JESSI DRAYER AND THE JACKETS NEARLY TOPPLED FIRST-PLACE THOMAS MORE. FOR THE FULL STORY, SEE PAGE C1.
51 W. College St. Waynesburg, PA 15370
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Vol. 89 No. 14
Education majors host book drive for area children By Alex Hinton Op/Ed Editor Boxes have been placed at several different locations on campus to collect books for Kappa Delta Pi’s book drive. Books may be dropped of at the first floor of the Stover Campus Center, the Admissions office and the Educa-
tion department. The education honor society has extended the original deadline for collection to Wednesday, Feb. 22. “We have gotten a fair amount so far, but more books are always appreciated,” said Karyn Chojnicki, president of Kappa Delta Pi. Chojnicki, a junior early childhood and special education
major, wanted to start the book drive due to a shortage of children’s books in local schools. “The book drive was my idea because from being a local member of the Waynesburg community, I have seen the need for books to be introduced into the schools. With the issue of funding affect-
ing the school systems everywhere, books are generally the last thing to be bought for schools,” Chojnicki said. “The benefits of having a book drive are tremendous. The first reason being that getting more books into classrooms or libraries helps See KDP on A4
By Sara Faiad Staff Writer Throughout the week, Waynesburg University sponsored a variety events falling under one unifying title, Who’s Your Neighbor Week. This semester, Who’s Your Neighbor Week revolved around the themes of “Where is the Love” and “Empowering the Powerless.” However, students and faculty rush through the scheduled events and sometimes forget the true meaning behind the programs creating this inspirational week, according to Bonner Scholarship Coordinator Sarah Brandstetter. “The main goal of this week is to
Staff Writer
All you
need is
See WYNW on A3
FOR MORE ‘WHO’S YOUR NEIGHBOR WEEK’ COVERAGE See A3
Photos by Michelle Daino, Aaron Thompson
Throughout ‘Who’s Your Neighbor Week’ this past week, students and faculty interacted in a variety of events including theatre productions, speakers, poets, fundraisers, panels and discussions.
B.F. MAIZ LECTURE SERIES
Pulitzer prize winning poet presents By Nick Farrell Editorial Assistant On Feb. 13, distinguished poet Claudia Emerson spoke in Alumni Hall as a part of the B.F. Maiz lecture series and Waynesburg Univer-
This Tuesday, Waynesburg University will have its annual assessment day. “Assessment day is a day we set aside to make sure that the university, its teachers, and the students are meeting the goals we have set,” said Dr. Baer the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Baer also said they use the day to “set new goals and objectives for each year.” assessment day is used by the university to see how students are learning by giving the freshmen surveys, math assessments for sophomores and the California Critical Thinking exercise for juniors. Assessment day is also when different departments see how their students are doing and if they need to change their teaching or change different class’s curriculum. Also, the findings on assessment day, the university has all the information they need for when there Middle States Accreditation self study comes up every 10 years. According to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education website it states “The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is the unit of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools that accredits degree-granting colleges See EVALUATION on A2
Pucker up
‘Kiss Away Cancer’ event raises cancer awareness By Mandy Ormsby Staff Writer
sity’s spring edition of Who’s your Neighbor Week. Lecturer of English Robert Randolph gave Emerson her introduction. He also spoke about
On Feb. 14, Waynesburg University’s senior nursing students Kaitlyn Karan and Caeli Duckworth took Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to educate other students about cancer. See POET on A4 Both students are part
of Assistant Nursing Professor Melany Chrash’s senior level community class. As part of the class, they are assigned a project and have to do a program based on the assignment to help raise awareness on the given topic. Karan and Duckworth
were given oral cancer as a topic and they raised awareness in a unique way. “We decided to hand out Hershey kisses on Valentine’s Day and call our cause ‘Kiss Away Cancer,’” said Karan. They purposely held the event on Valentine’s Day and worked with
both the American Cancer Society and Colleges Against Cancer to come up with the “Kiss Away Cancer” campaign. The students hung posters on the second floor of Stover Campus Center that provided information on oral canSee CANCER on A3
SPORTS
REGION
ARTS & LIFE
The Jacket wrestling team fell just short of their third straight PAC title. See Page C1
The Flenniken Library recently begun to offer local teenagers an after school program called, “Wii Adventures” every week .
The symphonic band performed during a mini-tour to area schools.
INSIDE Copyright © 2012 by Waynesburg University
Schedule released for all students By Rusty Fleming
WHO’S YOUR NEIGHBOR WEEK Week offers perspectives on love and relationships
ASSESSMENT DAY
Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A1-A4 Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1, B4 Editorial/Op-Ed . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2, B3
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .C1-C4 Arts & Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .D1-D2 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . .D3-D4
See Page B1
See Page D1
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Thursday, February 16, 2011
Campus
Speaker addresses sexual justice throughout ‘Week’ Chapel speaker discusses with students the importance of God’s image By Rob Longo Editorial Assistant On Tuesday, Feb. 14, students filled Roberts Chapel on campus like any other Tuesday for the weekly chapel service. However, this week’s chapel opened differently than normal. To start chapel, a trailer of the documentary “The Mountain Between Us,” a story of the struggles young women face in Nepal based on equality and providing for their families, was shown. After the trailer was played, University Chaplin Tom Ribera spoke about how this chapel tied into the theme of Who’s Your Neighbor Week. “Jesus and God created the first two commandments to express how we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves,” Ribar said. After the opening, the chapel band performed a song before taking a brief break as Ribar said an opening prayer. After the prayer, the chapel band played once again. Following the chapel band was Sarah Brandstetter, coordinator of the Bonner Scholars, who awarded a number of grants to members of the Bonner Scholar program. The grants will go towards projects in the community. Next up were the first and second readings,
Evaluation day to be held Continued from A1 and universities in the Middle States region, which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and several
Kristyn Komarnicki holds question and answer session after Chapel speech By Mariah Beauregard
talking about it in a real way.” Some of the main points of Komarnicki’s Kristyn Komarnicki spoke on Feb. 14 as part dialogue were the negaof Who’s Your Neighbor tive effects of pornograWeek. After her chapel phy and the importance of developlecture, titled ing virtues, “Sexual Jussuch as tice: Why honesty and What We Do I think that faithfulwith Our she [Komarnicki] ness, in Bodies Matters,” she brought a unique preparation held a quesperspective to the for marriage. tion and topic of sexual Komarnicki answer sesalso sion in Stover justice in a way stressed the room 302. that made the importance “I was trytopic relevant to of finding a ing to give a individuals out group of positive peers and vision of the age. older mengoodness of and God’s Daniel Czajkowski tors with plan for our Junior criminal justice whom stuand political science major dents could sexuality,” discuss said Komarthese matnicki. One of the main ters. Alyssa Daniel, a sophpoints that students omore forensic accountexpressed in the dialogue was that most churches ing major, and Amber and people in their lives Freeman, a freshman hiswere unwilling to talk tory and creative writing about sex with them. major, both attended the Komarnicki’s goal was to dialogue as well as the provide a safe place for chapel beforehand. “I students to have a real thought it was very interesting,” said Daniel. discussion about sex. “I was more surprised “It held my attention. I that so few people liked that she used seemed to have a safe straight answers.” “She laid everything place to talk about sex,” said Komarnicki. “I’m out because most people shocked that we live in a don’t,” said Freeman. society that’s so saturated with sex and no one’s See KOMARNICKI on A4
Staff Writer
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Photo by Greg Reinhart
Kristyn Komarnicki speaks during the Chapel service held on Tuesday in the Roberts Chapel. Komarnicki spoke about sexual justice and the importance of God’s image. which were both from Song of Solomon. After the first two readings, the Lamplighter Concert Choir performed a soulful rendition of “Joyful, Joyful.” Finally, Kristyn Komarnicki took to the podium to speak. “Sexual justice is an
important part of reflecting God’s image in the world,” Komarnicki said. As Komarnicki went on, she continued to prove her points by using examples from the Bible. “Sex without covenant is like telling lies with our bodies,” Komarnicki said. “God loves our body
and heart and wants us to keep our body special and free.” After Komarnicki finished her presentation, Ribar closed with the traditional benediction. Next week’s chapel theme will be “Spiritus et Veritas” which translates to “Spirit and Truth.”
locations internationally.” Waynesburg has been a member of Middle states since 1950 and has its next self-study beginning in the fall of 2014. Assessment day is also used to help get seniors ready for the job world. During assessment day departments use it for senor audits and also to do mock job interview to get seniors ready for the job world and prepared for
what it brings. According to Baer the information found on assessment day “closes that loop, to what we are doing wrong.” With assessment day coming all freshmen sophomores and juniors will have to complete their assigned activity. This goes from the survey on what the university can improve on for the freshmen to the math
assessment needed to graduate that the sophomores take. To find out where students need to go Dr. James Bush sent an Email to all students and has put the list of where students need to go on Tuesday and at what times they should be there to take their assessment. To find the list go to Bush’s shared folder under the mathematics category.
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Thursday, February 16, 2011
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Campus
Alumna creates documentary about Nepal, speaks to students By Stephanie Laing Assignments Editor Passionate, goal-driven and concerned about those around the world, Anne Banister, a Waynesburg University graduate and production coordinator from Denver, Colo., spoke on Wednesday for Waynesburg University’s Who’s Your Neighbor Week about how she uses her talents to empower the powerless. “I have always believe you can make a difference with the gifts you’ve been given,” said Banister. After Banister graduated three years ago, she actively promotes a movement to encourage, educate and employ women in Nepal by creating documentaries. And when she featured a video from Edge of Seven, a 2-year-old nonprofit organization working to eliminate poverty in Nepal through building schools and educating women, Banister showed how her time at the University fostered her pas-
WYNW kicks off Continued from A1 educate students on current events and raise awareness of the happenings in the world around us,” said Brandstetter. “It forces us to recognize that neighbors aren’t just those right next to you.” “Who’s Your Neighbor Week obviously refers to the gospel,” said Martin Cockroft, assistant professor of creative writing. “Jesus said to love your neighbor. As Christians, we are called to serve all those people—regionally, nationally, universally— as neighbors.” Many students, faculty and staff members attend the events offered by Who’s Your Neighbor Week, but the impact of these events differ between individuals. “[Who’s Your Neighbor Week] reaches people in different ways,” said Cockroft. “Some people don’t know or don’t care, some people will go to a few events, while some people will go to a lot of events and feel really carried by the week. The events focus on raising awareness. For example, a returning Waynesburg student created a presentation about her work with female Sherpas.” Brandstetter said that it is
Photo by Chad Green
Alumna Anne Banister spoke to students about her documentary about the women of Nepal as well as an organization she works with named the Edge of Seven. sion. “Waynesburg was the perfect place because we’re so mission-oriented,” said Banister. The video featured two success stories of girls
“exciting to be able to bring back an alumna to show the work she’s doing, and to show students it can be done by using your own talents and skills to make a big impact. Who’s Your Neighbor Week provides students with the opportunity to see the world from a different point of view, and we want to offer programs that will help students better themselves as they begin to enter the work force,” said Brandstetter. “I think all of the events are designed both to draw student interest and challenge students. The hope is that there’s something we’re offering that all students will appreciate,” said Cockroft. As mentioned, Who’s Your Neighbor Week focuses on “Empowering the Powerless.” “It’s basically a call to recognize individuals faced with powerlessness, and to see how we as individuals can make a difference,” said Brandstetter. Who’s Your Neighbor Week corresponds with the mission statement valued by Waynesburg University, “faith, learning, and serving.” Who’s Your Neighbor Week educates participants and creates curiosity. Raising awareness, the events are meant to inspire us to help the world; our neighbors.
educated in the schools built by Edge of Seven, which according to their website, creates opportunities for personal and global development. “It really encompasses
the feeling of what Nepal is all about, and also what the women are going through and what the women have been able to accomplish this far in [Edge of Seven’s] schools’
development,” she said. In addition to the videos she produces for other organizations, Banister is working on a project of her own – a documentary film raising awareness of women’s conditions in Nepal. The film began when she traveled to Nepal with a friend to rock climb, but the adventure soon changed when Banister saw a need to spread awareness. “What I got myself into is huge, takes a lot of time and preparation, and it takes a lot of strategy to effectively shoot a film that will help these women out,” Banister said. “My goal for the film is to expand a larger film on a new revelation and revolution of women empowerment all over the world.” Before graduating college, moving to Colorado and promoting her documentaries, Banister was a journalism student interested in understanding poverty and how to eliminate it.
