goal for the state to change to a biennial budget process.
No fatalities reported Continued from B1 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Pennsylvania State University. In the BLR article, Hanger also credits the changes made to the state’s coal-mining safety laws in 2008. The amendments allow DEP to quickly apply new technology and assess fines and penalties to mine owners and operators for noncompliance. Along with this, the Bureau must approve all mining equipment,
caters to middle school students, college students and professionals. He plans to offer a full line of different coffees. “It will be interesting learning how to make everything,” he said. In addition to offering coffee, Phillips plans to serve a variety of different ice creams too, such as Hershey hand-dipped ice cream. He is also thinking about serving some baked goods, such as bagels and funnel fries. Phillips also plans to
Corbett believes that a two-year budget cycle will provide a more focused, long-term analysis of the effectiveness of government programs and the use of tax dollars. Snyder agrees with Corbett’s plan. “I think a two-year budget would make it much easier for the counties, seeing as we do not run on the same fiscal year,” she said. “We run on calendar year, whereas, the state’s budget begins on June. 30. It would enable the counties to plan a little better because we will at least have a two-year window.”
power substations, fan installations and personal conveyances before they are used at an underground mine. Equipment and electrical modifications must also have the Bureau’s approval. Before this fatality-free streak, there were 20 total mining-related deaths since 2000. According to procedure and law, the Bureau conducts an investigation after every fatality. Each report describes the cause of the accident and discusses possible ways of preventing any future similar accidents. For information concerning mine safety and training, go to www.dep.state.pa.us.
offer free Wi-Fi as providing Wi-Fi will make it easy for students to com-
plete homework as well as catch up with friends, he said.
Phillips added that it will be difficult finding help. Many college students during the course of the day, making their schedules busy. In the future, he wants to offer some sort of deal accompanying a meal at Hot Rod’s. He said that he might give 10 percent off the ice cream if customers eat lunch or dinner at his restaurant. He is still in the process of getting everything organized for the opening, so finding a name for the shop is on
Ash trees in danger
can break them out and start replanting.” He added that there are currently no natural predators or diseases that actively pursue the beetle, but that nature might eventually respond to the newcomer and incorpo-
rate it into the food chain. A time such as that would be opportune to resurrect the ash from what most sources are right now agreeing is an extinction event. Matt Murphy, an arborist at Bartlett Tree
Photo by Lisa Jaeger
A coffee and ice cream shop is expected to move into the original Hot Rod’s location sometime this spring.
Continued from B1
“When there’s a better time for these seeds, we
the back burner. However, once the coffee shop is well established, he plans to turn the business over to one of his five sons because he wants to keep the shop in the family. Phillips is currently selecting the business hours for the coffee shop. He plans to open early in the morning for professionals and college students and then plans to close around 10 a.m. and open back up around 2 p.m. for the grade school children.
Services that attends to the University’s trees, said that there are at least five ashes in the college’s park area. None of them receive any insecticidal treatment, which may protect them from the emerald ash borer.
Winterfest returns Continued from B1 sentations wrapped up the day’s festivities, he said he still had an audience that was very enthusiastic. “It [the number of people in the audience] varied at different times. The musket people were there, so I started with between 15 and 20 [people],” Redd said. “During my second presentation there was probably about a dozen, which I thought was good, because I was the last program of the day.” Redd explained that he had a set time that he planned for each presentation to take, but because of the audience’s enthusiasm, he offered to start his presentations later. “I had each presentation designed for about 25-30 minutes,” he said. “I adapted it because the person before me had a very enthusiastic audience, so I offered to let him take some of my time.” Despite this, Redd was pleased with the audience’s reaction to
Overpass to be built Continued from B1 affected because of the
Photo courtesy of Pamela Engelmann
A variety of speakers presented throughout the day at Ryerson Station State Park. his presentations. “I had people asking a lot of questions,” he said. “They hadn’t realized that originally Greene County was in Virginia, that Virginia and that Virginia was only 12 miles from where Waynesburg is now.” Redd said that he would definitely be willing to speak again at next year’s festival. “I’d like to continue to present on the Native Americans and early set-
tlers, the early Ryerson Station and the early blockhouse,” he said. Overall, Redd was very pleased with the turnout for the festival. “I learned a lot there, and the opportunity is there for everyone to learn more,” he said. Sophomore biology major Olivia Bakke was among those in attendance. “I went as part of a Bonner retreat,” she said. “We had to pick a site for that Saturday, and I
chose Ryerson.” Bakke said that although there weren’t as many people as she expected, the experience was a lot of fun. “I think they were expecting more kids,” Bakke said. “It was cool though, we had outdoor crafts for them and snowball fights. It was a lot of fun for everyone.” Bakke said she would like to return next year if she can. “I definitely reccomend it,” she said.
on and off ramps being built there,” said Wermlinger. “Morgan will have to be rerouted for the truck traffic to go through, but most of the other areas of town will be pretty much okay.”
Higgins shares Wermlinger’s optimism. “There might be a short period of time where Cook Avenue is going to be affected, but we’re not sure if it will be closed,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be changed around a bit, but that’s really the only road we have involved in it.” While the new bridge itself is a state-funded project, Wermlinger said that there will still be some fees the borough will have to take care of. “The only cost that the borough is going to have to deal with is the cost of any damage done to the streets because of the re-routing of the truck traffic,” he said.
“We also have to relocate a sewer line, but the state will pay half of the relocation fee, so the borough will only have to pay $50,000. So going into the project we know we’re going to have to spend at least that much. But this is a state project – it’s state overseen. The borough doesn’t have too much to do with the building of the bridge itself. The state is funding the $6.5 million to build the bridge.” Franklin Township, on the other hand, has no such problem, according to Higgins. “To our knowledge we don’t have any funds involved,” said Higgins. “It will all be state funded from our end.”
A pair of freshmen wrestlers entered the national rankings. Read more on C3
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Depth Waynesburg tops PAC Honor Roll list GJ C58 -44 turns Jones tides in drops 20, PAC outduels Dave Floyd Slater ACKETS ROVE
By Nate Regotti Staff Writer
For the third straight year and seventh out of the last eight, Waynesburg University posted the most honorees on the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll. A total of 45 Waynesburg student-athletes were named to the honor
Sports Editor
roll. Geneva and Saint Vincent were very close behind, however, both with 44 student-athletes on their lists. The award requires students to attain at least a 3.6 GPA during the semester in which they compete. The Yellow Jacket women’s soccer team led all Waynesburg fall sports
teams with 14 of its members being named on the honor roll. Seven athletes were recognized from both the women’s cross country team and the Jacket football team. “This speaks about the job our faculty is doing here at Waynesburg,” said head football coach and Director of Athletics Rick Shepas.
