The Lycourier

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2011-11-30T17:21:00.002-05:00

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Student Spotlight:Stephanie Robinson

2011-09-15T18:39:00.000-04:00

By Paige Cole
College Life Editor/ Lycourier

Students at Lycoming College tend to hail from small towns, scattered across the East Coast.However, when classes are out, some students journey to other regions of the country to expand their horizons in rewarding ways. For Lyco senior Stephanie Robinson, an internship in Chicago was such an experience.

Robinson, an International Business and Marketing major, spent her summer working at Bass/Schuler Entertainment, a talent agency located in the hustle and bustle of the Windy City.

The agency scouts up and coming acts in a variety of genres that exist among the entertainment industry, a profession in which Robinson said she is interested.

“I looked at internships with a variety of talent agencies,” Robinson said. “My interest came from my involvement with CAB.”

The Campus Activities Board is responsible for bringing various forms of entertainment to campus. Robinson has served as entertainment chair, secretary, and concert chairman.

“Last Spring, I brought Ke$ha to campus,” Robinson said. “The concert exceeded prior school records in the form of attendance and other aspects.”

Robinson received two follow up interviews with the company. She was selected as one of two interns.

Robinson worked for minimal payment sending out promotion material, answering phones and reviewing talent submissions.

“My favorite part of the job was viewing submissions from new artists,” Robinson said. “One night we even got to see one of the comics perform at a local comedy club.”

People such as comedians, speakers, and musicians often submit tapes to the agency. From there, the agency either rejects or expresses interest in signing an act.

According to Robinson, CAB is looking at booking some of the acts this year.

Overall, the internship gave Robinson some valuable insight for the future.

“I got to see what a talent agent does,” Robinson said. “It makes me rethink what path I want to take after graduation. I think I might be more so interested in event planning, rather than casting.”

In addition to knowledge, Robinson made contacts with a variety of people. Before coming to Chicago, Robinson did not know anybody. But she was soon able to bond with her coworkers and roommates.

“UIC (The University of Illinois), provided intern housing,” Robinson said. “There, I had three roommates. One was from San Francisco, another was from Michigan, and the last was from Greece.”

She and her roommates, Robinson experienced the sights and sounds of Chicago.

Tourist stops included the Art Institute, Brookfield Zoo, the Aquarium, and even the annual Taste of Chicago Festival, where Robinson tasted the infamous Chicago –style hot dog and deep- dish pizza.She also saw the 26- foot Marilynn Monroe statue.

Overall, Robinson’s experience was positive.

“Chicago is clean and the people are really nice,” Robinson said. “It differs greatly from the small town I am from. There is always something to do.”

Robinson, originally from McConnellsburg, doesn’t discourage small town living though.

“They are two totally different experiences, Robinson said. “You make life what you want. There may be a lot to do in the city, but it’s also expensive. There are some benefits to a small town as well. I definitely encourage you to try both.”

They Said WHAT?! Overheard at Lyco

2011-09-15T18:38:00.000-04:00

- “I don’t know how to eat the nucleus”
- JP’s

- “Just thrust it, now”
- Clarke Chapel

- “I want to have babies with Katy Perry”
- Rec Center

- “If I find out you didn’t make these corrections, see this red pen? Insert in your ear.”
- Lycourier Office

- “During the earthquake I was in bed and it felt like my vibrator went off!”
- Wertz Dining Hall

Lycoming student connects with cultural roots on summer trip

2011-09-15T18:37:00.000-04:00

By Aliza Davner
Editor-in-Chief/The Lycourier

An old cliché says that college is a time for finding one’s self, an idea which Lycoming Senior Samantha Silverberg took to heart this summer.

Silverberg, a senior archaeology major and anthropology minor, spent 10 days in Israel as part of Taglit Birthright Israel, a program which sends young Jewish people to Israel at no cost to the student, “because going to Israel is considered by many an essential part of being Jewish.”

Silverberg learned about the program and applied for the trip “after my sister got accepted and went on her trip … a couple years ago and she had a wonderful time -- I wanted the same thing.”

Over the span of the trip, Silverberg and the other travelers visited numerous sites in many regions of Israel, including “Manara … Tsfat, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Sderot and one night we stayed in a Bedouin tent in the desert.”

“The morning after [the Bedouin tent] we went to Masada and the Dead Sea. We also went hiking in a forest of sorts called the Jilaboon.”

Silverberg noted that the greatest observable differences between daily life in Israel and the United States could be found “at the Kibbutz and the Bedouin tents.”

She elaborated that “at the Kibbutz everyone works together, it’s its own little community, and whatever job someone has they give their money to help everyone who lives on the Kibbutz.”

“And of course at the Bedouin tents, when we ate dinner on the floor with small mats for chairs. Our food was served on large platters placed on a wire ring in the center of the place setting. It was a very wonderful and interesting experience,” Silverberg said.

In addition to cultural experiences, Silverberg listed “riding on a camel in the desert” and “the group sing-alongs on the bus ride” as highlights of her trip.

While the trip ties into her Lycoming studies in the sense that “the archaeology program here deals mostly with the ancient Near East, and Israel falls into that category,” it certainly served a more personal purpose for Silverberg “The trip helped me to figure out where I want to take my Jewish faith and identity in future years.”

Faculty spotlight: Gene Donati

2011-09-15T18:35:00.002-04:00

By Paige Cole College Life Editor/ Lycourier

He didn’t get any sleep the night before, yet he still eagerly entered the classroom Monday morning. A lot of students were already there and he wondered if he was late, but quickly dismissed that sentiment as nerves. Who can blame him for being nervous though? After all, it was his first day of school.

Members of the Class of 2015 aren’t the only new faces you’ll see on campus this fall. In addition to the incoming freshmen, some new faculty members will mark their first semester at Lycoming. One such is Professor Eugene Donati.

Donati is joining the Department of Communication, where he will teach Corporate Communications. He earned degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, American University, and the University of Toronto taught at New York University and the City College of New York.

“I entered the classroom six years ago,” Donati said. “Lycoming is definitely a different atmosphere from New York, but I am originally from Pennsylvania, so it’s like coming home.”

Donati was attracted to Lycoming after researching its corporate communication program.

“This program is stunning,” Donati said. “It is right on spot and the perfect combination of business and communication. If I had a blank sheet and had to construct a program, it would be this one.”

Although new to Lycoming, Donati is no stranger to the field of corporate communications.He has worked as a Capitol Hill press secretary for two members of Congress and as a spokesman for political campaigns in four U.S. States. In addition, he held senior communication positions at Mellon Bank, Equitable Capital, and MasterCard and also served as a consultant at the advisory firms Hill & Knowlton and Clark & Weinstock.

“Corporate communication is a life-long profession,” Donati said.“My experience has taught me that every case is different and that your job in the field is a continuous learning process.”

Donati said he plans to use less of a case studies approach and more of a bottom line structure in the classroom.

“Communication is about knowing how to talk the talk and speak the language,” Donati said. “All of students in the classroom will have different intentions for their degree.Case studies won’t apply to each individual, and I plan to teach courses in which every student has a take-away.”

He plans to compliment his teaching with lectures and reading.

“I plan to cover a lot of material,” Donati said. “My goal is to maximize knowledge. I want each student to recognize what is most important to their career goals.”

Donati joins the department with change. But he said that he believes that the transition is a strength rather than a problem.

“For the first couple years, I will have to teach some of the basics in all courses, no matter the level,” Donati said. “But you can also count on other courses to teach them, which is one aspect that makes this program so fantastic.”

Although confident for the upcoming school year, Donati was still anxious about his first day.

“Part of my job is to entertain,” Donati said. “I still get stage fright. And I can guarantee that I didn’t sleep the Sunday night before my first day.”

Lycoming Warrior Football: Season Preview

2011-09-15T18:35:00.000-04:00

By Andrew Wagner
Lycourier Staff

The Lycoming Warrior Football team is looking to bring the MAC Championship home.

“I feel like team chemistry is at an all-time high. We brought in a great group of underclassmen, and new coaches as well, who will together help us fulfill our vision of winning the MAC title,” said junior starter Jamie Reitzi.

The seniors earned a championship ring their freshman year in 2008, so nothing would conclude their years at Lyco better than repeating history. With 10 returning starters on defense, opposing teams can plan on rarely seeing the end zone.

“ I believe we will be successful because we are a lot more experienced this year and have plenty of weapons, which will make it hard for teams to game plan against us,” said senior starter Ray Bierbach.

Lead by Senior Capt. Anthony Marascio, the defensive line has proven its effectiveness in stopping opponents running and passing game.

Bierbach added, “Defensively, we are returning 10 starters so we should have lots of experience. We have a number of defensive linemen who are really strong, along with linebackers who have improved greatly.In addition, our Special teams returns freshman all-conference punter Zach Czap who is a big help as well.”

Despite the offense graduating a few key players, the Warriors are returning its entire offensive line.

“Offensively, I think one big weapon for our team will be Warren Oliver. It’s clear that he put a lot of hard work in during the offseason to improve his game. We have multiple running backs in Parker Showers, Tyler Floyd, and Andrew McGreevy who should all contribute,” said Bierbach.

Lead by Senior Capt. Tim Okken, the linemen all have a significant amount of starts under their belt. Though others were not starters previous years, the starting lineup is comprised of experienced players. While the returning players have proven to be skilled athletes, the 50 freshmen are sure to add to the team. Throughout preseason some have proven themselves and are contending for playing time in the regular season games.

Men’s soccer welcomes Coach Stahl

2011-09-15T18:34:00.000-04:00

By Allison Tripoli
Lycourier Staff

Doug Stahl is the new head coach for the men’s soccer program this season. Stahl has 11 years of experience from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y. where he received Coach of the Year honors in 2008 as well as being the college programs all-time leader in coaching wins.

The season so far has been a success for Stahl. The team’s opportunity to showcase its progress made during preseason play will be during its first game today, home against PennState, York.

Stahl plans to continue the season with high intensity and will make sure his players remain true to their goals on and off the field.

He believes his boys should get their schoolwork done first and keep in mind that their academics are the primary reason why they chose Lycoming College.

Stahl’s coaching philosophy is, “We want to win of course. Winning is why players play games and why coaches coach, but it is a continual process of growth and development that requires dedication and hard work.”

As well as being a knowledgeable coach, Stahl is aware of the pressures involved with collegiate athletics because he was a four-year varsity starter at Manchester College in Indiana. He was named captain in his senior year and was awarded First Team All-ICAC.

Additionally, Stahl is a family man first and a coach second. He and his wife Jody have three daughters: Ava (8), Sophia (5), and Hannah (3).He admits balancing his responsibilities can be a challenge but he loves coaching the sport and his family is supportive of his profession.

This season will definitely be challenging for Stahl and the team. They are in a tough conference and have limited time to transition into Stahl’s vision for the team but the coach remains optimistic despite these hardships.

He is blessed with an eager team that embraces this positive change and believes it will benefit their program.

Defensive starter, William Reiber, a junior, believes that with the new coach comes a new rhythm that creates optimistic energy for the upcoming season. Reiber said, “Coach Stahl’s good at motivating our team and pushing us to work hard on and off the field. I think this season will be great!

Senior Spotlight: Jussae Hanford

2011-09-15T18:32:00.000-04:00

By Kelly Prendergast Sports Editor/ Lycourier
The season looks bright for Lady Warrior soccer senior Jussae Hanford, No. 24. Hanford is known as Juice to her teammates and friends. She has been a very important member of the team since her freshman year.

Hanford started playing soccer when she was five years old and through her dedication to the sport she has become an excellent player over the years. Hanford’s passion for the sport was largely fueled by her father.

“My dad has influenced me a lot throughout my life. He coached me in basketball and soccer since I was little. He’s a big part of my life and I don’t know what I would do without him. He is a great role model and coach. But most importantly he taught me to work hard and never settle for being mediocre. He has shown me to always be my best, which I can use in all aspects of my life,” Hanford said.

Hanford is from Hughesville, and during her impressive high school career she was a four-year letter-winner, one-year captain, and received all-conference honors.

So far her college career has been equally as impressive. As a freshman she contributed both offensively and defensively by playing center midfield; and started in 10 games. Throughout her entire soccer career, Hanford has filled a central role on the field.

Sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Dougherty said, “Juice has an incredible work ethic and is always extremely fit. She constantly practices and plays hard, which helps the entire team by challenging each player and giving them the ability to improve.”

This year the Lady Warriors and Coach Matt Dunn are looking for her to take on the attacking center midfield position in hopes that she will be able to generate offensive opportunities and ultimately help win games. Hanford not only contributes to the women’s soccer team, she also contributes to the college by working in the Public Relations office for the Sports Information Director. She plans to graduate this May with a degree in psychology and education certification.

“After Lycoming I am hoping to find a teaching position in a first grade classroom,” Hanford said.

She added, “Soccer is something that I will always love and will miss playing. My involvement in this sport has greatly influenced who I am today. Playing here at Lycoming was one of the best experiences and in some ways characterized my overall college experience. It challenged me, allowed me to have fun, but most importantly it allowed me to create amazing memories and build life-lasting friendships.”

Horror movie remakes keep audiences screaming?

2011-09-15T18:31:00.001-04:00

By Robert Rinaldo
Entertainment Editor

The recent release of the remake of the 1985 horror film “Fright Night” marks the

continuation of a trend of horror film remakes. This trend has brought about the release of hits such as “Dawn of the Dead” (2004) and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2003) while also creating flops such as “Prom Night” (2008) and “The Stepfather” (2009).

With the upcoming releases of “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and “The Thing,” it’s a wonder whether these films will match the quality of their predecessors or fall completely short. Here are some examples of horror film remakes that may have even surpassed their predecessor.

“The Thing” (1982) : It’s almost hard to believe that this film is a remake, but it is a reimagining of the 1951 film “The Thing From Another World,” both of which were adapted from the novel “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell Jr. Directed by John Carpenter (“Halloween”) and starring Kurt Russell (“Miracle”), the film proved to be a more faithful adaptation than the original film.

Despite a poor box office run, “The Thing” developed an immense cult following and is widely considered to be the best horror remake and one of the best horror films of all time.

“The Fly” (1986) : The original 1958 film is one of the most influential science fic-tion/horror films of all time, so a remake of this movie was a risky move. Fortunately, this version starring Jeff Goldblum (“Jurassic Park”) lived up to the quality of the predecessor while retaining only the basic premise.

The film is best known for its critically acclaimed makeup and creature effects as it captured the horrifying transformation Seth Brundle (Goldblum) from human to fly.

“The Blob” (1988) : Thirty years after the first film, this remake wonderfully renews the sense of popcorn fun, bumping up the action from the occasionally plodding original, thanks to a more aggressive alien blob, and adding both gory effects and more believable “teenagers” than Steve McQueen The film was praised for its update of special effects, in particular those used for the Blob itself.

There are rumors that another remake will be made, but nothing has been confirmed.

“The Ring” (2002) : Considered the best remake of an Asian horror film, “The Ring” captures the original’s ghost-story creepiness with atmospheric direction from Gore Verbinski (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) and a critically acclaimed performance by Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”). The success of the film opened the way for American remakes of several other Japanese horror films, including “The Grudge” and “Dark Water.”

The story continued in the sequel “The Ring 2” and a third film, “The Ring 3D,” is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012.

“Dawn of the Dead” (2004) : Zack Snyder took a big risk by taking on the remake of the classic by George A. Romero, but it paid off. The most noticeable difference between the two is the change of the zombies from slow and lumbering to fast and sprinting.

With Sarah Polley (“Road to Avonela”) and Ving Rhames (“Mission Impossible”) staring, the film proved that even a highly esteemed classic can be updated and still hold up in a new generation.

Films such as these provide hope that horror remakes can stand on their own without much comparison to their predecessors. Only time will tell of whether or not upcoming remakes will be able to follow in the footsteps of these successful films.

Colin Farrell stars as blood sucking vampire

2011-09-15T18:31:00.000-04:00

By Robert Rinaldo
Entertainment Editor

“Fright Night” is a 3D horror comedy film directed by Craig Gillespie. It is a remake of the 1985 Tom Holland film of the same name. The film stars Colin Farrell (“S.W.A.T”), David Tennant (“Dr. Who”) and Anton Yelchin (“Terminator Salvation”).

The film focuses on Charley Brewster (Yelchin), a teenager who discovers that a new neighbor named Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is moving in next door to him. Charley later learns that Jerry is a vampire and seeks the help of a Las Vegas magician and supposed expert on vampires (Tennant) to kill Jerry. Critics praise the film for its updated terror and comedy, even claiming it to surpass the original.

The original film is considered to be one of the greatest vampire movies of all time, so a remake would almost seem unnecessary. Fortunately, “Fright Night” proves that it can stand along side its predecessor, providing a surprisingly entertaining experience.

Farrell and Yelchin shine in their roles without trumping the rest of the cast. The characters provide genuine laughs at many points and you really feel sorry to see certain characters die. “Dr. Who” fans will really appreciate seeing Tennant as the estranged vampire expert as he almost steals the show, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (“Superbad”) continues to show off his comedic chops in this subtler role.

Whereas the original is more memorable for its campy style of horror, the remake boasts a grittier, darker and overall more effective tone to convey the horror the characters experience. As an added bonus, the comedy does not compromise the overall feel of the film unlike “Jennifer’s Body.”

While “Fright Night” excels in overall tone and acting, it is not without its flaws. Aside from the four main stars, the supporting cast is more or less forgettable. While the film avoided flooding the cast list with A-ranked actors, the supporting actors don’t really add anything worthwhile to the story of the film.

The special effects are also hit or miss. While the vampire effects are quite nice, some of the computer-generated blood effects are painfully obvious. A remake with certain effects almost as cheesy as the original doesn’t look too good. The 3D effects are unforgettable, apart from a couple moments. These instances become even less effective in 2D, but it is easy to forget such moments to enjoy the rest of the film.

“Fright Night” is an interesting horror film. It is an unnecessary remake to a classic that still holds up today, and yet the end result is actually much better than expected. The overall tone fits much better in this version and the performances from Farrell, Yelchin and Tennant are entertaining. Even with the flaws it is a surprisingly enjoyable film.

Question of the Week

2011-09-15T18:28:00.000-04:00

If you could change one thing about the newfood provider what would it be?

Hannah Morrisette and Kali Moeller -Freshmen
-“More healthy choices.”

……

Alycia Lucio -Sophomore
“Bring back mashed potato bowl.”

…

Quentin Reinford -Sophomore
-“We should be able to have more than one burger at a time.”

…

Ashley Newcomb -Junior
-“Where are the chicken patties?Also, more space between the tables.”

…

Anthony Marascio -Senior
-“Faster food service.”

Have an Opinion?! Contact Cody Marshall at marcody@lycoming.edu for details

Going Greek at Lyco

2011-09-15T18:27:00.002-04:00

By Cody Marshall
Opinion Editor/Lycourier

Yes, we’ve all seen the stereotypical fraternity and sorority featured in many movies over the years; drinking, getting into trouble, and doing crazy things that would be looked down upon by many today. Is this how Greek life really is? The answer to this question is most definitely no, especially here at Lycoming College.

Lycoming is home to nine Greek organizations: four fraternities and five sororities. Lycoming Greek life makes up about 25 percent of the school population, according to Myles J. Biggs, vice president of Inter-Fraternity Council special events committee and president of Lambda Chi Alpha.

Here at Lycoming College, Greek life takes pride in itself and sets the standard for what a Greek community at a college should be like. I was introduced into the Greek world my freshman year and can say that the skills and knowledge gained is irreplaceable.

In today’s world, leaders and creative minds are needed more than ever and appear to be lacking, as can be seen with all of the problems we are dealing with today: from the world economy to the way countries are managed around the world.

The Greek system is a perfect way to build leadership and management skills that can be applied in the real world during and after college. Holding positions within the organization is perfect for teaching the skills necessary to be successful in the work force. Greek organizations are their own political systems which require hard work and the right knowledge to accomplish goals.

Greek life is also a huge character builder, as members test themselves through meeting new people, performing numerous hours of community service, and holding benefit events throughout each academic year.

Lycoming College Greek organizations proudly participate in many community service and benefit events every year and are very successful in their endeavors.

A chance at becoming a member of Greek life is an opportunity that every student at Lycoming is given. It’s what students do with the opportunity that will determine their chances. Students are given many opportunities throughout each academic semester to meet with each of the Greek organizations and experience how they operate and what their values are.

Every campus organization is different, which is why there are so many here. If interested in going Greek, students should use their time wisely and meet with every Greek organization.

As a fellow Greek life member, I can say that Greek life is going to make my fellow Greeks and I here at Lycoming to become better individuals all around.

Lycoming College presents nine unique and prestigious Greek organizations that are open to all. These organizations have bettered most of the individuals who have pasted through their ranks, with more to come.

Is Greek for you? Only you, as an individual, can answer that question.

A New ‘Efficient’ System

2011-09-15T18:27:00.001-04:00

By Cody Marshall
Opinion Editor/ Lycourier

Students here at Lycoming College know where to go for a late night snack whenever they are tired of studying or just need a bite to eat. The newly named Sequoia Grill, more commonly referred to as JP’s provides students with quality food that leaves the college cafeteria far behind in the dust.

New to the school this year is the ordering system that most people would recognize as similar to that of Sheetz. This system is supposed to be fast, efficient and easy to operate. Some students, however, like Pat Kalish, a sophomore here at Lycoming, find this new system less efficient and personal than the former system.

Kalish said, “The system should have specials and should have more communication with the customers as in previous years.”

As a frequent customer of this hit campus attraction, I completely agree.

The new system takes away the personal relationship between the students and the employees that was around in the school’s previous years of operations. Why the school would replace quality personal service is a question only it can answer.

Computers almost completely take away any interaction between the students and workers, but let’s be honest; the system should be faster right?

Even the freshmen are finding the new system annoying because of the slowness and the technical difficulties that it frequently encounters.

Sean Marshall, a freshman said, the system is just slow. Many agree!

Anyone who walks into JP’s on most nights will be able to attest to the complaining and disappoint because of the change in service from earlier years.

The food is still delicious, but the wait is sometimes too long to have been worth it. Waiting 20 minutes plus to receive an order is ridiculous.

Most students are always in a hurry because of the work load they are expected to complete, and having to wait a long time for food is just a nuisance that should not have to be dealt with.

The Class of 2015 is really missing out on the great genuine service that was provided to the upper classmen in the past.

If the wait for the foodat Sequoia Grill wasn’t so long and the students actually had an opportunity to converse with the staff as in the past, it would be a much more convenient place for students to go; both to forget about their work and fulfill their satisfying needs of late-night hunger.

As a result of the student’s feelings toward the new arrangement, I think those in charge need to reconsider a few things to create a more comfortable and personal atmosphere that most students have come to enjoy and love.

Ordering food in person makes students feel like they are being cared for personally.

The service and atmosphere needs to be in direct correlation with the quality of the food. Students are loving the food so far this year and are using it as an escape from the cafeteria. They just want better customer service and a more personable atmosphere to enjoy.

Walters takes a day off from researching to admire the Arizona landscape

2011-09-15T18:27:00.000-04:00

By Aliza Davner
Editor-in-Chief/ Lycourier

Lycoming Senior Denyse Walters, an Archaeology and Religion double-major and medieval studies minor, spent her summer completing two internships, the first of which with the University of Arizona Museum of Art in Tuscon, Arizona. There, Walters was given the opportunity to work with the Kress Collection, which she described as “home to many medieval and Renaissance pieces.”

One piece in particular with which Walters was able to work closely was a cassone, or an Italian marriage chest from the Renaissance period. Walters worked with the museum curator to both research this specific piece within museum archives and also perform research on such pieces in general.

While Walters wouldn’t describe the internship as “exactly thrilling,” due to the fact that it was “largely self-directed and research-based,” she did share some highlights, one of which being finding “a lead seal that had once been tied to the leg of the cassone and had later been misplaced. The seal was a customs seal and from our partial translation (which was achieved with help from Dr. Robert Downs who let us use his high power microscopes) we believe it to have come from Florence”

Dr. Downs’ microscopes also played a large role in what Walters described as the most exciting part of her internship experience, “Dr. Downs gave us a tour of the department and showed us the ‘tricorder’ he had developed and that would be sent to Mars in 2012”

Walters went on to say that “As a Trekkie I found it really thrilling that someone had developed a tool you could point at an object and would tell you what it was composed of.”

Walters second internship was at the Buick Gallery in her hometown of Flint, Michigan. The Buick Gallery, according to Walters, is “part of the larger Sloan-Longway cultural organization that has a system of museums and planetariums in the city.”

This internship consisted of working with “thousands of prehistoric and historic Native American pieces” and Walters spent the duration of her time at the Gallery “cleaning them, organizing them into the five different collections they belong to, photographing them, and entering them into the catalog.”

Walters recounted her favorite aspect of the Buick Gallery internship experience as “the sense of pride I felt once I finally found a home for each artifact and cleared out the corner. I loved knowing that because of what I had done, the artifacts were now safely stored and would be available to future generations.”

She went on to say that “Working to safeguard history is the thing about museums that I find the most fascinating.”

When asked how her summer internship experiences related to her studies at Lycoming, Walters replied that both internships provided her with “invaluable” experiences, saying that the University of Arizona internship “was my first real internship experience, and it tied into the curatorial aspect of my archaeological studies at Lyco because of the experience in handling and storing artifacts, as well as learning what they have to tell us, which is a field I would love to get into after graduation”

In addition, her time at the Buick Gallery awarded her with hands-on experience in her chosen field. “The curatorial aspect interested me and the internship provided me with invaluable experience. Working directly with the artifacts and storing them in a safe way is exactly what I would love to do after graduation, Walters said.

As a note to other Lycoming students looking for internship experience, Walters stressed the importance of putting one’s self out into the field and digging up your own information.“Neither of these internships were adverstised or listed by the institutions,” Walters said.

“I simply knew that I would be in Arizona for a portion of the summer, and later back in Michigan. I found the curator's contact information on their websites, then contacted them letting them know I was willing to provide them with slave labor for a while, and if they had anything I could help with … I met some …awesome people over the summer and made invaluable contacts, as well as gained some … references for when I graduate and start job hunting. So, do as my grandpa says, throw out a line and see if it takes. “

Lycoming College Football off to a strong start

2011-09-15T18:26:00.000-04:00

By Erin Meehan
Lycourier Staff

The Lycoming Warriors football team started its 2011 season off with a bang with two straight victories.

This is the first time in six years that the team has started out the season with back-to-back wins.

On Saturday the Warriors posted a 41-3 victory over Westminster College.

The previous Saturday the Warriors opened its season with a victory over Rowan University, who was voted to be the No. 22 seed in Division III football, on Sept. 3. The Warriors concluded the game with a score of 8-6 in their favor.

According to Head Coach Mike Clark, this year’s team is “the best team in four years.” Some highlighted players of the game were Anthony Marascio senior defensive line, Parker Showers, junior running back, Zack Czap, sophomore kicker, and Craig Needhammer, freshman running back.

Starting the season off with a record of 2-0 is encouraging and now that the Warriors look to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2003 when they head to Widener for a 1 p.m. game on Sept. 17.

Saturday, Lycoming defeated Westminster with an impressive score of 41-3. In the course of this game Warren Oliver, sophomore wide receiver, broke a 25-year old school most recently held by James O’Malley. The record held by O’Malley was running 214 yards and Oliver broke that record by running 215 yards as well as scoring three touchdowns.

The last time that the Warriors captured the MAC division title was three years ago.

With a great start this year, Clark is “confident we’ll be able get the division title.”

This is an extremely encouraging statement and it is obvious that the Lycoming football team is confident in its abilities to win the division title by the way they played two weeks ago.

Although the program is off to a promising start there are still going to be some challenges against other Division III football programs such as Delaware Valley College and Widener University.

Clark said that even though the team won its first game at home, the Warriors won’t be playing at home again until October. The Warriors return to their home turf, David Person Field, on Oct.1, during Family Weekend and it is the Tackle Breast Cancer game.

This is easily the most highly attended game of the regular season and with plenty of support coming from Lycoming students and their families and Lycoming alumni, it is possible that there will be plenty of fans standing behind their Warriors.

Lycoming College football has many different strengths in multiple aspects of the team. The defensive line is especially strong and is receiving some spotlight ever since the Warriors’ victory over Rowan, where the defensive line played a major part in the win.

The Lycoming offense is also stepping up to the plate after losing two key players last year: Josh Kleinfelter and Ryan Wagaman. The majority of Lycoming’s offensive line and quarterback is returning to the team and the running backs and wide receivers are working hard to compensate for the seniors that the team lost.

According to Clark there are three returning starters and for the most part the secondary is also full of returning players and so are the majority of their linebackers.

Clark said, “Kabongo Bukasa has become a great player.” Bukasa is a returning sophomore linebacker for the Warriors. Clark said other Warrior football players to watch include Matt Atkinson and Warren Oliver both sophomore wide receivers; Jarrin Campman, junior wide receiver; Parker Showers, junior running back, and Ray Bierbach, senior, defensive back.

“Parker Showers played a nice game the other day ... after being in the shadow of Josh Kleinfelter and Ryan Wagaman last year,” Clark said. This season seems to be a great time for players to step out of the shadows of former Lycoming football players and enjoy their own deserved time in the spotlight.

Something that is for certain to the fans of the Lycoming College Warriors football team is that they have quite an optimistic and successful season ahead of them. With the encouraging words from Clark, it is clear that the football team itself is feeling confident about the direction that it’s headed.

The Warriors will build off those emotions throughout the games that are played over the next couple of months.

Senior Spotlight: Randon Wilston

2011-09-15T18:25:00.001-04:00

By Kelly Prendergast
Sports Editor/ Lycourier

The 2011 Lycoming College Men’s Soccer season looks promising for senior forward Randon Wilston, No. 33. Wilston has been a key member on the squad since his freshman year, and is looking forward to being a main contributor to the team’s offensive attack this season.

Wilston’s love for the game of soccer began when he started playing the sport at the young age of five. Over the years he developed his skills through practice and a strong work ethic.

“I can’t really say that my soccer career has been influenced by one single person, but I have had several influential figures throughout it. I have gotten support and advice from coaches and my parents and have received help by playing against my brothers my whole life. Together they all played a vital role in my development as a soccer player,”Wilston said.

Wilston attended Mansfield High School where he had an extremely impressive career. He had 112 career goals, which set a remarkable conference record, and placed him 19th all-time in the Pennsylvania High School standings. In addition, he received all-state honors twice.

Wilston continued his notable career at Lycoming. During his freshman year, he played in 15 games, starting in one and scored two goals. In his sophomore season, Wilston showcased his incredible ability to find the back of the net in all situations. He appeared in 19 games, earning 13 starts, in which he scored nine goals and had three assists. However, at the beginning of his junior season Wilston suffered an injury that hindered his ability to play in many games. Now in his senior year he is looking to once again help lead the attack for the Lycoming offense.

“Randon always plays his heart out. He runs full pace, puts his body on the line and never gives up. While his hustle is a key factor in Randon's performance, he also has a great touch on the ball, along with solid moves and an excellent shot to finish the ball,” teammate and senior Matt Long said.

“Soccer has positively shaped my experience here at the college. From the moment I stepped on to campus I had 30 friends whom I could ask questions of and joke around with. My relationships have only gotten stronger with these guys, and I hope to continue these great friendships I have created,” said Wilston.

