Douthat to retire in 2013

By Aliza Davner
Editor in Chief/ Lycourier


According to Dr. James E. Douthat, “great moments involve someone reaching out.” If true, then he has contributed to many of Lycoming College’s greatest moments.

Douthat, the third longest serving president in Lycoming College history, plans to retire June 30, 2013. The announcement was made by Peter R. Lynn, chair of the Lycoming College Board of Trustees. Douthat was named president in 1989 and is in his 23rd year at the helm of the College.
“President Douthat, without question, has been the major driving force for Lycoming College for nearly a quarter-century,” Lynn, who is a 1969 Lycoming graduate, said.

“Under his leadership, Lycoming has undergone a remarkable transformation, moving from a fine regional college to being firmly established as a national liberal arts and sciences institution,” he said.

“President Douthat has worked tirelessly to strengthen the college’s academic and financial foundations. In putting both in place, he not only orchestrated many positive changes at Lycoming, but he also created new opportunities for the college in the future. With great admiration, the Board of Trustees expresses its gratitude to him and his wife, Emily, for their hard work and long-term commitment to Lycoming College,” Lynn added.

Douthat said that his choice to retire in 2013, as opposed to at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year, was to allow for the board of trustees to form a committee and to conduct a nationwide search for a successor.

 Impact on Lycoming
   
As president, Douthat and the trustees set two overarching goals for the College. The first was to maintain and strengthen the academic program, and the second was to increase the endowment to ensure additional, on-going revenues to support student scholarships and other institutional needs.

Dr. James Douthat congratulates Matteuw Hines during the
2010 Graduation ceremonies. During his tenure as president of
Lycoming College, Douthat has presided over numerous campus
changes, including the construction of the Rec Center,
The Commons, and the expansion of the Wertz Student Center.

Today, Lycoming is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best colleges in national publications.
Like many colleges in the country, Lycoming elected not to grow in enrollment and retain its focus on small classes taught by full-time teaching faculty holding the highest degrees in their academic fields.

This year, students come from 31 states and 12 countries.

Under Douthat’s leadership, the trustees adopted a new financial model, one which took both time, effort and discipline to implement. The successful completion of three capital campaigns and the positive impact produced by the new financial model caused the endowment to grow from less than $19 million in 1989 to more than $160 million today.

Changing Times

The “job of the president is to maintain (and) strengthen the school’s foundation so change can occur,” Douthat said. Several changes occurred during his tenure, as tens of millions of dollars have been spent on new facilities, including the Shangraw Athletic Complex, Recreation Center, Mary L. Welch Honors Hall and The Commons.

Major additions and renovations have also been undertaken, included that of the Wertz Student Center. Such renovations included the expansion of the dining hall and the relocation of the bookstore to its current location.

The college also has  moved into the Information Age during Douthat’s time as president. In support of Lycoming’s technological advancements, Douthat recalled that the Internet was not publicly available during his first few years as president, but today he sends correspondence via his iPad.

Improving Education

Numerous other educational enhancements were added during Douthat’s presidency. Among them, the Office of the Assistant Dean for Freshmen to support the transition to College, the Institute for Management Studies to enhance the programs of the business, accounting and economics departments, and the Visiting Scholars Program to bring directors, conductors, writers, ambassadors and others into the college’s classrooms.

The college now has 225 endowed scholarships, making it possible for hundreds of students to attend each year.

Douthat also worked closely with various donors to recognize excellent teaching and scholarship through the creation of nine endowed professorships.

Beyond Lycoming 

Douthat chaired the boards of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Middle States Athletic Conference, and the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce. He led the Lycoming County United Way Campaign in 1999.

Additional voluntary service includes directorships of The Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities, The Pennsylvania Educational Telecommunications Exchange Network, WVIA Public Television and Radio, Williamsport Hospital Center and its now parent body Susquehanna Health, the Lycoming Foundation for business development and the National Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities of the United Methodist Church.

He has served as a member of the National Advisory Board of The School of Theology at Claremont in California and on the NCAA’s Presidents’ Advisory Group for Division III.

Life Before Lyco
Prior to Lycoming, Douthat was the executive vice president of Albion  College in Michigan, having previously served as the dean for student life at Duke University.

A native of Petersburg, Va., he earned a bachelor of arts degree from The College of William & Mary as well as a Master of Divinity degree and a doctorate in educational management, both from Duke.

Dr. James E. Douthat was named the 14th president of
Lycoming College in 1989. He plans to retire in
June 2013, after 24 years of service. He is the
third-longest serving college president.

Retirement Plans

Regarding his plans for after retirement, Douthat said that he has not given much thought to those days, saying that he will “probably read books (and) travel.”
He added that he is looking forward to sleeping in later than he has for the last 23 years.

Despite leaving Lycoming College, Douthat and his wife, Emily, have no intentions of leaving the Williamsport area. Douthat said that they are building a home outside of Williamsport, adding that they have lived in this area for longer than any other and consider Williamsport home. Douthat also has a strong family base in Pennsylvania, with both of his children residing in-state.

In all, Douthat looks back fondly on his time at Lycoming, saying “When Emily and I came to interview in1989 we were immediately impressed by the warmth and friendliness of the people here. That first impression has never changed for us.”



Fond Memories

Recalling a few special memories from the last 23 years, Douthat said they include “many great graduations and many great graduation speakers.”

One speaker which he identified as “one of my favorites” was the former head of the news division at PBS. This speaker created a great moment (by Douthat’s definition) when, after ending his address, he shook hands with every graduate.

Douthat added, “It has been a great pleasure to have been able to spend most of my professional years at Lycoming. And, a great honor to work with many others who, each in his or her own way, expand the educational opportunities for our students.”

However, he is not rushing into retirement and remains focused on the prospects of the 2012-2013 year, “I trust this next year will be as fulfilling, interesting and challenging as each of my last 23 years here. To play a role in the growth and strengthening of such a great institution continues to be both exciting and rewarding.”

Medieval Lyco sends campus back in time

Dr. Cullen Chandler, history professor, and Dr. Todd Preston 

of the English department, joust from children’s 

bicycles in Pennington Lounge as part of Medieval Lyco. 

The event was the brainchild of

History Club President Kristina Manente in 2009 and was

taken over this year by members of the English Society.

Lycoming Junior Joseph Mayer (right) poses in between battle
 reenactments during Medieval Lyco, held
 from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday in Pennington Lounge.

A red duct tape dragon sheilds its offspring and oversees the
afternoon’s activities. Eight campus clubs and organizations
participated in this year’s Medieval Lyco. Anyone with ideas or
suggestions for next year’s event is encouraged to contact
Brandon Sellers at selbran@lycoming.edu

Cate Chandler, daughter of history professor
Dr. Cullen Chandler, attends the event in period
costume and makes swordfighting in a dress look easy.

Students reenact a Medieval battle outside of the 
Academic Center as part of the Medieval Lyco festivities
on Saturday. Members involved in the battle 
belong to a local medieval reenactment group. 

Regina Collins stepping down, Kilpatrick to take over

By Robert Rinaldo
Entertainment Editor/ Lycourier


Although Dr. Regina Collins, assistant dean of freshmen at Lycoming College is relinquishing her position in May, she is not leaving the campus.

“I will retain my position as an adjunct math professor,” Collins said. “You will still be able to find me in the AC and I will always be available to those who need me.”

Collins recounted her initial beginnings at Lycoming College in 1991.

“I started as an adjunct professor in math. I retained this position from 1991 to 1999. In the fall of 1998, there was a search for a new dean as the acting dean was leaving.”

Collins said an associate with whom she worked very closely recommended her for the position.
“I was fully aware of the responsibilities as assistant dean and I was happy to take the position,” she said.

Collins believed that her overall goal as assistant dean is to welcome the incoming freshmen and their families to the Lycoming community.

“I want the class as a whole to be successful. I want the new students to know that I care about each and every one of them as an individual and that I have a deep concern for their progress in their academics and social life,” she said.

Collins stated that the most important visible aspect about being assistant dean of freshmen is the summer orientation and first weekend sessions.

“These sessions are the most enjoyable moments. I enjoy welcoming the new students and their families to the campus. Everybody from staff and professors to students are involved to help make the transition between high school and college for the incoming students as seamless as possible. We all have a lot of fun preparing these sessions!”