ITY
Shepas created athletic study tables over the summer to help improve the academics of Waynesburg’s student-athletes. Study tables are a time for student-athletes to complete homework and study in a comfortable environment. For the fall semester, all freshmen were required to
See WAYNESBURG on C3
By Aaron Thompson Assistant Sports Editor “The Times They Are A-Changin.’” Bob Dylan’s 1963 hit never seemed so apt at describing the balance of power in Presidents’ Athletic Conference wrestling. Coupled with last season’s league crown, Waynesburg’s 33-12 handling of rival Thiel this past Friday may have signified a changing of the guard in the conference. While the win alone probably didn’t turn any heads, the score and personnel with which it was done just may have. For an entire decade, Thiel reigned supreme in the PAC, capturing 10 consecutive conference championship trophies. That was until last February when the Jackets went into the Tomcats’ Beeghly Gymnasia and won the program’s first ever PAC title. But that score was close. And so were the teams’ previous two dual matches, in which each team picked up a win. Friday night, on the other hand, did not prove to be quite as close. The Jackets won seven of ten individual bouts, including four by fall, en route to the impressive 21point victory. With pins at 125, 141 and 149 pounds and junior Garrett Johnston’s tight 3-1 decision victory at 157 pounds, Waynesburg had Thiel down 21-3 in a hurry. Then after Johnston’s classmate Jared Roberts pinned his opponent late in the second period at 174 pounds, the Jackets had the match all but wrapped up with still three bouts to go. However, what may have been most impressive about what Waynesburg did Friday night, and what they’ve done all year for that matter, is the personnel with which they won and are winning. The Jackets are 11-2-1 overall in dual matches, 2-0 in conference bouts, and finished first in two of the three tournaments in which they’ve competed. Yet they’re doing it without a few key pieces of their puzzle. Before the season began, reigning 141-pound PAC champ Jesse Byerly was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Enter freshman Luke
Wrestling sweeps PAC regular season
tough match to two-time All-American Corey Brown at 133 pounds, the Jackets picked up consecutive pins from senior 141-pounder Nick Garber and freshman 149pounder Luke Lohr. All of a sudden, Waynesburg had an 18-3 advantage. “It was huge momentum,” Garber said of the Jackets’ quick start. “The coaches knew we could get bonus points at those weights because that’s where they’re weak at, so
With a lot riding on Saturday’s women’s basketball contest between Waynesburg and Grove City, many would have to think the matchup between two of the best players in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference would go a long way in determining the winner. Grove City senior forward Christine Slater and Waynesburg senior forward Elisha Jones both have a long list of collegiate accolades and faced off in Saturday’s contest at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Jones got the better of the duel by posting a game-high 20 points as the Yellow Jackets outlasted the Wolverines 58-44. The win served as a measure of revenge for the Jackets as they avenged an earlier season loss at Grove City (10-9, 6-5). The win also gave Waynesburg (14-5, 74) a one-game lead in the battle for third place in the PAC and its first victory against Grove City since 2007, snapping a sevengame losing streak to the Wolverines. The win was the first in Jones’ career against Grove City and she gives the team stability. “Elisha makes my life much easier. Not only is
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Win over Thiel highlights another successful week By Dave Floyd Sports Editor For the second time in three years, the Waynesburg University wrestling team swept its regular season Presidents’ Athletic Conference schedule with a victory over rival Thiel. This season, however, it wasn’t even close. The Yellow Jackets won seven out of 10 individual bouts, including four by fall, en route to a convincing 33-12 triumph over the Tomcats Friday night at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. With the lopsided win, the Jackets solidified themselves as the frontrunners for the PAC Championships to be held Feb. 11 at Waynesburg. “We’ve had a good rivalry with Thiel. No one wants to lose to them,” head coach Ron Headlee said. “I thought the atmosphere was real good; we had a real good crowd. I thought our wrestlers responded to that. We wrestled aggressively,
Photo by Andrew Buda
Junior Jared Roberts (top) controls his opponent in last week’s match versus Penn State New Kensington. Roberts scored a big pin in Friday’s match against Thiel. whereas we didn’t do that against [Washington and Jefferson]. “The hard thing is you got to do it again all over again in two weeks with the PACs,” he added. “It doesn’t get any easier. I’m sure [W&J and Thiel] are going to be fired up. They’re not going to want to put in [those same performances] again.” Waynesburg set the tone for the match right away with strong performances at the lighter weights. Sophomore 125pounder Alex Crown gave
Waynesburg a quick 6-0 lead by pinning Tyler Pier in just 1:52. “Alex just keeps it going for us. Win or lose, I know he’s going to give me 100 percent,” Headlee said. “He works so much extra in the room. He does all he needs to do. He wants to just keep getting better. “He sets the tone for us,” Headlee added. “For him to get a fall for us right away like that [was big].” After Waynesburg junior Rico Borz dropped a
GROVE CITY 46 - JACKETS 39
Jackets lose to Grove City, remain winless at home Slow pace, 12 first-half points doom Jackets By Jon Ledyard Assignments Editor
Facing the last-ranked offense in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference without their top scorer, Waynesburg’s task of snapping a six-game losing streak looked very doable. Looks can be deceiving. Waynesburg found that out the hard way on Saturday, dropping a 46-39 contest to the visiting Grove City Wolverines, a team they had beaten earlier in the season, 63-57. This one was a defensive struggle from the See DEPTH on C4 beginning, with Waynes-
burg shooting 26 percent and missing all five shots from beyond the arc in the first half. The Jackets’ slump allowed Grove City to grab a low scoring 21-12 advantage after the first period. “Initially in the first half it’s hard when you stand defensively for so long, and Grove City would hold the ball for almost the entire shot clock most of their possessions,” said head coach Mark Christner. “Our preference is to pick up the tempo a little bit, and they were slowing it down. After we got the tempo up in the second half, we had good shots; we just weren’t making them.” Things did not improve
much in the second half, either, as Waynesburg failed to convert a threepoint attempt until the game was already out of reach, shooting 1-15 for the game. “It was getting a rhythm that we struggled with,” said senior guard Erik Noone. “They held the ball most of the game and used the shot clock, and as a result, we couldn’t get going offensively.” Without their leading scorer junior point guard Brett Matson, who missed the first game of his Grove City career due to personal reasons, the Wolverines relied on senior forward Luke Tomaselli to kickstart their offense.
Photo by Andrew Buda
See SKID on C2
Sophomore center Kurt Bonnet (right) plays with his back to the basket in last week’s game versus Bethany.
YELLOW JACKET
Page C2
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Sports
COMMENTARY
Misconceptions ruining spirit of Title IX in athletics Nicole Forte Staff Writer
Many misconceptions surround Title IX, and those misunderstandings are ruining the spirit of Title IX in athletics. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity at any educational institution that is a recipient of federal funds. Many institutions interpret Title IX to mean
that women have to be permitted to play football and that there has to be identical programs and funding for women as there are for men. All of these interpretations are incorrect and are causing the spirit of Title IX to have a reverse effect. Title IX is all about equal treatment of athletes; however, in many cases the law is decreasing the opportunities for men instead of increasing opportunities for women. The best local example I can provide you with is Duquesne University. The University cut four varsity sports at the beginning of the current school year to apparently save
their athletic program money. Is it just a coincidence that all four teams dropped were men’s sports? There is no doubt in today’s economy that cutting back on the budget is the norm, but when an institution cuts four teams and they are all men’s sports, it seems a little fishy. The 70 affected students were permitted to keep their scholarship money as long as they remained academically eligible, so how much is the school really saving with this decision? With the loss of men’s golf, swimming, wrestling and baseball, Duquesne
University now has three more women’s sports than men’s. The University quickly went from one side of the coin to the other. Considering Duquesne had only one more men’s sport, they could have easily become Title IX compliant by either adding one women’s sport or possibly eliminating one men’s sport, not four. Had they cut just one men’s sport, I would not be so critical of the decision, but what they have done as a University is against the spirit of Title IX. Title IX requires that women be provided an equitable opportunity to
participate in sports as men. Quite possibly the wording of this statement may contribute to some of the misunderstanding, but this requirement states equal opportunity for men and women. Therefore, having less opportunities for men is just as bad as having less opportunities for women. I am not convinced that we don’t have the same problem here at Waynesburg. Why does the men’s volleyball team remain a club sport? I would be willing to bet that the fact that there are nine men’s sports and nine women’s sports currently has something to do with Title IX. If men’s
volleyball becomes a varsity sport, a women’s sport would need to be added to comply with the law. So instead of spending more money to give these men an opportunity to compete as a varsity team, the institution would rather keep it as a club sport. The spirit of Title IX is being twisted to conveniently benefit the institutions that are supposedly trying to stay within the rules of the law. The amendment was created to promote equality for men and women in athletics, and instead, men’s sports are often times getting the short end of the stick.
