The school confides - Westminster College

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Men Make Mucho Macho Music Madness
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A trip to Prague
More tales from abroad A-5
Choir travels to Pittsburgh to perform A-5
Modern Warfare 3
Does it meet expectations? B-5
Friday,
Nov. 18,
2011
12 pages
Volume CXXVII
Number X
O’Donnell in review
By Aleya Tylinski
Campus Writer
James Bonetti / The Holcad
The school confides
By Sam Higgins
Campus Writer
SGA will host its first W.C.
Confidential event in Berlin
Lounge on Thursday, Nov. 17
during lunch, to promote diversity among students.
Junior Andria Alessio is a
member of the diversity committee for SGA and had the idea for
the event. She wanted to break
down the stereotypical ideals of
diversity by engaging students in
discussions about anonymous secrets they submitted on postcards
to SGA.
"W.C. Confidential is really
meant for our campus to be
more personal with us, and since
we are a small campus, we have
a lot more in common with each
other than we think we do, but
don't realize that ," Alessio said.
"It's a good way to establish
these connections with people
that you would have never
thought of before."
Senior SGA diversity chair
Bryce Beeghley said the project is
split into two parts.
The first occurred last week,
when students received blank
postcards in their mailboxes and
were asked to decorate and return them to SGA's mailbox. The
second part will be displaying the
secrets on the second floor of
McKlevey and having an open
discussion on Nov. 17 during
lunch.
W.C. Confidential is based off
of Frank Warren's "Post Secret"
books and website. Warren began the project in 2004 by inviting several strangers to decorate
blank postcards with their secrets
and mail them back to his home.
He now receives thousands of secrets daily and uses them to
weekly update his "Post Secret"
blog weekly. He travels around
the country to colleges and other
institutions to speak about his
books and also about the impor-
tance of diversity.
"We have always wanted to
have something similar to Post
Secret, but Frank Warren is busy
and he's expensive,” Beeghley
said. “This was just a way that we
could tackle that here on a small
campus."
At the event, Alessio said she
plans to ask questions that have
never been thought of before.
She hopes that the attendance of
other diversity leaders on campus will help students feel comfortable about the topics being
discussed.
"Reading the secrets is a great
way to realize that there are people here on this campus that carry burdens greater than you
could ever imagine,” Junior Alli
Ward said. “It’s nice to know that
there are people here that feel the
exact way that you do.”
See W.C. confidential on page
A-4
Like broken clockwork
By Britt Stock
Staff Writer
Advising meeting (n) –A meeting with your assigned advisor to
discuss the classes you will be
registering for.
Advising meetings take place
once a semester and students
prepare by selecting the courses
they wish to take. The professor
takes time out of his or her day to
meet with the student and go
over their transcripts. Students
leave the meetingready for registration morning.
Registration morning (n) –
The highly anticipated day in
which you wake up at the crack
of dawn to ensure you are signed
up for all of the classes you want
to take, except for this year. Students who pulled themselves out
of bed at 5:58 a.m. to register this
year were in for a surprise.
“The internet went down the
second I logged on,” junior Evan
Del Bene said. “I ended up calling my house and luckily someone was up to register my classes
for me before registration was
shut down by the school.”
The wireless internet is a constant problem on our campus,
but it has not yet caused the campus wide problems that it did this
week. The Cisco system was
down for a full 48 hours and unless you had an Ethernet cord or
were willing to fight for a spot at
a library computer, you were out
of luck when it came to connecting to the internet.
“The internet going down just
was not good at all. It is amazing
how we cannot keep a seemingly
small network, compared to
many other school’s networks,
running for a significant amount
of time without a glitch,” Del
Bene said.
In keeping up with the times,
registration was moved a few
years ago from a paper process to
an online one, but naturally, with
that, comes a chance of technicality issues. Seniors can remember
the “old” form of registration in
which scheduling booths were
set up with professors and staff
members to manually register
each student. The question arises,
which process is more efficient?
“Although the kinks in
the online registration are
somewhat annoying for
those who had to wait to
register, it is so much nicer
than waiting in line and
registering by pen and paper.”
“I think doing it the old way
without using all the technology
was the absolute easiest way to
schedule,” senior Aleya Tylniski
said.
Senior Chelsea Gallo feels differently.
“Although the kinks in the online registration are somewhat
annoying for those who had to
wait to register, it is so much
nicer than waiting in line and
registering by pen and paper,”
Gallo said.
There is no doubt that the system this year had some kinks,
Index: Campus News A-1, 4, 5, 6
but not everyone had a poor experience. For the most part, students that registered before Tuesday morning seemed to have no
complaints.
“As a senior, I woke up early
around seven a.m. and registered
my classes without a hitch,” senior Miltiadias Constantine said.
“It looks like I just beat out the
craziness.”
Students on campus are
aware of the problems that occurred on this campus with the
registration process, but what
about those students that are
abroad?
Erika Laudermilt explains,
“We had no difficulties at all because we had to register about a
week and a half before the rest of
the school so we really did not
have to deal with any of the problems like the rest of the students
had to deal with. I felt really bad
when I saw all of the craziness
going on but, like I said, the system malfunctions did not affect
us over here in London.”
Amidst the commotion, the
registrar’s office was swamped
with questions everywhere. In response, they informed the campus of each issue and the manner
in which it was being repaired.
Reassurance from the registrar’s
office helped to diminish the
questions students had, but the
situation was not going away,
and students voiced their opinions on the matter.
Christine O’Donnell was the
keynote speaker at the Westminster College 2011 Mock Republican Convention in Orr Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7
p.m.
Over 400 students attended
the event where O’Donnell spoke
of liberty, socialism and the
American way. Before O’Donnell
took the stage, the son of the
founder of the college’s Mock
Convention, Mr. Charles Mansell,
spoke of the event’s origins and
his father’s vision.
Mansell said his father created
the event, “to inspire students’
participation.”
Executive chair Jared Palonis
introduced O’Donnell following
Mansell’s remarks. Palonis presented O’Donnell by describing
her political views.
“A woman of principled determination, with a governing philosophy centered on the core values of the great American
tradition and a wide experience
in taking on the liberal establishment,” Palonis said.
After taking the stage, O’Donnell discussed her thoughts on
those who describe themselves
as liberals in office. She shared
numerous rhetorical questions
with the audience to showcase
her views on their treatment of
fellow conservatives.
“Will the ruling elite come after us when they feel threatened?
Yes,” O’Donnell said. “Will they
smear our background and distort our records? No doubt.”
O’Donnell continued her address by discussing her views on
apparent socialist qualities of the
current president Barack Obama,
or as she called him, “newly empowered follower in chief.” She
described Obama’s campaigns as
a “campaign whine” where he
simply needs more time.
In describing socialism, O’Donnell shared a story about a
Canadian baby named Joseph.
Doctors decided the operation
that extended Joseph’s life for a
few months and reduced pain
was not worth the cost. However,
an American priest raised
enough money to bring the baby
to America to give him the operation and a few extra months of
life and a less painful death. O’Donnell said that this aspect of
socialism is inhumane.
“Our society should never and
could never put a price tag on a
human being,” O’Donnell said.
Following her speech, O’Donnell answered questions from the
crowd. One student asked if she
supported school vouchers.
School vouchers are certificates
issued by the government for
parents who want their children
to attend private schools rather
than state schools. O’Donnell explained that it is more cost effective to keep school vouchers;
however, local school boards
should be the ones to make the
decisions on vouchers.
Advisor of the Mock Convention Dr. Rhoads thought she was
a great choice for the keynote
speaker.
“The Mock Convention class
picked Christine O’Donnell because she is a nationally known
figure who speaks for a large
number of registered republicans,” Rhoads said.
Senior Milt Constantine, who
is in the Mock Convention class,
described O’Donnell’s speech as a
perfectly pitched speech for the
audience she had.
“There were parts in her
speech that a lot of us definitely
agreed with, but also could disagree with,” Constantine said.
After meeting with fans and
book signing, a press conference
was held. One reporter asked
which candidate she supports in
the GOP primary.
“Right now, I am undecided,
but I am leaning towards someone. All the candidates have
strengths in their own rights,”
O’Donnell said.
She was also asked about the
Mock Convention and what her
opinion is on the event.
“It is a wonderful tradition and
I am honored to be a part of it,”
O’Donnell said.
Other topics brought up were
ObamaCare, redefining America
and student debt. O’Donnell was
also asked about her future in
politics. She will not be running
in 2012. Right now, she is honored to be a leader in the movement and will continue to voice
her opinions and views. She was
also asked about the Mock Convention and what her opinion is
on the event.
“It is a wonderful tradition and
I am honored to be a part of it,”
O’Donnell said.
Other topics brought up were
ObamaCare, redefining America
and student debt. O’Donnell was
also asked about her future in
politics. She will not be running
in 2012. Right now, she is honored to be a leader in the movement and will continue to voice
her opinions and views.
At the end of the press conference, O’Donnell was asked to
summarize her book for anyone
interested in reading it. The book
is broken up into three parts. The
first part is a reflection on her
campaign, in cluding all the
“juicy gossip.” The second part
discusses where she came from,
the struggles she had and the
mistakes she has made. The last
part is a practical application to
teach anyone on how to move
forward and get involved. She
suggests seeking out mentors in
the community who seem to be
making a difference and ask
them for in sight.
O’Donnell explained that
some people may seem intimidated or embarrassed to vote because they fear they do not know
enough about politics. O’Donnell
hopes, however, that more people will reach out and speak their
opinions on politics. Change the
way America is right now.
“There are more of us than
there are of them, and we are being heard,” O’Donnell said.
Students attend Neuroscience 2011
Contributed Photo
Emily Pitzer, Kristina Scanlan, and Tiffany Wilkins stand with their capstone posters that
See Registering Woes on page they presented at the Neuroscience 2011 conference that was held in Washington, D.C.
A-4 from Nov. 12 through 16. More than 32,000 people attended the venue to see neuroscientists from around the world debut cutting-edge research on the brain and nervous system.
Perspectives A-2, 3, 4
Check us out online at holcad.com
Sports B-1, 2
Games B-3
A&E B-4, 5
Features B-6
The Holcad is provided free-of-charge to students, faculty, staff, and visitors of Westminster College. Please take one. If you would like additional copies, please contact the editorial staff.
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November 18, 2011
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The Holcad — Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa.
Perspectives
By Derek Lynch
Based on a true story...
Beware of candy
Kara Knickerbocker
Columnist
RANT & RAVE
10 at 10. Sorry Devo.
Pride in our paper
Looking good, Holcad. did
you get a haircut or something? Call me some time,.
Get your own townhouse!
Pat, Where’s my column?
The Ravens are, like, the
worst football team, like, ever.
Pat Sylves
Why aren’t the cartoons on Editor-in-Chief
the same page anymore? now
My last column detailed the
I have to look at two whole
changes being made to The Holpages every week.
cad, changes prompted by attendance of the 90th annual AssociI cannot
ated College Press and College
Media Association National ColHagravens are driving me
lege Media Convention in Orlancrazy!
do, Florida. While you, faithful
They don’t care. They’re apa- readers, have seen some of the
thetic, like most every other benefits of this convention in the
most recent issues of The Holcad,
student here.
I think sharing some specifics of
the trip could give more insight
Stop hurting the giants!
into what I learned.
My first experience with the
Haven’t seen my boyfriend
convention
was a trade show.
since the 11th...
The show was made up of numerous booths advertising everyant to Rant & thing from social media based on
Rave? Email layout design to a new Sony film
based on William Shakespeare.
The
Holcad My travelling mate Sam Killmeyer (our Features Editor) was imwith RNR as the subject.
mediately pulled away by an ediNote: Rants and
tor for a national literary
raves appear unedited magazine and I was left to fend
for myself. I spoke with some
W
folks selling a mobile app based
on sharing quick news assignments and information: the vendors had no luck in pawning either of their products to us, but
the venture was interesting
nonetheless.
After the initial day of trade
shows, we spent the next two
days checking out different presentations. Sam and I decided to
individually choose different panels and discussions to attend and
pool our new news knowledge
afterward.
Some of the presentations really showcased something… different. I remember entering a
room with every seat filled and
editors standing shoulder to
shoulder, listening to the national
anthem of the Soviet Union. A
man wearing military fatigues
and carrying a riding crop began
cussing at us and telling us how
to “rule the newsroom with an
iron fist.” While the panel was
rather unorthodox, it did a great
job of showing how the iron rule
of a Communist dictator could
serve well in the newsroom.
Not every discussion was that
exciting. I attended a political correctness presentation where the
panel head showed videos for
twenty minutes and pushed the
same point over and over. While
informative, this hour and a half
of my time was far less thrilling.
The other notable panel was
far more… creepy. A former reporter asked the audience about
their coverage of death and
shootings on campus. After questioning us, he discussed his own
experience in covering tragedies.
The man was almost uncaring in
his description of injury and
death, showing the morbid sense
of humor which can develop after years of experience with
tragedy. However, his message
was solid: while one needs to be
as emotionally sensitive as possible but still obtain the story.
The info gleaned from these
events and the rest of the conference was crucial in instilling a
sense of pride in Sam and myself. I left for Orlando feeling confident in our paper, expecting little change in new editions. We
returned with a combined sense
of pride.
Pride in what we have accomplished. Pride in what we have
learned. Pride in what we will accomplish.
Enjoy the issue.
Pat is a senior Public Relations major and Broadcast
minor. He is ready to head
home and enjoy the company
of dogs, chickens and an unruly cat.
Whatever happened to thanks
Miltiadis Constantine
Columnist
Butter the corn and slice the
pumpkin pie. Bring out the
mashed potatoes and stuffing.
And of course, don’t forget the
most important ingredient of all:
turkey. Let’s feast. Oh, and aren’t
we supposed to give thanks?
Nah, just pass the turkey please.
“Turkey Day” has increasingly
taken over the role of what was
once a proud American holiday.
This Thursday marks the 148th
official Thanksgiving Holiday as
proclaimed by Abraham Lincoln.
It was a day of thanks to commemorate the coming together
of English religious separatists on
the Mayflower and the indigenous Wamponoag tribe in 1621.
For you historically challenged
readers, the day is commemorated in large part thanks to an escaped native slave named Squanto. He taught the settlers learned
how to harvest the land and support themselves. This followed a
winter that claimed the lives of
nearly half the settlers. The settlers truly had something to be
thankful for: their lives.
Masking a brutally violent history, Thanksgiving was once an
almost tragic holiday that serves
as an example of rare harmony
between European colonists and
Native Americans. However, it
was also turned into something
positive over several centuries; a
day to give thanks for what we
have in our lives.
Sadly, the positive meaning
and shimmering history of
Thanksgiving has become more
and more diminished. Our country has become a giant consumer-obsessed society. I find it
sickening that Halloween was
advertised in early August. It’s
even worse that Christmas gifts
have already been on the shelves
for nearly a month. Where does
Thanksgiving fit in? It doesn’t. At
least not anymore.
The only aspect of Thanksgiving that will survive consumerism is the only part that
can be sold for a profit: turkey.
Commercialism has gone so far
as to initiate an informal name
change that emphasizes the best
part of their sales. Check the
facts. Today, ninety percent of
Americans eat Turkey on
Thanksgiving according to the
National Turkey Federation. Iron-
ically, historians disagree if
turkey was even served at the
original meal.
Thanksgiving was once a
purely American holiday. It was
a day that we could uniquely celebrate together as Americans.
Think of our major holidays.
Most are celebrated around the
world. Most countries celebrate
their own independence day.
Everyone celebrates a New Year.
Halloween began in Europe. Religious Holidays such as Christmas
and Easter are celebrated around
the world. Many countries even
celebrate a form of Labor Day
and Memorial Day.
I attended a Thanksgiving
banquet in London, England during my semester abroad. The
British hosts had no idea what to
even celebrate. We were given
party hats and noise makers that
much resembled New Years.
They didn’t even serve turkey.
There is still hope to salvage
this once beautiful holiday and
restore it to its meaningful roots.
It doesn’t have to be religious; it
doesn’t have to be about turkey.
All I’m asking is this: Find someone important in your life. Let
them know what you are thankful for. Don’t tell them through a
text; tell him or her in person. I
guarantee you will make that
person’s day by letting them
know how much they mean to
you.