“I realized the news industry wasn’t for me,” said Bannister. “It wasn’t giving me exactly what I needed.” She found what she needed during a past Who’s Your Neighbor Week, after watching a documentary by Invisible Children, an organization that effectively employed media to spread awareness about child soldiers in Africa. “This led me down a path of documentary films,” said Banister. She approached Dave Calvario, dean of students and director of the Center for Service Leadership, who encouraged her to put her passion into practice on a mission trip. “You can’t go somewhere and ignore what is going on,” said Banister. For the rest of her career, Banister worked to put what she learned into practice. She applied what she knew to the real world; she moved out to Colorado after graduating and began freelancing and promoting her work.
‘What can we do?’ ‘Voices of the Powerless’ event held in GPAC on Wednesday By Eric Bost Editorial Assistant Every semester, the university takes a week out of its schedule to hold Who’s Your Neighbor Week. Every semester a group meets to discuss what issue they are going to cover during the week mainly focusing on a multitude of issues that occur throughout the world. The group tries to come up with a new, creative angle that they haven’t done before. Although the goal of trying to make an impact remains the same, the line of issues that they can choose from has not shortened. “We usually start coming up with ideas at the end of February,” said University Chaplain Tom Ribar. “We look at a number of different issues,
Cancer event held Continued from A1 cer. From 10:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. the posters were visible to all the students and faculty that passed through. At 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., the girls handed out free Hershey’s Kisses as a way to entice people to come over and learn more about the cancer. According to the information given on the poster, over 37,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year, which equals one person per hour.
including slavery, sex trafficking, etc. We try and pick a topic we haven’t covered yet.” This year, the university’s topic of choice is Empowering the Powerless. The events held throughout the week are there to show the students that we can help those that don’t have a voice. On Wednesday there will be a presentation called Voices of the Powerless in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center at noon. This was put in place to show that the students are able to support those in need of it. “What is going to happen is that there will be theatrical ‘readings’ of someone’s thoughts,” said Sarah Brandstetter, university Bonner Scholarship coordinator. Students will be reading stories from various people and
about their own hard situations. “For example, one of the readings is about a child whose parent abuses alcohol.” Brandstetter said that although the students cannot relate to the person’s situations, they can learn about it and become aware that these situations are going on. “Even though the students are not the actual person dealing with these problems, they should still be able to take away how to understand a persons problems in their future as well as be able to support them and be able to know how to help,” said Brandstetter. After all of the readings are complete, there is going to be a time to ask questions, where the students can take advantage of this opportunity about different situations that others experience every
day. Brandstetter said the university holds these types of events to be able to get the students to leave thinking, “What can we do?” “Overall, this week is about students being able to learn about current events that occur daily and about who’s around them,” said Brandstetter. “We not only want to make an individual impact amongst the students but we want to make a global impact as well.” “Throughout this event, there will be dramatic presentations and first person references talking about memories of oppression, like sex abuse,” said Ribar. “These events that take place are opportunities to hear the millions that don’t have a voice because of that oppression.”
Though the survival rate is 80 percent to 90 percent, the type of cancer is still dangerous if it is not caught early enough. The causes of oral cancer can range from tobacco use, alcohol consumption, sexual contact, drinking hot or cold beverages, HPV 16 and family history. The causes were somewhat shocking to most of the people that this event reached. “I knew about tobacco use causing cancer,” said sophomore nursing major Melissa Paul. “But I was intrigued to find that hot or cold beverages and HPV were linked with oral cancer; I hope I can learn more about it in the future.”
One of the focus points of the program was raising awareness about the Gardisal shot. Both girls spoke to people about the fact that the shot is available here on campus during the different health programs. Karan is involved in Relay for Life and is the president of Colleges Against Cancer program here at Waynesburg. She is also a part of the American Cancer Society, and though cancer has not affected her personally, she does it for others who have been impacted by the disease. “Cancer affects everyone,” said Karan. “Everyone knows someone that has dealt with
cancer, so I do my best to help the cause in any way I can.” Karan and Duckworth’s goal was to raise awareness and reach people so they can educate and prevent future cases of oral cancer. According to the students’ research, some of the precautions students can take include getting yearly pap smears, making better choices sexually and refraining from smoking and drinking. “I hope that we encourage people to make better life choices,” said Karan. “Our goal was to raise awareness and we felt that the Hershey’s Kisses would give us a chance to talk to people about this issue.”
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Thursday, February 16, 2011
Campus
Art Day for children hosted by honorary By Anastasia Barr Staff Writer The Waynesburg Chapter for the Council for Exceptional Children held an Art Day Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Stover Campus Center. According to the CEC website; they are the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. Waynesburg has had a chapter of CEC. However, prior to this year the club was not active. With a group of junior education majors including Shannon Bartley, Austi Dunlap, Julie Warzinski, Brooke Kappert, Leah Bujaky, Emilie Miller and many others, the club has taken off and is surpassing all expectations according to Ali Hulsey, early childhood and special education major. “CEC is believed to be exclusively for education majors only we are very open to all majors. We currently have education, nursing, communication and other majors represented. CEC is a great way to help children through love and service,” Hulsey said. This was the first event the CEC held at the university. Chelsea Watson, early childhood and special education major said a lot of planning went into this event. “We contacted various schools, stores, and
Poet presents Continued from A1 the significance of the B.F. Maiz lecture series and how it emphasizes poetry and Biblical justice. Emerson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2006 for her “Late Wife” collection, from which she shared a few of her poems. In her lecture, Emerson noted that “Late Wife” was inspired by the divorce of her first husband and her re-marriage to her current husband, Kent. During this time, she experienced a wave of different emotions. “Loss is a recurring theme in my poems, and I ran in to mixed emotions with my divorce and re-marriage,” said Emerson. “There’s always going
libraries asking if we could hang fliers up to spread the word,” Watson said. Art Day was designed to give young children with special needs the chance to work with college students and an opportunity to express themselves through different styles of art. Hulsey said the day started out by making a handprint of every child and volunteer which made an outline of a heart from all of the handprints. Shannon Bartley, education major and the president of CEC then read the children a story. After that, then art stations were set up where children roamed around the room completing different art projects ranging from texture painting, bubble painting, crayon resist, puffy paint, marble painting, bracelet making, straw painting and home making play dough. CEC is planning on having many more events due to the success of Art day. “Art day was a huge success we had 16 elementary age children come out and participate. Being a new club we were very nervous going into it however with great volunteers and leaders the day went very smoothly and was a lot of fun for all involved,” said Hulsey. The art the children made is now being displayed in a gallery at Waynesburg Press Coffee Shop.
to be confusion, and I think that’s what I ran into and, yes, there are blessings to being remarried and being the happiest I’ve been in my life, but it’s only because someone had disappeared before me. How happy can you be about that?” Kent lost his first wife to cancer before he met Claudia, but during their marriage, Claudia has come across objects that once belonged to Kent’s first wife, Lynn, like a glove that she found in the trunk of her car. These discoveries and other experiences prompted more poems. “Objects don’t matter except when the person is gone,” said Emerson. Emerson’s work, especially the poems engraved on the pages of “Late Wife,” tie in to the Who’s Your Neighbor Week theme of “Empowering the Powerless.” “I have one book in particular where I am
KDP hosts book drive
level students at the elementary schools and children two to four years of age at Nanny’s Creative Learning Center, Chojnicki said. Although she believes this is the first time the education honor society has ever done a book drive, she hopes it will be a yearly event. “We are hoping to continue this every year, because knowing that the children will benefit from the books being donated is a wonderful feeling,” Chojnicki said. Because the book drive was her idea, Chojnicki did much of the initial planning for the book drive, but all members of Kappa Delta Pi have played a role in the cause, she said. “I contacted local schools and received mes-
sages from them telling me whether they wanted to participate or not. I made the poster for the book drive that can be seen around campus and put the boxes in Stover and in the Education office,” Chojnicki said. “The whole honor society is involved because
they have been excellent with donating books. When I first came up with the idea I wasn’t sure what response I would get, but the members have done wonderfully. Without them, there wouldn’t be any books for the children.”
Daniel and Freeman both agreed that no one had ever really had serious discussions with them about sexual matters. They were surprised
that many other students were in the same situation. “I didn’t realize so many other people didn’t have serious conversation about it,” said Daniel. Daniel Czajkowski, a junior criminal justice and political science major, also attended the chapel as well as the dialogue.
“I think that she [Komarnicki] brought a unique perspective to the topic of sex and sexual justice in a way that made the topic relevant to individuals our age,” said Czajkowski. “She reconnected sex to our spiritual being and to our society and especially people our age. There’s a huge disconnect
there, and that’s something that everyone our age needs to hear.” Kristyn Komarnicki is the editor of PRISM Magazine. Czajkowski encourages people who were not able to hear any of Komarnicki’s lectures or are struggling with their sexuality to read this magazine.
interested in exploring people who, without the poems, don’t have a voice or aren’t seen,” said Emerson. Emerson said that it is the job of a poet to encourage voices of groups or individuals that may not be heard. Her poems are tied to the divorce she experienced after being married for 20 years. She believes that her poems speak volume to women who are going
through a divorce. “Honestly, I wondered if, when I was writing [the poems], divorce was so ordinary that it wouldn’t resonate with people,” Emerson said. “I think that [“Late Wife”] seems to draw a pretty good audience.” Emerson also mentioned in an interview that her reflection on the divorce while writing a poem made her realize that a divorce “may not e the worst thing in the
world.” During her lecture, Emerson also read poems inspired by the deaths of her brother and father. Her father died at age 94, but was preceded in death by her brother who was taken by cancer two months earlier. Emerson concluded the night on a much lighter and humorous note. She serenaded the audience with what she
called a “raucous murder ballad” inspired by her divorce. The son was based on a poem from “Late Wife.” It was fitting that Emerson would end the night on a light note; because she believes that sometimes her poetry doesn’t get enough credit. “I like to think I write about some pretty hard stuff,” she said. “But I think I make it beautiful.
