February 2011 Edition

Page 2

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

News

PSU tuition likely to rise Don Ware IV Assignment Editor

dww5080@psu.edu

Pennsylvania is facing a budget deficit between $3 billion and $5 billion in the coming fiscal year — a deficit, which could impact students.

“I know that we’re in debt,” said sophomore Jim Musgrave, a transfer from Thiel University.

Musgrave didn’t know that Penn State received money from the state.

Penn State receives money every year from the state in the form of appropriations.

Last year the university received almost $340 million dollars.

But Penn State isn’t expecting to see that much in the coming years, according to Chancellor Gary Keefer. Last year tuition rose across the board for all incoming freshmen and sophomores. Tuition at University Park increased 5.9 percent, while tuition at the other campuses increased 3.9 percent.

This was done in anticipation of a funding shortfall from the state.

At Penn State Beaver measures were taken to ease the pain of less appropriation money.

Over the last six years the budget has been cut by 1 percent every

THE ROAR GRAPHIC/BRIDGET MCCULLOUGH

Tuition costs obtained from tuition.psu.edu. The figures do not account for inflation.

year, Keefer said. “We’ve been trying to be conservative in our spending,” he said.

The campus has done so without giving up funding for projects such as the new $3.2 million wellness center, which is supposed to be completed in spring 2012.

That 1 percent cut has also

been offset by the increase in student enrollment which has been ongoing in the last six years, according to Director of Enrollment Daniel Pinchot.

“It’s always my hope that we will continue to grow,” Pinchot said.

According to Pinchot, Penn State Beaver is seeing substantial

growth in students seeking degrees at Penn State Beaver instead of University Park. And that growth is reassuring.

But the picture ahead isn’t all rosy, Pinchot said.

The number of high school graduates in the school districts surrounding the campus is either

declining or stagnant, meaning it may be harder to continue to grow enrollments or even keep them the same, he said.

Last year, Keefer said campus programs were under review and this year a few of them are being cut, including the bachelor’s degree in letters, arts and sciences, the associate’s degree in general science and the networking option of the information sciences and technology associate’s degree.

The programs are all underenrolled; there was no one in the IST networking option.

According to Keefer, even though these programs were cut, no full time faculty members were released. “Our hope in the future is to find another program to add, just not next year,” Keefer said.

There are budget problems for state-funded schools around the nation.

In California, state schools are accepting fewer students because of budget cuts, according to Keefer.

Some of the budgets for colleges are being cut anywhere between 30 and 40 percent.

As for the future of Penn state, Keefer is optimistic.

“The sky is not falling at Penn State,” he said.

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 3

News

Budget deficit worries lawmaker Ashley Stansfield Staff Writer

ans170@psu.edu

State Rep. Jim Christiana met with Penn State Beaver students and faculty Feb. 17 to discuss the state’s $2 billion deficit and whether or is expected to affect Penn State’s future funding.

The state budget last year was $28 billion, including a $2 billion stimulus fund.

With the stimulus fund ending this year, Pennsylvania is expected to make large cutbacks to mend the deficit, Christiana said.

Christiana said that since Gov. Tom Corbett ran for office on a no-tax pledge, raising taxes is not an option.

Christiana also doesn’t foresee the state raising revenue by $2 billion considering the economic crisis the state is in.

An hour-long discussion, set up by Penn State’s Business Club, gave students, faculty and staff a chance to ask Christiana where he wanted to see the budget cutbacks come from.

THE ROAR/ CATHY BENSCOTER

State Rep. Jim Christiana addresses students about the state budget and its potential effect on tuition.

Christiana said the only three line items that could possibly withstand such large cuts are welfare, education and the Department of Corrections.

Christiana, 27, who is known for being one of the youngest representatives elected to term, is aware of student concerns that if budget cuts were to come from

educational funding, Penn State’s tuition could rise significantly.

Christiana reassured students that education is not where he wanted to see the budget cuts

coming from.

He questioned the “political courage” of elected officials to cut education funding.

Christiana said he expects public welfare, which spends $12 billion a year, to take the biggest hit.

According to Christiana, welfare fraud is estimated at $700 million, making welfare spending ripe for cuts.

Christiana said that higher education officials, including those at Penn State, are likely to be nervous about the governor’s upcoming budget proposal due March 8.

“It’s easier to cut higher education and expect students to take out loans on their own than to take away from pre-k through 12th grade,” Christiana noted.

Christinia said he would fight for higher education funding. “I have a vested interest in fighting for education.”

“I assure you that we are appropriately nervous,” said Chancellor Gary Keefer.

Students diving head first into post-college debt Ashley Stansfield Staff Writer

ans170@psu.edu

Cap and gown? Check.

Diploma? Check.

Mountain of debt? Check!

With college tuition on the rise, the average student may be graduating with anxiety instead of excitement.

“I feel that I may never pay off my student loans,” sophomore Elicia Skiba said. “Once we get an education, we are going to have to use it just to pay off our student loans. It’s a never-ending battle.”

College students stress over grades, but now money matters are climbing to the top of their list of concerns.

When it comes to students who leave college without a degree, Gail

Gray, Penn State Beaver’s financial aid coordinator noticed a connection.

“In my experience,” Gray said, “there is a correlation between poor academic performance and a high amount of debt.”

Gray confirmed that the average amount of debt for an undergraduate baccalaureate student at Penn State Beaver is about $24,000.

Students who transfer to University Park can expect numbers to rise significantly.

Some students, however, are finding themselves well above average when it comes to debt.

“I will owe just about $100,000 when I graduate,” senior Adam Macino said. “Because I’m an average student, I never qualified for any grants.”

Typically, students aren’t concerned about their future finances because they feel as if debt and a diploma are a packaged deal.

“Going into college I expected to leave with a degree and thousands in debt,” junior Chas Steinmetz said.

“I suppose I have been brainwashed by the American Education System, and I just expect to be in debt after graduation,” he said.

Junior Olivia Skonieczny said money shouldn’t be a factor when it comes to your education.

“I don’t like how much money matters, but I would rather have an education and be in debt over not having an education and having no future opportunities,” she said.

Many students agree that you can’t put a price tag on education.

“Degrees usually pay off in the end,” sophomore Sarah Klesser said. “Hopefully I will have a job immediately after graduation to pay back my debt.”

Debt among college students doesn’t end at tuition.