“Not only have I made friends, soccer has also provided me with unforgettable memories. My favorite experience on the team was when we traveled to Europe together and got the chance to compete against teams from other countries. It is something that I will never forget,” said Wilston.

In addition to his striking athletic career, Wilston also performs extremely wellin the classroom. He is a two- time member of the Mid Atlantic Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Wilston is a business finance and managerial economics major and plans to graduate in May.

“ After I graduate I hope to get a job with Paradigm, a property management company in DC. I had a summer internship with them recently, and I feel like it is an excellent opportunity for me,” Wilston said.

Wilston is looking forward to the rest of his senior season in the hopes that it will be one of his best.

“If I had to give any advice it would be to NEVER take your college career for granted. It goes way faster than you ever think it will. You should always play like it’s your last game or play you will ever play because you don’t realize how lucky you are to be playing and how quickly it goes by,” he said.

Warriors win ‘The Battle of the Boot’

2011-09-15T18:25:00.000-04:00

By Kelly Prendergast
Sports Editor/ Lycourier

The Lycoming College men’s soccer team had a thrilling 1-0 golden goal win over the Susquehanna Crusaders in the 11th annual Battle of the Boot at the Shangraw Athletic Complex on Sept. 9.

As a result of the win, the five Warrior seniors, Matt Long, Kevin Bishop, Bob Ziegler, Josh Miller and Wilston, became the first group to win the Boot twice during their career.

“The Battle of the Boot” is the infamous annual soccer game between Lycoming College and Susquehanna University for local bragging rights. The two schools are only 45 miles apart.

The trophy awarded to the winner of the event is a bronzed cleat mounted on a wooden platform. The plaque on the platform reads, “Susquehanna vs. Lycoming.” The host for this incredible grudge-match switches between the rivals annually.

Known for its rowdiness and extreme excitement, fans travel the 45 miles to the opposing school to insure a solid fan base, even for the away school. Every year each field is decorated with both schools’ colors, and T-shirts are usually made and sold, so fans can show support for their team.

In 2010, the rivalry game set a record attendance as 729 fans came out for the game in Selinsgrove.

Every year both teams step up for this heated battle, wanting to win the “Boot” and the bragging rights that come along with the victory.

This year the 11th annual Battle of the Boot was hosted at Lycoming College’s Shangraw Athletic Complex. Susquehanna led the series 8-2, but there was a sense of hope and to win because during the last meeting in Williamsport, the Warriors walked away with the “Boot” with a 3-0 win. The Warriors were determined to win the trophy back on their home field.

Nearly 500 fans showed up in their Blue and Gold “Battle of the Boot” T-shirts to support the Lycoming Men’s Soccer team. They hoped for an exciting game and that is exactly what they got.

“The entire team was hyped before the game and we knew the importance of winning. We also understood that if we came out focused and ready to play for the full 90 minutes that we were going to win. The hard work we had completed in our practices and previous games had prepared us for this intense game,” senior defender Bob Ziegler said.

The first 94 minutes consisted of well-balanced play between the two teams, but in the 95th minute, five minutes into overtime, Lycoming finally found the back of the net.

It all started when junior midfielder Mike Krebs found some space on the field, and senior forward Randon Wilston added a quick tap, that allowed junior forward Charlie Vess to get behind the Crusader’s defense.

Vess beat the defense and the goalie, ripping a shot to the upper left side of the net, scoring a phenomenal goal that led the Lycoming College Men’s soccer team to a thrilling 1-0 victory over rival Susquehanna.

Junior goalkeeper James Quinn also had an exceptional performance, making 10 saves and recording his first shutout of the season. For his effort he was awarded the “Boot MVP.”

“It was such an exhilarating game to play because so much was at stake. We made every play count and this win showed us that as a team we can accomplish any task we take on together. Overall, we were ecstatic that we got the trophy back,” Ziegler said.

Making the victory even sweeter was that Ziegler’s brother,?Zach, is a defender for the Crusaders.

After 17 years, Disney classic ‘The Lion King’ Goes 3D

2011-09-15T18:24:00.001-04:00

By Victoria Irwin
Lycourier Staff

In an unprecedented event, Walt Disney Pictures will again release its 1994 classic, “The Lion King,” for a special two-week run in 3D starting Friday, followed by the Diamond Edition release of the film on DVD, Blu-ray, and 3D Blu-ray on Oct. 4.

At movie theaters around the world, special Simba 3D glasses will replace the regular glasses for as long as supplies last. Disney says the film in 3D will be a breathtaking new take on the classic tale. The 3D to enhance the cinematic experience of “The Lion King.”

The rich animation of the original film promises to come to life with this added dimension and bring details the viewer could have possibly missed in the film’s original format.

In an interview with Collider.com, “The Lion King” stenographer Robert Neuman said, “In creating this 3D version, we’re creating a whole new art form, a whole new medium. You have all of the charm and the energy of the hand-drawn line that the original artists put down on paper, but there’s a tangibility that you usually only get out of something that has more dimensional framework … It has this tangibility, charm and, in my eyes, it has become a distinct form of animation. Even if you’ve seen the movie a hundred times, you’ll feel like you’re seeing it for the first time when you see it in 3D.”

The Disney movie follows the story of the young lion cub Simba who can’t wait for his turn as king, learning the ropes from his wise father, Mufasa. Before Simba can claim the throne, Mufasa is murdered by his jealous brother, Scar. Simba, tricked by Scar into believing that the death of his father is his own fault, flees home, leaving his pride behind.

While in the wilderness, Simba makes unlikely friends with two fellow outcasts, a snarky meerkat name Timon and a lovably dense warthog named Pumba, who teach him their motto “Hakuna Matata,” which means “no worries.” Only with the return of a familiar face from his childhood does Simba realize he has to fulfill his destiny as king and save his pride from the cruel reign of Scar.

Since its release in 1994, “The Lion King” has been the recipient of two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song as well as two Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy and Best Original Score. The feature inspired two animated motion-picture sequels, a cartoon series based on supporting characters Timon and Pumba and an award-winning Broadway musical.

To increase excitement for the re-release of this classic film, Disney has created an animated blooper reel featuring hilarious character blunders, including Mufasa warming up his voice for a “roar” and Rafiki tripping on Pride Rock and dropping baby Simba. Also part of the hype is a brand new part of the Disney Website devoted to “The Lion King.”

This classic film will continue to be beloved by old audiences and enchant new ones when it opens. If it succeeds in the box office, there’s a possibility more favorite Disney classics will be converted into 3D for the big screen and Blu-ray.

‘Super 8’ falls short of hype but still delivers

2011-09-15T18:24:00.000-04:00

By John Villarose
Lycourier Staff

“Super 8,” the newest film by writer and director J. J. Abrams (“Cloverfield”, “Star Trek”) and producer Stephen Spielberg (“Back to the Future”, “Transformers”), was predicted by some to be the blockbuster movie of the summer. Saying it falls short of this is by no means calling it a bad movie; the expectations created were just possibly a bit too high for “Super 8” to achieve.

“Super 8” is a science fiction movie centered about mysteriously supernatural elements, so if that isn’t your thing, this probably won’t be the movie for you. In 1979, a group of kids (yes, the majority of the main cast is made up of children) are attempting to make an amateur science horror flick, amateur being the key word, when they are witness and almost victim to a horrific train crash nearby.

Soon afterward, when the typical strange events occur in their town, as would happen in most generic science fiction, the children are left with the dilemma of whether or not to tell about what they’ve seen. As one would expect, small occurrences become large, and suddenly everyone is in danger. Of course, it is up to this small group of children to save their town, and possibly, the world.

With two of the biggest names in the industry, big things are to be expected here. Literally big. They handle that aspect very well. Throughout the movie, it’s constantly trying to top itself on terms of scale. The visual effects do well to show off modern filmmaking technology, and the booming sound makes you shake in your seat.

The story itself is not spectacular, but it is still good and in most cases fairly easy to follow. If you can’t already tell, the movie is chock full of science fiction clichés galore. Yet that doesn’t keep it from having plenty of new ideas. I wish the message behind it was better though. It seems to have some kind of moral somewhere, but it’s hidden behind explosions and terror and everything else of the like.

The acting was something that initially worried me. A main cast made up of children in what should be a serious movie? To me, that seems like they’re trying to mix “The Little Rascals” with “Aliens.” It’s not an easy thing to do.

The story revolves around Joe Lamb (portrayed by Joel Courtney), your everyday motherless son with a distant father. A father who just happens to be a cop. Lamb gets together with his spoiled friends: Charles (Riley Griffiths), Preston (Zach Mills), Martin (Gabriel Basso), and Cary (Ryan Lee). I found all of them to be fairly annoying, and they had no right trying to save the world from supernatural horror.

None of these characters were portrayed badly; then again, there aren’t any Oscar-worthy efforts made here either. Perhaps the best of the young actors was Elle Fanning (younger sister of Dakota) who plays Alice, the pretty girl that all the pre-pubescent boys are crushing on. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but it won’t take three guesses to figure out who she ends up with. My first thought when seeing her was “This girl is much too old to be hanging out with these little kids.” To my surprise, Fanning herself is two years younger than Courtney. Apparently the acting was good enough to fool me.

Don’t take this the wrong way. “Super 8” is a good movie. It kept me entertained for a solid 100 out of 112 minutes. That being said, I wouldn’t blame anybody for walking out 10 minutes early. I can guarantee that the atrocious ending will be better in your head then it will be on screen. Still, if you like well-done science fiction film, you’ll like this movie. If you like watching huge, high-budget blockbusters, you’ll probably like this movie as well.

If you just want something to go on see with your friends on a Friday night, it’s something to check out.

This film is being presented free-of-charge by Campus Activities Board, and will be shown at 8 p.m. Sept. 23 to 25 in Heim G-11

New changes to ‘Star Wars’ anger fans

2011-09-15T18:23:00.001-04:00

By Robert Rinaldo
Entertainment Editor/ Lycourier

Recently the Internet roared with outrage over the upcoming release of the “Star Wars” films on Blu-ray. George Lucas, the creator of the franchise, has again made several changes to the films in special effects, audio and even actors. These new changes have quickly turned Lucas into the ultimate villain of the “Star Wars” fan base.

The “Star Wars” franchise began on March 25, 1977, with the release of “Episode IV: A New Hope.” It has since achieved massive success, collectively earning more than $4 billion worldwide at the box office and becoming among the most influential science fiction films in history.

Unfortunately, Lucas never fully was satisfied with his masterpieces. In 1997, a special edition of the original trilogy (“Episode IV – VI”) was released on VHS with numerous changes to the films. These changes included various updates to the special effects as well as the inclusion of several scenes. The most infamous of these changes is an edited scene between Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Greedo in the Mos Eisley cantina.

In 2004, Lucas released the original trilogy on DVD for the first time, but not without making even more changes to the films. Along with further updating the special effects, Lucas replaced the actors who portrayed the Emperor in “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” and Anakin Skywalker in (“Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”) with the actors who were playing them in the prequel trilogy (“Episode I – III”).

Lucas finally announced that the “Star Wars” franchise will be on Blu-ray on Friday. The set includes all six films and is filled with more than 40 hours of special features, most notably deleted scenes from the original three films, which, prior to this release, had never been seen before. Unfortunately, like all good things in the world, there is a catch.

Lucas has made another set of alterations to the films, much to the fans’ dismay. The puppet Yoda prop in “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” has been replaced with a computer-generated image similar to “Episode II – III” in order to keep the special effects on the same level throughout the prequel trilogy. Other changes include a revamped dragon cry from Obi-Wan in “Episode IV” and an enlarged front door to Jabba the Hut’s palace in “Episode VI.”

However, the change that is generating the most backlash from fans is the audio alterations. Toward the end of “Episode VI,” Darth Vader triumphantly saves his son by throwing the Emperor into the abyss. Vader now declares a resounding “NO” not once, but twice in the middle of the action. What was once a powerful scene is now tarnished with a cliché cry from the main antagonist.

Over the years, Lucas transitioned from the ultimate messiah of the “Star Wars” fan base to the devil in the flesh. Fans are confused why he is not satisfied with his films and why he continues to alter them. Has Lucas become so greedy that he will do anything to cash in on his beloved franchise? Does Lucas truly believe that he has not released the perfect films?

In either case, fans will more than likely still purchase the set even with the changes. Even if we don’t like the alterations, we will never pass up the opportunity of watching the films on Blu-ray.

We may as well get used to these changes, because Lucas will continue to make them. As long as he continues to make money, he has no reason to stop.

BAG club plans ‘Monopoly’ tournament for Sept. 25

2011-09-15T18:23:00.000-04:00

By Sam Ferraro
Staff Writer/ Lycourier

If you’re looking to find something to do on campus that could potentially earn you a fabulous FYE gift card and occupy a solid chunk of your time, then it’s probably safe to say that The Board and Games Club Monopoly tournament is just the thing for you.So gather up your friends and put on your best board game face because the tournament is rapidly approaching and spaces are limited and in high demand, because honestly, who doesn’t love a good board game?

The Board and Games club was created this year and offers an alternative to partying, yet still proves to be a good time to anyone interested in a variety of games.Not only does the club offer board games, but also a plethora of other options that lends itself to just about anyone.The club is nearly limitless to what it offers the students here at Lycoming, which range from card games to classics like Life and Sorry to outdoor activities like Capture the Flag and Manhunt.

The club also hopes to offer video games and the online phenomena of Geocaching, which seems to be rising in popularity.Geocaching is an online game in which GPS coordinates are given to enable the players to travel and locate hidden containers and then share their gaming experiences on the online forum, which offers Lycoming students an interesting new way to fill their free time.The club, itself, is headed by president Alex Towle. Towel’s’ high school had a club and he wanted to continue it in college. Other officers include:Julie Martinez, vice president; Brittany Coppola, secretary; and Krystalynn Anderson, treasurer. They have come together with the goal of teaching club members new types of games while doing something they love and enjoy.

But do not be fooled.The fact that the Board and Games Club is new to Lycoming has not stopped it from immediately taking off with its first campus-wide tournament.On Sept. 25 in Pennington Lounge, the club will hold its first Monopoly tournament.The club is offering limited spaces to students interested in participating in a series of timed games, starting off with the traditional versions of Monopoly that most are familiar with, such as Monopoly: Here and Now and The Lord of the Rings Edition and then advancing on to a game of club created Lycopoly, which was specially designed by the club members.Following the same rules of original Monopoly, Lycopoly offers unique board spaces named after popular locations around campus.All games will be played based on the standard rules that almost everyone is familiar with to make gameplay smooth and simple for anyone interested in participating.

Towle said the club chose Monopoly from a wide expanse of game options because "Everyone loves Monopoly. It’s a simple game that most people have played, whether during their childhood or, at least, at some point during their lifetime,” he said.

Anyone interested in participating in the tournament or just looking for more information about the club, whether due to a love of board games or the desire to win a gift card should contact Towle at towalex@lycoming.edu.

The number of players is limited because only a certain number of players can actively participate at one time.

Club Spotlight: Campus Girl Scouts

2011-09-15T18:22:00.000-04:00

By Tricia Mundell
Staff Writer/ Lycourier

When one hears the term “Girl Scouts” they usually associate it with either packages of delicious cookies or memories of camping trips and other outdoor activities as a child. For the Girl Scout Club here at Lycoming, those are just a small part of the things they do each year. The Girl Scout Club is an active part of the Williamsport community, and hosts events for Girl Scout troops in the area.

The club gets Troops in the Williamsport area to come to campus for club-hosted events such as a Halloween party with snacks and games held each year in East Hall. They also work with the girls to put together a Girl Scouts World Thinking Day, which is meant to get the girls thinking about Girl Scouts in other countries, their situations, and varied cultures. This event also helps promote unity and peace.

In addition to parties, the club also sells boxes of cookies every spring, and gives the profits to the local Troops. Each spring, they hold a Rain Gutter Regatta in which the Girl Scouts build small paper boats and race them across a small body of water, such as a pond. This past year, they used their Rain Gutter Regatta event to raise money for the disaster relief after the tsunami in Japan, since the event was water related. They have also made Christmas cards for Meals on Wheels.

“We do a lot of things for the community,” Stephanie Bowen, president of the club commented, “We’re a community service based club.”

This coming school year, they are looking to get more involved on campus in addition to the community service.

The club has been in existence for four to five years. President Stephanie Bowen and Vice President Brandi Goodwin, both juniors said they have both been Girl Scouts since they were in Kindergarten. For both of them, this is their third year in the club, and their second year as President and Vice President, respectively. This year, they have Alice Elizabeth Jensen as treasurer, and Carmen Niemeyer as secretary. Their adviser, Dawn Burch, is a local troop leader who really helps them out in getting the Girl Scout troops to come to campus. Both Brandi and Stephanie agreed that this club would not be what it is without her.

Girl Scouts Club meets bi-weekly at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays in Pennington Lounge. Their first meeting is on Sept. 21. Anyone is welcome to join, and they are always looking for new members. They do accept boys as well, because they will not discriminate against anyone. If you love working with kids and helping out in the community, you should definitely join this club.

Greek life sets example with ‘Perfect Party’

2011-09-15T18:21:00.001-04:00

By Paige Cole
College Life Editor/ Lycourier

Members of campus fraternities and sororities shared the dance floor with the Class of 2015 during the “Perfect Party.” The event, hosted by the Panhellenic and IFC Councils, was held to foster a positive image of Greek Life at Lycoming College.

“This idea came from the ‘Perfect Party’ that was held at Purdue University in spring 2011,” Candida Rivera, assistant director of Student Programs and Leadership Development, said.“It was an effort to change the potentially negative stereotype about fraternities and sororities and their partying.”

According to Rivera, the party was a creative way to teach members of the Greek community about proper party policy.

“As opposed to just listening to the ‘how to’ it was the idea of the Panhellenic and IFC Councils to put the how to’s into effect to show the leadership of the chapters what they should be doing if they want to hold a social event with alcohol,” Rivera said.“The purpose of the party was for the social chairs of each chapter to learn how to put on a proper event that abides by the FIPG Policy to the nines. This includes but is not limited to having a Paid Monitor to check ID’s, wristband those who are 21 and over, providing unsalted food and non-alcoholic beverages for the guests, and have a bartender oversee the six pack of beer or wine coolers that individuals that were age could bring in with them.”

The presidents, house managers, risk management, and social chairs of each active house were invited to the event an hour earlier so they could be educated about the policy. However, the purpose of the event was two-fold.

“Panhellenic took it one step closer by inviting the entire Class of 2015 to proactively combat the drinking stereotype and showcasing to the first year students that fraternities and sororities can party responsibly,” Rivera said.“It was also a great recruitment event for the active chapters on campus to bring up to 10 members from each house to the event, as long as they got the names on the guest list before the deadline.”

Rivera said more than 150 people attended.

One attendee was freshman Jalil Samuel. “The Perfect Party was definitely a night of fun and games,” he said.

Samuel commented on the atmosphere of the party, as he arrived.

“I couldn’t tell if it was Ke$ha or Britney Spears, but whoever it was, they were sure getting the party started,” Samuel said. “As I walked into the room, the disc jockey was set up on the opposite side of the room and the refreshments were to his left. Those who know me know that I am a sucker for a party with food and music.”

Samuel and his friends also enjoyed the dancing, although it took a while to get the rhythm started.

“When I first entered the room I couldn’t help but note that everyone was just standing around doing nothing or close to nothing,” Samuel said. “One girl looked as if she was trying to attempt to dance, but it appeared as if her hips were locked or something. It made her look quite stiff while dancing. Others were just standing against the walls watching everyone else stand in the middle of the room awkwardly.”

According to Samuel, he knew the perfect solution to change the mood.

“It hit me that most of these people were afraid of looking like total idiots on the dance floor,” Samuel said. “Perhaps they figured if no one else was doing anything, then why should they? I then came up with the greatest idea, and with my friends took to middle of the dance floor and started getting ‘buck-wild.’ We started with fist pumps, jerkin’, and then ended the night casually rocking from side to side. And the best part about it was that we didn’t even care whether or not we looked like idiots or not. We were just having fun.”

Samuel’s attitude that night, is one he suggests that everyone embraces when they take to college partying.

“College is all about having fun and meeting new faces,” Samuel said. “And that’s what I think people should keep in mind whenever they go out dancing.And when you have your friends with you, you can walk out of every circumstance looking like a Boss (a person with a lot of confidence).”

Samuel’s positive reaction to the party was also shared by Rivera.

“There was definite talk about doing this again and having it as an annual event that the Greek community on campus takes a lead on,” Rivera said. “It is also great for first year students who are interested in greek life .”

Campus holds inaugural Day of Service

2011-09-15T18:21:00.000-04:00

By Amanda Miller
Staff Writer/ Lycourier

Sunday marked the anniversary of the tragic day in American history which we refer to as 9/11.

Ten years ago on that date, the United States found itself under attack.When most Americans reflect on the events of 9/11, they recall an act of hatred that cost thousands of people their lives.Some people have decided to fight terrorism aggressively by going to war, but others have come up with different solutions that may be just as, if not more, effective.

This year, Lycoming College’s Community Service Center decided to work with several student organizations on campus to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11.Instead of taking an aggressive approach to the violence and hatred associated with 9/11, the Reverend Jeff LeCrone, head of Lycoming College’s Community Service Center, decided to host a unique event.

LeCrone, reflecting on the United Way’s Day of Caring, an event in which Lycoming College participated until several years ago, decided to try and combat the hatred of 9/11 with service.As a result, Saturday was turned into a Day of Service.

LeCrone saw this as a wonderful opportunity for campus organizations and thought that more students would participate as part of an organization than on an individual basis, so he sent out a campus-wide e-mail inviting student organizations to participate in this daylong event.Several clubs and organizations responded, offering to participate in whatever way was needed.

Joining forces with a new organization, Better Together, led by student Cori Mancuso, the Community Service Center got in touch with several volunteer community organizations.

During the Day of Service, between 40 and 50 students helped with projects at Diakon Family Services, St. Anthony’s Medical Clinic, and the American Red Cross.Most of the service projects included assistance with clean-up and maintenance.

The morning started off with breakfast in the Jane Schultz Room.At the breakfast, representatives from the organizations which the students were assisting spoke about their specific roles in the community and community service in general.LeCrone spoke on the importance of community service, asking, “What better way than to fight an act of violence with an act of service?”

After breakfast, the groups split up and headed to their assigned service locations.They spent the morning helping in many different ways, making a difference with each small act.The students returned to campus in the early afternoon.

LeCrone saw this event as a way of kick-starting Better Together, a new organization promoting unity among people of various beliefs and walks of life through finding a common ground in service to others.On the other hand, he couldn’t think of a better way to respond to the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

In the future, LeCrone hopes that the event will grow and that more individuals and organizations will participate.

Snowden Library to honor woman behind ‘Little Women’

2011-09-15T18:20:00.001-04:00

By Hillary Hubbard
Staff Writer/ Lycourier

Starting today, Snowden Library is organizing many activities regarding author Louisa May Alcott. The events will continue on throughout the fall semester, and will be held throughout the Williamsport community.

Alcott is probably most well known for her children’s books, such as “Little Women.” However, these events will delve much deeper into her diverse life. These activities are part of a grant given to only a select fewlibraries in the country and focus on the book The Woman Behind Little Women, written by Harriet Reisen.

The grant has given the library the chance to interact with the community in several ways, as well as placing the staff of the college into a different setting.

Though the focus of this event and Reisen’s book is to experience Alcott beyond “Little Women,” Janet McNeil Hurlbert, the library director, believe this is a fitting topic for the library to sponsor events on because the school is celebrating its bicentennial.

She believes it will be interesting for the students to get to know more about the time when the college was established. This is one of the reasons she decided that the Williamsport community, and especially Lycoming College, should be a part of this grant and the activities. The events that are planned provide many more learning experiences than just reading about Louisa May Alcott. There is an entire rich history to be learned about in a variety of different ways, and an array of different subjects that took place during the 19th century, Hurlbert said.

Alone, Alcott is an interesting subject.Generally, most people only know her for her children’s books. However she spent time writing thriller and pulp fiction stories under a different name.

Hurlbert, who is a fan of Alcott’s children’s books, calls her a “diversely interested” woman, with a remarkable family.

English professor, Dr. Andrew Lieter, who is partnered as a scholar on Louisa May Alcott for these events, plans to “kick back with a couple of thrillers.” There seems to be a lot that is generally unknown about Alcott, and it will definitely be exciting to learn more about her.

According to Hurlbert, there will be activities for everyone to attend. They will include raffles, readings and workshops, among others. The activities will not only catch the attention of an Alcott fan, but people with varying tastes and interests, she said. History buffs may want to check out a talk given at Pennsylvania College of Technology about the Underground Railroad in Williamsport, and people interested in medicine may want to learn more about Alcott’s brief experience as a Civil War nurse.

There will be a performance of some 19th century music for anyone curious about music from the period. Education students may want to visit the 19th century school house that will be set up in the J.V. Brown Library’s children’s wing.

Leiter is excited to take his 4-year-old son to the school house for a lesson in 19th century dancing.

The diversity of Alcott’s life and the events that took place during the time she live should make it engrossing, as well as fun, to learn and participate at these events. Before each of these events, Reisen’s book will be raffled off for anyone interested in knowing more about Alcott’s life. Book groups and clubs throughout Williamsport are all encouraged to take a look at the book.

Visit http://www.lycoming.edu/library/pdfs/news/Alcott.pdf for more information about the events going on in the community.

Hurlbert has set up a Facebook page that you can “like” as well.On “Discover Louisa May Alcott’s World,” visitors can learn captivating and little-known facts about Alcott. The page includes information about the times and places of all of the events. It will also host photographs of the activities which have occurred.

Faculty Spotlight: biology department welcomes Zhao

2011-09-15T18:20:00.000-04:00

By Victoria Yuskaitis
Staff Writer/ Lycourier

Dongjiao Zhao, a new faculty member of Lycoming College and an assistant professor of biology, is “so excited about the opportunity to teach at Lycoming.”

Zhao earned the bulk of his education in his native China. There, medical students begin their studies immediately after high school, earning their bachelor’s degree before their residency. A medical program takes anywhere from five to seven years, Zhao said.

The next step is a one-year internship, followed by a residency can last anywhere from three to four years. Following this outline, Zhao attended China Medical University. After completing his residency Zhao began work as a researcher and physician in Beijing.

Zhao explained that during his residency, he “saw many patients succumb to cancer.” For this reason, he chose cancer and stem cell research as one of his specialties.

It is because of his interest in cancer research that Zhao eventually came to the United States.

“While working in the hospital,” Zhao said, “I found lots of equipment, medicine and drugs were made by companies in the United States.” He said that he knew the best education regarding cancer and stem cell research is available in the United States.

Zhao said worked as a researcher to get a better background to apply for a decent graduate school. In addition, Zhao said he wanted to work in a cancer research laboratory, as he had been working in the clinical area of the hospital dealing with more basic illnesses during his residency. In the end, he chose Purdue University.

“Purdue is famous in China,” Zhao explained, because some famous Chinese students graduated from Purdue and returned to China. Zhao worked as a teaching assistant while at Purdue.

Zhao taught anatomy and physiology at a local community college for one year.

Here at Lycoming, Zhao teaches Biology 107 (Anatomy for Health Care Consumer) and Biology 338 (Cadaver-based Human Anatomy).

“The cadaver dissection lab is a very good opportunity because students can get hands-on anatomical experience. I think that’s priceless,” he said, adding that it might be the only chance for students to see the “inside world of our body.”

Zhao’s research at Lycoming is focusing on endocannabinoid systems. Zhao explained that he is studying “cannobinoid receptors one or two,” which can “help us understand stem cell biology.” He said that it may also find a way to help cancer patients with rhabodomyosrcomas (a type of cancer in connective tissues), among other ailments.

Although Zhao has no students helping him with his research at the moment, he did say that he is looking for someone possibly by the end of this semester, or at the beginning of the next semester after he is “all settled in.”

Zhao’s passion for biology is due in part to his parents, who are bothmedical doctors.The majority of his family remains in China. Still, Zhao said that when he was younger, it was easier to leave because at that age “you want to [see] another side of the world.”

Zhao thanks “the faculty, staff and students in biology, and the whole Lycoming community for the way they have welcomed me and for the opportunity to work with them.” He expressed thanks to the staff at Long Hall and the Department of Buildings and Grounds as well for “helping me to settle down while starting to teach here.” Zhao also extended his thanks to President Dr. James Douthat, Dr. Philip Sprunger and Dr. Sue Gaylor.

Zhao said that the students at the community college where he taught were “not on the same level as the students here,” although he did say that there were some very smart students who worked hard while working full or part-time jobs, something not nearly as common in a school like Lycoming.

Because of this observation, Zhao also said that he is “impressed by the hard-working faculty, staff and students in biology.”

Zhao is ready to work as hard as the rest of Lycoming.

“I would like to try my best to make contributions to the department’s success because they have treated me very well,” Zhao’s said.

New school year brings new downtown experience

2011-09-15T18:19:00.000-04:00

By Ahmar Zaman
Staff Writer/The Lycourier

A new school year always brings changes.Downtown Williamsport is too.The city brought in new additions to add to its blossoming resume.

Downtown Williamsport, Lycoming College’s backyard, is truly becoming a college town.

King of Harts, 30. W third St., is a new bar and restaurant specializing in tapas food.The restaurant, about a half of a block from the Old Corner Hotel, offers three types of atmospheres for its customers.

The downstairs has a more luxurious upscale feel with dark lighting and extremely comfortable couches and booths.

The first floor has the typical type of restaurant atmosphere and very intriguing décor.

Both floors have their own bars. Additionally, the main floor has open walls that allow patrons to dine at the sidewalk tables or eat inside with a nice outdoor breeze.This is perfect for rainy days.

King of Harts has hit a niche market in Williamsport by having an upscale and hip venue that attracts young adults.

A new club, Synergy, is around the corner from the YMCA at 416 W. Third St.With the party revolving around a large dance floor, Synergy also has pool tables and an outdoor courtyard for patrons who want to take a break.

Last year The Cell Block got rid of its 18 and older night and now only has 21and older nights.Because of this, Synergy is the only club in Williamsport open to under 21 year olds.

Thursdays and Saturdays are 18 and older nights at Synergy, whereas Fridays are 16 and older.There is no maximum age limit.At the moment, Synergy does not have a license to serve alcohol.One is considered for the future.

Those in Williamsport for the summer and who attended First Friday eventsmay have noticed the growing interest in the arts in town.

Grey Art Gallery,at 140 W. Fourth Street (formerly Lame Gamer), is a new contemporary art gallery placed right in the heart of downtown Williamsport.

The owner, Casey Gleghorn, said some people had their doubts about a contemporary art gallery surviving in Williamsport, but it is doing quite fine and enjoying the breath of fresh air.He encourages everyone to come and check out the gallery (no admission costs) and support art in Williamsport.

The work at the gallery ranges from local artists to artists who have been critically acclaimed in New York City and featured in prominent museums.

Grey Art Gallery adds a new cultural element to downtown.Every month they incorporate a new theme and add new work, Gleghorn said.

Opening later this month is Kohl’s Department Store on West Fourth Street across from The Cell Block.

Kohl’s “soft” opening is planned for Sept. 25 and a full-fledged red-ribbon ceremonial opening with Mayor Gabriel Campana is set for Sept. 28.

The newest addition to Williamsport has yet to be physically started and is a little outside of the downtown area.Nonetheless, it is important to youth of this town.Sept. 1, City Council unanimously approved to begin construction on a skateboarding park.Lifland Park will be built near Elm Park.It took three years of planning and destroying the old skate park, but the youth of Williamsport finally got their wish.