Collins said, “I do a lot of behind-the-scenes support to all the students. I’m there to let them know that they are not alone in this process; I am here to help them if they have any questions or concerns.”

Collins said that planning for all orientation and first weekend sessions starts immediately after the proceeding sessions.

“We start a year in advance. We do many things such as taking inventory of our supplies, debriefing our Student Orientation staff and figuring out new ideas to make the next sessions better than the last.”

Collins admitted that she never imagined she would be working with students on this scale.
“I was originally only working with Math 100 students, but I always wished to work with a much broader group of students. Although I always tried to be flexible, I never knew where I would go in life. You look at people that have a good educational background and strong work ethic, and they transition easily from one job to another. Then there are those that change in interest and their way of life,” she said.

Out of all her responsibilities as assistant dean, Collins said she will miss welcoming new students the most. “Orientation is always fun. The level of participation from everybody in the community makes my job so much easier and worthwhile.”

On the other hand, Collins said she will not miss notifying students they are not eligible to return to campus. “That is always the hardest time. It’s so heartbreaking. I want to be so supportive of the students and I want to help them find a way to come back. It’s stressful and sad. I am relieved I will not have to do that ever again.”

Andrew Kilpatrick, current director of Residential Life at Lycoming College will be her replacement.

 “I am so thrilled that Andrew is replacing me. He has so much energy and cares so much about the students. It makes me feel so much better that a person like him will be taking over.”
Collins offered some words of advice for Kilpatrick. “You must be a good listener; that’s the most important quality, which I know he is. You mustn’t be afraid to reach out.”

Library acquires Nooks

Snowden Library has three Nook e-book readers, which are available for check out to faculty and staff.  E-books from Snowden Library’s collection, check out e-books from the public library, and transfer free Google books and Project Gutenburg books can be read on the devices.
The pilot project will be handled by Tami Hutson, Janet Hurlburt, director of Snowden Library, said.

‘Marcellus Shale’ topic for IMS talk

Dan Klingerman, CEO and president of The Liberty Group, to
discuss how natural gas exploration is affecting the local economy.

Lycoming College’s Institute for Management Studies will host Dan Klingerman, president and CEO of The Liberty Group, as part of the James W. Harding Executive Speaker Series at 7 p.m. March 29 in Heim Building G-11.

Klingerman will present “Shale Gas Exploration: Driving an Economic Resurgence in Williamsport and Our Nation.”

Klingerman’s holdings make him one of the largest real estate holders in the region, and his specific focus has been the growth and revitalization of North Central Pennsylvania.

Most recently, Klingerman has made significant investments in the downtown area of Williamsport, as well as the Marcellus Shale natural gas infrastructure.

 The Liberty Group, a primarily real estate-based investment company, has expanded to become the region’s most successful private equity group. The group’s foundation is based on solid principles and ethics and its employment base exceeds 4,200 individuals.

 Klingerman is a graduate of Bloomsburg University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting/business administration and a minor in economics. He taught entrepreneurship at the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics for five years.

 The James W. Harding Executive Speaker Series is named for James W. Harding, a 1938 graduate of Lycoming and native of Montoursville.

Harding was an executive with Kemper Insurance. As the result of a grant from the James S. Kemper foundation to endow the series, students have the opportunity to meet and network with some of America’s top business executives from numerous internationally-recognized companies and firms.
The event is free and open to the public.

Green Corner: Recycling batteries for a greener campus

By Zebediah Buck
Lycourier Staff


Lycoming College’s Sustainability Office and Sustainability Committee continue to push for a greener campus with its latest partnership with Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation’s (RBRC) Call 2 Recycle Program.

In a recent Sustainability Committee meeting, Megan Eppleman from ITS brought attention to this program, which will allow Lyco’s faculty and students alike, to easily recycle batteries and cell phones on campus.

Within the next few weeks boxes will arrive and be placed in convenient locations throughout Lycoming College’s campus. Once recycling sites have been finalized students and faculty can deposit any rechargeable battery or cell phone in the boxes by following the simple instructions at each drop off location.

Besides being free of charge, benefits of the Call 2 Recycling program include: proper and safe recycling of batteries and cell phones, an easy and free way to keep toxic waste from entering landfills and give reclaimed materials a second life, and free recycling reporting and certification.

Once enrolled in the program, Lycoming College will now be able to track the amount and what types of batteries are used each year. Now is a great time to hang on to those rechargeables so you’re ready when the boxes arrive! For more infomation visit www.call2recycle.org/how-program-works/ or contact the Sustainability Office at Sustainability@lycoming.edu

Upcoming events in the Music department

By Julia Cuddahy
Lycourier Staff


March is a particularly important time for music majors, and those interested in music. The many concerts provide a great opportunity to support Lycoming students.

Lycoming and Bethany Lutheran College Concert Bands performed Tuesday and again tonight in Clarke Chapel.

Adrian Lo, director of the Bethany Lutheran College Concert Band, and William Ciabattari, director of the Lycoming College Concert Band, teamed up to host these joint performances.

They will present the world premiere of “Celebration Scherzo” by Art Michaels. This piece was composed in honor of Lycoming College’s bicentennial celebration.

Riana Ricci Muller will perform at noon today in Honors Hall. She will play selections from Vivaldi (arranged by Respighi), Paridis, Prokofiev, and Brahms on the violin, her instrument of choice. William Muller, Jan Mianulli and Dr. Gary Boerkel, a Lycoming professor of music, will join her.

Muller will play the viola, Boerckel, the piano, and Mianulli will sing in the mezzo-soprano range.
On March 21, Lycoming College Tour Choir will perform on home turf, fresh from a tour in southern California, its farthest trip of the year. The concert will be at 8PM in Clarke Chapel. Dr. Fred Thayer will direct the choir and present its Homecoming Concert. Music selections include work by Rosephanye Powell, J.K. Paine, Andrzej Kosewski, and Aaron Copland. Edward Barton, pianist, will assist the choir.

Another noon concert will occur on March 22 in Honors Hall. Andrew Rammon will play the cello and Naomi Niskala will play the piano. Both performers are music faculty members at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove. They will perform selections from Alberto Ginastera’s “Pampeana No. 2” and Frederic Chopin’s “Sonata in G Minor, op. 65.”

March 22 also is the talent show in memory of Professor Allen, who died unexpectedly in February. Alpha Psi Omega, the theater honor society, held auditions last weekend. Musical acts ranging from “solo songs, duets, guitar and vocals, to dance acts, dramatic scenes, instrumental pieces, sketches or anything of that sort” were sought for the show planned for 9 p.m. in East Hall Coffeehouse.

“We are looking to put something permanent and necessary towards the theater department and dedicate it in Jerry’s name,” members of Alpha Psi Omega wrote a campus-wide e-mail.

Lycoming College Concert Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 29th at  the Community Arts Center in downtown Williamsport. The concert is still free, so not only is this a great opportunity to watch the band, but those interested can also see the beautiful theater without having to pay admission.  Ciabattari will direct the concert, featuring music by Percy Grainger, Eric Whitacre, Bernard Heiden, and John Williams. Eugene Rousseau, internationally-acclaimed saxophonist, will perform a solo in “Divisions” by Bernard Heiden. Jason Laczkoski, Lycoming’s saxophone instructor, will join him in variations on the “Carnival of Venice.”

Lycoming College Chamber Choir will perform at 8 p.m., March 30th in Clarke Chapel. Thayer will direct excerpts from Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” with soprano Emily Wertz and “Requiem” by John Rutter. They will be joined by Reuben Councill on the flute, Linda Fountain, oboe, Andrew Rammon, cello, Donald Fisher, timpani drums, and Richard Lakey, piano.

Students also honed their musical skills in other events, held at the beginning of the month.
“Lyco’s Music Night,” happened last Thursday. Our activities board sponsored the event, and everyone with a talent was invited to play.  Four people performed in Burchfield Lounge. Zac Rentscheler played the banjo, Julia Cuddahy played piano, Lyndsey Peterson, sophomore sang a few of her own songs and some of Taylor Swift’s, and Dive Climate ended the show with a rock jam session.

Student recitals where held at noon last Thursday in the Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall.