Continued from A1 to expose the children to new kinds of literature, which is essential for literacy development.” Chojnicki hopes that the book drive donations will help the schools so that they do not have to purchase as many books. “In the long run, literacy is important for everyone, and what better way of increasing literacy skills than donating books,” Chojnicki said. Kappa Delta Pi’s major goal for the book drive is to collect 40 to 80 books to be donated to four different schools, which would be at least 10 to 20 books per school. “The intent of donating to local schools is to benefit either specific classrooms or the school library,” Chojnicki said. “The principal will decide where to send them after they are dropped off.” The books collected will be sent to Waynesburg Central Elementary School, Graysville Elementary School, East Franklin School and Nanny’s Creative Learning Center. The books will reach Kindergarten to fifth grade
Komarnicki speaks Continued from A2
Photo b
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Campus
Jacket columnist Kaitlin Edwards talks about how we should embrace the traits that make each of us unique. Read more on B2
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Providing teens with a ‘third place’ after school
Flenniken Library provides teens with safe, fun after school program By Kyle Edwards Region Editor
Flenniken Public Library in Carmichaels now offers local teenagers a fun, safe place to hang out after school once or twice a week via a program titled “Wii Adventures.” On Monday and Tuesday nights each week, the library offers local teenagers the opportunity to hang out, play Wii and
enjoy various refreshments. “We’re very close to the high school, so we tend to have kids come over after school anyway,” said Jessica Miller, assistant director of Flenniken Public Library. “They come in, and they can learn techniques for getting along with each other.” Miller explained that the goal of this program is to provide a safe after school environment for teens. “We aim to provide them with a ‘third place’ — a place that’s not home or school that they can come and be safe and pro-
“It’s a place where we’re still encouraging them to read and learn and just have fun.” Jessica Miller Assistant Director - Flenniken Public Library
tected,” said Miller. “It’s a place where we’re still encouraging them to read and learn and just have fun.” According to afterschoolalliance.org, a site that is dedicated to raising awareness on the importance of a safe after school environment for teenagers, teens who do not participate in after school
programs are nearly three times more likely to skip classes than those who do not participate. They are also three times more likely to use marijuana or other drugs and are more likely to drink, smoke and engage in sexual activity. The site also said that more than 15 million, or 26 percent
of, school-age children are on their own after school. Miller explained that the program was started in an attempt to reach out to local teenagers. “A few years ago we realized we had done very well in providing programming for little kids and adults, but the teens were kind of getting lost in the middle of it,” she said. “It [the program] was kind of a way to get them in the door. Once they’re here, we have books, audio books and other materials that are centered around that age group.” Only 8.4 million K-
12 students participate in afterschool programs. An additional 18.5 million would participate if a quality program were available in their community, according to afterschoolalliance.or g. The site also stated that an analysis of 73 after school studies concluded that after school programs using evidence-based approaches were consistently successful in producing multiple benefits for youth, including improvements in children’s personal, social and academic skills as See AFTER on B4
Rehabilitation in store for 25 county homes By Angela Wadding Staff Writer Greene County is preparing a grant for housing rehabilitation that could potentially help 25 homeowners. Richard Davis, county housing specialist, the grant could potentially cover 16 or more homes. “If you break the grant down it consists of 16 homes, but that is if you use the max of $25,000 for each home but in the past I have helped up to 25 homeowners,” said Davis. “We try to stretch the money as much as we can.” To apply for the program homeowners must meet certain guidelines relating to property ownership and taxes, Davis said. “The home owner must own the home and property which it sits on. They must be current on their taxes and household income is set at 80 percent of the median, said Davis. That is a grant from $1,000 to $25,000, for one household, to bring their home up to code. According to CityData.com, in 2009 the estimated median household income was $37,476. Davis explained that, while many people in the County will be helped, the grant can’t and won’t cover everyone who needs help. “We have a lot of people that have mobile homes which we can’t help, because they don’t own the
“If you break the grant down it consists of 16 homes, but that is if you use the max of $25,000 for each home. In the past I’ve helped up to 25 home owners.” Richard Davis County Housing Specialist
land. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do for them if they do not own land,” said Davis. Davis explained that Greene County has participated in this program for the last 17 years and the last grant was county wide – anyone who lived in the county could apply. This grant, however, will be focused towards a target area that has yet to be determined. “The grant is in the process of being written. We need to find a target area first,” said Davis. “We held a public meeting and had people there to represent the area they live in. Some were from Mather, Morris Township, Greensboro and Bobtown was brought up.” Public comment on the target area was taken up until Feb. 10. “The grant is a rolling grant and there is no specific deadline
File photos
In these file photos, runners cross the finish line during past Heroes Run/Walks. The event is held every year in memory of Lance Cpl. Steven Phillips and Spc. Gregory Cox, two local veterans who lost their lives in Iraq.
Running for a cause Proceeds from fifth annual Run/Walk benefit local families By Sarah Bell Arts & Life Editor
Last month, more than $11,000 was presented to the families of two Greene County servicemen to benefit memorial scholarship funds established in the men’s honor. The sponsors and organizers of the 2011 Heroes Run/Walk presented the money to the Phillips and Cox families. Betty Stammerjohn, executive director of the Community Foundation of Greene County, said that the county hosts the Heroes Run/Walk to recognize the sacrifice the two men made. “It’s something the county started to recognize these young men rather than naming a See GRANT on B4 street or a bridge after
them,” Stammerjohn said. “In addition the families work really hard on it; they put a lot of time and effort into it.” The fifth annual Heroes Run/Walk was held on Sept. 17 and raised $11,196.55 for memorial funds that were established in the names of Marine Lance Cpl. Steven Phillips and Army Spc. Gregory Cox. Both men were killed in
Humvee accidents in Iraq. More than 300 participants attended the event in September. The proceeds from the event are equally divided between the Cox and Phillips families. The families and the Greene County Department of Recreation coordinate the race each year. “For five years, we have been consistently
touched by the outpouring of support for Heroes Run and the affection for this cause,” said Greene County Commissioner Pam Snyder in a prepared statement. “Last year was yet another successful race, and we anticipate many more as we continue to honor the memories and service of these two men.” See PROCEEDS on B4
Page B2
YELLOW JACKET
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Editorial
Participation counts Politics and life: you win some, you lose some Assessment Day requires student participation Tuesday, Feb. 21 is Assessment Day at Waynesburg University.For those who are unfamiliar with this annual event, it includes a series of surveys and tests that are administered to every student according to their completed credit hours. Freshmen fill out a detailed survey, sophomores take a mathematics assessment and juniors complete a critical thinking assessment.Specific departments determine additional activities. When it comes down to it, Assessment Day is a “win-win” sort of situation: Students do not have to go to their regularly assigned Tuesday classes, and the University obtains useful information based upon their answers. But in order for the information to be beneficial, it has to be accurate. Some students may view Assessment Day and their specific activities as unimportant and complete the assessments without putting any effort into their answers. Some may click through the freshman survey without even reading the questions or give the critical thinking assessment no thought at all. This completely defeats the purpose of Assessment Day. Although waking up early for what some may perceive as a simple survey may seem like an unnecessary burden, students should respect the University’s intentions. The University is always giving back to its students and, to participate honestly in Assessment Day is not much to ask. Everyone is required to participate and should be sure to check myconnect for times and locations to ensure that they do not miss their scheduled activity.
Recognize real issues University spreads word on a worthy cause In Christian schools, it is easy to censor certain topics that might typically be considered taboo on their campuses. However, some of these less openly recognized topics are areas of major concern in the world. This week, Waynesburg University opened up, straying from conservative norms, and invited people to talk and hear about sex-related issues. It’s important to be educated about these things. There was a Sexuality Series where resident directors discussed topics such as homosexuality and pornography. Another topic that was prevalent on campus this week was sex trafficking. Anyone who walked through Stover Campus Center could see the paper chains hanging from the banisters with messages about sex trafficking. A table was also set up in Stover where students handed out flyers, fact sheets and pamphlets about sex trafficking and how to get involved in fighting against it. They also sold t-shirts with the message “Not for Sale.” Among the information presented at the table in Stover was a pamphlet from student Cassy Dowler for the Hiding Place, a ministry whose goal is to provide assistance to sex-workers who hope to exit that lifestyle and facilitate education and job retraining for former sex workers. The University’s support group is also on Facebook at “The Hiding Place – Waynesburg, PA.” Thank you, students and staff who are raising awareness on a worthy cause.
I don’t know if you have heard, but there is a presidential election coming up pretty soon. If you are too busy watching the Hunger Games trailer 600 times (trust me, I’ve been there) or stocking up so that your chances of surviving the highly anticipated Armageddon raise just a little bit, here is what I want you to know about the upcoming United States Presidential Election: debates are well underway, but, of course, nothing is set in stone yet. If you think I am about to give you a les-
SARAH BELL Columnist
son in politics and you don’t want to read any further, you are wrong. If you think I am going to apply these debates to my life in some creative way, you are probably wrong too but this is the one that I’m going for. For those of you who don’t know, I have a twin sister named Brittney. Having a twin sister means that every day
Embrace the qualities that set us apart Being weird should be celebrated. Remember that – it’s kind of important. Seriously though, everyone has his or her own quirks. Everyone has their odd habits and revealing secrets. Some people though, have more weird qualities than others. For example, anyone see the Grammys last Sunday? If you want to see the biggest bunch of oddball people with weird fashion styles, conflicting personalities and too much time
of my life is a debate. I am a communication major; she is an education major. I like blue; she likes pink. I’m a mess; she is unbelievably organized. When everything is said and done, one of us always comes out of the argument victorious and even thought I hate to admit it more than anything, most of the time she wins. Actually, nine out of 10 times she wins. Our current ongoing argument is about which one of us works harder. We have even come up with numerous ways
KAITLIN EDWARDS Columnist
on their hands, look no farther than the music industry. Very few things can be predicted when watching the Grammys except that there will be crazy clothing, lots of music and probably some trophies shaped like phonographs given out. Regardless, the Grammys are always something people will be talking about for at least a few days afterward. Although the conversations continued all of Monday, some things have begun to change. Whereas comments on whose performance was unbearable to
to measure which one actually works more. Yeah, we’re that ridiculous. As a Bonner Scholar, my sister’s community service hours are logged online and signed by her site coordinators and the Bonner Scholarship Coordinator. She is required to complete 140 hours of community service every semester and 280 hours each summer. She goes above and beyond each time. She is a hard worker. I don’t doubt that for a second. As the Arts & Life See LIFE on B3
listen to, who definitely shouldn’t have won an award and so on and so forth, used to be a hot topic throughout the week after the awards, things are different now than they used to be. And you can blame all the changes on one thing – social media. Bet you didn’t see that coming, did you? Anyway, social media has literally rocked our world. No longer are the days when people kept their opinions to themselves, or at least within their close groups of friends. Now, we have the ability to broadcast our opinions to the world without actually having to speak a word. Now, we can write what we want to say to say everyone. Now, we can spread our See APPRECIATE on B3
Grammys should showcase talent, not ignorance The Grammys. A night where today’s music stars get to take the stage with mindblowing performances. A night where the artists who have topped the charts the most often are rewarded with a solid gold trophy, forever emblazoning them into the hearts and minds of the populace. But not all the stars go home happy. Some leave empty handed. While Adele, Taylor
KYLE EDWARDS Columnist
Swift, The Foo Fighters, Chris Brown and other artists walked away with the fame and glory, others, such as Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj left disappointed. And not all of the performances were awe-
some either. At the very top (or bottom) of the list was the “Roman Holiday” performance by Minaj, who showed up to the show with a man who was dressed as the pope. In case you missed it, here’s a quick recap. The performance began on stage with Minaj and a man dressed as a Catholic Priest sitting in a Confession Box. After acting out a quick confessional, a
taped video was played depicting a mock exorcism starring Minaj. She then appeared on stage again with choirboys and dancing monks. But wait, it gets better. The next part of the performance showed a very scantily clad woman stretching backwards while one of the altar boys knelt between her legs in “prayer.” See IGNORANCE on B3
YELLOW JACKET
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Page B3
Op-Ed
Life echoes politics Continued from B2
Memorable singer, cautionary tale The story is familiar. Beautiful, talented singer, actor, dancer, and on down the list, succumbs in a tragic likely accident that may have involved drug abuse. Whitney Houston was added to that roll call Saturday. She was 48. Like so many others, she is gone too soon, and yet she will always be with us. Almost from the time the little girl from Newark, N.J., opened her mouth in song, it was clear she would one day be a star. And why not, given her lineage?