Additional information about Lifland Park and on how to contribute toward the construction is available on their Facebook page: Project: Williamsport Skatepark.

Downtown Williamsport is livelier now than it has been in the past decade.With the increase in traffic and the future successes of these new venues, Williamsport is only going to become

bigger.

Students perfomr at local bookstore

2011-09-15T18:17:00.001-04:00

By Victoria Irwin
Staff Writer/Lycourier

Lycoming students Mike Ludwig, Tyler Wuerthner and Chris Bernstorf performed an acoustic music and poetry show at the Christian Light Bookstore, 1009 Washington Blvd. Around 40 Lycoming students attended Sept. 2 performance.

Ludwig, a Junior, opened the show with an acoustic set featuring covers of several rock songs. Ludwig closed his portion of the show with fellow performer Wuerthner, also a Junior, with a mash-up of “Swing Life Away” by Rise Against and “She is Love” by Parachute.

Wuerthner took center stage to perform some of his original works and a few popular tunes, featuring songs by Bruno Mars, All Time Low, and Paramore. Wuerthner invited long-time friend and fellow student Dominic Carmeci, a Junior at Pennsylvania College of Technology, to present a song they wrote over the summer called “Makeup,” in which the two shared an interesting summer anecdote that involved being made “pretty” by two younger girls. He ended his set with Ludwig, inviting the audience to sing along.

“I'm so … thankful,” Wuerthner said. “Never in my life did I think I could play guitar and never in my life did I think would be doing shows with people like Chris or Mike. Plus, Mike is like my teacher. He first taught me how to play some chords back in November.”

After a quick stretch break, Bernstorf closed the show with eight original poems. During the show, he announced his intent to take his act on the road, and his desire to share God’s light with the world.

“God’s amazing,” Bernstorf said. “This was an amazing crowd, it was huge. God is good, we played good, and everyone had a lot of fun. I’m thankful for good friends.”

After the show the crowd was invited to hang out with the performers and check out their merchandise. All three performers have individual Facebook pages featuring performances and recordings, for those interested in learning more.

What can Career Services do for you?

2011-09-15T18:17:00.000-04:00

By Ahmar Zaman
Staff Writer/ Lycourier

Career Services is an area students should become familiar with during their time at Lycoming College. MaryJo Campana, director of career services, follows a simple philosophy when helping students reach their goals. Explore, Dream, Discover.

Career Services offers a variety of services. Students are faced with a number of important decisions, what classes to take, which major to choose, and how to balance academic life with their social life.

“It’s overwhelming for the freshman coming in,” Campana said. “We want to allow students the opportunity to explore what you can do with particular majors of interest by exploring different industries and possible employers.”

Career Services may suggest strategies to support interests, for example: research, conduct informational type interview and be referred to the experts i.e. alumni/faculty/staff/community members in a particular field.

Campana encourages freshmen to “explore all options” and “get to know yourself.” Self-assessment tests are posted on the Career Services Website to help all students with just that. For upperclassmen, Campana recommends bringing resumes to Career Services to have them reviewed.

She also advises to start forming a networking system as soon as possible. A networking system should include friends, family, faculty, members of clubs or organization you may be involved in, among others.

“It’s important to attend Career workshops and webinars to explore and discover the valuable services we offer,” she said.

New this year is an alternative spring break program at Career Services. The program, Advancing Communities: Educating and Serving (A.C.E.S.), will take place in the Dominican Republic helping to provide thousands of habitants with “community support, medical assistance, disaster relief, and quality education,” she said.

Career Services welcomes students of all majors to travel abroad, gain experience form an externship, engage in service, use writing or design skills in publications, better the lives of those around them.

Campana spoke with excitement about how the first student of the A.C.E.S. school system will graduate high school this year. She dreams that one day the program will grow large enough to be able to have an A.C.E.S. high school graduate attend Lycoming College.

Students who are looking for jobs or ways to contribute on campus will be glad to hear about the new projects Career Services has in store for the year. It is looking for students to help write monthly newsletters and blog about career tips, graduate school tips, and conduct interviews. Eventually, Campana hopes to implement a practicum type of course through the Career Services office.

Career Services is also a great place to hear about the study abroad program Lycoming College has to offer. A Study Abroad student panel event was held Wednesday. Additionally, Susquehanna Health has 13 openings in varying fields available for Lycoming College students. Taking advantage of these opportunities will allow students to discover the world outside of their classes and campus life, she said.

Other upcoming events in career services include: “Bring Your Parents – Info Session.” 11-11:45a.m. Oct. 1 in Heim G-09, and “Kaplan Presents: GRE Timeline” Wednesday, Oct. 5th, 8:30 p.m. in the library classroom. You can also sign up for graduate school practice tests, which will take place on Saturday, Oct. 8th, 9a.m. to 12p.m.

The Career Services Office can be found on the third floor of the Wertz Student Center. The office is open from, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday. Walk-ins are encouraged. Career Services can be reached at careerservices@lycoming.edu.

For up-to-date information and job postings, students should check out the department’s Facebook page: Lycoming College Career Services Office.

Sprunger steps in as acting Provost

2011-09-15T18:16:00.000-04:00

By Paige Cole
College Life Editor/ Lycourier

Dr. Philip Sprunger, a professor of economics, is acting provost and dean of the college, replacing Dr. Thomas Griffiths who resigned.

His appointment, announced by President Dr. James E. Douthat, was influenced by Sprunger’s performance as faculty co-chairman on the Middle States Reaccreditation Steering Committee.

“After I had served on the Reaccreditation Committee the president approached me,” Sprunger said. “My work on that and at Lycoming in general had gotten me on the administration’s radar.”

In addition to the Reaccreditation Committee, Sprunger has held many positions at Lycoming College. They include: chairman of the Department of Economics; chairman of the faculty Budgets, Salaries, and Benefits Committee, vice chairman of the faculty, faculty representative on the Board of Trustee’s College Advancement Committee, member of the Faculty Personnel Committee, member of the Long-Range Planning Committee, and adviser to the Lycoming Buddies, a campus service organization.

Before his appointment, Sprunger served as both an assistant and associate professor of economics, where he taught “Principles of Micro and Macro Economics,” “International Trade,” “Game Theory,” “Public Finance,” “Urban Problems,” and “Environmental Economics.”

He began teaching at Lycoming in 1993, after earning his doctorate and master’s degree in economics from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College in Kansas. In 2004, he was awarded the Lycoming’s Constance Cupp Plankenhorn Alumni Award for Faculty Excellence.

While the roles of professor to an acting provost and dean are different, Sprunger said he hasn’t had any trouble adjusting.

“My new job entails a lot of administrative and coordinating work,” Sprunger said. “This is different than being a professor, but I think the transition has gone smoothly.”

Keeping with that sentiment, Sprunger said there haven’t been many challenges to his new job. In fact, he acknowledges that there have been many positives to it.

“I am working with the big picture now,” Sprunger said. “I love to coordinate, which the job entails a lot of. I have also gotten to know more of the administrative staff. They are a great group of people to work with. I am especially grateful for my secretary Joyce Wilson.”

While students may associate the position with a negative connotation such as plagiarism, Sprunger hopes to dispel that myth.

“The job isn’t negative at all,” Sprunger said. “I oversee all of the Academics, Professor, Budgets, the Library, IT, and the Registrar. If there are any issues in those areas, I simply resolve them. In addition, students needing to take an extra class, they would also come and see me.”

Although Sprunger misses teaching in the classroom, he says he has no regrets about taking the position.

“Of course, I felt weird on the first day of classes when everyone else was going into the classroom,” Sprunger said. “But, I’m doing a different sort of teaching this year. My plans include improving assessments and planning for reviewing the curriculum.”

Sprunger said he will serve as acting dean and provost until next summer. He also hopes to see more student contact.

“I hope to have some positive interaction with the Student Senate,” Sprunger said. “I’m also in charge of signing the Dean’s List Certificates, so I definitely hope to see more of those.”

Bells ring in new tradition

2011-09-15T18:15:00.000-04:00

By Aliza Davner
Editor in Chief/ Lycourier

Students, faculty and staff on the Quad at lunchtime are being greeted with a sound unfamiliar to the Lycoming campus — that of the Clarke Chapel Carillon. In honor of the college’s bicentennial year, the carillon plays the Lycoming Alma Mater, a tune which is normally reserved for commencement exercises every spring.

Larry Mannolini, director of Student Programs, first proposed the idea of making the Alma Mater part of the daily Lycoming routine in fall 2010, while serving as a member of the bicentennial committee.

For Mannolini, the college’s upcoming bicentennial seemed like a “good point to consider new traditions.”

The idea for the carillon was inspired by fond memories of Mannolini’s own college experience. “The chapel (at my college) would play songs throughout the day, ending with the Alma Mater,” he said.

Mannolini went on to describe his first experience with the Lycoming Alma Mater, saying that it gave him “that nostalgic ‘college feeling’ of walking across the quad, hearing bells,” and thinking that “we should do this all the time.” He went on to say that the addition of the college’s bicentennial celebration adds the feeling of a distinguished private liberal arts college, such as Lycoming.

Mannolini believes “the average Lycoming student can’t hum the tune” to the Alma Mater (outside of choir members, who perform the piece), adding that “it is important that they know what (the school song) is.”

The Bicentennial Committee spent a large amount of time putting this idea together and making sure that the Carillon itself, as well as the equipment necessary to broadcast the Alma Mater across campus, was in working condition. Mannolini said only a few pieces of amplification equipment in the chapel needed to be replaced and it was recommended that the school install a digital timing system, so the song will play at the same time daily.

Once the new equipment was installed, Mannolini rode around campus with Buildings and Grounds to conduct sound and volume checks to ensure that the Alma Mater could be heard from most places on campus.

“Obviously, the closer to the chapel you are, the louder it will be,” Mannolini said. The song is audible from the majority of campus buildings.

What many students might not know is that what they hear on the quad is not the carillon itself. “You have to be inside the chapel to hear the carillon,” said Mannolini. The audience hears an amplification system connected to the carillon.

Mannolini emphasized that the so-called “Carillon Project” is truly a Lycoming effort, as Dr. Gary Boerckel of the Music Department played a large role in the production. What students hear on the quad is a recording of Boerckel playing the carillon. Normally, Boerckel is responsible for manually playing the carillon at events such as commencement and new student convocation. Mannolini referred to Boerckel’s recording as “part of the history of this project.”

The Carillon Project was introduced at this year’s New Student Convocation. The introduction was used “as a way to educate the rest of campus about the project,” Mannolini said.

While the timing of the bells, 12:39 p.m., might seem random, Mannolini emphasized that “there is a method to the madness.”

The bicentennial committee faced several obstacles in trying to find the perfect time for the carillon bells to sound. It could not interfere with the bells at St. Boniface Church, which are programmed to ring every 15 minutes.

Additionally, the committee wanted the carillon to play “during a time when, theoretically, most people would hear it (so) we gravitated toward the lunch hour,” Mannolini said. He explained that during the lunchtime rush students, faculty and staff are outside heading to and from the dining hall, parking lots, and giving admissions tours, among other activities.

The time 12:39 p.m. originally came up as a joke within the committee, said Mannolini. However, Dr. John Piper noted that Clarke Chapel itself was dedicated in 1939. The 12 is representative of the college’s bicentennial years of 1812-2012.

The hope for the Carillon Project is that it will continue on after the bicentennial year and, in the future, the daily playing of the Alma Mater will be “like it was always here,” Mannolini said.He hopes that Lycoming students, faculty and staff respond positively to the new traditions put in place during the bicentennial celebration. “Sometimes the coolest things come from the simplest ideas,” he said.

Parkhurst met with mixed reviews

2011-09-15T18:13:00.001-04:00

By Sarah Logue
Staff Writer/ Lycourier

Parkhurst Dining Services is a catering company whose vision is to “continue our innovative approach to dining with extraordinarily gifted chefs, fresh, distinctive cuisine, and superb service.”

Is the service fulfilling its vision here at Lycoming College?

Nick Zolak is the head manager at food services thinks so.

During an interview at the Involvement Fair, it was clear that Zolak cares about what he is doing here at Lycoming.

Zolak said the cookies, for example, “are amazing! It’s a homemade recipe.” He said a lot of the food served in the dining hall is made from scratch, like the burgers, pastries and even the pizza dough.

Zolak said, “we in the business say you are only as good as your last meal and it had better of tasted good!”

Not only are the cookies good, so are Parkhurst’s business practices. Parkhurst

Dining Services especially changed its name on campus to Lycoming College Dining Services to make it seem a part of the campus and not a separate entity. Parkhurst not only serves Lycoming College, it assists the local community and helps the environment through a program called EcoSteps.

Through EcoSteps, Parkhurst purchases 20 percent of its food from local farms, converts excess frying oil to bio diesel fuel, uses cage-free eggs, uses hormone-free dairy and biodegradable practices in the making of food.

After interviewing a number of students, it is clear that the student population has mixed feelings regarding their new food service. Most of the new freshmen are indifferent because they have little to no experience with the previous food service, Sodexho.

Most freshman said that the food is good, the staff are friendly and that they enjoy eating in the cafeteria.

However, the upperclassmen have more knowledge of the previous food service and how it compares to Parkhurst Dining Services. They said the new food service is definitely different from last year’s food service.

One said that she is wary of eating choices from Bravissimo! because she has seen pans reused without washing them out first.

The major reason for her caution is because she has a severe shellfish allergy, and any sort of contact could send her into an allergic reaction.

Another resident adviser says that she does not like the placement of the lines and wishes that the servers would give students bigger food portions.

Zolak said that “We have been working on this and currently feel we have corrected the issue”, and after examining the situation, it seems clear that the line placement issue has been corrected. In regards to the size of the portions, Mr. Zolak stated that, “Portion control is necessary when feeding large number of people at any one time.” While the portions might be disappointing to some students, there is always the option of going back for more later.

Both agree that the food is of quality, and that Parkhurst has good ideas for the future. Zolak said “We are two weeks into the semester, we continue to tweak the program.”

Zolak and his staff seem to be dedicated to providing the campus with the best dining experience possible, and the feedback shows it. Zolak said that the feedback he has gotten is, “Overall extremely positive, you unfortunately cannot please everyone although we try very hard.”

Volunteers sought for flood clean-up

2011-09-15T18:09:00.000-04:00

The Community Service Center and the Rev. Jeff LeCrone, campus minister, are in contact with local representatives from the Red Cross regarding what individuals and campus organizations can do to assist with clean-up efforts regarding local flood damage as a result of Tropical Storm Lee last week.

According to a campus-wide e-mail sent by LeCrone, the Red Cross is “in need of individual volunteers to assist with clean-up and other various tasks.”

The e-mail lists suggestions for those looking to get involved.

They include organizing individuals “in teams of approximately five.” LeCrone wrote each team “should be able to provide a leader who can be the main point of communication, their own transportation, (and) a rough schedule of availability.”

Organized groups should send the name and contact information of the group leader, as well as a list of other volunteers and available times to the Community Service Center at cscenter@lycoming.edu.

According to LeCrone, “that information will be compiled and sent to a local task force,” which will be in contact with student leaders.

The Community Service Center also asks that groups representing on-campus organization, including Greek houses, indicate so in their contact information.

Senior Spotlight: J.B. Campanella

2011-04-14T13:42:00.000-04:00

by: Kaitlyn Ober

When looking at colleges four years ago, J.B. Campanella narrowed his choices to Widener University and Lycoming, but not for lacrosse. Originally, Campanella was searching for a fit on a football team.

“Even though I had grown up playing both sports, football at that time was my main focus,” he said.

Campanella finally chose Lycoming because it was farther away from his home in Lansdale, than Widener, which is in Chester. At Lycoming, Campanella played both sports because football was in the fall and lacrosse was in the spring.

After his first year, however, Campanella realized that his true passion was lacrosse and decided to stick with it instead of playing both.

Campanella started lacrosse when he was eight years old because of the influence of his father, who encouraged him to start playing the sport. His first team was the North Penn Cub Team.

Throughout his years of participating in sports and everyday life, his father has been one of the biggest motivators.

“He always pushes me to be my best and supports me no matter what. He has been a coach and a father, knowing when to be what. He always wants the best for me, too,” Campanella said.

Since his freshman year, Campanella has gotten substantial playing time and been a part of some big wins for the Warriors.

“My freshman year we beat Widener on their turf by one. Since I got to play as a freshman, I felt completely part of the team and the brotherhood that comes along with it. Widener, to this day, is always a big rival but as a freshman I didn’t really understand the rivalry like I do now. Above that, it brought us all together and we were all happy for the win.”

Lacrosse at Lycoming takes up a lot of time. The team has a fall ball season on top of its spring season. And then on top of that, they are in the weight room and playing in scrimmages to better each other and to compete for the starting spots.
“What I love the most about the sport is the ability to take out my frustrations on the field in a competitive way. I have always been a competitive person because of the way I was raised. I live to compete; I always want to beat everyone.”

Campanella is a defenseman for the Warriors, along with teammates Matt Siracusa, Vic Marchetti and goalie, Al Antinarelli.

Throughout the four years, Campanella has made great friends from the teammates he has played with on the field.

“One of my favorite times spent here at Lycoming was the day before last year’s graduation. I was really close with most of the guys who graduated, so to be able to hang out one last time on campus together was definitely a memory that I’ll always remember.”

Along with making lifelong friends, lacrosse has taught Campanella more things about every day life.

“I have learned to persevere. This comes true especially when we play better teams because I know I have to play to the best of my ability when we’re down. This can relate to life outside of lacrosse too, understanding that not every day is going to be a good day, but you need to stick it out because tomorrow will be better.”

Campanella is a marketing major who has been fortunate enough to already have had two interviews with the software company, SAP America in Bromall.

“I have an opportunity to be a salesman for the SAP America. I really want to do that but I know that I can’t set my sights on just one opportunity.”

Women's Lacrosse Welcomes Trescavage

2011-04-14T13:32:00.002-04:00

by: Kelly Prendergast

During the 2011 season the Lycoming College Women’s Lacrosse team is undergoing many changes. It is now under the leadership of new head coach Chrissy Carfello Trescavage.

Trescavage is the sixth head coach in the history of the Lycoming women’s lacrosse program.

She played four seasons as an assistant coach at Misercordia University, Dallas, and playing at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove.

“I am excited about the opportunity and the upcoming season,” Trescavage said.

She began her career as an assistant coach at Misercordia in 2006. While at Misercordia, she helped the Cougars make it to two conference playoffs, as well as acting as the head coach, while she was on maternity leave. Also, while at Misercorida she helped scout opponents, recruit possible student athletes, and broke down game-film.

Not only does Trescavage have a lot of experience as a coach, she also has a lot of experience on the field as a player.

She was a one-time captain and four-year letter winner at Susquehanna University. She earned all MAC Honors as a sophomore and a senior, and was a four-time member of the MAC Academic Honor Roll. Also during her time as a player at Susquehanna, she set the record for goals scored in a season with 53. Trescavage graduated from Susquehanna with a bachelor of science in business administration.

Now Trescavage has brought her experience, from on the field as a player and past coaching positions, to help foster the growing tradition of Lycoming Lacrosse and to help the program be competitive within the MAC Conference.

“Coach Chrissy Trescavage is certainly the best thing that has happened to this program. She took a team that was non-existent and really turned the program around. Before Coach T, we didn’t even have enough players to field a team. She has devoted so much of her time to the program. She has already been recruiting for next year to allow our program to continue to grow and develop. Coach played every position in her four years at Susquehanna, she always knows how to help each player. Coach T really brings the team together as a unit.

She has us work hard to be our very best on and off the field. With the continual guidance from Coach T, our team will keep building and become very successful.”
Last season, the Lady Warriors finished out the regular season with a 10-8 record overall and an 8–4 finish in the Middle Atlantic Conference while coming up short to Eliazabethtown after a first round playoff win to Widener.

This season despite difficulties of having enough players to field a team and a new coaching staff, the Lady Warriors look to build on last seasons accomplishments by winning out their conference.

This season, the warriors will be counting on the leadership of junior captain Grace Gargiulo. Gargiulo returns for the 2011 season hoping to expand on her 24 goal and 6 assist 2010 season.

Additionally last season, she played in 18 games, started in 17 and accounted for 23 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. Along with Gargiulo, the lady warriors will be looking for assistance from newcomer Ashley Landis along with help from sophomore Brooke Strausser and senior Meagan Pittius.

The remaining home games are as follows:

*April 9 at 1p.m. against Manhattanville
*April 16 at 1p.m. against Eastern
*April 18 at 1p.m. against Wilkes
*April 21 at 1p.m. against Elizabethtown

Lycourier senior staff spotlight Kaitlyn Ober

2011-04-14T13:29:00.000-04:00

by: Jennifer Basch

Graduating in May as a corporate communication major and a Spanish minor, senior Kaitlyn Ober has enjoyed her years as a Lycoming College student.

From Lititz, PA, Ober has participated in many campus activities including Women’s basketball, which has played a major role in her life, playing all four years at Lycoming College.

On top of this, Ober has been a sports writer for the Lycourier. Not busy enough with school work, sports, and writing, Ober is an intermural supervisor, work for the on campus radio station, works for admissions, and was a Relay For Life captain.
On top of this, Ober was also a member of the Women’s Basketball team.

“My biggest accomplishment was being two time all MAC sport for four years in the conference for Women’s Basketball,” Ober said.

Before graduating, Ober must present her Corporate Communication Capstone, in a PDR. This event will be on Tuesday with the poster session from 4-5 p.m. and dinner starting at 5 p.m. Ober’s topic was job satisfaction in the workplace.

With graduation only a few weeks away, one of the things she will miss is her friends.

“I am going to miss them being right there,” she said.

When reflecting on her college years, she has also learned alot about herself.

“I have learned I want to take a successful path in life, what my strengths and weaknesses are, and how to be a better me,” she said.

Ober also has advice to the underclassmen.

“(Underclassmen should) embrace all opportunities,” she said. Ober made the decision to study abroad in Costa Rica last May for four weeks.

“It was all Spanish, but it only helped me in the end,” she said.

After graduation, Ober plans to live with her sister in New York City. She has applied at Penn State University for a position in the promotions department. She hopes to land a job in the promotions department for a sports team.

Lycourier staff senior spotlight Erica Smithson

2011-04-14T13:24:00.002-04:00

by: Paige Cole

“I have loved to write as long as I can remember,” Smithson said. “I remember back in elementary school when I would read stories and try to create versions of my own. Writing has always been really fun and relaxing to me and a way to express myself.”
Now, as the Class of 2011 prepares to make its way through the Sterling gates, the Lycourier wishes to honor a special graduate; Smithson, this year’s Entertainment editor.

Although Smithson is a well-seasoned writer, this was her first year with the Lycourier staff.

“I was originally just going to join as a reporter,” Smithson said. “But Aliza contacted me before school started and said there was an editor spot open, and I took it because I love reading and writing entertainment news.”

Smithson said she was eager to be a part of the paper.

“Entertainment news is my favorite part of the newspaper, so I was happy to take the position of editor for that page,” Smithson said. “I also thought it would be really exciting seeing my name in print.”

During her experience, Smithson enjoyed covering entertainment stories that pertained to campus.

“I loved being able to cover the theater department productions--doing reviews of all the plays and spotlighting some of the directors and actors,” Smithson said. “I thought it was really good for the department because they put on amazing performances and I wanted fellow students to be able to see that.”

Smithson hopes that her time with the paper will help her with her future career goals.

“I am trying to find a job with a newspaper or magazine or to work in the communications department for a company, “Smithson said. “My dream job is to write for an entertainment publication like Entertainment Weekly or become a travel writer or movie critic (or hopefully all of the above!)”

Although she is moving on, Smithson will still miss covering entertainment news on Campus and in Williamsport. And, as she leaves, she wants to leave behind some words of wisdom for future staff members.

“Remember to stick to the deadlines--that way, you'll be on the editors' good sides,” Smithson said. “Be patient with the layout software. It's tricky, but the finished product looks great when it's done. Be passionate about what you do--good writers are always needed and appreciated.”

Students give life at spring blood drive

2011-04-14T13:21:00.002-04:00

by: Emily Stinemire

Every two seconds someone in the United States is in need of a blood transfusion to save his or her life. That’s 38 thousand transfusions daily.

Last week’s American Red Cross Bloodmobile collected 100 units of blood which could help 300 people.

Blood cannot be manufactured; it can only come from donors. It is because of this that it is extremely important for the number of donors to stay well above the number of those in need.

Currently, the number of patients who are recipients of blood per year is 5 million, according to Red Cross officials. And thanks to the organizations like the Red Cross, the number of blood donors is 9.5 million.

The American Red Cross Biomedical Services plays a big role in the Nation’s health care system.

“It is the largest single supplier of blood and blood products in the United States, collecting and processing more than 40 percent of the blood supply and distributing it to some 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide,” according to www.redcrossblood.org.

Lycoming College was fortunate enough to have the privilege of working with this prestigious organization and do its part to help increase the U.S’s blood supply and awareness.

March 30th, Circle K and Student Programs turned Pennington Lounge into a hub for generous students, faculty and local residents to help save a life.

For more than 15 years these two organizations have come together with the American Red Cross to collect on average 100 pints of blood per drive. And because one pint of blood can save up to three lives, this semester Lycoming College donations may help up to 300 people.

Sophomore Jenna Miller is vice president of Circle K and has overseen the blood drive for two years.

Miller said, “The blood drive is very important because so many people need blood, and it only takes a few minutes. The blood you donate can help save lives.”
Lycoming College senior Nina Cline said, “Although I hate needles, giving blood is one of the simplest ways I know to help save and affect someone’s life. It is easy to do, but makes a huge difference.”

Not only is giving blood the simplest way to save a life, the process of giving blood is simple as well.

The first step is a registration process where a staff member/volunteer goes over basic eligibility and donation information.

After that, the potential donor is asked to answer some questions about their health history and places they have traveled. This is done in private and is all confidential. There is also a mini-physical during which blood pressure and the hemoglobin level present in a blood sample are checked.

After this comes the actual donation. The donor’s arm is cleaned and a brand new sterile needle is used to retrieve the blood. After about a pint of blood is collected, which takes eight to 10 minutes, the donation is complete.

Donors are given something to drink and eat in an area where they can rest for 10 to 15 minutes before they continue with their normal daily activities.

For more information on how to make a donation or host your own blood drive with the American Red Cross visit www.redcrossblood.org.

To get involved with Lycoming College’s blood drive in the fall semester of 2011 contact Circle K at circlek@lycoming.edu.

Swords combine with Japanese Culture at Lycoming

2011-04-14T13:17:00.001-04:00

by: Victoria Yuskaitis

Few students realize that Lycoming College is home to the Lycoming Fencing Club and Guild of Swordsmen – or that the instructor of the clubs and classes that meet under this title is Michael Gaylor, who is a several times NCAA National Champion and who also learned the art of kendo (Japanese for “way of the sword”) from the Japanese kendo master, Sensei Torao Mori.

As Chiaki Kotori, the Director of Institutional Research at Lycoming College, explained, “the rare opportunity” to study kendo under Gaylor “cannot be stressed enough.”

Kotori, a native of Japan with a deep love for Japanese culture, further explained that Mori had a legendary family history with a grandfather or great-grandfather being a renowned kendo master. Known as “Tiger” (Torao means “tiger” in Japanese), he competed in a national kendo competition in Japan that was watched by the Emperor himself. Furthermore, Kotori said, his prowess was so incredible that he was asked to create modern fencing in Japan during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics so that the Japanese athletes could compete.

Kotori said that she happened to be reading a biography of Mori when she met Gaylor at Lycoming; as Gaylor said, it was an “interesting synchrony.”

Gaylor explained that he and Mori met in Paris; Gaylor was studying fencing, whereas Mori was trying to create a fencing team for Japan.

“I shared my insights of Western fencing (with him), and he taught me the Japanese ‘Way of the Sword,’” said Gaylor. They bonded quickly, he clarified, because they “both loved swordcraft and spoke English better than French.”

Interestingly, Gaylor said that he runs the dojo at Lycoming College (Japanese for “place of the Great Way”) in a traditional Japanese manner, just like he learned from Mori himself. The students take their shoes off at the door, symbolizing the leaving behind of any physical and mental burdens before entering the dojo.

Mentioning the story of Moses in the Bible, Gaylor says that removing your shoes is a matter of respecting sacred ground. Gaylor also said that it inspires humility and respect.

“The way of the Samurai says that energy comes from chi (literally translated as ‘life force’),” said Gaylor. “Shoes are buffers – like gloves – and a Samurai does not want anything between himself and the earth.”

The other details that make the dance room in the gym into a dojo – such as bowing to yourself in the mirror as you enter, in an effort to bow to your better self – all have deep meanings rooted in Japanese culture.

“The Japanese culture club asked for the class, as did fencing students,” explained Gaylor.

Because of the inherent connection between kendo and Japanese culture, the students are expected to learn about culture as much as swordfighting, said Gaylor. A focus on Zen – what Gaylor described as an “ah-ha!” moment or intuitive enlightenment – is addressed in the class through meditation and kendo itself.

Still, Gaylor was quick to point out that “there is nothing religious about it – it is about how you approach the fact that you are fighting and one of you is going to die…It’s a metaphor about how you approach life.”

The class is also expected to write a Japanese poem in the form of a “haiku” or “tanka.” The syllabus explains the poetry not as a long epic or story, but rather as “the essence of a thought or situation.” Writing such poems helped Samurai’s to keep their minds from mundane worries while performing their sacred duties. It also allowed them to focus their energies before a battle, explained Gaylor, and connect them to a zen-like state.

The students finished meditation to the sound of crickets chirping or chanting monks, and then picked up the Bokkens (Japanese for “oak sword”). The sword drills the students engaged in, Gaylor explained, have been formalized and used to teach kendo for the last 1,000 years.

Gaylor shouted a Japanese word symbolizing a certain movement, and the entire class shouted in response as they performed the movement as a group.

Gaylor explained that the shouting is “used to mobilize your energy. It also says where you are about to hit – it is only polite.” The point, explained Gaylor, is to hit your opponent as you shout.

After the initial practice, the students split into groups of two and engaged in formalized drills (“Kumi-tachi” in Japanese), that focused on perfecting sword movements, body movements, distance, and timing in each attack.

Still, Gaylor said that the students “don’t actually hit each other yet; their only opponent is within.” Nevertheless, the practice the students are going through is very important, as Gaylor explained, because the perfection of the moves with the wooden swords is essential to being able to graduate to a more advanced level.
Surprisingly, most of the students who take the kendo class had never done kendo before coming to Lycoming College.

Matiana Gallegos, a freshman, said that she did Karate at Lycoming but decided to try kendo. “I like the meditation beforehand. It helps to clear the mind.”
Another student, David Casavant, a senior, also said that he “had taken martial arts, but kendo seemed interesting and fun.” Shrugging, he added, “I needed gym credits.”

Christina Sorrells, a senior and the Motodashi (Japanese for “helper”) of the beginner kendo class and a student in the advanced kendo class, explained that she likes “swords and learning how to use them properly. I also like the spiritual aspect as well – it is something you can take with you when you leave and applies to real life.”

The beginning kendo class meets at 8 on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
The swordfighting classes (both kendo and fencing) offered at Lycoming truly are unique opportunities: Gaylor is a talented swordsman with a passion for teaching, and the students who take the classes offered are learning from a master himself.