A study done by Sallie Mae, a college-financing company, found that the average college senior averaged more than $4,000 in credit card debt with education expenses among the top purchases.

“Credit has always played a big part in paying for students’ books,” bookstore manager Annette Keller said. “Credit will probably always be the major form of payment used.”

But is anticipating a high paying job upon graduation enough to manage student loan payments and

credit card debt?

“Students need to open their eyes towards their individual finances and realize that money doesn’t appear out of thin air,” junior Trey Hudspeth said. “These small financial setbacks add up to immense issues in the future.”

Although college students may initially wind up in more debt than non-grads, statistics show that studet-loan debt is a investment that pays long-term dividends.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, students with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of 60 percent more than those without a degree.

Over a lifetime, the income difference between a high school graduate and a college graduate is more than $1 million.

Page 4

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

News

FINALLY

Wellness Center construction to begin in a few weeks

WTW ARCHITECTURE

Artist renderings show the inside and the outside of the new Wellness Center. The $3.2 million addition to the gymnasium should be finished by January 2012.

Ted Froats Jr. Staff Writer

tlf5118@psu.edu

What Penn State Beaver students used to do in a closet they’ll soon be able to do in the new Wellness Center.

“Have you seen the current wellness center?” asked Luke Taiclet, director of business and finance.

“Students are lifting weights where they used to hang their coats. They’re doing cardio in an office. It’s not meeting students’ expectations,” he said.

After four years of planning, Penn State Beaver has a strategy in place to fix that. Chancellor Gary

Keefer expects to break ground on a 4,000-square-foot renovation of the gymnasium within the next few weeks, with the project scheduled to be finished by January 2012.

The renovations include an extension of the lower level of the gym, to be made mostly out of glass.

This will allow students to have a beautiful view of the campus while they work out, said Taiclet.

He added that there will be a studio on the far end with frosted glass so that students could potentially have a yoga class in private.

The center may also include Wii-fit stations.

The Wellness Center will cost

$3.2 million, nearly $1 million more than it was projected last year The increased cost is partially due to about $400,000 in additions that were made to the original project, including an elevator, a mezzanine above where the shower rooms currently are located and other updates to the building.

“This project has turned out to be nicer and bigger than we originally anticipated,” Keefer said.

The latest bid for construction is still $450,000 higher than the university had anticipated, even when accounting for these additions.

“The estimate was not as accurate as (we) had hoped,” he said.

While students are generally happy about the renovation itself, there is a consistent complaint.

“It’s a good addition,” junior Trey Hudspeth, secretary of the Student Government Association said. “But I think some aspects are not fair. The students who are paying for it with their tuition are not going to get to use it.”

“I’m pissed I won’t be here,” senior Alexa Farrell said. “The gym right now is small. Really small.”

Senior Elizabeth Hain agreed.

“I’m just mad I’m not going to be here when it’s done,” she said. “After all these years, if I had to sum up my feelings in one

word? ‘Finally.’ ” Even some members of the faculty had mixed feelings about the renovation. Associate Professor of Communications John Chapin uses the current fitness center frequently.

Chapin agreed that an upgrade is overdue but said he would have liked to see a pool installed as part of the new facility.

In addition to the renovations, Keefer said he is also pleased to announce that the campus will receive $25,000 from the President’s Future Fund to purchase additional equipment for the new Wellness Center.

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 5

News

Beaver welcomes two new faculty to campus Samantha Soracco Staff Writer

SAS557@psu.edu

Imagine you have a paper due or you’re doing research for one of your classes. Where is the first place you go?

You might use Google or another search engine. You might also turn to a library resource website.

Now imagine that none of those resources are available to you.

Neelam Dwivedi, the new Information Sciences and Technology faculty member, taught in India under such circumstances.

Dwivedi taught MBA students in India in the 1990’s when Google did not yet exist. That is long removed from the seemingly endless options of research materials available to her as she settles into her first semester in her new home at Penn State Beaver.

THE ROAR/BRIDGET MCCULLOUGH

Information Sciences and Technology Instructor Neelam Dwivedi, left, teaches a class. Beth Theobald, right, is the new reference librarian.

She has 20 years of experience as a software systems developer and project/program manager. She most recently worked as a corporate trainer.

Dwivedi was eager to move from the corporate world back into teaching. Though she sees similarities between her prior teaching

roles and now, she is looking forward to the more open relationships a small campus such as Beaver promotes between instructor and student.

Dwivedi is not the only new face on campus this semester. Beaver also welcomed a new reference librarian, Beth Theobald.

Theobald attended the University of Pittsburgh and received a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and interned with the digital repository at Carnegie Mellon University. She also interned at the Katz Graduate School of Business at Pitt.

Theobald echoed Dwivedi’s sen-

timent of looking forward to getting to know students and having a more active role with students and with the campus as a whole.

Theobald said some of her goals are to improve the library’s website and the library’s use of social networking. Bur for now, Theobald is enjoying her new home at Beaver.

Page 6

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

News

Campus website gets overhaul Coale Henderson Staff Writer

csh5131@psu.edu

If you go online to Penn State Beaver’s website at beaver.psu.edu, you may notice the page looks drastically different from what you are used to seeing.

That’s because as of Jan. 17, Penn State Beaver’s website received a virtual makeover.

Beaver is one of 15 Penn State campuses that have redesigned their sites over the past two months. The campuses share the same look, but the design allows for individual campus differences.

The process to update the websites began two years ago when a committee of designers and public relations professionals from each campus began spearheading the redesign.

The committee’s main goal was to make the new sites attractive to prospective students.

“The website is our biggest marketing tool,” said Cathy Benscoter, Beaver’s marketing and web specialist. “Frankly, our old site was embarrassing.”

Benscoter, who is an adviser for The Roar, was an integral part of designing and launching the new site. “I took the new look and created designs for several inside pages,” she said. “There were plenty of other people involved in the design, but that new Admissions page is mine.”

Beyond recruitment, the main goals of the group were to improve the sites’ organization and to allow each campus more flexibility.

“I was mainly fighting for each campus to have options,” Benscoter said. “I wanted to make sure that each campus could have what it needed, while other campuses wouldn’t be forced to add things that didn’t make sense for them.”

In the sites’ previous incarnation, which dates to 2005, the navigation couldn’t be changed from campus to campus.

Senior Dana Sklack worked with Benscoter get the new site online.