Many of us are so under appreciative of what we take for
granted. We moan and complain
when the wireless network goes
down for a couple days when
there are human beings around
the world who haven’t had running water their entire lives. We
whine and cry about the occasional sub-par food at the café
when others perform slave labor
for a dollar a day to feed their
starving children. We take so
much for granted and give little
in return.
This is why Thanksgiving is
such an important holiday. It’s a
day that is specifically reserved
for ungrateful people like us to
take a step back and realize how
fortunate we are to live in a country like this. If you’ve made a big
difference in my life, I’m going to
do my best to tell you. I hope you
can do the same.
Talk to you next week.
Miltiadis Constantine is a
senior public relations and
political science double major. He also eats turkey on
Thanksgiving. He is thankful
for each and every one of
those who have made a difference in his life.
The band Cheap Trick said it
best with their song: “I Want You
to Want Me.” And I’m not referring to myself and this new column, either. No matter the reason, human nature has instilled
in us the constant desire to feel
wanted. But what do we really
want?
If you approach the question
with stereotypes in mind, then
most every woman wants to
hear that she is beautiful and
needs to know that it is her, not
her man’s Xbox, the football
game currently on T.V., or bacon
that is what makes his world go
round. (I know— bacon is a close
call).
Men, on the other hand, are
thought to be more like candy
bars. They want to hear that
they are the opposite of fun-size,
and sometimes it even seems
like they will do anything to
make you Snicker just to get a
chance to touch your Kit-Kat.
Yet, surely not every male
and female student at Westminster fit into these narrow lines of
lust. Just as I fought to defy the
stereotypes of sex columns, I intend to demolish the idea that
we have all heard, again and
again: “All men/women are the
same.” Forget about your past
cavities, honey, there are some
still some sweets somewhere in
the candy dish that you can savor.
For example, I talked with
one football player who wanted
to break the stereotype, arguing,
“Guys really do want relationships, even though it seems like
all we want is sex. We like feeling needed and love the attention, too.”
“I agree,” his sophomore
friend added, “And if a girl is
good-looking but can’t hold a
conversation, I lose interest.”
Clearly, if we can relate attraction to an iceberg, then these
clichés of appearances represent
merely just the tip. (No pun intended.)
In fact, many men that I
spoke to emphasized the importance of emotional connection
with their partner over just
purely physical attraction. If
personality and brains weren’t
there, then it would cause them
to lose interest, no matter how
perfect the package may look
from the outside.
“It’s easier to talk with girls
and get a different point of view
about something or just be able
to say things that I can't talk to
my guy friends about,” one senior said.
An honest sophomore joked,
“I don’t know what it is exactly
that attracts women to men, and
I doubt I’ll ever know.”
Evidently, although they
might not say no to a Three
Musketeers bar, most men need
and want more than the physical aspects to sustain a relationship.
Similarly, several females
shot down their stereotypes as
well; stressing that attraction is
actually the same for both genders, but that women are just
more subtle when scoping out
the opposite sex.
“Sometimes you can’t help
attraction. We don’t publicize it
like men do, but the first thing
we notice about a guy is their
outward appearance, too,” a female senior said.
So what about love at first
sight? According to a recent
study at Syracuse University,
certain euphoric chemicals released from the brain can cause
the body to fall in love in as little as one fifth of a second. That
love, however, must be deeper
than surface level.
“Regardless if there is strong
physical attraction from the
start, it goes without saying that
the more time we spend with
someone, the more overall attracted we become to their personality,” the senior continued.
A PR major took it a step
further, stressing that the dynamics of attraction have completely changed for our generation. Simply put, women aren’t
Airheads who only think about
finding love or getting a Ring
Pop, some of them just want a
Hot Tamale every once in a
while, too.
“I think we have the mentality that we have been ogled and
gawked at and made into sexual
beings so many times that not
only do we think in that manner, but we believe we deserve
to see men in the same light
they choose to see us," she argued.
Another female student
agreed, saying, “Relationships
are a two way street, but my
opinion on how to treat a man
has changed. Boys will get what
they give.”
In part of the casual dating
scene exploding in our generation, it is clear that these stereotypical lines can easily be
blurred. We should be careful to
not only avoid labeling the opposite sex so quickly. Also, a final word of advice to readers:
When you are digging into
that leftover Halloween candy
and making your selection, the
wrapper is the most important
part. Especially, ladies, if both
Mike and Ike show up...
Kara Knickerbocker is a
senior English major and PR
minor. Sorry Mike and Ike,
she left you both for Reese’s
a long time ago.
The Holcad
Westminster College’s student newspaper since 1884
357 McKelvey Campus Center
Box 157, New Wilmington, Pa., 16172
general: (724) 946-7224 ads: (724) 946-7223
[email protected] fax: (724) 946-6223
Read each week’s edition online at holcad.com
Editor-in-Chief
Pat Sylves
Managing Editor
Brendan Moulton
News Editor
Courtney Crown
Layout Editor
Kelly Gould
Photography Editor
James Bonetti
Outside the Bubble Editor
Caroline Lippl
Sports Editor
Nate Horgan
Sports Writers
Liam Halferty,
Bradford Arick, Reuben King, Emily Kompare,
Eric Shumaker, Tara Ott, Cody Pepperday
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Addie Domske
Arts & Entertainment Writers
Laura Milanak,
Rose Selby, Melissa Williams,Travis Kellar
Features Editor
Sam Killmeyer
Copy Editors
Katie Ellison, Kathryn Merolla,
Emily Pitzer, Dan Stephenson,
Kristina Scanlan, Leanna Julian
Staff Writers
Melissa Dubrawka,
Hannah Paczkowski, Morgan Smith, Britt
Stock,
Maggie Backstrom, Allison McKinney
Columnists
Miltiadis Constantine,
Katie Ellison, Nicole Crumbacher,
Alexandra Pasquarelli, Bryce Beeghly,
Kara Knickerbocker
Photographers
Laura Milanak, Alyssa Hanna,
Megan Salinetro, Harry Bittle
Operations Manager
Casey Kennedy
Outside the Bubble - holcad (24”) 060826cad
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November 18, 2011
A-3
Perspectives
Let’s focus on sustainability
Nicole Crumbacher
Environmental Columnist
It’s proven…everyone has a
favorite mug. In the morning,
when you are forced to use an
ugly mug, the quality of your coffee experience decreases. Even
though it’s the exact same coffee,
your perception of the coffee just
isn’t as good. Just like the mug affects the fondness of your coffee
experience, I truly believe that
the amount of sustainability in
your life directly influences your
perception of the world.
Think about Westminster College as a house. Unless you live
in an igloo, every house needs
four strong sides, or else it’ll collapse. Currently, Westminster has
three, solid walls made of academic integrity, stewardship, and
leadership. However, the fourth
essential side is missing: environmental sustainability.
The recent “green” movement
has been buzzing around college
campuses across the nation for
years now. Colleges that support
and promote environmental sustainability entice perspective students because they reflect desire
to support a cause that will maintain a long-term ecological balance in the world. But, do you
feel that Westminster College
puts the environment on the
back burner? No one really
knows the environmental stan-
dard on campus. We need to step
up among the competing colleges before they surpass us. We
need to think of ways to do this
before they think of it. It can’t just
happen.
As a college, we are facing economic, promotional, and environmental problems that can be easily altered for the better. It’s a
shame that with all that we have,
our campus doesn’t have unique
environmental impact compared
to other colleges and universities.
It all boils down to cost: opportunity cost and tangible costs.
What is environmental sustainability? It encompasses anything that saves the earth in a
long-term routine. Composting is
one of the most important ways
to execute this. Plain and simple,
if you grind up waste and leave it
for a few months, it transforms
into the most nutrient filled soil
that you can have. You can’t replicate that. It’s the most natural
form of beauty there is.
Folks, we had a natural phenomenon here on campus. Let’s
take a stroll back to the fall of
2005. Just six years ago, Westminster was distinctive because
Clarence Harms, director of the
field station, created a composting program that took all of the
waste from the dining facilities,
and in the community and
turned it into “good dirt” (AKA
compost). Four years of his life
was dedicated to making Westminster a better place for students, faculty, and alumnae. They
were also selling it for further
project developments. That truly
made us distinctive. Other colleges even tried creating programs bases off of our example.
In spring of 2009, Harms gave
faculty an ultimatum: he needed
more help or else the program
had to be shut down. Unfortu-
I am more fearful
By Sam Killmeyer
Features Editor
This past Tuesday, Nov. 15,
artist Ai Weiwei paid a bond of
8.45m Yuan (1.3 million dollars)
to Chinese tax authorities in a
move to challenge accusations of
tax fraud. He claims the fines are
politically motivated, and with a
history like his, it’s hard to argue
otherwise.
Ai was imprisoned, without
charge, earlier this year for nearly
three months. In January of this
year, the studio he spent two
years designing and building
and which was to be used as an
education center and a site for
artists in residence was razed in a
single day by Shanghai government officials. Ai’s art includes
pieces as controversial as photographs of himself smashing a
2,000-year-old Han Dynasty vase,
dipping other valuable vases in
garish industrial paint, and creating a map of china created with
wood salvaged from demolished
temples.
Ai’s artwork, which has been
placed in installations in various
galleries around the world, is
shocking, stark, and at times
ridiculous; the only common
thread seems to be an outright
refusal of an apathetic response
from his audience. As I flipped
through a slide show of his work
I found myself reacting in ways I
never have to art before. When I
visit a gallery I usually find myself wondering what the artists
meant when presenting me with
their painting, sculpture, instillation. I’ve stood in front of the
Rothko in the Carnegie Museum
of Art knowing that the massive
field of yellow meant something
more, something I couldn’t grasp,
but being unable to discern precisely what Rothko wanted me to
feel, to see. I feel ignorant and
confused in the face of most
modern art—I think it’s the English major in me, searching for
symbols, themes, wanting every-
thing to mean something definite.
Ai’s art is different. I not only
know what he means, but I can
feel it; my response is immediate,
visceral. I smiled when I flipped
through the pictures of his defiant middle finger raised in front
of the White House, the Eiffel
Tower, San Marco, and even
Tiananmen Square. But it was a
weighted grin, one I think I can
make only because I am an
American. What do I know of political control? Of living in a
country which leaves you no
choice but to photograph each
moment of your resistance if
only to prove that oppression is
real?
What has garnered the most
international attention, and one
of the reasons which Ai might
have been dealt the tax penalty,
are not his controversial artwork,
but his popular blog. Previously
hosted on a site within China’s
firewall, its political commentary
often led to the removal of posts
by government officials. His response was to simply repost the
deleted blog, but when his posts
grew too controversial, authorities turned off his accounted. So
Ai turned to social media, to
Twitter, which is ‘blocked’ in China, but can be accessed through
servers in other countries
through a VPN. I’m not technologically savvy, but from what I
can gather, Ai has found a way,
through tweeting Google documents with innocuous titles, to
make his documentaries available to Chinese followers—to
make himself both famous and
despised.
I’m captivated by Ai Weiwei,
and by his massive following,
gathered through the internet,
who came together to donate the
money he deposited this week.
His story reminds me of the battles being fought in the Middle
East through social media. Without the advent of the internet, Ai’s
story would be much more like
that of his father, the famous poet
Ai Qing denounced during the
Anti-Rightist Movement and sent
to a labor camp, then the one he
is currently carving out for himself on the world stage that is the
internet.
Ai’s method is simple—he is
filming his own life of resistance,
showing it to others, and revealing the truth. The most powerful
story I have taken from Ai is his
response to the Sichuan earthquake of 2008.
70,000 people were killed
when poorly constructed government buildings collapsed in the
quake. Ai was shocked by the
lack of government response to
the tragedy, and knew that he
needed to do something—he
made the massive tragedy personal. He wanted to know the
names of those killed. More particularly, he wanted to know the
names of the thousands of school
children who had died. But the
government wouldn’t release a
single name.
Ai did what knew would solve
the problem: he sent out a call for
action on his blog. The response
was overwhelming and spurred
something incredible, a citizen’s
investigation in China. Volunteers began hounding officials for
numbers and names, which they
proceeded to post online. In a
place where the act of organizing
is dangerous in itself, Ai has succeeded in publishing more than
5,000 names. And Ai went one
step farther; he turned his political movement into art with an installation at the Haus der Kunst
museum in Munich, Germany.
When I saw an photograph of
the gigantic installation, ‘Remembering’, in a zoomed out shot I
didn’t think much of it, until I
saw another photograph and realized that the entire front of the
museum is not painted, but covered in 9,000 colorful school
backpacks. The yellow, red, blue
and green packs spell a single
sentence, spoken by a mother of
one of the earthquake victims,
“she lived happily for seven years
in this world.”
It was then that I realized how
important Ai really is. Of course, I
knew intellectually that his art
was important, that he was expressing his freedom of speech,
but I didn’t know. It was the
same distinction I felt when confronted with the Rothko—the difference between cognitively
knowing and truly knowing.
Those backpacks made me know
in the way only art can that Ai is
speaking for not only himself,
but every citizen who has been
silenced, for every child who no
longer has a voice.
Ai is speaking for many Chinese citizens, but the one I am
most struck by is Liu Xiaobo. Liu
Xiaobo, a writer, was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for
“his long and nonviolent struggle
for fundamental human rights in
China” but was in prison, unable
to accept the award. 2008 was
the first time that neither the
winner of the award nor a representative (no relatives were free
to leave China) was present to accept the award since 1936, when
Nazi government prevented
writer Carl von Ossietzky from
collecting the prize.
I am scared. I am scared that
unforgivable atrocities are occurring in China right now, but
there is no WWII to show the
world what is happening. Instead, China’s economy is swiftly
dwarfing our own, and I am
afraid that soon their economic
power will cause other countries
to turn a blind eye to their refusal
to grant their citizens basic human rights. But I am also possess
a deep faith in artists like Ai who
refuse to be silenced. I read
Samuel Beckett’s short play, “Catastrophe” last week for my playwriting class, and I am haunted
by closing image of the Protagonist raising his head, his final act
of defiance.
Ai is refusing to bow his head,
refusing to shut his mouth in a
country whose government
would like nothing else but to silence him. I am terrified that he
will become the canary in mine
that is China, but, as Ai himself
reminds me in one of his documentaries, “I'm so fearful! That's
not fearless. I'm more fearful
than other people, maybe. Then I
act more brave because I know
the danger is really there. If you
don't act, the dangers become
stronger.”
His words and art reach beyond China, and even beyond
artistic resistance and; for, “if you
don’t speak out, and you don’t
clear your mind, then who are
you?”
Sam is a senior English
major and secondary education minor. She wishes more
people would Tweet about
Ai Weiwei than the new
shoes they just bought...
nately, the lack of support terminated the composting program.
Currently, we still have the equipment, we just need the hands.
Look at what we encompass
as an institution: our dedication
and energy speak loudly. We are
not lazy. We are all leaders. We’re
all intelligent individuals who
make good decisions every day. I
truly believe that we have some
of the strongest academic programs, most ambitious faculty,
and most determined students. It
surprises me that with all of the
values and ideals that Westminster fosters, sustainability is not
one of the top priorities. Without
the environment, there would be
nothing. Literally. We should be
held accountable for sustaining
the environment and we should
want to.
There are two sets of hands
that we need to get this program
up and running again: the hands
of faculty and the hands of students. Because faculty and staff
work with diligence to ensure
that their own areas of business
are being properly achieved,
there is minimal time left to ensure that the composting program is being carried out. In
every life situation, nothing can
be done efficiently if there isn’t a
leader who can devote time. So,
we need to allot money to appoint a person who oversees
what we are doing, and what we
aren’t doing to sustain the environment.
Additionally, what Westminster needs to do is have environmental sustainability built into
the academic curriculum. There
should be a component of inquiry that requires helping out at
the field station during class.
Rightly so, students do not delight putting on gloves and sorting through old food waste. But
what if they were paid?
More often than not, people
don’t want to do extra work if
they’re not getting credit for it. In
most students’ minds, the opportunity cost of working at the field
station during free time is relatively high. They could be studying or hanging out with their
friends, but if they were getting
some form of payment for helping, then it may be more appealing.