Chamber Choir spring concert a Mass for peace

2011-04-14T13:11:00.003-04:00

by: Linnea Morris

The Chamber Choir is working hard in order to perform its spring concert. The choir will be singing “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” at 8 p.m. Friday in Clarke Chapel.
The choir, under the direction of Dr. Fred Thayer, is a professional group of 29 Lycoming students with various majors.

Accompanying this grand performance will be Richard Lakey and Kristin Ivers on keyboards along with two trumpeters, Dale Orris and David Bailey, from the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, flutist Lauren Godfrey, percussionists Donald Fisher, Chad Grundon and James Tyson and an alto saxophonist Brian Stillman.
Soloists from the choir in varies movements are Senior Emily Hopko, Senior Danielle Heaney, Senior Nina Cline, Senior Ken Vincencio, Sophomore Robert Rinaldo and Junior Sara Bartholomew.

“The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace,” was composed by Karl Jenkins and premiered in 2000.

It was commissioned by the Royal Armouries Museum for the Millennium celebrations and dedicated to the victims of the Kosovo crisis.

The piece is an anti-war piece based on the Catholic Mass and selected texts featuring a 15th century French folk song, “L’homme armé,” which translates to “The Armed Man.”

The Mass has 13 movements and has a running time of about 70 minutes.

Guy Wilson, the master of the museum, commented in the program notes, “The Mass begins with a marching army and the beat of military drums, the music gradually building to the choir’s entrance, singing the 15th-century theme tune – ‘The Armed Man.’”

After this highly intense movement, the style and pace changes. The reflective “Kyrie” pays homage to the past by quoting the style of Palestrina.
Next is a movement following the style of the Gregorian chant, which only the men sing from the psalms, asking God’s help against the enemies.

“The ‘Sanctus’ that follows is full of menace, and has a primeval, tribal character that adds to its power,” Wilson writes.

Then the menace grows. The next movement uses Kipling’s ‘Hymn Before Action’ to build to its final devastating line ‘Lord grant us strength to die.’

“War is now inevitable. ‘Charge!’ opens with a seductive paean to martial glory which is followed by the inevitable consequence – war in all its uncontrolled cacophony of destruction, then the eerie silence of the battlefield after the battle and, finally, the burial of the dead,” Wilson notes.

At the center of the work is Angry Flames, an excerpt from a poem written by a poet who was at Hiroshima during the atom bomb attack on Hiroshima and died in 1953 of leukemia brought on by exposure to radiation. The poem is about the aftermass of the bomb.

“But if we think that the obscenity of this mass destruction is new to our consciousness, we must reconsider as we listen, to the eerily similar passage from the ancient Indian epic The Mahàbharàta. From the horror of mass destruction the work turns to remember that one death is one too many, that each human life is sacred and unique,” Wilson writes.

“First the Agnus Dei, with its lyrical chorale theme, reminds us of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice,” Wilson commented. Following this is “Now the Guns Have Stopped,” about a missing husband. These movements have a great significance for many survivors of the First World War who feel significant loss and guilt when they came home when their friends did not.

“The Benedictus” tries to heal all the wounds in its slow and stately affirmation of faith and leads us to the final, positive, climax of the work.
“The menace of the ‘Armed Man’ theme returns but this time moves on and we come to our moment of commitment. Do we want the new millennium to be like the last? Or do we join with Tennyson when he tells us to ‘Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace?’

It may seem an impossible dream, we may not have begun too well, but the Mass ends with the affirmation from Revelations that change is possible, that sorrow, pain and death can be overcome. Dona nobis pacem,” Wilson said.

Lycoming Concert Band sets spring performance

2011-04-14T13:05:00.001-04:00

by: Linnea Morris

The spring performance for the Lycoming Concert Band will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Community Arts Center on East Fourth Street.

The band consists of 46 college students with some additional professional musicians and music lovers from the Williamsport area.

The program is as follows:
The first piece on the program is “Military Escort March,” written by Henry Fillmore under a pseudo-name Harold Bennett and edited by Frederick Fennell. Written in a regimental march style, the piece is “a classical example of effective and disarming simplicity, reflecting the innocence and charm of a bygone tome in American music education,” according to Fennell’s comments in the program notes
“With Quiet Courage,” composed by Larry Daehn in the early 1990s, is in memory of Lois Daehn, his mother. The program notes by Daehn simply write, “Her life was heroic, but without fanfare. She worked and hoped and inspired. She loved and was loved. Her life was a noble song of quiet courage.”

Allegro from Trumpet Concerto in D by Leopold Mozart and arranged by Andy Clark is a piece from the Baroque era that features Senior Robyn Price on trumpet.

It is the first movement in the concerto and the parts were originally written for strings, not a band. Dr. William Ciabattari, the conductor for the Lycoming College Concert Band, says that playing this piece “is a unique challenge. We are trying to copy a style of music with instruments that didn’t even exist in Mozart’s time.”
“Under Silver Moon Light,” from the “Chinese Suite for Band” by Hua Yang, is based on a folk tune from the Xinjiang Province in Northwest China. Most people there live by herding sheep and cattle and their love is for singing and dancing.

The program notes say that “the folk tune used in this movement is a love song, which expresses the great emotion of a young man who is longing for his girlfriend, galloping to her.” Senior music education major Brian Scott is to conduct this piece.
One of the major works in the concert is “Bushdance” by Ralph Hultgren. The piece, as described by the program notes, “was written for, and premiered at, the Queensland Department of Educations’s 1987 Musically Outstanding Students (MOST) scholarship camp in Brisbane, Australia.

The work was written to feature the songs of the bushdance and to portray the excitement of the trip to, and participation in, the evening’s entertainment. Melodies include “The Darvy Knick Knack,” “The Waves of Tory,” “Big Fairy Mountain and Little Fairy Mountain” and finally, “Soldier’s Joy”.”

A newer piece on the program is “Elements” composed by Brian Balmages. In his program notes, Balmages describes his work: “the first movement, “Air,” has a minimalistic quality to it. The opening four-note motif continues uninterruptedly throughout the entire movement, while voices carrying it and textures surrounding it constantly change … The second movement, “Water,” is impressionistic in nature. The movement represents the Greek philosopher Empedocles’s belief that water is an inwardly reaching element. It describes a quiet body of water with a glasslike surface …The third movement, “Earth,” describes the rapid spinning of the earth itself. It draws its musical inspiration from “Mercury, the Winged Messenger” from Holst’s “The Planets”… the final movement, “Fire” is the most aggressive and harmonically complex, and as a result, is the most challenging. It depicts the intensity of fire and is relentless in its approach.”

“Nimrod,” by Edward Elgar and arranged by Alfred Reed is a very famous piece by itself. Traditionally from the Enigma Variations, “Nimrod,” as commented by the program notes, “is generally agreed to be the emotional high-light.”

These variations all have cryptic named, some just with initials, but eventually Elgar explained that each variation is meant for a close friend. ‘Nimrod,’ of course, is associated in the English minds with hunting. The German word for hunter is ‘Jager,’ and the man whom Elgar described in this variation was his noblest friend, August Jaeger, editor of the Musical Times … and so, in this beautiful, swelling, musical testimonial, Elgar has not only created a picture of a noble, upright, generous person, but has produced a piece which has found many uses in English ceremonials of a solemn nature.”

Another highlight of the concert is the “Carmen Fantaisie on themes from Georges Bizet’s opera for Solo Flute” originally arranged by François Borne. Flutist Leslie Cullen, the Lycoming private flute teacher, will be featured in this piece. The opera “Carmen” is, as described in the score, “without a doubt, the most popular opera ever composed in the French language.”

The final piece in the concert is Gustav Holst’s “First Suite in E flat for Military Band” and written in 1909. Colin Matthews, the editor of the piece, explained in his notes that the First Suite in Eb is “now considered one of the masterworks and cornerstones of the band literature. “Since it was premiered in the United States in 1921, “the work has endured beautifully and, in fact, has grown stronger with age … Few composers, on the basis of so few works, have endeared themselves so completely to those in the band field as has Gustav Holst,” commented Budd Udell when writing an article on the work.

After finals week, the band will tour throughout Greater Williamsport to many different high schools, including Montoursville High School, South Williamsport High School, Hughesville High School and St. John Neumann Jr./Sr. High School and then travel to New York City.

Students 'Outwit, Outplay, Outlast,' at Relay

2011-04-14T13:02:00.002-04:00

by: Jennifer Basch

The Lycoming College chapter of Colleges Against Cancer hosted its seventh annual Relay for Life in the Recreation Center to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The Colleges Against Cancer relay at Lycoming College raised $26,000 for the American Cancer Society, surpassing its goal by $7,500.

The relay took place in the Recreation Center on March from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on March 25 and 26.

Ashley Lubold, president of Colleges Against Cancer, has been involved in Relay for Life since she was a student in sixth grade.

“I’m fighting for a cure because my mom died of cancer and it is closure to me knowing that I can give back to the organization,” Lubold said.

This year’s theme was “survivor around the world,” which was based off of the CBS television show “Survivor.”

Luminaries lit the inside lane of the track, representing remembrance of those who lost their battle with cancer and those who are still fighting against it.

Lubold said, “This was my favorite part of the whole night.”

Just over 20 survivors took their places to walk the first lap, and by doing so, gave the relay its official kick-off.

The cancer survivors also were served a special dinner after the ceremony, bringing them together briefly as a community of survivors.

At least one member of a participating organization or club was to be present on the track at all times.

During the 12-hour event, clubs and organizations sold many snacks, beverages, and toys at decorated tables to help raise money for the cause. Over 350 Lycoming students, faculty and staff participated in the event.

At 7 p.m., hair donating began. An eight-inch ponytail of healthy locks was required in order to donate hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths sponsors the making of hair wigs for cancer patients who lost their own hair in chemotherapy. A few people even gave spur-of-the-moment hair donations, in exchange for the present supporters donating $100 to the cause.

“We started out with eight volunteers but by the end of the night we had 53 total,” Lubold reported.

Throughout the empowering event, live music, dancing, and fun games were included.
An extra special effort was made by the Lycoming College cross country team and a couple of their close friends. Their fundraiser, Relay at Relay: Miles for Mammaries, raised almost an additional $100 for the cause. Starting at 6 p.m. Friday, each member of the team ran one mile, switching runners at the end of each mile. This continued until 6 a.m. Saturday, when the team had run a total of 105 miles.

Kerri Kearney, a member of the team was eager to comment, “We are just glad to be here together as a team to support a great cause, and we’re excited that we can show our support by doing what we love – running.”

Kearney added, “Some of the people with us right now are not even members of the team and spontaneously jumped in with us. All the better! It is great to know that people are willing to work themselves to support others.”

In the future, Lubold plans to work with State and National levels of Relay for Life. In addition to that, she wants to work with Relay for Life in her own community, keeping the cause close to home.

“I would like to thank Lycoming College for allowing us to have the relay, we ended on a nice note. My sister, Alison, was also a huge help as well,” Lubold said. “I would also like to thank Ashley Newcomb and Kaleigh Misner, for they are the new leaders next year.”

Lycoming’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer was formed at Lycoming in 2004 by Lindsay Martin, a Class of 2007 Lycoming graduate.

Habitat Hammers Spring Break

2011-04-14T12:56:00.001-04:00

by: Paige Cole

Amanda Byrne doesn’t make a lot of money. Yet, that doesn’t seem to matter, and this notion is evident through the passion and dedication that Byrne shows toward her job.

Byrne works at the Carolina Tiger Rescue, an animal sanctuary that is home to over 300 animals including binturongs, caracals, kinkajous, ocelots, servals and tigers.
Her job duties vary from clerical work to giving tours. Most of the time Byrne is unacquainted with the patrons to whom she provides tours. However, one tour was different.

On a hot, March day, Byrne gave a tour to a group of students and advisers from Lycoming College, all of whom were helping her achieve a life-long dream.
Over spring break, I traveled with the Lycoming College Chapter of Habitat for Humanity to Pittsboro, N.C., and worked with the Chatham County Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

This is my account of the 2011, Lycoming College Collegiate Challenge:
North Carolina boasts 70 degree temperatures during the month of March. Perfect beach weather! However, we were no where near the beach. And our activities required much more commitment than sunbathing.

The work wasn’t as attractive as a beach either, and the group spent the week in jeans and T-shirts.

Each day some of us climbed onto the roof and worked relentlessly under the hot Carolina sun. Others scaled scaffolding with hammers and nails and pounded in siding. Some held paint cans and others measuring tapes. The Chatham County Habitat had a goal to reach, and we weren’t about to come up short.

However, the week wasn’t all serious work, and there was some fun involved. Each day held a theme, and we were expected to abide by it.

Tuesday was Temporary Tattosday and while I hadn’t put one of those on my person since the days of Crackerjacks, it was fun imprinting gaudy images on my arm.
A group favorite was War Paint Wednesday where we showed our creativity.

An adviser faced her fear of turtles by painting a whole set of Ninja Turtles, while others sported the colors of their favorite football team or sought to catch them all with a Pokémon-inspired look.

The theme days ended with Thug Thursday and we all sported bandannas on the worksite.

We stayed at Camp Royal, a summer camp, and we had full access to camp facilities such as the dining hall, soccer field and our own personal cabin.

The showers were lukewarm, but nobody really complained. After all, if you spent too much time in the shower, you were missing out on all the fun. Downtime was spent playing card games, such as Mafia, or in an engaging game of Ultimate Frisbee.
Another group favorite was kan jam.

At the end of the week, the site supervisors commented on our progress. When we started, there was no siding on the house or shingles on the roof. By the end, two sides of the house were completely sided and painted, and the other two were more than halfway done.The roof was shingled.

We sauntered around the house admiring our progress. Some wanted to complete projects, but that couldn’t be done. After all, some work needed to be left for the University of Scranton’s Habitat for Humanity chapter.

We ate our packed lunch, and departed the worksite that day with heavy hearts. The last day of work meant the trip was coming to an end. The day was spent at the tiger rescue and that evening we went to Chapel Hill, amidst a crowd of rowdy basketball fans. After our outing, we spent the remainder of the night around the campfire reflecting about our experiences.

For me, the Habitat Trips always come at a good time. They come at a time when things at school seem to be most tense.

For a week, I’m able to forget the little dramas that come in everyday life. This week, I worked beside the homeowner and I saw firsthand that not everybody has the same privileges that I’m accustomed to. I got to see my work pay off and make another person happy.

I got to interact with students that I never talk to on a daily basis. It didn’t matter what my major was, or what sorority I was in. We bonded while trying to reach a common goal.

This spring break trip was life-changing and I would trade my hot Lyco showers, for lukewarm camp water just to go back.

“Schemata” journal second issue released; submissions sought for third

2011-04-06T16:08:00.001-04:00

by Erica Smithson

Nineteen works out of 50 submissions appeared in early March in the second issue of “Schemata,” an online journal of essays and photography by Lycoming College students.

The journal, created in 2010, released its first issue that spring. Shanna Wheeler, assistant director of Lycoming’s academic resource and writing centers, had the idea to start a student-produced journal of essays soon after she arrived at Lycoming four years ago. She wanted to give students the opportunity to publish their essays and/or gain editorial experience by putting each journal issue together.

“Schemata,” Wheeler says, differs from journals at other schools because it is more inclusive of different disciplines and features work from freshman through senior years and even work of recent alumni.

Wheeler intended the journal to be a complement to the College’s Writing-Across-the Curriculum program, which attempts to foster writing skills among all students by requiring a number of writing-intensive courses both within and outside of their majors. The name “Schemata” is also fitting, as it means schemes, blueprints, plans — a framework upon which students can build their writing skills.

The submissions indeed reflect those intentions. Several of the submissions are those of research methods courses required to be taken by upperclass majors of several departments, such as history and communications.

Teachers are more than receptive to using the journal. Wheeler said she has received e-mails of encouragement from several professors. One philosophy professor called it a “terrific idea,” Wheeler said. Several more recommended their students’ work for inclusion in the issue, and others already are asking about submission guidelines for next year’s issue.

The essays appear on the journal’s website, www.lycoming.edu/schemata, in the form of downloadable PDFs. In the first issue, some essays were turned into “fancy” PDFs, which were accompanied by graphic designs and student artwork. However, because of time constraints this year, as well as not wanting to interfere with the citation format of many of the papers (such as those that used footnotes), Wheeler wished to only publish “plain” PDF documents that preserved the original Microsoft Word formatting. Nonetheless, student artwork still will be featured on the journal’s website. This issue features the photography of junior Jennifer Melhorn.

While the majority of submissions are made by students, Wheeler said she would like to see more student involvement in the creation of the journal itself. She says she hasn’t received much feedback from students as to whether or not they have used the journal as a model for their class work and she also wishes to have more student involvement in the production of each issue.

While Wheeler does choose the first “tier” of submissions that will make their way to being published, she allows her student editorial staff to “filter” the selections even further, especially if there are multiple submissions from the same department. For the first issue, there were quality papers,” Wheeler said, adding, “We wanted to keep the bar high this time around.”

The editorial staff for this issue included seniors Caitie Eberz, Emily Walters and Kari Allegretto and juniors Chris Bernstorf and Aliza Davner. Wheeler looks to her staff to not only maintain a high level of quality in each issue, but to use them as consultants for their departmental expertise. For example, she would rely on the philosophy minor and history major on her staff to tackle which submissions in those subjects would make the final cut.

“These students know what professors are looking for and their choices are made based on what professors (in that department) would expect.” Therefore, a more diverse editorial staff would be able to finely narrow down which submissions would reflect the highest quality work of each department.

Overall, Wheeler has considered assembling the first two issues a learning experience and she hopes to evolve the journal’s production with each consecutive issue. She wants to do this not only with the hope of getting more diverse submissions — she would like more papers from the education, sciences, math, music and accounting departments — but increasing the accessibility of the journal’s website. Recently, she has begun to archive, adding a “back issues” tab that will take users to the previous issue’s content.

Wheeler is already looking toward the third issue next year. She hopes that if students want to become involved on the copy editing staff, or would like to work as public relations facilitators to help promote the journal, to e-mail her to express their interest.

She also encourages faculty and students to think about submitting papers. As she has gone on maternity leave for the rest of the semester, she will make a formal announcement regarding submissions for the third issue in the fall.

Philosophy Discussion Club to hold viewing of "Gasland"

2011-03-20T21:39:00.001-04:00

Tactical Laser Tag

2011-03-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

Lil' Monsters

2011-03-10T16:08:00.002-05:00

by: Kari Allegretto

Kelly, Ober receive all-conference honors

2011-03-10T15:25:00.003-05:00

by: Kelly Prendergast

Senior basketball stars, Will Kelly and Kaitlyn Ober celebrated conference honors this year.

Kelly, from Williamsport, made first-team all-conference, earning his second straight all-conference honors.

Kelly enjoyed a solid senior season where he finished third in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.1 points a game and fifth in rebounding, averaging 7.1 rebounds a game. He also ranked among the leaders in several other categories such as free-throw percentage, three-point percentage, offensive rebounds and steals.
Kelly performed to even a higher level when competing in conference games. He averaged 17.8 points per game, which was second in the conference, and 7.9 rebounds per game which ranked him third in the conference. Kelly’s strong and consistent performance can clearly be seen in his impressive statistics.

Additionally, during the season Kelly became the 11th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.

He is only the fourth men's basketball player to achieve this honor within the past four years.

He also became the 11th player in school history to reach 100 career three pointers. In high school Kelly also achieve the 1,000-point mark.

“This is definitely a special accomplishment for me or for any other player because not many people reach it. It will be exciting in the future to go through the record books and see where I stand among the other guys who got it,” Kelly said.
Overall Kelly had a very strong career for the men’s basketball program here at Lycoming. In the spring Kelly will be graduating with a degree in finance and management and in the future he plans to find a job in the financial field.

Ober, a six-foot post from Lititz, was awarded the first all-conference honors of her career.

Ober achieve second-team all-conference honors. She had an outstanding senior season, in which she was the leading scorer for the conference, averaging 14.6 points per game.

Ober also placed among the conference leaders in other categories such as seventh in rebounding, seventh in field-goal percentage, 10 in assists, fifth in blocked shots, ninth in offensive rebounds and seventh in defensive rebounds. Ober is only the second player in school history to earn all Commonwealth Conference honors. The warriors join the conference in 2007-08.

Additionally, she scored in double figures 20 times this season and scored over 20 points six times, three of which were her last three games.

Ober also received the MAC Commonwealth player of the week honors twice this year, along with her third Lycoming Warrior of the Week award. She was named on the Lycoming Hoops for Hounds All Tournament Team this year, and her sophomore year she was named Most Valuable Player.

Ober not only exhibits excellence on the court, she also does so in the classroom. A corporate communication major ann Spanish minor graduating this spring, Ober is a member of the Communications Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta, has received Dean’s list honors every semester and is a member of the and MAC Honor Roll.

“I accomplished more this year than I thought I would,” Ober said, “Senior year is big since you’re the oldest and most experienced.I feel I led our team on the court and and taught a lot to my teammates which was what was important. The awards were a blessing and I have been honored by them and thankful to all the people who helped me achieve them.”

Wrestling 2011 Season Recap

2011-03-10T15:23:00.002-05:00

by: Jen Basch

Under the guidance of 18th year Head Coach Roger Crebs, the Lycoming Warriors wrestling team posted an overall record of 13-11 (2-4 in the conference) this season.

This year was memorable for Crebs, as he posted his 300th career win. This milestone is not easily earned and was a long time in the making for Crebs who has been dedicated to the team for the last 22 years.

Along with his milestone 300th win, Crebs also guided the team to its 25th consecutive winning season, in which he has been on the coaching staff for 22 of those years. This shows the level of commitment that Crebs has to putting out a competitive wrestling team year in and out.

The wrestling squad recently finished up its season, except for one grappler, Isaiah Britton, who will be moving onto the national tournament, with a fifth place finish at the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference tournament in Ithaca, N.Y.

The Warriors will send one wrestler to the national tournament in LaCrosse, Wis., as senior Britton picked up an at large bid for his performance at the event. Britton finished second in his 149 weight class. This will be Britton’s second straight trip to the national tournament and he looks to improve on his showing last year as he did not earn “All American” status.

Other placers for the Warriors were seniors Troy Hayre, second, and Mike Maurer, third, juniors Russ Korbul, second, and Stephen Hinton, sixth, and sophomore David Smith, sixth. To qualify for nationals wrestlers must either win their weight classes or earn one of five at-large bids, which are voted on by the coaches.
The Warriors had an up and down dual meet season, this could be contributed to a tough schedule that they keep every season. The wrestling team began the season wrestling nationally ranked Ithaca College, where the team was a little overwhelmed, but the loss was followed with a win against McDaniel.

The Warriors then headed to the John Reese Duals in Wilkes-Barre. The wrestlers finished the duals with a 2-2 record, recording wins against conference foe State University of New York at Oneonta and Hunter College New York N.Y., while falling to Wilkes College, Wilkes Barre, and Centenary College, Hackettstown, N.J.

The Warriors were quickly back in action the next weekend at the Mt. Union Duals in Alliance, Ohio. The Warriors once again posted a 2-2 record, taking down Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, and Mount Saint Joseph, Cincinnati, and coming up short against Mt. Union, Alliance, and Ohio Northern, Ada, all in Ohio. Looking to continue to improve the Warriors headed to the Messiah College Tournament in Grantham. The Warriors managed a fifth place showing.

Leading the way was Britton who earned a second place finish. Seniors Kyle Crouthamel and Hayre enjoyed third place finishes while juniors Korbul and Hinton posted fourth place finishes.

After the Messiah Tournament the Warriors won the three dual meets left before the team’s biggest event of the year, Budd Whitehill National Duals, which Lycoming hosts. The Warriors fell to conference foe Brockport while posting a close win against SUNY Oswego. The team posted another conference win again Rochester Institute of Technology in its last tune up before the Budd Whitehill National Duals.

At the Whitehill Duals the Warriors started out strong. They posted convincing wins against Springfield College, Springfield, Mass., and Kings College, Wilkes-Barre; these wins put the Warriors in the quarterfinals where once again put up against Ohio Northern. Though a valiant effort was posted the team was unable to avenge their earlier loss to Ohio Northern falling to them again sending them to the cancelation bracket where they would meet SUNY Oswego. The grapplers lost a heartbreaking 17-19 decision to the Oswego pitting them against John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, for the final match of the tournament, which was won.

After the disappointing Whitehill Duals, the Warriors once again traveled to Grantham to face Messiah, this time in a dual meet. The Warriors came up short again losing another conference match. The squad then faced King’s, and beat them again. Shortly afterward, the Warriors headed to East Stroudsburg to face division two foe East Stroudsburg University. Though the Warriors put up a valiant effort they fell short once again.

The squad then competed in its final conference match of the year falling to SUNY Cortland. After the Cortland match, the Warriors finished the season out with convincing victories against both Stevens Tech and Gettysburg.

These wins allowed the seniors to go out on a high note.

Coming soon to a theater near you...

2011-03-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

March 11
“Red Riding Hood” (Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman)
PG-13, runtime not released

An updated version of the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale where Red (Seyfried) falls for an orphaned woodcutter (Shiloh Fernandez), much to her family’s displeasure.
“Battle: Los Angeles” (Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez)
PG-13, 116 minutes.

A Marine platoon faces off against alien invaders in Los Angeles.

March 18
“The Lincoln Lawyer” (Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe)
R, 119 minutes.
A lawyer (McConaughey) conducts business out of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client (Phillippe) in Beverly Hills.

“Paul” (Seth Rogen, Simon Pegg)
R, 104 minutes.

Two British comic book enthusiasts traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien (Rogen) outside of Area 51

Retrospective: A look back at music of the past decade

2011-03-10T15:15:00.004-05:00

by: Robert Rinaldo

Like other forms of entertainment, the music industry is always changing. Throughout the decade we have seen the growth of artists such as Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé and Eminem as well as the controversial acts of artists such as Britney Spears.

We also have witnessed the beginning of a major line of mp3 players released under Apple as well as the growing popularity of the pitch-correction program Auto-Tune. Let’s take a look back at some of the most prominent moments in the music industry of the past decade and how they shaped music today.

2000: Christina Aguilera won her first Grammy award for “Best New Artist” as well as the Billboard Music Award for “Female Artist of the Year.” ’N Sync and Britney Spears topped album sales with “No Strings Attached” and “Oops...! I Did It Again,” respectively. Rock bands U2 and Bon Jovi released “Beautiful Day” and “It’s My Life,” respectively, two of the biggest hit singles of the year.

2001: Apple introduced the first iPod and started the trend of one of the most successful brand of mp3 players. Linkin Park’s debut album “Hybrid Theory” emerges as the highest selling album of the year, and one of the most popular rock bands, Audioslave, was formed by the three remaining members of Rage Against the Machine. This year saw big hits such as “Survivor” (Destiny’s Child), “First Date” (blink-182) and “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” (Train).

2002: U2 performed during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI and made its performance a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Layne Staley, the lead singer of Alice in Chains, was found dead in his condo of an apparent drug overdose. Kelly Clarkson was crowned the first winner of the television talent contest, “American Idol,” while Alicia Keys won the Grammy for “Best New Artist” as well as numerous awards for her hit single “Fallin.”

2003: Michael Jackson was arrested on charges of child molestation while Madonna sparked media controversy by kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé Knowles and 50 Cent achieved huge success with release of their debut solo albums “Dangerously in Love” and “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” respectively. Norah Jones won big at the Grammys with the award for “Best New Artist” as well as awards for her album “Come Away with Me” and single “Don’t Know Why.”

2004: The phrase “wardrobe malfunction” became a trend after the controversial performance by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Usher and Avril Lavigne released “Confessions” and “Under My Skin,” respectively, which became the two highest selling albums of the year. Britney Spears married Jason Alexander, which was annulled after two days, and then later married Kevin Federline on Oct. 6.

2005: Tsunami Relief Cardiff, a charity music concert in aid of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, was held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (Wales) and featured artists such as Eric Clapton and Snow Patrol. Boy-band Backstreet Boys reformed after a three year hiatus while girl group Destiny’s Child disbanded after a 14-year career. Mariah Carey released the best-selling album of the year, “The Emancipation of Mimi,” with the hit single “We Belong Together.”

2006: “American Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson achieved monumental success with her role in the musical film “Dreamgirls” and her iconic cover of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” Kelly Clarkson is the first “American Idol” winner to receive a Grammy for her album “Breakaway” and her single “Since U Been Gone.” Bon Jovi’s single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” went No. 1 in the U.S. Hot Country Charts for two weeks marking the first time a rock band has achieved a No. 1 hit in the US country charts.

2007: Hilary Duff released “Dignity,” which explored electronic and dance and was seen as a major influence in the “electronic” music movement. Jordin Sparks, 17, of Arizona was crowned the winner of “American Idol,” making her the youngest winner ever. Numerous artists release comeback albums such as “Blackout” (Britney Spears), “Minutes to Midnight” (Linkin Park) and “Eat Me, Drink Me” (Marilyn Manson). Pop girl group Spice Girls reunited after a six-year hiatus and set off on their reunion tour “Return of the Spice Girls.”

2008: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album, the world’s best selling album of all time, was reissued to celebrate its 25 th anniversary. Activision released “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith,” the first video game in the “Guitar Hero” series to be based around a single music group. Britney Spears set a new record for the biggest jump to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, rising from 96 to No. 1 in just one week, with her single “Womanizer,” also marking her first American No. 1 since her debut single “...Baby One More Time.”

2009: Michael Jackson died in his bed at his rented mansion, which triggered a global outpouring of grief as well as numerous website crashes such as Google, Twitter and Wikipedia. Susan Boyle garnered overnight fame after her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” on “Britain’s Got Talent,” and later her album “I Dreamed a Dream” became the biggest-selling album of the year. The pitch-correction software Auto-Tune became popular among several artists as well as the musical comedy-drama television series “Glee.” Kanye West performed one of the most controversial acts by jumping on stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech during the Video Music Awards.

2010: Lady Gaga swept the Video Music Awards with eight wins for her “Bad Romance” and “Telephone” videos. After years of legal disputes, music from The Beatles finally became available on iTunes. Justin Bieber became the youngest solo male act to top the Billboard 200 chart since 1963 with hits “Baby,” “Somebody to Love” and “One Time.” The year saw the rise and success of artists such as Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

It is truly fascinating how the music industry has evolved since the beginning of the previous decade. As we head into the new decade, there is no doubt that the industry will continue to expand and flourish into much larger and greater sights than it already has today.

Photographer colors ideas of healing

2011-03-10T15:11:00.003-05:00

by: Erica Smithson

People have long held color in great esteem. Some people may spend hours every week deciding what colors go together to form our daily outfits.

In the 1970s, mood rings used color to reflect our moods. Now, the importance of color goes even deeper with the alternative medicine process of chromotherapy, which uses color and light to balance energy wherever a person’s body may be lacking it. Color has now reached a point of encompassing both our physical and emotional spheres.

Chromotherapy has been criticized for not having scientific verifiability; nonetheless, its roots stretch over a thousand years, when Persian philosopher Avicenna said that color can be of vital importance to diagnosis and treatment in his book, “The Canon of Medicine.”

It is this dichotomy, between spiritual belief in the practice and its scientific validity, that photographer Patrick Nagatani explores in his exhibit “Chromotherapy,” which runs in Snowden Library’s art gallery until March 25.

It is also the kickoff event of Lycoming College’s “Healthcare in America” symposium.