List of 2012-2013 Residential Advisers

Megan Cunningham

Maralee Fye

Bryanna Garnett

Robert Hartsock

Nathan Jones

Michael Kane

Terrance Lynn

Charles Marshall

Laura Miller

Kayleigh Misner

Ashley Newcomb

Jacob Pelinsky

Duong Pham

Jack Port

Leeann Randall

Quentin Reinford

Alyssa Rogers

Matt Ruth

John Sibel

Chelsea Taylor

Cory Trego

Justin Walker

Chelsea Watts

Ashtin Wiley

John Ryan Wolff

Andrew Yetzer

Women faculty share days in March with students for Women’s History Month

March 1
Lorri Amrom
Jenna Zimmer

March 2
Susan Beery
Briana Wingrove

March 3
Mary Jo Campana
Tehrim Umar

March 4
Barb Carlin
Alyssa Tomaskovic

March 5
Regina Collins
Stephanie Robinson

March 6
Amy Dowling
Ashley Pratt

March 7
Glenda Eisweth
Duong Pham

March 8
Elizabeth George
Jamie Pawlick

March 9
Camille Greenaway
Samantha Patt

March 10
Sunny Han
Ashley Newcomb

March 11
Meghan Hepler
Kayleigh Misner

March 12
Deb Holmes
Jenna Miller

March 13
Kathy Lucas
Samantha McConnell

March 14
Betty McCall
Angelika Maryniak

March 15
Lisa Mendler
Mackenzie Litwin

March 16
Rose Moon
Jessica Lehman

March 17
Carole Moses
Shannon Kryder

March 18
Tina Norton
Laura Klym

March 19
Caroline Payne
Jennifer Harbora

March 20
Whitney Purcell
Grace Gargiulo

March 21
Rose Rashid
Maralee Fye

March 22
Heather Rhoads
Panhellenic Executive Board

March 23
Kerry Richmond
Megan Cunningham

March 24
Tanya Shipman
Nicole Crowe

March 25
Sarah Silkey
Meghan Cox

March 26
Dawn Sones
Sarah Cox

March 27
Sondra Stipcak
Veronica Clair

March 28
Brittany Tasch
Allyson Blizman

March 29
Donna Weaver
Katie Baldwin

March 30
Jean Wool
Sara Anthony

March 31
Polly Zavada
Meggie Adams

Club spotlight: ‘Magic the Gathering’

By Victoria Irwin
Lycourier Staff


Do you like games that involve strategy? Have you ever enjoyed collectible card games? If so, the “Magic” Club might be the right fit for you.  

Lycoming College is part of a greater community of players of “Magic: The Gathering. “ “Magic” is one of the most popular card games played today, combining strategy and collectible cards in a game that many enjoy. Players build and design their own decks in order to personalize gameplay.

According to the “Magic: The Gathering” website, players take on, “the role of a planeswalker,a powerful wizard who fights other planeswalkers for glory, knowledge, and conquest. Your deck of cards represents all the weapons in your arsenal. It contains the spells you know and the creatures you can summon to fight for you.”

If that doesn’t make the game clear, club member Lucas Reckling described game play. “It’s a combination of poker and Pokémon. Essentially you play a game using a deck of cards with different things that they all do.”

“The cards grant players the opportunity for more cards or to get rid of opponent’s cards. Players are advanced toward winning the game,” he said.

“It’s set in this fantasy world. The whole thing is supposed to be a battle between two wizards and your deck of cards is your mind and everything you know and the spells you can cast,” Reckling said.

When the group was first formed, many people, including Student Senate, didn’t know what to make of them. President Becca Havers said, “I wasn’t in the club then but I know they faced a couple of weird questions in Senate. Everyone in Senate asked ‘So what kind of magic do you do’ and they answered ‘it’s a card game.’”

The group has been going strong for the past two years, and a steady group of students meets every Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday to play. Havers said, “First on Wednesday is our general club meeting and I take requests for what format we’ll play in the next month, we set it up a month ahead of time so people can get their decks ready. On Monday we have a meeting in the Skeath Lounge to help encourage freshman to play our game […] and the competitive day on Sunday.”
Havers is aided in her leadership by Ed Dight, Vice President, Zach Hess, Treasurer, Cory Keena, Secretary, and Amanda Edens ,Webmaster.

The club members also join with students from Lock Haven University to play. Reckling said, “A lot of our players are connected with the Lock Haven group so we play with them and we host tournament events. We either use club funds or some kind of entry fee to buy a prize and then we pay for it.”

Havers hopes these joined events will become even larger. “Our Sunday events will be open to the public soon. People from LHU come, people from the general community will also come to our events.”

The club uses social networking to spread its tournaments and other events.

Reckling said, “We pick a day and we advertise via Facebook. We have different groups for different collections. There’s a lot of brainstorming that goes on there.”

To raise money for tournaments, Havers is working on a fund raiser with a candy shop close to her home. In addition, the club sold ice cream at Medieval Lyco.

 Upcoming tournaments are scheduled for March 25th and March 29th.

Changing of the seasons

By Cody Marshall
Lycourier Staff
Opinion Editor

The sun’s out, the temperature is rising, and spring break is just a few days away. Yes, spring is unofficially here!

It is time to pack up the winter clothes and break out the shorts and T-shirts, and sunglasses, and put on some flip flops for those of you who don’t actually wear them all year round.

As many Lycoming students will be sure to admit, this has been a pretty lame and uneventful winter in Williamsport. Compared to last year, this winter cannot even compare. The only entertaining things on campus are the squirrels whenever they decide to make an appearance to scavenge the Quad for food.

With spring break, many within the student body will be heading to sunny beaches and warmer temperatures. Those of us who are at home will not be that worse off as the days have been getting progressively warmer over the last couple of weeks.

With winter leaving and spring taking over, you can be sure to see changes. Winter sports are over which means spring sports like lacrosse are getting started. The Lycoming golf team has begun practice and is hitting the green with the warmer weather.

Few will complain about the warmer weather, as the cold weather negatively affects some with depression. Warmer weather and trees full of leaves will be sure to lighten everyone’s attitude.
Students again will gather on the Quad during the days, relaxing or attempting to do some homework, though we all know which one will be accomplished.

The mere presence of better scenery is an aspect of spring that many look forward too after the dull and gloomy look that comes with winter. Flowers will make an appearance and so will the sun, well, hopefully.

With the warmer weather also comes more outdoor events for students. Lunch and dinner provided on certain occasions on the Quad seem to be a big hit. The dining services usually do a great job with these events.

Outdoor activities will become more popular around campus. There are almost always people playing Frisbee, football and soccer on the Quad.

Perhaps one of the biggest and most popular events to occur on campus during the spring is Greek Week. The week is filled with many exciting events where Greek students compete to win the week’s competitions and bragging rights.

As spring emerges from winter, the changes from the switching of the seasons will be apparent everywhere, especially here at Lycoming College. Squirrels will be out and about everywhere waiting for the right moment to strike, or so it would seem.

Spring is a sign that the school year will be coming to a close in a few weeks after returning from break. Students begin to realize it is time to buckle down and prepare for end of the year projects and exams.Embrace the new season with enthusiasm and excitement. After all, it is time to have some fun under the sun.

‘Act of Valor’ flawed but exciting

By Robert Rinaldo
Entertainment Editor


In an age when “Call of Duty” games can generate more than $1 billion in sales in less than one month, it’s safe to say that military combat simulation represents big business. However, while plenty of video games and Hollywood films have attempted to communicate the horrors of the battlefield, very few fiction projects have ever gone quite so far as “Act of Valor,” the film by co-directors, Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh.

With a relatively modest budget, the filmmaking team enlisted a group of active-duty Navy SEALs to create one of the grittiest and grounded military operation films ever conceived. Not only are the leading men in “Act of Valor” actual servicemen, the directors also employed a number of unconventional production techniques, including live ammunition and explosives.

However, is the actual film, aside from all the realistic combat sequences and compelling production choices, an enjoyable and high-octane experience?

In 2007, McCoy and Waugh filmed a video for the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen which led the United States Navy to allow them to use actual active duty SEALs. After spending so much time working closely with the SEALs, McCoy and Waugh conceived the idea for a modern day action movie about this covert and elite fighting force.

As “Act of Valor” developed with the SEALs on board as advisors, the filmmakers realized that no actors could realistically portray or physically fill the roles they had written and the actual SEALs were drafted to star in the film. The SEALs remain anonymous, as none of their names appear in the film’s credits.