Sklack is managing editor of The Roar. “I went through each page

of the website trying to find problems with any of the pages,” Sklack said. “I also checked how each one linked to the other and kept notes on how we could improve each page.”

Benscoter said Sklack’s work was invaluable to her. “I don’t think I could have done this without Dana. She touched thousands of pages and helped develop the internal navigation of the site.”

Although the site is online, improvements are continuing.

“There’s plenty still to do,” Benscoter said. “Our priority before we launched was to make sure the navigation worked and prospective students could find what they needed. Now we’re still updating pages and tweaking the design to make it work better.”

The campus website took on a new look in January. The new design, above, replaced the campus’s old look, left, which had been around since 2005.

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 7

News police beat

Student charged with stealing designer purse, camera University Police charged Victoria Phillippi of Ellwood City with theft and receiving stolen property after a purse was reported missing from the gymnasium Jan. 14.

Police said The caller reported that a Coach purse, Vera Bradley wallet and Sony camera, valued at $650, went missing during a yoga class.

Video camera theft University Police charged Nihal Fernando of Coraopolis with theft after a Sony video camera went missing from Room 12 of the Michael Baker Building. The camera was reported missing Nov. 18.

with underage drinking after a resident assistant reported she appeared intoxicated just after 2:30 a.m. Dec. 12. Johnson had admitted to consuming alcohol.

Book theft University Police charged Antonio Robinson of Rochester with burglary and theft after a resident student reported two of her textbooks and a roommate’s textbook were missing.The student said the books were taken some time between Dec. 12 and 14.

Harmony Hall fight

A caller alerted University Police that a female student was punched Underage drinking in the nose by a male student University Police cited Andrea around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 19. The Johnson of ROAR_Layout District Heights, Md., 10:37 caller the1 female student’s nose PSU-Beaver 1 2/9/2011 AMsaid Page

would not stop bleeding. Both students were residents of Harmony Hall. No charges were filed.

Charges filed for fight A resident student was brought to the University Police office after being involved in a physical altercation with another student on Jan. 25. The fight stemmed from an argument the students had in a first-floor hallway of Harmony Hall. Kelsea Green of Philadelphia and Danielle Schall of Latrobe were issued citations for disorderly conduct by University Police for being involved in the altercation.

Harassing messages A female resident student reported Jan. 25 that someone was leaving harassing notes on her car.

www.adagiohealth.org

Adagio Health Aliquippa h One Hospital Driveh 724-375-8147

Pot in Harmony Hall

Wallet, debit card stolen

A resident assistant called University Police and said he smelled marijuana on the second floor men’s side of Harmony Hall just after 9 p.m. Jan 28. An officer responded and confirmed the smell of marijuana.

A student reported that his wallet was stolen and his debit card was used just before 4 p.m. Feb. 17.

Marijuana charges Thomas Couch of New Brighton and Isaac Houston of Bethel Park agreed to enter an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for six months after they were found with a glass pipe and marijuana Nov. 18.

Vehicle damaged A resident student reported his vehicle had been damaged in Parking Lot A at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 2.

What’s your opinion?

Tell us. roar-editor@psu.edu

Whether you want to pursue a new path or take your career to the next level, the graduate programs at Geneva College will equip you to serve with wisdom and excellence.

Adagio Health offers Complete Gynecological Care including:

Annual Exams Birth Control STD Testing & Treatment for Men & Women Pregnancy Testing Prenatal Care

G ENEVA COLLEG E

Adagio Health is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Call 1-800-654-5984 for the TTY/TDD line for the hearing impaired.

3 2 0 0 C o l l e g e Av e n u e , B e a v e r F a l l s , PA 1 5 0 1 0

Page 8

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

News

A year later, Haitian family survives

“

Tim Hardie

It would be nice,” she said, “if the campus could hold some kind of clothing drive for the people of Haiti.”

Staff Writer

thh112@psu.edu

Last month marked the one-year anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, and the nation’s people are still feeling the pain. Just ask Penn State Beaver sophomore Daina Owens-Townsend.

Owens-Townsend’s stepfather is of Haitian descent, giving her family ties to Haiti. In spite of not living in the epicenter of the earthquake, four out of every five relatives living on the island at the time died.

The magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti Jan. 12. According to the Haitian government’s estimate, at least 230,000 Haitians died and many more were displaced from their homes. Owens-Townsend and her family were planning a summer trip to the island before the tragedy hit. She has never been to Haiti, and her stepfather was last there when he was in his early teens. The trip was canceled, but the family now hopes to visit

Dana Owens-Townsend Sophomore

THE ROAR/JUSTIN VORBACH

Daina Owens-Townsend’s family survived the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Some family members now live in the U.S.

in the summer of 2012. OwensTownsend’s great-aunt was in Haiti visiting family for Christmas at the time of the earthquake. She was sick and planned to return home on the day the disaster struck.

Thankfully, she survived. Also among the survivors is OwensTownsend’s now 13-year-old cousin, who lost her entire family in the disaster.

She has since reunited with an aunt living in Miami, Fla., and is in school and playing basketball.

All of the surviving members of Owens-Townsend’s family who were residing in Haiti at the time

have moved to the U. S. and live in either Florida or Atlanta.

Her family is lucky to have escaped the ravaged nation, Owens-Townsend said. According to USA Today, the unemployment rate in Haiti is the highest in the hemisphere, and the post-tragedy optimism has given way to the bitter reality of the situation.

In spite of these odds, OwensTownsend continues to support Haiti.

She was highly involved in Penn State Beaver’s For the Love of Haiti fundraising campaign last year, which raised more than $700.

More recently, she has sent clothes to a pen pal who is still living in Haiti.

Owens-Townsend hopes that members of the campus community don’t forget about the tragedy and remember that help is still needed.

“It would be nice,” she said, “if the campus could hold some kind of clothing drive for the people of Haiti.”

Students not concerned with safety on campus Alena Shaffer Staff Writer

ass5173@psu.edu

Despite all the media attention that resulted from the tragic shooting of a congresswoman in Tucson, Ariz., last month, and most recently a fatal shooting at Youngstown State University, located about an hour from Penn State Beaver, students at Penn State Beaver don’t seem too concerned with their safety on campus.

Sophomore Chelsey Leheny said that no one on campus has ever made her feel unsafe.

“I feel safe because of Police Services,” freshmen Justin Shearer said.

