March 15, 2007 issue 19 Loquitur

Page 1

Thursday, March 15, 2007

C a b r i n i

C o l l e g e

The Loquitur Y o u S p e a k, W e L i s t e n

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Radnor, Pa.

Fair trade coffee available on campus

Vol XLVIII, Issue 19

DARFUR, SUDAN: A CONTINUOUS GENOCIDE

MEGHAN HURLEY

WRITING COACH/WEB EDITOR MLH722@CABRINI.EDU

Dining Services will now offer fair trade coffee on a daily basis in Jazzman’s Café. The demand for new Fair Trade Organic flavor has increased 2000 percent in the past two months on campus, prompting the daily addition of the coffee. “It’s good that we can make this little change that can benefit a lot of people,” Chris Cantwell, a freshman history major, said. The decision came from Drew Niemann, the general manager of dining services, because he saw that students wanted it. “What we decided to do is to incorporate Fair trade into not just our regular rotation of featured coffees, but in addition to make sure that if it is not offered daily, it’s pretty darn close,” Niemann said. The issue now is keeping a daily supply. When the coffee first premiered, Jazzman’s went through a whole case in one day. “It was a specialty item, one that you would have to buy from

FAIR TRADE, page 3

WHAT’S INSIDE

LANA SLEZIC/CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES

LANA SLEZIC/CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES

Since 2004, when President Bush declared Darfur a national genocide, efforts for humanitarians have been restricted, according to the New York Times. The genocide began in 2003 and has been taking the lives of 10,00 people every month and students are taking action against the genocide.

Students fight to save Darfur ELIZABETH BRACHELLI MANAGING EDITOR

EAB722@CABRINI.EDU KATHERINE BRACHELLI NEWS EDITOR

KB727@CABRINI.EDU

With over 400,000 dead, 2.5 million displaced and 10,000 dying every month since 2003, students are raising awareness and taking action to help the people of Darfur, Sudan. The lives of people in the

JAMIE HUFNAGLE

JLH729@CABRINI.EDU

Sports Men’s Lacrosse Page 14

western Sudan region of Darfur, have been claimed by the continuous genocide. The ongoing conflict began in February of 2003, with two Darfurian rebel groups rising against the Khartoum government of the Sudanese capital. The rebel groups, who identify as African peasants and Arab nomadic herders, felt the need to take a stand against the Khartoum government. The rebel groups launched an uprising as they faced poverty, neglect and the need for greater resources. The

Sudanese government responded by putting down the rebels with a group of vicious hired military called Janjaweed, a militia drawn from members of Arab tribes, to attack the rebel groups. Although the Darfur genocide does not appear in the news often, college students around the nation are taking a lead in bringing it to the attention of the nation and its leaders. Jessica Morales, a junior political science major at Rosemont College and Villanova University

and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Outreach Coordinator for A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, said, “The best way to stop genocide is to become involved.” One way students are reaching out to the people of Darfur is by starting STAND chapters on their campuses. STAND is the biggest student movement across the country and it is now becoming inter-

DARFUR, page 3

Leading veteran’s hospital faces neglect ASST. NEWS EDITOR

A&E Sirius Page 12

SHASHANK BENGALI/MCT

The Washington Post released an alarming warning about the condition of the nation’s leading veteran’s hospital, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Struggling to handle the overflow of injured soldiers has caused the conditions and care to deteriorate and the soldiers to face extreme neglect. Lester Milby is a veteran who served in the army infantry during the Korean War. “These are people who gave up years of their lives and some of their limbs and they are living in complete squalor,” Milby said. “It’s disgraceful.” Mold-covered walls, rat and roach infestation and holes in the ceilings are just a few of the

many problems at the facility reported in the Post. Many soldiers are not even tended to and must rely on other psychologically damaged soldiers to help with their care. “I am astounded by these conditions, especially being that this hospital is in Washington D.C. where they have all of the senators and congressmen. It’s the hub of all political activity,” Milby said. The elevators do not work. The carpets are stained. Leaks are prevalent. A constant stench fills the air. At times, the soldiers are even faced with a lack of both heat and water. Heidi Galke, veteran of the United States Navy, is “disgusted” by the conditions at the facilEMILY BUERGER/ PHOTO EDITOR

WALTER REED, page 3

If members of the Department of Veteran's Affairs were to go to the Walter Reed Medical Center, they would find neglected facilities.


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2 | NEWS

EDITORIAL

Bush administration sits back as students take action Everyday Iraq is the dominant news story, from morning to evening. Iraq, may be the focus, but let’s remember that the rest of the world has not stopped. Buried deep into the pages of the newspaper and not even shown on the evening news, is the devastating genocide of Darfur, Sudan, which has taken the lives of over 400,000 innocent people for the last three years. Although declared a genocide by President Bush in 2004, hundreds of thousands of slaughtered Africans have gone practically unnoticed in the news media. Darfur has become the 21st century’s first genocide. The Darfur genocide has left thousands of villages destroyed, millions starving and battling diseases while facing rape and murder according to the Catholic Relief Services. It is now two years since President Bush declared this genocide and it is still going on. People are still dying everyday. Women and children are still being raped everyday. Men are still being murdered in front of their families everyday. We can call it whatever we want, but that’s not going to stop it from happening. The Darfur genocide is a haunting similarity to the Rwanda genocide that took the lives of 800,000 people. The Clinton administration was well-known for its peripheral involvement in intervening and speaking out against the Rwanda genocide. Yet, here we are again. The Bush administration is facing another genocide and failing to intervene. Declaring Darfur a genocide was the toughest step. The Bush administration also made a financial pledge of $2.7 billion to Darfur. Recently, Bush also sent Andrew Natsios, a special envoy for Africa, to meet with Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in Khartoum. As the catastrophe continues to brew, it is obvious that a strong United Nations force is needed to stop the genocide in Darfur. However, it is difficult when Bashir refuses the assistance of the UN and insists that the UN would attempt to recolonize his African nation. This type of attitude only indicates further the need for help for the people of Darfur. There own government is part of the problem and they are thinking more with there wallets than with their conscience. Nonetheless, Bashir can avoid the UN’s help in part because China, a permanent member of the Security Council, wants to protect him with the threat of using its veto, according to the Washington Post. Beijing’s willingness to support Bashir is simple, greed for oil. Believe or not 7 percent of China’s imported oil already comes from Sudan, according to the Washington Post. Why is the United States not forcing China to pressure Sudan to stop killing its own people? Why aren’t we telling China to stop playing buddy-buddy with Bashir, so that they can gain the necessary support to send in UN forces to end the genocide in Darfur? It’s frightening to see that governments care more about saving their economy than their own people. STAND, the Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, has over 600 high school and college chapters dedicated to putting an end to the genocide. STAND is the largest student movement in the country and growing with a new chapter joining everyday. STAND has been pushing members of Congress, only to find our Congress on a grade average from “A” to “F” is averaging a mere “C” for its efforts to end the genocide. STAND has over 600 chapters in support of this, yet we’re not seeing the results from our government. It’s been 2 years, 7 months and 24 days since the U.S. labeled Darfur a genocide and it’s great to see students at other colleges and high schools taking action. Yet, it’s about time we see our government do the same.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Poverty awareness: one click away BRITTANY LIBERATORE NEWS EDITOR

BCL722@CABRINI.EDU

The Click Campaign, sponsored by the finance club and international finance class, works to reduce global poverty. By logging on to www. PovertyFighters.com, students and faculty can click on the donate button up to twice per day. With every click, money will be donated to finance microlending loans. The Click Campaign runs from Feb. 12-March 30. Microlending loans allow people to be given very small loans to start their own businesses. Once a small loan is paid off, people are able to apply for a larger loan. Loans can range from $25-$5,000. Dr. Mary Harris, assistant professor of business administration, helps to coordinate the campaign. She says that although the loans may seem small to Americans, in underdeveloped countries, they are enough to start a self-sustaining business. The main goal of microlending is to reduce global poverty. Harris said, “The idea is to give people a hand up out of poverty and not a handout.” Stephanie Haag, a junior math major and finance minor, created flyers to help spread awareness of the Click Campaign. Haag, who is one of 24 students in the international finance class who are involved in the campaign, believes the campaign truly makes a difference in the world. Haag said, “The Click Campaign is great because it doesn’t require students to donate money, but rather to donate a lit-

GRAYCE TURNBACH/ PHOTO STAFF

By logging on to www. PovertyFighters.com, students and faculty can click on the donate button up to twice per day. With every click, money will be donated to finance microlending loans.

tle bit of their time each day.” Cabrini College has been involved in the Click Campaign since May 2003. Harris came across information from Oxfam who runs campaign. She believes that Cabrini will remain involved in the Click Campaign in the future because it helps students to learn about microlending and global poverty. “[The Click Campaign] integrates the finance discipline with a social justice issue,” Harris said.

There are a multitude of corporate sponsors who donate money to the microlending accounts. The Click Campaign raises over $20,000 each year towards the microlending fund, reducing global poverty. Loquitur welcomes your comments and questions on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your comments each week and make corrections if warranted.