Gospel great Cissy Houston was her mother, pop music icon Dionne Warwick her aunt, and the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, her godmother. Little "Nippy," as they called her, surpassed them all in the millions of records she sold globally. But the singing sensation, who as a youngster gained a reputation as being too squeaky clean to be believed, passed into maturity with an appetite for cocaine and marijuana, she admitted. Her tempestuous marriage to equally drug-
dependent R&B singer Bobby Brown failed. Three times she went to rehab. Her voice suffered. The comeback that always seemed so close never came. Houston's life may serve as a cautionary lesson to some, and that's fine. It's a lesson that can't be taught too often, or too early. But that's not the only Whitney Houston who should be remembered. Remember her as the only pop singer to have seven consecutive No. 1 singles on Billboard. Remember her as the
Editor at the Yellow Jacket, I put in about 25 hours a week. Which at the end of the semester should total to 300 hours, give or take. And, at the risk of further embarrassing myself, I will say that I considered using a calculator to determine the total amount of hours I work at the Yellow Jacket. My sister got an A in Calculus; she wouldn’t even need a calculator to multiply fractions or find limits - she’s good like that. In addition, my sister has to observe for all of her education classes, and I have to write for my communication classes. Who knew we would both actually have to work in college? It’s a hard life. There have been so
singer who put Francis Scott Key on the Top 10 charts as a lyricist for her thrilling rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Remember her as the talented actress in films like "Waiting to Exhale." Remember her as the voice heard on tape in countless weddings, singing her signature hit, "I Will Always Love You." Remember her as the memorable singer she was. Continued from B2 ___ This editorial originally appeared in the thoughts instantly. And you know what? Philadelphia Enquirer. People read them too. Everything you post, gets read by someone else. Every weird thought, odd comment, quirky remark. Being By Nick Farrell political cartoonists to praise his during the massacre that he could weird should be celebratEditorial Assistant gentle action. no longer control his territory ed, right? The problem is, not everyone celeeffectively. brates it. Feb. 15, 1903 Feb. 14, 1929 Some people constantFeb. 16, 1959 ly criticize, start fights Toy-store owner Morris MichThe St. Valentine’s Day Mastom places two stuffed bears in sacre occurred 83 years ago when Fidel Castro was sworn in as and post inappropriate his window shop, calling them four men dressed as police officers prime minister of Cuba 53 years comments over these Teddy bears and selling them to entered mob boss George “Bugs” ago today. This marked the begin- forums. Facebook, Twitter and the public. The name Teddy bear Moran’s headquarters in Chicago ning of a communist reign in any other networks are comes from President Theodore and killed seven of his henchmen. Cuba as well as led to the “Cuban not appropriate places Roosevelt’s nickname, Teddy. This killing was the culmina- Missile Crisis” in 1962. Roosevelt was an avid hunter tion of a rivalry between Bugs The communist Soviet Union for these comments. During the Grammys, who took trips to Africa on occa- Moran and his nemesis Al backed its support of Castro’s rule comments about persion. Some trips resulted in the Capone, more commonly known when it opted to place nuclear slaughter of thousands of animals as “Scarface.” The two fought missiles in Cuba. The Soviets formances and awards during a short period of time, but over control of smuggling and only agreed to remove the mis- kept appearing at alarmthe Teddy bear was inspired by a trafficking routes during the boot- siles after the United States agreed ing rates all over my social network feeds. much more compassionate act. legging period of the 1920s. to not invade Cuba. Reports suggest that Roosevelt This day in history marked the Castro’s time as Cuba’s prime Some of these comments came across a seriously wounded last confrontation between minister outlasted that of 10 U.S. were downright inapproblack bear while hunting in Mis- Capone and Moran. Capone was presidents. He stepped down in priate and degrading. Social networks are sissippi in 1902. Roosevelt jailed two years later in 1931 February 2008 due to extensive not appropriate places to allegedly set the bear free, leading while Moran lost so many men health issues. criticize artists, events or anything else. Not to sound preachy or cliché, but honestly, release, mocking Minaj Minaj defended her- accidental. but primarily blaming self on Ryan Seacrest’s That is just complete- unbelievable amounts of work, planning and time The Recording Academy radio show Monday ly unacceptable. for allowing the number morning. The Grammys are gets put into everything to air. “First of all, the supposed to be a chance you see on television. Continued from B2 As a member of the “Whether Minaj is Grammys chose ‘Roman for today’s artists to give possessed is surely an Holiday.’ The producers us their best perform- media, I take offense to The coup de grace was open question, but what of the Grammys came to ance and prove that uninformed, incorrect the singing of “Oh is not in doubt is the the studio and heard they’re worthy of receiv- and overly opinionated (not to mention poorly Come All Ye Faithful” irresponsibility of The ‘Roman Holiday’ and I ing their awards. as a man dressed as a Recording Academy. could not play them Even though they did- written) critiques over bishop walked on stage Never would they allow another record after they n’t win any Grammys, social networks. The only purpose and Minaj “levitated” an artist to insult heard that,” Minaj said. Blake Shelton, Katy into the air. Judaism or Islam,” said “They went crazy...so I Perry, Coldplay and all these critiques serve, All this was accompa- Catholic League Presi- could have chosen to do the other artists who nied by breaking stained dent Bill Donohue pre- a no-brainer pop song, gave us their best perglass, extremely loud pared a statement. but I can’t do it anymore. formance but left withbass and Minaj’s unintel“None of this [perfor- I have to stay true to out an award demonligible jabber. mance] was by accident, what I’m doing.” strated this perfectly. Everyone should love and all of it was Give me a break. You They went out and it, right? approved by The Record- can’t tell me that act gave it their all and didYeah… right. ing Academy, which wasn’t a purposeful n’t offend anyone…at Needless to say, the puts it on the Gram- mockery of the Catholic least not on purpose. Catholic community mys.” faith. Now, I’m That’s how it should was outraged and conHe then goes on to Methodist, and I don’t be. You shouldn’t go out demned Minaj to a life of talk about it being bad pretend to know all of and use your time on the eternal damnation… enough that Catholics the inner workings of air to mock something only not really. have to fight for their the Catholicism, but I’m you don’t agree with. But they were far from rights against the hostile pretty sure that none of That’s just wrong. happy. Obama administration, what Minaj portrayed in Keep your ignorance The Catholic League but we won’t get into her Grammy perform- to yourself. We don’t issued an angry press that. ance was accurate, or want to hear it.
This week in history...
Ignorance takes its toll
Appreciate others’ work
many instances when I have heard people on campus talking about how one of their friends has it better because they have an “easy major.” That’s just annoying. Your major is as easy as you make it. If you work hard, it will be harder. If you slack it will be easy. And no matter how many times I say that all my sister does in class is color, I know that she works hard and that is why she is successful. So, in case I lost you, let’s get back to the point. Politics are like life. Two people can debate for hours (sometimes about nothing), but only one person will be victorious. And even though I am interested to see which one of us works longer this semester, I retract the statement that I work harder. So, Brittney, it looks like you taught me something, after all. May the odds be ever in your favor.
besides annoy everyone by clogging up newsfeeds, is to cause fights. And the problem is, it not just the Grammys that cause these reactions. Remember the Superbowl a few weeks ago? Although in western Pennsylvania the game itself was not really a big deal, the commercials and the halftime show were. Very few commercials did not warrant a comment via social networks, but what caused the most debate was the halftime show from Madonna. So many people began unwarranted arguments over social networks that, frankly, were just embarrassing. The planning and work that go into coordinating a show, such as the halftime show, is unreal. Not only do the artists have to plot out the vocals, but someone has to coordinate the dancers and stagehands, equipment, the television crew and many, many, many more elements. Just so some kid who doesn’t like Madonna in the first place can criticize the performance. We should be celebrating the weird, quirky performances that are memorable and required a lot of work to pull off. So the next time you consider going and writing a negative comment, think about the consequences. Chances are you are just being closeminded. Remember that.
YELLOW JACKET
Page B4
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Region
Greene County may reduce medical transportation assistance services Greene County Commissioners announced at their Feb. 1 agenda meeting that, due to spending cuts by the state Department of Public Welfare, the county may be forced to reduce its Medical Assistance Transportation Program services beginning April 1. The commissioners this week mailed a letter to the state’s Division of Medical Assistance
Transportation expressing disappointment over the July funding cut and notifying the state of the imminent service reduction. After the funding decrease, the county was left with $866,357 to operate the MATP until June 30, the end of the program’s fiscal year. Pam Snyder, Greene County commissioner, expressed her doubts about the county’s ability to con-
tinue the program at it’s current rate. “If we continue to operate our Medical Assistance Transportation Program under the funding cuts imposed by the state, we would end up almost $300,000 in debt by the end of June,” said Snyder. “At this time, we have no choice but to limit ridership, if the state continues on this path and these funding cuts continue
to hold.” Last July, the state trimmed nearly $400,000 from the county’s MATP allocation. The state also reduced mileage reimbursement rates from 27 cents a mile to 12 cents a mile for consumers who arrange their own transportation to and from medical appointments. In addition to mileage reimbursement, the county also
coordinates and provides bus trips to and from medical appointments or for authorized medical services to consumers who qualify for Medical Assistance. Effective April 1, only those consumers who receive cancer treatment, dialysis or prenatal care will be eligible for transportation services or mileage reimbursement. In January, the coun-
ty had already begun reducing more longdistance trips and reassessing each consumer’s mode of transportation, realizing some savings but not enough to prevent a significant shortfall. For more information or questions about program changes, call the Transportation office at 724-627-6778 or toll-free at 1-877-3607433.
Proceeds donated
Jim and Paulette Phillips plan to split their share of the money between the Lance Cpl. Steven Phillips Memorial Fund and the Greene County Veterans Council. The Lance Cpl. Steven Phillips Memorial Fund provides support for the computer-aided drafting program and the Greene County Career and Technology Center. The memorial fund will receive $4,478.63. The remaining $1,119.65 will be donated to the Veterans Council to support van drivers that transport county veterans to the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System clinic in Pittsburgh. “Two different classes
at the Career and Technology Center decide how the money will be used,” Stammarjohn said. “It benefits a lot of students in one year.” The Community Foundation of Greene County handles the memorial funds. “They chose Community Foundation of Greene County to handle this. When someone comes to us they can set up a permanent endowed fund each year,” Stammarjohn said. “Year after year it gains interest so the scholarship or grant can be given every year long after we’re all gone.” The families chose how to designate the
money they received based off of programs that were important to their sons. “In this case both families came to us with an idea of what they wanted to do and we helped them formulate. Our goal is to help the family find a way to make that legacy,” Stammarjohn said. “Every year we remember Greg and Steve and the sacrifice they made. Both programs are great because we recognize what they gave so other students can now further their education.” The sixth annual Heroes Run/Walk is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, 2102 on the Greene River Trail.
Grant to help homeowners
that otherwise couldn’t afford to fix their houses up. You get a lot of people that are well below the 80 percent area medium and you’re talking spending $7,000 or $8,000 for a new roof and the family only makes $21,000 thus we fix up their house,” Davis said. Davis said that he was pleasantly surprised that this sort of program is available to Greene County residents. “I never realized that there was help like this for homeowners until I started working for the county. I enjoy helping people out.”
Continued from B1 John and Mary Anne Cox plan to use their $5,598.27 for the scholarship fund that they set up in their son’s name. The family plans to assist Greene County high school graduates who intend to enter the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps or the fields of public service or public safety with the scholarship. “Being able to give back to the community is kind of a big thing for the family,” Stammerjohn said.
After school fun at library Continued from B1 well as their selfesteem. Also, students in supported after school programs improved their math scores and regular school day attendance compared to non-participants. High school participants passed more Regents exams and earned more high school credits than non-participants. “We’ve had different Wii programs offered before,” Miller said. “This particular
Continued from B1 with the state, so they just review them as they get them in. So after we write the grant we’ll mail to whomever we have to and then we wait,” said Davis. Davis said that there is one-rule that homeowners need to abide by: they must remain in their place of residence for the next 10 years after rennovations have been completed. “I like the program. It helps homeowners
“It [the program] gives them [the teenagers] an extra space that they can come that isn’t as structured as school.” Jessica Miller Assistant Director - Flenniken Public Library
program used to be just a once a month kind of thing, but now that we have extra help from a few Waynesburg University students, we are able to do it once a week. It’s really been a big help.” Miller said she feels that, while attendance has been so-so, the teens who have partic-
ipated have been positively affected. “It gives them an extra space that they can come that isn’t as structured as school,” Miller said. “They’re learning certain socialization skills, and while they’re here, we’re able to get them to check out some other materials that will help them
increase their reading and help them in school in the long run.” The next step for the program is to advertise, so more students will be aware of the opportunities it provides, Miller said. “At some point we’ll maybe work towards getting some sponsorship, so we’ll be able to provide them with more games and maybe even some audiobooks that could link to some of the games that they’re playing,” she said. “We’re always looking for more ways to help them learn.”