Beyond inquiry, we need to
have other groups involved in
what it means to live a sustainable life. Like every relationship,
there needs to be sustainability.
These sustainable relationships
affect your lifestyle on a daily basis. If something is not matching
up, then it feels uneven.
At Westminster College, something isn’t adding up. In a sense,
we’re prohibiting sustainability
from our dominion. This needs to
stop, and we need to begin to live
sustainably by joining in a cause
that is greater than ourselves.
In the future, this movement
should begin the moment perspective student’s step onto campus. Imagine the day when there
are integrated signs throughout
the campus center, promoting
our new and improved green
movement with organized and
nicely-labeled bins to sort compostable from plastics in the dining facilities.
In the future, I would like to
see a positive world perception
from the student body. Starting
right now, change your outlook
of the world by helping the community and drinking from your
favorite coffee mug.
Nicole is a Senior public
relations major who loves
the environment and her
Sigma Kappa sisters!
It’s in the name
By Allie Addoms
Staff Writer
Czech, Slovakia, Czech Republic, or Czechoslovakia?
Never taking a European
history class came to my disadvantage when travelling in
Europe as questions like this
arise in my head. What is the
country’s actual name as of
2011?
After planning a trip to
Prague, I figured it would be a
good idea to figure that out.
As of 1993, Czech Republic
and Slovakia are two separate,
independent countries and
Prague is the capital of Czech
Republic.
A 12 hour journey on bus
was separating me from
Prague on Thursday, November 10. I travelled with a student travelling agency, Bus2
Alps which provided transportation, accommodation at a
top rated hostel in Prague, a
walking tour and Bus2Alps
tour guides.
The cost of this trip, like
many
other
weekend
Bus2Alps trips was 239 euro
which is about $326 U.S. dollars.
I was excited but nervous to
learn that the Czech Republic
uses their independent currency called the crown. I knew
that the crown has less value
than the dollar so I was even
more excited because I am
used to using the Euro which
has more value than the dollar.
One crown equals about
$18 U.S. dollars and about 25
Euros.
I was constantly
pulling out my iPod and using
the calculator to do conversions in Prague.
Prague’s use of metros,
trams and buses was one of
the easiest systems I have used
so far. I am not used to public
transportation systems. However Prague’s systems were
easy to use besides the hardto-read Czech names of the
stops.
We arrived Friday morning
around 10:00 a.m. and left for
our walking tour with a local
tour guide from Prague named
Jana.
The three hour walking
tour consisted of visiting some
beautiful points in Prague. I
saw the famous Prague Astro-
nomical Clock in Old Town.
This clock was unique because
it not only told the time, it revealed zodiac signs, Schwabcher numerals (indicating the
time of sunset), and a calendar.
Much of the tour was dedicated to the history of the
Czech Republic during World
War II through the communist
rule into the present day. Today there are many monuments dedicated to the Czech
Jews and Czech soldiers from
that time.
Jana’s stories about the Soviet Union’s communist
regime in Czech were heartbreaking but made me realize
how lucky I am in the States
to have never been through
the communist system.
Bus2Alps took us on their
own walking tour where we
saw the Charles Bridge which
was full of gothic statues and
medieval style architecture.
We also saw the Lennon
Wall. It is a wall with Beatles
lyrics and John Lennon inspired graffiti. The wall began
in the 1980s when young residents of Prague were living in
communism. They snuck out
at night and began writing
phrases, poems, lyrics and pictures about principles such as
peace and love.
Today the wall is a major
tourist attraction in Prague.
The Prague Castle’s fairytale-like structure can be seen
on a nearby hill throughout
the city. It is the largest castle
in the world.
After a 15 minute climb up
a paved pathway I finally arrived at the footsteps of the
castle. Another major tourist
attraction brings thousands of
visitors daily. D
uring my visit we also enjoyed Czech cuisine. The
Goulash was a typical Czech
dish which was delicious. Other dishes I enjoyed were potato dumplings, mushroom and
garlic soups, herb butter with
bread, pancakes with berries
and chocolate and sweet
bread.
I love being able to capture
a city’s culture from the food,
currency, language, transportation and history in three days
which is what travelling and
studying abroad has allowed
me to do.
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Page A-4
MAGENTA
November 18, 2011
CYAN
BLACK
Perspectives
Coming Out
We’ve all kept a secret, some
greater than others. You may
have known of a friend’s secret
crush or have been sworn to
secrecy after helping to buy a
loved one a birthday gift. Simple enough, secrets aren’t all so
bad… But how many of you
have lived a secret?
Through middle and high
school, I lived a secret. It was a
secret I could hardly understand, but I knew it was a part
of me. I also knew it was
something that, if people
found out, could alter my life.
This secret, this time bomb,
was torturous. For years I felt
different, unexplainably so,
and the echoing tick of this
time bomb weakened my spirit each and every day. How
could I be happy living a lie?
Yet how would I be happy living a life of which so many
would disapprove? Tick. . .
tick. . . tick. . . the time bomb
grew louder and louder inside
of me. It was time to disarm it
or my heart, my soul, would
explode, leaving me empty
and untrue. What you are
about to read is my ‘coming
out’ story, my journey to truth.
I was 15 years old when I
moved to live with my father
and stepmother. My parents
had divorced when I was 2,
and life thereafter wasn’t a
Bryce Beeghley
Columnist
walk in the park. My mother
was addicted to drugs and alcohol for most of my young
life, so I grew up fast, learning
to take care of my younger
brother and sister while she
slept off hangovers or struggled through withdrawal. I lost
all sense of control of my life
and my surroundings the day I
saw my mother beaten by her
“boyfriend,” my baby sister in
arm. My life was a helpless
and endless search for a safe
place for my siblings and me,
acknowledgement from my
family, and recovery for my
mom.
Moving to my father’s house
was my last chance to improve
my life, but sacrifices were
made. I left behind my brother,
sister, and mother who needed
me most. At times, I still feel
selfish for this, but I reassure
myself that it was meant to be.
I didn’t get the acknowledgement and love I sought
from my father. Instead I got a
strict regimen of chores and
other responsibilities. Nothing
was a luxury. I worked for
everything I wanted – my
phone, my car and insurance,
even school trips. During my
senior year, I was selected for
the lead role in our high
school’s musical, what some
parents would be more than
proud of, but what mine would
despise. This was nearly confirmation for my father that I
was less of a man, and he was
sure to let me know how he
felt.
Some people have the
choice of when they want to
‘come out.’ They may wait until
they’re grown and independent or they may choose to tell
everyone from the start. That
choice didn’t exist in my circumstance. One night at dinner, like a blow to the chest,
the question took the breath
from my lungs. “Bryce, are you
gay?” they asked. Already
knowing the consequences –
Christian therapy, counseling,
and limitless grounding – I
swallowed heavily and replied,
“No, never.” I believe they felt
they had accomplished their
goal: to scare it out of me.
Coming to college was a liberating experience, to say the
least. After battling with my father over attending a state
school or Westminster, I finally
won. And, not surprisingly, I’m
footing the bill for it too. The
first semester was intense with
independence, new friends,
and my own rules. I began to
date and finally became happy. The secret didn’t follow me
to college… or so I thought.
Thanks to the incredible social networking device, Facebook, I was monitored from
afar, only to face a harsh reality in the near future. It was
Christmas break of my freshman year. I couldn’t wait to
share my experiences with my
family; I had learned so much.
Thankfully, I didn’t have that
burdensome sensation of
emptiness as I did before. I
was a happy and rejuvenated
spirit, until I crossed the
threshold of my father’s home.
The quiet uneasiness of the
place sent all of my positivity
fleeing back toward Westminster. I was welcomed by a
trembling face, trying to stay
stern and strong. The words
that followed took all the light
from my heart, spinning my
world into a meaningless
shadow. “You need to leave,”
he said quietly. And within
twenty minutes, each of his
sharp words – disgrace, perverted, queer, fag – tore away
at what I worked so hard to
build: self-respect and self-esteem. That day, I was cast
away by the man whose love
and acceptance I longed for
the most.
I was left to pack my belongings, or what I could fit in
my car, to leave. As I drove
away on that cold day, life
couldn’t have meant less to
me. Without a purpose, without any hope or chance of
gaining his love, without a will
to live, I attempted suicide.
Only by the grace of God
did I survive what could have
been a fatal car crash into that
snowy, tree-lined ditch. With
my car still drivable, I began to
cry alone in the silence and
darkness. Hours later, I made
it to my aunt’s house where
everyone was asleep and unaware of the events of that
night.
I crawled into the spare bed
and almost immediately fell
asleep, exhausted and broken.
The next morning my aunt
found me there and knew
something was wrong. “I just
want to sleep,” I said. I became
ill from internalizing my pain,
and it was days before I could
speak of what happened to my
aunt. She knew what my father had done was coming. It
was only a matter of time.
I returned to school in the
spring to rediscover all the
happiness that was lost and to
rebuild my spirit that was destroyed. I owe a lot of this to
the friends I’ve made here. I
owe even more to the family
members who stood by me
unconditionally. As this time
in my life remains vivid and
the wounds remain open, I
grow stronger. I’m healing. I’m
learning my purpose once
again. I’ve forgiven my father,
although we still do not speak,
and I’ve grown close to my
mother now that she has recovered. Most of all, I am my
true self each and every day,
with conviction and humility,
knowing that I have overcome.
Everything in life happens
for a reason. And I believe
these
experiences
have
brought me to where I am today. Now, I ask you to hold my
story in your hearts and minds
as you go through life. Remember it before you cast
your judgment on another. Remember it as you will cross
the paths of many who have
lived a secret.
I hope with sharing my experience, you will appreciate
the love that you have in your
lives and perhaps find hope
and strength to overcome the
odds that face you. Finally, I
ask that you find your true
worth and that you hesitate
before gauging the worth of
others. Thank you for taking a
moment to share in my journey.
Bryce Beeghly is a senior
Spanish major and secondary
education minor. He’s proud
to serve as SGA’s diversity
chair and to contribute to
The Holcad as diversity
columnist.
Campus News
Men’s chorus sings macho
By Alyssa DeSantis
Campus Writer
The Men’s Chorus mentored
middle school singers during the
testosterone filled Mucho Macho
Music VIII festival from 8:30 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 at North
Hills Junior High School.
Dr. Robin Lind, men’s chorus director, co-founded Mucho Macho
Music in 2004 to encourage male
interest in singing beyond middle
school. The annual festival hosted
109 sixth through ninth graders
from Pittsburgh area schools.
Men’s Chorus members served as
festival guests and guides for the
young singers.
“It’s a great community outreach,” Lind said. “[The students in
Men’s Chorus] love singing, so they
pass that on to the other guys in
middle school.”
Pittsburgh native Mike Horanski served as Mucho Macho Music
VIII’s guest conductor. Throughout the day, younger students practiced singing with the college students. Members of both groups
worked together based on the similarity of their vocal abilities. All
music selections were designed for
male voices.
“My favorite part [of Mucho
Macho Music] is being able to
work with kids of all ages, with
common piece of music, all in the
name of Men’s Chorus,” senior and
Men’s Chorus member Milt Constantine said.
After lunch, the members of
Men’s Chorus sang various pieces
for the middle school students in-
cluding three from their Nov. 6
choral concert. Both groups collaborated in a final performance at
the end of the day. Family members and teachers of the young
singers made up the audience.
Mucho Macho Music continues
to grow and attract the attention of
middle school choir directors.
Over the years, the number of
schools participating in Mucho Macho Music doubled from 10 to 20,
according to Lind. Festival organizers now limit participation to a
set number of students from each
school.
Eight years ago, Mucho Macho
Music did not exist. However, a
lack of male interest in singing did
exist. Lind observed first-hand the
impact this had on choral groups.
“I taught in public schools for
eight years,” Lind said. “I judged
festivals where you would see
choirs come in with 30 girls and 4
boys. It’s an issue and always has
been.”
Ultimately, Lind explained, confidence proved to be the real issue,
not interest. Physical changes occur during middle school and
these changes include the voice.
The Mucho Macho website described it as “the most daunting of
times in a singing boy’s life.”
Young boys lose their confidence
during this time. As a result, they
lose interest in singing and become involved in other activities.
Mucho Macho Music addressed
this need for encouragement in the
lives of middle school males. The
festival called upon the experience
of older singers. Men’s Chorus
members joined the younger
singers for a day, bonded with
them and shared their love of
singing.
“I think it’s an inspiring day for
the kids,” Constantine said. “They
get to interact with college students who they look up to.”
Even the festival’s title stemmed
from an interest to engage young
singers. Dr. Lind and her cofounder wanted to engage them
with something other than a “boy’s
music festival.” Mucho Macho Music came out of a desire to make
singing enjoyable and interesting.
The primary object of Mucho
Macho Music remains to build
courage in middle school singers.
However, two other age groups
benefited as a byproduct of this initiative: the members of Men’s Chorus and the middle school choir directors.
Members of Men’s Chorus may
work with a similar age group in
the near future. Knowledge of
how voices and talents develop
only helps the college students empathize with other age groups.
“It’s an incredible experience
for our music education students,”
Lind said. “The college guys think
they’ll be teaching, pastors or
working in the field of education.”
Music leaders struggle to encourage involvement in their middle school students. While the students practiced together, Lind’s
experience gave her the chance to
mentor choir directors from the 20
schools represented at Mucho Macho Music.
Contributed Photo
Men’s chorus sing with middle school students at the Mucho Macho Music event.
Alyssa Hanna / The Holcad
A group of seniors learn proper etiquette at Career Center hosted Dine ‘N Shine on Tuesday, Nov. 15 before getting on their feet for some ballroom dancing lessons.
Seniors learn dining
By Morgan Smith
Staff Writer
The Career Center hosted their
sixteenth annual Dine ‘N Shine seniors only dinner and style show
on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 5:30 p.m.
“The purpose of the event is to
help students learn the skills they
need to interview over a meal,”
Kati Edmiston, Associate Director
of the Career Center, said.
This program not only consisted of a business dinner, but it also
included a lecture about the correct way to conduct one’s self at a
business dinner, a style show on
what is appropriate to wear during
business deals and a ballroom
dancing demonstration.
The event started with a business dinner. The seniors sat down
to a meal of either Zia’s Nutty
Chicken or Pasta Alfredo. During
the dinner, guest speaker Dr. Cary
Horvath spoke about the finesse of
business dining.
According to the Director of the
Career Center, Jackie Meade, Horvath is a former Westminster professor who now works for
Youngstown State University in
the Communications Department.
Meade explained that Horvath
guided the seniors through the
meal with her lecture. She talked
about the importance of etiquette
over business dinners and gave
various information about how to
act during a meal with professionals.
“During the dinner and style
show last year, I learned a lot of
valuable tools for dining in a professional environment,” Kandice
Hartner said. “Some of the techniques they covered were how to
put your silverware on your plate
if you are finished, or where to put
your napkin when you excuse
yourself from the table.”
According to Edmiston, after
the meal and the lecture by Horvath, the seniors were introduced
to ballroom dancing. The dancers
performed wearing business professional attire and after the event
came to a close, the dancers offered a free ballroom dancing lesson that was open to all of campus.
“I have never experienced
dance besides at Homecoming,
Prom and at fraternity houses so it
will be neat to be introduced to another form of dance that I could
use in my adult life,” senior Brittney Stock said.
Edmiston said that after the
ballroom dancing demonstration,
the Career Center put on a fashion
show. Underclassmen modeled
both business professional and
business casual wear. The clothes
came from multiple stores in the
Grove City Outlets including Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers,
The Dress Barn, Nine West Shoes
and Rockport Shoes.
According to Edmiston, while
the underclassmen were modeling
their various attire, staff from the
Career Center explained the differences between business casual
and business professional.
“Everything they taught us at
the event was exceedingly helpful,
and I hope to be able to put them
to use in the future,” Hartner said.
Meade stated that the goal of
the program is to give students information and to provide them
with comfort when they have to be
out in the workplace.
“It gives them a more mature,
manageable way to deal with business dinners,” Meade said.
Edmiston explained that the
program allows students to feel
comfortable in more business situations and it gives them good
manners. She also stated that the
manners and etiquette that the students learn at the event could not
only be useful in business deals,
but that the students could use
what they learn at functions such
as wedding receptions, charity and
fundraising event and travelling
abroad.