2006-2007 Loquitur Staff Editorial Staff

Editor in Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor News Editor News Editor A & E Editor A & E Editor Features Editor Perspectives Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Photography Editor Web Editor Events Editor Writing Coach Graphic Designer Adviser

Amanda Finnegan Elizabeth Brachelli Stacey Turnbull Katherine Brachelli Brittany Liberatore Matt Donato Nicoletta Sabella Ashley Randazzo Daina Havens Jason Radka Patricia Sheehan Emily Buerger Meghan Hurley Yadira Toledo Meghan Hurley Charlie Grugan Dr. Jerome Zurek

Asst. Managing Editors Kaitlin Barr Elizabeth Lavin Nicole Osuch Asst. News Editors Ashley Cook Jamie Hufnagle Asst. A&E Editors Katherine Clark Grayce Turnbach Asst. Features Editor Brittany Lavin

Asst. Sports Editors Jessica Hagerty Kasey Minnick Asst. Perspectives Editor Jillian Smith Asst. Copy Editors Vickie Papageorge Megan Pellegrino Asst. Events Editor Diana Vilares

Staff Writers Monica Burke, Jessica Chesko, Christina Cimmino, David Damiano, Jennifer Davis, John Fennell, Elizabeth Kerstetter, Colin Mason, Pat McGowan, Karli Morello, Brittany Such, Jackie Turchi

Our Mission Statement

The Loquitur is Cabrini’s College weekly, student-run, campus newspaper. It is widely respected as the voice of students, staff, faculty, alumni and many others outside the Cabrini community. The Loquitur has earned its position by advocating for self expression through freedom of speech, and by serving as an outlet for readers to effect change on campus and off. Founded in 1959, the Loquitur has thrived and greatly expanded its readership. The paper now has 4,000 online readers and 1,500 print readers on a weekly basis. Our mission is to provide readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions freely, in an environment where their voices are effectively heard and respected. The Loquitur: You Speak. We Listen Loquitur is a newspaper written, edited and produced by the students of COM 353, 352, 250 and 251. Subscription price is $25 per year and is included in the benefits secured by tuition and fees. Additional copies are $1 each. Loquitur welcomes letters to the editors. Letters to the editor are to be less than 500 words. These are usually in response to a current issue on campus or community area. Guest columns are longer pieces between 600 and 800 words and also are usually in response to a current issue on Cabrini College campus or community. Letters to the editor and guest columns are printed as space permits. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content. Name, phone number and address should be included for verification purposes. Personal attacks and anonymous submissions will not be printed. Letters to the editor and guest columns can be submitted to loquitur@googlegroups.com or to the newsroom mailboxes in Founders Hall 264.


Thursday, March 15, 2007

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Darfur calls for action

LANA SLEZIC/CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES

The rebel groups, who identify as African peasants and Arab nomadic herders, launched an uprising against the Khartoum government as they faced poverty, neglect and the need for greater resources. he people of Darfur continue to face the genocide, they also are battling villages being torched, malnutrition, diseases and women being raped.

DARFUR, page 1 are also reaching out to the peo- take action. national. Morales, who answers to new chapter requests every day, arranges for speakers to be on college campuses to raise awareness and eventually get students involved to become lifelong activists. Also, Morales organizes protests, conference calls with other chapters and assists with writing chapter constitutions. Morales said, “The idea is that this will be the last genocide.” As the people of Darfur continue to face the genocide, they also are battling villages being torched, malnutrition, diseases and women being raped. Since 2004, when President Bush declared Darfur a national genocide, efforts for humanitarians to reach out to the people of Darfur have been restricted by the Sudanese government, according to the New York Times. Catholic Relief Services representatives around the country

ple of Darfur. CRS has helped more than 150,000 people across West Darfur by providing food, shelter, clean water and sanitation, education and agriculture support. Scott LeFevre, CRS Regional Representative for the Horn of Africa, said, “These societies need to be nourished in a very peaceful way.” After spending seven years in Africa, LeFevre works in the states while educating people on the crisis in Darfur and working with advocacy groups. Although LeFevre is not now in Africa, there are CRS representatives in Darfur. Also, there is a CRS office located in Juba, the capital of southern Sudan since 2005. LeFevre said, “We’re there building relationships.” LeFevre encourages students to take action by focusing on one thing. Whether it is participating in activities such as fundraising, donating, events, educating other and hosting workshops, LeFevre believes that’s the best way to

LeFevre said, “This is solidarity in action.” Starting in June of 2006 and ending in February of 2007, Erin Heaney, a sophomore political science major at Swarthmore College and National Conference Coordinator for STAND, gained the attention of approximately 700 to 800 students and reached out to 200 of the 600 chapters of STAND to raise awareness and gain advocates for the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, by planning six regional conferences at Northwestern University, Swarthmore University, Brown University, Colorado University at Boulder, Emory University and Berkeley University. Heaney said, “Watching participants grow from not knowing anything about the issue, and then to being an active participant in taking action is great.” Heaney became involved with STAND on Swarthmore’s campus in Fall of 2005 and became involved on a national level in June of 2006 by assuming the

role of National Conference coordinator for STAND. Heaney hosts weekly STAND meetings on Swarthmore’s campus that are very similar to all the meetings the chapters in the MidAtlantic region hold. Currently, there are 25 active participants and approximately 125 people on Swarthmore’s current mailing list for STAND. Their meetings begin with a discussion of the latest news alerts on the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan. After reviewing the articles the participants break off into three groups, the advocacy group, which creates letter campaigns for congress, the community outreach group, which is in charge of speaking engagements with high school students, and the fundraising group, which provides the funds for the students to participate in activities to raise awareness. Heaney said, “I find it rewarding to raise awareness about this issue and then watch other people learn more about the issue and become involved.” Heaney and Morales actively participate in pushing for key legislation to make sure that Congress is doing its part to protect civilians in Darfur. A new campaign, Darfur report cards, has been put in place to gain the attention of members of Congress to take action action. Each individual report card has the elected official’s name, his or her grade, a complete listing of all key legislation he or she has and has not supported. As of right now, Congress is averaging a “C” for its efforts to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, according to STAND.org. Morales said, “It’s a really effective way of holding Congress accountable. Who wants an “F” in genocide intervention?”

NEWS | 3

Jazzman’s Cafe meets demand to sell Fair Trade coffee FAIR TRADE, page 1 a specialty purveyor,” Niemann said, “But the demand has grown so much that it is going to become an item that’s carried by our prime distributor.” Switching from a secondary to a primary distributor for the coffee will assure that there is a daily supply on campus. Currently there are 16 cases on backorder for Jazzman’s. “We have had to increase orders threefold to make up for the backorders – the demand is out there and he [the supplier] is just trying to meet it,” Chris Metell, the retail manager of Jazzman’s, said. The demand increase is not only at Cabrini, and many other school with Sodexho accounts are requesting the fair trade coffee as well. According to Metell, there are 92 other Sodexho accounts that are requesting fair trade coffee. “We are in the service industry and we need to make sure we are providing everyone with the things they need and want.” Niemann said. “With the way that it’s selling, as long as that last, we will continue to offer it.” “I didn’t even know, but now I think it’s great,” junior elementary and early childhood education major Nicole Morgan said. “It shows that they care about what people on campus want.” Loquitur welcomes your comments and questions on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your comments each week and make corrections if warranted.

Conditions at Walter Reed worsen WALTER REED, page 1 soldiers are dealing with. “This is

ity. “The administration doesn’t put its funding in the right place when it comes to the military,” Galke said. “The people whose job it is to ensure the well-being of our soldiers are just spread too thin to be taking proper care or their patients. They are spread too thin just like the nation’s practical budget.” Overworked staff members find it hard to tend to even the smallest needs including but not limited to the feeding of the soldiers and their families and even helping the brain-damaged soldiers remember their next appointment, according to the Post. Lauren Mattioni, a sophomore social work major, was not aware of the detrimental conditions the

completely shocking,” Mattioni said. “How could the administration let the conditions get so bad? Their priorities should be taking care of these veterans and making sure they are well maintained for all of the sacrifices they have made for our country.” Veterans groups and members of congress have expressed outrage over the conditions at Walter Reed. The White House has begun an investigation and promised rapid changes within the facility. Milby has high hopes for the changes but is skeptical of the administration’s promises. “I can only hope that they will follow through with the plan to improve the wretched conditions at the hospital. It will be an embarrassment to our country if swift changes are not made.”

EMILY BUERGER/ PHOTO EDITOR

The above statue is outside of the Department of Veteran's Affairs in California. The Washington Post released an alarming warning about the condition of the nationʼs leading veteranʼs hospital, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.


4 | NEWS

Thursday, March 15, 2007

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Debit cards become a danger to consumers BRITTANY LAVIN

ASST. FEATURES EDITOR BLL722@CABRINI.EDU

The use of debit cards has prompted banks across the nation to make high-cost overdraft loans even more costly. A report, “Debit Card Danger,” was released by the Center for Responsible Lending and analyzed the checking accounts of over 5,000 customers of some of the largest banks in the nation. “Banks are raking in fees from unwitting customers who would not overdraft if given a choice,” Eric Halperin, co-author of the study, said in a press release by the Center of Responsible Lending on Jan. 25. The study found that 46 percent of high-cost overdraft loans are generated by debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals while written checks are responsible for more than one quarter. The most expensive way to overdraft is by making an in-store purchase, which costs $2.17 for every dollar borrowed and 86 cents for check-triggered overdraft loans. Instead of warning customers of the possibility of overdrawing, banks now regularly approve the transactions, cover the expense

and charge their heavy fees. Most consumers have no idea that this is taking place, which is a great concern for Halperin. “If you ask people on the street what would happen if they tried to make a debit card purchase and their account was empty, most people assume the bank would deny it,” he said. When asked, 61 percent of those people wished the bank would. “This is the first I’ve ever heard of it,” John Jonas, a sophomore English and communication major, said. “It’s pretty sneaky. I’ll have to be more aware and careful about how I use my card.” “I’ve never overdrawn my account before, but the fact that banks are just letting it happen doesn’t really surprise me,” Andrea Gallagher, a sophomore exercise science major, said. CRL has put forth several proposals to deter this from happening. These include requiring banks to warn the customers when they are about to overdraw from their account and give them to choice to either proceed or cancel the transaction. Also, to allow the banks to cover the overdrafts without any warning, but only if the customer has consented in writing.

MEGAN MCGIRR/PHOTO STAFF

Recent studies found that 46 percent of high-cost overdraft loans are generated by debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals while written checks are responsible for more than one quarter. in-store purchases are one of the most expensive ways to overdraft.