Nagatani has arranged his photographs in a smoke-and-mirrors type of way. While they depict chromotherapy sessions — people and animals lay out under colored lights — the artist says that he staged almost all of the scenes, almost in reference to the doubt of the color therapy’s effectiveness. Nagatani claims there is “nothing real” in the portraits.

Nagatani stated several reasons for fabricating his images. For one, it reflects the fact that chromotherapy is done more in the privacy of one’s home than in mainstream health clinics. Like many other alternative medicines, it may be seen as too “bizarre” for traditionalists.

For another, Natgatani finds typical medical imagery “banal. There is no spectacle.” Indeed many of the images are quite blunt in their realism. We see ordinarily private moments of patients recovering from procedures. Body parts appear to be sewn up. Nude bodies are exposed without censorship (some are the subject of medical observation by a team of doctors). Colored light shines on the intricacies of the human form, flaws and all.

Most importantly, Nagatani wants to use his collection of photographs as a commentary on the differences between Eastern and Western medicine.

According to Nagatani’s view, the typical Western medical process can be summed up as “cut and get dressed.”

Chromotherapy may be a different way of looking at healing, but it is much more personal, he said. Colors are designated with each body part in mind: green to relax the muscles, violet to stimulate the nervous system, and so on. Nagatani thinks of the process as just as technical as a surgeon making a series of incisions inside the body.

Chromotherapy is not the only non-traditional source of healing in the photos. Other healers, such as pets (like in “Mister Yoshitomi and Toki”) and family members are pictured alongside the patients undergoing their procedures.

Animals are also shown receiving chromotherapy (one of these is a horse in “Appaloosa Equilibration”) instead of being put under. These examples all show that cures are not limited to only what can be sliced and diced.

Just as all of the images in the exhibit are a study of chromotherapy, its uses and how it compares to more traditional medicine, it is also the study of the artist’s process. Nagatani has spent 33 years compiling and re-working the images he has created.

His conception of chromotherapy comes through inspiration from several sources, namely books. He became aware of the process (and the possibility of healing with alternative medicines in general) when he read Mary Anderson’s “Color Healing: Chromotherapy and How it Works.” Always wanting to build background knowledge of his subject, he decided to read up on it for years before he started playing around with the idea artistically.

However, just because the collection is now hanging on the walls of an art gallery, does not mean Nagatani has stopped the effort to spin his own idea of chromotherapy. He considers his depictions an “ongoing narrative” and new images crop up one right after the other.

The recent novel “Luka and the Fire of Life” by Salman Rushdie, which depicts the titular character exploring a world full of intense color and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s current study of chromotherapy (which brings the procedure out of the private sector and into mainstream science and also signals an overlap of Nagatani’s art and science) have served as recent inspirations.

Nagatani’s ideas — and his images — “propel themselves,” he said. When one comes, it will not be long until the next one does. Again, though, this is no assembly line of art, with each finished product ready to hang in the front of the store.

Nagatani says he enjoys learning at all stages of his creative process; he even challenges his own assumptions of what his images should look like as he incorporates his ever-expanding wealth of knowledge on the subject. And, perhaps in a nod to overcoming any medical obstacles that befall us (through whatever means), Nagatani enjoys “(embracing) accidents.”

As far as whether Nagatani himself actually believes in any validity of chromotherapy as a healing process, he prefers not to give a definitive answer. “I am an imagist,” he said, “not a chromotherapy practitioner.”

However, he does find it “interesting” and is open to the idea of it having some healing powers. What he wants instead is for the audience to form their own ideas, to “suspend disbelief” of any traditional conceptions of healing practices and view chromotherapy through extreme, almost fantastical, interpretations.

Even though Nagatani does not consider the scenes in his photographs “real,” nor does he have a definitive belief in the healing powers of chromotherapy, he has proven that traditional medicine and healing practices can be challenged and the realism of the images shows that the challenge should not be taken lightly. The exhibit is sure to be one of the standout viewpoints in the healthcare symposium.

All of 'King's' wins didn't make Oscar's watchable...again

2011-03-10T15:07:00.004-05:00

by: Jesse Shade

"The Oscars were awful this year: is probably one of the most commonly used phrases in the history of modern pop culture, right up there with “That new Nicolas Cage movie looks awful” and “Cher is really old.”

But as your neighborhood movie buff, I still see the Oscar's as my Super Bowl. No matter how awful the competitors are or how bad the halftime entertainment is and commercials are, I’ve still been awaiting it all year and I’m going to be engaged in what happens.

Plus, I’ve liked this new string of unlikely hosts: Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin co-hosting with Steve Martin, and now Oscar nominee/jack of all trades James Franco co-hosting with the girl who would be Catwoman, Anne Hathaway. What’s the worst that could happen?

Well, let’s just say that “pleasant” and “non-shocking” aren’t qualities I seek in my Oscar hosts, and that’s what Franco and Hathaway brought to the table. OK, Hathaway wasn’t that bad, mostly because she was filled with genuine enthusiasm to be there (her first line to the audience being “Wow, you’re all real!”) and willingness for anything thrown her way in terms of material.

But there simply wasn’t a wealth of material for her or Franco to work with outside of the pre-taped skit before the show, resulting in a lot of sub-“Sonny and Cher” banter between the two actors. And Franco must have been treating his gig as performance art as he does with his inexplicable guest spots on “General Hospital” because playing the “stupid and possibly stoned” card all night got old pretty quick.

Though they did win me over in that aforementioned pre-taped skit, a bit about incepting Alec Baldwin’s dreams of the Best Picture nominees with a welcome Morgan Freeman cameo, they just sought to reinforce my idea that comedy should be left to comedians.

Presenters like Robert Downey Jr. making fun of his drug busts and Kevin Spacey singing Fred Astaire had more charm in their pinky finger than Franco did through the whole three hours, and if the Oscar's still want some actors to host, they better pay some attention. However, bringing a Charlie Sheen joke 56 minutes into the show was a remarkable bit of restraint.

So besides the ceremony, the actual winners of the awards held next to no surprises. British socials beat American anti-socials as “The King’s Speech” beat one-time frontrunner “The Social Network” for Best Picture. The “King” himself, Colin Firth, took home Best Actor with a self-effacing speech that wouldn’t seem out of character with his stammering King George.

Natalie Portman was indeed perfect as Best Actress for “Black Swan,” as she was pregnant with the baby of choreographer Benjamin Millepied, whose character in the film had said he didn’t want to have sex with her. Christian Bale’s shocking weight loss for “The Fighter” paid off, as he won Best Supporting Actor for his washed-up junkie boxer Dicky Eklund. In his speech, Bale gave a shout-out to his real-life basis in the audience, as well as his website, which is probably seeing more traffic than the Disneyland parking lot in summertime.

The only two possible shocks of the night went to Best Supporting Actress Melissa Leo and Best Director Tom Hooper. Leo, the early front-runner as the brash Mother Eklund in “The Fighter,” was thought to have lost her chances after a series of “For Your Consideration” ads, in which Leo posed in self-styled glamour shots, had Hollywood snickering. But Leo came out triumphant over the silly controversy, letting out a quickly deleted F-bomb and thanking the Academy for focusing on her instead of her… tendency to flaunt her prettiness, I guess.

Then “King’s Speech” director Hooper won over Best Director front-runner David Fincher of “The Social Network,” who was thought to get the award as a consolation prize for losing to “King’s Speech’s” inevitable sweep. But Hooper, most famous for directing such acclaimed HBO miniseries as “Elizabeth I” and “John Adams,” gave a genuinely sweet speech that thanked his mom for suggesting that he direct the film. Man, if I listened to my mother more often, I might be winning Oscar's instead of watching them. Oh wait, I’m lazy. Never mind, moving on!

In between Franco and Hathaway’s awkward bits of banter, the show’s producers clearly tried reaching for a “journey into Oscar past” approach that significantly lacked the “journey” part.

Before presenting Art Direction, Tom Hanks went on about how such past winners in the category, like “Gone with the Wind” and “Titanic,” went on to sweep the rest of the Oscar's. This year’s winner? “Alice in Wonderland,” which couldn’t sweep a bug under the carpet. Kind of a pointless observation, Tom.

Then there was an homage to the first Oscar's ceremony in 1928, with an art deco backdrop resembling the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, from which emerged the next two presenters in matching white tuxes: Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem. You know, that old-time comedy duo from “No Country for Old Men.” OK.

Then Franco and Hathaway introduced veteran Oscar host Billy Crystal - emerging from a “Tooth Fairy”-induced exile, I guess – who went on to introduce an homage to the first televised Oscar ceremony in 1953, complete with a hologram version of Bob Hope telling his old jokes.

First off, this “remarkable” bit of “technology” makes me convinced we’re heading toward a future similar to that “Futurama” episode where the head of Billy Crystal is trading jokes with Jack Nicholson’s brain in a baboon’s body at the Oscar's in the year 3000. Secondly, it makes me believe that Franco and Hathaway were apparently so bad that a 108-year-old man, dead for 8 years, had to be summoned from beyond the grave to save the show. That’s quite an achievement.

With all this homage to the past, it’s surprising they only brought out one Hollywood veteran to present: 94-year-old Kirk Douglas presenting Best Supporting Actress. But Douglas actually stole the show by delaying the envelope opening to do some comedic riffs on Hugh Jackman and Colin Firth and doing some mock wrestling with a stagehand over his cane.

On one hand, I was delighted to see one of Hollywood’s finest stars survive the Golden Age of Hollywood and a speech-impairing stroke to act like the consummate star he is and always will be. On the other hand, I was begging to God that he stop trying to vie for Betty White’s job of Funny Old Person and just open the darn envelope, because this show is long enough without his shtick. Still love you, though, Spartacus.

This was the pattern followed through the rest of the night: today’s hottest stars awkwardly fitted into tributes to the Hollywood of yesteryear, while the rest of the more technical categories had a significant lack of surprise.

Real-life stutterer David Seidler got the first of “King’s Speech’s” four wins that night for his original screenplay, while the snappy dialogue that “Social Network’s” Aaron Sorkin added to Ben Mezrich’s retelling of the founding of Facebook (“The Accidental Billionaires”) won Sorkin an Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay.
“Toy Story 3,” which I’m not ashamed to say was my favorite film of last year, got an expected win for Animated Feature and another win for Randy Newman’s Original Song for the film, “We Belong Together” (no, not the Mariah Carey song). Newman’s speech, which poked fun at the Academy for trying to shorten his “thank you” list and only nominating four songs instead of five, was another highlight of the night that reminded me how cool he can be.

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor became “Oscar-winning composer” Trent Reznor after winning for the ambient “Social Network” score that he co-wrote with Atticus Ross, “Inception” deservedly took home the most technical awards (four including Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects and Cinematography), and Benicio del Toro’s critically-maligned flop remake of “The Wolfman” can now say it has more Oscar's than “127 Hours,” “The Kids Are Alright” and “True Grit” after winning one award for Makeup.

The show closed with a genuinely sweet rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by the fifth grade PS22 Chorus from Staten Island, as the winners came out to join them. Wow, Oscar producers, way to make all the losers feel like crap. I can imagine that David Fincher and Amy Adams and Jesse Eisenberg got sloppy drunk that night, doing shots with Kirk Douglas and Hologram Bob Hope.

Oh, and Francis Ford Coppola and Eli Wallach won some Honorary Oscar's. Back in November, that is, so that the TV producers could just show them on stage for a minute and not make us sit through their speeches. Clearly, sitting through another routine between Franco and Hathaway was more interesting than seeing the director of “The Godfather” and Tuco from “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” get some deserved love. Clearly.

So that was the 2011 Academy Awards, a show that tried to please the younger generation and older generation simultaneously and probably pleased nobody.
Again, I’ll be fair that problems like these aren’t foreign at all to Oscar telecasts. Geez, back in 1974, they had Richard Pryor co-hosting alongside Warren Beatty, Ellen Burstyn and Jane Fonda, so imagine that disaster. But within the 11 years or so I’ve been watching the Oscar's, it’s truly a personal low point: predictable winners alongside a show that was trying too hard and too little at the same time, with precious few highlights.

Making the Oscar's entertaining all the way through is probably a hard job, but making them this much of a slog to sit through had to have taken a lot more effort.
And one last thing: Where was Jack Nicholson? He hasn’t been at the show since “The Departed” got Best Picture. Jack, we still love you. “How Do You Know” wasn’t that much of a career killer. Come back and show these pansies how it’s done.

Video games: 'Dead Space 2' is intensely scary

2011-03-10T15:03:00.002-05:00

by: Robert Rinaldo

“Dead Space 2,” developed by Visceral Games and published under Electronic Arts, is the sequel to the 2008 award-winning survival horror third-person shooter video game.

The game had a lot of expectations to live up to due to the critical success of its predecessor as well as the trend of emphasizing action over horror in recent games, most notable “Resident Evil 5.” Fortunately, Visceral Games succeeded in outdoing the predecessor and creating one of the scariest games of all time.

The game takes place three years after the events of the previous title. The main protagonist, Isaac Clarke, has no memory of his whereabouts during the last three years and wakes up on the Sprawl, a densely populated metropolis built on a shard of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Unfortunately, the Sprawl is infested with the mutated alien race known as “Necromorphs,” which can only be killed by dismembering their limbs from their bodies.

One of the franchise’s greatest strengths is storytelling; “Dead Space 2” continues that trend. The plot of the game is well paced with plenty of good twists to keep you on the edge of your seat while playing. The game also offers a recap of the events from the first game, so players will not be entirely lost if this is the first “Dead Space” title they are picking up.

The big question is whether or not “Dead Space 2” is scary. Recent games in the survival horror genre have placed more emphasis on action gameplay elements as opposed to horror, which has led gaming journalists and fans to question whether the genre has been abandoned entirely. Thankfully, this is not the case for “Dead Space 2,” as this is by far the scariest game I have ever played in my life.

Monsters will attack from every direction throughout the game. Some will pop out from the ceiling or from a vent while others will be waiting around the corner. The unpredictability of when you will run into a “Necromorph” really forces you to tread cautiously through the environment; this is not a game where you can mindlessly run through every room and area without getting spooked in some form.

Apart from the monsters, the environment itself really adds a degree of suspense and horror. The wide-open, larger scale setting offers much greater diversity of locations, which can make for some truly eerie and horrific moments, including a recruiting center for a mining operation and an elementary school.

One interesting addition to “Dead Space 2” is a competitive multiplayer very similar to that of “Left 4 Dead.” The multiplayer is separate from the main game, so an additional one-time fee is required before playing (unless the game is purchased new). Fortunately, the multiplayer is well worth it, with five objective based missions and the ability to unlock new weapons and suits.

The gameplay remains similar to its predecessor, which is a good thing. Having to dismember the “Necromorphs” as opposed to simply shooting them in the head retains its sense of strategy from the first game while still providing hectic moments. Killing and even being killed by “Necromorphs” leads to some of the goriest moments I’ve ever seen in a video game.

“Dead Space 2” also brings back Stasis energy and Kinesis, two telekinetic powers used to manipulate and freeze certain objects. These become very useful throughout the game as you are able to combine both of these with a wide variety of weapons to kill “Necromorphs.”

Overall, “Dead Space 2” is by far the scariest and one of the best survival horror games since “Resident Evil 4,” and it is a perfect addition to the library of any horror gamer.

It is not for the faint of heart or stomach as it provides an abundance truly scary and gory moments, and even without the multiplayer it is well worth a purchase.
Visceral Games has released a new golden standard in the survival horror genre, one that will be pretty tough to top for the years to come.

College chefs face off in Caf competition

2011-03-10T14:55:00.002-05:00

by: Paige Cole

BAM! Emeril Lagasse may have never set foot on the Lycoming College campus. However, that doesn’t stop Sodexo from transforming the cafeteria into something like that seen on The Food Network.

Chef’s Fare, a competition between chefs from DeSales University, Lehigh University, Lafayette College, and Lycoming College, was held in the dining hall March 2.
Each team prepared a dish and students voted on which one they liked best.

“The idea surrounding Chef's Fare is to expose Colleges in our region to each other and to get the chef's from each school out to the other schools to show off some of their specialities,” Jeff Griffis, the interim general manager for Lycoming dining services said.

“It is usually centered around a theme, this year being tailgating/School spirit. It also fosters a relationship between the chefs so they have resources to go to when looking to improve their programs at their respective schools. It is usually set up as stations in the dining room where each school decorates and prepares foods for the guest to sample.”

The menu for Lycoming College was a crispy corn taco stuffed with achiote chicken, rice, roasted corn, pablano cake and a fondue bar. Lehigh University prepared grilled cilantro lime flank steak with Jack Daniel’s whiskey sauce, pineapple jicama slaw, smokey chipotle mac and cheese, and a banana split brownie. Lafayette College offered brown sugar and apple cider barbeque roasted turkey breast sandwich, chicken cheese steak chili and dark chocolate chunk mint mousse cookie sandwiches. Finally Desales University cooked cheese tortellini carbonara, pan fried risotto with wild mushrooms and fresh rosemary and Sicilian lemon bars.
The turnout for the event was good.

“We had around 800 students,” Griffis said. “That is a good number for dinner and over 500 votes were received.”

The feedback received also evidenced a generally liked event.

“We had a great turnout and lots of positive comments which were echoed again at lunch as we interacted with the students,” Griffis said. “It was a great change of pace and a fun night for all.”

The fare originated from such positive feedback.

“It has been around at some colleges for several years,” Griffis said. “And it has been spreading each year since it is so widely received in a positive manner.”

According to Griffis, “The fare will be an annual event to be held every year, not always the same time of year but every year.”

In addition to the fare, Sodexo has planned some other events for the students.
“A Mardi Gras dinner,” was held on Wednesday. Griffis said, “We are working with the school for the Charter Day Celebration on April 2. We have an Italian buffet schedule for dinner on April 13 as well as some late night events.”

WRLC 'The Thunder' gears up for fundraisers

2011-03-10T14:52:00.001-05:00

by: Jennifer Basch

There are about 40 students on campus involved as disc jockeys on the student-run radio station in the Communications Building this semester.

Mondays through Saturdays the station can be heard on 91.7FM up to 15 miles away from campus and anywhere around the world through its website.

The executive staff including Stephanie Robinson, the station manager; Sabrina Edington, the director of underwritings; Justin Ossont and Myles Biggs, the assistant managers; Michael Tonart, public relations and Mark Shuman, adviser, work hard by keeping the station active. Each of these people are very passionate about their roles as staff members.

Not just communication students but any students, regardless of experience, are able to start a show. Training sessions are available for new DJs. Students may play their favorite music ranging from country to rap and hip-hop to classical music.
Ossont said, “The shows are going great and we are really happy with the crew we have now, they are a great bunch of talented radio hosts.”

Students can have a show for two hours a week, either two straight hours or they can split it up another day. Scheduling also is very flexible; the students schedule a time when it is convenient for them. Students can do radio shows in pairs, which makes it less stressful.

There are many events that disc jockeys are involved in. One is “Millions of Pennies.” The students involved go around to the dorms asking for spare change they would like to donate to Aids Resource.

“Last semester we raised $600 with the ‘Millions of Pennies’ event,” Robinson said. “We plan to do another ‘Dorm Storm’ to raise money the week of March 28.”
As a corporate communications major, Ossont, sophomore, enjoys his duties as a staff member.

“My other title besides assistant manager is now Sports Broadcasting and this division of the radio station is to get students involved with announcing Lycoming Athletics. We have been working on this for some time now and will probably be in full swing next fall,” Ossont said. He is optimistic for the future and his passion for the radio is evident.

“As of right now we are aiming to do two football broadcast in the fall, the homecoming game and one other home game, as well as hopefully both mens’ and womens’ soccer as long as we have the proper equipment in place to broadcast a great show. Then we will be aiming to do men’s and women basketball and men’s and women's lacrosse in the spring. Over all there is some work that needs to be done but I'm hoping by the end of the semester and a quick warm-up in the fall, WRLC will not only play the greatest music but also bring Lycoming Athletics across the country and world with the radio station,” Ossont said.

A new asset for the WRLC staff is their delay system.

“We just recently bought a 7-second delay system so callers can go on air,” Robinson said. “We raised a couple of thousand dollars from other fundraisers and underwritings to buy the system,” she said. The request line for music is 231-4054.
Another event that the staff is very enthusiastic about is Relay for Life. WRLC will be playing music for 12 hours straight during this event on March 25-26.

WRLC holds weekly meetings at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Communications Building.

Student Senate holds elections

2011-03-10T14:49:00.002-05:00

by: Paige Cole

With protests in Wisconsin and riots in Egypt, the political scene at Lycoming College seems pretty tame. However, this year’s Student Senate elections are shaping up to be exciting races.

The Student Senate elections for both Executive Board and Class Officers are set to take place this month. The Executive Elections will run from noon to noon. Each class will have separate elections.

Elections for the Class of 2014 will be held March 23 through 25; Class of 2013 will be held March 27 through 29, and finally the Class of 2012 will run from March 30 to April 1. Voting for all races will be open from noon to noon on the final day. Executive elections were held earlier this month.

Last year voting took place on Orgsync. However the college chose to disband the program this year, so Student Senate needed to find an alternative option.

“Elections will be very simple this year,” Samantha McConnell, Senate executive vice president, said. “You can electronically vote on Webadvisor. There will be an e-mail sent out with more details but when you sign into the students’ menu on the right hand side there is a section for student elections.”

Aside from the new voting format, elections are a bit different this year. In the past, students were only allowed to run for one position. However, the new set up changes this rule.

According to McConnell, “If students wish to run for both executive council and a class officer position if they do not win the executive position, they may do so because of the different dates of the elections.”

Results will be verified by ITS and then sent to Bob Hamell, Senate president, for executive elections and McConnell for class officer elections.

McConnell and other members of SSLC are looking forward to this year’s elections.

“I really think this is exciting,” McConnell said. “This year has been the first in a long time that there is a race for every single executive position. There are some great candidates and great competition.”

The candidates for executive president are McConnell, Matt Ruth and Tyler Breech; for executive vice president: Jenna Miller and Sarah Cox; executive treasurer: Daniel Angstadt and Krystalynn Andersen and for executive secretary: Stephanie Robinson and Robert Rinaldo.

Candidates for Class of 2014 officers include: Matt Ruth for president, Maralee Fye for vice president, Zack Brower for treasurer and Lauren Robertson for secretary.
For Class of 2013: Sarah Cox, Brandon Sellers and Jenna Miller for president; Robert Rinaldo for vice president; Krystalynn Andersen for treasurer, and No Candidate for secretary.

For Class of 2012: Denyse Walters for president; Rebecca Weaver and Angelika Maryniak for vice president; Lindsay Stern and Juliann Anderson for treasurer and Kari Lenz for secretary.

If you have any comments or concerns contact McConnell at her campus e-mail or Student Senate at senate@lycoming.edu.

Lycoming Theater Department lair for dragons

2011-03-10T13:40:00.002-05:00

by: Linnea Morris

Dragons always have been associated with the theater department at Lycoming College.

Today, everyone knows the Dragon’s Lair Theatre in the depths of the Academic Center, but the theater department and dragons have a longer standing history.
As the legend goes, according to the 1966 Lycoming Bulletin, the first dragon appeared during the 1947-1948 school year. The students of the Frill and Frown dramatic club apparently were inspired to paint the dragon by the acquisition of hand carved Chinese furniture.

The furniture set consists of a love seat and two arm chairs that have decorated many until it came to rest in on stage in theater productions. Around 1964, one of the dragon chairs was found in six pieces by the technical director Mike Welch. A year later, the restored arm chair became the queen’s throne in “Under the Sycamore Tree.”

After the Bulletin article was published, the chairs again disappeared and have not been found in the theatre department today. These chairs have been long gone.
Fortunately, the dragon’s legacy remains. The dragon was painted on the wall in the basement in Bradley Hall in 1947. Bradley Hall was one of the adjoining buildings to Old Main, where the Recreation Center now stands. In an oral history interview done by Julia Dogherty, one of the workers in the College Archives, talks to Dr. Otto Sonde, both graduate from 1947 and former professor at Lycoming.

Sonder remembers that the room was in the unused basement and “the drama club people cleaned it up and painted this huge dragon on the wall, it was about 25 feet long…We called it the ‘Dragon Room’ and we used it to have our drama meetings down there. We kept a lot of old furniture that we used for sets and so forth.”

Eventually, the Dragon Room was turned into a classroom and the dragon watched over some English as well as German classes.

According to the Lycoming Bulletin, the room was dubbed the Thursday Theatre, where a theater forum took place and “students and teachers could present original works, experiment with avante-garde plays, or learn from the spontaneity of improvisations.”

Every year the dragon remained, the maintenance crew would touch up and help maintain the dragon until the demolition of Bradley Hall.

Around 2000, the professors in the theater department decided the Green Room Theatre needed a new name. For one, it was not green, but black.

Professor Jerry Allen, with the help of a student, Matt Alexander, wanted to recreate the fire-breathing dragon on the wall outside the theater as close as possible to the original. They also renamed the Green Room Theatre to the Dragon’s Lair Theatre.

The dragon in the hallway outside the door stands today under the Mary Welch Theatre.

Students prepare for skydiving

2011-03-10T13:38:00.001-05:00

by: Aliza Davner

Jumping out of a plane might not seem like a smart, or safe, idea to many people, but for those on campus looking for an adrenaline rush, Campus Activities Board has the just the thing — the spring skydiving trip.

Unlike the previous trip, held in 2009, CAB will sponsor two opportunities for students to go skydiving this year — one on April 2 and the other on April 9. According to Junior Joe Andrie, CAB executive vice president and wilderness chair, both trips can hold a maximum of 52 students and there are seats left for both trips.As with other popular CAB events, several students could be found camped out the night before the 7 a.m. sign-ups in the Student Programs lobby to ensure a spot.
To Andrie, this enthusiasm is what makes events such as the skydiving trip both exciting and successful.

“I think it shows a lot of excitement about the trip … it’s an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and people were willing to get up early for it,” he said.

The trip, which is sponsored by CAB and funded by Student Senate, takes place every two years, which is mostly due to it being one of the more expensive CAB trips, Andrie said. This year’s trip comes with a cost of $80 per person.

On the day of the trip (April 2 or April 9), students will board a bus and depart the campus at 6:45 a.m. and arrive at the Northeast PA Skydiving Center in Hazleton, around 8:30 a.m. Once at the center, students will receive a brief instructional session on how to become a beginner skydiver, as well as an introduction to the equipment they will be using during the jump.

The jumpers will be in the air for a total of 30 to 45 seconds, Andrie said.

All students on the trips will be participating in what is called “tandem skydiving,” where they will be strapped to a professional skydiver for the duration of their jump. Students will go up in the plane in small groups for their jumps.
Andrie is hoping for a repeat of the success of the 2009 trip. “(I’m) hoping that everybody (who) goes enjoys it and that we have great weather,” he said.

Students who are interested in signing up for the CAB skydiving trip can do so in the Student Programs Office, located on the third floor of the Wertz Student Center. Students are required to provide a $20 deposit at sign up, with the balance of the cost due later in March.

If students have any questions concerning the trip, they can contact Andrie at andjose@lycoming.edu.

'Harry Potter' Night a flying success at Snowden

2011-03-10T13:32:00.004-05:00

by: Victoria Yuskaitis

Harry Potter Night on Feb. 25 was so popular that students had to be “chased out (of the library) at 12:15a.m., said Mary Broussard, an assistant professor and instructional services librarian at Snowden Library.

The event occurred in Snowden Library and began at 9p.m., with most of the main events ending around 11:15 p.m..

Broussard explained that Lycoming College and the Pennsylvania College of Technology coordinated the event.

Since it was a joint effort, the date for Harry Potter Night was chosen very early. Although Broussard admitted that having the Spring Formal and the Brother’s Grimm events the same weekend created some conflict, she said her committee “picked the date first!”

Harry Potter Night had no connection between the English Society’s Harry Potter week or the newest Harry Potter movie, Broussard said. She further explained that the English Society had wanted to combine the two events but that the date for Harry Potter Night had already been chosen and could not be changed.

Although Broussard said that 35 people attended the event, 17 were not from the Lycoming community. Harry Potter Night was open to Penn College students as well as to the Williamsport area, but those not part of Lycoming College had to have a ticket. The tickets, Broussard explained, were free and were used mainly to obtain a head-count before the event. Broussard said that many middle and high school students attended.

Most of the Harry Potter Night activities occurred on the first floor of the library, Broussard said.

When people entered Snowden, they were sorted into houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Ravenclaw) with a Sorting Hat that Alison Gregory, an assistant professor and instructional services librarian at Snowden Library, created from a grocery bag.

When participants won an activity, Broussard said, they also won points for their house and competed for the ultimate prize: the house cup.

“If someone came in costume,” Broussard said, “we let them pick through and find the right house.” More people came in costume this year than in previous years, so Broussard said that “Gryffindor was enormous!”

Attendees, Broussard said, could guess how many Bertie Bott’s jellybeans were in a jar, go on a Bowtruckle hunt or Build-a-Burrow. The person who had the closest guess to the actual number of jellybeans won both the jellybeans and house points.

Broussard and Gregory had hidden more than 100 Bowtruckles (magical creatures recreated with sticks and googley eyes) along with the Snitch (a magical winged ball essential for quidditch) throughout the library. Each house collected as many bowtruckles as they could find. The house with the most obtained points, as did the house that found the Snitch.

The Build-a-Burrow event, Broussard said, was a craft activity that allowed participants to re-create the Weasley’s house, named the burrow. Gregory cut out the basic shape of the house, but the decorations, towers and the ghoul in the attic were added by Harry Potter fans. The finished burrow is on display at the Circulation Desk.

Broussard said that a costume contest and a “most Dobby-esque sock contest” was held. Winners in both categories won points for their houses. Broussard admitted that the costumes were “better than usual” this year and that seeing the “crazy, mis-matched socks” was quite amusing!

Multimedia Harry Potter Trivia was also available, Broussard said. Participants had to identify Powerpoint slides and audio clips. Last year, Broussard said, the library borrowed buzzers from student services. This year, however, she said that “we liked them so much that we bought our own!” Laughing, she recalled using squeaky dog toys in the past – as Broussard said, they were much less precise than the buzzers.

Finally, a Potions table was available for students who wanted to create magical concoctions. Colored Gatorade made up the base of the brew, but candies and “sugary stuff” was available for students to add, Broussard said. The person with the best concoction won points for his or her house.

Broussard said she was surprised that “people actually drank it!”

On the second floor of the library, Broussard explained, Broussard and Gregory re-created the steps Harry had to take to find the Sorcerer’s Stone in the first Harry Potter book.

Participants had to get past Fluffy, Hagrid’s three-headed dog, by singing the Hogwart’s Song to any tune they wished; make their way through the Devil’s snare (a yarn maze, some of which was strung with bells that participants tried not to ring); find the one correct key out of 99 others in order to open the right door; play chess (or, in this case, a game of Twister renamed Wizard Whirl); defeat the troll (climb over the giant bean bag chairs); decipher the potion’s riddle (find the password to Dumbledore’s office); and read the backward inscription on the Mirror of Erised. These events were not part of the house competition.

Broussard explained that Slytherin eventually won the house cup, although Gryffindor also tied for first. In order to break the tie, an impromptu quidditch toss (ball toss) was implemented.

“It kept being a draw at first, but Slytherin did pull ahead,” Broussard said.
Broussard said that Gregory puts her to shame as a fan. Both librarians, Broussard said, enjoy decorating and making themed food such as pumpkin pasties, cockroach clusters and butterbeer.