According to University Police Supervisor Ron Schwartz, Penn State Beaver is considered a safe place for students, faculty and staff.

“

Students usually report unusual behaviors,”

Ron Schwartz University Police Supervisor

Schwartz noted that a low crime rate, good outdoor lighting at night and 24-hour police presence all contribute to the safe atmosphere.

Safety and security issues are of top concern on college campuses, especially in light of recent events.

The shooting death of an 18-year-old student and wounding of 11 others at a Youngstown State University fraternity house on Feb. 6 is the latest and closest incident involving college students.

Even the Tucson tragedy of Jan. 8 had a collegiate connection.

Jared Loughner, the shooter, had been a student at Pima Community College before being expelled for disrupting classes and outbursts of anger.

Following the shooting, some of Loughner’s former classmates came forward and said they were not surprised he committed such as heinous act, given his unsettling behaviors in class.

The shooting killed six people including a federal judge and injured 13 including U.S. Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords, who was conducting a meet-and-greet at the Tucson grocery store.

Schwartz said the Penn State officials had been looking at safety and security regulations long before the shooting occurred in Tucson.

In addition, the campus is hosting a workshop on Feb. 23 for

faculty and staff on how to safely respond if a shooter shows up on campus.

Schwartz said that students can help in keeping the campus safe.

“Students usually report unusual behaviors,” he said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Chris Rizzo, director of Student Affairs, stressed that student safety is the primary concern for Student Affairs, not only at Beaver but for all of Penn State.

Rizzo said that every administrator has a copy of the Emergency Procedure Manual, which outlines steps to take in the event of an emergency.

Students experiencing anxiety or stress can turn to Larissa Ciuca, the campus persona and career counselor.

“We encourage any student that

is experiencing anxiety or distress to seek help from a counselor, staff or faculty member,” Rizzo said.

“Student Affairs is a great place to make the connection if they don’t know where to start.”

Ciuca also tries to help students who may have been referred to her by faculty or other staff members for a variety of concerns.

Those concerns may include a student who is exhibiting potentially violent or erratic behavior.

Erratic behavior may include threats about guns or behaving in an irrational or manic manner.

Ciuca said each student is dealt with on a case-by-case basis to determine the severity of any situation. “We do what we need to do to make people safe,” Ciuca said, adding, “It’s everybody’s responsibility” to keep the campus safe.

February 2011

Viewpoint

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Roar is published several times each semester. Letters to the Editor are encouraged and can be emailed to: roar-editor@ psu.edu by the 20th day of each month.

Please include your full name, address, email address and cell phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published.

Managing Editor Dana Sklack

des5141@psu.edu

Art Editor Justin Vorbach

jav5121@psu.edu

Assignment Editor Donald Ware

dww5080@psu.edu

Caitlin Vodenchair cav5119@psu.edu

Business Manager Lucas Morack

jlm5516@psu.edu

FREE ADS FOR CLUBS

Copy Editors Susan Britton

seb5279@psu.edu

Claire Kraynak

THE ROAR ILLUSTRATION / JUSTIN VORBACH

cmk346@psu.edu

Noelle Miloszewski nnm113@psu.edu

Page Designers Amy Green

aig5089@psu.edu

Bridget McCullough blm5274@psu.edu

Justin Parasida jap451@psu.edu

Billy Stoughton

wds142@psu.edu

Iman Aububaker isa5005@psu.edu

Brandon Perino bjp5053@psu.edu

Advisers Terrie Baumgardner tbm2@psu.edu

Cathy Benscoter cub15@psu.edu

Daniel Pinchot djp114@psu.edu

Beavefornication Is your Friday night fling freaking out your neighbor?

Who would have thought that a building that could be considered bomb proof, given the amount of concrete in its walls, could make it so easy to eavesdrop on neighbors?

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that students throughout Harmony Hall are complaining about noises that should be kept private coming through the walls and outlets.

This creates awkward situations for roommates, resident assistants and even passers-by.

Harmony Hall is made mostly of cinder blocks and bricks.

Though this construction works well for the structure, there is no insulation between rooms, which makes hearing all the conversations, music and even sex sounds as if you were in the same room participating.

Living in the hall makes it difficult

to have solitude in a room. There is the constant worry over whether someone is listening.

There are also the incessant disruptions from neighbors playing loud music, arguing with roommates or making their own pornography.

Clearly, the constant baby-making performances seem to be the biggest issue in the hall.

Whether students have sex in the dorms is not the issue, and no one is arguing that college students should be celibate. But residents (and their guests!) should have the decency to warn their roommates and neighbors.

No one should be subjected to the repetitive racket of the bed in the next room slamming against the wall, whether it’s for five minutes or all night long.

The worst part about this invasion

of privacy is the creation of rumors.

Rumors on a campus like Penn State Beaver prove just how small this campus really is.

Rumors destroy relationships and hurt people.

Residents can solve this problem, to start, by setting a standard of rules between roommates. Each roommate needs to be considerate about the other’s confidentiality.

Then residents need to start thinking about their neighbors and acting appropriately.

That means keeping the loud music to an acceptable level.

That means controlling your voice so that private conversations remain private.

And that means to quit acting like you’re making a porno in the next room.

Because The Roar receives funding from the Student Activity Fee, free advertising space is offered to any universityrecognized organization or club to promote upcoming events.

The space is limited to one advertisement, one-eighth of a page in size, per organization or club per month. To reserve space, email The Roar business manager at: roarbusiness@psu. edu by the 20th of each month.

Page 10

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

THON 201

Spotlight on Thon

hair, there & everyw ROAR PHOTOS BY AMY GREEN

Jud Sammons raises his hair in triumph on stage at Thon. Sammons donated 15 inches of his curly locks, held together with zip ties, to Wigs for Kids.

A cut above Dan Trzcianka Staff Writer

dvt5050@psu.edu

After growing out his hair for more than two years, Residence Life Coordinator Jud Sammons gladly handed it over at Thon.

“I was willing to give it all,” said Sammons, one of 22 people selected to go on stage to donate their hair to make wigs for children with cancer.

Sammons donated 15 inches of hair to the Wigs for Kids Foundation. His hair was divided into nine sections so that as much hair as possible could be cut. The other participants had their hair sectioned into two to four parts.

Sammons said one of his bucketlist items was to grow his hair out and donate it.