“We should all be aware of how much money we have in the bank, but we also have the right to be warned when we don’t have enough,” Jessica Gruber, a fresh-

man English and secondary education major, said. “It’s definitely something for college students to be concerned about,” Jonas said. “I know that I

sometimes spend without much thought and I don’t think any of us want to be in more debt then we already are.”


Thursday, March 15, 2007

NEWS | 5

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Moral beliefs may affect New troops to doctors’ care for patients enter Iraq and Afghanistan ASHLEY COOK

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

AAC722@CABRINI.EDU

A nationwide survey of 1,144 doctors found that 14 percent of physicans feel they are not required to tell patients about medical options they oppose morally. These options include abortion and teen birth control. 29 percent believe they have no duty to refer patients elsewhere for treatment. “Moral conflicts are inevitable in an imperfect world,” Timothy Lent, adjunct religious studies, said. “A person who is looking for a physician should find out what his or her world view is.” The American Medical Association gives doctors the right to decline to give a treatment sought by an individual that is “incompatible with the physician’s personal, religious or moral beliefs.” But the doctor should try to ensure the patient has “access to adequate” health care. “Every person, whether religious or not, has a world view, that is basic views about right and wrong,” Lent said. “As I say in my classes, wherever human beings go they carry their baggage with them.” The study found that 86 percent of those responding believe doctors should be required to present all treatment options, and 71 percent believe they must refer patients to another specialist for treatment. While more than half believe the physician had no such obligation. “Any physician who has a personal objection to abortion has an obligation to follow their conscience and not in any way refer or suggest abortion as an alternative to pregnancy,” Mr. Patrick Stokely, adjunct religious studies, said. “If a physician were to do so, they would be directly cooperating in an act that the Catholic Church has determined to be intrinsically evil.” The survey did not explore whether these physicians act on their beliefs, but the researchers calculated that tens of millions of Americans might be going to such doctors. “If the patient were to them-

JESSICA HAGERTY

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

JH729@CABRINI.EDU

EMILY BUERGER/ PHOTO EDITOR

A nationwide survey of 1,144 doctors found that 14% of physicans feel they are not required to tell patients about medical options they oppose morally. These options include teen birth control(shown above).

selves bring up abortion as an option, the physician would need to state that they do not do them and tell the patient that they would need to find another physician who would,” Stokely said. The study, which was partially funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of Plainsboro, N.J., found that doctors whom described themselves as very religious, particular Protestants and Catholics, were much less likely to feel obligated to tell patients about controversial treatments or refer them to other doctors. They were far more likely to tell patients if they had moral objections. “The use of contraceptives as a way of regulating conception is likewise rejected by the Catholic Church,” Stokely said. “The reasoning is that it makes the act of sexual intercourse one that is not open and unitive.” Overall, 52 percent of physicians said they oppose abortion, 42 percent oppose prescribing birth control to 14-to-16 year olds without parental approval, and 17 percent objected to sedating patients near death. “In the doctor patient relationship, a doctor has the obligation to give all recommendations, even ones which he or she might feel morally opposed to,” Bill Monahan, a freshman English and communications major, said.

“However, the doctor also has the duty to inform their patient of the possible consequences of treatments like abortion or birth cont r o l . Dr. Jeffrey Ecker, chairman of the committee on ethics at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said that most physicians agreed patients deserve to be told about all appropriate medical options and referred to other doctors when needed. “There is reason to be concerned about those that don’t do it,” Ecker said. Ecker believes that it is possible many of the physicians in the survey who opposed such referrals may be practicing in specialties where they do not face those i s s u e s . Ecker believes physicians must let patients explicitly know if they are opposed to particular services. “The method recommended by the Catholic Church is that of Natural Family Planning, which when properly used, is as effective as the ‘pill’ without all of the other side effects on the woman’s body.” Stokely said. Monahan said, “After all, where is the morality in lying to a patient of all possible treatments, even if the treatments might endanger their lives?”

On Sat. March 10, President Bush agreed to send 8,200 more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. Of those 8,200 troops; 4,700 will head to Iraq, while 3,500 will be sent to Afghanistan. Sending these troops brings the number of American soldiers in that country to its highest level ever, according to the Washington Post. In addition to the increase in troops, President Bush also requested an additional $3.4 billion to pay for the troops. House Democrats are not in favor of either idea and have their own plan for Iraq in which they are building one vote at a time. This increase in troops is in addition to the 21,500 new troops that Bush sent over to Iraq in January.

CIA leak case finds Libby guilty On Tues. March 6, a federal jury convicted I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby guilty in the leak of an undercover CIA officers identity. Libby, Vice President Cheney’s former chief of staff, was found guilty of four felony counts of making false statements to the FBI, lying to a grand jury and obstructing a probe into the leak of Valerie Plame’s identity, according to the Washington Post. Libby is the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a felony since the Iran-contra scandal nearly two decades ago.

Troops levels maintain until Feb. 2008 On Wed. March 7, military officials said that the day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq has recommended that the heightened American troop levels there be maintained through February 2008, according to the New York Times. Officials also said that the increase in troops should begin declining in August.

Democrats unveil plans to remove troops from Iraq On Thurs. March 8, House and Sentate Democrats created a new legislative push to withdraw combat troops from Iraq in 2008, to eventually end the war. This plan has intensifies the conflict with the administration at a time when Congress is examining President Bush’s request for nearly $100 billion in additional spending toward military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Errors found in FBI power On Fri. March 9, Justice Department’s inspector general that found there are frequent errors in the way the FBI uses its powers to secretly obtain telephone, e-mail, and financial records without judicial approval. The errors were not thought to be deliberate, according to the Washington Post. However, they do seem to show that the program to issue national security letters suffers from a lack of management, oversight, and a uniform reporting procedure.

Democrats demand explanation for firings On Tues. March 13, State Democrats stated that they wanted to get explanations from the high Bush administration officials as revelations about the dismissal of federal prosecutors put renewed pressure on the White House, according to the New York Times. Senator Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat of New York and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was reacting to the disclosures by administration officials that the White House was deeply involved in the decision late last year to dismiss federal prosecutors.


6 I PERSPECTIVES

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Perspectives

Women’s history month praises those who do extraordinary things

ELIZABETH KERSTETTER ASST. WRITING COACH

ELK722@CABRINI.EDU

The month of March is women’s history month and I have been thinking a lot about who an influential woman is to me. To be influential as a woman I think a female has to exude a lot of confidence and most importantly, strength.

Many influential women have overcome any number of women’s issues that women face or have dealt with. I could write about my mom, an influential schoolteacher, or any of the thousands of famous women who contributed to society, but I wanted to write about someone who is currently influencing me. Last month, Kaitlin Barr published a perspectives article about her experience so far as a pregnant college student. The detailed account of her current experience as a six-month pregnant woman was extremely personal and emotional. Writing an article like

Barr wrote took a lot of courage. To share such a personal experience with thousands of people requires putting your life up for public scrutiny. When Barr chose to share her story, she chose to let the public in on her personal life and put herself up for judgment. As a friend of hers, Barr said to me that she knew writing the article would probably cause controversy but that she wanted to publish it anyway. She wanted to share her story regardless of any negative consequences it might bring. To me, Barr’s actions took a lot of strength and courage. I do not think that I would be able to share any type of per-

Darfur: a never-ending genocide nightmare

sonal matter with many people, let alone publish it in the paper and on the web. I think Barr saw her article as something different. I don’t think she saw it as sharing something extremely personal and possibly causing controversy. Instead she had the outlook that her article might help people in some way. So as women’s history month nears an end I encourage people to not only think of our nation’s historical influential women and be grateful for all that they have accomplished for women, but also think about the people in your life right now who are inspiring you, and tell them!

Let your conscience be your guide

JESSICA CHESKO STAFF WRITER

JNC722@CABRINI.EDU

DIANA VILARES

ASST. EVENTS EDITOR

DVV722@CABRINI.EDU

Morals. Everyone has them. According to WordWeb online, the word “moral” is “concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles.” That’s all fine and merry but I think that the thing people struggle the most with is differentiating between what’s good and what’s bad. I’ve always believed that morals are different for every individual and the point I want to make is that “different” doesn’t always mean wrong. A lot of factors go into someone’s moral makeup. New parents are continuously stressed about whether or not they will be able to teach their children how to become good people, until one day they’ve taught them all they could and trust their children to make good decisions. Good decision-making is a skill. We only become good at it after some practice. When you were in elementary school you and your friends exchanged or, as I liked to call it, “com-

CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT

In Disneyʼs Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket was Pinocchioʼs conscience and helped him to decide right from wrong. Parental teachings, religion, and personal belief go into making up a personʼs morals.

pared” answers on your homework. You knew that you weren’t supposed to be doing it, but it didn’t mean that you were going to be banned to hell for it either. Religion is another thing that plays a role in our morals. I cannot claim to be knowledgeable of what rules and rituals are associated with every religious belief, but I do know that a lot of hatred is often exchanged between people when they don’t keep an open mind about the world around them. For example, some have the idea that the Wiccan religion is based on worshipping the devil when in actuality, it is the practice of worshiping God through Mother Earth. According to an article on helium.com, the way these worshippers keep the balance between the good and

bad in the world is through conducting spells and charms. Personally, I consider myself to be a Catholic. Do I go to church every Sunday? No. But I am comfortable enough with where I stand in my faith and myself to feel good about the life that I live. I would much rather opt for telling someone the truth over going to church on Sunday and lying to my mom on Monday about what I was doing last Friday night. I know that you should always treat others the way you want to be treated and that you should never put yourself in the business of others if you aren’t invited to do so. This knowledge wasn’t something that was taught to me by my parents. I know what’s right and wrong by personal experi-

ence, by losing and gaining friendships and shedding a few tears along the way. Morals are built in my eyes. One of the touchiest, and for some, the most awkward thoughts that come to mind when someone brings up the topic of “morals” is where someone stands on pre-marital sex. All I will say out of respect for the readers is that your personal choice is yours to keep. No one should ever feel as though they are fit to impose it on anyone else. Those that do think they have “the right” should probably go back to church or temple or wherever they feel their sins will be forgiven, because there’s nothing morally right about talking down to someone based on a difference of opinion.