Skid reaches six games
Jackets now in third place Continued from C1
Continued from C1
she a great athlete and makes positive play after positive play, but she has a great basketball mind,” said junior point guard Hannah Hunter. “She's really smart on the court and understands what it takes to win. I couldn't ask for a better team leader! The Jackets built a 2419 halftime lead in a lowscoring defensive struggle that saw both teams shoot below 33 percent in the first half. Grove City cut into the lead in the early part of the second half, but the Jackets responded with six unanswered points to take a 30-21 advantage three minutes into the second half. Waynesburg never led by fewer than six points on its way to the 14-point triumph. The Jackets led for more than 35 of the 40 minutes. Head coach Sam Jones said that it was an important win, but every game is important at this point in the season as the Jackets head down the stretch toward the PAC tournament. He also credited his team for bouncing back from a tough loss to Bethany on Wednesday. “It is always important to win conference games,” Coach Jones said. “It put us back on pace with what we did the first time through the conference schedule. It would have been nice to win both obviously. We haven’t necessary lost some ground.” The win could prove to be vital as the Jackets look to clinch a spot in the top four of the conference and host a conference quarterfinal playoff game. That was aided later in the day when Thiel upset rival Washington and Jefferson. “It is good to take away the tiebreaker that [Grove City] would have had if they had swept us, but there is way too much basketball still to be played,” Coach Jones said. “There is a long way to go before we start to talk about standings right now.”
Tomaselli finished with nine points, second only to junior Kris Verderber’s 12, and five rebounds. “Tomaselli plays really hard and initiates a lot of contact which makes him hard to guard,” said Christner. “They had [about] three layups in the second half where he broke our press and would make a nice assist or a nice basket.” Junior forward Jeff Young was Waynesburg’s leading scorer with 14 points, 13 of which came in the second half, including the team’s lone threepoint field goal. Junior forward Lou Galante and Young tied for the team lead in rebounds with five apiece. Senior guard Steve Iser returned from a one game absence but could only manage four points while missing both of his threepoint attempts. The Jackets other starting senior, Noone, missed all five of his shots from the floor, including going 0-4 from beyond the arc. Both of his points came from the free throw line with the game already out of reach. “I need to build my confidence back up,” said Noone. “Whenever your making shots you get confidence with each make, and right now I need to get back to the point where I feel like every shot I take is going in.” Despite the loss, Christner believes the team is closer to winning than one might think based on their 5-14 (2-6)
Photo by Andrew Buda
Sophomore Emilee Wagner (right) drives to the hoop in last week’s game against Bethany. A big part of the Jackets victory was due to a tremendous team defensive effort and the defensive game plan to contain Slater. The Jackets held Slater below her season average, allowing her to score 15 points on just 7-of-19 shooting from the field. “Coach Jones had watched a lot of film to prepare for the game and realized that Slater had trouble when she was defended by taller players,” Hunter said. “We had Elisha guard her and she did a great job. We constantly had to talk to each other to make sure we knew where Slater was on the floor. Slater is their "go-to player" so the entire team suffered when we stopped her.” Coach Jones dismissed that maybe Elisha Jones was motivated by playing one of the conference’s best in Slater. “Elisha Jones is a great team leader because she wants to win games. Twenty points and eight rebounds is a great night from Elisha, and we need that, but Elisha Jones is all about wanting to win games,” Coach Jones said. “She doesn’t care about who is ahead of her in the scoring race; she just wants to be ahead of them in the standings.” The game marked the first time all season Waynesburg went with a dif-
ferent starting lineup. Sophomore Jessi Drayer replaced classmate Emilee Wagner in the starting lineup. Drayer, a transfer from Mount Vernon Nazarene, has brought punch off of the Jackets bench since coming to Waynesburg. Drayer was held scoreless in the first half but reached double digits with 11 second half points. “I think she settled down a little bit in the second half,” Coach Jones said. “She was a little nervous, maybe a little too excited, and it was the first time starting, so it just took a little while to settle in.” Hunter also scored 11 points, while tallying five assists and recording four steals. The Jackets forced the Wolverines into 24 turnovers. Waynesburg took on Westminster (4-15, 0-11) last night at the Marisa Fieldhouse but those results were unavailable at press time. The Jackets will hit the road for another PAC matchup as they travel to Greenville, Pa., for a matchup with the Thiel Tomcats (5-14, 3-7) this Saturday. In the teams’ last matchup, Waynesburg came back from a doubledigit second-half deficit to score a 77-69 victory. Tip-off Saturday is set for 1:30 p.m.
Photo by Andrew Buda
Junior forward Jeff Young (11) goes up between two Bethany defenders in the teams’ game last week. record. “I think attacking the little things like getting to the free throw line more than the opposition and rebounding [more consistently] are things we need to keep working on every day,” said Christner. “It’s like we said at the beginning, we want to be playing our best basketball in February, and if we can get these things stabilized moving forward, I think we will have a good February.” The Jackets were set to battle PAC bottom feeder Westminster (4-16, 1-9) on Wednesday at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Results were not available at press time. The Jackets won the first matchup between the two teams 75-69 on Jan. 4. Waynesburg’s next contest will be in Greenville
when they travel to play conference-leading Thiel (13-6, 8-1) Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Last time those two teams met, Waynesburg gave the first-place team in its conference all they could handle. The game was tied at half, and the Jackets had a 45-43 lead in the second half. However, Thiel still managed to pull out the victory at the Marisa Fieldhouse. Waynesburg shot the three ball very well in that contest, including a redhot 62 percent in the first half. “It’s a team game, and there is a bigger picture than just the regular season,” said Noone. “Our job is to try to build and recognize that we can still be ready for the PAC [tournament].”
YELLOW JACKET
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Page C3
Sports
Yellow Jacket names two students Athletes of the Week This semester, the Yellow Jacket sports staff will vote on their own athletes of the week. Congratulations to this week’s winners: wrestler Alex Crown and women’s basketball player Elisha Jones, who received the honor for the second straight week. By Jon Ledyard Assignments Editor Sophomore Alex Crown dominated in both of his appearances on the mat this week, beginning with his tone-setting fall over conference rival Thiel’s Tyler Pier in 1:52 last Friday. The sophomore grappler gave the Jackets an early 6-0 lead that they would not relinquish on their way to a 33-12 victory over the Tomcats. Crown followed up that performance by crushing Division II West Liberty’s Preston Foster, 16-0. The technical fall again gave Waynesburg a big 5-0 early advantage that the Yellow Jackets used to squeeze out a 2216 win to improve to 122-1 on the season.
