Philosophy Department Hard at Work ..P2
Football Team in High Spirits at Mid-Season Mark...P4
November 5, 2013 highlandernews.net
COM Seniors Score Radio Nomination
By Ellen Hoffman, Editor-in-Chief
Two senior communications students were honored with a sports radio award nomination from the National Student Electronic Media Convention. Arthur Dowell and Matthew Hiscox were nominated for Best Sports Reporting on Radio. They made it to the final round of applications amongst big name schools like the University of WisconsinOshkosh, Marshall University and the University of Tennessee at Martin. Tennessee took home the first place award.
This is the first time in many years that the campus radio station, Cougar Radio, has been nominated for a radio journalism award according to Assistant Professor of Communications Dan Kimbrough. The duo’s audio segment, “Rail Riders Audio Postcard,” made it to the final round of competition. The seniors were able to choose their own topic and chose the reconstruction of PNC Field, home of the baseball team, the WilkesBarre/Scranton RailRiders.
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“It involved us going up to different fans and people working at the stadium to see what they thought of the renovations and what they thought of the overall atmosphere of the game,” Dowell said. He said the class project was enjoyable when they were at the stadium talking to different groups of people. The hardest part, he said, was putting the audio clip together. “The hardest part would actually be when we got the piece and we recorded everything, the comput-
er was giving us such a hard time. The program wasn’t even working for us,” Dowell said. They were able to work in media center manager Dave Thackara’s office to finish their project. “Thankfully, we could do one piece of the project on this computer, transfer it over to Dave’s, and we put it on a timeline. What should have been an hour editing took about three-and-a-half hours because we had to work on two different computers.” When Dowell first learned they
were nominated, he was shocked. “I didn’t even know until I saw on Facebook that it said ‘Congratulations to the Station Manager of Cougar Radio for being a finalist.’ I looked at the post like 10,000 times thinking ‘What are they talking about?’” Kimbrough said they had never had anything to submit to this contest from the radio station. Over the summer when the contest was accepting projects he decided to submit the Rail Riders piece “on a whim”.
Audio production, the class in which Dowell and Hiscox were assigned the project, had not been offered in over six years. Kimbrough said because of this nomination, and multimedia journalism in general, he hopes it becomes a more regular communications course. “Hopefully we’ll do it again soon, but because of this I think audio will get incorporated more and more into some of the production courses,” Kimbrough said. hoffmae3@misericordia.edu
Students Make Pumpkins Go Boom in the Night
By Alexandria Smith, Web Master
Students gained insight about ideas, which was the underlying the relationship between the U.S. theme of his work as an agent and and Asia from a former governauthor. The point of human-toment intelligence operative during human relations – not America to the James Church Presentations North Korea, West to East – came Oct. 22-23. up often. The presenter uses the name Fellow author and Assistant ProJames Church as a pseudonym to fessor Matthew Nickel recognized protect his identity. the theme of the presentations, “A former Western intelligence which raised the significance of officer with decades of experithe subject from purely political ence in Asia,” Church first turned to fundamentally human. his experiences into fiction in A “The novel allows the repreCorpse in the Koryo (2006). Acsentation of the human aspect. cording to Slate Online, Church’s What he continued to say in every “inside-out exploration of a presentation – as one of those shrouded world now spans the ‘overlapping circles’ – was the last two decades of turmoil in necessity to see North Koreans as North Korea and may be among individuals and not under an abthe most nuanced portrayals stract banner of some distant idea available.” that we’ve been given, cartoonish, The week-long series of prefrom media. Fiction is more true, sentations included two master sometimes, than what we expericlasses, a presentation, and an inence, you know, and I think it timate reading of Church’s works probably accomplished an awarefor English and History and Govness through the fiction [more] ernment than plain departjournalism ments. The [could],” events not Nickel said. only celDean of ebrated his the College accomplishof Arts and ments but Sciences promoted Russ Pottle understressed standing the value of North of Church’s Korea, a views on country internathat he said tional is often relations culturally and said stereotyped Above is one of few photos taken of James the visit by the West. was a highly Church. “I started influential [analyzing North Korea], I knew experience for all who attended. nothing – which was good be“I think that’s one of the things cause, I mean, I had no preconthat a university does. It brings in ceived notions. None. Blank slate. people who broaden everybody’s And I learned. I learned, and I experience and present new enjoyed working on North Korea knowledge, and new ideas, and because it was such a great intelconsider things in a way that they lectual puzzle. There were so many hadn’t previously,” says Pottle, pieces you had to put together and whose analysis of Koryo first put so many self-imposed obstacles. him in contact with the author. We have so many preconceived Nickel also saw the Church’s notions. We are so judgmental week-long role on campus helped and so convinced we are right, students to develop a context, and they are wrong, and we are moral, a relevance, for Church’s ideas. they are immoral – which I mean, “In his book, he talks in one there may be grains of truth in place about how ‘things don’t much of that – but the point is follow a straight line; they’re that it warps and undermines our overlapping circles,’ right, and I ability to understand them. think that’s what he gave us. All The name of the game is underthe four different things were standing them. It’s not approving sort of different circles, but they of what they do; it’s understandall overlapped in some ways. He ing them.” began with talking about writing “Because if you’re going to deal yesterday but in some ways, the with them effectively – no matthings he talked about were still ter what path you choose – you applicable in this presentation [a need to understand them.” said master class]. I think they’re all Church. equally important.” As a former government intelliThe James Church Presentations gence operative, Church underwere funded by the Soyka Fund stood the necessity of gaining for the Humanities. information on nationalities outsmitha10@misericordia.edu side of the range of preconceived
ELLEN HOFFMAN/THE HIGHLANDER
Students from the Dead Alchemist Society perform part of the finale in the annual Boom In The Night event in the Wells Fargo Amphitheater. The show featured chemistry experiments involving Halloween themed items. Parts of the show were featured on WBRE.