Thursday, March 15 , 2007

Like a recurring nightmare that won’t seem to go away, genocide continues to haunt our past and our present. Our inability to learn from history has brought on some of the most horrible tragedies imaginable. During World War II, the worst case of genocide fell upon us and we pretended like nothing was happening. We thought that it could never happen but it did. The holocaust genocide wiped out approximately six million Jews. It was Hitler and his Nazis’ desire to create a perfect race by extinguishing all those deemed inferior including not only the Jews, but the gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals and the physically and mentally disabled as well. We swore that it would never happen again but it has. In 1994 between half a million and a million people were massacred in the central African country known as Rwanda. This massacre was organized by extremist political groups and was directed primarily at the minority Tutsi ethnic group. Once again we refused to intervene or speak out against the massacres. So, after these two horrible incidents surely another genocide could not take place again right? Well unfortunately it is. Darfur is a region in

western Sudan where the death toll currently exceeds 100,000 but may be as high as 400,000. People are being murdered everyday, women are being raped, villages torched and property stolen. Due to this brutality, about two million people have been driven from their homes and escaped to the neighboring country of Chad. However, everyday they face disease and starvation. The rest of the people are trapped within Darfur. It is the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militia causing this peril. They are systematically targeting the Fur, Zaghawa and Massaleit ethnic groups, who are primarily African. Most of the people living in Darfur are Muslims, as are the Janjaweed. This terror continues in Darfur everyday and yet very little is being done to help its people. SaveDarfur.org has posted a message imploring President Bush to take action. They want him to “strengthen the understaffed and overwhelmed African Union peacekeeping force already in Darfur, push for the deployment of a strong UN peacekeeping force, increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for aid delivery and establish a no-fly zone.” It is extremely important that we demonstrate our peacekeeping abilities, if not simply to help the people of Darfur then to prove to the world that we have learned from our past ignorances. We cannot solve all of the world’s problems but we can offer a helping hand to those in desperate need. Although genocide may be an unfortunate part of our past and our present, if we act responsibly perhaps we can stop it from becoming our future.


Thursday, March 15, 2007

www.theloquitur.com

PERSPECTIVES I 7

Letters to the editor Global warming: ‘lets act on solid science’ DR. DAVID DUNBAR

PROUD PARENT OF MEGAN DUNBAR

Mr. Lindros’ position is that many of the current proposed solutions to combat global warming probably will not stop it or drastically reduce it. My hope is that as more and more people begin making choices to reduce carbon emissions, efforts will increase exponentially to tackle this pressing problem. The Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steve Chu, head of the world-renowned Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, states that “what’s needed is the will to face the crises and to break it into component problems.” I am in complete disagreement with Mr. Lindros’s views about whether there is a crisis at all. If one reads the most widely agreed upon credible scientific articles closely, those that have been published over the last ten years in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, the effects of global warming will have catastrophic environmental effects regarding human habitation. Several prominent scientists even predict that if current trends in human carbon emissions continue, without increasing in rate, then human civilization will be reduced to a few breeding colonies at the North and South poles due mainly because

these places will be the only ones left hospitable for humans. This legacy is not the type I intend to leave behind for future human civilizations. Mr. Lindros is wrong to suggest that there is a problem with the weight of the scientific prediction that the IPPC report cited in the article “making interesting reading to the discerning.” If one reads the actual IPPC report closely, it states that “there is a greater than 90 percent chance that global warming is human induced.” The report further stipulates that the average global temperature increases over the next 50 years will rise anywhere from two to five degrees Celsius. True, sea levels have not risen drastically due to global warming, not yet that is. A mere five degree increase in temperature would inundate most areas of the Earth that lie at sea level. If conservative scientific predictions are accurate, in 50 years, millions of people around the Earth – those who live near the world’s great oceans – are in peril. Science magazine, the premier science magazine in the world today, states that the IPCC report “is overly conservative when it comes to the fate of the world’s great ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica.” Mr. Lindros is partially right when he

notes that there have been other warming trends over the last hundred thousand years. But more importantly he is completely wrong when he fails to notice that these historical warming trends tend to be “a blip on the radar” when it comes to their magnitude of destructive power as compared to the current warming trends. Furthermore, there have been numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles indicating current global warming is human-induced. There have been zero peer-reviewed articles refuting global warming, either humaninduced or otherwise. To me, to choose to do nothing to attempt to “slow” down global warming is a morally indefensible argument. On the basis of the overwhelming scientific evidence and with concerted, collective effort we may be able not simply to slow down global warming, but even to reverse it. To me, society’s best defense against climate catastrophe depends on all of us arguing in good faith and acting on solid science. As far as my daughter is concerned, I am proud that she feels she has an obligation to do something to save our planet. Megan is not scared, she is empowered.

Global warming reference points LIZ LAVIN

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

EAL723@CABRINI.EDU

In response to the letter to the editor: Global warming articles generate heated response. For more scientific data on climate change, visit any of the following websites. ■ Sierra Club: www.sierraclub.org. ■ The IPCC report summarized for non-specialists: www.greenfacts.org/climatechange/ipcc/ipcc.htm. ■ U.S Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/. ■ Greenpeace USA Issues-Global Warming and Energy: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy. These websites all offer scientific data on the very real problem that is global warming. Mr. Lindros’ letter only reinforces my previously mentioned point that global warming has fallen on the shoulders of our generation.

Department split Girl video gamers should be seen as equals could be positive DR. MELISSA TERLECKI

MST723@CABRINI.EDU

SHANNON WINTERS

SEW725@CABRINI.EDU

Last semester as an English major, I often found myself wondering what I was doing on a Thursday afternoon sitting in Professional Development. The course is clearly geared towards those students pursuing the Communication major. So far, I’ve had to write three papers and sit through interviews and panel discussions, and while they may be nice for someone who wants to pursue a career in radio broadcasting, journalism, or public relations, those 75 minutes do nothing for me. By now, most everyone is aware that the English and Communication departments are splitting in the 2007-2008 Academic Year. There has been much criticism about the split, namely from ECOM majors, because they feel that the program was just fine the way it was. However, I feel that the split doesn’t affect anyone in a negative way. For one thing, the English majors will be able to focus more on literature intensive courses that will better prepare them following graduation, especially those students who are seeking a concentration in Secondary Education and who need these classes to adequately prepare them for

their intended profession. The new Undergraduate Catalog will be released in 2007-2008. At that time the split will fully go into affect, and yet students will still have the option of following the program under which they came in, or the new system. This means a student can be: an English major, a Communication major, an English/Communication double major, or even choose the option of being an English major with a Communication minor, or visa versa. Before coming to Cabrini, I had never heard of another school that had one joint English and Communication department, and the fact is nationally most undergraduates choose to major in one or the other. The new arrangement will honor the distinct disciplinary identities of each department and give all majors the chance to grow and mature under the department that will help them more significantly in the long run. Most Communication majors don’t want to sit through Survey of Brit Lit I, and most English majors don’t want to sit through Professional Development. The split will be beneficial to each new major, and to suggest that the division will tarnish the reputation of Cabrini College is absurd.

I would like to comment in response to your “Girls play games too, video games that is” by Ashley Randazzo. I have been studying girls and videogaming for nearly a decade now, and agree that times are changing with increasing numbers of girls and women getting involved in videogaming. What research shows is that women are more likely to be “casual” gamers; playing online rather than buying consoles and hardware/games. Numbers of women gamers are skewed by this.

Second, “pink” versions of consoles may look like a good idea to attract females on the surface, but if you talk to women in the videogame industry, as I have, they will tell you they don’t want pink videogames. They want to be viewed and treated just like everybody else. They want to play games like men, but not be viewed as something special, or different from men who play videogames. Younger female audiences may be attracted by this (something “pink”), but industry creators shouldn’t be focused on the package they should be focused on the content. It’s the games

themselves that are important to women; those that have some social content sell best among women (i.e., Sims). The problem is that videogames in general tend to have little of what women like (they contain fewer female heroines, etc.). This is what I do my research on; women’s videogame preferences. My results, from over 1,000 research subjects (college students), should be out sometime near the end of the year. Also, please keep in mind that many theories try to place “hardwired” causes in line for the gender difference in videogaming. What is more likely the

cause, and what my research shows, is that experience probably plays a bigger role. The way girls and boys are socialized, the types of toys they play with and the types of activities that they get involved with, all reinforce the differential between males and females in spatial ability and activity (including videogaming). We need to first begin by understanding the “whys” and “hows” by looking at male and female activities and preferences in relation to videogaming order to start leveling the playing field.


8 I FEATURES

www.theloquitur.com

Thuraday, March 15, 2007

FEATURES

Thursday, March 15, 2007

FEATURES I 9

www.theloquitur.com

Women in History Month The month of March is dedicated to women and all their contributions to society. Cabrini students pictured here give their thanks to those special women who have made a difference in their lives.

SUBMITTED PHOTO/ASHLEY RANDAZZO FEATURES EDITOR

This painting is by Sandro Botticelli and is called “The Birth of Venus.” Venus represents the goddess of love and beauty. Venus is also identified as Aphrodite.

Allure and power surround a woman’s legacy CHRISTINA CIMMINO STAFF WRITER CMC737@CABRINI.EDU

“My sister, Erin, because of her hard work and dedication that she puts into college and now her job working at a vet.” - Brendan Murtagh, junior history major

“My mom. Even though her life progressed with a family and husband, she never gave up on her dreams. She is now back in school working towards her goals.”