“This event sounds like it will
provide valuable insights that seniors can practically apply in the
near future,” senior Jessie Foertsch
said. “I hope to gain practical advice that I can apply to the experiences I am likely to encounter in
the job market.”
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November 18, 2011
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Page A-5
Campus News
Trade Fairly
By Maggie Backstrom
Staff Writer
Harry Bittle / The Holcad
The Transgender Librarian, Debra Davis, was one guest speaker during the multi-organization sponsored Diversity Month.
Diversity Month highlights
By Hannah Paczkowski
Staff Writer
Diversity Month encourages
students to experience different
cultures and viewpoints on campus.
November highlights organizations associated with Diversity
Services such as Allies, Disabilities Awareness Club and Black
Student Union. Director of Diversity Service, Jeanette Hubbard,
said it’s her job to provide support to these groups during the
month-long celebration.
It’s incumbent upon me to attend as many programs as possible to support the various organizations to advance diversity,”
Hubbard said.
Diversity Month began two
years ago. The student-led initiative evolved from a week-long
awareness program. Hubbard explained those who get outside
their comfort zones have the ability to experience more intercultural relationships.
“Students who have been exposed to multiple perspectives
have been given an opportunity
to be globally minded,” she said.
W.C. confidential
From A-1
Junior Alli Ward is a member
of the diversity council for SIG.
SIG has recently worked with
other diversity groups on campus, such as BSU and now SGA.
Ward is a follower of "Post Secret" herself and wanted to partake in the event to help make
more people aware of it.
"Sometimes these secrets can
be a form of therapy for individuals and sometimes reading others secrets can just be for a good
laugh or cry," Ward said.
Many may ask why an event
like this is important to students
or faculty. The issues presented
are not always happy or comfortable topics. However, Beeghley
said this was one of the goals of
W.C. Confidential. He wanted to
encourage students to understand each other's lives outside of
Though November showcases
organizations associated with Diversity Services, any organization
has the opportunity to contribute
to the month.
“Diversity should be everybody’s business,” Hubbard said.
Senior Bryce Beeghley is
SGA’s Diversity Chair. He explained how it is important for
people to get involved with the
festivities, so they can experience
new ideas throughout the month.
“It’s a way for organizations to
make a stand on being an individual, thinking outside the box,
and standing up for something
bigger than themselves,” Beeghley said.
One organization showcased
during Diversity Month was Allies. Allies is a group supporting
the harmony between gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and
straight individuals. A week was
dedicated to the organization,
during which, Allies members
passed out white ribbons promoting awareness. The group
also dedicated a theme to each
day during the week.
Allies brought in Debra Davis
to speak to the campus about a
transgender lifestyle. Davis is an
Executive Director of Gender Education and a high school librarian. The event titled, “Reading
Rainbows: An Evening with Debra Davis the Transgender Librarian” showed students a day
in the life of Davis.
“Debra Davis was a learning
experience not many people got
to see,” Beeghley explained. “It
showed someone’s struggle in the
pursuit of happiness.”
Born a man, Davis exceled in
athletics, became the president of
her fraternity and church’s youth
group, married her college sweetheart, and became a Minnesota
high school librarian. In her presentation, Davis explained she
felt she was living a lie; she
should have been born a woman.
“It’s okay to want to be happy
to be yourself, no matter what
circumstance,” Beeghley explained.
Davis told the story of how
she came out to her colleagues
during a staff development day.
She described that during that
time, being transgender was considered social taboo. Davis said
that once she made the transition
from male to female, she felt as if
everything fell into place.
campus.
"I feel like it's a way for people
to connect because a lot of times
here, or on any campus, we are
so driven by academics and our
friend groups and things like that
and we don't really get to know
each other personally," Beeghley
said. "Everyone has a story and
everyone can connect somehow
on a deeper level."
While some secrets revealed
on "Post Secret" can be controversial, Alessio and Beeghley said
there will not be any restrictions
as to what students are allowed
to express on their postcards.
"I think when you are expressing yourselves, you shouldn't restrict anything,” Beeghley
said. “So many times, we cling to
being politically correct, and it
does nothing for people to become okay with themselves."
SGA's role is to promote diversity and communication, as
well as plan events. Beeghley
tries to help organizations gain
resources and support to do
things out of the ordinary and
help people see things from different viewpoints. He says holding an event where expression is
anonymous will hopefully make
the student body more comfortable communicating themselves
to one another.
While nothing has been
promised, Alessio and Beeghley
hope to have a surprise for students that attend the event. Other
events the committee has
worked on include the diversity
walk and more future events
with speakers for students.
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Great Exposure
Junior Kylie Tray attended
Davis’s presentation. Tray explained she learned a life lesson
while Davis described the social
struggles with her transformation.
“I gained a better appreciation
for people who are different and
how to be accepting of everyone,”
Tray said.
Tray explained Davis’s speech
can give students an outlook on
how other people outside of
Westminster live.
“I think it helps students learn
the idea of tolerance and accepting people for who they are,”
Tray said. “Just because you’re
not what society deems normal
doesn’t mean you’re not.”
Other organizations plan to
participate in Diversity Month.
Beeghley explained the importance of students getting involved
with this month because it helps
break the Westminster bubble.
“It’s your job as an educated
student to increase your knowledge, to take initiative, and to
step outside the box to gain better knowledge of the world,”
Beeghley explained.
During the months of Oct.
and Nov. the Green Party has devoted time to promoting Fair
Trade. The Green party partnered
with Diversity Services for Diversity Month and is hoping to collect funds for Global Exchange, a
fair trade advocate.
Addie Domske, president of
the Green Party, describes what
fair trade is.
“Fair trade products guarantee
a minimum price for small farmers’ harvests and encourages organic and sustainable cultivation
methods that are safer for communities,” Domske said. “Farmers in West Africa make less than
$2 on enough cocoa beans for 40
chocolate bars. When farmers
aren’t guaranteed a minimum
price for their crops, they are left
particularly vulnerable to
changes in the market. Fair trade
guarantees this minimum price
so that famers won’t fall deeper
into poverty if the global economy influences profits.”
Events include: Nov. 17 free
fair trade and hot chocolate being
passed out during lunch and the
Nov. 18 Comedian with CPC in
the Berlin Lounge. The Green
Party will hand out information
and will sell their Green Party
tee-shirts. Collections for Global
Exchange will also collect on
Thurs. Nov. 17 and Fri. Nov. 18.
The collection boxes are located
at the W.O.W, T.U.B. cashiers, and
the information desk.
“Fair trade benefits everyone,
because it starts with the little
guy and works its way up
through the system,” Domske
said. “Even big influences on our
school like Sodexo encourage
fair trade.”
On campus, the Green Party
will be focusing on the cultivation of coffee because it has become an issue with the environment and with human rights
implications.
“Sodexo is proud to be one of
the first in our industry to make
fair trade coffee available to all of
the customers,” Domske said.
“Sodexo even began purchasing
fair trade bananas in the fall of
2006.”
The Green Party, GP, is encouraging the entire campus to
become involved, but fifteen continuous GP members are working for the project. Before Halloween, GP passed out 300 fair
trade chocolates to students. The
week following Halloween, there
were about 30 people that attended the documentary, “Dark
Side of Chocolate”” in Muller theater.
The events are meant for students to get an idea of what fair
trade is and to help students in
their day-to-day decisions about
purchasing products.
“If you had the decision to
choose between paying a worker
in West Africa the amount of
money they’ve earned for their
work picking beans for your coffee, versus paying that same
worker less than the amount it
costs to buy a cup of coffee in
Jazzman’s, I would hope that the
Westminster Way would make
the decision obvious,” Domske
said.
By educating the students
about where they get their food
is what Domske and the GP
hopes can make the difference
between justice and injustice for
millions of lives daily.
“That’s what we hope to share
this month-that our individual
decisions, even something as
mundane as where our cup of
coffee comes from, matter to millions,” Domske said.
Last year, GP sponsored the
first “Change4Change” campaign that encourages students
to be more aware of the type of
language that they are using.
Funds for the “Change4Change”
were given to the Trevor Project,
a suicide prevention group. The
GP hopes to continue the
“Change4Change” campaign
every year.
Registration Woes
From A-1
“I wish our technology systems here at school were better,”
Tylinski said. “If they were better,
nobody would ever have to worry about our system crashing
and situations such as this one
could be adverted.”
As registration continues for
underclassmen we keep our fingers crossed that the process is
painless and runs smoothly.
“I have not registered yet for
next semester, but I know that I
am not looking forward to it,”
sophomore Andrew Miller said.
“Everyone I know so far has had
some sort of issue. It seems like
they are just ignoring a broken
James Bonetti / The Holcad
system and it is really screwing
over the students. I register TuesGreen party member Kim Stickney passes out hot beverday morning hopefully.”
ages to students on campus on a blustery day.
Want to write a letter to the editor?
Here are the rules.
Letters to the editor are published weekly, as
space permits. All letters must be submitted by
email to The Holcad by 12 p.m. Monday to make
the Friday edition.
All letters must be limited to 400 words, typed,
and include the author’s name and a phone
number for confirmation.
Contact Sean Schachner at
[email protected]
The Holcad will not print anonymous letters.
E-mail mail letter to: [email protected].
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November 18, 2011
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Mock Convention 2011
James Bonetti, Alyssa Hanna, Megan Salinetro / The Holcad
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November 18, 2011
Titan Sports
2011
Football
Seniors
John Baummer
Wide Receiver
Ryan Brucker
Defensive Line
Ryan Budziszewski
Defensive Line
Andrew Clark
Punter
Adam Fueller
Offensive Lineman
Nate Horgan
Tight End
Harry Bittle / The Holcad
Defensive linebacker Ryan Budziszewski aims to sack the quarterback during the last
home game on Nov. 12. The Titan’s finished with a 5-5 record overall and a 4-4 PAC record.
Ryan Johnston
Offensive Lineman
Geneva takes down Titans
Shawn Lehocky
Quarterback
By Liam Halferty
Sports Writer
The Titans dropped their season finale last Saturday, losing to
the visiting Geneva Golden Tornadoes by a score of 23-10 at
Harold Burry Stadium. The Titans entered this conference
showdown hoping to avoid a
three-game losing streak.
Geneva scored first on a 36yard field goal from Bryan Visingardi.
Zac Henry then matched his
Geneva counterpart with a 31yard strike of his own, evening
the game at three a piece in the
third quarter.
The Titans took the lead when
junior defensive back J.J.
Nalesnik scored his first career
touchdown on a 65-yard fumble
return. Junior linebacker Aaron
Nauer forced the fumble.
Nauer also posted seven tackles and three tackles for losses.
Geneva quarterback Zack
Hayward found Rocco Collavecchia on an eight-yard touchdown
pass late in the third quarter,
knotting the game at 10-10.
However, Geneva was not
done.
Visingardi would knock in
two more field goals of 26 and 17
yards respectively, and Heyward
found the end zone once again
on a 20-yard completion to Jordon Curry.
Geneva held on to their lead,
downing the Titans 23-10 on Senior Day at Burry Stadium.
Hayward finished the game
14 of 23 passing for 125 yards
and two touchdowns.
Geneva’s other quarterback,
Rocco Collavecchia, set a Geneva
rushing record for rushing yards
in a single game as he finished
with 185 yards on 27 attempts.
Collavecchia also had a receiving
touchdown and one completion
for 15 yards.
Lehocky finished the game 10
of 26 for 126 yards through the
air.
Sophomore running back
Tyler Banks led the Titans on the
ground with 40 yards on eight
carries.
Sophomore wide receiver
Collin Wallace snagged four
catches for 70 yards to lead the
Titans in receiving against the
Golden Tornadoes.
Junior linebacker Derrick Orloski led the Titans with a careerhigh 12 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Nate Moot also set a
career-high with 11 stops.
Geneva outgained the Titans
by 387-166 in total yards.
The Golden Tornadoes improve to 4-6 overall and 4-4 in
the PAC.
The Titans finish their season
with a 5-5 record and a 4-4 mark
in the conference. Five wins is the
most the Titans have achieved
since 2002, their last winning
season.
Lehocky finished the season
121-221 passing with nine touchdown passes and two rushing
touchdowns.
Junior running back John
Proano led the Titans in rushing
with 364 yards on 120 attempts.
Junior wide receiver Geno
Pasquinelli caught 51 passes for
579 yards to go along with nine
touchdowns to lead the team in
receiving.
Sophomore linebacker Nate
Moot led the Titans with 76 tackles.
Although the Titans did not
achieve their goal of a PAC title,
Coach Hand says he is very
proud of the team this year and
he thinks the program grew as a
whole.
“In the preseason poll the conference office administered, we
were selected 8th,” Hand said.
“Therefore for us to finish the
season with a share of third place
in our quality football conference
is significant growth.”
Senior tight end Nate Horgan
also says he thinks this year has
jump-started the program in the
right direction.
“5-5 was not our goal, but I
feel like this group has started
something special for the football
program,” Horgan said. “This season is a start, a foundation for the
returners to build upon.”
“The tools are in place. The
biggest part of our success this
year was our mindset, and I feel
the team will be very successful
taking that into next season,”
Horgan said.
The Titans will lose Horgan,
senior wide receiver John Baummer, defensive linemen Ryan
Brucker, Ryan Budziszewski, and
Ryan Schreiber, punter Andrew
Clark, offensive linemen Adam
Fueller, Ryan Johnston, and
Ralph Ord, quarterback Shawn
Lehocky, and defensive back Jordon Rooney.
Hand says this year’s seniors
were a special group.
“This senior group will be
missed by many but have made
strong positive impressions on
even more,” Hand said. “With
that said, their leadership skills
were superb and they now have
set a high standard for expectations for future senior classes.”
One important void the Titans
will have to fill is the quarterback
position. Shawn Lehocky finished his career as a Titan with
3,974 passing yards. This places
him sixth in school history.
Hand says Lehocky will be
missed especially from a leadership standpoint.
“Shawn is a very good quarterback, but a better leader,”
Hand said. “His leadership skills
will be missed for sure. It is harder to replace those traits.”
The Titans’ special teams unit
had a very impressive season.
Zac Henry finished the season
a perfect nine for nine on field
goals, and punter Andrew Clark
finished second in the PAC with a
38.1 yard average.
Hand says special teams can
be a very important aspect of the
game.
“We will miss Andrew and we
look forward to seeing Zak continue to mature,” Hand said.
“They are both quality specialists.”
Horgan says he learned the
value of hard work through his
time with the Titan football team.
“I experienced a lot of injuries,
but learned to push through,”
Horgan said. “I was always proud
about my work ethic, but here I
was able to watch all of my hard
work pay off. As cliché as it
sounds, I truly learned that you
can achieve anything if you work
hard enough.”
The Titans will return much of
the 2011 team next season. The
Titans will have eight returning
starters on offense, and eight on
defense.
Horgan says there will be high
expectations for the 2012 Titans.
“I expect this team to take
what we have learned this year
and put it into action next season,” Horgan said. “We did a lot
of great things this year, but we
did not achieve our ultimate goal
of a conference championship. I
expect the 2012 team to take this
momentum and bring a PAC title
back to Westminster.”
Hand hopes next year’s team
can feed off of this year’s success.
“A great foundation was laid
in the 2011 as far as expectations
to outwork, out-prepare, and outhit our opponents,” Hand said.
“Our players now believe they
are able to compete fiercely with
everyone on our schedule.”
Ralph Ord
Offensive Lineman
Jordon Rooney
Defensive Back
Ryan Schreiber
Defensive Lineman
Titan All-PAC
Selections
First Team
Football
Geno Pasquinelli
Zach Henry
Soccer
Tyler Dever
Second Team
Football
Adam Fueller
Alex Kernicky
Aaron Nauer
Kyle Allen
Soccer
Sam Killmeyer
Jake Huey
Coty Hainsey
Honorable Mention
Football
Collin Wallace
David Wright
Shawn Lehocky
Ryan Brucker
Ryan Budziszewski
Sean Christofferson
Derrick Orloski
Kortezz Martin
Jordon Rooney
Nate Moot
Soccer
Kelli Michanowicz
Shanay Phillian
James Groce
David Osae
A week of lasts
After over 300 practices, 40
games, and countless hours of
preparation on the field, in the
weight room, and watching
film, this thing that we love just
simply came to an end when
the clock hit zero.