Student Activities to Make Music By Arthur Dowell, Web Editor
The student body spoke and Student Activities listened. Together they want to bring a live concert to campus during the Student Government Association’s Spring Weekend. Students have voiced their desire for a concert in surveys over the last few years. Director of Student Activities Darcy Brodmerkel said now is the time to face the music. Brodmerkel teamed up with Pat McKamy, Coordinator of Student Activities, and the two came up with a plan to make it possible. Brodmerkel said she knew that if the concert were to take place during SGA Spring Weekend, she would need an SGA member to follow through. McKamy took the plans to SGA whose members have developed a step-by-step process that they hope will let the music play. Junior Speech Language Pathology major Caitlin Vitale, who serves as SGA Commuter Coordinator was the first volunteer. Organizers then held an open meeting fin October, and students expressed support for the plan, although Vitale hoped for more. “I was expecting a bigger crowd of people to show up,” said Vitale. “We could always use more students’ opinions and interactions to make this request become a reality.” Vitale said about 15 students attended the meeting.
Vitale forged ahead and created three sub-committees - hospitality, security and publicity. Hospitality is responsible for making sure campus is ready for the influx of people expected to attend the show. Members are responsible for booking hotel accommodations and making
CASEY SAYLOR/THE HIGHLANDER
Sophomore Caitlin Vitale holds a meeting on campus in the Cougar Lounge on Oct. 17 for students interested in helping plan a possible spring concert. the musicians as comfortable as possible. Security committee members will reach out to local police departments to make traffic flow and ensure the event runs smoothly, and publicity will promote the concert on campus and locally. Junior communications major Gabriella Lengyel serves as assistant station manager of Cougar
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Radio, and she has helped promote music for the station’s annual Beats for a Benefit Concert. She was one of the 15 students to show interest at the introductory meeting. “I thought the meeting was informative,” said Lengyel. “It was a lot more organized than I had ex-
pected. You can tell they did their research and had worked hard to make a schedule for everything.” She hopes to work with Brodmerkel and Vitale to have the Beats for a Benefit concert artists serve as opening act for the Spring Weekend concert. She has signed up to be part of the publicity sub-committee. “I feel what I have learned in communications can help with the
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process,” says Lengyel. “I want to do this kind of stuff for a living and look forward to being part of a group of students who want the same goals for the school.” Everyone involved said more student help is necessary. Lengyel, Vitale and Brodmerkel agree that without student support and interest, there might not be a concert. “We are looking for more than just the people in the sub-committees to help out,” said Vitale. “We need people to help out with every aspect of putting together this concert. Without the interest, we would find it incredibly hard to make it possible.” Brodmerkel is working with Eric Nelson, Vice President of Finance and Administration, during the planning process. Committee members will then go about finding musicians that fit the budget range as well a student preferences. Students will receive surveys to help organizers know which music genres students want. “The concert is still tentative and could still get shut down, but we are optimistic enough to be putting the board together,” said Vitale. Interested students should contact Brodmerkel at dbrodmer@ misericordia.edu or Vitale at vitalec@misericordia.edu. dowella@misericordia.edu
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MU Exposure: Profs Voice for Disabled
MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER
Top, Dr. Melissa Sgroi addresses the crowd during the Q&A session after the viewing of the second in a series of two documentaries, VOTE The Disabled Democracy. She and Assistant Professor and Communications Dan Kimbrough premiered their second video Oct. 29 in Insalaco Hall. Bottom, Jeremy Packard provides information during the screening in Insalaco Hall.
STUDENTS GO CYBER
By Brittany Hayes, Reporter
Registration time has arrived and many students are looking into online classes. Fred Croop, Dean of Professional Studies and Social Sciences, said students say they can easily fit them into hectic schedules. “The number one reason students look to online courses that always comes up in the surveys is convenience, being able to fit the course in when you can and do the work quite often when it’s most advantageous.” Junior Alissa Burke has taken online and traditional classes and said online work offers flexibility. “For those with full-time jobs or even mothers, it allows the person to do the work when their schedule allows.” Many students who return home during the summer say online courses are a way they can still receive a MU education and in the comfort of their own homes. Still, Croop said there are advantages and disadvantages to an online delivery system. “Most often in the summer, you are doing a few courses. The shorter period of time is a disadvantage, but the fact that you’re only doing a few courses is an advantage.” By the same token, students can, in some cases, take online courses during a regular semester period. “During the regular semester you have the whole 15 weeks so it makes it more manageable, but for most students, they are taking more courses and that makes it more difficult,” stated Croop.