 For the Navy, the film is an initiative to recruit SEALs. According to The Huffington Post, the Navy required the active-duty SEALs to participate.

The film follows a group of Navy SEALs as they attempt to rescue a kidnapped CIA agent. Upon rescuing the agent, they discover an imminent, terrifying global threat and a team of SEALs is dispatched on a worldwide manhunt.

As the valiant men of Bandito Platoon race to stop a coordinated attack that could kill and wound thousands of American civilians, they must balance their commitment to country, team and their families back home.

Each time they accomplish their mission, a new piece of intelligence reveals another shocking twist to the deadly terror plot, which stretches from Chechnya to the Philippines and from Ukraine to Somalia.

The widening operation sends the SEALs across the globe as they track the terrorist ring to the United States-Mexico border, where they engage in an epic firefight with an outcome that has potentially unimaginable consequences for the future of America.

The plot was a little confusing to pick up because nothing is really explained. Luckily, it only takes about 10 minutes before the plot becomes clearer. It may not be the most compelling story line in cinema history, but it kept me interested in what will happen next.

“Act of Valor” follows a group of Navy SEALs as they attempt to stop a terrorist
 attack against major United States cities. The film takes a unique approach
 by casting active-duty Navy SEALs as opposed to actors to portray fictitious
versions of themselves, who remain anonymous throughout the film. 

Do not watch this film expecting world-class acting. As the cast is made up of active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs, the acting is not the best. Normally poor acting would kill a film regardless of whether or not anything else about it is good, but in this case it’s excusable. In a film depicting the actions of Navy SEALs, I would rather have the real soldiers than a really good actor act as one.

The villains themselves seem like the typical terrorist stereotype. I didn’t find them very threatening or their motives very compelling. They came off as bad guys trying to kill us all. Again, this is only a minor gripe and doesn’t detract from the film.

My major complaint with the film is the first scene. Without spoiling it, while it was certainly a shocking and very depressing scene that works to set the tone of how menacing this terrorist group is, it is never really mentioned again throughout the film. To me, it feels like it was filmed for the sake of having a shocking moment.

While the acting and plot are not the best, the film shines in its action. The combat scenes are exciting and dynamic, depicting exactly what Navy SEALs face in the field. The film mixes some first-person scenes so viewers believe they are shooting enemy terrorists.

This film easily has some of the best action scenes in any film, and it receives more points for being authentically realistic.

Along with the incredible action scenes, the film generates strong emotional connections with the SEALs themselves. I was genuinely worried that one of them would not make it out of the mission. When a character is injured or dies, it is a truly emotional event and not something thrown in for the sake of it.

The way the movie was put together almost makes me think it was meant to be a “Call of Duty” or “Battlefield” film. The plot and characters are not the most engaging, the acting is not going to be nominated for any Oscars and the beginning scene almost works against itself.

Nevertheless, the action scenes are more than enough to make up for the flaws and provide a genuinely exciting and thrilling experience. Fans of military shooters like “Call of Duty” will no doubt enjoy watching the film, and supporters of the Navy SEALs will find “Act of Valor” a deep and enriching look into what really goes on.

“Act of Valor” is rated R for strong violence, including some torture, and for language. You can check it out in theaters at the Cinema Center in downtown Williamsport.

An Oscar ceremony much like every other

By Jesse Shade
Lycourier Staff


“Whew, glad that’s over. Now (onto) the post mortems and handwringing over the state of movies, and the show. A thankless task, hosting the Oscars.” 
–Bette Midler, Twitter feed, Feb.27

I never thought that I’d be quoting the star of “Hocus Pocus” in something I’d write for college, but Winnie Sanderson did make a good point in this post-Oscar Tweet, that the Academy Awards, and movies in general, will never be considered as good as they used to be.

No matter how great the winner of the Best Picture Oscar is, people say, “Phooey! That movie wasn’t half as good as (insert title of other film nominated for, or that won, Best Picture).” No matter how solid the host is, there will always be someone to cry out, “Hogwash! They should’ve hired someone younger and edgier! And seriously, is Bruce Vilanch making these jokes terrible on purpose?”

No matter how many sincerely touching and/or funny speeches are made by the non-famous Oscar winners in the technical categories, a voice can always be heard to cry, “Balderdash! I don’t care if these people had to do far more work on the movies than the actors! They’re not famous or beautiful, and they’re making the show go on to long!”

But as annoyed as I am at this impossibility of satisfying the general public who watches the Oscars, I have to admit that they’re not entirely wrong on certain aspects. I agree that if the Oscars want to live up to their promise of a more exciting show, there are certain priorities that need to be straightened out.

For one thing, I did not have any problem with The Artist being the big winner of the night, with five Oscars won for producer Thomas Langmann (whose resemblance to Peter Lorre hilariously became a trending topic on Twitter), director Michel Hazanavicius, actor Jean Dujardin, composer Ludovic Bource (whose first name I’m pretty sure was also the name of the treatment used to cure Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange), and costume designer Mark Bridges (probably the only American involved with the movie who wasn’t John Goodman or James Cromwell).

What I have a problem with is the way they keep screwing with the methods they use to vote for who gets nominated for Best Picture. A recent study by the Los Angeles Times says that the average Oscar voter is a 62-year-old white male, so clearly, seeing Ryan Gosling crush a man’s head like a cantaloupe in Drive (my favorite movie of last year) would clearly turn off the Oscar voter looking for the next Gone with the Wind. But let’s not turn this into an attack piece on elderly white men; there’ll be plenty of time for that during this year’s presidential election. (Ba-zing!)

Let’s also talk about that for this year’s voting, the Academy has limited the number of nominees for Best Picture to vary between five to 10, providing a movie earns 5 percent of first-place votes during the nomination process. The reason that grinds my gears is that playing so fast and loose with the voting process in order to satisfy the viewing public seriously questions whether the Academy truly cares about giving recognition to great movies. Nine movies were nominated for Best Picture this year, and maybe there would have been room for one more great movie like “The Adventures of Tintin.”

There was an actual ceremony, so let’s move on! This year’s host was Billy Crystal, hosting for the ninth time after eight years out of the spotlight. Anne Hathaway and James Franco hosted the show last year, and they were not good. So they got Brett Ratner to produce, which was bad, and Eddie Murphy to host, which was good. But when Ratner believed that rehearsal was for men who prefer the company of other men, he jumped ship, followed by Murphy. Hollywood honcho Brian Grazer stepped in to save the day and got Crystal to come out of his cryogenic tank to save the Oscars. And he was OK, actually.

I’m not going to be the many who rag on Crystal’s vaudevillian shtick. Seeing him host, as enthusiastic and charming as he was, reminds one of how far our comedic tastes have changed. A joke about “Men’s Warehouse” would’ve had them rolling in the aisles in the early ‘90s; making it in 2012 just makes viewers chuckle in order to suppress their groan.

Even though the times have changed, Crystal retained his trademark enthusiasm and ability to roll past a dud of a joke, of which there were quite a few. His appearance was quite a step up from Hathaway/Francogate, even though making fun of Christopher Plummer and Max Von Sydow’s ages loses luster when Crystal also a member of AARP.

Speaking of Plummer, the legendary 82-year-old stage and screen actor got his expected Best Supporting Actor Oscar, for playing a gay man dying of terminal cancer who has to reveal both secrets to his son, in the acclaimed indie Beginners. Now the oldest person to win an Academy Award, Plummer jokingly confessed to the audience that he’d already been rehearsing his acceptance speech “when I first emerged from my mother’s womb” showing he was as spry and awesome as he was back in the days of The Sound of Music.

Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress for The Help, as a maid who has her abusive employer eat her, well… leavings. Spencer was clearly the most touched of all the people to win that night, as she should be, considering I last saw her telepathically communicating with a cooked chicken in Dinner for Schmucks.

Jean Dujardin won for his silent but suave turn as a silent film star who refuses to give into the world of talking pictures in The Artist. Like Melissa Leo before him, Dujardin dropped the F-bomb in his excitement…but in French! Classy way to subvert those censors, Jean. With that impossibly perfect face and thick French accent, you’re gonna make it in this town after all.