Lacrosse looks to turn the program around. Read more on C4
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Support finally surfaces Saturday Dave Floyd Senior Sports Editor
Prior to this past weekend’s events, I pretty much had my heart set on devoting these column inches to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships in wrestling. Granted, I hoped I would be commenting on the Yellow Jackets third straight conference crown, as well as delving into what’s next for the Waynesburg mat men. Yet even in defeat, the plan was still to talk Jacket wrestling. But then something happened to change my mind. As I took in Saturday’s women’s basketball game from the stands at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse, I began to hear something coming from the bleachers to my right—something seldom heard echoing through the gymnasium on gameday. Students were chanting. “Defense! Defense! Defense!” Then, “You can’t do that!” And they seemed to get louder and louder as the game wore on and the Jackets stayed step-forstep with perennial powerhouse and NCAA Tournament qualifier Thomas More. “[It was] definitely the best crowd we’ve ever played in front of,” Hunter said. “When we were making a little run in the first half and the crowd started the “defense” chant, I got the chills. “It’s so great to have the support of the student body,” Hunter added. “It gives us a little more incentive to succeed and always play hard. “When I heard the crowd chanting on Saturday, it’s the first time it really hit me that we actually did turn this program around.” In the end, Waynesburg couldn’t quite pull out the victory, but something can certainly be said for the excitement present in the gym throughout the contest, particularly when the Jackets were making their big runs. With all due respect to members of the “Swarm” gathered at the home football games this past fall, it was one of the first times I truly felt a buzz and an
P A C C H A M P I O N S H I P S : T H I E L - 110, J A C K E T S - 107, W&J - 66
3
SHORT OF
3-PEAT
Jackets fall just three points shy of third straight PAC team title By Kyle Oland Editorial Assistant
O
n Friday night, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference wrestling championships were a wrestling fan’s dream. Heading into the second-to-last match of the tournament, the Yellow Jackets held a slim lead over rival Thiel, 107-100. Photo by Dawn Yates The 2012 team champion would be decided by the 197-pound bout between Thiel senior Aaron Mills wrestles at 141 pounds in Friday’s PAC Championships. Mills defeated Patrick Morris and Waynesburg freshman Thiel’s Jerry Cramer in the bout; however, Thiel won the team title by a slim margin, just three points, over the two-time defending champion Jackets. Patrick Jennings. The fate of the Waynesburg wrestling team rested on the shoulders of Jennings. If he won, the Jackets would secure their third-straight PAC championship. If he lost, the Jackets would suffer a heartbreaking defeat to the rival Tomcats. The week before, Morris easily defeated Jennings in a major decision, 12-2.
Through the first two periods of the match, Jennings and Morris battled back and forth to a score of 3-3. Starting of the third period, Morris scored an escape point, escaping from the referee’s position to push the score to 4-3. The escape point would prove to be the winning point, as Morris wrestled to a 7-3 victory. With the loss, Waynes-
burg’s last opportunity to claim their third straight PAC Championship went by the wayside. Thiel finished with 110 points, the Jackets were right behind with 107 and Washington and Jefferson was a distant third with 66. The loss seemed to sum up a season in which the Jackets have come up just short on multiple
occasions. “Patrick [Jennings] wrestled hard, and for that I am proud of him,” said head coach Ron Headlee. “We just came up short. Thiel just ended up having the better day.” Senior Garett Johnston echoed his coach’s remarks about the outcome of the tournament. “This whole year we worked hard,” said John-
THOMAS MORE - 75, JACKETS - 68
Saints’ big second half dooms WU Devin Beasley nets 14 big second-half
points for TMC By Aaron Thompson Assistant Sports Editor Thomas More’s Allison Long may have scored a game-high 22 points in Saturday’s showdown between Waynesburg and the first-place Saints, but make no mistake, the difference maker in the game was one of Long’s teammates in the backcourt. Sophomore guard Devin Beasley fought through foul trouble to pour in 14 of her 16 points in the second half as the five-time defending conference champion Saints
Photo by Sam Swab
Hannah Hunter (20) tries to dribble past Devin Beasley. Hunter had 19, but Beasley keyed a Thomas More win. (15-1, 19-4) overcame a halftime deficit to extend their winning streak over the Yellow Jackets (12-4, 17-6) to 14 games in a 7568 victory at the Rudy
Marisa Fieldhouse. “She’s a very versatile player,” Jackets head coach Sam Jones said of Beasley. “She definitely took over for that one por-
tion of the second half.” Beasley, known more for her dynamic ability to run an offense and set up her teammates, has started to flourish over the past three games. The Burlington, Ky., native has now scored more than 15 points in each of the past three games and has given the Saints another strong performer off the bench as they head toward the final week of conference play. Waynesburg held a 3230 halftime lead despite having three starters miss a chunk of the first half with foul trouble. The Jackets got key minutes off the bench from freshmen guards Hayden Giuliani and Brittany Rum-
By Cam Posney Staff Writer
The Waynesburg track and field team traveled down Interstate 79 once again for another indoor contest in Morgantown at the WVU Blue-Gold meet See STUDENTS on C3 this past Friday. The meet
was not scored as a team event, but individual scores were recorded like in the previous meets. Both the men and the women had impressive showings, proving to head coach Jason Falvo that they are improving with each showing. “Our goal is always to improve each day,” said Falvo. “I felt that both teams were able to do that, and I was very pleased with their
efforts.” Falvo went on to stress the importance of the meet this past Friday. As the indoor season is quickly coming to a close, teams are starting to prepare for the outdoor portion of the schedule. “Our men’s and women’s teams are really starting to make a strong push in the conference,” said Falvo. “This past meet was an unofficial indoor conference cham-
See JACKETS on C3
THOMAS MORE - 69, JACKETS - 60
Jackets nearly rally for victory By Jon Ledyard Staff Writer
pionship for us, with both teams winning the meet.” Leading the charge for the men was junior Christian Jackson, who is also a member of the Waynesburg football squad. Jackson, a Cornell High School graduate, set two new school records: one in the high jump and another in the long jump. Jackson’s high jump was a height of 1.83 meters (six
Despite the best efforts of junior Ben Altmeyer, the Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team dropped their sixth straight contest, 69-60, to the visiting Thomas More Saints Saturday at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. Altmeyer’s 17 points, four assists and four steals nearly rallied the Jackets to a dramatic victory, before the Saints stomped out the comeback attempt by going 8-of-10 from the free throw line down the stretch. “I think it was a game where the shots went down better than they had been, and that was a long time coming for us,” said head coach Mark Christner. “It’s important that guys develop the chemistry of playing well together, whether it’s working off screens or passing or receiving the ball. I think we are doing
See JACKSON on C4
See JACKET on C3
See BEASLEY on C3
Jackson sets two new school records Junior impressive in debut for track and field team
ston. “Things didn’t go our way—it’s disappointing.” Although the Jacket wrestlers did not secure the conference championship, they did have four wrestlers win individual titles. Junior Alex Crown won the 125-pound title by wining his match
YELLOW JACKET
Page C2
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Sports COMMENTARY
‘We were Penn State’
Lifelong Penn State football fan bids program farewell Dave Rykala Staff Writer
On December 28, 1989, I took in my first Penn State game, the Holiday Bowl against BYU (a Penn State win), and at all of 10 hours old, I was hooked. I entered the world at the end of the Roaring ‘80s where Penn State won two National Championships. I’ve seen the transition into the Big 10, a Rose Bowl win and a field goal that left Beaver Stadium shocked and silent in ‘99 with another national championship on the line. I shadowed a Penn State player, met numerous coaches and ex-players, not to mention a still standing relationship with the Curley family (Tim Curley is the school’s former athletic director), and gave 22 years to a program that lived by the code “Success with Honor.” Through the losing years of the early 2000s, it was tough to watch, only to feel the excitement of an Orange Bowl win, and to say, “We’re back!” Richard Krause, chair of the Department of Communication at Waynesburg University, was leading a discussion in one of my classes about the situation. He talked at great length about how the whole problem at
“This is just a fleeting Penn State fan’s final word. I’m speaking the truth when I say I’ve never been so ashamed of being a Penn State fan. ... I don’t support the new staff, and I’m cutting the chord; my trust for this University is gone. We were Penn State.” Dave Rykala
Penn State was severely worsened by the University’s high-ranking officials trying to “protect the brand.” If you ask me, that phrase is a very fitting one. The empire torn down by a selfish Lion that lost his way, and the administration that was too worried about “protecting the brand.” I will not go into what I think about what happened and how it was handled. Now what truly matters is how Penn State moves forward and never allows this to happen again and help those that have been victimized. There is no doubt that over the past few years my loyalty has waived somewhat, and this tragedy was a rallying call for me. I couldn’t imagine being directly involved with this mess as a player or otherwise. And if you ask me, I feel like Houston was a good team, but Penn State was not mentally there. And then there is Bill O’Brien?
I don’t know whom I want in that spot. I think you could keep the old guard there with Bradley. He took it on and did the best he could. Post Bill O’Brien hire, Todd Blackledge said, “Bill O’Brien might know football, and might know college football, but he doesn’t know Penn State.” No matter what happens, Penn State is still a storied program on the field. I know guys weren’t beating down the door for the job, but they needed a guy with Penn State blood. This guy coached in the ACC, and at Duke? If he was a basketball coach coming to Penn State, I’d love this hire, but I don’t consider Duke football much of a Division I program. My favorite part about it was ESPN compared O’Brien to Charlie Weis, and about how he coached through the playoffs in New England. Good news
for New England ‘cause they won the Super Bowl, bad news for Notre Dame, who under Charlie Weis was all of seven games above .500 and 1-2 in bowl games. The Irish lone bowl win: the Hawaii Bowl in 2008. Man, can’t wait to see the Blue and White in Hawaii! (Not saying the TicketCity Bowl was the greatest bowl in the world, either.) And the only reason his record wasn’t worse was because of the players Weis inherited, mainly quarterback Brady Quinn. The recent shot to the heart was more than I could bear. The death of Joe Paterno rocked any Penn State emotion I had left. It was difficult to handle, especially when you think that those bottle top glasses won’t be walking around State College anymore, let alone walking the sidelines getting after the officials. Granted, I might be way off, and some might even call me out saying I’m biased. This is just a fleeting Penn State fan’s final word. I’m speaking the truth when I say I’ve never been so ashamed of being a Penn State fan. I have gone through the storm and went down with the ship, singing the Penn State alma mater, wearing my No. 31 jersey and waving the Penn State flag. I don’t support the new staff, and I’m cutting the chord; my trust for this University is gone. We were Penn State.
New online sports network covers PAC basketball Network features doubleheaders each Saturday By Dave Franczak Staff Writer When a certain athletic team or school begins to have more success, more coverage is granted to that respective program. This is no different with the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Recently, a group of graduates from schools within the conference came together to form an online sports network that will provide added coverage. “We petitioned the conference for additional coverage to what goes on down at Waynesburg,” said Randy Gore, one of the founding members of the newly formed PAC Sports Network. “They (the PAC) agreed, and we formed a partnership with the conference.” Gore, a then Waynesburg College graduate; Dave Singer, a Washington and Jefferson College alumnus; and Justin Pyles, the only member who did not graduate from a PAC school (he attended West Virginia University) have all collaborated to help form the network. “Other television packages were offered but didn’t work out,” said Joe Onderko, executive director of the PAC. “They (the
PAC Sports Network) came to me with the concept, and it just made sense.” The three broke into the broadcast field on Nov. 30 when they featured Thomas More at Geneva for Geneva’s first official PAC game. The trio uses a onecamera production as they travel throughout the conference to feature a doubleheader each and every Saturday. They try to feature each school at least once throughout the season. “We have a flex schedule, so we can feature the ‘better games’ of the season,” said Gore. With new networks comes competition from other outlets, in this case, schools. That is not what Onderko sees in this newly formed internet network. “We don’t want to discourage the schools that do have programs,” said Onderko. “Rather, we are trying to compliment those other programs.” The PAC basketball championships are not on the list of games for the PAC Sports Network to broadcast. Mr. Onderko wanted to keep those open for schools to broadcast. Both the conference and the three-member network are unsure where this will go. They both said that the two will See PAC on C4
YELLOW JACKET
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Page C3
Sports
Athlete of the Week
Final season nears end for seniors With PACs over, only regionals and nationals remain
Chris Milligan wins 149-pound title at PAC Championships
By Steve Hullings Staff Writer
By Aaron Thompson
Milligan
Assistant Sports Editor Despite coming up short as a team in its bid for a third straight conference title, the Waynesburg wrestling team saw four of its wrestlers crowned individual champions last Friday night following the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships, hosted by Washington and Jefferson College. One of those wrestlers is being recognized as our Yellow Jacket Athlete of the Week. Freshman Chris Milligan was one of four individual champions at their respective weight classes. Junior Alex Crown (125 pounds), senior Garett Johnston (157) and sophomore Sam Lombardo (165) were the others to win individual titles for the Yellow Jackets. Milligan was the only one, though, to go 2-0 on the night. The freshman from Uniontown, Pa., beat Chris Leva of W&J 5-4 before dropping Thiel’s Shawn King 9-5 to give the Jackets an individual champion representing each class. Milligan lost against W&J in the regular season meeting, but that was against Josh Etzel. Milligan defeated King 10-5 in the regular season matchup against the Tomcats back on Feb. 1. Thiel earned its first title since 2009, totaling 110 points. Waynesburg was close behind with 107. Meanwhile, host Washington and Jefferson finished in a distant third place with 66 points. Milligan and his teammates will be back in action Feb. 25 when they take part in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Tournament.