Online classes share the same curriculum and objectives as traditional classes, and someone taking an online course for the first time should not expect it to be easier than traditional ones, he said. “A lot of people who sign up for their first online class think that because of the convenience and because they don’t have to sit in class that it will be less work or the same amount of work, but what we find over and over again with that first online class is that they get shocked by the amount of work they have to do to keep up with the class.” Burke said she was surprised by the amount of online work. “It was a lot harder. I had a non-traditional professor who actually was never on campus when I was taking my course. He only responded to emails during a certain time, so if it wasn’t that time you’d have to wait sometimes two days for a response.” Many students and teachers prefer traditional course offerings because personal interaction often helps students to better understand the content. Croop said teachers receive face-to-face cues. “Live, interactivity, voice inflections, and body language – a lot of that is missed online. Sometimes things can’t be as effectively communicated. During a 50 minute class, if you want to raise your hand and ask a question when it’s most appropriate for you to ask a question, you have that opportunity in most cases. You do have that opportunity in online classes,
November 5, 2013
News
Philosophy Dept. Is Growing By Daniella Devivo, Reporter
Dr. Mark Painter wastes no time although he and his students are up to discussing the significance of doing so. He serves as a full-time philosophy professor teaching multiple courses like Introduction to Philosophy, Logic, Ethical Theory, Ancient Philosophy, Environmental Philosophy and Philosophy of Person. Painter teaches so many and so many different - classes because he is thrilled that his department has a good number of philosophy majors this semester. “Doing philosophy is teaching philosophy. I like the unity of that and the freedom that nobody can tell me that I’m doing it wrong,” said Painter. Painter is the founder of the Living Philosophy Project, which is intended to get more people interested in the philosophical world. Painter said the Project is not static or dead; it’s a living thing. “We want to see philosophy in everything in all aspects of living life,” said Painter. “It has an effect on people in a way that other things don’t, philosophy does. People don’t have a chance to do it very often, and most people don’t really know what it is until they come to college,” said Painter. Painter stressed that study of philosophy is useful in everyday life and can help people to authentically change their lives. “People ask, ‘Why am I doing this? What is life about? What do I really want?’ And these are things that are lifechanging moments,” said Painter. The Living Philosophy Project enables students to practice philosophy in an active way. Most participants are philosophy majors, but anyone is welcome to join, according to Painter. Included in the Project’s many activities is Colloquia, a program in which students present papers they have written in philosophy class and modified for presentation to an audience. Food will be available at these events, according to Painter. The Philosophy Club also has its
MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER
Sophomore Courtney Garloff works the sound board during Diotima’s Round Table with, from right, Matt Boffa, Melvin Jay Busi, Marina Painter and Dr. Mark Painter. Diotima’s Round Table can be heard on Cougarradio.net Mondays at 1:30 p.m. own radio show on Cougar Radio, which consists of an open-ended discussion about ethical issues. The show, called Diotima’s Round Table, airs every Monday at 1:30 p.m. Sophomore philosophy major Matt Boffa is an active participant on the weekly show. “The radio show is mainly about moral consideration, ethics and love,” said Boffa. The show takes its name from Diotima, a character in one of Plato’s Dialogs called “The Symposium.” Diotima initiated him in the mysteries of the relationship between knowledge and beauty. “Dr. Painter would say, ‘You can have a back wall to bounce things off of, then you are just not pulling strangulations out of nothing. You would have a frame that you could answer questions that previously couldn’t be answered,’” said Boffa. According to Painter, the discussion makes a connection between knowledge, beauty and justice in the ethical life. Diotima’s Round Table also explores other topics, including the connection between morality and knowledge. “The issue is that we don’t come
in with any moral, just a simple question and then we let it go. The exercise is to try and hold it in a rational pattern, so that it becomes spontaneous,” said Painter. Painter said the show is not a lecture - it’s just a group of three or four people holding an intellectual conversation. Marina Painter, a philosophy major, also participates in the radio show. “This is a chance to see what education is supposed to do, and it can actually change people’s lives,” she said. Another extension of the Living Philosophy Project is The Blades of Athena, a group named after Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, a warrior goddess. According to Marina Painter, The Blades of Athena is entirely student-run, and students decide what they want to do. One of the group’s first projects is “Food for Thought,” which includes food and active discussion. “What’s cool about the project is that we can talk about philosophy in many different ways,” she said. “Everyone there can be involved in the conversation. It’s not a lecture or a talk, but it is a conversation
open to anyone.” The program also offers SAGE, the Society of Anime of Gaming Entertainment, which is new. “I think SAGE is cool because it’s very artistic, and I think that underscores what really Philosophy is. You can look at the philosophical implications of a video game, of musical notes, of a painting, or of a flower and that’s artistic,” said Boffa. Members are also moving towards a philosophy film night to attract new people to explore what the philosophy department is all about. Members hope to bring high school students onto campus and introduce them to philosophy with special workshops. In addition to all of this, the department is designing Zoe, an Undergraduate Online Open Access Journal, which will include peer-reviewed undergraduate publications. It will be online and open access, so the it will be available to the public. “We are in the beginning stages of that, and I imagine that it will be up by the end of next semester,” Painter said. devivod@misericordia.edu
nation is the best way to prevent getting the virus. Students who work in a hospital and attend clinical classes, are strongly encouraged to get the shot. Those who don’t will be asked to wear a mask when they are doing any kind of patient care. “I would definitely recommend the flu shot to everyone,” said Bradley. Bradley learned about flu symptoms in one of many nursing classes, and she knows how easily the virus can spread, especially CASEY SAYLOR/THE HIGHLANDER in close living First year OT major Brenden Walker receives a spaces like dorms. flu shot from Yurek in the Anderson Health and If one of her roommates shows signs Wellness Center. sick for me would not allow me to of the virus she go to clinical, and I would have to takes precautions, which include attend the make-up days at the using Lysol wipes on commonly end of the semester, which would touched or shared items like door be a pain.” handles or the remote control. The influenza virus could lead “I take these precautions because to hospitalization, and people die I can’t risk getting sick. Getting
every year from the virus. “When you get it, it’s so severe. You won’t be able to go to class. You won’t be able to do your assignments. You can’t do a thing,” said Yurek. Flu season lasts from November to as late as May, and the peak months are hose in between. Students have been reporting to the Health Center on campus with very bad colds, strep throat and symptoms of the flu. “With the flu shot, you most likely won’t get it,” said Yurek. According to Yurek, the nursing station looks at the person’s symptoms and then offers treatment of Tama flu, and anti-viral medication. She said, it’s important to begin treatment right away because the flu is contagious and it can spread very rapidly through the air and on surfaces. It is very important to not touch your eyes, nose or mouth, according to Yurek. “Your eyes, nose and mouth are the main portals of injury,” said Yurek. According to Yurek, a nasal swab can be used to determine if one has the virus. The nursing station has given 70 to 80 shots so far, and there are about 40 shots left and they come at a good price. “It is only $12, and it will help you in the long run,” said Yurek. devivod@misericordia.edu
Flu Shot Imperative to Winter Health By Daniella Devivo, Reporter
Continued on page 5
With flu season here, it’s time for everyone to build up the courage to get to a doctor or pharmacy for a flu shot. According to staff nurse Anita Yurek, the yearly flu shot can prevent the influenza virus also known as the flu. “The vaccine is available here for the students for $12, and it is not a live virus. So if you were to get the shot here, you wouldn’t get any symptoms,” said Yurek. Yurek said the flu can result in severe symptoms far beyond those associated with the common cold. One could experience fever, severe body aches, chills or moderate to severe fatigue. Symptoms develop rapidly. “Monday I didn’t feel well; Tuesday I feel worse, and Wednesday, etc. No, it’s not like that. It hits you very hard and very suddenly,” said Yurek. Most people who get the flu might recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but in some cases it could lead to life-threatening consequences. According to Geisinger Heath Plans, millions of people, about 5% to 20% of U.S. residents, will get the flu every year, and more than 200,000 people have to be admitted to the hospital due to influenza. Tamara Bradley, a senior nursing major, believes getting the vacci-
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The Highlander works to produce up-to-date, clear, accurate reporting. If any information is inaccurate or not covered thoroughly, corrections and information will appear in this area. Opinions and views expressed in The Highlander in no way reflect those of Misericordia University or the Sisters of Mercy. The Highlander Staff welcomes students, faculty and reader response. The Highlander reserves the right to edit submissions for grammatical errors and length. All submissions must be signed. Letters to the Editor and/or materials for publication may be submitted by any reader. Items can be sent via e-mail.