The only real surprise of the night came in the Best Actress category, when favorite Viola Davis was beaten out by her Doubt co-star Meryl Streep, winning a third Oscar for her portrayal of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the film named after Thatcher’s most famous nickname: The Iron Lady. Now tied with Ingrid Bergman, Jack Nicholson and Walter Brennan as the actor to have won the next-to-most Oscars, Streep even joked that she “could hear half of America going, ‘Oh, no! Oh, come on! Why her? Again?’” And even though The Iron Lady has been greeted with lukewarm reception by critics and audiences, Streep’s classy speech and touched demeanor proved that if any actress can end up beating Katharine Hepburn’s record of four Oscars, she would be the one to deserve it.

As for the rest of the show, it had its moments, both high and low. The deepest low was the sound. Not only did I have to go online to decipher the lyrics of Crystal’s song, but almost all of the speeches were met with a slight whine of microphone feedback.

Other than the sound being manufactured by a 11-year-old YouTube blogger, fans of TV comedy can now say that Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords and Dean Miller from Community (Jim Rash) are now Oscar winners, as McKenzie won for one of his many contributions to The Muppets soundtrack, “Man or Muppet?”, while Rash won alongside Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne for their equally funny and touching adaptation of Kaui Hart Lemmings’ novel The Descendants.
Cirque du Soleil performed a splendidly done dance number  to fill time that later could have been used by Honorary Oscar winners James Earl Jones or legendary makeup artist Dick Smith, who only got a minute of time standing on stage before being forced back to their seats. Oprah Winfrey also won one of those Honorary Oscars, because it’s the only award she hasn’t won yet.

The biggest laughs of the night came not from the presenters or Crystal, but in a pre-taped sketch by Christopher Guest, the comedic genius behind “This Is Spinal Tap.” In it, Guest and his usual stock company of actors (Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara) play a focus group in 1939 suggesting some changes to “The Wizard of Oz,” including “cutting the rainbow song” having the beginning and end of the film in color and the rest in black and white, and having full-size men play the Munchkins. Willard’s character enthusing about the flying monkeys was, without a doubt, the comedic height of the evening.

Why not have Guest and his actors host the show next year? It certainly be more of a risk than the ones taken at this year’s Oscars. I know that taking a risk was what led to last year’s disastrous hosting job, but why can’t you show Hollywood can laugh at its failures in the past year of movies instead of congratulating themselves for their successes?

And what about the rest of the show beyond the host? Why not cut those self-congratulatory movie montages that play footage from Twilight and Austin Powers alongside footage from Apocalypse Now and Raging Bull, for no particular reason other than they were all shot with cameras? Why not cut those awkward wedding toast speeches that are made by the presenters to the Best Actor and Actress nominees?

Why don’t they make those speeches to the Supporting Actors or Actresses anymore? Are they so insignificant that they don’t deserve some props, too? Why do producers say that they are going to revolutionize the show, only to do the same things that are done every Oscar ceremony? Why don’t the Oscar producers and the Academy stop thinking that the problem is in the popularity of the movies they nominate, but in the show they put on? Why don’t they just listen to what the viewing public has to say about the Oscars, since they have the same complaints every single year? Why, why, why, why?

Much like every time he’s won an Oscar, Woody Allen stayed away this year while he won for his screenplay to Midnight in Paris, instead watching a basketball game at home. If the Oscars can’t get over themselves and actually try something new, viewers like myself may just follow Allen’s lead.

Wrestler Stephen Hinton, a junior, prepares for the NCAA Division III Championships at LaCrosse, Wis. The two-day event starts Friday. Hinton is the first Warrior 125-pounder to win a conference title since 1998.   He claimed the No. 4 seed after winning three bouts and earning his second career Wrestler of the Week at the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference.

The Lady Warriors Softball team will begin its season with play in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., when the team participates in the National Collegiate Sports Invitational.The team will play two games on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and  next Thursday. They are slated to play against Principia College, Elsah, Ill. ; Clarion University in Pennsylvania; Suffolk ;  Robert Morris University   - Springfield. Ill.; Concord University, Athens, W.Va.; and Eureka College in Illinois. They will play Clarion and Concord twice. Junior Holly Lansberry is a pitcher for the Lycoming College Softball team.

Men’s lacrosse season gains momentum

By Justin Ossont
Lycourier Staff


The Lycoming College men’s lacrosse team started the season with a big loss but changed that with two subsequent wins. Wednesday’s game score was unavailable at presstime.

The Warriors were defeated by Dickinson College, Carlisle 17-7 in the first game of the season. The loss did not make the Warriors back down, however. At the first home game the Warriors played against cross-town rival Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, in a match that is well known between the two schools.

Then came SUNY Genesco, who was receiving votes from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

Sophomore goalie Andrew Hauk and senior midfielder Tim Clemente
get in on the action during a Warrior lacrosse game. 

The game was the first game of the season and the Blue Knights were ready to open their season with a win. The first half  was a scoring frenzy by the Blue Knights. They ended the first half with a 6-2 lead going into halftime. The Blue Knights thought they had the game in the bag. One minor detail was in the way of victory.

. 

Stephen Romano began his own little scoring frenzy by racking up a total of seven goals in the entire game. As a result of  his performance, he was selected as the  Lycoming College Male Warrior of the Week as well as the MAC commonwealth Men’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week.

Romano was not alone on the score sheet, as senior Ethan Payne cut the early deficit to only three goals in the first half.

Brett Farrell added to the scoring as he finished his day with two goals, just shy of a hat trick. With the furious second half of scoring, the men’s team overcame the huge first half deficit to win 10-9.

Sophomore goal keeper Andrew Hauk has an assist, as well as senior Hank Runser and Matt Doherty. to add to the stats sheet, senior Tim Clemente won nine face-offs and four groundballs. defensively, freshman Kyle Hauk posted two caused turnovers.

After Saturday’s victory the men’s overall record improved to 2-1. Also, with the victory the men’s team swept the Commonwealth weekly awards with Romano earning his fifth of the last six conference player of the week awards, it is also his second of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Hauk earned his first ever Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week award.

Senior Spotlight: Ethan Payne

By Justin Ossont
Lycourier Staff


With the men’s lacrosse team already having played four games, time is running out for one senior who would like to go down in the Lycoming College Sports History books.

Senior Ethan Payne is aiming to be known as being a member of the school’s first MAC Lacrosse Champions.
“As a team, the only goal is to win Lycoming’s first MAC Conference title,” Payne states. “I liked the opportunity of becoming a member of Lycoming’s first MAC Championship team.”

Payne said, “I have played lacrosse since the age of 9.”

With beginning at such a young age Payne knows what it takes to become an amazing athlete with hard work and practice. “My senior year I was a first Team All-Conference member.”

With knowledge of what it takes to be an outstanding athlete, Payne knew Lycoming College was where he wanted to continue his lacrosse career.  “I became interested in Lycoming lacrosse after one of my high school friends, Ryan O’Connor, committed here.”

Ethan Payne

As the season progresses Payne hopes the team will continue to do only one thing, keep growing closer together.

“I believe that we are talented enough to win. It starts with working hard in practice every day, competing, and getting better.”

Payne has had an outstanding career here at Lycoming. As a freshman, Payne started in only one game but played in 15.  In his freshman year he tallied 16 goals on 48 shots, assisted on eight other goals, 12 groundballs, and forced two turnovers.

His sophomore year was one of his best years.  He played in 16 games and started in 13 of them.  He had a team high of 48 goals and 12 assists.  He finished second in the MAC with goals per game (3.0) and fourth in points per game (3.75). His best offensive game to date was his sophomore year against Widener University, Chester, where he recorded 10 points with six goals and four assists.  Defensively, he added 12 groundballs and another two turnovers.  In his junior year, he started in all 17 games.  He was second in scoring for the Warriors with 36 goals and 12 assists for a total of 48 points.  He also had 23 groundballs and four turnovers.  Against Misercordia that year he posted five goals in a 16-3 victory.

Payne is a business marketing major. Once he graduates Payne would like to “plan on working for my Dad’s company, CountryMax.  There are 15 stores throughout upstate New York.”  The company sells pet supplies, equine equipment, farm and stable supplies and is a lawn and garden center.

Payne is the son of Cathy and Don Payne.  He has two siblings Brad and Aaron.  While he was growing up his hero was Michael Jordan.