The Waynesburg wrestling team held onto a slim lead over the Thiel Tomcats going into the penultimate bout of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship this past Friday. It would be the freshman Yellow Jacket, Patrick Jennings, taking on the senior Tomcat, Patrick Morris, to decide not only the 197pound champion, but ultimately crown the PAC team champion. The setting was almost parallel to that of two years ago when the Jackets won their first ever PAC team title. It was senior Melvin Warrick of Waynesburg taking on sophomore Kraig Smith of Thiel. However, with roles reversed this time, the seniors on the Jacket squad could only sit, watch and pray that their
Jacket men nearly rally
Photo by Dawn Yates
Senior Alex Evanoff (top), shown here in a bout in November, had his final season of wrestling cut short by a tear in his meniscus. freshman teammate could come out with a win to earn them a third straight conference title. Similar to the flashback of two years ago, the wrestling veteran came out on top, ending Waynesburg’s reign and giving the Tomcats their 11th PAC Championship in 13 years. Jacket seniors may be disappointed that they did not win another PAC team title, but they have more to look forward to in the near future. The NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Champi-
onships will take place on Feb. 25 in Cleveland, Ohio. Senior Garett Johnston wants to take advantage of every opportunity he can with what’s left of his collegiate wrestling career. “I hope to qualify for nationals,” Johnston said. “I also hope to be named an All-American.” Johnston may be well on his way to achieve the status he hopes for, winning the individual PAC championship at 157 pounds by pin fall. This was only one of many pin
falls for Johnston this season; he has been doing that all season long, according to junior teammate Alex Crown. “Garett [Johnston] has a major impact on the team,” Crown said. “He specializes in pinning his opponents.” However, a few senior wrestlers won’t get the opportunity Johnston has to compete in Cleveland at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championships. Alex Evanoff is an unfortunate example
Beasley keys Saints’ win
joined Hunter and Pearce in double-digits with 13 points. Thomas More could have locked up the regular season championship and home court advantage through the PAC Tournament by beating secondplace Saint Vincent on Wednesday. Those results ended too late for this edition. The Jacket women faced Grove City Wednesday before closing out the season Saturday against rival Washington and Jefferson. There is a good possibility that the Jackets could face Grove City or W&J in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament next week, which would make this week’s games a preview for the teams. Waynesburg beat both the Wolverines and the Presidents in its first meetings with the two squads. The margin of victory over Grove City was 28. “We just need to prepare and not look past this week just because we are locked into the third seed,” Jones said. “Those are teams we could possibly face in the first game of the [PAC Tournament]. We just need to focus on ourselves and where we want to be heading into the playoffs.” Tip-off for Senior Day against the Presidents is set for 1:30 p.m.
excited and get behind you.” And of course that is the hard and fast way to ensure that desired atmosphere: win. The more success teams at Waynesburg experience, the quicker the stands will fill up, whether it’s football, basketball, soccer or lacrosse. Saturday’s women’s basketball game, featuring a 17-5 Jacket squad, was certainly evidence of that.
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Continued from C1
that better every game.” The Jackets erupted to an 11-2 lead over four minutes into the game; however, Thomas More wittled away the deficit throughout the rest of the half, trailing only 32-29 at the break. Thomas More continued to chip away at the Jacket lead, battling to a tie with less than 15 minutes to play. The Saints then broke the game open for the first time, exploding on a 13-0 run over the next six minutes of play to take a 5542 lead with 8:42 left. “Thomas More is notorious for pressing a lot and causing turnovers,” said Altmeyer. “Up until that run we had done a good job breaking the press and creating scoring for ourselves, but a few quick turnovers by us led to a few quick baskets for them and that is what they thrive on.” The Jackets would battle back, cutting the lead to six three times throughout the rest of the game. However, Waynesburg would get no closer, losing their 10th straight game at the hands of the Saints to fall to 4-19 overall and 1-13 in Presidents’ Athletic Conference
as well, but never could really get over the hump and complete the comeback. Junior forward Paige Pearce went to the line to shoot two free throws, with a chance to tie the game or give the Jackets a lead, but she uncharacteristically missed both free throws. Thomas More then scored the next seven points to stretch the lead to 73-65 and effectively putting away the Jackets. The loss extinguished the Jackets 15-game home winning streak and eliminated them from contention of gaining the top seed in the upcoming Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament. “We know we can play with them,” Jones said. “There is no doubt in our mind. We just have to get it done.” Senior point guard Hannah Hunter led Waynesburg once again. Hunter tallied a teamhigh 19 points and dished out nine assists. Hunter now sits just 11 assists shy from breaking the school record for career assists. “A lot of her big games come against the best teams,” Jones said. “She is unarguably a first-team All-PAC performer.” Pearce scored 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Meanwhile, sophomore Elaine Hasek
urday’s action. He even jumped in himself, rebounding for the players as they warmed up for the second half. “It’s been awesome, not just last weekend, but the last couple of weekends. Our girls are really playing some exciting basketball,” Shepas said. “It just proves to you that if you’re doing well, people in this community, including the campus community, will get
Students support team Continued from C1 energy about the crowd at a home Waynesburg sporting event. (Save for a few wrestling matches, considering the Jacket grapplers have triumphed in quite a few thrillers in recent years.) That’s the type of
action. “We talked a lot about playing at a pace that we can play at,” said Christner. “There were some points in time where they really sped us up, but for the most part I thought we really played at a pace we could play at, and that’s largely because of the solid point guard play we have had all year.” After being held to seven first-half points, Saints’ leading scorer Phil Feinberg began to assert himself in the second half. The junior forward finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Senior center Colt Stafford also reached double figures in scoring for Thomas More, pouring in 14 points to go along with seven boards. The Saints’ two leading scorers also combined to go 13-for-17 from the free
throw line, drowning the Jackets hopes of a comeback. As a team, the Saints dominated at the free throw line, going 25for-33 compared to the Jackets 3-for-4 effort. “We have talked about [the disparity at the free throw line] a lot as a group and the conference games at home that have been close,” said Christner. “We have done a nice job in non-league games, but in conference play we have really struggled. Part of it is discipline defensively and trying to swipe when we shouldn’t, and another part of it is just being a youthful team.” The Jackets traveled to Grove City Wednesday. Results were unavailable at press time. Waynesburg hosts Washington and Jefferson Saturday for Senior Day.
ple, and forwards Rachel Lovely and Emily Miller. “Any time you can get meaningful minutes from your bench against a team like Thomas More it is a good thing,” Jones said. “This should definitely give them more confidence moving forward. At some point in every game we will need them.” The second half started out all Thomas More as Beasley took over, attacking the basket at will. The Saints quickly took the lead and stretched it out to as many as 12 points when forward Lauren Hargett made a layup with just 8:31 to go in the contest. The Jackets caught a break when Beasley was called for her fourth foul and had to head to the bench. That is when the resilient Jackets fought back as they desperately tried to keep alive their lengthy 364-day home winning streak. Waynesburg went on a 13-2 run to pull within one point at 66-65. The run was highlighted by three three-point baskets from three different players. During that stretch, the Jackets forced the Saints into four turnovers,
atmosphere players and coaches hope for, and it’s certainly the kind of environment Director of Athletics Rick Shepas wants to create with every aspect of the athletic program at Waynesburg University. The goal is not simply to excel in just wrestling, or just football, and see the fan support present at those events, while other sports generate and experience minimal buzz. The
goal is to develop a complete program that brings a school and community together, whether it’s men’s or women’s, a popular sport or not. “If you go back to the fall, I think the athletic events were supported very well,” Shepas said. “I would also say the same heading into the winter with the basketball games being well attended and the wrestling events [being well attended].
“I think it speaks to all the students that we have on campus that it doesn’t matter what the activity taking place…these students are going to get out there, and they’re going to support all the students that put themselves out there and represent Waynesburg University with all the many talents that they have.” You could almost tell that’s what he was thinking, too, as he took in Sat-
Photo by Sam Swab
Junior Ben Altmeyer (2) blows by Thomas More’s Colt Stafford on his way to the hoop this past Saturday.
See CAREERS on C4
YELLOW JACKET
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Sports SPRING SPORT PREVIEW
Lacrosse looks to turn program around in fifth season Head coach sets goal of achieving .500 record By Nick Farrell Editorial Assistant When Waynesburg University’s lacrosse program was founded in 2008, its stability was very much in doubt. The women’s lacrosse team has featured a different coach in each of its first four seasons of existence, and in each of those seasons, the team failed to sport a winning record. Current head coach Tom Zacoi has already made strides to change the culture of Waynesburg lacrosse during its fifth season. Zacoi returns for his second year with the knowledge that each of his players can contribute to the team’s success. “Every one of our players is important to this team, and every one of them makes a contribution, whether they are on the field or on the sideline because the girls on the sideline will be on that field at some point in time,” said Zacoi. “We win together as a team and lose together as a team.” Zacoi has a five-year plan to develop the lacrosse program. Technically, this is the first year
File Photos
(Above) Head coach Tom Zacoi instructs his players in a game against Medaille at Wiley Stadium last season. (At right) Junior attacker Carly Smithyman advances up the field in that same game against Medaille. of the five-year plan since this season’s freshmen are part of his first recruiting class. “In my first year, our goal was to win more games than we had won in the year prior, which we did not do. Our goal this year is to win half of our games,” said Zacoi. Though the team did not achieve Zacoi’s goal in his inaugural season as head coach, there is reason to believe that the lacrosse team will achieve this season’s goal. Zacoi gives three reasons why his team will be successful this season and reach his goal of a .500 record. “For one, Mother Nature has been really, really kind to us,” said Zacoi. “We have been outdoors for 21 out of the
last 25 days. It was the polar opposite of that last season. Our senior leadership, including the juniors, as well as a fantastic group of freshman and sophomores, will aid our success. And the last thing has been the strength and conditioning program that was developed under the watchful eye of [assistant coach] Sean Blumette, as well as [senior midfielder] Maria Shepas.” According to Zacoi, Shepas, who was highlighted in last week’s edition of The Yellow Jacket, has done a splendid job of enhancing the stamina and speed of the lacrosse players, helping each player’s skill set and confidence. Though the condition-
ing is rigorous, senior captain Kat Ghion knows that sooner or later, the training will pay off. Ghion said that the conditioning program along with a deeper roster has placed the Jacket lacrosse team in a better position than they were at any point during her three seasons as a defender. “It’s without a doubt been more rigorous than what we’ve done in the past,” said Ghion. “Maria [Shepas] has taken her minor in exercise science and her love of physical fitness and brought it all onto us. We do long distance runs, we do sprints, we do any kind of running exercises that we can that simulate game type running as much as possible.”