“Amy Gartley told me that my hair was nice, and I told her about wanting to donate it. She came in

the do

later with a brochure about the foundation,” he said. “I figured I would do it now, since guys just lose their hair eventually anyway.”

Many people on campus have offered words of support and encouragement to Sammons while he grew out his hair.

“The stage and the hype are fun, but the hugs and appreciation is the most meaningful part of the experience,” he said. “It was nice so many people were rooting for me.”

Freshman Natasha Terensky, cochair of the Beaver Thon committee, also donated 12 inches of her hair prior to Thon weekend.

Wigs for Kids requires a minimum of 12 inches of hair for a donation. To learn more about how to donate hair, visit www.wigsforkids. org.

Roar Managing Editor Dana Sklack contributed to this story.

the don’t

the did

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 11

11

where

Once an hour the dancers rock the Thon line dance.

Salewa Akintilo and Jesse Bonincontro make their way through the human tunnel outside the Bryce Jordan Center at the beginning of the annual IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon at University Park.

‘Your life will be changed’ Dan Trzcianka

“Thon pays for the medical bills, gas, hotel rooms to visit the dvt5050@psu.edu kids in the hospital, and a lot of Penn State students raised a other things,” Terensky said. record of $9,563,016.09 this “Charities for kids will always year during the annual Thon have a special place in my heart, fundraiser to benefit the Four because these kid’s haven’t even Diamonds Fund. lived yet, and they’re already Penn State Beaver raised more given a possible expiration date.” than $7,000 of that.

Terensky, not unfamiliar with Thon, a 46-hour dance marathe aspect of charities, has helped thon that takes place every Febraise money with other charities. ruary, was started in 1973. The “Before I came to college, I money raised is donated to the liked helping with toy drives and Four Diamonds Fund, a charity Forty-six hours of dancing leaves room for lots of raising money for autism,” she devoted to researching methods moves, including the bump. said. “Cancer on its own is an to defeat pediatric cancer. awful thing, and when it hapThis year, Penn State Beaver had ing the the marathon, which contrib- pens to kids, my heart goes out to the two dancers, freshmen Jesse Bonin- uted to her dehydration. cause even more.” contro and Salewa Akintilo.

“There were hard times and painTerensky said she understands that Both dancers were assigned moral- ful times,” Akintilo said. “When you while college students don’t have a ers to help them through the 46 heard the stories (of the families of lot of money, there are other ways to hours. cancer patients), saw their videos, it help, such as canning for donations.

During the event, Akintilo suffered was worth it.”

“College students don’t have a lot of from exhaustion and dehydration and “I miss it. It was so much fun,” extra money lying around, so I won’t was told to sit down for 15 minutes. said Bonincontro. “I want to do it ever push for them to donate.”

Later on in the event, she was allowed every year possible.”

Bonincontro said taking part in a 15 minute nap.

Freshman Natasha Terensky, co- Thon was very emotional.

According to her moraler, Jes- chair of the Thon committee at Penn “If you go there and hear the sica Villanueva, a senior at University State Beaver, said she thinks that what stories, your life will be changed,” Park, Akintilo didn’t eat enough dur- Thon does is a great thing.

Bonincontro said.

Staff Writer

Moraler Jessica Villanueva helps Bonincontro stretch his tired muscles.

Akintilo, who suffered dehydration and exhaustion, gets help from a Thon staff member.

Page 12

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

Features

Roar Photo Illustration / Justin Vorbach

Noise travels in the dorm Caitlin Vodenichar Assignment Editor

cav5119@psu.edu

Penn State Beaver students living on campus can’t escape the constant intrusion of listening ears, conversations they may not want to hear and private activities that should be kept discrete by the parties involved.

“My neighbor and her male friend had sex, and I heard every detail through the outlet,” freshman Chelsea Ostop said. “I can hear everyone’s conversations. I can hear everyone’s music. I’ve literally heard which position people were using.”

She’s not the only one disturbed by the noise. “I heard someone conceive their child. Seriously. We found out a month later that she was pregnant,” freshman Grace Danziger said.

Sex seems to be one of the biggest issues regarding privacy in the dorms.

“

I heard someone conceive their child.

Seriously. We found out a month later that she was pregnant.”

Grace Danziger Freshman

“I can hear everything [the girl next door] does through the wall,” freshman Collin Carletti said.

“Yeah, you can hear [this girl having sex] and the bed slamming up against the wall,” freshman Jesse Bonincontro said.

According to resident assistant Patrick Vaughan, the walls between rooms are not insulated and students can hear each other crystal clear through the outlets.

“When I lived on the third floor, I would talk to my friend through the outlet, see if he wanted to play Pokémon or something. It sucks when you’re trying to have a pri-

vate conversation because other people can hear you,” he said.

“The walls are really thin and you don’t have any conversation privacy,” freshman Justin Scherer said.

“One time my friend was in my room and she said she was hungry for Ramen noodles, and a couple minutes later my neighbor came over with them because she could hear us through the wall,” Ostop said.

Residence Life Coordinator Judson Sammons doesn’t really get complaints of noise in the sense of content — he gets them in the sense of noise volume.

“If you hear a group being loud, you can knock on the door or let someone know about it so they can knock on their door,” he said.

Music and speaking levels can easily be controlled, but some students are hesitant to step up and say something to others about their loud sexual endeavors.

“I’ve had some people say that they can hear people having sex all the time, and I can understand why because I don’t want to feel like I’m constantly listening to a porno,” Vaughan said. “It’s an awkward conversation to have, but we just have to sit down with them and be like, ‘Listen, you guys need to keep it down, other people can hear you.’ ” “Those complaints don’t usually reach me, but when they do I point blank tell them that they need to change their behavior and if they don’t they’ll be documented,” Sammons said. “Most of them have responded positively, probably because they don’t want to have to talk to the director again about their sex life.”

Rumors are another big problem. Lots of people like to read up on celebrity dirt, but when the dirt is about someone they know, they’re automatically more intrigued.

“Since the dorms are so small, everyone knows everyone else’s business and a lot of rumors get started. Everyone knows, or think they know even before it’s on Facebook. Those get really annoying especially because people believe them,” Vaughan said.

Students do have some privacy, though. “If you plan it ahead of time, you can have privacy,” freshman J.J. Figas said.

“I know for myself, a short heads up to my roommate usually works out pretty well.”