Photos by and Dave Miller, ADM Photography and Andrew Buda
Above: Sophomore 125-pounder Alex Crown tries to pin his opponent in a match earlier this season. At right: Senior forward Elisha Jones dribbles into the paint in a game against Bethany last week. Elisha Jones continued her excellent play in the post for Waynesburg, leading the Jackets to sole possession of third place in the PAC with a 58-44 vic-
tory over Grove City on Saturday. The senior forward led the Jackets with 20 points and eight rebounds, while also grabbing four steals.
Earlier in the week, Jones dropped 12 points in a loss to Bethany. She also notched four boards in that contest. The Jackets’ top scorer
is now the third leading scorer in the PAC, averaging 15.8 points per game heading into Wednesday’s matchup against Westminster.
Freshman 285-pounder Brandon Fedorka earned an honorable mention selection in this week’s balloting. The first-year heavyweight scored victories in both the Thiel match Friday and the West Liberty State match Tuesday. Against Thiel, Fedorka finished off a successful evening for the Jackets with a 3-1 decision over the Tomcats’ heavyweight Will Ringer. Versus West Liberty, the Clinton, Pa., native clinched the victory for Waynesburg by defeating the Hilltoppers’ 285pounder Drake Kowcheck. Fedorka overcame a sixty-pound weight disadvantage against Kowcheck to record a major decision win in the bout, 8-0.
WRESTLING
Pair of freshmen join Crown, Garber in national rankings
Photo by Andrew Buda
In Friday’s Thiel match, junior Garrett Johnston (left) executed a takedown at the buzzer of his 157-pound bout. The two points gave Johnston the 3-1 victory and his team a 21-3 advantage.
Wrestling wins two Continued from C1 we went out and attacked where we should have.” At 157 pounds, Waynesburg junior Garrett Johnston edged Alec Miller in the tightest match of the evening, 3-1. With the score of the bout tied at one, Johnston scored a takedown just as the buzzer sounded to put the Jackets ahead 21-3. Following a Thiel pin at 165 pounds, junior 174pounder Jared Roberts wore down Thiel’s Patrick Morris and won by fall in 5:39. “I think Garrett getting that win, which we knew was going to be a tough one, and Jared responding after we did get pinned at 165 pounds, I thought those were two keys for
Waynesburg tops list Continued from C1 attend study tables for a minimum of three hours per week. Also, anyone with a cumulative GPA under 2.0 had to attend for three hours. Any athlete with a 2.0-2.5 was
us,” Headlee said. Waynesburg sophomore Cody Catalina then triumphed with a 10-4 decision at 184 pounds to clinch the victory for his team. Freshman 285-pounder Brandon Fedorka also added a 3-1 win over the Tomcats’ Will Ringer to bring the final margin of victory to 21. During this past week, the Jackets also scored a big victory in their final dual match of the season against Division II West Liberty State Tuesday at the Marisa Fieldhouse. Waynesburg again got off to a fast start before holding on to defeat the Hilltoppers 22-16. With the win, the Jackets dual match record closes at 12-2-1, which gives them the most victories by any Jacket squad in Headlee’s three-year tenure. Again, much like they
did versus Thiel, Waynesburg’s light weights set the tone early. Crown scored a 16-0 technical fall at 125 pounds, and Borz followed that with a major decision victory, 17-5, at 133 pounds. Garber then recorded his second straight firstperiod fall by pinning his opponent at 141 pounds in just 1:40. It was the only fall of the evening. At 149 pounds, Lohr turned in another impressive performance. The Somerset, Pa., native avenged one of his few losses on the season by defeating West Liberty’s Brian Leggett 8-5. Lohr’s overall record on the year now stands at a team-best 26-3. Up 18-0, Waynesburg watched as West Liberty rattled off five consecutive victories. However, the Hilltoppers could pick up only a single bonus point during that stretch,
so the Jackets went into the final bout of the night still ahead 18-16. Fedorka once again stepped up for Waynesburg at 285 pounds. Despite being outweighed by 60 pounds, the Jackets’ first-year grappler scored an 8-0 major decision victory to clinch the win for his team. The Jackets return to action at 9:30 a.m. Saturday when they travel to Berea, Ohio to take part in the Baldwin-Wallace Tournament. It’s the team’s last competitive event before hosting the conference championships the following weekend. “We should definitely at least place in the top three of that tournament as a team,” Garber said. “We should have some champions and hopefully have some [more] guys in the finals.”
required to attend for two hours. If a student athlete had a 2.5-3.0, they only had to attend for one hour. Any athletes above a 3.0, except freshmen, were exempt from attending the study activity. Shepas appointed head men’s basketball coach Mark Christner to head study tables. “This is a way for us to hold our athletes account-
able,” said Christner. “It’s far from perfect. We’ll be able to evaluate it on a year to year basis. “Hopefully in three to five years we can look at some statistics, but it definitely helps the students.” Freshmen are no longer required to attend if they have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Freshmen made up
over one-third of the athletes on the PAC academic honor roll with 17, the most of any class for Waynesburg. “Waynesburg has high quality students and student-athletes,” Shepas said. “We want the best kids to affect the University is a positive way. Come here, and you get a great education first.”
Several new faces on this year’s Waynesburg wrestling team have already started to garner some attention from d3wrestle.com, a nationally recognized website that covers NCAA Division III wrestling. Freshmen Luke Lohr and Brandon Fedorka joined sophomore Alex Crown and senior Nick Garber on the Jan. 18 rankings to give the Yellow Jackets four representatives on the rankings, which is the highest total in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Both Lohr and Fedorka were listed as honorable mention selections, while Crown and Garber were given the nod as “contenders,” placing them just outside the top 10. Lohr has hit the ground running in his first year with the Jackets and currently leads the team in wins with a 25-3 overall record at 149 pounds. After joining the team following the completion of the 2010 football season, Fedorka took over the as the team’s starting heavyweight almost immediately. Since then, he has compiled an 11-4 record, has won fivestraight bouts and has been victorious in eight of his last nine trips to the mat. Crown, the defending PAC Most Outstanding Wrestler, picked up right where he left off after a stellar freshman campaign. He currently boasts a 20-2 record and his two
losses have come by a combined four points. He is unbeaten in his last eight bouts Lohr and is a perfect 13-0 in dual contests. Crown is also ranked 10th in the country by the NationFedorka al Wrestling Coaches Association. After finishing seventh in the country last year, it has been an up-and-down year for Garber. He has battled some injury problems while putting together a 12-3 record but hopes to hit his stride as the regular season starts to wind down. As a team, the Waynesburg mat men completed the dual portion of their season Tuesday at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse with a 22-16 victory over Division II foe West Liberty State. Fedorka clinched that match with a 8-0 major decision win. With the victory, the Jackets closed their record at 12-2-1 overall, 2-0 in PAC competition. It was the second time in in head coach Ron Headlee’s three-year tenure that the team swept its regular season PAC schedule. Next up for Waynesburg: the Baldwin-Wallace Tournament Saturday.