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Students Raise Immigration Awareness By Courtney Garloff, Print Editor Many students take having a social security number, driver’s license or health insurance for granted, but for non-U.S. citizens, these are things they might never have. An immigration reform/open town hall meeting was held Oct. 21 to raise awareness for immigration reform. “The town hall was really an effort for students to have a conversation about immigration reform,” said history professor Dr. Allan Austin. Austin talked about immigration from a historical point of view, and he explained the past and current immigration policy. The event provided students with an exploration of the immigration issue from multiple viewpoints. Students also heard from Sister Barbara Craig who spoke about the Sisters of Mercy’s views on immigration reform. “Immigration reform is a big issue for some Catholics,” said campus organizer for immigration
that they live in our community,” said McCourt. Immigrants like Elizabeth are known as dreamers - undocumented youth who were brought into the country when they were young and unaware of what was happening. “It’s not their decision to be here, but they are here anyway outside the law,” said Austin. Faith and Public Life helped to bring Elizabeth to the town hall while Luis had previously spoken at the university and agreed to return at the request of Campus Ministry. Many people commonly believe there are laws that prevent dreamers from attending college in the U.S., but each university has different policies about undocumented students - depending on state regulations. Twelve states that offer in-state tuition for dreamers include Maryland, Texas and California. Pennsylvania does not. Federal lawmakers were scheduled to vote on immigra-
MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER
During an event to raise immigration awareness senior Hilary Hoover and campus organizer for immigration reform, Lacey McCourt pretend to be immigrants entering the country. The wall was guarded by Assistant Director of Campus Ministry Jeff Passetti. reform, Lacey McCourt. McCourt organized the town hall meeting with the help of Campus Ministry and Faith and Public Life, an organization that tackles social issues each year. “This year Faith and Public Life is currently taking on trying to spread awareness on immigration reform, especially in Catholic schools,” McCourt said. Faith and Public Life asks college campuses to plan events of their choosing to help spread awareness of immigration reform issues. This led representatives from Faith and Public Life to contact Campus Ministry who led them to McCourt. The group then helped her plan events. The meeting also included “Elizabeth” and “Luis” who are documented in the U.S. but not yet citizens. “When they told their stories it was definitely the highlight of the town hall,” said McCourt. Luis is an immigrant from Honduras who was recently granted asylum in America while Elizabeth was brought to the country when she was only seven months old. A few people in the crowd started to cry as they told the often harrowing stories of their lives and struggles. “It really hit home when they told their stories, and we realize
tion reform before the government shutdown. The bill has been delayed and Congress may vote on reform before the end of the year. McCourt encourages students to write letters to congressmen and representatives asking them to vote for immigration reform. “Students need to be educated on immigration reform and know what it is so we can tell (Republican Congressman) Lou Barletta to change how he feels about immigration reform,” said McCourt. Dallas is a part of District 11 represented by Barletta who does not support immigration reform. Both Austin and McCourt believe events like the town hall are important for college students to experience during their time at that school. “A college education is more than just sitting in class and doing homework,” said Austin. “Events outside of the classroom helps to bring education alive,” said Austin. McCourt is planning to have more events to raise awareness about immigration reform. She previously organized more than 150 students to send postcards to Barletta, saying that they support immigration reform and he should reconsider his lack of support for the issue. garloffc@misericordia.edu
Arts & Entertainment
LOANS 101
By Cal Clark, Reporter
Parent Plus Loans can be a saving grace and a bit of a hassle to students and their families. They can be there to help the student when there isn’t quite enough financial aid to cover tuition costs, but the loans could come with repercussions. Parent plus loans are considered direct loans, which means the only lender is the federal government. Parents apply for the loans, as opposed to the student, and that means the parent’s credit history is the only one that affects - or is affected by - the loan. “A Parent Plus Loan can be used when a student needs additional funds to pay the semester bill,” said Susan Fronzoni, Director of Student Financial Services. Fronzoni says a main reason for parents to take out a parent plus loan is for extra funding needs. The prospect of taking out the loan could prove to be a little daunting. The most recent literature from the U.S. Department of Education, available at the financial aid office on the first floor of Mercy Hall, suggest that students consider what their expected family contribution is going to look like when they attend school. The literature indicates that expected family contribution (EFC) is calculated by various financial factors. Anything that could be considered of value, whether it is taxed or untaxed, can be factored in to calculate a student’s loan. This includes unemployment or social security income, too. The university uses that calculation to determine the overall financial need of a student. It subtracts the EFC from tuition costs to determine the student’s overall financial need. Fronzoni encourages parents to understand their obligations before taking parent plus loans. “Eligibility is based upon the parent’s credit, not the student’s credit,” she said. “The repayment obligation is in the parent’s name and the debt can never be transferred to the student.” Parent must complete a master promissory note so that they can become eligible to take out the loan. One note can make a borrower eligible for loans for up to ten years.