Jackets fall just short
Ghion, along with senior captain Samantha Swab and “honorary captain” Shepas, devised another set of goals for the team to reach during the preseason training process. “The three of us sat down and made a couple of goals,” Ghion said. “Our first goal was to be able to run a solid twenty minutes at a decent pace. Our games are two 30minute halves, so we wanted to get everyone into shape, so we would be able to run that distance and do sprints afterward and not be gasping for breath.” According to Ghion, the captains believe that the squad as a whole has achieved the offseason goal of being better condi-
Jackson sets two records
Continued from C1
Continued from C1
against Thiel freshman Shayduan Valez-Lara. Crown began the tournament forfeit victory, setting up the rematch against the Tomcat freshman. A week prior, ValezLara defeated Crown, 3-0. On Friday, the outcome would be much different. Crown, who has struggled all year with maintaining his weight, easily defeated Valez-Lara, 9-4, capturing his third PAC title. “My main goal was to get hydrated, so I wouldn’t cramp up during the match,” said Crown. “We wanted to go minute by minute and second by second and wrestle my match.” Freshman Chris Milligan (149 pounds) also won an individual title for the Jackets. The Fairchance, Pa., native began his evening by defeating Washington
feet) and his long jump was 6.26 meters (20 feet, 6.5 inches). Another school record was achieved on the men’s side. Sophomore David Cobb captured a second-place finish and school record in the 200meter dash with a time of 23.72 seconds. “I was very impressed with Christian [Jackson] and David [Cobb],” said Falvo. “A school record is a very big accomplishment.” Other notable track performers on the men’s squad were sophomore Bertrand Ngampa in the 60-meter dash, freshman Lorenzo Mikulin capturing the 400-meter race and Justin Angotti placing second in the 800-meter dash. On the field side for the men, the strong perform-
Careers near an end Continued from C3 of this. After starting his season 4-1, Evanoff’s collegiate wrestling career was cut short due to a meniscus tear. Evanoff still has high hopes for the team he will
Photo by Dawn Yates
Sam Lombardo (top left), Alex Crown (bottom left), Chris Milligan (bottom, second from right) and Garett Johnston (bottom right) won individual titles for the Jackets. and Jefferson junior Chris Leva, 5-4. Going into his second match, Milligan knew a victory over Thiel sophomore Shawn King would earn him his first PAC title. With less than a minute remaining in the third period, Milligan was losing to King 4-3 before scoring two takedown points and finishing with a flurry of moves to defeat King 9-5 to earn the title. The third title came by way of Johnston (157 pounds). The Sycamore, Pa., native began his night by
be leaving behind next year, though. “The team should still be strong,” Evanoff said. “There are many quality wrestlers who are hard workers that are returning. They should be one of the top teams in the region.” The loss of only a few key wrestlers next season will impact the team as they look ahead to the end
pinning Thiel junior Matt Butler in 4:13. Johnston secured his second career PAC title by earning his second win by way of forfeit when W&J junior Nick Sewell was unable to compete following an injury he sustained in his previous match. Sophomore Sam Lombardo (165 pounds) earned the Jackets final title. In the second year grappler’s first match, Lombardo suffered a tough loss against Washington and Jefferson sophomore David DiBenedetto, 3-2. Despite the loss, Lombardo overcame the early
of their season, but Crown said he feels the rebuilding after the loss of his senior teammates will be more of a mental reconstruction than a physical one. “Next year will be rough for me because I grew a relationship with them (the seniors) and won’t have them to look up to,” Crown said. “I don’t think losing them
setback to defeat Thiel senior Matt Lowry by pin in 1:40. Other title winners included Thiel senior Corey Brown (133 pounds), W&J sophomore Josh Etzel (141 pounds), Thiel freshman Jacob Lowry (174 pounds), Thiel freshman Stephen Ceremuga (184 pounds), Morris at 197 pounds and W&J senior Taylor Potts (285 pounds). Potts earned the PAC Outstanding Wrestler award and Thiel head coach Craig Thurber took home PAC Coach of the Year honors.
will change the team wrestling wise that much, though, but mentally it will be sad.” For the rest of the seniors—Sam Domenico, Jon Sanko, Charles Thomas, David Wills and Johnston—Evanoff said that he hopes they will be able to leave some positive things behind to the promising Jacket mat men moving forward.
PAC alumni start network Continued from C2 meet at the end of the basketball season and evaluate how the network went in its first full season of operation. As for feedback, Gore said that has been great. “We have gotten plenty of feedback from the conference, players and par-
tioned. This will help the team be competitive in every game, a second objective set by the captains. Both Ghion and sophomore defender Morgan Desmond agree that this season’s squad is a very passionate and enthusiastic group. “I like the passion and dedication that everyone has for the game,” said Desmond. “I think we have really good team chemistry. All the captains are good for the team, and it’s not a selfish atmosphere. We are all determined to win.” Swab loves that her teammates this season strive toward improvement and seem so much more committed than in past years. She believes that the lacrosse team deserves some recognition for their hard work. “I think that everyone should give us a chance,” said Swab. “If people came to our matches, they might have fun watching us. We need the support of our peers at our matches.” Zacoi agrees with his senior captain and hopes that the students at the University are as enthusiastic about lacrosse as his players are. As he said, “The future of women’s lacrosse at Waynesburg University has never looked brighter.”
ance continued. Junior Doogie Sanner won the triple jump, and junior Andy Armor placed second in the shot put event. Not to be forgotten, the women also had a very strong showing in Morgantown this past Friday. The 4x400 relay team, compiled of three freshmen and a junior, led the way for the women tracksters. Freshmen Kristen Sanders, Ashley Cole and Hannah Derbis, and junior Rhea Huwe, took their race with a time of 4:26:31. The women shined in the field portion of the meet. Freshmen Breanna Anderson and Amanda Hobe posted strong performances in their events. Anderson placed second in the long and triple jumps. Hobe took third in the same events for the Jackets. The track and field squads will be back in action with another meet this Saturday. They will be on the road again, heading to Kenyon College.
ents that has all been good reviews,” said Gore. Gore’s hope is that they will continue to cover more sports, such as football, baseball and continue with basketball. Along with the live broadcasts, the network archives games so that they can be watched ondemand. For more information about the network or to check out archived games, go to their website at www.pacstream.net.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
On the
STUDENTS SPEAK
Fair trade benefits local businesses
road again
By Matt Giardina Staff Writer
File Photo
The shop is cramped; filled to the brim with themed collections of items every few inches. Decorative stands jam-packed with foreign scarves, ornate jewelry scattered across tabletops, patterned photo frames, festive plates and hand woven baskets occupy usable space. Each item has a tag that indicates the origin of the product. This store, Ten Thousand Villages, creates opportunities for skilled workers in developing countries to earn income by transporting their goods to markets here.
Ten Thousand Villages is a leading advocate for fair trade, a term used to describe a marketing movement that aims to help manufacturers in developing countries to make better trade conditions and encourage sustainability. Friday at noon, students gathered on the 3rd floor of the Stover Campus Center to discuss the topic of fair trade and how the students are affected. The discussion was led by the junior class, Vira Heinz Women in Global Leadership, nursing major Lynae Byler, English creative writing major Natalie See STUDENTS on D2
On Friday, Feb. 10 the Waynesburg University Symphonic Band traveled to West Greene and Jefferson-Morgan High Schools to perform and recruit potential students. They played a total of three shows.
Symphonic Band embarks on mini-tour for first time in years By Ben Carpenter Staff Writer The Waynesburg University Symphonic Band embarked on its first mini-tour in years on Friday, Feb. 10. The group traveled to West Greene and Jefferson-Morgan High Schools. They played a total of three shows during the mini-tour at each of the school districts. The Symphonic Band performed at West Greene in the morning, and then traveled to Jefferson-Morgan in the afternoon to play two concerts. It was the first time the band has gone on a mini-tour during Dr. Ronda DePriest’s regime as director of
the music program. “I was very pleased with how the concerts went,” DePriest said. “Our students represented Waynesburg University well. I think they learned a lot and really enjoyed playing the music.” DePriest’s intention for the mini-tour was two fold, the first intention being a recruiting tool for the high school students listening in the audience. “I thought the recruiting aspect of the concerts was very successful,” DePriest said. “There were a lot of high school students that came up to the stage area and talked to our musicians after the concerts. They had a lot of questions.”
Jessica Sumpter, senior admissions counselor, accompanied the group and set up a table that had information for prospective students and made herself available for questions. The second purpose for the mini-tour was to celebrate the group of students that make up the Symphonic Band. Of the 50 students that are a part of the ensemble, eighty percent are not music majors. Therefore, in addition to their major field of study, the vast majority of band members must set aside a few hours per week to focus on practicing their respective instrument. “We spend over an hour twice a week at rehearsal, and each
musician spends at least another hour on their own practicing,” DePriest said. One such student is junior Blair Howarth, who is a Secondary History Education and Political Science major, with a music minor. Symphonic Band is a major time commitment, but Howarth said he does not regret the decision to be a part of the group. “I just love playing music,” said Howarth, who is a tuba player from Uniontown. “It’s a very enjoyable experience for sure.” Howarth, who is also a resident assistant in Willison Residence Hall, said that even
Students sort clothes on World Vision trip By Rob Longo Editorial Assistant On Saturday, Feb. 11, a group of Waynesburg University students traveled to Pittsburgh to participate in World Vision Work Day. From 9 a.m. to noon, a group of about 17 students helped sort unwanted clothing into bins based on seasonal clothing, gender and different age groups. “The experience was very rewarding,” said freshman math major Daniel Garcia. “We had to sort clothes into certain boxes and stack them together. I would most defiantly do it again, even if I had to get up early,” Garcia said. Dave Calvario, dean of students and director of the center for service leadership, feels that World Vision is beneficial for the volunteers and a great cause. “World Vision is an international Christian organization that is active in over 40 countries,” said Calvario.
See MINI-TOUR on D2
See WORK on D2
Musician shows devotion to being the voice for the voiceless By Kyle Oland Editorial Assistant During the biannual Who’s Your Neighbor Week at Waynesburg University, Waynesburg will welcome singer P.W. Gopal. Who’s Your Neighbor Week takes place Sunday, Feb. 12 through Friday, Feb. 17 and happens once a semester. The week includes numerous events implemented to focus on the theme “Where is the Love: Empowering the Powerless.” One of those events features Gopal, who will perform on Thursday, Feb. 16 in the Beehive and lead a discussion on Friday, Feb. 17 on the third floor of the Stover Campus Center.
According to Tom Ribar, Waynesburg University chaplain, Gopal will discuss his work as an activist during his presentation. According to his website, pwgopal.com, Gopal is not only a singer, but has led seminars on issues of poverty and the modern slave trade. “We wanted PW to come to Waynesburg University because of his work as a musician,” Ribar said. “We also wanted him to come because he is devoted to being a voice for the voiceless, as he wants to abolish slavery and sex trafficking in the world.” Besides his time as a singer, Gopal has also helped to found The
“There is a widespread belief among American communities that the trafficking of humans is a third world problem... our research says otherwise.” P.W. Gopal Who’s Your Neighbor Week presenter
Hundred Movement. According to Gopal’s website, The Hundred Movement was born out of a vision to rescue and restore one hundred women and children from the bondage of human trafficking in America. “There is widespread belief among American communities that the trafficking of humans is a third world problem –
that we in the U.S. are neither vulnerable or accessible,” Gopal said on his website. “Our research says otherwise.” Currently in the United States somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 women and children are being trafficked. Gopal hopes that each of the roughly 322,000 churches in America
would take one life (one woman or child) and make them their own. “We will use the local church to build these ‘points of exit’ and train these local communities to rebuild the Underground Railroad, becoming a haven once again for young women and children to find safety from their traffickers,” Gopal said on his website. Andrew Buda, a senior communications major, has been a huge influence in bringing Gopal to Waynesburg University. “It is important that he comes to the University because [Gopal] is a great leader, and he is passionate about his calling to help people involved in the sex trade
and slavery,” said Buda. “His work as an abolitionist is often overlooked because people feel that slavery is not a problem in the United States anymore, but it really is.” Buda said he originally met Gopal while working at a Young Life camp and has enjoyed learning and listening to Gopal. Along with his other endeavors, Gopal also works closely with Young Life, performing and speaking at various camps around the country. “We don’t necessarily have to be called to the same thing, but we have to look at what we are called to in life, and be just as passionate about it as Gopal,” Buda said.