YELLOW JACKET
Page C4
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Sports
SUPER BOWL XLV
Roethlisberger offers no admission of guilt, little insight By Bob Glauber
albeit uncomfortable smile when asked about his situation. No one was asking for any details; Roethlisberger has made it clear for months that he won’t divulge specifics about what occurred March 5 at a nightclub. His accuser told police that Roethlisberger had assaulted her in a unisex bathroom, but she declined to pursue the case and left authorities with insufficient evidence to pursue charges. But even when asked whether his outlook had changed, Roethlisberger declined to offer much insight. You do feel a sense of
redemption getting to the Super Bowl? “That’s a great reflective question, and the time for reflecting is probably after the year,” Roethlisberger said. “For me, I can’t reflect now. I have to think about this game.” Awkward answer. Uncomfortable body language. What has the experience taught you? “Another reflective question,” he said. “There are probably going to be a lot of those this week. Like I said, reflecting is not the thing to do right now.” It was only after a sizable portion of the 100 or
so reporters surrounding him had dispersed that Roethlisberger finally opened up, even if only slightly. But it was enough to make you understand that the quarterback grasps the enormity of his situation. He gets it, even if he did his best to try and put the focus squarely on Sunday’s game against the Packers. “There are a lot of people you can be role models to,” he said. “It’s not just the fans out in the street. I want to be, when I have kids someday, a role model for them, as well.” That day may come in
the not too distant future; Roethlisberger is engaged to Ashley Harlan, a physician’s assistant in cardiac surgery at Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. The two reportedly were engaged this past Christmas. “We’re all human. We all make mistakes,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s how can you bounce back from mistakes? It’s like a football game. You throw interceptions, you lose a game, you have to be able to bounce back and find a way where it doesn’t happen again. It’s absolutely important to see how someone bounces back from those things.”
Let’s not be naive enough to equate bouncing back from what allegedly happened last year to bouncing back from a loss on the football field. That incident was far more grievous than anything that could happen in a game, so Roethlisberger’s use of the football metaphor was a bit much. But he insists he has come to terms with his situation, even if it might not seem that way from his public demeanor. “Inner peace is a great thing when you have it,” he said. “If you know what it is, I think you’d understand where I’m coming from. You just have to wake up and be thankful for the day. You have to do what you can to be the best person for that day and be thankful for the opportunities you’ve been given.” Redemption for Roethlisberger now that he has gotten the Steelers to the Super Bowl the same season he was punished for his misdeeds? No. True redemption will come from his future actions, and whether he not only avoids the problems he once created, but also lives a productive life as a human being. And that can’t happen until long after Sunday’s game has ended.
Lohr has emerged as one of the team’s top grapplers. He’s now 25-3, including pins in each conference match. Another former league champion, junior Alex Evanoff, recently went down with a partially torn
ACL. In the week or so following, Lohr’s classmate Sam Lombardo stepped up to score a major decision victory against Washington and Jefferson and a 157-pound title at the Messiah Open. His record now stands
at 21-5. Bottom line, the depth is there for the Jackets to endure the hardships of a season that could end up stretching across six different months. Only one regular starter is below .500, and even a few reserves are sporting a
winning record. Credit head coach Ron Headlee, assistant coach Jon Yates and the rest of that terrific staff for that. Better yet for the Jacket faithful, the quality of Headlee’s recruiting classes seems to be continuing to improve.
More talented recruits equal even more depth. Even more depth equals sustained success. Come Feb. 11 and the PAC Championships, it’s time for the Jackets to start their own lengthy run of conference supremacy.
Newsday If you were looking for Ben Roethlisberger to deliver a Super Bowl-size mea culpa about his offfield problems that resulted in a month-long suspension to start the season, forget it. The Steelers quarterback, who was sanctioned by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his role in an alleged sexual assault of a 20-year-old female student in Milledgeville, Ga., early last March, was hardly forthcoming about anything related to the incident. But Roethlisberger did open up just a bit Monday about how badly he wants to be looked up to. Not just as a football player, but as a man. “You want to be a good person,” Roethlisberger said at the Steelers’ team hotel during his first media briefing of Super Bowl week. “You want to someday be a good father, a good husband, whatever that entails, grandfather and all those things.” It sure took Roethlisberger long enough to say even that much. Clearly attempting to deflect as much attention away from the off-field issues he knew would come up this week, with the world’s eyes upon him, he mostly offered a friendly
Depth turns tides in PAC Continued from C1 Lohr. Filling the spot most likely reserved for Byerly,
Photo by Ron Jenkins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger answers questions from a hoard of reporters at Super Bowl XLV Media Day Tuesday. Big Ben and the Steelers will take on the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s big game.
Moscow airport bomber identity revealed. Read more on D4
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Tribune reporter shares experiences with students Musician By Rachel Davis Staff Writer Accomplished special projects reporter for the Pittsburgh TribuneReview, Carl Prine, traveled to Waynesburg University on Jan. 24 to inform students about proper investigative newspaper reporting techniques.
Prine was one of two reporters assigned the story of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his accused sexual assault case of a twenty-year old college student in a Milledgeville, Georgia bar. This became one of his biggest stories of the year because it unveiled the corruption of the
Pennsylvania State Police, Prine said. Prine informed the students that it is important to see the reader’s perspective and answer any possible questions within the writing. To help answer these questions, a writer should be as descriptive as possible in the location, the occurrences at the time of the event, and of
the surrounding community and to also create an accurate timeline of the incident. He further discussed the importance of talking to as many people as possible to get the details but at the same time a reporter must gain the trust of his source. After showing gaining the community’s trust, Prine was
able to interview hundreds of Milledgeville’s citizens. After spending great detail discussing the properties of a proper reporter in reference to the Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault case, he switched the topic to his personal journey as a reporter.
By Philip Henry
See JOURNALIST on D2
Singin’ in
Rain
the
Staff Writer Douglas G. Lee, Waynesburg University’s executive vice president of Institutional Development, was accepted into the Greene County Bar this month. “It was a joyful day for me to join what I consider to be quality lawyers,” said Lee. The Greene County Bar consists of almost 200 attorney members who practice in Greene County. According to the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the purpose of the Bar is to advance the science of jurisprudence; to promote the administration of justice; and to see that no one, on account of poverty, is denied his or her legal rights. An alum of Waynesburg College, Lee became an active member in the community after graduation in 1981.
Photo by Kaitlin Edwards
When it rains, it pours Kyle Kooyers, senior biblical and ministry studies major, walks through the rain on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the unseasonal weather continued with a high of 47 degrees in the morning, but snow and colder weather later.
Slam poet performs at Open Mic Night By Megan Campbell Staff Writer
The performance of acclaimed slam poet Amena Brown was held on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center as a part of Open Mic Night. Brown is a poet, speaker and journalist who has See LEE on D2 performed at numerous
poetry events all over the country. According to her biography, Brown lends her voice to finding inspiration, truth and purpose. Brown encourages those listening to her to do the same. At the age of 17, Brown started writing her own poems and expressing herself through her words. She started off as a
“MC” also known as a rapper. She soon realized that she could not write while listening to the beat; she could only write when she wasn’t listening to the music. That is why she decided to do Spoken Word, a version of poetry reading that involves putting a rhythm with the words.