Last week was referred to as
“a week of lasts” for us, as senior football players. Through
three years of maturing from
naïve freshmen to experienced
upperclassmen, we watched
classes ahead of us go through
the process. We never thought
we would get there, but we did,
and just like all of the years
that we put into the sport, our
final day came and is now
gone.
Wednesday was our last full
padded practice where we had
our “last hit” ceremony. Some
guys choose to get one last pop
on someone they line up
against in practice. Some guys
choose to hit someone they
have never been allowed to or
gotten the chance to hit. For the
most part, because the event is
a ceremony, the senior chooses
a friend, making it more of a
sentimental occasion.
Thursday is always a special
day because seniors are allowed to wear their high school
jerseys for one last time. It is a
fun day. Everyone is able to see
where the seniors call home. It
is also a day where seniors can
reflect back on the player that
they were four years ago, showing not only where they come
from, but how far they have
come.
Friday is the final practice
for the seniors. After the walkthrough where we go over our
game plan for the next day, we
end the day with a last lap
around the field. As a group, we
watched the seniors of the past
three years walk around the
field and never knew what that
was like. When our class took
our final walk around the field,
there was a surreal feeling present. We thought back to the
previous three years, and the
feeling that this was “the last
one” began to set in.
I did not know what I would
be feeling going into my final
game or how I would feel after.
Going into the game, I had never been so focused or aware of
the circumstances of the day.
Throughout the season, we
ranked second in the conference and had the opportunity
to play for a PAC championship. We then had the chance
to play for second place and
possibly a post season bowl.
However, none of those games
mattered as much as the final
game did.
We could not have asked for
a better day. The weather was
great, we were playing a bitter
rival, and we were playing for a
McElhaney won the 100yard breaststroke (1:16.47),
the 200 medley relay
(2:03.16) and had a meet
best with her exhibition time
in the 200 breaststroke
(2:52.02) in Westminster's
165-68 win at Bethany
Saturday.
Nate Horgan
Sports Editor
winning season. I know my fellow players had success in high
school and played on playoff
teams, but I had never had a
winning season as a player. I
was set on making my final
season a winning one.
We lost. When the time on
the game clock ran out and we
shook hands with our opponent, tears streamed down my
face. It was not the loss that
drew that reaction out of me. It
was not the fact that everything
we were playing for went out
the window. It was the fact that
it was the last time: my last
time in pads, the last time I
would walk off that field, the
last time I would look into the
eyes of my brothers around me,
as a player.
We did not end the day victorious, but when we broke from
our post game huddle I could
not help but smile. I shook the
hands of those around me that
I shed blood, sweat, and tears
with on so many occasions. For
us, as seniors, we had been
through blowouts and losing
seasons, injuries and four training camps in August where the
heats rays visibly rose to the
top of the goal posts. We stayed
with the program and persevered to win the most conference games in a season since
2002. We did something special, something to be proud of.
I had no regrets and no bitter taste in my mouth from the
game. I was blessed to play
here with these amazing people, and under these great
coaches who made me into the
player that walked off the field
that day.
Of all the feelings that I
imagined having after the season, win or lose, feeling this
way was unexpected. Playing
the game of football has created bonds with people stronger
than I ever imagined being possible. After the game ended, I
realized that it was not about
the statistics, wins and losses,
or the standings. It was about
the brothers that I had the pleasure to share the field with, and
no team or result was going to
take that away from me.
Nate Horgan is a senior public relations major and a
marketing minor. He is also
a tight end on the Titan football team and the biggest
sports fanatic you will meet.
SAAC
Athlete of
the Week
Lady Titans swim past and sink Bethany Bison
By Assunta Goretsky
Campus Writer
On Saturday, Nov. 12, Westminster College women’s swimming and diving team struck
again with a win against Bethany
College.
Although the season is just beginning, the 2011-2012 Women’s
team is showing great results.
The final score against Bethany
was 165-68. The Titans traveled
to Bethany confident that they
would bring home a win. For
some underclassmen, they got
the chance to win one of their
first college events.
“As a sophomore, I was excited to travel and compete in my
events to improve my times before our bigger meets coming
up,” said Alicia Warne.
First year Jordan McElhaney
competed and won the 100-yard
breaststroke with a time of
1:16.47 and landed the meet best
in the 200-yard breaststroke at
2:52.02. Sophomore Raychel
Webster competed in the 200yard butterfly with a time of
2:22.73. This particular race included no Bethany Swimmers.
Webster’s meet-best time in the
100-yard butterfly was 1:03.30
and was scored as an exhibition.
On a sad note, both swim
teams had sad hearts for their fellow University of Maryland Terrapins. They used the meet to
support the recent cut of the
swimming program at the University of Maryland. Both teams
placed “Save the Terps” on their
backs as a sign of support.
“As a team, we feel awful for
the swimmers and divers of the
Terps and wanted to show our
support and encouragement,”
said sophomore Laura Nice.
The team returns to prepare
for an intense home meet against
Washington & Jefferson on Nov.
16 at 6:00 p.m. Last year, the Ti-
tans were defeated in one of the
final events by the Presidents,
while also losing to them in the
PAC finals. The Titans hope for a
win against the Presidents for the
2011-2012 season.
“Swimming against Washington and Jefferson is one of the
reasons why we practice as hard
as we do,” said senior Katie
Slavinski. “We train hard to have
close races with them in the water.”
On Saturday Nov. 19, the Titans take on Wooster in a dual
meet. Wooster’s record for this
season is 2-2, while Westminster
holds strong at 2-0. This will be
Wooster’s last dual meet of the
year before it hosts the Wooster
Invitational Dec. 1-3, which the
Titans are attending. Before going to Florida to train in the New
Year, the Titans will swim against
Penn State Behrend.
“I can’t wait to train in January
in Florida and come back to
Westminster geared up for the
rest of the season,” said Warne.
The women are gearing up for
a great season with high hopes to
bring home the PAC championship.
Jordan
McElhaney
Freshman
Women’s
Swimming and
Diving
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November 18, 2011
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Titan Sports
Men’s swimming & diving crushes Bethany
By Bradford Arick
Sports Writer
The Westminster College
swimming and diving team is
well entrenched here at the college. The season is just beginning
for the team as they begin their
quest for individual and team
glory.
In their most recent action, the
men’s team traveled to Bethany
College. The team coasted rather
easily to a victory because the Bison team is small and in a rebuilding stage, a thought echoed
by sophomore swimmer Riley
Orians.
“It was a faraway meet at a
school that wasn’t very big,” Orians said. “It’s still nice to go to
those kinds of meets and support
other swimming programs.”
The meet against Bethany
College was a win for the Titans
as they emerged the victors with
a score of 162-54. The Titans won
the first 10 events before both
teams called it an exhibition for
the remaining seven events.
One of two Titans with firstplace finishes that counted toward that winning score was senior diver Daniel Giles. Giles, the
lone diver on the team, won the
1-meter and 3-meter dives. He
explains that since he has been a
member of the Titan swimming
and diving team, the meets
against Bethany have been an
opportunity for the Titans to improve.
“Generally, this meet, from
what I’ve seen, has been used for
our team to simply swim and get
personal bests”, Giles said. “It’s
less of a meet against Bethany
and more of an inter-Westminster meet.”
In addition to Giles, the other
first-place finisher with points
counting toward the final score
was junior freestyler Daniel Gutmann. Gutmann captured first
place in the 50- and 100-yard
freestyles with swims of 23.12
and 51.72 seconds, respectively.
I think the team
this year is working really hard
and they want to
go to PAC’s and
take the gold
The Titans next turn their attention to Presidents’ Athletic
Conference rival Washington and
Jefferson, as they face them Nov.
16 at home. The Presidents come
into the meet on the 16th after
having swept Baldwin Wallace
College. Swimmer Riley Orians
says the team is really preparing
for this competition, as the Presidents are one of the top competitors in the conference.
“We’re getting ready, we’re
training hard for it,” Orians said.
“The competition is definitely up
there. They’re right about on the
same level that we are so it’s going to be a good meet.”
Jake Meyers led the men’s
team to their first victory of the
season by capturing first place in
the 200 and 500 freestyle events.
He posted times of 1:51.28 and
5:08.70, respectively. Additionally,
Meyers swam a leg of the 200
freestyle relay that captured the
win with a personal time of
1:31.81.
The Titans will also have their
eye on senior Justin Weifenbach
who won both diving events in
the meet against Baldwin Wallace. Weifenbach scored 241.95
points on his 1-meter dive and
166.45 points on his 3-meter dive.
After the Titans face PAC rival
W&J, they will be up against
Wooster on Nov. 19.
The Titans will have to stop
Peter Parisi as Wooster hosts the
event in their home opening
meet. Parisi won five events for
Wooster in their most recent
meet against Oberlin College,
sweeping the 50 frees with times
of 21.74 and 21.84. Additionally,
Parisi won first place in the 100
butterfly and 100 breaststroke
posting times of 52.35 and 59.68,
respectively. He also placed first
in the 200 breaststroke with a
time of 2:19.05.
Along with Parisi, Alex LaJoie
won two events against Oberlin
in the 100 backstroke and 400
IM. The Titans will need to beat
Imre Namath in the 100 freestyle
and Brian Maddock in the 200
butterfly, as both posted winning
swims.
Titan diver Daniel Giles says
the team is hungry this year.
“I think the team this year is
working really hard and they
want to go to PAC’s and take the
gold,” Giles said.
The same thought is echoed
by swimmer Riley Orians.
“Definitely using the weight
training program and our practices will get the team stronger,”
Orians said.
Look for the Titans to enter
the waters against the Presidents
and Wooster strong, confident,
and looking to slice through the
waves.
Lady Titans set sights on Gators
By Eric Shumaker
Sports Writer
The Westminster women’s
basketball team finished last
season with a record of 7-18 (214 against PAC opponents and
ninth of nine teams in the
PAC). Their last game was a
crushing 61-57 defeat to PAC
opponent Grove City. The last
time Westminster women’s
basketball had 18 losses in a
season, they responded the
next season with a teamrecord 22 wins.
“Last year did not sit well
with anyone of us. The players
are working harder than ever.
We have a good core group
coming back and high expectations for this season” said
head coach Rosanne Scott.
Senior forward Emily Dolsak added, “We do not want to
have another season like we
had last year. We have been
working really hard, and we
are ready to go out and show
everyone what we can do. I
think we have a lot of potential and that we will surprise a
lot of people.”
The Titans hope to win their
first two games of the year at
home versus Mount Union
(Tuesday, Nov. 15) and at Allegheny (Friday, Nov. 18).
The Titans have lost senior
leader Kaitlin McCarthy,
whose 9.1 points per game average led the team. Additionally, her 4.1 assists per game
were third in the PAC. McCarthy was the only senior on
last year’s team. However, the
Titans still have many prominent players from last season.
Senior forward Emily Dolsak had averages of 8.2 points
and 6.1 rebounds per game
last season. Junior forward
Andi Ridge led the team in rebounding with 6.5 per game,
as well as posting 5.4 points
per game. Sophomore guard
Courtney Zitt had a seasonal
average of 6.6 points per game,
but improved greatly in her
first year to finish her last six
games with 13.5 points per
game. Courtney also was great
defensively, leading the team
with 23 blocks, which were
over a third of their seasonal
total. Westminster’s top two
three-point shooters are returning this year as well. Junior point guard Danielle
Gilmore (36.0 percent) and
sophomore guard Gabby
Holko (34.4 percent) will help
the Titans be two-dimensional
on offense. The Titans will
also have two first-years that
will receive playing time in
forwards Courtney Klein and
Jenna Grandy.
Last season the Titans averaged only 54.5 points per
game, but gave up an average
of 61.8 points per game. This
season, the Titans are trying to
have a more aggressive transition offense in order to get
more points. On defense, they
will try to rebound aggressively along with playing a stingy
style. Hopefully, they can reverse these numbers and have
a positive point differential.
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the Titans start out the season
against the Mount Union Purple Raiders, who will be traveling from Alliance, Ohio. Last
season, Mount Union had a
record of 26-4 and made it to
the second round of the NCAA
Division III tournament before
losing to Thomas Moore. Senior guard Kori Wiedt and junior guard Rosa Lamattina
will be difficult to contain as
both averaged 12.4 and 12.0
points per game respectively.
Last year, the Purple
Raiders gave Westminster a
crushing 77-42 season opening
loss at Mount Union. Four
Mount Union players scored in
the double digits, including
current players Rosa Lamattina scoring 18 points, Brittany
Kilgore scoring 15 points, Taylor Hartung attaining 11
points, and Kori Wiedt sinking
10 points. Contrarily, Westminster’s Emily Dolsak led the Titans with 10 points, and current-sophomore guard Hannah
Shaffer had eight points. Cur-
rent junior forward Andi
Ridge contributed with a team
high nine rebounds. Both
teams still have most of the
same players from last season,
so the Titans will have to step
up in order to win their home
opener.
The Titans second game of
the season will be on Friday,
Nov. 18 in a game at Allegheny. The Allegheny Gators finished last season with a 17-10
record and concluded their
season after losing their conference’s championship game
(the North Coast Athletic Conference) by 18 points. With a
win, they would have qualified
for the NCAA Division III
tournament.
The Gators play an up-tempo offensive game that had
them leading their conference
in scoring last season, but had
them dead-last in defense.
Their leading scorer and rebounder Heidi Goeller (14.7
points per game and 5.88 rebounds per game) returns for
this season.
The Gators will be without
three point specialists Sadie
Gravatt (40.9 percent) and Jill
Gregory (38.4 percent). Allegheny has not played against
Westminster since the 20072008 season, where they defeated Westminster in a close
65-60 contest. The teams are
both entirely different from
then, and it does not really
serve as an accurate preview
for this year’s matchup.
The Westminster Titans
start out this season with a
home game against the Mount
Union Purple Raiders (Tuesday, Nov. 15) and an away
game at Allegheny. Both
teams finished toward the top
of their respective conferences
last year and will give Westminster a good matchup. With
last year’s disappointing season serving as motivation, the
Titans will work their hardest
to come out on top in both of
these games.
Titan Spotlight: Tammy Swearingen
By Tara Ott
Sports Writer
Megan Salinetro / The Holcad
Titans look forward to Buzz Ridl Classic
By Nate Horgan
Sports Writer
The Westminster College
men’s basketball team kicked off
its season Nov. 16 against Oberlin College. The opening week of
games takes place at the home
court of Buzz Ridl Gymnasium,
culminating with the annual
Buzz Ridl Classic.
Last year the Titans fell to
Oberlin 78-72. The Yeomen led
the entire game. However, the Titans surged in the final minutes
of the game to close the gap to
six. Going into this year’s game
against Oberlin, the men felt
more confident and more experienced than they did in last year’s
meeting.
“Last year we started a very
young squad, and for a lot of us it
was our first college game,”
sophomore Anthony Thomas
said going into the Oberlin game.
“But this year we get to open up
in front of our home crowd in
our gym, so we will shoot a lot
better than last year.”
With their gained experience,
the team members felt that they
could start on the right foot by
going out and getting a win in
their first contest.
“We are a talented young
team, and last year’s loss to Oberlin showed us where improvement was needed,” junior
Reuben King said. “The first
game is always important, and
we just want to come out and get
a solid victory to set the tone for
the season.”
This weekend, the Titans will
play in their annual Buzz Ridl
Classic against Otterbein College
and Capital University.
The Otterbein Cardinals went
13-13 last year and 9-9 in their
conference, the Ohio Athletic
Conference. The Cardinals are returning all five starters, a total of
seven lettermen from last year’s
squad, and were projected to finish third in their conference.
When looking at their opponent, the Titans know that they
must put a full game together to
come away with a victory.
“We just have to play good for
all 40 minutes,” King said. “Last
year we always played one half
really well, and the other half
wouldn’t be as good.”
The Titans second opponent of
the Classic is the Capital Crusaders. The Crusaders went 18-9
last year and 12-6 in the OAC.
The Crusaders are returning
three starters, a total of seven lettermen from last year’s team, and
are coming off of a second place
finish in their conference.