As with all loans, direct plus loans have to be paid back. Loan terms vary from ten to 25 years, and parents are notified whenever they are expected to make a payment. Parents may choose to defer payment on the loan, and during this grace period no loan payments are required until the student has graduated. Should parents elect not to have a grace period, they may make payments as the student attends school. Students and their parents also need to consider interest rates. Recent federal legislation fixed interest rates on certain loans, and capped interest rates on some loans. The legislation also significantly impacted Parent Plus Loans. Loans dispersed between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014 hold an interest rate of 5.41% for the life of the loan. That rate is subject to change annually and does so every year on July 1. Students and parents should also consider the loan amount for which they qualify. Borrowers are strongly advised to only borrow as much as they need to cover the cost of tuition, according to the Department of Education. According to the Federal Student Aid website, an applying parent’s credit history will be checked, and the parent cannot be in default of existing loans or grants. Failure to repay the borrowed funds result in serious consequences: The parent may be required to repay the loan in full, lose eligibility for further federal student financial aid, and even lose eligibility for future loan deferments. “If a parent is denied the Parent Plus Loan the student is eligible for additional unsubsidized federal Direct Stafford loan funds,” Fronzoni said. Students who are considering federal direct Parent Plus loans should contact their financial adviser on the first floor of Mercy Hall. Sylvia Maas counsels students whose last names begin with the letters A through L, and Kathy Pesta advises students with last names beginning with the letters M through Z. clarkc4@misericordia.edu
MU Exposure: Halloween on Campus
November 5, 2013 3
CAPS CORNER
If you missed the TEST YOUR MOOD screening please consider taking advantage of The CAPS Center on-line screening tool. To access the free, confidential and anonymous online screening for depression, eating disorders, generalized anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder follow the steps below. Step 1: Log onto e-MU Step 2: Go to student services tab Step 3: Click on the CAPS link Step 4: Click ‘Online Screening’ link (CAPS page on the left) Step 5: Click ‘Take Anonymous Screening’ After the assessment, you are welcome to contact The CAPS Center at 570-674-6408 to schedule an appointment or to get a referral. Thank you! Interpersonal Therapy Group: This is for students who want to have better relationships of any kind. To figure out how to stop doing the things that are unhelpful and do more of what is helpful in building strong and meaningful relationships. And to feel better about themselves. Peaceful Mind Group: If you are someone who seems to worry about many things (or everything) or if you tend to feel a great deal of stress and anxiety, this group may be for you. Through a blend of discussion and experience of various relaxation and stress management strategies, students will learn how to quiet their minds and shut off the worry. The Women’s Body Acceptance Group: This group will engage in structured exercises to enhance participants own body acceptance and to dispel leading myths about body image. NOTE: This is not a group for those struggling with eating disorders. Those students who struggle with this issue are welcome to contact Dr. Cindy for individual sessions. All groups will start in October and take six to eight members. If you are interested or for more information about the CAPS Center of the student groups please contact Dr. Cindy March or Courtney Burgess-Michak. The CAPS Center is located in the basement of Alumnae Hall.
STUDENT ON THE STREET
SGA is planning a concert during Spring Weekend so we asked students in Banks Student Life Center who they would like to see perform at the spring 2014 concert. If you have a question you would like us to ask, email the newspaper editorial staff at Highland@misericordia.edu.
Director of Student Activities Darcy Brodmerkel smiles for a picture with her two dogs, Nico and Gracie, in Banks Student Life Center. The dogs visited campus on Halloween dressed up as prisoners while Brodmerkel was dressed as a Campus Safety officer.
“I would like to see Adele,” said sophomore nursing major Rachael Alles.
“I would want to see 30 Seconds to Mars,” said junior GNLS major Nik Atkins.
“I want to see Ke$ha at the concert,” said first year medical imaging major Corey Dulsky.
“I would like to see Brand New,” said first year psychology major Erin Ryan.
“I would love to see either Gorianna, or Lady Antibellum,” said senior GLNS major Shannon Joyce.
“I would like to see Fitz and the Tantrums,” said senior biology major Anna Konstas.