“Students should come up with agreements for how time should be broken up, like friends need to be out of the room by 11 so there’s quiet time to do homework,” Sammons said. “Or say you wanted to have your significant other over.

You should text your roommate and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be busy for a while. I’ll let you know when we’re done.’ ”

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 13

Features Person in the Bistro Given the lack of privacy in Harmony Hall, what could students do to be more respectful of their neighbors?

Be aware of the outlets.

Be aware of what you’re doing in your room J.J. Figas Freshman

Definitely be quiet during quiet hours. I asked someone once but they ignored me. People think they’re living alone, but you’re not, you’re living with 150 other people.

Joseph Ross Freshman

They could lower their music or watch the level of their voices.

Abby Legore Junior

People need to not be so rambunctious after midnight. There’s a time and a place for everything.

Adam Macino Senior

Don’t play music as loud Justin Scherer Freshman

Page 14

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

Features

Black Ops before books?

John Mitchell Staff Writer

jwm306@psu.edu

In the last year, many new video games have come out, including Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo.

Many students have been excited – in fact, so excited – they skipped classes to play them.

“Last year was a great year for video games,” freshman Michael Parrish said.

“When Black Ops came out, I must’ve played for three days straight.”

“When Gears of War 3 comes out, I may just miss class for, like, a week!” Parrish added.

Many students like Parrish love to play video games, whether they’re old or new, hand-held or platform.

Most agree games are a great way to pass the time, either before class, after class, and sometimes during.

“I’ve skipped class to play video games like four times,” freshman Jeremy McCarty said.

McCartey also admitted to letting games interfere with his assignments.

“It actually stopped me from

doing my math homework the other day. I would play a round of Black Ops, do a problem. Play a round of Black Ops, do a problem,” he said.

Like McCarty, other students admit to skipping class to play video games.

“Of course I’ve skipped class to play video games,” freshman Jenifer Augostine said.

“Kingdom Hearts is so amazing; I could play it over and over!” she said.

“Yes, I play video games. Yes, I’ve skipped class to play video games. And yes, I’ll skip class to play video games again,” McCarty said.

But not all students like Parrish, Augostine and McCarty are into video games. Some are like freshman Tyler Cox. “To be honest, I don’t really play that many video games,” he said. Cox said he either plays Madden 11 or NBA 2k11.

“I prefer to focus on my studies than playing games. That’s the way to go,” he said.

As video games and the systems

THE ROAR PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/JUSTIN VORBACH

become more advanced, students look forward to what lies ahead.

“With games this sophisticated, it’s hard to imagine what they’ll come out with next,” Cox said.

According to Gamespot.com,

Batman: Arkham City, Rage, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Portal 2, Shogun 2: Total War, Dragon Age 2, Gears of War 3, Uncharted 3, Mass Effect 3, and Killzone 3 are the most anticipated

games of 2011.

“I can’t wait for Gears of War 3, and Dragon Age 2,” Parrish said.

“The first ones were really good; I think everyone should play them at least once.”

Horoscope followers: Here’s your sign Ashley Roznowski Staff Writer

apr5141@psu.edu

The recent buzz on campus and social networking sites about changes in the zodiac signs has no basis in fact when it comes to America.

What many Americans don’t realize is that the muchdiscussed change in zodiac signs only applies to the type of astrology used by Europeans.

People’s zodiac signs are determined by the day they were born and are believed to describe personality traits.

People who follow their zodiac often check their horoscope to learn about friendship, love life or work place.

This so-called change has unsettled horoscope followers such as senior Brittany Acklin.

“I’m disappointed, disgusted, angry and pretty much just aggravated that they decided to all of a sudden change everyone’s zodiac signs just because of the Earth’s rotation,” Acklin said.

“I would feel almost like I was living the life of someone

else if I abruptly started following a different sign.”

Acklin said she not only reads her horoscope for fun, but also as a pick-me-up on a bad day.

“It will inspire me,” she said, admitting that she doesn’t rely on it for accuracy.

Junior Ronnie Wilkins said he believed his sign changed from a Cancer to a Gemini but that the change did not bother him at all because he did not like his old sign.

“I’ll look at it every now and then, but just for fun,” he said.

Discussion about the change in zodiac signs began when a Jan. 13 report by the Minnesota Planetarium Society was published.

The publication stated that the moon’s gravitational pull has made the Earth wobble around its axis, causing a onemonth bump in the star’s alignment.

Though many people were upset about their signs changing, others weren’t aware.

“I didn’t hear about the signs changing until my friend told me,” junior Olivia Skonieczny said.

After researching the change in the zodiac, Skoniezcny found it could be related to the prophecy about the world ending in 2012.

“I always knew about the theories behind the world ending in 2012, and the change in the Earth’s tilt is one of them, so instantly I thought of that and it freaked me out,” she said.

However, the report was written by an astronomer, not an astrologer. The astronomer failed to clarify that there are two types of astrology, Tropical and Sidereal.

America uses Tropical Astrology, also known as Western Astrology, based off the cycle of the Equinoxes.

Europeans use Sidereal Astrology, also known as Eastern Astrology, basing it off constellations, which use the exact rotation of the Earth.

A report by CNN clarified that only the European Sidereal signs have changed.

The tropical signs are still the same because they correlate with the four seasons, not with the rotation of the Earth.

Therefore, if live you in the U.S., your sign didn’t change.

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 15

Page 16

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

Sports

Lady Lions go undefeated

“

I want to play under the lights. I want to cut down the nets. I want that trophy.”

Brandon Perino Staff Writer

bjp5053@psu.edu

With a resounding victory over Penn State DuBois Feb. 16, the Penn State Beaver Lady Lions basketball team attained a new goal – an undefeated conference record – and earned the team’s fourth consecutive No. 1 seed in the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship.

The PSUAC championship tournament is slated for Feb. 22 and 23 at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University Park.

The conference victor receives an automatic bid to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association championship, held March 1-5 at Penn State Fayette, though the Lady Lion’s outstanding record already secured them a spot.

It’s that national title that continues to elude Beaver’s women’s basketball team and its coach, Bert DeSalvo.

Last year, the Lady Lions fell short in the USCAA playoffs, after getting upset in the first round to University of Cincinnati, Clermont College.

The team finished out the two consolation games to claim fifth place overall, but the players remember what happened and bring that experience with them this year.