By Matt Giardina Staff Writer
GREENE COUNTY BAR
VP Lee named to attorney board
entertains students at lunch
She discovered she could write the poems without having to fit the meters. Brown said her inspiration includes many talented people including Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and Maya Angelou. She
This past Monday, the Benedum Dining Hall hosted Five Times August. Music by Five Times August surrounded students as they dined during Noon Tunes. “Five Times August was nice and relaxing,” said Jenna Pounds, a junior international studies and sociology major. “I feel he is a great musician, and he made lunch more interesting. I give him a thumbs up.” During his performance in the Benedum, Bradley James played well-known songs like Michael Jackson’s “I’m Bad.” Sophomore biology major Julie Tischer said, “He was pleasant to listen to while you eat. He played some really familiar songs and was easier to hear than previous Noon Tunes musicians.” Five Times August is comprised of 27-year-old singer, songwriter and guitar player Bradley James of Waxahachie, Texas. James’ music career had an early beginning starting from his young teen years. James said, “I learned how to play the guitar when I was 11, and I played guitar for choir in high school. I actually started writing my own songs when I was 16,” said James. “Usually the next step after high school is college but I became distracted with music. I ended up See NOON on D3
See BROWN on D3
Pots and paint: Faculty display art By Rob Griffith Staff Writer
as a result of student interest in faculty-created artwork. “We’ve found that students are very interested in seeing the kind of work that we do,” Phillips said. We want students to see that we are practicing, professional artists too.” Pieces by Phillips are included in the show, as well as the work of Lecturers in Art David Lesako, Susan Point Keresztury and Yoko Sekino-Bove. Pottery, clay sculpture, pastel and watercolor paintings and metalwork are on display. David Lesako, the only painter among the con-
tributors, showed a collection of his pastel and watercolor paintings. “They’re all potters and jewelers as you can see,” Lesako said. “So I lucked out and got all the wall space.” Lesako’s work shows a variety of Greene County landscapes in pastel. “I’m a local person, so I like local landscapes, and I work outside exclusively,” Lesako said. “I don’t work from photographs. “I really prefer to be in a landscape while I work, because that’s where the See FACULTY on D2
Photo by Rachel Brown
Art appreciators will have the chance to admire the work of Waynesburg University’s faculty artists during their current exhibition. Waynesburg University’s Benedum Fine Arts Gallery is hosting an exhibition of artwork created by faculty members. The show opened with a reception Sunday, Jan. 30 and will run through Friday, Feb. 18. Susan Phillips, chair of the Department of Fine Arts, said the exhibition offers a unique opportuni-
ty to students and members of the community. “This is a very rural community where there aren’t a lot of opportunities to see professional art in person,” Phillips said. Phillips emphasized the importance of engaging with artwork in person. “Seeing art in person is different than seeing it in a book, magazine or video,” Phillips said. “We’re hoping to provide an occasion for that.” The show, which has been held every other year since the Department of Fine Arts moved to Benedum Hall in 1999, began
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Arts & Life
Crystal company to Several professors recently published visit campus Feb. 7 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
By Jessica Schinkovec Staff Writer
Working a full time job may be difficult, but Waynesburg University English professors strive to give back to their campus and community. The University expects its professors to not only teach their students but to partake in a list of other activities as well. “As professors, the university expects us to ‘profess’ to the community; we are encouraged to do community outreach,” said Chair of English and Foreign Languages Joonna S. Trapp. “For example, Elisha Coffman and I are running workshops for K12 teachers now and making presentations of
Journalist presents
our research for the public.” Trapp also said there are many other expectations the university has for their professors. Being involved in campus activities, service learning and servicing on several committees are just a few of the expectations. Aside from university expectations, there are also scholarship expectations, such as presentation of works in progress at conferences, leadership in national organizations and publications of both articles and books, Trapp said. “At major universities, the work on scholarship is normal; in fact, I do not produce enough to be considered successful at a major university,” she said.
in Greenfield because it was a small town,” said Prine. “Writers need to build up their ability to write from small town Continued from D1 papers, and it’s a shame that big town papers He went to Indiana won’t take writers from University, majoring in small towns because they both english and history. feel that writers couldn’t While studying, he make it at the higher worked his way through level.” In 2000, Prine was school by being a janitor. After college, he joined hired at the Pittsburgh the United States Marine Tribune-Review and has been writCorps until ing for the 1996 when he went to We were all so newspaper since, with law school. the excepHe paid his impressed with Mr. of way Prine. He provided tion 2005 when through law school students with a rare he took a year off to by working insight to the comas a clerk mitment it takes to serve in the Marine for a law be an effective Corp overfirm but seas in realized investigative Iraq. that he did “It was a not want to reporter. become a Richard Krause wonderful lawyer. Chair of the Department of program,” Prine Communication said Richard traveled to Krause, Sierra Leone, Africa in 1997 to assistant professor of communication and chairperreport on the civil war. To survive each check- son of the department of “We point, he would bribe the communication. guards with cigarettes and were all so impressed with money until he had to flee Mr. Prine. He provided the country because of the students with a rare insight to the commitnews he was reporting. Because Prine was not ment it takes to be an investigative employed by a newspaper, effective he free-lanced and sold his reporter.” Krause said that work to various maga- the student feedback was positive regarding the zines and newspapers. Once he was back from event and that it was time Sierra Leone, he landed a well spent. Professor job with the Greenfield Krause said, “Given his Daily Reporter in Green- background and his realm field, Indiana specializing of experience, the stuin agriculture, politics and dents that attended developed a new respect for the business. “I developed as a writer field of journalism.”
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By Carrie Maier Staff Writer With Valentine’s Day in mind, a perfect gift opportunity is coming to the Waynesburg University campus on Feb 7. Clearly You Crystals, a company that scans images in 3D and laser-etches them into the center of optical crystal, will be on the second floor of Stover at 1p.m. Students, however, are somewhat worried about the price. “There’s always a risk in events, but with this one there’s a little more of a risk because it’s a little more expensive and Student Activities Board is depending on students to participate to meet the cost requirement,” said Danielle Tustin, a sophomore member of SAB. “It is $10 a crystal, so it is not too expensive and it is something new and exciting for the students.” According the Pat Bristor, director of Student Activities, Clearly You Crystals costs over $3,000 to bring onto campus. “Hopefully people do it, but in all honesty, with novPhoto by Amanda Rice elties, if they have to come pick them up they forget,” Julio Quintero recently had a book published titled “EL Bristor said. “The fee is to make sure they really want it.” Poeta en la Novela Hispanoamericano.” The imaging process will take time to complete the “I never thought fessor,” undecided design, meaning students will have to wait a few days there was that much work expected of a ProSee PROFESSORS on D3 See SAB on D3
Faculty displays art Continued from D1 colors are truest. Photograph colors aren’t 100 percent true.” One of Lesako’s pieces, Tara, was recently featured as the cover of the Muse & Stone literary magazine’s first fall edition. “I used watercolors and worked as quickly as I could. This was probably about a 45-minute pose,” Lesako said. “I wanted it to be quick and splashy and bright.” Lesako said people from all over the area were invited to the
Lee named to board Continued from D1 In 1990, he joined a law firm in W. Va., remaining involved in the Waynesburg community. He was a member of the Waynesburg Volunteer Fire Company and the First Presbyterian Church. He also had his own insurance business agency, Lee Insurance Agency. “While I was living in Waynesburg I had the utmost respect for the attorneys here,” Lee said. “One of my heroes as an attorney is Atti-
Photo by Kaitlin Edwards
The faculty art exhibition including paintings and sculptures will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Benedum Fine Arts Center. gallery’s opening reception. “I think it was one of our better turnouts,” Lesako said. Select pieces from the
cus Finch,” said Lee. Atticus Finch is a fictional character and lawyer in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” “Atticus tried his best to serve the community which he was in, and I saw attorneys here doing the same thing,” said Lee. Most lawyers, if not many, are concerned in doing right and being a good advocate rather than self-interest, said Lee. “In representing Waynesburg University, it is important for me to build as many relationships as I can,” said Lee. “Being a member of the Greene County Bar affords the University to establish
exhibition will be available for purchase. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by appointment.