Broussard added that she tried out many of the events to make sure they were not too easy or too hard; as she said, “I tried (to climb over the beanbag chairs), ended up on my back, and couldn’t get up!”

Broussard said that although Harry Potter Night is an annual occurrence, they “try to do things differently each year.” Although the night requires plenty of planning, Broussard said “I enjoy it!”

English Society brings fairy tales to life at Grimm Ball

2011-03-10T13:28:00.002-05:00

by: Victoria Yuskaitis

The Brother’s Grimm Ball and Brother’s Grimm Reading , hosted by the English Society in the last week of February, were inspired by fairy-tale type movies like “Tangled.”
Melody Johnson, a senior, stated that selections from the Brother’s Grimm original fairy tales were read aloud by English Society members at the Reading. Tales such as “Briar Rose” (“Sleeping Beauty”), “Little Red Cap” (“Little Red Riding Hood”),“Cinderella Bloody Feet” (“Cinderella”), and “Hansel and Gretel” were passed from member to member of the English Society.

Johnson chose to read “Cinderella Bloody Feet.”

She said that the original Grimm tales tend to be more perverted and “gorier versions of Disney’s (versions).” Nearly 10 people attended the reading.
The semi-formal ball, held in the East Hall Coffee House, had a similar theme as the reading. Tickets cost $2 if bought in advance and $3 if bought at the door; most attendees purchased their tickets early. Pizza, snacks and soda were available, and the money collected from the event was used to reimburse the club, Johnson said. Extra money was put aside for future English Society events.

Johnson said that a freshman, Victoria Bortniak, came to the ball in full costume. She wore a “gothic Victorian” ensemble complete with a corset, full skirt and a top hat with black lace spider webs and a veil.

Johnson described the event as “a lot of fun” and said that there was in impromptu limbo contest and dance contest that quickly turned into a spinning contest.

“Towards the end” Johnson said, “everyone was sitting around and talking to people while eating pizza…(We) got closer as a group.” About 25 people attended the ball, and about 10 of those people stayed for the entire event, she said.

“(We will) definitely do this again,” Johnson said. Although the English Society may not have another Brother’s Grimm Ball, more dances will follow. The Society usually pairs the dances with a reading so that the dances link with something English related, Johnson said.

Johnson said the club voted for officers on Feb. 28. Now serving as president is Amanda Edens, a sophomore.

Johnson said the new officers are: Amanda Miller, a sophomore, as vice president; Amber Schuetrumpf, a sophomore, as secretary; Brandon Sellers, a sophomore, as treasurer; Edens, as webmaster; and Miller, as community liaison.

Johnson said her presidency was “a lot of fun,” said Johnson. She was treasurer last year and this year was her first year as president. Smiling, Johnson added that it will be “even more fun once I’m gone.”

The English Society also is participating in Relay for Life, preparing to sell Solo T-shirts, and running a book club for teens at the James V. Brown Library. Johnson said anyone is welcome at the Brown Library book club, and that all proceeds from future events will be used for the English Society.

Other events the English Society has participated in this past year include Harry Potter week (complete with Harry Potter Trivia, a quidditch tournament, a costume contest, and the Yule Ball, among other things), the Campus Carnival, Homecoming Hall Crawl (where wands, butterbeer, and magic marble necklaces were sold), Halloween Horror Story Night, Christmas Carol Reading by the Fire, and Game Night.

Although Johnson said the events for the English Society are now dying down, she expressed satisfaction at the increase of events for the English Society. It was the English Society’s goal, Johnson explained, to become more involved in the campus and have more of a presence in college life this year, and the amount of events generated by the society prove that the Society tried hard to achieve this goal. “It’s worked,” she said.

Silent Ranks shows support for U.S. military families

2011-03-10T13:24:00.002-05:00

by: Emily Stinemire

The brave men and women who serve America face challenges and overcome obstacles that most of us couldn’t even dream of. They put their lives on the line to protect our country and its people. It is no secret that they deal with many hardships and have both positive and negative experiences that those who aren’t in the military find hard to relate to.

But what about the people that fall into a different category? What about the people who aren’t serving in the military, but are also much more than innocent bystanders oblivious to the trials and tribulations of the military men and women? What about the loved ones of those in the Armed Forces?

There is no special day marked on the calendar to celebrate the men and women who held down the home front while their loved ones were away protecting it. But that does not mean that it is an easy job, or one that should be taken lightly.

Lycoming College students Jenna Zimmer and Crystal Hampson know all too well the pride, pain, and fear that go along with having a loved one in the military. Zimmer’s brother and Hampson’s husband are both serving in the United State Marines Corps.

They often turn to each other when they are having a difficult time because as Zimmer says, “it is difficult to talk to people who haven't been through the same experiences.”

It was together that the young women came up with the idea of starting an on campus club where those who have family and close friends in the military could feel safe sharing their emotions with others who are going through, or have gone through, the same thing. They strongly believe that the best way to get through this difficult time is to have a support system to turn to in times of need.

Zimmer and Hampson started the process of forming the club this past fall, and on February 14th “Silent Ranks” became an official Lycoming College Club with a goal of “joining together military families and friends….who support each other when times get tough.”

Unfortunately, Hampson was not here to see Silent Ranks become a recognized college organization. She had to leave Lycoming College to be with her husband in California.

Zimmer said, “This is a great example of the sacrifices we make as military family members. In no way was it easy for her to leave, but it showed also how important our club is to people because she knew that we would all understand and support her decision 100 percent.”

Silent Ranks does more than offer support within itself. Members also make sure to show their support by sending letters and care packages overseas to the men and women serving the country.

Just a few weeks ago club member Stephanie Van Der Wal, along with the support of her sorority Alpha Xi Delta, sent a banner to her best friend Patrick Flynn in Camp Salerno, Afghanistan. The banner read “Alpha Xi Delta Iota Mu, Thanks You” and was signed by every sorority member.

Because they only recently received recognition from the college, members have not been able to do more than that yet, but they plan on having fund raisers that will benefit the United Service Organizations, more commonly known as the USO.

They plan to work with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars in the hopes of getting veterans to come speak on campus.

Silent Ranks is also in the process of planning a “Support the Troops Day” for the fall semester which will be open to college students and the community.

Zimmer’s goal for the club is to “get as many people as we can to be involved and learn more about military life and what it involves.”

Children, Music topic of Black History chats

2011-03-10T13:18:00.003-05:00

by: Paige Cole

Lycoming College celebrated Black History month with two Fireside chats, hosted by campus faculty.

The first of two Fireside Chats focused on the topic: “Music and Civil Rights.” The discussion was held on Feb. 21 and was hosted by Dr. Andrew Leiter, professor of English at Lycoming.

Growing up in the south, Leiter developed an interest in African-American and Southern literature.

“African-American Literature is related to music,” Leiter said. “It contains musical importance. I began studying the topic because of my ties to the South, where the Civil Rights Movement was a fresh wound. Also, who doesn’t like music?”

The influence of music in African-American culture dates from the pre-recorded slave narrative and song, to contemporary performers. Leiter chose selections that covered the whole time period.

The first piece was “Go Down Moses,” an African-American spiritual.

“The song compares slavery to the Jewish experience in Exodus,” Leiter said. “It doesn’t take a biblical scholar to compare slavery to the Bible. This song expresses freedom in biblical terms; the troubles, the implications.”

Another song was chosen for the theme present within its lyrics.

“‘Strange Fruit’ by Billie Holiday is a classic work that captures the civil rights’ struggle,” Leiter said. “The music depicts the lynching of African-Americans in the South.”

Although Leiter could highlighted a few, there were many other artists who impacted the Civil Rights Movement with their music. Such artists include Mahilia Jackson, who sang at the march were Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Had a Dream” speech, Bob Dylan, Marion Anderson, and the Impressions.

“There are many civil rights music groups,” Leiter said. “ They would play at fundraisers and some were even known as freedom singers."

Modern musicians such as Public Enemy develop a deep historical and social background within their music. Such a background is the main point that Leiter sought to express.

“Music has a certain amount of influence and power,” Leiter said. “Not only did African-Americans get the word out on the Civil Rights issue, but it was a source of strength for civil rights groups who sang songs about their own condition.”

The second of two Fireside Chats was held on Feb. 28th and was hosted by Dr. Richard Hughes, professor of religion. The discussion focused on the topic: “The Children of the Civil Rights Movement.”

Hughes was a participant in the Civil Rights Movement, where he witnessed police brutality against children first hand.

“Many volunteered to demonstrate and were arrested,” Hughes said. “Over 2,000 were put in jail and tortured.”

According to Hughes, the movement is often idealized. Much too often the suffering, deaths and killings are overlooked. However, Hughes presented a different perspective that can’t be found in a history book.

In the summer of 1964, Hughes, a student at Boston University, spent his time working on major campaigns in the South. During his venture, Hughes experienced the tension and fear that accompanied the movement.

“On Feb. 15, 1964, at Brookhaven, Miss., Sam Bowers organized 200 Klansman into the White Knights, an elite commando unit of the Klu Klux Klan devoted to random, unpredictable acts of violence,” Hughes said. “On the evening of June 21, White Knights murdered Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Cheney, who were active in the voter registration program. Shortly after the murders, I crossed Mississippi with two of my Boston University classmates, and we were tailed across the state by men in pickup trucks with gun racks in the cabs.”

Hughes returned to the south and Movement in March 1965 to participate in the Selma, Ala., voting rights campaign.

“Students had been conducting voter registration programs in Selma since 1962,” Hughes said. “The Selma campaign had three murders, and the most disturbing was that of Jimmy Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old African-American who had tried to register to vote five times.

In a night march in February, a state trooper shot Jimmy in the abdomen two times and later, as he lay dying in the hospital, Col. Al Lingo, head of the Alabama State Police, charged him with assault and battery and attempted murder on his deathbed.”
During the campaign, Hughes became acquainted with children who had been victims of police brutality.

“My partner in the marches and mass meetings was Lila Solomon,” Hughes said. “She was 12 years old and she had been arrested and jailed seven times. The black children of Selma had long prison records. They were arrested because they were demonstrating for their parents voting rights. Lila told me that she and her friends had been beaten with baseball bats and burned with electric cattle prods by the state police.”

During the movement, Hughes also had the pleasure of meeting King..

“When I visited with Martin Luther King at his home church in Atlanta on Sunday, Aug. 2, 1964, we discussed the difficulty of overcoming segregation in the rural south and shared anecdotes about our mutual professors,” Hughes said.

“During the worship service, his father, Daddy King, presided and said from the pulpit: ‘God must be protecting the life of my son Martin. Divine providence must be guiding the life of my son; otherwise Martin would have been killed by now.’ Martin had just returned from Mississippi, where he visited the ruins of burned-down churches and received death threats from White Knights hidden in the crowds.”

Years later, Hughes was affected by King’s death.

“On the evening of April 4, 1968, when I learned that Martin Luther King had been assassinated, I was overcome with grief and I wept intensely,” Hughes said. “I turned away from providential thinking and began to work on a tragic theology. Two years later I came to Lycoming College, bearing a tragic consciousness, and in my 41 years of teaching on this campus I have never lost the sorrow of the night when Martin died.”

Presently, Hughes uses his knowledge and personal experience to educate.

“The take-home message of my discussion is that racism is evil,” Hughes said. “Nothing justifies the suffering of a child.”

Symposium to feature short documentary

2011-03-10T13:15:00.001-05:00

The Academy Award Nominated Short Documentary “Poster Girl” will be screened at Williamsport’s Community Arts Center on 7:30 p.m. March 23.

The free public event is part of the college’s Spring Symposium focusing on the state of health care in America.

“Poster Girl” is the story of Robynn Murray, an all-American high school cheerleader turned “poster girl” for women in combat, distinguished by Army Magazine’s cover photo.

When Murray returned home from Iraq, her tough-as-nails exterior begins to crack, leaving her struggling with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and the challenges of rebuilding her life.

Shot and directed by first-time filmmaker Sara Nesson, “Poster Girl” is an emotionally raw documentary that follows Robynn over the course of two years as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption, using art and poetry to redefine her life.

Following the screening, a reception with Murray and Nesson will be held in the Patron’s Lounge of the Community Arts Center.

Dr. Josh Wilk, a military psychiatrist, is on campus today to discuss traumatic brain injuries in veterans.

College seeks 10-year reaccreditation

2011-03-10T13:10:00.001-05:00

by: Aliza Davner

Lycoming College is prepared for its reaccreditation and will host the evaluation group later this month, Susan Gaylor, vice president of administration and planning, said.

The full reaccreditation process occurs every 10 years, though, according to Gaylor, it has taken those involved in Lycoming’s reaccreditation over two years to prepare, as working groups first began meeting in December 2008.

According to Gaylor, Middlestates reaccreditation is based on 14 standards focusing on topics ranging from administration and finance to student life. The standards which focus on student life include topics such as the student experience, recruitment, retention and the classroom experience.

The reaccreditation committee was made up of more than 100 people, including a trustee, 28 campus administrators, 52 faculty members and 10 students. Participants were split into 11 working groups and assigned one or two standards on which to focus. At the end of the process, the working groups assembled a 200-page report to present to Middlestates.

Senior Bob Hamell was one of the students selected to participate in the reaccreditation process. As a member of working group 4, Hamell worked with other participants to address the issue of governance.

According to Hamell, the group addressed topics such as the various committees which make up Student Senate and its role in student life. The group also discussed the role of the department of Safety and Security on campus.

As part of its general recommendations, his group discussed an “assessment of college governance to make sure that role are clearly defined,” Hamell said. Under this suggestion, the group discussed the role of groups such as the Board of Trustees and how it has changed over the last 10 years. The group also suggested a review of governance committees to ensure that they are fulfilling and/or following their proposed goals, Hamell said.

Like Hamell, Senior Drew Boyles also was selected to participate in the reaccreditation process. Boyles was a member of working group 6, which focused on admissions and retention. According to Boyles, the group’s final recommendations included: exploring a way to predict student GPAs, ways to intermingle athletics and retention and ways to branch out and possibly bring back students who have either left the school or transferred to another institution.

Additionally, the group suggested tracking students on academic probation for a longer period of time in order to more closely monitor their progress, as well as develop ways to focus on student retention after their first two years on campus, Boyles said.

According to Gaylor, as another part of the reaccreditation process, Lycoming will play host to a nine-member peer group in late March. Gaylor said the peer group will be made up of representatives from other Middlestates schools. The group will be on campus for a three-day visit, during which members will meet with members of the student body, staff, faculty and administrators.

At the end of the visit, the group will compose a report of their findings, which will be presented to the campus and sent to Middlestates. Gaylor expects to hear the results of Lycoming’s reaccreditation in June, although she has no worries that the school will receive reaccreditation.

Gaylor went on to emphasize the importance of reaccreditation and the effect this process has on the students at Lycoming, noting that students wishing to attend graduate school need the benefit of coming from an accredited institution.
She also noted that the reaccreditation process allows a chance for Lycoming to look back on itself as an institution and an opportunity to discuss “what do we do well and how can we be better?”

Perhaps the most direct effect of reaccreditation comes in the impact of the process on the student. One way in which this process will greatly affect Lycoming students is through changes in academic programs. According to Gaylor, the process is akin to looking academic programs from a “30,000 foot view,” which allows more room for suggestions for policy changes.

One of the biggest issues concerning the reaccreditation working groups in terms of academics was the general education curriculum, the current version of which was put in place in the 1990s. Gaylor said, the group reviewed the curriculum, keeping in mind that “we are committed to remaining a liberal arts college, but are our distribution requirements meaningful or relevant to what we are trying to do?”
Gaylor said that the recommendation on student life extends beyond academics to include topics such as dorm life, campus organizations and sports. She said that some of the more general recommendations made for student life include improving the college’s methods of communication through moving to Facebook and texting.
Boyles echoes Gaylor’s thoughts on the impact of reaccreditation on Lycoming students. “General perceptions are that decisions are made with the business of Lycoming in mind. The reality is that many are made with the well-being of the student in mind,” Boyles said.

Hamell went on to say that, from the student perspective, reaccreditation is an opportunity to see that that “college is doing its job right.”

Reaccreditation is “ a chance to assess how we do things - we already have the concept that we do things well … every five or 10 years having someone come in and confirm that you’re on the right path to the right things, it’s nice to have that confirmation. It’s nice as a student to see that the school takes that kind of thing seriously,” Boyles added.

Gaylor sent out information about reaccreditation was in a campus-wide e-mail at the end of February, and presented the groups’ findings to college faculty with the help of Dr. Philip Sprunger of the economics department on Monday.

A copy of the full report is available in Snowden Library for those interested in reading the groups’ recommendations.

Softball team starts practice

2011-03-03T15:44:00.002-05:00

by: Kelly Prendergast

Winter weather is winding down and the Lycoming College softball team is gearing up for its fast-approaching season that includes 40 games crammed into 48 days in mid-March and April.

Out of these 40 games, half of them will be played at home, at the Shangraw Athletic Complex.

The Warriors season begins with a five-day spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., where the team will play eight games from March 14 through 18.

The season continues when the Warriors face teams in Wilkes-Barre from outside the conference: Wilkes University, away on March 23, and Kings University, home on April 7, before they start their conference play.

Most of the opponents that they will face are very skilled and competitive.
The Commonwealth Conference is considered a very strong conference packed with talented and competitive teams. It is home to Lebanon Valley College, Annville, ranked 24th in the nation, and Messiah College, Grantham, which is ranked 14th in the nation and is the defending conference champion.

Third-year head coach Dan Lazorka recognizes the strength of the conference and has a positive outlook on the season. He believes that the Warriors will be very competitive and continue to better their skills through hard work and lots of practice.

“My main goal for this season is to have the girls come together, and play like a team that has played with each other since they were eight years old. Yes, winning is important, but the biggest issue is coming together as one cohesive unit. If we can do that we will be successful,” Lazorka said.

This year the team has 12 players on its roster. The roster consists of four freshmen, seven sophomores, and one senior. Having such a young team may be a challenge for the Warriors this season, but Lazorka believes the team can rely on the experience of all the returning players and the senior leadership of captain Shauna Starr.

“Because of the small number we have girls playing a new position as well as multiple positions, so making sure everyone knows their position will also be a challenge,” Starr said.

“The goals for the team are obviously to win a championship, but also have a fun season. I am very excited for this upcoming season. We have great talent on our team and we get along very well, so I think this season overall will be successful,” she said.

“The small team and heavy game schedule means the Warriors may face many challenges, but their hard work and commitment to the team will bring them success,” Lazorka said. As of now the Warriors are putting their hard work in at the gym, until they are able to get out on the field. The season starts in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The first home game is at 1 p.m April 2 against Alvernia University, Reading.

Senior Spotlight: Stacy Flick

2011-03-03T15:40:00.002-05:00

by: Kaitlyn Ober

Stacy Flick is a strong believer that people should never give up on something they love.

Flick’s actions match her words, given that she is still swimming after the MAC Championships Feb. 11 to 13, in hope of making it to the NCAA tournament in March.
Feb. 19, Flick traveled to Ohio for the Kenyon College Invitational, where she set another school record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.43.

This year at the MAC Championships, Flick earned herself two first-place finishes.
She broke her own record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:28.89, shattering the time she had established earlier in the season.

She also won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.13.

Last season, Flick won the 100-yard breaststroke at the MAC Championships as well. That year, the women’s team also won the MAC team title. This year, the women placed third in the conference.

Additionally, Flick was named the team’s most valuable player the last three years, is a five-time Warrior of the Week and an All-American Scholar Honorable Mention for two years.

All this success did not come easy. Flick began swimming two years before high school started, where she met her coach and role model, Bob Cuthbert.

“My good friend encouraged me to start swimming. Before that, I never participated in competitive sports. I was a dancer and a cheerleader so this was something different. Come high school, I met Coach Cuthbert. He was an amazing motivator. He let the better swimmers stay in the pool while the other ones did dry-land work. He pushed me to work harder so that I was one of the swimmers in the pool every day,” Flick said.

When it was time to be recruited, Flick looked at Lycoming as being a big opportunity for her swimming career.

“Once I got the letter from Coach Jerry Hammaker about Lyco, their swim team and their training trips, I was pretty much sold. I now have been to three different training trips to Mexico, the Bahamas and Orlando, Fl.”

The time spent at the training trips and in the pool with her teammates are some of Flick’s favorite memories here at school.

“Being a part of this team is like being a part of a family. That’s why I love swimming so much. My teammates are some of my biggest motivators because I never want to let them down. A lot of people don’t realize that this is very much a team sport, and your individual times reflect and contribute to the entire team win.”

Last season when the women won the MAC title, Flick said that they were not expecting the great honor at all.

“At the beginning of the tournament, we had no idea that we would have a chance. The last day we realized how far we had come from behind to put us in position to win it all. It pushed us all even harder, and now we all have a ring to prove it.”

Flick is one of few seniors on the swim team this year. She has stuck it out because she believes that if you push yourself hard enough, it will all be worth it in the end. Her former coach told his swimmers every day, “You never get anywhere if you only work on the days you feel good.”

Flick’s dedication to the sport has brought her many accomplishments to her career, and hopefully it will give her a berth at the NCAA tournament and possibly a medal, which is March 23-26 at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tenn.

Flick will be the only Lycoming swimmer present.

Flick is a criminal justice and psychology major. She is an intern at the Women’s Prison in Muncy.

After graduation, she is still undecided with her plans, but she wants to live closer to home and her family.

Joe Andrie: Breaking records

2011-03-03T15:36:00.003-05:00

by: Justine Bush

Swimming since first grade has paid off for Joe Andrie who has broken two Lycoming College records this month in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke.

The junior from Reedsville vividly recalls his first experience at the Juniata Valley YMCA, where he remembers clinging onto the walls for his life. He saw the other kids putting their head under the water, doing flops and splashing around the pool.

“It’s kind of funny to think back on this now, but that’s what motivated me to learn how to swim; I wanted to break my limitations and be able to let go of the wall,” Andrie said. After lessons he finally could let go of the wall.
However, it was not until his ninth grade year of high school that he really gained an interest in swimming competitively, and ever since then he has been in love with the sport.

Andrie’s favorite is the breaststroke and it is the one that comes most naturally to him. It is also the stroke he succeeds in the most.

The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time.

In order to do well at swim meets Andrie trains and attends practices. When the swim team is in season he takes practice very seriously.

“Performing well is like going to the bank; you need to make enough deposits in practice so that you have something to withdrawal from at swim meets,” he said.

The Lycoming swim team members are very supportive to each other both in the pool as well as out of the pool and overall are very positive, he said. When the training environment is positive it helps him focus and get prepared for swim meets.

Focusing at each swim meet is unique to each person on how they may want to focus. Andrie learned thinking positive is a good tool touse to perform his best. Instead of thinking of all the things he could have done, Andrie thinks of all the things he has done to prepare for this moment and all of the work he has put in throughout the season.

Being competitive is always important to him and the rest of the team.
“Having a competitive mindset doesn’t necessarily imply cockiness, it just implies that you have an internal drive to succeed and to win, but still respect those people you hopefully plan on winning against,” Andrie said.

Andrie was excited to break the school record for the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke during the conference championships. He swam a 1:01.5 in the 100 breaststroke which beat the current record of 1:02.2 and swam a 2:15. in the 200 breaststroke which beat the current record of 2:17.

“It’s always exciting to achieve a personal record and even more exciting to achieve a school record,” Andrie said. The ecstatic Andrie said he was very thankful to his teammates and coaches who helped him reach his season goals.

Andrie plans to continue to work his hardest to improve his times in his other events, but he has to shave off a considerable amount of time in order to break any more school records. Next year is always another year he said.

“As far as I’m concerned, the swim team here at Lycoming College is the best swim team in our conference of which to be a member.”

The swim team has a great support system and grows very close as a team throughout their season. Like all sports teams, there are always conflicts, but they always get smoothed out and left in the past as the team moves on to bigger and better things throughout the season.

Every year the team does a snow run in which they run around campus in the snow in their swim suits. Andrie took part in the snow run which was held in January this year. It was cold but a lot of fun, he said. The snow run is something that the swim team members look forward to throughout the year.

“When else do you get to run around in the snow with a bunch of people in swimsuits, it’s definitely a Lyco tradition,”Andrie said.

On the other extreme the team takes a training trip to a warm environment this year they went to Orlando, Fla.

Andrie, an Indian Valley High School graduate is a junior biology major with minors in chemistry and spanish. He plans on attending medical school after graduation and someday have a career as a primary care doctor.

Lycoming Outstanding Athletic Achievements

2011-03-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

Isaiah Britton, Eric Grecco, Stephen Hinton, Andrew Lewis, Mike Maurer, and Ethan Sellers were named to the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference All-Academic Team.

Isaiah Britton earned his second straight bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.

Stephan Romano scored 5 goals and two assists in the men’s lacrosse 11-10 win against SUNY Maritime.

Roger Crebs entered into the PIAA District 4 Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame during the Class AAA and AA district tournaments at Williamsport High School on Feb.26.

Kaitlyn Ober earned second team all-conference honors in basketball.

Kevin Anthony earned the Commonwealth Conference’s Rookie of the Year award for basketball.

Terrell Nixon and Wetzel were named Wrestler of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors respectively for wrestling.

Stacy Flick set a new school record with her time trial
run, breaking the mark she set when she won the 100-yard breaststroke at the MAC Championships with a time of 1:06.13.

Will Kelly finished his basketball career with 1,147 points, 21st in school history, and 553 career rebounds, tied for 16th. He also notched 134 3-pointers, 11th in the program’s history. Kelly became the 11th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds

The wrestling program clinched their 25th straight winning season.

Joe Andrie posted his second school-record, shattering his own record mark in the 200-yard breaststroke set as a freshman; posting the record time of 2:15.15, shattering the record by more than two seconds.

Stacy Flick finished her MAC Championships with three top-10 finishes.

Lycoming men’s lacrosse posted their first win under new head coach Todd Hodgson against SUNY Maritime.

Jerald Williams tied the Lycoming College men’s basketball team’s single-season record for assists.

Head Men’s basketball coach Guy Rancourt reached 100 career wins.

Troy Hayre and Isaiah Britton posted 20 wins each this wrestling season.

Kaitlyn Ober earned her second D3Hoops.com Team of the Week honors of the season.

Myles Biggs was named the Middle Atlantic Conference Men’s Swimmer of the Week.

Stacy Flick was named the MAC’s Women’s Swimmer of the Week.

Hodgson joins men's lacrosse

2011-03-03T15:31:00.002-05:00

by: Kelly Prendergast

During this 2011 season the Lycoming College men's lacrosse team has been undergoing many changes. They are now under the leadership of new head coach Todd Hodgson.
Hodgson has nearly a decade of experience in the mid Atlantic conference and has spent time as an assistant at Susquehanna and Scranton before becoming the head coach at Manhattanville.

“I am very excited to be here at Lycoming. This college is a great institution that has fostered many young people to create things with their lives,” says Hodgson.
Hodgson started his coaching career at the nearby school Susquehanna, where he was the team's offense of coordinator. During his time at Susquehanna he helped the young program grow to be a strong contender in the mid-Atlantic conference. He continued his career by becoming an assistant coach at Scranton. Hodgson was then hired as the first full-time coach in the history of the program at Manhattanville. During his three years coaching at Manhattanville the program started to show improvement.

Not only does Hodgson have impressive career experience, he also was a talented player on the field. He was a star on his varsity team at Ramapo high school and then went on to play at Drew. While at Drew he led his team to a 42 and 40 record on and three consecutive Eastern collegiate athletic conference championships. Now, Hodgson has brought his experience from the field as a player and pass coaching positions, to Lycoming to help foster the growing tradition of Lycoming lacrosse, and to help the program remain a strong contender for the mid-Atlantic conference title.

With a new head coach, comes a lot of change for the Warriors. “It's about buying into a whole new system. In order to achieve our goal of competing for a MAC championship we must remain committed to the ideas of our new system,” says senior Matthew Siracusa.

The 2011 season approaches quickly and there seems to be a positive outlook on the teams possible success. Although the Warriors lost six starters from the last season squad, they will be returning solid talent. They have 14 returning seniors and in the past years the team has finished in second place or better in the league standings in each of the past three years.

Lady Warriors welcome Dunn

2011-03-03T15:26:00.003-05:00

by: Jennifer Basch

This spring season, the women's soccer team will try to focus on three important areas: learning how to get fit and stay fit, playing as much as possible, and developing a team mentally as a foundation for the fall season under their new head coach.

The Women’s Soccer team welcomes Matt Dunn as the teams seventh head coach. Dunn began his duties as the head coach on Monday February 28. Dunn has over 10 years of experience with coaching soccer, including collegiate experience coaching the Binghamton University Men’s and Women’s teams for the past three years.

Originally from Owego, New York, Dunn was an undergrad at State University of New York at Geneseo where he graduated with a degree in history and a secondary education certificate. Dunn is also a graduate of the University at Buffalo with a degree in social studies education. In addition, he holds the NSCAA premier coaching diploma in soccer.

Some of Dunn’s personal hobbies include trail running, ultra marathons, and triathlons.

Dunn has set his goals for the season very high. Dunn says he wishes “to continue the development of student-athletes as students, players, and people through the enhancement of our athletic environment.” Dunn also adds that he would like “to create a framework that allows us to combine the competitive spirit of our players with the concept of attacking soccer.”

For the season, Dunn says “I like to play with four in the back and with three forwards up top, but what shape we end up using will be decided after this spring and early thing fall.” Dunn also adds, “Regardless of how we organize players on the field there are some key components of our game that will not change – we will be very organized defensively, we will always play with an extremely dedicated work rate and we will relentlessly attack the other team.”

Ever since Dunn was young, he knew he wanted to coach soccer. “I saw it as a way to combine one of my greatest passions (playing soccer) with my love of working with people and teaching.” He taught his first team as a senior in high school.

Dunn was interested in coaching at Lycoming College because he had a great time at SUNY Geneseo. Dunn feels that Lycoming and Genesco have many aspects in common. They include “a true student-centered experience, rigorous academics taught by dedicated professors, a family-like atmosphere and a total commitment to undergraduate education”.

The goal for this upcoming season, according to Dunn, is to have each player feel that we started something new.

“I constantly tell my players that the past is the past…what truly matters is the here and now, this training season, this game.” Dunn emphasizes “if at the end we can all agree that this upcoming season was the start of something new and the players are energized about that then I will feel like we accomplished our goal, regardless of wins and losses.”

Dunn has many expectations for the upcoming season. “I want us to try our absolute best in everything we do.” Cliché or not, “the true power of that statement and the mentality it brings is developing the ability to truly evaluates one’s own daily performances against the highest of standards”, he added. All of the players will experience different expectations, but the team will also encounter threats.

From last season, four out of the 10 teams in the Mid-Atlantic region came from the Commonwealth Conference. “That alone speaks volumes to the competiveness of our conference,” the coach said.

“On top of that you add Messiah which has been and will continue to be one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the nation and it is clear that competing in the Commonwealth Conference is an extremely arduous task, yet that is exactly what we aim to do.”

The women begin their spring workouts later in this month and are to continue on their own over the summer months to prepare for preseason and the fall season.

A look back at video game innovations of the last decade

2011-03-03T15:22:00.001-05:00

by: Robert Rinaldo

Video games have impacted society through both the variety of game consoles and games themselves that push the boundaries of graphics, storytelling and gameplay.
As the industry dives deeper into expanding gaming, let us take a look back through the previous decade and how far video games have come since then.