Payne is an attacker for the Warriors and his jersey number is 5.  The team’s next game, against King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, at 1p.m., Saturday at the Shangraw Athletic Complex.

Lady Warriors intend to prove the voters ‘wrong;’ travel South

By Justin Ossont
Lycourier Staff


When the Lady Warriors were selected to finished sixth overall in the new Commonwealth Conference standings they decided they want to prove the voters wrong.

Only a year ago the Lady Warriors finished the regular season with a 3-13 overall record and 3-9 mark in conference play.  The Lady Warriors did return all-conference selection junior Brooke Strausser to the line up along with seven other starters.

Second year Head Coach Chrissy Trescavage has very high expectations for the team  this season and expect not coming up short in reaching their goals.  The Lady Warriors return sophomores Sarah Quigley and  Maureen Heagy, who are major keys when it comes to attacking.

Also three freshman additions should help out with that goal of being a great offense.  Casey Maguire, Taylor Wiemer, and Meghan Wiemer are looking to make huge strides with the Lady Warriors.

Midfield-wise Strausser is a junior captain and will have a lot of weight on her shoulders.  But a good looking freshman class is expected to rise above and help their captain to victory.  Alysha Conley, Erin Cieniewicz, Liz Francescone and Kari Rybak will be just some of the members making the midfield section a dominant force.

The Lady Warriors return a strong defensive corps.  The defense is led by another junior captain, Hope Pappas, one of only three returning starters on the defense and one of five letter winners.  Sophomore Amber Graybill and junior Lindsay Schilling will be aiding Pappas  and goalkeeper senior Kristina Maurer and former attacker gone goalkeeper junior Lauren Reitnouer from letting up any goals.

The Lady Warriors opened their season on Saturday with a tough loss to Kean University, Union, N.J., 18-8.  The Warriors were led by Strausser who had three goals and an assist.  For her efforts she has received the nod to be named this week’s Lycoming College’s Female Athlete of the Week. The Lady Warriors played home on Wednesday as they hosted Allegheny. The score was unavailable at presstime.

The women will travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., during spring break for practice and games.

$1 million financial aid grant awarded

By Samantha Ferraro
Lycourier Staff

Lycoming College is infamously known for its impressive dealings in financial aid to more than 95 percent of its student body.

Many of the students depend on the aid as a primary means of paying for their tuition and with such a large endowment, many students will benefit.

Lycoming recently received $1 million in grant money from the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation based in Harrisburg.

The Stabler family believed greatly in the idea of philanthropy and the idea of generosity to ensure better lives for those around them.

With the donation from the Stabler fund, many college students will be offered the opportunity to attend Lycoming College at a much lower cost than what would be expected if students had to pay full tuition.
 
Even with state grants that are awarded to individuals based on the extent of their need, the scholarships and grants awarded by the school help immensely.

Much of the money the college receives in grants come from the alumni, private foundations, and the tuitions paid in part by each student of the college.

According to Chip Edmonds, vice president for college advancement, the college will use the grant from the Stabler Foundation solely for the purpose of financial aid.

“Lycoming’s administration and board are committed to offering scholarships more than anything else to ensure an equal chance for all students to get a good education,” he said.

The grant from the Stabler Foundation was one of the largest grants ever received for the purpose of scholarships, which helps the institution to focus on its core value of allowing students from every financial background an equal opportunity to attend the college, Edmonds said.

Lycoming adds approximately five to 10 new scholarships per year and with the $1 million grant, there are many opportunities for students to continue to receive scholarships and grants through the college, he said.
Throughout the years, based on certain economic situations, the college has seen ebbs and flows in the amount of grant money received from foundations and the alumni, Edmonds said.

Some years are better than others, but the college ensures that it protects and grows its financial resources to guarantee that students always have the financial aid they need to attend the school.

According to Edmonds, the idea of grant making is rather old and is based on the idea of generosity and philanthropy.

The goal was to better the community through means of offering ways for hopeful students to afford their tuition and attend the colleges and universities of their choice.

The Stabler Foundation was no different in its ideals to help the Lycoming community to better the lives of its students through means of higher education.

For 300 years, colleges have been fond of the idea of receiving grants, but only in the last 50 years has the idea become prominent due to the fact that more and more high school students have turned toward the idea of getting a higher education and an increasing amount of careers demand higher degrees.

So to make sure that each student has a fair chance at earning a degree, colleges and universities have begun raising money and collecting through alumni programs and large foundations.

Edmonds, also a Lycoming alumnus, said, “It’s a privilege to work on behalf of the current students to ensure that everyone has a great experience here at Lycoming college.”  

Service group holds panel on Death, Dying Service group holds panel on Death, Dying Service group holds panel on Death, Dying

By Aliza Davner
Editor in Chief/ Lycourier

Issues revolving around the concepts of death and the afterlife are considered controversial and can lead to heated discussion among individuals.

Better Together stimulated such discussion last week by hosting a panel discussion presenting different religious and philosophical views on questions surrounding death and the life after.

Better Together is a community service organization dedicated to the recognition of and cooperation between individuals of differing faiths and belief systems, President Cori Mancuso, a junior, said.

The panel was made up of members of the Christian, Jewish, Islamic and Buddhists faiths, as well as two Lycoming professors — Dr. Richard Hughes of the religion department and Dr. Douglas Young of the philosophy department.

Rabbi Shaul Rappeport, a local conservative Jewish Rabbi 

of the Ohev Sholom Synagogue, at right, answers a question 

during last week’s panel discussion as Majed Sayed, 

representing the views of Islam, listens intently. 

Other panelists included: Rev. Ken Weiss, Rabbi Shaul Rappeport, Majed Sayed and Daishin McCabe.
The discussion was mediated by religion professor Dr. Steven Johnson and included questions on topic ranging from the existence of the soul and the possession of souls by non-human creatures, to the existence of and nature of the afterlife.

Questions also touched on controversial social issues, such as suicide and the ethics of euthanasia.
Attendees were asked to contribute questions for the panelists, as were encouraged to address questions to several different panel members, to ensure that all faiths and beliefs were represented equally.

For example, all panelists were asked about their faith systems views on reincarnation and rebirth. In response, Rappeport, a conservative Jewish Rabbi of the Ohev Sholom Synagogue, discussed aspects of Jewish mysticism which claim that if an individual does not accomplish everything he/she was meant to in one lifetime, the soul will be reborn repeatedly until all tasks have been completed.

Additionally, McCabe, a Soto Zen Buddhist, said that in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there is no belief in reincarnation.

Similarly, Sayed, a Muslim originally from Saudi Arabia, described the phases of life given in the Quran, which include: life, a grave period in which the body and soul are buried, resurrection, and finally eternity.
Hughes, who teaches a class on Death and Dying at Lycoming discussed aspects of the topic which are part of his class. For example, he reviewed the difference between an ordinary dream and a big dream and how each type of dream reflects on an individual’s grieving process.

He delved into the universal nature of the fear of death, as well as the concept of an afterimage and the difference between an afterlife and the possibility of life after death.

Young, on the other hand, was present on the panel to discuss how topics of death and the afterlife relate to the study of philosophy.

He stuck mainly with examples from his specialty, Ancient Greek philosophy. For example, when asked about the existence of the soul and whether or not a soul must be prepared to achieve eternal life, Young cited the beliefs of Plato, which included the concept of the soul as trapped in the physical body and that the soul and body must be disentangled in order for one to achieve the afterlife.

Additionally, he cited Aristotle’s (Plato’s pupil) views, which include the belief that everything alive, including non-human creatures and plants, possess a soul. Humans, however, possess an intellect which other creatures do not, and that this intellect is capable of surviving beyond bodily death.

Young also explained the materialist view of the soul, which claims that there is no soul independent from the physical human form.

Dr. Douglas Young, an assistant professor of philosophy at 

Lycoming, one of two professors on the panel and represented the 

philosophical viewpoint, with Daishin McCabe, a Soto Zen Buddhist.  

Here, Young described “resurrection as reassembly,” meaning that the molecules of the body must be assembled in the correct way in order for one to achieve eternal life after death.

Weiss, the pastor at First Church of Christ, Disciples, answered questions involving animals as sentient creatures after citing his close relationship with his dog. Weiss claimed that heaven is a place of total peace and joy, which includes reuniting owners and pets in the afterlife.