“There is one woman in my life that can make me happy no matter the circumstance. She is someone I can always be around, and she doesn’t even know she does this.”

-Nicole Pirolli, sophomore elementary education major.

-Mike Dignen, senior graphic design major

The month of March recognizes women in history and it is appropriate to know where women’s impact became the most recognized which was in Greek culture. Greek goddesses had a very large influence on the opinion of the origin of beauty and power of the world in that time and has continued its influence throughout history. Many compare the characteristics and personalities of these

goddesses to modern day women. Hera, the wife of Zeus, was known as the goddess of love and marriage. She was known to rule over all heaven and earth and is also responsible for every aspect of existence, according to goddessgift.com. Although she is known to have a 300 year long honeymoon with Zeus, he cheated on her many times with other goddesses and also mortals. According to greekgods-and-goddesses.com, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was daughter of Zeus, the lord of Mount

Olympus, and was very beautiful. She was also cocky. She did not think that other gods deserved her because of her beauty. However, her father did not agree with her attitude and punished her by forcing her into marriage with the ugly god, Hephaestus. Though she was married, she was unfaithful and her most well-known affair was with the god Ares. Another daughter of Zeus was Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Athena’s strongest personality traits were rationality, intelligence and defense in war. However, she was a

Gold diggers: KARLI MORELLO

KRM723@CABRINI.EDU STAFF WRITER

“My mom because she always is able to bal- “My cat, Zamora. She is definitely the ance everything out. She can always find woman who won my heart.” time for everything.” - Colby Fletcher, junior social work major - Christina Michaluk, sophomore English & communication major All photos and quotes gathered by Katie Clark, Assistant A&E editor

“My best friend, Nikki. She has always been there for me since freshman year of high school. - Lisa Romano, sophomore criminal justice major

Are women in the relationship for love or for money? That is the question. A study was done by a company called Pocket Change, which hosts speed dating events for rich men and beautiful women, according to msnbc.msn.com. “Women don’t ask ‘So, what does he do for a living?’ because they’re interested in his personality and guys don’t ask ‘is she hot?’ because they’re concerned with character,” states msnbc.msn.com. Most men and women ask these exact two ques-

tions when being set up with someone or meeting someone for the first time. Senior mathematics and secondary education major Christina Gentile said, “I do think money is important, but not the most important thing. This is a trick question because there are some women only in the relationship because of the money a.k.a. “gold diggers” - but I feel majority of the women, like myself, are in it for the love, and money comes as a luxury.” So apparently not all women think alike. “Money can’t buy you happiness,” said senior elementary and special education major Colleen Patterson. According to msnbc.msn.com, when Pocket

goddess that played favorites. She is most wellknown for her compassion towards Odysseus, a wellknown Greek who was lost for 12 years, although she is not usually emotional or compassionate to others. There are currently many shrines that worship Athena throughout the world, according to gogreece.com. The most generous Greek goddess was Demeter, the goddess of the bountiful harvest and the nurturing spirit and is also the sister of Zeus. She is said to be credited for teaching humans how to treat

grain. She is also credited for human life because she represents fertility. Most people remember Demeter because her daughter, Persephone and her abduction, according to goddessgift.com. According to about.com, Demeter’s reaction to the abduction was to not let plants grow. Her brother Zeus allowed Hades, the lord of the underworld, to marry Persephone. Though these are just a few of the Greek goddesses known to us, it is extremely important to personalize these characteristics to modern day life. Many

people know what it is like to love, to lose, to be compassionate, to be selfish and to be rational. It is fascinating to see how even though the times change, personalities do not. More people should recognize the Greek goddesses, for they are the ones that should be thanked for appreciation of women. Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.

Not every beauty chooses money over true love

Change conducts their speed dating events, they have certain criteria that the men have to meet. “Guys who are 25 and under must make at least $200 thousand

a year and men between the ages of 26 and 30, $300 thousand a year. Older than 30? The required income level jumps to $500 thousand.” For women, it is quite different. The only must for a woman is that she be beautiful. Of course men

are going to want to shower their beautiful wives with gifts they can buy with the large sums of money and the women are going to eat it up.

or S

Junior English and communication major Lauren Aiken said, “I think money plays a bigger role in relationships now than it ever did. People can be very superficial.” Aiken does not see money as a large factor in her relationships. “It’s sad

to think it’s more about the car you drive than how much you actually care about the person. It doesn’t matter to me how much money someone makes, as long as he’s a good person.” This same view does not go for all women, as Pocket Change came to find out at their speed dating event. “Most of the guys checked yes or no, immediately after learning the woman’s name, while the ladies waited until the end of their meetings to scribble down notes on potential suitors,” according to msnbc.msn.com. Obviously, the women were waiting to find out what the man did for a living and how well off he was while the men simply

judged by looks. Even the women, like the one who conducted the study, who had jobs and were financially stable were checked as a “no” for the men because they were too involved with their own lives. Senior English and communication major Katie McNulty said, “Money does play a factor for me along with love. I wouldn’t marry for money but financial stability is important.” Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.


8 I FEATURES

www.theloquitur.com

Thuraday, March 15, 2007

FEATURES

Thursday, March 15, 2007

FEATURES I 9

www.theloquitur.com

Women in History Month The month of March is dedicated to women and all their contributions to society. Cabrini students pictured here give their thanks to those special women who have made a difference in their lives.

SUBMITTED PHOTO/ASHLEY RANDAZZO FEATURES EDITOR

This painting is by Sandro Botticelli and is called “The Birth of Venus.” Venus represents the goddess of love and beauty. Venus is also identified as Aphrodite.

Allure and power surround a woman’s legacy CHRISTINA CIMMINO STAFF WRITER CMC737@CABRINI.EDU

“My sister, Erin, because of her hard work and dedication that she puts into college and now her job working at a vet.” - Brendan Murtagh, junior history major

“My mom. Even though her life progressed with a family and husband, she never gave up on her dreams. She is now back in school working towards her goals.”

“There is one woman in my life that can make me happy no matter the circumstance. She is someone I can always be around, and she doesn’t even know she does this.”

-Nicole Pirolli, sophomore elementary education major.

-Mike Dignen, senior graphic design major

The month of March recognizes women in history and it is appropriate to know where women’s impact became the most recognized which was in Greek culture. Greek goddesses had a very large influence on the opinion of the origin of beauty and power of the world in that time and has continued its influence throughout history. Many compare the characteristics and personalities of these

goddesses to modern day women. Hera, the wife of Zeus, was known as the goddess of love and marriage. She was known to rule over all heaven and earth and is also responsible for every aspect of existence, according to goddessgift.com. Although she is known to have a 300 year long honeymoon with Zeus, he cheated on her many times with other goddesses and also mortals. According to greekgods-and-goddesses.com, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was daughter of Zeus, the lord of Mount

Olympus, and was very beautiful. She was also cocky. She did not think that other gods deserved her because of her beauty. However, her father did not agree with her attitude and punished her by forcing her into marriage with the ugly god, Hephaestus. Though she was married, she was unfaithful and her most well-known affair was with the god Ares. Another daughter of Zeus was Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Athena’s strongest personality traits were rationality, intelligence and defense in war. However, she was a

Gold diggers: KARLI MORELLO

KRM723@CABRINI.EDU STAFF WRITER

“My mom because she always is able to bal- “My cat, Zamora. She is definitely the ance everything out. She can always find woman who won my heart.” time for everything.” - Colby Fletcher, junior social work major - Christina Michaluk, sophomore English & communication major All photos and quotes gathered by Katie Clark, Assistant A&E editor

“My best friend, Nikki. She has always been there for me since freshman year of high school. - Lisa Romano, sophomore criminal justice major

Are women in the relationship for love or for money? That is the question. A study was done by a company called Pocket Change, which hosts speed dating events for rich men and beautiful women, according to msnbc.msn.com. “Women don’t ask ‘So, what does he do for a living?’ because they’re interested in his personality and guys don’t ask ‘is she hot?’ because they’re concerned with character,” states msnbc.msn.com. Most men and women ask these exact two ques-

tions when being set up with someone or meeting someone for the first time. Senior mathematics and secondary education major Christina Gentile said, “I do think money is important, but not the most important thing. This is a trick question because there are some women only in the relationship because of the money a.k.a. “gold diggers” - but I feel majority of the women, like myself, are in it for the love, and money comes as a luxury.” So apparently not all women think alike. “Money can’t buy you happiness,” said senior elementary and special education major Colleen Patterson. According to msnbc.msn.com, when Pocket

goddess that played favorites. She is most wellknown for her compassion towards Odysseus, a wellknown Greek who was lost for 12 years, although she is not usually emotional or compassionate to others. There are currently many shrines that worship Athena throughout the world, according to gogreece.com. The most generous Greek goddess was Demeter, the goddess of the bountiful harvest and the nurturing spirit and is also the sister of Zeus. She is said to be credited for teaching humans how to treat

grain. She is also credited for human life because she represents fertility. Most people remember Demeter because her daughter, Persephone and her abduction, according to goddessgift.com. According to about.com, Demeter’s reaction to the abduction was to not let plants grow. Her brother Zeus allowed Hades, the lord of the underworld, to marry Persephone. Though these are just a few of the Greek goddesses known to us, it is extremely important to personalize these characteristics to modern day life. Many

people know what it is like to love, to lose, to be compassionate, to be selfish and to be rational. It is fascinating to see how even though the times change, personalities do not. More people should recognize the Greek goddesses, for they are the ones that should be thanked for appreciation of women. Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.