The players are confident going into the season with the
depth of their roster and feel they
can outlast their opponent.
“We need to keep the game at
a fast pace,” Thomas said. “We
have a deeper team than we did
last year, so we have the ability to
keep the pressure up all game
and bring in fresh legs.”
The Titans were projected to
finish second from the bottom in
the conference and recognize the
urgency to open the season with
a week of victories.
“We were picked to finish 8th
in the PAC this year, so we’re going into this first week with a lot
to prove,” Thomas said. “We want
to show teams that we’re not the
same 7-19 Titans from the previous two seasons.”
“With only winning seven
games last year, we are determined to do what we need to do
to be successful,” King added.
“With three games this week, we
can pick up almost half of our
wins from last year and be in a
good position before we start to
play conference games.”
The first week of the season
provides the men with a great
opportunity to start on the right
foot. The team has only one thing
on their mind.
“We want to win,” King said.
“That's the most important
thing.”
The Titans will tip off the first
game of the Buzz Ridl Classic on
Nov. 18 at 8 p.m.
Tammy Swearingen, head volleyball coach and assistant swimming coach, was considered a
“rebel” when she began her career at Westminster 19 years ago.
The athletic department stressed
to coach Swearingen that volleyball had not yet won a championship, so she began to develop
the volleyball program into a
growing success.
“No person in the United
States shall, on the basis of sex,
be excluded from participation
in, be denied the benefits of, or
be subjected to discrimination
under any education program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance...”
Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972 had a great
impact on high school and collegiate athletics by preventing discrimination against women athletes. Coach Swearingen fought
for the equality of Titan women
involved in Westminster’s athletic
program.
“Volleyball was one of the first
women’s team to begin lifting in
the weight room,” Swearingen
said. “The first time I told them to
lift they got kicked out of the
weight room because it was varsity lifting only. I marched the
team right back in there and we
lifted. Needless to say, I got called
in to the AD’s office the next day.
I won the battle; not permitting
us to lift was a major violation [of
Title IX].”
Coach and her volleyball team
faced discrimination when the
football and basketball teams
would kick them out of the gym
due to inclement weather and
scrimmages. The volleyball
team had to wait until the boys
were done to be able to practice.
Swearingen fought violations
against women because “it was
the right thing to do.”
Before her coaching career began, Swearingen played volleyball in high school and loved the
excitement of the game. Due to
knee injuries, she could not continue to play volleyball in college.
However, Swearingen went to
Youngstown State University on
a full ride for swimming and majored in physical education.
“Truth be told, I was a much
better swimmer, but volleyball
was so much more fun,”
Swearingen said.
She earned four letters in
swimming and one in softball.
She went on to receive her master’s degree from the University
of Akron.
Before beginning her career at
Westminster, Swearingen was an
elementary
teacher
in
Columbiana for five years and
was head volleyball and softball
coach for six years. She was also
the head coach for Youngstown
State University women’s swimming team for four years.
Swearingen then worked as a regional consultant for the State
Department of Education in
Ohio for adapted physical education for five years. She has been
coaching for 32 years.
Coach found herself applying
for a job at Westminster College
after the women’s swim team at
Youngtown State University was
cut, even though they had more
all-Americans than football and
basketball. She was not ready to
give up collegiate coaching, so
when her sister informed her of
an advertisement for a coach at
Westminster, Swearingen seized
the opportunity.
“Westminster was looking for
someone to be the head volleyball coach, assistant softball
coach, teach aquatics and for
someone who had a motor development background,” Swearingen said. “I had all of those
things. I applied and was very
fortunate to get the position.”
In her years at Westminster,
Swearingen said her favorite part
about coaching is seeing the
team succeed and improve individually and as a unit.
“I love seeing the smiles on
the student athletes faces when
they win the conference tournament or a big game, and I love
watching them grow with confidence and celebrate a great play,”
Swearingen said.
Coach also enjoys seeing her
players grow as individuals and
win recognition for their academics and awards for their play.
This past season the Titans finished fourth in the conference,
and coach’s favorite memories of
the year included the excitement
of beating Thiel, Saint Vincent,
Bethany and winning other big
games. Swearingen’s favorite
memory of all time is the excitement of going to the national
tournament.
While coaching is Swearingen’s passion, it does not come
without hardships. Coach explained that one of the challenges of coaching at the collegiate Division III level is
recruiting.
“It is never ending [recruiting].
You can get student athletes to
love the college and the program
and put multiple hours in to
them, then lose them to another
college, which is very frustrating,”
Swearingen said.
Another hardship coach explained is getting the team to buy
into the program and for some
athletes to stop thinking they
know it all because they were
successful in high school. Getting girls to step out of their comfort zones, wanting to be better
and not being satisfied with
where they are is also a challenge
for Swearingen.
Coach has received many
awards throughout her career including the PA/OH Coach of the
Year at YSU, Sportswoman of the
Year – Columbiana and Mahoning County, five PAC Conference
Coach of the Year awards and the
NAIA Northeast Region Coach of
the Year award. When asked
where she sees herself in 10
years, Swearingen said she hopes
to be teaching and involved in
athletic administration.
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Saturday, November 19
Sunday, November 20
Deadline for Submissions: CAMPUS VISITATION
2011 Student Symposium on
7:30 AM - 4:00 PM Habitat for
the Environment
Humanity - Work Day
Reading is Leading: The Great
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Swimming
Book Drive
& Diving at Wooster
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM Open
Door Reflection - Bryce 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Men's BasBeeghley (Connellsville, PA) ketball vs. Capital (Buzz Ridl
Classic)
Spanish
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Chess Club 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Movie in
Mueller: 30 Minutes or Less
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Women's
3:00 PM - 8:00 PM Women's
Basketball at Allegheny
Basketball at Allegheny Tip7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Massed Off Tournament
Horn Concert
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Planetari7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Theatre um Show: Natural Selection
Westminster Presents Wonder
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM Planetariof the World
um Show: Natural Selection
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Men's
Basketball vs. Otterbein (Buzz 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Catholic
Mass
Ridl Classic)
Page B-3
Crossword
p.m.
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Game-a- 5:15 PM - 6:30 PM Colleges
Thon
Against Cancer Meeting
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM Theatre 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Men's BasWestminster Presents Wonder ketball at Mount Union
of the World
Wednesday, November 23
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Concerto
and Aria Competition
Book Drive
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Movie in
Mueller: Cowboys and Aliens Thanksgiving Break
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Open Door
Worship
Community
Thanksgiving Worship, Guest
Speaker: Kevin Green, City
Rescue Mission
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM Faires
Faculty Forum
4:30 PM - 11:55 PM SERVER
MAINTENANCE
Thursday, November 24
9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Movie in
COLLEGE CLOSED
Monday, November 21
Book Drive
Book Drive
Thanksgiving Break
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM Open
8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Movie in 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Planetari- Door Reflection - Carey Anne
um Show: Natural Selection
LaSor - Asst. to the Chaplain &
YPS Coordinator
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Titan's Tav- 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Theatre
ern: Paul Varghese Comedy Westminster Presents Wonder 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Jeremiah2
of the World
Show
Praise Team Rehearsal
Friday, November 25
COLLEGE CLOSED
Book Drive
Thanksgiving Break
10:30 PM - 11:55 PM Movie in 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM Movie in Tuesday, November 22
Mueller: Cowboys and Aliens Mueller: Cowboys and Aliens
10:30 PM - 11:55 PM Movie in Book Drive
Residence Halls Close at 6:00
HOROSCOPES
ARIES (March 21-April 19).
Just because emotions are probably coming from a more primitive and ancient part of your
brain doesn’t mean that logic
should prevail in your life. Your
best decisions are made because
you listen to what your feelings
are telling you, even when the
logic of those feelings doesn’t add
up.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20).
The need to classify and label
your experiences may be a way
of distancing yourself from the
full intensity of them. Resist the
habit of trying to fit everything
that happens and everyone you
encounter into neat definitions.
There’s something wonderful
that happens when you accept
the mess of life.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21).
Work on building your “faith
muscle.” You can exercise it by
simply knowing what you believe and believing it. For instance, how about believing that
whatever happens, you can pick
up the pieces and start over?
When you know this is true, you
won’t be afraid to take the risks
necessary to live life to the fullest.
CANCER (June 22-July 22).
Your limitations may be mostly
self-created, but that’s not to say
you didn’t have help constructing
the roadblocks and barriers
BLACK
November 18, 2011
Calendar
Friday, November 18
CYAN
that hold you back. So why not
get a little help with obliterating
them? A powerful ally will gladly
partner with you this week to
bring down the obstacle in your
path to success.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You
might not feel like following anyone’s advice — and not because
you’re stubborn, but because
something inside you is holding
back. Maybe you fear nearby
swindlers or are overwhelmed
by an ocean of information. Honor your feelings. You’ll know
when it’s time to open yourself
up to external guidance.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).
Your knee-jerk reaction may be
to come up with an excuse as to
why you can’t create a certain dynamic. Within the excuse is your
golden ticket. The excuse is another way of stating a belief you
hold that is keeping you from
what you want. Being aware of
the belief is the first step to
changing it.
true range of opportunity that
lies within every situation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).
Something menial will prove
well worth learning. This could
be a word you didn’t know the
meaning of but finally understand, or a mundane action
you’ve yet to master, such as
flossing, that gets your attention
and ultimately saves you from
future hassles.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). Your interests and influences are so varied that there
are those who will find you extremely difficult to categorize. Let
them try. There’s a benefit to your
baffling persona: You’ll be memorable while others fade into the
background. Because you stand
out, you’ll be given more opportunities.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19). Your decisions are firm, but
not final. That’s the way it has to
be now. It’s important to come
across with as much confidence
as you can muster, and with full
knowledge that things will
change and you will adapt to
those changes. It’s called intelligent diplomacy.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).
Low expectations can be a selffulfilling prophecy. High expectations can breed stress and narrow-mindedness. The best way is
to have zero expectations. If you
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
can practice the Zen art of being 18). You have a talent for turning
free of assumptions, expectations a difficult situation into a beautiand attachments, you will see the ful one. This is accomplished in
part by sharing your feelings.
Also, you’re not afraid to be vulnerable, and you allow intimacy
between you and those you love
to grow naturally out of your
shared frailty. This is what it
means to be human.
CROSSWORD ANSWER
ACROSS
1
House, in Havana
5
Acct.’s
9
Expressed disdain
14 AKA Hapi
15 Bics or lite starter
16 Thorn bush: Grk.
17 Semis
18 Tyro
19 Main artery
20 Dime novels
23 Author Umberto
24 Peanut and sunflower
25 Newts
26 Go back on
28 ___ -fi
29 Spread hay
32 Fable or parable
36 Shan, Lao and ___
39 Give ___ whirl
40 Thor’s dad
41 L’Amour specialty
46 Cleopatra killer
47 Anti-slip device
48 Hypnosis developer
52 Pugilistic punch
54 Bread, in Brest
56 Hello or goodbye
57 Whodunits
60 The South
61 Landed
62 Sicilian high point
63 Olde Towne job
64 Went by horse
65 Mr. King Cole’s
66 Edward and Norman
67 Linear: abbr.
68 Side ___
DOWN
1
Fish wife?
2
Each
3
Join up
4
NASCAR, e.g.
5
Made sweet
6
Onion or oyster
7
The first sign
8
Daybed
9
Urban danger
10 Tell it from the rooftop
11 City in southern Swe
den
12 Rescue sqd. personnel
13 Life’s building block
21 Chanter, sometimes
22 One tenth: prefix
27 Fix copy
28 PDQ in the ICU
30 First name in cotton
gins
31 8 Down’s locale
33 Country contraction
34 Diamond wts.
35 Playthings
36 Doubled, a la Scotch
37 ___ a Real Nowhere
Man
38 Garroting, e.g.
42 Hams
43 Rou
44 Left out
45 Gambling town
49 Seaside sipper
50 Happenings
51 Fix a French door
53 Wickerwork willow
54 Traffic cone
55 Stage direction
57 Get stuck
58 Scarce, in Saltillo
59 Tear asunder
60 650, to Cato
Want to
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3
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6
7
5
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9
5
5
6
3
7
3
9 8 4
2
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3
4
9
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20).
You like being challenged, but
this week it might feel like the
world is resisting more than is really necessary for a good game.
When things seem overly tough,
instead of fighting the currents,
turn around and go with the
flow. You’ll still get where you’re
going, but you’ll take a different
and easier route.
Contact Sean Schachner at
[email protected]
Don’t forget to check us out online at
www.theholcad.com
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November 18, 2011
BLACK
Page B-4
Arts and Entertainment
Photo from www.hulu.com
“Misfits”: What to Hulu over Thanksgiving break
Addie Domske
A&E Editor
Thanksgiving break is soon
upon us, and after we’re all full of
turkey, gravy, and the plethora of
casseroles we encounter over the
holiday, you’ll be looking for a
good show to settle down and
“veg out” to, right? Well I have
the answer, Westminster: “Misfits.”
“Misfits” finds five unlikely
British 20-somethings forced together to serve community ser-
vice. After a powerful electrical
thunderstorm, the group is found
to have acquired certain special
powers. Yes, you read that right.
It’s a show about British kids
with superhero powers, doing
community service. Please keep
reading.
The brash and spiteful Kelly
(Lauren Socha) is given the gift of
mind reading, only now she can
hear what everyone really thinks
about her. Curtis (Nathan Stewart
Jarrett), the former star athlete,
has the ability to turn back time
after experiencing immense regret, but how will he ever break
up with his girlfriend if she keeps
crying every time he does? Alisha (Antonia Thomas), the harlot
of the club is able to make men,
ahem, want her more than ever
with just the slightest touch. (Not
that she needed any help in that
area to begin with.) The quiet Simon (Iwan Rheon) is able to now
literally be unseen, with his powers of invisibility, though this
only feeds into his inclination to
stand in the shadows and avoid
friendship. Lastly, my favorite
character, Irish funny-man,
Nathan (Robert Sheehan) at first
demonstrates no power, before…well, I’ll wait until you
watch to figure that one out. Contrary to most “superpower”
shows, this one details how life in
the super world is actually a pain
in the arse, and how community
service would be a lot easier
without all those dead bodies lying around…
That’s right, the “Misfits” crew
get themselves into a lot of trouble, continuing to “accidentally”
kill off their probation workers,
continuing to break the law and
getting on each others nerves,
and never really getting around
to much community service.
From these disasters come a true
bond of friendship, and though a
lot of sarcasm is involved, the
way the group selflessly works
together on behalf of each other
is truly the heart of the show
(even if they’re working together
to bury their probation worker in
cement.)
The entirety of seasons one
and two of this British series,
which premiered in 2009 on the
British channel, E4, is currently
available on Hulu. In traditional
British style, the show ended in
December of 2010 after just two
series and a Christmas special.
This last episode featured the
characters three months after
they had finished their community service. Tired of their wayward
life as “super delinquents,” they
decide to sell their powers; and
guess what? They regret it.
After a yearlong hiatus and
the show’s introduction to a U.S.
audience, however, the creators
decided to resurrect “Misfits” for
a third series, which began this
October. This series picks up
where the Christmas episode left
off, beginning with a short entitled, “Vegas Baby!” that details
why everyone’s favorite Irishman
(Sheehan) doesn’t return for the
third series. Having just regained
their powers (and maybe attained a few extras in the
process) the revamped gang gets
a new member, Rudy (Joseph
Gilgun), and attempts to use their
powers for something halfway
decent this time.
Let it be advised that “Misfits”
is for mature, Thanksgiving-enjoying, college-aged viewers only.
Adult themes are prevalent
throughout. (What did you expect? They’re delinquents with
superpowers!) The third series of
“Misfits” promises eight episodes
and can be viewed online from
its British creator’s site. Happy
Thanksgiving from the Brits,
everyone!
Addie’s rating: A+
Addie is a senior English
and Religion major. She is
currently in San Francisco
and Los Angeles looking at
grad schools! Holla!
“The Rum Diary”
Should Johnny Depp give up
acting for a career in smoking ads?
By Rose Selby
A&E Writer
If Johnny Depp was paid only
for smoking cigarettes on
screen, he would probably still
make it. I suppose it is that special something that comes along
with being so diversely talented
that makes the common act of
sucking down a nicotine stick
look like a work of art. Talk
about charisma.