Sports
Cheerleading Squad Builds Strong Base 4
highlandernews.net
November 5, 2013
By Rob Evans, Reporter
In recent years, the cheerleading team has quietly gathered a strong reputation as not only one of the premier squads in NEPA, but the country. In February, the squad captured 4th place at the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Championship – the most prestigious collegiate cheerleading competition in the country. This marked back-to-back top five finishes in the last two years, making the squad a force to be reckoned with in the cheerleading community. The success stemming from these national events does not come without hard work, dedication and hours of practice on the mat. Head cheerleading coach Tara Sinclair said the commitment from the coaching staff and team throughout the fall and spring semesters has played a role in the program’s success. “We start in early August and attend camp for five days hosted by the Universal Cheerleading Association to get new techniques and spirit ideas and material for the season. Then we come back to school early just like all the other fall athletes to get ready for the season, and we wrap up around mid March after the basketball season. We all finish up with our competition season, so we’re pretty busy throughout most of the academic year,” Sinclair said. Junior cheerleader Kelsey Taylor attests to the team’s hard work from the first day of camp to the last basketball game of the season. Taylor said the National Championship is the event all of the girls circle on their schedules. “It’s everything,” Taylor said. “We start preparing in August when we go to camp, and we continue until the day we leave. And we come a week early before school starts in winter and practice three times a day.” Taylor said cheering for football and basketball is set on the backburner as the cheerleaders prepare for nationals – at least for a while. “We have set days for choreography where we just get everything together. We put the game stuff aside and do everything for the national competition, and once football is over and basketball is light, that’s our main focus,”
Taylor said. Taylor said the coaching staff provides the role models the women need most. “I think it’s everything. Our coaches are some of the strongest people we know, and they won’t give us anything that they know we can’t do, but there’s nothing that they won’t try,” Taylor said. “What I noticed about our team is that if we’re having a rough practice and things are going wrong, all we need is a pep talk. We need to be reassured we can do it and that all of us have everything that we’ve been working on and it’s like a whole different team. I feel like we feed off each other, too. There’s so much support on the team.” Sinclair said she has seen great chemistry on her squads throughout her coaching career. “I’ve been coaching for 13 years and the last eight years have been amazing, and I’d have to say it’s come from a long line of great leadership and high expectations and a program that improves year after year,” Sinclair said. “My team is very driven and very determined. I would say they are very supportive of each other both academically and on the mat, and I just think overall it’s more like a sisterhood and, like I said, they’re such great young ladies and we’ve really been a strong group from the very beginning. Sometimes it takes a while to get momentum, but this team really seemed to click from its initial meetings from our camp sessions all the way to now.” Junior cheerleader Brianna Oswald views the squad through a similar lens. “Even once you leave the team, you’re always welcome back and everybody treats you just the same as when you were on the mat and working with the girls, and everybody is very helpful not just on the mat but with academics and things like that,” Oswald said. Aside from the prestige the program has earned, the squad is active off the mat. The team has been involved with numerous charity organizations while they raise thousands of dollars along the way. The team prepares a “Go Pink” campaign in October for Breast
Cancer Awareness month. In the past the squad raised $1,300 for the American Cancer Society, and members aimed to beat that amount this year, according to Sinclair. “Right now we’re floating around $1,000 and we have a couple of days left. But, we do a ‘Go Pink’ game where we sell shirts, give away ribbons and dedicate a 50/50 raffle to the cause. We also participated in the local American Cancer Society’s ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer,’ which was held at Kirby Park this year.” The team has plans for November , too, when members will adopt families for Thanksgiving in conjunction with ministry work
on campus , and they will deliver Thanksgiving meals to several families. Sinclair and the team also host a food drive. “We welcome about 50 teams onto campus this year and it will be held Nov. 10,” Sinclair said. “We challenge those teams to bring in canned goods and we award a charity cup to whichever two teams bring in the most canned good items. We usually bring in 2,300 to 2,500 items, which we then distribute that we and our team captains will take them to local food pantries.” evansr4@misericordia.edu MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER
Clockwise, senior Mallory Loughman leads the crowd in a cheer during the homecoming football game against King’s College. Sophomore cheerleader Erica Moore gets ready to welcome the football team onto the field before their game at Mangesdorf Field. A flyer flips while flying in the air during a stunt during a time out. Last year the cheerleaders finished 4th in the UCA College Nationals.
Gridiron Gang Grinds to Endline By Nick Vitale Reporter
The Cougars amped up their second season, improving in more ways than one. Although they still haven’t received their first W, as the team hits the midway mark they have many achievements to be proud of. The football team had the most exciting game a few weeks ago going into overtime against the King’s College Monarchs. The game ended 41-40, marking the only game the Cougar’s didn’t lose in regulation time. After the homecoming game loss to King’s the team faced off against Widener University hoping to gain their first victory. “We were only down by ten points at one point. When you’re in that situation, your mindset is that your team is going to score again,” said Teegan French, left guard for the offense. “You are not necessarily thinking about winning the game right away. You are only thinking about keeping the momentum going.” French said he and the entire team were heated during that 20-point rally. Misericordia managed to hold Widener to under 60 points and they had a 20-point rally toward the end of the game. The the scoreboard read 38-20 this October, a major improvement from last year’s game that ended 67-0. Head coach Mark Ross sees the improvement week after-week but especially after the game against Widener. “One of the big things about Saturday’s effort was that we forced Widener to execute a large number of plays to score. There were a lot of drives they had that consisted of more than a dozen plays,” said Ross. “Anytime you make somebody execute that many plays they are going to make a mistake somewhere along the line. I think our defense tackled better on Saturday than they did in previous weeks.”
MARY BOVE/THE HIGHLANDER
Top, sophomore Jeff Puckett runs the ball to get a first down against Kings College. Above, first year Chris Kirkland returns a kick. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Puckett is beginning to throw the ball more often then he did at the beginning of the season, a feat Ross is glad he reached. “I think the passing gain is coming along. We’ve made some big plays in that area and I think that is huge when you get chunk plays,” said Ross. “I also think that competing against top teams in this league for sixty minutes is what it is all about and I think that being able to do that on a week-in and week-out basis is a real strength of this group of kids.” Puckett is known for his rushing