DeSalvo said he believes that the team has a legitimate chance this year, barring any type of injuries to the team.

“We had a tough schedule this year with games against two Division II schools,” DeSalvo said.

“And we’ve been in this situation many times before.”

Even with the tough schedule, the Lady Lions are outscoring their opponents by more points on average than any other team in the country.

“It’s fun to have games like that, but we still have tough games like with Washington Adventist when we won by five points,” junior Shelby Parks. The Lady Lions beat

Shelby Parks Junior

THE ROAR/ JUSTIN VORBACH

Rachel Halaszynski (No. 42) and Heather Sandusky (No. 20) block their opponent’s shot during a home game against Penn State York on Jan. 29. Beaver defeated York 79-31.

Washington Adventist 62-57 on Feb. 6.

Even with those close games, the Lady Lions have not lost in

the regular season since Jan. 4 in a matchup against Whittier College in California when the team made a trip to the west coast to play in

the Purple and Gold Poet Classic.

The Lady Lions are riding a 12-game winning streak going into the PSUAC playoffs, ending

the regular season with a record of 19-6 and an undefeated conference record.

The Lady Lions ended regular season play against Penn State DuBois and Penn College, both games in conference.

Beaver faced Penn College Feb. 13 where the Lady Lions ran up a 15-2 lead in the first half and held the Lady Wildcats to only 15 points at halftime.

The Lady Lions shot 50 percent from the field and forced the Lady Wildcats into 28 turnovers as Beaver won 96-47.

Junior Rachel Halaszynski was the Lady Lions’ leading scorer with a game high of 25 points while senior Jasmine Green added 16 points. Green is ranked No. 21 in the nation in overall scoring, and No. 11 in field goal percentage.

Parks added 13 points of her own and sophomore Brittany Tomaselli led the team with four assists while scoring 11 points.

In the Feb. 16 matchup against DuBois, the Lady Lions ended the first half with a 39-18 lead.

In the second half, DuBois made a run and cut the deficit to 10 points, but a three-pointer by Tomaselli started a run that would give the Lady Lions a 20-point lead for the remainder of the game.

The Lady Lions were led by Green with 20 points and 11 steals.

Halaszynski added 11 points while senior Heather Sandusky and Parks each contributed nine points.

The team is working hard to prepare for the playoffs, DeSalvo said.

“The team is motivated.”

Parks agreed.

“I want to play under the lights.

I want to cut down the nets. I want that trophy.”

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 17

Sports

Men’s team ranked No. 1 in PSUAC Jennifer Williams Staff Writer

jnw5144@psu.edu

In their final home game at Penn State Beaver Feb. 16, seniors David McGarry and Billy Stoughton helped propel the men’s basketball team to an 87-76 victory of conference rival Penn State DuBois.

McGarry, who is No. 3 in the nation in field goal percentage, posted a season high 29 points and 14 rebounds, while Stoughton, No. 13 in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, added 15 points.

Freshman Chris Weathers chipped in 10.

The win brings the men’s overall record to 15-10 and 15-1 in conference play.

The team’s only conference loss came at home Jan. 21 to Penn State Brandywine 63-56.

Beaver heads into the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship tournament Feb. 22-23 as the No. 1 seed.

The winner of the conference is guaranteed a bid to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association championship March 1-5, but Beaver’s No. 9 national ranking secured the team a USCAA invitation regardless of the PSUAC outcome.

It’s been a remarkable year for the team.

With 10 new players – including five freshmen – and only six returning team members, Coach Marcess Williams rightly calls his team young.

“We’ve got a lot of young people trying to fill crucial positions,” Williams said. “We also have a lot of inconsistencies, but we are learning to be persistent.”

Weathers agreed.

“As a team we’ve put in a lot of effort to get better, but there’s always room for improvement,” he said.

Williams said he’s excited to make his third trip to the PSUAC tournament. Beaver won the championship the past two years.

“We’ve just got to continue to

THE ROAR / JUSTIN VORBACH

Tony Houghton, left, dunks the ball during the Jan. 29 game against Penn State York. Houghton (No. 24), above, runs onto the court as his name is announced before the game.

“

As a team we’ve put in a lot of effort to get better, but there’s always room for improvement.”

get better every day,” Williams said. “Work hard and practice hard. If we do that, we’re going to keep playing.”

Despite its youth, the team continues to work hard and make great progress.

“It has been a different experi-

ence than the previous three years that I’ve been here,” Stoughton said. “At times the team gave their all. Other times there were a lack of effort I feel.”

Williams said talent is his team’s biggest asset.

“We just have to finish out

strong and continue to get better every day. If we continue to get better it will be a good jumpstart for next year,” he said.

Stoughton agreed.

“Our record doesn’t show how good we really are, or how good we can be,” he said.

In the Feb. 16 win over DuBois, Beaver held a 15-point lead. But with four minutes to go in the half, DuBois cut that lead and Beaver went into the half with a small 42-35 advantage. In the second, the teams rallied back and forth, but Beaver took the game. Beaver turned the ball over seven times, and forced DuBois into 19 turnovers.

Beaver shot a solid 50.7 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from behind the arc.

A 71-49 win over Penn Col-

Chris Weathers Freshman

lege Feb. 13 was the victory that secured Beaver the top spot in the PSUAC. Although Beaver lost a 10-point lead to close the first half at 34-34, the Lions were a powerhouse in the second half.

Within the first 10 minutes, the Lions went on a run to gain a 10-point advantage and gained more than a 20-point lead for the win.

McGarry was the high scorer and rebounder for Beaver, scoring 21 points and grabbing a season high of 16 boards.

Junior Julian Taylor and sophomore Nick Miller each added 11 points.

Miller is ranked No. 17 in the nation in assists.

Senior Staff Writer Noelle Miloszewski contributed to this report.

Page 18

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011

Sports

Cheerleaders stand out Al’Nycea Blackwell Staff Writer

aab5314@psu.edu

Penn State Beaver's cheerleading squad has recently become a more prominent fixture at the men’s basketball games.

From a distance, the group seems like any typical cheerleading squad: cheering when the team scores, rooting for the team when it’s down on its luck and giving half-time routines to entertain the crowd.

But with a closer look, it’s clear this team is more than an average group of cheerleaders.

When most people think of cheerleaders, they think of preppie, popular girls who are in a league of their own.