2000: Sony released the PlayStation 2, beginning the life span of what would become the best-selling console of all time. Electronic Arts released “The Sims,” which would later become the best-selling PC game in history. According to BBC News, Nintendo committed $80 million for protective gaming gloves to owners of “Mario Party” due to cuts, blisters and other hand injuries garnered from certain controller specific actions during gameplay.

2001: Nintendo and Microsoft released the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox respectively, the two main competitors of the PlayStation 2, while Sega officially discontinues the Sega Dreamcast. According to People.com, Uri Geller, an Israeli born mystifier, attempted to sue Nintendo over his resemblance to a Pokémon character, but the suit was dismissed. Rockstar Games released “Grand Theft Auto III,” which continues to be one of the most controversial games in history due to its sexual and violent content.

2002: G4 Media launched the g4 cable television video game network channel. Midway released “Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance,” which helped revive the franchise from a continued stream of poor media releases.

2003: Nintendo released “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker,” the premiere game for the franchise on the Nintendo GameCube, with a new cell-shading graphic style as opposed to the traditional 3-D style of its predecessors. Families of Aaron Harnel and Kimberly Bede, two young adults shot by teens inspired by “Grand Theft Auto III,” file a $246 million lawsuit against Rockstar Games, Wal-Mart and Sony Computer Entertainment America.

2004: “Halo 2” garnered up to $125 million in its first 24 hours on store shelves, one of the highest grossing releases in entertainment history. Nintendo officially announced its “Revolution” (later named Wii) console as well as released its DS. Activision released “Doom 3,” the rebirth of the franchise, with highly complex graphical features. Nintendo released “Pokémon FireRed” and “LeafGreen,” the remakes of the original “Red” and “Blue” on the Game Boy Advance.

2005: Sony released the PlayStation Portable handheld gaming system, the first handheld console to use an optical disc format, Universal Media Disc. Microsoft released the Xbox 360, the first high-profile seventh generation video game console.

2006: Sony and Nintendo released the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles respectively, the two main competitors of the Xbox 360. The Wii was the first console to use motion controls, a feature that would later be copied by both Microsoft and Sony. Public schools in West Virginia began to add “Dance Dance Revolution” by Konami to their curriculum in an effort to combat obesity.

2007: Microsoft announced an extension for the Xbox360’s warranty that applied retroactively to all consumers who purchased the console due to numerous complaints over faulty hardware. “Halo 3” was released and surpassed the record set by its predecessor.

2008: Nintendo partnered with former rival Sega and released “Super Smash Bros. Brawl,” the successor to the Nintendo GameCube’s best-selling game “Melee,” making it the first Wii game to support online play. “Grand Theft Auto IV” was released and stirred up even more controversies, lawsuits, and crime sprees involving teens inspired by the game. Konami released “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” and the game received widespread critical acclaim as well as various Game of the Year awards from several major gaming publications.

2009: “Batman: Arkham Asylum” was released and attained a Guinness World Record for “Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever.” Sony released a new version of the PlayStation 3 consoles, the 120GB PS3 Slim the rebranded the console using a new logo as well as new exterior design. The release of “Resident Evil 5” created controversy over whether or not the game was racist because it depicted a white male killing hordes of black enemies. Gamefaqs.com voted “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask,” originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, as the best game of the decade.

2010: Sony and Microsoft released Move and Kinect respectively, their answers to the widespread success of the Nintendo Wii. Microsoft officially discontinued Xbox Live for the original Xbox console and all its games. “Rock Band 3” was released with the ability to learn how to play an instrument as well as play the game as if you were playing a real instrument.

As the industry continues to explore new technologies in gaming, video games will continue to change in different ways as they affect society in both good and controversial ways.

Company struggles signal downfall of 'Guitar Hero'

2011-03-03T15:18:00.002-05:00

by Robert Rinaldo

Activision, one of the largest video game companies in the industry is perhaps best known for the “Call of Duty” series that started in 2003, one of the most popular franchises in gaming. Unfortunately, the company was forced to pull the plug on another of its famous franchises, “Guitar Hero.”

According to Metro.com, Activision announced in a press release that it lost $233 million, despite the release of “Call of Duty: Black Ops” in 2010. As a result of these losses, Activision announced it was canceling the whole “Guitar Hero” line to focus more on other licensed games, including a possible subscription-based service for “Call of Duty.”

As a result, the originally scheduled “Guitar Hero” game to be released in 2011 was canceled as well as all future downloadable content for the franchise.

“Guitar Hero” was first released in 2005, but Activision didn’t become involved until the release of the sequel “Guitar Hero II” in 2006. The success of the first two games inspired a plethora of sequels and spinoffs, including “DJ Hero,” “Band Hero” and band specific titles, leading to 17 games in the “Hero” franchise. The most recent game released was “Warriors of Rock,” which received mixed to poor reviews and weak sales.

“Guitar Hero” suffered a massive crash due to “sequelitis,” or the constant releasing of sequels due to prior commercial success and greed for money. Previously, this curse has only been known to affect Hollywood films, but many believe the same can happen to games because of the two-year negative track record “Guitar Hero” faced.

In 2008, Activision released “Guitar Hero Aerosmith,” the first band-centered game, and “Guitar Hero On Tour,” the first handheld game, in an attempt to attract a wider audience. Unfortunately, the release of “Rock Band” from Harmonix caused Activision to innovate the franchise out of desperation.

Activision released “Guitar Hero World Tour” that same year, which attempted to mimic the gameplay of “Rock Band” by offering drums and microphone peripherals as well as similar songs from “Rock Band.” This officially began the war between “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” as both franchises now were offering highly similar gameplay options.

For players, the year 2009 killed the “Guitar Hero” franchise. To beat out its competition, Activision released seven games consisting of “Guitar Hero 5,” “Van Halen,” “Metallica,” “Smash Hits,” “On Tour: Modern Hits,” “Band Hero” and “DJ Hero” with a tabletop turner peripheral.

Despite the positive reception toward “Guitar Hero 5,” “Metallica” and the “DJ Hero” games, fans grew tired of the constant slew of sequels, with little to no changes in gameplay, released. After “Warriors of Rock” failed to match sales of its predecessors, the franchise finally saw the end of the line.

Whether or not “Guitar Hero” is officially dead for good is still unknown. It is quite possible that Activision is simply taking a break for a while to give the franchise some breathing room, at least until the next generation of consoles is released. The question that still remains is whether or not Activision could have done anything to save its dying franchise.

The answer, at least in my mind, is simple. “Guitar Hero” destroyed itself when it tried to out innovate “Rock Band,” because it wasn’t going to happen. The game was called “Guitar Hero” for a reason, because it emphasized playing tough guitar-oriented tracks. The moment the franchise added full band gameplay to compete with “Rock Band” was when it dug its own grave.

To be fair, “Rock Band 3” underperformed as well, mostly because of poor promotion, but the game offers more gameplay innovations than “Guitar Hero,” the most prominent the ability to learn and play a real guitar, or realistic guitar peripheral, within the game itself. “Guitar Hero” could not implement this technology without directly copying it from “Rock Band 3.”

Had the franchise stuck to its original gameplay as well as held back on the release of so many sequels, Activision would not have needed to make the drastic decision of halting the franchise.

'Prairie' uses distinct voices for stories

2011-03-03T15:11:00.004-05:00

by: Erica Smithson

John Olive’s “The Voice of the Prairie,” the Lycoming College theater department’s second play of the spring semester, is a tale of intersecting lives that encompass David “Davey” Quinn’s adolescence and adulthood.

Time jumps back and forth through nearly 30 years through Quinn’s life, which, naturally, is a long enough time to encounter some interesting characters.

Confusing? It could be, especially given that the myriad characters are personified by just four actors, juniors Tom Robinson, Jesse Shade and Joshua Troxler and sophomore Molly Collier. However, their superb transitioning between characters never leaves you wondering who is who. It’s just as well, as the more engrossing stories are watching Quinn grow into an adult, coaxed by stories of his youth and how a small-time radio entrepreneur coaxed audiences into accepting the radio as prime entertainment.

“Prairie” begins in 1895 with young Quinn (Troxler) as he travels to various saloons across the nation with his grandfather, who shares boisterous stories of the heartland.

Flash forward to 1923. Quinn (Robinson) has grown up and now works as a farmhand. While visiting a radio station one day, Quinn encounters radio entrepreneur Leon Schwab (Troxler), who is looking for a more dynamic form of radio entertainment than simply playing music.

He invites Quinn to sit down and speak to the audience. Quinn is unsure at first, not knowing what to say or how to approach unseen listeners. However, he begins to tell stories of his youth when he was left on his own after his grandfather’s death and traveled the country on his own as a hobo and most notably, when he met Frankie (Collier), a blind girl who wanted to escape her abusive father.

Quinn’s “Davey and Frankie” stories, easily likeable because they are of two young people who have the world on their shoulders as a burden to overcome tough obstacles and at their fingertips to explore without constraint, win the hearts of listeners and he is invited back by Schwab for frequent installments.

It becomes a difficult request for Quinn to accept, because he and Frankie were separated after stealing a watermelon and they hadn’t seen each other in the 30 years that passed. However, he does acquiesce, because radio is beginning to boom, and it’s a good way to make money.

The ways in which the flashbacks (and flash-forwards) are presented are one of the production’s most interesting facets in that they follow radio style. Three of the actors step forward and recite various lines from the upcoming scene (and sometimes they are the most sensational, such as Schwab referring to President Hoover as a Bolshevik), as a sort of advertisement to “stay tuned” to what is about to come.
When Quinn steps up to the microphone, he is alone in a room with the instrument, yet his memories are vivid as he streams his stories across the airwaves. Listeners at home may gather around their radio, but their imaginations run wild as they visualize what Quinn is telling them. Both of these scenarios reflect the dichotomy of a calm, intimate setting with chaotic scene depictions. The duality of these feelings were well represented through the set and lighting design.

The late-1800s portrayals of Davey and Frankie traversing the country have the space of the entire stage, in contrast to the “present” (1923) scenes which are only confined to one room. Here we can imagine that they are in a place surrounded by fields, cliffs and train tracks. A wall of wooden slats represents the barn where Davey first encounters Frankie. Mild strobe lights signal a moving train that Davey and Frankie jump on and off.

No, grassy fields, cliffs and train tracks were not actually built by anyone on the scenery staff; the actors portraying young Davey and Frankie simply jump around onstage, but physical elements are not needed in this manifestation of someone’s memory. The lighting and scenery are not overly complex, but are on-point with the homespun atmosphere that the play has created.

Because four actors portrayed multiple characters, use of imagination is required here as well, as characters were both young and old grow younger or older in the middle of a scene. While some transitions between times or characters would take place as the theater lights are completely lowered; at other times, an adult character may shed some of their more “mature” clothing and step right into their “teenage garb,” whether a vest or a floral skirt (as the adult Frankie did for one of her reminiscences).

While all of the actors transitioned seamlessly between characters, perhaps the most impressive was Troxler, who was responsible for young, naïve Davey, business-minded and slightly hucksterish Schwab, and the desperately clingy asthmatic fiancé of the adult Frankie, James. Physically, Troxler may have only had to change a vest or a hat to represent the characters, but he adopted three of the play’s most distinct personalities without falter.

As referenced above, Frankie does return as an adult after Schwab managed to track her down. The reunion with Quinn is painful for both of them; they have both not stopped thinking about each other (even though Frankie had become engaged), but they are also angry that they were separated. Yet, they manage to forgive each other and try once again to rekindle their old adventurous spirit (they get caught trying to steal chickens from the mayor’s porch).

I received the plot point of Frankie’s return with a bit of conflict. Sentimentally, I wanted the two back together because they were so close as teenagers. From a ratings perspective, listeners wanted the two together as well. Because Quinn’s stories had grown so much in popularity, when Frankie came to town, everyone could identify her as being “Frankie the Blind Girl,” and it was almost inevitable that the two would once again cross paths.

On the other hand, Frankie’s presence as an adult almost ruins the air of mystery that Quinn’s stories had. Even Quinn himself had begun to have doubts as to whether their teenage saga had indeed been real. Frankie had been so fond of telling him “when we’re together, we’re invisible,” and having them together only as teenagers seemed to make memories all the more important.

Alas, Frankie does seem to be the connection between the two poles in the “radio biz” that Schwab and Quinn had represented. While Schwab and his entrepreneur ilk are more than willing to sell falsehoods (through fake medical remedies or fabricating an advice show from “Miss Emily”) to make a buck and keep people entertained, Quinn showed that some entertainers do come from a real place, making what they do all the more meaningful to their audiences.

“Prairie” was directed by Gretchen Lynne Wingerter.

CAS does the time warp again at 'Rocky Horror' Night

2011-03-03T15:08:00.001-05:00

by: Emily Stinemire

The Creative Arts Society turned the East Hall Coffee House into a scene straight out of Transylvania. Their intention? To hold a live showing of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Seniors, Caitlin Eberz and Steve Ferguson, have always wanted CAS to host this event, and were excited when they got to see their dream take shape before their graduation in May.

The theme was taken from “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a movie in which an engaged couple finds themselves stranded in a strange world filled with risqué apparel, sexual encounters and outlandish situations.

The Creative Arts Society hit a minor setback when the film rights for the movie hadn’t come in by the originally set date of Valentine’s Day.

However, this speed bump turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It allowed members to turn their original plan, giving people something fun and different to do on Valentine’s Day, into something that could help them raise money for a great cause.
The new date fell during Eating Disorder Awareness Week. So Eberz and Ferguson decided to make Rocky Horror Night into an event that promoted good body image and also fundraise for the cause. On Feb. 18, 2011 East Hall Coffee House was transformed.

The goal of Eating Disorder Awareness is to “ultimately prevent eating disorders and body image issues while reducing the stigma surrounding eating disorders and improving access to treatment,” according to the National Eating Disorders Awarness website.

Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening illnesses, not choices, and it’s important to recognize the pressures, attitudes and behaviors that shape the disorder, according to www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

All 45 people in attendance for Rocky Horror Night were dressed to impress with costume designs straight out of the movie. There was also a cast of actors who came specifically dressed as the main characters from the movie. Throughout the night they performed specific song and dance numbers from show.

Between all the costumes and dancing, the guests felt like true Transylvanians. But nothing could top when the biggest number from the movie was performed, “Time Warp.” In this dance, all are on their feet singing and dancing along with the exact steps that take place in the movie.

Unfortunately because of the last minute change of date, there was not a big enough opportunity to advertise for the fundraising aspect of the event, so not very much money was raised. But, perhaps more importantly CAS raised awareness for the disorder and got people talking about it.

CAS is still accepting donations for National Eating Disorder Awareness. Please contact Emily Walters, the Creative Arts Society’s president, at walemil@lycoming.edu to do so.

Next year, the members plan to ask for the means to make this Rocky Horror even bigger and better than it was year. Again, it will be a fundraiser for National Eating Disorder Awareness. And with lots of time to advertise and promote their cause, CAS is hopeful for an even better turn out.

CAS will host its annual Masquerade Ball on April 9. Participants should attend in costume and masks. The theme will be voted on shortly and more information will be made accessible at that time.

Audience gets close-up to WSO players at chamber concert

2011-03-03T15:04:00.001-05:00

by: Linnea Morris

The controversial and beautiful music played by the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra players was with great expression and accuracy. The close up concerts are rare treats that expose every listener to something new and exciting as well as background information that helps growth in musical knowledge. It is always a great decision to attend any magnificent concerts the music department holds.

Throughout the year, the music department holds many interesting concerts. The symphony players come to Lycoming College’s Mary Lindsay Welch Honors Hall on Sunday afternoons and performs a close up concert.

These phenomenal concerts are usually chamber music, smaller ensembles with players from the symphony, and conducted by Lycoming College faculty member Dr. William S. Ciabattari, who plays tuba for the Symphony.

“I like doing close-up concerts because I get to work with the fantastic musicians of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra. One of the benefits of being the conductor is that you get to pick the music. There is a fairly small body of amazing repertoire for small wind ensembles (unlike the vast amount of repertoire for orchestra and solo instruments). I am trying to make my way through most of it because I want to experience this great music. It is challenging work that I and the players enjoy immensely,” Ciabattari said.

During this close-up concert, Dr. Gary Boerckel, pianist, informed the audience about the background information regarding the composer and the surrounding circumstances around the creation of the composition the group will perform. Nineteen players, including Lycoming College junior Lucas Reckling, came together and played wonderfully four very distinct pieces.

Boerckel said, “The program could be connected by these four pieces because they all are about the past and the present.”

The first piece, the “Suite Francais d’apres Claude Gervaise,” was composed in 1935 by Francis Poulenc. The piece was taken from the music originally written for “Queen Margot,” a play about the wife of King Henry IV of France and daughter of Catherine de’ Medici, by French composer Claude Gervaise. Poulenc was influenced by Igor Stravinsky and orchestrated this suite in a similar style with two oboes, two bassoons, two trumpets, three trombones, percussion and harpsichord.

”Tres Sonetos,” the second piece on the program, which was composed in 1938 by Silvestre Revueltas, is a “dark piece, but he has something to say,” Boerckel said.
The composer, from Mexico, whose music is finally starting to gain some attention, was deeply affected by the Spanish Civil War and his faith in the Western Civilization. He used four dramatic poems as his basis, written by a good friend, Carlos Pellicer. One of the most dramatic sections in the poem is the basis of the third movement:

“To look at the sky, such a chore
To turn the misty eyes, always below.
Are they stars or footprints of stars?”

The third work of music, a piece composed by Charles Gounod, “Petite Symphony,” is a piece that features the flute, originally for Gounod’s good friend Paul Taffenel. After the Franco-Prussian war, there was a surge of nationalism and French music was a part of that with instrumental music and especially wind ensembles.

Boerckel said, “Only a genius like Gounod could make a piece youthful, charming, as well as with a freshness that only Haydn had previously created with his whit and charm.”

Gounod was in his 70s at the time when he composed this piece and is considered the best composer in France between Berlioz and Bizet. This piece had a very interesting orchestration, with only one flute playing with two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two French horns and a double bass, but the flute solo was beautiful, lively and the star of the piece.

The last piece on the program, which was the latest composition to be written on the program, “Old Wine in New Bottles,” was written in 1958 by Gordon Jacob. The talented, fairly unknown composer who was a prisoner of war in World War I and was lucky to survive, became a student of Ralph Vaughn Williams and orchestrated his piece, “Folk Song Suite,” to full orchestra.

Jacob later taught at the Royal College of Music from 1924 to 1966. During this time Queen Elizabeth II began her reign and England had optimism for a greater country, so Jacob composed “Old Wine in New Bottles,” using four classic folk songs for a small wind ensemble.

Somehow, these songs are not quite well-known here and even Boerckel stated that he was “not familiar with the folk songs.”

Art major completes project, shows off sculpture

2011-03-03T13:43:00.002-05:00

Bill Mauro has been sketching for as long as he can remember, but at first, did not consider pursuing a degree in art. After about two semesters at Lycoming, he found himself drawing more frequently and decided to check out the art department.

“I took a prerequisite course in color and design and a course in drawing and really felt a connection, like I’d found my niche,” said Mauro.

A native of Williamsport and now a senior studying art with a concentration in painting, Mauro was recently honored with Lycoming’s Alfred Kohler Studio Artist Award. The award is in memory of Kohler, a non-traditional student who spent 10 years in the college’s art department pursuing his second love – studio art. He took every course the program offered, many of them more than once.

Made possible from by the generous support of art faculty, alumni and friends of the college, the prize is given to a sophomore or junior art major to fund an independent project. Mauro was chosen for the award based on a proposal he submitted for his sculpture.

“The two, small sculptures were inspired by the rock cuts along Route 15 north of Williamsport,” Mauro said. “As I looked at them, I imagined a giant hydraulic press with the exact negative of the rock face, and how it would look both organic and industrial. I assume the cuts were made using a combination of explosives and machinery – I wanted to create something natural and undulating, using a lot of force and energy.” The sculptures are on display in the college’s art gallery in Snowden Library until the end of the spring semester.

Mauro humbly attributes much of his accomplishment to his professors.

“Many professors will sit on the floor with students and go by their first names,” said Mauro. “I’ve heard Howard Tran, assistant professor of art say that you aren’t an artist just because someone gives you a piece of paper; you’re an artist here, and now. Some people might think that this would result in a lot of bad art, or a loss of respect for the professors; I think the opposite is true. Art can’t happen when you’re feeling scared or intimidated. By encouraging trial and error within a relaxed and secure atmosphere, the professors allow students to see the complexity and beauty of what it is they do every time they create.”

Mauro’s artistic aptitude has led him toward another Lycoming program: he is double-majoring in creative writing. “Having studied both creative writing and visual art now, I realize they aren’t all that disparate,” he states. “Each major has helped me to understand and appreciate the other.”

Development of the Lycoming seal

2011-03-03T13:38:00.003-05:00

by: Linnea Morris

The history of the Lycoming College Seal, which appears throughout the campus on buildings, documents and signs, is unclear and convoluted. Some of the design changes remain undocumented and have indistinguishable dates.

When Benjamin H. Crever founded the Dickinson Seminary in Williamsport, he desired an association with Dickinson College in Carlisle and met with its President John P. Durbin.

The Dickinson College Board of Trustees verbally recognized the seminary as a preparatory college, but offered no funding. However, one or more faculty members were sent each year to Williamsport from Dickinson College to review the exams and the students. Many students who graduated from the seminary went onto Dickinson College; some starting at junior class status.

This close association with Dickinson may be why the seal resembles the Dickinson College seal or, possibly because President Thomas Bowman, the designer of the original seal, had graduated from Dickinson College.

The Dickinson College Seal, described in their 1998-1999 College Bulletin, that the seal was “devised and recommended by John Dickinson and Dr. Benjamin Rush at a board of trustees meeting in April 1784. Rush conceived the symbolic design: a liberty cap above a telescope which is in turn above an open book; and Dickinson provided the motto: Pietate et doctrina tuta libertas. One translation is ‘Liberty is made safe by virtue and learning.’ A Rush letter to Dickinson in June 1785 refers to the College as the ‘bulwark of liberty, religion and learning.”

In 1848 Williamsport Dickinson Seminary began and was important that it have its own seal. As soon as three days after the Board of Directors instructed President Thomas Bowman to create the seal, it was being used on official documents. This version of the seal resembles the current one.

The initial Williamsport Dickinson Seminary seal features the telescope, slightly different than the one found in the Dickinson seal, and faces the other way. It is above an open book. Surrounding these items is a star with rays and the word for “truth” is printed in Greek. On the outside ring, “Dickinson Seminary Seal” is written in Latin.

The book could be the Bible, signifying the balance between science and faith, or it could be a symbol for literature, an important focus of study at the school of liberal arts.

The word “truth” was one of Founder Crever’s favorite themes, and, because both Bowman and Crever were clergymen, they had been in ministerial studies where the language for the New Testament was Koine Greek. The use of this language in the seal shows the school was distinctly Christian.

In 1857 the trustees changed the seal. The outer words were changed from Latin to English, “Dickinson Seminary Williamsport” and the star was omitted. The telescope changed a little as well.

A little less than 100 years later, in the 1947-1948 academic year, the institution was renamed Lycoming College, and the seal was revised. The outer words changed from Dickinson Seminary to Lycoming College Williamsport. The telescope became longer and thinner—more stylized but the Bible remained primarily the same as did the Greek text.

Soon after the institution was renamed, President John W. Long decided to incorporate the Williamsport Academy into the new college which changed the founding date from 1848 to 1812.

In 1951, the college resolved to modify the seal again and the date 1812 was added to the outer rim. The open book became more rounded at the edges. The telescope changed too, with the viewfinder was separated from top of the body and the telescope itself had more details.

This seal first appeared on the course catalog for 1951-1952. Since then, the seal has remained unchanged, and it continues to be used for many occasions and on many documents, such as envelopes and letterheads, sweatpants and t-shirts. The importance for any college seal may have decreased with the symbolism and meanings may have been lost, but the distinction between them keeps growing as well as the appearances around the campus.

Special thanks to the Lycoming College Archives and Dr. John Piper, former Dean of Students in completing this article.

AMIS explores math in nature with middle schoolers

2011-03-03T13:34:00.001-05:00

by: Paige Cole

Countless examples of mathematics are found in nature and everyday life. For instance, most daisies have 34, 55 or 89 petals. These respective numbers are the ninth, 10th and 11th Fibonacci numbers.

As well, fractals can be found in clouds, plants, galaxies, mountains and rivers. Several guests came to Lycoming to explore this phenomenon.

The Lycoming College Association of Mathematically Interested Students (AMIS) hosted Math Awareness Day on Feb. 10 in the colleges’ Academic Center.

Math Awareness Day is an annual program in which the college’s math department invites local middle school students to campus to learn abstract math facts.
The members of AMIS, most in conjunction with the math department, worked hard to plan the event.

“It was stressful to plan the day,” Allyson Blizman, president, said. “But everything went well in the end.”

This year seventh and eighth grade students from St. John Neumann Regional Academy, South Williamsport Junior-Senior High School and Muncy Junior-Senior High School attended.

The theme was “Mathematics in Nature.” Participants were taught four lessons by AMIS members: Fibonacci sequence, fractals, graphical plant growth and measuring the surface area of a leaf.

Participating association members included Blizman, Courtney Schoenberger, Samantha Gonzalez, Maddy Smith, Julie Martinez, Laura Vollman, Matt Steffanelli, Kaitlyn Holcomb, Kristen Tate, Alexandria Parizek and Brittany Coppola.

There were two presentations by faculty: Dr. Edward Gabriel and Dr.Philip Sprunger. Gabriel explored the intricate question: “How Many Bacteria Can Dance on a Pinhead?” while Sprunger investigated “Counting the Uncountable.”

The event appeared to be successful, as it was enjoyed by the participants as well as both AMIS and faculty members.

“All the students had a great time,” Blizman said. “We can’t wait to start preparing for Math Awareness Day again next year.”

Although Math Awareness day is over, the association still offers a countless number of opportunities for students to get involved with the organization on campus.

The mission statement of AMIS is “to provide social and academic programming for students to advance and diffuse knowledge of mathematical science and its applications.”

For any interested students, AMIS meets Tuesdays before math colloquium on the third floor lobby of the Academic Center.

You do not have to be a math major or minor to attend.

Little Light of Hope

2011-03-03T13:32:00.001-05:00

by: Pavlina Erickson

In the journey of life success is what
we as humans achieve through great strife.
There are days when life seems impossible
and life may get you down,
but that is no reason to give up; it is a reason to keep on going.

On most days and through our years to come
life is a journey.
You never know what life may place in your path,
but somewhere from afar you hear a voice that opens your heart and
mind saying, I Believe in you; keep on moving.”

When you hear that beautiful song from angels on high
and see hope from a mile afar,
you will know the true meaning of GRACE.
As you learn your place in life,
go into the world to give hope.

In the journey of life success is one step closer
to reaching for what you believe
is your reason for being placed on Earth.

In the hours of your deepest despair
only hope in life will help you heal
and through the grace of God above you can
see the light of hope like the sun rising from afar.

Take the blessings.
Take the problems.
Take the stand to make the change.

If you believe or
someone believes in you
you can achieve your greatest accomplishments in life.

When life brings you down,
when you have nowhere to turn,
no hope and it seems like everything will end,
there is a person who believes in you
or a song that gives you
the gleaming light of hope.

Don’t take life for granted.
Reach for the stars.
And don’t ever let anyone say you can’t get to your dream.
I believe in hope.
DO YOU?

Acid Attack topic for Ewing Lecture

2011-03-03T13:27:00.003-05:00

The Lycoming College History Department will host a lecture by Dr. David Witwer, associate professor of history and humanities at Penn State University, Harrisburg, as part of its annual Ewing Lecture Series.

“The Acid Attack on Victor Riesel and the Racketeer Menace in Cold War America” will be held at 7 p.m. March 23 in Heim Building G-11.

In 1956, Riesel, a syndicated labor columnist in New York City, was assaulted after finishing a radio broadcast during which he castigated the leadership of a local union. Riesel was working hand-in-hand with federal prosecutors in a legal assault on New York’s garment, trucking and other racketeering operations.

The person identified as the acid-thrower was found murdered and the prominent labor racketeer who allegedly ordered the attack was never convicted. Spurred by the assault, the U.S. Senate convened an investigation that found corruption in organized labor to be widespread and delegitimized union power when it was at its peak.

Utilizing records he obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Witwer discovered evidence indicating the FBI and Justice Department “knew the truth” about the attack but did not make it public, instead allowing union opponents to the opportunity to undermine organized labor.

Witwer, whose research focuses on the impact of union corruption scandals on modern American politics, is the author of “Shadow of the Racketeer: Scandal in Organized Labor” and “Corruption and Reform in the Teamsters Union,” which was selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title and the winner of the Richard L. Wentworth Award. He also serves on the editorial board of the journal “Labor History” and has published extensively in various scholarly journals.

The Ewing Lecture Series was established in 1973 when Robert H. Ewing, of whom it is named, retired after 27 years of teaching at Lycoming.

His life was characterized by a deep religious faith, a passion for history and a strong devotion to a liberal arts education. These qualities touched the lives of all who came in contact with him and led his many friends to contribute to the Ewing fund to establish this series.

English Society starts youth book club

2011-03-03T13:22:00.003-05:00

by: Victoria Yuskaitis

What does “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan, the Lycoming College English Society, the James V. Brown Library, and a group of teens between 10 and 14 years of age have in common?

Amanda Miller, the liaison for the English Society in charge of implementing the club’s activities, explained that the English Society began a brand-new book club for Williamsport teens that met for the first time on February 5.

Miller said that the Society asked the JV Brown Library “‘what age group it needed the most help with.’” The library has many events for all age groups, but teens aged 10 to 14 had less events scheduled than others. At this point, the English Society began brainstorming about good books in this age range, and eventually “The Lightning Thief” was picked. “There will be a different book each semester,” Miller said.

She explained that the English Society wanted to read a book that correlated with a movie so there would be a “bigger grand-finale.” This added another layer of complexity to choosing the right book for the club, as the movie rating had to be G in order for the teens to be able to watch it without their parents having to sign consent forms.

Nina Edgerton, a librarian at the Brown library helping the English Society with this project, assisted in narrowing down the book choices. She supported “The Lightning Thief” and scheduled the book club into the library’s event list, allowing the club to use the theater facilities, including making popcorn for the movie, and teen facilities at the library.

The library also split the cost of the books with the English Society. “Most of the teens had it or were going to buy it anyway, (but)…we were hoping to reach teens with limited access (to books),” Miller said.

The teen book club plans to meet twice a month on every other Saturday for a total of four meetings. The fifth session will culminate in the movie. The next meeting, held in the Think Tank Café at the Brown Library, will be held from 2:00PM-3:30PM on March 12.

“Although the officers (of the English Society usually come), it is open to anyone,” Miller said. She expressed hope that more students from Lycoming will attend, emphasizing that it is not a closed event.

Although there are always 3 or 4 English Society members present, it is the teens who lead the discussion. “If you act like you don’t know,” Miller said, laughing, “the kids jump on it.”

Still, the English Society reads the book along with the teens and makes sure to come prepared with some general topics. The first meeting consisted of giving an overview of the Olympic gods, as well as background information of the author, in an effort to start all the attendees off with the same amount of knowledge about the book.