Better Together has held several similar events throughout the year, including an inter-faith Thanksgiving dinner, and a discussion on religion and sexuality.

According to Mancuso, the group has several events planned for the remainder of the semester.
Events include “a program for students to visit the assisted living patients at The Meadows Assisted Living Home, a food drive in late March, participation  in Creek Clean Up from  a.m. to 1 p.m. March 24, and a trip to Mt. Equity Zendo in Pennsdale to visit Soto Zen Meditation Center in April.

The group meets every Monday at 6 p.m. in the Honors Hall Student Lounge.
The Rev. Jeffrey Lecrone, the faculty adviser for Better Together, also hosts “Counterpoint,” a discussion group focusing on controversial social issues at 7 p.m. on Monday evenings in Honors Hall.

CAB hosts indoor ice skating experience

By Cassandra Mainiero
Lycourier Staff

 The winter season of 2012 is passing by rather fast. In fact, with temperatures reaching as high as 50 degrees, sometimes it can feel like there hasn’t been much of a winter at all. For those who like to hide from winter by staying inside, this has probably been a sweet relief because you can finally ditch the winter coats and start thinking of spring. But, for the few of you who were looking forward to the cold weather and winter sports, this can all feel a little unfair. Nevertheless, while the winter of 2012 may not allow us to have many winter activities, like sled riding or snowball fights, it seems that not every winter activity is completely out of reach this season, at least for Lycoming Students.

On Friday, February 10, 2012, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) at Lycoming decided to bring some winter fun to its fellow students and installed an artificial ice rink into East Hall’s Coffeehouse.

Provided by Entertainment Avenue,  the ice rink was made up of several large pieces of polyethylene, the kind of plasticof which cutting boards are made, that fit together like pieces of a puzzle. These pieces were then sprayed with a lubricating solution that helped to reduce the friction of the ice and create an ice rink that, surprisingly enough, actually required no change in room temperature or any ice at all.

Skates were also brought by Entertainment Avenue and included a variety of sizes for the college, while CAB supplied music and free hot chocolate to the event’s attendees.

The event lasted from 6:00PM to 9:00PM and was open to faculty, staff, and any family members of the Lycoming College Community, making the first ice rink ever to be put at Lycoming a huge success.

“It looked like a lot of fun and was something we hadn’t done before, I thought students would enjoy it,” commented Lacey Gustafson, a senior student on the Special Events Chair of CAB, who was in charge of this program. And it appeared that Gustafson’s thoughts were right on target.

After sending email reminders to students , and putting flyers up throughout the Lycoming Campus Community, CAB's first artificial ice rink drew in approximately 100 students to the event and even one faculty member, who brought alongside her husband and son. Some individuals were eager put on some skates and meet up with friends to go see what the artificial ice rink was all about.

"I had heard about the event through the posters and emails," said Chelsea Wittlich, a junior student at Lycoming "and was so excited about going because I had never heard of an artificial ice rink!"

But some people, whether it was because of an availability issue, or the fact they had never ice skated before, decided not to attend at all.

"I actually thought it sounded like an interesting idea," admitted Brianne Charnigo, a sophomore student at Lycoming, "but my friends and I never bothered to go. I think our main reason, though, was that we decided we would probably end up injured."

 When asked whether CAB would consider doing the ice rink next semester, Gustafson said maybe, but could make no promises at this time. Still, it seems to be the general consensus that this artificial ice rink was not only easy to set up and take down, but also was an easy thumbs up among the Lycoming College Campus. Even those who went, when asked what they would have done differently, didn't have many suggestions for CAB.

Instead, these students, such as Chelsea Wittlich, only had positive feedback. "I wouldn’t change anything about the event, " Wittlich admitted,  "except that we should have it more often!”
Any questions or comments about The Artificial Ice Rink can be answered by Lacey Gustafson or The Office of Students Programs, on the 3rd floor of Wertz.

Science Column: Solar storms

By Suzanne Smith
Lycourier Staff

The sun is coming out of one of its longest solar minimums -- a period of least solar activity in its cycle -- in recorded history.

In January, the largest solar storm since 2005 was documented and resulted in some of the most dazzling aurora in recent memory.

For those of you who haven’t taken Dr. Richard Erickson’s astronomy class, auroras are the result of storms in the sun’s magnetic field. These storms are described as invisible field lines that protrude from and loop back to the sun’s “surface.”

On occasion, these field lines break, like a rubber band that has been pulled too tight, and join with other nearby lines. This break releases energy that can launch bursts of plasma known as solar flares. Huge chunks of plasma can be launched toward Earth.

The plasma bursts are known as coronal mass ejections. The CMEs can snap the Earth’s magnetic field lines. The break and recoil of the magnetic field lines result in charged particles racing toward the Earth’s magnetic poles, and it is the charged particles interacting with the atmosphere that cause the shimmering light shows we know as the auroras, borealis and australis, north and south respectively.

Even though the process of field lines breaking and merging with other lines, known as magnetic reconnection, has such significant effects, a detailed picture of what precisely is going on has long eluded scientists, said Paul Bellan, professor of applied physics at California Institute of Technology.

With the use of high speed cameras to look at jets of plasma in the lab, Bellan and graduate student Auna Moser have discovered a surprising phenomenon that provides clues to just how magnetic reconnection occurs.

An argon plasma jet forms a corkscrew like shape, which is known as kink instability. The kink instability causes an even faster-developing behavior, Rayleigh-Taylor instability. This instability causes ripples and tears the jet apart. According to CalTech researchers, this phenomenon never has been seen before and could prove to be vital information in the understanding of solar flares.

In experiments, Moser fired jets of hydrogen, nitrogen and argon plasmas at speeds of about 10 to 50 kilometers per second across a distance of more than 20 centimeters in a vacuum. Plasma is a gas so hot that atoms are stripped of their electrons. To study these jets, Moser used cameras that could take snapshots in less than a microsecond, or one millionth of a second.

Kink instability is caused by electromagnetic interactions between the magnetic field and the plasma, which results in the corkscrew structure. This behavior has been studied for nearly 60 years, and was expected. What was not expected was the strange phenomena discovered by Moser in her high speed snapshots.

She found that the corkscrew shape that developed in her jets grew exponentially and extremely fast. She also noticed tiny ripples that began appearing on the inner edge of the coil just before the jet broke.

“I thought it was a measurement error,” Bellan admitted. The results were “way too reproducible. We were seeing it day in and day out. At first, I thought we would never figure it out.”

After months of additional experiments, they determined that kink instability did spawn the Rayleigh-Taylor instability.

The Rayleigh-Taylor instability happens when a heavy fluid that sits on top of a lighter fluid tries to trade places with the light fluid. Ripples form and grow at the interface between the two, which allows the fluids to swap places.

“People have not observed anything like this before,” Bellan said.

Although the Rayleigh-Taylor instability has been studied for more than 100 years, no one had considered the possibility of it being linked to the kink instability.

Magnetic reconnection on the sun often involves phenomena that span scales from a million meters to just a few meters. At larger scales, physics is relatively simple and straightforward. But at smaller scales, the physics becomes more subtle and complex. Magnetic reconnection happens on the smaller size scale.

The researchers note that, although kink and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities may not drive magnetic reconnection in all cases, this mechanism is a plausible explanation for at least some scenarios in nature and in the lab.

For more information: Bellan and Moser’s paper “Magnetic reconnection from a multiscale instability cascade.” Nature, 2012.

Students mind manners at etiquette dinner

By Julia Cuddahy
Lycourier Staff

Knowing the difference between a dessert and salad fork can be crucial in an interview held during dinner. Lycoming College’s Career Services recognizes the importance of dining etiquette and every year they host an annual Etiquette Dinner PDR.

The Feb, 8 dinner, co-hosted by the Class of 2012, began at 5:30 p.m. and lasted until 8, to allow for five courses and lectures associated with each portion of the meal.

The menu included French onion soup, garden salad, chicken and rice, and the crowd favorite of vanilla ice cream with peanut butter sauce. An unexpected course came in-between the salad and entrée called an intermezzo. Intermezzo is meant to cleanse the palate, but the taste of raspberry sorbet was delicious nonetheless.  