Not every beauty chooses money over true love

Change conducts their speed dating events, they have certain criteria that the men have to meet. “Guys who are 25 and under must make at least $200 thousand

a year and men between the ages of 26 and 30, $300 thousand a year. Older than 30? The required income level jumps to $500 thousand.” For women, it is quite different. The only must for a woman is that she be beautiful. Of course men

are going to want to shower their beautiful wives with gifts they can buy with the large sums of money and the women are going to eat it up.

or S

Junior English and communication major Lauren Aiken said, “I think money plays a bigger role in relationships now than it ever did. People can be very superficial.” Aiken does not see money as a large factor in her relationships. “It’s sad

to think it’s more about the car you drive than how much you actually care about the person. It doesn’t matter to me how much money someone makes, as long as he’s a good person.” This same view does not go for all women, as Pocket Change came to find out at their speed dating event. “Most of the guys checked yes or no, immediately after learning the woman’s name, while the ladies waited until the end of their meetings to scribble down notes on potential suitors,” according to msnbc.msn.com. Obviously, the women were waiting to find out what the man did for a living and how well off he was while the men simply

judged by looks. Even the women, like the one who conducted the study, who had jobs and were financially stable were checked as a “no” for the men because they were too involved with their own lives. Senior English and communication major Katie McNulty said, “Money does play a factor for me along with love. I wouldn’t marry for money but financial stability is important.” Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.


10 I A&E

www.theloquitur.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

MATT DONATO/A&E EDITOR

Dave Castleman, co-owner of Shady Dog Records, sifts through a section of Shady Dogʼs CD collection.

Throw Shady Dog a bone Local record store rolls with the punches against the evolving music industry. MATT DONATO

A&E EDITOR MCD724@CABRINI.EDU (Left) Shady Dog Records is located on East Lancaster Avenue. in Berwyn. This is their third location, all of which have been on Lancaster Avenue.

MATT DONATO/A&E EDITOR

MATT DONATO/A&E EDITOR

A sampling of the vast collection of vinyl that Shady Dog has gotten their hands on.

The crackling of the needle on the record is the first thing that Dave Castleman hears when he starts his day. Before he even begins with the day’s paper work, Dave picks out which album he wants to start with. It is always a difficult choice considering his selection, which contains but is not limited to: classical, jazz, folk, country, blues, rock & roll, R&B, opera and reggae. He takes his time with this decision; after all, the paper work can wait. “I usually put on classical or a jazz piece to get the day started. I don’t usually start rockin’ till around noon time,” Castleman said. After the music is blaring he gets to work. Fifty-five year old Castleman works at Shady Dog Records in Berwyn, Pa. where he is co-owner with partner Mike Notaro. They started the business more than a decade ago, and they have always been the little fish in a big pond. Shady Dog specializes in rare vinyls that they sell on site in Berwyn, and also throughout the world with the help from websites like Amazon and eBay. They receive the bulk of their collection from collectors, the average Joe who doesn’t want to just throw out his obsolete collection and even the diminishing number of artists who choose to put their music out on vinyl. “There are bands that are still doing the vinyl thing such as Modest Mouse, The Roots and Wilco. Vinyl is hip right now,” he said. Over the past few years, Shady Dog and record stores across the country have taken some blows to their midsection. In a study done by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, digital music sales doubled in 2006 to approximately $2 billion, which accounts for 10 percent of all music sales. One of the biggest distributors in the music industry, Tower Records, crumbled last year. With a bid of $134.3 million, Great American Group’s purchased the chain and put about 3,000 employees on the unemployment line. Tower’s founder Russ

Solomon, never thought that the internet would put him out of business, but the fat lady has sung for his company, as he put it in an email to employees last year. Even though they are taking some hits in revenue, Shady Dog has perfected their blocking technique. With the help of the technological music revolution Shady Dog sells more vinyl. “As far as computers are concerned, they hurt us with CD sales, but they help us sell rare vinyl all over the world. It’s a real double-edged sword for us. You just can’t stop technology,” Castleman said. As is the case with most music connoisseurs, Castleman’s feelings on today’s music are never stable. He said, “Up until about two or three years ago, I was really concerned with the direction that music was heading. I thought the music was really pretty terrible. In the past two or three years I am encouraged because I think the music, pop-rock/alternative music, is better than it had been in 10 or 12 years. It’s reflected by the state of our society right now. When things are turbulent the art tends to get better.” He made it clear that he and his partner were more than capable of following other career paths, but why? They both found a job that they love, and isn’t that really the American dream making money while doing what you love? Tony Montana had to kill people, these guys sell vinyl. They spend their days changing the world one maladjusted teenie bopping kid at a time. After all in 2006, according to Nielsen Soundscan, the soundtrack to “High School Musical” finished at the top of the charts. The only other soundtracks to accomplish that feat were “The Bodyguard” and “Titanic.” “Any younger person that comes in the store I try to get them into something that’s a little more challenging right away to open up a new world for them as opposed to what their being presented,” Castleman said. As long as good music is still being made the future is going to stay bright for the guy’s behind Shady Dog and their customers. Just like a good fighter rolls with the punches, Shady Dog Records is bobbing and weaving and still landing some jabs early in the 14 round.


Thursday, March 15, 2007

www.theloquitur.com

A&E I 11

Corruption at Cabrini Idol PATRICK MCGOWAN STAFF WRITER

PVM722@CABRINI.EDU

(Above) Marcella Di Sandro, a sophomore English and communication major, belts out a tune for the crowd. (Right) Justin Guarini poses with two CAP Board members, junio graphic design major Kristen Traina (left), and junior elementary education major, Christina Haurin.

BOTH PHOTOS: ASHLEY CORRELL/PHOTO STAFF

The Winners, a group made up of eight Campus Activities and Programming Board, won the Cabrini Idol competition held on Saturday, March 10 in the Dixon Center. This brought up much debate between the other contestants and the audience. Sophomore liberal arts major Jennifer Daily, who had been a contestant on Cabrini Idol, was not happy when The Winners were declared in first place. Daily said that Cabrini Idol turned out to be a, “Popularity contest on who could abuse the microphone the most.” This was a charity event for the St. Jude’s Foundation and raised $300 on Saturday for the cause. Throughout the year the letter writing party Up ‘Til Dawn had this year, the club raised over $19 thousand. Cabrini Idol had started and many people went to the stage. Some went for the $100 prize; some went to show what they were capable of and others went on the stage for a good time. The night had many highlights, such as a front flip by sophomore English

and communication major John Jonas during a performance of “It’s the Middle” and sophomore Bridget Flynn kicked off her shoes during her performance of “American Pie”. Jonas said that the last Cabrini Idol had been two years ago and he was looking forward to being the Cabrini Idol this year. “I’m broke, so money would be good,” he said. There were also two guests that appeared after the Cabrini students sang their hearts out. One was a St. Jude’s child by the name of Corey Agnew. He and his family came to the stage to speak about severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome and their experience. The other guest to the show was Justin Guarini from the first season of American Idol. Guarini came to the stage and sang some songs from his new album as well as some old ones. In between songs he tried his hand at stand-up comedy. After Guarini had finished entertaining the crowd, the winners of Cabrini Idol were announced. In third place was the duo of Amanda Stout, an English and communication major, and Kelsie LeBauve, a religious studies major, for their performance of “Any man of mine.”

First place, however, managed to degrade Cabrini Idol. The group that took first place, The Winners, was a group of eight CAP board members. The group had the advantage not because of musical talent, but because when it came time to vote, those eight were able to vote for themselves as well as the rest of the CAP board members there. Daily also said that, “CAP board members shouldn’t have won their own event, that seems a little selfish.” After the winners of Cabrini Idol were announced, there were festivities that the audience could enjoy to prolong their night of music. This included a chocolate fountain, making your own rock music video and inflatable Twister. Even though many were upset with the results of the show, the St. Judes Foundation is walking away with $19 thousand to help as many children as possible. Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com . The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.

Practice gets harder for aspiring musicians e B G D A E

|---3--------------------------------------------------------------|-------4----------7----------------------------------4----------|-------5----------8-----------------------7----7---6----------|------------5-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------2--2--2----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------0--0JILLIAN SMITH

ASST. PERSPECTIVE EDITOR JKS724@CABRINI.EDU

Back in December of 2005, guitar players could no longer get their free tablatures off the internet. In fact, tabs of copyrighted music were considered illegal by the music industry. Conversely, MXtabs.net, a wellknown site for guitar tabs, has now decided to display their tabs for a fee, instead of for free. MXtabs.net closed its site in December 2005 due the legal issues surrounding tabs. However, as of February 2006, MXtabs.net was back up and running with a cautionary note from the owners explaining their position on the legal issues. According to Wikipedia.org, the owners believe that the purpose of MXtabs is to ‘aid musicians in learning their instruments.’ “I used to be very familiar with MXtabs.net until it was shut down awhile ago,” junior business administration major Stephen Rapone said.

“I was surprised to see what it had become now.” Instead of being for free, the tabs on MXtabs have to be purchased in order to see them. Pricing goes anywhere from $1.95 and upward. Books are more expensive than just a single sheet of music, with a wide variety of music genres to choose from. Once on the MXtabs website, it encourages you to click on song titles to see their tabs. However, once you click on a song, a notice pops up stating: “Due to recent controversy regarding the legality of free guitar tabs on the Internet, MXtabs is temporarily unable to display this guitar tablature. We hope to be able to offer guitar tabs again in the very near future.” But never to leave a struggling musician stranded, MXtabs recommends downloading Guitar Guru from Musicnotes.com. It’s free to download and teaches you how to play hundreds of songs on guitar. Ren Cicalese, a sophomore accounting and financ-

ing major at Rutgers University in Camden, thought Guitar Guru was a “pretty good program for any beginning player to have.” Rapone agrees. “It is very nice and being able to see the actual frets of the guitar and finger positioning is very convenient.” Junior English and communication major Bill Cassidy has used Guitar Guru before and believes that the “most helpful feature of Guitar Guru is the ability to slow down the song so you can learn it at your own speed.” “As a caution,” Cicalese said, “some of the notes on the tab are incorrect and also the suggested fingerings sometime make things more complicated.” “The only criticism I can think of,” Cassidy said, “would relate to all tabs and that would be the guitar player relying 100 percent on tabs rather than learning by ear.” On the FAQ’s page of MXtabs.net, it states, “Our tabs are not intended to be

MATT DONATO/A&E EDITOR

More and more websites are taking down tablature because it is found illegal by the music industry.

accurate or official tabs for the artist, but are merely byear transcriptions. These tabs are to be used for: study, skill development, and scholarship only.” In accordance to the legality issues, MXtabs’ website states, “The goal of

Music X Tabs is to provide a valuable resource for musicians who want to further their instrument skills. We do not seek to violate copyrights, and we encourage that you purchase the artist’s album and official sheet music.”

Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com . The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.


12 I A&E

www.theloquitur.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Do the cha-cha:

The new search engine redefines surfing the web by giving you your own personal Jeeves. JESSICA CHESKO STAFF WRITER

JNC722@CABRINI.EDU

THE RECORD/MCT

Young video gamer with his surplus of video games.

Gaming skills give surgeons upper hand MONICA BURKE STAFF WRITER

MCB727@CABRINI.EDU

Video games have established themselves as a permanent fixture in American society. These addicting games have won over teens and adults alike. However, they have also been proved to help some surgeons step up their game outside the gaming sphere. Published in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery, surgeons who play video games excel in the skills needed to perform laparoscopic surgeries. These surgeries involve using small instruments inside the body through a small incision. During a surgical skills test performed at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, the nine doctors who had played video games for about three hours a week, made 37 percent fewer errors, performed 27 percent faster and overall completed with a score of 42 percent better then their non-gaming counterparts. One of the study’s authors, Douglas Gentile, said. “It was surprising that past commercial video game play was such a strong predictor of advanced surgical skills.” The study claims that video games can improve “fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, visual attention, depth perception and computer competency.” According to Dr. James Rosser, a doctor at Beth Israel and an author of the study, “Video games may be a practical teaching tool to help train surgeons.” The authors of the study do not encourage the playing of video games as the sole source of entertainment for children. 94 percent of Americans play video games; however, they have also been linked to aggressiveness, poor grades in school and subsitite for exercise. Gentile says, “Parents should not see this study as beneficial if their child is playing video games for over an hour a day. Spending that much time playing video games is not going to help their child’s chances of getting into medical school.”

The recent release of a new search engine has got anyone who has tried it doing the ChaCha. Aimed at outdoing Google, ChaCha uses live human guides to perform the search. ChaCha is a free advertising-supported service launched last year. It was created by former Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Lab research scientist Scott Jones and software entrepreneur Brad Bostic, who were not at all satisfied with some of the irrelevant search results provided by other search engines. They believed that a better experience could be created by tapping into human intelligence, according to ChaCha’s web site. ChaCha employs over 29,000 human guides, paying them $5 to $10 per hour. According to Technology Review, the company is recruiting guides at a rate of 10,000 per month. The

guides work with the users in live chat sessions similar to America Online’s Instant Messenger. “I love it,” said ChaCha guide Paulette. “I heard about it on Good Morning America. It was something different.” After the user enters a query, they are connected to a guide who specializes in that area. The guide will then either get straight to work finding the best results or they will chat with the user in order to help narrow down their search. As the guide locates matches to the query, the links appear on the users screen. The user can then rate the guide’s performance. So why call it ChaCha? According to the site, “Cha” means “search” in Chinese. It was also named for the fast paced dance of the same name. “I checked out the site, and I found it to be very use ful,” said freshman secondary education and mathematics major Ileen Marshak. “It seems to be dependable in the results

WWW.CHACHA.COM

that pop up. I would definitely continue to use this as a search engine.” However, ChaCha is not without its faults. There are still some mechanical type errors in that sometimes there are problems when trying to connect to a guide or the connection is lost during a conversation. “I don’t really want to talk on the guide thingy. I don’t know the person on the other end; it’s kinda creepy,” said sophomore graphic design major

Christina Mastro. Whether or not ChaCha will ever outdo Google is still unknown, but it is certainly a unique new search engine. Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com . The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.

XM and Sirius are in ‘tune’ DIANA VILARES

ASST. EVENTS EDITOR

DVV722@CABRINI.EDU

Satellite radio companies XM and Sirius announced their plans to merge on Monday, Feb. 19. The merger will result in offering satellite radio consumers more variety to their radio programming. News, sports programming, music and talk shows will still be offered, but with more to choose from including Sirius’s Howard Stern and XM’s Oprah Winfrey. The companies have yet to announce their headquarters’ location and its new name. They have however, come up with who will be heading the company. XM Chairman Gary Parsons will remain chairman and Sirius’ Mel Karmazin will become the merger’s CEO. While the news sounds good for someone who is looking for radio programming that satisfies every household member, there’s a bit of legal problem. According to by the Washington Post before the two can combine, “the companies must persuade the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission that they are complying with antitrust laws, a claim that landbased broadcaster and consumer groups are likely to dispute.” These rules, however, can be change according to FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin, only if it’s for the

XM SATELLITE RADIO/MCT

XM and Sirius satellite radio plan to merge together with the hope of bringing more variety to their radio programming.

better. “The companies would need to demonstrate that consumers would clearly be better off with both more choice and affordable prices.” Antitrust lawyer William Baer said, “ At the end of the day, they have to be able to show that the pricing of satellite radio is going to be constrained by these alternative forms of listening, such as standard radio, iPods, Internet radio and cell phones.” Sirius, who got a head start in 2000, “has reported losses of 3.4 billion over

five years,” according to the Washington Post. Both companies started their mission with high hopes, spending millions to make their company better than the competition’s. “Sirius spent $500 million over five years to employ Stern, who earned another $300 million in stock for meeting certain subscriber goals.” “XM signed Winfrey to a threeyear, $55 million contract,” according to the Washingtn Post. Despite some losses and expected spending; the

companies have merged to join the best of both worlds and boost their revenue. Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com . The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.


SPORTS I 13

www.theloquitur.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Let the ‘Madness’ begin

MCT CAMPUS

March Madness will kick off March 15.

Campus Announcements

KASEY MINNICK

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

KM735@CABRINI.EDU

This month showcases every collegebasketball fans’ dream: March madness. With the first round of games starting on March 15, the brackets are out and the locations have been set. First, Florida A&M will take on Niagara on March 13 in the opening round game to decide the 64th team of the tournament. Following that contest, it will be pure madness from March 15 until the championship game takes place in Atlanta, Ga. on April 2. Each bracket has been broken down into the West, Midwest, East and South. With the top 64 teams in the nation, this year will prove to be yet another exciting year for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball with upsets and “cinderella” teams trying to run the table. The Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.

Pianist Mikhail Yanovitsky

Smoke-free classes

Stephen Heigh: Stories

Acclaimed concerto soloist Mikhail Yanovitsky will perform in the Mansion on Sunday, March 18. His performance will begin promptly at 3 p.m. For more information please contact Adeline Bethany at (610) 902-8380.

Students interested in quitting smoking are invited to join smokeFREE; it is Main Line Health’s free smoking cessation program. Those involved in the program will receive free nicotine replacement therapy including the patch, gum and lozenges. This event will be held in the Grace Hall boardroom on Tuesday, March 20 between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. For more information please contact Chris Hyson at (610)9028316.

In Stories, an exhibition of 30 paintings, freelance illustrator and children’s book author Stephen Heigh presents nostalgic imagery in a new contemporary way. Those interested in viewing his artwork should visit the Grace and Joseph Gorevin Fine Arts Gallery located on the second floor of the Holy Spirit Library March 15-18 between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. For more information on Heigh please visit his website at www.stephenheigh.com. Admission to this event is free. For more information regarding this Cabrini exhibit please contact Adeline Bethany at (610) 902-8380.

Founders Day This year Founders Day will commemorate the birthday of Cabrini’s founder with speaker Robert Bullard. On Monday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in the Mansion, Bullard will speak of his ground breaking work making the connection between environmental pollution and institutional racism. This work is awakening communities and changing policies across the United States. For more information please contact Mary Laver at (610) 9028409.

Whitewater Kayaking Tuesday, March 20 is the registration deadline for the introduction to whitewater kayaking course. For more information please contact Orlin Jespersen via e-mail at ojj722@cabrini.edu.


SPORTS I 15

www.theloquitur.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

This week in sports NICOLE OSUCH

ASST. MANAGING EDITOR NAO722@CABRINI.EDU

Knicks give Thomas multiyear extension The New York Knick’s coach Isiah Thomas got an extended multiyear contract Monday. No details have been released on his salary. Thomas stepped up as coach of the Knocks last June when Larry Brown was fired. He was given the ultimatum either show “evident progress” or he was out of a job. The Knocks already have six wins more than the previous season and are placed eighth in the Eastern Conference. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan is impressed by the turnaround he has seen and believes that the team is on track to make it to the playoffs this season. “I think every player has done well under Isiah,” Dolan said. “I think we have a great future.” According to espn.com Graduation study shows poor success rate at Ohio State Even though Ohio State is the nation’s top-ranked team in college basketball in terms of graduation rate it is one of the lowest-ranked. A study confirmed that 10 percent of basketball players entering the freshman class from 1996-1999 at Ohio State graduated with a degree from the school. Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports reported that even taking into account players who transfer, enter from junior colleges and graduate late, 38 percent of basketball players earned degrees during that period. Of the Final Four last season, Florida and North Carolina have respectable graduation rates and Kansas and Ohio State have poor graduation rates. Lapchick expressed a major concern that “41 Division I schools, including seven headed to the tournament, didn't graduate any black players. Twenty-one schools, including tournament-bound Eastern Kentucky, didn't graduate any white players.” According to cbs sportsline.com Texas Ranger’s Gagne back on the mound Eric Gagne was back on the mound pitching 11 times for the first time this year after being limited to 15 1-3 innings the last two seasons because of back and elbow injuries. Gagne was happy to have experienced no pain during and after throwing five strikes, six balls and getting two groundouts before a four-pitch curveball walk. Gagne said it was the first time since late in the 2004 season that he pitched in a game without any pain. He plans to throw again Thursday, in a minor league game.