Miller explained that “The Lightning Thief” was picked in part because of the subject matter, which includes Greek mythology, something most teens are familiar with because of school, and learning disabilities like ADHD. The movie, too, is interesting to have available, as it can be compared and contrasted with the book itself.

Six teens attended the first meeting and Miller expects that “more will come next time.”

Susan Kelley, an associate professor of psychology at Lycoming College, has a daughter who attends the book club. Robin Knauth, an assistant professor of religion at Lycoming College, also has a son attending.

Although Miller explained that the book club is known as the “JV Brown Teens and Tweens thing,” as it is still without a name, she thinks that it “has the potential to last.”

Miller explained that this idea was implemented in an effort to “rebuild the reputation of the English Society and to get involved in everything it can.” The English Society members earn community service through their work with the JV Brown Library.

The English Society initially planned a Lycoming College book club that would have read “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. This book club was discontinued because “the turnout was low – only three people showed up,” Miller said.

Most of the English Society members can only make one book club per week, as they already attend the normal English Society club meetings.

The regular meetings convene every other Monday, and the English Society set up the book club to meet on the “off” Monday. For many students, however, this was too much. As it was, many of the members expressed concern about being able to keep up with two different books for two separate book clubs as well as homework. Also, the community service hours that members can earn at the JV Brown Library book club were not available through the Lycoming College book club, adding incentive to attend the JV Brown club. In the end, The English Society decided to concentrate on one book club and make it as strong as possible instead of trying to divide time between two.
The society is doing its best to become as involved on campus as possible, and the Brown Library book club is only one of its projects. The society recently presented a Grimm Brothers Fairytale Ball and Grimm Brothers Readings.

The English Society is also planning to sell T-shirts featuring Solo in the near future. The regular English Society meetings convene every other Monday at 8:00PM on March 8. The English Society warmly welcomes any and all newcomers: mark your calendars for the next regular meeting as well as for the JV Brown book club meetings today!

Lycoming Physics students discuss current research

2011-03-03T13:15:00.003-05:00

by: Aliza Davner

While most on-campus research remains hidden behind closed doors and locked away in labs, the students and faculty in the department of Astronomy and Physics are ready to share the results of their hard work with the rest of the campus community.

Lycoming physics Professor Dr. Christopher Kulp received his doctorate in physics from the College of William and Mary in 2004 and began teaching at Lycoming in 2008. His area of expertise lies in nonlinear dynamics with an even more specific emphasis on nonlinear time series analysis which, according to Kulp, is just a fancy term for data analysis.

Recently, Kulp has been studying combustion in open flames in industrial settings, with the “goal to develop a simple mathematical model of combustion … to ensure (the flames) are burning as efficiently as possible.”

In order to gather the necessary data, Kulp video records flames from a variety of burners, and then uses self-developed computer programs to get data from the image in order to understand how the flame is burning. Kulp prefers the use of video-recordings over other possible methods, as they not only allow him to observe the flames in real-time, but they eliminate the need to place a probe inside the flame, which could skew any data collected by affecting the flame itself. As such, the use of video recording allows for cheap, non-evasive research.

This combustion research is being conducted in connection with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is a large national physics laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He hopes to apply his findings to industrial projects, such as the internal combustion engine and industrial boilers.

Kulp also is involved in several projects with Lycoming students. For example, he recently collaborated with Senior Suzanne Smith on a project which tackled what is known in physics as the “problem of characterization,” or, how can a researcher tell that a set of data comes from a random, chaotic, or periodic (regular) system?

A random system is just as the name implies — random. A chaotic system, however, is not random. What makes this system unique, Kulp said, is that there is some type of order imposed on the system which causes the data to behave in an unusual way.

“It is often related to a fractal,” said Kulp, but he emphasized that other possibilities exist. A periodic or regular system is also easy to characterize, as the data behavior repeats itself in regular intervals.

Smith explained the project in more detail, saying “Our research was a new approach in the field, we paired the 01 Test with the Test for Determinism … when you run (the 01 Test) on your series, a 0 as the output means it is periodic, a 1 as the output means chaotic.”

Smith added, “The Test for Determinism is what helps us interpret the results from the 01 Test. A pass in the test for determinism and a 1 from the 01 test means a chaotic system. While a fail in the test for determinism and a 1 from the 01 Test means a random … series. We modeled specifically a number of test systems that we knew how they behaved. Our ultimate goal was to find the threshold of failure within the 01 Test.”

Over the course of the project, Smith and Kulp developed an algorithm that improved upon preexisting algorithms in terms of being able to improve the ability of tests to distinguish between random and chaotic systems when data is “noisy.” According to Kulp, “noisy systems” result from measurement errors made when measuring data.

Smith and Kulp worked on the project for about 1 1/2 years and Smith presented their findings at the Zone 3 meeting of the Society of Physics Students, a national organization for physics students. The Lycoming College Chapter is part of Zone 3, which represents colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

In addition to the presentation, Smith and Kulp co-authored an article based on their findings that was published in Physical Review E, a highly-respected physics journal.

For Smith, the opportunity to conduct such a research project was “exciting” and has lead to opportunities outside of Lycoming. “This research has helped me increase my knowledge of the world of computational physics and also helped me land an internship at NOAA (National Oceananic and Atmospheric Administration) over this past summer … (it) has really opened my eyes to one of the many fields of physics I could possibly go into … I have started to consider my path after graduation, and computational nonlinear dynamics is definitely on my list but so is nuclear physics, I am hoping to get another research position in one of those two fields this summer to help my decision along,” she said.

Some students, however, are looking to apply their research to fields outside of physics. For example, Junior David Surmick’s research could have effects on the fields of economics and finance. According to Kulp, Surmick is using data-analysis to detect bifurcations, or changes, in financial data. Surmick explained that he is using the closing figures from the Dow Jones market in order to specifically target a place where there could be a drastic change in the market, such as recession.

This project is one of the newest in the department of astronomy and physics and the research is still in the early stages. Surmick explained that right now he is busy entering data and determining how big of a window he needs, since “if it’s too big then our values will be too big, but if it’s too small, then we will get spikes.”

As such, Surmick is unsure in what direction his findings, if any, will take the project, though he noted that the research itself is his favorite part of the project so far, particularly “seeing that my preconceived notions were wrong. Research is fun and independent.”

While Smith’s project lead to publications and internships off campus, Surmick is not sure yet what the future holds, as this is what he called his first experience in the “adult physics world.” Right now, he is looking at undergraduate internships and hopes to go into experimental physics after his time at Lycoming.

Like Surmick, Senior Robert Brown is applying data analysis to fields outside of physics, namely that of computer science. According to Kulp, Brown is interested in image processing on computers, more specifically how a computer is able to recognize the boundaries of an object in a photograph. For his project, Brown is exploring the field of astrophotography by taking pictures of Jupiter with a webcam and using those images to develop his own edge-detection software.

Lycoming student's family affected by gas explosion; campus responds to help

2011-03-03T13:11:00.002-05:00

by: Jennifer Basch

When Antonio Arroyo was awakened by a midnight telephone call from his mother, it took him a while to comprehend what she was explaining.

“I couldn’t piece together what she was telling me, it was all happening so fast,” Arroyo said. After that Arroyo added, “I was up for the rest of the night.”

A gas explosion destroyed the Arroyo family home on Feb. 9.

Arroyo is a freshman member of the football team.

The college, Lycoming football team and Student Senate are collecting donations which will be used to purchase gift cards for the Arroyos.

Authorities said five victims died in the explosion. They are a couple in their 70s, a 4-month-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and one of the children’s parents. The victims are from two families who lived in the two townhouses that were destroyed by the blast. In all, 47 homes and 10 businesses were damaged by the explosion, fire or ice.

The explosion rocked the neighborhood at 10:45 p.m. touching off fires that blazed into the early-morning hours as firefighters combed through snow and ice to stop an underground pipeline from feeding the flames.

As a result of the explosion, Antonio’s parents, Antonio and Jill, are staying with a family friend. The couple expects to return to their home to see what can be salvaged but every keepsake they own may be lost.

“I’m going to miss all of my trophies, football jerseys and family pictures,” Arroyo said. Emphasizing that all of the material things can be replaced, he is thankful that his parents are OK.

“I appreciate the little things in life more…my parents as well,” he said. In addition to worrying about his family, he still has his day-to-day classes and activities to attend and Arroyo says “it has been hard to study.”

As far as recovery, staying positive, and plans for the future, Arroyo plans to help his parents over spring break and the summer.

“I want to be more comforting to them,” he said.

Arroyo appreciates everyone who has reached out to him and his family.

“I’m overwhelmed as to how many people have showed their support,” he said.

Donations can be sent to Jean Wool, Box 158.

Revising papers focus of 'Midterm Madness' events

2011-03-03T13:06:00.002-05:00

by: Victoria Yuskaitis

Midterm Madness was not Snowden ’Til Two for midterms – instead, the Feb. 13 event was a more relaxed event with a focus on revising papers.

Board games, such as “Scrabble,” were available for students to play, while brownies and other snacks were present for students to munch on. Janet Hurlbert, associate dean of the library, was on-call during the event from 7 to 10 p.m., as were at least four writing tutors.

Amanda Miller, a writing tutor and English Society member, explained that Midterm Madness was meant to “raise awareness and change the image of the writing center, library and English Society.”

All three organizations are often viewed by students as standoffish and difficult to connect with, but Miller said that they are actively trying to appear “friendlier” to students in general.

Hurlbert, Miller and Shanna Wheeler, assistant director of the Writing Center, among others, brainstormed for the event. Wheeler said that both Hulbert and Miller approached her in early to mid-January about having an event resembling Midterm Madness.

Miller told Wheeler that she wanted a “combined event (with the Writing Center, Snowden Library and English Society) to help people with papers, (and to) give the English Society a friendlier image.”

Hulbert agreed wholeheartedly, nothing that she had received an e-mail in which another library was hosting an event like Midterm Madness. She also was interested in hosting a similar event at Lycoming College.

It was determined that the ARC would pay for most of the food and that Hurlbert would be available for any students who needed help researching a paper.

Writing tutors would be present to help any students who wanted their papers critiqued, but the environment was to be kept light and relaxed with games, fun and food.

Between 20 to 30 students came to Midterm Madness, but very few came to actually have their papers reviewed. Most of the students remained interested in hanging out at the library, eating snacks and playing games.

Wheeler said that there was “a good turn-out for the fun stuff, but not as much for academic help.”

Miller said that there was not enough advertising.

“We’ll send out more e-mails and posters for the next time.” Miller laughed as she recalled “bonding over ‘Scrabble’,” with Brandon Sellers, another writing tutor. Other tutors also mentioned enjoying “Scrabble”: it was one of the most popular games of the night, she added.

Laura Anderson and Alexandria Parizek, writing tutors, were available in the lower-level classroom of the library to help students with their papers.

Anderson said, “I was excited to help with a writing assignment for the first time as a peer ‘tutor.’” She added that “Students could bring any writing assignments to the event, and the present writing tutors were able and willing to help.”

The Writing Center operated at its regular hours and Christopher Bernstorf worked during the Midterm Madness event.

Students still appeared at the writing center with their papers despite the fact that Midterm Madness was in progress, implying that many students were simply unaware of Midterm Madness’ real purpose.

Wheeler clarified that the event was really intended for “midterm papers and/or projects, not for midterm (tests).” Unfortunately, fewer students than the planners of the event anticipated actually participated in the event.

Miller believes Midterm Madness was a trial for finals, and both Miller and Wheeler feel that a name more closely pinpointing the purpose of the event will serve it better.

Miller remains optimistic that with more planning, foresight and better advertising, the next Midterm Madness will combine all the fun of the first event while actually accomplishing its purpose in helping people with papers.

Anderson said, “Midterm Madness was a fun way to familiarize students with the writing center (and)…Since many people may have been studying for midterm exams, Midterm Madness was a great study break opportunity!”

City ready to party for Mardi Gras

2011-03-03T12:57:00.004-05:00

Several local restaurants and clubs will be celebrating Mardi Gras a few days early. Many have Creole and Cajun food specials, music performances and drink discounts. These establishments also will enter nominees for Mardi Gras King and Queen. Each nominee will raise money for a charity during the festivities. Whoever raises the most money will be crowned Mardi Gras royalty.

Franco’s Lounge, 12 W. Fourth St. (570) 327-1840
The nominee for Mardi Gras king is Mike Morgan, “Chef Mike.” His charity is the Penn College Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund.

Franco’s is open by noon on Saturday, and will be serving all day and the kitchen will be open late all weekend. Come for Cajun and Creole specials for lunch and dinner.

Barrel 135, 135 W. Third St. (570) 322-7131
From 4 to 6 p.m. Friday is Happy Hour with drink specials. Audio Therapy, an electronic/experimental/funk band from Chico, Calif., will be playing Saturday night from 9 p.m. until close. A full menu is available, as well as Cajun specials.

The Cellblock 154 W. Third St. (570)322-1728
Doors open at 5 p.m. Friday for Happy Hour. Gypsy Wisdom will perform multi-genre and acoustic music. DJ GDubbz will also be on stage.

On Saturday, doors open at 7 p.m. Joe and the Crew will perform, as will DJ Ikon.

Fourth St. Grille and Ale House 200 W. Fourth St. (570) 326-6600
The nominee for Mardi Gras queen is Kristen Wool, whose charity is the American Childhood Cancer Organization.

On Friday, Kevin Head Entertainment performs 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Jam Productions performs 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday.

Cajun-style buffets are served at $13.95 starting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday with drink specials.

Bullfrog Brewery 229 W. Fourth St. (570) 326-4700
The nominee for Mardi Gras king is Mike Hudson. His charity is the Dept. of Veteran Affairs, which raises money to benefit local wounded troops and their families.

Cajun specials are served Friday and Saturday nights.

On Friday, Mel Mounds and the Get-Down Sounds, a seven-piece horn-driven funk/soul band performs. Contact the brewery for show time.

The Planet 326 Court St. (570) 320-1101
The nominees for Mardi Gras king and queen are Keith Englert and Rene Toro, respectively, who are raising money for the Lycoming County SPCA.

The venue is open 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Creole seafood specials will be served on Friday night. There will be $2 drink specials.

Key of V will perform 10 p.m. to midnight Saturday at the Planet bar.

Rumrunners Pub & Eatery 341 W. Market St. (570)322-0303
Friday and Saturday will feature a full menu in addition to cajun specials. Visit rumrunnerspub.com for a full listing of menu items.

From 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, Blue Sky Mission, a soulgrass/blues/pop/zydeco band performs. There is a $5 cover charge 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Dinner is served 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Williamsport’s jam band Lumpy Gravy performs 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday. There is a $5 cover charge 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Dinner is served 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Bluegrass band Stained Grass Window performs at Brown Library Friday
Stained Grass Window will be performing from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in the Rotunda Room, just inside the front vestibule of the Fourth St. entrance.

Stained Grass Window has performed at numerous festivals and events throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, as well as recording a number of CDs. This locally-based bluegrass group draws its music from a wide variety of sources including traditional bluegrass, gospel, jazz, and other genres.

Bringing solid musicianship, energy and light-hearted humor to the stage, Stained Grass Window’s goal is to offer a good time while the audience sits back and enjoys the show.

For more information on the band, visit stainedgrasswindow.com

Swimming makes MAC splash

2011-03-01T14:22:00.003-05:00

by: Kelly Prendergast

The women’s team placed fourth in the MAC Championships
and the men placed fifth over the weekend. Thethree-day meet at Wilkes-Barre contained 32 events.

“We have been training for a long time and this meet is the culmination of all the work that we have put in the season.That’s what makes this meet so exciting,” Senior
Meg Emery, co-captain, said.

The women’s team is looking for a repeat of last season’s success at the championships. The men are also looking to be one of the top competitors at this meet.

“I’m extremely excited for conference meet this year. We have a very young team, so it will be interesting to see how some of the freshmen handle themselves in their first collegiate championship. I am confident that this will be a great experience and the everyone will have good swims,” Junior Miles Biggs, co-captain, said.

Both teams have a positive outlook for how their season filled with hard work will end.At the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, the women’s swim team here at Lycoming
College was off to one of the best seasons in school history. During the previous season, the team earned its first MAC title since 1997, and this success only
made the swimmers hungrier for more.

This season they were returned for seniors, Meg Emery, Stacy Flick, Kate Williamson and Melody Johnson. Some of the events that they compete in are individual medley,
fly, distance, sprint, back, free and breast.

During the season the women suffered a tough loss to Albright University, Reading, tied Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, and had big wins against Arcadia University, Glenside, and Messiah. They currently have a 6-3-1 overall record.

Meanwhile the men’s swim team has a completely different look to its lineup from the 2010 and MAC championships. They only have one returning senior, Joe Kuder,
and out of a 20-member team, nine are freshmen. During the season the men suffered a top loss toMisericordia, had a close win to Elizabethtown College and had a big win
against Messiah, Grantham.

Throughout the season both the men’s and women’s teams have trained hard. So far it’s been a very involved season that started with Captains’ practice to lead up to the practices and workouts of the regular season. Also during winter break both teams traveled to Orlando, Fla., for their annual training trip.

“The training trip was my favorite part of the season because
the team was able to improve by working hard, but
we also became a lot closer from hanging out,” said Capt.
Emery. Junior Capt. Myles Biggs agreed that the training
trip was a definite highlight of the season.

Lacrosse: Sun's out, gun's out

2011-03-01T14:16:00.002-05:00

by: Stephanie Van Der Wal

This year the men’s and women’s lacrose teams are facing the scrutiny of the MAC conference. Both teams are under new coaching staff, and the women’s team also faces the added pressure of having a smaller team than in years past.

The Lady Warriors welcomed head coach Chrissy Carfello Trescavage to the program in late November. Trescavage, a four-season assistant coach at Misericordia University, Dallas, and Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, standout, is the sixth women’s lacrosse head coach.

Trescavage replaces former head coach Erica Brown.

In a statement made earlier this year, Director of Athletics Scott Kennell said,”We are extremely pleased to have Chrissy taking over the leadership of our women’s lacrosse program.

“She brings a wealth of experience as both a player and coach to our program. Her experience and enthusiasm will prove to be invaluable as she and the current members of our program continue their quest to win a conference championship,” Kennell said.

The Men’s lacrosse team also welcomed a new head coach this fall.

Todd Hodgson, spent time as an assistant coach at Susquehanna University and Scranton University, Scranton, before taking over as head coach Manhattanville, Purchase, N.Y.

Hodgson replaces former head coach Brian Anken who resigned from the program for a head coaching position at division I Virginia Military Institute.

In a statement earlier this year, Kennell said, “Todd Hodgson a great addition to our athletic program.

“He has a deep knowledge of the game of lacrosse and he has some great experience in the Middle Atlantic Conference. We feel Todd is going to be someone that will continue to foster the growing tradition of Lycoming lacrosse and that he will keep us in position to win a MAC title in the near future.”

The Lady Warriors open up there season on Tuesday with a game at Dickinson College, Carlisle.

Trescavage expressed excitement for the 2011 season.

“I think we will face some challenging MAC teams this season, but the Lycoming women’s lacrosse team will work and prepare to be successful,” Trescavage said.

The Men’s lacrosse team opens its season against hosting Dickinson College at the Shangraw Athletic Complex Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Hodgson has said that the team, “will continue to challenge ourselves by playing nationally-ranked opponents this year.

“It is our belief that the difficult non-conference schedule will help prepare us for conference play,” Hodgson said.

The men finished out 2010 with a an overall record of 11-6 and a 9-2 mark in the MAC, earning a spot in the conference tournament for the third consecutive season.
The Lady Warriors finished out 2010 with an overall record of 10-8 and 8-4 in the MAC and they reached the MAC semi-final

Ballin' for Breast Cancer

2011-03-01T14:10:00.001-05:00

by: Jennifer Basch

The Women’s Basketball team was matched against Arcadia University, Glenside, in a Pink Zone game on Feb. 5. That raised awareness for breast cancer “Pink Zone” is a global, unified effort for the WBCA nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund is a charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against cancer through raising money for scientific research, assisting the undeserved and unifying people for a common cause. It was founded in 2007 in partnership with The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for all women and the leading overall cause of cancer death in women between ages 20 and 59. In the United States, breast cancer is expected to be diagnosed every three minutes and a woman will die from breast cancer every 13 minutes.

If detected early, breast-cancer patients have a greater than 90 percent survival rate. The Lycoming players wore bits of pink in their warm up gear and bright pink shoe laces in honor of Breast Cancer survivors.

Erin Connaghan, junior, said “Being involved in the Pink Zone game is great because it gives us an opportunity to play for something bigger than ourselves.” She added that “it also hits us close to home because we get the pleasure to honor our own survivor, Becky Knott, mother of Jess Knott.”

Jess Knott is a guard with the Warriors basketball team.

Dealing with some type of cancer in many students’ families and close friends, it is hard not to feel empathy when a Pink Zone game is scheduled. The “Pink-Out” is a great way to recognize our loved ones.

As game time approached, the Warriors rallied and got pumped up for Arcadia. The tip-off commenced with senior Kaitlyn Ober representing Lycoming for the tip off. Ober tipped the ball to Rachael Scheller to gain possession of the ball and making the first two points of the game.

At half time, Lycoming was on top of Arcadia 36-25, but just like Breast Cancer survivors, the Warriors were still going to put up a hard fight.

As the second half started and the team regrouped from halftime, Julia Antonelli, freshman, made both of her hour shots with 15:26 left in the game.

With the clock winding down with 10 minutes left, Lycoming was up on the scoreboard, 48-37. The next 5 minutes was crucial for the Warriors because Arcadia was coming back. With five minutes left in the game Lycoming had only scored 2 more points while Arcadia added seven.

Connaghan made 2 critical rebounds in the 3 minute mark for a Warrior possession, as well as getting fouled and making her first shot with 26.9 seconds left.

Another critical play was with only 16 seconds left in the game. Knott, a freshman, gets fouled and completes both free throws.

As the clock ticks down, Lycoming outplays Arcadia with a final score of 60-54.

“Our team played really well, which is what we always do with our Pink Zone game. We love to play for great causes, and breast cancer is a personal cause because it has touched each and every one of us. Arcadia played well but we were able to play better and come out with the win,” Ober said.

Campus TV Troubles

2011-03-01T14:06:00.002-05:00

by: Jennifer Basch

The televisions on campus are stirring up some talk. The TVs are located throughout campus and I will evaluate each separately.

There are two TVs in Jack’s Corner. Currently there is no problem with the larger TV closest to the pool table, but for the longest time it was broken. Many students were upset because they could not watch their team’s football or hockey game or catch up on the latest ESPN news while they chatted with friends while eating a late night snack. Then there is the TV above the wall where one goes to order their food at Jack’s Place.

This television should be moved because it is usually turned off or slowly rotating through the menu of the list of food items. This is useless because are menus on the table where orders are places. The TV there could be used elsewhere because it is hardly getting any use.

Next is the television in Pennington Lounge. Some students do not even realize we have a television in Pennington. It is a perfectly fine TV but all it does is play a slideshow of photographs of the campus. Literally, pictures right outside of Pennington Lounge are displayed on the TV. I think this is a complete waste. Can’t one just look outside of all the windows and get a good view of the surrounding buildings? Instead of a slideshow of the school, why not use the television for its main purpose, put on the news, or sports; something other than the slideshow of the college.

On to the next TV on campus: the TV in the cafeteria. This new addition to the campus creates many mixed feelings as far as the placement, channels it is left on, and why it is left on even when the cafeteria is closed. Starting off with the placement on the TV, is this the best spot to watch TV? The channels are always the same as well, talk shows in the morning (“Regis and Kelly,” “Ellen,” etc.) and ESPN any other time. Lastly, in regards to the television in the cafeteria, why does it stay on after the cafeteria closes? Isn’t Lycoming trying to be eco-friendly? That is what the new signs say when students place their trash onto the conveyer belt.

Next, we move to the recreation center. There are five televisions in the cardio room. Why are some of them on the same channel? I like some variety when I workout. Sometimes this is not the case, but if it has happened to me before then it’s highly likely it has been done before.

Lastly, there is the Jonas Room across from the mailboxes in Wertz Student Center. Although it does not house a television, it is a big projection screen. I think this is a good idea because the projections are larger and still serve the same purpose.
In conclusion, each of these TVs are a wonderful asset to the campus, I just think some of them can be used for better potential.

Alpha Xi Delta attends Penn College formal

2011-03-01T14:01:00.002-05:00

by: Stephanie Van Der Wal

Promoting intercollegiate and greek bonding, members of Alpha Xi Delta Women’s Fraternity joined the brothers of Sigma Nu Fraternity at Pennsylvania College of Technology Feb. 4 for the annual Sigma Nu White Rose Formal.

Alpha Xi Delta and Sigma Nu have a bond that stretches back 118 years to 1893 at Lombard College in Galesburg, Ill. Alpha Xi Delta Women’s Fraternity was founded in 1893 on the Lombard campus with the help of the brothers of Sigma Nu. For this reason, among others, the women of Alpha Xi Delta and the men of Sigma Nu have an unbreakable bond.

The Iota Mu chapter of Alpha Xi Delta at Lycoming College was established in April, 2005 and has been looking since then for its own Sigma Nu chapter.

Until recently the closest chapter of Sigma Nu was at Penn State University.
Sigma Nu came to Penn College in spring 2008 and thus became one of more than 180 active chapters of the national fraternity.

Alpha Xi Delta and Sigma Nu members met for the first time in January at a joint greek event held on the Lycoming College campus. The two organizations networked and exchanged contact information.

After the event, several of the members of both organizations discussed hosting an event together, and after a week, the men of Sigma Nu invited the ladies of Alpha Xi Delta to their annual White Rose Formal.

Several brothers of Sigma Nu came to campus to personally invite the women of Alpha Xi Delta to the formal. On Jan. 31 the men presented the women’s fraternity with a formal invitation and a dozen long-stem white roses, Sigma Nu’s fraternity flower.
The formal was held at Penn’s Inn on the Penn College Campus. Attendants enjoyed pictures, music by DJ Mike Snyder, dancing, and light refreshments.

The two chapters are both excited to establish a friendship between the organizations.

“It’s so exciting to establish this friendship with Sigma Nu. It is a real honor to uphold a friendship that our founders established over 100 years ago,” Melissa Erlick, Alpha Xi Delta president, said.

“It was a great time; it is so exciting to have such an opportunity to establish a friendship with the men of Sigma Nu, and continue on with the tradition our founders established,” Alpha Xi Delta’s Social Chair Emily Stinemire added.

The highlight of the night was a joint Sigma Nu and Alpha Xi Delta photograph taken in front of the Sigma Nu greek letters.

The end of the evening left both fraternities hoping to better establish a friendship between the two organizations and as well as plans for joint philanthropy and social events on both campuses.

Straight Talk, no contracts

2011-03-01T13:56:00.002-05:00

by: Bethany Herring

After writing the second column about my cell phone, I learned that other T-Mobile users on campus are not satisfied with the company’s service on campus.

One such student is sophomore Becca Havers, who wrote, “People call me and my phone doesn’t ring. I also don’t get service in my dorm, and I have a lot of dropped calls. I am not satisfied with this at all and will be changing providers when my contract is up this summer.”

Havers went on to tell me about an interesting “plan” that is only available at Wal-Mart and through the company website called Straight Talk.

Straight Talk is a no-contract cell phone plan, meaning that a customer can switch to another service without worrying about paying a large fee to cancel his/her cell phone contract. Also, if money is tight one month, the customer can choose not to pay the cell phone bill if he/she is ok with having no cell service for a month. Service is reactivated each month by entering a credit or debit card number or a Service Card on Straight Talk’s website or through the company’s 800 number on another phone. Customers also can arrange to automatically refill minutes each month by creating a username and password and providing a credit card number.

There are two “plans” that customers can get with Straight Talk. The “All You Need” plan provides 1,000 minutes; 1,000 texts/picture/video messages; 30 MB of data (if the phone is a data phone); and free directory assistance calls for $30 a month. The unlimited plan provides unlimited nationwide talk, text, data, and directory assistance for $45 a month.

If you think that having a prepaid plan limits you to boring, outdated phones, think again! Straight Talk customers can choose from a variety of phone styles from the traditional flip phone to phones with slide-out QWERTY keyboards, slider phones, and phones that look similar to the Blackberry. The phones are manufactured by Motorola, Nokia, LG or Samsung – the same companies that make phones for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Many of the phones have the same MP3, GPS, and Internet capabilities as phones from traditional plans, only with Straight Talk there are no hidden fees.

One downside is the price of the phones. While most of the flip phones range from $29.99 to $49.99, many of the fancier phones are anywhere from $99.99 to 328.99.
While many are skeptic about the coverage area for prepaid phones, Straight Talk provides coverage for large portions of the U.S., especially in Pennsylvania and other states on the East Coast.

Sophomore Kate Traxler is one Lycoming student that, so far, is satisfied with Straight Talk’s service.

“The service is great! I have reception all over, and I get unlimited texting, calling and Internet for a low price. It’s easy and simple,” she said.

Those looking for a phone and saving money may want to may want to consider buying a phone through Straight Talk. You can even keep your current phone number as long as you are still active with another provider.

To learn more about Straight Talk, visit http://www.straighttalk.com.

Bid Day offers many happy returns

2011-03-01T13:50:00.001-05:00

by: Emily Stinemire

The quote “From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it" is often used to describe how Greeks feel about their fraternities and sororities. With the start of the fifth week of the spring semester, 102 new members will get to experience what so many Greek members before have tried to put into words.

After two weeks of recruitment for the sororities and one week for the fraternities, the long awaited new member processes can finally begin as the houses welcome their new brothers and sisters.

Alpha Rho Omega received a total of six new members. Rebecca Weaver said, “We would like to congratulate all the houses on their new members and we are excited for our Beta Iota class.”

Alpha Sigma Tau welcomed their newest pledge class of 11 young ladies. “We are very excited because our girls are not only amazing, but they will do extraordinary things for our house. They are a great group of girls, and we are excited for their new member education to begin”, Katie Baldwin said.

Alpha Xi Delta accepted 12 new women. They are thrilled to be adding such smart, well-rounded, and talented ladies to their family. The new members exemplify all that an Alpha Xi should be, and the sisters are very proud of the new members. They also wish to congratulate the other houses on campus and wish all new members the best of luck throughout their new member process.

Beta Phi Gamma received a total of 15 new members throughout recruitment. And Gamma Delta Sigma added 24 new girls to their house.

Kappa Delta Rho welcome two new members into their fraternity. Jake Kiessling said, “As we move forward with our two excellent new members, we hope that they will reach their full potential of becoming true Kappa Delta Rho gentlemen.”

Kiessling said, “We are excited for the opportunity to enlighten these two young men in the values adopted by our founders more than 100 years ago.” Kappa Delta Rho is looking forward to promoting Greek unity on Lycoming College campus.

Phi Kappa Psi is “very excited about its new seven members,” says Dustin Thomas. “The brothers and alumni wish them luck as they begin the new member education process.” Thomas suggested that the campus keep an eye out for the future projects to be completed by their pledge class and the rest of the fraternity.

Lambda Chi Alpha proudly added 16 new members. And Tau Kappa Epsilon accepted nine new young men into their brotherhood.

“Going Greek” may not be for everyone. But for the 102 new members, their lives are about to change forever. They soon will be initiated into their new fraternity or sorority and start to form bonds that will stay with them throughout the rest of their lives.