But Beaver’s cheerleaders are a relatable group of women.

"Our team is more fan based," said freshmen Kelsey Green.

The reason for that can lie in the squad's diversity. "We're from all over. We all come from different places and backgrounds," Green said.

Brandi Wolfe does not exactly

THE ROAR/BRIDGET MCCULLOUGH

The cheerleading squad practices its halftime routine in the gym during one of the Sunday practices.

fit the "typical" image of a college cheerleader. The freshman is a 23-year-old former war veteran with tattoos on her arm, quite the opposite of the preppie, popular cheerleader.

"I get that a lot,” Wolfe said.

“People say ‘I didn't know you were a cheerleader’ because I have

tattoos on my arm."

Penn State’s Beaver's cheerleading squad challenges expectations every day, not just with the diversity of the squad, but with their skills as well.

The squad works out every Sunday for three hours. Before the season, they went to cheerleading

camp to help hone their skills.

"They have come really far this year," said Coach Michelle Kobrik.

Green agreed. "We try our best.

We can only do the best that we can."

That easy-going attitude is evident in their personable personalities. The cheerleaders are easy

to connect with and easy for the crowd to like because they are real, everyday students. "(To be one of) the girls on this squad, that takes class and work,” Kobrik said. “They are learning what life is like after school and I think this is going to make them better people."

Help wanted for new wrestling team Andrew DiPietrantonio Staff Writer

ahd5039@psu.edu

Penn State Beaver is grappling with the challenge of starting a wrestling program without having a coach. The wrestling program, set to start in the fall, will be Beaver’s eighth varsity sport.

The athletic department is in the process of hiring a coach, said Chris Rizzo, director of Student Affairs.

Since no one has been hired yet, that means the recruiting of student-athletes for the new program has not begun.

But Rizzo and Athletic Director Andy Kirschner do not seem worried.

“Once a coach is hired, everything will or should fall into place,” Rizzo said.

“The trouble finding a coach has been a unique situation,” Kirschner said. “There is not one underlying reason we do not have a coach.

There have been hurdles at every turn.”

According to Kirschner, several were interested. However, things just didn’t work out.

“Once they got the details of the job, they were unable to commit the time needed,” he said.

“We are looking at current and former high school coaches for the job,” he added. “At the moment, we have two candidates, and the decision should be made soon.”

Not having a coach does not seem to bother senior Keagan Donnen.

“I am just excited to wrestle again,” Donnen said. “I am glad that Penn State Beaver is giving me the opportunity to wrestle my last year of college.”

Donnen plans to wrestle next fall as a fifth-year senior.

“One of the main reasons that we decided to add a program is to give wrestlers a chance to compete

at the next level and earn a Penn State degree,” Kirschner said. “And not too many schools our size have the opportunity to have a wrestling program. We saw it as a chance to add more variety to our varsity sports.”

According to Rizzo, it made sense to add wrestling to the list of varsity sports because many high schools in the area have wrestling programs.

“Currently five wrestlers from local high schools have already shown interest,” Kirschner said.

In preparation for the launch of the new sport, the campus is starting a wrestling club this spring.

Since Kirschner has been athletic director, the campus has seen tremendous growth in its athletic program.

Most recently, women’s soccer was added last fall.

The addition of wrestling next fall and construction of a new $3.2 million wellness center, expected to open next spring, will further enhance the program.

These additions “should help enrollment and hopefully the retention of student-athletes,” Rizzo said.

For more information about wrestling, contact Kirschner at ack121@psu.edu or 724-773-3826.

February 2011

Penn State Beaver Roar

Page 19

Sports No. 3 in conference

Fightin’ Beavs stay postive after recent loss Reina Chedid Staff Writer

rmc5314@psu.edu

The Penn State Beaver Fightin’ Beavs inline hockey team is ranked third in its conference, having lost to Clarion 5-3 on Feb. 17.

With a 6-4 record, Penn State Beaver is trailing the undefeated Robert Morris University Blue team and second-ranked Community College of Allegheny County North (7-3-1).

The Fightin’ Beavs started off the new year strong with a 3-1 victory over Duquesne University Jan. 13.

Freshmen Antonio Allegra, Kurt Hazabin and Chris Muffi all scored goals.

But conference leader RMU Blue dominated Beaver in a 13-2 loss Jan. 26. Allegra and sophomore Dan Vish scored the only goals.

In addition, sophomore Travis Whalen returned to play following a three-game suspension for biting an opponent’s hand during a fight.

But with renewed determination and more practice, Beaver rebounded with a 5-3 win over SRU White Feb. 2, in which Allegra had three goals and Muffi had two.

During their game against Clarion on Feb. 17, the Fightin’ Beavs started off strong by scoring first in

THE ROAR/DANA SKLACK

Freshman Antonio Allegra waits for the puck to be passed to him during the Fightin’ Beavs game against Clarion on Feb. 17.

the first period.

The next three goals were scored

by Clarion in the second period.

Both teams scored two goals in the

Travel far far away… to Pittsburgh with the

P U

Beaver Choir Club WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16th @ 7:00pm

third period. However, Clarion came out on top.

Muffi is the fourth overall leading scorer in the conference.

“I had a feeling I would be up there in points, but I never expected to be fourth right now, because before this year I played mostly

defense,” Muffi said.

“I think playing against RMU was my least favorite because they are just so deep with very skilled players,” he added. “My favorite opponent was Duquesne, because they were really big trash talkers and we won both games against them.”

Sophomore captian Jake Szemanski agreed that RMU is the Fightin’ Beavs’ toughest opponent.

But Szemanski also said that regardless of the opponent, being the team captain makes every game a little more stressful for him.

“I feel a little added pressure being the captain, because I have to set a good example for the rest of the team and not complain,” he said.

Penn State Beaver has three more regular-season games, including anouther game against Clarion University on March 2.

Since the Fightin’ Beavs have beaten many good teams and have stayed consistent throughout the season, prospects for the playoffs are looking very good, Szemanski said.

“I am very excited about the playoffs, but I don’t want to face RMU because they are a very challenging opponent... although it would be a really good feeling and a great accomplishment to beat them,” he said.

WBVR New DJs wanted!

(Bus leaves at 5:30pm)

Cost: $5.00 Stop in the SAS and sign up today!

For information email James Hustead at jmh645@psu.edu.

Page 20

Penn State Beaver Roar

February 2011