abilities and is second in the Mid Atlantic Conference with 918 rushing yards. MU’s offense has come a long way since last season, scoring more points now than ever. Last season, the team was lucky if they scored more than seven points a game, but this year the Cougars have been racking up the points, scoring at least 14 points a game. “You keep score for a reason. We were not very competitive in games last year. We would only play competitively for the first half of every game,” said Ross. “Now we are in a situation where we are in the late stages of games and we
are competing. I think the players are growing more confident in what they are doing and instead of just playing they are thinking about what to do in certain situations.” Ross said he knows what his team needs to improve on in the upcoming games. “As we go forward I would like to see us make plays and in the passing gain if we can get our hands up we have to catch the ball and make a play,” said Ross. “In the running gain I think we need to try to be a little more physical at times. The decision making at the quarterback position has been pretty spot on. It’s never perfect. Every time you look at a game nobody is ever perfect with their decision making, but I think we are on the right track there.” For the rest of the season Ross hopes to see his players continue to improve on the football field and continue to do well in the classroom. “I just want to see them continue to compete on a daily basis. It is just the same things we have asked of them since day one,” said Ross. “We want the players to get better every day, do what they have to do in the classroom, and represent this university and this program in a positive way.” The Cougars end their season facing off against Stevenson University, Albright College and FDU-Florham University hoping to pick up a win before the season comes to a close. The best hope for a win will come in their last game at FDU-Florham. The Red Devils are 0-6 in the MAC and 1-5 overall only scoring a win against The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) barely coming out with an 18-12 victory. A good sign for the Cougars is seeing FDU’s outcome against the King’s Monarchs, losing 52-21 while the Cougars rallied against King’s and only lost by a point. vitalen@misericordia.edu
COUGARS SEEDED SECOND IN FREEDOM By Jimmy Fisher, Reporter
The men’s basketball team is picked to finish second in the Freedom Conference, according to the 2013-2014 pre-season Coach’s Poll as originally reported by the university’s athletics site. The Cougars earned 40 voting points and even had one first place vote but still find themselves tied with fellow Freedom Conference opponent Delaware Valley College. DeSales University earned four first-place votes and 45 points and is picked to win the Conference overall at season’s end. MU was 13-13 overall and 9-5 in the Freedom a year ago. The Freedom Conference Preseason Poll currently has DeSales at number one and Misericordia tied with Delaware Valley for second place. Wilkes University comes in at third, Farleigh Dickinson-Florham University in fifth, Manhattanville College in sixth place, King’s College in seventh and Eastern University finishing off the poll. Junior forward Cael Evans said the predictions do not surprise him but they also do not discourage him. “It was kind of expected,” said Evans. “Our school usually does not get the credit we desire and we would rather be the underdog than the team to beat.” If there are a few things that the men’s team loves doing, it’s proving doubters wrong and continuing to play hard. The recent poll by the Freedom Conference has helped their cause, he said. “This definitely motivates us to work hard and prove that we can compete and beat any team in the league on any given night,” said Evans. Although some teams may allow a preseason ranking or prediction tarnish their positive thinking and mental preparation, Evans said this poll will do no such thing, and the team will continue to go about
their business as if the poll were never released. “Pre-season polls do not mean anything,” Evans said. “We all understand that our goal is to settle for nothing other than winning the Freedom Championship. Collectively as a team, we are working extremely hard in our practices to improve everyday and build team chemistry.” The title is just one small goal for Evans and the rest of the men’s squad. Evans said there are terrific athletes on the team, and there is no reason they cannot do better things than before. “We have the talent to take us all the way to the national tournament if we work hard to get there,” said Evans. “This will be no easy task, but we have the core of our team back along with many talented freshman that will help us build the bench so we have no drop-off when making substitutions. As a whole, we are all extremely excited for the first tip-off on November 15.” fisherj3@misericordia.edu
Men’s Basketball 2013-2014 Home Games
11/15 Marywood 11/26 Lebanon Valley 11/30 Albright 3 PM 12/7 Manhattanville 1/22 DeSales 8 PM 1/25 Delaware Valley 2/1 FDU-Florham 2/5 Wilkes 2/12 Eastern 2/18 King’s
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Sports
Stellar Season for Sophomore Goalie Pasquini By Jimmy Fisher, Reporter
Sophomore goal keeper Angela Pasquini earned Freedom Conference Player of the Week honors four straight weeks during October for her play in the net. Pasquini said she is honored by the recognition, but she credits her teammates rather than her own play. “It was a big deal,” said Pasquini. “I had no idea what it was when I got it. I didn’t know how to react, so it’s a big deal. It’s an individual award. I was named for it, yes, but I definitely wouldn’t have gotten it without my team.” Pasquini has recorded 171 saves. She said it is important to make sure everyone works together and focuses on each game. “Everybody on the team will make a mistake,” Pasquini said. “If they make a mistake, I’m there for them, and if I make a mistake, they’re definitely there for me too. It just happens to be at the goal line instead of the mid field.” Head Coach Robyn Fedor Stahovic credited Pasquini for her terrific play and she was happy with the reward, despite her misgivings about individual awards for team sport. “I struggle with awards like this,” said Stahovic. “Ange has been doing a great job for us. Ange has been working real hard for us in the cage. She’s been working really hard in the weight room
CAL CLARK/THE HIGHLANDER
Anticipating the ball, Angela Pasquini moves into position during the game agaisnt Albright College on Oct. 31. and working hard all around to get herself prepared and ready for her job and her task. Everybody on the field has a job and a task, and she’s been doing all the little things right to get herself prepared. I think with this award, and Ange and I have talked about
it and she’s talked to the team about it, this is a team award. Ange has been getting the recognition and appreciates it more than anything, but she’s keeping it in perspective.” With multiple awards like this, a young player like Pasquini could
very easily have a target on her back when other players study the field hockey team, according to Stahovic. She said she’s ready for the challenges, and she is looking forward to it. “It’s a lot of pressure now,” said Pasquini. “Every other team knows who I am now, and I don’t want to say a standout, but they’re looking for me and they’re going to scout hard. It’s a challenge, it’s a great opportunity, but it also comes with its cons. I think I’m definitely ready for it. I know it’s a big responsibility, but it’s something I know I can handle and I know I have to keep it all in perspective and not let it all get to my head.” One might easily believe Pasquini is building on the skill set she demonstrated last year, but Stahovic said Pasquini did not see the field at all during her freshman campaign. “She didn’t see any playing time as a freshman. None,” said Stahovic. “She saw zero playing time as a freshman because we had two solid senior and junior goal keepers ahead of her.” Knowing that spots for a goaltender were opening made her work harder to earn one. “For her, she really had to stay focused and determined knowing that her time was going to come,