“You’re not there to eat,” said guest speaker, Dr. Kimberly Bolig, director of the Academic Success Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology and 1979 Lycoming graduate.

Bolig encouraged participants to leave some food on their plate, to demonstrate that the interviewees have self-control. With such an appetizing menu, this proved to be difficult.

Unfortunately, the French onion soup did not have cheese, but according to Bolig, interviewees are not supposed to eat the cheese anyway. The strings left behind are too messy for a professional environment.

Instead, Bolig would have advised participants to scrape off the cheese and put it to the side.

Although alcohol was not served, Bolig advised against drinking as well.

“You don’t know what the interviewer’s experience with alcohol is,” Bolig said. “He or she might be a recovering alcoholic or known someone who died in a car crash from drinking and driving. You just don’t know.”

Even if the interviewers are drinking, the interviewee should never order alcohol. Bolig reminded participants that interviewers are testing interviewees, and they may have ordered alcohol just to see if the interviewee would give in easily.

The way in which one picks up food also has significance. For example, the European method of using a fork is opposite to the American way. Europeans use the back of the tongs rather than the front. Bolig challenged participants to eat in this manner and to not switch fork and knife when cutting the meat, to give a worldlier impression.

Even the bread plate serves multiple functions. First, if the butter does not come in neat little packages, one is expected to take a scoop of butter and place it on her bread plate to use for the rest of the night. In order to eat the bread, individuals must break off bite-size sections and butter each piece individually. When the bread is gone, the plate can be used to hold scraps or soiled utensils.

“If you remember nothing else,” Bolig said, “remember that the host or hostess always goes first.” Unless the salad dressing is closer for a guest to reach and subsequently pass, this rule is hardly ever broken.

One of the most important aspects of the dinner, especially during bonafide interviews, is networking. In order to network successfully network, interviewees must know the hierarchy of the guests.

This is why the host/hostess rule has such significance, because whoever organized the event is the leader of the group, and therefore deserves the most respect, she explained.

Originally formal dinners were organized according to court manners, like the Knights of the Round Table, but in order to show more respect toward women, the general rules have switched toward military hierarchy.

Bolig gave a few suggestions about ordering. First the host should be asked what he recommends. This will give an idea of the price range.

Or, she suggested taking the “middle of the road.” This way the person ordering will  not come across as too cheap or too extravagant.

At the end of the program, all participants received certificates for completing the etiquette course. Students also received a booklet on the “ABCs” of formal etiquette.

“It’s just one more tool to add to your toolbox,” Bolig said, “so when you need to impress at that formal dinner, you’ll know what to do.”

Lyco theater alumni present show

By John Villarose
Lycourier Staff

Lycoming College’s Mary L. Welch Theatre held performances of the “Bash: Three Plays” from Feb. 8 to 11.

The play, originally written and directed by Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, Lakeview Terrace), is actually three miniature plays presented back to back. Each small play featured only one or two actors talking to the audience.

Though the play was originally directed by LaBute, this production was led by director Bridget Leak, who graduated from Lycoming College in 2005. Another Lycoming graduate from 2004, Dustin Crouse, co-stars in the plays alongside actress Dana Leigh Snyder, who has a background in dance and experimental theater.

Behind the scenes, the plays are produced by a staff of Lycoming students.

“Bash” is separated into three plays. The first, titled “iphigenia in orem” stars Crouse alone as a respectable father and husband speaking to an acquaintance out of the audience’s sight.

 The play is simple in its setup, as the only sort of set on stage is the chair in which Crouse sits. However, as Crouse’s character reveals his tale, it turns out to be anything but simple. It’s a performance that’s meant to leave the audience guessing, and it does this successfully.

The second play is titled “a gaggle of saints.” This one features both Crouse and Snyder in a setup just as simple, if not more so, as the play before.

In this play, the two portray an ordinary college couple going to a party in New York. Though both actors are on stage, Crouse is clearly the star once again, as Snyder’s character has the tendency to fade into the background. Most of the dialogue is made up of lines quickly jumping back and forth between Crouse and Snyder. Yet, while Crouse’s lines were fast and snappy, Snyder’s usually trailed off toward the end in a somewhat unrealistic way.

To the audience’s expense, this method of speech becomes more distracting than it is effective. As the play goes on, Crouse’s excitement-filled monologue draws the attention of the crowd in a way that is more impressive than possibly any other scene in the three plays.

The third and final play is titled “medea redux.” This play stars Snyder alone in a performance that more for makes up for the one in the second play.

Snyder portrays a woman who appears to be approaching 30 years old. However, most of the play is devoted to her recalling events from her past as she sits at a desk, speaking to someone once again out of sight. Her performance is most likely the most emotional of the play, frequently switching between emotional extremes with little to no notice. While at some points it becomes difficult to figure out what she’s really feeling, the audience can’t help but to sympathize with her.

Each of the three plays is set in front of the same background: a wall made up of a pattern of identical open metal vents. The initial appearance of this wall of vents is perplexing, but as the plays progress, it becomes much more significant as it pulls the audience into the performances in a way unlike what a more complicated set would be able to do.

The lighting effects are also significant; for the majority of the plays, the room is dark, aside from the spotlights shining directly on the actors. The combination of the wall of vents and specific lighting serves to focus the audience on what really drives the plays, the impressive acting and the incredibly deep writing.

These plays cover extremely controversial subjects and they do so successfully. They are not meant for those wanting to hide themselves from the less positive aspects of life.

The only downside to this is that, by the time the third play begins, the audience automatically expects a controversial twist to take place. Still, all three plays are easily able to impress.

The acting of Crouse and Snyder, when combined with LaBute’s excellent script, creates a work of art which everyone should see.

Green Corner: ‘Well, What’s Going On?...’

By Laura Walters
Special to the Lycourier 

The sustainability office has been working on many initiatives so far this semester.  The office has finished organization of the trash rooms, hanging recycling signs to better identify the bins.

 If any of the signs are missing, or the labeling of the bins is incorrect contact students should contact their resident assistant, or the sustainability office.

The office has worked with LEAF and the sustainability committee to assess recycling in all buildings on campus.

After this is reviewed the organizations will better be able to know where recycling is needed.  If students see a place on campus where they think recycling would be beneficial, they should contact the sustainability office.

The sustainability office also recently finished filming a public service announcement about recycling.

The PSA will be on the college’s website soon for viewing. Members of the committee hope that this can help answer any questions about recycling; if there are additional questions, please contact the office at Sustainability@lycoming.edu.

Currently, members are working on the college’s environmental audit, which is a living document.

The document includes the college’s utility usage, as well as many other environmentally friendly initiatives currently going on here.

The environmental audit is on the sustainability website, www.lycoming.edu/sustainability.

The site links to both the sustainability office and the sustainability committee websites.  There are many useful links to sustainable projects going on here on the sustainability website.

The office is working hard in order to progress sustainability on campus, however everyone needs to help. The office is  working toward getting more campus involvement in order for our projects to work.

 Recently, members have met with Student Senate, Residential life, and the Athletics department in order to work together on our initiatives.

 Sustainability on campus can be beneficial for all students.  Not only can money be saved by saving electricity and recycling, but also instilling these values in Lycoming students, teachers, faculty, and staff members is helpful for the future.

Women and Gender Studies prize announced

The Women and Gender Studies department announced a call for submissions of papers to be considered for the Holly Elizabeth Hurlbert Prize in Women’s Studies.

 This prize, created in honor of Holly Elizabeth Hurlbert, a 1997 graduate of Lycoming College, was established last year by her parents, Janet and Bruce Hurlbert.

The prize is awarded annually to the student author (or authors) of a completed research paper concerning some aspect of women’s studies.

 All Lycoming students are eligible to submit one paper per year.

The deadline for receipt of papers for 2011-2012 is March 19.

 Papers will be evaluated by members of the Women’s and Gender Studies Committee, and the prize recipient will receive a stipend of $100.

 The endowment stipulates that the stipend should be used for a research project.  As such, artistic endeavors are not eligible for consideration.

There are also no specific requirements for the length of the research project.

One copy of the research paper should be submitted to J. Stanley, chair of the Women and Gender Studies department, via Campus Mail to Box 73.

 Additionally, any questions concerning the award can be sent to Stanley through e-mail at stanley@lycoming.edu.