Lee more relationships in an area where historically we have not had many attorneys.” After leaving Waynesburg, selling his insurance business and becoming a graduate of Leadership West Virginia, he moved back and applied for the Pennsylvania Bar. He was granted membership by motion
For more information about the Benedum Fine Arts Gallery or this faculty exhibition, contact Susan Phillips at 724-8523274.
of his friend, Judge Farley Toothman, a judge in Greene County. He then had the privilege to move further and apply to the Greene County Bar. “In life, it is about relationships, and I have now another avenue of relationships open,” said Lee. The history of Greene County was very influential when this board was being formed and the decision to apply was a high priority for Lee. As an attorney, Lee focuses on Labor and Employment and has had a case in the Richmond Fourth Circuit of Appeals, and a case heard before the Supreme Court.
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Arts & Life
SAB to host crystal event Continued from D2 to pick them up. “It’s a keepsake,” freshman international relations major T’Ericka Perry said. “But most students won’t spend money on things like that.” “If I was at home, I’d get my parents to pay for
it,” said Perry. “But since I’m a college student, I don’t have any money to spend.” Cami Abernathy, a junior, said she wouldn’t pay $10 on her own. “I guess if it was a group of people, that would lessen the price,” said Abernathy. However, SAB members remain optimistic about the event, encouraged by the coming holiday. SAB members first
heard of Clearly You Crystals through a representative of the company at the National Association for Campus Activities, said Tustin. “Pat Bristor, Katie Smith, Diana Beam and I attended NACA this past fall and Clearly You Crystals caught our eye because it was something that we haven’t had on campus recently or possibly ever before, and we thought it’d be a nice idea for Valentine’s Day,”
Tustin said. Clearly You Crystals uses a picture taken that day to etch the image using a scanning and laser imaging machine. In the time frame available there is a limited number of crystals Clearly You Crystals can complete, Bristor said. “I will be participating in this event as a student,” said Tustin. “Something like this is elegant and lasts a lifetime.”
Noon Tunes held Tuesday Continued from D1 going to Dallas Sound Laboratory instead. It was an interesting experience for me in that by the time my friends had graduated I had already established my career.” The transition from high school to a career brought about James’ oneman band project known as Five Times August. “I wanted to go by more of a band name than my real name,” he said. “My birthday is on Aug. 5 so I played around with that and found a name. Ten years have passed now, and I am working on rebranding as Bradley James, which is my first and middle name.” James’ wife, Kelly, works as his manager, and the two share the responsibilities of the company. “Kelly was my manager before we were married so we had a professional relationship before our personal relationship,” James said. “Most people would expect that working together would be strenuous for our relationship, but we are able to balance our life and business. We
Photo by Andrew Buda
Brian Davis (left) and Dylan August performed at the Open Mic Night held on Tuesday in the GPAC.
Brown performs Continued from D1
Photo by Andrew Buda
Five Times August performed in the Benedum Cafeteria on Tuesday at noon as part of the Noon Tunes event. He sang both original works and cover music. each know our responsibilities for the business and sometimes it is like we are at separate places during work hours.” The pair’s hard work paid off as Five Times August has more than 70 songs licensed for TV, advertising and film. “The first time one of my songs was to be aired we threw a watching party. I was really excited; I didn’t know what to expect,” James said. “The show on MTV
used 90 seconds of my song with a montage in their show, and at the end they announced, ‘You have just listened to the music of Five Times August.’ That was in 2004. MTV is what really kicked us off.” With all that success, James was offered many labels but turned them down and chose to remain independent. “The initial idea was to get a label but after almost
10 years and meeting with label companies, I did not want to go through with it. I got used to making a living on my own without a label,” he said. “Plus, the label companies take so much control and cut. I had worked so hard to get where I am today. I would much rather have my career steadily incline than to sign with a label company and have five seconds of fame followed by nothing.”
artists who speak their mind and the truth. Brown said, her favorite poem to perform is “Betting It All”. She said she enjoys this poem because it reminds her of how following Jesus is a continuous pilgrimage. “Surrendering yourself everyday is a daily process,” Brown said. “The journey is never ending.” Brown believes that Open Mic Nights are important because it gives people a chance to express themselves in a setting that is relaxed and accepting. It helps inspire people to speak their minds and articulate their feelings into a flowing series of words. She thinks it is also beneficial for people to attend as well as perform because it teaches the audience and the speaker
Professors get published Continued from D2 sophomore Noel Carmona said. “I thought they just had to come to school and teach and that was it. I never thought professors had to do all that extra work.” “I’m putting in about 16 hours of work this weekend and work nearly every night. And it is why in the summer, I put in an eight hours a day Monday through Friday most weeks,” Trapp said, “But I put a lot of pressure on myself. I want to publish; many don’t. I am a writer, so it is important to me.” Trapp said that on Feb 16 through 19 she is headed to Texas to read a creative non-fiction
to accept everyone and their words. It gives everyone a chance to really take a look around them and appreciate other people’s talent. Some Waynesburg University students performed as well. They sang, played guitar, read poetry or combined singing and spoken word. The students expressed their own talent through this event and it really showed the true colors of the students involved. Brown chooses to live a life driven by truth and has inspired people all over the country to do the same as well. Her next performance is at Broward Community College in Coconut Creek, Fla. “Writing poetry from the age of twelve, and blowing audiences away with her spoken word at seventeen, there was little doubt in her mind that the words swirling in her mind would carve a clear path for her to follow,” according to her biography.
essay at the Angelo State University Writers Conference. The annual conference is a free, open to the public event that features guest writers and focuses on fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and non-fiction readings. There are many other professors who strive to reach the university’s expectations. Martin Cockroft, Assistant Professor of English, has two of his poems coming out in a top journal soon. Lecturer of English Dr. Robert Randolph also has poems coming out in a journal soon. Assistant Professor of English Dr. Amy Randolph has written a new song and is now playing the mandolin. Assistant Professor of Spanish Julio Quintero has also recently had a book published.