Unfortunately, Depp’s smoking abilities do not make “The
Rum Diary,” an adaptation of
Hunter S. Thompson’s novel by
the same title, an exceptional
film. Bruce Robinson directed
the film and adapted the screenplay, while Depp, Aaron Eckhart
(“The Dark Knight,” “Thank You
for Smoking”) and Amber
Heard (“Zombieland,” “Pineapple Express”) starred in the film.
The film tells the story of a
journalist during the 1950’s,
Paul Kemp (Depp), who takes
on a job for a local newspaper in
Puerto Rico and struggles to find
a pleasant story while witnessing both dismal ends of the societal spectrum: the poverty of
Puerto Rico’s natives, and the
corporate greed of its immigrants. Hal Sanderson (being
one of the latter), played by Eckhart, tries to sway Kemp to write
articles for the public that will
persuade them to allow Sanderson to build two giant hotels
and several condos on an island
off of Puerto Rico. While the
movie did have impressive artistic qualities and presented an interesting story, some aspects
simply fell short.
In the vast scope of Depp’s
film roles, I would call his performance in this film average.
There is no doubt that he captures the character’s partier image – he precisely manifests a
hangover, and drinks and
smokes like a true addict. However, his character at some
points seems ungracefully at
odds. It becomes a bit trying to
link his lustful, partier image
with his remorseful side that
comes through toward the end.
While he did show character
growth, his evolution is not
quite as believable as one would
expect from an icon such as
Depp.
Amber Heard, who plays
Chenault, Sanderson’s seductive
fiancée, undoubtedly weakens
the film. Perhaps I am a little
jealous of her flawless physique
and the fact that she plays the
apple of Depp’s eye, but she truly does not hang with Depp’s
talent. She bears a striking resemblance to Scarlett Johansson,
but just does not have the same
presence on camera. While she
does fulfill her role of Sanderson’s wild and sexy wife-to-be,
her performance appears very
one-dimensional. As the film
progresses, a sense of love
rather than just lust develops be-
“If Johnny Depp was
paid only for smoking
cigarettes on screen,
he would probably
still make it.”
tween Chenault and Kemp, but
their presentations (especially
Heard’s) make their love seem
inauthentic and vapid. It is no
wonder that the two appear
strictly lustful toward one another; Heard told the “USA Today”
that she and Depp were “a wildly, wildly seductive combination” and that Depp is a “beautiful specimen of a human being,”
as if we all had not noticed. Perhaps if she focused less on the
sex aspect, which is meant to
slightly vanish throughout the
film, Heard would have come
off more as a genuine love interest and less as a sex toy.
The beginning of the “The
Rum Diary” introduces interesting characters and reveals
Kemp’s engaging little anecdotes
as we get to know his character.
The first half of the film is fun
and entertaining; the second
half is where Robinson falls
short. As Kemp gets himself
into the thick of Sanderson’s
business, he starts to realize the
importance preserving natural
territory. He rattles off some
touching philosophies, including
“Human beings are the only
creatures on earth that claim a
god and the only living thing
that behaves like it hasn’t got
one,” and Oscar Wilde’s adage,
“Nowadays, people know the
price of everything, and the value of nothing.” He abandons his
promise to Sanderson, and
shortly after, the boss of the local newspaper shuts down the
company unexpectedly. This
prompts Kemp and his two
friends Sala (Michael Rispoli)
and Moburg (Giovanni Ribisi) to
get revenge on their boss by
publishing a last issue that reveals all the dirt-bag things he
has done. Unfortunately, the series of events that follow are
enormously prolonged. Some
of the activities during the climax and resolution are unnecessary and rather boring. The
worst part was after the characters fail and Kemp leaves for
New York – the afterward text,
revealing Kemp’s future success,
feels forced, hasty and hopelessly idealistic. I found it distasteful
and implausible to present such
a positive epilogue directly after
a character’s failure.
I failed to mention some of
the better aspects of the film,
such as the interesting shots and
camera techniques, as well as
Eckhart’s and Ribisi’s performances, which were generally
impressive. I plan to read the
book in hopes that the film did
not do it justice. Overall, if I
were to watch this film again, I
might fast forward to the parts
where Depp smokes a cigarette.
I would still catch a solid 45
minutes (at least), and, if nothing else, those scenes make the
film worthwhile.
Rose’s Rating: B-
Photo from www.latimesblog.com
Mayer Hawthorne Pleasantly Surprises
By Kathryn Hartman
Campus Writer
I must admit, when I first
saw that I had to write a review for Mayer Hawthorne’s
new album “How Do You Do,”
I got really nervous. I had never listened to one of
Hawthorne’s songs, much less
even heard of him. I had no
idea what to expect. This man
could have started serenading
sweet romantic lullabies or he
could have started rapping
some hard beats, I had no idea.
Now is where I will admit that
I was pleasantly surprised. He
may not be completely original, possibly a Robin Thicke or
Justin Timberlake knock-off
mixed into Motown, but he
still had creative lyrics and decent rhythm. Hawthorne managed to combine vintage soul
music with 80’s pop and plenty
of modern-day attitudes into
his new album. After all,
what’s wrong with a little blueeyed soul music?
To lead myself into the right
direction, I thought to check
out Hawthorne’s history. I was
surprised to see his huge fan
base and impressive background.
This
summer
Hawthorne did several concerts from Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza and even squeezed in
a tour with Bruno Mars. For an
artist that I had never heard of,
he is very well-known.
Hawthorne’s new album “How
Do You Do” is just a reminder
of how he planted himself
firmly on the radars of music
fans. Case in point, “Can’t
Stop,” a soft rock song with
hypnotizing melodies of guitars, horns and strings gives
you a hip-hop feel, but also
keeps adults nodding their
heads. Hawthorne throws his
soul originality in your face
when he surprises you with
his collaboration with Snoop
Dogg. I know what you’re
thinking, but you will be pleasantly shocked.
I must say, my favorite song
from the album was “The
Walk.” Hawthorne mesmerizes
you with lyrics like “Baby,
what you’re doing now, you’re
pissing me off…but your hair
is so luxurious and your lips
are so soft.” He takes a perfectly classically structured song
and subtly injects colorful Fbombs about his ladies S-word
attitude. The LA Times wrote,
“His wink-nudge seducer’s anthem ‘No Strings’ can get you
pregnant from a hundred
yards out.”
Now seems like a good time
to break-out “the catch.” While
Hawthornes songs are good
and his rhythms and lyrics are
unique, his voice is no Robin
Thicke. You can’t cover up a
bad voice with horns and guitars. When I would put on one
of his new songs, I felt like
something just was not right. I
couldn’t figure it out for a
while, but after listening into a
few certain songs, I realized it.
Once you get past all of the
beautiful chimes at the beginning of “The News,” you get to
his toe-tapping lyrics, then
there it is; the real news that
Hawthorne is no strong singer.
It is actually quite sad because
he really does know how to
grab your attention; one of his
songs is perfect for lying
around relaxing or even driving
around
jamming.
Hawthorne will continue to
hold your attention however,
when you get to the song
“Dreaming.” While it seems
like a modern song, it would
be perfectly fit for The Beach
Boys. You could definitely picture it streaming from a 1980’s
transistor radio.
There seems to be nothing
wrong with a little bit of blueeyed soul music in Mayer
Hawthorne’s “How Do You
Do.” He is definitely an artist
that our age group will enjoy,
while also providing perfect
listening during that drive
with the parents. Hawthorne
succeeds in creating a soul revival with a refreshing modern
day twist. This album is definitely a solid step in the right
direction for Hawthorne, as he
knows we can all relate to having difficulties and heartbreak.
Katie’s Rating: A-
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Arts & Entertainment
Modern Warfare 3
By Travis Kellar
A&E Writer
Another year, another Call of
Duty installment. That’s what I
told myself a couple of weeks
ago as I pondered purchasing
Modern Warfare 3 during one of
the biggest video game release
seasons in years. The series has
not be known for making many
changes to a formula that has attracted literally millions of players globally to flock the online
servers, and each game essentially feels like a carbon copy of its
predecessor with a few added
features and maybe a graphics
tweak here and there. Spending
a week playing Modern Warfare
3, however, has proved to me that
the series still has life and that a
few small changes can go a long
way.
Story wise, the game picks up
where Modern Warfare 2 left off.
The United States seemingly repelled an invasion from Russian
Ultranationalist forces in Washington D.C. that involved a frantic battle in the White House and
throughout the nation’s capital.
The Ultranationalists aren’t quite
done yet, this time, they’re invading London, Paris, Berlin, and
even New York City. While World
War III rages, Task Force 141,
consisting of Captain John Price
and John “Soap” McTavish and
personally hunt the game’s main
antagonist and leader of the Ultranationalists,
Vladimir
Makarov, in a manhunt that
takes place all across Europe and
the Middle East.
Infinity Ward does an awesome job showing the world as it
could appear during a global
conflict. Right off the start, I
found myself in a battle-scarred
New York City and was fighting
off Ultranationalist soldiers in the
New York Stock Exchange. Buildings smoldered and showed severe damage as a result of the
battles raging between soldiers
in the streets and fighter pilots in
the air. Warships were littered
throughout the New York Harbor
and the second mission involved
neutralizing an Ultranationalist
submarine lurking in the depths.
The rest of the world is also taking a beating thanks to the Ultranationalist invasions and in the
arguably most striking and
evocative scene in the entire
game, the Eiffel Tower collapses
from the intense battles in Paris. I
wasn’t sure whether I was more
depressed than I was stunned
that such a monumental building
had collapsed, but it definitely
helped encourage me to put an
even harsher beating on those
Ultranationalist clowns.
Those familiar with the storyline from Modern Warfare 1 and
2 will see a lot of familiar faces as
well as some old ones. The game
wraps up the story in a satisfying
way, but without giving too
much away, war always has casualties. The campaign mode
also features a very shocking level similar to that of “No Russian”
in Modern Warfare 2. It’s not
nearly as shocking or provoking
as committing a terrorist attack
in an airport filled with civilians,
but it still tugs on those heart
strings a little bit. Then again, I
have been playing violent games
since I was five, so there isn’t
much that I can say that I have
not seen, and this particular level
probably won’t create a public
outcry. The game does provide
the option to not play through
that particular mission for those
who might be offended.
Single player aside, the real
meat of the game is, of course,
the multiplayer mode. Standard
game modes such as team deathmatch, domination, and search
and destroy make their return
along with a new mode called
Kill Confirmed. It is essentially
team deathmatch with a twist; after killing an opponent, the kill
won’t count unless dog tags are
collected from the corpse of the
person killed. It is an awesome
mode that really supports teamwork, something that is really
nonexistent in other modes. Covering teammates, laying down
cover fire, and moving as a unit is
essential and it adds new life to
the otherwise unchanged multiplayer scene. Those looking to
take out some Nazi Zombies will
be disappointed as Infinity Ward
has not included it in their installment of the series. Instead,
they have made similar mode
called Spec Ops Survival which
is basically the same thing minus
the shuffling corpses. Two players team up and battle endless
hordes of soldiers, dogs packed
with explosives, or even enemy
helicopters and artillery. I wouldn’t say it packs the same epic
punch as Nazi Zombies, but it is
a fun break from the competitive
grind. As usual, the online mode
was running seamlessly for the
PlayStation Network, although it
seemed as if I couldn’t join a
game already in progress at the
time of this writing. I’m sure the
boys over at Infinity Ward will release a patch soon enough to fix
it, but otherwise, there’s a ton of
players on and it is easy to find a
match. Aside from maybe one or
two new attachments, most Call
of Duty fans won’t find anything
groundbreaking with the
weapons.
Looking ahead, I can’t help
but question where the series
goes from here. Modern Warfare
3 wraps up the storyline that began way back with Call of Duty
4: Modern Warfare, and Infinity
Ward won’t publish another
game for two years as Treyarch
will get the helm once again as
they develop the next game in
2012. Personally, I feel the allure
of the online mode is only going
to last for so long, and I am already seeing the franchise meeting the test of time. Playing online is always a good time, but
there really isn’t much that separates Modern Warfare 3 from its
predecessor other than some enhanced graphics and tighter
gameplay. Does this mean that
Infinity Ward needs to dramatically change the core of the game
and turn it into something completely different? Not necessarily,
but I am sure I’m not the only fan
that was a little apprehensive in
buying their newest title. It took a
lot of convincing and research to
get me to buy into the hype this
year, and I say that despite my
apprehension, the game lives up
to it. I enjoy tearing it up online
and competing against others,
and sporting a goofy southern accent, saying some outrageous
things, and spending late nights
trying to improve my kill-todeath ratio will probably not get
old any time soon. At least not
this year.
Setting my worries for the future aside, I can safely say that
Modern Warfare 3 is the best of
the series so far. It is the same
Call of Duty formula that I have
known since being introduced to
the series four years ago, but it
still works. The campaign mode,
albeit short (six hours or so), is arguably the best I have seen in the
series, but the multiplayer is the
real deal. Spec Ops Survival and
Kill Confirmed are welcome additions to the multiplayer modes
that offer different ways to play. It
might not be anything new or
particularly exciting, but hey, if
it’s not broke don’t fix it, right?
Photo from www.film.com
“Lost” producers’ new ABC drama: “Once Upon a Time”
By Laura Milanak
A&E Writer
“Once Upon a Time” is a
fairy tale drama on ABC network. The series was created
by “Lost” producers Edward
Kitsis and Adam Horowitz.
Merging reality with fairy
tales, this new series promises
to give us a new perspective
that we have yet to see much
of on television.
The premise of the story revolves around Snow White
(Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince
Charming (Joshua Dallas).
They are living happily ever
after until the Evil Queen
(Lana Parrilla) threatens the
kingdom with a powerful
curse that will take everyone
“someplace terrible” where
there will be no happy endings. Worried about the curse,
now-pregnant Snow White visits Rumplestiltskin (Robert
Carlyle). He reveals that Snow
White’s future daughter will
return on her 28th birthday to
begin the final battle with the
Queen. Just as Snow White
goes into labor with Emma,
the Evil Queen unveils the
curse onto the kingdom. Newborn Emma is tossed into an
enchanted tree trunk, where
Travis’ rating: A+ she is transported to safety.
Prince Charming is killed defending his castle, while Snow
White mourns his death.
Shortly after this moment, the
Evil Queen enters the room
and the curse culminates, thus
transporting them “someplace
terrible.”
Humorously, “someplace
terrible” is the suburbs of a
place called Storybrooke,
Maine. The present day story
begins with Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison). She is a bounty hunter and bail bondsperson. In her opening scene,
Emma is shown capturing a
fugitive by using her attractiveness as a lure. Later that
night, Emma celebrates her
28th birthday by herself in her
apartment. Shortly after blowing out the candles, a 10 yearold boy knocks at her door.
He introduces himself as her
son, Henry (Jared Gilmore).
Ten years before, Emma gave
him up for adoption. Henry
found Emma and convinces
her to drive him back to Storybrooke. Not wanting any future relations with him, Emma
agrees.
Arriving in Storybrooke,
Henry informs Emma that
everyone in town is a fairy tale
character, stuck in time, not
knowing that they are from
fairy tales. He also says that
Emma has to be in Storybrooke to break the curse that
the Evil Queen started 28
years ago. Other minor details
include that Emma’s mother,
Mary Margaret Blanchard, is
Henry’s school teacher, and
Henry’s mother is actually the
Evil Queen.
The idea for the show is
fairly original compared to
many of the shows in television these days.
The pilot episode of the series was not always clear in its
plot sequence. Depending on
your tastes, you will either love
or hate the suspense. I believe
that there are two types of suspense. Type one is well-executed, logical, intelligent and the
ending is satisfactory (reminiscent of the show “Lost”). Type
two is poorly-planned, confusing and leaves the audience
wondering what just happened. For me, half of the
time I was wondering what
was going on, so this was not
the enjoyable type of suspense.
I expected more of type one
suspense, as I was familiar
with that type from the “Lost”
series. Other disappointments
were that the actors did not
give the feel that they were
committed to their emotions.
Photo from www.digitaltrends.com
There is a scene that shows the
“curse” descending onto the
kingdom, and I felt that animation was too fake. Also
within the pilot episode, there
are umpteen questions and
only a few answers.