not knowing when that was going to be,” Stahovic said. “Coming into this year, she had to control her own destiny, she had to work hard, she needed to do all those things. You can practice all you want, but if you don’t get that ingame experience, you never know how things are going to pan out.” The field hockey team registered one single digit win this season, but four of the losses hinged on one point, including a 2- 1 loss to Franklin & Marshall College, which ranked 5th in the nation. Multiple close losses can take atoll on a team, Pasquini said the team’s ability to move forward mattered most. “I focus on ‘that’s not going to happen the next game. We need to learn how to manage the clock,’” Pasquini said. “I think the big thing is managing the clock. Yes, we do it sometimes, and sometimes we don’t. Against F&M we only lost by one, 1:20 left. I know for the next game, we won’t do the things we did wrong, and we’re ready to go next time.” “Last year we had a very tough year for us, but we all came back ready to play, and you can definitely tell we all want to win. Yes, we might not win every game, but we are definitely trying and making progress every single day.” fisherj3@misericordia.edu
Viewfinder: Field Hockey vs. Albright College
November 5, 2013 5
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but it may not be immediate.” Still, many students benefit from the type of interaction provided in online course platforms. “A lot of times, the people who like the online courses are the ones who in live courses, can’t get their hands up quickly enough to respond and can’t process or reflect on things quickly enough to respond. They are more introverted, but in online courses they get to reflect because they get to think about what they are saying and make sure it’s exactly what they want to communicate.” Croop thinks course preferences might be driven by the student’s personality. “I find that students I often I don’t see participating in live classes, for one or more of those reasons, are leaders in online classes. So depending upon what your personal learning style is and what your personality is, sometimes online courses, for some people, can be an even better learning experience,” said Croop. Another plus to online courses is that the university get can expert faculty who are located far from campus to teach. “Our students can benefit from her expertise and her ability where they wouldn’t be able to if we only had face-to-face classes.” Both Burke and Croop offered some study tips to students who are taking online courses for the first time. Burke said students must stay on top of their work. “Keep up with it every day and more than once a day,” Croop said. Croop also wants students to go into their first online course as prepared as possible. “You need to look at the material ahead of time, not the day the class starts or two days later. Most of the teachers will be sending out materials ahead of time. You have to watch, be ready, prepare in advance. That first class you take will be a learning experience and is probably the best way to learn how to take an online class.” hayesb@misericordia.edu Courses Offered Online Anatomy and Physiology of Aging
Clockwise from top, sophomore Allie Elems looks to pass the ball up the field to a teammate. Elems scored a goal during the game to put the team up 5-0. Junior Danika Watto and a Albright player go in for a tackle. The Cougars won the game Oct. 31 on Mangelsdorf Field by a score of 5-2. Senior Alison Sacco dribbles the ball down the field during the team’s last home game of the regular season. The Cougars ended the season with a 7-12 record.
Stanovick Honors Mom With Fund
By Alison Counterman, Reporter
Sophomore Nick Stanovick is bringing The Lucy Fund to campus March 16. The Lucy Fund, which aims to make cancer a chronic, not deadly, disease, is the cause behind Party4Life MU, an annual event to support research to control metastatic cancer. Stanovick’s mother Lucy started the fund in 2008 after she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. “She started the foundation because she did extensive research on her specific type of cancer and decided to start her own foundation to raise money that specifically went toward research that specified in metastasis,” said Stanovick. Metastatic cancer involves a spread of cancer to vital organs. This specific type of cancer does not get a lot of attention, Stanovick said. Metastasis kills 90% of all people who die from cancer, yet less than 5% of all funding goes to metastasis research. Lucy is partnered with The National Foundation for Cancer Research. “They are kind of like the middle man. They help us by giving us resources. We give them money, and they send the money to the researcher that we fund whose name is Danny Welch,” said Sta-
novick. “He is at the University of Kansas.” Lucy has held Party4Life for the past four years. “We would have people come and play lawn games. There was a basket raffle and we would have dancing, dinner, a balloon release and guest speakers,” said Stanovick. Lucy passed away in 2012 after the fifth Party4Life. She had raised more than $200,000 for research. “In the subsequent six months, The Lucy Fund was in limbo and my best friend Jalen Blott and I decided to try to resurrect it,” said Stanovick. Taking on this challenge sparked a new purpose for Stanovick. “In doing so, we found a passion for cancer, obviously because we had been directly affected by it but also because there is such a discrepancy between the amount of money that goes toward metastasis and what metastasis does,” said Stanovick. Stanovick and his committee, which consists of Blott, Samantha
Phillips, and Jeremy Curatola. “What we have decided to do was take the Lucy Fund to a national level,” said Stanovick. “How we’re going to do that is through an initiative in colleges.” “What I have found is college students are so eager to give back something,” said Stanovick. “They just need a little push in the direction or a vehicle to be passionate about. That is why we’re going to bring it to Misericordia.” By targeting young college students now, organizers hope they can nurture commitment to volunteerism for the future. “What we want is to build a foundation of donors that will donate $5 to $10 now but in 10 years they might be able to donate $100,” said Stanovick, who added that after students graduate, they will be in the position to have a greater impact. “They will be in the workforce, so we can hopefully infiltrate corporate and get sponsors. That way we can bring in more money and that can add to our relevancy,” he said.
Stanovick believes bringing the Lucy Fund to campus has many great benefits. “Personally, I think it could blow up at this school,” said Stanovick. Stanovick said cancer impacts everyone. “If you haven’t been directly affected by cancer, you have a friend who has. I’m sure everyone who’s going to be attending the event, everyone on campus, pretty much everyone in the world has been touched by the disease,” said Stanovick. “But very few people know about metastasis.” Stanovick hopes to the event is an opportunity to help everyone cope with cancer. “We’re going to try to educate people and also try to raise money, but also just create an environment on campus where it’s okay to be vulnerable and talk about issues that aren’t really comfortable,” said Stanovick. “Cancer sucks, but it needs to be relevant. Hopefully through this event our campus can rally, learn and fundraise,” Stanovick said. The Party4Life MU will be held Sunday, March 16 from 4 to 8 p.m. in Insalaco Hall. The event will include guest speakers, a balloon release and other fun activities. Food will also be available. To learn more or donate visit nfcr.org/lucyfund. countera@misericordia.edu
CALCLARK/THE HIGHLANDER
Capstone Course Database Management Systems Healthcare Information Systems Geriatric Care Manager II Grants and Contract Grant Writing Management Customer Satisfaction Medical Terminology Project Management Registry Review
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November 5, 2013
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