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Global News
Investigators:
NEWS IN BRIEF
20-year-old behind Moscow bombing By Ulf Mauder dpa MOSCOW — The suicide bomber who killed 35 people in an attack on a Moscow airport last week was a 20-year-old man from the North Caucasus, investigators said Saturday. The mangled body of the man had been identified, a spokesman for the national investigative committee told the news agency Interfax, though he did not give a name. The case had been solved and further suspects were being sought, the spokesman said. About 180 people were injured in Monday's attack at Domodedovo airport, Moscow's busiest, dozens of whom were still
being treated in hospitals. Immediately after the attack investigators had blamed militant Islamist groups from the North Caucasus which includes the republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, North Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria in particular singling out the Nogay Jamaat terrorist group. Numerous radical Islamist groups have been fighting for an independent "emirate" in the North Caucasus for years as the Kremlin has struggled to impose peace on the region, plagued by poverty and high unemployment. According to a Saturday report by the business daily Kommersant, the explosive belt worn by the bomber had been remotely activated.
Protesters in Suez storm police station By Hannah Allam McClatchy Newspapers SUEZ, Egypt — Thousands of Egyptian protesters stormed the main police station Friday in the port city of Suez, overwhelming security authorities and raising an even bigger challenge to the embattled regime of President Hosni Mubarak. The protesters freed prisoners from the city jail and destroyed armored police vehicles, then sacked the building and looted its contents. The demonstrators emerged from Friday
prayers at mosques in Suez and confronted police officers outside the station. Police fired at the demonstrators, who then surged forward to take over the station. The protesters dragged fleeing riot officers off their motorbikes and seized their batons and equipment. They also set at least a half-dozen armored vehicles on fire. After storming the police station, protesters removed its contents: refrigerators, desks, files and other equipment.
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1 Family of missing boy finds car ditched in canal
Internet service shut down in Egyptian riots
PATTERSON, Calif. – Divers ended their search of the Delta-Mendota Canal in California on Saturday afternoon. Friday night, divers retrieved a Toyota Corolla from a dangerous location inside the canal’s water siphon. They believe the car was the one driven by Jose Esteban Rodriguez when he allegedly abducted Juliani Cardenas on Jan. 18. The bodies of the missing 4-year-old boy and his suspected kidnapper were not found inside the car. Investigators say a witness saw a man and boy in a similar vehicle go into the canal about an hour after the boy was snatched from his grandmother’s arms in front of her house. According to reports, the boy’s body had been pulled from the canal, but Rodriguez has still not been found.
CAIRO – The Internet was shut down in Egypt on Friday, cutting off a key communication tool that government opponents were using to organize their street protests this week. The Egyptian government cut off all online services between midnight and 12:30 a.m. The situation in Egypt differs from what took place during the recent successful revolt in Tunisia where specific services and websites were blocked. The Internet blackout was Egypt’s latest move in halting online communications amid the unrest. On Tuesday, social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were made largely unavailable in Cairo, and on Thursday the government blocked Internet service on BlackBerry smart phones.
2 New questions raised about breast implants WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that it has begun investigating the possible connection between breast implants and the increased risk of a rare form of cancer. While the number of women who may develop the disease is small, there is apparently no way to identify those who are likely to develop it. But among women who do have implants, FDA investigators say they have identified as many as 60 women who have developed ALCL worldwide, with an estimated global population of 5 million to 10 million women with implants. The FDA did not provide an incidence number for women with implants who developed the disease in the United States alone. The agency said the number of known cases was too few to draw a conclusion that implants were linked to the disease. FDA officials emphasized the small risk and said that women with implants don’t need to do anything more than maintain vigilance.
4 Japanese volcanic eruption mirrors past TOKYO – Volcanic experts have sounded an ominous warning about the recent eruptions on Shinmoedake peak in Japan, saying they closely resemble highly destructive blasts that occurred there nearly 300 years ago. Phreatic explosions occur when the heat of rising magma causes underground water to boil and steam pressure rises. According to experts, however, the eruptions that have taken place since Wednesday are explosive eruptions characteristic of phreatomagmatic explosions.
5 LinkedIn net working site offers public stock SAN JOSE, Calif. – LinkedIn, the online resume and networking service, notified regulators Thursday that it plans to go public this year, marking the first major public stock offering for a Silicon Valley company in 2011. The Mountain View, Calif., company, which has been valued at more than $2.5 billion on one private share exchange, is one of several social networking sites whose public offerings have been widely anticipated in recent months. LinkedIn said the maximum total value of its offering will be $175 million.
Mubarak announces plan to step down, crowd tells him to leave By Hannah Allam and Shashank Bengali McClatchy Newspapers CAIRO — Faced with an unprecedented popular revolt that drew record crowds of protesters to downtown Cairo Tuesday, U.S.-backed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would step down before elections this fall, a humbling end to his 30 years of authoritarian rule. “I will say, with all honesty and without looking at this particular situation, that I was not intending to stand for the next elections because I’ve spent enough time serving Egypt,” Mubarak said in a televised speech. “I’m now careful to conclude my work for Egypt by presenting Egypt to the next government in a constitutional way.” Mubarak acted after President Barack Obama sent a special envoy to Cairo, urging him not to seek re-election, and following calls from Turkey and Iran to step down. Obama later telephoned Mubarak, and in a
Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles Times/MCT)
After massive protests and violence in Egypt against the regime of President Hozni Mubarak, thousands of protesters gathered in Tharir Square on Monday, Jan. 31. “direct and frank” 30minute conversation, told him an orderly transition to a new regime had to begin immediately, the White House said. In a nationally televised appearance, Obama all but ignored Mubarak’s announcement, declaring that “an orderly transition must be meaningful, must be peaceful and must begin now.” Initial reaction was
mostly negative among protesters in Tahrir Square, where earlier Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians more than a million by some estimates - staged a festive rally to demand the president’s ouster. “He’s leaving! He’s leaving!” some protesters shouted gleefully. More than an hour after he spoke, however, chants continued to echo
from Tahrir Square as protesters vowed to keep flooding Egypt’s streets until Mubarak heeded their demand to resign immediately. “We have only one condition: We need Mubarak to be out of our lives,” said Mostafa Fathy, 28, an online journalist and activist. “He’s supposed to be out of the game now.” The 82-year-old
Mubarak appeared to make some concessions to the protesters, saying there should be presidential term limits and fewer restrictions on who can run for public office. But he didn’t dissolve parliament, which is filled almost completely with members of his ruling party. All day long, protesters had chanted, “Leave!” It came from the mouths of children draped in the Egyptian flag, bearded clerics in turbans, teenagers dancing to a drumbeat and elderly women with tears in their eyes. “In my whole life, I’ve never known another president, and suddenly I can’t imagine how he can stay for even one more day,” said Tasneem Osman, 26. “He has to go. He will go.” Before Mubarak’s appearance around 11 p.m., state TV stations mostly ignored the crowds in the square, instead airing call-in shows with government supporters and dismissing independent news coverage as tainted by foreign
interests. The government’s intense pressure on the protesters continued: an Internet shutdown, spotty phone service, a nationwide curfew, shuttered banks, no trains from other provinces and a crackdown on journalists. “The people said it clearly: They want a new democratic regime and this regime has lost its legitimacy,” opposition politician Mohamed ElBaradei told Al-Jazeera television. “I would have liked that President Mubarak would listen to the sounds of the millions that went out today.” Even without Mubarak’s immediate ouster, the movement has achieved in a week something opposition groups have attempted in vain for decades. Mubarak was forced to name his first-ever vice president, the former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman. Habib el Adly, the interior minister who was detested for the alleged brutality of his police force, was unceremoniously sacked.