For those of you who enjoy
feeling left in the dark, you
may find that there are a
handful of aspects to like
about this series. Ginnifer
Goodwin is the sweet and endearing schoolteacher of the
series. During the day, she
teaches children how to build
birdhouses and sets bluebirds
free out of the classroom window. During the evening, she
volunteers at the hospital, taking fresh flowers to the patients. (Watch out for Prince
Charming in the hospital; he is
in a coma).
Henry, for 10 years old, is
incredibly smart and wise. He
steals Mrs. Blanchard’s credit
card to go onto a website to
find his birth mother (Emma).
He knows everything about
the storybook characters and
knows that they cannot leave
because something bad will
happen, but he himself can
leave. Henry is quite the endearing character, and I wonder where that will take him.
While there are redeeming
qualities about this series,
there are more negatives than
positives. The lackluster acting, cheesy animations and
downright confusing plot
make for a disappointing
watch. I admit, I do want to
watch the next episode, but
only to see what happens to
Prince Charming. My question is: why is he in a coma?
Although the few good aspects
of the series make the show
re-watchable, this is not what I
expected from the producers
of “Lost.” Maybe my expectations are too high, or maybe I
need to watch more episodes.
Laura’s rating: C-
This Week In Mueller
Check out this weekly column for a preview of the two films showing in Mueller this weekend!
By Kandice Hartner
Campus Writer
This week, Muller Theater
plays host to the sci-fi thriller
“Cowboys and Aliens” and the
action comedy “30 Minutes or
Less.” With two very different
plot lines, both the movies
chosen for this week are sure
to thrill audiences who are interested in a variety of movie
genres.
Starting on Friday at 8 p.m.,
take an adventure with small
town pizza delivery boy Nick
(Jesse Eisenburg) while he is
kidnapped by two wanna-be
criminals (Danny McBride and
Nick Swardson) in Sony Pictures’s “30 Minutes or Less.”
After strapping a bomb to his
chest, the two criminals, who
are hoping to steal $100,000 to
hire a hit man, inform Nick
that he has only a few short
hours to pull off the task of
successfully robbing a bank.
Comedy is the name of the
game in “30 Minutes or Less,”
so be prepared for an explosive adventure when Nick enlists the help of his friend Chet
(Aziz Ansari) to execute his
plan. The two are quick to embark on an adventure that includes avoiding the police, assassins, dealing with flame
throwers, and working their
way through hilarious situations.
The film, which is rated R,
was originally released in the
US on August 12, 2011,
grossed $13,330,118 during
opening week, and played on
2,888 screens. Users on the Internet Movie Database (IMBD)
gave the movie an average rating of 6.4 stars out of a possible 10. Critics on the Rotten
Tomatoes web site gave the
movie a rating of 5.3 out of 10,
or 44%, while audience reviewers gave the movie 3.3 out
of 5, or 54%.
Photos from www.impawards.com
In addition to playing at 8
p.m. on Friday, the film is also
being shown at 10:30 p.m. on
Saturday and 9 p.m. on Sunday, with a run time of 83 minutes.
Playing on Friday at 10:30
p.m., Universal Pictures’s
“Cowboys and Aliens,” brings
viewers to the small town of
Absolution, in 1873. When
stranger
Jake
Lonergan
(Daniel Craig) makes his way
to Absolution with a shackle
on his right wrist and no
memory of his past, he is
greeted with hesitation. Ruled
by the iron fist of Woodrow
Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), the
townspeople of Absolution
don’t welcome strangers and
live in a constant state of fear.
When the quiet town is suddenly attacked by invaders
from the sky, the townspeople
are forced to rely on a stranger
they know nothing about to
help defend Absolution and
save the citizens of the town
from being kidnapped. As the
battle continues and Lonergan
begins to regain his memory,
he realizes that he is the one
that holds the key to saving
the town from total destruction.
“Overall, Cowboys and
Aliens is pretty good, with a
different take on an alien
movie,” said junior Deanna
Moose. “It’s good, fast paced
action.”
With a rating of PG-13,
“Cowboys and Aliens” was released in the US on July 29,
2011 and grossed $36,431,290
in the first week, playing on
3,750 screens across the coun-
try. Users on IMDB gave the
movie an average rating of 6.4
out of 10. Critics on the Rotten
Tomatoes web site gave the
film an average rating of 5.6
out of 10, or 44%, while audience reviewers gave the film
3.5 out of 5, or a 52% approval
rate.
In addition to playing at
10:30 p.m. on Friday, “Cowboys and Aliens” is also playing at 8 p.m. on Saturday and
3 p.m. on Sunday, with a run
time of 118 minutes.
With the high flying action
featured in “Cowboys and
Aliens” or the comedy in “30
Minutes or Less,” audiences
are sure to be entertained by
the movies featured for this
weekend only in Muller Theater. So grab some friends,
popcorn and beverages from
the club room, and head on
over for some weekend entertainment.
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November 18, 2011
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Features
Daring to be non-traditional ...Of The Week
By Allison McKinney
Staff Writer
Since 1975, the Lifelong
Learning Program has helped
hundreds of non-traditional students earn degrees in a variety
of majors despite the circumstances that often stood in their
way.
The Lifelong Learning Program (LLP) is run by Elizabeth
Hines, who has been working
for the school for 30 years. According to Hines, non-traditional students make up between
two and three percent of the
Westminster student population. Non-traditional students
encompass more than just
those in LLP; they include anyone attending Westminster who
is not in between the ages of 18
and 22 .
This includes high school
students participating in dual
enrollment by taking classes on
campus while still in high
school, former college students
receiving post-baccalaureate
teaching certifications and students taking classes just for
“fun” or in a sense that they
are not working towards a degree in these classes. The majority of students in LLP are between the ages of 23 and 45;
however, most of the students
tend to be in the 20s and 30s
range .
“The LLP program was perfect for my situation with earning a degree, since being only a
few years older than most students didn’t make me feel like
the typical adult student,” alumni Andrew Dafler said. “Because of the flexibility and at-
tention that was given to me, I
was able to work and attend
classes, which was extremely
beneficial. Now I’ve graduated
with my degree and found a job
right away. I know I owe this in
part to the good experience I
had with the LLP program.”
Non-traditional students are
non -traditional in the way
their lives have unfolded. They
didn’t necessarily choose the
circumstances they were put
into, but they have now chosen
to take a path to education and
pursuing a degree. Whether
these students didn’t care before, couldn’t afford an education previously, or life just happened and got in the way of
getting an education, there was
just some sort of obstacle that
prevented them from taking the
traditional path. In the United
States, there are significantly
more non-traditional students
than traditional. Adults are the
fastest-growing student group
for US colleges.
Having non-traditional students in the classroom is beneficial not only to them but also to
the traditional students that
they are interacting with . When
the program first began, LLP
students had limited choices of
major and were in classes just
by themselves. However, it was
soon understood that there
were untapped opportunities in
existence by segregating the
students. The adult students
bring a sense of maturity to the
classroom; they are often very
assertive about their education
and usually aren’t afraid to
speak their minds.
“[The LLP students] teach me
Song
Pumped Up Kicks
Foster the People
Megan Salinetro / The Holcad
Director of Adult and Graduate Studies Elizabeth Hines
smiles in her office in the McKelvey Campus Center.
every day,” Hines said. “Our
LLP students really seem to embody the Westminster mission
statement. They care about
their education in spite of family, work, all those things that
people let get in their way.
These students are serious
about getting a degree and
don’t take for granted the things
I think some students do.”
Veterans are often a large
portion of non-traditional students who come back to school
at a later date. This is the case
for senior Dan McDeavitt, who
retired from the US Army after
22 years of service. Although
McDeavitt is 44 and the father
of three girls, he still found time
to pursue his degree as an LLP
student starting in the fall of
2009. Thanks to the help of the
program, McDeavitt will graduate in the Spring with a degree
in Business Administration.
“The professors who teach
the LLP classes are very helpful
and appreciate the older students,” McDeavitt said. “West-
minster’s small campus size
makes it very attractive for older students who do not want
the busy campus life. The staff
at the LLP office put a great
deal of effort in making the experience at Westminster pleasurable.”
The needs of non-traditional
students are often different than
those of traditional students. Because of their busy schedules
while trying to go to school, registration is available to LLP students first to ensure they get the
times they need. The goal of the
LLP office is to provide attention, comfort, and guidance to
their students.
“I have seen some of the
most joyous graduates ever in
our LLP students,” Hines said.
“Honestly these students are
some of the bravest individuals
I have ever met. They are the
ones who have stories to tell,
because what they’re doing now
is all about overcoming life’s obstacles and taking control of
their education.”
I’ve been thinking of including a pop song in Of the Week
instead of the usual
folk/acoustic stuff that I usually
get behind. Coldplay was the
closest I got to pop music, but if
I have any hope of representing WC I thought I needed to
put up a song that’s blaring in
dorm rooms and frat houses
alike. So here’s my nod to party
music, number seven on the
charts. It’s catchy, and, surprisingly, has a few good lyrics.
“the sleight of my hand is
now a quick-pull trigger / I reason with my cigarette, / and
say your hair’s on fire, you
must have lost your wits”
photo from amazon.com
Youtube Video
Daft Hands
SGA Minutes
*Shawn Lehocky will be
graduating in December
the finance chair will need
filled as Shawn Lehocky
will be graduating in Dec.
SGA presents Emily Domasky and Dan Matt as
nominees for finance chair.
*Successful "Questions,
Comments, and Concerns
with SGA and ResLife"
*Bring back items for the
Helping Hands Food Drive
- an SGA joint event with
Sodexho. 10 items entitles
you to a free lunch in
Duff dining hall while 20
items is a free dinner!
photo from Ng Han Guan—AP
Photo of the Week: Nov 7. A man in Beijing waits to contribute money to dissident artist
Ai Weiwei. Thousands of people have donated to Ai to help him pay a tax bill some have
called government harassment.
*Zeta Tau Alpha elected as
October's Student Organization of the Month. The
girls collected over $12,700
during their annual Shoot
for the Cause event.
photo from mindguerrilla.com
Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better,
Faster, Stronger” might just be
one of the catchiest songs of all
times, but lyrically it’s pretty flat.
But when the song’s repetitiveness enables an awesomely creative hand dance which has over
52 million views, it’s more than
O.K. It’s pretty darn amazing.
photo from amazon.com
Book
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs’ death last month
triggered an outpouring of public grief at rock star scale. At a
time when millions around the
world are protesting business
elites, the passing of Apple’s billionaire chief executive somehow became a global tragedy.
Walter’s extremely timely biography does nothing but contribute
to the obsession, and provide an
interesting read for those curious about the life of this iconic
figure.
Film
Born into Brothels
I’d been meaning to watch
“Born into Brothels” since it
was released in 2005 and subsequently won the Academy
Award for Best Documentary
Feature. The film follows
New-York based photographer
Zana Briski as she gives children in the red light district of
Calcutta a camera and teaches
them to look at the world
through its lens. It’s an incredible tribute to the resiliency of
childhood and the restorative
power of art; the children’s
faces and their photographs
will stay with you long after
the final scene.
Statistic
17
the average number of trees
saved by recycling one ton
of paper.
photo from serendip.brynmawr.edu
Millie McConnell: swiping cards with a smile
By Melissa Dubrawka
Staff Writer
Many students are saddened
to see a beloved member of the
Westminster community leave.
Millie McConnell, who worked
with Westminster food service,
Sodexo, retired last week for personal reasons. She said goodbye
after working with the college for
the last five years of her life. Her
last day swiping Titan cards at
Duff Dining Hall was Monday,
Nov. 7.
During her time at Westminster, McConnell touched many
students’ lives in a number of
ways. She was known to be a
caring, sweet, grandmotherly figure that could always brighten a
student’s mood after a rough day
of classes.
“She has a wonderful heart,
and she truly wanted the best for
each person that would come in
there [the dining hall]. She was
almost like a grandma of the college,” senior Chris Shick said.
Shick and his friends are among
the large amount of students that
will miss her.
McConnell was not the typical
food service worker. One of her
most defining features was using
students’ names when she
swiped their card, upon entering
the dining hall. She would look
at their card before swiping, greet
them with their name, and always flash them a kind smile.
This act of kindness did not go
unnoticed by the students.
“She would always swipe your
card, look at the name real fast,
and say ‘Thank you, Patrick’, but
then it got the point where she
just didn’t even have to look at
my name. She was just always
really personal and cared that
you had a nice day,” said junior
Pat Stretavski.
This type of relationship soon
developed to be the case for a
large number of students. Many
personal ties, and even friendships, were created during McConnell’s time at Westminster
College.
Because of this, McConnell
was seen as an important staple
of campus life and a valuable
member of the Westminster
community. Senior Brian Chinchilla took the time to look back
on the influence she had on his
and his friends’ career at Westminster from his early days of
freshman to his final fall semester.
“Freshmen year she would always come over to our table because we would sit right near her,
and she would just shoot the
breeze with us. It was always nice
because eventually she would get
to know our names and what we
were doing in our lives. It was the
same thing every year after that.
Over the years we developed a
personal relationship with each
other,” reflected Chinchilla.
Students could always rely on
McConnell to brighten their day
and make them feel included in
Westminster life. Most students
were first introduced to McConnell during the Fresh Start
program, at the beginning of
freshman year. From that first
meeting of many nervous first
years, she made a deliberate effort to make students feel welcome and like they belonged.
It was inevitable that students
would be devastated when they
found out that McConnell would
be leaving, and they truly were.
“My friends and I are really
going to miss her. She meant a
lot to us. She just would always
talk to us at lunch and it was
probably the brightest part of
most of our days. We just really
appreciated her,” said junior Scott
Braden.
“I was obviously upset about
it. She’s been here since my freshman year, so it’s sad to see her
go,” said Stretavski.
McConnell did not reveal to
students that she was leaving until her last day at work. According
to Chinchilla, she said that she
couldn’t look at the students that
day because it would make her
cry. She did not leave unnoticed,
though. Chinchilla, Stretavski,
Shick, Braden, and their other
friends were troubled too and decided to band together to show
her how much they cared.
They presented her with a
bouquet of flowers and a coffee
mug that they bought from the
Gift Store that said “Westminster
Grandma”, which they felt was a
fitting caption to describe Millie.
According to them, they all
Contributed Photo
Millie stands with her biggest fans. Her kindness touched the hearts of every student who
walked through the doors of Duff Dining Hall.
miss her, but respect her reasons
for leaving and wish her the best.
McConnell was also available
to reflect on her five-year experience at Westminster through a
phone call. During her conversation, she was just as cheery and
friendly as students had always
described her.
“I loved my time at Westminster. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the young people. They
were all very, very nice to me,”
McConnell said.
When asked to give an impression of the students she interacted with, the response was almost identical to those that
students gave of their impression
of her. They both respected and
highly cared for one another. She
expressed her thanks for the
kindness she received from both
students and faculty during her
time working with Westminster.
McConnell has had previous
ties to the area before working
with Sodexo at Westminster. She
was the postmaster at the New
Wilmington Post Office for 13
years, so she has been close with
Westminster and the community
for many years.
Her time at Westminster is not
her first time working closely
with young people, either. She explained that for most of her life
she has been active in her church
by working with Sunday school
and youth group. She explained
that doing this keeps her “vibrant” and “young”, and that she
loved every minute of it.
McConnell currently resides
outside of New Wilmington with
her husband. One of her current
hobbies is raising and showing
registered thoroughbred horses
and sheep. This has been a hobby of hers for many years. She
has shown and exhibited her animals at major shows and state
fairs all over the eastern United
States.
Overall, McConnell reflects
that she enjoyed her time and the
people at Westminster College.
She felt sad to go, and will miss
the students, just as the students
will miss her. She had a message
that she would like her students
and friends to hear:
“Keep smiling, persevere, and
work hard. You can do whatever
you want to do in life,” McConnell expressed.
McConnell was a vital part of
the Westminster community and
will be truly missed by all who
came in contact with her.
Do you have any Of The Week suggestions? A book, song, or Youtube video to share? Email your ideas to Sam Killmeyer at [email protected]

The school confides - Westminster College

Transcripción

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