Upcoming games Saturday, March 17 Men’s Lacrosse vs. Hampden-Sydney (1 p.m.) Women’s Lacrosse vs. Wesley (4 p.m.) Monday, March 19 Women’s Lacrosse at Misericordia (4 p.m.) Tuesday, March 20 Women’s Lacrosse vs. Rowan (6 p.m.) Softball at Alvernia (3 p.m.) Wednesday, March 21 Women’s Lacrosse at Gettysburg (3:30 p.m.) Thursday, March 22 Women’s Lacrosse at Stevens Tech (7 p.m.) Saturday, March 24 Softball vs. Rosemont (1 p.m.) Women’s Lacrosse vs. Eastern (1 p.m.) Men’s Lacrosse vs. Wesley (3:30 p.m.) Monday, March 26 Golf at Swathmore quad match ( 1 p.m.) Wednesday, March 28 Golf at Holy Family College quad match (1 p.m.) Men’s Lacrosse vs. Misericordia (6 p.m.)

KASEY MINNICK/ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Sophomore defensive midfielder Pat Greier blocks a Widener attacker on March 10.

Men’s lacrosse beings with a 65 win over Washington and Lee MEGAN PELLEGRINO STAFF WRITER

MRP727@CABRINI.EDU

The men’s lacrosse team spent their spring break traveling, playing games and having long practices in warm weather. The men’s break started in Lexington, Va. where they opened their season with a game against Washington and Lee University. The men came out on top with a 6-5 win. “This was a huge win for our team and program,” junior business administration major Tripp Durham said. After the day in Va., the team headed down to Wrightsville Beach, N.C. The men spent their time here having practices and training that started at eight in the morning. “The weather was great all week and we were able to focus on lacrosse and not on the frigid cold we had been practicing in since the end of January,” senior history sociology and criminal justice major Kevin Quinn said. On the men’s way back from

Wrightsville Beach, they made yet another stop in Greeensboro, N.C. to play Guilford College. The men felt that they did not play to the best of their ability, but still walked with a 14-7 victory. “The whole team is stronger after spring break. We come together as a team during the week and pretty much do everything together by default now,” Quinn said. As for the rest of the season, according to Durham, the men have high hopes of not only making it into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, but also advancing as far as possible to put Cabrini on the map in Division III lacrosse. The men’s next game is on March 17 against Hampden-Syndey. The Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.


14 I SPORTS

www.theloquitur.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Dixon hosts Fair Trade wallyball YADIRA TOLEDO EVENTS EDITOR

YRT722@CABRINI.EDU

As gym-goers trudged into the Dixon Center from the snow-filled parking lot on Wednesday, March 7, they were greeted by more than the usual smell of chlorine. Visitors entering the lobby that afternoon, walked-into a fair trade wallyball tournament designed to inform and entertain. After bouncing around ideas as to what sport would be played during the tournament, according to the assistant director of recreation, Orlin Jespersen, the athletic department decided on wallyball, which is volleyball played on a squash court. In an effort to link the wallyball tournament with

the theme of fair trade, it was consciously determined that only volleyballs manufactured under the terms and conditions of fair trade production would be used. “It’s hard to get students to stay, let alone come, for an hour and a half. So, that’s why we have a projector set up and pamphlets to distribute. They can come, be informed and go on their way,” assistant professor of business administration Dr. Mary Harris said. About an hour after the tournament commenced, fifteen competing teams had been narrowed down to the remaining top two. In a battle to claim the top spot, the dueling teams decided to play three sets; the team with the best out of three would be declared the winner of the tournament. With two sets played, the

score was tied, 1-1; the final set would determine the winner. In a blow-out victory, [the “Accounterminators” took the win 11-3.] “I thought this was a great idea from the start; it proved to be great fun today. Hopefully we can do something like this next year,” women’s lacrosse coach Jaqueline Neary said. “It’s hard to get students to come let alone stay for an hour and a half. So, that’s why we have a projector set up and pamphlets. They can come be informed and go,” Mary Harris said. The Loquitur welcomes your comments and questions on this story. Please send your comments to Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your comments each week and make corrections if warranted.

EMILY BUERGER/PHOTO EDITOR

JEROME ZUREK/SUBMITTED PHOTO

The winners of the Wallyball tournament, the “Accounterminators,” from left to right: freshman Chris Lawler, sophomore Mike Orloski, freshman Patrick Trencansky and freshman Chris Lasher.

Senior Kim Feeny sets for a serve at the Wallyball Tournament on March 8. The tournament featured Fair Trade volleyballs.

Lady Cavaliers train in St. Petersberg VICKIE PAPAGEORGE ASST. COPY EDITOR

VP724@CABRINI.EDU

Instead of bundling up and enduring the cold weather in close proximity to a fire or with a cup of hot chocolate in hand during spring break, the women’s lacrosse team embarked on a trip to St. Petersburg, Fla. The team of 26 players flew down south for an intense spring training. The women took part in long, grueling practices, scrimmaged each other and enjoyed themselves while taking advantage of the incredible weather. Preparing for their upcoming season, they are determined to regain the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference championship title, “which is rightfully ours,” said junior midfielder Maura Brennan. Brennan said, “Our days consisted of waking up around 7:15 a.m., going to breakfast, having a hard three-to-four hour morning session of practice and then going to lunch. Afterwards we had some downtime to lie on the beach or by the pool and then we’d head to our evening practice a few hours later.” Their evening practices were mainly hard-fought scrimmages against each other, which usually ended around 6 p.m., followed by dinner and relaxation. After long days and hard work, the women were allowed a day off to take time for themselves. Senior captain Allison Sachs said, “We did have a day off where we went jet- skiing along the Gulf of Mexico and then we went to the Don Cesar, which is a huge hotel resort with a beach

connected to it. This was our bonding time to get to know each other and just relax and have fun.” The week-long trip for the women provided time to get to know each other and the new players on the team had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the older girls. Junior captain Katelyn Penrose said, “It is just a great chance to get to know all the girls on the team. It really gets us fired up for the season ahead of us.” Sophomore Anna Scholl said, “The gist of our trip is that everything we do is as a team. The trip is a great bonding experience for everyone and we usually leave Florida with a tan!” Not only did they come back with tans but the players also came back to welcome three new players to the team. Freshman Monica Souders, sophomore Lauren Magill and freshman Gina Nicotera will be joining the squad as well. Sachs said, “This spring break was incredible, the incoming freshman are nothing but talent, and I really look forward to this season and to bringing back the PAC!” The Loquitur welcomes your comments on this story. Please send your comments to: Loquitur@googlegroups.com. The editors will review your points each week and make corrections if warranted.


SPORTS I 16

www.theloquitur.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

31 athletes named to All-PAC Academic team KASEY MINNICK

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

KM735@CABRINI.EDU

For the fall season, 31 Cabrini College athletes have been named to the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference All-Academic team. Three others have been named as Honorable Mention and two earned the Push the Rock award. To earn the All-PAC Academic Award, student-athletes need to meet the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division III eligibil-

BRENT BENNER

LAUREN BROWN

SENIOR

SOPHOMORE

ity requirements, receive a varsity status within their particular sport and earn a minimum grade point average of 3.20 in the fall semester. The fall All-PAC Academic team consists of student-athletes from the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis and volleyball. *Honorable mentions can be viewed at Loquitur.com

GILLIAN BUSCH

JACKIE CREIGHTON

SABINA DEGISI

SOPHOMORE

SENIOR

FRESHMAN

TRACI BELTZ FRESHMAN VOLLEYBALL

DINA DITARANATO SOPHOMORE

MEN’S SOCCER

WOMEN’S SOCCER

FIELD HOCKEY

WOMEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S SOCCER

WOMEN’S TENNIS

NICOLE DUGGAN

KIM FEENY

SAMANTHA GERKE

SOPHOMORE

WOMEN’S SOCCER

SENIOR

FRESHMAN

LAURA GOODFIELD

DAN GIANG

COLIN HINKELMON

SOPHOMORE

SOPHOMORE

VOLLEYBALL

CROSS COUNTRY

WOMEN’S TENNIS

CROSS COUNTRY

MEN’S SOCCER

JESSIE HOLEVA

ANDREW JACOBS

JESSICA JAXEL

APRIL KAUFMANN

CHRIS LASHER

JESSICA LEONE

FRESHMAN

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

SENIOR

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

FRESHMAN

CROSS COUNTRY

MEN’S SOCCER

FIELD HOCKEY

FIELD HOCKEY

MEN’S SOCCER

WOMEN’S SOCCER

MICHELLE MOLA

AMANDA MURPHY

NICOLE PONTIOUS

CHRISSY REGAN

DANIELLA RENDE

AMANDA RIBAKUSKY

SOPHOMORE

SENIOR

FRESHMAN

VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S SOCCER

SOPHOMORE

VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S TENNIS

SOPHOMORE

WOMEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S SOCCER

CAROLYN ROBERTS

SAM ROBINSON

CHRIS SWEENEY

MARYBETH TRAY

LIZ WILLIAMS

CAROLYN WILSON

JUNIOR

JUNIOR

JUNIOR

CROSS COUNTRY

MEN’S SOCCER

CROSS COUNTRY

JUNIOR VOLLEYBALL

FRESHMAN VOLLEYBALL

FRESHMAN

JUNIOR

WOMEN’S TENNIS


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