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Arts & Life
Residence Life staff conducts Sexuality Series on campus By Elias Lyons Staff Writer Sex. Homosexuality. Pornography. The topics less talked about or not talked about at all in the Christian church have left some followers wondering about how these issues affect them. Followers of the Christian church typically do not talk about these issues in depth, which has prompted certain churches to become more proactive in this area of contention. Numerous churches have addressed these issues publicly for the edification of the body of
Students speak out Continued from D1 George, interactive design major Megan Peebles and human services major Heidi Weaver. By holding Students Speak, those who attended were able to receive a better understanding of fair trade. “Buying products at a fair price affects everyone around the world,” said Weaver. “Usually when students think about fair trade, they think about buying goods from third world countries at a high price, but that is only a small part of it.” Fair trade also refers to the legal approach to exporting and importing goods, which benefits local businesses and stores. “Supporting local businesses as opposed to large corporations creates a more stable local economy and has a global impact,” said Weaver. “Everyone has the power to become a conscious consumer, especially college students. It is important to understand the impact of our purchasing decisions.” Not only did the students learn about fair trade, they learned what they could do to help promote the concept.
believers and to reflect Christian values accurately. During the week preceding Valentine’s Day, the Sexuality Series began. This series is a new campus event started by several resident directors on campus. The Sexuality Series is composed of several events addressing different matters of sex; from homosexuality in the church, to pornography and everything in between. Zach Northern, resident director of Willison Hall, said the series is important to students here at Waynesburg. “If we don’t talk about sexuality we run the risk
“The goal was to educate students about conscious consumerism and how each individual has the ability to make a global impact based on how we choose to spend our money,” said Weaver. “I think it was successful in making each person in attendance seriously consider the local and global impact of our everyday decisions.” Kyle Oland, a sophomore public relations major, was one of the students who attended the discussion and believed it to have just that impact. “I realized that I should be mindful of the things I buy,” said Oland. “We should all know where the products we buy come from and how they are manufactured and who manufactured them.” The session proved to be inspiring as students showed interest on the subject of fair trade. “I really enjoyed hearing from other students who are also passionate about this topic,” said Weaver. “It is always a blessing to find people who share your passions and it was a great way to learn about what they are doing to make a difference. I learned a lot about ways I could promote fair trade and was encouraged by their examples.”
“Sexuality is tied to our hearts. When we understand it, we understand God and what he intends it to be.” Zac Northen Resident Director of Willison Hall
of either making it an idol to be worshipped or miss the gift that God intends it to be for restoration,” Northern said. The idea for the series started from a conference two resident directors attended last summer, at which the author of “Sex and the Soul”, Donna Freitas, spoke on topic of sexuality in the church. Cou-
pled with the previously successful Porn and Pizza program held by Martin Hall, the sexuality series is now a program conducted by the Resident Life staff on campus. Across Christian liberal arts colleges, many students lack a context to discuss the issues of sexuality and homosexuality in the church or their
lives. The series provided the context for those questions to surface and be discussed. “Sexuality is tied to our hearts. When we understand it, we understand God and what he intends it to be,” Northern said. The first session centered on the importance of healthy relationships built around biblical principals and their importance to understanding relationship functions. The second session, Porn and Pizza, discussed what the effect of porn has on a relationship. Porn and Pizza showed how pornography may distort perceptions of what sex is actually sup-
posed to be. Speaker Throck Morton addressed the issues of homosexuality in the church from a scriptural view during the third session. Morton emphasized the importance of loving all who are willing to come to the church and how it isn’t scriptural to condemn those people. Northern hopes that the event will be continued for years to come and will be an annual event for the student body. “It’ll be important throughout the years,” Northern said. “The need for these things to be addressed will always be present.”
Photo by Gracious Shavers
On Saturday, Feb. 11 about 17 students volunteered at the World Vision Work Day. Students sorted clothes based of season, gender and different age groups. The next work day will take place on April 14.
Work day takes place Continued from D1 “World Vision helps almost in every walk of life, anywhere from evangelism to teaching people how to farm.” Pittsburgh is one of two cities that have sorting centers in the United States, with the other located in Denver. After all of the goods are sorted in Pittsburgh, the next stop is Baltimore Harbor, where
Mini-tour returns Continued from D1 though he is a music minor, playing requires a significant amount of his time throughout the week. “I’ve had to make sure to set aside time to practice and things like that,” Howarth said. \“It’s a pretty big time commitment, but it’s definitely worth it.” Howarth said that because most of the students in the Symphonic Band are not music majors, they
they are then shipped out to other countries wherever the goods happen to be the most in demand. “This is really good timing for us since the Super Bowl just happened,” said Jeff Fields, the senior director of corporate relations for the World Vision office in Pittsburgh. “We just received all of the memorabilia that would have been sold if the Patriots would have won.” Fields said that they receive a variety of donations ranging from
sports products, clothing and knock-off designs. “In addition to the agreement we have with the NFL, we also have agreements with Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association,” Fields said. “Some corporate companies also give us clothing that they produced a surplus of.” However, other sports leagues do not print memorabilia until either team is within
“It’s really a special family and community type atmosphere, and that feeling is shared among all of the band members, not just non-majors.” Blair Howarth Junior secondary education and political science major
share a sort of special bond. “We can all relate to each other, especially about how we have to put in extra work and set aside time to practice,” Howarth said. “It’s really a special family and community type atmosphere, and
that feeling is shared among all of the band members, not just nonmajors.” Howarth enjoyed his first mini-tour experience, saying that he thinks that it is important to get out into the community and hopefully inspire high
one game of clinching their respective championship. Because of this World Vision does not always get all of the memorabilia from different sporting events that are held.On average, there are usually two trips to volunteer at the World Vision warehouse, but this semester there will be three.The next trip will take place on Saturday, April 14. In addition to Bonner Scholars, student senate and some former alumni will volunteer as well.
school students to continue playing music. “It was really cool to be able to show kids what they can do when they put time and effort into something,” Howarth said. To further celebrate the members of the band, DePriest decided to treat them to dinner and a show after their performances were complete. After the meal they went to see the Pittsburgh Symphony. “That show was simply incredible,” DePriest said. “The Pittsburgh Symphony absolutely blew everyone away.”
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Entertainment
The Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Across 1 Classic British two-door 5 “That’ll do, thanks” 10 Popular TiVo products 14 Had too much, for short 15 Gulf of Guinea capital 16 “The Caine Mutiny” novelist 17 Fight fan’s accessory? 19 Skye writing 20 Where a soldier may be out 21 Do 22 Davis of the silver screen 23 Augment 25 Preacher’s accessory? 28 Like preachers 29 Basketball filler 30 Spot markers? 31 “Freeze!” 32 Checkout device 36 Conductor’s accessory? 39 How villains act 40 Feature of a good essay 43 Texter’s “No way!” 46 Chemical suffix 47 Colleague of Ruth and Antonin 48 Donald Trump
accessory? 52 When Peter Pan grew up 53 Love interest 54 “Mysterious Island” captain 56 Two-yr. degrees 57 Input, often 58 Vampire’s accessory? 61 Uncommon blood type, briefly 62 Squash variety 63 Actress Petty 64 Antiquity 65 Layered skirts 66 Help the chef
Down 1 Bonnets for Colo-
nial Williamsburg reenactors 2 Skelton catchphrase 3 Across the driveway 4 Forest’s Oscar role 5 “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse” speaker 6 Golden Arches pork sandwich 7 Le Guin genre 8 Cliff nester 9 It may keep you from getting home safely 10 One in with the out-crowd 11 Spinning mass 12 Take stock? 13 ‘50s-’60s country
singer McDonald 18 Boot camp VIPs 22 Special Forces hat 24 Ill-fated rapper 26 Hackneyed 27 Aviation nickname 32 Hurled 33 Skulk 34 MSN alternative 35 Springfield, for one
37 Holmes adversary Adler 38 It has its ups and downs 41 Decent plot 42 Armada component 43 Below-par period 44 City west of Venezia 45 Latke maker’s need
47 Adequate, in verse 49 Public persona 50 Pricey bar 51 India’s longestserving prime minister 55 Chain links?: Abbr. 58 D.C. athlete 59 Hosp. area 60 Climber’s destination
Last Issue’s Answers:
Crossword by MCT Campus
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Back Page
American Am A meric mer m riccan Idol
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As two of the top singing competitions in America, “The Voice” and “American Idol” have perplexed viewers and critics alike. Although they bring diff ffeerent aspects to the table, both shows have been compared to each other and analyzed based off of their diff ffeerences and similarities. Although “The Voice” is only in its second season, many have developed the opini ““A American Idol.” ed in 2002 st by and c many up in the ther air. W tune
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By Sarah Bell Arts & Life Editor
Aud ditionss
For some Idol fans, s the auditions are the best part of the show. Filled with humorous performances, unknown talen ent and a variety of unexpected twists—can you say, “Pants on the ground?”—this audition sequence keeps audien udi ce members comin ng b back for more. The Idol audition sequence draws a lot of peoplee in—w in— hether they are actually talented, or just think they are—and the judges decide who will makee the final cut and ultimately be able to audition to be a co ontender der in “American Ido d l.”
“The Voice” does it a little bit diff iff ffeeren e tly. Instead of just going through a regular audition process they host blind auditions, s where the four celebrity coaches cannot judge the person singing on anyything except for their voice. If one (or more) of the coaches thinks that the person is talented enough they hit a button, their chair spins around and the perrson has an opportunity to be on their team. In addition, those who audition for “The V Vo oice i ” are experienced singers; they have to be talented even to make ke it to the blind auditions (they can’t just think they are).
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My pick: “The Voice.”
Host Hos st
Rya y n Seacrrest hosts “American Idol.” Do I need to say more? Seacrest adds to the popularity of Idol just by being himselff. Because he has a following of his own, many people are interested in all of his projects. Plus, because of Idol, he has years of hostin i g experience, and he has proven that he is dedicated to the show.
On the other hand, Carson Daly hosts “The Voice.” You migght know him from TRL, and although he has a charisma of his own, Daly lacks the experien i ce and star power that Seacrest adds to the Idol experience.
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My pick: “American Idol.”
Judg g ges
The “American Ido d l” judges are exp xper e ienced and talented perfo formers. Randy Jackson has proven himself faithfful to “American Idol” and is cool and collective of all of his judgments during the competition. Steven Tyl yller is a superstar. He has done it all, and because of this he makess for a great judge who has a lot to off ffeer for conten e ders. Finally, Jenniffer e Lopez brings a needed sense of nurturing to the competition—aa sen e se that a lot of people thought would d be los lo t when Paula Abdul left the show.
The judges on “The Voice” each have a unique understanding of the music industry as well. On the show Coaches Chr h istina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Blake ke Shelton and Adam Levine develop a team of 12 that they mentor until each team has one person left. Instead of judging th heir eir actual performances, the coaches mentor their teams with the hope that they will be the coach that discovers “the voice.” Because the coaches are all friends, their on-screen chemistry has become one of the most belove v d aspects of “The Voice” for fans. My pick: “The Voice.”
Ass seasons A seasons o off b both oth sshows hows co continue ntinue tto o de develop, velop, w which hich w will ill you you choose? choose? With With a high high level level of of talent, talent, star star power power and and emotion, emotion, “American “American IIdol” dol” and and “The “The Voice” Voice” have have p proven roven tthemselves hemselves ssuccessful uccessfful in ttheir heir o own wn rright. ight. W Whether hether tthey hey aare re fig fighting hting ffor or yyour our viewership viewershiip or or both both have have your your attention, attention, it it seems seems like like both both shows shows are are here here to to stay. stay.
Design by Cori Schipani Image sources: www w.amer .ame . icanidol.com; www w.nb . c.com/the-voice/